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m-jelly · 2 years ago

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Heya jelly

First of all i looooove your writings like they're so awesome and I'm looking forward to more interesting stuff and I'm loving the emperor levi maid reader fanfiction 🥺🦋

I have a ask kinda request? Idk how to describe so i loooved your merman levi fanfics i was thinking what it will be like if levi and reader both are mer people

I kept thinking about it Last night 😅 can you write something about it ?!

I'm so glad you enjoyed that fic <3 I loved making it and have so many more Emperor Levi ideas. I'm happy to do a little something for you <3

@kenkopanda-art <3

Pearl Hearts.

Pairing: Merman!Levi x Mermaid!Reader

Genre and tags: Love, fluff, proposals, cute, being a couple.

Concept: Levi has been courting you as tradition asks and is finally ready to pop the question. He goes out to find the perfect pearl for you and finds a rare one. He makes you a ring and asks you to marry him.

Tag list: @ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @skittlelover69 @strawberrybunny123 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @notgoodforlife @demonsimp6 (tried tagging demonsimp6, but your Tumblr is not showing up on the tag list.)

Levi swam quickly out of the edges of the city with a soft blush on his cheeks. He slowed down when he reached the oyster fields. He picked up different oysters and inspected them. He listened to his heart closely. He knew it had to show his pure love for you.

He swam further and towards where humans would be. Humans knew about merpeople and they were nice about it, but Levi didn't like them too much because they liked him for being different and thought it was fun to try and be with a merperson.

He stopped by an oyster and picked it up. He opened it to see a pearl shaped like a heart. "Perfection."

He took the pearl and swam back to the home he shared with you. He checked you weren't home before he started making the ring for you. He smiled softly at his work. He put it in a little box and placed it in a bag. He was so happy and proud of what he'd done.

Levi perked up when you swam into the home. "Welcome home."

You swam over to Levi and hugged him tightly. "Hi, honey. I'm glad to be home. I missed you!" You showered his face in kisses before sitting on his lap. "Can we go out?"

"Sure."

"I know just where to go!" You kissed Levi and swam around. "I'm excited. I'll get my bag."

Levi hummed a laugh as he felt pure love in his heart for you. He checked his fin ears in the mirror before placing on his courting crown. He turned to you and felt flustered by you wearing your crown. "Pretty."

You lightly touch your crown as you blushed. "Thank you. I really love yours."

Levi whimpered. "Thank you." He swam over to you and held your hand. "Ready?"

You nodded and pulled him along as you went out of town. You squeezed Levi's hand so he squeezed it back. You felt your heart flutter as you took Levi to the underwater crystal caves. You stopped and sat in the right spot.

You held up your hand to stop Levi from speaking. "Wait a moment."

He hummed and looked around. His eyes widened when the sun shined into the cave just right and lit up the whole place. Levi gasped at the white sparkles. "This...this is stunning." He looked down to see you in front of him blushing hard. He said your name softly. "What are you doing?"

You whined as you pulled out a box from your bag. You opened a little box to show a ring. "Marry me, Levi,"

Levi blushed hard. "You..." He yanked his box out of his bag and showed you the ring. "I was thinking the same thing. Marry me."

You stared at the heart ring and giggled. "Yes, I will."

Levi smiled. "Yes to you too." He put your ring on and then accepted his ring from you. "I can't believe we both planned this."

You giggled. "Just goes to show how much we love each other." You sat on his lap and nuzzled the gills on his neck. "I love you."

"I love you, always." He massaged your side. "How about we take a trip on the above world?"

"I think that'd be lovely."

#captain levi #levi #levi ackerman #aot levi #snk levi #fanfic #aot fanfiction #levi fanfiction #levi x you #levi x y/n #aot x you #levi x reader #levi ackerman fluff #levi ackerman x you #levi ackerman x reader #mer!levi #jelly fanfics

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waybrights · 2 years ago

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just some small sashanne sillies,,, i miss them :(

ps my spelling hasn't been checked so if u see any mistakes,,, no u don't djdjjdjd

---

"woah!" the loud gasp over her shoulder is all sasha needs to grin proudly at her work. "how'd you do that?"

sasha turns to face her friend with a proud smile and holds up her small chain of blue flowers - weeds, her mother called them, but they were pretty and easy to make into chains, so sasha picked and weaved them to her hearts content. "it's easy really annie!" she says, pushing up onto her dirt stained knees to help anne. "you just need to pierce the stem with your thumb and them pull the other flower through." she tries to give a demonstration, but anne drops her chin onto her shoulder and sasha starts feeling strange.

a good strange, she realises and lets the butterflies flap around her stomach and the peculiar warmth grace her cheeks. it's a nice feeling, anne leaning against her, their bodies pressed together so their heat starts to mingle, dirty hands holding clean ones as they thread flowers together.

it takes sasha several goes before she finally pulls the blue flower through, with her tongue between her teeth and eyes narrowed, it finally threads through and adds another link to her chain. just like marcy taught me, she thinks happily as she holds the chain up for anne to see.

"see! easy!"

anne's eyes go impossibly wider and she shuffles ever closer, her knees digging into sasha's back as she does. "that's so awesome sash!" she giggles watching intently as sasha does the same again. "what is it?"

sasha hums for a moment, eyeing the chain with thought before an idea clicks into place. an idea that makes her heart sing. "it's a crown annie! a crown for you!"

"oh!" anne sits up causing sasha to stop what she's doing (she doesn't pout, when annes warmth leaves her, no of course she doesn't, she's ten now not a baby).

"what?" does she not want my crown? or maybe the colours wrong? should i have made it yellow instead-

sasha watches as anne scrambles up, her curls bobbing in the afternoon sun and grin even brighter. "i'm gonna make you a crown too! so we can match!" and before sasha can say anything else, anne is off, crawling through the grass in search for flowers that are fit for a princess.

they sit in silence for a while (something that is a rarity these days), both too focused on their crowns to even think about speaking and running their concentration. even when sasha finishes, she sits there in silence, watching anne's hands as they pierce and weave pink flowers together.

it's magical, she thinks. marcy would like this, marcy likes magic things. but marcy isn't here because her parents sent her to smart kids school for the summer, so sasha takes a mental picture of anne and the crowns and tucks it away in the back of her mind for later, when she can see marcy again.

eventually, anne finishes, tying up her pink chain of flowers with a slight bounce and a wide smile. "here!" she says, the word bursting out of her as excitement runs through her every vein. she holds up the crown and sasha giggles, standing up to tower over her.

"no, silly," she laughs and to anne its a wonderful sound. "you do it like this!" then she coughs and steps back, a suddenly serious look on her face as she speaks. "ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness the crowning of the prettiest princess that lives on this side of the us," sasha says, lowering her ring of blue flowers onto anne's curls. "anne boonchuy, the new princess of the state of california!"

anne claps when sasha steps back with a wink. making sure her crown is secure, anne pushes herself up and grips the circle of pink in her hands. "your turn now sash," she whispers, as though someone may overhear them.

"oh yes," sasha nods, "of course your majesty." anne giggles again and sasha sits down on the grass with her legs crossed and hands folded into her skirt. "you can go now," she says in a matching whisper after she makes sure she's comfortable as possible.

anne nods and steps forward, raising the crown above sasha's head. "sasha waybright, of the waybright house three doors down from me," she starts, lowering the crown as she speaks. "i officially dub you: princess sasha, the second most prettiest princess in all of america!" the crown settles over sasha's ponytail and the girl sighs.

"is it marcy? the most prettiest?" sasha asks, pulling her ponytail through ever so gently. "if it is i won't be mad, annie, i think she's the prettiest ever as well. both of you are."

the warmth in anne's cheeks most certainly doesn't come from the sun. "yeah, it is marcy. but you're really pretty too!"

sasha smiles her winning smile and takes anne's hand, pulling her back into the house. "cool! now i'm really hungry, do you want some snacks?" she rambles and anne spends the rest of the day in a warm haze, full of only love and happiness as she spends the rest of the day with one of her two favourite people.

#THEM #THE BABIES!!!!!#i hope u guys like this ehehhe #ik the ending is kinda :/ its midnight and i wasnt planning on this djdhdhdj #sashanne #sasha waybright #anne boonchuy #marcy wu #shes mentioned #is it sashannarcy?? if they both admit to having huge crushes on marcy shzhd #amphibia #marie.txt #marie writes

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magicman111 · 3 years ago

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A Moth to a Flame - Chapter Two

One month later

Sasha joylessly toyed with the Music Box, opening its lid like a yawning mouth.

Who’d have thunk it? She wondered to herself. This tacky little thing could cause so much calamity?

How ludicrously out of place she looked curled up on King Andrias’ enormous throne, almost like the little girl playing pretend in the driver’s seat of her parents’ car. You’d be forgiven for not knowing she’d just led the swiftest, easiest toppling of a government in this world’s history.

Big blue dummy locked up? Check. The city’s army surrendered? Check. Their toad army less than an hour away? Check. Dimension-skipping Macguffin firmly in their position? Double Check.

Not a bad day’s work for a 13-year-old.

Marcy’s oversized sparrow was tethered to the armrest by his leg. A prize she’d taken for herself so she could cruise around her new kingdom in style. She saw to it he wasn’t under any duress, and the fact he was neck deep in an industrial sized bag of bird feed told her he was plenty comfortable.

Sasha managed a tiny smile as she reached out to run her fingers through the thickness of his coat. She dunked her hand in the bag and offered him an open palm of seeds; he eyed for a moment or two before gingerly pecking at the mound.

Thank Frog no one was around to hear the ‘d’aww’ escape her lips.

Her grandmother was the one she had to thank for her secret admiration of birds. Old lady had been a birdwatcher who ‘treated’ her to regular weekend trips into the forest when she was younger. This was long before her discovery of malls and arcades. Sasha wouldn’t dare admit it to even herself back then, but the ones they spotted together on those dewy spring mornings were beautiful to behold in their natural habitat.

Herons may now be forever ruined for her, but Joe—she thought that was his name—was a mighty impressive specimen. Poor guy somehow found the strength to carry all seven of them to Newtopia, only to nosedive into the moat at the end of the flight.

Definitely had nothing to do with her asking Marcy if she could take the reins in the last stretch. She and Anne were kind enough not to draw attention to it, same as they did the day at summer camp when they discovered her crying into her pillow. They were awesome enough to go along with her story that it was only allergies. She knew she had a true pair of girlfriends that morning.

Thinking about them only soured her mood afresh. She sprinkled the rest of the feed back into the bag and slumped against the backrest, arms petulantly crossed.

Here she was in the crowning moment of her young life and she couldn’t have been more miserable.

Maybe because her friends should have been here to share in this, but no, they had to go and act all noble. What else should she have expected? She always was the only one in the group with the guts. Anne had to be dragged kicking and screaming to ditch school and join her and Marcy in celebrating her birthday. Was it any wonder she had to keep taking control of the situation?

More likely... it was because deep down she knew she didn’t really want this. She certainly believed she did after they dropped that gloryhound newt general down a waterfall and when they successfully rallied the Toad Lords after retrieving Barrel’s Warhammer. Things only started getting complicated when they needed free tickets into Newtopia in the form of her friends.

She hadn’t counted on realising just how much she missed her clumsy, klutzy Marcy. Neither how effectively she and Anne were still able to work together as a team in spite of all the unpleasantness that had transpired between them during their time here, of which there was plenty. The fact that Anne actively encouraged her in taking down that molten toad monster was the rancid cherry atop the sludge sundae. For a while back there, it looked like they might really turn a corner and start afresh. All three of them could have gone home like none of this ever happened. Except by then it was already too late.

What recourse did she have when the Plantars invited them for the world’s most awkward dinner party or when they brought the house down at the Battle of the Bands? Tell Grime and all the toads who’d invested their manpower and futures in her that sorry, she was getting cold feet? There was only one grizzly way that would end both for her and Grime and the best scenario she could imagine involved heads on pikes.

... It didn’t matter anymore. Her friends had picked their path, she’d picked hers. As her mom always said, ‘You make your bed, you lie in it’. Funny how in her short life, she’d heard that line far too many times already.

Once she figured out how the Box worked, she’d send both Anne and Marcy on their merry way and they’d never have to see each other ever again.

Everyone would get what they want.

Good thing then she’d sent her soldiers to ransack Marcy’s room for all her research about Anne’s fateful birthday gift. Girl was a pack rat. She kept notes for every exam and project they were assigned back home. The less said about her laptop jammed with files of anime fanfiction and theories the better.

Plus, it was a good way to try and distract herself.

They came back into the throne room hauling burlap sacks full of parchments and emptied their contents at Sasha’s feet.

Daaang, girl, you've been in the zone.

She scattered them over her lap and the ample free space on the seat. They actually weren’t that hard to follow; colour coordinated with plenty of cutesy kawaii diagrams. Trademark Marbles.

Apparently, it worked a lot like those puzzle boxes Marcy got as gifts from relatives in Hong Kong. All it took was knowing the right sequence of buttons and zip! You can go wherever you want in the cosmos. Just a matter of finding the code for Earth.

‘I’m done listening to you!

I’m done trusting you!’

Sasha scowled, trying to push the thoughts to the back of her mind where they belonged. She shuffled through a couple more pages until she found the one titled in glittery green and blue lettering, ‘HOME’.

Bingo.

‘You’re a horrible person!’

Ignore. Ignore.

Now all she had to do was jot it down on her palm and—

‘AND I AM DONE. BEING. FRIENDS WITH YOU!!’

She stopped. Her shoulders drooped. Then she just threw the page down on the floor and sunk into her seat further than she thought physically possible.

She normally didn’t consider herself that thin skinned a person, but man, that one hurt.

Traces of bitter tears creeped into her eyes.

What am I even doing anymore?

The sound of footsteps on crumpling paper and someone clearing their throat snapped her out of her self-pitying torpor. She fluttered her eyes dry to see Grime standing there awkwardly among the discarded parchments.

The diminutive, one-eyed former Toad Lord was hiding something behind his back. He actually looked pretty embarrassed about it too, which for a battle hardened war vet like Grime was actually kinda adorable in Sasha’s eyes.

“I, uhh, got you something,” he said, whipping out a long rectangular present wrapped in green paper and topped with a luscious red bow. “Had it made especially for this day.”

Now if there was one thing Sasha Waybright couldn’t say no to, it was a gift, especially from a trusted friend. They were the ultimate distraction from the blues and she couldn’t have been sitting upright and tearing into this one any quicker.

“Whaaat? Grimesy, you didn’t!” What she had pulled from the ravaged packaging wielded aloft her head made her gasp. “How’d you know I wanted to duel wield?!”

It was a brand new heron sword. An exquisite green second shortsword that would compliment Ol’ Pink perfectly.

She stared proudly into the smooth steel surface, admiring the craftsmanship. When she noticed the girl staring right back at her, however, her smirk vanished in an instant. The captain of the cheerleaders, the scarred swordswoman, the conqueror of Newtopia, whatever angle she looked at it, she didn’t like what she saw. Unbelievable as it may sound, even the joy of an awesome gift like this was not enough to make everything better.

“What’s the matter? You don’t like it? Oh dang it!” Grime slammed his forehead. “I didn’t get a gift receipt!”

“No no, it’s just...” Sasha weighed the blade against her ungloved palm. Talking about these kinds of things was never easy for her. “What if Anne’s right? What if I am a horrible person?”

Grime popped up like a whack-a-mole behind the armrest. “Who cares what she thinks?” he scoffed. “You and I are in charge now, and we get to do whatever we want!”

“That’s the thing... I’m not sure what I want anymore,” she admitted wearily.

For all his years of training at the finest academies, his brutal combat in the colosseum and tactical expertise earned through a lifetime of military service as his forebears before him, this one had Grime stumped. Needless to say, talking about one’s emotions wasn't exactly encouraged during their upbringing in toad culture, so naturally it wasn’t one of his strong suits. Just one of the many things he and Sasha had in common.

“Huh.”

Still, he was a pretty fast thinker and came up with a fairly good idea on the spot.

“Why don’t you help me redecorate this place?” he suggested, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Take your mind off it. Cuz this right here...” He gestured to the cluttered mess in which she’d surrounded herself. “This is definitely not—I’m sorry, can I help you?!”

Both of them turned their heads when it became impossible to ignore Joe’s cone-shaped beak lightly nipping at Grime’s cheek.

“He probably thinks your warts are seeds.”

“For the love of—I knew he was eyeing me up on the ride here! There! Get lost!” Grime scooped up a fistful of feed and flung it over the marble floor, but the winged beast persisted with pecking his face. “Stop it! MY HEAD IS NOT A FEEDER!!”

It took an exceptional effort of willpower for Sasha not to laugh at the sight of her old man being preyed upon by the family pet.

Wow, she thought. Her old man? Was that how she saw Grimesy now? Seriously?

Perhaps up to a point. Okay, considering the options she had for parental figures back home, it wasn’t exactly the highest bar to pass, but it still meant something. Anything.

Who would have guessed this would be how they’d end up, especially given how they started off with her as his prisoner? Sure, it may have taken her helping him and the whole tower not getting turned into heron feed for her to be upgraded to his lieutenant, but they really had come a long way since then. There was a lot more honor and heart to the cranky old toad than she first thought, back when she wrote him off just as another blowhard with power. Now he genuinely considered her his equal both as a friend and comrade in arms. For Sasha, the feeling was mutual. A first for her.

When all was said and done, who else did she have left besides him and vice versa?

What the heck? Let’s tear this place up.

Untethering Joe, she whistled a tweet-tweet and gave the rope a gentle tug to encourage him to follow on their ‘indoor walkies’.

A cursory surveillance of the throne room told her there was a lot of work to be done. If this toad regime was to last a thousand years, the correct decor was an important first step. Thankfully for them, she knew a thing or two about fashion. For starters, there were way too many soft blues and purples. Rust red from top to bottom! She preferred keeping the stained glass windows, but they’d need entirely new designs. Hers truly would naturally feature in most of them, one showcasing her and Grime caving that narwhal worm’s head in with the Warhammer being an absolute must. The snakes coiling the stone pillars weren’t a bad touch, if just a bit too elegant for the whole ‘proud warrior race’ vibe they were going for, but she could still work with them. Now as for the throne, they were gonna have to replace it with something much more imposing. There was that super violent dragon show she and her parents used to watch that had the huge throne made out of swords. She was sure she had a picture somewhere on her phone to use as a reference.

“I’m sorry, what the heck is this?!”

Sasha could only denounce what they were gawking at as the single biggest affrontement to tasteful decorating known to man or amphibian. Yes, worse than inflatable furniture, carpeted bathrooms, beaded curtains, glass block bathroom windows, ‘live, laugh, love’ quotes on walls, rustic hearts, mason jars and nautical accessories all combined under the same inland roof.

Tapestries had their rightful place in a palace’s interior design, but the one sweeping across a section of wall depicting a gentle hearted Andrias sitting down by a lake, surrounded by flowers and lilypads was nothing short of vomit-inducing. Gathered at his feet and scooped up in his protective arms were his wide-eyed, childlike subjects. Even the fish and a lobster were surfacing to bask in their king’s magnanimity. Here the oversized salamander was truly the loving patriarch of everything the light touched. The mawkish display could only be topped off with a rainbow streaking across the sky.

Grime felt his stomach roile. If he ever needed an example to demonstrate the difference between kitschy and downright tacky, this was it.

“Y-y-y-yikes!” he gagged. “This thing’s gotta go!”

Sasha didn’t need a second invite. Besides, what else was Joe going to use to line his nest?

A joint effort tore the offensive piece from its place and it tumbled to the floor in a heap.

Dead silence fell over the room.

Hidden beneath the tapestry was... a mural. Including such a decoration in a throne room was hardly surprising, yet it was what it contained that shocked both the human and toad, so much so that they had to take a moment to recover.

“Woah,” they gasped at once, before starting to analyse what they saw.

The mural was a chaotic collection of nightmarish images painted on a night blue wall. Wild red flames spewing out hordes of beasts and the wreckage of buildings. Mountains of skulls and bones belonging to frogs, toads and newts alike. A flying... spaceship? A castle? Whatever it was meant to be, it firied a white beam up at what was unmistakably the Music Box. Pink, green and blue lightning bolts crackled out of the Box. Mesmerising orange gemstones or, more terrifyingly, eyes leaped off the wall and burned themselves into their minds. The frightening focal point of this one-way ticket to the school therapist’s office? Rising out of the middle of the inferno was the silhouette of a red-eyed, goliath-sized beast, its claws reaching up covetously towards the Box that hung right above its crowned head.

It may as well have been lifted straight from the tattered dream journal of a madfrog.

Any ideas of redecorating the throne room were long gone. Even the revolution they were spearheading suddenly seemed millions of miles away in the face of what they’d just stumbled upon.

Peering her eyes slightly, Sasha was the first to put a face to the shadowy leviathan, and when she did, she had to swallow her heart back down into her chest.

“Is that the king?” she asked, mystified. “With the music box?”

Sweat ran down the side of Grime’s nonplussed face. “If it is… it’s a really good thing we stopped him.”

Neither of them said it aloud, but both understood the situation at once. All this time they thought they’d been playing flipwart while the king played bog jump. Oh, how wrong they’d been. It was beyond anything that even the Toad Lords discussed. They knew that they had to reconvene with them as soon as the armies had reached the gate.

She took a couple steps closer to reexamine the mural more thoroughly, missed details emerging now that the initial shock began to wear off. Circuit board markings—the same inside her dad’s outdated computer when she foolishly dared Marcy if she could take it apart—worked their way around the images, serving as some type of frame. Odd choice for a world that didn’t even have steam engines yet. She also picked up the three small geometric figures standing atop the Box’s lid. An artist she was not, but they looked pretty human-like in design.

But humans did not exist in Amphibia. The three of them were the first of their kind to ever set foot in this dimension.

Weren’t they?

Alarm bells were ringing louder than ever before. This Andrias guy had been playing Anne and Marcy for his own ends this whole time, all to get his mitts on the Music Box! What did he plan to do with it? Right now, she still couldn’t say, but it was all bad. Outside of a kickin’ rock band, fire and skulls together were never a good thing!

Even Joe’s feathers were puffing up anxiously against her back. Not turning away from the mural, she raised her hand and patted his risen crest.

“I know, big guy. I don’t like it either.”

Grime’s voice rang urgently in her ears, “Lieutenant! Get over here, quick!!”

Sasha had spun on her heels and sprinted down the room to find Grime standing the wreckage of what used to be a display of armour. He’d evidently acted on a hunch while she’d been preoccupied. Judging by his thunderstruck expression, he’d just discovered something far worse.

“What is iooooh boy!”

This new second mural reminded Sasha a lot of Egyptian hieroglyphs. If there was any room for doubt about the technicolor stick guys, there was none here. Standing tall against an indigo backdrop in a neat row were the outlines of human beings; long gangly appendages, stumpy noses and everything. Some were wearing hooded capes, others were decked out in suits of armour. The couple in the middle looked particularly regal. No prizes for guessing the little wooden box they were holding in their hands, cementing their authority as if it were the globus cruciger.

Faded inscriptions were engraved along the bottom. They were written in a more archaic amphibian dialect, but being a toad of higher education, Grime was able to give translating them a decent shot.

These great beings of magic and might

Travelled from beyond to serve the night

Bow before these children of man

Or know the wrath of the—

“... Wu Clan?” He cocked his one good eye up at her. “Iiiii’m not getting it.”

There it was. Floodlights flashed in Sasha’s head. All colour drained from her face. A million and one thoughts were now firing across her brain at once, threatening to send her into cerebral shutdown.

It was at that moment she knew she’d been played. They all had. She didn’t know whether to be absolutely furious, betrayed or impressed.

Why that conniving, devious little—

That's when they heard the BOOM outside the window.

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shewhospeakswiththunder · 5 years ago

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Perhaps you’re feeling bored at home or, if considered an “essential” worker like me, you need a little fun and stress relief. Here is my masterpost of fic recs from my two years of reading so far. Maybe you’ll find something new, or reconnect with an old favorite. Either way--

Enjoy! 😷💕

Reylo Fics that Deserve All the Love

Near Kinsman by englishable

Englishable is just one of the best writers I’ve encountered in fandom. This historical western mail order bride AU is top notch quality.

The Masochism of Self-Defence by greyorchids

The Reylo dynamic in this Boston PD AU is steamy, but also heartfelt.

So Much Thin Glass by walkingsaladshooter

Never knew I loved modern day Gothic AUs until I ran across this one.

Heaven Forbid by DarkKnightDarkSide

I was stunned by the author’s creativity in this Priestlo fic. So smutty. So... inventive 😉🔥

Sonder by deathbyhumidity

Two strangers passing each other by on the train. Soft, dreamlike, somber, poignant. Modern AU.

And Still I Would Remember by Inmyownidiom

A Victorian era AU of two souls that parted and come crashing back together.

So, You've Decided to Glamour a Human Girl. by selunchen

Faeries AU! Ben, a fae, and Rey, a human. Shenanigans ensue.

Live Long, and Prosper by SaintHeretical

For the Reylo Trekkies. Hell, even if you don't do Star Trek, read this. PHENOMENAL.

Mr. Solo & Miss Wellfound by LinearA

“Regency/Victorian AU, Ben sees Rey's stockinged ankle by accident.”

Diyari by Nervoustouch

Modern archeologists AU. Snarky banter with dashes of Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Sahara vibes.

Drawn to the light of your burning sorrows by Kyriadamorte

The Mothlo AU you didn’t know you needed. Both gritty and soft.

Crown Glass by RebelRebel

Fantasy AU, with lots of beautiful imagery and engaging character dynamics.

Kohelet 3:16 (Call Me A Cab) by LinearA

NYC Jewish Leia and Ben. Skillfully layered plot, nuanced characterization. Smut is HOT.

By the Shores of Varykino Lake by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

Unhealthy dynamics, definitely read the tags. “There’s a lot of fucked-up-ness”, in the author’s own words. But it’s good writing. Fair warning.

Let Me Put My Darkness In You by ArdeaJestin

Canonverse. Hux is an insufferable, pompous ass and Kylo Ren writes terrible, melodramatic poetry.

Wintertide by Zabeta

Whimsical and primitive in turn, this lives up to the style of a true fairytale AU.

The Forty Thieves by PoetHrotsvitha

Peaky Blinders/Gangsters AU. Rey starts as Ben’s bartender and ends up as so much more.

I Said to My Soul, Be Still by LinearA

Dark!Rey takes her man. 🥵🔥💕

Hux's Rousing Pep Talks by Riels_shorts

This fic is hysterical. It’s not Reylo, and I don’t care. My list, my rules.

It's All I Can Do To Leave You Alone by TazWren

Office AU. Silly, spunky, with a bashful Ben.

Sip the Honey Sweet by dietplainlite

Anne of Green Gables-esque/Edwardian era AU, the title really says it all.

The Pull to the Light by HarpiaHarpyja

Entrancingly macabre. This modern/fantasy/monsters AU catches your attention from the get-go, and never lets you off the hook.

lay then the axe to the root by sciosophia

All the Bronte goodness, plus smut.

The Golden Age by TourmalineGreen

Golden Age of Hollywood AU in which Ben is a jaded actor in serious need of an image fix, in the form of fresh-faced actress Rey.

Never Be Your Curse by Kate_Reid

Kylo Ren is a go-go dancer in this AU. That was enough to get my attention 😘

Gallows God by Killtheselights

Bursting with deliciously grim imagery, an intelligent take on Norse mythology.

Thunderstorms, Clouds, Snow, and a Slight Drizzle by aNerdObsessed

Who doesn’t love an ugly sweater Christmas party? Ben Solo, that’s who. All the nostalgic wintertime feels in this modern AU.

Though My Soul Has Set in Darkness by englishable

It’s not long, but it’s good. A lyrical dive into the mindspace of child Ben Solo. A true gem. Also not technically Reylo. Still don’t care.

I Dare You by tinylittlebrain

Daredevil Kylo has pissed off ER doc Rey Kenobi for the last time. Spicy!

stuck in colder weather by redbelles

Professor Ren stops grad student Rey from biking home in a snow storm. And takes her to his home. You can guess where this goes 😉

Between Sky and Sea by nessalk

Serious Indiana Jones vibes with a Caribbean flair. Painstakingly researched, and moments of true beauty and joy.

But Before Tomorrow by Kate_Reid

Such good writing. Canonverse.

The Sword of Prince Hector by englishable

Exploration of what redemption might feel like for Ben, canonverse.

if compassion be the breath of life, breathe on me by Victoryindeath2

All the angst and unknowns that we were left with in the wake of TLJ are soothed in this canonverse piece.

build a ladder to the stars by redbelles

An exploration of events post-Crait. Fantastic, beautifully written.

nor are we forgiven (which brings us back) by TolkienGirl

Both Kylo and Rey get to see what life would have been like if they both got exactly what they thought they wanted after TLJ. Fascinating read.

Forsworn by Erulisse17

This Mando/ST crossover has everything you could want--action, witty banter, space romance! So much fun!

Reylo Favorites & Classics

One Shots

59 Minutes by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

For Science by KyloTrashForever, ohwise1ne

He Made It Through the Wilderness (somehow he made it through) by LovesBitca8

light carries on endlessly by lachesisgrimm (olga_theodora)

Grey by ocjones

The Idiot's Guide to Flirting by Violetwilson

High School/College AU

I Caught Fire by KyloTrashForever

Mountain Springs High School by animal

Epithumia by pontmercy44

Soul Searching by OptimisticBeth

Office/Workplace AU

Sensual Storytime by andabatae

The Food of Love by LovesBitca8

Historical/Dystopia AU

Hiraeth by Ferasha

a manner of virtue by neonheartbeat

The lamb's thirst by animal

Wanted by Inmyownidiom

She Who Would be Queen by sasstasticmad

go i know not whither and fetch i know not what by voicedimplosives

ABO

Knot My First Time by KyloTrashForever

Canonverse/Canon-divergent

variations on a theme of you by diasterisms (Reydar)

i will be the wolf by diasterisms

Sky Marked Souls by AnonymousMink

The Death of Kylo Ren by nymja

World In My Eyes by sasstasticmad

i'm always in this twilight (in the shadow of your heart) by diasterisms

Catch Me I’m Falling by violethoure666

Sword of the Jedi by diasterisms

You'll Be the One to Turn by postedbygaslight

Dark Crown by Violetwilson

Harry Potter AU

Nocturnal Studies And Other Peculiar Magic by WaterlilyRose

Otherwise Modern AU

Pretense by Celia_and

Insta-heart by slipgoingunder

Serotonin and Dopamine by pontmercy44

The Elusive Mating Dance of the Porgus Adorabilis by andabatae

Hanging by a Moment by crossingwinter

WAR DOGS by fulcrumstardust

miles from where you are by Mooncactus

Charcoal by luvkurai

Stay by jeeno2

coarse and rough and irritating by frak-all (or_ryn)

Blades Crossed by the-reylo-void (Anysia)

Embers by sciosophia

Mitan, Midi by animal

Janus by englishable

Say My Name by Graendoll

Thank You for The Music by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

darling, so it goes by akosmia

This is the Sign You've Been Looking For by RebelRebel

Broken Things by midnightbluefox

One-Night Stand by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

The Rebel Side of Heaven by jeeno2

On The Bumpy Road (To Love) by violethoure666

we could plant a house, we could build a tree by Like_A_Dove

I’d Like My Obituary to Hint at a Sequel by Violetwilson

Only If You Want To by Violetwilson

Not Reylo, Still Awesome

Gingerflower/Gingerrose, Armitage Hux/Rose Tico

Between Sand and Sea by Brit Hux-Tico (birchwoods01)

If Ever I Would Leave You by Weddersins

Her Yellow Rainboots by Weddersins

Merrical, Cal Kestis/Merrin (Jedi: Fallen Order)

The Stars Alight by FlyingMachine

Heavy Ice by FlyingMachine

Caltrilla, Cal Kestis/Trilla Suduri (Jedi: Fallen Order)

No One Else by xanderwilde

call it what you want by xanderwilde

tear you to pieces by xanderwilde

Dramione, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter Universe)

Now Is A Gift by SenLinYu

Sex and Occlumency by Graendoll

Zutara, Katara/Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

oracle bones by an orphaned account

Fics by Me

Virtue Ethics

Reylo College AU (completed)

Dr. Ben Solo, adjunct philosophy professor and part-time martial arts instructor, discovers a young woman in his Intro to Philosophy course whom he thinks may not actually be enrolled at the University.

Chiasmus

Reylo Role-reversal canonverse AU (WIP)

Scourge of the galaxy, Kira Ren, is tasked by the First Order to eliminate the last of the Jedi. When she captures hotshot podracer Ben Solo to extract Luke Skywalker’s location from him, things do not go according to plan.

This Dance of Light, This Sacred Blessing

Snapshots of a modern Reylo AU. Smutty, prosey one-shot.

Listen Up, Kid

Canonverse Reylo Post TLJ one-shot

The ghosts of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's past are back to haunt him with a vengeance. A well-meaning, familial kind of vengeance. Or, A Star Wars Carol.

Ben’s Body

Reylo Modern AU (completed)

Rey is an up and coming sculptor specialising in human shape and form. Her new next door neighbour has a body to die for and she's determined to preserve it in marble forever. Now she just has to convince dashing and reclusive Ben to model for her. Preferably naked.

Growin’ Up

Reylo High School AU (completed)

Ben Solo was supposed to only be ruining his own life with his bad decisions. Rey Niima was just trying to pay attention in class. Both get stuck in detention.

Seven Texts, 2 AM

Reylo Modern AU, smutty one-shot

Ben has good reasons not to have sex with his neighbor, Rey. She has other ideas.

Song of the Forest

Reylo Fantasy/BatB/Fairytale AU (completed)

Once upon a time, a girl with an unknown past appeared on the doorsteps of a lord’s manor, and now the forest at the edge of the lord’s property is calling to her.

A Season of Frost & Warmth

Modern Reylo P&P AU (completed)

When Ben shows up to a Halloween party with no costume, it only confirms Rey’s certainty that he is the world’s biggest jerk. Until it comes to light that maybe... he isn’t.

Follow Me Home

Modern Werewolf Reylo AU (completed)

Rey gets stone drunk and brings home a big cute husky she found in an alley. The next morning, she finds a naked man built like a fridge sleeping on her living room floor, and no dog in sight.

The Gentleness That Comes

Reylo Modern AU one-shot

Underground boxer!Ben is resigned to his life of violence, until he meets a pretty new bartender one night.

Unlikely, Unbidden, Unbound

Gingerflower canonverse AU (WIP)

General Hux is imprisoned by the Resistance when the First Order falls. He had known his death was coming, it was simply a matter of course. He’s disappointed to learn the Resistance has other plans, and an unwavering policy of giving people second chances.

@thereylowritingden @reylofic @nancylovesreylo @grlie-girl @lilia-ula @greyforceuser @tazwren @mhcalamas

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it-will-not-last-the-night · 5 years ago

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Persona 5 Scramble - random thoughts

I’ve seen and watched bits of it, there are some cute pictures I saw that apparently get taken in the game. Unlike Royal this isn’t 80% a previous game I know with the addition of some new content so I am even less willing to say anything about Scramble for sure until such a time as I play it or watch a whole playthrough myself.

I haven’t yet seen, personally, any sequences with Ryuji which stood out to me that much (except for the amazing Yee-Haww scene, but that scene is honestly a Crowning Moment of Awesome for the entire team), albeit that isn’t inherently bad, Ryuji is one of an ensemble cast, he need not have spectacular moments always, but I also have far from seen most of the game at all so I’ll wait to see if something pops up.

There’s no dating which I prefer if they aren’t going to give us the option of dating the boys or (better) letting us matchmake the characters with each other. I do honestly like Zenkichi and Sophia. The beach cutscene with Zenkichi was honestly one of the most fun scenes I’ve seen yet as it also kinda shows the sort of still ‘youths’ that Ren, Ryuji and Ann are, which I enjoyed.

I’m glad that the hot spring scene is at least mitigated and neither Ryuji or the other boys are actually being presented as basically junior sexual criminals in it. There was also that scene of Futaba standing on Ryuji’s back in the trailer, worried me a bit, having seen the scene it happens in I’m fine with it. Ryuji does it completely voluntarily and without any sort of complaint. Futaba seems. I kinda like that Ryuji-Futaba as a relationship is developing more across the games. P5D also introduced this idea of Futaba acting ‘bossy’ around Ryuji and then Ryuji kinda going along with it, which happens here again. I guess maybe it’s meant to be consistent characterization because Ann made that comment about Ryuji winding up under the thumb of a girl. Anyway, the scene itself was fine, and from what I could tell there are no scenes of Ryuji being abandoned by his friends or assaulted by his friends which is honestly an important bar for a P5 game to clear for my tastes. So well done Scramble! You’ve, like every other spin-off so far, surpassed the original in actually treating Ryuji with basic human decency!

I do wish Sophia got a bit more interaction with the others. From what I can see Zenkichi has quite a bit of interaction with everyone but Sophia seems less. Probably comes from it just being harder to write her into the real world sequences as Zenkichi is a flesh-and-blood person sitting and talking with them whilst Sophia is, most of the time, in Ren’s pocket. But, again, this is from a very small sliver of game I have seen, so it could be I just have not seen most of her interactions with the others.

If anyone does know of any cool/funny/heart-warming scenes involving Ryuji in the game, since I honestly just see snippets here and there when they pop up in my YouTube recommendation stream, feel free to let me know. Honestly the game is enormously appealing to me just for being able to run around as the different Thieves and I have always enjoyed Dynasty Warrior-style gameplay mechanics, Hyrule Warriors was a very fun game for me, I’m sure this will be too.

#persona 5 #persona 5 scramble #p5s #p5s spoilers #not really #I think I mention nothing that wasn't in trailers #but just in case

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carolinesiede · 5 years ago

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My 2019 Writing Roundup

Not to get too New Age-y, but 2019 felt like a very ~transformative~ year for me. I turned 30, got a literary agent, and became a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. After feeling like I’d hit a plateau in my late 20s, it was nice to experience a sense of forward momentum again, even if the lack of financial stability in this career is a constant background stress. Still, on the whole my sixth year as a full-time freelancer felt like a time where I kinda, sorta figured out what I’m doing. Instead of struggling in murky waters, I’m at least actively swimming in them.

I continued to write for The A.V. Club, The Spool, and Consequence of Sound, plus took on new outlets in The Verge and Polygon. I also had an article about romantic comedies published in Southwest Airline’s in-flight magazine and was asked to talk about Hallmark Channel Christmas rom-coms on Canadian radio. Speaking of rom-coms, 2019 was the second year (and first full-year) for When Romance Met Comedy, and I feel like the column really came into its own this year. It’s by far the biggest undertaking of my career (I’ve covered 47 films in total so far!), and I’m really excited to continue shaping its voice in 2020.

Beyond finding a regular fitness routine and seeing Cats onstage for the first time, the biggest personal project I undertook in 2019 was immersing myself in the world of film and film criticism—something I started in mid-2018 and really amped up this year. My goal was to watch 300 new-to-me movies this year, and I wound up watching 355! (Including 129 new releases.) Regular access to CFCA screenings and screeners allowed me to be a bigger part of the film critic conversation than I’ve been in the past, which was exciting. I also tackled a bunch of blindspots from the past decade and put together a list of my 50 favorite films of the 2010s, which you can see right here:

Over on the TV side of things, I bid farewell to the Netflix Defenders universe with binge-review coverage of the final seasons of The Punisher and Jessica Jones. Those Marvel binge-reviews were a big part of my early career, so seeing that universe come to a close was bittersweet. It’s always nerve-wracking when a semi-regular assignment ends, but I’m hopeful that new projects will pop up to take its place.

Putting together this year-end retrospective also made me realize I was on a lot of podcasts in 2019, including jumping in as a regular guest on the Cinematic Universe podcast in the latter half of the year. Podcasting is something I really enjoy (I find talking so much easier than writing!), and I’d love to do more of it in the future.

With that, I’ll leave you with wishes for a Happy New Year and a roundup of all the major writing I did in 2019. If you enjoyed my work this year, it would mean a lot if you would support me on either Kofi or PayPal. Or just share some of your favorite pieces with your friends!

My 15 favorite TV shows of 2019

My 15 favorite films of 2019

Op-eds and Features

“Rom-Com Revival” for Southwest The Magazine

Avengers: Endgame doesn’t earn its big “girl power” moment

An MCU breakup could be a terrific step forward for Spider-Man

“What is a weekend?”: A catch-up guide to Downton Abbey’s cast and characters

Nope, seeing Cats the musical will not help you understand Cats the movie

Let’s talk about the ending of Greta Gerwig’s Little Women

TV Coverage

Doctor Who’s 2019 New Year’s Special

The Punisher S2

Jessica Jones S3

The Crown S3

This Is Us S3 and S4

Supergirl S4 and S5

Rent: Live

Jane The Virgin fill-in

The Tony Awards

The Little Mermaid Live!

When Romance Met Comedy

27 Dresses doesn’t deserve your hate and neither does Katherine Heigl

Bride & Prejudice weaves an impressive cultural critique into a Bollywood-inspired Jane Austen update

How does the original What Women Want hold up two decades later?

In 1990, Pretty Woman changed romantic comedies forever

For one brief, wonderful moment, Eddie Murphy reinvented himself as a romantic-comedy star

20 years later, 10 Things I Hate About You remains a model for how to do the teen rom-com right

Lloyd Dobler is Cameron Crowe’s original manic pixie dream date

We're just not that into He’s Just Not That Into You

Romance is the weakest aspect of one of the most celebrated rom-coms of the ’90s

To All The Boys and Netflix reminded the world why it’s smitten with rom-coms

Imagine Me & You gives a lesbian love story the classic rom-com treatment

Queer resilience thrives in this rom-com about love in the time of the AIDS crisis

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is bubbly and smart, just like Marilyn Monroe

The Best Man capped off one decade of black rom-coms and inspired another

Nicolas Cage romanced Cher in one of the weirdest rom-coms ever made

After a decade of discourse, (500) Days Of Summer is basically the Fight Club of rom-coms

It’s No Strings Attached versus Friends With Benefits in a rom-com showdown

Adam Sandler’s sweetness makes The Wedding Singer a rom-com worth growing old with

The Philadelphia Story delivered one of the most star-studded love triangles ever

13 Going On 30 made Jennifer Garner a rom-com star—and gave tween girls a sleepover staple

Celebrate Halloween with Warm Bodies, the film that tried to make zom-rom-coms a thing

In the 2010s, rom-coms went indie and saved themselves in the process

Sandra Bullock became a rom-com star with a cozy love story about crushing loneliness

With just two storylines, The Holiday paid tribute to the entire rom-com genre

The A.V. Club

The maudlin Five Feet Apart anoints a new pair of winning young stars

After thinks it’s beautiful, that’s what makes it tiresome

Teen Spirit has plenty of it

Ramy is a Muslim millennial comedy with impressively big questions on its mind

Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson’s new comedy The Hustle pulls an inelegant con

The Sun Is Also A Star turns a compelling premise into a lackluster teen romance

The Art Of Racing In The Rain is a doggone mess

You don’t need to love Springsteen to like the thoughtful crowd-pleaser Blinded By The Light

The well-meaning Brittany Runs A Marathon can’t quite go the distance

Renée Zellweger zings in a Judy Garland biopic that clangs

The Downton Abbey movie is as pleasant as a cozy cup of tea

Tall Girl’s familiar teen love story fails to reach new heights

The new Lady And The Tramp feels like a ’90s update of a ’50s classic

The Verge/Polygon

Tigers Are Not Afraid puts a Pan’s Labyrinth spin on a poignant Mexican drug war story

The gloriously surreal space epic Ad Astra is half a great movie

An AI affair fuels a midlife crisis in the eerie science fiction drama Auggie

The painfully generic new animated Addams Family deserves no snaps

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is boldly bonkers

Netflix’s apocalyptic teen comedy Daybreak is an exhausting sugar rush

The Current War is basically Amadeus for electricity

Is Playmobil: The Movie just a reskinned Lego Movie?

The Spool

The LEGO Movie 2: Everything is About Half as Awesome

Isn’t It Romantic: An Instant Postmodern Rom-Com Classic

The Aftermath: Sumptuous but Surface-Level Melodrama

Late Night: A Sparkling Comedy With a Lot On Its Mind

Plus One: An Indie Millennial When Harry Met Sally

The Farewell is A Poignantly Funny Goodbye

Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A whimsical mid-life crisis

After the Wedding: A grown-up drama that doesn’t trust its own story

Falling Inn Love: Love, New Zealand Style

Paradise Hills: Harajuku Gossip Girls

Consequence of Sound

Brexit Takes An Engaging But Ultimately Shallow Look At the 2016 Vote

What Men Want Flips the Script and Finds Mixed Results

Dumbo Delights Without Ever Fully Taking Flight

Someone Great Continues Netflix’s Romantic Comedy Revival

Aladdin Has the Animated Classic’s Songs, But Less of Its Personality

MindMeet Interviews

Nadine Hack and Global Citizens Circle: Creating Connectedness

Podcast Appearances

Filmography: When Harry Met Sally

Filmography: Tim Burton’s mature films (Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, Big Fish, Big Eyes)

Debating Doctor Who MCU Edition: Avengers: Endgame

Cinematic Universe: Alita: Battle Angel

Hall of Faces: Friends

Cinematic Universe: Joker

Hall of Faces: The West Wing

CBC Radio: Hallmark Christmas movies

Cinematic Universe: The Wolverine

Cinematic Universe: Awards Special—The Cuppies 2019 (Part One)

And here are similar year-end wrap-ups I did in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013.

#Best Of #Year End

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horsesarecreatures · 6 years ago

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101 Reasons Why Zenyatta is a Legend

1. She is the first horse to win two different Breeder’s Cup races (The Breeder’s Cup Classic and The Breeder’s Cup Ladies’ Classic).

2. She had one of the most dramatic running styles of all time. She never failed to start slowly and she never failed to finish powerfully.

3. She is the first and only female horse to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic, the most important horse race in the United States.

4. She won a total of $7,304,580, despite not being raced until she was almost 4

5. She won 19 consecutive races in a row.

6. She is the first horse to win the William H. May Award.

7. She broke the all-time North American record for Grade 1 victories by a mare.

8. She tied the all-time North American record for consecutive victories without defeat.

9. Tied the all-time North American record with 16 consecutive victories in unrestricted races (held by Citation and Cigar).

10. She is the top Breeder’s Cup earner ($4,680,000).

11. On August 7, 2010, Zenyatta broke the world record set by Rock of Gibraltar for consecutive Grade/Group I victories

12. Zenyatta surpassed Tiznow, John Henry, and Alysheba in all-time North American earnings (male or female).

13. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert of triple crown winners American Pharoah and Justify said Zenyatta beating his horses in the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic “...was the only time in horse racing that I didn’t mind getting beat in a race. If they don’t reward her with horse of the year, it would be a travesty. Zenyatta made the Breeders’ Cup. And the way she won! I’ve never seen a crowd so captivated. It felt like a horse winning the third leg of the Triple Crown.”

14. She was purchased for only $60,000.

15. She won a total of four Eclipse Awards.

16. She was named Horse of the Year in 2010, getting in on the first ballot.

17. Her Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic was the second-fastest in Breeders Cup history at 1:46.85 for 1⅛ miles.

18. Zenyatta set speed records in the 2008 El Encino Stakes (1:40:61) and the 2008 Lady's Secret Stakes (1:40:30).

19. She is the first mare to win Vanity International Handicap, Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, and the Lady's Secret Stakes for 3 consecutive years.

20. Zenyatta holds both the speed record and record for most wins in the Lady's Secret Stakes. Her connections Ann & Jerry Moss, John Shirreffs, and Mike Smith hold records for most wins (four) by an owner, trainer, and jockey respectively.

21. She was named by Oprah Winfrey to the 2010 “O Power List” in O Magazine.

22. Zenyatta was selected three years in a row (2008–2010) for NTRA's Moment of the Year Award, for her 2008 Ladies' Classic victory, historic 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic victory, and narrow defeat in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic.

23. On May 10, 2011, Zenyatta's story kicked off the "Inspire" segment of the 2011 Professional Business Women of California (PBWC) Conference. This organization was founded by California Congresswoman Jackie Speier. Ann Moss, Dr. Dawn Hunkin, and Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs and several thousand people attended as Zenyatta was presented with a PBWC Honorary Membership.

24. Zenyatta was the first horse to receive an Honorary Membership to the San Pedro Assistance League. Her photo proudly hangs in their official conference room.

25. According to her jockey Mike Smith, she is the greatest horse of the decade.

26. Her career spanned 4 years and she retired sound as ever.

27. She never suffered a major injury.

28. She has a personality like no other. Her funky pre-race dances entertained thousands.

29. She was a hero to people in times of economic hardships.

30. Her trainer John Sheriffs said, “I’ve been around horses for 50 years, and I’ve never seen a Thoroughbred like Zenyatta. She was that special that I wanted everyone who wanted to meet her personally to be able to do it. There was something about Zenyatta that made you feel good.”

31. At 17.2 hh, the starting gate could barely contain her massive frame.

32. She clocked the second-fastest time for 1 1/8 miles in Breeders’ Cup history when she blazed that distance in 1:46.85 in the Ladies’ Classic in 2008.

33. Zenyatta was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 2016.

34. The only race she ever “lost” was her second Breeder’s Cup Classic, where she came in second place, only inches behind Blame, who she had beaten before.

35. She was born on April Fool’s day.

36. She likes beer, preferably stout Guinness.

37. ESPN studied the length of her stride and concluded that it was a whopping 26 feet. For comparison, the average thoroughbred stride is 20 feet and Secretariat’s was 24 feet 11 inches.

38. She was chosen to promote The Dodgers in 2010 and had her very own billboard in Los Angeles.

39. At Del Mar, they use the Trakkus system for clocking how fast a horse is running during a race. When Z won the Clement Hirsch in 2009, they clocked her "closing down the stretch" at 40+ mph.

40. She has beaten every single one of the 135+ horses that have raced against her (yes, this includes Blame).

41. Her heart is the size of a volleyball.

42. While often criticized for primarily running on synthetic surfaces, she started training on dirt and it is what she was most comfortable with.

43. Even though she has broken record after record, people still don’t know how fast she truly is because she always came from the back of the pack and swung all the way to the outside to avoid traffic before winning at the last moment. As her jockey Mike Smith said, she has “another gear.”

44. She loves foals as much as she loves people. Todd Claunch said, “She loves foals more than just about any mare I've ever been around. When she's outside, all the other foals just come up to her, not just her own.… You can even see her going through the thought process of teaching them things."

45. Zenyatta set speed records in the 2008 El Encino Stakes (1:40:61) and the 2008 Lady's Secret Stakes (1:40:30).

46. She’s photogenic and knows how to pose for photos.

47. Her talent and personality are unmatchable. When asked, “How does Zenyatta compare to the other horses you've been on who won these championship races?," Mike Smith replied “She means more to me than all those.”

48. She lived in Hollywood like the celebrity she is.

49. She can dance. Her moves were taught to her by Mike Smith as a positive way to relieve her endless energy.

50. She feeds of the crowd’s energy.

51. Mike Smith said, “I think she could arguably go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest horse of all time." And Mike smith’s ridden a lot of champions.

52. She kicked up so much dirt that Mike Smith once had to change goggles six times during a race.

53. Over a thousand people came to her retirement ceremony, despite below freezing temperatures.

54. She has her own horse race named after her (The Zenyatta Stakes).

55. She was smart enough to control her own energy and exert during the most important part of the race.

56. Her trainer was John Sheriffs, who is known for his kind and patient approach.

57. When she was at Hollywood park she lived on a street named after her.

58. The Dodgers had her on a billboard, with the tagline “This is My Town.”

59. She has her own song written by Liza G. Fly.

60. She blurs the line between a starlet and a horse,

61. She once bowed when the track announcer called her name.

62. Zenyatta’s owners Anne and Jerry Moss love her so much that they almost moved her into their Bel-Air home.

63. A sandwich was named after her at trainer John Sheriff’s favorite coffee shop.

64. She has multiple books written about her.

65. She had her own 60 minutes episode titles “Another Look at Zenyatta.”

66. Her first son, Cozmic One, is the 2018 Retired racehorse Project ambassador.

67. She made “Zenyatta” a word that Urban Dictionary defines as “To meet unrealistic expectations, do things that shouldn't be done, defy all logic, leave observers with a loss for ways to describe awesomeness and be perfect.”

68. She sparked a girl power movement in horse racing.

69. Her fans invented the term “hooves crossed.”

70. She has a trusting soul and a zen-like calm.

71. On June 27, 2009, Zenyatta won the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park for the second straight year. She carried 129 lbs, spotting her rivals from 13 to 18 pounds, and became the first horse to win under such a weight assignment since 1977.

72. Her rivalry with Rachel Alexandra was the most intense one of recent horse racing history.

73. The second time she ran in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, its TV ratings were triple what they were in 2009.

74. A single halter of hers once sold for $6,600.

75. Jonathan Bush, nephew of George W. Bush, named his luxury catamaran after her.

76. She is in the Arcadia Historical Society Walk of Champions.

77. Unlike most racehorses, Zenyatta did not jog or gallop to warm up before a race. Instead, regular pilot Mike Smith would let her stand and look over the crowd and her competition. He figured she did enough stretching doing her little dance.

78. Zenyatta retired as the leading money winner among North American-based fillies and mares

79. For three straight years, one of Zenyatta's races was named the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's “Moment of the Year.” The races selected for this honor were her victory in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (USA-I), her victory in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-I) and her narrow defeat in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-I).

80. A statue of Zenyatta was unveiled at Santa Anita in 2012, joining the statues of Seabiscuit and John Henry in the Paddock Gardens area near the main grandstand. It took over two years to build.

81. Zenyatta is an honorary member of the San Pedro Assistance League.

82. She stares down anyone who approaches her.

83. The Run the Bluegrass half-marathon in Lexington honors a different Thoroughbred each year, and Zenyatta was the honoree for the 2014 edition.

84. She has her own Breyer model.

85. Her whole pedigree is pretty cool and rare for a top thoroughbred.

86. She is not related to Northern Dancer or Seattle Slew, unlike the majority of thoroughbreds who sometimes feature these horses in their pedigrees multiple times, so she’s not intensely inbred.

87. She outpaces her competitors even in fundraising.

88. Trevor Denman screaming, "If she wins this, she'll be a superhorse" and "This is un-ba-lievable !!" after Zenyatta won the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic.

89. She has raised thousands of dollars for various charities, particularly Canter, which helps place ottbs in forever homes. Thanks to her, it has expanded to several locations in the United States.

90. Even though Blame officially won the 2010 BBC, Zenyatta still pulled herself ahead of him after the wire.

91. Thousands bet on her, even when they only got a 10 cent profit off of two dollars.

92. Zenyatta was an inspiration like no other. One school teacher from Santa Barbara who was in a wheelchair when she first met Zenyatta decided to try and walk afterwards, and she did.

93. Kari Bussel from Tennessee once said, “I am terminally ill and my dying wish was to touch her once. I know in my heart she is the reason I am still alive and have thus far defied the odds and what the doctors told me. She inspired me never to give up. I have refused to go anywhere until her story was finished."

94. Although she did not retire undefeated, Zenyatta proved in the end that perfection is not always measured in numbers.

95. She proved that mares can be just or even more profitable as racehorses than as broodmares.

96. She started a new era of filly-dominated horse racing. After her, other great fillies like Rachel Alexandra, Black Caviar, Goldikova, and Havre de Grace started dominating the sport as well.

97. She has over 468,000 followers on Facebook.

98. For two years in a row, she finished second in voting for the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, narrowly beaten by Serena Williams and Lindsey Vonn.

99. Sports Illustrated rated Zenyatta as number 1 female horse of all time.

100. She helped revive the struggling racehorse industry on the West coast.

101. She turned the sport of kings into the sport of queens.

#Zenyatta #thoroughbred #racehorse #mare #brown horse #horse #equine #legend

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cinema-tv-etc · 6 years ago

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10 Reasons Why ‘The Ten Commandments’ Is Truly Epic

April 6, 2015 by Kate O'Hare

Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

These days, when Hollywood attempts a Biblical epic for the big screen, the results are as likely to be embarrassing as edifying. Rather than rehashing the shortcomings of “Noah” (“Galaxy Quest” called, and they want their rock people back) or “Exodus: Gods and Kings” (nothing like God as a sulky kid), let’s look at one time when the movie stars truly aligned.

A few years before his death, Cecil B. DeMille made the 1956 Old Testament drama “The Ten Commandments” — which had its yearly ABC airing on Easter Sunday — and here are 10 reasons why it’s awesome even today:

1: Men. Both Charlton Heston (Moses) and Yul Brynner (Ramses) may wear skirts for most of the movie — and they’ve got the legs for it — but you’d be hard-pressed to find two more naturally masculine actors squaring off. They’re not overgrown boys trying to look tough, or angsty arrested adolescents, they’re just grown men, and they wear it as easily as they wear a a robe or a crown. Oh, yeah, and there’s John Derek’s stonecutter Joshua. Yes, there is.

2: Women. From Nina Foch’s warm and sympathetic Bithia (Moses’ adopted mother) to Yvonne de Carlo’s quietly beautiful Sephora (Moses’ wife) to Anne Baxter’s delightfully snarky Egyptian princess Nefretiri — and even the single line from the Ethiopian king’s sister, uttered with purring perfection by Esther Brown — the women are the glue that holds it all together.

3: The script. It’s faithful to the Scriptures where it needs to be — and at those moments, it can get a bit stiff and creaky — but in between, the screenwriters have some fun, especially with the Pharaoh Seti (Cedric Hardwicke). As Moses arrives with the tribute from Ethiopia and the high priest intones Moses’ virtues, Hardwicke looks to Baxter and quips, “Old windbag.” He’s got a lot of those.

4: The special effects. From the raising of Seti’s treasure city to the parting of the Red Sea, the pre-CGI marvels are a testament to imagination and skill, with zero computer assistance.

5: Sets and costumes. Again, with no CGI to multiply crowds or create interiors from green-screen nothingness, the gorgeousness of the rooms and the props boggles the mind. Just to look at the bejeweled and embroidered accents on Baxter’s outfits in HD is enough of a treat.

6: Relationships. The tense father-son exchanges between Ramses and Seti; Ramses and Moses’ prickly brother dynamic; Seti’s broken heart at Moses’ betrayal of his Egyptian upbringing; Sephora’s realization of the limitations of her marriage, whether the intrusion is Moses’ lingering love for Nefretri or his newfound passion for God; to Bithia’s enduring mother’s love — this movie gets how people love and hate each other.

7: Memnet. Although she’s a slave and the daughter of a slave, Bithia’s (and Nefretiri’s) servant Memnet has pride in being Egyptian and deeply resents the son of Hebrew slaves being raised up close to the throne of her nation. Whether fueled by jealousy or patriotic pride, I love her slow-burn anger.

8: Dathan. Edward G. Robinson’s obsequious Hebrew overseer — with his “rat’s ears” and “ferret’s nose,” as Ramses puts it — is every political toady and self-hating yes man rolled into one oily package.

9: Respect. The script and production respect the Biblical source material, but they also respect Egypt (even if there are some howling historical inaccuracies). Both sides are taken seriously; both have their heroes and villains; and you feel for both.

10: God. Whether as a voice from the burning bush or the inscriber of the Ten Commandments, God is powerful, enigmatic and, well, godlike — not a Monty Python cartoon character or a cranky child.

Dear Hollywood: Watch this one again, and take notes.

4: The special effects. From the raising of Seti’s treasure city to the parting of the Red Sea, the pre-CGI marvels are a testament to imagination and skill, with zero computer assistance.

YES!!!! Even things from that era that are a little hokey are better than the CGI crapfests we get on a regular basis.

https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3708901/posts

#Ten Commandments

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p5youllneverseeitcoming · 6 years ago

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Imagine the Phantom Theives with an S/O who also becomes a Phantom theif...

Omg this is like everyone’s ultimate dream!… I want to be a Phantom Thief T_T

Phantom Thieves with a S/O who becomes a Phantom Thief

Akira Kurusu:

> He always knew there was something special about you

> It’s just he never expected that to be the power to awaken to a Persona

> He watched as you ripped the mask off of your face and then effortlessly defeating the Shadows that surrounded you

> You pant heavily before falling to your knees

> “You okay?” He asks quickly running towards you and offering his gloved hand

> “When did I…” You begin as you take a quick look at your new outfit

> “I’ll explain everything in a bit, let’s just get out of here first okay?”

> You nod as you take his hand

~~~

> You sip your coffee as Akira explains to you the basis of the Metaverse

> “And… That’s pretty much it.”

> “Right…”

> “You sound confused.”

> “Well, not confused more like… Overwhelmed? It’s quite a lot to take in you know.”

> He chuckles

> “Yeah I suppose so… For a newbie.”

> “Oh I see how it is Leader, I’m sorry not everyone is a Phantom Thief as long as you.” You tease.

> “He was as confused as you, don’t worry F/n.”

> “Gah! Your cat just spoke to me!”

> “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”

> You tilt your head at Morgana

> “Come to think of it… I did see a fluffy cat-like creature with you.”

> “I’M NOT A CAT!”

> “Ah! My apologies… Mona.” You say as you reach out to pet his head

> Akira smiles at that before shifting his gaze so your eyes meet

> “So, now that you’re up to date about how things work around here… What will your code name be?”

> “Code name?”

> “We don’t know the effects of using our real names in the Metaverse so we all have our code names.” Morgana explains as he rubs his head against your palm “For example, I’m Mona and Akira is Joker.”

> “I see…” You tap your chin with your free hand

> “Ah, I got it! I’d like to be [Insert code name here]!”

> Akira nods at the name

> “I’m looking forward to working with you, [Code name].” He says as he raises his own cup of coffee

> “Likewise, Joker.” You say as you clink your cups together

Ann Takamaki:

> She had a problem

> As in you

> You just looked so perfect all the time

> And your Thief outfit wasn’t exactly helping either

> Why did it have to be skintight?!

> “Hm? Is everything alright Panther?” You ask tilting your head at her

> Stop that. It makes you look adorable.

> “Oh yeah sorry! I was… Daydreaming.”

> “Oh? Was it about me?” You ask, a grin forming on your lips

> She just rolls her eyes as a response which causes you to giggle

> “Anyways, we should probably just head back to the meeting place, it looks like there’s nothing here but dust.” You say, taking one last look around the room you were in

> “Right. Hopefully the others were able to find something.”

> You nod as you turn and walk towards the door

> … Only to spin round to face Panther last second

> “Ack! What the-” Before she can finish you quickly wrap your arms around one of hers

> “Well I wouldn’t want a Shadow to get the jump on you whilst you daydream so I decided that we will stick extra close from now on!” You say as you start to walk and drag Panther out of the room

> “Haha, stop acting like a knight in shining armour.” She says as she quickly falls in step with you

> “Ehh? That’s mean, you know I’d happily die for you!”

> “You better not, we’re out of revival items.”

> “Wh- That’s not what I-”

> This time you’re the one that doesn’t get to finish, mainly because soft lips are now pressed against your own

Ryuji Sakamoto:

> Honestly he was so happy

> It was so fun running through the halls of distorted palaces and fighting Shadows with you

> You two have so much fun in fact, that you often got scolded by Queen for acting rather recklessly

> “Sorry…” You both say in unison, staring at the ground

> “Honestly, you two are such children at times.” Queen says shaking her head

> “Well, I can’t really argue with you, but you have to admit that it’s totally awesome to go to places like pyramids and space stations, I mean… I never even dreamed of seeing places like that up close!” You say excitedly rocking back and forth

> “You’re such a nerd [Code name], haha.” Skull laughs as he pats your shoulder

> “Wh- No I’m not! I just, uh, appreciate… The aesthetic?” You say, voice sounding far from confident

> “Please stop. One Fox is more than enough.” Skull mumbles, looking at Fox

> He is a bit concerned something could happen to you of course

> But that’s exactly why he willingly runs in front of you or pushes you out of the way if he sees a Shadow preparing a powerful attack

> You appreciate that, you really do

> But you still scold him for it whenever you tend to his wounds

> He of course makes it seem like no big deal though

> “Eh I’ll be fine! Hey, how about we go get ramen after we’re done?”

> “Uh, sure but, how can you think of ramen at a time like this?!”

> “Dude, when do I not think of ramen.”

> “… Good point.”

> He laughs happily at that and you can’t help but smile yourself

Makoto Niijima:

> She would be low-key concerned all the time

> But she would do her best not to let it show

> Whenever you suffer a major hit, she would instantly heal you with her strongest healing spell

> “Haha, thank you Queen!” You say cheerfully as you pick yourself up from the ground

> “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should switch with someone?”

> “Nah, it’s just a scratch, no big deal.” You say, wiping dust off of your costume

> “… Okay…”

> “Hey,” You say walking up to her and taking hold of her gloved hands “Don’t worry about me, you know I’d do anything to protect my Queen.” You add with a wink

> This causes her to laugh quietly

> “It’s just a code name.”

> “I disagree, you’re my one and only Queen.”

> You notice a faint blush forming on her cheeks, barely visible from beneath her mask

> “That’s… Cheesy.”

> You roll your eyes at that before leaning in and giving her cheek a kiss

> “I know.”

> Ever since that encounter she stopped worrying as much and simply admired your strength and determination

> Although she still scolded you occasionally when you missed a chance to deal a critical hit due to silly mistakes

Yusuke Kitagawa:

> You often found him busily sketching something in his art book instead of looking for clues

> “Uh, Fox?” You say tapping him lightly on his shoulder

> “Oh, my apologies, I spaced out again.” He replies still sketching.

> You press your lips together before standing on your toes and peering over his shoulder

> Unsurprisingly, you find your Phantom mask in the middle of the page along with roses climbing on each side of the paper

> “Awww…” You whisper right next to his ear

> “Please stop that [Code name] I’m nowhere near finished, it looks rather bad at the moment.”

> “Fox it looks amazing, and it’s only a sketch!”

> He chuckles as he places the pencil down and turns his face towards you

> “You compliment me too much.”

> “Well of course, your art is amazing.”

> “… The only thing I ever draw is you.”

> “Wh- Um, r-really?… No it’s not… You drew flowers not long ago…”

> “Ah you mean the flowers we saw in the park? Indeed, but only because you said they looked beautiful.”

> “H-Huh? Is that why… You made me that flower crown?”

> He only smiles in response which causes your cheeks to become pink

> “Oi, lovebirds! If you’re done flirting with each other can we just get going?!” Skull shouts.

> Fox sighs before putting his art supplies away

> “Shall we?” He asks, turning to face you and offering his gloved hand

> You nod as you happily take it and make your way towards your team

Futaba Sakura:

> She’d be absolutely thrilled, often pulling you aside just to take a selfie because you just ‘looked so cool’

> But you can bet that she will protect you the most

> “Navi!” Joker shouts

> “Leave it to me!” Navi shouts as she swipes for an attack boost spell

> After the fight is over, you notice the Necronomicon hovering above you

> “Is everyone okay?” She asks

> “Yeah we are, thanks to you.” You say looking up and smiling

> “Actually [Code name] I have one more thing for you!”

> “Hu-”

> “CATCH!”

> Before you can fully comprehend what’s going on, you stick out your arms and second later you found that the thing you caught was Navi herself

> She giggles as she shifts so that she now has her arms wrapped around your neck

> “Um?”

> “Well, I noticed that you got hurt the most during the last fight so I came to heal you!”

> “Don’t you… Need your Persona for that?”

> “Nope!”

> You want to question her more but before you can do that you feel her lips press against yours

> You blink for a second before responding to her until she pulls away with a massive grin on her face

> “This is by far the best healing spell anyone has ever used on me.” You say as a smile forms on your lips

> “Just don’t go around getting hurt on purpose so I can heal you like this all the time.”

> “Who do you take me for? A noob?”

> “Only sometimes.” She teases

Haru Okumura:

> She was really glad you were a Phantom Thief too, that way she could spend more time with you!

> Seeing as she joined rather late, she often relied on you to show her how things work

> At first, you’d often have to help her up and heal her after she got knocked down

> “Thank you so much [Code name], you’re so reliable and strong!” She complimented you as you pulled her to her feet

> But of course, as soon as she understood, she was unstoppable

> “N-Noir took out five enemies with a single grenade…” You say, gripping your weapon tightly

> As you say this, Noir quickly spins to face you and jumps up with excitment

> “[Code name]! Joker! Did I do good?” She asked with an innocent smile on her face

> Joker simply nods

> “Of course you did Noir! You’re amazing!” You say

> She giggles at that and holy heck that’s the cutest thing you’ve ever heard

> “I’m really glad! Shall we move on then?” She asks as she adjusts her hat

> Why is your girlfriend so fluffy yet so deadly

> “Yeah, of course.” You answer

> You find that the two of you mostly discuss things such as the best type or tea and coffee but then somehow end up discussing who’s weapon is more deadlier

> Noir of course claims that her axe would win anytime against anyone/anything and you find that this is most likely true considering she keeps reminding Shadows that they ‘shouldn’t annoy a girl with an axe’

> “Okay different question.” You say smiling

> She tilts her head to the side slightly implying you’ve got her attention

> “Who do you love more, me or your axe.”

> “…”

> For a solid minute she taps her finger against her lips, deep in thought

> “W-Wait seriously?”

> She giggles at that

> “Haha, I tricked you [Code name]! You already know the answer…”

> “Aw-”

> “It’s the axe.”

> “Hey!”

> Before you can say anything else she presses a kiss to your cheek and you know she’s just joking

> … You hope.

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harrys-oh-anna · 7 years ago

Text

Day off in Cheshire

Summary: Harry went back home to his mum’s house for his day off and has a cosy afternoon with Y/N.

Warnings: non, just fluffy harry, pretty short one shot I guess and lets just pretend he’s hugging you like the teddy bear so our hearts can burst together

Suggestion: Listen to Tupelo Honey, it’s just an awesome song

Harry was exhausted, he’s been touring for the last few months. Don’t get him wrong, he loved it. All of it, the fans, the music, the different cities, but it also got to him. He missed home, his mom and everything that he was familiar with. His only remedy was his girlfriend, Y/N, that was with him for most of the time for his European leg. And while he loved the time he was able to spend with her and share all these experiences with her, what he really needed was some privacy with her, not having to rush from hotel to venue with people around, telling him what he must do and what was planned next. He was lucky, in ever possibly way, he knew it and would never take it for granted, never ever. He also knew that he was extremely lucky with Y/N putting up with his lifestyle and always being understanding when time had to come short on her. He loved her for her honesty and humble traits, keeping him on the ground right next to her. He had known her since they were little, their mums being best friends even though they both lived in different cities. While Harry spend his childhood in good old Cheshire, Y/N lived in buzzing London with her parents. But this didn’t stop them from bonding like hell. Their parents and siblings mocking them for their close relationship. And since Harry moved to London for his career, they got even closer. Harry fancied Y/N since he was 18 years old, but Y/N, being two years younger than him, didn’t want to sabotage their friendship. Years later though Harry won her heart over, with just being his gentle and attentive self, always putting her atop of everything and ever girl, never being able to forget her. Seeing her in every woman he has ever been with. Their relationship was perfect despite their fights they had from time to time and to be honest, he knew she was the one.

Y/N loved to be on tour with him, working with him and his tour team. Making it easy for them to keep their relationship on a healthy level. When she was younger and not together with Harry yet, she was scared of Harry being on tour, finding a new best friend, someone from the staff he saw on a daily basis, someone who knew what a life in the public eye meant. Simply someone she couldn’t compete with while living in London studying. But Harry never forgot her, not for one day. She loved him, from the bottom of her heart. Even though the tour was exhausting, she enjoyed it. But she knew that he was missing his mum, sister and Cheshire in general. As the tour finally stopped in Birmingham, the next stop being Manchester, Jeff decided it was best for Harry to go home and spend some well-deserved time with his family for his day off. Harry was more than exited and couldn’t believe his luck as he walked up the path to his mum’s home with his gorgeous girl beside him. Hugging his mum tight and her pressing kisses on her son’s cheeks while he was smiling like crazy, engulfing Y/N next. “I’m so glad you two are here! It’s been way too long since I have seen you! You’re looking good, both of you!” she hushed while pushing you two through the door inside the bright house, where you could already see Gemma and her boyfriend in the living room, discussing something. “Hey little brother, good to see you. Have you gained a little weight? Seems like the tour treats you well” she laughed out, while Harry rolled his eyes, pinching her waist. “Hey Gem”, Y/N said, hugging her. Anne already bringing some tea for them all. They all talked for a few hours, laughing and updating each one on new stuff, enjoying the quality. Harry never Y/N’s side the whole midday, always making sure to touch her in a way. His arm around her shoulder, his hand on her knee, playing with her fingers or the promise ring he gave her a few weeks back. He gave it to her to make a point, a point for him, her and the whole world. She was his, his girl and no one could deny it. It kind of soothed him to know that all these other boys eying her, would back off as soon as they saw the sparkling ring sitting on her middle finger. Sometimes he imagined how it would be to put a ring on her ring finger, but he didn’t want to hurry things.

His eyes were sparkling when she told them a funny story about the tour. He loves being able to touch her and stare at her, without having hundreds of eyes following them. And he loved the fact that Y/N fitted so well into his family.

Later that day, Gem, her boyfriend and Anne decided to go for a walk due the nice weather outside, but Harry wanted to stay inside to watch a little bit of Netflix and lay down. As soon as the three left the house, he approached his girlfriend who was doing the dishes for his mum and hugged her from behind. “I can’t remember seeing you the last time doing something as usual as washing plates. Suits you” she felt his breath tickling her neck while his lips graced her skin. He always could send sparks through her whole body with doing just such little things. “Come on, lets watch a Romcom and cuddle a bit, I need you” he picked her up and three her over his shoulder which made her chuckle and squeal. He threw them both on the couch, hugging her from behind and pulling her waist close to him, leaving almost no space between them, as he turned on the TV, landing on movie. Not many words were exchanged, what wasn’t needed though, they both were just wrapped in each other, listening to the movie.

“I haven’t seen you this relaxed for weeks” Y/N mumbled “We need to see them more often, it’s like we’re little again and there’s no world you have to sing to.” He just kissed her head and ear, way too lazy to put together some words.

Not long later though, Harry heard how Y/N’s breath was slowly flattening out and her body grew heavier – seems like she was tired as well. It was soothing. The similar smell of his home and his girlfriend, her warm body pressed to his front. Everything was peaceful, and he drifted of to sleep as well.

The next thing he knew was his girlfriend twisting in his arms, waking him up from his light sleep, he loosened his grip, letting her turn around, facing him while still being asleep. She had a deep frown on her face, her lashes touching her cheeks and her mouth being slightly opened, letting out little snores. He had to grin, the best thing that could happen to him was to be awake before Y/N was, so he could watch her. Usually she didn’t like it if Harry stared at her, blushing, rolling her eyes and swatting his face away slowly. But when she was still asleep he could admire her beauty as much as he wanted. He smiled, starting to trace his finger lightly across her face, beginning to soothe out her frown. What she might be dreaming about? He’d ask her later. He reached her lips, the lips that he could kiss for hours straight, the lips he loved to nibble and suck on, knowing it was one of her sweet spots, the lips that moaned his name and the lips from which her angle like laughter and voice escaped. She stirred in her sleep, maybe he was starring to intensive, waking her up, but she just moved a bit, nuzzling her face closer to his neck.

“You really do love her, right?” his head snapped up and he could see his mother standing in the door frame. He was so entranced with Y/N that he didn’t here the front door opening and his family coming back home. He smiled.

“I can see it the way you look at her. Not just right now, but in the little moments. You look at her like she’s your world.” Anne kept going on. Harry nodded “She is”, rubbing his girls back. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

His mum smiled “It’s crazy. I kind of knew you two would end up together since Y/N’s sixth birthday party. You really didn’t want to play wedding and exclaimed, that you would only be the groom if she’ll be your bride. I kind of had a feeling since that day. You blurted it out so sure” Harry chuckled lowly, remembering the day. Harry was eight years old that time and proper annoyed that day. He was the only boy invited, being outnumbered by girls. But he went there anyway, because he liked Y/N, she was his best friend and she would also come to his birthdays. However, as a group of four girls decided to play “wedding”, it was clear who had to be the groom and he totally lost it. He not just felt way too old to play such a childish game, especially as a boy, but he also didn’t know these kids, nor did he like them. Yet it was her Birthday and he didn’t want to cause a scene. So, when all the others girl started to fight who was the one to marry him, he just knew one thing. He neither wanted to marry his sister or a stranger. It sounded ridiculous, because it wasn’t a real wedding, but he was shy at that time and it felt like betrayal to him. His only thought was “Y/N” as the four little devils started to pull on his arm, dragging him away to the wedding place. He instantly shouted out for Y/N and making everyone, including his and Y/N’s parents, turn as he cried “NO! The only person I’ll ever marry is Y/N. I don’t want to marry any you! I either marry Y/N or not at all!” Y/N, who was playing hide and seek with her other group of friends, stopped and ran over to him, took his hand and said, “I’ll do it, don’t worry, Harry.”

Harry looked over to the picture of him and Y/N hanging on the wall from that day. Her wearing a little crown made from daisies and holding onto Harry as they were running around. “Maybe I can really make her mine one day. Put a ring on her finger.”

“I’m sure. You already put one on of hers” Anne pointed to Y/N’s hand, which was laying on his chest.

Harry’s lips twitched “Yeah, I just have to make sure it’s her ring finger the next time and not her middle one. And maybe I’ll find a proper ring.”

Anne just nodded her head “I’m sure you will.”

Harry eyed his mum “She’ll be by my side no matter what, won’t she? Like I won’t lose her?”

“Have a little faith in yourself. You will be alright with her. I just know it.” and with that she left the room, leaving them some privacy.

Harry looked down on his little precious thing laying in his arms. If his mum says so, it will be. She never was wrong. That’s the amazing thing with mothers, they were always right. He stroked his Y/N’s hair while listening to his mum roaming in the kitchen, preparing dinner. They kept laying in this position a few more minutes until Y/N seemed to wake up.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she blinked a few times before setting them on Harry, looking into his green eyes and getting lost in them. She put her hands up, hiding her fingers in his hair, pulling on it. “Good afternoon, Bub” he said, leaning down, kissing her softly on her lips, pulling away too soon for her liking. “Good afternoon to you as well. Did you stare at me again?”

“Can’t blame me for admiring what’s mine, especially when you’re that cute” he kissed her nose, looking deep into her eyes “I love you Y/N. Forever and ever. I’ve been loving you for such a long time, you honestly have no idea.”

“I love you too, Harry. Forever and ever, no matter what.”

#harry styles imagine #Harry Styles #one direction #one direction imagines #oneshot

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goforwardgreenwriter-blog · 6 years ago

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The Worm Reads: Empire of Storms, Ch 19 - 20

The last few chapters utterly spoiled me with good content in form of the witches.But everything good, sadly, cannot last forever.

Elide Lochan kept quiet during the two days she and Lorcan trekked through the eastern edges of Oakwald, heading for the plains beyond.

*groans* Elide, I love you, but your POVs are just not fun to read, I’m sorry. Maybe because my instincts are telling me we might get a Lorcan POV too, and I’m starting to be irked by this guy.

But [Elide] still slept soundly these last two nights—thanks to the belly full of meat courtesy of Lorcan’s hunting. He’d scrounged up two rabbits, and when she’d devoured all of hers in minutes, he’d given her half of what was left of his. She hadn’t bothered being polite by refusing.

Girl, you were kept prisoner for how long? Don’t feel sorry for eating. Besides, Lorcan is an immortal warrior, yeah? So he probably doesn’t need to eat as much as you do during a day.

So they make it to a city, and Elide, being one of the few smart characters in this book, realizes Lorcan needs a disguise.

Elide surveyed herself, and set down her pack. First, she removed the leather jacket, even though it left her feeling like a layer of skin had peeled off, then she rolled up the sleeves of her white shirt. But without the tight leather, the full size of her breasts could be seen—marking her as a woman and not a slip of a girl that people assumed she was.

I say once again; full grown women are not the only ones with huge breasts. You can be a teenager with big breasts. Hell, I’m a young adult woman and I don’t have large boobs at all! Your breasts size have very little to do with your age once you hit puberty.

[Lorcan’s] eyes traveled from [Elide’s] feet to her head, and he frowned again. “Bigger tits won’t prove or hide anything.”

See, even Lorcan understands this. Also really, Lorcan says ‘tits’?

They roll up to town and there are soldiers checking wagons and inspecting people, searching for her. Since Elide’s limp gives herself away, Lorcan fixes it temporarily with magic.

[Lorcan] opened the door, and by the time [Elide’s] eyes adjusted to the glow of the wrought-iron chandeliers, Lorcan’s face had changed. His eyes might never be warm, but a bland smile was on his face, his shoulders relaxed—as if he were slightly inconvenienced by the wait but eager for a good meal. He almost looked human.

I know I said I despised Lorcan, but at least he’s willing to listen to Elide and make an effort to disguise himself. Maybe these chapters won’t be too painful to read.

“Brother,” Lorcan murmured so no one else could hear. “I am your brother.” “You are my husband,” [Elide] said with equal quiet. “We have been married three months. Follow my lead.”

I see your “pretending to date/be married’ fanfic trope, SJM. I see you.

[Elide] said simply, “Men will not fear the threat of a brother. I would still be unclaimed—still be open for … invitations. I have seen how little respect men have for anything they think they are entitled to. So you are my husband,” she hissed, “until I say otherwise.”

Jesus, way to throw men under the bus. Why is it that all unnamed and minor male characters in SJM’s books are addicted to rape and sexual harassing women? Like I know it happens in this time period ( and today) but Christ, all of these men are just frothing at the mouth to claim a woman or some shit.

Elide listens to the next table, which turns out to be a traveling carnival group.

Elide lifted her eyes to Lorcan’s—he gave a nod. She took a sip of her stew, steeling herself, thinking of Asterin Blackbeak. Charming, confident, fearless. She’d always had her head at a jaunty angle, a looseness to her limbs, a hint of a smile on her lips. Elide took a breath, letting those memories sink into muscle and flesh and bone.

Awww, I love little tidbits like this, showing how much of an impact Manon and her Thirteen had on Elide. Girls supporting girls is so important and precious.

Elide manages to convince the carnival group that she and Lorcan are traveling performers, and they are allowed in. I’m starting to warm up to Elide again - she uses her intelligence, he speaking skills, and her wits to solve her problems. It’s refreshing compared to the other characters always using magic and strength.

His wife. Gods above.

Unghhh, Lorcan’s POV.

Lorcan ignored the hand the bearded man offered and jumped into the back of the wagon, reminding himself to sit close to Marion, to put an arm around her bony shoulders and look relieved and happy to have a troupe again.

But again, he’s making an effort at least. That’s more than Aelin would do; she’d just threaten to burn everyone in her path until she gets her way.

Marion rolled her eyes, patting Lorcan’s knee. He nearly cringed at every touch. Even with his lovers, outside the bed itself, he didn’t like casual, careless contact. Some found that intolerable. Some thought they could break him into a decent male who just wanted a home and a good female to work beside him. Not one of them had succeeded.

Christ Lorcan, she’s just patting your knee. Right after I gave your kudos for putting effort into your disguise and everything.

“I want to see life—see the world,” Marion said, her voice softening. “I want to see everything.” Lorcan wondered if Marion would even get to do that if he failed in his task, if the Wyrdkey he carried wound up in the wrong hands.

Like I said, gonna be a doozy when Lorcan finds out his Wyrdkey is a fake.

Does it sound like I’m stretching for things to say? Because I am. Honestly this subplot is just.... really really boring. It’s just Lorcan being grumpy and brooding and while Elide is a nice and interesting character, SJM just isn’t doing anything cool with her aside from the occasional little moment here and there.

“But Aelin Galathynius,” Nik mused. Marion’s hand went limp on Lorcan’s knee. “Who knows what she will do. She has not called for aid, has not asked soldiers to come to her. Yet she held Rifthold in her grip—killed the king, destroyed his castle. But gave the city back.” The bench beneath them groaned as Marion leaned forward. “What do you know of Aelin?”

NO NO I’M SORRY I TAKE IT BACK THIS SUBPLOT IS INTERESTING PLEASE NO AELIN GUSHING PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

“Rumors, here and there,” Nik said, shrugging. “They say she’s beautiful as sin—and colder than ice. They say she’s a tyrant, a coward, a whore. They say she’s gods-blessed—or gods-damned. Who knows? Nineteen seems awfully young to have such burdens … Rumor claims her court is strong, though. A shape-shifter guards her back—and two warrior-princes flank her on either side.”

Aedion is the one who came up with the guarding her sides/back thing. How the fuck do other people know about it? Also unghhh everyone in this book just has to be royalty don’t they.

Some soldiers stop them and order them all out, presumable looking for Elide. Then they fuck off and Lorcan angsts about happy endings and how Elide’s goal is foolish.

There was no such thing as a better world—no such thing as a happy end. Because there were no endings.

Don’t be like that Lorcan, you’re a hot attractive magic dude in a shitty YA book. Of course you’re gonna get a happy ending. Next chapter!

Rowan Whitethorn just needed a place to rest. He didn’t give a shit if it was a bed or a pile of hay or even beneath a horse in a stable. As long as it was quiet and there was a roof to keep out the driving veils of rain, he didn’t care.

Dorian and Rowan have made it to Skull’s Bay.

But [Rowan] and the young king had chosen another route, during the many hours he’d made good on his promise to teach Dorian about magic. They’d worked for only minutes at a time—since it’d be no use if the king wrecked their little boat should his power slip its leash. So it had been exercises with ice: summoning a ball of frost to his palm, letting it melt. Over and over.

Aww, this is nice. I kinda wish we could’ve actually seen this, but it’s a nice mental image nonetheless.

But as if the gods themselves wanted to test him, a gust of rain-cooled wind sprayed into their faces, and some sense pricked in its wake. A shift in the air. Like a great pocket of power gathered close, beckoning. The knife at his side was instantly in his soaked hand as he searched the rooftops, revealing only plumes of rain. Rowan quieted his mind, listening to the city and storm around them.

So Rowan’s magic picks up some shady shit. What, pray tell, could be after them in Skull’s Bay?

Rowan sheathed his knife. “Then stay close and keep alert.”

Oh. Never mind, then. We transition then into Dorian’s POV.

Aelin had once confirmed that Rolfe was indeed soulless and indeed tattooed. As for the map … She’d shrugged, saying Rolfe claimed it stopped moving when magic fell. Dorian wondered if that map now indicated that he and Rowan walked through his city—if it marked them as enemies.

Seriously, Rolfe is so cool. A pirate damned without a soul with a magic map on his hands? Gimmie that novel! I wish SJM actually did something with the cool concepts she makes.

Two guards stood halfway down the block—guards not for any uniform, but for the fact that they were standing in this storm, hands on their swords. Rowan angled his head in a way that told Dorian the prince was likely contemplating whether it was worth it to chuck the men into the roiling harbor.

Rowan: How dare Darrow imply that my gf and I can’t be proper leaders? We are extremely talented in diplomacy!

Also Rowan: Hmm I’m gonna toss the guards of the guy I arranged a meeting with into the ocean lol.

Storm-Chaser. Lady Ann. Tiger-Star. The sterns of ships. Every table was made from them. They hadn’t been taken from wrecks. No, this was a trophy room—a reminder to those who met with the Pirate Lord of how, exactly, he had gained his crown.

Seriously why are SJM’s side characters so awesome and bad ass and intriguing but her main cast is so boring and lacks any development? Cut out Aelin and her court and give me a novel about Darrow, the witches, and Rolfe’s pirate army. I’d pay good money for that fic.

A door behind the bar opened, and a slim, brown-haired young woman stepped out. Her apron marked her as the barmaid, but her shoulders were back, head high—gray eyes sharp and clear as she scanned them and remained unimpressed. “He was wondering when you two would come snooping,” she said, her accent rich and thick—like Aedion’s.

Aye lmaooo you call them out girl.

Dorian nodded, something in his chest easing. “And you—your magic is … better?” That hard face yielded nothing. “I’ll manage.” Not an answer.

Lmao don’t worry Dorian, as soon as Rowan needs his magic he’ll be able to shoot frost balls out of his ass. Because what is a magic system?

Dorian didn’t know what he expected from the Lord of Pirates. But a dark-haired man, a day past thirty if that, lounging on a red velvet chaise before the rain-splattered curve of windows was not it.

Damn, SJM, you gonna leave me hanging just as soon as we get to an awesomely built up character? Apparently so.

#the worm talks #the worm reads: eos #anti sjm #anti eos #anti tog

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subrosasteath · 3 years ago

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I posted 3,478 times in 2021

403 posts created (12%)

3075 posts reblogged (88%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 7.6 posts.

I added 1,821 tags in 2021

#caps tw - 349 posts

#toh - 249 posts

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Longest Tag: 139 characters

#like omg ‘these are all characters i’ve connected with and characters i’ve helped change for the better and they all want to stick with me’

My Top Posts in 2021

Idk if anyone noticed or has pointed this out already but I think ash was showing off to Gou at the end of episode 51. He absolutely had no reason to spin the leek around his hand in that fancy way that he did. Ash is once again, fishing for Gou‘s attention.

72 notes • Posted 2021-01-16 22:24:47 GMT

Because only soulmates jump onto Lugia together: Pokemon soulmate au: you have a tattoo of your soulmate’s Partner Pokemon, that appears the moment that Pokémon is born/hatched, and changes as the Pokémon evolves.

This means that when gou and chloe saw mew at camp, gou had a little pichu tattoo, and a little while later it changed to pikachu and never evolved to raichu. Gou really really hopes his soulmate is ash but is too shy to bring it up because that would be awkward right? (when gou’s pikachu chase’s ash’s around with a thunderstone a tiny bit of gou hopes that ash’s pikachu evolves just so he can see if his tattoo changes)

Ash was confused about his little scorbunny tattoo for a while, because he’s traveled a lot and never seen whatever that Pokémon on his arm is. When gou gets his scorbunny ash doesn’t think much about it, and when scorbunny evolves into rabboot Ash starts to think that gou might be His soulmate, cause that would be cool but that’s about it.

After flygon Ash is absolutely hyped that gou might be his soulmate, becuase now that he thinks about it Gou is kinda cute yknow-

86 notes • Posted 2021-02-10 15:34:20 GMT

No you don’t understand it’s all the little things Sprig and Anne do in the new episode-

It’s the way sprig touches Anne’s hand outside of her house, the way he looks so concerned when he’s frozen in ice, the way he immediately moves to wake Anne up when she collapsed

I’M CRYING I LOVE THEM SO MUCH ToT

97 notes • Posted 2021-10-02 21:30:25 GMT

I think one of my favourite things about Wander is how he’s actually... kind of morally grey?

Like of course he’s the protagonist and the “hero” of the story. He takes down Lord Hater once and a while, stops an evil scheme here and there, but that’s actually it.

He doesn’t lead a revolution or really even care about what Lord Hater’s doing if it’s not right in front of him. He and Sylvia are just living their best life traveling the galaxy.

He doesn’t actively try to stop any villains

In fact

He actually hangs out with a lot of them. He’s friendly to Lord Hater and that Awesome Guy or whatever his name is, he’s in an evil Queen’s guest list, like he enjoys hanging out with those guys.

Wander’s a nice guy, he’s a kind guy, but if you look into it, he’s not really a hero, and I think that’s super interesting

98 notes • Posted 2021-10-07 13:40:11 GMT

Gosh I feel like I could go on and on about Gravity Falls and the different elements and things in it, but I specifically want to talk about how it brings out this deep kind of longing in me

I want that

I wish I could devote my whole life to studying weirdness and anomalies, living in a cabin in a small town, exploring the woods and writing down all my studies in a book that most people would write off as fiction

I wish that could be my whole job, my whole life. It feels so unfair that I can’t do that, that I’m going to live my life without seeing a dragon or studying a lake monster or petting some strange hybrid looking thing.

Whenever I get to the part where they introduce Ford, they also introduce that longing in me, and it almost hurts that I don’t get to live the life that Ford did before he got sucked in too deep.

102 notes • Posted 2021-07-18 22:22:40 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #oooooooo this is neat :O

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dmitri-smerdyakov · 6 years ago

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So, here’s the thing – I didn’t grow up reading L.M. Montgomery’s Anne series; one of my granddad’s brothers did, however, buy me a copy of Anne of Green Gables when I was younger, and I read nearly half of it. Unfortunately, I was only very young – about seven or eight – and so my attention span was not really that great. I read enough to be familiar with the beginning of the story and of the general gist of the first part of the book but I never finished it.

Last year, Netflix released the first series of ‘Anne with an E’, an adaptation of ‘Anne of Green Gables’; I realized it was based on the book and thought I might give it a try. I watched the first episode – but then didn’t watch the rest of the series because my family had walked in halfway through the episode and done nothing but complain about it, about how ‘annoying’ Anne was etc., and it kind of put me off of watching the rest.

The second season released last Friday on Netflix, and I decided I would give it another try – this time making sure that none of my family were there to watch it with me – because I had heard people say how amazing it was. Safe to say, I had quite an enjoyable weekend binge-watching the entire series, and now I’m not quite sure what to do with myself until the next season releases!

Review

Alright, so I can’t really judge the series as an adaptation of the books because, as stated above, I didn’t exactly read them all. However, I can judge it as a series with its own merits, since I think people who haven’t read the books can enjoy it just as much.

Anne is an eleven-year-old orphan who is adopted by brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert; originally they wanted a boy to help on the farm, but Anne quickly grows on them and they decide to keep her. A lot of the series is Anne’s adventures in growing up; going to school, meeting her first friend (her bosom-friend, at that), and the like. She’s also got an immense imagination, able to pretend herself into almost any circumstance; her bold creativity is viewed as rather out of place in Avonlea, particularly in the time period of the late-1800s that the story is set in, but it’s her best quality.

Honestly, I don’t think enough praise can be given to Amybeth McNulty, the young actress who plays Anne; she’s perfect for the role, her performance endearing and talented in every way possible. The show wouldn’t work if Anne was miscast – but McNulty is absolutely wonderful, and that’s perhaps the show’s best feature. The other roles are just as well-cast, of course, but Anne is arguably the most important one to get right given that the series is about her; McNulty plays every facet of Anne’s personality perfectly, from the creative imagination to the moments where she has to deal with dark topics or situations.

The show deals with a number of issues that are still very relevant today, especially in the current political climate; ‘Anne with an E’ is a feminist show from the very first episode when Anne announces “girls can do everything boys can and more”, all the way to the hiring of a female teacher in the last few episodes. Girls are always treated with respect and understanding by the writers of the show: such gems include Anne announcing, “A skirt is not an invitation” and the very frank conversation regarding menstruation between both Anne and Marilla, and the girls in the classroom (seen below).

To add, Anne getting her first period is just too relatable: rather fantastic moments commemorating that moment include, “Please plant some pink roses on my grave”, “this is a waking nightmare”, “this can’t be happening” and, “I’m not ready to be a woMAN!”

Unlike most shows that are set in later time periods (*cough* Stranger Things *cough cough*), ‘Anne with an E’ doesn’t shy away from LGBTQ+ representation; Diana’s Aunt Josephine is established to have been a lesbian with a female life partner, and a boy in Anne’s class, Cole, realizes he’s gay. In one episode, Aunt Josephine throws what is quite possibly the pride event of the century, complete with LGBTQ+ individuals celebrating who they are, wearing flower crowns, and just being unapologotetically open about themselves and their identities. In hindsight, shows such as ‘Stranger Things’ don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to a lack of representation: non-heterosexual people have been around for centuries, and if a period show set in the 1800s can show multiple LGBTQ+ characters, then so can a show set in the seventies or eighties. Sorry, but “it wasn’t as common” and “it wasn’t as accepted back then” are no longer viable excuses – gay people still existed, and their stories deserve to be told.

Season 2 introduces Sebastian – better known as “Bash” – a black character from Trinidad who accompanies Gilbert Blythe when he returns to Avonlea. The show tackles racism and colonization in the time period extremely well, something that shows with much larger fan-bases and popularity have failed at (not mentioning names but I’m sure I’ve given the idea). Even better is the fact that Bash has a genuine Trinidad accent – not a stereotypical Jamaican one, but one that you’d actually hear someone from Trinidad speak with.

Bullying in schools is also a hot topic in the series; not only does Anne suffer near-constant torment because of the fact she’s an orphan and has red-hair, but Cole receives it too because of his passion for drawing – a pastime that the other boys thinks makes him too feminine. The abuse doesn’t just come from the other kids – namely Billy Andrews and Josie Pye, who I would literally love to dropkick into the Sun – but also from the teacher, Mr Phillips. Some rather passionate anger arose from watching Mr Phillips on-screen, to say the least; imagine the cruelest teacher you’ve ever had, one who liked to make kids feel small so they could feel better about themselves…yeah, that’s Mr Phillips. It’s so hard to not want to slap him, especially given his utterly ridiculous curled mustache; even worse, he literally goes out of his way to harass the students – except the one student he wants to marry, but we’re getting to that in a second. For me, the breaking moment was in Season 2 when he saw Anne with her cropped hair (cut off due to an accident involving hair dye) and announced, “Looks like we have a new boy in the class”. It’s not the worst thing he did, but I wanted to scream by this point because I was fed up of this man and his tripe.

(**I’m trying to keep this review PG for everyone but it’s so HARD**)

As I said above, there’s a rather gross plot-line that involves the teacher wanting to marry a student called Prissy Andrews, who’s only two years older than Anne and her friends. Honestly, the whole thing made me sick – and I think it was meant to, but still. At one point in Season 2, they’re engaged and about to be married; a number of things happen to make Prissy back out, most of all being Mr Phillips telling her that he doesn’t want her going to college when they’re married because she should be learning to be a wife – in other words, he wants her to give up her education and future for him. It all ends in a satisfying way though: Prissy runs out of the church with four girls behind her, deciding she’s better than that, and they have a snowball fight. It’s literal poetic television. As a result, Mr Phillips leaves the school and, honestly, that’s even more satisfying to know.

I also just want to say that Anne rocks the shorter hair in the final half of the second series – it goes from a cute pixie to a bob with bangs, and then to two short pigtails. She looks absolutely awesome, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. I know her hair will be long again next series, but I do love the shorter hair – I just think it looks so amazing on her!

This show deserves far more love than it currently receives, to be brutally honest; it’s better-written than most of the more popular shows on Netflix, it has an actual good story to it, and deals with a number of important topics. However, because it’s about a girl in the 1800s, it’s immediately written off as “boring”. I feel like a part of the lack of viewers is down to Netflix’s lack of promotion for the show; when a new season of ‘Stranger Things’ comes out, they can’t shut up about it, but something like ‘Anne with an E’… well, it’s not ‘Stranger Things’, which means that Netflix immediately de-prioritizes it.

(I just want to add, I have seen both seasons of Stranger Things, and I do like the show. However, it’s far from perfect and despite the fact I enjoy it, I do think it receives way too much hype)

If you’re looking for a beautifully made series that has representation, heart and good storylines, you should consider ‘Anne with an E’. Like the Cuthberts find Anne to be growing on them, the show will grow on you too – and you won’t regret it one bit.

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REVIEW: “Anne with an E” (S1 + S2) So, here's the thing - I didn't grow up reading L.M. Montgomery's Anne series; one of my granddad's brothers did, however, buy me a copy of

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mercurygray · 7 years ago

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Emma + Henry + Accidental Baby Acquisition? I think it would be awesome ;)

The baby arrived in a box.

It was an altogether ordinary looking box - a packing crate for army biscuit, stamped and lettered for the same, one of a hundred thousand currently in Alexandria. But for all its ordinary qualities, it did not help the staff of Mansion House with the question they wanted most to know - exactly where the child had come from.

It had appeared on Monday morning on the hospital’s back step. No one could say how long it had been there, though Abe swore up and down that it hadn’t been there when he’d locked the door for the night, and Sam had nearly tripped over it when he’d come in the morning to start the fires for breakfast.

However, everyone could agree on one thing - that the box’s occupant had not appreciated being jostled awake at so early an hour.

“Can’t you make it stop?” Anne asked waspishly, as the wail reached new and plaintive heights. “Surely at some point it has to run out of air?”

“I expect the poor thing is hungry,” Mary said, balancing the baby at her shoulder and trying to soothe it with a series of unsure pats on its back. “Matron has gone for milk and sugar and will be back directly.”

“Will someone shut that thing up?” Hale roared from an upper floor - an interjection that only made ‘that thing’ wail all the harder in distress. Mary ignored him and took the screaming infant out of the hall, through and into the back garden, its unhappy cries unceasing, even in the warmth of the sun and the smell of the lindens and boxwoods. The contrabands on laundry duty all shifted uncomfortably, watching the Head Nurse bounce back and forth, trying to find some method of calm that might stop the crying.

“Here we are,” Matron Brannan finally appeared, equipped with a pan of warmed milk, soaking a cloth in the pan so it was dripping wet and holding it to the squalling mouth, tracing at his lips so he might find the taste. “See how you like that.” Behind her, in the doorway, Emma hung back, watching the proceedings with tenative interest. She’d only just arrived from home when the screaming had started, and Matron had grabbed her arm and dragged her downstairs so she might help her locate the sugar in the darkness of the kitchen. (It was probably a testament to the baby’s lung power that Abe did not stop or chide them for invading his preserve - even he could see the value in shutting up a tired, hungry child.)

The infant gummed fitfully on the fold of the napkin, finally taking in the liquid and relaxing a little as he nursed. “He’s a tiny wee thing,” Matron observed, as one hand escaped his wrapper, the arm thin. “Far too small to be away from his ma.”

“I think we may well assume his mother didn’t want him,” Mary said, tucking the arm back inside. “I feel like I’ve seen this shawl before.”

“Visiting a patient?” Matron asked, agast.

“At the clinic,” the head nurse clarified. Brannan’s mouth formed a silent understanding. The women who came to Mansion House were a sporadic and transient lot, here one week and gone the next two, with some stopping their visits altogether for reasons their colleagues did not like to speculate about. It was a near certainty that this little fellow had come from one of them - a woman who (when older, more certain methods had failed her beforehand) had given her child up to someone she thought might treat him better than she could. Alexandria had, as of recently, no orphanage, nor convent or charitable society at which the box could have been dropped - and so he had been left at Mansion House, to fend for himself tucked into an old crate with his mother’s shawl for warmth.

“Miss Phinney, you’re wanted upstairs.” Miss Hastings looked at the child and tried to refrain from frowning. “Doctor Foster requires the head nurse.”

“Go,” Matron said. “Miss Green can take the child.”

“I can?” Emma said, but it was too late - Mary gestured for her to come closer and then suddenly her arms were full of noisy, sucking child. She had the sudden, terrifying sensation she might drop him, and held on tighter. Were all children this heavy?

“Support his head,” Matron cut in, and Emma struggled for a moment to realize what she meant, trying to juggle the child and his attached milky napkin all at once. She did not succeed, at least directly, and the older woman chuckled. “You’ve not had much experience with youngsters, I take it, Miss Green?”

“I’ve had… a little,” Emma said, trying to dust off her injured pride. “My cousins are all married with children, and I’ve …held all of them.” Coming out of her mouth, it sounded rather feeble.

“And nursemaids do the rest, I expect?” Brannan asked pointedly. Emma blanched and would not meet her eye. “Take them away when they’re crying, or soiled?” She laughed at Emma’s silence. “You’re in for a rare treat, then. We’ll start -” she took an experimental sniff of his bottom half - “with a lesson in the fine art of changing nappies.”

—

Ten minutes later, washed, dried, and at the expense of one of Miss Green’s aprons and a great deal of her pride and dignity, the baby was once more properly attired and, it seemed, a little happier for it, and the soiled article had been dispatched to the laundry.

She had been left to her own devices with the child after Mary had departed for the upper floors and the day’s work had forced Brannan to follow. Anne’s views on the child were well-known, and she was doubtful any of the nuns would take her place - so it seemed she was to be alone in this for the rest of the day.

And the prospect did not bother her. Emma was growing used to this tiny human being curled into her body, the smell of the crown of his head and the tiny wisps of hair that floated, unsure, on the soft expanse of his skin. She’d held up a finger and the tiny hand had taken hold like a drowning man clinging to an oar, as if he, too, did not want to be let go of again.

Emma hadn’t thought overlong on Mansion House’s clinic patients, the painted ladies of the docks and the back alleys who came in once or twice a week. She knew what they were, and what they did for their money, a prospect that filled her with dread when they smiled over her and cooed about her lovely eyes, her pretty hair. “If you ever get tired of nursing, dear,” they’d say with a smile. “I’m sure whatever they pay you ain’t much.” “And goes to your husband’s pocket besides.” “You’d be a free woman.” Free! What sort of freedom was that, when you were doing - she wasn’t sure she could call it work, but they did - that could and would leave you sick, or disfigured, or - the most natural consequence of all. But she was sure those women weren’t thinking of such things when they’d begun. Obviously this one’s mother hadn’t.

She was given a wide berth for the remainder of the day, her unspoken orders to do whatever it took to keep the child quiet and amused while some plan was made for his eventual departure. It was a very itinerant existence - finding that he enjoyed being walked about, the rest of her day devolved into a long, winding walk from room to room, and she saw Mansion House differently than she’d ever seen it before.

There was no medicine quite like a baby. Men who had lain listless in bed tried to sit up as she passed by, and solemn old gray heads who usually grumbled at the slightest breeze begged for a chance to play peek-a-boo. More than a few fathers, far away from their own children, asked to be given a chance to hold him, speaking in nonsense syllables and bouncing him up and down until one or another of the doctors appeared and called for order on the ward and Emma took the baby back and went away. A bottle was found to replace the toweling he’d taken his first meal with that morning, and he was pronounced a robust appetite by Matron Brannan, who insisted, at lunchtime, on doing the honor of feeding him.

For a day spent doing nothing of substance, it was certainly a tiring one. Eventually she sought solace in a chair in the hallway, half-napping as the baby did the same. She’d be expected home for dinner soon, and there was no prescribed change of shifts for nurses looking after orphaned baby boys.

“You look very comfortable there.” Emma looked up from her contemplation to find the Chaplain smiling down at the two of them. She smiled at the compliment and sat up a little straighter so the baby could see Henry’s face.

“What’s his name?” Henry asked, sitting down next to her and smiling as he made eye contact with the tiny dark eyes. The baby peered owlishly back, his own little mouth curling tentatively into a smile as he watched Henry do the same. Emma watched the exchange with fascination, quite forgetting that he’d asked a question until Henry’s gaze turned back to her.

“He…he hasn’t got one,” she managed. It was strange - in the rush of the day no one had asked for it. “They…didn’t leave a note.”

“God hasn’t left you with much at all, young man. No name, no family and no home,” Henry mused, offering his own finger to the child, the two locked in a silent conversation of smiles and wide eyes that left Emma’s heart aching. It was strange, how a baby seemed to show people for how they really were - Brannan had become sweet and motherly, Mary unsure, Anne and Hale uneasy, Foster remote and Henry - Henry was sitting far closer than was polite, she was sure, though she did not find she minded. (Indeed, she found the feeling of his leg, his whole body, alongside hers was rather to be wished for, and she longed for the closeness between them to close.)

“We should give him one.” Henry’s voice startled Emma again. “A name,” he clarified, smiling apologetically at her. “Do you think Dr. Foster would mind the compliment? He is by rights in charge of the hospital.”

“My family names boys after their fathers,” she said with a shrug. “People ….might assume.”

The Chaplain agreed with her unease at this prospect, and thought again. “The city, then - since it’s where he was found. Alexander. Sure not to offend anyone, as it is neither Northern nor Southern at the moment.”

“Alexander,” she said, trying it out on her tongue. “It’s a big name for such a small boy - but he could be Alex for short.” The baby turned his head towards the sound, and she smiled again at him, though he did not smile back this time, eyes drooping. The day had finally worn him out. “I think he knows, now.”

“Has he some place to sleep tonight?” Henry asked, letting Emma rise carefully from their bench, mindful not to wake the baby.

“Matron’s airing out his box. She’s said she’ll watch him, and hopefully the officers from the Welfare Society will be here in the morning.”

Henry nodded, pleased at this development, and for a minute the two of them watched him, clearly fighting sleep. Suddenly Henry smiled at some remembered joke. “What is this? his eyes are heavy; think not they are glazed with wine. Go to him, it is thy duty, kiss him, take his hand in thine.”

The poetry, spoken with such tenderness, took her aback a minute. “What’s that?”

“Locksley Hall. Tennyson, I think. ” He swallowed, thinking of something else a moment, and then remembering himself. “Well, I’ll say good night, Miss Green.” And, in a different voice, softer and with infinite care - “Good night, little Alexander. God bless you.” He touched the top of Alex’s head with a tender hand, and, quite by rote, it seemed, stepped closer into Emma’s orbit and kissed the crown of the baby’s head, remaining, for what seemed eternity, paused over the child in silent prayer, his face close to hers, his sleeve brushing her dress. When his head rose again, Emma found her heart pounding in her chest, her whole body expecting, hoping, for one brief moment, that there might also be a kiss for her.

“Good night, chaplain,” she remembered to say, when she’d found her voice again, and hoped she did not sound disappointed.

That night, after the baby had been deposited at the bedside of the Matron, safe in his crate again, and Emma had returned home to try and explain to her mother why she smelled of sour milk, she paused in the library, pulling down the heavy volume of Tennyson, tracing through the verses with her finger, her heart catching in her breast.

And she turn'd—her bosom shaken with a sudden storm of sighs—

All the spirit deeply dawning in the dark of hazel eyes—

Saying, “I have hid my feelings, fearing they should do me wrong”;

Saying, “Dost thou love me, cousin?” weeping, “I have loved thee long.”

#i have written a thing #Emma green #Henry Hopkins #mercy street pbs

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