#wellisntthatlovely

[hmsannlett]

Do the asks for Annlett & Turn we need to know!!! 😘

Here come alllll the opinions!

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When I started shipping them: I actually was Not A Fan when Turn first started nudging Anna and Hewlett together, and it took me quite a bit to get on board. I didn’t want Anna to be forced into yet another relationship, and I was certain it wouldn’t work out and would end in heartbreak for everyone involved—which I didn’t want for either of them (and, oh, how I hate being right). But the stargazing scene started chipping away at my resolve, and I was a goner by the end of S2/beginning of S3…only to then be walloped with my prediction coming true. </3

My thoughts: They're the source of my deepest joy and my deepest pain.

I’ll probably sail this ship right into my grave.

What makes me happy about them: I love how they become a refuge for each other. Both Anna and Hewlett are often alienated from the people around them and rarely have people that they can lean on for comfort, so I loved seeing that mutual support develop between them. And they each finally—briefly—get to be cherished by someone else, after each being reviled by so many people for so long.

What makes me sad about them: HEARTS AND MINDS. AKA hell in the form of a TV episode. But what really breaks my heart is that Hewlett never finds out that Anna truly cares for him and that their relationship wasn’t a sham—all because she wants to protect him one last time, ensuring that he won’t have anything to stay for and will sail back to Scotland to safety. She loves him too much to be able to tell him that she does.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: Nothing, really, except OOC behavior or anachronisms. But that's a common quibble I have.

Things I look for in fanfic: Good characterization and slow burns. And I always appreciate beautiful prose.

My wishlist: That more people would write for fics for them! Any fics! Sad fics, happy fics, 100-word fics! And that I’d get up the courage to write the Annlett Regency AU at some point.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I quite honestly would have been happy if they had both stayed single. I think that would have worked well with the direction their individual character arcs were going in S4. Barring that, I would have liked Anna/Selah to have had more development throughout the show, instead of being hastily written-in at the end. It would have made their eventual reconciliation more believable and meaningful, IMO.

My happily ever after for them: Reconciling after the war, getting married, and sailing off to Scotland, far away from any and all meddling Woodhulls (except Mary; I have nothing against Mary).

001| Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Anna Strong, queen of my heart, and a certain Major Edmund Hewlett, lover of stars, books, Anna Strong, and Bucephalus. (That's a long way of saying I can't decide between them.)

Least Favorite character: Abe. Arnold shares this honor as well.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

1. Annlett. My ship to end all ships. Tell me there's a ship that has better scenes than they do. Tell me.

2. Mary/Caleb. When I first started poking around the fandom, I found another Annlett blogger who had shipped them hard back in the day, and their enthusiasm for it rubbed off on me. But I’m equally happy seeing them as just platonic. I love their dynamic regardless of how it plays out. <3

3. Mary/Baker. I do not see the ending of 1.10. It does not exist. Obviously, Mary divorces Abe and runs off with Baker, who adores her like Abe always should have. (This section should probably more appropriately be titled "Mary/anyone who isn’t Abe.")

4. Abigail/Akinbode. They. Deserved. Better. What do we have to do for AMC to release the scenes of Abigail reuniting with Akinbode and Cicero in Canada??

5. Hmm…Hewlett/the stars? Hewlett/Bucephalus? I don’t think I have five ships (even having this many in one fandom is rare for me), but I will give a shout out to Andre and Peggy, who deserved much better as well. </3

Character I find most attractive: Our beloved Oyster Major. Look, I know there’s a lot of opinions about his wigs, but he looks fine in his uniform and I will die on this hill. Burn Gorman is a beautiful man, no matter what ridiculous things he says about his face.

Character I would marry: Edmund. Spending evenings stargazing? Yes, please.

Character I would be best friends with: Anna or Abigail <3

A random thought: I feel like Caleb probably gives the best hugs.

An unpopular opinion: …I don’t like the series finale. It seems to be a rare opinion.

My Canon OTP: ANNLETT. I will go down with this ship.

My Non-canon OTP: Mary/Baker or Mary/Caleb.

Most Badass Character: Mary freakin’ Woodhull. I don't think I'll ever be the same after watching her burn down her house.

Most Epic Villain: Can you really answer with anything other than Simcoe?

Pairing I am not a fan of: Anna/Abe. My girl deserves better.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I feel all of the women got the short end of the stick, and I think they got some of the worst endings—Abigail especially, and obviously Peggy, but also Mary not knowing about Abe’s “I always loved Anna Strong” and Anna looking so sad in the series finale. It's a big part of why the series finale is disappointing for me. :/ I also feel Anna was written unevenly in the interest of keeping the "will they/won't they" with Abe going, even after she'd made it clear she was done with him.

Favourite Friendship: I adore Caleb's friendships with Anna and Mary. He’s so gentle and kind to them, often when no one else is, and it makes me so happy to see that someone (finally) gives them the support and respect they deserve.

Character I most identify with: Hmm...probably Mary.

Character I wish I could be: That said, I wish I could be as tough as nails as Mary is. I also admire Anna's unwavering commitment to what she believes in and to her friends, even if it costs her greatly.

Thanks for the ask and for encouraging my Annlett rambling @wellisntthatlovely!! 😘

[leannan-fuisce]

@wellisntthatlovely Great question! The vowels and diphthongs don’t change pronunciation. However, the consonants do. There’s two types of vowels in Irish, broad and slender. Like the graphic shows, the broad vowels are A, O, and U. The slender are E and I. So, the consonants’ pronunciaiton will change based upon whether the vowel is broad or slender - and the different pronunciations are shown above. An example would be how the word sacar (soccer) is pronounced “sah-car” because A is broad, meaning the “s” and “c” in the word with be pronounced in in the the broad way, whereas a word like seacláid (chocolate) is pronounced “shah-cuh-laid” because E is slender, meaning the “s” will be pronounced in the slender way.

Some Irish grammar/pronunciation notes by me! Part two will be coming soon.

[starsuncounted]

For the end of the year fandom asks: 6, 15, and 24!! I don’t think any of these have been asked yet!! 😘

Hi! Thanks for the ask! 💕

6. favourite playlist of the year

I mostly listened to soundtracks and instrumental music this year, but I did make this playlist this fall and listened to it for weeks on end.

15. favourite headcanon of the year

Tbh, it's been a very no thoughts head empty kind of year (I don't think I wrote a single meta post this year, rip), but one of my favorite headcanons to play with this year was how LOTR might have played out if Glorfindel had joined the fellowship, as was thrown out during the council and considered by Tolkien in early drafts. I won't go into more detail than that, though, because I don't want to spoil future events and characters for you!

24. best episode you watched this year

Every single episode of Anne with an E? I really loved the last season, though, especially 3.03 and 3.07. The show's writers wrecked me, and I'd have them do it all over again in a heartbeat. :')

⇢ fandom end of year asks

[threes-company]

Hi I asked about Three's Company online and I just wanted to update you on your links. I checked them both out- the one that is 'prime wire' seemed to be less sketchy and then I have been using 'vodlocker' or 'cloudzilla' from there. Just for anyone else who wants to watch. :) Thanks so much for providing the links. :)

Awesome! Thanks for keeping us updated! 

[annieaceofhearts]

Hey was that Jeff/Annie dancing post in the episode or was that a behind the scenes thing?

It’s an outtake from Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts (3x11)! There used to be a video titled “Greendale Happy Dance” on NBC’s YouTube channel, but it looks like it has been set to private. Somebody else uploaded it here.

[16teapots]

I am absolutely in love with your blog! It is simply amazing. And sorry if I reblog everything you post! ;)

aw thank you so much! haha i don't mind a bit :-) xx

[hmsannlett]

Hello! Just scrolling through your blog because I felt like I hadn’t seen you on my dash in a little while. I must have missed a lot! Anyways there’s a Turn ask from a couple weeks ago could you do 266, 299, 560 ?! 💕

Thanks for dropping in! ❤︎ Yeah, I don’t think my queue is posting at a time when very many people are active anymore. I might play around with it and see if I can find a better posting time.

I certainly can do those!

266 (honest) - unpopular opinion about the show?

Whom shall I offend, whom shall I offend.....

I'm not sure how unpopular this is currently, but I feel Andre treated both Peggy and Philomena badly toward the end. I wish he had listened to Peggy’s protests about his going to York City without her and had considered her thoughts more before making the decision for both of them. I feel he rather steamrolled over her concerns. :/ And though I don’t love Philomena, or that he cheated on Peggy with her, his dismissal of her was fairly cold, given that he had led her to believe he was starting their relationship again.

299 (intrigue) - what made you start watching turn?

I just happened to find it on Netflix! IIRC, I was more in the mood at the time for something set during the Civil War, but one can't be too picky with what the streaming gods decide to bestow upon us. I tried it out several months before the 'rona waltzed into our lives, but I didn't have the time to keep watching it until lockdown struck. I finally was able to watch it cohesively then and figure out the twisty plotlines, and I was hooked.

560 (relate) - which character are you most like?

Predictable, I suppose, but I see parts of me in both Anna and Hewlett.

I resonate quite a bit with Anna’s determination to do everything on her own without asking for help, as well as her tendency to suffer in silence, rather than letting others help shoulder her burdens (though, to be fair, she doesn’t have very many people to lean on that she can trust). And she takes no crap from sexist men! I aspire to reach her level of putting sexist men in their places.

And Hewlett, my beloved colonial nerd. He’s a little fussy and pretentious; I’m a little fussy and pretentious. (I should have known he’d be one of my favorites when he melodramatically quoted Romeo and Juliet in one of his first scenes in S1.) And I, too, love stars, books, horses, peace and quiet, and Anna Strong.

Thanks for the ask!! ❤︎

turn (amc) asks pt. 2

[hmsannlett]

Lol this is for the -ship ask 😛

Love/2. What are their primary love languages?

Domestic/11. Who likes to dance more?

This took forever for me to respond to, but thanks for the ask! :) It’s another long response because I don’t have the self-control to not word vomit about Annlett. Sigh.

Love/2: Words of affirmation and physical touch for both of them because that’s it seems like they show each other the most on the show – although they’ve both been disrespected, invalidated, and emotionally alone for so long that I think any expression of love is foreign, incomprehensible, and ultimately, though hesitantly at first, welcome for both of them.

For words of affirmation, Edmund so rarely has people affirm him, let alone show sincere respect or care for him (Mary is the only person I can think of besides Anna who typically does so), that to hear actual praise from Anna is a (welcome) shock to his system. Once his and Anna’s relationship starts developing and Anna becomes more verbal about what she admires in him, it’s clear he’s soaking it in (or trying to), even though he doesn’t say much in response (likely because he’s in disbelief).

Affirmation is something that I think Edmund has learned to live without, especially after the other rejection[s] that the show hints that he’s been through, and probably has questioned if he’s even worthy of affirmation in the first place. Given how he seems to take on a role/façade during S1 to try to adapt to who/what he thinks he must be as commander of the garrison and ranking authority in Setauket, he has to have a lot of self-doubt going on about his own capability. Add in the fact that he knows quite well how he is viewed by his superiors in York City, as well as his “Oyster Major” moniker, I think it’s safe to say Edmund hasn’t had any affirmation in a long time, except from his family, maybe. But they’re across the ocean, and he’s alone in Setauket. And then: enter Anna, with all the words he probably never thought he’d hear. <3

Anna, too, I think has gone a very long time without anyone verbally affirming her. Based on her relationship with Selah in S1, I highly doubt that he verbally complimented her much, and Abe certainly never does. What she does get, though, is nearly endless shaming from just about everyone – for her family’s politics, Selah’s politics, her engagement to Abe, her affair, and on and on. Everyone except Edmund, the only person who verbally recognizes her worth, bravery, and intelligence and reminds her of them over and over again. When Anna breaks down in tears each time he compliments her, I don’t think it’s all from guilt about her duplicity – it’s guilt driven in even deeper by the fact that he’s the only person who verbally affirms her and verbally reminds her that she’s much more than her past. And to hear someone saying those words about herself is something she’s both longed for and felt unworthy of for quite a while, I’d bet. (Side note: “You’re a beacon, Anna, a light in the darkness of these past months”?? Let’s all just take a moment to collectively swoon.) Words of affirmation seem like something they give to and receive from each other so well and naturally, as well as something that significantly impacts their views of each other and their relationship.

For touch, Anna is so incredibly touchy with him towards the end of S2 and beginning of S3 (read: does not and cannot keep her hands off his face, jaw, neck, chest, hand, arm – whatever’s closest and best for reassuring him), and once he grows in confidence after his capture and sees that his feelings might be reciprocated, he starts initiating touch too (case in point: the hand brush, the kiss, all the glorious moments of uninhibited Hew affection). And, had certain events not happened and ruined everything, I think that’s something we would have seen develop even more on his part, like the sweet, cheeky little peck he gives her when she knocks on his door.

Domestic/11: I think both in canon and a modern AU, Edmund.

Gentleman that he is, I’m sure he had dancing instruction back home in Scotland, because knowing how to dance was the 18th century gentlemanly Thing To Do. Moving fully into headcanon territory here, Anna, not being a part of high society, probably knows some dances but has long abandoned such frivolous things, having no use for them with her (what seems like?) more working-class station in Setauket and no time with her work at the tavern.

However, (pre-amputation) Edmund, despite his verbal awkwardness, would absolutely take Anna for a whirl around the dance floor. Dancing is something he’s had ingrained in him since he was young and, like the harpsichord and astronomy, is something he feels completely comfortable teaching her and sharing with her.

For modern Eddie, slow dancing in the kitchen is definitely his thing, as well as teaching Anna ballroom dancing (that his mother insisted he learn, and that he took to very fondly). He doesn’t mind teaching Anna at all (and, truth be told, thinks it’s adorable that strong, independent, always-capable Anna stumbles through some of the ballroom dancing techniques he tries to teach her). Anna, though she doesn’t understand why anyone would ever learn ballroom dancing in the 21st century, adores how all of his awkwardness melts away and his face lights up when he is doing something he loves.

[hmsannlett]

Foe the salty asks:

4. Do you have a NoTP?

25. Would you change the ending of Anna/Hewlett(/Selah)???

4. Anna/Abe is a big nope for me and is probably the ship that irks me the most on the show because there’s so many destructive elements to it, and yet the show just kept pushing it. Their relationship has huge collateral damage for everyone who has the misfortune of getting dragged into it and, imo, does a disservice to both their characters (especially/mainly Anna).

Anna/Simcoe also bothers me, because she could not more clearly be terrified of him, and he uses that against her and doesn’t respect any of the times that she says no to him. It especially strikes a negative chord with me because I’ve been in Anna’s position more than a few times with men that just won’t take a no (although not to the extent that Simcoe took it to), so I truly empathize with the powerlessness that she feels. It’s the worst position to be in, and to feel completely alone like she does makes the situation all the more unsettling.

Both ships are unhealthy in their own ways, imo. Fortunately, neither ship is/has been very popular in the fandom.

25. Oh, goodness. So many thoughts on this. I’ll try to not write a whole thesis here lol and just distill it down to my main thoughts.

In short, yes, I would love a different ending. I will preface all of this, though, by saying that I’d like married couples to be happy with each other and remain together as much as anyone. I’m not completely against the idea of Anna/Selah (though Annlett is my fav and will always be my otp); I just don’t agree with how all of Anna/Selah was written and how Anna/Selah/Hewlett ended.

So, from a writing perspective, I think Selah was brought in too late in S4 to have the character development that he needed after how he was depicted in S1 (and, according to the show’s writers, Anna and Selah were supposed to have a pretty unhealthy dynamic in S1; some of these scenes had to be cut for time constraints, though, so we only get small glimpses of this dynamic). There wasn’t much opportunity to connect positively with Selah in S1 or S4, and as a result, his quick character arc in S4 (to me) breaks the age-old writing rule of showing vs. telling.

There’s no buildup to Anna’s and Selah’s reunion that shows him growing as a character or even what it was that caused him to grow and respect Anna. Why would he suddenly respect her now in S4 more than he did in the first part of S1 after she all but said that she wanted to end their marriage by jumping from the boat, publicly humiliating him, and causing their lengthy separation – during a time period when desertion/an extended period of separation was, in some of the colonies, considered equal to divorce? There’s no apparent motivation (that we’re shown) to inspire his growth. We’re just told as an audience that he’s changed, and I think that weakens the growth that the writers were aiming for. It could be that Selah spent a lot of time reflecting while he was in Philadelphia, but we don’t get to see that onscreen. And for me, what is shown on the screen is much more convincing and effective than whatever we are told happens off-screen.

My other issues with Anna/Selah’s ending are that

1.) If their relationship was so unhealthy before, is his change in how he treats her sustainable? (Would he still treat her with respect after he found out/got confirmation about her affair w/Abe? That tended to make a woman “damaged goods” back then.)

2.) If Anna feels that “he’s not the same man I married,” why then does she seem so upset in 4.10 when they return to Setauket and in the epilogue? It seems like the story ends w/Anna being in exactly the same spot she was in in S1 – unhappy w/her life for whatever reason – and feels like she had more of a character circle than a character arc. She didn’t really end up anywhere different than where she started, even though she had grown so much throughout the show. It just feels like lazy writing to me, and I had really hoped that all of Anna’s sacrifices and growth during the war would be rewarded (even if that wasn’t necessarily a future w/Hewlett like my shipper heart wanted).

Conversely, there was excellent growth shown between Anna and Hewlett, both individually and as a couple. We got to watch each of them grow to respect each other’s character, sacrifice for each other, and fight for each other over the span of almost two seasons – and do so even when both of them felt there was no hope that the relationship could continue. There was a purity and selflessness to their relationship that none of the other relationships on the show were really able to capture, and, imo, is absent from most relationships in films/shows. And I had hoped that that kind of character development would be rewarded or at least considered in S4 after dedicating so much screen time to it. I also feel that Hewlett offers what Anna truly wants: respect, agency, and to be seen as a person, an equal. Like I said above, I don’t know if Selah could offer that level of respect long-term in their relationship. I’d like to hope so, for Anna’s sake, but she definitely doesn’t seem satisfied to me in 4.10.

Anna and Hewlett each left a significant mark on each other and were an enormous part of each other’s individual growth, and I feel like that was largely ignored in S4. For two characters so dedicated to their causes (and practically acting as the epitomes of the two sides’ warring ideologies) to be able to see each other as people and respect the person/character they saw in each other, even at the end of their relationship, is huge. And it seems like the writers just abandoned that without a second thought because they felt that they (finally) had to be historically accurate.

So for me, it’s disappointing that a show that was so heavily focused on character development (and, by and large, executed that development very well throughout the seasons) took what felt like a cop out and didn’t fully realize/fulfill Anna’s, Selah’s, and Hewlett’s individual character arcs. Since the showrunners felt they had to keep Anna/Selah for historical accuracy, I would have preferred that their relationship had been given more time to develop before his arrival in S4 because they had grown very far apart and had significant issues to address before moving forward. But ideally, of course, my Annlett shipper self would have liked the writers to stick with the two seasons of character development between Anna and Hewlett, resolve their relationship, and find a way of kindly writing Selah out (because, tbh, he kind of deserves a better ending too. Anna did betray him deeply, and it’s a lot to ask of him to just overlook/forgive that and move forward with their relationship. Furthermore, I don’t know that Anna is capable of really, truly loving him – it’s always come off as more loyalty/obedience to me – and that’s not a very satisfying conclusion for his character either). And as for how I would end Anna/Selah/Hewlett…well, there is a fic in the works…

Annnnd this is over 1k and has indeed become a thesis, so I’ll leave it at that because this is probably waaaaay more than you wanted lol. This post pretty much hits the nail on the head (succinctly! unlike me lol) with my frustrations about the writing of Anna/Selah/Hewlett and the closure of their character arcs/relationship arcs, as well as the balance of character development and historical accuracy. If you want me to explain any of my litany of thoughts more than I have here (this is the best I can do at an overview of all my thoughts lol; I have many), I can write responses/metas that go into more detail. :)

tl;dr: I wish the show had decided earlier on whether it was going to go with the character development it had created or with historical accuracy, because I don’t feel either Anna/Hewlett or Anna/Selah got the ending they deserved. Annlett was left with two seasons of development unfinished and forgotten, and Anna/Selah was drawn to a close without enough development to make it feel truly convincing for me.

[hmsannlett]

For the Fanfic Asks::: 👀👨‍👩‍👧🏅:)))))

Thanks for the ask!! 💕

👀 Do you have any WIPs that you would never let see the light of day? If yes, what are they about?

I can't think of any that I'd never post. But there are some that will probably never see the light of day because I'll never make it through my mountain of WIPs lol. Although, I do have another Annlett fix it I was working on last year that I got pretty far into and then ran into a bunch of plot snags. I much prefer the fix it I'm working on now, so I doubt I'll ever try to fix the older one up for posting.

👨‍👧‍👧 Do you tell people in real life that you write fic?

Not a soul lol. I've even gone so far as to make sure my main blog has no connection to my fandom sideblogs (although I link back to my main on all my sideblogs so people know who I am if I comment, follow back, or send asks) because people I know IRL follow my main. The mortifying ordeal of being known, etc. etc.

🏅 What is something you recently felt proud of in regard to your writing (finished a fic, actually planned for once, etc).

Hmm... Until yesterday, I hadn't had the time for quite a while to work on fics, so I guess I'm proud that I finally got to write for a little bit and actually spend some time thinking about fic writing!

[Fanfic Ask Game]

[hmsannlett]

Hellooooo!!!! (Haven’t seen you in a while how u been??) This is re: how did you find my blog ask. I came back 2 Tumblr for the Turn content and here you were 💕 I don’t think I’ve found any stronger Annlett shippers out there & ur url really pulled me in. 😜😜😜

Hello!! Yeah, I wasn’t very active on here for a while. RL was taking all my time and energy and then some. :( I’ve missed this blog and fandom! How have you been?

Aww, I love that! Turn was actually why I came back to Tumblr as well after being gone for some years. It just scratched the right itch during quarantine, as it did for a lot of us who are currently in the fandom, I think.

Yes, my love for Annlett is rather...passionate lol. Ironically, I wasn’t having the ship at all when the show first started pushing them together, so having a whole blog dedicated to them now is quite the turn around! But I’m glad my blog has filled the Annlett void! Lol, the url was actually a last-minute, couldn’t-think-of-a-blog-name kind of thing because all the other Annlett urls I could think of were taken, so I’m glad you like it!

Thanks for the ask!! ☺️

[threes-company]

Hi hi! Just wondering if you know of anywhere that I can find Three's Company for free? At least season's one and two? So far I have yet to find them. Thanks so much. :)

All I know of is what is listed under links where it says "watch TC." And tbqh I haven't checked those links in awhile so I'm not sure if they still work. Give it a try and let me know. Otherwise, I'll leave this here in case anyone else might know. :)