#also they have made Shadow and Cluny husbands

[thesablequear]

The one thing I did not expect when showing my friends Redwall was them being indescribably horny for Friar Hugo

[queenfredegund]

MEROVINGIAN REGINAE | Ultrogotho Regina (c. 530s-af. 561)

Principal wife of Childebert I Rex, to whom she bore at least two daughters, the twins Chlodoberga I Regina and Chlodosuinda I Regina. Her dates of birth and death are unknown, as well as her origin, however she may have been from royal lineage, as she had the lemma “-goth” in her name, a sign of appartenance to the ostrogothic royal family.

“Possideas felix hæc, Ultrogotho, per ævum, Cum geminis natis tertia mater ovans.

May you, Ultrogoth, have the chance to possess for eternity, you third, with your two daughters, triumphant mother.”

Carm, VI, 6. De horto Ultrogothonis

During the reign of her husband, she apparently lived in the royal palace of Parisius (Paris), located in the actual Thermes of Cluny, whose were a palace since the 4th century. According to Venantius Fortunatus, the place was known for its beautiful rose garden, of whom Ultrogotho took great care.

“Hic ver purpureum viridantia gramina gignit, Et paradisiacas spargit odore rosas ; Hic tener æstivas defendit pampinus umbras, Praebet et uviferis frondea tecta comis. Pinxeruntque locum variato germine flores, Pomaque vestivit candor, et inde rubor.

In this place, a purple spring gives birth to green plants and lavishes roses with a heavenly scent. Here a young vine forms a bulwark against the summer shadows and provides a leafy shelter with its boughs covered with clusters. Flowers of various species dot the area, white and red cover the fruits.”

Carm, VI, 6. De horto Ultrogothonis

She was also known for her pity and her devotion, being a great benefactor and foundress, and also for a great pilmgrimage she made on the tomb of st Martin who impressed even Gregory of Tours, who then claimed she was like a new Queen of Sheba, as her alms and devotion were huges.

“Nam et Ultrogotho regina, auditis miraculis, quae ad locum fiunt quo sancta membra quiescunt, tamquam si sapientiam Salamonis audire, expetiit ea devote prospicere.

Queen Ultrogoth, having learned of the miracles that were done in the place where these holy members rest, went there to contemplate them with a heart full of piety, as if she had consulted the wisdom of Solomon.”

Virt. S. Mart., I, 12. De Ultrogotu regina

After the death of Childebert in 558, she withdrew herself with her two daughters in an unknown place (perhaps Arelate (Arles), or Toronica (Tours)) while Chlothacar I Rex was taking the lands of his late brother on his own, but was then called back by her nephew, Charibert I Rex, after 561, who then took the three women under his protection. Her fate after that is unknown.

“Childeberthus igitur rex aegrotare coepit, et cum diutissime apud Parisius lectulo decubasset, obiit et ad basilicam beati Vincenti, quam ipse construxerat, est sepultus. Cuius regnum et thesauros Chlotharius rex accepit; Vulthrogotham vero et filias eius duas in exilium posuit.

King Childebert fell ill: for a long time he lay bed-ridden in Paris and then he died. He was buried in the church of Saint Vincent, which he himself had built. King Lothar took over his kingdom and his treasury. He sent Queen Ultrogotha and her two daughters into exile.”

DLH, IV, 20. De obitu Childeberthi et interitu Chramni

[sharksandothernonsense]

The Sound of a Bell

Written for @melly1 as part of the Redwall Midwinter Gift Exchange. I ended up combining all three of your requests - I hope you like the results!

(I’m also autobotscoutriella - just posting this on my fic blog instead of the Transformers RP one.)

AO3 Link

The bells mark out important moments in the lives of Matthias and Cornflower, across the seasons.

Listen and my voice you’ll hear, throughout the changing seasons

While Matthias knew he hadn’t been born at the Abbey – he had occasionally been told the story of his arrival at the Abbey as a tiny orphan – he had no memory of a time when he had not been surrounded by dusty red sandstone, jewel-toned orchards and gardens, and woodland-green habits. For as long as he could remember, the gentle tolling of the Joseph Bell had marked out the events of his life, from mornings and mealtimes to seasons-day celebrations and the appointments of new Brothers and Sisters to the order.

That bell had also marked what would, in hindsight, become the most important meeting of his life – though Matthias didn’t know it at the time.

The Joseph Bell chimed out the dinner hour, and Matthias scrambled to cross Great Hall and reach Cavern Hole before someone noticed he was late. His sandals, far too big for tiny paws, flopped about and threatened to trip him, and he kept stumbling on the hem of his habit, even after Sister Rose had specially cut it down. He was so focused on trying not to trip that he didn’t see the other little figure in the middle of Great Hall until it was too late, and the two collided with near-simultaneous startled yelps.

Matthias was up first, scrambling to help the stranger up and apologizing so quickly he stumbled over the words. “Sorry, sorry – so sorry - tripped on my, er, sandals, and I didn’t see…”

He looked up mid-sentence, holding a sandal in one paw and the other young one’s paw in the other, and found himself staring into a pair of warm brown eyes. His voice suddenly stuck in his throat, and though he tried to say I thought I was the only one late for tea, it came out as “thoughtwaslatefor…uh, tea?”

The little mousemaid giggled shyly, and Matthias promptly lost his entire heart.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I was lookin’ at the pictures.” She pointed up at the tapestry, where Martin the Warrior smiled down at them. “I’m Cornflower Fieldmouse. What’s your name?”

Matthias had to clear his throat before he could tell her. “I’m – I’m Matthias. And that’s Martin the Warrior.” It felt important, somehow, to make sure she knew that as well. “He founded our Abbey.”

The Joseph Bell tolled again before either of them could speak, and Cornflower’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right, tea! My mum’n’dad’ll be wondering where -”

Matthias tugged at her paw. “C’mon! It’s just down in Cavern Hole.”

The two little ones ran off, paw in paw. Matthias would not remember that he’d forgotten his sandal in Great Hall until almost nightfall, when Brother Dan asked him why he only had one.

I will ring for wedding times, when two hearts unite

On a crisp, late-fall dawn, the sun rose slowly over Mossflower Wood, gradually tinting the crisp shadows of night with the soft reds and golds of sunlit autumn leaves. The light had barely begun to touch the walls of Redwall Abbey, but it promised to be a cool, cloudless day.

Cornflower, wife of Matthias the Warrior, stood on the walltop over the Abbey threshold, watching Mossflower and the Abbey slowly come to life. She drew her shawl closer around her shoulders and gazed down at the silent, shadowed gardens, thinking back over that summer. Something about early mornings sent her mind back to times before – the Summer of the Late Rose really hadn’t been that long ago, but somehow it already felt like a lifetime.

Cornflower regretted very little when she looked back at her wedding day. The ceremony had been simple and solemn, a joyous moment that still acknowledged the tragedy that had come immediately before. It had been the most beautiful moment of her life, and two seasons on, she looked back on it with fondness.

But if she could have changed one thing, it would have been the bells.

The Joseph Bell had always rung for weddings, singing out the joy of the ceremony across the woodlands until Mossflower itself echoed with it. Even as a tiny mouselet with no idea what a wedding was or why anyone would want one, Cornflower had loved to listen to the sound of the bell, and when she had finally understood what it meant, she had sometimes daydreamed of the day the bell would ring for her own wedding.

It was no one’s fault that there hadn’t been a bell to ring for her wedding, of course, except maybe Cluny’s. The Methuselah and Matthias bells – and it still made her smile to think of how shy and flustered her husband had been when Abbot Mordalfus announced that one of the bells would be named for him – had not been completed until almost a full season after the war had ended. Redwall’s bellringers would happily have rung the bells for them, given the opportunity.

Now, Cornflower thought with a touch of wonder as she ran a paw gently over her apron, they would have another happy reason to ring the bells.

A shadow fell over the battlement next to Cornflower, and she looked up to see Matthias approaching. “You always come up here when you need to think,” he said, answering her question before she even asked it. He placed a paw around her shoulders as soon as he reached her side. “Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes.” Cornflower leaned into Matthias’s side, watching the sun’s rays gradually turn the Abbey building from deep red to dusty pink. “Everything is more than all right.” She folded her paw over his and tilted her face up until she could look at him. “When spring arrives, our little family will be three.”

It took him a moment to understand, but when he did, his face lit up even brighter than the rising sun. “You mean we’re – you’re – ”

“Going to have a child,” Cornflower confirmed. Matthias fumbled over his words visibly for a moment before sweeping her up in a hug, struck speechless with happiness.

As the two of them held each other close, the sun rose fully into the sky, and Redwall’s twin bells tolled out a new day. Leaning against Matthias’s chest, Cornflower thought that the bells sounded just that much more joyful this morning, as if the bells themselves knew that there was a reason to celebrate.

I will boom a sad farewell, when they must leave this life

The evening bells tolled out slowly, solemnly, over the quiet Abbey grounds. Matthias gazed up at a deep blue-purple sky through eyes that no longer saw as clearly as they once did, watching the sun begin to set over the west wall of the Abbey. Midsummer’s Day was almost over, but there was one more celebration to hold before the day ended.

Cornflower, I wish you were here to see this, Matthias thought. You would have been so proud.

He had hoped that she would see it. Planning had begun in spring, and even though Cornflower had been quite frail then, she had taken part in the early preparations. But to his sorrow, at the  beginning of summer, Cornflower had quietly passed on. It had been peaceful, surrounded by friends and family, and she had gently told him that she was ready, but ever since, Matthias had felt that most of the light had gone out of the world.

The last note of the bells hung on the still air, sweet and melancholy. Even on this joyous occasion, there was a touch of sadness to their sound, as if the bells themselves knew that the celebration was marked by the absence of long-gone loved ones. Constance and Orlando, old Abbot Mordalfus, the Churchmice, Cornflower…Each season, the Abbey felt just a bit older, and the bells a bit more mournful.

Or perhaps, Matthias thought wryly, those were just the thoughts of an old mouse, drifting off into nostalgia as he watched the sun set and thought about his beloved wife.

“Grandfather? Are you all right?”

Matthias looked up to see his grandson, Martin, standing beside him. Martin was still a young mouse, but he had grown up tall and strong, much as his father had. Smiling, Matthias patted the broad paw that rested on his shoulder. “Yes, I’m all right. I was thinking of your grandmother, and how much she would have loved to be here today.”

Martin nodded, a hint of sadness creeping into his expression. “I miss her too.”

“She was proud of you, you know.” Matthias accepted the support of his grandson’s arm as they made their way back toward the Abbey. “Just as proud as I am. And even though she didn’t live to see this day, she knew that it would come, and she was so happy for you.”

Martin held his grandfather’s paw carefully. “Do you think she’s watching us?”

��I’m sure that she is.” Matthias patted Martin’s paw gently. “Her grandson is becoming the Warrior of Redwall today. This is a joyous moment for us all, and I am sure that her spirit is here today to watch over us.”

As Matthias the Warrior and his grandson entered Great Hall together, Matthias thought that he could still hear the echo of the bells, marking out the seasons and celebrations of Redwall Abbey for many seasons past, and for many more to come.

[classicmollywood]

Thank You FilmStruck

As a film lover, I am absolutely distraught that FilmStruck’s swan song is in seven days. The creativity and passion used when putting films on the streaming site was absolutely apparent and for a film lover, it was refreshing.

This streaming service has been great in introducing me to films I would have never even thought of watching. So, as my ode to FilmStruck, I am going to list the top 15 films that I watched on the service that touched me in some way or another (and it was so hard just to pick 15). 

So here are my top 15 films that I watched on FilmStruck that I think everyone should check out and they are in no particular order:

1. Norma Rae (1979) - Starring Sally Field, Beau Bridges, and Don Leibman

Sally Field plays a single mother who helps unionize the textile factory she works at, even though there is great risk and danger involved. 

Why you should watch it: Sally Field is so inspiring as Norma Rae! She absolutely deserved the Oscar she won for that role. Also, girl power and unionizing is awesome!!

2. Bicycle Thieves (1948) - Starring Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola

A working-class family man has his bicycle stolen, which  he needs for the job he finally got in depressed post-War World II Italy. Thus, he takes his son on his journey to find his bicycle. 

Why you should watch it: This story is such a heartbreakingly beautiful tale. The emotion that both Maggiorani and Staiola convey really help the audience feel their pain. The film also takes you all over the streets of Italy, which is fantastic. 

3. The Crowd (1928) - Starring James Murray and Eleanor Boardman

The story of a man and woman who fall in love and get married. However, the husband’s unhappiness with their small apartment, being a small fish in a big pond, and his in-laws disapproval could be the downfall of their marriage.

Why you should watch it: Even though this film is from the 1920s, some of the concepts can be placed in any time period. The situations that the husband and wife go through could happen to any working-class family. Also, King Vidor did some amazing directing and some of the shots he set up are just spectacular. 

4. La Notte (1961) - Starring Jeanne Moreau, Marcello Mastroianni, and Monica Vitti

A married couple’s deteriorating marriage is magnified through one day and one night. The two flirt with other people and have to truly realize their personal problems.

Why you should watch it: Michaelangelo Antonioni does a brilliant job in capturing this couple and their unraveling relationship. Also Mastroianni and Moreau are fantastic as the couple. Not all movies have the happiest of endings, but that is what makes them, and this film, so realistic. Life isn’t always happiness.

5. The Nights of Cabiria (1957) - Starring Guiletta Masina, Francois Perrier, and Franca Marzi

A prostitute desperately wants love, but all she gets from men is extreme heartbreak. 

Why you should watch it: Guiletta Masina is FANTASTIC as Cabiria! Oh my gosh, she is so good at making Cabiria a sympathetic character. Also, who doesn’t love a good story about a hooker with a heart of gold?

6. What’s Up, Doc? (1972) - Starring Ryan O’Neal, Barbara Streisand, and Madeline Kahn

A zany Screwball Comedy that involves 4 plaid bags that all contain different contents. Each bag is important in its own way and causes so much confusion, it’s hysterical.

Why you should watch it: This movie is so zany. That is the only way to describe it. Barbara Streisand and Ryan O’Neal are great at comedy! And this is Madeline Kahn’s first feature film! I also never realized there were Screwball Comedies made in the ‘70s.

7. Le Samourai (1967) - Starring Alain Delon, Francois Perier, and Nathalie Delon

A professional hit man makes a hit but has witnesses. He tries his best to make an alibi for himself, but ends up getting entangled in the web of his witnesses. 

Why you should watch it: This film is badass! Even though it is French, this film has major Japanese Samurai film influences! Also, it was my first introduction to the amazing Alain Delon and he is such a fantastic actor.  

8. Shadows (1958) - Starring Ben Carruthers, Leila Goldoni, and Hugh Hurd

It’s the Beat-era in New York! Jazz is used throughout the film to help explore interracial relationships and friendships. 

Why you should watch it: This is John Cassavetes’s directorial debut and he uses jazz and jump shots to give us a feeling of the fast paced life the characters are living. Also this film was made in the late ‘50s and was absolutely revolutionary for its time. No one wanted to honestly address racism, and Cassavetes (who is a white man) is very honest about the subject. 

9. Sunflower (1970) - Starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni

An Italian couple gets married right before WWII. The husband gets drafted and never comes home. The wife goes on a journey to find him and realizes he is still alive, in Russia, living a new life.

Why you should watch it: This film WILL break your heart. But if a film doesn’t make you feel any emotion, then what’s the point of watching it? Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni are magnificent in this film! Also the cinematography is breathtaking. Audiences witness Italy and Russia as if they are there. 

10. History Is Made at Night (1937) - Starring Jean Arthur, Charles Boyer, and Leo Carillo

A divorcee falls in love with a French man but her insanely jealous ex-husband will spare no measure to keep her from moving on.

Why you should watch it: This film has Charles Boyer at his best. He portrays charm, silliness, and determination so well. Also Colin Clive is so sinister as the ex-husband, he is the best antagonist. Jean Arthur is vulnerable as the woman who wants to be free. There is also a great bit with a hand with a face drawn on it.

11. He Who Gets Slapped (1924) - Starring Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, and John Gilbert

A professor is betrayed by a count and leaves his old life to become a clown. He then tries to save a young woman he loves from falling into the count’s web.

Why you should watch it: Lon Chaney will break your heart. He does such a good job at playing a clown who seems to always be smiling, but in reality is in so much emotional pain. Also Norma Shearer and John Gilbert together are absolutely electric. They are both so young and so good looking.

12. Belle de Jour (1967) - Starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, and Michel Piccoli

A frigid housewife takes a daytime job as a prostitute. 

Why you should watch it: This movie is wild!! The housewife who won’t even touch her husband becoming a prostitute? That’s such a randomly satisfying story line. Also, Deneuve’s Severine has very interesting dreams that blur reality and fantasy. 

13. Cluny Brown (1946) - Starring Jennifer Jones, Charles Boyer, and Peter Lawford

Cluny Brown is a parlor maid who just wants to be a plumber. When she meets Czech refugee Adam Belinski, their zany shenanigans shake up an English village. 

Why you should watch it: Jennifer Jones is perfect as Cluny! She plays her with a naivety that is just refreshing and funny. Charles Boyer as Professor Belinski is great too because he is a man of great knowledge who isn’t afraid to be unconventional. It also hilarious seeing Cluny fix plumbing problems.

14. Keep Your Powder Dry (1945) - Starring Lana Turner, Laraine Day, and Susan Peters

Three very different women try to adjust to their lives in the Women’s Army Corps. 

Why you should watch it: A lot of WWII films talk about men in the army. This film is one of two that I know of that talk about the women in the army. It is also interesting to see the three different women who have to tolerate each other in such close quarters. Also, I like seeing Lana Turner in a role that is not super dramatic and her being someone’s love interest the whole film. 

15. Too Bad She’s Bad (1955) - Starring Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni and Vittorio De Sica 

A young thief and her accomplices try to steal a cab driver’s cab. However, the cab driver, the thief, and her thieving family just can’t seem to stay away from each other.

Why you should watch it: Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni in a COMEDY? Yes, I will have seconds. I love their comedic timing together. Also, there are so many shenanigans in this film that are just fantastic to watch unravel. 

Thank you FilmStruck for introducing me to so many films I wouldn’t have had the access to if it weren’t for you. Thank you to all of the talented people who worked so hard to create a truly unique experience for film lovers. I will miss FilmStruck so much.