#new years honours list 2022

[charlotte-of-wales]

Former royal aide Jason Knauf has been made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order by The King, as seen on the New Years Honours List.

[herasyndlla]

what were your top 10 favorite film releases of 2022?

i’m looking up a list of movies that released this year because for the life of me i thought i had only seen like 3 new movies this year 😂 it is more than 3, let’s all find out together if i saw ten

1. The Banshees of Inisherin

2. Turning Red

3. The Woman King

4. Tár

5. Glass Onion

6. The Batman

7. Wendell and Wild

this was really hard!!!! a) cause i didn’t see ten movies lol and b) i really only watched good movies this year!!! no busts i loved all of these!

i’ll also add the top movies i want to watch from 2022 that i missed (not in any order though)

• GDT’s Pinocchio

• Everything Everywhere All at Once

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (caveat i haven’t seen the first yet but i know i want to see this one lol)

• Thor: Love and Thunder

• Nope

• Bullet Train

• Prey

• The Invitation

• Black Adam

• Wakanda Forever

• Matilda the Musical

• After Yang

[jevilowo]

The complete list of everything to happen in and around the 8th of September 2022:

Reigen became ultimate twink and dilf and milf and babygirl and hottest anime girl and

Sans vs Reigen for ultimate tumblr sexyman on twitter (Sans won by 420 votes)

Toby Fox wrote a fanfic about Sans vs Reigen (it's on twitter, it comes up if you google it)

Lea Michele can't read conspiracy

Also she debuts in Funny Girl

Splatoon 3 dropped

Enstars cover of Tell Your World dropped

2 year anniversary of Eric Trump calling Mob Psycho 100 leftist propaganda

Star Trek day

The Queen of England died

Trisha Paytas went into labour, but it was a false alarm

Kiwi Farms shut down

Don't Worry Darling drama

Dan and Phil made a video saying people gave them cocaine and celebrities wanted to have threesomes with them

Thurston Waffles died (rip)

Finding out they censored destiel many times

Bastille performed in Argentina

Mercury Retrograde (not sure what that is, but it's today apparently)

Out of touch Thursday and Felix Huaves (again, not sure what that means but someone reblogged with those tags so)

Bernie Sanders, P!NK, Ruby Bridges, Gaten Matarazzo and Martin Freeman's birthdays

MCR IN BOSTON BABEY

Danny Phantom graphic novel cover reveal (first dp content since 2008)

24th anniversary of the Pokemon anime broadcasting in the US

Warnuts first birthday/anniversary

Critical role massacred one of their player characters in the episode last night

Anniversary of sega dreamcast debut

Song for the new sonic game got released

New Pinocchio movie. And many other films and shows dropped on Disney Plus, due to it being disney plus day.

Comment if I missed anything

Update, I've edited this post like a million times, lmao. I'm honoured to be the keeper of events.

Update 2, here's all the polls Reigen has won so far, from a post by @blackberry-s0da

Update 3, END OF REIGENSWEEP I REPEAT END OF REIGENSWEEP

[wlwcatalogue]

Yuri Subtext (?) Anime List

A supplement to my earlier yuri anime masterlist, this list covers anime which aren’t marketed as yuri but which prominently feature F/F pairs, whether canonical or subtext! Since subtext is so subjective, this post only includes series which I’ve actually watched, and so is by no means intended to be comprehensive.

Also, since the above description would not cover certain series with well-known yuri pairings, I've also included a few "bonus rounds" for the curious (although these are still limited to series I have watched).

At-a-glance list:

Revolutionary Girl Utena (39 episodes + 1 movie, 1997)

NOIR (26 episodes, 2001)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (12 episodes, 2011)

Haibane Renmei (13 episodes, 2002)

.hack//SIGN (26 episodes, 2002)

Read or Die / R.O.D. the TV (26 episodes, 2003)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (24 episodes, 2022)

Black Rock Shooter (8 episodes, 2010)

Izetta: The Last Witch (12 episodes, 2016)

Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (movie, 2019)

Canaan (13 episodes, 2009)

Ga-Rei: Zero (12 episodes, 2008)

Bonus rounds:

Sailor Moon S3 (38 episodes, 1994) (subtext)

Mai-Hime (26 episodes, 2004) (canon)

Psycho-Pass (41 episodes + 3 movies, 2012) (canon)

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (24 episodes + movie, 2020) (canon)

Summaries under the cut!

1. Revolutionary Girl Utena (39 episodes + 1 movie, 1997) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

(Copied from the Yuri Anime Masterlist post, since technically it wasn’t marketed as yuri)

When she was a child, Tenjou Utena (Kawakami Tomoko) was saved by a passerby prince, so she decided that she too wanted to become a prince as an adult. Fast forward to high school, and she hasn’t forgotten that conviction: Utena gets sucked into a series of duels while trying to protect her best friend’s honour. After winning the first duel, she becomes ‘engaged’ to the eccentric “Rose Bride” Himemiya Anthy (Fuchizaki Yuriko), and the two start living together in the same dormitory.

First things first: there are a million content warnings for this series, including implied rape, sexual assault, incest, and homophobia. Although the issues are handled well (in my opinion), it does go to very dark places, so those wanting a light, fun anime to unwind to should look elsewhere. Second, this series is very much a psychological drama utilising the episodic duels as a way of hone in on Utena’s opponents and their stories, so Utena and Anthy’s relationship – though important – is definitely not the focus of the anime. Third, the TV series is limited to hinting at the romantic relationship between Utena and Anthy, not to mention that they spend most of the series being little more than acquaintances rather than actual friends. The movie Adolescence (which can be taken as a retelling or sequel, depending on your perspective) is much more explicit on this front, but also suffers from a significantly shorter runtime and a much more opaque approach to storytelling.

That being said! If you’re okay with all of the above, this series is pretty much essential. The simplistic premise belies a much more complex and nuanced story about gender roles, sexuality, and human relationships and remains one of the smartest anime ever made, over twenty years on.

2. NOIR (26 episodes, 2001) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

The first in anime studio Bee Train’s “girls with guns” trilogy, NOIR follows globetrotting assassin duo Mireille Bouquet (Mitsuishi Kotono) and Yuumura Kirika (Kuwashima Houko) as they partner up to search for Kirika’s missing memories and the truth behind Mireille’s parents’ deaths. The series is pleasingly restrained despite the sensational premise, alternating between “business trips” to far-flung locations and snapshots of the pair’s domestic life in Mireille’s Paris apartment, and devoting more time to the unfolding of the relationship between the prickly Mireille and puppy-like Kirika than to action sequences. I won't say too much due to spoilers, but their relationship numbers among my favorites due to how naturally it is developed throughout and how it is very much at the heart of the series both narratively and thematically.

This is also the first anime soundtrack entirely composed by the legendary Kajiura Yuki, heralding a long collaboration with director Mashimo Kouichi, and her mix of classical and modern sounds provides the perfect accompaniment to NOIR’s atmospheric cityscapes. Also, for fans of Mitsuishi’s work (Sailor Moon! Utena! Evangelion!), I’d say NOIR is a must-watch for her performance alone; her Mireille is brittle and proud, and she brings so much humanity and nuance to the role. In fact, I don’t care if you’re a fan of Mitsuishi or Kajiura or assassins or whatever, please just try the first episode— this anime deserves way more love!

3. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (12 episodes, 2011) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Puella Magi Madoka Magica opens with ordinary middle school girl Kaname Madoka (Yuuki Aoi) standing in the ruins of her hometown, watching as a lone girl struggles to defend what remains of the city against a much more powerful enemy. A little rabbit-like creature informs Madoka that the girl is sure to lose without her help, and so Madoka decides to become a magical girl right then and there— at which point she wakes up and dismisses it as a strange nightmare. But then that very day, her school receives a new transfer student who looks just like that mysterious girl, and she also finds a hurt animal that closely resembles the rabbit-like creature from her dream. Madoka is then faced with certain questions: do magical girls actually exist, and will she become one herself?

Since Madoka Magica was all the rage back in the early 2010s, I don’t think it too much of a spoiler to say that the cheery first three episodes hide a dark, gritty story which uses the concept of magical girls to explore the tumultuousness of adolescence. The queer subtext only comes in at the end but tight plotting and inventive presentation make this show a quick watch— and if you’re the type who likes queerness in fiction to be intense, world-shakingly significant, and a wee bit problematic, the payoff should be more than enough. A word of warning: there is a movie sequel called Rebellion, but if you’re happy with the ending of the anime, it’s best not to watch it (although I love the movie, myself).

Side note: I won’t go into it too much due to spoilers but if you liked Madoka Magica you might want to check out Serial Experiments Lain – even if most of it is utterly incomprehensible (as it was to me), it’s worth watching until the very end (wink). Also, for the rare fan of Rebellion, Adolescence of Utena is a must-watch if you haven’t checked it out already; so much can be said about its conceptual and aesthetic influences on Rebellion!

4. Haibane Renmei (13 episodes, 2002) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

(Note: slight spoilers about the tone and overall themes of the show – but I think it’s necessary for the purpose of writing a more representative summary.)

Written by ABe Yoshitoshi – character designer of cult classic anime Serial Experiments Lain and author of the very unfinished manga which this show adapts and significantly develops – Haibane Renmei starts off as a light-fantasy slice-of-life anime following freshly-arrived Rakka (Hirohashi Ryou) as she searches for a suitable job in the town of Glie, before transforming into a nuanced exploration of grief and depression about halfway through. To say more would be really too spoilery, but I just want to say that this has probably the most grounded and sensitive depiction of depression I have seen in an anime; it shows that sometimes people struggle even if everyone around them is kind and supportive, but remains hopeful about the healing power of time and understanding. The subtext is between the protagonist and Reki (Noda Junko), the first person she meets, who also helps her get acclimatised to her new life in Glie. Again, I won’t say more, but their relationship really is wonderful. That being said, this show does touch upon suicide and suicidal ideation in the course of discussing these themes, so please steer clear if that is something you are wary of.

5. .hack//SIGN (26 episodes, 2002) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

A standalone spinoff of the .hack PS2 games, this show was the most well-known anime about players getting trapped inside a multiplayer game before Sword Art Online’s arrival in 2012 (ironically, Kajiura Yuki composed the music for both). Rather than being an action-adventure story about a heroic protagonist trying to find a way back to the real world, SIGN stands out as an introspective piece, far more interested in the psychology of those who play online games and the issues of human connection and identity. In fact, the female protagonist is all too happy to remain within the MMORPG as male player-avatar Tsukasa (Saiga Mitsuki) after becoming unable to log out; the story is more about how the player grows to accept the real world with the help of the other players she meets, rather than about figuring out the exit route.

On the F/F side, some way into the series, Tsukasa makes an instant connection with fellow player-character Subaru (Nazuka Kaori) and they soon start spending a lot of time together. I really love their scenes together; the series' masterful use of body language, framing, and music all comes together to create these beautifully tender moments of intimacy. Although there’s no kiss scene nor explicit discussion of dating etc., a lot of the other characters talk about their relationship and perceive it as being romantic, to the point where one gets homophobically “worried” about Subaru when they find out that the player controlling male avatar Tsukasa is female. Tsukasa and Subaru's relationship becomes a lynchpin for both characters' development, and in general is used to illustrate the series' underlying themes in a thoughtful and heartwarming way.

6. Read or Die / R.O.D. the TV (26 episodes, 2003) Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

A spinoff of the Read or Die series which takes more from espionage thrillers and Hong Kong action flicks than shounen anime, R.O.D. the TV takes the unusual approach of starting with its main character - elite paper-maniuplating superspy Yomiko Readman (Miura Rieko) - being nowhere to be seen after burning down the British Library in a dramatic resignation announcement. Instead of focusing on her, or the spy agencies clashing in her absence, the story instead follows her friend Sumiregawa Nenene (Yukino Satsuki), who joins up with a trio of sisters with paper-manipulating powers and criminal connections in her quest to find out what happened to Yomiko. The queerness is mainly implied through Nenene's focus on Yomiko, which is unrequited and sadly fizzles out narratively speaking in the back half. Unfortunately, this is coupled with an increased focus on more heteronormative topics, such as Yomiko's grief over her dead male lover, and the child one of the characters had with the villain of the OVA. That being said, I also want to shout out this series' surprisingly earnest depiction of budding queerness in a young (like, elementary-school young) side character - something that is rare in fiction even now.

7. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (24 episodes, 2022) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

The most recent entry on this list by far (the final episode aired just a day ago at time of writing), The Witch from Mercury initially seems to forgo the Gundam franchise’s usual grand scale, being set in an academy run by the corporate giant Benerit Group. Main character and new student Suletta Mercury (Ichinose Kana) - the franchise’s first female protagonist since its beginnings in 1979 - accidentally bumbles her way into fighting a mecha duel, and, when she wins, is shocked to find that she is now engaged to the sole heiress of that self-same corporate giant, her classmate Miorine Rembran (Lynn). So far so Utena, but after the first episode, things start to diverge significantly: though the duels continue, the focus shifts to how big-picture tensions such as the manoeuvring within the Benerit Group and the conflict between the space colonisers and people on Earth play out within the student body, and how the arrival of Suletta and her mysteriously cutting-edge mecha start to shake up the status quo… until things come to an explosive head.

For those who curious about G-Witch due to Suletta and Miorine, but who wouldn’t normally be interested in Gundam or space operas, I’ll just say that if the hype has led you to expect a big queer romance where Suletta and Miorine shout their love from the rooftops, well, that’s not how it goes. It’s a mecha anime first and foremost, after all! But lower your expectations and you may be pleasantly surprised. Season 1 offers plenty to enjoy in terms of Suletta’s earnest attempts to be a good “bridegroom” and the tsundere Miorine’s bouts of jealousy over Suletta. And while their relationship takes a bit of a back seat in Season 2 due to there being So Much going on, it remains one of the key elements of the series and their scenes together are the emotional peaks of the season.

Side note: Some might criticise Gundam for taking so long to have a female main character, but let’s not forget about how the even older Ultraman (1966), Kamen Rider (1971), and Super Sentai (1975) franchises still have not had a single mainline series featuring a female protagonist… Come on guys, I’m dying for a female-led Kamen Rider over here!

8. Black Rock Shooter (8 episodes, 2010) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

One of the two anime inspired by the Hatsune Miku song of the same name, this Okada Mari-penned series hones in on the passionate friendships and jealousies of a group of middle-school girls. In a twist that feels informed by the psychological allegory of the popular Persona games, this interpersonal drama plays out in the surreal battle world of the music video, with the titular Black Rock Shooter being the main character’s alter-ego. Of particular interest is the first half’s focus on the blossoming friendship between protagonist Kuroi Mato (Hanazawa Kana) and her shy classmate Takanashi Yomi (Sawashiro Miyuki), which has strong overtones of two girls developing crushes on each other – it doesn’t go smoothly, but hey, that’s life.

9. Izetta: The Last Witch (12 episodes, 2016) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Set during what is basically World War 2, Izetta: The Last Witch asks the daring question of “What if a small European country about to be invaded by alternate-history Nazi Germany could fight back with magic… and what if it was (subtextually) yuri?” The show follows politically-minded princess Finé as she and her best friend (read: girlfriend) Izetta think up ways to leverage the latter’s witchy gifts to save the country from invasion – a rare case of a military anime where female characters are significantly involved at the strategic stage. Those who enjoy the classic princess-and-knight trope may find something to like as long as they are fine with Finé and Izetta not having much relationship development (as their dynamic is established from the start) and them not having many one-on-one scenes together (as the series’ main focus is on the political manoeuvring). Note that this show is also pretty heavy on the fanservice – IIRC there was at least one moment of egregious sexualisation per episode.

Side note: those who like Izetta may also want to check out Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing, a female-focused dieselpunk anime with a lot of military strategizing and a very cool world setting, though Izetta is better-paced and the main relationship is much more plot-significant. (That being said I do like the relationship between Fam side characters Tatiana and Alistair… Tatiana is probably the adult character with the most screentime in Fam, being the main characters’ commanding officer, and although it’s very background, she has this cutely settled dynamic with former piloting partner turned wife right-hand woman Alistair.)

10. Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (movie, 2019) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

(Note: this entry’s a slightly weird one, it only covers the first 40 minutes of this movie due to it being basically two episodic stories smushed together into a single package, and only the earlier story is relevant to this list.)

In this standalone spinoff of the Violet Evergarden anime series – itself an adaptation of the light novel series by Akatsuki Kana – the titular protagonist Violet (Ishikawa Yui) takes a break from ghostwriting letters to serve as companion to aloof young noblewoman Isabella York (Kotobuki Minako) in her last months of finishing school. The story is a quiet coming-of-age tale focusing on how the kind (and rather dashing!) Violet helps Isabella to open up, or, in simpler terms, it’s fodder for butler-and-lady fans. Don’t get your hopes up too much, though: Violet learning about her romantic feelings for her deceased male superior is one of the main throughlines of the anime, and this (half of the) movie also ends with a heterosexual arranged marriage for Isabella. That being said, this movie is really a feast for the eyes, its historical-fantasy setting being brought out with beautiful backgrounds and detailed linework, so it’s worth checking out if you don’t mind the very Class S narrative.

Side note: if you want F/F butler-and-lady or princess-and-knight vibes I would really recommend watching Fate/Zero for Saber and Irisviel – yes Irisviel is already married to one of the (male) main characters and yes Saber is absolutely the main love interest for the famously-straight Fate/stay night, but their dynamic is really good and Saber gets to wear a stylish suit and be all chivalrous to a woman… Please watch the third episode of season 1 at least…

11. Canaan (13 episodes, 2009) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

There’s quite a lot going on in Canaan – perhaps unsurprisingly so for a spinoff of the FMV visual novel 428: Shibuya Scramble, which is famous for its intertwined storylines – but in true action-movie blockbuster style, all you really need to know is that the titular mercenary Canaan (Sawashiro Miyuki) is on a hunt for her mentor’s protégé-turned-murderer, and a lot of flashy fighting is involved. Also, there's no need to worry if you haven't played the original game, as Canaan is pretty much a standalone work and all of the significant characters are original to the anime. Yuri-minded viewers may enjoy her clashes with the villain Alphard (Sakamoto Maaya), but the main source of F/F subtext is her relationship with the young photographer Maria (Nanjo Yoshino), for whom she cares deeply and must rescue on multiple occasions. However, do be warned that the one canonically queer character in the show – Alphard’s subordinate Liang Qi (Tanaka Rie), who is fixated on her boss – is handled very badly, being portrayed as a raving predatory lesbian who is mocked, rejected, and finally killed by the object of her affections. Canaan and Maria’s relationship is also framed very definitively as friendship by the end of the series, although they don’t get paired off with male characters. IIRC there’s also some fanservice but I can’t remember the details as it was a long time ago, sorry.

12. Ga-Rei: Zero (12 episodes, 2008) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Back in the old days, I had heard this show talked about in the same breath as yuri classics such as Kannazuki no Miko and Mai-Hime, and, well, like those series it comes with significant caveats (though thankfully there is no sexual assault). Although it’s a prequel to the Ga-Rei manga by Segawa Hajime, the anime is basically standalone and focuses on original characters Kagura (Chihara Minori) and Yomi (Mizuhara Kaoru), the latter of whom welcomes protagonist Kagura into her family and demon-hunting squad, only to leave the team in a devastating betrayal. After the explosive opening, the series jumps back to explore the events leading up to that point; fans of director Aoki Ei’s work on Fate/Zero should note that the dark tone disappears in the third episode and never quite comes back even when things get serious. Viewers should also keep their F/F expectations in check, since despite the premise I would say the series is more plot- than character-focused, and on top of that a significant amount of time is devoted to Yomi’s relationship with her male fiancé (Yomi and Kagura have more screentime together, but there’s not much development whereas Yomi and her fiancé are given a whole romantic arc). There is one very fanservicey scene between Kagura and Yomi in a car early on (in episode 3?) which viewers may want to skip, but IIRC it’s an outlier and the rest of the series is nowhere near as bad.

Bonus Rounds

1. Sailor Moon S / Season 3 (38 episodes, 1994) (subtext) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Possibly the most widely-known F/F couple in anime, Haruka and Michiru (Ogata Megumi and Katsuki Masako, respectively), make their first appearance in episode 3 of the third season as mysterious newcomers who refuse to work alongside the Sailor Senshi. Apart from being consistently framed as an ideal couple throughout (they practically cruise to victory in a couple’s contest in episode 5 of S3), they also get some juicy narrative moments, being the main subject of the excellent episodes 17 and 21 – the latter being the mid-season climax. They return in S5 but I haven’t watched that season yet.

Side note: Utena fans may be particularly interested to hear that the aforementioned Haruka-and-Michiru-centric episodes 17 and 21 are helmed by key Utena creatives. Both were written by Enokido Yoji, Utena's lead scriptwriter, while episode 17 was directed by Igarashi Takuya (who storyboarded 5 Utena episodes) and episode 21 was directed by Utena director Ikuhara Kunihiko himself.

2. Mai-Hime (26 episodes, 2004) (canon) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Way back when, Mai-Hime was very popular among yuri fans for including a canonically queer female character who was in love with another female character… even though, like in Kannazuki no Miko which was broadcast the same year, she commits sexual assault against her. For those still curious, Mai-Hime starts out as a quirky fighting-monsters-and-going to school anime but turns into a battle royale where characters fight each other using robots – the twist being that the robots symbolise their love for the person most precious to them, and if destroyed, that person will die. The queer storyline comes in only in the last quarter or so, but is compellingly told and at least the queer character isn’t quite as maniacal or otherwise demonised compared to some others (looking at you, Liang Qi in Canaan). It's a fun reveal, so I won't spoil it here even if you're likely to have heard of it already.

3. Psycho-Pass (41 episodes + 3 movies, 2012) (canon) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Psycho-Pass is set in a dystopian world where people are rated on their criminal tendencies; the main characters’ job as police officers is to arrest those whose tendencies exceed a certain level. The F/F is canon but very, very background; one of the surprise twists of the finale is that forensics expert Karanomori Shion (Sawashiro Miyuki), whose appearance screams “sexy doctor character” but is played with surprising warmth by Sawashiro, is actually in a relationship with seemingly aloof field officer Kunizuka Yayoi (Itou Shizuka). I only watched the first season and so can’t comment on the rest, but apparently they are still in a relationship in the third season.

4. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (24 episodes + movie, 2020) (canon) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

An adaptation of Yamaguchi Satoru’s popular light novel series, this show headed the wave of reincarnated-villainess isekai, focusing on the bumbling Catarina Claes (Uchida Maaya) – in actuality an otaku who has been reincarnated into an otome game – as she tries desperately to remove her character’s image as a villainess and thereby inadvertently attracts the attentions of many a suitor. Among this reverse harem are three female characters Maria Campbell (Hayami Saori), Mary Hunt (Okasaki Miho), and Sophia Ascart (Minase Inori).

While the female suitors’ romantic interest in Catarina is generally not undermined or played as a joke, they are not necessarily treated as equally valid options compared to the male suitors - it doesn't feel like Catarina has a real chance of ending up with any of the female characters. I've heard this starts becoming more obvious in S2 (which I haven't watched), which apparently focuses on Catarina's relationship development with one particular male suitor compared to the others. Also, the VN spinoff had 6 routes in total (all 4 male suitors + 2 original male characters) but did not include a single female route, despite being non-canon in nature.

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

a list of some spring movies/series 🌷

spring is here!! and so is your friendly neighbourhood little organisation freak of a goblin to give you a list of some spring movies and series. as always, just close your eyes and point somewhere on this little list, or even put the numbers in a generator and go with whatever the result is ♡

summer | autumn | winter

🐝 ‧₊˚ ⋅ movies ⋅˚₊‧

mary poppins (1964)

the sound of music (1965)

aristocats (1970)

alla vi barn i bullerbyn (1986)

my neighbour totoro (1988)

kiki (1989)

a league of their own (1992)

the secret garden (1993)

pride and prejudice (1995/2005)

whisper of the heart (1995)

clueless (1995)

my best friend’s wedding (1997)

parent trap (1998)

10 things i hate about you (1999)

notting hill (1999)

she's all that (1999)

but i’m a cheerleader (1999)

bring it on (2000)

miss congeniality (2000)

spiritied away (2001)

the wedding planner (2001)

legally blonde (2001)

princess diaries (2001 + 2004)

spy kids (2001-2003)

maid in manhatten (2002)

bend it like beckham (2002)

tuck everlasting (2002)

school of rock (2003)

how to lose a guy in 10 days (2003)

something’s gotta give (2003)

13 going on 30 (2004)

finding neverland (2004)

howl’s moving castle (2004)

saving face (2004)

the notebook (2004)

imagine me and you (2005)

nanny mcphee (2005)

penelope (2006)

miss potter (2006)

step up (2006)

she’s the man (2006)

bridge to terabithia (2007)

enchanted (2007)

atonement (2007)

stardust (2007)

ps i love you (2007)

wild child (2008)

made of honour (2008)

ondine (2009)

bride wars (2009)

valentine’s day (2010)

tangled (2010)

leap year (2010)

easy a (2010)

from up on poppy hill (2011)

jane eyre (2011)

crazy, stupid, love (2011)

what to expect when you’re expecting (2012)

remember sunday (2013)

saving mr banks (2013)

about time (2013)

now you see me (2013 + 2016)

love, rosie (2014)

testament of youth (2014)

kingsman (2014-)

paddington (2014 + 2017)

far from the madding crowd (2015)

burnt (2015)

brooklyn (2015)

cinderella (2015)

the man from u.n.c.l.e. (2015)

lady chatterley's lover (2015/2022)

creed franchise (2015-2023)

me before you (2016)

mother’s day (2016)

this beautiful fantastic (2016)

the light between oceans (2016)

paterson (2016)

how to be single (2016)

hidden figures (2016)

gifted (2017)

dunkirk (2017)

ocean’s eight (2018)

life itself (2018)

peter rabbit (2018)

christopher robin (2018)

tomb raider (2018)

set it up (2018)

crazy rich asians (2018)

spider-verse movies (2018-)

1917 (2019)

the art of racing in the rain (2019)

can you keep a secret? (2019)

booksmart (2019)

someone great (2019)

endings, beginnings (2019)

emma (2020)

enola holms (2020-)

the last letter from your lover (2021)

the world to come (2021)

🌼 ‧₊˚ ⋅ series ⋅˚₊‧

little house on the prairie (1974-1983)

moomin valley (1990-1992)

greys anatomy (2005-)

gossip girl (2007-2012)

skins (2007-2013)

the great british bake off (2010-)

new girl (2011-2018)

brooklyn nine-nine (2013-2021)

the fosters (2013-2018)

the 100 (2014-2020)

jane the virgin (2014-2019)

outlander (2014-)

grace and frankie (2015-2022)

poldark (2015-2019)

critical role (2015-)

howards end (2017)

girlboss (2017)

she's gotta have it (2017-2019)

the bold type (2017-2021)

mr. sunshine (2018)

queer eye (2018-)

crash landing into you (2019)

the witcher (2019-)

dickinson (2019-2021)

sex education (2019-2023)

bridgerton (2020-)

ted lasso (2020-2023)

nevertheless (2021)

the falcon and the winter soilder (2021)

flatshare (2022)

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

This left a mark: Christian Dior & Saks partnered for Light up the NYC Night for Christmas 2023

No doubt "DIOR Contract" was at the top of the 2017 RMM- DIANA 2.0 vision board & megxit manifesto. In other words: Sparry's 'honey do' for MeMe list: Meet Beyonce (on yellow carpet)✔ Disney (princess) gig✔. oh to be a fly on a Cali wall after that Dior ANNOUNCEMENT: guttural moans & tears for weeks! 😬

Dior in 2018: MEgain's inappropriate Dior cocktail dress w/pinwheel headpiece for 1st balcony appearance. She also appeared to lose a tooth during the reception.

2019-"Christening"

2021 & 2022 New York City

2022 Jubilee as Wallis Simpson & 2023 Sparry

A word to the wise and to the Meghans: The REAL Santa knows whose on the MARKLED List.

Play stupid games and MARKLE yourselves!

I'll buy that Jill Smoller (formerly Gina) badgered Dior on behalf of MEgain, but no way would Dior sully their brand with the toxic, mentally unstable, over seas royals who can't be bothered to iron 🙄

"Oh & I took FRENCH for 8 years in high school or was it 4 years?" 😉

"...but but I'm not a model, I'm just a mom. Thankfully Sparry was here to coach me that I can be both. I wonder how he became so wise?" Variety 2022

Please follow the link to subscribe to "Woman Behind Kate" & LIKE👍

Princess Diana 2.0 caught in the act

Sparry, YOU MARKLED yourselves. Stop blaming the BRF for your failures to launch.

Princess Diana 2.0 Tom Bower

The Sun: What is the history between Dior and the royal family?

December 12, 2023 || Born in 1905, Christian Dior, the fashion designer, climbed the ranks of several Parisian fashion houses before establishing his own establishment in 1946.

One of the early royal admirers of the designer was Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II.

She became a client of the fashion house and one of Dior's most famous designs, the "Margaret Dress," was named after her.

Queen Elizabeth II also shared a close connection with Dior.

She appointed Doir to design her Coronation gown for the crowning ceremony in 1953.

The gown, famously called the "Hartnell Dress," was a collaboration between Dior and British couturier Sir Norman Hartnell.

Over the years, various royal family members have continued to wear Dior creations for public appearances.

Dior dressed Prince Harry for King Charles' coronation in May 2023 - as the royal forwent wearing a military uniform. 

Shortly after the coronation ceremony, Dior took to its social media to reveal Kim Jones was the designer behind the suit. 

"Tailoring fit for royalty. Dior is honoured to have dressed Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, for the coronation of King Charles III in a custom design by Kim Jones," the brand wrote on Instagram.

"Seen arriving at Westminster Abbey, gain an insight into the savoir-faire of his three-piece suit next," it added. 

Why was it speculated that Meghan Markle would have a deal with Dior?

In June 2023, it was reported that Meghan was in talks about taking on a deal with Dior.

Following the cancellation of her Spotify podcast after just one season, there was widespread speculation that the Duchess of Sussex was poised for a new role with the French fashion house.

Meghan has worn Dior several times throughout her time as a working royal, including at the late Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September 2022.

However, sources close to the Royals said no contract had been inked.

Dior also expressed its surprise and confusion when the idea of a deal was initially brought up.

A source told the Telegraph: "The Duchess of Sussex is not in talks to sign a deal with Dior.

"There is no truth to the claims that she will partner with the French fashion house,"

A Dior insider said its team was "nonplussed as to how the story came about".

Who became 'the Duchess of Dior' in 2023?

Meghan lost out on the opportunity of a lucrative Dior job to a Kate Middleton actress.

It was revealed in November 2023, that Meg Bellamy, 21, who plays a young Kate Middleton in season six of the hit royal drama The Crown is to be the new face of Dior.

An insider told The Daily Mail: "They have been queuing up for Meg, she is playing the most famous woman in the world in a globally famous television drama, so many labels and brands want some of that.

"She is a total unknown, but she is being treated like Kate, an A-list princess."

What deals and contracts does Meghan Markle have?

After leaving the royal family and their royal duties, Prince Harry and Meghan vowed to become financially independent.

It was reported that the couple would support themselves through Prince Harry's $10 million inheritance from his mother, Princess Diana.

With the world eager to know their story, lucrative million-dollar deals started rolling in from AppleTV, Netflix, and Spotify.

The couple signed a deal with Netflix through their production company, Archewell Productions, with a hefty payment of $100 million for multiple projects.

They have since released one documentary, Harry and Meghan.

Their upcoming documentary series titled, Heart of Invictus, is in the works.

While their third documentary is to be shot in South Africa, the Sussexes are also planning to delve into the rom-com genre with the streaming giant

In June 2023, the couple made headlines when it was reported that their 25-million-dollar deal with Spotify had ended.

According to Rolling Stone, the couple would pay back a portion of their deal money and look for another company to produce podcasts with.

In a joint statement, they said: "Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together."

Royal biographer Tom Bower believes that the couple's "joint ventures are falling apart" and that Meghan is finding it difficult to sell her brand.

"They're beginning to taste the medicine that they handed out after the Oprah interview and they're finding it very very hard to keep their brand reputable," Bower told new magazine.

"They're constantly having to defend themselves and grasping at opportunities that don't exist anymore."

[sequinsmile-x]

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Fifty

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Hi friends,

I cannot believe this is chapter 50 of this fic!! Thank you so much for still being here, for still loving on this version of our favs almost a whole year into writing SGW (end of November 2022 is when I started to post it!). It means the world to me because I love this version of them so much.

As it is October 12th, our beloved Emily Prentiss's birthday, I have dedicated this chapter to celebrate that, and given it a special banner to mark the occasion.

There is still SO MUCH of this fic to go in my little head, so who knows...maybe we'll have another 50 chapters?!

Please do let me know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 3.9k

A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List and will be updated as we go along.

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

October 12 1991

She just needs a minute to herself. 

It’s what she tells herself as she leaves the party supposedly being thrown in her honour. The house filled to the brim with her mother’s friends and their sons, men deemed suitable for her to date and marry, and people Emily hadn’t really seen or spoken to since she left for college. 

This had never been her home, not really. It was a base. The place they came to for a month or so in between her mother’s postings, somewhere she knew could have been a home if her parents had made different choices. 

She sighs as she hears her mother’s laugh, the gregariousness that Elizabeth only ever truly had when she’d been drinking. It had been a problem for years, since her father had left, but Emily knew it had got worse since she’d gone to college, as if the loneliness her mother had always seemed to strive for hadn’t been as peaceful as she thought it would be. It made guilt bubble in her stomach even though she knows it’s not her fault, that she finally deserved her own life. The chance to find some stability. 

She pulls the office door closed behind her, grateful for the barrier it creates, for the way it muffles the sound she was hiding from. She pauses when she spots the mostly empty bottle of scotch on her mother’s desk, its presence answering a question she’d never dare ask. She walks over and grabs it, pouring herself a measure into one of the crystal glasses Elizabeth kept in here. She then drops the, still not empty, bottle into the trash can, finding satisfaction in the sound it makes as it hits the bottom, the clang echoing around her, briefly blocking out the sound outside. 

She sits on the couch in the corner, sinking into it as she looks at the drink in her hand before she blows out a breath. 

“Happy 21st birthday to me,” she says, taking a sip of the scotch. She drops her head back against the couch cushion, “At least she buys the decent stuff.” 

Her peace is disrupted as the door opens, a brief burst of sound draws her attention towards it. She furrows her brows as she sees one of her mother’s new security agents walk in. He seems just as shocked to see her, freezing in place in the doorway as their eyes meet. 

“Miss Prentiss,” he says, clearing his throat, “I’m sorry I didn’t realise you were in here, I was just looking for some paperwork.” 

She smiles politely at him, “That’s ok Agent…” she drifts off, cursing herself for not remembering his name.

“Hotchner,” he says, finishing for her, his smile polite as he steps further into the room, “Isn’t it your birthday party out there?”

She smiles and nods, “Yes, yes it is. I just needed a break from all of the suitors my mother lined up for me this evening,” she says, and he raises his eyebrow at her, clearly trying to stop himself from smiling, “I’m being serious.”

He smiles politely, “Well, I’ll get what I came for and leave you to it.”

She’s not sure what makes her say it, whether it was the fact he was nice, or because he was handsome, but she’s speaking before she’s aware she’s going to, “You should stay. Have a drink with me.” 

He furrows his brow, a mix of confusion and something close to absolute horror that makes something spark in her chest, “I’m working, I can’t-”

“Come on,” she says, smiling at him, “I won’t tell anyone. Besides, it’s my birthday. It would be rude not to.” 

He thinks about it for a moment, wondering if he should just leave, politely say he had things to do, or if he should stay. His decision is made by the slightly sad sheen to her eyes. He’d never spent much time with her, but she always seemed lonely when he saw her.

“Ok, one drink,” he says, turning to where the glasses are, his eyebrows knitting together when he doesn’t see any liquor. 

“The scotch is in the trash can,” she replies, sipping her drink, finding herself amused by the look on his face, how he doesn’t question what was, on the surface of it, a ludicrous statement. She watches as he pours himself the smallest amount, the amber liquid barely visible from where she is sitting, and he crosses the room and sits next to her, a respectable distance between them.

“Happy Birthday Miss Prentiss,” he says, raising his glass, and she smiles at him. 

“Emily,” she corrects and he nods as he swallows thickly.

“Happy Birthday Emily,” he says, clinking his glass against hers. They exchange a smile and drink. “Your mother seems to be the life of the party.” 

Emily hums and finishes her scotch, letting the liquor burn the back of her throat, “Yeah,” she replies, smiling tightly at him, “She really is,” she looks him up and down, taking in his suit, the way he looked nothing short of an agent. She has an urge to mess with him, to mess up his hair and see what he does, “What does your girlfriend think of you working late?” 

He frowns, “How do you know I have a girlfriend?”

She shrugs, “I can tell,” she says mysteriously, smiling when he looks confused, “You’re a nice guy. The nice ones are rarely single.” 

He clears his throat, feeling his cheeks go warm at the compliment, “She’s okay with it,” he explains, “Haley, my girlfriend, she knows it’s a means to an end.” 

“That’s good,” she replies, watching as he finishes his drink, “I hope she knows she has one of the good ones.”

He chuckles as he stands up, placing the empty glass on the desk before he picks up what he had come in for, “I’ll let her know,” he walks towards the door, “Happy Birthday again, Emily.”

“Thank you for having a drink with me, Agent Hotchner,” she says, and he turns to face her, offering her a half smile. 

“Aaron.” 

She nods and presses her lips together to stop her smile from getting too wide, “Aaron.”

___

October 12, 2000

Emily curses under her breath as she pushes her apartment door open, her arms full of groceries, her briefcase and the birthday gift her colleagues had bought her. 

She makes it to the kitchen counter and dumps everything she’s holding onto it. She turns and closes her front door, making sure it’s locked before she puts away groceries she knows will go bad before she eats them. She pulls out the card her colleagues had given her, the number ‘30’ emblazoned on the front, and she takes a moment to read the messages inside before she sets it down on the counter, next to the one her mother had sent her, and she heads to the fridge. She pours herself a glass of wine and stares at it for a moment, the scar on her abdomen throbbing. 

A silent warning, a phantom of her worst fear - that she’d turn into her mother. After she’d saved her mother’s life, literally giving her part of herself and turning down a once in a lifetime job opportunity to do so, things between them hadn’t got better. There were no apologies from Elizabeth, no thank you. No acknowledgement of what Emily had done. It got too painful to be in DC, to watch her mother act as if nothing had ever happened, so when she’d been offered a job doing translation in the FBI Detriot Field Office she hadn’t thought twice. She’d taken the job and started again, only letting her mother know when it was already a done deal. 

She shakes her head and pours the wine away, tipping it unceremoniously down the sink, before she makes herself a hot chocolate, the warmth of the mug in her hands a comfort. 

She settles on the couch and is about to turn on the TV when she hears the phone ring. She groans and gets up, but sees her mother’s number flashing on the screen and she decides not to answer, feeling wholly not in the mood to listen to comments about her life. Thinly veiled criticisms that she thinks she’d accept from someone else. 

Emily knew she wasn’t entirely happy, but it would do for now. She was content to simply exist until she figured out what she wanted her life to look like. 

She sits back down and waits for the call to ring out, the beep of the voicemail ringing out around her. 

“Emily, I had hoped to catch you, but you may still be at work. I just wanted to say Happy Birthday. When you’re here over Thanksgiving I’ll introduce you to Bruce Cameron’s son. He’s your age and is about to get divorced-”

She rolls her eyes and stops listening after that, not paying attention as she flicks through the menu on the television, finally pressing play on something she knows she also won’t pay attention to when the message comes to an end. 

She couldn’t help but wonder if she should be sadder about her 30th birthday being like this. If the loneliness should bother her, but she was used to it. She had friends here, people who had tried to coerce her into going out for drinks, something she’d got out of by lying and saying she was seeing her boyfriend that night, a man she’d broken up with a few weeks ago without telling anyone. 

Emily sighs as she takes a sip of her hot chocolate and she thinks of her 21st birthday. Of Agent Hotchner and how he’d been nice to her, the few minutes they’d spent in her mother’s office the highlight of her day that year. She hadn’t thought about him in years, but all of a sudden she wonders where he is, what he’s doing. If he’d married the girlfriend she’d tricked him into mentioning. If he had kids. 

It’s something she knows she wants. A family. People in her life she knows love her unconditionally, something she’s not even sure her parents had ever done. 

She just hoped she’d get the chance. That her life wouldn’t pass her by, years melting into decades, as she turned into the one person she told herself she’d never be. 

As she drinks her hot chocolate and barely pays attention to the TV, she idly hopes that one day, life will look a lot different for her. 

___

Emily is woken up by a tiny hand on her face, small fingers and sharp nails digging into her skin. 

“Careful, Lilypad.”

She opens her eyes at the sound of her husband’s voice, and smiles at the sight that greets her. Aaron is sitting on her side of the bed, Lily in his arms, and a tired smile on his face. 

“Happy Birthday, sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” She says as she sits up and stamps a kiss on his lips, her hand ghosting over the back of Lily’s head as she does so before she rests her back against the headboard, her hands reaching out for Lily, “Give me my baby.”

Aaron smiles as he does as he’s told, handing Lily over immediately. Emily laughs when she sees the onesie she’s wearing, one she’s never seen before with flowing words on the front.

Happy Birthday Mommy

“Oh my god,” she exclaims, lifting Lily to press several kisses to her cheek before she settles her into her arms, “You’re so fucking cute.” 

“Em.”

She looks up at Aaron and raises an eyebrow, unable to stop herself from smiling, the happiness and joy in her chest too overwhelming to suppress, “She’s 13 weeks old, Aaron, it’s going to be a while before she picks up on cursing,” she says, her smile only getting wider as Aaron shakes his head at her, love shining in his eyes, “So, what’s the plan for today? Now you can finally tell me.” 

He’d kept it secret from her for weeks. His insistence on planning her birthday for her was as endearing as it was irritating. He’d said not only was it her 40th and special because of that, but it was also her first birthday as a mom, and he wanted it to be perfect. 

Aaron swallows thickly, suddenly nervous that he’d got it wrong, but he nods, “Well, first thing this morning Lily and I went out to your favourite bakery to get those pastries you love.”

“You did?” She says, looking down at Lily, the baby’s hand tangled in her hair, “You’ve been busy this morning, huh?”

Aaron hums in response, smiling at the sight of the two of them together, “By the way the woman at the bakery is obsessed with her.”

“As any sane person would be,” Emily replies, tickling her daughter to make her laugh before she looks back at her husband, “So that’s breakfast?”

“Breakfast and then presents. Then Jack is coming over this afternoon,” he says, his heart warming at how excited she looks, her love for his son one of the many things he adored about her, “And this evening Dave is cooking us your favourite meal, and the team are coming here so Lily and Jack can sleep in their own beds and we don’t have to worry about bedtime being disturbed.” 

“You really thought of everything,” she says, the thought of spending the day with the people who meant the most to her a perfect one. She smiles at him, unhooking a hand from under Lily and wrapping it around the back of his neck, pulling him in for a kiss, “Thank you.” 

“I know it’s a bit simple-”

“Honey, it’s perfect,” she says, stamping another kiss to his lips. She smiles at him as she pulls back, “So, are you worried about no longer having a hot wife in her 30s?” 

“No,” He shakes his head at her and reaches out to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, “You just keep on getting hotter, baby.” 

“Good answer,” She smiles, her cheeks aching with it, and she looks down at Lily, the infant chewing on her fist, “Daddy is so getting laid tonight.” 

“Emily.”

___

The house is bursting at the seams. 

The whole team is there, the gifts and love they brought with them filling all the space. The laughter was so raucous that Emily keeps glancing at the baby monitor, checking the lights on it, just in case she misses Lily crying upstairs. 

As she sits at her dining table, Aaron’s arm slung around the back of her chair with his fingers skimming her shoulder, she feels lucky. She takes a sip of her wine as she looks around, not paying much attention as Derek gives Dave crap about something said on a recent case, the older man taking it in his stride. JJ was smiling wistfully at them in between continuing her conversation with Spencer, her secrecy about her new job something that scared Emily, a feeling she would put away for tonight. Something she’d bury deep inside so she could enjoy this - the life that not all that long ago she convinced herself she’d never have. 

She’s pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a fork being tapped against a glass, the noise enough to draw everyone's attention, and she looks at her husband, her eyes going wide as she sees him raise his glass, her cheeks already turning pink at the thought of a speech.

“I just wanted to take a moment-”

“Oh God, not a speech,” Derek exclaims, any further protest cut off with a yelp as Penelope stamps on his foot, her eyes narrowed as he looks at her in question. 

“Don’t ruin this for me,” she says, always keen for any insight into Aaron and Emily’s life, and she turns back to the couple in front of her, “Carry on boss-man.” 

Aaron shakes his head and turns to look at Emily, his spare hand on her leg under the table, squeezing softly to stop her protest. They exchange a small smile and she nods. He was never one to talk about how he feels in front of other people, never one to reveal too much, so even though she already felt a little embarrassed she let him carry on.

She could never get enough of his love. It was her lifeline, the very thing she knew she could always rely on. 

“As I was saying,” he says, raising an eyebrow at Derek before he looks around the table, “I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for being here tonight to celebrate Emily’s birthday,” he looks back at his wife, his smile soft, “Em, sweetheart, it’s been 19 years since I first met you and somehow you’re infinitely more interesting and more beautiful than you were even then. I love you and Happy Birthday.” 

She chokes on a sound halfway between a laugh and sob, and is grateful that it’s drowned out by the other’s cheering and clinking their glasses. She had no idea that he remembered. He’d never alluded to it, and neither had she - so sure that it was something that existed only in her memory. A moment between the two of them that was just for her, so worried he didn’t remember it that she hadn’t wanted to embarrass either one of them by bringing it up. 

The sound of crying cuts through everything, and Emily goes to stand, but Aaron stops her, his hand still on her thigh, and he leans in to kiss her cheek.

“I’ve got her,” he says, stamping a kiss against her lips, both of them ignoring Penelope’s enjoyment as Emily places her hand on his cheek and keeps in place a beat longer than he’d intended. He pulls back and smiles at her, “You enjoy yourself.” 

She watches as he leaves, her eyes fixed on him until he disappears from view. 

“Em.” 

She turns to see JJ and Penelope leaning in over the table, “You never told us you met Hotch when you were young.” 

She shrugs, trying to act nonchalant, “It was nothing really,” she says, and both of her friends raise their eyebrows at her. She’s not sure if it’s the wine in her system, or the love that was warming her from the inside out, but she sighs and carries on, “It was my 21st. My mom threw me an awful party and I hid in her office. Aaron was working there at the time, he came in to get something. I made him have the world's quickest drink with me.” 

Penelope squeals and sits back in her chair, her smile so wide Emily’s sure it must hurt, “It’s like you’re meant to be.”

For once, Emily can’t bring herself to say she doesn’t believe in that kind of thing, because she thinks she agrees.

___

“Dave sure knows how to use every dish in a kitchen.” 

Aaron chuckles at his wife as she stacks dishes next to the sink and he walks over, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pulling her into his embrace. He kisses her shoulder, smiling into her skin when it makes her shiver. 

“It’s your birthday, you’re not supposed to be doing the dishes,” he says, his hands on her hips as he turns her in his arms, “I’ll sort them later.”

She nods as she wraps her arms around his neck, her fingers trailing through his hair, “Thank you for everything today,” she says, smiling as thought of it all. Of the jewellery Aaron had bought her, a beautiful necklace with a Lily flower carved into the small disk pendant,  the line of cards on the mantel from the team. The glitter that she knew she’d be finding for months which had come loose from the handmade card that Jack had made, Haley’s neat writing on the inside. 

“You deserve it and more, sweetheart,” he says, leaning in to kiss her, his lips firm against hers. He presses his hand to her lower back to pull her closer. She hums as she pulls away and she rests her head on his shoulder, content to stand there with him. 

“Mom didn’t call,” she says, her cheeks pressing into his shirt, “I knew she wouldn’t, I asked her not to but…” 

It was a complicated feeling, a situation she knew her mother couldn’t win. If she’d contacted her she’d be going against what Emily had asked of her, but it was still her birthday. A big milestone that had gone unmarked. Their usual game of Elizabeth calling and pretending she didn’t know Emily was screening her call, only for Emily to return the call a few days later, nowhere to be found. 

“I know,” he says, kissing the top of her head, “It’s hard.”

“Yeah,” she replies, giving herself a moment before she clears her throat, wanting to only focus on the good today. All the ways she’d been shown that she was loved - everything she’d hoped for as she sat in her apartment in Detriot on her 30th birthday. She bites her lip as she pulls back to look at him, her eyes meeting his as she says what she’d been wanting to say all evening, forcing herself to wait until it was just the two of them, “I didn’t realise you remembered that moment on my 21st,” she says, pressing her lips together, “I…never wanted to bring it up in case you didn’t.” 

Aaron cups the back of her head, “Sweetheart, there is nothing on earth that would ever make me forget you,” he says, his fingers trailing through her hair, “Even then I was fascinated by you.” 

She blushes and bites the inside of her cheek, “Why did you never mention it?” 

“I didn’t think you remembered,” he says, and she raises an eyebrow at him, “I’m serious, I really thought you forgot. Then a few weeks ago when we went looking for that scotch for Dave, you picked up that bottle and said-”

“I drank this on my 21st.” 

He smiles as she finishes his sentence, “Yeah. And then I realised you remembered too.” 

She leans in to kiss him, her lips firm against his, and she loses herself in the feeling of him, of the way she was drowning in his affection. They eventually pull back, both breathless with swollen lips. She looks towards the diffraction of the stairs.

“How long do you think we have until Lily wakes up?”

He looks at his watch, “Maybe 20 minutes?”

She smiles devilishly at him and pulls away just enough to push herself onto the kitchen counter, “Then we’d better be quick.” 

She pulls him in by his shirt collar and kisses him again before he can complain, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist. 

He was going to clean the kitchen in the morning anyway, so she saw no harm in making it a little dirtier beforehand. 

-x-

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[phae-undergrove]

✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨

SAMHAIN BREAKDOWN

🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃✨🎃

SAMHAIN (🗣SAA-WYN🗣)

Other names:

Samhuin, Samain, Saman, Oidhche Shamhna, Hallowe'en, Halloween, Hallows, Hallowtide, Shadow Fest, Allantide, Third Harvest, Harvest Home, Geimredh, (Feile na Marbh), Feast of the Dead, Spirit Night, Candle Night, November Eve, and Apple Fest.

What is it?

Samhain is an old Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter (the "darker half" of the year)

What it represents

Samhain is a time when doorways to the spirit world are opened, allowing the dead to visit the living world. Some spirits were considered friendly, while others were not, and the Celts created ways to appease them.

It also marks the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of the new one and as such can be seen as an equivalent of New Year's Eve as we know it.

When is it celebrated

It is held on 1 November but with celebrations beginning on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset

Who to honour

Traditionally because this festival is associated with those who no longer walk this realm in a physical form, ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets and other loved ones who have passed on are appropriate beings to honour.

Other sprits to worship

In the case you want to explore other spirits to worship, any death deity would be appropriate for example, you may feel compelled to leave out an offering to Hades at this time of the year. You can also worship the earth itself, as we approach this time of the year many plants begin the end of their yearly cycle, this is the perfect time to take a moment to appreciate the beauty in that part of the cycle.

How to celebrate

There are many things to do to honour ancestors and not just the human ancestors but the earth ones and the animals as well, this may manifest in many ways.

Some popular ways to celebrate this festival are

dancing,

feasting,

taking nature walks,

Ancestor Stories,

cemetery visits,

Bonfire Magic.

and building altars to honour the ancestors

These are not the only activities, there are many more that I could list and many more points I could touch on, but I wanted to keep this post really easy/friendly and not to overwhelming,

I hope to at some point tomorrow get to draft up a “Samhain correspondence” post to go along with this one🥰 if there is anything else/ or any questions you have that you’d like me to touch base on I’m more than happy to do my best to answer🥰

Merry meet! B ~Phae

[goldshirtleia]

Hello yes it is that time of year again, I am listening to the 1970 OG recording of JCS on vinyl and have decided to finally make a list my rankings for every role and aspect of this show. For the record I am a pagan whose only real knowledge of the Jesus story is from this show so forgive my unhinged takes.

Characters:

Jesus:

Ian Gillan (OG album/broadway)

Ted Neeley (1973)

Ola Sålo (Swedish 2014)

Jack Hopewell (North American Tour 2022)

Morgan James (all female cast 2022)

Judas:

Carl Anderson (1973)

Brandon Victor Dixon (2018)

Murray Head (OG album)

Shoshana Bean (all female cast 2022)

Peter Johannson (Swedish 2014)

Honourable mention to Colm Wilkinson (it is a CRIME that there isn't a full recording of the Irish cast)

Mary Magdalene:

Yvonne Elliman (OG album/broadway/1973)

That's it, no one else even comes close

(Maybe an honourable mention for Gunilla Backman)

Pontius Pilate:

Barry Dennen (OG album/1973)

Filippo Strocchi (Vienna 2018)

Orfeh (all female cast 2022)

Caiaphas:

Bob Bingham (OG broadway/1973)

Norm Lewis (NBC 2018) I will ALWAYS stan Norm

Victor Brox (OG album)

Simon Zealotes:

TIE - Larry Marshall (1971)

TIE - Eric Grönwall (NBC 2018)

John Gustafson (OG album)

Tony Vincent (2000)

Herod:

Alice Cooper (NBC 2018)

Mike D'Abo (OG album)

Chris Moyles (Arena Tour 2012)

Overall - staging/set design/costumes:

1973 Movie

NBC 2018

North American Tour 2022

Arena Tour 2012

Honourable mention to the OG broadway production -- I haven't seen enough footage to accurately rank it but I LOVE Jesus's cape in Superstar.

Best overall rendition of Superstar (incl. staging, costumes, etc)

1973 Movie

NBC 2018

Arena Tour 2012

Swedish 2014

Best facial expressions:

Carl Anderson during Simon Zealotes

Carl Anderson right before he engages in respectability politics to slut shame Mary

Tim Minchin when the priests take his joint lmao

Best Superstar costume:

Carl Anderson's white maxi fringe jumpsuit (come ON)

Peter Johannson's shirtless #lewk (I have a whole thing about how Judas should not look like a demon but the sparkly red pants and the Legolas hair are too fantastic)

Brandon Victor Dixon in the full silver fit

Best WTF moments:

That bit in the 1973 film where they all form The Last Supper for a quick second and no one comments on it

When the 1973 crowd says "won't you die for me?" in Hosanna and it just FREEZES on Jesus's face

The Swedish cast pushing Jesus into Jerusalem in a shopping cart

The fighter pilots swooping at Judas after Blood Money in 1973. What WAS that. How did they get that.

That is all lol. Every time we watch even a clip of a new production my mother and I spend 2-3 hours discussing how it fits into our rankings, so this could change.

[bleachellie]

my top albums of 2023.. as i’m picking them in 2023

with 2008 to 2022 covered, now i can finally do my top albums of this year!! 😝

a p decent year for music, but kind of a strange one to pick for.. 2023 has felt so long that i could've sworn some of these albums ("cracker island" and "this is why") came out last year, some Rly good stuff only came out in the last week or so, and some of my fav stuff of the year has been eps.. so i think like in 2021 i'm gonna do a separate post for those again 😅

"this is why" comes incredibly close to being my album of the year, but i think it's gonna have to go to me rex's "giant elk" - a fucking stellar new release from one of my fav bands 😁✨

the picks:

blur - the ballad of darren

boygenius - the record

carly rae jepsen - the loveliest time

gorillaz - cracker island

janelle monáe - the age of pleasure

jenny lewis - joy’all

me rex - giant elk

paramore - this is why

problem patterns - blouse club

honourable mentions:

olivia rodrigo - guts (rly good album, but just slightly lost out to all of these 😆)

peter gabriel - i/o (only came out last week, and i've only listened once, but if it had come out sooner it'd definitely have made the list 😳)

witching waves - streams and waterways (another Rly fucking good album that only came out last week 😭)

[kazoo-world]

I’ve been in this fandom since March 2022. If you’re like me, you’ve read a good chunk of the fanfic that’s been published, and you have a hard time finding new stuff that’s to your taste. In honour of this, here is my rec list of the fics you definitely want to read but may not have come across!

✨My Gentlebeard/Blackbonnet Fic Rec List✨

Smutty (E)

Short (<4k)

The Good Plan by TheMewsAtTen: Stede treats Ed to some devoted stress relief, including hair brushing. A good cozy read. (4k)

Only You by gayasstheythem: Stede plunders a fancy blindfold in a raid and the sex is kinky but also really wholesome. Lots of tears and laughter and healing. (3.9k)

Mid length (4-8k)

Are You Lonesome Tonight? by RoughWinds: Ed and Stede have some kinky married roleplay sex where Stede plays a neglected housewife and Ed plays the next door neighbor that stepped up. They are achingly in love. (6.5k)

Smoke Signals by Spicy_Soldiers: Ed seduces Stede with some sensual cigar smoking. The imagery is so sexy and vivid that it’s almost dreamlike. (4.7k)

Won’t Rush It Along by camerasparring: Ed and Stede have marathon sex to figure out just how many times Stede’s magic dick can go. Very hot and silly. (6.9k (nice))

Of Oils & Jealousy by @kipli: Stede starts a line of scented olive oils (as he would) and the two of them go to the Republic of Pirates in search of a seller. They meet a pirate that’s a little too happy to meet Stede; Stede is blissfully ignorant of the man’s advances. Insanity ensues—including wild possessive sex. (4.7k)

Friendly Competition (Blackbeard Always Wins) by @cufeilidh: Stede and Ed disagree on who’s turn it is to service top and make the decision with a sex game. This fic makes me laugh every time because it’s so on brand. (4.9k)

sunflowers in the kitchen by dardreamcrash: Ed and Stede pretend to bicker like a married couple in a home goods store and then they go home and fuck nasty about it. Totally absurd and extremely cute, classic over the top in character insanity. (7k)

Long (>8k)

It Was Yellow and Pink by Bazzle: Ed confides that he misses when things were easier and simpler between them, so Stede stages a roleplay to fulfill his desire. Sweetest most healing sex ever (warning tho: undernegotiated kink). (14.9k)

A Sunday Kind of Love by WellSussed: Stede keeps trying to propose but Ed’s busy work schedule gets in the way; when their time tables finally align, Stede spoils Ed with a New Year’s to remember. Another one that makes my heart explode. (8.8k)

Spicy and Swearful

The Kissing Game by veeagainst: Set after s2ep5, Ed comes up with a kissing game as a way to take things slow with Stede. It works until it doesn’t, complete with lots of pining. (8k, M)

Other Delicacies and Delights by reddiegays: Stede and Ed spice up their married life by flirting across the bar they co-own. (1.3k, T)

Continue to Continue to Pretend by skeletonsandroundabouts: reunion fic written pre s2, but in tune with s2 tone. Stede stumbles upon a sulking Ed in a bar and they pretend not to know each other. Stede is a bombastic menace who thinks the ruse is working, but Ed is also a dumbass. Makes me laugh out loud every time I read it, and the character voices are perfect. (4.8k, T)

Fluff

Permanent Ink by insidethevoid: Ed is the cool distinctly tattooed step dad. Hijinks ensure when Alma wants to be cool like him. (5.2k, G)

Thy, Sweet, Love Remembered by @kazoo-world: Ed and Stede promise to always go to sleep together. It’s always the perfect remedy for the day’s frustrations. Look, yes, I wrote this and I’m biased, but every time I read it I can’t stop thinking about how mind blowingly cute it is. (1.1k, T)

Modern AU Meetcutes

Our Tesco Means Death by shipmates: Stede gets a job at Tesco after leaving his old life and notices and is noticed by his kind and smoking manager, Ed. Reading about Stede trying very hard to impress Ed by shoplifting makes me laugh rambunctiously. (21k, G)

the happiest place on earth is here (with you) by @medievill: Stede and Ed strike up a whirlwind romance at Disney World with Ed showing Stede around his usual haunts. Equal parts heart-wrenching and heartwarming. (33k, M)

Unlocked by @festiveferret: Newly divorced Stede accidentally breaks into rockstar Ed’s apartment thinking it’s his own. They fall in love as they hang out together. Ed has two beautiful and perfect guard cats and Stede is perfectly in character levels of insane. (15.5k, T)

[carryon-countdown]

❄️ Carry On Countdown 2022 🕯️

Hello there! We are thrilled to announce that it is once again time for the annual 2022 Carry On Countdown. If you’re new to this beloved tradition of ours, welcome! The Carry On Countdown is a fandom hosted, month-long ‘countdown’ event to the Chapter 61 Snowbaz anniversary for The Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell. The event begins on November 25th and features daily prompts to help inspire all sorts of wonderful fan-created content as we draw closer to that cherished anniversary date on December 24th.

In order to give everyone who wishes to participate enough time to prepare, the prompt list for this year’s COC will be posted a month before the event begins, on October 25th. Content for the Carry On Countdown can be just about anything you desire to create! We encourage fanfiction, fanart, cosplay, memes, songs, playlists, crafts, etc. The prompts are completely up to your own interpretation and can be used in your content however you like, but if you’re confused or have any questions, please send us an ask.

You are welcome to participate in as many or as few of the days of the event as you wish. Completing every daily prompt for the COC is not mandatory, although anyone who does will earn a special spot on our “Page of Honour” once the event has concluded. 

The COC is a fan-created and fan-run event, and we once again have another dedicated team of admins who are busy organizing all of the fun.

We have five main admins, Froggy, Cora, Lola, Yoey, and Raegan, whose brief introductions can be found below. 

Froggy:  Hello! I’m Jason Funderberker the Frog from @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists, but you can call me Froggy! First time being an admin, but I’m really excited :DDD

Cora: Hello everyone :) I’m Cora from @otherpeoplesheartachept-2, and this is my first year as an admin for the Carry On Countdown! The COC is one of my absolute favorite fandom events so I’m super excited to see what people create for it this year!!

Lola: Hey besties!! I’m Lola from @dragoneggos and this is my first year as an admin for countdown, and I’m super excited!! I had such a fun time participating last year, and I can’t wait to see what we all do this year!!

Yoey: Hi friends! This is Yoey from @pacey-bunce-loves-joey - really looking forward to being your unsolicited admin for the first time this year. I live for the pure creativity and chaos of the CO community - can’t wait to see what ya’ll bring to the table for this year’s countdown!

Raegan: Hi besties! I’m Raegan from @carryonmylovelies and I’m thrilled to say that this is my third year being an admin for the Carry On Countdown. I deeply adore this event and all the epic creations it inspires. Can’t wait to see what you all have in store for us <3

This is the 7th consecutive year that the fandom has hosted this countdown, and its admins are incredibly excited to 'carry on' ;) this special tradition. We wish everyone who is planning on participating in the countdown the best of luck and hope that the fandom enjoys the upcoming content from all of its talented creators. Don't forget! Our askbox is always open for any questions you may have concerning this event.

Reblogs are very much appreciated, and the hashtags we strongly encourage using with posts relating to the countdown are #Carry On Countdown and #COC 2022. 

Stay tuned for the COC 2022 prompt list on October 25th! 

With love,

The admins of the 2022 Carry On Countdown <3

P.S. (The COC also unofficially serves as a reminder to Rainbow herself that Carry On is sort of a Christmas book. 🙈)

[charlotte-of-wales]

“King Charles gives Princess Anne prestigious role as thank you for unwavering loyalty”

The King has handed Princess Anne a key role in his first State Opening of Parliament speech as monarch.

In honour of her years of unwavering loyalty the Princess Royal will feature in the procession as the prestigious "Gold-Stick-in-Waiting", a position historically handed to a person entrusted with the personal safety of the monarch. Anne acted out the role for the King's coronation back in May, riding on horseback as the monarch's personal bodyguard. She will travel in a carriage behind the King and Queen, as the procession on Tuesday makes its way to the Houses of Parliament for the historic delivery.

Despite accompanying the late Queen to several State Openings in her youth, Anne will enter the chamber alongside the monarch for the first time since 1985. The State Opening of Parliament marks the formal start of the parliamentary year while the Monarch's Speech sets out the government's agenda for the coming session.

The King has no role in setting the legislative agenda but reads out the list on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government. A royal source said: "This is a fantastic addition by the King and further cements the Princess Royal's role as his most trusted lieutenant."

After Charles ascended the throne, he handed both Princess Anne, 73, and his brother Prince Edward, 59, new responsibilities by making. The Princess Royal and Duke of Edinburgh officially became Counsellors of State, allowing them to carry out constitutional duties for the King if he was abroad or unwell. The Mirror can further reveal that Charles and Camilla will travel to Westminster in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, the same stunning vehicle that carried the couple to the King's coronation at Westminster Abbey.

The King will for the first time since the historic event in May, wear the Imperial State Crown and dress in the Robe of State, as is tradition for the monarch. Charles exchanged the St Edward's Crown for the Imperial State Crown at the end of the Coronation service, seen by thousands who lined the streets of London and millions watching around the world as the procession made its way back to Buckingham Palace.

Weighing a hefty 2.3lbs (1.06kg), the staggering piece sparkles with nearly 3,000 stones, including 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and five rubies. Made for the Coronation of King George Vl in 1937, jewellery experts have estimated it to be worth between £3 billion and £5 billion. The stunning

317-carat Cullinan I - the diamond at the centre of the piece - is alone estimated to be worth £400 million. It was worn by the late Queen Elizabeth Il at her coronation in 1953, and on many official occasions over the course of her historic reign.

However, it became too heavy for the ageing monarch, who died aged 96 in September 2022, and for every State Opening of Parliament thereafter, it was placed on a velvet pillow next to Her Majesty. In a nod to the late Queen, Camilla will wear Elizabeth Il's diamond diadem for the first time at Parliament State Opening.

The late Queen wore the £6million crown for her coronation in 1953 and all State Openings. It was made in 1821 and is set with 1,333 diamonds in silver and gold. The Queen was seen wearing it on coins, notes and stamps.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

So, at the end of 2023, I was busy with trying to move house and deal with some other shit, and I did not do what I’d done at the end of the previous couple of years, which was make posts with year-end roundups. I thought I’d do that now.

I was going to do a list of my top ten favourite 2023 stand-up shows. Then I found that there were too many shows I wanted to include, so it turned into a top twenty. Then I told myself that that’s ridiculous, so did manage to narrow it down to a list of my ten favourites. But I kept the ten that I cut in a separate list of honourable mentions. While listing twenty whole shows seems like a cop-out, even narrowing it down that far was difficult, and a bunch of shows I liked got cut from both lists. That shows how very lucky I was last year, getting to hear so many stand-up shows that it was hard to choose just twenty favourites.

I’m defining a 2023 show as something that was performed in Edinburgh in 2023, whether or not the version I heard was from Edinburgh. I've put them in alphabetical order within their lists because it was hard enough to narrow down this much, I am not going to try to rank them by quality further.

Top ten:

Ahir Shah – Ends

Alice Fraser – Twist

Andrew O’Neill – Geburah

Laura Davis – Well Don’t Just Stand There Dancing

Paul Foot – Dissolve

Pierre Novellie – Why Are You Laughing?

Sam Campbell – he only performed one night in Edinburgh and it was called Bulletproof Ten, and I didn’t actually get to hear Bulletproof Ten, but I have heard some other 2023 stand-up nights where he did the same material so I’m pretty sure I’ve heard all the stuff that was in Bulletproof Ten, and therefore I can put that on this list

Stewart Lee – Basic Lee

Tom Ballard – It Is I

Zoe Coombs Marr – The Opener

Top ten shows that didn’t make the top ten but that I still wanted to include:

Adam Kay – Undoctored

Celya AB – Second Rodeo

Frankie Boyle – Lap of Shame

Ian Smith – Crushing

Ikechukwu Ufomadu – Amusements

Mark Watson – Search

Milo Edwards – Sentimental

Robin Ince – MELONS

Shelf – Teenage Men

Susie McCabe – Femme Fatality

Bonus list: shows that cannot be on the above list because they were 2022 shows that didn’t get done in Edinburgh in 2023, but did get toured in 2023, and/or got released as a recording in 2023 so I got to see them in 2023, and they were brilliant:

Grace Petrie – Butch Ado About Nothing

Greg Larsen – We All Have Bloody Thoughts

Huge Davies – The Carpark

Josie Long – Re-Enchantment (this hasn’t been recorded or anything, but I saw it live in Montreal in 2023)

Mae Martin – SAP

Nish Kumar – Your Power Your Control (I actually saw this live twice in 2022, once in Montreal and once in New York City, but the video recording came out in 2023)

[itcars]

Inside Look at “Spirit of Carrera RS” Special Exhibition

The Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 is an undisputed icon of automotive history, unique and unforgettable. Fifty years after its world premiere, the Porsche Museum is honouring it with a special exhibition, “Spirit of Carrera RS”. Starting on 20 September 2022, the Porscheplatz in Zuffenhausen will be all about the “ducktail”, “RS” or “2.7”, as the sports car is known among Porsche enthusiasts.

When the RS was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show on 5 October 1972, it was the first series-production car in the world with front and rear spoilers. The requirements for the 911 base vehicle for racing and rallying were clearly defined: light and fast were the watchwords. To achieve the objectives, Hans Mezger and Valentin Schäffer developed the 2.7-litre six-cylinder boxer engine with direct fuel injection from the ground up new. In the Sport version, the 210-PS, 960-kg Coupé went from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds and topped out at almost 245 km/h. The precise aerodynamics designed back then with racing cars in mind still make the RS unique today. 

The Porsche Museum tells the story of the RS and its racing cousin, the RSR, not only through the cars and anecdotes, but also with films, photos, racing posters and interactive features. Visitors can, for example, put together their own custom RS by turning the model-detail and colour wheel of the kaleidoscope. To fulfil as many personal wishes as possible, Porsche held fast to the customisation principle with the Carrera RS 2.7. Buyers could choose from a wide array of colours and equipment options. The strong demand took the sports car manufacturer by surprise, which initially had planned a mere 500 series-produced cars for homologation. At the centre of the special exhibition is a bright yellow 911 Carrera RS 2.7 in Touring spec, as well as a rare prototype in green metallic. The vehicles, development documents, advertising brochures, price lists, the Carrera logo and an article from the customer magazine Christophorus describe the path from the development vehicle to the production-ready Porsche.

Visitors can also look forward to seeing other extraordinary cars from the family lineage of the ducktail spanning five decades of Porsche history. With the duo of the 911 (964) RS and 911 (993) RS, Porsche expanded the RS family to include air-cooled sports cars. The water-cooled era is represented by the 911 (996) GT3 RS, 911 (997) GT3 RS, 911 (991) GT3 RS and 911 (992) Sport Classic models, the last of which is a collector’s edition from the Heritage Design Series from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur and features a fixed rear spoiler. The car’s moniker from the realm of avian anatomy was inspired by the shape of the rear spoiler. At high speeds, the ducktail presses the 911 to the ground and thus reduces lift to achieve the ideal balance and enable higher top speeds. With the RS half a century ago, the sports car manufacturer achieved the perfect synthesis between weight, power, aerodynamics and driving dynamics. Light, fast, race-ready and road-approved.

[theageoftheunderstatement]

kevinwestenberg: ARCTIC MONKEYS. MOJO MAGAZINE. Photo: ©Kevin Westenberg. September 2, 2022. Love how this individual portrait of Alex Turner worked out. Once the group shots were completed, I wanted to shoot individuals of each member while the lights were in place here on the roof of the Four Seasons Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal. Lighting supplied by Ricardo Nascimento at Carapau Rental Studios and photo assist by Gonçalo Santos. It’s also the third photo included in our 12 page MOJO feature for the new album out October 21, 2022. Keith Cameron handled the writing honours and Colleen Maloney from Domino is also there to steer the ship. This particular location worked perfectly for our lighting set. The roof has a running track around the edges for people to get exercise with a view! There’s also a ton of exercise machines just inside the glass. The glass itself has a heavy blue/green tint which photographs beautifully. In addition you can see the sea and views out over Lisbon in the distant background but I didn’t want that to be too much of a feature. The emphasis needed to be on the band members. In this case the cool part in addition to seeing the full view is that because it’s an Alex solo shot, you get the full view through the glass and also the best reflection of his doppelganger. We also had a great sky moment with the perfect set of little fluffy clouds in the reflection of the glass. My biggest fuck-up overall during the portrait section was not getting shots of them without sunglasses. Rookie error by someone with 40 years of experience. The odd thing of not working as much anymore is that I find myself returning to dwelling on the technical details and forgetting some small things simply due to lack of repetition. Might have to return to making a written shot list like in the old days to avoid this type of unforeseen problem.