#why I will never read eleanor and park

[sasuhinamonth]

Beginnings and Ends - SasuHina Recs

It's the 21st! That means it's fic writer appreciation day!

In celebration, I'd like to share some SH recs, but in a fun way!!! I'll be posting the first and last line of the fic, along with name, author, and brief description as to why I'm rec-ing it!

Good work, writers!

p.s. - Most of the links will be to FFNet, but if you see purple text, that means it's posted on AO3 as well~ I'm just doing this to save a little time on my end, but I understand some prefer reading on AO3!

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A Miracle by Eleanor Rigby 000

"A field trip!?" The class repeated. After that, several voices chirped, each of them commenting on how psyched they are for the class field trip.

"Forever," she assured

This is a angsty, passionate story of hurt, comfort, love, and meeting an old love. The story is Modern AU where Sasuke's a model and comes back to visit his childhood town, where he meets Hinata. Honestly, this is the first and only fic that has made me actively cry, and I cannot praise it enough! Please check it out!!!

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Okaeri by The Penumbra

She felt his fist connect with her stomach and went crashing down to the ground, barely having time to register what was happening.

"Okaeri, Sasuke. Welcome home."

This is sort of a prequel to the author's other fic "Snapshots: Black and White", which is also a stellar fic. It's set in canonverse, where Sasuke and Hinata slowly develop a friendship/relationship. You'll get your fair amount of angst, but really, you can hardly avoid such things in SH fics xD.

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Ichinen by Cinderella Starsend

Hyuuga Hinata stifled a yawn as she stepped out of the door and shut it behind her.

"And I love you."

I LOVE this fic! It's split into 12 chapters, each corresponding with a month. Hinata works at Ichiraku's in an attempt to get closer to Naruto, but she bonds with Sasuke more. I really enjoy fics set in the narutoverse that change things like this, mixing around dynamics so it's not always ninja stuff and war and training. It's a cute story, and the author's prose is beautiful!

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Neji Hyuuga: Matchmaker by emilyjm

Hyuuga Neji prided himself on seeing things other people never noticed.

Mission: matchmaker must be completed within five years.. Good luck, Neji!

UGHHHHH! Where do I start????? It's set in narutoverse where Neji's not only alive, but in charge of matchmaking everyone in Konoha so that he can get Sasuke and Hinata together. It's incredible sweet and incredibly moving and incredibly moving, and I love SH fics with a heavy focus on Neji. Please read it, and please read Another Story (sequel) which is JUST as good!!!

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When Will I Lose You by @elreinodelpurgatorio

Hinata, Lady of the Underworld, stands in her peach orchard and watches the Doom God and the Messenger God speak to each other.

One of these days, Sasuke, seated on a throne next to Hinata, is the one to look at a wretched soul and say: "Request denied."

This is a really fun HadesxPersephone AU where Hinata is Hades and Sasuke is Persephone! It's a short, magical read that is always a breath of fresh air! The author is really good at coming up with pretty sentences. Highly rec!

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What's Mine To Give by WritingHyuHin

After the massacre of his clan, Sasuke had one goal in his life at that young age. Revenge.

The things I do for you... Only you.... Hinata.

This is a rewriting of The Last movie, but SasuHina style! I think it's very believable and a fun thing to read, since I've watched The Last quite a few times. Seeing things that should be Naruto but are instead replaced with Sasuke warm my little, shipper heart. Give this one a chance!

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Nyctophilia by Sommernacht

For as long as he could remember, the night had offered him comfort.

"Indeed," he whispered against her skin. His fingers found their way under her fishnet top, making her shiver under the touch. "The most beautiful night."

Sommer hits it out of the park once again! This was their 2022 SHMonth one-shot in which Sasuke and Hinata secretly meet each other when 'borrowing' meds at night. They grow close and confide in one another, and I think it's a loving, deep connection that is impressive to make in just one chapter!

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A Study of Mannerisms and Other Alterations by MissLe

Sasuke Uchiha, as it was well known, was in possession of some very, very gorgeous eyes.

She decided, however, that the regal Uchiha nose would always hold a special place in her heart.

Ahhhh, this is probably one of my all time favorite fics! It's fluffy, it's cute, it's funny! I absolutely adore it! This fic is set in a Modern AU, where Hinata is a waitress at a cafe and Sasuke, a member of the firefighter team that comes by almost daily, has a pretty obvious crush on her. These two dweebs are adorable, and I read this fic so much!!!

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Uprooted by @kiljoius

Today, Hinata is 20.

“Maybe I can live with that.” Maybe she can, too, she thinks.

Arranged Marriage? Check. Fluff and Humor in a SH FIC of all things???? Check. Witty dialogue and amazing chemistry? Check check check! Without giving too many spoilers, this Modern AU fic follows Hinata and Sasuke, who plan to act 'over the top' in their arranged relationship in order to get out of it. Lets just say it doesn't work as planned for them huhu. This is a really fun fic, so if you're in the mood, give it a read!

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This is what I've got for now, but please feel free to comment or reblog with your own favorite fics (either your own or others) with their first and last lines.

@kiljoius @elreinodelpurgatorio @daifukumochiin @catruru @fher43 @gardenatsuntime @lavendereyedassassin @cariata @naoko-ichigo @lavender-long-stories @p-crowds @queenfox352 - You guys, too! Show off fics you like (or your own)!

Good work to all authors/writers out there! We love you!!!

Mod: PC

[canirove]

The Princess & the Football Player | Chapter 1

Summary: "They say they want to make the monarchy more modern, to be closer to the people, but then your parents would prefer it if you married a guy whose Godfather is the freaking Prince of Monaco, instead of a guy from Kingston." Or the love story between Princess Eleanor, heir to the British throne, and Declan Rice, English football player. 

Author’s note: This story has been sitting on my drafts for maybe two months because I never was completely happy with it, and tbh, I still feel the same. Though sometimes those are the ones people like the most 😂 I got inspired to write it during the World Cup when people here in Spain went crazy about the idea of Princess Leonor and Gavi dating and him becoming the future King because she, apparently, is her fan and has a crush on him 😅 That's why on this story, the British Royal family has the name of the Spanish one 😁   Hope you like it, and thank you for reading! 💜

Next chapter

Masterlist

"Ok, ask me one more."

"Dad..."

"Just one more, please."

"Fine" I say, rolling my eyes. "Who is that one?" I ask, pointing at the papers he has on his hands.

"That's easy. Aaron Ramsdale, goalkeeper, plays for Arsenal."

"See? You know them all. Relax."

"I just want to do this right. You are the one into sports, not me."

"You'll be fine, you already know them all from the Euros."

"Yeah" he says, letting out a big sigh. "What about you? Are you nervous?"

"Why would I be?"

"You may be meeting one of your crushers."

"I don't have a crush on anyone on the national team."

"Oh, c'mon Eleanor. You watch all their games, you must fancy at least one of them."

"I don't" I shrug.

"Not even Mason Mount? I've heard girls think he is fit."

"That he is what?" I laugh.

"Fit. That's what Sophie says about boys who are handsome and attractive."

"Yes, Sophie. But not you."

"Why? Because I'm old?"

"No, because you are the King of England."

"Whatever" he says. "You don't like anyone, then?"

"No one. So you better not try anything or do what you did when we met One Direction years ago."

"What did I do?"

"Tell Niall Horan that I had a crush on him? That I had photos of him in my room?"

"Oh, yes" he chuckles. "But don't worry, I won't do it again. I learnt my lesson."

"You better. Just imagine that someone hears something and runs to the press with it. I can already see the headlines: Princess Eleanor in love with a football player. And they'll probably pick the worst option."

"Like Grealish."

"You said it, I didn't" I laugh.

"We've arrived, sir" our driver says.

"Good, good. Are you ready?"

"Ready" I say, taking a deep breath before we step out of the car.

As part of all the media events the national football team is doing before they travel to Canada for the World Cup, we are meeting with them to say our farewells and also give them a little something to remember the occasion. And when I say we, I mean my dad, King Philip of England, and I, Princess Eleanor, heir to the throne.

"Welcome to St. George's Park, your Royal Highness" Gareth Southgate says when we walk in. "The boys are waiting over here."

"Wonderful" my dad says. "How are they feeling?"

"Ready. They can't wait to get on that plane."

After a few words from my dad and the gaffer, it's time to give the players that little something we had for them: a shirt with their number and the name of all the players who have previously worn it.

"We'll do one each, ok?" my dad tells me.

"Ok."

We start calling each player, congratulating them and posing for a photo, everything going smoothly... until it doesn't. Until I froze in place when I find myself looking at the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.

"Your Royal Highness" he says with a smile as breathtaking as his eyes.

"Hi" I reply, my voice sounding all squeaky.

"I was looking forward to meeting you."

"Me? Really?"

"Yes, ma'am. My mum is a big fan of yours, she says you are the best royal."

"Oh, she's too kind" I giggle. I giggled. Why did I do that? What am I, 12?

"Should we pose for the photo?"

"Uh?" I ask, still looking at him. How is he real? How is it possible that I had never noticed that Declan Rice was this handsome?

"The photo, Eleanor" my dad says behind me.

"Oh, yes, sorry. The photo" I repeat, trying to compose myself a bit.

"Big smiles... Perfect" the photographer says.

"Thank you" Declan smiles, taking the box where the shirt is, our fingers touching slightly but making me feel electricity through my whole body. And call me crazy, but judging by the way he looked at me when it happened, he felt the same.

Once we are done giving all the shirts, Southgate gives my dad and I a tour of St. George's Park, but I can't stop thinking about Declan. About his eyes, his smile, about the way that small touch made me feel. I still don't know how I managed to keep going, to be honest.

When we walk outside, some players are practicing free kicks on the training pitch, Declan among them.

"Eleanor, why don't you show these boys how it is done?" my dad says.

"What?"

"We all saw you training with the lionesses, ma'am. That right foot of yours can do things" Mount chuckles.

"But I'm not wearing the right shoes."

"C'mon, ma'am" Southgate insists.

"Ok, then. But if I end up breaking a window, or worse, my ankle... it is your fault" I say, making them all laugh.

"Ready, Rambo?" Rashford asks before shooting.

"Give me your best!" Ramsdale shouts.

"That was so good" my dad says when Rashford scores. "Your turn now, darling."

"Ma'am" Declan says, giving me a ball.

"Thank you" I reply, trying to avoid looking at him, my cheeks already getting hot. "Don't go soft on me, Ramsdale."

"I won't, ma'am" he says with that big smile of his.

"See?" I sigh after shooting and sending the ball far far away. "Wrong shoes."

"Try again" Declan says, putting another ball in front of me. "I know you can do it."

"Will you pay for the window I'm going to break?"

"And I'll carry you to the infirmary myself if you break your ankle" he smirks, making me feel funny things on my stomach, and my father clear his throat behind us.

"Ok" I whisper, trying to forget the thought of his arms around me and taking a deep breath, focusing only on the ball.

"I knew it!" Declan says next to me when the ball goes in, Ramsdale not being able to stop it.

"You believed in me more than I did."

"I've seen you play before, I know what you can do."

"You have?"

"Yep. When you were like... 15? You played a charity game in my area and my mum took the whole family to watch you. I remember that you scored and amazing free kick."

"Oh, wow. I don't know if I remember that day" I chuckle. "I'll have to check the photos back home. I may even see you."

"I didn't look this good, tho. You may not recognize me" Declan says with a cheeky smile.

"But you still had the same eyes, didn't you? Those are hard to miss."

"Thank you, ma'am" he replies, his cheeks turning a dark shade of pink. Did I just make him blush? Me? Oh, wow. "I also remember that I didn't expect a princess to play football like that."

"What did you expect, then?" I ask, raising a brow.

"I don't know" he shrugs. "Maybe that you enjoyed other type of sports, like cricket or that thing with the horses."

"Equestrianism."

"That one, yes."

"Posh sports."

"Yeah..." he chuckles, scratching the back of his head and making the muscles on his arm pop. Why did he have to do that when I was finally acting normal around him, maybe even flirting? Now I'm stuck again just looking at him.

"We must go, Eleanor."

"What?"

"It's time for us to go, the boys have to train" my dad says.

"Oh, yes, of course."

"It was really nice meeting you, ma'am" Declan says.

"You too."

"See you in Canada?"

"See you in Canada" I repeat

"Great" he says with a big smile that makes whatever I'm feeling on my stomach be more intense. "Until then."

"Bye" I say, definitely smiling like an idiot.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━      

"That was nice, wasn't it?" my dad says once we are back in the car.

"Really nice, yes."

"Fell in love with any of them?"

"What?" I say, feeling my cheeks getting hotter and hotter by the second.

"I was only joking, relax."

"Oh" I reply with a nervous laugh.

"You are a clever girl. You know that you can't fall in love with a football player."

"Why not? You married mum and she was a journalist."

"One with a degree and a PhD, a serious career. These boys have nothing beyond money and being good looking. At least some of them" he chuckles.

"These days more and more players are studying while playing, tho" I point out.

"Still, it isn't enough. You are meant to be the next Queen of England. You must marry accordingly."

"Dad, this isn't the 15th century."

"I know, I know. But there are certain things that must still be kept in mind. So when you travel to Canada to support the team, do not fall for any of them, ok?" he laughs.

"Ok" I say, rolling my eyes and looking out the window, thinking that it may be a bit late for that.

[onepintobean]

Hi emma,

Do you want to talk about why WS is your favorite book?

(from this game)

How long do you have?

Wayward Son as a whole reminds me of how Rainbow talked about the ending of Eleanor & Park-- "And I don’t believe that 17-year-olds get happy endings. They get beginnings." Even if Simon Snow would have you believe the opposite. Even if the book opens on an "Epilogue." From the very first page, you know you're dealing with an extremely unreliable narrator. At times, the book feels like a puzzle to try and interpret where the truth really lies.

It's cathartic, too. It's a difficult book to read. These characters are flawed and they hurt each other. They're in the world as adults for the first time, making the choices they want to make and not the choices adults would want them to make. Trying to come into their own identities. Grappling with what living up to your potential means when you realize what you were working towards wasn't what you wanted. It's a fantasy novel but their struggles are so familiar. These characters are mages but they're still 18/19/20. Magic doesn't stop this from being one of the hardest points in their life. But they love each other, anyway. And when they meet Shepard, despite it all, he loves them too! I can never stop talking about this-- how wonderful is it to see characters at their lowest and have a book say to you that no matter what, they are still worthy of love.

And then of course the lore we learn from Shepard and the characters we meet along the way gives so much new depth to how the world of mages reads in Carry On. I love Las Vegas-- I love thinking about how all these vampires came to find a sanctuary there in what was once the wild west. I love carhenge and the political implications it reveals. I love Blue and Margaret, and how the land itself is alive with magic.

And controversial though I know it was, I LOVE the ending. That Agatha is home and everyone is safe, and the story should be over, but it isn't. There's a prologue, at the very end. Because much like 17 year olds, 18/19/20 year olds also only get beginnings.

[bethanydelleman]

Northanger Abbey Readthrough Ch 26

It is no wonder that Henry and Eleanor are excellent at reading true intentions amid a sea of obfuscating speech, General Tilney has been their training. And again, no wonder Henry loves the plain spoken and honest Catherine! A whole paragraph of pretending that he will show up at random leaves us with the exact knowledge that General Tilney will visit Woodston Wednesday at about 12:45 p.m. He also expects a perfect dinner, of which Henry is well aware but Catherine thinks isn't important. Leading to this excellent speech from Henry:

“Why! How can you ask the question? Because no time is to be lost in frightening my old housekeeper out of her wits, because I must go and prepare a dinner for you, to be sure.”

Poor housekeeper! I wonder how often the General scares her out of her wits.

But the inexplicability of the General’s conduct dwelt much on her thoughts. That he was very particular in his eating, she had, by her own unassisted observation, already discovered; but why he should say one thing so positively, and mean another all the while, was most unaccountable! How were people, at that rate, to be understood? Who but Henry could have been aware of what his father was at?

Catherine, I'm with you. The General sucks, please just say what you mean when you talk, people.

Catherine has done the unimaginable, she's gotten used to the Abbey, "the abbey in itself was no more to her now than any other house" something she couldn't believe about the Tilney siblings a while back!

Catherine viewing Woodston and Elizabeth viewing Pemberley, both girls trying not to praise the house too much so they won't be judged:

Catherine’s mind was too full, as she entered the house, for her either to observe or to say a great deal; and, till called on by the general for her opinion of it, she had very little idea of the room in which she was sitting. Upon looking round it then, she perceived in a moment that it was the most comfortable room in the world; but she was too guarded to say so, and the coldness of her praise disappointed him.

With a glance she saw that he had lost none of his recent civility; and, to imitate his politeness, she began as they met to admire the beauty of the place; but she had not got beyond the words “delightful,” and “charming,” when some unlucky recollections obtruded, and she fancied that praise of Pemberley from her might be mischievously construed. Her colour changed, and she said no more. -Pride & Prejudice

I think those are the only two novels where the heroine views the heroes house, we have the Sotherton scene in Mansfield Park but that's a totally different vibe. Anyway, Catherine is fully aware that she hopes this house will someday be shared with herself and she's trying to hold her excitement back.

And then Catherine gets to play with a little of puppies! Best outing ever!

Anyway, back to the beginning of the chapter, Catherine again wants to get her nose into something that isn't her business, the possible engagement between Frederick and Isabella. Henry tells her not to worry about it, and I think he's pretty sure that his brother and Isabella aren't engaged so it won't matter. Besides, Henry is well aware that his father would never approve Isabella, jilter or no.

The paragraph about the Lady Frasers not being in the country makes me suspect that General Tilney only visits the upper crust in his neighbourhood, which would explain some of Eleanor's loneliness and isolation. All the "friends" he mentions are either nobility or he takes the time to mention that they are rich. He's the worst.

Henry, with the friends of his solitude, a large Newfoundland puppy and two or three terriers, was ready to receive and make much of them.

Have I mentioned that he is the perfect man? He even has dogs!

first into a smaller apartment, belonging peculiarly to the master of the house, and made unusually tidy on the occasion unlike Henry's room at the Abbey which is... littered with GUNS!!! (I will never get over that)

So, improvements.

having reached the ornamental part of the premises, consisting of a walk round two sides of a meadow, on which Henry’s genius had begun to act about half a year ago, she was sufficiently recovered to think it prettier than any pleasure-ground she had ever been in before, though there was not a shrub in it higher than the green bench in the corner.

Mansfield Park really gets into improvements, mostly in a negative light, and another Henry (Crawford) talks about doing extensive renovations to another parsonage (Edmund's). General Tilney's suggestion that a cottage be torn down to improve a view when someone is probably living there seems a bit chilling, but I don't think Henry is being shown in a unfavourable light. After all, even though he only lives at Woodston half of his time, we know he's involved in the parish and attending meetings. Also, the General is using the improvements to give heavy hints to Catherine.

The problem with improvements in Mansfield Park seems to be their superficial nature. Edmund wants himself and his house to be loved despite their flaws and perceived deficiencies, Rushworth wants his house improved but seems to be a largely absentee landlord, Henry Crawford improved his gardens but neglects his tenants.

Sense & Sensibility has John Dashwood improving his house as well, something that Elinor is clearly disgusted by, I think because he's erasing significant history for fashion. Emma admires Knightley's house which is in the old English style and not very improved in Emma. (That's another heroine touring a house, but she's seen it before, so again not the same vibe).

Anyway, Catherine is left holding out hope that she will return to Woodston some day soon, hopefully as Mrs. Tilney!

[theroyalsims]

PREGNANT AND GLOWING! ELEANORE STEPS OUT WITH IBRAHIM FOR EARLY MARKET STROLL

Pregnancy looks great on Eleanore!

The Countess and Earl of Harvelle were spotted walking around the town square near Briar Park where the two have a home. Locals were reportedly shocked see the royal duo walking around casually -sans security- and sampling the local produce at the market. One vendor noted:

“I didn’t realise that it was Eleanore and Ibrahim at first! I just thought ‘wow, what a beautiful couple,’ but when they came near my stall, I couldn’t believe my eyes. They’re very, very different from what I’ve read about them in the papers. They’re not at all off-putting or snobbish. They were very kind, very gracious. Eleanore asked if she could sample some of my strawberries and she said she loved them. Her husband -who was also really very nice- bought her two bagfuls of them! Even left me a handsome tip!”

They apparently also walked away with a some parsnips, and Eleanore let slip that she’s having the “oddest obsession” over the veg:

“They also bought some parsnips. She said that she hated them before but now, she’s got the oddest obsession over parsnips. I told her it has to be the pregnancy. She laughed when I and told her that I couldn’t get enough of cabbages when I was pregnant with my youngest.”

Local folks over at Briar Park are no strangers to royals. The Queen herself, along with Prince Jacques, are big fans of the open-air market. Prince Jacques, especially, loves chatting with the local farmers during their trips.

 Locals also know better than to badger their royals for photos. One resident shares:

“We let them be. We reckon it must be hard enough to have everyone all up in their business 24/7, why not just let them shop about in peace? But sometimes, some folks are able to sneak a couple of pictures with some of them, but most of us kind of feel bad for them that we just leave them alone. We’re sure they appreciate it.”

For their early morning trip, the Earl cozied up in a designer jumper, which he paired with a green coat. Although temperatures have gotten a little warmer these past couple of days, the foreign royal, who was raised in hot and humid Al-Simhara, is still getting used to Brindleton’s chilly Autumns and Winters.

Countess Eleanore, meanwhile, looked adorable in a teal shift dress, which perfectly showed off her growing baby bump! Pregnancy has reportedly been an adventure for Her Highness, but poor Ibrahim is said to be a nervous wreck. One source claims that the Earl has never been so scared:

“Ibrahim is so tense these days. It started when E had some slight issues during her first trimester, but their doctors have assured them both that everything is going perfectly well. E’s really at peace and relaxed about her pregnancy but Ibrahim has never been so scared. Ibrahim has always been protective of E, but now there’s at least two of them (twins, after all, run in the family) he has to worry about. One bone of contention is E’s choice of footwear. E loves heels. But pregnant E in heels? Ibrahim thinks it’s a bad idea. E assures him that she’s more comfortable in heels than in flats. So as a compromise of sorts, they’ve struck a deal: she’ll stick to chunkier, shorter heels and he’ll always be with her to hold her hand, whenever she’s out wearing them.”

Eleanore also wore a special and sentimental new accessory during her trip to the shops: a monogram “I” necklace, no doubt in honour of her doting husband. However, other royal fans speculate that the “I” stands for the baby’s name. As for the little bun in the oven, no word yet on whether it’s a baby girl or a baby boy. Hmm... what shall it be? Will they be having a little “Isabella” or an “Isaac,” or maybe even an “Ibrahim Jr.?”

So lovely to see these two out and about! And we can’t wait to see Baby Harvelle!

[namusthetic]

The Four Seasons

Color guide for the characters' comments:

Winter; Spring; Summer; Autumn;

_______

Winter

Jittery because had way too much sugar

Started buying presents and wrapping them in September

Has a special mug for every occasion

Likes to relax by the fire while reading or scrolling through their phone

Gives Christmas-themed socks to everyone

Sits in weird positions

Loud and affectionate with people they feel close with (even too affectionate... )

Cold and unforgiving when pissed

Has a reading list and is gonna finish it before the year ends (hopefully)

Struggles with anger management

Smiles at strangers on the street

Starts stuttering and their lisp comes out when too nervous or excited (I heard Autumn saying it was cute - oh really? - S-spring!!!!!!)

Loves surprises

Prideful, gets offended easily, but also forgives and forgets easily (it took us a whole afternoon to get them to open the door just because the three of us hung out without them - still don't know why we bothered. - HEY!!! )

Calls instead of texting

Ready to throw hands if any of their friends gets bullied or insulted

Aesthetics:

Hot chocolate and a crackling fireplace, Christmas songs and mulled wine, snow and cold wind, warm scarves and knitted gloves, snow angles and snowball fights, smirks and fistbumps, warm sweaters and tight hugs, doodles on frosty window panes, dad jokes and uncoordinated dance moves

Playlist:

Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra

Everybody Talks by Neon Trees

Don't Stop Me Now by Queen

Tongue Tied by Grouplove

(I Can Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones

This Side of Paradise by Coyote Theory

Line Without a Hook by Ricky Montgomery

Eleanor Rigby by Cody Fry

Somebody To Love by Queen

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Michael Bublé

Snowman by Sia

Winter Wonderland by Michael Bublé

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen

_______

Spring

Has various nervous tics because of anxiety

Always sitting on the floor

Often with their head in the clouds (AM NOT! - darling, I've literally seen you walk into door frames more times than I can count - ... )

Almost never raises their voice

Starts reading a book, then forgets about it and starts another one

Gets lost in daydreaming and dissociates from reality

Defends strongly what they believe in

"If I were a frog you'd be welcome on my lily pad"

Starts projects but never finishes them

Sensitive, cries easily when animals and environment is involved

In touch with their emotions and nature (and also with summer apparently - if you don't shut up, I swear. - Autumn, help me!! - oh, hell nah)

Spends long afternoons having pic-nics in the park, reading, sleeping and sunbathing

Walks in the woods looking for fae traps and playing hide and seek with foxes

Aesthetics:

Flower crowns, pic-nics and apricot jam, sunshine filtering through the leaves, birds chirping and bubbly laughter, bumblebees and bees flying from flower to flower, soft singing, flower crowns and daisy chains, curious eyes and pastel colors, small frogs and lilly pads, strawberry toasts and herbal teas, sweet smiles and paint-stained hands

Playlist:

Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish

Cool Kids by Echosmith

Ophelia by The Lumineers

Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's

Swing Lynn by Harmless

My Kind of Woman by Mac DeMarco

girls by girl in red

Coffee by beabadoobee

Juliet by Cavetown

rises the moon by Liana Flores

Where'd All the Time Go? By Dr. Dog

cardigan by Taylor Swift

No Plan by Hozier

_______

Summer

Sleeps with the windows open

Goes to the beach at sunrise to walk along the shore

Parties until late at night and comes home in the early morning

Afraid of never being good enough

Plans their day to the second, has a set goal in life

Chatty, makes friends easily but sometimes tries too hard

Just plain gorgeous (agreed!! - *blushes*)

Constantly doing something so they doesn't have any time to wallow in their thoughts

Sees the best in people (even Autumn? - Would you knock it off!?!!)

Doesn't need anyone's approval but cares about their found family's opinion

Has always something urgent to do

Done with everyone's whining (e- even me? - no, not you - pffft, simp. - *proceeds to throw a shoe at Winter* - You asked for it.)

Always tries to be strong by repressing their emotions (yeah, you shouldn't do that - sigh, I'll try not to)

Aesthetics:

Sunshine and linen sheets, freckles and dimples, gold and sand, warm laughter and cold cocktails, strawberry lemonade, pizza and a can of soda, tan lines and stretch marks, afternoon naps on the porch and late night rides, roller skating with their headphones on the promenade, thrift-shopping, a light breeze in the summer heat

Playlist:

Juicy by Doja Cat

Chicken Noodle Soup by J-Hope (ft. Becky G)

Cool for the Summer by Demi Lovato

WANNABE by ITZY

Need to Know by Doja Cat

I'm Legit by Nicki Minaj ft. Ciara

About Damn Time by Lizzo

Levitating (ft. DaBaby) by Dua Lipa

Egoistic by Mamamoo

Next Level by aespa

Truth Hurts by Lizzo

Gashina by SUNMI

Dirty Harry by Gorillaz

_______

Autumn

Lovely and deep, like the woods they like to wander

Started planning their Halloween costume since summer

Chooses their afternoon tea depending on their mood

Likes to sit by the window and read when starts raining

Often misunderstood

Looks dark and broody but is just a cinnamon roll (a cute, little, squishy cinnamon roll!!! - sometimes I struggle to repress the urge to push you off a cliff - nah, you know you love me - who's gonna tell them? - Not me.)

Starts reading several books at the same time and switches between them

Spends long afternoons reading in coffee shops

Struggles with depression and anxiety

Cannot function without coffee in the morning

Gets startled easily if they are focused on something else

Judges everyone silently, that's just what they do (Except Spring, she can do whatever she wants. - is it the cuteness? - It is.)

Waits for the call to end and then texts "What do you want?!?"

Aesthetics:

Eye-rolls, tired eyes, old books and fallen leaves as bookmarks, sentences underlined with shaky lines, large cardigans and knitted sweaters, dark coffee with splashes of milk, Earl Grey tea and butter biscuits, soft sighs and sweater paws, leather messenger bags and worn-out notebooks, the pitter-patter of rain on the sidewalk, fog and drizzle, the distant rumble of an incoming storm

Playlist:

The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala

Tired by beabadoobee

Devil Town by Cavetown

Coffee by Jack Stauber's Micropop

Blondie by Current Joys

Alien Blues by Vundabar

Little Dark Age by MGMT

Hey Kids by Molina ft. Late Verlane

Take a Slice by Glass Animals

Vide Noir by Lord Huron

Mary On a Cross by Ghost

The Chain by Fleetwood Mac

Zombie by The Cranberries

----------------------🍏

Helloo!!! ✨

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted anything (again, sob) but I'm back!

I chose seasons this time, and I've also added comments from each one, I thought it would be a cute thing to add, I had fun doing it.

For the character's comments I used different colors to recognize them, I hope it's not too chaotic.

Hope you enjoy, and please take care of yourselves,

lots of love 💜

[lulusoblue]

give me your domestic gfs elizanor hcs

i have no idea how long this has been here but *cracks knuckles* you got it, anon

First meeting: 6'9" Eleanor Lamb activates Elizabeth's up-to-now dormant lesbianism so hard she forgets how to form words for a few minutes

Fast friends due to trauma interests in common and an interdimensional roadtrip is almost immediate, which slowly builds up to a romantic relationship as they tour the world(s) together

The domestication begins: they build a cottage, one where Eleanor won't need to duck so much, because from their travels they have found most cottages are small and short, but they want their shared living space to be cozycore. They build it in some idyllic woods or a forest clearing, just somewhere somewhat isolated without it being unsettling or creepy.

Elizabeth by this point has a good hang of her powers where she can pull a Howl's Moving Castle on the cottage doors and windows to just stop out anywhere like it's no big deal; streets of Paris? Relaxing country park? The Attack on Eden Prime? okay maybe not that last one

They think of places to revisit based on both location and date, because if they're both from different places in time and space they might as well travel the same way.

They have so many books. So many books. The "small" study has shelves hidden in hammerspace to store all the books. Why do they need all these books?

Out of the two, Eleanor gets hit the hardest when she falls sick. Her immune system has been screwed over after living in a fish bowl on the ocean floor her whole life, so she gets so much as a cold and she is bedridden for DAYS. Elizabeth's Nurse Nightingale mode gets switched on and she cares for/dotes on Eleanor the whole time. The latter complains about being babied but that's the general misery from being sick talking. (And somewhere under all the sniffling and groaning she feels so happy that someone is caring so much about her wellbeing.)

Unless one of them is busy elsewhere or sick, they tend to cook their meals together. Both of them were raised in circumstances where cooking for themselves never really came up, so it's a bit of them learning this life skill together and a bit of not wanting to leave the other to do all the cooking.

Eleanor visits Tenenbaum sometimes, usually to help with the effort of caring for the Little Sisters that her mother created. Locating their families is relatively easy thanks to the Thinker, it's undoing the mental conditioning that takes a while. Elizabeth offers to help where she can, knowing that this is something personal for Eleanor. Instant travel to drop off the treated girls and then leave without a trace makes the burden a lot easier on Tenenbaum as well.

Elizabeth sometimes wants to visit whatever Booker still survives in the aftermath of everything, but she can't bring herself to ever try and speak with him. If she ever checks on him, it's from afar, watching as Anna DeWitt gets to have a life that Elizabeth Comstock never got to have. Eleanor can see something's bothering Elizabeth when she gets back from wherever she's been, and eventually coaxes her into actually talking about her feelings, which are bittersweet at best.

Elizabeth discovers she's a cat person when Eleanor brings home a scruffy mess of a stray cat that kept following her. As soon as Elizabeth sits down to read the cat is on her lap before the book is open, he has claimed this human.

Eleanor discovers she's a dog person when Elizabeth brings home a stray mutt with the biggest "Can I keep him?" eyes. The dog was a her, and Eleanor quickly understood why people did the babytalk voice with their dogs because she adores this disaster dog.

There is a ladder for the shelves in the study, but Elizabeth always pesters Eleanor to lift her up for a book if the latter's around.

Eleanor gets lazy when it comes to grocery shopping and uses the above against Elizabeth so that she'll just tear a fully stocked fridge into their kitchen. Who wins here? Who knows?

Elizabeth loves dressing the both of them up. She loves making them new outfits to go out in, finding accessories on their adventures, teaching Eleanor about makeup and what to wear for what occassion because they can both leave the house and they will look good doing it dangit.

Eleanor loves to tinker with various gadgets and gizmos, and that might be why she's also taken to art, favouring mixed media and unconventional sculpting and metalworks. It was Elizabeth's idea that they build Eleanor her own shed as a space for her creativity, so the latter had full reign to get messy and come back into the cottage looking like a full-on blacksmith.

They know not to mess with the timelines. They know this. But that doesn't stop them from taking their combined works - Eleanor's art pieces and Elizabeth's paintings - and selling them where they could just to see where they would end up and what little instances of inspiration they caused.

Both of them have nightmares, not on the regular but often enough. Tossing and turning, mumbling in their sleep. Worst-case scenarios are one waking up and accidentally/instinctively pulling something into the room via tear or scourching the ceiling/wall with a fireball. They've learned each other's tells for nightmares and how to help calm the other down. Eleanor found that holding Elizabeth and talking to her in her sleep helps - a book she likes, what they could do in the morning, or just plain nonsense. Elizabeth figured out that ocean noise calmed Eleanor down, and changes the world outside their window to an undersea view until Eleanor stills. It's not a perfect system, they would rather be without the nightmares, but it's something that works in the now.

They're in no rush to get married, as neither really feel that it's something they need in their relationship. They know they're not ready for children yet, or if they'll ever want children. They're happy as they are in the present, with a cottage they built together for the life they built together and the cat and the dog they adopted and the art shed and a library hidden inside of a modest study and doors that can take them wherever and whenever they want. They were lost, but they found each other.

Eleanor has met the Luteces exactly once. She does not like them at all. She has promised them that if they ever show up to interrupt the peaceful life she and Elizabeth have for whatever bullshit quantum entanglement riddle they may want to bring with them, she can and WILL find a way to kill them for good. While the Luteces are certain she won't, the chance of third-degree burns and whatever half-finished art projects being thrown at them full-throttle is definitely not appealling.

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

You know, someday someone will write a Bioshock story that has these guys in it:

Because the idea of survivor camps hidden away in different parts of Rapture, is just too logical not to show up in a fanfic somewhere.

There has to be at least a small subset of people in Rapture who never got into splicing. It can’t literally just be Sinclair, Grace, Sophia Lamb, Tenenbaum, and Stanly who never touched the stuff and lived to 1968.

Like the couple that tried to escape in that crashed bathysphere that we find early on into Bioshock 2. They don’t sound like splicers, they sound completely coherent (something splicers don’t tend to sound).

I just love the survivor idea so much. That and how there would have been be a pneumo trading system with them. Which I think could have replaced the vending machine system, at least in some parts of Rapture.

Such as Dionysus Park, where it’s been flooded since before the war. So all of the vending machines (or at least their content) should have logically been ruined.

Different traders would focus on different things, as you can tell the picture above is of the ammo trader’s inventory.

It’s just that when I really got into looking up removed content from the games this is one of the things I was sad never made it into the final game. So I’ve always wanted to see someone write a fic exploring the idea.

So I’ve got fic idea below, involving Eleanor’s childhood friend Amir being a survivor if you want to read any of it:

Personally I’ve always wanted to see a fic with Eleanor’s childhood friend Amir turning out to be a survivor. Just because Eleanor deserves nice things, and should be able to escape Rapture with her childhood friend on a stolen submarine like she’d wanted too as a child.

Also it’d just be a great reunion anyways, because you know both Eleanor and Amir would think the other is either dead, or spliced to the point it’d be less horrible to think they’re dead.

The survivor camps are supposed to be isolated from the rest of Rapture. No splicers or splicing among the survivors means no reason for little sisters to come around because there would be nothing to gather. The survivors wouldn’t care about Lamb and what she has to say. She’s just another adam obsessed leader of the most recent cult of personality. Just like Atlas, and Fontaine, and Ryan. Everything she says just sounds like weird drug cult nonsense to them.

Amir might not even know Eleanor survived the war at all if he doesn’t know her last name. Because my guess is that the last he heard of her was that she was seen around town as a Little Sister, and then the civil war broke out and she was gone. They were both pretty young kids back then, so Amir could very well not even know or remember Eleanor’s last name was Lamb. [After all, we the audience never learn Amir’s last name from Eleanor. He’s just Amir.] So even if he does hear Sophia’s sermons about the “People’s Daughter” and the random Splicer’s ramblings, and that girl being referred to as Eleanor. The idea that it could be the Eleanor he knew from childhood doesn’t even come to mind.

Eleanor who punched him in the face without an ounce of hesitation the first day they met. Who was sneaking out of her house so frequently her controlling mother installed a security system to keep her inside. Who, when they were kids, once looked him in the eye and asked, completely seriously, if he was a dog eating dog in a human suit. He’s supposed to think that girl is this weird cult’s all forgiving, all knowing, messiah figure?

Eleanor was feral, and Amir knew that. It’s the whole reason they were friends.

So there’s only 4 options in Amir’s mind: A) Eleanor died as a little sister during the New Years Eve Riot, because that’s when she disappeared, and a lot of people died during the riot. B) Eleanor survived the New Years Eve Riot, but later died as a little sister. Death was very common among little sisters, it’s why little girls were worth so much in Rapture. C) Eleanor survived the riot, and was one of the lucky little sisters to get swept up by Jack Ryan and Dr. Tenenbaum and is now living a normal life on the surface, with Rapture being just a distant memory. [God does Amir hope this is what happened.] Or lastly D) Eleanor survived as a little sister all the way through to being turned into a big sister. And she’s now one of those shrieking, murderous giants running around Rapture. [The option Amir dreads the most.]

Eleanor on the other hand definitely hasn’t heard hide nor hair of Amir since she got swept up in the Gatherer program. Sophia didn’t want Eleanor to have friends anyways, and Eleanor was actively breaking out of the house in order to go see Amir and the rest of her friends.

So when Sophia found Eleanor again she 100% kept her under lock and key, and certainly wouldn’t have told Eleanor anything about her old friends. Friendship meant a more significant emotional attachment. Friendship meant favoritism among the masses. A flaw in the utopian mindset that Sophia was obsessed with molding her child to have.

So Eleanor assumes that Amir was killed as a child during the civil war, or that he’s possibly a splicer, but she finds the second idea highly unlikely. The idea that Amir could have survived as a non-splicer survivor doesn’t really cross her mind, as the non-splicer survivors rarely cross her mind.

Eleanor is in a prison and can only see and hear into the world beyond where the little sisters are. The non-splicer survivor camps had long since blocked up the little sister vents that lead to their camps. Due to the fact that a big daddy would never be too far behind one. Along with the possibility of a splicer following the adam rich smell of a little sister into their camp area.

Most non-splicer survivors who are scavengers (who are the ones how leave their camp/safe area to find supplies) tend to be older than Eleanor (and Amir). After all, parents who managed to keep their kids alive, sure as hell wouldn’t be trying to send them off into the dangerous splicer ridden battle field that is the city beyond their safe area.

So even when she gains the eyes and ears of the little sisters, Eleanor doesn’t ever see proof of Amir still being alive. Or even being a still living splicer from the memories of dead splicers.

[d34dinariver]

Reading List

hi! so i know it's fall now (my favorite season) but i thought i'd share my summer reading list bc I'm trying to read more. pls give recommendations if you can :)

Dead Poets Society by Nancy H. Kleinbaum - i've never watched the movie so i didn't know what to expect. it's an interesting book, not exactly something i'd normally read but the last two chapters threw me for a loop 🧍‍♂️

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - to be honest i wish some parts were longer. it was such a cute story but i just wanted more details. i feel like it was the perfect representation of how it feels to be in love when you're like 16 tho. the end was perfect in my opinion too!

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - maybe it's because i was in a relationship exactly like this a year ago but it was so perfect and believable. the characters were very cringe tho like why do you say the things you say? but other than that, i loved how realistic the characters' experiences were. I've never watched the movie tho.. i feel like it'll disappoint

Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde - this book is one of my mom's favorites and she used to read it with me when i was younger but i never finished it until now. the first part is so sweet. the main character is scarily self-aware but that's probably because he's a grown man lol. the last part felt like it dragged a bit but the ending was sweet!

[wizardysseus]

Why is Carry On bad?? (I've never read it, but I'm so curious about bad reviews 👀)

on a technical level, rowell's prose is not very good (way too concerned with every line sounding meaningful and edgy, way less with the characters sounding like people or with establishing scene or setting or... literally anything)

on a story level, the implications of the worldbuilding are troubling. like, one of the main boys, baz, is a vampire; he was turned when he was a child. all the pureblood wizards sorry old families are prejudiced against non-human creatures, including vampires. so it seems to be setting up an Overcoming Your (internalized) Prejudices arc for him, as throughout the book, the only vampires who are actually present in the plot (that is, not the ones who turned him in his backstory) never harm the heroes, and at one point even rescue them. except.... instead of overcoming prejudices about it, baz's love interest and Other Main Guy simon leaves the encounter with the vampires going "you're not a monster like THEM, baz!" and that's when they finally make out iirc. during the climax, they actively refuse a vampire's help, because ew it's a vampire, and someone dies because of it... but instead of this leading to any kind of reflection or remorse, the boys just kind of never think about it again. at the end, baz's aunt... becomes a vampire hunter. and everyone is just. okay with this.

and beyond even that, the old family wizards are also explicitly real-life racists, who do not want brown people in their special magic private school. but the resolution of the novel is that the headmaster of the school, who was unpopular with the old families precisely because he reformed school rules to allow non-humans and people of color to be students, is removed, and the old families get to have their say in school governance again. i have not read the other books, so i cannot say for sure that this wasn't setting up future conflict. but i can tell you that the main characters didn't treat it as a problem they would ever have to contend with, with baz actively supporting.

also talked about it here:

anyway, it's incredible to me that when people started saying "hey, we should talk about the racism in eleanor and park," rainbow rowell just doubled down, and the people left in her fanbase don't seem to care at all!

[fiftytwotwentytwo]

Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Fantasy / Young Adult

Page Count: 521

How did I come across this book?:

Well, I read Rowell's Eleanor & Park years ago - I thought it was pretty good/decent, but I never gave much thought to reading any more of their work.

I purchased this at a local bookstore in the area. What drew me to Carry On was the cover art - it is very eye popping - pulls you in. To be honest it was also the cover art to Eleanor & Park which drew me into Rainbow Rowell's work as well.

Beyond surface assumptions made simply by eyeing the cover this is a complete blind read.

Review:

Do not let the large page count scare you off - this book is a breeze to read - not overly exciting but simplistic - simplistic in the sense that there is not much going on towards the plot in the first 150 pages - no real build up - just minute world building - infinitesimal.

The characters and their backgrounds are light and airy as well - complete fluff.

They didn't provide any sense of excitement, urgency, or danger. There were multiple passages where the characters would discuss or recall moments that happened outside/before this story took place - and not even flashbacks just passing comments - that sounded extraordinary but did not provide great depth. Moments like:

"The time we were kidnapped..."

or

"The time we burned down an entire forest fighting a monster"...

But upon reading, the characters seemed to have no heart in their delivery - as if they were spellbound by valium.

I guess another way to put it... I didn't sense any emotion.

The story does pick up more as the author teases the "love triangle" and as we get more traction towards an unsolved mystery.

At the apex of the action - I felt a bit let down and to be honest confused - was there a true villian? Was anyone a bad guy? or was everything a misguided aim to help the greater good...?

Last note - the kissing in this book - Rowell often describes the kissing as "smashing faces" together to convey passion and heat, but that has to be my least favorite descriptor I've read in regards to snogging - but - at the same time the individuals are young lovers and probably roll like freight trains the first time out of the gate, but still - every time the author had them "smash" faces - lips - I kept imagining two crash test dummies flying at each other. Also, there is not a whole lot of romantic/steamy scenes in the book... so - again - choosing the word "smash" over and over gets me - why couldn't the Caress? Explore??? each other's faces/lips?

No, Rowell would rather have me equate the characters passion the same way a toddler has their GI-Joes fight their Transformers.

I suppose with this being a YA novel you have to compose yourself while tickling the keys of your laptop.

All-in-All, nothing much to praise or teardown. A very middle of the road, young adult, fantasy novel.

Meh.

Personal Rating: 4/10

Yearly Book Total: 38

Total Page Count: 13,445 pages

[gashousegables]

Hi! I was wondering for a long time now, but do you, as a Writer, should be in sync with your writing and real life values and views? Or it can contradict?

For example, if we talk about real life, MY personal life, I am all for healthy romantic relationship (although I, as multi-linguistic person, kinda yuck about this word. Very generalized for me. But I digress,) and all, but as a writer? I LOVE ambiguous characters, I love “You are my reason for existence” type of love, I love bloodsuckers or killers who find their redemption. Or people with toxic patterns who grow to be better people. Like, all this dark staff, you know? For example, there is this one woman, Maya Mehrotra, from an Indian thriller, who was super obsessive due to her traumatic life, and she was manipulative and a killer no less, and still I cried when she killed herself, because she lost everything, and I still remember her. What Im asking your opinion of, is, do your moral values as a person have to align with your “morals” as a media consumer/a writer? Or is it ok when they dont? Do you ever have had this dilemma as a writer?

FIRST of all - thank you for calling me a writer! <3333

Second of all, I don't know how to answer this question fully ... in my own opinion, I think fiction is fiction is fiction is fiction, yknow? You can write about almost whatever you want, morally. In fact, write about really fucked up stuff! A lot of literary sickos got branded for heresy so you can enjoy a little immoral bullshittery. I'm right there with you on the obsessive love part - it is almost a given that you can be ENTERTAINED by things you wouldn't necessarily WANT in reality - that's exactly why fiction exists babyyyyy

It's a lack of nuance that has people acting like you ARE what you write, and if you don't condemn explicitly every wrong or grey area of your characters it's pRoBlEmAtIc

There are always personal lines that you won't cross for yourself - I couldn't read Flowers in the Attic or Lolita or much of V. C Andrews because I have my own problems with sexual violence and CSA. So I also wouldn't write about it. But that doesn't mean that those novels aren't important. BUT it also means that CP doesn't exist in a special 'it's ART' bubble either. Nuance nuance nuance I'm 3 years into a Sociology degree gimme another three and I'll write you a thesis LMAO.

But there are moral lines I definitely think are a lot more important - like I'll never read Eleanor and Park because I hate racial fetishism ... but I still read Twilight, didn't I.

Ultimately, free will means you get to create and enjoy whatever art you please. Just means it doesn't exist in a vacuum and some puritans are gonna hate on you.

To me, my fiction isn't self-reflection (and if it is that never getting posted anywhere). Fiction is for telling stories - any stories you want!

[emeraldspiral]

So I just finished an audiobook of The Haunting of Hill House and watched The House on Haunted Hill, the original The Haunting and the 1999 The Haunting.

The Vincent Price movie is pretty much just it’s own thing loosely inspired by the book. Not much to say about it except that they made a point of having Vincent say everyone at the party would be paid by his estate if he died during the party to ensure they’d all still get their $10k, but like... Why didn’t he just cut his wife out of the will so that she’d get nothing if he died, negating her reason for wanting to kill him? And why didn’t they ever get rid of the acid pool in the cellar?

Eleanor gave me autism vibes in the original book.

In the book and the original movie I don’t really get why the house is haunted. Like, the only deaths that happened around it were Hugh Crain’s first wife, who crashed her carriage before she ever set foot on the property and the daughter’s “companion” who committed suicide after becoming a social pariah. Hugh himself was overseas when he died, the daughter who didn’t inherit the house I think just lived a normal life and the daughter who did lived a long life before she passed away. So who’s supposed to be haunting the house and why? It never seems like the story develops any further than the initial explanation that we get. It’s not a mystery that gradually gets unraveled where everyone finds out more and more disturbing things about the house’s history. We’re just told the house was “born bad” and creepy things happen in it that don’t seem to be connected to any particular trauma.

I think the 1999 film is actually really underrated. Like, it addresses all the faults I just outlined by actually having fucked up stuff happen at the house to explain who’s haunting it and why and revealing additional layers to the initial story as it progresses. There’s moments of dated CGI, but you have to appreciate how much of the movie actually was practical. Today, they wouldn’t have built those beautiful, elaborate sets, they would’ve made EVERYTHING CGI.

I like how they veered away from being a straightforward faithful adaptation but still kept nods to the original with the stone lions being a motif in the house and the styling of Hugh Crain to kinda look like a lion. I think I read somewhere that someone described the sound of him “roaring” at some point as like a T-Rex, which I think is actually pretty clever because the classic T-Rex sound effect we know from Jurassic Park (another Spielberg film) is a mixture of animal sounds, including the roar of a tiger, and tiger roars were also famously used in The Lion King because they’re louder and more ferocious than real lion roars. So to associate Hugh Crain with lions, he has a tiger roar, which we think is a lion’s roar because of the Lion King, but also a T-Rex roar because of Jurassic Park.

I also think it was fitting that they took the part from the original where Eleanor hears a child crying and finds the courage to scream “Stop it!” because she can’t bear to allow a child to be hurt and made that the plot of the movie.

It does do some things I didn’t like. There’s moments where I think they could’ve used practical effects instead of CGI if they weren’t trying to show off that shiny new technology.

The iconic staircase scene is truncated with Eleanor’s climb not being shown and her appearing at the top of the stairs already as it begins and having no reason shown for why she goes up there. The “Who was holding my hand” part was clearly ADR’d in because somebody thought that was an iconic line they had to include somewhere even when it didn’t make sense.

Same thing with Eleanor dying at the end. Like, it’s not clear why she dies and it doesn’t really fit thematically. It happens just as Eleanor is finding her courage and coming out of her shell and being shown she’s wanted and cared for by Theo, who offers to let her move in with her. A complete 180 from the original where Theo rejects Eleanor’s suggestion of moving in together and she falls into despair, feeling as alienated and unwanted as she did at the beginning when she’s kicked out of the house following her escapade on the stairs. It feels like the only reason Eleanor dies at the end of the 1999 movie is because she died in the original.

There’s a moment where Liam Neeson gets dragged into a fountain for a bit, but then the fountain just lets him go for no reason. Like, what was stopping it from killing him and what purpose did that moment serve narratively?

I also feel like Owen Wilson’s death didn’t really add anything to the story. It happens in the middle of a big action sequence at the climax and isn’t dwelt on at all so it doesn’t do much to heighten the tension. I read that originally they wanted Hugh Crain to be in the fireplace instead of the portrait at the top of the stairs and I think maybe Luke getting his head knocked off by the flue only happened because they set the flue up as a Chekov’s gun at the beginning and they needed some kind of payoff after they decided to have Hugh come out of the portrait. I think Luke was originally supposed to die when he crashed the car into the gate because there’s a moment where something falls on it that could’ve stabbed him in the skull and shots of gasoline leaking while he’s unable to get out or turn the car off, but nothing comes of it. Liam busts him out and the car never explodes or catches fire and everything’s fine until Owen dies a minute later anyway. Owen crashing the car into the gate actually does feel like a nod to the original story that actually works though. Like, they had that scene because in the original story Eleanor dies at the end by crashing her car, but the purpose it serves in the 1999 movie is to create a diversion so Eleanor can slip away back into the house.

I feel like Liam and Owen don’t really do anything essential for the plot in the climax so you really could’ve just killed Liam off in the fountain scene and then had Owen die in the car crash or the stupid magic carpet lion head flue thing and then there would’ve been a lot more tension at the end with it just being Theo and Eleanor facing Hugh Crain alone.

If it were up to me, I would’ve had Eleanor live and move in with Theo at the end. I might even have them be a thruple with Luke, since it would’ve resolved Theo’s issue with having a BF and GF who don’t get along and can��t all live together like she wanted.

[hlfmoonshine]

hey, sometimes i get remarkably sad when i think about the pairings that once were. the partners that were the best part of my day. the worlds i'd built with someone else. there's a reason this blog is themed after taylor swift's song 'clean'. there's a reason why 'when the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst' is featured on my about me page. i am haunted by the writing, the muses, the partners that i've lost along the way, to life, to the breakdown of friendships, to protect myself.

so raise a glass to lincoln and taylor. to banoi island. to margotofrph. to alex and honey. to frank and tyler. to my baby girl natalee. to the writer's garden. to maeve and alec. to magdelena and kit. to you, you know who you are. to juno and noah and salem and sawyer and caine and hanna and thea and silas. to the endless town rpgs. to 2011-2014. to dollwrites. to eleanor gallagher and the glass cage. to all the plot bunnies i've tried to make again but no one ever loved quite like you did. to theo and thadd and dia and nate and noah and pennyshore and ivy and noah and nash and lucien and nash and hana. to graceland. my beautiful graceland. to anakin and graceland. richard and graceland. to emmalee and hazel. to lucy and winnie. to andrew and lila. to eleanor and desmond. to sera and luis. to decker and millie. to asher and nellie. to that one harvest moon rpg in 2009, my first rpg where i totally got kicked out for never having played the game the characters i'd picked to write were from and thus didn't canon shit. to the couple who faked being together to go to a wedding. to standing on their doorstep in the pouring rain because even though they are terrible for each other, they cannot stay away. to finding out your girlfriend had your kid and you missed the first four years of their life. to meet cutes in the park where a kid throws something at you. to atlas and poppy. to evan and greer. to nighthawke and dragon. to caleb and winter. to cj and greer. to alex and greer.

there's a graveyard of ships in my heart. and i know none of these people will ever see this post. i want to send it out into the world though. even if no one reads it, no one visits a grave of ships anyway. i love you. i hold you in my heart. you still matter to me and i cried like a baby while writing this. i miss you. more than you'll ever understand.

[unravelingthepages]

Eleanor & Park- Why I loved it

Hi! Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is probably my favorite book for this year. A close second to the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo anyway. Set in 1986, it’s a historical romance that’s funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming and literally everything you can want.

The Plot

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and she’s never felt more alone. All mismatched clothes, mad red hair and chaotic home life, she couldn’t stick out more if she tried. Then she takes the seat on the bus next to Park. Quiet, careful and- in Eleanor’s eyes- impossibly cool, Park’s worked out that flying under the radar is the best way to get by. Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall in love. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you’re 16, and you have nothing and everything to lose.

Set over one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Why you should read it

I laughed out loud and teared up and genuinely just loved this book. The short chapters and writing style with themes of self-expression, love and more just add wonderfully to the book. It’s a read that you’ll want to finish in a single sitting.

Honestly, it’s a great romance. Neither Eleanor nor Park (the two protagonists) try to change the other or mold them into what they want. They accept each other’s fault and are human and lovable.

I felt like the setting of the book was done beautifully. I can’t verify how accurate it is, but it seemed to me that that’s exactly what a year in 1986, Nebraska would look like. And not done in a romanticizing manner, but nor was it done in a cynical one. All-in-all, it balanced out the hope with the hopelessness perfectly, the love with the inevitable heartbreak.

Despite what it sounds like, this book gave me a perfect ending. It may not give you a five years in the future epilogue but that just makes the ending that much better. The ending is what you believe will happen and I love that. It’s not the end of Eleanor and Park’s story, it’s just the beginning. The prologue if you will.

All-in-all, go read this book!! A definite 5 star read and one I recommend a 100%.

In order to keep me up to my ears in books please consider using the following amazon affiliate link to purchase this read. It would be at no extra cost to you and would really help me out, thank you!

purchase this read: https://amzn.to/3G4ang6

“Do you want to go to the bookstore?” is a love language

[hufflepuffwithaslytherinkink]

Tacenda - Chapter 25 Snippet

Once she’s at the park Eleanor instantly strolls towards a bench beside the lake. It’s quite beneath the shade of a weeping willow. It’s perfect as the sun shines down, the sound of birds tweeting and people quietly enjoying life surround her.

She sits back enjoying the view for a couple of minutes, relishing watching the ducks swim around on the lake which reflects the sun brightly, before pulling her book out. She makes herself comfortable before starting to read.

She’s not sure how long she’s reading when she’s disturbed by someone taking a seat beside her. She looks up to see Theo grinning at her from the side.

“Theo.” She exclaims in shock, putting the book down without even marking her page. “You’re early.”

She doesn’t actually know what time it is but she didn’t get there that long ago and it was only just gone 10 when she arrived.

“Hello to you too.” He chuckles. “I could say the same thing.”

Eleanor blushes as she shoves her bookmark into the book hopefully somewhere close to where she was reading.

“I couldn’t wait.” She admits bashfully, her eyes dropping to the chipping paintwork of the bench to keep herself distracted as she feels heat creep up her neck.

Theo nods. “That’s why I’m here, I was desperate to see you. I hated sitting at home thinking about it, I thought getting here would feel a little closer at least even if that meant sitting alone for a couple of hours. You look beautiful by the way.”

Eleanor’s blush deepens at his words before her eyes rake over him. He’s wearing a plain white shirt under a knitted jumper, brown trousers and oxford shoes.

“You look rather dashing yourself.” She tells him earning a massive grin.

“I have to try, I don’t want to look a state beside you.”

Eleanor purses her lips wondering how he could ever look a state, he’s always perfect.

“I’m nothing special.” She tells him sliding along the bench closer to him.

His face falls into a deep frown at that, his brow furrowing as he stares at her intensely.

“Never say that.” He tells her. “You’re more than special.”

Eleanor blushes again turning her attention to a duck floating on the water. Theo follows her gaze.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” He asks nodding to the winding path. Eleanor nods placing her things back into her bag and standing up. Theo instantly moves beside her and they set off along the path.

“Eleanor.” He says politely, almost formally. “I’m not sure what the custom is with muggles, but I was wondering, if you don’t mind, could I hold your hand?”

Eleanor stops walking turning to face him, she’s a little stunned. They’ve done a lot together but they’ve never held hands as they walk before. Hell they’ve never even walked beside each other before.

“We don’t have to.” Theo quickly adds at her pause. “It was just a thought.”

“Yes.” Eleanor blurts out quickly, making him stare at her. “Yes I- I would like to hold your hand.”

Theo’s face falls into a relieved smile as he reaches out and takes her hand into his. Eleanor takes a deep breath as her stomach twists in knots at the feeling.

His hand is warm and soft, comforting and perfect. His fingers interlace with hers flawlessly, like they were made to go together. His hand slightly bigger than hers in a way that’s encompassing but not overwhelming.

Theo stares at their conjoined hands for a second a bizarre smile on his lips before he grins at her and starts to follow the path again. Eleanor willingly going with him.

“How was Liv’s birthday?” Theo asks. Eleanor glances at him surprised he remembered.

“It was good thanks. A house full of screaming babies but it was nice, it was cute.” She gushes thinking of how adorable Liv was excitedly opening her presents.

Theo smiles at her. “Good, I’m glad. She’s kinda cute.”

Eleanor raises an eyebrow at him. “You think my little sister is cute?”

“Not like that, she’s a baby.” He says sounding horrified.

Eleanor lets out a giggle. “I know not like that stupid, I meant you think a baby is cute.”

Theo instantly relaxes an amused smile appearing on his lips.

“Yeah I can’t help it, she was like a cat without fur.”

“A cat without fur?” Eleanor exclaims through laughter.

Theo smiles at her. “Yeah, you know what I mean. I just wanted to cuddle her.”

Eleanor nods. “I know what you mean. Babies and cats are both very cuddly. Have you had a nice time off so far?”

“It’s been okay, me and Marie spent the day together on Sunday then I spent yesterday reading.” He shrugs.

Eleanor nods not knowing what to say really, they hadn’t spent much time apart and it was so strange being with Theo in a muggle environment.

“I know we’ve literally just met up 10 minutes ago and I don’t plan on leaving any time soon.” Theo starts. “But could we do this again?” He asks.

Eleanor looks at him a little surprised. They’d hardly said anything to each other and he was already planning their next meet up.

“Uh, yeah. I’d love to.” She tells him honestly. If she could she think she’d spend the entirety of the holidays with him, visiting her parents on occasion. They’re still at an awkward stage of their relationship but that doesn’t stop her heart from skipping at the thought of being with him, of being able to hold his hand and actually be together in public.

“Great.” He gushes a goofy smile on his lips as they continue to stroll down the winding path.

It’s not long before they get into a good conversation, they talk about books and the stars, their favourite foods and Eleanor’s favourite movies. At lunch they grab something small from the café before grabbing an ice cream to walk around the lake with again.

“This is nice.” Theo tells her looking around them.

“The park?” She asks.

“Yeah and being here with you. I like not having to worry if someone is going to walk around the corner or having to hide. I like that I can hold your hand and we can call each other Theo and Nora.” He tells her.

Eleanor smiles at him. “I like that too.”

“I was wondering.” He says almost cautiously. “Do you want to come to my house?”

Eleanor stares at him with wide eyes. His house?

“Not to do anything.” Theo quickly reassures him. “Just because, well, I’ve been to your house and no one will be at mine, it’s safe.”

Eleanor stares at him a moment longer, dread filling her at the idea of going to his home, a pureblood home belonging to an actual death eater. Actually, scratch that, just going back with him to his empty house made her mouth suddenly dry, as though they were doing something extremely bad. Two teenagers sneaking to an empty house… that’s a teen drama if ever there was one.

Eventually she swallows nodding her head slowly. “Okay.”

What could go wrong? She was with Theo, he wouldn’t take her somewhere that wasn’t safe and he respects her. She trusts him.

They finish their ice creams before finding a secluded spot to apparate. Theo taking Eleanor’s hands into his own. Thank Merlin they were 17 and passed their apparition test earlier in the year or who knows how long it would take to get to his.

They arrive on a large road, Eleanor looks around herself wondering where they are. It seems almost deserted it’s so quiet. They’re surrounded by huge mansions on all sides and the reality of who Theo’s family is sinks in a bit more.

“It’s just over here.” He tells her guiding her towards a large iron gate.

Bloody hell.

“We had to apparate outside the wards the first time.” He explains waving his wand at the gates. “But now you’re here I can add you into them and you can just apparate in.”

The gate opens and they step into what Eleanor would describe as a large, fancy, English garden. There’s flowed beds dotted around with a gorgeous tree holding a rope swing. To the side there’s what looks like a marble bench and a water fountain, a stone path leads through the garden to a large Tudor style mansion that takes Eleanor’s breath away.

He really is rich.

“This way.” Theo says eagerly almost skipping up the path.

Eleanor following gawping at the mansion before her. Theo is already opening the door before Eleanor has finished admiring the architecture before her, it’s like something from a movie or a history programme. She can’t believe someone lives there never mind someone she knows, someone she’s dating.