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sylphidine · 4 years

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[RotG] Tell Me Tales Of Heroes, Part 7: Hope, Reprised

Written for Hope Week 2020, moderated by @jackrabbitweek

Part 1 here

Part 2 here

Part 3 here

Part 4 here

Part 5 here

Part 6 here

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“I’m not wearing THAT, an’ that’s final.”

“Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease,” begged Sophie in her most wheedling tone, looking up at her art instructor with big wide eyes. At age twelve, she was starting to get some of the leggy look that Jamie had already gone through, but she was still shorter than the Easter Bunny by quite a bit.

“No.”

“But it would be so funny, with your Australian accent, playing somebody who’s played by an Australian...”

“Which makes no sense to me, sheila. Why they picked an Australian to do a Canadian...”

“You’re trying to change the subject, Bunny.”

“And you’re not going to win, miss, so stop trying. I’m not wearing it. B’sides, it’s too small.”

Sophie looked crestfallen, but had to admit that Bunny was right. The criss-crossed armour that she’d thought looked like Bunny’s own bandoliers was definitely meant for someone under five-foot-nine in height, and neither of the gloves with the claws would fit over Bunny’s paws.

“What do we do?” she asked. “Pippa can’t get any other costumes from storage, and you’ve GOT to have a costume for you to show up on camera.”

Bunny scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Well, it’s not an X-Men costume, but I do have something that might do. I’ll be back in a few.”

The Guardian of Hope was as good as his word; in less than ten minutes he had returned, wearing a long green robe with a high scarlet collar and double-breasted buttons up the front, an apron-draped scarlet sash with sporrans around his waist, and an amusing pair of egg-shaped tinted spectacles perched on his nose.

Sophie clapped her hands. “I don’t know who you’re supposed to be, but oh, you look super, Bunny.”

“Never you mind. Let’s get this show rolling. It’s time to remind ‘em all that Spring always returns.”

She handed him the classic book that had inspired her mother to give her the middle name of Lilias, and called Jamie to get the Whoosh channel open.

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On that first morning when the sky was blue again Mary wakened very early. The sun was pouring in slanting rays through the blinds and there was something so joyous in the sight of it that she jumped out of bed and ran to the window. She drew up the blinds and opened the window itself and a great waft of fresh, scented air blew in upon her. The moor was blue and the whole world looked as if something Magic had happened to it. There were tender little fluting sounds here and there and everywhere, as if scores of birds were beginning to tune up for a concert. Mary put her hand out of the window and held it in the sun.

“It’s warm—warm!” she said. “It will make the green points push up and up and up, and it will make the bulbs and roots work and struggle with all their might under the earth.”

She kneeled down and leaned out of the window as far as she could, breathing big breaths and sniffing the air until she laughed because she remembered what Dickon’s mother had said about the end of his nose quivering like a rabbit’s.

“It must be very early,” she said. “The little clouds are all pink and I’ve never seen the sky look like this. No one is up. I don’t even hear the stable boys.”

A sudden thought made her scramble to her feet.

“I can’t wait! I am going to see the garden!”

She had learned to dress herself by this time and she put on her clothes in five minutes. She knew a small side door which she could unbolt herself and she flew downstairs in her stocking feet and put on her shoes in the hall. She unchained and unbolted and unlocked and when the door was open she sprang across the step with one bound, and there she was standing on the grass, which seemed to have turned green, and with the sun pouring down on her and warm sweet wafts about her and the fluting and twittering and singing coming from every bush and tree. She clasped her hands for pure joy and looked up in the sky and it was so blue and pink and pearly and white and flooded with springtime light that she felt as if she must flute and sing aloud herself and knew that thrushes and robins and skylarks could not possibly help it. She ran around the shrubs and paths towards the secret garden.

“It is all different already,” she said. “The grass is greener and things are sticking up everywhere and things are uncurling and green buds of leaves are showing. This afternoon I am sure Dickon will come.”

The long warm rain had done strange things to the herbaceous beds which bordered the walk by the lower wall. There were things sprouting and pushing out from the roots of clumps of plants and there were actually here and there glimpses of royal purple and yellow unfurling among the stems of crocuses. Six months before Mistress Mary would not have seen how the world was waking up, but now she missed nothing.

When she had reached the place where the door hid itself under the ivy, she was startled by a curious loud sound. It was the caw—caw of a crow and it came from the top of the wall, and when she looked up, there sat a big glossy-plumaged blue-black bird, looking down at her very wisely indeed. She had never seen a crow so close before and he made her a little nervous, but the next moment he spread his wings and flapped away across the garden. She hoped he was not going to stay inside and she pushed the door open wondering if he would. When she got fairly into the garden she saw that he probably did intend to stay because he had alighted on a dwarf apple-tree and under the apple-tree was lying a little reddish animal with a Bushy tail, and both of them were watching the stooping body and rust-red head of Dickon, who was kneeling on the grass working hard.

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Bunny had gotten so involved in reading aloud this tale of renewal that he had gotten nearly to the end of the chapter titled “Nest Building” before he realized that he and Sophie were no longer alone in the room. One by one, Sandy, Tooth, Pitch, North and Jack had managed to appear without him noticing, all giving him smiles.

His audience on the screen all seemed to be smiling, too.

He smiled himself, his eyes wet behind his spectacles, and finished off his reading with the lines, “How could I have stayed abed! Th’ world’s all fair begun again this mornin’, it has. An’ it’s workin’ an’ hummin’ an’ scratchin’ an’ pipin’ an’ nest-buildin’ an’ breathin’ out scents, till you’ve got to be out on it ’stead o’ lyin’ on your back. When th’ sun did jump up, th’ moor went mad for joy, an’ I was in the midst of th’ heather, an’ I run like mad myself, shoutin’ an’ singin’. An’ I come straight here. I couldn’t have stayed away. Why, th’ garden was lyin’ here waitin’!”

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Author’s note:

Thank you for reading.

#rotghopeweek #rise of the guardians #the secret garden #e. aster bunnymund #rotg fanfiction #sylph writes

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luciemiddleford · 7 years

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Am I... the only one... who ships Colin Craven and Mary Lennox?

#The Secret Garden #Colin Craven #Mary Lennox #Colin Craven x Mary Lennox #I MEAN THE BOOK I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY MOVIES OR ADAPTATIONS #Am I the only one who thinks Dickon must be a nature spirit of some sort?#Like a fae changeling

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raniel23 · 4 years

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Entry #2

Secret Garden Analysis

Reading and Writing Analysis

"The Secret Garden"

(Francis Eliza Hodgson Burnett)

Submitted by: Raniel Rubia Pagaduan

Submitted to: Jessie M. Dela Cruz

I. Authors Background

Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-born American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (published in 1885–1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).

Nationality: English

Citizenship: British (from birth) , United States from 1865.

Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1852, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee.There, Frances began writing to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines from the age of 19. In 1870, her mother died, and in 1872 she married Swan Burnett, who became a medical doctor. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their two sons were born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.

II. Background of the Work/Literature

The book working title was Mistress Mary, in reference to the English nursery rhyme Mary Mary quite contrary. Parts of it written during the Burnett's visit to Buite Hill Park, Amythan Hall in Kent, England where Burnett's lives for a number of years during her marriage, is often cited as the aspiration for the Books setting. Burnett keep on extensive garden, including an ok impressive rose garden. However, it has been noted that besides the garden, Maythan are physically different.

III. Characters/ Characterization

Mary Lennox- contrary, spoiled brat, changes her ways layer on.

Colin Craven- self indulgent, isolated invalid, works to become healthy.

Martha Sowerby- domestic servant and a pursuit of Mary

Dickon Sowerby- nature lover, friends of animals, empathetic healer

M r. Craven- the heartbroken husband of Mrs. Craven. Absentee father

Mrs. Sowerby- idealistic earth mother.

Ben Weatherstaff- a grief gardener.

IV. CHARACTER WEB

Legend: cousin

Friend

Uncle

V. 10 MAIN EVENTS

1. Mary takes to England to live in her uncle and meet Martha.

2. Her Mother and Father died from cholera/Epedemia.

3. She meets Ben Weatherstaff and Robin, skins of bird.

4. She find the of the hidden garden by the help of the Robin.

5. Meets his unknown cousin Colin.

6. Ben finds Mary, Dickon and Colin in the secret garden.

7. Colin stands up for the first time.

8. Mr. Craven find Mary and Colin inside the garden.

9. Craven and Colin are reconciled.

10. Colin enjoys playing and running outside.

Vl. CONFLICT

The major conflict in each character is between each other.

Vll. POINT OF VIEW

The story of The Secret Garden is told by a third-person, omniscient narrator who is privy to the action that takes place and to the thoughts and feelings of the characters. This is important because the characters are quite varied and diverse. It is helpful for the reader to get a peek into their individual ways of thinking. It becomes especially important as Mary, the main character, begins to undergo changes after arriving at Misselthwaite Manor. In the beginning, she was portrayed as a selfish, arrogant, somewhat hateful child. It is instructive for the reader to share her journey as she initially begins to see herself as others see her and experiences new feelings for the first time. The narrator knows all and is highly subjective that is, she frequently comes or the first person.

Vlll. SYMBOLISM

The Secret Garden is the central symbol of the story, representing revitalization and how even those things that appear lifeless may regain their health with the proper nurturance. Also the roses symbolizes the children. Eggs are symbolism of rebirth.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden is an abandoned garden at Misselthwaite Manor that has been locked away since the death of Mrs. Craven 10 years earlier. It is the centerpiece of the novel because it becomes a place of healing for its main characters, Mary and Colin.

Misselthwaite Manor

Misselthwaite Manor is an estate on the moors in Yorkshire, England. It is home to the Craven family and to Mary after her parents die.

Robin Redbreast

Robin Redbreast is a bird that lives in the secret garden. The robin leads Mary to the garden.

Roses

Roses are the most significant plant in the novel because they are a symbol of life and of Colin's late mother.

The Dead Tree

After the garden begins to come to life in the spring, the only dead object left there is a large tree from which Colin's mother fell to her...

IV. THEMES

The Secret Garden Theme of Happiness. The Secret Garden really couldn't be clearer about its moral message if the book were called Happiness = Unselfishness. Basically, the secret to happiness in this book is to think less about yourself and more about the other people (and plants) around you.

X. CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS

The story of secret garden can be associated in the Filipino attitude and concerns. Somehow, we Filipinos can be influenced by the nature we belong. We might be so hard and weak for many things but later we learn how to cope up with it. We always seek for the wellness of ourselves. Another is we Filipinos are opened for changes and acceptance. We bare a good heart to help one another to take the risk of bracing the flaws of someone and allowing them to change thyself.

Xl. STYLE OF THE AUTHOR

The Secret Garden is sort of a coming-of-age story in the genre of children's literature. Frances Burnett of direct words in this passage to every vary the tone and to keep it from becoming to sweet and dense to tolerate. At the same time, the secret gardens passages of description always include multiple objectives to describe similar things, which makes the prose seem both highly decorative and as well flowery.

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hauntedheroines · 5 years

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Polyships and Threesomes

I have zero problems shipping the same character with more than one person. I’m a ship whore. For instance, I’m usually very drawn to Reverse Harems, stories in which many men are in love with a single woman.

So I made this list of my favorite love triangles. When I say there is a possible threesome is because the relationship between the characters is based on trust and deep friendship, so they might come to a agreement of sharing a bed. If they are underage, assume I’m talking about the future.

I’ll only be counting non-platonic examples. Friendship or fraternity not included, doe some ships are also heavily based on that, such as the first one on this list.

ASoIaF

OT3 of unrequited love and tragedy (My most beloved love triangle)

Petyr x Catelyn

Petyr x Lysa

Daenerys

Dany x Jon

Dany x Jorah

Dany x Drogo

Jon

Jon x Dany

Jon x Ygritte

Jon x Arya

Jaime

Jaime x Brienne

Jaime x Cersei

OT3 of forbidden love and tragedy

Lyanna x Rhaegar

Lyanna x Robert (Unrequited love)

Rhaegar x Elia (Unrequited love)

It’s next generation

Arya x Jon (From his side, suspiciously over-protective brother; or a Rhaegar/Lyanna that loved each other platonically and didn’t disgraced themselves because of it)

Arya x Gendry (A Robert/Lyanna that worked out)

Arya x Jaqen (Unrequited lust from his side. Sorry, not sorry)

Notre Dame de Paris

Esme x Quasi (Unrequited love)

Esme x Frollo (Villainous crush)

Pirates of the Caribbean

Elizabeth x Will (Tragic love)

Elizabeth x Norrighton (Unrequited love)

Elizabeth x Jack (Dating Catwoman)

Stephen King’s IT (Possible threesome)

Beverly x Ben (Fave)

Beverly x Bill

Star Wars (Possible threesome)

Padme x Anakin

Padme x Obi Wan (Non canon. I wish it would be from his side and something he would be in denial about)

Ashita no Nadja

Nadja x Keith

Nadja x Francis

The Secret Garden (Possible threesome)

Colin x Mary (Wincest)

Dickon x Mary

Gran Hotel (Possible threesome)

Alicia x Julio

Alicia x Andres (Non canon. I liked it even better when they were confirmed as related)

Blood Plus

Saya x Haji

Saya x Solomon

Saya x Kai

Mary Reilly (I don’t know if dual personality counts. Possible threesome.)

Mary x Jekyll

Mary x Hyde

Penny Dreadful (Possible orgy)

Absolutely everyone with everyone. This show is one great orgy and still manages to be classy.

Inuyasha

Inuyasha x Kagome

Inuyasha x Kikyo (Tragic love)

Kikyo x Naraku (Unrequited villainous love)

The Grisha Trilogy

Alina x Mal

Alina x Darkling

Alina x Nikolai

Quills

Madeline x Marquis de Sade

Madeline x Father Coulmier

Interview with the Vampire

Louis x Lestat

Louis x Claudia

Louis x Armand

Sam Raimi’s Spiderman (Possible threesome)

Mary Jane x Peter Parker

Mary Jane x Harry Osborn

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Possible threesome)

Buffy x Angel(us) (Lovers to enemies/Tragic love)

Buffy x Spike (Enemies to lovers/Hatefuck)

Xander x Willow (Friends to lovers)

Xander x Buffy (Unrequited love)

Willow x Oz (Monster boyfriend)

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stopforamoment · 6 years

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The Secret Garden (10 of 12)

Book: The Royal Romance (After Book Three)

Pairing: Bastien Lykel x OFC Rinda Parks

Word Count: 2,033

Rating: M for Mature Langauge

Author’s Note: Obligatory disclaimer that Pixelberry Studios owns the TRR characters and my pocketbook with those darn diamond scenes. OFC with all of her quirks is all mine. My apologies if Tumblr or I do something stupid when I try to post this.

Inspiration: Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden, Chapter 11

He stepped over to the nearest tree—an old, old one with gray lichen all over its bark, but upholding a curtain of tangled sprays and branches. He took a thick knife out of his pocket and opened one of its blades.

"There's lots o' dead wood as ought to be cut out," he said. "An' there's a lot o' old wood, but it made some new last year. This here's a new bit," and he touched a shoot which looked brownish green instead of hard, dry gray.

Mary touched it herself in an eager, reverent way."That one?" she said. "Is that one quite alive—quite?"

Dickon curved his wide smiling mouth.

"It's as wick as you or me," he said; and Mary remembered that Martha had told her that "wick" meant "alive" or "lively."

Summary: Bastien shows Rinda the palace maze and tree, but it isn’t as romantic as he’d thought . . .

When they got back to the palace Bastien turned to Henry. “There’s one more thing. And this one is actually a royal command from the King, so I have to do it. Well, and I want to do it,” Bastien quickly added, seeing the concern in Rinda’s eyes. He led them over to the maze.

“Henry, when King Liam, his brother Leo, and Drake were kids they’d always play in the maze. There’s also a large tree with a swing in the middle. Would you like to check it out?”

Henry grinned and started to run ahead, but he quickly stopped when there was a fork in the path. “Should I wait for you?”

Bastien laughed. “No, go ahead and figure it out. I’ve had to find King Liam in here plenty of times. I’ll find you too.” He looked at Rinda and snickered. “Mara and I still have to come in here to find Liam and Riley when they sneak off.”

Rinda threw back her head and laughed. “Good for them! So is this maze really confusing or pretty simple?”

Bastien shrugged. “It’s not as bad as The Shining.”

Rinda chuckled. “We’re not going to make it out of here alive, are we? Seriously. If you suddenly get called away for an emergency, you absolutely have to send someone to find me and Henry if we don’t make it out by morning. I’ll be really ticked off if you don’t. Promise?”

Bastien solemnly nodded. “Promise.”

“It’s pretty cool that kids would play in here. This must have been great for hide and seek.”

“Actually, tag was more their thing as kids. But I know the terrain and have a significant advantage over you and Henry. I’ll get you a map to study so we can play next time.” Bastien smiled when he made her laugh again.

“So Rinda, tell me about that book. The Secret Garden. It was the Queen’s favorite, and yours too, right?”

Rinda snickered. “What, my 2:00 AM summary while I was in PJs in front of the King of Cordonia didn’t explain it well enough?” She shook her head. “That was really embarrassing, by the way. I’m sorry if I completely made an ass of myself.”

“No, you didn’t. Trust me, you were fine. Even in PJs. By the way, were those . . . smiling bananas on your PJs?”

Rinda nodded her head. “Yup. Banana pajamas. And some of the bananas had sunglasses. It sounds like you couldn’t erase the vision that was burned into your retinas.” She shook her head, laughing at herself. “Anyway, the book. It’s partly about magic and healing. See, Mary Lennox is sickly and selfish at the start of the book. She’s seriously an absolute bitch who can’t even dress herself without a servant’s help. Her cousin Colin is an invalid and an even bigger spoiled pain in the ass. But the garden, well, it’s magic. Even how Mary finds the key and the hidden doorway to the garden are magical. Then there’s a neighbor boy named Dickon, and he has a magic touch with wild animals and nurturing things. They play in the garden and help take care of it, and it’s also magical how the garden comes to life in spring, and Mary and Colin get healthier and less selfish as they spend more time in nature.” Rinda stopped and faced Bastien. “It’s also about happiness though. The kind of happiness we have when we stop being selfish and start caring about other people and other things.”

They got to the center of the maze and Rinda gasped. “It’s even more beautiful than I imagined it would be. I love climbing roses in a garden, rambling around everything.” She reverently touched the swing.

Bastien blushed, unsure of what to do. “Um, Rinda. Do you want to sit in it? I can . . . ”

She turned to Bastien and shook her head. “In the story, the uncle was a recluse because he went insane with grief. He and his wife created that garden, and they trained the roses to cover the tree. The tree didn’t have a swing but Lilias, his wife, liked to sit on a branch in the tree. There was an accident when the tree branch broke, and she died from the injuries. That’s why the uncle locked up the garden and threw away the key.”

Rinda wasn’t sure how to explain the next part. It was important that Bastien understand what might have motivated Liam’s mother to include this beautiful tree with such a dark history. “It isn’t morbid that Liam’s mother created this garden with the tree. I just don’t think it’s meant to be . . . romantic. It’s supposed to be a magical place where children play and where people can forget that they are outsiders who don’t really fit in. And the maze . . . maybe that was her way of creating the adventure of finding the secret garden and sneaking into it. Because that’s part of the magic too.”

Bastien had a tender look in his eyes. God, Rinda reminded him so much of her. Rinda quickly slipped off her sandals and walked closer to Bastien. “Hey, this place is magic, remember? It’s a place to heal and to play . . . TAG!” She was laughing when she touched Bastien’s shoulder and ran off, quickly getting lost in the maze as she yelled to Henry that Bastien was “it.”

. . . . .

Rinda was in bed when she heard the soft knocking. “Rinda? Are you still awake?” It was Bastien. She crawled out of bed and opened the door.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

“Yes, but we could use your help in the library. Do you mind joining us?” Bastien saw her turn toward Henry’s room. “If we’re gone awhile I can have a guard check on him, if you’d like.”

Rinda shook her head. “He’ll be fine. Now that he’s slept here one night it’s not as big of a deal if he wakes up and I’m not here.” She suddenly looked down, realizing how under-dressed she was. “Here, just give me a minute to change into something else. Not that anything will beat the smiling bananas pajamas.” She left the door halfway open while she grabbed some clothes and slipped into the bathroom. She came out a couple minutes later, and Bastien was still waiting in the hall, his back discreetly turned away. “Okay, what’s up?”

Bastien led Rinda to the library, and she was shocked to find Mara and other Royal Guards working on a laptop and examining the book shelves. Mara gave Rinda a quick smile. “Hi Rinda, thank you for coming to help us. I’m sure Bastien already told you, but everything that happens here is confidential. You were never here.” Rinda nodded.

Bastien continued. “We’ve been checking the Queen’s other books for notes, like the one you found last night. We’ve found others that have been very helpful.” He paused. “And I know King Liam appreciates that you found his mother’s note for him.” Rinda gave a sad smile, thinking about a boy losing his mother at such a young age.

Bastien cleared his throat. “What’s a four-word password that you think the Queen would have used? We’ve already asked Liam, but he doesn’t have many concrete memories of her.” He paused. “The other guards who knew her can’t think of anything either.”

Mara quickly added, “We’ve tried ‘Liam,’ ‘Mary,’ ‘tree,’ and ‘rose.’ We also checked the words in the notes she left—in English and French—and we can’t think of anything else. We thought you might remember something else from that book, or maybe from the other books on that shelf? It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try.”

Rinda nodded. “Try wick w i c k. Moor m o o r. Rinda was talking to herself. “Might I have a bit of earth? Terre. No, that’s five.” She looked up again. “I can think of other important English words, but I might need help translating them to French. And into Greek for sure. And can you please tell me the list of other books again?”

Mara was already nodding her head to Bastien before turning to Rinda. “No need. You’ve already figured it out.”

Rinda was surprised. “Really? That’s all? That was easy enough!” She quickly turned around to let herself out.

“Rinda?” It was Bastien.

“I know. I was never here.”

“No, thank you. I’m sorry I can’t explain, but please know that you’ve done more this weekend than you’ll realize.”

She gave Bastien a shy smile. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” She quickly looked around the room. “Good night everyone.”

. . . . .

Bastien messaged Rinda and Drake few hours later. I need to help with additional security this morning. I’ll be an hour or two late for fishing, so just go without me.

Rinda groggily reached for her phone and messaged back. I don’t mind waiting for you. Drake can decide if we need to leave at the ass crack of dawn for good fishing or if he wants me to do football drills until you get there. But if you can’t join us that’s okay too. Please just focus on what you need to do and we’ll see you when you’re done.

Rinda paused and then sent a second message. And do you ever sleep?

Drake was awake too. Heh. I’m still up and drinking, so I’m okay with a later start. Let’s make it 9:00 and I’ll drill Rinda until you get there.

*Snort.* Drake, you’re such a cute little puppy. I don’t think Bastien wants your sloppy seconds. And what are you drinking, and where?

Whiskey. Downstairs. What sloppy seconds?

Bastien grinned. It’s better not to ask. Okay, I’ll try to rescue Rinda by 9:30 and she’d better not be too tired to go fishing.

What the hell are you two even talking about? And I’m not a cute little puppy.

Rinda laughed. Okay, you’re a sweet little marshmallow. Better?

No. Now let me drink in peace.

Bastien was about to exit the conversation but thought better of it. He just silenced the conversation so he could read the rest of it later.

. . . . .

Drake, so whiskey. Is it okay if I join you if I promise to stop talking? No judgement if I leave my kid alone in a huge palace while I go tie on one?

Heh. Why not.

What kind of whiskey. If it’s really cheap stuff I need a handful of Tums and some serious greasy-spoon breakfast when we’re done. It sucks to get old.

Oh, no. This is the palace whiskey. I know where the good stuff is kept.

Send me the coordinates. I’m on my way!

. . . . .

Bastien was laughing as he caught up with the conversation a few hours later. It sounded like Drake and Rinda were getting along and would work well together, if he chose Drake for the position.

Working well with Rinda. In so many ways she was easy to work with, and he appreciated how understanding she was of his career and its demands. But in other ways it was challenging to figure her out. She was so easy going and confident . . . until she wasn’t. She would suddenly get shy and ask questions about the oddest things like double dipping. And she said her best friends were double dippers. Did I even answer her question or did I give her my silent stare and make her uncomfortable? She couldn’t even order her own food that night. She had been too busy taking everything in, and she knew they were hungry and ready to order. Henry said Rinda and Jameson would laugh at how bad she was at ordering, so Jameson would have to help her and order for her. Henry was the one who suggested she sit down while they order the food. And Rinda didn’t even ask to try his food, even though she mentioned earlier that she’d like to. What did I even say to her when we were joking about Joey sharing food?

Fuck. For a person whose job it is to read people, he was an absolute idiot when it came to Rinda.

#bastien lykel #choices trr #ofc rinda parks #a mother's love series

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emeraldskulblaka · 6 years

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Review: The Secret Garden, Lincoln Center Concert 2016

I knew quite a bit about this musical beforehand, given the cast of this production and the fact that I had already been a musical theatre fan in 2016.

And I KNEW it was good because I had listened to many songs before and also own the OBCR.

Trailers for this production (rehearsal/performance): x x x

Come to My Garden: Sierra Boggess

Lily’s Eyes: Jason Forbach & Joseph Spieldenner, Ramin Karimloo & Cheyenne Jackson, Rachel Bay Jones & Uzo Aduba

Tony Awards 1991: performance + Daisy Eagan wins

OBCR & OLCR

But nothing could have prepared me for this absolutely beautiful and moving musical. It was so incredibly awesome and well done, and cured my Evita depression completely. I became obsessed with the melodies and can’t get them out of my head any more.

Here’s what I liked:

Where to start? The story. Based on the book, of course, and I don’t know if there are any major differences. But it’s really interesting and truly something else. All of Mary’s relatives, everyone she knew, dead?! And she goes on and finds joy in the garden, befriends Dickon and helps Colin find his confidence, while her uncle is grief-stricken and doesn’t care too much about her and Neville just wants her gone. Love it!

The cast! Sydney is so talented! And Ramin’s and Sierra’s chemistry is unparalleled. Cheyenne looks exactly like I’d imagined Neville even if he was played by someone else. And Daisy as Martha, it was great to see her on the role. Dickon might be the role I liked Ben Platt best in so far, even if it wasn’t a major one.

The songs and melodies and music… they all kind of sound the same, but I couldn’t care less, they’re so beautiful.

The entrance applause the actors got. Great audience.

How Daisy got emotional and had to use a handkerchief in the end :’)

The yellow flowers (roses?) in the finale. I cried.

Archie/Ramin with the two kids.

The constant presence of the ghosts.

I swear there I more.

What I didn’t like:

Mary/Sydney seemed so angry at the beginning. She has just lost her parents, but doesn’t seem to grieve too much.

Lily/Sierra seemed a little too far away from Colin. He’s her son, after all. You’d expect her to be around him more often.

I didn’t get that Archie is supposed to be a hunchback until well into the story. Ramin is too handsome lol. But it’s actually a big plot point.

Sierra obviously doesn’t have hazel eyes, but that’s not that important.

I know it was a concert and they didn’t have much rehearsal or a elaborate set, but the scripts and the boxes everywhere did look funny.

If you have the time, I can only recommend watching it if you haven’t already. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched different people covering Lily’s Eyes, and I have the strong urge to watch the other concert version with Laura Benanti, Will Chase etc. right now.

And on another note: a while ago I reblogged a post that sounded something like

Imagine your OTP

Person A: *alive*

Person B: *also alive*

and I can imagine how the Secret Garden fandom must have felt reading this. So much pain. Not only in act two ;)

If you want to watch the video I watched, here’s a link.

Feel free to discuss this with me!

#review #eva watches musicals #the secret garden #sydney lucas #ramin karimloo #sierra boggess #ben platt

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theroseandthebeast · 6 years

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Yuletide 2017 Recs, Batch Five

9 Recs for Pitch, Rebecca, Rome, The Secret Garden, Stranger Things, True Grit, Uncanny X-Force

The mysterious magic of the perfect catch, Pitch

[Ginny Baker/Mike Lawson] - Later in life, someone will bother to write her biography and they would say that her truer love had always been baseball.They will almost be right.

the future ain’t what it used to be, Pitch

[Ginny Baker/Mike Lawson] - BREAKING: Mike Lawson, catcher for the San Diego Padres, has been involved in multi-car collision... is all Ginny reads before she's out the door, heart caught in her throat.

by the end of the day, Pitch

[Ginny Baker/Mike Lawson] - Ginny's probably—definitely if the front office has a say—not supposed to have visitors. She gets them anyway.

The Devil Does Not Ride Us Anymore, Rebecca

[Rebecca de Winter/Maxim De Winter/Unnamed Narrator] - "Canon divergent fic in which the unnamed narrator encounters Rebecca and Maxim while working as a Lady's companion in Monte Carlo. Could a relationship blossom between the three of them?"

Eurydice, Rome

[Titus Pullo/Lucius Vorenus] - Pullo's seen Vorenus in all sorts of moods - angry (often), tired, frustrated, despairing, even mad. This is something different, though. He's not sure what to call it. Resigned, maybe, or shocked into numbness. It's almost like he's dead inside already, so nothing matters to him now. Pullo feels like he ought to do something, like maybe if he says the right words or does the right thing he can bring him back with him from this Hades of his own mind.

Those Who Know Secret Things, The Secret Garden

[Mary Lennox/Dickon Sowerby] - The older they get, the more complicated the secrets Mary and Colin keep become.

Loneliness, Loneliness (It’s Such A Waste Of Time), Stranger Things

[Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler/Steve Harrington] - Steve looked back at the house. The lights were flickering again. The monster was coming back, Nancy had said. Leave, Nancy had said. Nancy had a gun, and Jonathan that nail bat. They had it covered. They didn’t want Steve around.

What the fuck are you doing? he thought, and then the lights went out and he went back.

Bulletproof, True Grit

"Come now, you cannot spare a half day for an old trailmate?”

“Marshall Cogburn was my trailmate,” Mattie told him. “You were an unfortunate obstacle, Mr. LaBoeuf.”

Triune, Uncanny X-Force

Dear Mom and Pops, Evan began.

#yuletide #yuletide 2017 #pitch #stranger things #rebecca #true grit #uncanny x-force #rome #the secret garden

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fandomsbyladymelodrama · 11 months

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I've been writing a sequel to The Secret Garden in my head since I was about ten years old. This is the first chapter <3

#the secret garden #mary x dickon #mary lennox #dickon sowerby #colin craven #archibald craven #my first ship #my last ship #sequel fic #the winter garden

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luxlisbonblog · 7 years

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9 Things You Didn't Know about the name 'Lux Lisbon'

Hey everyone. We are busy prepaing for our APRIL UK TOUR (20th April Glasgow, 21st Newcastle, 22nd Manchester, 26th Brighton and 27th at London Scala - [TICKETS HERE] - but thought I'd do this mail and put it up on the blog to answer people's questions about our band name.....(it's 'Lux Lisbon' in case you have sleep walked into this a bit...)

Picking band name is a tricky business.

Just ask Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. Or The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Or Phil Collins.

Many moons ago, we went with 'Lux Lisbon'. It's not been without it's difficulties, but more it's struck the right balance of literary-referencing-interest-piquing-cool, incorporating the letter X and people thinking we are Portuguese - which as everyone know is the holy trinity of naming for basically anything.

1. Cliche one. It's a film reference.

The simple answer is that it is the name of a character from one of my favourite books/films 'Virgin Suicides'......about 5% of people know the reference and they feel like that makes them cool somehow (which is possible, but it's certainly not a linear relationship). Either way, this is a nice thing.

2. Cliche two. It's a characters name.

'Lux' is (along with Bonnie, Mary, Therese and Ceclia) one of the 'Lisbon' sisters. Hence Lux Lisbon. I should know, but it is just occuring to me as I type this that I'm not sure what 'Lux' is short for. Whatever it is, Lux is way cooler..right guys!?

3. Cliche three. "It's ok, because its on of those clever films that is actually really a book".

'Virgin Suicides' became a film in 1999, but it was based the 1993 Jeffrey Eugenides book. He is a man who I didn't realise looked like awesome until looking him up just this second...

4. But unlike most book adaptations, the film is great too....

I will pretend I read the book first. But we all know I didn't. I became aware of it in 1999 when it was made into a film by Sofia Coppola (you can see the trailer here).

Though the book is brilliant, it *is* a cliche (the 4th now) to say 'ah the book is better' - but its not the case here. The film is ace...

5. ...which isn't always the case.

Because just like the (ace) comedian Tony Law said at the Newcastle Stand last night (6th time I've seen him, check it here) - "it's all well and good saying that book is better, but what if the acting in your head is shit?".

6. Other musicians can be mean :)

I think we've got it right, cos over the years, as the film has being a little more cult - there have been those who have clearly wanted to call their band the same thing, have thought of it a few years after me, gone to look it up, and have come to our social media to vent their frustrations at such a 'crappy band taking such a great name' (paraphrasing). I'm chalking that one up.

It seems to be a film that inspires band names generally to be fair. It's only recently I found that my great pal Dickon (from Careless Sons who have supported us several times and are again on our tour) was in the band named after the film, and called 'The Virgin Suicides' in Cambridge when he was younger. Truesay. (...that means 'it's true'. You're welcome).

7. People can't read. Or choose not to.

There is a club. A night club. It's in Lisbon. It's called Lux. So Lux, Lisbon'*. Sort of.

Despite our web presence clearly being that of a UK indie rock-pop band, I've had countless emails and messages asking about reserving tables or trying to blag VIP tickets "for the club night tonight".

We’re not a nightclub. This much is clear to anyone with eyes and the inclination to use them. Which apparently is not all people.

This even stretched to a man trying to deliver beer to the venue in a big van one summer, who was stuck outside the back door, and had managed to contact me on my mobile somehow. I can’t think how many pages (of a band) he much have searched before finding my number. I was, regrettably, unable to assist him in achieving his alcohol delivery ambitions and we parted on friendly terms. It was a good day.

8. Science teaching in this country is going down the pan... :)

I almost always have to spell it out to people L-U-X.. I've said the words "as in the unit of light", in that order, several times more in my life then I ever thought I would do since the bands inception. I still haven't learned that 1/2 the time this only causes confusion and elongates the conversation :)

I was joking about the Science teaching by the way. I have no strong opinion on the matter either way. Honestly.

9. Lux Lisbon is definitely a more memorable than the name we had as a student band in Nottingham.

The moniker that we adopted for a year or so as 'fun loving' students.....

Your Awesome Intergalactic Heroes'.

Somewhere there is a Nottingham Uni Battle of The Bands Winners trophy with that name permanantly engraved on it (just after 'Colonel K' to be fair (look it up if you aren't from the UK, or over 30).

Yeah....ok it seemed funny and clever at the time. Mainly because it was. It had to be shortened to 'YAIH' for anyone to remember it....which is what I searched for just now when I uncovered this genuinely suprising and genuinely genuine internet picture someone, somewhere has made. Eh?

And this the our friend and old 'YAIH' guitarist Chris How Kin Sang sporting a t-shirt, to prove it!

So I'll leave you here, but also with the thought that, basically, like all scrabble players will tell you, 'X' is the best letter.

Thanks again!

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)

[Buy Tickets] [Latest Single] [Listen] [Download Free]

P.S - Just to finish I should also add that I thoroughly recommend the (almost entirely instrumental) soundtrack album by the French band Air is absolutely fabulous. It is probably in my Top 10 albums of all time (and *definitely* in my Top 100 French Instrumental Synth Pop albums of the late 90s).

*Thought not really - it's more 'Lisbon Lux' I would have said. The Roundhouse in Camden would be, if it HAD to be, referred to as London Roundhouse, not Roundhouse London right? I digress. Forgive me, there have been alot of messages.

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yellowing · 7 years

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The Secret Garden x KNB AU

this is entirely @conquerse‘s fault jsyk

of course this is gonna be a) kid!mayuaka (platonic bc theyre like...10-12yo??) type of thing; and b) mostly just rakuzan and shuutoku characters again with a few others thrown in, and just... i’m starting to realize this is a trend, i love them,

...coming from me, what else would it be, honestly.

(not a fic YET just outlining characters/a bit of plot in order of appearance...)

mayuzumi: an only child living in (unspecified country/time period idk where this is set yet...late meiji japan? late victorian/early edwardian england? who the fuck knows) with wealthy but neglectful parents, basically he’s mary in this au ok so i won’t elaborate too much on that. he goes to live with a distant relative in a giant mansion after his parents’ death and hates it. at least he has books. maybe. continuously tries to find a nice place to read without being bothered by the staff (i.e. rakuzan members) (this is how he stumbles upon the garden because there is no rooftop available).

mibuchi: perpetually harangued butler sent to escort mayuzumi to the akashi estate. finds the kid strange with his habit of basically evaporating into thin air. he does his job perfectly but honestly also needs a break and a raise.

nijimura: fucking yall this is where it breaks down i dont know if i want him to be martha or dickon or even fucking ben weatherstaff and actually ... i guess martha makes more sense. is incredulous that mayuzumi doesn’t know so many things about taking care of himself. what the fuck is up with rich kids. why do i have to look after You. anyway they kind of snipe at each other until theyre finally sort of friendly after Character Development(tm) kicks in. hella protective of akashi even if he is snooty and imperious bc he needs someone to look after him after all because he’s like ten. anyway hes just here to earn money to help his dad in the hospital cus his mom has 2 more other kids to feed

midorima: the youngest but most gifted gardener on the staff, whos just here doing his garden things. is a grumpy carrot. shiori was very kind to him when she was alive ten years ago when he first came to the estate, so he stayed on even after her passing. very superstitious and reads the morning paper for horoscopes. is apprehensive upon learning about akashi, but comes to accept him.

akapiyo: i can’t believe im making akapiyo a character, sort of. remember the robin in the story? yeah, that.

akashi seijuurou: Yet Another spoiled rich kid, master of the house... hidden from view because despite being actually very suitable & intelligent as an heir, his father doesn’t want to look at him because of the reasons already outlined in the book (& misplaced concern that he might Also Die Young), he looks like his mom etc. how would masaomi keep him locked up tho like i feel like akashi would probably sneak out all the time he just hasnt figured out what to do with that time yet, thus the dilemma. mibuchi n nijimura indulge him very much, to mayuzumi’s chagrin. he takes a great deal of interest in mayuzumi bc he’s not from around And speaks to him...with 0 respect...what is this new feeling...

takao: dickon!! i guess he gets to name the animals he has around after various shuutoku players (aka the garden staff.) also likes to come to the mansion/gardens to bother the staff a lot, to midorima’s chagrin (he has a soft spot for this kid tho). also not rly related to nijimura, just grew up next door or something (?)

the rest of rakuzan: nebuya works in the kitchens and hayama in the stables? higuchi is...the footman?? i don’t know. shirogane is the doctor. maybe.

akashi masaomi: probably in like, fucking france or switzerland or sth 364 days of the year because he doesn’t want to be home and also is on business trips and shit. constant angst about his wife. buddy please look after your son. seriously.

akashi shiori: unfortunately dead. probably appears as a ghost. maybe.

#knb au #mayuaka #sort of ???? ? ???#dont mind me im just...here...

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