Inklings // January 2026

Hello, friends!

Today the Olympics are ending, which is super sad, but to console myself I'm participating in Heidi's monthly link-up, Inklings!

How it works:

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back to Heidi's blog in your post.

2. Make sure to come back and leave a link to your entry in the box on that month's post: Heidi's post for January 2026.

This month's prompt is:

A scene with a horse in book or film

I struggled a lot with filling this prompt! That's because I've seen a lot of "horse movies"---which is a genre in and of itself---so would start thinking of a scene with a horse, but then it would devolve in me thinking about the entire movie.

I had to keep reminding myself that it doesn't have to be a movie, even though that tends to be my focus here at Movies Meet Their Match. 

AND THEN, just like for the October 2025 Inklings, the audiobook that I am currently listening to supplied the answer. 

The scene that I'm looking at is from Return of the Thief - by Megan Whalen Turner, the 6th book in the Queen's Thief series.

There are even a couple of horses on the cover!

Some of the fans would say one shouldn't say ANYTHING about any of the books to someone who hasn't read them. And that's fair! I just thought it was an amusing little episode that could be enjoyed both by those who have read it and those who haven't. I've made this as spoiler-free on my end as possible, but if you don't want to know a single scene beforehand, I get it! This scene is about 3 hours in to an 11 hour long audiobook and is kind of its own thing, not needing the context of the previous books.

Also, apologies for misspellings of names and odd paragraph formatting. I'm typing this up going off of what I can hear the audiobook saying and am doing my best to guess where one sentence/paragraph ends and a new one begins.

 

"The beautiful war horse...was as indolent as he was handsome...naming him Frist, after the Braile god of winter and Frist appeared determined not to live up to fierceness of his name. Built like a marble temple on legs, he was as placid as the king was excitable and preferred going around obstacles instead of over them. Or, better yet, not going at all. Given any opportunity to stand still, he did. 

'Faster, your Majesty!' called the stable master. 'Faster!'

Too late.

Frist balks at the fence the king wanted him to jump. When he stops dead, the king sailed over the fence into the dirt on the other side of it. The queen looked up briefly before returning to her embroidery.

Lying on the ground, the king shouted, "I think I've broken something!"

"Nothing important, I'm sure," she called back.

"My pride!"

She laughed.

He got very nimbly back to his feet to glare over the fence. When he leapt back onto Frist, the king drove him in a circle to try the jump again. This time, when the horse balked the king flew even higher into the air. Frist's head went down and the king went up, rotating in mid-air to land upright, flourishing his arms like an acrobat jumping a bull.

The queen clapped, the king bowed, and Frist flicked his ears, looking interested for the first time that day."

I just love the description of Frist as "built like a marble temple on legs!" 

Thanks to Heidi for hosting and thanks to all of you for reading! What are some of your favorite "horse movies?" Do you have a scene you can pinpoint as a favorite or do you just think of the whole film? Has an audiobook ever solved a problem for you? Have any of you read The Queen's Thief series? It's taken me almost 3 years to get through them all, but I'm so close!

Until next time, don't get thrown from any horses!

Chloe the MovieCritic

Inklings // October 2025 + Autumn Tag Challenge

Hello and happy fall, friends!

I know it has been autumn for a couple of months, but now it feels like we are on the edge of winter so I'm feeling autumn for the last fragments that it is. Which today involves participating in Heidi's monthly link-up, Inklings!

How it works:

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back to Heidi's blog in your post.

2. Make sure to come back and leave a link to your entry in the box on that month's post: Heidi's post for October 2025.

This month's prompt is:

A scene with a fountain in book or film

I'm going to choose the thirteenth book of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which is The End - by Lemony Snicket. 

I'm currently ending my huge re-listen of all of these books for the first time since I was young and I had been pondering what to do for a fountain scene when the very book that I was listening to provided the answer. Even though this scene comes from the last book in the series, this particular instance is spoiler-free as it is talking about something that happened before the first book, The Bad Beginning, even started. That timeline may seem strange, but trust me, it makes sense in the context! But here, even if you don't know the context, just relax and enjoy reading this scene.

     "...What about you, Sunny? What do you miss?"

     "Fountain," Sunny said.

     "The Fowl Fountain, at the Village of Fowl Devotees?" Klaus asked.

     "No," Sunny said, shaking her head. "In city."

     "The Fountain of Victorious Finance?" Violet asked. "Why on earth would you miss that?"

     "First swim," Sunny said and her siblings gasped.

     "You can't remember that," Klaus said.

     "You were just a few weeks old," Violet said.

     "I remember," Sunny said firmly, and the elder Baudelaires shook their heads in wonder. Sunny was talking about an afternoon long ago, during an unusually hot autumn in the city. The Baudelaire parents had some business to attend to, and brought along the children, promising to stop at the ice cream store on the way home. The family had arrived at the banking district, pausing to rest at the Fountain of Victorious Finance, and the Baudelaires' mother had hurried into a building with tall, curved towers poking out in all directions, while their father waited outside with the children. The hot weather made Sunny very cranky, and she began to fuss. To quiet her, the Baudelaires' father dipped her bare feet in the water, and Sunny had smiled so enthusiastically that he had begun to dunk Sunny's body, clothes and all, into the foutain, until the youngest Baudelaire was screaming with laughter. As you may know, the laughter of babies is often very contagious, and before long not only were Violet and Klaus also jumping into the fountain, but the Baudelaires' father, too, all of them laughing and laughing as Sunny grew more and more delighted. Soon the Baudelaires' mother came out of the building, and looked in astonishment for a moment at her soaking and giggling family, before putting down her pocketbook, kicking off her shoes, and joining them in the refreshing water."

The Baudelaires need more scenes where they're happy like this!

As this is a short post, there's room for me to add my answers to the Autumn Tag Challenge which Olivia just tagged me for! Thank you, Olivia! 

The Rules

1. Download the cover photo and use it for your post

2. Acknowledge the person who tagged you

3. Tag others and comment on their blog to let them know! (I am notorious for not following this rule so we'll see if I do or not...)

4. Slip into autumn vibes (which for Chloe involves Gilmore Girls as she was recently sick and one watches Gilmore Girls when one is sick. I don't make the rules.)

The Questions:

1. If autumn isn't your favourite season, what is? And if autumn is your favourite season, why?

WINTER. I love it. I adore it. You will never see me happier than when it is snowing. I just loooooooove the snow. I find it absolutely magically and never get tired of it. I have in recent years come to appreciate autumn as my second favorite season and in the peak of the colors I sometimes consider making it my favorite season. And I love Halloween, so...

2. What is your favourite thing that you do each autumn?

Go on walks and take pictures of all the miraculous colors. I've never been much into photography but I got into it last fall for this exact reason because I was missing my sister (the photography expert) and it felt wrong to not try to capture the glorious hues.

3. What are a couple of your favourite autumn memories?

Weirdly enough for fall I don't have as many distinct memories unlike the other seasons, but more just the images of glorious leaves blot out all other thoughts. Experiencing fall almost seems to take precedence over other things that are happening? I mean, I have many memories of things that happen in the fall, but I don't associate them as being FALL unless I am staring in wonder at a tree.

4. What book most reminds you of the autumn? Movie?

Besides Gilmore Girls, I talked about this a little on my last Inklings post. And to add to those I would say all Kate DiCamillo book, Ella Enchanted, and Don Quijote de la Mancha. As for movies themselves, here's a list of 10 Movies That Give Me Autumnal Vibes. In short, you can't get me to stop thinking of books and movies that remind me of autumn.

5. What is your favourite drink for the season?

I'm not allowed to have coffee. Because I get waaaaaaay too into coffee and never sleep. I think the first time I had coffee was in fall and if wasn't pumpkin spice it was some other fall-themed drink. Now tea, I can handle tea. Occasionally apple cider.

6. What is one new thing you want to do this autumn?

I've been getting into drawing, but that's not specifically autumnal. I have a few cards I want to make for a cozy fall vibe, I just have been stumped halfway with inspiration. Last year I wrote a poem about fall for extra credit in my Hispanic Literature class so maybe it's time I wrote another one.

7. Do you decorate for the autumn? If so, how soon? If not, why?

Not really? It just doesn't occur to me as something to do. I think the most autumnal decor in my room right now is the calendar. My roommates last year would, though, and I loved coming home the leaves on the windowsill or festive signs on the door.

8. What is your favourite way to celebrate Thanksgiving?

With my family. But also, sophomore year of college I was part of this program where if you were staying on campus they would find a place for you to go for Thanksgiving. And I ended up at this massive party of 50 or more people in this couple's garage. It was so much fun and I have friends that I met there who I am still close with today! I also felt useful because they had us college kids set up shrimp appetizers. Cuz' that's my least favorite thing about Thanksgiving: feeling useless.

9. What colour makes you think most of autumn?

A golden yellow. It's the colors that we get here when it's fall due to all the aspens. This lead to me being absolutely ASTONISHED these last four years in my college town when the colors were also red and bright orange.

10. Type up a list of ten words or names that encapsulate the season of autumn for you.

leaves // chill // rustling // falling // Halloween // lingering // golden // rusty // sleeping // dreaming //

And I tag: 

miranda at from nie

Amaris at The Storybook Journal

Katherine and Grace at The Maidens of Green Gables

Here's a clean copy of the questions:

1. If autumn isn't your favourite season, what is? And if autumn is your favourite season, why?

2. What is your favourite thing that you do each autumn?

3. What are a couple of your favourite autumn memories?

4. What book most reminds you of the autumn? Movie?

5. What is your favourite drink for the season?

6. What is one new thing you want to do this autumn?

7. Do you decorate for the autumn? If so, how soon? If not, why?

8. What is your favourite way to celebrate Thanksgiving?

9. What colour makes you think most of autumn?

10. Type up a list of ten words or names that encapsulate the season of autumn for you.

If you haven't already, I would love for all of you to go hanker some guesses on my Guess Movie From the Drawing Game! I've loved seeing the guesses so far and I would be honored if those of you reading this would also give it a try! There are no bad guesses, only a fun time. 

Thanks for reading! Any Lemony Snicket fans out there? Do you know any scenes that are told at the end of a book but are from before a book started? Any Gilmore Girls fans? 

Chloe the MovieCritic

Inklings // September 2025

Hello, friends!

Today's post is brought to you by Heidi's Inklings!

(Haha, I feel like someone talking about a sponsorship but I am not paid to blog in any way.)

How it works:

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back to Heidi's blog in your post.

2. Make sure to come back and leave a link to your entry in the box on that month's post: Heidi's post for September 2025.

To add to my ongoing list of my entries, today's post is filling this month's prompt:

A forest scene in book or film

This is the perfect prompt for fall which comes with beautiful changing colors!

It gets under my skin when I haven't done a book example for a couple of months. It was only back in May that I featured a scene from a book, but I try to alternate books and movies. This month it's a book's turn!

To fill this prompt I'm going to use the opening scene of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - by Stuart Turton. There are no spoilers because this is just what it's like to pick up the book and start reading!

I forget everything between footsteps.

"Anna!" I finish shouting, snapping my mouth shut in surprise.

My mind has gone blank. I don't know who Anna is or why I'm calling her name. I don't even know how I got here. I'm standing in a forest, shielding my eyes from the spitting rain. My heart's thumping, I reek of sweat, and my legs are shaking. I must have been running, but I can't remember why.

"How did--" I'm cut short by the sight of my own hands. They're bony, ugly. A stranger's hands. I don't recognize them at all.

Feeling the first touch of panic, I try to recall something about myself: a family member, my address, age...anything,  but nothing's coming. I do't even have a name. Every memory I had a few seconds ago is gone.

My throat tightens, breaths coming loud and fast. The forest is spinning, black spots inking my sight.

Be calm.

"I can't breathe," I gasp, blood roaring in my ears as I sink to the ground, my fingers digging into the dirt.

You can breathe; you just need to calm down.

There's comfort in this inner voice, cold authority.

Close your eyes. Listen to the forest. Collect yourself.

Obeying the voice, I squeeze my eyes shut, but all I can hear is my own panicked wheezing. For the longest time it crushes every other sound, but slowly, ever so slowly, I work a hole in my fear, allowing other noises to break through. Raindrops are tapping the leaves, branches rustling overhead. There's a stream away to my right and crows in the trees, their wings cracking the air as they take flight. Something's scurrying in the undergrowth, the thump of rabbit feet passing near enough to touch. One by one, I knit these new memories together until I've got five minutes of past to wrap myself in. It's enough to stanch the panic, at least for now.

ACK, I love the mystery of it all. Fall is just the ideal time to read and watch mysteries, so some I'd recommend are Knives Out (2019), Nancy Drew (2007), The Illusionist (2006), And Then There Were None - by Agatha Christie, Moriarty - by Anthony Horowitz, and of course, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - by Stuart Turton!

What are some of your favorite mysteries perfect for fall? Has anyone else read The 7 1/2 Deaths? Any recommendations for books with numbers in the title?

Enjoy the lovely trees and "forests" where you all live!

Chloe the MovieCritic 

Inklings // May 2025

Hello, friends!

"The end of May and early June" blend together, and I'm not the only one who thinks so, as Evan Hansen sings the same thing. Today I'm participating in a May event even though it's June because May is such a delightful month!

This is May's Inklings hosted by Heidi who blogs at Along the Brandywine!

How it works:

    1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back to the original post in your post.

    2. Leave a link to your post in the link form in the monthly post so everyone can visit your post.

Click HERE to see all of my past entries, and click HERE to see all of the entries for this month! May had the following prompt:

A stagecoach scene in book or film

While at first I was thinking of all of the Western movies I've seen, it suddenly hit me that it's been a while since I talked about a book for Inklings. All the way back in last May! The title of my blog shows my penchant for movies, but I still love books and should not default to movies all the time.

Therefore my choice is the book Cloaked - by Rachel Kovaciny.

The entire first chapter takes place on a stagecoach, so here are the first couple of paragraphs that open the book!:

"You see? I'll be perfectly fine," Mary Rose O'Brien assured her dutiful chaperone, Mrs. Shaw. She climbed into the stagecoach, took her place on the only empty seat, then smoothed out the skirt of her brown travelling dress to keep it at least somewhat presentable.

In truth, the stagecoach was more cramped than Mary Rose expected. Two people would barely fit on each wooden bench. If you didn't know your neighbor well already, you would by the end of the ride. And yet, a man had contrived to fall asleep on the opposite seat, curled up on his back with his dusty boots tipped up against the side. The stage was so small that she might have leaned forward and touched his shoulder without leaving her own seat.

Mrs. Shaw frowned up at Mary Rose from where she stood in the street, though that didn't mean she was displeased with Mary Rose, the stagecoach, or anything else in particular. Mrs. Shaw rarely found anything pleasant enough to bother changing her expression..."

This was fun for me to visit because I read Cloaked all the way back in 2017! It is the first in Rachel Kovaciny's Once Upon a Western series. I've reviewed book 2 (Dancing and Doughnuts) and book 3 (One Bad Apple), but this post is reminding me that I never got the chance to read her latest in the series, My Rock and My Refuge or her collection of short stories, Prairie Tales Vol. 1. I need to get on that!

You can find Rachel on her author blog, but she also blogs at The Edge of the Precipice and Hamlette's Soliloquy, so you can go check out her thoughts on other stories as well as updates on her own!

A huge thanks to Heidi for hosting this even though I've been behind on joining in! Now that school's done I don't have plans on missing another...

As for you readers, have you ever been on a stagecoach? I was on one once for a tour around my hometown when I was really little and that was long enough! It was fun, but I can't imagine going across the country in that. What are some of your favorite scenes with stagecoaches? Any Western book recommendations for me?

Have a great day!

Chloe the MovieCritic

Inklings // May 2024

Hello, friends!

It's a new month, so it's a new Inklings! This monthly link-up is hosted by the lovely lady of Anorien herself, Heidi! I was going to wait until closer to the end of the month to post, but I couldn't get this Inklings prompt off my mind, so why wait?

How it works:

    1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back to the original post in your post.

    2. Leave a link to your post in the comments section of the monthly post and she'll post all your links with the next prompt.

Click HERE to see all of my past entries, and click HERE to see all of the entries for this month! That second link is where she gave the following prompt:

May 2024: A scene with a pearl necklace in book or film

Before we get into it, I want to relay a recent discovery. My older sister knits a lot and there are a few different stitches with different names. This whole time (since she was 9 or 10), I thought it was knit and pearl. Apparently it's knit and purl. So no knitting in this post.

I'm choosing a passage from the book Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. 

I'm not the only person to choose an Agatha Christie inspired scene because Autumn Grace used a scene from the TV show Poirot. What can I say, mysteries and pearls go so well together.

Because of that, I don't want to tell you what happens in the mystery. This is from the first chapter, so no spoilers, but believe me, these pearls show up again and again.

"Joanna picked up a string of pearls from the dressing table.

'I suppose these are real, aren't they, Linnet?'

'Of course.'

'I know it's "of course" to you, my sweet, but it wouldn't be to most people. Heavily cultured or even Woolworth! Darling, they really are incredible, so exquisitely matched. They must be worth the most fabulous sum!'

'Rather vulgar, you think?'

'No, not at all---just pure beauty. What are they worth?'

'About fifty thousand.'

'What a lovely lot of money! Aren't you afraid of having them stolen?'

'No, I always wear them---and anyway they're insured.'

'Let me wear them till dinnertime, will you, darling? It would give me such a thrill.'

Linnet laughed.

'Of course, if you like.'

'You know, Linnet, I really do any you. You've simply got everything. Here you are at twenty, your own mistress, with any amount of money, looks, superb health. You've even got brains!...'"

This was my first Christie mystery (whoa, that rhymes) because I'd decided I was going to write a mystery myself because I was such a Nancy Drew fan. I'd proudly announced that it was going to be on a boat and my mom told me I should read Death on the Nile for "research". I LOVED IT. And in fact, I could never really go back to Nancy Drew because this was so complicated! I still haven't read all that many Agatha Christie books, but I consider her one of my favorite authors and the mystery genre is a comfort genre for sure.

Usually on this blog for Inklings I talk about movie scenes. I really enjoy both film versions of Death on the Nile (1978 and 2022), but neither of them incorporate pearls in the same genius way! 1987 has a shortened version, and 2022 turns the pearls into jewels and again, shortens what really happens. (Don't get me wrong, what they did instead BROKE ME and I love it and hate it at the same time). So the book it is! I reread this before watching either of those movies (in 2020) and had completely misinterpreted somethings the first time. But not how marvelously complicated it is.

Thanks to Heidi for hosting! Make sure you check out all the other entries HERE.

Is there a book that changed how you look at a genre? Do pearls seem like too much of a liability for you? Does anyone else know any of the other scenes with pearls in this book? What do you guys think of the film versions? Thank you for reading! 

Chloe the MovieCritic

Books I read in 2023

College life, for real. (Source)

Hi, friends!

I haven't written a post since September (though college is ROUGH it paid off this semester!), but I'm still alive! Have no fear! Usually I jump on reflecting on the previous years books and movies immediately, but I was not in the U.S.. Hurray for studying abroad! I'm only slightly sunburned and here it is very cold so I have time to read and watch some new things.

As usual, you can check out my Goodreads account HERE. I didn't do any full review this year, but I gave some more detailed thoughts over there if you want to check it out! And if you want to compare this list to the previous years, here are the links for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016.

I have a few different sections here, but overall, if I cried during the book, I will underline it. 

New-to-me books:

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - by Staurt Turton
A Man Called Ove - by Fredrik Backman
The Little Prince - by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
All the Crooked Saints - by Maggie Stiefvater
Speak Easy, Speak Love - by McKelle George
The Silent Songbird - by Melanie Dickerson
My Lady Jane - by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
The Thief - by Megan Whalen Turner
The Lightning Thief - by Rick Riordan
Okay For Now - by Gary D. Schmidt
King of Scars - by Leigh Bardugo
These War-Torn Hands - by Emily Hayse
Fable - by Adrienne Young
Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln? - by Kate DiCamillo
Neverseen - by Shannon Messenger
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek - by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal

Total: 16

Graphic novels:

Persepolis - by Marijane Satum 

Total: 1

I don't usually count autobiographies/memoirs because that falls into non-fiction, but I think this is a very important story. I want to read the rest of the series and see the movie!

Plays:

Zoot Suit - by Luis Valdez

Total: 1

Technically there were a lot more but TECHNICALLY I didn't read every single word. There was much skimming involved. That's what happens when I take a Spanish theatre class. I'll write a post one day about all the stories we talked about (fingers crossed after I get my degree! Then it will be a ranking!) but know that for now I enjoyed them even if I wasn't able to be as thorough as I wanted to be.

Rereads:

Howl's Moving Castle - by Diana Wynne Jones
Anne of the Island - by L. M. Montgomery
The Penderwicks - by Jeanie Birdsall

Total: 3

Those weren't just any rereads, but I've read all of those books at least three times.

Grand total: 21

While that might not seem like a lot, it's four more than last year, so I'm celebrating!

My 10 Favorite New-To-Me Reads of 2023:

1. All the Crooked Saints - by Maggie Stiefvater: Every year I have an existential crisis over trying to describe my favorite books, but I continue to try. This book is about the manifestation of darkness and trying to help people face their biggest fears to get what they most want. This is everything I love and everything I aspire to be. Beatriz. Daniel. Joaquin. Pete. These characters are all so real to me.

2. A Man Called Ove - by Fredrik Backman: Speaking of real characters, I have never encountered such bitterness that Ove has. And yet this story is about a stubborn cat and even more stubborn family all to change the heart of the most stubborn man. 

3. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - by Staurt Turton: The hype is real. This book is INSANE. It was an amazing way to start 2023. Mysteries are one of my favorite genres, but a common fault is that it is about solving the problem without deeper meaning. This has a theme that is one of the most incredible I've ever come across.

4. The Lightning Thief - by Rick Riordan: Again, I repeat, THE HYPE IS REAL. I'd never gotten into Percy Jackson before and I was missing out because Percy is HILARIOUS. And Grover?? My sweet Grover?? Why does no one talk about him? Annabeth is a boss and I promise to stop calling her Annabelle. I helped out with a musical version this year and I am excited to watch the show.

5. Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln? - by Kate Dicamillo: The annual appearance of the queen of MG NEVER disappoints. This made me cry like, well, a baby. Gorgeous.

6. Speak Easy, Speak Love - by McKelle George: I admit I shouldn't love this as much as I do. But sometimes Much Ado About Nothing is exactly what the doctor ordered.

7. King of Scars - by Leigh Bardugo: I'm conflicted about one of the story lines because things were feeling like they were moving very quickly, BUT. BUT. NIKOLAI. Can you say his name louder for those in the back?? I didn't ever finish Shadow and Bone, but this spin off is fantastic already.

8. Zoot Suit - by Luis Valdez: I have come to appreciate style as a way of expressing oneself and this repression of style and identity is appalling to me that it happened in real life.

9. Neverseen - by Shannon Messenger: These books are candy. Way too much fun and if I'm not careful I will binge the whole series.

10. Okay For Now - by Gary D. Schmidt: This book WOULD be higher if it wasn't for one thing. And I am still BITTER about it. I'm just saying that Doug deserves better. Thanks to my book club for suggesting this and enjoying it with me! I'm excited to see which Gary D. Schmidt we choose for this July...

There you have it, folks! I had a great reading year with only a handful of major dislikes, which were far outweighed by the wondrous stories I encountered. How many of these books have you guys read? Do your thoughts line up with mine? What are your thoughts on the books I didn't extrapolate on?

What has been happening since I've been gone? What have you all read and watched? Tell me your favorites and what I should check out in 2024! As I've said in the past, my computer is finicky when it comes to answering comments, but I love hearing all of your thoughts and will make it work to answer them eventually!

Thanks for reading, and here's to a 2024 to tell tales about!

Chloe the MovieCritic

All My Sons // 10 (+1) More Fictional Boys I Have Adopted

Hello, friends!

Today's post is brought to you by a title: All My Sons by Arthur Miller. It is one of the few plays I have actually read (as opposed to watched), and I love it. That has more to do with it's connection to my favorite musical artist, but it's still literary. 

A while ago, while I was gushing over my babies, my sister said "You and all your sons". So it feels applicable to one of my favorite subjects.

Let's do this again.

Source

Do you remember the post where I explained the concept of my "babies"? HERE it is. Go read that if you haven't because this is just a continuation of that.

But, if you don't want to: Tl;dr: I designate myself as the mother to my favorite characters who are a) helpless, b) clueless, c) sometimes hopelessly in love, and d) in desperate need of a hug.

One second my sons make me say:

And the next moment they make me do this:

It's exhausting taking care of these dudes.

("MC, uh, you realize these characters are fictional, right?" I absolutely do. All the more reason for me to worry about them because no one else is.)

This time around I am not ranking them, just putting them in alphabetical order by first name. I do have fictional daughters that need to be talked about, but this just seemed like too good of a title to pass up. Next we'll just talk about children in general.

(I've also started "adopting" people in real life which my sister says is unhealthy. I am the ultimate mom friend. Ooops....)

These aren't spoilers because I'm giving things out of context and not focusing on the plot. I'm talking about why I love the characters. I totally get that if you want that as a surprise, too, so feel free to skip over the ones you don't know! But my secondary goal of this post is to convince you to watch/read the things you haven't, so if you're looking for recommendations check these out...

Andreas Marowski from Ladies in Lavender (2004)

We are not going to talk about what this movie did to me. How it BROKE ME. But we're not going to talk about that. (This is me more telling myself that me telling you guys. Like writing "I will not tell lies".)

This poor guy starts the film off almost drowning. Looking like a wet, miserable kitten will definitely make me want to cuddle you. On top of that, the place where he ends up is not his native land. So everyone speaks a different language. These two old ladies seem to be nice but what in the world are they saying? Then he finds the universal communication: music. The strings of the violin reawaken his soul. The fact that the ladies get him all dressed up to go play music?? ADORABLE.

He gets into making decisions later that are a struggle with the future. Different people are trying to convince him of different things by their means and nobody is giving him a hug. Give him a hug, okay? He's brilliant.

If a sweet youngling brings anyone of any age flowers, I will adopt that person on the spot. He got some for both Ursula and Janet (though she didn't really approve).

Asher Lev from My Name is Asher Lev - by Chaim Potok

The guy just wants to paint, okay?

LET HIM PAINT.

A common element of my babies is how they have terrible parents, ergo I want to be their new parent. Asher's parent's aren't the worst ever, but there are struggles. When I read this book for a class we were focusing on the theological growth, but my professor said he thought it would be really interesting to read it focusing on the mother. Because she is a vital crux of the story.

One of the hardest parts early on in the book is when Asher's mother is sick and for the first time Asher and his dad have to get along by themselves. There's so much despair wrapped up and no one is wrapping Asher up in a hug.

Asher's dad is dealing with a lot of pressures in other ways and just doesn't understand his son. This is a whole problem with the book where people are trying to make Asher choose to be one thing over another. Just let him be both! I feel torn apart a lot because I relate to many different arguments and people want me to choose. And life isn't black and white; its colors show through both the paintbrush and the pen.

Bryce Loski from Flipped (2010)

Because hello, my heart. He's an absolute himbo. And I mean that in the best possible way. He's just clueless, okay?

Maybe I should start a checklist for these boys and whether or not they have decent parents. His mother is doing the best she can, but his dad...ooof. Bryce has his grandpa, but Pops seems more interested in forming a relationship with the girl across the street than his own grandson. And speaking of that girl, what is with Julie Baker?? Why won't she leave him alone?? (I for one ADORE Julie and would be the kind of mother who would encourage him to make friends with her and he would think it was torture.)

To reference Okay for Now, that's "the terrified eye" if I ever saw one.

Bryce just wants to enjoy Bonanza. He does not want to be teased about Julie Baker when he has never wanted anything from her except to be left alone. The plans this dork comes up with though. THE PLANS. Like asking a girl out only to have your bestie fess up to her that it was just to have people forget about Julie Baker.

His pretending-to-listen-face, though.

I can't forget to mention THE EGGS. My. poor. baby. I mean, what he did was absolutely wrong. But I also don't have the courage to talk to people and I am constantly searching to avoid conflict, so I get it. I would likely do the same. He inherited it from me. I know he's more than the sum of his parts and he just has to find that for himself.

I would still be stoked that he got to do this, though it was TORTURE for him.

He doesn't realize that Garrett's a jerk, and that trees are beautiful (though that was quite a comeback: "If by beautiful you mean unbelievably ugly, then yes, I would agree."), and he's fighting against this weird feeling inside him. And what's the big idea with perpetual motion?

It is a treat to watch this movie and just focus on his expressions. Because they are hilarious.

I'm not trying to be biased towards anyone on this list because I love them all, but I've just seen this movie A LOT. And it's in my top ten of all time. So. I love the book, too, but the movie hits me in the feels like nothing else.

Charlie Delgado from Lemonade Mouth (2011)

The drummer is my son genetically. Because not many of you probably know this, but one of my goals in life is to play the drums. I just think they're so cool.

Anyway, we were going to start the parent problem meter: check, he's got it. He's suffering from having a perfect brother. And his parents want him to be exactly like the perfect brother. But he doesn't like soccer. Drumming, on the other hand...

Which is why joining a band is the perfect thing for him. Even if it happened in detention. He's so used to hiding in the back of a class, he's the most in awe of the attention the band gets. It's quite adorable. Especially because he's not used to girls talking to him. I never went to high school so I'm not one to say what movies set there are accurate, but most feel like they aren't. This one does.

Even though the perfect brother is ruining his life by being so perfect, the two of them have a great relationship. Which makes me, as Charlie's mother, proud.

Claudio from Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

I talked about my husband from this movie a while ago so we're going through the family tree and talking about my son. Who I guess is our joint child.

Ah, Claudio. And this is the first son on today's list who is really suffering from the helplessly in love problem and not the parent problem. Which is why he is called "Monsieur Love". On which point my sister and I always DIE of laughter.

Presenting this year's "baby-face".

Speaking of names, another favorite that he gets called is "lack-beard". MWAHAHA. Benedick has the best roasts (Not that not having a beard is a bad thing. Stay that way, hun.) Ahem. Anyway. This is where my protective nature comes in because people say "Kill Claudio." And I'm like, hhhhhheeeeeey, that's a little extreme! Yes, he needs to be scolded. And yes, the person to scold him was the best one to do it. 

Because he made mistakes. Huge mistakes. And even though he was set-up, he should have faith and patience and understanding. Still, he felt sorry.

Yes, he has a tendency to be jealous. So we're going to work on that. But he's the sweetest guy ever and I'm ever so happy that he's turning away from the army now. I want him to live his sweet life happily.

This gif is bad quality but THE PAIN!! THE PAIN ON THE POOR BOY'S FACE! This also shows why I am betrothed to the Prince because he is very stoic.

On a side note, because I've talked about most of the Much Ado men, you're probably wondering how I feel about Benedick. So we'll take half a second to discuss Ben. I adore him, but that's because we. are. the. same. person. I echo his sentiments about love all the time. I auditioned for a different Shakespeare play with his monologue about his disbelief about Claudio's sentiments. With good results, I'll tell you. Anyway, though I don't understand Claudio's heartache, I think it is very cute. He and Hero probably win most adorable couple with their puppy eyes.

Benedick's not taking any of this nonsense.

I had SO MANY gifs and it was so painful to sort through them all. But if Bryce gets 4, so does Claudio. ....but he gets an extra because I put 2 of him in pain (one physical and one emotional) and I need to apologize for that.

Klaus Hargreeves from Umbrella Academy (Seasons 1 and 2)

(I should probably get the guts to watch the third season. But I haven't yet. I'm scared because I already thought it was massively gory but then the 3rd season got bumped up a rating.)

Remember how I had Klaus Baudelaire on the other list? If your name is Klaus I will probably adopt you.

Seriously, he needs SO much help. Starting a cult is one of the signs that it's time for therapy. Not that things are his fault! Because parent problems? Check. His father was so awful that he didn't give Klaus a name. He was Number Four. It was only his robotic mother who gave names to him and his siblings. (If that doesn't summarize this show I don't know what does. It's insane. One day I'll write a full post just on it.) And speaking of his siblings, I love them all...but I think they make bad decisions and I wish I could be their mother.

The whole show starts (so this is not a spoiler, it's the premise) with the father dying so what do we all do? Years ago they were a superhero team and now? Their lives are falling apart collectively and separately. No one takes Klaus seriously so he doesn't see a reason to take himself seriously.

But you know what, if I saw the dead, I would probably fall apart and do anything to make it stop. Which for him means not staying sober. He just needs a support system! The only one he has is one of the ghosts...

What Reginald Hargreeves did to Klaus to try to get him to unlock his power?? HORRIFYING. NEVER. EVER. EVER DO THAT. There is giving challenges for growth and then there is torture.

Because he and his siblings were so broken, my favorite parts of this show is when they get to heal together. His relationship with his sisters is ADORABLE. And he and David are cute.

(Aww, shucks. This is making me want to rewatch the show which is something I never thought I'd say.)

Ricky Bowen from High School Musical The Musical The Series

(Mainly seasons 1 and 2 because while I loved some things about season 3, the development with Ricky was not one of them. I hated it so much that I may not watch season 4. But we'll see.)

I wasn't a fan of the original HSM. So I started watching the series mainly to make fun of it. Yet, I loved it from the first second. That's all due to Ricky. At first I was intrigued to see how they would deal with his faux pas. As that first episode went on I realized how precious and scared he is.

Now, do I approve of what Ricky did? No. "Taking a break" and then expecting everything to be fine? That's just pushing a problem to the side. But I feel for him because we are all at different stages and in a family where he's trying to hold it together, those "three little words" might seem like "not a big deal". But it is, because people abandon him.

Why? Parent problems: check. They're getting a divorce and in the midst of his despair and confusion he finds solace in a musical. What started out as a romantic gesture turns into something to hold onto.

Ah, the great origin stories of actors.

Any time he breaks the fourth wall it makes my day.

He's trying to do the right thing and be the person others want him to be but he's always scared of falling short. Because he feels he fell short for his parents. Though he didn't, it wasn't him, it was what they had tried working through together and failed. I just want to demand custody for Ricky, okay?

High school is probably the most emotional time of life because everything seems like such a big deal. That's where this show guts me, because it was all a big deal to me, the steps these characters were taking. But I have to remind myself that they. are. in. high. school. There are going to be changes for the rest of their lives. 

Even looking at this image from ep. 4 brings me pain.

Episode 4 of season 1 (...I think it's ep. 4, could be 5...) physically hurts me. I cry every time I watch it. There is a deep loneliness and resignation that cuts me up inside. And I know we've moved on into new drama, but that doesn't erase what has happened in the past. It shows why stories are so important to us because they are an escape from reality.

Scorpius Malfoy from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

OH MY GOODNESS I’M A BAD MOTHER

He's the one who made me realize I needed to do this post again.

It's been awhile since I read this, and that was only the once. But Scorpius is the dictionary definition of a cinnamon roll. Yes, basically all these characters are cinnamon rolls because babies are very similar to cinnamon rolls, BUT Scorpius takes it to another level.

I also have adopted Albus. At the same time I relate SO MUCH to Albus, it's more like we're twins. Middle kids, ya know. So I don't think I'm emotionally stable enough to be Albus's mother. (Am I emotionally stable enough to be any of these characters's mother? Probably not, but it's my blog so I make the rules.) Scorpius, on the other hand, is a darling and would be no trouble at all. Besides the events of this book. But that wasn't really his fault!

Scorpius suffers from the same pressure his dad felt. Which is that you have to be a certain way. The difference between Scorpius and his dad is that Scorpius couldn't be arrogant if he wanted to. He's sweet to the core. Both Albus's and Scorpius's parents are HORRIFIED that they are friends but it's what I always wanted. Albus is more of the punk and Scorpius is trying to keep him out of trouble. They just want to be friends. Is that too much to ask?? Is it too much to ask that they don't feel obliged to carry on their fathers's legacy as enemies??

At first I didn't really like the story (I came around about halfway through, though) so all that was keeping me going was darling Scorpius. He deserves all the hugs.

Kang Seo-woo from Cinderella and the Four Knights (2016)

Rewatching made me realize that I did not give this guy enough love. That's why sisters are good for watching things with because my little sister has done nothing but talk about how much she loves Seo-woo.

His grandpa has hired a gal to get the Kang cousins into shape. Hyun-min is a playboy, Ji-woon is a punk, and Seo-woo? A good-for-nothing because he's a musician. WHAT?? He is not a good-for-nothing! His music is fabulous.

He is the sweetest guy on the face of the planet. He's been shoved into this rivalry with his cousins and because they never want to do what they are told he's been witness to their bad influence. I relate to his feeling of he only gets so many days off in a year, so he wants to spend those ALONE. Mwahaha.

But can we normalize guys being sweet? That would be great. That means that I would adopt everyone.

Seo-woo is very subtle as opposed to his cousins. He cares about people and shows that in small ways. Like calling over 40 times. Some of my favorite scenes are the birthday obsession. And the flowers. And the helping pull stuff out of the water. And the Rock Paper Scissors on the stairs.

His songs have deep meanings and are a beautiful way of expressing himself. I just want to give him a hug because no one ever does. One of the songs is about his relationship with his dad and I can't. It's so sad and heartfelt and AACCKK.

His fashion is fly and I love the nicknames he gives others. Like, "Miss Celebrity". As a celebrity himself he's always hiding from the crowds which usually turns into quite the situational comedy.

Wendell Gifford from Lemonade Mouth (2011)

I didn't realize his full name is Wendell because he always goes by Wen. But I love that so much.

I know we already discussed a character from Lemonade Mouth (2011) today. Face it, I have adopted the whole band because as teenagers, every single one of them has problems with their parents.

Yep, absolutely all of them are my darlings.

Wen's problem is his dad's girlfriend. He feels understandably weird about the whole situation. He feels like he's being pushed to the side because all of a sudden everything is being done to accommodate her. What about Wen and his sister? The picture frame scene hurts me. Yes, Wen was hurt more, but it hits me so hard. Then the sunglasses are totally something I would do...

I love that he and Olivia write the songs for the band. They are dorks to their core but that means they are adorkable. 

What does Wen contribute to the writing? Rap! 

"It's Wen and I'm heaven-sent, music like a veteran

Renegade lemonade, use it in my medicine"

My sister and I once challenged each other to memorize all of Wen's rap in "Determinate" and we now are experts. 

When they're trying to come up with a band name, he suggests "Wen". And that becomes a running joke. While I usually would hate that kind of ego from others, Wen gets a pass because he's so sweet.

How many keyboardists are in bands? It's kind of rare. I just got back from a festival I've gone to almost every year and I saw a keyboard there for the first time.

And mwahaha there's one more. Because of the 10 I did last time, plus the 10 more this time I need 1 more to be 21. Because it's All My Sons. (Those of you who understand, understand. If not, read All My Sons. Or watch it.) (Why am I using such a depressing number? "I swear, MC," you're saying, "if this is your excuse to get an honorable mention...")

Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir (TV Series)

(Yes, I call it Chat Noir instead of Cat Noir. Because if we're translating it it's going to be Black Cat. So let's just say it one way or the other.)

Like Umbrella Academy, this probably doesn't count because I'm not done seeing it. Did I go back and rewatch parts of the first episode because I couldn't remember how it all started? Yes, I did. It's been since 2021 since I watch that, okay? I'm only in season 3. And I haven't seen the movie yet. But things are getting WILD and I'm not going to love Adrien any less, so let's chat. (Did you see what I did there? That was totally unintended.)

Like Much Ado, Miraculous has a character I am in love with and a character I have adopted. We are going through this the opposite way and I'm talking about the character I have adopted: my darling Adrien.

Parent problems? Check, check, check. His father is deep in grief over losing his mother, but they would be so much better if the two of them worked through it all together. How does Adrien react? Does he become a sullen punk? No, he has the purest heart on the face of the planet. 

It is frequently SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT *cough* that people get akumatized (it's a thing in the show. It's so bizarre you have to watch to understand). It is never Adrien's fault.......*crickets*.......OKAY, maybe it has been a few times but that has been for reasons completely out of his control. And all those times have in fact been that OTHER PERSON'S fault. He can't help it that he's one of the most adored models of Paris.

He just wants to go to school and have friends and have his dad talk to him. He is kind to the most hated person at the school and does things to cheer everyone up. He's a quiet one, but even his presence radiates calm. I feel like I didn't appreciate him enough until we saw the origin story. 

Source.
Someone else noticed this!!! It wasn't just me!!!

I love his personality change to be a superhero. He's breaking out of his shell and saying all the things he never says because he's the quiet one. I find his puns and jokes amazing and everything he says makes me want to be his mother more.

Now you know 21 of my sons. With each new story I experience I adopt more, so these posts may become an annual thing. You never know.

Thanks for reading! Does anyone else adopt characters? How many of these do you know? What is your relationship with these sweets? Who are some of your favorite cinnamon roll characters?

Chloe the MovieCritic