#AT LEAST MARIA/MARY IS THAT TO ME

[loudmound]

maria/mary is like... very will-they-won't-they romantic fraught and deeply intense yuri while jacob/james is your typical fanonical adversarial yaoi and i think that's so fucking funny

[back-of-the-dodo]

are you fucking kidding me KEITH gets a romance arc before mary does??? what are we even doing here???

[funnygirlthatbelle]

the singin' in the rain purple dress is easily the film dress i've most consistently been obsessed with over the years- which is ironic, because it's the exact opposite of what would be flattering on me

[bethanydelleman]

I saw a post you reblogged at some point about Fanny being stuck in a time loop and it got me thinking: if the main men (both protagonists and antagonists) of the different Austen novels time travelled back to the day they first met their love interest/the start of the novel - whichever is latest so wentworth, knightley, and Edmund Bertram would travel to the day the main events of their novels start - who do you think would end up changing the least of the events and the most (intentionally or not)?

Because I feel like Knightley would change the least and Henry Tilney and the three S&S gents would come next. But like Wentworth would immediately throw the entire novel off track and like Darcy and Henry Crawford would come in close second trying to change their truly awful first impressions

(Also I just want to add that I really love your Austen takes and discussions 😊)

Thank you!

This is a fascinating idea. Here are my thoughts:

Wentworth just marches into Uppercross Cottage and proposes again. Doesn't even wait to be properly introduced to the family. He's getting Anne back NOW. (She says yes, of course)

I can imagine Darcy having a tiny little crisis as he decides if he really wants to be married to Elizabeth, maybe he could just not accompany Bingley to Netherfield and his life could go the way he planned... nah, he can't resist. Off to Netherfield he goes and he lets Bingley introduce him to Elizabeth at the assembly ball. Things progress unimpeded and by Christmas there is a double wedding and Wickham's character is known throughout Hertfordshire. He skips town and Lydia is packed off to Pemberley to benefit from some better society. (Side note: Mrs. Bennet would push Mr. Collins on Mary if she had any inclination that Darcy liked Elizabeth).

If Bingley knew everything, he'd never leave Jane. He'd return from London and marry her, no matter what Darcy or his sisters said. (I wrote that once actually)

Does Wickham count as a main? Because I don't want him having the ability to predict the future. Yikes on bikes!

Henry Crawford is very interesting, because does he actually understand where he went wrong? I'm not sure he does. Can he resist a flirtation with two very pretty sisters? That would be a fun fan fiction to write. Because if he went for Fanny right off the bat and she knew nothing else about him... he'd probably succeed with her, secret Edmund love or not. And she certainly wouldn't have a leg to stand on in refusing his proposal.

Does Edmund come back in the same timeline as Henry? That would be so agnsty! If not, he'd probably be doing whatever he could to keep Maria and Henry apart, but he's shockingly ineffective in canon, so would he even be able to change anything?

Henry Tilney would probably just try to prevent Catherine being sent home alone. He could easily come back early.

Mr. Knightley's best move would be to tell Robert Martin to propose in person. I doubt Harriet could have resisted. Then he could just sit back and watch everything else play out.

Honestly, I don't know if Frank Churchill would change a thing, other than making sure his final letter was posted to Jane. He enjoyed the subterfuge.

Poor Edward Ferrars has to travel back while engaged to Lucy? I feel like he wouldn't even want to relive the novel, there is nothing he can do anyway.

Colonel Brandon would probably change a lot. He could immediately save Eliza and challenge Willoughby. He might even spare Marianne from a lot of pain.

Reginald de Courcy (Lady Susan) would likely act as well and save Frederica earlier than in the novel.

[videovamptramp]

the great war pt 1

natasha romanoff x fem reader

warnings: if you count flirting as cheating then nats a cheater 🤡, angst, breakups, idk why i can never write fluffy shit…, kinda mean nat?, natasha’s a bad girlfriend but she means well.

(part 2 will be uploaded on saturday or sunday morning depending on where u live! i already have it written, just need to revise and edit 😊)

//

natasha knows treating you the way she has isn’t enough. she knows she’s doing almost everything wrong in the relationship. she doesn’t understand intimacy too well (if not at all), she barely grasps the concept of monogamy (it doesn’t help that she flirts with almost every woman she meets), and she doesn’t understand you at all. sometimes, you feel like she doesn’t even try. above all of that, natasha has never even told you that she loves you. it’s been two and a half years, and she’s never said it. some days, natasha racks her brain trying to figure out why you haven’t left yet.

natasha loves you. she knows this, though she doesn’t know if you do. she wonders if you know just how much she loves you; how she often craves those gentle touches of yours that only you can give her. you read her so well, she never even has to ask, you just know. whenever she’s had a bad day or a tough mission, you somehow know. whenever she wakes up craving pancakes, there you are making pancakes without her even saying anything about it. it’s funny, wanda maximoff is the mind reader, but you seem to be the only one who can truly read natasha romanoff.

though, tonight— tonight you aren’t too sure about what natasha’s doing, or what she wants. you’re currently at the bar with kate and yelena, while watching natasha flirt with maria hill right in front of your face. you’ve had to sit through not one, but two sexy dances. watching your girlfriend let her work partner grind all over her isn’t actually how you imagined the night going. the truth was you didn’t even want to come out tonight, but you did for her. she asked you to come out with her, and now you’re sitting at the bar watching her practically undress maria with her eyes.

you chug the rest of what’s in your drink, and turn your attention back to yelena and kate. “i think i’m gonna head home. i’m not feeling too well.” you half lie, and kate’s face falls. “what?! but you’ve only been here for an hour! come on, stay! don’t let natasha ruin your night.” kate tries, and yelena smirks. “you know, you and i can always dance and make her jealous.” yelena offers, and you giggle sadly. “thanks lena, but that’s not what i do... truthfully, i don’t even care anymore. if she wants to flirt or hookup with hill tonight, that’s fine.” you sound exhausted, and this causes both of your friends expressions to morph into looks of concern. “i’m tired...” you trail off, and you stop yourself to keep your voice from breaking.

... i’m tired of trying to be what she wants. i’m tired of not being enough.

you clear your throat, reaching into your pocket and pulling out a twenty dollar bill for your now finished drinks. “at least let me drive you home!” kate tries, and you shake your head. “no, you stay. have fun! i’ll get a cab.” you assure her, and she looks like she wants to protest but you quickly gather your things and stand up, adjusting your dress. “if nat notices i’m gone, which i doubt she will, tell her i went home.” you request, and yelena only nods as you walk away. you turn your head and catch a glimpse of maria whispering something in natasha’s ear. whatever it is it makes natasha grin in a way you haven’t been able to in months.

your heart feels like it’s being squeezed in your chest, but you manage to pry your eyes off of them, the image fully engraved into your mind as you walk out of the club.

“should we be worried? about her? like i know natasha’s your sister and all, but she’s cheating right in front of our eyes.” kate points out as she sips her fruity drink. yelena looks over at natasha who’s still talking to maria, seemingly unaware that you had even left. yelena shakes her head, “natasha? she’s always like this. she pushes and pushes until she pushes the person she loves to snap or leave. you can call it what you want, but i call it self sabotage.” yelena blurts out her retort, and kate shakes her head. “but y/n loves her, yel. i’m really concerned, because she’s willing to let natasha cheat on her. who does that?” kate asks and yelena sighs, reaching for another shot.

“someone who’s tired. she’s probably... how do you say... mentally gone already? yeah, that’s it. she probably doesn’t care anymore about what natasha does.” yelena says, and kate’s face changes as she notices natasha somehow is now behind yelena, and can hear everything the blonde is saying. “i mean, would you? she’s given maria hill more attention in the last hour and a half than she has given y/n all month.” yelena adds, “i wouldn’t be surprised if natasha gets home one day and she’s gone.” yelana continues and kate shakes her head, flashing yelena a look of panic.

“what? do i have something on my face?” yelena asks, and natasha clears her throat from behind the blonde. yelena turns around, and is seemingly unfazed by her sisters sudden presence. “well if it isn’t the woman of the hour! how is your night fling going, сестра (sister)?” yelena asks with a drunk smile on her face, causing natasha to scoff. “fling? and do i wanna know what you were just talking about? or why?” natasha asks, and yelena chortles sardonically. “yes, your fling. your shield partner who you’ve been dry humping all night in front of your girlfriend.” yelena answers and kate sips her drink awkwardly, trying to avoid natasha’s harsh gaze.

“you know what yelena? what do you know about my girlfriend?” natasha asks bitterly, knowing too well about yelena’s not so little crush on you. yelena rolls her eyes, “apparently more than you. y/n has been gone for almost half an hour now, and you haven’t even noticed. i may not have experience in relationships, but i know you’re not supposed to hurt her all the time.” yelena states, and natasha’s fists ball up. “i hurt her all the time?? is that what she tells you?” natasha asks and yelena huffs. “obviously not, natalia! you know she practically worships the ground you walk on! you know what i think? i think when you know someone loves you, you never think twice about them again.” yelena spits harshly, and natasha’s hard expression falters at the words.

“people like you truly don’t know what they have until it’s gone. and when she realizes she deserves better than catching a cab on her own in the middle of november— better than watching you give someone else attention while you’ve barely spared her a single glance since you’ve been back from your mission— she’ll be fine. she’ll find better. but you won’t find someone who loves you that much again, and you know it.” yelena says through gritted teeth, and natasha is staring into yelena’s eyes as if she could see right into her soul.

kate was positive someone was going to get murdered tonight, and it was definitely going to be yelena. until natasha shifts from one foot to the other, and sighs, “where’d she go?” natasha demands, and yelena chuckles, “oh now you care?” the blonde asks, and kate puts her hand on yelena’s shoulder. “she went back home.” kate cuts in, and natasha only nods. she avoids yelena’s gaze before talking again, “i do love her.” natasha starts, and yelena rolls her eyes, turning her head to the side in order to gaze away from natasha.

“you’re both the only two people i love unconditionally in this world.” natasha adds and yelena seems to soften only a bit at the words. “you have a funny way of showing it, сестра (sister).” yelena murmurs, and natasha sighs as she looks at kate, silently apologizing like a scorned puppy. “she’ll forgive you. she always does.” kate tries to reassure the redhead but this only makes her feel even more guilty. natasha nods, but says nothing else. “you better gravel.” yelena blurts out, snickering as natasha walks away.

the entire way back to your guys shared apartment, natasha thinks about you. the way she’s treated you. yelena’s words ring through her head, and she can’t help but grimace she thinks about them.

“you know what i think? i think when you know someone loves you, you never think twice about them again.”

that couldn’t be further from the truth. yet, yelena’s words still hurt. what if you think the same way as the blonde?

“i wouldn’t be surprised if natasha gets home one day and she’s gone.”

yelena’s words hold heavy weight and meaning, and they manage to make natasha’s blood run cold. she doesn’t want to think about you leaving, but she’d be lying if she said she never does. every day she thinks about how much better you deserve, and how wonderful you are. she thinks about all the little things you do for her, like purchasing her favorite brand of hot cocoa from the grocery store. the way you always leave sticky notes on the mirror, telling her you love her. she notices every little thing you do for her. from the way you organize her drawers, to the way you cook dinner based on the foods she prefers.

when she gets home there’s a chilling, deafening silence in the apartment. there wasn’t a single sound other than the sirens and noises coming from the busy streets of new york. “detka?” natasha calls out, as she shuts the door behind her. when she walks in, she sees your sweater from tonight carelessly thrown on the back of the couch. the redhead walks further into your shared apartment, and as she approaches her bedroom, her heart sinks.

you’re not here.

“y/n?” natasha asks, her voice louder this time. when she’s met by more silence, a wave of panic washes over her. “no— shit, fuck—“ natasha slurs while she curses as she fumbles with the purse in her hands, her slightly shaky hands searching for her phone. something in her chest tightens as she unlocks her phone, the screensaver she has of you eating ice cream would in any other case make her smile. right now it makes the uncomfortable pit in her stomach grow as she starts to sober up while pressing on your contact information.

the phone rings twice before natasha can hear your phone ringing somewhere in the kitchen. natasha rushes over in the direction of the sound, and when she sees your phone on the counter, her heart drops right into her stomach. that little condescending voice in her brain is screaming ‘she left. of course she left you, who wouldn’t leave you after all the shit you’ve pulled?’ along with things like ‘yelena was right.’ ‘you never deserved her anyways.’ ‘you’re just a whore, natalia.’

her thoughts are suddenly interrupted by you casually entering the apartment wearing your pink velvet short pajama set. your hair is in unruly curls, and you nearly stop in your tracks at the sight of your girlfriend standing in the middle of the apartment with an inscrutable expression on her face. “you’re home?” you ask uncertainly, yet your voice and face don’t indicate any signs of anger. in fact, you sort of look confused. it’s hard for natasha to swallow as her hands tremble and she lets out a breath of slight relief as she realizes you’re back. “what’s wrong?” you question after not getting an answer from your gaping girlfriend.

“i— i got home and you weren’t here... where— where’d you go?” natasha asks, swallowing past the lump in her throat. her fists are opening and closing, and she’s standing robotically across the room. you step closer to her subconsciously, “mrs. rodriguez knocked; mr. whiskers got loose in the building and i was helping her look for him. we found him on top of the vending machine on level three.” you reveal, explaining your short absence to the ex-assassin. “why are you home so early?” you ask nonchalantly, as you walk past natasha, towards the counter where your phone is.

“you left early. why’d you leave?” natasha asks, ignoring your question, and you notice the way her voice breaks every so slightly. you furrow your brows, “i— i was tired, and i didn’t want to ruin your night... i told yelena and kate to let you know.” you retort, and natasha folds her arms. “you should have told me.” she states, and you raise a brow. “and interrupt whatever the hell was going on between you and maria? no thanks, i was already humiliated enough.” you murmur, and natasha tenses up.

“there’s nothing going on between me and agent hill.” she says seriously, and you roll your eyes. “does she know that? because she was blushing at everything you were saying tonight.” you respond smartly, and natasha scoffs, her crossed arms tightening over her chest. “i didn’t do anything tonight that i don’t usually do when i go out.” she points out, and you sigh, pushing your hair behind your ears. you look at natasha, and she can see on your face how exhausted you are. “yeah, i know.” you say under your breath, “that’s the problem.” you add as you go to leave and natasha moves with you, blocking your way to the bedroom.

“what’s that supposed to mean?” she asks a bit demandingly. you shake your head, “it doesn’t mean a thing to you, i know that.” you respond, your tone lacking it’s usual softness. natasha pauses, and you sigh. “look, i’m really tired, okay? i can’t do this whole fight just to make up thing tonight. i’m going to bed.” you declare, and natasha blinks a few times as you manage to make your way past her and towards the bedroom.

“you’re tired... tired of me?” natasha asks, her voice different than it usually is. this causes you to stop and turn back to look at her. “i’d never get tired of you. ever.” you affirm certainly, but your answer doesn’t seem to satisfy natasha. your shoulders slouch a bit, “i’m tired of the way you make me feel, nat.” you admit, your tone low, and your eyes on the floor. “i’m tired of laying awake at night while you’re out flirting and doing who knows what with people i have to face day to day, and they all wonder the same thing i do. i know it.” your voice cracks as you swallow thickly in order to keep your voice clear. “and what’s that? what are they all wondering?” she asks in a manner you’ve never heard before. your eyes meet hers, and for the first time she can see just how hurt you are.

“if i’m even enough for you. or why you’re even with me in the first place.” you whisper, looking away as your eyes begin to water. the way your bottom lip begins to quiver, and the way your eyes are begging for an answer makes natasha’s heart shatter. “detka...” natasha trails off, her voice faint and quiet. you shake your head, trying to be strong as your teary orbs meet hers. “you know you don’t have to pretend to love me, or settle for me... right? i— i’m a big girl, natasha, i can handle the truth. i think... i think i deserve the truth.” your voice trembles, but you keep your gaze locked on natasha despite the tears in your eyes and you’re trying to blink them away rapidly, causing each tear to fall one by one; streaming down your cheeks to your jaw.

the titian-haired woman stares at you for a long moment, her eyes now glossy and full of anguish. the flicker of emotions in those forest-green orbs does nothing to ease your fears and anxieties that are creeping up on you. tonight’s the night, you think, the night she finally admits you’re not enough for her. you never will be. “pretending to love you? is that what you think i’m doing?” natasha inquires in pure disbelief. “you think i don’t really love you? you think i settled for you??” natasha asks, sounding more upset than you’ve ever heard her. you don’t know what comes over you, but the dam that’s been poorly put together, finally bursts.

“not just me, natasha… everyone thinks that. and tonight— god, tonight you were just showing me how you really feel and i need to stop ignoring it.” you breathe out, the end of your palms digging into your eyelids, as you try your absolute hardest to ignore the urgent need to cry. natasha shakes her head, “that’s not true! i love you more than i love anything! you know that!” natasha raises her voice, and you stare at her with a pained expression. “i don’t. not anymore, and especially not after everything you’ve done.” you respond in a monotone.

natasha stares at you, trying to figure out your next move, but for the first time since she’s met you, she can’t. “maybe... maybe you should just go. go back to the club... back to maria. i’m sure she’ll be more than happy to let you stay at her place... just till i can find a place of my own—“ you begin to ramble, and natasha’s eyes widen. “no!” she shouts, causing you to nearly flinch. “no, please— please don’t. please... don’t make me go.” natasha begs, her voice cracking and you can’t help but flash her a heartbroken expression.

“what else can i do, natasha? i’m not going to compete with her. i can’t... not when she’s obviously the better choice for you.” you hug your arms around yourself, turning away from natasha in order to hide the insecurity written all over your face. “the better choice?” natasha asks unrecognizably, and you turn to face her; the look on your face shatters her. “please don’t make me say it.” you beg, you’re heartbroken enough. “you’re going to have to, because i don’t understand. on what planet is maria hill a better choice than you?” natasha asks, and your fingernails dig into your upper arms.

“just... just leave me alone for the rest of the night. please.” you plead, and she takes a step closer to you, causing you to instinctively take a few steps back. “not tonight.” you add in a strained tone, natasha swears the floor might swallow her whole, and she desperately wants you to hold her. but the way you looked at her— you look absolutely disappointed in her. it makes her realize yelena had more of a point than she anticipated. you turn away, facing your bedroom, and you’re ready for this night to end already. you’re exhausted and all you wanted was to watch movies and cuddle tonight. instead you got this. again.

“i’m sorry.” natasha croaks out, and you close your eyes tightly, clenching your jaw. “me too.” you manage to voice out as you walk into the room, shutting the door behind you. the sound of the lock makes natasha’s heart fall further into that pit that only seems to be growing.

natasha’s legs feel like jelly as she shuffles to the bedroom door. her nose practically touches the cold wood, “i’m sorry.” natasha repeats through the door, “i’ve been a shitty girlfriend. i haven’t treated you the way you deserve, and i know that. i don’t mean to be this way...” her tone is broken and frail, and you stare at the door with tears falling out of your eyes. “the truth is, i don’t know why i do a lot of things. i was trained for everything...” natasha trails off, her voice getting caught somewhere in her windpipe. she swallows past the lump in her throat, “... but i wasn’t trained to keep a good thing. i’ve never had a good thing like this, and when you say you’re not enough for me, that’s just not true. i’m not enough for you.” natasha doesn’t realize she’s crying until she can taste the bitter salt on her lips, falling off her jaw and down to her collarbone.

her forehead is touching the door, and she lets out a ragged breath, squeezing her eyes shut. you don’t say anything, and god, she‘s terrified that she fucked this up beyond repair. then, she hears the door click, and she stands up straight, sniffling as you open the door. you peak through, your eyes full of tears, and they only multiply when you see her red and puffy eyes. she’s staring at you like a lost puppy and you reach for her, immediately seeking her comfort. natasha wraps her muscular arms around the back of your neck, pulling you flush against her. you both say nothing as she holds you in her arms, crying simultaneously. natasha’s arms are wrapped around your neck and she breathes you in. she never wants to let you go.

a few minutes of silence tick by, “i can’t do this anymore, nat…” you whisper, and the words make her heart fall deeper into that blackhole. there’s tears falling out of your eyes and you sniffle as you pull away from the taller woman. “i c-can’t keep doing this. i’m… i’m gonna stay at lizzie’s for awhile.” your voice cracks, and natasha’s eyes widen, she shakes her head quickly, “no— detka please. i can fix this. please, just give me a chance to fix it.” she begs, and you look down, the salty tears streaming down your cheeks. “no nat. i— i need time to think… i don’t want to feel this way anymore.” you express, your hand on your chest as if she’d literally taken a knife and stabbed you through the heart. natasha feels an enormous amount of guilt and regret as she realizes just how badly her actions have affected you.

“baby please… i’m sorry. i don’t want you to leave.” her voice cracks, and her mascara is running. she looks heartbroken, but so do you. it took her this long to realize you’ve been feeling this way, and it was all because of her foolish actions. “you should’ve thought about that before… you really hurt me, nat.” you try to sound strong, but the way you’re crying makes you feel weak. you turn around and make your way into your bedroom, ready to gather a bag of your things then call your sister to come and get you. natasha’s stuck in place as she watches you move around the bedroom, packing a duffel bag. her hearts pounding in her ears, she can’t move or say anything as you talk on the phone with your sister and she agrees to pick you up.

her body doesn’t feel like her own as you throw on a pair of jeans and your own hoodie; it becomes too real as you put your shoes on. she feels like a robot, standing in the middle of her bedroom. you give her one last look before throwing your bag over your shoulder and leaving; you don’t even realize you take natasha’s heart with you when you leave. after the door slams, the silence engulfs her and she can physically feel her heart break in two. what the hell did she do?

[finleyforevermore]

🌟CASTING MY MUTUALS IN: SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET!🌟

Side note: I cast based on if the character reminds me of the moot, or if I can see the moot playing the character! If you get cast as a bad guy, of course I don't think of you that way! The reason I casted you is the second reason, I can just see you in that role! Cool? Cool! Now grab your razors, and let's get to cutting!

For those who paid attention to my blog, you all saw this first one coming 😅:

Finley as Sweeney Todd and Zeep (@ziipzeepzop-eez) as Mrs. Lovett

Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett in the picture. (2023 Broadway)

Reasons for...me!: Sweeney is an actual dream role of mine! Not to mention it'd be a blast to get to play a not nice guy for 2 hours >:)

Reasons for Zeep: I wholeheartedly believe Zee has the comedic chops to play Lovett, and would absolutely sell the serious moments as well. In Zee we trust 😌

Mari (@heylittlestellbird) as Johanna

Maria Bilbao as Johanna in the picture. (2023 Broadway)

Reasons for Stella: Johanna is associated with birds. Who's got "bird" in their username? Mari! I rest my case! XD /silly

Atlas (@literatureisdying) as Anthony Hope

Jordan Fisher as Anthony in the picture. (2023 Broadway)

Reasons for Atlas: Anthony's number one character trait is yearning for Johanna. Atlas' number one trait is yearning for Auden. Simple! /silly

Mikey (@mushroom-hoodie) as The Beggar Woman

Ruthie Ann Miles as The Beggar Woman in the picture. (2023 Broadway)

Reasons for Mikey: Admittedly at first I had casted you as the Beggar Woman, because one, I just couldn't turn down your offer to be included, and two, I was struggling to think of skmeone else to cast you as but the more I thought about it the more I genuinely liked it! I think you'd do a really good job in this role! ^^

Frog (@ofthefrogs) as Tobias "Toby" Ragg

Joe Locke as Toby in the picture. (2023 Broadway)

Reasons for Froggy: I mean....just look at you and then look at Toby and tell me you don't look alike.

But also! Toby is a sweetheart! Froggy is also a sweetheart! I rest my case.

Ender (@ender-outlaw) as Adolfo Pirelli

Nicholas Christopher as Pirelli in the picture. (2023 Broadway)

Reasons for Ender: While you and Pirelli really couldn't be any more different, you're already a very charming person (Pirelli is in fact not that XD) and I think you'd have a great time playing him! Also, this is Tumblr! Who gives a hoot about gender? We can have a female Pirelli if we want!! >:D

Greaseball (@gb-diesellok) as Judge Turpin

Jamie Jackson as Turpin in the picture. (2023 Broadway)

Reasons for Greaseball: Just like Ender and Pirelli, you and Turpin really couldn't be any more different XD but your voice definitely fits comfortably into all of Turpin's vocal parts! ^^

Rook (@rook-specter) as Beadle Bamford

John Rapson as Bamford in the picture. (2023 Broadway)

Reasons for Crepuscule: Just like Ender and Pirelli AND Geebs and Turpin, you and Bamford aren't very much alike either! Who woulda guessed? XD

But I think your portrayal would be absolutely delightful and very funny (very much like his portrayal in the 2023 Broadway revival funnily enough)

And last, but most certainly not least..

What's a musical without it's Ensemble? :D

From left to right, we have:

@sandsmand, Troy (@the-fag-with-the-swag), Ash (@ripash), Wolf (@electricfied-wolf), Razzle (@whistlingstarlight), Ash (@idk-what-to-make-user), Charlie (@gently-decaying-flowers), Cal (@treasure-goblin), Amor (@nuncscioquidsitamor-14), Gabi (@splendidred05), Finn (@lordcatwich), & Eli (@theelispace)!

[catholic-character-tournament]

Semi-Finals - Catholic Character Tournament

Propaganda below ⬇️

Sister Michael

She drives a DeLorean. She does judo on Fridays. She likes a good statue and despises the French. Her full nun name is Sister George Michael, after the guy from Wham!. She is the fiercest nun you’ll ever come across and, if you’re attending Lady Immaculate College, she’s the woman in charge. So whatever you do, if you’re feeling anxious or worried or just need a chat: don’t come crying to her.

joined the nunnery for the free accommodation?

she does love a good statue it has to be said

She is the headmistress of a catholic school <3

sister michael so reminds me of the nuns who taught me. they're tough and sometimes a little harsher than a woman who dedicated her life to god should be but they're also wonderful people. i had a nun teacher who was 60 years old and would do handstands. another nun (also in her 60s) told me god was nonbinary. another was really mean and made me cry. (so did the handstand nun.) while the catholic girls school is The Catholic Experience, the school wouldn't have been the same for me or the derry girls without at least one nun who seemed to have sprung up out of the ground fully formed, ageless.

Shadow

In sonic destruction (the AI generated fan thing snapcube made a while ago) shadow was catholic or something which I think is reallyyyyyyy funny

Ok listen. I know this is a stretch but hear me out. He says “oh my God” in the Twitter takeovers so we know this is a possibility. I see him as a Christ-like figure because I saw his whole confrontation with Mephiles and was like “this is a thing that happened in the Bible??” and the pose Mephiles shows him in is literally like a crucifixion and Mephiles is meant to be a demon / false prophet reference. And also he’s called a demon in Shadow The Hedgehog 2005 then the guy who calls him that is like “I was wrong I’m sorry” and that also reminds me of a thing with Jesus in The Bible. But the biggest reason is his whole thing with Maria cause I think he’d come to earth and hear Ave Maria once and convert to Catholicism idk he’s like we’re comforted by a female familial figure named Mary sometimes called Maria?? And her color is blue????? Heck yeah I’m in because I Will Cry. Also feel free to share this as propaganda obv even if he doesn’t get in the bracket just. It’s funny.

I feel like he’d battle a lot with being seen or portrayed as a demon and how the aliens he’s related to very much look and act like demons idk lmao- and also I feel like confession would just be good for him I think he needs it for his mental health

There is a debate on the lovely website tunblr that Shadow T. Hedgehog is an allegory for Jesus Christ.

He is Jesus, idk what to tell you. He lived, he was sealed away, he was awakened again and deemed the ultimate lifeforms, he’s angry but not evil, does what he believes is best for people and the world at any given time. Total loser.

Vote for Shadow the Hedgehog

There seems to be some confusion in the notes. He is Catholic. It may not be explicit, but it can be inferred.

Shadow was created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, and for the early part of his life, lived with Gerald and his granddaughter, Maria Robotnik.

Robotnik is not a made-up name. Google Search results may only bring up pages related to the Robotniks of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, however, it is a rarely used Polish surname. Poland is a historically Catholic nation, and… come on. Maria is the most Catholic name ever. The Robotniks are Catholic. Shadow was created and raised by Catholics.

Now you may be wondering to yourself: Does Catholicism even exist in Sonic? The answer is yes, at least in the Archie comics, where Protestants are explicitly mentioned.

64.media.tumblr.com

Couple this with the fact that several characters, including Shadow, have canonically taken the Lord’s name in vain, it is reasonable to infer that Christianity, and therefore Catholicism, exists.

So… while Shadow’s own religious beliefs may not have been explicitly addressed… at minimum:

Catholic is a cultural designation that Shadow will always be allowed to claim based on the family that made him.

Whether he’d actually want to claim that designation is a different conversation, but the other propaganda does a fine job of explaining why it may be appropriate to headcanon him as a practicing Catholic.

Now that we’ve established that Shadow has as much of a right to be in this tournament as anyone else, there’s one very important reason you should vote for him:

It would be funny if he won.

Thank you.

64.media.tumblr.com

Essays are done!! Here’s some Shadow propaganda because the propaganda we currently have sucks and I need to fix that. While yes, Shadow being Catholic is a meme, there is more to outside of the simple “fandub said so” and its not quite stated its Catholicism but just how he behaves and his actions. There’s a lot of Sonic content so I will try to keep this brief. Gonna get headcanons out of the way.

Shadow is Chilean and so are Maria and Gerald Robotnik because I fucking say so and they’re Catholic. He definitely had un rosario next to his like. Bed or test tube whatever he slept in. So did Maria btw. Alright let’s move on because I am 100% correct.

Let’s start with some background for Shadow. Shadow was created as a cure for a girl called Maria and he grew to care for her as a sister and loved her deeply. He was artificially created but still holds a soul that is similar to Maria’s. Long story short, Maria is killed protecting Shadow who watches as she’s shot in front of him. He has his memories tampered by Maria’s grandfather, Gerald, who manipulates him into carrying out revenge on the Earth, even if Shadow ends up as collateral.

Shadow struggles with frequent identity crises, even before Maria’s death and always wondered what his purpose was, what he was made to do. Was he a weapon? Was he a cure? He’s the Ultimate Lifeform, but what does that truly mean? ? He’s Shadow, but what more is there to him? He doesn’t know what his purpose is other than what others have prescribed to him, and he guides himself through the will of others (something that he breaks through afterwards but not yet). Shadow at his core is self-sacrificing and constantly punishes himself. This is where you can see some of that good old guilt that everyone has been using as propaganda, but we also see someone who is giving and kind.

He is snarky in the game, especially when interacting with Sonic, but he’s having what is essentially an ongoing mental breakdown but keeps moving because it is his duty to his sister. He doesn’t believe himself important enough to continue on after her and sees it in himself to act out on “Maria’s wishes”. After the revelation that Maria’s final wish for Shadow was for him to make those on Earth happy and to protect them, he immediately sacrifices himself to do so.

Okay, that’s a lot and you’re probably asking “Okay, you mentioned he is a giving person and yeah he has guilt, but that’s not really Catholicism” and yes you would be right! So let’s go into the more important part of being Catholic. The charity, the community, the kindness, etc. Shadow is a very reserved person and has the habit of being a dumb teenager because well. Yeah. Anyways, he definitely has a soft spot for those he cares about and while his whole arc (in my opinion) is about finding the freedom of self-autonomy, it is also Shadow growing as a person and deciding not to save people because others have told him he needs to, but because he wants to. It is born from his soul and its his nature to care for people. It is who he is, and he knows it now. He’s not doing it because he’s a hero or because he is told to do so. Shadow is a very giving person and I think people tend to forget about that especially due to bad writing from the past decade or so. He is also stated to help out at food shelters and volunteers a lot. He is proud and a bit prickly, but he cares so deeply about those he loves. He is stronger with his loved ones and will always do his best to protect them. These are minor, yeah, but you don’t need sweeping and enormous acts to get attention for the good deeds you do. Most of what you apply of Catholicism is done at the personal level, between your friends, family, and community.He also goes to Mass whenever he can and if he can’t he goes to the capilla and also does the sign of the cross whenever he runs by a church. Cutting this off because this is already 740-ish words and I had to send these across multiple asks I am so sorry Catholic mod

[valscodblog]

"ℙ𝕀𝕊𝕋𝕆𝕃𝔸" an Alejandro Vargas x OC; Pt 1

Warnings: Non really-just some. Not for this part at least. Just some vulgar language and a very very very very slight mention of past attempted murder. Oh, and refusal to move on. (not like-romanticly, like rant wise.)

OC: Maria "Pistola" Sanchez

Credits to OC: Myself C:

Tags: @writing-with-moss @thebunnednun @seconds-over-first @needa-sum-luvn and @skauni oh and wth why not!? @spicy-seaweed

"I love how she does this!" "I love how she does that!" "Ohh, she performs so well, how is she only a corp?"

Like she needed reminding of why she never tired to move up. Of Why she tried to make herself seem stupid and weak...but every single time she went into battle-she was reminded.

"Maria's one of the best-i recommend-" but she wasn't listening anymore. This is why she and Alejandro never saw eye to eye-he tired to convince her to let him write to the General to move her up-she always said no. She didn't want to be seen-seeing as she was forced into this life. "Ay, Cállate, Alejandro! I'm not the best of the best and you know this," she said, cutting him off in the middle of this stupid meeting. Alejandro put one eyebrow up-so high it arched in the middle and made him look ever so dangerous. "Delscupme?"

She bit her lower lip and said, "Nada...Nada." "Yo creio que...y, Si has terminado, María..." Maria nodded, and tuned out his voice again. Rudy was going to use her as a toll during this mission and she already knew that-he always did. Rudy was nice, sure, but he had a levrage on Maria no one else did. Her past. She looked at Rudy-and he looked back, smiling. El Pendejo. She forced a smile back at him before looking down at her lap-"Maria! Are you even listening to me, amor?" "Si, si, claro que si." Alejandro hummed before saying, "What did I just say then?" "You said i was to work with Rudy-otra ves-and-" "No. I did not. I said you are to work with el nuevo teniente."

"There's a new one?" Maria asked, quirking a brow up, and crossing her arms over her chest-oh if only she knew the affect she had on him. Alejandro took a deep breath before saying, "Si, there's a new one. Ghost, they call him. You've never met him-but we're changing that...you'll also be working with another sergeant-Soap." Maria held back on hell of a barking laugh. "SOAP? ¿Jabón? they call him that? Why?" "no se, now. If your done talking back, we'll leave to meet your new partners." "Fine, fine..."

Alejandro picked up a file and said, "This is for the-" "I dont want to know, Alejandro. Nor do i want to, Pendejo." Alejandro sighed, "You still mad at me for that?" "Yes i am." "I told you-you succeed that mission, you were moving up whether you liked it or not!" "Yo se! Pero-I told you why i don't want to!" "And I don't care! The forms are sent-long over due-and el general-" "I don't care! No me importa!"

And they walked off in silence. Maria's anger known to all those who saw her-Alejandro's too. "Why are you like this, chica?" "Be-" "Don't give me no sassy response, quagliò." "...im going to kill you, Vargas." "Try it, muchacha. I dare you." "...Vete a la mierda, Alejandro."

"Ghost...is the one with the skull mask, si? ...How do we know he ain't part of el sin nombre's ranks?" Maria asked, eyeing the new Lt. Alejandro sighed. "Laswell recommended him. Same with Price." Maria was still skeptical but she nodded. "Okay..." "Just-go meet him, huh?" "Fine." She walked over to him and said, "Ghost, i take it?" the tall man nodded. "You must be Pistola." "that I am."

"Why do they call you that, eh?" ghost asked, Maria smiled, "Should I show you, Pendejo?" "Ay! That's enough, Mari-Pistola." Maria glared at Rudy and he fixed her name halfway through. "Mari, her name's Mari?" the other one asked, the one with a mohawk. She shook her head. "Dumb nickname they call me," she lied smoothly. "Short for my real name-which you idiotos will not be receiving whatsoever-so don't ask." Alejandro frowned at Maria before raising his eyebrows.

'Play nice.' That's what the look meant. She frowned back before sighing. If that CIA lady said that they could trust these two...No. Should she trust again it would be the end of her world. No, she won't play nice. She'll play cold. She'll play harsh. And she'll play Dirty. She nodded at Alejandro, who was now walking over before looking at the one with a mohawk. "You-Mohawk. You a punk rocker or somethin'?" And he blinked. "Scottish. That's wha' aye am." She hummed. "Scotland, huh? What part?" "That's private." "My bad-just tryna...i dunno, be nice or whatever," she said, shrugging. Soap nodded, "I get it, i doo, just doon't ask my home yeah?" "Yeah-sure."

"Oye, Pistola, ven." "Si, senor."

"Que?" "Maria, por favor, I know your scared of-" "Shut up." "Exscuse-" "Shut. Up, Alejandro. I'm scared yes, But do I want Rudy or the rest of LOs Vaqueros knowing that? No!" "Why are you scared, Amor? Soy aqui-" "Yo se! Yo se, okay, Alejandro? Pero-Yo-" she took a deep breath, "They could work for my uncle and we wouldn't never know." Alejandro sighed, "Your never goinf to let that go are you?" "You think Imma just-forgive mi tio for trying to kill the both of us?" "...No. Not when you put it like that...but he's the genaral of Mexico! What are we going to do? Plus-their flags say-" "Undercovers! They could be undercovers!"

Alejandro looked at Maria-really looked at her for the first time since recruiting her eleven years ago and his eyes went wide.

"...You don't trust me, do you?"

And she shook her head. Eleven years-and she never trusted him. Not once. Not during the nights they spent alone-not during the missions they took, not during any of it. She never had trusted him.

"Is this why they call you Pistola? Because your like a bullet to the heart, Corazon?"

[popquizhot-shot]

Haven't I? - Part 1

They’re here.

Even though he’s been doing patrols for months here and is more than capable of himself, you can’t help but worry when it comes to Tommy.

Call it a sisterly instinct, but whatever it may be, you’re relieved Tommy’s back. 

The sound of horse’s hooves rouses Marie from her sleep and she rests her hand on her growing stomach. She’s at least three weeks along and the occasional morning sickness made her tired, but her bull-headed self refused to rest until absolutely necessary.

 You hand her her coat and put your mask on.

 The snow crunches beneath your boots and you can see Tommy walking back from the stables. His eyes soften as Maria’s footsteps fall faster.

There’s a mixture of bitterness and love when you look at them embracing. It’s painful to think of him. He probably thinks you’re dead. You clench your jaw and force the thought of him to the furthest corner of your brain. Leaving it among the memories that you don’t think about. Sarah’s laughter. Dancing together while making pancakes. Your wedding to her father. How she was only six and the flower girl, throwing petals with the most adorable smile on her face. The smile on your husband’s face when he said ‘i do.’

No, those were memories you never thought of.

You’re shaken from your thoughts as Tommy’s arms fall around you, “Told you I wouldn’t die.”

Scoffing, you reply, “Can’t blame me for worrying. What with your shit aim, I had no choice but to be worried.”  

Maria laughs as an indignant snort falls out his mouth as the three of you begin walking back towards the house.

He leans towards and murmurs, “You know you don’t have to always wear your mask.”

“Tommy, I scared a child a few days ago. Don’t talk shit.”

He just sighs in reply.

—-

Sleep doesn’t come easy, but when it does, all you dream of is the growls of the wolf.It had been after a child in your travelling group. And when you had run to save her, it decided to come for you instead.

When you’re not dreaming of that, you’re dreaming of your husband’s broken face when the both of you were separated in the mob.

This was when the QZ in Texas eventually became full of infected and you had to evacuate. The crowd was so huge and you were holding his hand right. 

“Honey, hold on! Be fucking careful!” His voice was harsh in the chaos and the grip he had on your hand was bruising.

Suddenly, in the rush your hand slipped. It slipped from his own. And you were screaming his name. 

Fire was all around you, the sounds of bells and sirens ringing, the screams of infected and terrified people filled your ears as you jogged in no particular direction to avoid being trampled alive.

You could hear your name as well, in the distance, his voice sounded raw and worn. 

You were roused from your sleep by Tommy shaking you awake, calling your name loudly.

You shot up, “What? What the hell happened Tommy?”

“Good morning to you too, sunshine” He pats your shoulder and leaves a bottle of water on your table, “We’re finishing those bannister’s today, and I’d appreciate your help.”

You stiffly nod, “Ok partner.”

He chuckles at the nickname, ever since you had met him, he was your partner in crime against his brother, and it stuck through the decades.

“See you, Trouble.” He says and leaves the room.

The walk to the bathroom to freshen is exhausting and you’re pretty sure you want to choke on the toothbrush rather than do anything else, but Tommy needed you. If no one else did, Maria and him always did.

It’s freezing. The snow still crunches under your boots, like it does everyday. Perhaps it’s the mundaneness of the act that fascinates you but the crunch is always so satisfying.

“You’re here, you old fucker” Tommy grins at your groans of pain as you attempt to climb the steep metal steps to the platform.

You flip him off and he laughs as you take the drill from another helper, “ I see Maria went out on patrol today.”

The grin is wiped off his face as he sands the wood, “Yeah.”

You can see pieces of his brother in him, in the way he does his work. 

“Fuck!” You wince. 

“You okay?” Tommy asks.

“Yeah, a fucking splinter. I’m going to go get this shit out.”

You’re walking back towards the house, mask down and sucking on your pointer finger, when the gates are being opened earlier than normal.

They’re back. Early.

But if they’re early it can only mean two things:

Someone’s dead, or there’s newcomers.

The horses are walking slowly and there’s no sign of commotion, so yes it is newcomers.

You’re able to see a girl riding on a horse, next to Maria and you can see Danny and Luis and then-

 No.

Oh god no.

It’s him. It’s the man of your dreams and the subject of your nightmares. He’s right there and he’s looking around in awe. The snow, the Christmas tree, the children. 

And his eyes fall on you.

And then they move on to someone else. 

That is when you see the other woman, she seems to be in her late thirties or so, her brown locks are  tied back and her face is tired.

But lord, she’s beautiful, and she’s got her arms around him.

Who is she?

You’re happy, you suppose, that he’s moved on. He’s happy, of course you would be. But you’re devastated. And your heart that’s been slowly piecing itself back together shatters completely and you turn to run back to the bannisters where Tommy is.

“Tommy!” 

With your call another’s voice mingles, and you want to hurl a rock at something.

Tommy looks at his brother and then at you, who is frantically motioning towards yourself and him.

Don’t tell him I’m here.

“What the fuck?” He manages to say when he’s on the ground.

“ Go, idiot!” You all but push him towards his brother and it takes everything in you to walk away.

And then he’s laughing. And you turn.  Because after everything you’re still weak.

His arm is around her shoulders and she’s looking at Tommy with distrust. The girl on the horse stares at the scene and you’re able to recognise her expression. Because you’re feeling it too.

The fear that you’re going to be left alone again.

—-—————-—-———————

You stare at her name  on the chalkboard and  it seems to glare at you in the silence of the house. The candles flutter almost as if they’re alive. 

The candles are more alive than your daughter. And you want to break them, throw them out into the snow and watch as they snuff out. As they die a death that won’t mean anything to anyone else. Just a sad inconvenience.

It’s lunch hour, and they’re all away.

He didn’t even look at you.

You scream into the cushions on the couch. It’s childish, but you welcome the raw searing pain and you let it flow through you. For everything you’ve done and for everyone you’ve lost and for all the pain you’ve gone through. All the memories you locked away, because you didn’t know what to do with them.

Her smile is all you can think of and his laughter is all you can hear. He’s twirling her around the kitchen and you laugh because this family is all yours. Your daughter and your husband and your house. The pancakes are fluffy and the sun is shining. 

“Mom, help me!” she giggles and starts laughing out loud when he begins tickling her. “No! Dad!”

Her shouts start to become more painful and it’s suddenly night.

“Mom! Help me!” she wails, “No, Dad it hurts!” her whimpers start to become more pained and her eyes are wide in fear.

You’re pressing down on her wound as Joel tries to shift her and she screams.

Her breathing is slowing and you’re shouting at Joel to let her down because she’s sobbing.

You’re hugging her close to you when both you and him feel her breathing stop and you know your life has stopped as well. All you do is hide your face in the expanse between her face and shoulder and sob. You put your arms around him and her corpse is enveloped between the both of you. It’s ironically just like how you used to hug her when she’d climb in your bed after a nightmare. 

Your screams have turned into sobs and you’re kneeling before the fireplace like it’s an altar and you’re begging for forgiveness. You rock back and forth like you did when you were holding her. 

When your sobs are finally spent and your head is throbbing, you get up and put your mask on. It’s past lunch and they’ll be back soon.

Part-2

[handfuloftime]

(A while ago @apurpledust mentioned wanting to know more about Duroc's children, so here's what information I have)

Duroc and his wife, Maria de las Nieves Martínez de Hervas, had two children, both of whom died tragically young. (Hervas left instructions that her gravestone should be engraved with "To the unhappiest of mothers".)

Their first child, Napoléon Louis Sidoine Joseph Duroc, was born on 24 February 1811 in Paris. Named for the emperor and his two grandfathers (Claude Sidoine de Michel du Roc and José Martínez de Hervas), he lived for just over fourteen months. The infant’s health was never good; Duroc wrote to Bertrand in March 1812 that “[Hervas] is doing well but her son has been and always is ill”. (As Duroc’s biographer Danielle Meyrueix notes, when writing of his wife and child he habitually referred to “her son” rather than “our son”. Perhaps not the most engaged of fathers.) Napoléon died on 6 May 1812 at Maidières in Lorraine. The architect Pierre Fontaine, noting in his journal that Hervas had asked him to design a tomb for her lost son, wrote that the child had been “a few days older than the King of Rome and destined to enjoy at that prince’s side all the favor with which the Emperor honored his father.”

Their daughter Hortense Eugénie Nieves Duroc was born on 14 May 1812, eight days after the young Napoléon’s death. (In a letter, Duroc implied that the news of the boy’s death had been kept from Hervas, who was in Paris, to avoid imperiling her health.) Named for her godmother, Hortense de Beauharnais, she was baptized in January 1813 alongside the duke of Bassano's daughter. After Duroc’s death in May 1813, Napoleon transferred the duchy of Friuli to her, writing to Hervas that Hortense would be “assured of my constant protection”. He also remembered her in his will, leaving her a large sum of money and recommending, in one last attempt at matchmaking, that she marry Bessières’s son, the duke of Istria. Hortense’s aunt wrote in 1823 that “Hortense is perfectly sweet, she’s a rare child for her spirit and intelligence, who her poor father would have been happy to see so fine in all respects”. She died of pneumonia on 24 September 1829 after three days of illness, aged seventeen.

A 1933 biography of Charles-Nicolas Fabvier (Hervas’s second husband) identifies this painting by Jeanne-Elisabeth Chaudet as a young Hortense Duroc. It was sold at an auction a few years ago with the title “Young Embroideress”, so either the sitter’s identity has been lost since then or it may never have been Hortense at all.

Duroc’s long liaison with the dancer Emilie Bigottini may also have resulted in at least one child. Felix Bouvier, writing a biographical sketch of Bigottini in 1909, claimed that “children were born of this irregular union, a daughter and a son named Odilon”. However, Odilon (full name Pierre Dominique Jean Marie Odilon Michel du Roc), born in 1801, was the son of Duroc’s cousin Géraud Pierre Michel du Roc, the marquis de Brion. On Duroc’s death, Napoleon made Odilon a page in the imperial household. (This may have given rise to Bouvier’s claim, as it seems to have confused people at the time. Caulaincourt had been tasked with sorting out Duroc’s affairs, including a substantial amount of money for Bigottini, and Duroc’s sister Jeanne implied that he had gotten the wrong impression from one of Duroc’s requests: “On the subject of the allowance for little Odilon, M. the duke of Vicenza was misled…he took a step which pained me very much”.) As for the daughter, all I’ve been able to find so far is a remark from Laure Junot that “It was known that the count Armand de Fuentès had had a daughter with Mademoiselle Bigottini, and that Duroc was in the same position”.

[princesssarisa]

Musical fandoms and ingenue hate

Is this really such a problem?

There's a YouTuber named Katherine Steele who mostly makes videos about musical theatre, and who has a small video series in defense of ingenue characters, titled "Why Everybody Hates..."

There are four videos in the series: "Why Everybody Hates Cosette" (Les Misérables), "Why Everybody Hates Christine" (The Phantom of the Opera), "Why Everybody Hates Johanna" (Sweeney Todd), and "Why Everybody Hates Maria" (West Side Story).

Some other sources – like TV Tropes, for example – have cited those videos to talk about why these characters are "widely" disliked.

But is it really true? Of all four of those musicals' fandoms, I've only been deep in the Les Misérables fandom, but from what I've seen people say about the others, I had no idea that those ingenue characters got big amounts of hate!

Being indifferent to the character doesn't count as hate, nor does considering her unoffensive but boring.

Do Johanna and Maria get the same kind of real loathing in the diehard Sweeney Todd and West Side Story fandoms that we see in the Les Mis fandom with talk about "that horrid Cosette," "I hate her with a passion," etc?

There is a lot of visceral, venomous Cosette-hate in the Les Mis fandom, or at least there used to be in the '90s and early 2000s. But it has a cause: Éponine. Immature people hate Cosette because she's loved by Marius, when they want him to love Éponine instead. (And to a lesser extent because she "abandons" her father Jean Valjean, but that's more the novel's Cosette than the musical's.)

I know that there's also some Christine hate among Phantom Phans, which is also love-triangle related: they hate her for choosing Raoul instead of the Phantom.

But I had no idea that Sweeney and WSS fans were venomous about Johanna or Maria – are they?

From what little I've seen of Sweeney fans, I've occasionally seen them call Johanna boring or a Mary Sue (and even then, the context has been "I always thought she was, but then [insert actress here] made me appreciate her"). But for the most part, I see people talk approvingly about how she's more complex than an average ingenue, how she can be played as mentally unstable, etc.

And Maria? Yes, there are the people who can't stand how quickly she forgives Tony for killing Bernardo. (Although that complaint only seems to have become widespread with the 2021 film's release – I remember occasionally reading it in the past, but not nearly as much as now.) But apart from that, and from sometimes seeing people call both Maria and Tony boring, I had no idea that anyone hated her! And if you think she had no characterization but "pretty and nice" until the 2021 film, then you've been giving both the stage version and the 1961 film a shallow surface read! She's always had intelligence, playfulness, passion and strength!

I'd like people who have been deep in the fandoms of these musicals to tell me. Is there really a widespread problem of loud, venomous hate for all these ingenue characters, the way there has been for Cosette in the Les Mis fandom? Or is it really just a few people calling them "boring" now and then, with only the love triangles in Les Mis and Phantom making people nastier about Cosette and Christine?

[teecupangel]

How would the assassins react to meeting amazons?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/12/31/amazons-were-long-considered-myth-these-discoveries-show-warrior-women-were-real/

(As usual I’m only adding the main games and I’m counting the Hidden Ones. Also, Basim isn’t here because I haven’t played Mirage yet)

Altaïr:

I mean… he has a thing for women who can fight when you consider Adha and Maria. Not counting the whole “what sorcery is this?” moment of his when he first met Maria which can be seen as him being too surprised by how he had been fooled by Maria into thinking she’s Robert de Sablé, we can safely say that Altaïr would give them the respect he believes they deserve. Of course, if this is post-Altaïr Chronicles + pre-AC1, then he’ll treat them the way he treats everyone, in that same arrogant “I know I’m better than you” kind of way. But, hey, at least, he treats everyone equally.

Ezio:

He’d most definitely be respectful although, if anyone was going to flirt with him, he’ll flirt back. Nothing serious though, he’s most probably there for a mission and he’s old enough to know when to prioritize. After the mission though, well, what he does in his free time is not any of the Brotherhood’s business as long as it doesn’t go against the Creed and the tenets.

Ratonhnhaké:ton:

He does not see why this is surprising. He was raised by a mother who was also a warrior. His grandmother is the leader of their clan. He doesn’t get why others are surprised.

Edward:

After the Mary reveal? Edward is at the realm of “Nothing surprises me anymore about women. I don’t know women, I will never understand women so this? This isn’t surprising me at all” all the while actually being just a bit surprised because of his upbringing. But he’s not showing it.

Arno:

… I mean… They’d remind him of his lost love, that’s for sure. Depending on how much time has passed, this might make Arno maudlin or he would look at them with a small smile that is both fond and also sad. It won’t stop him from doing his mission but he’d definitely feel some kind of bittersweet emotion whenever he thinks they do something Élise would have done.

Evie and Jacob:

Jacob would look at them for a moment before joking, “Looks like we found your homeland, Evie.”

And Evie would immediately counter with a dry “Oh good, I always knew I was adopted.”

Jayadeep is behind them, trying his best not to get swept up by their conversation to say “you’re twins” because he knew that he would lose if he did that.

Bayek:

I mean, Bayek fell in love with Aya. He would give these women the respect they deserve as warriors.

[abybweisse]

Hello there, I find your theory about John Brown is a supernatural being in disguise is interesting me, because I don't believe that Undertaker will be the final antagonist but will face to face with Sebastian and Our!Ciel since his main goal is to restore the Phantomhive family and we still don't know who killed Rachel and Vincent, kidnapped the twins and burned their mansion. Also, in Season 1, John Brown was replaced with Ash/Angela who was a fallen angel and the one who cause the Phantomhve family's demise. If John Brown was indeed a supernatural being and was involved with the Phantonhive's death, I imagined him being a dangerous third party like how Ash/Angela became a very dangerous villain that made both demons which is Sebastian and reapers to join forces to stop the fallen angel. I don't know if the whole "snuff out the unclean, snuff out the unnecessary and snuff out the unwanted" will became canon, but let's just wait for another plot twist in thr climax.

Speaking of season 1, in the episode "His butler: Engaging the Servants", Finnian said that birds were his only friends, and since we probably get closer to Finny's past in the manga, could it be birds symbolizes his desire for freedom? Because I always heard this simile, " As free as a bird." What do you think of this?

Also, in the last episode of season 1, Sebastian said that his true form is unsighty, disgusting and repulsive. I personally think that he wasn't wrong that his true form is quite horrible for human eyes to see, i mean, having an eldritch like body with hundred of eyes is far from the word beautiful. Not to mention that Ash/Angela's reaction and how they were terrified implies that Sebastian can easily shred them in pieces which he actually did to that mad fallen angel (and also the cultist that killed R!Ciel in the manga)

(I'm completely aware that I often compared season 1 of the anime with the manga because some of them were nearly the same. Idk about season 2)

⚠️ long post ⚠️ and re-edited ❗️ ⚠️

Hello! Thanks for the asks!

John Brown as the biggest bad

I often compare John Brown (and Ash/Angela) to a Mother game character called Giygas, who is an extraterrestrial from a very distant world. In Mother, Giygas crash-lands on Earth and is cared for by George and Mary/Maria. I'm a little confused about the details, but they apparently go with Giygas to its home planet, where Mary/Maria stays. George steals technology from the alien race and returns to Earth, where he conducts more studies. George also somehow manages to pass alien abilities to his descendants. Fearing this technology will be used by Earthlings to destroy that alien race, Giygas is sent back to Earth to stop him. But by the time Giygas gets to Earth again, George has already died, and Giygas has gone kind of insane. Giygas decides to take revenge against humanity, particularly George's descendants, like Ninten. By the time you get to Mother 2 (EarthBound), Giygas is using all sorts of methods to control people, including this kid called Pokey Minch. Ness and his pals defeat Pokey and Giygas, but Pokey escapes, while Giygas is sort of... obliterated? In Mother 3, Pokey returns as King Porky. Though Giygas isn't seen anymore, some essence of evil left behind by Giygas still seems to influence King Porky. With help, Lucas manages to defeat King Porky (without killing him). Then Lucas still has to have a final showdown with his dead and reanimated older mirror twin brother, Claus.

George is one of the parallels to Undertaker, here, assuming he's Cedric, the paternal grandfather of the mirror twin brothers (real Ciel and our earl). Taking and researching technology from another race of creatures, passing abilities/traits onto his descendants. Does the technology come directly from reapers? I don't quite think so, at least not entirely. They keep mentioning their "superiors", and I suspect those are something truly superior to reapers, not simply reapers with higher authority. Angels, perhaps. That's what Ash/Angela is in s1, though apparently a fallen one. And both characters (John and Ash/Angela) have whips....

Perhaps the John Brown we have seen in the manga is one of these superiors? Possibly an angel of sorts.

An angel who has been sent to clean up this mess with Undertaker. I can imagine the superiors trying (at first) to take care of it themselves, not wanting the reapers to know whatever Undertaker has learned. But that's failed, and now active reapers are being pulled in to help.

And, in the process, John has made a contract with Queen Victoria, much like a demon might? The way he uses that puppet of Prince Albert suggests he's controlling the queen, and it might be a lot like the offer Sebastian originally offered to our earl (to make him believe his twin had returned). This makes Victoria the main parallel to King Porky. (I believe there's another one who specifically parallels Pokey Minch, before he returns as the self-proclaimed king.)

Perhaps John, like Ash/Angela, has a completely different side to him that we haven't seen just yet? Something polar opposite of what we've seen, so far. Something intense and crazed, much like Ash/Angela is. Much like Giygas becomes.

I seriously think that our earl (with help) must defeat John Brown as the "big bad", even more so than the queen, though she's probably the one who actually orders the attack, etc.

If the Mother game series parallels are close enough, John's (or the reaper superiors') main concern might be that Undertaker could make their roles obsolete. And that's kind of what Othello and Grelle discuss in ch149. And they haven't even discussed the possibility that this deserting reaper has been passing on reaper traits to human descendants. But they are already worried he might change the nature of life itself, making souls unnecessary. Making reapers unnecessary. It could destroy the entire system of the Afterlife. Much like Giygas' species fears humans stealing and using their own technology against them.

Finny and birds

Isn't there a scene in the manga that has Finny accidentally kill the first bird he tries to care for... or was that also just anime Finny? 🤔 Anyway, he definitely says he likes the outdoors and wide open spaces because of his previous confinement. It would make sense if he's also fond of anything else that symbolizes freedom, like the flight of birds. Makes it more poignant that there's so much caged bird imagery in his current situation at the orphanage... as well as the wren and myths/folklore associated with it.

Sebastian's demonic form

I quickly started to associate Sebastian with two characters in Mother 3: Boney, the loyal family dog who helps Lucas... and the Dark Dragon, the beast that follows your will... if you wake it up and give it your "heart". Lucas is the one to wake the Dark Dragon after his older mirror twin is "sacrificed".

We've actually seen glimpses of a form this demon can take, besides all the mouths and eyes, and besides the various animals (and furniture) it can conjure from itself. We see it reflected in a mirror on the cover art for ch88.

We also see it in a couple panels in ch137. The image on the left is not as well defined, and it might be as the demon is changing forms. The head of the one on the right looks particularly similar to the reflection on ch88's cover.

The Dark Dragon is a powerful creature that can be used for good or bad, depending on who wakes it back up. Lucas has a good heart, so the Dark Dragon does everything in its power to set things right again, after much upheaval. It cannot return the dead to life, just like Sebastian.

So... the Dark Dragon never goes up against Giygas... or even against King Porky. The biggest bads are defeated before Lucas even wakes the Dark Dragon. Giygas is defeated by prayer (of all things) in Mother 2. King Porky is captured inside an Absolute Safe Capsule, invented by Dr. Andonuts.

In Black Butler, we could see a break in that parallel, simply because our earl relies so heavily on Sebastian (and because Sebastian is already awake/under contract). However, we could also end up with our earl and Sebastian witnesses to John Brown and Queen Victoria being defeated by others who have been helping them.

One of Undertaker's other parallels in the Mother game series is Dr. Andonuts... but he's not the only Kuroshitsuji character to parallel the inventor: so is Sieglinde Sullivan. Dr. Andonuts is forced to work for King Porky, and his Fascinating Chimera technology is used/abused by King Porky's Pigmask Army, but he eventually manages to get revenge by keeping Porky alive but unable to cause anymore harm. We know Undertaker doesn't like the queen, so if he finds out she wants his Bizarre Dolls as "allies", he might confront her and John. Then we have Sieglinde, who is brought to England and introduced to the queen. Soon after, we find out the queen is sponsoring Sieglinde's new (mostly secret) projects... in a house and laboratory also provided by the queen. When Sieglinde figures out the queen is using her, much like her mother used her, she might also rise up against Victoria.

If we keep really close to the game, our earl and Sebastian (as Boney instead of the Dark Dragon role) might finally confront Queen Victoria and John Brown (and Double Charles?) just to watch as they are somehow defeated by Undertaker and/or Sieglinde. Extra points if it's Sieglinde using some contraption she invented while working for the queen.

Wouldn't it be wild if Sebastian isn't (directly) the one to defeat his master's main enemies... and then he has to apologize for failing the terms of the contract? Or maybe he covers his demon ass by helping in some roundabout way, so he can still claim the victory for his master? Either way, it could really decrease the sweetness of that revenge.

Sebastian might not even need the ability to shred John Brown. We shall see....

---

And I'm completely aware I often compare Black Butler to the Mother game series. 😆 S1 of the anime has some interesting AU parallels. For all of its off-the-rails qualities -- surprisingly -- so does s2. Heck, that joke OVA about making the anime even has a scene that parodies part of Dr. Andonuts' lab under King Porky's control.

Sorry for the long delay in responding. I hope you like the reply!

[bethanydelleman]

Jealousy in Jane Austen's Works

Since I got an ask about this recently, how does Jane Austen use jealousy in her novels?

Justified Jealousy (a person has made promises to another and is now violating them):

Catherine for her brother James, when Isabella flirts with Captain Tilney (Northanger Abbey) "jealous for her brother" and James for himself.

Lucy about Edward and Elinor: "That Lucy was disposed to be jealous of her appeared very probable: it was plain that Edward had always spoken highly in her praise, not merely from Lucy’s assertion, but from her venturing to trust her on so short a personal acquaintance, with a secret so confessedly and evidently important." (Sense & Sensibility) Lucy is right that Edward has fallen for Elinor, wrong that he would betray her because of it.

Sophia Grey, about Marianne Dashwood and Willoughby (her betrothed) "and Sophia, jealous as the devil on the other hand, looking all that was" (Sense & Sensibility)

Mr. Rushworth, about Maria and Henry Crawford, "I do think that Mr. Rushworth was sometimes very jealous." (Mansfield Park)

The reactions to this justified jealousy are all different. James Morland endures for a little while, then breaks off his engagement. This was the healthiest thing to do. Lucy attacks the rival instead of addressing the issue with her fiance. Mr. Rushworth ultimately ignores the fact that his future wife loves someone else, and agrees to a doomed marriage. Sophia Grey forces Willoughby to "break up" with Marianne, unsure how that goes for her, but at least she went into marriage with her eyes open.

Manipulative (Supposed) Jealousy:

Isabella to Catherine, when Catherine refuses to break a prior engagement with another friend, "I cannot help being jealous, Catherine, when I see myself slighted for strangers, I, who love you so excessively!" (Northanger Abbey)

Isabella tries to use jealousy to guilt Catherine into breaking her engagement with the Tilneys. Catherine finds it unjust and mean, she refuses to give in.

Jealousy as a Means to Establish Boundaries:

Henry Tilney, speaking about Catherine and John Thorpe, "I consider a country-dance as an emblem of marriage. Fidelity and complaisance are the principal duties of both; and those men who do not choose to dance or marry themselves, have no business with the partners or wives of their neighbours." (Northanger Abbey)

This is a particular case. I don't think Henry is in love with Catherine yet, and I don't think he actually believes that Catherine likes John, but he does frame his opposition to John and Catherine talking in jealousy. As Catherine has agreed to be his partner, he is justified in asking her to devote her time to him. Also, once Catherine assures him of her "faithfullness", he backs off, "Now you have given me a security worth having; and I shall proceed with courage". They have established their level of commitment.

Wanting Someone Who is Interested in Someone Else:

Caroline Bingley about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, "Miss Bingley saw, or suspected, enough to be jealous; and her great anxiety for the recovery of her dear friend Jane received some assistance from her desire of getting rid of Elizabeth." (Pride & Prejudice)

Fanny Price, during the play about Edmund and Mary, "She was full of jealousy and agitation." (Mansfield Park)

Julia about her sister and Henry Crawford, "made even Julia admit, in her jealousy of her sister, the absolute necessity of distrusting his attentions" (Mansfield Park)

Charles Hayter of Captain Wentworth and Henrietta, "It was evident that Charles Hayter was not well inclined towards Captain Wentworth." (Persuasion)

We can assume that Colonel Brandon was jealous of Willoughby (Sense & Sensibility)

Both Colonel Brandon and Fanny Price keep their feelings to themselves. They do not pressure their object of affection or attack rivals. Colonel Brandon is even extremely hesitant to reveal what Willoughby has done to Eliza. Charles Hayter feels jealous of Captain Wentworth and quits the field, which helps Henrietta realize where her true affections lie.

Caroline Bingley and Julia both act out because of their jealousy. Julia sulks and Caroline attacks Elizabeth.

Jealousy as a Means to Realize Feelings:

Mary Crawford realizing that she loves Edmund, "She had, moreover, to contend with one disagreeable emotion entirely new to her—jealousy. His friend Mr. Owen had sisters; he might find them attractive." (Mansfield Park)

Mr. Knightley about Frank and Emma, "On his side, there had been a long-standing jealousy, old as the arrival, or even the expectation, of Frank Churchill.—He had been in love with Emma, and jealous of Frank Churchill, from about the same period, one sentiment having probably enlightened him as to the other. It was his jealousy of Frank Churchill that had taken him from the country." (Emma)

Captain Wentworth of Mr. Elliot and Anne, "Jealousy of Mr Elliot! It was the only intelligible motive. Captain Wentworth jealous of her affection!" (Persuasion)

These feelings are mostly presented as morally neutral. Mary Crawford takes no action against the Miss Owens, she just becomes more friendly to Edmund. Mr. Knightley does speak against Frank to Emma, but Emma disagrees with him about it. Captain Wentworth leaves when jealous, but does not impose his feelings upon Anne.

Other:

Emma supposes that Jane was jealous of her, but that's not completely clear from Jane's perspective, "No doubt it had been from jealousy.—In Jane’s eyes she had been a rival" (Emma)

Mrs. Elton jokes that Mr. Elton will be jealous because Mr. Woodhouse is so complimentary (Emma)

Mrs. Bennet is jealous of Charlotte Lucas's eventual position as the future mistress of Longbourn (Pride & Prejudice)

What You Don't See: No Austen hero displays possessive jealousy, like forbidding a heroine from seeing a male friend or dancing with other men at a ball. No male friendships are curtailed or challenged, which can be a common romance trope.

I ignored mentions of jealousy that didn't really relate to interpersonal relationships

Conclusion: Jane Austen shows a lot of healthy and unhealthy jealousy and reactions to it. Mr. Rushworth is stupid for ignoring that his fiance was in love with someone else, but Lucy attacking Elinor because Edward loved her was also wrong. Several main characters feel jealousy because their object of affection loves another, but they do not impose those feelings on others. Jealousy can help a person realize their true feelings. Establishing commitment can also be a healthy thing to do.

[ericityyy]

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞?

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: 𝘈 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚: 𝘈𝘮𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘢

𝙏𝙮𝙥𝙚: 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧, 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩: 1,813

𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

Maria and Georgie were what people call the “it couple," solely because they contrasted with each other but also complemented each other. And people like that. The golden retriever boyfriend and the black cat girlfriend, as they like to call them too among the many nicknames they gave them. Maria is book smart, while Georgie is street smart. The girl always thought about how amazing Georgie is when it comes to businesses, and she knows that he will be successful in that field someday.

Maria was putting her things on her locker when Georgie suddenly appeared next to her, placing a soft peck on her cheek. “Hey darling.” Georgie is an affectionate person; as much as he wants to place more than a peck on her cheek, he knows that it’s outside her comfort zone. But he was surprised when Maria also turned to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. “What was that for? "He got out of his shocked state and began smiling widely, brushing his hair back bashfully as he stood up straight from leaning on the lockers.

The girl avoided eye contact with her boyfriend, being all shy about giving affection out in public and to her nonetheless. “I just want to give my boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. Why? "Maria pretended it did not affect her, but Georgie could see her ears turning red.

“You know I wouldn’t mind you not showing that much affection to me, darling.” He smiled softly at her when she still refused to look at him. He put a strand of hair behind her ear, making her finally look at him. “I prefer you show your love only with me, behind closed doors, and away from people. It makes me feel special.”

“You are so corny, Georgie Cooper.”

“Corny? I’d like to think I’m sweet.” He smirked at her after noticing her silence. “How about I take you on a date tonight? It’s been a while.” Maria pretended to think about her decision before looking at Georgie’s amused face. “You know you can say no if you don’t want to, but I know you want to.”

Maria rolled her eyes, shutting her locker. “How kind of you to decide for me, love.” Her comment made the boy’s smile drop, thinking that he might’ve overstepped his boundaries, but when Maria noticed his sudden mood change, she nudged him softly. “You’re overthinking things; of course I would love to go on a date with you.” She smiled when he also started forming his signature dimpled smile.

“How about at my place? I prepared something special, I promise. And my parents aren’t home later so we had the place to ourselves” Georgie beamed at her, feeling incredibly happy. Even after months of dating, Maria never failed to make Georgie’s heart beat like crazy. It’s a bonus since his parents and hers approve of them. Mary the most after learning that Maria is a Christian girl. At some point, Mary even told Georgie not to come home unless he started dating Maria. It was Georgie’s free will to date Maria, but it’s also because he likes that his family likes her.

Even Sheldon, who rarely likes anybody, but somehow and unfortunately for the oldest Cooper sibling, Maria has been one of his friends. And that is saying something. Although Georgie does not approve, he really didn't have a choice either way when he got caught fighting with Sheldon by Maria. Least to say, Georgie always made sure to argue with Sheldon when his girlfriend wasn't around.

“A dinner date, I think that’s romantic," Georgie said, feeling proud of himself. He picked up Maria’s bag as they went to their class.

・‥...━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━...‥・

“I’ll drive to your house later,” Maria said, prepping her keys as Georgie walked her to her car. He frowned and raised his eyebrows in concern. “Are you sure? You know I can always pick you up.” Maria nodded her head in acknowledgement. “I know, but I don’t want to bother you any further–” Georgie cut her off. “Darling, you will never be a bother.” Maria smiled at him, feeling all tingly inside. “I’m just saying, I want to go there myself; give you more time to prepare.”

Georgie widened his eyes in realization: “Damn, you’re right. Well, I trust you to take care of yourself, darling.” Maria rolled her eyes playfully as his accent got stronger with every word he said. Pretending to be scolding her. “Well, little lady, I’ll see you later.” He opened the car door for her as Maria placed a kiss on his cheek once more. Georgie smiled giddily while closing the car door and waited for her to drive off, placing a hand on his cheek before walking to his own car.

・‥...━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━...‥・

Georgie opened the door to their home, announcing his presence. “Hey Georgie,” Mary greeted him, messing around the kitchen. “Will Maria be here later?” His mom asked suspiciously. “Yeah why?” Georgie furrowed his brows together at his mom’s suspicious tone.

“Georgie Cooper, you better not do any funny business while your father and I are away. I managed to convince Mom by letting the twins stay at her place for you to have some privacy.” Mary pointed her finger at her eldest son. “I only agreed for this date to happen because it’s Maria," Georgie scrunched his nose at his mother. “And because we’re poor, Mom,” Mary went silent at that, knowing that it’s a bit true. They were not well off, but they can manage.

Mary shook her head before turning her attention back to his son. “I swear to our heavenly father that if we come back here and are greeted with a grandchild—"

Georgie walked away shouting, “Oh my God! Stop talking, please!”

・‥...━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━...‥・

Georgie put on the last touches to their backyard, turning it into a fairy-like setting. With little paper butterflies hanging around, a table at the center, and Christmas lights (because that’s the only thing he saw) surrounding the entire space, needless to say, he did a great job.

He also asked Mary if she could teach him cooking; in the end, Mary helped him cook since she didn’t trust her eldest son alone in her kitchen. But she did, however, feel proud of her son for making such an effort for his girl.

And so Georgie, with his semi-formal attire and fixed hairstyle, waited. And waited. And waited. But Maria didn’t come.

The boy was confused and hurt. But he didn’t want to jump to conclusions. So Georgie watched the candle go out and went inside with a heavy frown. He didn’t even notice Sheldon and Missy were sneaking inside the house.

“Where’s Maria? I thought you were having a date," Sheldon asked before speaking again, not at all reading the mood of his brother. “Fun fact about date—“

“I’m not in the fucking mood, Sheldon," Georgie snapped, making the twins flinch at his sudden cursing. “I thought you were at Meemaw’s?” He asked irritatedly.

Missy frowned at her brother’s attitude as Sheldon wanted to say something before his sister cut her off: “We were; we just want to get some things and go back.”

“Do whatever you want; just leave me alone.” Georgie walked over to his bedroom and slammed it shut. Sheldon and Missy were whispering as they also shut the front door after roaming around the house. Tears gathered in Georgie’s eyes as he frustratedly threw his jacket down and messed his hair. His curls all bounce into place.

What did I do wrong? We were doing fine earlier. Georgie put his hands on his face as he sat down in the comfort of his bed. Maybe something happened, and she just forgot to call me.

As if someone were listening to his thoughts, their telephone rang, making Georgie rush out of his bedroom and quickly pick up the phone. “Hello?!” He answered frantically, panting from his previous rapid movements.

Georgie froze at what he heard before he rushed outside the door, quickly went inside his vehicle, and drove off faster than his regular speed. His eyes were blinking back the tears.

・‥...━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━...‥・

“Georgie?" A sobbing sound was heard from the other end of the call, where Georgie realized it was Maria’s mother. “Mrs. Taylor? Is everything okay? Is Maria there?”

He heard Maria’s mother take a deep breath as her sniffles were heard. “Maria was rushed to the hospital; a car with a drunk driver crashed into hers. We were informed that her car flipped over, and she hit her head hard on the steering wheel.” Georgie didn’t know what to say; he didn’t know what to think.

Was it his fault? Surely it must be his. If he insisted on picking you up, you wouldn’t be in this mess. No, if he didn’t just decide to have a date today, this wouldn’t happen.

“We just want to tell you because I know that my daughter needs you more than ever. She’s fighting for her life here.” Maria’s mother cried harder when remembering her daughter’s state.

Georgie finally snapped out of his train of thought and hung up. Rushing to his car after picking up his keys. Slamming their front door shut.

・‥...━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━...‥・

Georgie ran inside the hospital, pushing people away from the receptionist. “Maria Taylor, where is she?”

“Sir, you need to fall in line—“

“Where is she?!” Georgie asked angrily once more. The poor receptionist typed on her computer quickly, not wanting to anger the stressed-out teen, “She’s in the ER as of the moment.”

Georgie ran again, trying to locate the emergency room, before finally seeing his girlfriend’s parents. They heard rapid footsteps nearing them as they lifted their heads and saw the panting boy.

Maria’s mother quickly hugged the boy, sobbing again. Her father just stood behind her, looking worried for both his wife and daughter. Georgie hugged her mother back before they all sat down and waited for someone to inform them of Maria’s condition.

Several hours later, a nurse came and informed them that Maria was awake, although a little out of it.

All of them rushed to her room. Georgie hung back, letting her parents fuss over their daughter. He just stood behind her parents, finally seeing Maria’s condition.

She has a bruise on her left eye, her head wrapped in bandages, and her arm on a sling. Her face and the rest of her body are filled with scars from what he assumes came from glass shards. She still looks beautiful to him.

And it pains him to see her look briefly at him before she turns back to her parents.

It’s like Georgie didn’t matter in her eyes.

“Mom? Dad?” Maria called to them as they kept on fussing around her, “Yes sweetie?” Her dad answered back, waiting patiently for what her daughter had to say.

“Who is he?”

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑’𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

how about a part 2? after i saw the continuous notification regarding my first one shot of georgie cooper, i figured you guys might want some more.

please don’t be a ghost reader and request stuff. hope you enjoyed this one :>

[lizzy-bonnet]

Austenian Dads

A recent post about mothers-in-law by @bethanydelleman had me thinking about the dads in Jane Austen. We get a lot of discourse about mothers and mother figures, who have big, important roles in the stores, but her depictions of fatherhood are interesting too. Here, in my opinion, are the dads and dad-like figures in her novels, ranked from best to worst.

(note: I've left out deceased and barely-there dads, but I will note that Mr. Dashwood's attempt to look out for his daughters, and the amount of grief occasioned by his death, indicate that he is a Top Dad.)

Mr. Musgrove - Notwithstanding "poor Richard", Mr. Musgrove has three reasonably well-adjusted adult children, seems to love his younger children, and goes to his daughter's bedside when she is injured. His children all make Sensible Matches, and he likes kids enough to permit the little Harvilles to be brought back to Uppercross to increase its noise. He folds my beloved Anne into his family and treats her affectionately whenever she is with them. By the standards of the day, he seems pretty solid. 8/10 Least Bad Dad.

Sir John Middleton - Like Mr. Musgrove, Sir John is a people person. His immediate and unreserved adoption of the Dashwoods in their hour of need tells us that he is an unambiguously good-hearted person, which usually leads to loving parenting. His kids are young so we don't see him interacting much with them, but his desire to give everyone a nice time bodes well. He doesn't notice when his teasing goes to far. 7/10 definitely tells the same dad joke over and over.

Mr. Bennet - As a reader I love him because he's pithy, but he's honestly not a great dad, and is not modeling a happy marriage for his daughters. He shows favouritism to Lizzy, lets Lydia run wild, is hurtful towards Mary and Kitty, and fails to save up any money to bribe worthless young men to marry his daughters. 5/10 for putting all his eggs in the "having a son" basket and then doing nothing when the handle on the basket breaks.

Lt. Price - Loud, embarrassing, shiftless. Ignores his daughters but seems to maybe do OK with his sons? 3.5/10, tops.

Sir Walter Elliot - This fucking guy, am I right? He's vain, he's self-obsessed, he's a spendthrift, and he's a dreadful parent. His eldest daughter is his favourite and he basically forgets Anne and Mary exist when they're not directly in front of him (and sometimes doesn't notice them even when they are). His favouritism has damaged Anne and Mary in different ways to Mr. Bennet's to his younger daughters, but the source is the same: he has one child who is like him and others that he doesn't click with, so he basically lets them shift for themselves. In the Elliot household I'm certain this means that sensitive Anne was left to grieve her mother without any comfort from her father. It's no wonder she was ready to marry the first loving man she saw. When he sees her looking well, he thinks it's down to her skin care regimen. 3/10 merely Gowland's.

Sir Thomas Bertram - Poor Fanny, her father figures are both the pits. Sir Thomas knows absolutely zero about what any of his kids are like and can't see how bad Aunt Norris's influence is on all of them. He swings wildly between neglectful and overbearing, and then tries to pressure Fanny into marrying Henry Crawford despite his attentions making her visibly miserable. He also knows perfectly well that Fanny is shy, and yet does not give her any warning that he's throwing a ball for her coming out, plus he sends her home to Portsmouth as a sort of weirdo punishment to make her see what she's missing by not marrying Henry. 2/10 points and he really only gets these for 1. offering to free Maria from her engagement and 2. getting a fire in Fanny's grate, even if he left it until WAY too late to do her much good.

General Tilney - the closest Austen gives us to a villainous parent. The General is dictatorial to his children, oppressive around the house and occasionally creepy towards Catherine. This is made apparent by the fact that the Abbey suddenly becomes much more fun when he goes off to London. He shows himself the ultimate Bad Dad by tossing his daughter's friend out of the house without explanation and hardly the resources to get herself home. 0/10 Gothic Tyrant Dad.