#Die Screaming Marianne

[mtonino]

Die Screaming Marianne (1971) Pete Walker

Die Screaming Marianne (1971)

[moviesandmania]

The Flesh and Blood Show: The Horror Films of Pete Walker - Blu-ray box set

The Flesh and Blood Show: The Horror Films of Pete Walker is a Blu-ray box set from 88 Films celebrating the filmmaker’s ’70s “terror movies” output. The extras-packed discs will be available in the UK on March 25, 2024. Celebrated as the ‘Godfather of British Horror’, Pete Walker is one of the most controversial exploitation filmmakers of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Graduating from saucy sex comedies and…

[emilyaxford]

rewatching sense and sensibility and it's such a tragedy that marianne was born 200 years before taylor swift. that girl would have LOVED the tortured poets department

[goryhorroor]

What are some underrated horror films? I have watched all the popular ones and need more! Thanks!

mentally prepare yourself because im ready to give a gumbo list (this has been sitting in my inbox because i had to ask all my friends and this is the list we came up with):

curse of the demon (1957) the serpent and the rainbow (1988) paranoiac (1963) the old dark house (1932) countess dracula (1971) golem (1920) haxan (1968) island of lost souls (1932) mad love (1935) mill of the stone women (1960) the walking dead (1936) the ghoul (1933) tourist trap (1979) the seventh victim (1943) ganja & hess (1973) dead of night (1945) a bay of blood (1971) let's scare jessica to death (1971) alice sweet alice (1976) the deadly spawn (1983) the brain that wouldn't die (1962) all about evil (2010) black roses (1988) the baby (1973) parents (1989) a blade in the dark (1983) blood lake (1987) solo survivor (1984) lemora: a child's tale of supernatural (1973) eyes of fire (1983) epitaph (2007) nightmare city (1980) slugs (1988) death smiles on a murderer (1973) intruder (1989) short night of glass dolls (1971) the children (2008) alone in the dark (1982) end of the line (2007) the queen of spades (1949) the housemaid (1960) tormented (1960) captain clegg (1962) the long hair of death (1964) dark age (1987) the crawling eye (1958) the kindred (1987) the gorgon (1964) wicked city (1987) baba yaga (1973) 976-evil (1988) bliss (2019) decoder (1984) amer (2009) the visitor (1979) day of the animals (1977) leptirica (1973) planet of the vampires (1965) lips of blood (1975) berberian sound studio (2012) a wounded fawn (2022) matango (1963) the mansion of madness (1973) the killing kind (1973) symptoms (1974) morgiana (1972) whispering corridors (1998) dead end (2003) infested (2023) (this just came out but im adding it) triangle (2009) the premonition (1976) you'll like my mother (1972) the mafu cage (1978) white of the eye (1987) mister designer (1987) alison's birthday (1981) the suckling (1990) graveyard shift (1987) messiah of evil (1987) out of the dark (1988) seven footprints to satan (1929) burn witch burn (1962) the damned (1962) pin (1988) horrors of malformed men (1969) mr vampire (1985) the vampire doll (1970) contracted (2013) impetigore (2019) eyeball (1975) malatestas carnival of blood (1973) the witch who came from the sea (1976) i drink your blood (1970) nothing underneath (1985) sauna (2008) seance (2000) come true (2020) the last winter (2006) night tide (1961) the brain (1988) dementia (1955) don't go to sleep (1982) otogirisou (2001) reincarnation (2005) mutant (1984) spookies (1986) shock waves (1977) bloody hell (2020) the den (2013) wer (2013) olivia (1983) enigma (1987) graverobbers (1988) manhattan baby (1982) evil in the woods (1986) death bed: the bed that eats (1977) cathy's curse (1977) creatures from the abyss (1994) the dorm that dripped blood (1982) the witching (1993) madman (1981) vampire's embrace (1991) blood beat (1983) the alien factor (1978) savage weekend (1979) blood sisters (1987) deadly love (1987) playroom (1990) die screaming marianne (1971) pledge night (1990) night train to terror (1985) the devonsville terror (1983) ghostkeeper (1981) special effects (1984) blood feast (163) the child (1977) godmonster of indian flats (1973) blood rage (1980) the unborn (1991) screamtime (1983) the outing (1987) the being (1983) silent madness (1984) lurkers (1988) forver evil (1987) squirm (1976) death screams (1982) jack-o (1995) haunts (1976) a night to dismember (1983) creaturealm: demons wake (1998) the curse (1987) daddy's deadly darling (1973) nightwing (1979) the laughing dead (1989) the severed arm (1973) the orphan (1979) not like us (1995) prime evil (1988) the monstrosity (1987) dark ride (2006) antibirth (2016) iced (1988) the soultangler (1987) twisted nightmare (1987) puffball (2007) biohazard (1985) cameron's closet (1988) beast from haunted cave (1959) the she-creature (1956)

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Sense and Sensibility (2024, Hallmark) a review

I had expectations for this movie. They were not surpassed. It didn't perform below them either.

Spoilers under the cut.

So, this is a short movie (1.24hr long) a tv movie, a hallmark movie. You must keep that in mind as a frame of reference for what I'm about to say. You cannot really compare this with theatrical movies on equal footing.

Where to start. Costumes and sets. It is Bridgerton's world and we live in it. Everything is VERY colorful and shiny and not very real looking; that was to be expected. I think that sort of semi-fantasy aspect didn't hurt at all, and it was consistent. If you are not going to stick to the time period, at least go ham and show me something really interesting. I'm looking at you, Netflix Persuasion. There are some dresses that are pretty, and some others that... aren't. Considering that apparently the costume designer had to make something like 60 pieces in a month, it's kind of impressive that it came out as it did.

One funny bit, though, in this respect, is that they complain about how small the cottage is like some actual estate houses aren't the same size IRL XD Allenham we only get to see from afar, and it is rather disappointing.

Music: nothing to write home about, to be expected. Yes, we got one of those Vitamin String Quartet modern-song-played-by-strings. IDK. They were a bit dorky in their heyday, I don't know why they are so sought after in these pieces lately. I digress.

The acting. Deborah Ayorinde was a really good Elinor. She definitely deserved better writing and direction. The rest of the cast was good enough; I feel some roles really benefited from their characters being a bit hammy already in the source material (Lucy, Mrs Jennings, Anne, Fanny, Robert), others were really struggling because of being given very poor dialogue (Mrs Dashwood), and others were just... not good (Willoughby and Brandon, sadly). Edward was... a very special case. I can only describe it as the actor having two expressions: one, an attempt at reaching Hugh Grant's adorkableness AND Dan Stevens' ease at the same time, and two [SCREAMING INTERNALLY], but I guess those two were indeed enough to make it work just fine!

Which leads me to the writing. We all knew this adaptation was going to live or die in the writing, and most likely die.

The thing is that most of it is written around repeating 95' and 08's greatest hits, while attempting to compress the narrative into an hour and a half. And that goes as well as you can expect it to. Some scenes are painfully rushed -Brandon's backstory was extremely awkward to get through- some things are over before you have any time to assess their real weight -Marianne's illness, and many others end up being... incongruous.

Let me stop a little on those. The movie keeps Margaret, and gives her the whole play acting as a pirate with Edward from 95', but then removes the only real plot relevant thing she does in the book. So why keep the character at all? (Willoughby asks for Marianne's handkerchief in exchange for Queen Maab, instead of cutting a lock of her hair).

Because 2008 makes Brandon suspicious of Willoughby from the get go, this one makes it so that they know each other and implies that Brandon knows dirt on Willoughby, but then plays the rest of the story straight, which makes it... pretty inconsistent.

Speaking of Brandon, we have reached adaptation #5 that cuts out the fact that he tried to elope with Eliza sr. This time the backstory is that his father promised to let him marry Eliza if he proved himself as a soldier, but when he came back, he found his father has kicked her out of the house. Yeah, that was utter nonsense.

The adaptation makes a clumsy attempt at including the dinner at Mrs Ferrars... but Brandon isn't there to see Marianne defend Elinor.

We needed to have a "Brandon rescues Marianne in the rain" scene, but in this case, she's not faint or anything, he just grabs her because she's sad XD

And the list goes on and on and on. It was to be expected that the shadow of both 95 and 08 would be large over this one, but it truly is to the point that the references and contrivances are almost constant. Which is a pity because I think most of the original choices were interesting.

For example, Marianne twists her ankle running after Margaret, to try and stop her from asking something embarrassing, which is a good choice in terms of showing that Marianne is passionate, but she has more sense than Margaret.

On his deathbed, Mr Dashwood makes Elinor promise that she will take care of her mom and sisters and keep the family together. That added pressure on Elinor works really well in the context of the adaptation, and ads a new layer of interest.

John Dashwood is written mostly as a hapless but not malicious idiot. This is similar to what From Prada to Nada did (though there it made more sense because of the father having two families simultaneously), but I'm not sure where was that going. They did cut the Palmers, so I suppose the choice was so that they could go to Norland instead on their way to Barton (it is never established that Norland is so far away as it is in the book, so I guess one could give it a pass), but in that case, I feel the most cost effective shortcut is... have them go to Barton? Because we do get to see Barton (Marianne goes alone with Brandon to see it close to the end, and they get engaged before Edward returns, don't think much about it, manners and such are... for this movie... loose guidelines. But it isn't super offensive most of the time).

Anne Steele is decent fun as she's supposed to be, but Lucy really suffers the flattening. The mastermind has been flanderized into just a mean girl, and that's a pity.

Oh, Edward is sassy at times! And the sassy jokes land! I have to say it is not my preferred way of doing the character, but he does show some sass at the end of the novel, so, you know, I'll allow it I suppose XD

Edward's return and proposal started pretty good, but it overstayed its welcome. I cannot emphasize enough that, when writing this kind of proposal, you must avoid the word love if you can, and if you must use it, use it once, and with great reluctance.

The movie chooses to dedicate quite a time to the reveal of Edward and Lucy's relationship, and it's honestly... decent? For a scene made out of whole cloth it stands on its own feet reasonably well. But there's no Fanny freakout. This is probably the most shocking plot twist in the adaptation. This very on-the-nose Hallmark adaptation decided to cut the Fanny freakout of all things. Impressive restraint.

One thing, however, that was sadly cut out was Elinor and Marianne's conversation about Willoughby at Barton. It is instead replaced by an unsubtle comparison between Willoughby and Edward, and an exchange between Brandon and Marianne. It is one of the several points where the storytelling relies on previous knowledge of the work.

These are my main, disordered thoughts. I leave you with this choice from the ending, that I cannot form a thought about:

At Elinor and Edward's wedding, on the first pew are in attendance, from center to side: Mrs Dashwood, Margaret, Marianne, colonel Brandon... and Eliza Williams with her baby in her arms.

As a summary, I'd say Elinor and Edward's story was good enough, the relationship between the sisters was sweet, there were some odd choices, some interesting choices, and overall the writing was severely downgraded by attempting so much to stick to the choices of previous famous adaptations.

[kavalyera]

How well would you do if you were Marquis?

warning: angry evren, me cussing the SHIT out of marquis de gramont, copious amounts of uppercase screaming, so much aggression lmao

First of all, I would be SMARTER alright than this bitch

YEAH. THIS VINCENT MOTHERFUCKER. IS A STUPID LITTLE FUCKING CUNT. “Caine is everything John is not🥺🥺” SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU STUPID LITTLE BITCHHHHHHH OH MY GOD BRO YOU ARE LITERALLY ASSIGNED AUTEM IMPERATOR AND YOURE FUCKING STUPID?????????? CAINE IS STILL BLIND YOU MOTHERFUCKER😭

First off, I would instead burn down the fucking New York Continental with everyone inside. Is it a crime? Obviously. But he blew it the fuck up anyways so really what’s the wrong part in it??? THAT SAVES ME FROM HAVING WINSTON TAKE JOHN TO THE RIGHT PLACES. BECAUSE HE IS DEAD ASF.

NEXT THING: I wouldn’t even raid the osaka continental. nah. JUST KIDDING I FUCKING WOULD LMAOOO. GET THESE HIGH TABLE FORCES IN THERE. AND I DONT WANNA SEE NONE OF THESE WACK ASS SAMURAI RIPOFF UNIFORM OR THESE GREY SUITS.

LIKE CHIDI BABES YOU SERVED THE FUCK OUT OF THESE GREY SUITS BUT THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY. THAT YOU ARE. RAIDING A WHOLE ASS HOTEL. IN FUCKING SUITS.

YES THEYRE BULLETPROOF I DO NOT CARE. MYRMIDONS BETTER PUT ON THOSE HIGH TABLE SPECIAL FORCES UNIFORM. “They dont have the funds-“ DONT CAREEEEEE I HAVE INFINITE WEALTH BACKED BY THE TABLE THEY WILL FIND A FUCKING WAY TO PUT CHIDI THE MYRMIDONS INTO THESE DAMN OUTFITS

anyways so next thing i would pick CHIDI as the mf to fight for me. cause caine is BLIND. im sorry to break it to people but that mf missed like several shots😭 cause he is BLIND

+ chidi is a fucking tank. he took so MUCH fucking hits and the mf kept standing up + he’s built so differently like this bro had a whole fucking ARROW inches deep into his motherfucking arm and he thugged it the SHIT out. he CONTINUED FIGHTING WITHOUT MEDICAL ATTENTION

anyways im gonna put the duel in a cathedral or a castle so if i do die it’s gonna be giving vampire that just got her heart ripped apart ong

ALSO IM PULLING UP TO THAT DUEL IN ONE OF THESE BABY

and so that if i DO die the mortuary doesn’t have to strip my cold naked ass and just pop me in the casket with all my beautiful family members at my funeral and hopefully one of them gets inspired to do the same and like. idk. change the trajectory of history?💀

“what if the table tells you to pipe tf down you psycho bitch?” good question!

No

next course of my plan is that i send every mf in europe on his john’s ass (omg marianne from tkg era) like im gonna put his bounty up like wayyy before that duel alr. in fact. im specifically making sure that bounty STAYS high as hell to the point it lowkey looks like im putting the high table economy in shambles(french nobility core) so that tracker has like more will to hunt him? if that makes sense lmao.

if i win the duel i of course marry chidi celebrate by going to jollibee expand my influence under the table greatly :D

If I die well. at least i served evil bitch cunt so

and ofc like marquis im gonna serve face while doing all these more atrocious shit ♡︎

[mrs-fairchild]

Trying to match Taylor Swift songs to Austen heroines lol Someone help me with Lizzie, Elinor and Catherine, because I feel like I need to complete this for some reason 🤣

Fanny Price:

"Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you? Been here all alone, so why can't you see? You belong with me."

Emma Woodhouse:

"I should not be left to my own devices, They come with prices and vices, I end up in crisis (tale as old as time). I wake up screaming from dreaming one day I'll watch as you're leaving 'cause you got tired of my scheming (For the last time).

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me. At tea time, everybody agrees. I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero"

Marianne Dashwood

"Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street. Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly. Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall... Like the colors in autumn, so bright, just before they lose it all.

Losing him was blue, like I'd never known, missing him was dark gray, all alone, forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met... But loving him was red."

Anne Elliot:

"Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind... You gave me roses and I left them there to die.

So this is me swallowin' my pride, standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night

And I go back to December all the time. It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine. I'd go back to December, turn around and make it alright... I go back to December all the time."

[bethanydelleman]

We need to talk about the Compromise Trope

Tl;DR It makes zero flipping sense because men always face a smaller social cost than women. You cannot force a powerful man to do anything, much less get married for life to someone he hates. And you wouldn’t actually want this trope to be true, because even if a man is forced to marry, he can just abandon or mistreat his wife. (This is a really long post)

Discussion of sexual assault and spousal abuse.

For those who don’t know, this is an extremely common trope in Jane Austen Fan Fiction/Regency romance. I don’t know where it originated, though there are two types of situations in Jane Austen’s works which are close. The basic premise is this: a man and woman are caught alone in a dark room/kissing (with full consent on both sides or not)/just hugging sometimes and a whole bunch of people scream and they are forced to get married.

Often both sides are unhappy with this marriage but it must happen, so they deal with it. This is the most common form of “Forced Marriage Situation” in the JAFF that I have read and heard about.

The two situations that come close are Lydia and Wickham’s elopement and then behaviour that has engaged honour in Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. With Lydia and Wickham, that wasn’t an innocent kiss in a library, they were living together and most likely having sex for a few days/weeks before Darcy got the whole situation figured out. However, Darcy did not try to force a marriage first, he actually tries to get Lydia away. What we can assume from this is that Darcy recognizes that marriage to a dishonorable man is worse than the blow to Lydia’s (and her family’s) reputation or life’s happiness.

Situations where honour is engaged but no actual touching has happened (as far as we know), are Jane/Bingley, Marianne/Willoughby, and Louisa/Wentworth. In each of these situations, a man and a woman act in such a way that people begin to assume that they are engaged. Word is spread abroad, and the men all absent themselves from the situation in the hopes that rumours will die down. Lastly we have Henry Crawford/Maria Bertram, who do touch in the context of a play and who are acting very flirtatiously even though Maria is engaged. Henry also pointedly quits the scene. Two of these men (or their friends) are trying to exit an engagement situation fairly, two of them are just ghosting because they don’t care.

But here is the problem with the trope: while a man may be honour-bound to propose if he’s been raising expectations, no one can force him. Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Jennings both complain to the world that Jane and Marianne have been ill-used, but nothing comes of it! Bingley comes back eventually, but not because he’s “compromised” Jane and feels bad about it. Willoughby gets married to Miss Grey anyways and he doesn’t suffer that much socially (Sir John forgives him before the novel ends). Also, Willoughby seduced and impregnated Eliza Williams, which is way past “compromise”, and while it’s not clear how widely known this is, he is not shunned socially for that indiscretion either.

This is the whole problem with the trope: powerful men can survive far greater social disgrace than women!!! This is probably partially because women are expected to be virgins and men are not, but also because of the imbalance in marriage prospects. I imagine that a woman with £30,000 pounds could weather a scandal far better than someone like Eliza Williams. Men like Henry Crawford and Darcy would be basically bulletproof, or at least that is how they are portrayed.

Oscar Wilde spends a lot of time on this imbalance of consequences (especially in A Woman of No Importance) and his conclusion is that men can basically get away with anything while women, and sometimes their children, bear the full brunt of social cost. We still see this today! It’s the woman who most often bears the consequences for getting pregnant as a teen, for example, and the largest blow to their future prospects.

In the only “compromise” I’ve read in a contemporary novel, Molly in Wives & Daughters (written in 1866) is caught giving Mr. Preston a letter and meeting with him clandestinely. What happens is nothing like the JAFF compromise trope. Molly’s reputation is trashed, but Mr. Preston is certainly not forced to marry her, people just talk about how they will probably marry. Molly is the one who bears almost the entire social cost, Mr. Preston isn’t even that worried about it until his employer gets involved. He is only a steward and could be held accountable by a higher up, people like Darcy and Crawford have no one who could do the same thing.

Another thing I see now which is just wild is Caroline trying to sneak in Darcy’s room at night. I don’t know how that is supposed to make a “compromise” since there are no witnesses, but also, that is incredibly dumb. A man as powerful as Darcy could have full on sex with a woman and deny it and probably face almost no backlash. Especially since Caroline would have no proof. I mean she can’t get a DNA test in this era and once she admits she’s had sex it could have been with a footman.

And you say, but Darcy is honourable? Sure, but this woman threw herself at him without consent! I am sure he wouldn’t have sex with Caroline without marrying her, but if she started kissing him and then people demanded they marry? It would be perfectly moral for him to throw her under the bus. And then Caroline’s reputation is destroyed and she gains nothing.

The fact is, if “compromise” was a real thing, it would be gamed. Humans will take any loophole and widen it until you can drive a truck through it. All of the nobility would be married by women throwing themselves at them, here, I wrote a farce about it.

If anything, the “compromise” trope is a fantasy where men are actually held accountable for violating women. Which seems like it would be nice, but considering that some women, especially Caroline, weaponize “compromise”, you start to border on some disturbing territory. Like the idea that women who accuse famous people of rape are just doing it for attention/wealth. And that is not great! That is something we also still struggle with today.

The only way “compromise” works as it is presented is if someone more powerful than the man involved forces him to marry. So for example, a father threatens to cut off his son’s allowance or disinherit him, like Mrs. Smith in Sense & Sensibility. However, even married a man isn’t “trapped”, he can just leave his wife behind and fuck off to Italy. Which is literally the plot of All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare, in which the king forces a man to marry. This happens in Jane Austen too! Wickham just goes to London and Bath to enjoy himself and leaves Lydia with her family. Or if you’d like real world examples: Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. Also Jane Eyre now that I think about it...

But that’s not even the worst that could happen! In Mrs. Hubback’s The Younger Sister, (a completion of the novel fragment The Watsons by Jane Austen) which was written in 1850, we have this chilling exchange about a man forced to marry:

"Ah, I am glad I have brought you to your senses, at last; now consider, if we could do as Emma advises, and persuade this Mr. Musgrove to marry, as he ought, there would be an end of all trouble in the affair."

"To you, perhaps, but not to Miss Margaret; I dare say her amiable husband would beat her every day."

This situation was a bit different, they were suing for breach of contract because Mr. Musgrove proposed to Margaret and then pretended he hadn’t. Two women overheard the proposal and would have been able to testify in court against Mr. Musgrove. This was a real thing and could either result in restitution payments or marriage. However, you couldn’t sue for breach of contract over a kiss or a “compromise”, you needed proof of engagement. The real cases I have seen involved publicly known engagements, or letters and tokens of affection (think Lucy Steele in Sense & Sensibility) So again, not “compromise.”

The point though is that a man being forced to marry a woman could abuse her without much repercussion. In JAFF/Historical romance it always works out, but in real life I can see someone being pretty resentful that they were forced to get married and taking it out on the other party.

Also, the entire concept of a man trapped in an engagement and unable to get out because of their reputation/honour is kind of laughable because that’s why breach of contract laws exist! And women, who were technically “allowed” to back out, faced pressure to marry:

“But after a certain time—after the world suspects that two people are engaged to each other, it is scarcely possible for the woman to recede: when they come within a certain distance, they are pressed to unite, by the irresistible force of external circumstances. A woman is too often reduced to this dilemma: either she must marry a man she does not love, or she must be blamed by the world—either she must sacrifice a portion of her reputation, or the whole of her happiness.” (Belinda Ch 18, Maria Edgeworth)

So again, the social burden is carried by women

(Brief note about Edward Ferrars, he is trying to honour his promise to Lucy Steele and is “trapped” in an engagement, but he made that proposal of his own free will. His family would clearly have supported him in a breach of promise suit so he could marry Miss Morton. Lucy only has a hold on Edward because he’s too honourable to jilt her.)

Lastly, duels. I know almost nothing about duels but they just sound profoundly stupid to me. The only duel we see in Jane Austen is between Colonel Brandon and Willoughby, they are both unwounded and go home quietly. I don’t know what duels are supposed to solve, if Colonel Brandon had killed Willoughby he probably would have gone to jail/been hung (I don’t know if he’s rich enough to get away with it). So if he wins, Eliza is screwed, if he loses, Eliza is screwed, there is really no good outcome.

Mrs. Bennet wants Mr. Bennet to fight Wickham, but to what end? If Mr. Bennet killed Wickham, then Lydia isn’t un-ruined? So what is the point? I guess maybe the man agrees to marry your daughter rather than face death? It just seems like pointless drama to me. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a duel with a good outcome, illuminate me in the comments/reblogs if you have.

Here is what I imagine is a more realistic scene of “compromise”: A man and woman are making out, some people burst into the library! Social pressure mounts for the couple to marry, but the guy isn’t interested. He goes to Italy for fun, leaving the girl to bear the full brunt of slut shaming and reputation damage.

Five years later, the man returns and is invited back into society. The girl is unmarried and unmarriageable, perhaps banished by her family to some cottage. Or she stuck it out and hoped people would forgive a youthful lapse of propriety, was she rich and pretty enough to get over the stigma? One can only hope.

Now specifically in Pride & Prejudice variations:

There are some cases where Darcy doesn’t like Elizabeth and is mad that he has to marry her. I just don’t think those would happen. After all, he encourages Bingley to leave Jane while there is still wiggle room, I think he’d just leave and hope for the best. He might even pay a breach of contract fine, after all, if he marries a woman he hates or distrusts, that’s the rest of his life and the reputation of Pemberley forever. Paying a fine and waiting for people to forget would hardly hurt him. And he probably wouldn’t think it was morally wrong if he suspected that Elizabeth did it on purpose to try and trap him.

There are other situations where Darcy is happy to marry Elizabeth but she hates him. These may also not result in marriage because Elizabeth is pretty big on not marrying people she does not love for social gain. I mean especially a man who just sexually assaulted her! If she thinks as poorly of him as she does canonically at Hunsford, I can’t see her saying yes. After all, now not only is Darcy someone she dislikes, he just proved he isn’t trustworthy or capable of self control.

Also, there are way too many variations where despite hating Darcy, Elizabeth is totally into the kiss. Which is so weird to me! If someone I hated kissed me they would be slapped! I doubt people are going to be screaming for Elizabeth to marry someone who assaulted her, they’d probably be angry at Darcy.

Lastly, Caroline Bingley. She is trying to compromise Darcy but sometimes ends up in a compromise marriage herself. Now she is actually rich and has a very caring brother. I cannot see her doing something like actually marrying Wickham or Mr. Collins. She could probably survive the reputation damage because of her large fortune or live on her dowry. After all, Darcy has told her Wickham can’t be trusted. It would be dangerous for her to agree to marry him.

Basically, I think any compromise situation in Pride & Prejudice is out of character. If one really wants Darcy and Elizabeth married pre-understanding and reformation arc, I would suggest placing Elizabeth in reduced financial circumstances, like Mr. Bennet dying. Otherwise, you need to significantly change the characters of both Elizabeth and Darcy.

[definegodliness]

The wind hailed

Through slender tendrils rustle sighs of yore As Tempest's shoulders crumble in the sky, Perhaps this scream resounded long before, Yet, caged, a cry escapes to wane and die; Turned faintest whisper, now, that I may try To prick up both my ears and face the wind To hear its hymn, and, so, be answered why My heart, as sudden, and by needle pinned, Assails my throat in forlorn sorrow, twinned As kin, reflected — no, yet more: the same! Veraciously the same! — as if Luck grinned; Its teeth of star-glint roaring forth one name That makes me privy, more than mortal man, And I but mouth the answer:

"Marianne."

--- 23-1-2024, M.A. Tempels ©

[forthedancingandthethriving]

How are the escape squad scouting, you may ask? Simple! They're undercover as tourists!

This is pretty simple for Francis and Spamton since there's plenty of versions of them around, and nobody except Antivirus (who's still on-duty since not everybody could reasonably go on vacation at once) even knew Nermal was dead, but the rest of the group needed actual disguises. And they are very lucky that the people they're spying on are a bunch of idiots most of the time.

---

*Diana accidentally runs into a woman in sunglasses while distracted talking to Lily, and since she's absolutely Stacked she's completely unmoved while the other woman is knocked flat on her ass*

Diana: Oh goodness! *reaches down to help her up* I'm so sorry miss! I should've been paying more attention to my surroundings.

"Tourist": It's alright. *accepts the hand* You're not the only one who was- *gets pulled back up to her feet, the proximity and height difference resulting in her field of view being completely filled by Diana's chest* -distracted... *shakes herself off and takes a Big step back, her face a quite interesting shade of red* Anyway no harm done I've got some friends to meet up with you and your niece enjoy yourselves! *very deliberately Walks not Runs past the two of them*

Diana: How did she... *shrugs it off, then notices that Lily's being awfully quiet* Are you alright dear?

Lily: I could swear I've seen that lady somewhere before... *stares intently for a few seconds before shrugging* Nahhh, it's prob'ly nothing.

Lady Rose, now several yards away: *screaming internally because she nearly got her cover blown while mere inches away from the most powerful Siren in the world (and because of the Other Thing that she is Not thinking about lest Spamton be vindicated)*

---

*Ash, Sora and Desmond apparently decided to spar on a pool (yes On not In. Aura and Flowmotion are bullshit and the Galacta Knight mask apparently includes gravity manipulation so the first two can apparently walk on water and Desmond can convincingly fake it without messing with his fighting style) and are understandably drawing a crowd*

Shantae: *notices somebody in the audience and nudges Tulip* Hey, doesn't that guy look kind of like your dad?

Tulip: ...Huh. A little bit, yeah. He wouldn't be caught dead in that shirt though.

Cursor: I wouldn't have thought anybody would if I hadn't seen it.

Andrew: *taking notes on the three-way fight, indeed wearing the ugliest touristy shirt known to man*

---

Zack: Is that girl hogging the axe throwing booth sepia toned?

GG: You're blue, I'm pink, and my sister's greyscale.

Zack: Point taken.

Marianne: *honestly is way too into the axe throwing and not even trying to scout, or paying any attention to her surroundings*

I love everything about this, but especially love Cursor being stuck with the Teen Squad. I also think shes probably having a really fun time, but she would rather die than admit it.

And Andrew wearing the ugliest tourist shirt known to man is probably dying on the inside. Which to that I say good.

Also, Zack questioning the color tones of Marianne is so funny to me because, like.. because there are probably other Programs there at the resort, and are probably more ludicrous colors than sepia toned.

[zmasters]

Promises Lost - A Trench Crusade Fan Fic

"Is it bad to say I'm numb to the screaming?"

"I hope not, Sister Marianne."

The combat medic continued to clean the bandages of the pilgrim, a young, blonde man named Sven. The damp, dirty trenches that the hospital was built into requiring any wounds to be cleaned many times a day to avoid infection. All a while pretending to be ignorant of the roars of pain coming from mere meters away, slightly muffled by the mud walls supported by wooden plants. It wasn't a medical issue, at least, not for this warband of the faithful. A group of ecclesiastic prisoners were being whipped, punishment for the failure of dying in battle.

"It's my divine duty to cull the suffering of the warriors of the faith." She sighed, slowly wrapping clean bandages around the mangled stump that was once the pilgrim's left leg. "I know that those prisoners sinned in some way, but-"

"You don't have to be shameful for caring, Sister." Sven interrupted, trying his best to keep his eye off of the wound. "God is a forgiving figure, something some of the other faithful forget."

"Then I pray God will forgive you for leaving the front."

His face dropped. "Are my injuries that bad?"

"I'm afraid that you may never be able to walk again." She placed the dirty bandages in a small container, to be disposed of later.

"I can still fight." He groaned as he tried to get out of bed.

Marianne placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into bed as softly as possible. "You can still give your life to the war effort without needless sacrifice. I'll talk to the war prophet about sending you back to New Antioch. God would want you to live another day, your family more so."

Sven was quiet. Marianne could tell he was struggling to hold back tears.

"I don't have a family to go back to."

She took his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn-"

"You don't need to apologize, you had no idea."

“Thank you friend, but my statement still stands. As much as you want to die and join your family in heaven, they'd want you to continue going. They wouldn't want you to die for them, they'd want you to live for them. I promise you that." She stood up and collected her tools.

As Sister Marianne was leaving the field hospital, Sven called out to her. "How would you know?"

"I was in your place before."

She stepped out into the open air of the trench, stale and rancid from the smell of death and spent ammunition. She was thankful that the iron mask she wore doubled as a gas mask, it filtered out the smell. Mostly.

It was a quiet day on the Front. Cold and dreary, but quiet. The sound of gunfire could still be heard in the distance, but it was quiet by trench standards.

There has been no signs of heretics in the past nine days, so the men were preparing to move further ahead. There are more demon worshippers closer to the Hellgate, and more chances for martyrdom. All they just needed to do was wait for that contact the prophet has. They’d donate some food and ammo, just small enough to keep it off the books, drop off a few new pilgrims, and take those returning back to New Antioch. Though not much leaves the front, at least, not alive. It would just be her, and Sven if she could convince the prophet.

Marianne heard a wet smack from behind her. She initially passed it off as something falling off the cargo the pilgrims were carrying and landing in the mud, but something told her to turn her head.

It was a small, roundish object, partially submerged in mud. The metallic orb was partially rusted, and it radiated a noxious stench. A stench Marianne was all too familiar with.

“Black Grail!” She yelled, pushing the closest pilgrim away from the gas grenade. As the green gas spurted out of the bomb, soldiers of faith scrambled to put on gas masks. Those not quick enough or didn’t have a mask on hand quickly began to suffocate, falling to the ground as they struggled to breath.

The first thrall stumbled into the trench shortly after. The sickly green, bloated corpse carried a blunderbuss in its hands, which it fired at Marianne. The shot mostly missed, with a few rusted nails harmlessly bouncing off of her metal cuirass. The pilgrim she had pushed out of the way pulled his pistol and fired. Two bullets struck its head, while a second pilgrim fired into its back with a rifle. It took Marianne stabbing its neck with a misericorde for the undead creature to collapse to the ground.

Before anyone could take a breath, more bodies began to fall into the trench, the sounds of heavy bodies striking mud and gunfire filling the gas cloud. The pilgrims refocused to fighting the heretics, and Marianne began her dark duty.

With a second, clean misericorde in hand, she knelt by the closest pilgrim struggling to breath. He didn’t have a gas mask on him, and he would likely be dead by the time she found one he could use. If he couldn’t be saved, he would be granted mercy. A quick insertion through the head, and he wouldn’t need to suffer anymore.

Before the poor pilgrim stopped flailing, his last words escaped his lips.

“Don’t leave me.”

Marianne paused. That wasn’t the pilgrim’s voice.

She shook her head, there was another pilgrim injured nearby. She raced over. Again, no gas mask. Mercy must be given.

“Help me Marianne.”

A pilgrim collapsed right next to her, the cursed, maggot filled rounds of the Grail’s weaponry slowly consuming his flesh. Her attempts at healing failed to close the wound, only causing his screams of pain to worsen. I panic, she drew her knife and put him out of his misery.

“I didn’t do it.”

Marianne’s eyes widen, her breaths becoming heavier and heavier. The gas faded away, revealing that she was no longer in the trench, but instead a village street.

She wandered down the familiar street, diseased corpses littered the street, teams of flamethrower wielding priests setting them and the buildings a light. As she slowly moved towards the village center, a crowd had formed.

The crowd faced the steps of the church, listening to the priest chant. Next to him was a soldier with an ax and holding a chain. The chain led to a pair of handcuffs, which kept a little girl bound. This girl was sickly pale and thin, with her clothes ragged and torn.

“This girl has brought a sickness into our community!” The priest roared. “Our friends and family lay dead and burning at our feet, yet she still lives! Her vitality despite the illness that grips our lands is proof enough of her pact with the Lord of Flies!”

“I didn’t!” She cried. “Marianne! Help me!”

Marianne covered her mouth, her eyes welling up.

“For her sins, she will burn with the people she has killed.”

“Marianne…” The girl’s eyes met hers. “Please…”

“I’m sorry Vera…” She turned away.

“Marianne!” She cried as the soldier dragged her into the church. “Don’t leave me!”

“I’ll see you soon, Vera.” Marianne whispered to herself. “I’ll make sure we’ll make it to heaven.”

The smell of burning flesh filled the air as smoke and tears blocked out the church. From there, Marianne would pack her things and leave. She would eventually find her way to the front. The herbalist of a small village now stood against the forces of Hell itself, all because she couldn’t, no, wouldn’t, save her sister.

Marianne dropped her knife, ignoring the heat of flames, sounds of gunfire, and the stench of burning flesh as she ran into the old church. She ignored the bodies that lay at her feet, all in a last-chance effort to save the one she failed to protect.

She burst through the heavy church doors, ash and mud covering her body as she tripped over the slick ground. “Vera!” She stumbled to her feet. “I promise that I’ll prove us worthy of God’s Grace!”

“Are we, sister?”

Marianne stared forward. The sickly pale form of her little sister stood in front of her. She held the hand of a tall, lanky woman, dressed in a dirty bridal dress and veil, a veil that failed to hide the waft of rotting flesh radiating off of her.

“If God loved us, why did the priest blame me?”

“The priest is the one in the wrong!” Marianne yelled. “He’s the one who will burn in Hell for his sins!”

“Don’t worry Marianne, he is.” The bride spoke, her voice soft and raspy. “And even though you can’t keep your promises, I’ll make sure your lovely sister is safe and sound.”

Marianne’s eyes met Vera’s. They were dull and expressionless. Tears stained her cheeks, but she was no longer crying.

“Who are you?”

The bride smiled. “I merely saw potential in your sister. So I saved her, and fed her, and gave her a purpose. We all need a purpose. Your’s was to die and reunite with her. That’s what you promised, and you failed to do that.”

“She showed me a lord worthy of my love and respect.” Vera added, the sound of buzzing flies almost drowning out her voice.

“What did you do to my sister!”

“Lady Veras is one of my greatest knights, I’m honored for her to carry my remains for time immemorial.” The bride crumbled into a pile of ash. “But don’t cry, you’ll be together forever.”

“I made a promise to the Great Hegemon.” Vera soft whisper sounding more like a growl. “Unlike you, I keep my promises.”

As the veil of green smoke faded, Marianne felt the cold mud of the trench again. The small, frail form of Vera stretched to inhuman size. Her arms elongated, ending in sharp claws that dripped in blood and a greenish ooze. A suit of rusted armor engulfed her body, a helmet with a long needle similar to that of a mosquito's proboscis covering her soft face. Partially clear tubes connected to her stomach, leading acidic liquids to a strange, archaic rifle that sat on her back. In one claw she gripped a large, bloodied ax. In the other, the severed head of the war prophet.

Two other knights in similar armor stood behind her. With a simple nod, they walked past Marianne, joining their thralls in slaughtering the rest of the pilgrims.

She didn’t try to stop them. Nor did she try to stop what was once her sister from grabbing her by her arm and dragging her out of the trench.

As she was dragged further into heretic territory, she glanced back towards the trench. One of the knights had ripped a pilgrim missing his leg out of the trench, throwing the desecrated corpse into a cart of flesh that was pulled by a tumor-coated equine. From the looks of it, she was the only one of the warband left alive.

“I’m sorry…” She mumbled to no one in particular. What was one more broken promise?

[imaginefodlan]

After the snow tempest, the heat wave. The lions are dead. Seriously, they are fallen in the three's shadow and in their room and they barely move. Ferdinand screams that the lions will die if nothing is done. Caspar believes it and panicks. Lysithéa is like "fiinne" and throw ice magic on them. They end hidding in Abyss. Meanwhile Seteth runs after Claude "PUT BACK YOUR SHIRT"

Where the Blue Lions thrive in winter, they positively cannot stand the heat in the dead of summer. Ingrid pretends she's fine, but after a half hour passes, she's turning pink and is ready to collapse in the heat. Even shirtless, Dimitri, Felix, Ashe and Sylvain are all overheating and probably all roasty-toasty with a side of sunburn. After whatever summertime activities they may get up to, they without a doubt collapse in a heap once they're back indoors, and they probably won't be back at it until at least another day or two afterward. The best off of the four is Felix, who at least tans out after the fact once his burn has healed, instead of turning bright red and burnt, and then immediately pale again.

When Ferdinand and Caspar find them in a common area, collapsed in a puddle of sweat and sunburns, they nearly panic, thinking they've all passed out from sun sickness. Lysithea and Marianne are called over to help the most heat-intolerant Lions recover from their fatigue and sunburns, although not without a much needed lecture on the importance of knowing your limits in the heat and taking precautions in advance to prevent overheating.

Dedue and Mercie don't seem to mind the heat as much. Mercie is entirely as prepared as possible for the heat, decked out with her parasol and clothes that drape over her modestly yet remain lightweight and breathable, and Dedue has more of a tolerance to heat in short bursts, and can even endure it over hours at a time without too much trouble thanks to his exposure to the constant extreme heat of the workshops as the child of a blacksmith. Being exposed to the heat of the kilns has its benefits for his heat tolerance, but the longer they're both out in the heat without relief, the more they start to feel the heat waves beating against their skin. However slowly it creeps up on them comparatively to the rest, they both eventually need a break from the heat.

For all Annette's warmth of personality and her love of a warm fireplace in winter, she's probably the worst off in the heat of the summertime. She burns to a crisp in a matter of minutes, it seems, and she absolutely cannot be out in it for very long because of it.

Overall, most of the Deer are enjoying their time in the summer sun, basking in its warmth with little issue. Marianne and Lysithea have the most experience with accidental sunburns from being out in the heat, but they've also learned how to protect themselves from the heat so they don't get burnt anymore. Still, they sympathize with the Lions' plight in the heat.

Hilda, smart girl that she is, is well prepared to stay indoors throughout the summertime, but when she does have to go into the heat, she is not above roping some unsuspecting gentleman into helping her stay cool by bringing her water, providing shade for her, or otherwise taking over whatever duties that would require this "fragile flower" to go into the sun for anything but sunbathing.

Lysithea will be in the same boat as Hilda, but is more likely to hole herself up in the library to avoid going outdoors whenever possible, using research and homework as an excuse to stay indoors with little exception. Lorenz is typically there with her, barring some social outings which require his presence out in the heat, lest he disappoint his public (aka the other Golden Deer). He is somehow the first one to come up with the idea of using Lysithea's frost magic to cool everyone down after a long day in the heat, an innovative plan that ultimately ends in disaster because someone (probably Claude) pissed Lysithea off by calling her short, leading to a more targeted spell chilling them to the bone.

Leonie is the queen of warm weather, although she tends to survive the heat better in wooded areas that have plenty of shade than out in an open field like Gronder. She tends to spend a lot of time outdoors at any time of year, but summertime is when she thrives, both as a hunter and in general.

Raphael handles the heat very well, used to working outdoors in the heat and cold, rain or shine, due to his sheer stature and strength - and in summer, it's not uncommon to see him entirely shirtless while he works, enjoying the warmth of the sun on as much skin as he can get away with. Ignatz, on the other hand, while he tolerates it well, still ends up with the bridge of his nose turning a dusty shade of pink in the summer sun and needs salve to help ease the discomfort of the mild burn.

Of all people, Claude is the first to rip off his shirt at the earliest signs of summertime, from the first day the weather turns toward warmth and the sun blazes high in the sky. On his wyvern? Shirtless, and probably barely wearing pants as well. In the greenhouse? Ditto. In the classroom? Yeah, still barely dressed, at least until Byleth pulls Seteth into the classroom and he's threatened with expulsion from the monastery for behavior improper of a noble during class time. This man thrives on the warmth of summer, and will absolutely get his comeuppance when winter comes around, as he sits wrapped in five hundred blankets, sneezing and sniffling like crazy while he plots revenge on the weather.

[philrayart]

British Giallo Die Screaming Marianne (1970) posters.

Check out our Shop for prints and more!

Links in bio 🖤

[viewerace]

Die Screaming, Marianne ~ 1971

[rinaqz]

Understanding

🐇•dark/triggering themes

🦢•fluff/wholesome content

um. this is written from the POV of my oc Shamia (here). I wanted to explore her dynamic with her Aunt so. Yeah. Hehehe.

content warning: death, murder, blood, rotting flesh, choking, nightmares, a lot of self-doubt on Shamia’s end, mention of slight self-sabotage at the end, mention of feeling buzzed/drunk (she isn't actually buzzed).

1.4k words.

Blood-stained hands pulled at me from all directions. Whispers of my name clashed with the numbing pain in my chest, and the ringing in my ears seemed to get louder and louder with each stumble forward. The smell of rotting flesh made me gag.

The room was dark, pitch black almost. The only thing providing any kind of light was an open door far away from where I stood. The ghastly amount of space between us made me realize my hopes of getting out of here were very slim, second to none. And with the malformed hands trying to yank me further back into this hell I’ve managed to make for myself, I began to doubt if running was even worth it. Could I even run from this?

A shriek left my already sore throat when I felt one of the hands pull harshly at my braided hair, inadvertently causing me to lose my footing and fall onto my back with a loud thump. I tried to pull myself to my feet, but more hands began to pull me down. Their grotesque appearance was nothing compared to how incapable I felt once I realized I had really done myself in this time.

I tried to speak, to say something, but nothing came out except for a low, gurgling sound as I choked on my unspoken words. The taste of iron filled my throat, and droplets of crimson began trickling down my chin.

My head began to spin. Was it even possible to die twice? Was any of this shit.. real? I questioned if it was, though it definitely felt real. Extremely fucking real. The whispers around me felt like they were brushing right against my skin. How could something this vile exist?

How could I even exist?

Shit, I mused to myself bitterly, That’s a question that’ll never get answered.

All around me, hands kept dragging me further into the surrounding darkness, and all I could do was give up. Maybe this was meant to happen to someone as disgusting as me. Maybe this was how it was supposed to end, something so incredibly warped even I couldn’t process it.

It doesn’t matter. My curtains were bound to close soon in any case.

=====

“-..mia.. Shamia!”

I jolted awake with a start, immediately being met with my aunt’s distraught face. My hand found its way to my chest, clutching at my non-existent heart with an iron-fist. My eyes darted around. The familiar sight of the slightly dated floral wallpaper and the wooden vanity on the other side of the room put me at ease. A bad dream. That’s all it had been.

“Oh! Thank God, you’re awake!.. Are you feeling alright, darling?”

Marianne sounded more worried than she should’ve been. I never understood why she spent so much time fretting over me instead of worrying about more important things. But, I guess I shouldn’t be ungrateful.

“Yeah, yeah.. I’m fine.” I mumbled, taking the small glass of tea she ushered into my hands. The heat from it was oddly comforting.

“Thanks, Mari..”

I gulped down the tea, the familiar sweetness of it trickling down my throat. A sense of calmness washed over me. I leaned back against the headboard, noticing my aunt’s smile out of the corner of my eye. She was so sweet to me, even knowing.. what I was.

“Don’t mention it, honey.” She hummed. I felt the bed dip down a little. She must’ve sat down. “You had another nightmare, didn’t you? ..Before you try denying it, I heard you screaming while I was bringing your tea up.”

I huffed, sinking down into the mattress a bit. She had this uncanny way of seeing right through me even when I tried to put up a front. I didn’t like how vulnerable it made me feel, but at the same time it was.. nice to know someone cared. Even if a little overwhelming.

“I really don’t want to talk about it, Mari.” I placed my empty glass on the nightstand, my hands feeling shakier than normal. I brought them up to play with a few strands of my hair, a habit I had as a kid. My eyes fell to the quilt laying over my legs. I stared at it like it was the most interesting thing in the world, the different patterns becoming my main focus.

I could feel the concern radiating off of Marianne in droves. She spent so much time codling me it made me wonder if she did anything else.

“But it could help.” She urged gently. She was obviously trying not to be forceful. “It’s never good to keep things bottled up. Eventually the bottle will get too full and spill over.”

Her and her metaphors.. This wasn’t a fourth grade classroom, I didn’t need to be spoken to like it was. I knew she was only trying to help, though, so I relented. A sigh left my throat.

“You know I’m terrible at these things. I don’t even know where to start.”

“And that’s okay. I’ve got all afternoon. I’m here for you, Shamia. I hope you know that.”

A lump formed inside my throat. Such kindness and understanding.. Was I even allowed to be given those things anymore? Did I deserve it? I didn’t think so, but she clearly did. Maybe I should give myself some grace. She already knew everything anyway, it wasn’t like I could keep anything secret from her for long. It was as if I was see-through.

A heavy breath escaped me I didn’t even realize I was holding. My shoulders slumped. I pulled at the hair tie around my wrist, letting the softness of it hit my skin whenever I let go.

“I’m not okay, Mari. I’m seriously fucked up, and yet you still give me your undivided attention like it’s nothing.” I made myself look up to meet her gaze. It made me feel sick how one person could have so much love inside them. Even for someone like me. “I’ve killed people, I’ve had the blood of dozens on my hands and my clothes. How can you stand to even look at me?”

Marianne leaned over and gently placed a warm hand against my arm.

“Because, I know why you do it.” She said quietly. “You don’t want anyone else to suffer the way Ocean did. And even though your methods are.. unconventional.. You do what you do for a good reason. Not because you enjoy it, but because you feel like you have no other choice.”

I was silent. She was right, in a way. I didn’t enjoy what I did. In fact, I loathed it more than anything, even if those people deserved what they got. It wasn’t like I didn’t warn them. I made it known what would happen if they chose not to listen. They’re the ones who couldn’t put aside their greed for anything else. Idiots.

“I guess..” I leaned back against the pillows. I felt numb inside. Like I was buzzed without actually drinking anything to make me that way. “It still doesn’t change the fact I’m an unstable fluke.”

I heard Marianne sigh. I felt guilty, but only for a brief moment as the bed shifted, becoming lighter. I watched her pick up my empty glass from the nightstand and look at me with sad eyes. I wish she wouldn’t look at me like that.. It only made me feel worse.

“I know I can’t change how you feel about yourself. You’re stubborn, which is.. both good and.. not so good. I just..wish you could show yourself some mercy for once. You’re not as horrible as you think you are, darling.”

Her footsteps sounded across the carpet, the light from the hallway slightly blocked by her silhouette. She gave me a small smile, making me feel sick.

“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

She left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I found myself staring up at the ceiling. My eyes burned a bit. I was so ungrateful. She was only trying to make me feel better, and here I was, taking it for granted. My already sullen mood was becoming worse at the notion.

“God, I’m such a fucking moron..” I whispered to myself, pulling at my hair until it began to sting. I felt hollow inside my chest.

Maybe I really didn’t deserve her understanding.