#WHAT WAS ROMANTIC ABOUT ''MARY'' AND JOHN????? WHERE WAS THE ROMANCE????????

[bidotorg]

Ah, dear reader, let me regale you with a tale from the annals of literary history, steeped in mystery and enshrouded in the ominous mists of 1816—a year oft referred to as the "Year Without a Summer." This macabre moniker arose from the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Tambora in distant Indonesia, a volcanic fury so immense it cast a pall over Europe and North America, plunging the world into a chilling gloom.

Now, picture, if you will, the illustrious Mary Shelley (#Bi2), her brooding paramour Percy Bysshe Shelley, and her enigmatic stepsister Claire Clairmont, taking refuge in the stately Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva. They were joined by none other than the illustrious and scandalous Lord Byron (#OneOfUs) and his enigmatic physician, the somber John Polidori.

The heavens wept incessantly, and the relentless rain imprisoned our intrepid creatives indoors. To stave off the encroaching ennui, they turned to the dark allure of German ghost stories. It was during one such eerie evening, under the pallid light of flickering candles, that the diabolical Lord Byron proposed a challenge most fiendish: each guest was to pen their own tale of the supernatural.

Inspired by the electrifying discussions of galvanism and the reanimation of lifeless flesh, our dear Mary Shelley found herself birthing an idea so monstrous it would rattle the very bones of literary tradition. Thus, "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" began to claw its way into existence, a tale of creation and despair that would haunt the corridors of time.

Meanwhile, the enigmatic Polidori, not to be outdone, conjured "The Vampyre," a work that would cast a long, sanguine shadow over the burgeoning vampire genre.

Ah, that fateful summer, with its cursed weather and the alchemical blend of minds at Villa Diodati, became a crucible of dark creativity, giving rise to masterpieces that would forever alter the landscape of Gothic literature and beyond. #HotBiSummer 💀

Mary Shelley, the teenage inventor of modern science-fiction and part of Lord Byron's road-tripping disaster bisexual crew, has often fallen victim to the "gal pals" effect, which overlooks her romances with women.

Lord Byron is regarded as one of the greatest English poets, one who was immensely popular during his time and remains influential today.

Polidori created the Romantic literary vampire by basing him on Byron himself. Polidori’s vampire is exactly the destructive bi stereotype we’re tired of — though in Polidori’s defense, he was trapped with the living embodiment of it at the time.

[iamsherlocked1479]

I have a Sherlock request if you’re happy to do it!

I’d love it if you could write something friends-to-lovers / idiots-in-love like where Y/N is on a case with Sherlock + John and she starts saying how romantic the place is so Sherlock takes her back there later and confesses his love to her 🥹

I love your writing!❤️

All I wanted to say

Sherlock x fem reader

Fluff only no warnings

Word count: 3.1K

Exactly as asked Sherlock has a crush and wants to confess. Hope you enjoy :)

“Are you sure I should be coming with you?” you say being pushed into the back of the cab by your unusual flat mate.

“Oh yes you’re perfectly qualified.” he smiled as he hurried along the cab driver.

“Sherlock, I own a bookshop.” you reply with a tone of irritance in your voice.

“Well nobody’s perfect but that's not what i mean.” he says keeping his eyes to the window

“I know, you mean John is busy with Mary and you need somebody to show off too.” you roll your eyes.

“Well, no. I don’t show off, we’ve discussed this.” he adds

“When?! When did we discuss this, I called you out on it last week.”

“Exactly and i told you i wasn’t showing off i was in fact you stating the obvious.” he says finally turning to you.

“No you didn't, you just stared at me.” you huff

“Did I?” he fixed his eyes elsewhere

“Uh huh.” you say crossing your arms like an unhappy toddler. “Where are we going?”

“Apollo victoria theatre. Lead to one of their most popular shows was murdered” he says texting away on his phone.

“No way” you brow raises in excitement

“What?” He looked confused. “It was murder, usually only I am excited over these things.” a small smile began forming at the corner of his mouth.

“No it’s just the history in that building and the shows, god what i’d give to see one.” your eyes lit up.

“Oh, right. One has to understand when they’re different I see.” his smile dispersed. His heart fluttered as he watched you watch the streets as you grew closer to the destination. He couldn’t understand it, he did actually bring you along to the case as you were useful, but he needed time. He needed time to study you more, he was going to eventually tell you his findings, just how he would explain it after watching you cry to countless romance movies and going on about relationships where for small minded people. But for you, he would be small minded.

You followed him out the cab in awe, the way his mood changed when he got to the crime scene was almost instantaneous like the flick of a switch, you enjoyed watching Anderson’s face drop as Sherlock entered the building. You followed him through the halls past the police giving you, a civilian, strange looks. You shouldn't be here but you were with him and that sugar coated the whole thing, but it’s not like he could ever know that, he was your friend and a good one that is. You couldn’t risk losing that he needed a friend and you needed him. For one he makes sure the crime story you’re writing is factually correct, whether you like it or not, but you did appreciate the time he spent with you. You’d take anything at this point, you were starting to become desperate and it stupid. But here you are following him through the place you’d always wanted to visit to look at a dead body, how romantic.

“I got here as soon as you called.” John appeared from the hallway as you walk down the aisles and rows of chairs towards the stage where a woman laid in the centre of the stage face down and a pool of blood leaking from her head.

“Have you examined her yet?” Sherlock commanded pulling rubber gloves down his wrists

“I thought John was busy?” you question

“Why would I be busy? This is my job?” john asked confused as you both look at sherlock who looked up from the body

“You didn’t answer my call. And i needed her.” he nodded to you who began to lose it

“Why would you possibly need me? I had to close the book shop I'm already behind on rent.” you pace as you lecture. You were stopped by his tall frame gripping your shoulders.

“Shh.” he says the taste of latex edging your lips as his finger covers them. “I need you to rule out the possibility of suicide. When was the building built?”

“1930.” you mumble “Did you just touch a body and then put your hands on my mouth?” you say pulling away

“Uh, maybe.” he holds his arms behind his back looking up to the ceiling “when was it last refurbished?”

“1981, why?”

“Look at that, your history degree is finally coming into use.” he says running backstage.

“Wow, I'm so happy about that.” you sigh sarcastically. You shuffle about the stage for a moment taking in the room, it was amazing the rows of velvet red seats climbing their way to the seats. The golden patterns on the railing, the way the dust trickled to the floor.

Dust? No that's not right, you look up to see Sherlock boxing on the railing above the stage that technicians would use to lower props.

“Sherlock, get down from there!” John yelled as sherlock stepped out closer to the edge.

“This plank, its broken.” he shouted back down

“Its an old building” john replied

“I’m coming back down. I know what happened.” the sounds of footsteps eagerly coming towards you echoed through the halls as he worked his way down.

“That was fast.” you say impressed

“Usually it doesn't take him this long, he seems a bit distracted.” John smiled

“Yeah, he hasn’t seen you in a while.” you add to his statement

“That's not what i meant.” he said still smiling

“Then what did you mean?”

“Suicide” sherlock interupted you

“But all the evidence leads to the backup lead.” john replies

“Just because the lead and the backup argue does not mean the backup would kill the lead. No, the lead was stressed, you can tell by the amount of loose hairs around her head. Probably because she was behind on her rent obviously doesn’t pay well in the west end, dark circles around her eyes and pale skin add to that conclusion, malnourishment, come on john you're a doctor after all. No my friend she couldn't handle her life anymore the pressure from the backup obviously wasn’t helping either but they are completely innocent.'' He turned to you and winked as he walked away correcting the collar of his coat.

You stood in awe. He really was impressive, but as you reminded yourself time after time he wasn’t interested. No matter how many times he would appear in the corner of the bookshop because he was, as he claimed, bored, no matter how many times you could have sworn you felt him watching you as he played his violin. He never really would be yours, all you could do was hold on to what you had.

Sherlock hoped that his quick conclusion would entice you to join him on more adventures. He smiled to himself as he approached the theatre owner, remembering the look of awe on your pretty little face, the way your hair followed the neat shape of your jawline, oh sherlock, he was becoming flustered. He hated how no matter how many times he tried to tell you nothing would come out. He would wait until the shop was empty and appear looking through the rows of books just so he could watch the way you made the young children smile with your stories or help a stressed student find their textbook. His favourite would be when a husband comes in looking for the best “i forgot our anniversary book” the way you would approach the confused men in the romance section and hand them the most popular romcom at the time, always worked. He just loved being around you, he just loved you, and he was never one for keeping things to himself. And he wasn’t going to let this be the only thing he would keep to himself. The one thing you might want him to say.

“Mr holmes?” the owner stood with his hand out towards him

“Huh? Yes?” Sherlock snapped back into existence, how long was he gone for?

“I said thankyou for solving the case, so glad it’s not going to be too much paperwork, i asked if you would like some tickets, as a thankyou i mean?” he still held out his hand waiting for Sherlock to shake it.

“No thanks not really my-'' wait that's it, your face lit up when you saw the theatre he could take you. It could be a date? Sherlock on a date, god if Mycroft where to find out he’d think sherlock had gone insane. “Yes uh, any shows tonight?”unlikely he thought, suicide and all.

“Yes, once we get the stage cleaned up, we have wicked if that's your thing?”

“None of it is but I know someone who would love it.” he smiled shaking the man's hand

“Great, I'll tell the office you’ll be joining us tonight, with a guest I assume?” he smiled

“Uh yes”

He walked away feeling accomplished, his plan was perfect, all he had to do was not freeze.

…………………………….

It was around 4:30pm when you finally managed to get back to the bookshop. There were only two hours left of your usual hours, but being behind on rent meant every minute the bookshop was open counted.

“Thanks for visiting.” you smile at one of your usuals, a ginger haired english student from the local university. You often found her sitting in the corner of the shop studying until just before closing time. It didn’t bother you that she rarely purchased anything you were just glad she had somewhere to lay low.

“y/n?” Sherlock cleared his throat from behind you, causing you to almost drop the books in your hand with his sudden appearance. “Erm sorry i didn’t mean to-”

“It's fine.” you laughed it off “What can i help you with?” you smile placing the pile of books in his hand for him to hold why you find their places on the shelves.

“I uh was wondering if- of course if you’re not busy i-” he stuttered his words as you turned to him tucking you hair behind your ears

“Are you okay there?” you ask, taking a book, your hand slightly tracing over him.

Oh god did you, you did. You touched his finger, whether you meant it or not he couldn’t tell. It was hard enough when you turned around giving him a good look of your emerald green eyes, and the slightly too low neckline of your sweatshirt, but as a gentleman should, he never looked too much. At least he tried to. But your touch burned his skin, he needed more, he needed you. Why was he here again? Oh right.

“Theatre.” he suddenly blurted out

“Pardon?” you say confused at his sudden outburst

“The owner gave me two tickets for tonight's show, wicked, I believe and I was wondering if you weren’t too busy would you go with me? I saw how excited you were and-” he paused realising he was rambling.

“You want to go out with me? Like a date?” your eyes widened slightly, maybe all this time the feeling was mutual.

“A date?”

“Well two people go out, they enjoy each other's company and do something fun.”

“Isn’t romance usually part of it?” he asks leaning on the shelf

“It can be, but friends can have dates too.” you smile warmly

That word left him confused, friends? Is that all you saw the pair of you as? Was it even worth asking? He couldn’t change the plans now, you love the theatre and even if you didn’t reciprocate the feelings, he would still get to see you smile. Sherlock Holmes was never one to back down because he was afraid of the outcome. And he wasn’t about to do it now.

He stood pacing in the living room of baker street, wearing his usual smart attire. Black dress trousers and a purple shirt. He paused as you came down the stairs looking a lot smarter than earlier, it was the theatre after all, he admired your outfit, a denim dress accompanied by black tights and your favourite pair of doc martins someone in your financial situation definitely shouldn’t own.

You moved in with Sherlock when John moved out after being friends for nearly two years, with you knowing him as the detective above the shop you figured having someone to help you pay rent wouldn’t cause you any problems. Only just leading to having a crush on the only man in London who didn’t seek out a relationship. People often seemed surprised when you told them you owned a bookshop, in the politest way girls who look like you don’t usually ever pick up a book after the age of five.

“Ready to go?” you smile picking up your coat. He stood silently observing you, his eyes tracing up and down your body. “Is everything okay? Is it too much?” you ask, becoming insecure.

“No, you look fine. Apologies for staring just, wow.” he smiled picking up his coat.

“Are you sure?” you ask as he ushered you out the door.

“Positive.” he smiled, this smile was real. Finally just you and him, he couldn’t wait for the show to be over, so he could tell you.

You gripped his arm as you entered the theatre heading to the ticket office, admiring the building in its true glory. The golden archways and marble floors are traced with a red carpet, leading to the box office. You were like a kid in a candy shop, it was amazing.

“Are you okay?” sherlock asked with a smile

“Better than okay.” you exclaim

“Two please, for Mr Holmes. Mr Thompson said i could get in on him.” he asked the booth worker

“Of course, we’ve been expecting you Mr Holmes.” she smiled and handed him a set of tickets.

The look on your face was what brought Sherlock to pause in his mind. She had never looked this fascinated with any case that he had brought her to before and… was she holding his hand? It must be awkward both holding arm and hand but… what could it mean? For one, Sherlock Holmes couldn’t find an answer.

The two of you walked to your assigned seats and found that the owner had given you some of the best seats in the house. Sherlock watched your eyes light up even more as you sat down and looked out over the other seats and the stage to fully take in what was happening.

“Thank you for this, Sherlock,” you looked over at him with a smile and watched as he tensed up, awkwardly looking for an answer under your gaze.

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Sherlock nodded to you and gave you a gracious smile before replying, “you’re welcome.”

“Doesn’t it look amazing?” You smile admiring the mechanical dragon hanging above the stage.

“Yes, one would say even intriguing.” He smiled, keeping his eyes on you. He sighed as he watched the grip you had on his hand tightened as the lights dimmed. Maybe this show would be the best thing he’d seen in a while.

The show itself was more amazing than you could have ever imagined. The voices of the actors were amazing along with the choreography they had paired with the songs. You watched as even Sherlock seemed to enjoy it, smiling every time you looked over at him. You finally concluded that defining gravity was your new favourite song and just as quick as it started the show was over.

“Oh my god that was amazing, maybe the wicked witch wasn’t so wicked after all.” You beamed

“Perhaps she wasn’t.” Sherlock laughed at your excitement, his chest tightening as you once again looped your arm with his.

You wandered the streets before eventually stopping at a chip shop Sherlock had insisted you eat from instead of the closest shop you could find.

“These better be worth the blisters these boots are giving me.” You sighed as you slumped into the bench.

“Believe me it's one of the very few things I enjoy in this life.” He sat next to you, moving the chips in your direction allowing you to share.

“Okay, these are pretty good.” You smile as you push a chip into your hungry mouth.

“I told you so.” He smiled, the knot in his stomach tightened again as you knee touched his, the feeling he had come to find an answer too becoming more prominent than it ever had been. “Y/n I- there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” He put the chips aside and turned to you.

“Okay then.” You watched as his baby blues were now fixed in your pupils, dilating as your gazes met. You looked away trying not to bring too much attention to yourself as you felt the heat of your blush appearing on your face, all because he looked at you.

“I uh, erm. As you know or as I explained in my speech at john's wedding, if you remember.” He shuffled in his seat and cleared his throat. “Relationships are a strange thing to me, the way humans feel the desire to find a specific partner to spend every moment with repulses me.”

“Oh” you sigh, looking away again, “I know that.”

“But that was before i met you, before i too found myself feeling that I didn’t function properly without you and I still don’t understand it, i find myself thinking about you constantly hoping you notice everything i do. I hope that I never disappoint you or cause you harm and i- well. I don't understand these emotions I'm feeling, but I know that I can't imagine my life without you. You make me feel things that I never thought possible, and I want you to know that I care about you more than anything and-“ he wasn’t able to finish the speech he had prepared before your lips where on his, a surge of electricity flowed through your bodies only being satisfied when he wrapped his arms around you pulling you in as close as possible you let out a small hum as his tongue pushed into your mouth, dancing with your own before finally pulling away to catch a breath.

“I uh, sorry i cut you off i just wanted to-“ you laugh tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“No, no it uh it pretty much had everything i wanted to say.” He smiled, taking your hand into his. “It was all I wanted to say.” He repeated before pulling you in again

[seeingteacupsindragons]

I've just found your (most recent) answer about Louis being ace, where you mention that you believe both William and Sherlock are aro/ace, and I'm overjoyed that there is another person who holds the same beliefs! I thought I was the only one! I mean, there are plenty of people who simply don't ship them, but it's not the same thing. Could you please elaborate on that? It's ok if you don't want to, but I would really appreciate learning your thoughts on that.

I think actually a lot of people think this and don't have the vocabulary to articulate it!

Because, well, I think they're aro ace, but I ship them, and I have many meta posts about how they are, textually, canonically written as a romance in many, many, many ways.

To start, I think they're both ace-spec. That link there is to a brief explanation of where, exactly, on the spectrum I think they fall. My reasoning for this is not just that I like thinking of characters as ace (although I do, to be fair), but really the way their relationship to each other utterly floors them. It's not really the reaction someone would have if they had ever been attracted to or interested in someone else. This is clearly something very new and unique for them both, and neither of them has any words to describe it or name it or any idea what to do with these feelings.

And damn if that's not ace-spec.

My arguments for aromantic-ness came a bit later: when Sherlock was asking John why a person would want to get married in The Sign of Mary, and The Final Problem for William. Because, I mean, Sherlock is just like, "I get that logically you match up and could hit your list of qualifications, but this desire to have a romantic marriage partner is what I don't get," and. Yeah. That's an aro boy right there. He just don't understand because he'd never been in that position or thought about it. Because it had never occurred to him.

For William, it was largely about the way he basically described, "I want to die in your arms alone and be reborn at your side," and, "And we're friends!" William, shut up, you have no idea what you're talking about, but what you described is not friendship. I have many deep, powerful friendships and have never felt that way about any of them. That's a fucking completely out of pocket romantic desire, and you clearly don't even know that you stupid fucking dumbass.

So I think a lot of it lies in the newness and puzzlement of the concepts of romance and sex to me. It feels very ace-spec, like they'd never before even contemplated and it had never even occurred to them that it might affect them--presumably, because they'd never been attracted to anyone before.

It's also in Sherlock basically grimacing when John was like, "Wow, you're really old enough to be getting married, bro," and William being like, "Siiiiiigh my college students are all so horny," and William begging for help when a lady hits on him and he doesn't know how to respond, and it's just in the way they interact with life.

[dotthings]

With Rob there in a 70's wig as the keyboardist of the band, yeah sure it could be Chuck and he's enjoying all this drama immensely, that's likely. It's creepy. But once again I need to do a reminder: Chuck does not force people to have feelings. He doesn't implant feelings. He moves events around the Winchester family, puts obstacles in, he can make things move physically, he can even force a human to move a certain way but he cannot make them feel what they don't feel. There was a ton of bad takes about this during the run of the mothership while antis kept trying to claim things like--Saileen is noncon, roofied into loving each other, when it was Eileen and Sam's real feelings all along. Chuck made a spell, a piece of paper, fall out of one of Rowena's spellbooks at the right moment, the rest was all them. That all was expressly canon, antis still kept shrieking it was noncon and Sam and Eileen didn't really care about each other and weren't really falling in love, that it was all Chuck.

That was antis being objectively incorrect and anti-canon. And that is the argument some fans of TW are reaching for again to deny what John/Mary actually is.

It already had become clear me on TW that John and Mary's romance is not cupid roofies. I've been saying this for a few months.

They were not forced to feel things.

They were not forced to fall in love.

Trapped in a maze, they ran their own race.

Mary tells John she needs more time. After seeing her friend Carlos almost having to sacrifice his very soul, and then when he refuses that path, Carlos almost died, and then Carlos serenades his friends, who are his family, Mary is shooketh. It made her think. Carlos sings to this rag-tag group of hunters who mean everything to him. He's lost a lot, had to lose some of his dreams, but gained a lot. Carlos leads with his heart and he's very loving.

It's after Carlos' song that Mary is able to go to John and act on her feelings she already has, but she was afraid. Mary, who Samuel said is so stubborn and will go head-first despite danger, when it's about killing monsters. But when it comes to feelings, and being close to people, especially her romantic feelings for John, she's scared.

Nobody roofied Mary into going to John and reciprocating.

Not Chuck. Not cupids.

Seriously, guys, so much of fandom is clinging to the idea that JohnMary is a manufactured romance where their feelings aren't real.

A lot of us thought that. I know. It's based on bits and pieces of information the mothership dropped, it's understandable, but if you look back now, you see how much was assumptions. Old school fandom made assumptions, newer fandom made assumptions.

And now TW is spelling it out loudly and clearing that up. It's not a retcon, it's a clarification and filling in blanks. We only had bits and pieces before and assumptions.

The love was real.

Their conflicts and problems were real.

They loved each other and they had a lot of problems, the marriage was troubled, and there's reasons for that. They both have issues.

What about any of this is real, we are.

Destiel shippers don't want to admit how similar these two love stories are, while TW keeps throwing Destiel parallels. It's not that canon is saying these two love stories are identical, but there are things in common some shippers don't want to admit. But also, what else are these parallels saying.

They are both romantic love stories.

Trapped in a maze but the feelings are real.

They love each other but the relationship has problems, conflicts, things that pull them apart.

TW is knocking on Destiel shippers' doors, you can answer or you can pretend it's not, because you're scared to be hopeful, about what TW is saying to you.

*****Also please don't diminish Carlos' emotional importance, the very self-evident impact he has on his friends, on Lata, on Mary, on John. Which was an A plot of this episode, the ep was very Carlos focused.*****

Don't ignore Mary starting to sob when she thought Carlos was about to die, John's anger on his behalf, Lata's tears, or how John, Mary, and Lata were all entranced by Carlos' song that he sang for them.

It moved Mary and it helped her get past her fear and she went to John and was able to reciprocate.

Nobody roofied her feelings.

It's just feelings.

[alexjcrowley]

I am watching Heat and making it everyone else's problem, BUT Al Pacino and De Niro in there are top tier queerplatonic relationship goals. Obviously no hate to the shippers who see them romantically involved, it's definitely something that I could see, but let me push my aromantic agenda here.

Because, honestly, Pacino and De Niro being like "this hunt, this kind of rush is my life, I can only get a woman to stay with me for limited time, because it's this what gets me going, being a criminal/hunting criminal"? SIRS MAY I SUGGEST YOU ARE BOTH LOOKING FOR A ROMANTIC PARTNER BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE WHAT YOU SHOULD DO BUT YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD ON YOUR OWN?

Don't get me wrong, I feel like Pacino cares about his wife and his wife's daughter a lot, but he doesn't love his wife romantically, you know what I mean? He chose a woman he likes and likes to have sex with, and he cares about her but no romo. Even when she says "I'm going out" without him, he doesn't explode into a jealous fit, he is just like "okay, I get you're angry with me, I'll go do my thing now" and that's that.

Robert De Niro being the only one of the group without a partner AND NOT EVEN LOOKING FOR ONE (it's Eady who goes to him). And I'll be honest, him meeting a woman and asking her to move to New Zealnd with him after two weeks to me seems a pretty forced writing choice. Just because they wanted to get him a woman, you know?

Of course the conversation at the bar between Pacino and De Niro is an iconic movie moment per se, but if I put my aro lenses on watching it I love it even more. I like to think their experiences are similar also because they don't need romance in their life, they basically have no place for it.

Pacino is like "my sentimental life is a mess and I wouldn't want it any other way if it meant abandoning what I think is my life purpose" and De Niro is like "Nah, I get it, to keep doing what I do I'd too drop everything that could stop me, romantic partner included".

I don't know, it's like "aromantic meets another aromantic for the first time in their life, turns out they have quite a lot in common".

And I like the idea of them developing some sort of qpr also in a sense that their relationship with eachothers, as cop and criminal, is what keeps them alive and makes their life interesting. That's what fuels them, not a happy ending with their loved one, but the thrill of the hunt!

I know obviously the movie wasn't intended to be aromantic and I don't mean to flatten the interpretation of Heat by reducing it to a queer reading, but there are basically zero movies about aromanticism and when I see a film in which at least one character could be interpreted as aro (usually when they're very focused on their job and they seem to gain more issues than benefits from romantic relationships) I can't help but being like "me! They're like me!". So indulge me, please.

Pacino and De Niro in this movie really feel like Sherlock and Watson in a way, let me explain. I always disliked that part in Sherlock adaptation when John ends up with Mary and wants to marry her and move on from his aventurous life with Sherlock, and not because I want John to be romantically involved with Sherlock, but because I think John is giving up a fantastic, intriguing, exciting life to...be married. If you were to aske me "would you prefer to settle down with a ring on your finger or live the rest of your days solving mystery wuth your best friend" that's not even a question for me, I choose the second option.

And Pacino and De Niro in Heat are people who would choose the second option in a blink like me! Yes, they want to keep ghe hunt going, the adrenaline pumping, they couldn't sit at home watching tv and eating roast, where's the adventure, where's the fire???? The best moment of their day is not at home with their partner, in on the field, oursmarting the other!!!! As far as I am concerned, they said aro rights to me, I don't care. Qpr goals, they wouldn't settle down together, they would play the cat and mouse game for as long as they can meeting weekly in cafe to update the other about the rest of their life and flirt.

After spending 5 days hiding in some secret cove, De Niro walks into a bar where Al Pacino held a sit for him, they order coffee and Pacino is like "What are you doing this days?" "Oh, same old stuff, caught Starsky & Hutch on TV yesterday" "Oh, so you're hiding in a place that has a TV and decent enough signal :)" "Yeah, you got me, what about you ^-^"

It makes sense in my head I swear. They flirt all the time but in a queerplatonic way you know what I mean. You know it.

[winterdaphne2]

Casablanca and Sherlock Series 3

Part love story, part pro-Allies propaganda film, Casablanca (1942) is a classic piece of Hollywood cinema from the WWII era and perhaps one of the most famous romance movies of all time.

The film goes something like this:

Ilsa was married to Victor, but they were separated and she believed Victor to be dead. Ilsa meets Rick and the two of them fall in love, but then Ilsa learns that Victor isn’t actually dead and she leaves Rick for Victor. Some time later, all three of them encounter each other. Rick is heartbroken that Ilsa left him, but eventually he realizes that she still loves him. Scary dangerous people are after Victor, though, so Rick arranges for Ilsa and Victor to escape to safety. The film ends with an emotional tarmac scene where Rick convinces Ilsa that she’ll be happier if she leaves with Victor and he and Ilsa say goodbye forever. Ilsa and Victor leave on the plane, and Rick shoots one of the scary dangerous people to make sure they can get away. (At first it seems like Rick is going to get in big trouble for this because he did it in front of the police chief, but at the last moment we see that the police chief lets him off.)

Series 3 of Sherlock goes something like this:

Sherlock and John were in love, but they were separated and John believed Sherlock to be dead. John meets Mary, but then Sherlock returns and reveals to John that he’s not actually dead. Sherlock is heartbroken that John has apparently moved on from him and is with Mary now, but eventually he realizes that John still loves him. Scary dangerous people are after Mary, though, so Sherlock shoots one of them to protect her. There are two very intense scenes where Sherlock reveals that he thinks John will be happier if he stays with Mary. The series ends with an emotional tarmac scene where Sherlock and John say goodbye, and Sherlock leaves on the plane feeling utterly heartbroken and with so much still unsaid between him and John. (Then at the last moment, it's revealed that Sherlock won’t get in big trouble for shooting the scary dangerous guy after all.)

There are a lot of parallels here, and the tarmac scene at the end of Casablanca is so famous that it’s hard not to see the last scene of His Last Vow as a direct allusion to it. But even if the writers didn't deliberately use the rest of Casablanca as a model for S3 (and I think it's at least possible that they did), I think comparing the two and exploring some of the ways Sherlock diverges from Casablanca highlights a few really interesting things about what's going on in S3.

First, if we treat Sherlock and John as mirrors for the characters in Casablanca, then Sherlock actually fills the roles of both John's lovers in S3.

In Casablanca, Rick is the protagonist and is initially presented as a kind of hardboiled anti-hero. Over the course of the film, though, we learn that he’s really not. At heart, Rick is a “sentimentalist,” is in love with Ilsa, and cares about a cause bigger than himself (resisting the Axis powers). Similarly, once we start seeing things from Sherlock’s point of view in S3, we see even more clearly than ever before that Sherlock is a very caring and sensitive person, is deeply in love with John, and is incredibly selfless and willing to put the safety and happiness of others above his own feelings.

This matches Sherlock with Rick, but there's more. In S3, Sherlock is both the hero who sacrifices his own feelings to keep John and his spouse safe and John's first love, the one John thought was dead. So Sherlock mirrors Victor, too. If the writers did intend for S3 to parallel Casablanca, then perhaps this was meant to indicate that Sherlock isn't just the selfless hero who does everything he can to protect John, but is also the character John is ultimately meant to be with. Even if not, though, I think it's really interesting that Sherlock's character fulfills so many romantic roles in S3.

Here’s what I think is most interesting, though. For much of Casablanca, Ilsa is torn between her two lovers—she’s confused about what she really wants and doesn’t know what to do. In the dramatic denouement on the tarmac, Rick convinces her to go with Victor because Victor is an important freedom fighter working against the Nazis. Rick tells Ilsa that she’s important to Victor’s work and that if she abandons Victor to stay with him, she’ll eventually come to regret it because her role in helping Victor fight against the Nazis is more important than whatever he (Rick) and Ilsa may feel for each other. By insisting that Ilsa would regret it if she doesn't leave with Victor, Rick argues that contributing to the fight against the Nazis is ultimately what Ilsa will find most fulfilling.

The audience is clearly supposed to applaud Rick's actions. Casablanca is a product of the WWII-era American film industry, and the argument that people should put a noble cause above their own personal desires—and will even find this more fulfilling—is the film’s central message. This is Casablanca's resolution. It's the film's moral message that enables the tarmac scene to neatly tie up Rick and Ilsa's love story and provide the audience with closure.

But Sherlock isn't trying to make a point like that. I think this is a big part of what makes the two tarmac scenes feel so different, and makes the one in Sherlock hurt so much more.

In S3, Sherlock is heartbroken that he can’t be with John, but he convinces himself that a future with Mary is what John really wants and does everything he can to give John that future. That's similar to the plot of Casablanca, but the crucial difference is that Mary isn't a freedom fighter in the mold of Victor. While Victor is fleeing the Nazis because he's part of the resistance movement and has spoken out against them, Magnussen has dirt on Mary because she used to be a paid assassin. Sherlock wants John to be with Mary because he thinks it will make John happy, but not because it’s important to some higher cause. As the audience, we see that John is torn between Sherlock and Mary for much of S3, like Ilsa, but ultimately I think we’re supposed to understand that John really wants to be with Sherlock and only stays with Mary because he believes he doesn’t have a chance with Sherlock (or because of his own internalized biphobia and his fear of his love for Sherlock). In a lot of ways, S3 is about Sherlock and John misinterpreting each other’s feelings and actions, failing to act on their true feelings, and failing to realize that their love for each other could be something beautiful if they fully embraced it, not something that will only ever keep hurting them over and over again.

The result is that by the end of the tarmac scene, we’re not left applauding Sherlock for sacrificing his feelings and letting John have a future with Mary. Instead, we’re left heartbroken that Sherlock has to leave John and that Sherlock and John couldn't realize that they are the two people in the story who are meant to be together. Unlike in Casablanca, we aren't left believing that there's a noble reason why John should be with Mary instead of Sherlock—especially given how much we know about how deeply Sherlock and John love each other by this point in the narrative.

I think this is what’s most interesting to me. Casablanca is very much a love story, but it has another point to make and uses a romance plotline to do so. In contrast, in Sherlock the love story really is the central story and the whole point of the show. So since it doesn't have a separate moral point to make, the tarmac scene in HLV doesn't resolve Sherlock and John's love story like in Casablanca. And since the show can't feel resolved without the love story being resolved, we're still left hanging at the end of HLV.

[missanthropicprinciple]

miss anthro’s film recs: May 2021

Jurassic Park 1993: Watched this for the third time in a month today to celebrate it's release 28 years ago. Like most excellent films, it was created by a lucky intersection of talent. The remarkable premise was crafted into a brilliant script by David Koepp and author Michael Crichton; it was tight, clean, fast-paced - no plot holes and unnecessary scenes. Steven Spielberg really did a fantastic job of making a cohesive production and giving it a kind of emotional continuity. The cast is outstanding. I could write an essay about each one. Richard Attenborough brings pathos to John Hammond, the delusional tycoon. Sam Neill is perfect as Alan Grant, a jaded paleontologist who finds deeper compassion. Laura Dern gives a raw performance as the resolute and charming paleo-botanist Ellie Sattler. Jeff Goldblum stars as Ian Malcolm, chaotician and prototype "rock-star scientist." Bob Peck is wonderful as the sensible game warden Robert Muldoon. Samuel L. Jackson works his magic as sardonic chief engineer Ray Arnold. And of course, excellent performances from Martin Ferrero, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, and Ariana Richards. The special and physical effects are remarkable and most of them remain so nearly three decades later, including the life-sized animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex and just the right amount of CGI. Cinematography by Dean Cundey features god-tier-level use of scale framing. Not to mention great use of color, blocking, sound, costume, John Williams' beautiful score - you name it, this film really has everything going for it. Is this a perfect film? No, but it gets bloody close. Unmissable science-fiction that examines the horror unleashed by the arrogance of mankind. 

The Birdcage 1996: This 25* year old film is a real gem. While the modern viewer (myself included) could find fault with some stereotypes, etc., the classic comedy has aged quite well. There’s a lot of slapstick and hysterically funny and clever dialogue. Williams and Lane are outstanding. There’s a very touching scene between the two of them which is very romantic and sweet. And of course the whole cast is perfect. I’m always impressed by this film when I haven’t seen it in a while.

The Moon-Spinners 1964: You don’t need to be a Disney fan to love this incredible classic. Hayley Mills is well loved but I don’t think she’s given enough credit for being not only a brilliant child actor but also a great actor as she aged. Her performance is stellar. The whole movie is fun and tense, bringing Mary Stewart’s novel to life in the great and beautiful country of Greece. It’s a fun adventure from start to finish with humor and romance.

Fairytale: A True Story 1997: Want to cry your eyes out about the Cottingley fairy hoax of 1917? You may not trust me but I recommend this experience. Honestly, this movie is life-changing. This is a depiction of a real life story involving historical figures. Usually no one gets that quite right but this movie kinda does. Peter O’Toole looks nothing like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but Harvey Keitel looks remarkably like Harry Houdini. Something about the music and what they do with this story gets into your bloodstream. I couldn’t possibly spoil for anyone who knows nothing about it, but I can say that there is some incredible CGI and a scene where someone faces retribution from an unexpected and shocking source.

edit 2023:

*now 27

I found this in my drafts. Clearly, life got in the way and I didn’t continue my recommendation posts (I have the templates drafted in text form.) Also, while drafting this edit I was attacked by a small beetle. I remain unharmed and have released the beetle into its natural environment.

[unanchored-ship]

for your HCs of berry... 18 and 27 :)?

LETS GO BERRY!!!! Time for my lil twink to shine

18. What embarrasses him? Mentions of his love life! Call him a coward! Call him a traitor! He might feel ashamed yes, but if you say he's good in bed he will literally die. His wife is particularly good at that. He's a pretty normal though squishy guy on the surface and romance/sexual stuff ain't really his vibe, but during those rare times when it is (especially during whump) he's an absolute freak!! so no wonder he gets embarrassed lol. Sarah also loves to ship him and Mary (which isn't canon for me, though i like making alternate situations where it is) which obviously can bring a blush to his face. In Weyman he had a mistress named Monterey and in Plaidy he had one named Ms. Lundy, a daughter of Robert Lundy as Plaidy says, and I'm pretty sure both of these gals are fictional. I canon them though, so I imagine he gets embarrassed whenever they are brought up. (they were shit, especially Monterey)

27. What makes him feel dread? Well there's the fear of death of himself and loved ones, but especially death at the hands of another person. Specifically dueling. Like his father and brother were both killed in a duel and that left a deep scar on my boy :( I like to imagine him being there when his brother, John Talbot, was killed in a duel against Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton, and that after killing his brother, Grafton threatened Shrewsbury. Then Berry ran away and cried about it for a week straight and he had no one to comfort him (thanks to his wish to be alone most of the time) so owwwww yeah he dreads duels. (He's still fine with being alone though.) Another thing that makes him feel dread is incompetence. While he isn't big on romantic love and all that he doesn't want Adelhida to run off with another man, so when Charles Mohun 4th Baron, a well known philanderer who dueled multiple people, tries to hit on her, Berry feels extremely bad about himself and wonders if Hida will leave him for Baron Mohun because he's not good enough for her.(wiki suggests there was maybe an actual affair between Hida and Mohun but for Berry's sake it's not canon to me. Hida stays loyal!) His mother also referred to his father as incompetent and foolish and compares him to Berry so that makes Berry feel awful. This also has to do with the government!! Berry has constant health issues so he cannot work for M&W for long periods of time and he constantly thinks they don't find him capable despite how many times they have reassured him of how important he is to them. He also hates it when someone lies about him. Especially if that lie can get him into SERIOUS trouble like the Fenwick accusations! (there is so much lore to expand on my headcanons of Fenwick and him but thats for another post...)

[thefanficwriterscraft]

S2E9. ROMANCE (OR, THEY'RE COUSINS. THEY'RE LOVERS. IT'S FINE, IT'S ANCIENT GREECE)

Hello, happy Friday! Our latest episode is here!

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) talk about romance in fanfiction. They explore what defines romance as a genre and how it differs from platonic love and sexuality. They also discuss the concept of the OTPs and whether a story can be romantic without being about romantic love. Lani shares some of her favourite romantic quotes from original fiction, and they dive into which story elements we consider most important in writing romance. They also offer some advice on writing kissing scenes, using tropes, and pacing.  

This week, we mention: 

Fandoms: The Good Wife, Harry Potter, Ancient Greece, Alexander the Great

Fics: castles by pebblysand, In Search of Mythical Kings by copper_dust, here is a map with your name for a capital by lowriseflare, Hush Lane, Where the Holly Grows by copper_dust

Books: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides by Anne Carson, Looking for Alaska by John Green, Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

Previous episode(s): S1E4. “Shipping” (Or, Imagining Vietnam Vets Reading Our Fanfiction)

Your recommendations for this week are:

lowriseflare’s The Good Wife fics on livejournal. The author is also on AO3 (although their fics weren’t cross-posted). 

Bookmarking the stories you like, please!

You can find us online at:

The Fanfic Writer’s Craft: tumblr ; spotify ; ko-fi

Lani (@copper-dust): tumblr ; AO3

Jo (@pebblysand): tumblr ; AO3

[allycryz]

Back on my Strahd hyperfocus planning for a possible campaign this summer and am once again annoyed at Tracy Hickman's foreword to CoS 5e.

I'm going to paste it below in full under the cut so no one can say I'm taking it out of context, but I will bold the parts I find especially annoying:

----

We turned the corner, and there was a vampire.

I groaned and rolled my eyes.

It was 1978, and I was playing in one of my first dungeon adventures. It was being run by a friend I had known in high school, John Scott Clegg, and it was typical of the type of adventure that people played in those days. It was all about exploring a hodgepodge collection of rooms connected by dungeon corridors, beating up the monsters that we encountered, searching for treasure, and gaining experience points.

Now we were face to face with random encounter number thirty-four: a vampire. Not a Vampire with a capital V, but a so-many-Hit-Dice-with-such-and-such-an-Armor-Class lowercase vampire. Just another monster in the dungeon.

I remember thinking at the time, What are you doing here? This creature seemed completely out of place with the kobolds, orcs, and gelatinous cubes we had seen thus far. This was a creature who deserved his own setting and to be so much more than just a wandering monster. When I came home from that game, I told all these thoughts to Laura.

That was when Strahd von Zarovich was born.

Strahd would be no afterthought—he demanded his own setting, his own tragic history. Laura and I launched into researching the mythology and folklore surrounding the vampire. We started with the vague, black-and-white image of Bela Lugosi in 1931, but found so much more.

The first "modern" literary foundation of the vampire was penned by John William Polidori based on a fragment of a story by Lord Byron. It was while at the Villa Diodati—a rented house next to Lake Geneva, Switzerland—that Byron and Polidori met Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her husband-to-be, Percy Shelley. One night in June, Byron suggested that they each write a ghost story. Mary Shelley's contribution to the effort would later become Frankenstein. The short story "The Vampyre," published in 1819, was Polidori's contribution. He was Byron's personal physician, and the first of the so-called "romantic" vampires under Polidori's hand was actually modeled after Lord Byron.

Byron—like the fictional vampires that he inspired, from Polidori's Lord Ruthven down through the penultimate work of Bram Stoker—was a decadent predator, an abuser hidden behind a romantic veil. He was a comely and alluring monster—but a monster nevertheless. The romantic vampire of the earliest years of the genre was not just a spouse abuser but a spouse killer, the archetype of abuse in the worst kind of destructive codependency.

For Laura and me, those were the elements that truly defined Strahd von Zarovich—a selfish beast forever lurking behind a mask of tragic romance, the illusion of redemption that was ever only camouflage for his prey.

Initially we were going to title the adventure Vampyr—one of a series of games we called Nightventure that Laura and I were self-publishing back in 1978. The castle was called Ravenloft, and when Halloween came around each year, our friends asked us if we could play "that Ravenloft game" again... and so the better title won out. It was, in part, because of this design that I was hired by TSR, Inc., to write Dungeons & Dragons adventures in 1982. Soon thereafter, I6 Ravenloft was published.

Since then, fans of Ravenloft have seen many different creative perspectives on Barovia (a country which, by absolute coincidence, is featured in a 1947 Bob Hope movie called Where There's Life). It continues to be one of the most popular Dungeons & Dragons adventures of all time. In its various incarnations, each designer has endeavored to bring something new to the ancient legend of Strahd, and to each of them we are grateful.

But the vampire genre has taken a turn from its roots in recent years. The vampire we so often see today exemplifies the polar opposite of the original archetype: the lie that it's okay to enter into a romance with an abusive monster because if you love it enough, it will change.

When Laura and I got a call from Christopher Perkins about revisiting Ravenloft, we hoped we could bring the message of the vampire folktale back to its original cautionary roots. The talented team at Wizards of the Coast not only graciously took our suggestions but engaged us in a dialogue that delivered new insights on the nightmare beyond the gates of Barovia.

Now we invite you again as our guests to pass through the Svalich Woods if you dare. For here the romance is tragically dangerous... and a true monster smiles at your approach.

----

It's just so

Patronizing

It would be an entirely different post to talk about the meaning of the vampire figure in folklore and literature and what it represents; because you cannot pin it to simply one meaning. Vampiric folklore can speak of fears of disease and death and plague, Dracula can represent xenophobia AND classism AND sexuality, Polidori's Lord Ruthven can be a high society predator AND an emblem of repressed queerness

But even if Tracy was correct that the vampire has one specific meaning...so what? Why can people not subvert and change the stock characters of fiction? Is there really a problem if Interview with a Vampire turned tropes on their heads? I'm no fan of Twilight but its sin is absolutely not "it made Vampires hot and romantic"

This is especially galling because when you release a ttrpg story or system out into the world, it's going to be changed at every table. For every group that runs a module as is, there are dozens making it their own.

I do think Strahd as written, as a monster who cannot recognize his faults is fascinating. I also think there are a lot of possibilities to mine if you have a table who likes romance and intrigue. My most frequent table plays a lot of Good Society and they get very excited when similar options show up in other systems.

And, honestly, at the end of the day Tracy just sounds like every guy whining that they made vampires sparkly and those aren't reaaalll vampires and every internet user handwringing over oh no there are people who find villains hot

[scientistofdeduction]

I respect Sherlockians who Play the Game (live as though Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were real and treat the canon as true stories), and admire the commitment of those who hold to that no matter what. It’s a fun and very unique experience across all fandoms that I don’t see anywhere else.

But I did see a post about the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R King (which is good fun though not without some stuff that does deserve questioning). In that thread, one of the comments was from David Marcum, who does the MX Publishing’s massive collections of Holmes stories and who is one of the more serious who Play the Game. He linked a post where he talked about how he rationalizes the series with The Game—specifically how can one rationalize a Holmes who is in retirement marrying a young woman in her twenties.

You can read it here

Basically what I find interesting is that Marcum firstly adheres to Holmes’ supposed age in the Game, making him in his very late 60s in most of the Russell years, instead of his early 50s as suits the story (Holmes remarks to Russell that he was often assumed to be older due to Watson’s stories). A woman in her 20s with a man in her 50s will still raise eyebrows, especially as he met her as a teenager, and yet that’s not the same gap as 70 and 20. Likewise Russell has gone through a lot of life experience by the time any romantic moves are made; her and Holmes are on fairly even footing by then. (Do I still approve of the age gap? No, but then again maybe that’s just my personal preference.

But my bigger qualm with Marcum’s rationalizing the Russell thrillers within The Game is how he rationalizes it all. Russell is a woman who is sick in the head after her family’s death, becomes obsessive over Holmes (fairly directly in opposite to the text where she doesn’t care if he’s a neighbor or a myth, and berates him to his face for assuming her intelligence—point in her favor, I might add), and further descends into madness creating a romance between them in her mind, a life well lived with family.

Here’s hoping I’m not the only one who is a little disturbed by this—yes, the way to rationalize an intelligent woman holding her own with Holmes intellectually, romantically, and as a crime solver, is that she’s insane and disturbed and creepy. Yuck.

He notes that he’s on board with Holmes having romance with Irene Adler, which is fairly bonkers to me. I can read stories where they’ve had a romance, in fact, if memory serves, the two had something brief pre-Russell era in that canon. But I do not like the idea that Holmes cannot be romantic with a “fan made” character. An argument can be made that many Dan made characters are Mary Sues, or John Does, for Watson, as many find the good Doctor difficult to write (and I agree, he is, but that doesn’t always warrant a stand in when Watson would’ve suited the same character actions). But it’s strange that when the newcomer is a woman, she’s hated or interrogated so thoroughly, especially when Mary Russell is so strong a presence and definitely holds her own as a unique character and not just a stand in (even if Watson is a bit dim in her stories compared to canon, we can forgive that because he is so loved by everyone in the Russell texts).

Instead, if I were playing The Game, i would submit this (and I plan on writing a fic to challenge Marcum’s own little story):

Russell is the neighbor of semi-retired Holmes and their meeting is unchanged, he begins to tutor her and saves her in his own way, and she him. The events of Beekeepers and O Jerusalem take place fairly close to recorded, save a few alterations.

Holmes in retirement is living with Watson, as a romantic partnership. Russell discovers this early and although taken aback at first, comes around to it quickly. She creates the stories as fabrications to hide their romance, and with permission from H&W, creates the romantic relationship on paper between her and Holmes to disguise what would’ve been illegal and perhaps reputation ruining for the pair.

The three remain their own sort of family and the series progresses as published to continue that fabrication of the truth.

No mentally disturbed Russell, but a Russell who’s still strong and sane and perhaps at times cleverer than Holmes. No creepy stalker behavior by a girl, but the same in canon amazing woman we get to see grow up. Same partnership, just no romance.

I wonder if this solution wouldn’t occur to a canon purist who plays the game— a purist up until the point where they play a game of rationalizing a non-canonical work to fit their version of Holmes. Not saying that to be scathing, just if one is to entertain the possibility of modern pastiche fitting into The Game, it would be fun to be a little more creative.

I wonder if queer H&W doesn’t slot into their version of the game, and so a clever woman protecting that deep love wouldn’t either. But it seems a far better solution to approach the Russell texts under The Game than Marcum’s rationalization. Again, I’d want for some more creativity than his version.

But then, My Holmes, when I finally write him, is queer, and I enjoyed the Russell series, so it wasn’t a difficult solution.

[capableism]

Disney emphasizes visually impaired character’s blindness is from internalized ableism

Despite Jace's projections of his internal ableism on people during a fire drill, when Jace is struggling, John (a jock he previously antagonized) guides him out of school during a fire drill after he has lost his cane and begs for help. It is emotional because it shows how his disability affects everyday tasks. This demonstrates Jace's need for support, whether he wants it or not. He is not the visually impaired superhuman. He is a typical flawed, stubborn teenager.

The internal ableism Jace is projecting onto wrestling culminates after Jace angrily insists he's not a "charity case" and shouldn't be kept around for the "freak factor" on the team. The coach says,

"Now you listen, and you listen good. If you wanna think of yourself as a freak, go ahead. What I see  is a kid who's worked his tail off and earned his spot." 

Next, the coach confronts Jace's projection that he is treated "special" because of his disability. He lacks faith in other people to believe he is like everyone else. Again a projection of himself. That characterization is subtle and pleasing.  

Jace's character moves quickly from stubborn and self-centered to sensitive and romantic toward Mary Beth.

No film about a blind person is complete without a face-touching scene. 

This sudden romance is unexpected, given how much of a jerk Jace is to everyone. "Authors go so far as to convert the sense of touch into that of sight, for the blind stripling has "fingers" that "must almost see" (Joyce, 1922/1998, p. 173). This fixation on the sense of touch leads to the stereotype of touching faces. Audio descriptions of people are more useful and only sometimes necessary. 

The touching of faces trope depends on sighted people's want to fulfill the sense they would be missing and accustomed to. 

Disabled people adapt to their circumstances individually and cannot be so easily categorized. There is a scene where John reveals wrestling is "all his identity." Unlike Jace, he doesn't "have music." This reminds the audience that 

Jace joined the wrestling team to be like everyone else, not because he is passionate about it. 

He could pursue a musical passion that coincided with a stereotype or "fit in." By becoming a jock. He chooses the latter, which reinforces his belief he's not like other blind people. Comparing the stereotypes of visually impaired people to reality, Bolt concludes, "People with Impaired Vision is no better than the overtly negative formation, for either way an object position is being defined, the subject position is necessarily held by someone with unimpaired vision. Indeed,  beneficial blindness only benefits prejudiced people who wish to maintain the binary logic of 'the blind' and 'the sighted,' them and us." (Bolt, 27)

Sources

Bolt, D. (2006). Beneficial Blindness: Literary Representation and the So-Called Positive Stereotyping of People with Impaired Vision. Journal of Disability Studies, (12), 1-31. https://disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/library/bolt-Beneficial-Blindness.pdf

Joyce, J. (1998). Ulysses. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1922)

[ladyofthelilacs]

Reading Catch Up!

In my first post on this new blog (many moons ago...) I mentioned that I'd be keeping folks up to date on what I'm reading! That didn't happen, haha. But, I've really gotten back into reading this year, and I want to report all the great books I've read so far, and some thoughts on them! There's 15 of 'em, so get ready!

Let's go!

first things first:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

I started reading this in early 2022 or so. A friend gave me a hearty recommendation for it and I decided to give it a go! After too long, I finally finished it and loved it to pieces. This is a great book, with rich characters and very sharp wit. I recommend it for fans of historical fiction (which it was even for its time, haha) and particularly longing kinds of romance.

4.5/5 Stars from me!

Little, Big: Or, the Faerie's Parliament by John Crowley

This is a beeeg book, and one that is sort of difficult to describe. It's in parts a generational epic, historical fiction, urban fantasy, and a bit of this and that all in between. Its plot sort of unfolds over the course of a lot of smaller stories that entwine into one, and I think that's really cool! It's one of those books that runs 90% on vibes-- if you like the vibes, you'll probably like it a lot! But it's also a book where if someone told me they just didn't like it at all, I'd completely understand, haha.

Another 4.5/5 Stars from me!

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

This one I had my eye on for a while due to the beautiful cover by Em Allen, whose work I'd followed for a bit! My High Fantasy project also involves a magical hunt and is in third present, so I figured this book would be good for inspiration on that front as well! The funny thing about this book in particular is that I was able to tell pretty clearly where the author got some inspiration. I don't think that's a problem, it just amuses me as a fellow Fullmetal Alchemist fan, hehe.

I'm curious if there will be more stories in this setting, or following these characters. I would be interested in that, especially since-- while I liked this book-- I felt this one had a few bumps in the road. Still, I'd recommend it.

4/5 Stars from me!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I love this book, I love this book, I love this book~! This is the book that fully convinced me to commit to third-present perspective for my aforementioned High Fantasy project. Its prose is gorgeous, its world is interesting, its characters are likable-- really, I just liked it an awful, awful lot. It's yet another book where I could understand why some people wouldn't like it that much, but it struck a big chord with me. Please read it (if you'd like to).

5/5 Stars from me (wow!)

The Poe Clan by Moto Hagio (Volume 1)

I have the second volume of the omnibus, but I haven't read it yet. This was just the nicest picture online I could find of the cover of the first volume-- weird, right?? I actually started reading this book in 2022 as well, but it's a pretty chonky read and episodic, so I dipped in and out throughout the year. I finished the first volume in early 2023 and really enjoyed it! It's a great piece of vintage manga with beautiful art and an entertaining, very Capital-R Romantic story.

4/5 Stars from me!

(You may notice...I like a lot of books, haha. Onward!)

The Tropic of Serpents: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

This is a sequel to A Natural History of Dragons by the same author. You should read that one first! Both books are a lot of fun, and this one is no different! They're good books to read quickly, I think, because they've got a very adventurous quality to them-- after all, they're sort of calling back to old adventure serial novels! This one especially seems to draw from that tradition, but does so in a new way that smartly plays with the exoticization of "non-Western" cultures that often occurred in those old novels. Give it a go if you like adventures and dragons (and the first novel)!

4/5 Stars from me

Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel

This book is an odd one out in that it's non-fiction! Wow! This was another recommendation from a friend (the same friend who recommended me Age of Innocence!) and I enjoyed it immensely. It's an interesting piece of historical work, and it's fun to read to boot! I found myself feeling very emotional by the end. I recommend it if this historical period and its case of characters interests you in any way.

4.5/5 Stars from me!

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Susanna Clarke is an author who's been on my radar for a while, mainly because I really liked what I read of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but...it's a really long book, and I got very busy, and I haven't been able to dive back into it yet. Someday! But, Piranesi is much shorter, and a very different book in a lot of ways. It's a fun mystery, and I won't spoil it since it's the kind of mystery that gives very fun re-read bonuses when you go back to it. When I wrote about it on Storygraph, I mentioned that it would be a good read for fans of the game Cultist Simulator. There are some very similar vibes here...

4.5/5 Stars from me! (Though maybe it's closer to 5? I tend to reserve 5's for books that really change my brain chemistry. I don't think this one quite managed that, but I really did like it a lot. High 4.5!)

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Another recommendation from a friend (different friend from the one mentioned earlier, but another friend with good taste, haha)! Legendborn is a newer YA series playing with the King Arthur legend. I do like some Arthurian stuff, and this book does some very cool, very clever things with it! The emotional core of the story is very raw, so it can be a bit heavy at times; however, that's not a detriment to my recommendation of it. It's got all sorts of great twists, turns, commentary, and characters that you want to root for to the very end!

I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, but I need to get through more of my TBR stack first!

4/5 Stars from me!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Do you like books? This book likes books, and storytelling in general! Its plot is more mysterious at first compared to The Night Circus (which is saying something given the way that book is set up), but when it gets going, it really gets going! It's another book where I liked it a lot, but I can see why it wouldn't grab some folks. I want to re-read both sometime to see if my thoughts change, but right now I think I like The Night Circus just a little more. Just a little bit. This book is still fantastic, and a big recommend from me!

4.5/5 Stars from me (maybe that'll turn into a 5 on a re-read? Like Piranesi, it's a really high 4.5).

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Discworld, my beloved...it's been too long. I love Terry Pratchett's work immensely. Night Watch in particular is still hanging on to my top five favorite books of all time! If you know anything about that book, it's very obvious that I love it very, very much. I've read the City Watch subseries a lot, and a good chunk of the Death subseries, but the Witches subseries had been pretty neglected on my part, so I'm going back to it! Wyrd Sisters is early Discworld, which means it's still getting all those things that make Pterry's work so, so especially good, but it's still a really fun time and I'd recommend it! I'm looking forward to reading more in this subseries for sure!

4/5 Stars from me!

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Speaking of the Witches...Equal Rites is technically the first book in the Witches subseries, but it's a bit of an odd duck in that regard. Going backwards from Wyrd Sisters to it is a strange experience, since there's so much different between even just a few early Discworld novels! It's...fine. "Just fine" from Terry Pratchett is still pretty good overall, but while I overall enjoyed my read and felt very interested by the end (where it really picks up!), a lot of the novel just didn't grab me like other, later Discworld books do. Even without that considered, it just doesn't pick up as much steam until later.

A solid 3/5 Stars from me! It's Okay!

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

This one's familiar for anyone who's been on tumblr long enough, haha. I remember this book getting really popular years and years ago, but I never got around to reading it myself until just this year, when my writing group had it for book club! It's definitely a good read, full of heart and very clear knowledge on the subject matter! Miller puts in a ton of excellent detail about the language, the history, and other stories from around the period. I think it's a wonderful interpretation of the legend, and I'd recommend it for anyone with an interest in Greek myth (I would also just recommend it to anyone in general, but you know).

4/5 Stars from me!

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

This book was really fun! That doesn't feel completely accurate to say, since it also handles some pretty heavy subject matter, but it's true! It handles its darker elements deftly, and its lighter elements with a good touch. It's a nice blend, and I liked this spin on the Regency Romance and the historical fantasy. The more I read, the more it started to remind me of the works of Diana Wynne Jones (folks who can't recall the name would know her as the author of Howl's Moving Castle, a book I love and heartily recommend!). That's always a positive to me.

A solid 4/5 Stars from me! I liked it a lot and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

The Latch Key by Olivia Atwater

Last one! This is a very short novella set almost immediately after Half a Soul. It's very heartfelt and sweet, and it made me smile (and tear up) to read. Again, looking forward to reading the rest of this series, and seeing more of these very lovable characters!

4/5 Stars from me!

PHEW! That's everything! I don't mind writing a big ol' post like this sometimes, but that's a lot of typing! And a lot of books! Just about five or six months at that (I'm not counting most of June because I've been re-reading my own book in preparation for final revisions)!

If you find something you like, let me know!

[melatovnik]

is the sherlockedevent twitter like... insane???? are they havin a laff?????

[itsclydebitches]

Okay, so as the canon recedes from memory and fandom jokes take hold — la de da the world turns — I’ve seen an influx of takes that have steadily moved away from “Izzy’s tragic because this whole debacle is technically his fault (going after Stede’s hostages)” and “Izzy is sympathetic in part because he’s so bad at villain-ing” straight into serious claims of, “Wow, Izzy is just totally incompetent, huh?”

No, no, no, Izzy is terrifyingly competent.

We as a fandom need to remember our meta roots; one of the very first things ever acknowledged in the community: this is a character who has suddenly been thrust into a new genre.

For me, it’s basically the storytelling version of the “Who would win, Goku or Saitama?” question. The answer has nothing to do with power, skill, or competence and everything to do with what would be funny, because Saitama exists in a universe where, unless it’s more entertaining for him to lose, he automatically wins — always, forever, it’s the default state. That doesn’t make Goku, a guy with the power of the gods in his own universe, incompetent by any stretch of the imagination. It just means he’s suddenly been hog-tied by the rules of a new reality.

Izzy is the Goku to Stede’s Saitama.

Izzy scopes out Stede’s marooned crew (because he didn’t remember to have someone steer the boat), buys the hostages he lost, and homoerotically skillfully cuts up his shirt with hard-earned sword skills. Stede wins when Pete throws a rock.

Izzy corners Stede in the duel before he’s even realized they’ve started, hits him across the face, disarms him, and skewers him to the mast by successfully stabbing him. Stede wins because the handle of Izzy’s sword broke and there’s supposedly nothing important on the left side of the body.

Izzy is a complete asshole about chores because in his ‘real world’ a lack of munitions, or barnacles on the ship’s side, leads to death. Or at least lost raids (which they also need to afford basic supplies). Stede exists in the world where you can walk off stab wounds, find an oasis of oranges at your assassin’s church, and row straight to your lost crew without a need for anything like supplies, rest, or a map.

Pre-Stede Izzy successfully intimidates Fang, gets him to obey his commands ( “Fang!” *hiss*), and Fang admits that complaining about the abuse wouldn’t do any good. Post-Stede Fang, Lucius, Pete, Wee John, etc. can’t be intimidated because they know that here, such threats are meaningless.

Izzy manages to wrangle together Calico Jack, Spanish Jackie, and the British — three very different parties with beef against each other and him — all in an effort to get Stede executed. Stede survives because Ed pulls out a trump card that we learned about [checks notes] right now.

Stede beats Izzy again and again and again because Stede is working under the rules of the Romantic Comedy. Is it funny if Stede were to win a duel through absurd means? Yes? Then that’s what happens. Would Izzy winning here interfere with the romance between Ed and Stede? Yes? Then that can’t happen. It’s as simple as that. Unless we circle away from the stages of Epiphany (Stede’s talk with Mary) and Resolution (heading back to Ed for the presumed reunion) and Izzy becomes a more serious Obstacle to their love, everything he attempts is doomed from the get-go. Even if he were to be written as a more serious threat to the romance, the comedy inevitably obliterates any real chance he’d have. Unless OFMD doesn’t just pull lightly from other genres as it has in season one, but takes a hard turn into something new... Izzy is fighting a losing battle. He’s Goku powering up to fucking super saiyan and then being understandably confused when Stede manages to trip over his own feet, starting a Loony Toon-esque domino fall that somehow ends with Izzy K.O.’ed. How did this happen? Fuck if he knows. The logic he’s worked under all his life says it’s impossible and yet... here he lies.

Honestly, I ramble because competence is SUCH an important part of Izzy’s character. Competence is what’s allowed him to survive into his 50′s (unless he’s really 16 lol), help build the Blackbeard legend, and gain the kind of respect that has the crew (initially) jumping at his command. Izzy knows that he’s competent. His entire, prickly personality is built on being competent, particularly when competence is used as a defense mechanism. (No need to grapple with feelings when he can just kill someone.) More importantly, he knows that, under ordinary circumstances, not being competent gets you killed. He’s watching Ed trade in protective leather for lace shirts, fill up on marmalade, turn sword training into a flirting session, admire model ships instead of formulating plans — all these things that should, according to the rules Izzy has spent his entire life living by, get them all killed. We know Stede wouldn’t survive a day in the world of “real” pirates, where Izzy originally hails from. Izzy knows it too. We know Stede survives anyway because this is a rom-com and he’s the lead. But Izzy doesn’t know what genre he’s in; certainly not that the genre has changed — and fuck, if the rules of the universe changed once before, who’s to say they won’t suddenly change again? What if he wakes up one day on a frilly ship, with a useless crew, a domesticated Blackbeard, and the world is a horrifying mess of cruelty and violence again? They’d be screwed. He’s running around bitching about plans, munitions, ship speed, killing pets, formal duels, and yes, avoiding “namby-pamby” soft things because dammit of course those things matter. They always have. Yes everyone needs specific duties because otherwise the ship falls apart and they all die. What do you mean the ship isn’t falling apart while everyone eats marmalade and has gay sex? That’s not possible.

Imagine you were a crazy competent member of society according to current social norms. Maybe you’re highly educated, have a six-figure job, are meeting all the expectations for a family, you’re considered conventionally attractive, you eat well, go to the gym every day, have impressive hobbies, give to charity on the regular, maintain a thriving friend group — in every way that your peers might judge your worth within this specific social circle, you are killing it. Then you wake up one random morning and, as Badminton puts it, you’ve entered Backwards Land. People suddenly laugh at your well-balanced lunch because pff, what do you mean you’re not just eating a bucket of candy like the rest of us? Certain public displays that would have been unthinkable 24 hours ago are suddenly occurring on every street corner. You walk in to a promotion meeting with a detailed report on why your work of the last 30 years is worth recognition. The new hire suggests they have a face-paint party instead of running the company and your boss is like, “Well damn if that isn’t the best suggestion anyone’s ever given me. You’re promoted!”

What?

Izzy is fascinating in part because he’s a HYPER-COMPETENT individual who took to his toxic, violent, homophobic, highly repressed society like a duck to water, only to find one day that the rules of the universe had changed (for the better) but whoops, nothing he’s good at suddenly has a foothold anymore. You’re an expert at running a ship? Ships are just a backdrop to romance and it doesn’t matter if there’s, you know, ammunition, or whatever. Supplies — like oranges — only matter if they’re forwarding relationships. You’re an expert swordsman? Yeah, good luck winning a rigged fight where literally anything goes provided it’s funny enough (and you, as a tightly-strung rule follower, are not funny). Your entire identity is built around intimidating and executing people? The queer polycule thinks your threats are hilarious and if you strand people on a desert island their lighthouse captain will just row to them in a single scene; the guy tossed overboard will just climb into the walls and sustain himself on paper or something. You’re Alice in Wonderland except you don’t remember falling down the hole. The fact that Lucius’ cut off finger is used for a moment of (wonderfully gross) humor and he’s totally fine when he wakes up, whereas Izzy’s severed toe is more straightforwardly horrific and requires a cane, just highlight that they’re living in different genres. For Lucius, a severed finger is a moment of comedy (Dutch fuckery) and romance (Pete whittling him a replacement). For Izzy, a severed toe is a moment of devotion to a toxic relationship (eating it on Blackbeard’s command) and a #SeriousInjury that he literally can’t walk off. Izzy’s got the worst of both worlds at the moment: governed by his original, gritty genre and unable to circumvent or reap the rewards of the rom-com.

Which only leaves the question of whether Izzy will remain the tragic figure — but still very humorous for the viewer — who is either killed or permanently exiled due to his inability to adapt? Or will he grudgingly (oh so grudgingly) turn himself over to this new set of rules? I’m personally hoping for the latter BUT with moments here and there where the gritty drama bleeds into the rom-com; moments where things suddenly do become legitimately perilous and Izzy’s honed skills once again become necessary for survival. Like Ed who moves from the poetry-loving Edward into the murderous Kraken, Izzy has the potential to move between and/or straddle genres in some pretty entertaining ways.

[thekatebridgerton]

So I read a post of your takes on Yandere Bridgertons and I’m like YAS! They all have blood in their hands, Daphne is definitely acts elegantly sophisticated when she murders all those who hurt her Simon and emotionally manipulative him and he apologizes to her. Francesca, seems normal until she lost John and when she falls for Michael, she lost her marbles and has outbursts when she thinks se is going to lose him. Gregory and Hyacinth definitely lean towards manipulation but also deadly.

Okay so, secret kink here. I love my Yandere heroes. Call them toxic and unhealthy all you want but I don't care, I’ve got my guilty pleasures you’ve got yours and there’s no shame.

Dear readers who like your fictional relationships healthy, hear this trigger warning. This post is not for you. I repeat this post is not for you:

Yandere is a portmanteau of two Japanese words. The first is yanderu, which means “to be sick,” and the second is deredere, used here for “lovestruck.” A yandere is often sweet, caring, and innocent before switching into someone who displays an extreme, often violent or psychotic, level of devotion to a love interest.

You know I loved writing this take, because I don’t generally get to write about characters with no moral fiber getting a romatic storyline and there’s just something so wicked about cruel romance. so for those of you who don’t mind toxic in your romantic storylines. hit the keep reading button.

Daphne actually, I think out of all her sisters, she'd never bother to hide that she's unhinged. Like, she knows what she's doing when she's smiling and opening her fan and putting the fear of God into people's hearts one ball at a time. Simon went into his marriage with eyes wide open to how she was willing to hurt everyone but him but probably the moment that broke him psychologically was the dubious consent scene where she didn’t care that he didn’t want to have a child, because she loved him and how could he not want to have a baby with her? that’s terrible. That's when he learned that even he wasn't exempt form her tendency to trample on people to get her way. Especially him.

Usually when people start dropping like flies around him, Simon just nervously looks into his teacup and moves away from the dead bodies. His attractive to Daphne is that Simon isn't afraid of gore but has the self preservation to not start fights he can't finish. That's why she loves him so much. Her husband the Duke. And he loves her too, his sweet dear psycho diamond. Even if she’s a little odd.  

Anthony: to give him some credit he did try to marry a woman he wouldn't love so his wife and children could at least have a different upbringing than he did. Since Violet and Edmund were two very intense yanderes, both with each other and their kids. He tried to fight his attraction to Kate, he knew he would ruin her life. He was being as selfless as he could by courting Edwina.

Aaaaand then Kate had to bite him. She was hiding under his desk while he tried to woo his ex mistress to forget about Kate and she bit him. Ever since then he decided that this was enough justification to do what he wanted and tame her into submission. If she were his Viscountess she wouldn't go around biting people, he'd make sure of it. So he seduced her and made her his, and now her life is ruined because she keeps fighting back at Anthony's attempts to make her behave, she doesn't understand it's because because he loves her, the blackmail, corporal punishment, extortion and holding Mary hostage in an unknown location 'for Mary's safety' are also because he loves her too.

Kate has tried running away multiple times. Anthony thinks getting him to chase her turns her on. So he always finds her and brings her back (I'm not sure Kate remained all that sane after the day Anthony cried with fake sadness the first time she had a broken leg. Hearing him lament at what kind of monster would sabotage the wheel of a carriage a Viscountess uses? Because only a maniac would do that, made Kate realize that he'd rather kill her than let her go). One of these days, Anthony is sure that Kate is going to pick up a gun and aim it to his head. He can hardly wait. 

Benedict: obsessive to the bone, he cajoled and manipulated Sophie into falling inlove with him and not satisfied with that he full on kidnapped Sophie after they got married. He loves her, she's been so hurt by the world, except him, he would never hurt her. So Benedict's solution is to simply deny the world access to Sophie (or Sophie access to the outside world).

She lives isolated from anyone but him in My Cottage. Sophie has a seemingly happy life in the countryside where all her whims are provided for exept going outside and having friends. Their servants are all perfectly trained highly recommended mute maids and footmen (see how good he is Sophie, hiring and training servants who haven't found employment elsewhere just because of voice impediments). And she goes everywhere with Benedict, and If she wants to see outside world and he's not with her she's got at least 3 maids and 10 footmen around her trained to both help her and not let her escapade.

On the outside Sophie may act like she thinks her husband is a bit excessive due to being raised a noble. But Benedict rarely knows what she's really thinking on the inside. It spurns his obsession into a deeper level, because Sophie stopped telling him her honest thoughts after he kidnapped/confined her 'for her own good'. So he's always unsure if she's staying with him because she loves him or if she's staying because she's smart enough to plan a better escape than Kate.

Colin: he was suave, he even looks like the least unhinged of his brothers. He was cautious in his approach to making Penelope love him, he was patient even. Colin was All smiles and cute jokes, he lowered her guard, seduced her into marrying him willingly, when he discovered her secret he was even more convinced she was his soulmate. Never let Penelope know he had her seduction planned all along. And Penelope fell for it hook line and sinker. Her leaving LW and retiring her column to focus on her novels and being his wife was also his idea. ( Or maybe it's his wife the one who's played him, we don't know, Penelope does love keeping secrets after all, she may be just as obsessed with him as he is with her)

Eloise: Completely set out to break Phillip physiologically, and gaslighted him into relying only on her. She fell inlove with his letters after Marina died and made sure to spread rumors around the countryside that Phillip had actually killed his first wife. slowly making him a pariah in his community, so that when Eloise showed up at his estate as the seemingly answer to all his problems, Phillip didn’t even question why she acted like she owned the place. Poor Phillip, so grateful that Eloise believes in him and loves him, he really couldn’t live without her. Look at his unruly children, tamed by her magic (so easy to win over with a few well placed candy coated bribes and manipulation behind his back).  

Eloise made sure to spread rumors about Phillip all the way to London that makes everyone avoid him. But fear not, she’s not scared of him, Eloise knows Phillip would never hurt her, she knows he didn’t kill his wife, Marina was sick obviously. How could anyone think he’d be an abusive husband when he was so kind to Eloise?. Phillip in turn think’s Eloise is an angel from heaven and will hear no word against her, she saved him from despair (that she created) how generous and loving of Eloise, to become his wife when he’s nothing compared to her. He’s completely under her spell. And if Eloise pushes a person or two into the lake, well, that’s just her defending their home. 

About Francesca... She may have loved John to death, literally. It's unclear under what circumstances John died, but Anthony suspects Francesca's mischief making took her too far one day and killed her husband. Maybe it was an accident, maybe her sneaky Yandere manipulations killed him, maybe he tried to leave her. Point is Francesca was left with a lot of guilt over it. And kept trying to convince Michael that she was bad news and he shouldn't be inlove with her because she had a tendency to go overboard....

Until Michael kept trying to convince her that he wasn't going to leave and that he was perfectly okay with her wicked behavior. Actually while John wanted to increase Francesca's good impulses, Michael is all about feeding her bad nature and encouraging Francesca to do what she wants and use him like a toy. Then one day, she finally lets lose and he realizes, she's the reason his previous lovers kept dissapearing. And that it's now his job to make sure Francesca's obsession with not being left alone doesn't claim anymore victims. It's either that or throwing away his inhibitions and developing a murder kink. ( She does think he looks handsome covered in blood )

Hyacinth: married a fan of her work. She's the social princess of the ton, fell inlove with Gareth because he seemed to be looking for someone he could share a connection. So she made up an excuse about diamonds and replicated his grandmother handwriting in an old journal to take advantage of his naive soul. Yandere Hyacinth probably went full Hannibal x Will Graham with Gareth, leading him down the path of cruelty and immorality by rationalizing that what she was doing was actually not that bad, until he was morally corrupt enough to kill his adoptive father with no remorse. But on the bright side, they are both very protective of Lady Danbury and pretend to be the perfect couple in her eyes. 

Gregory: A special case, he actually thought he was the normal one in his family. grew up incredibly well adjusted. And then he crossed paths with Lucy’s brand of sociopathy. He was out there minding his own business, having a crush on Hermione, and then he realized, it was Lucy who was pulling the strings playing at revenge while everyone remained oblivious.

Not just by repeatedly telling Hermione not to run away with someone unsuitable knowing that’s what she’d do, but also but arranging things so that Richard would fall for Hermione, leading to a scandal that would make her uncle angry at Richard long enough to make a mistake that would lead him to get arrested. All while Lucy was safely married off to Haselby and played innocent victim. Lucy just didn’t factor Gregory recognizing a sociopath when he saw one, at most he was going to be used to make Richard jealous. And that’s it, Gregory was inlove, he had to have her, he wanted in with her game.

So Gregory turned the tables on Lucy’s careful plans, and pretended to help her, by trying to woo Hermione, when he was really just getting close to her. And subtly manipulating her into place, why ruin her revenge plan, when he could simply....Modify it so that she couldn’t get away from him at the last chapter. Her husband didn’t need to be Haselby, it could be anyone else lending her a shield against her uncle. So what if he has to ruin a wedding or two? nobody touches what’s his. And he deserves true love like the rest of his family, why shouldn’t he take it?. Lucy will be furious, but only for a while.  Lol I think the marriage between Lucy and Gregory is the most fun because they live to try to outmaneuver each other, he’s a yandere and she’s a sociopath, and Richard and Hermione are their favorite torture subjects. While Lucy and Gregory engineer all sort of disasters for them to suffer from. (Lucy will never get over the fact that her brother left her to rot in the countryside with their evil uncle, nor does she care to be used to make Hermione look better) Gregory naturally feels even more convinced they are soulmates and often ties Lucy to the bed to prove it. 

and that’s it that’s the post. What do you think dear readers.