#and neither was her husband

[itspileofgoodthings]

one of the things that continues to strike me on reread is how much the character of Darcy, and Austen through him, finds Mr. Bennet dead. And how much Elizabeth, in growing and changing and discarding her past blindness, has to move past her way of seeing her father and thus of seeing reality, because the two are connected! Darcy’s letter exposes her father’s flaws to Elizabeth in a way she’d never been able to see before. Most especially the way his laziness and neglect of his own gifts have hurt his family and that ultimately he doesn’t. care. Not enough to change. It literally says that she comes home from Hunsford and tries to laugh at her sisters’ and mother’s folly (the way she used to; the way her father has taught her to by example for her whole life) and she can’t anymore! It sticks in her throat. She is grieved by the failures that she sees in him, all the more so because she IS his favorite and she loves him! And the thing about Mr. Bennet is he never changes. The Lydia/wickham situation exposes to him sharply his own conduct and the consequences and he feels it! Because he is neither stupid nor unfeeling. But he, like everyone, has free will. And he chooses not to change when the opportunity presents itself. He even jokes about how quickly his feeling bad will pass and how soon everything will go back to normal, to his laziness and his selfishness. He is set in his ways and he serves as a contrast to Elizabeth’s personal journey because he embodies a version of a person she could have become and was in danger of becoming if her only goal at all times was to laugh at and judge people from the sidelines.

[dootznbootz]

I've been seeing some shit on how certain folks apparently think it's like, surprising that Penelope just accepted Odysseus and all the stuff he's done without question and/or disappointment in Would You Fall in Love With Me Again when like... Not only against Odyssey!Penelope but ALSO Epic's. We may have only gotten 2 songs it's still a concept album. THERE'S STILL TIME! of the real Penelope in Epic but like, even then we can see that she's equally as wild

[neottia-orchids]

I want the world to know that Boimler calling Mariner "Mare-Bear" will live rent free in my mind forever.

[mollysunder]

I've been thinking about Ambessa and Mel and Rell. And yeah. Ambessa really knew that the way she was raised was terrible, but refused to actually unpack it. And even though Ambessa refused to investigate the wrongs of her childhood and later her own choices, the experience clearly impacted the way she raised her children. It's not a mystery why Mel and Kino weren't warriors. Ambessa didn't want her children to endure what she did, but because she can't consciously accept how her messed up her upbringing actually was she can only resent her kids for it, specifically Mel too.

It is at best annoying for Ambessa to know her children don't fit the mold she broke herself into and now justifies her ambition with, but she let's them be this way. She wants Mel and Kino to be the Wolf, but she won't force them like she was. Years back she tried to train Kino and Mel in martial combat, and gave up on that early on. Ambessa refused to think on why she abandoned her children's training regimen when they were still so young.

Instead, Ambessa took on Rell who was exploited by her parents in a similar vein as Menelik exploited and abused her as a child, so it's easier to put Rell through the things she did but doesn't want for her children. By her logic it's easier to condition Rell to make the same kind of choices she would make because they're so similar. What's worse is that you can tell Ambessa is still being gentler to Rell than Menelik was to her, but it doesn't fix anything, it only makes things worse.

And Ambessa could avert all this unnecessary pain and strain puts on her family and those she cares for if she EVER tried to process any of her actions and wrongs done to her and those she's done to others in turn. But the act of reflection would risk her actually critiquing her upbringing and her own choices, and she can't have that.

[inexpressiblybeautiful]

Thank God that I have critical thinking skills(hopefully) and curiosity so that I can enjoy the possibility of Helena Eagan and Gemma Scout sharing scenes together unlike some people.

[lastflowerofyourhouse]

imagining a modern au with cam, pal, and dulcie where palamedes is like yes this is my wife dulcinea and then camilla walks into the room and plops down like hip-to-hip on the couch between them and pal just leans his head against her shoulder without thinking about it and dulcie starts playing with her hair. at least one of them is already halfway into her lap. and the person very reasonably asks something along the lines of "oh, are you guys poly?" and the three of them are like. no of course not why do you ask.

[theirwolfbicanthrope]

See, regardless the intention with the new Nosferatu what I see over and over especially on Twitter with -no joke- over 400,000 likes are posts about how all this happened because Thomas was way too invested in getting a promoyion instead of staying home and fucking his wife

I mean, it's hard to have sex with your wife if you don't have a home. just saying.

Really, though, the victim blaming going on with these takes makes me so frustrated. Even IF we ignore that Orlok already knows Ellen and feels entitled to her, even IF we ignore that he is doggedly determined (now that she's married to someone else) to show up and reclaim her for good - Thomas. Had. No. Choice.

Not to rant at you, anon, just using your ask to go off on this narrative.

The thing is - Thomas is already in debt at the start. That it's to his friend doesn't matter to Thomas. Honestly it might make the debt seem even worse. He is indebted to Harding financially, he and Ellen are not off to the most secure start, he's already been away for a while due to the honeymoon - this actually is vitally important for them. He needs his job. He was already late - if he hadn't been so late or hadn't realized it, he likely would have stayed home longer. But he couldn't. Then when he's offered this big, lucrative deal, he can't refuse it. Knock commenting about 'if you close this sale, you're job is guaranteed' isn't just tempting him with success, it's also threatening him with failure.

What happens if Ellen relapses and they're destitute? What happens if Ellen is having her seizures again, the sleepwalking, the melancholy, what if it gets worse? Ellen of course is still in the sweet honeymoon phase and thinks that love will be enough to stave those things off because so far Thomas' mere presence and affection has worked. But the thing is, that high is going to come back down. It happens in even the most wholesome and genuine of relationships, and stress - especially financial stress - will not do them any favors. Will not do her and her mental health and her attempts to keep her bond with Orlok suppressed any good whatsoever. I mean, that's basically what is happening in the film. The more they struggle financially, the more desperate things get, the greater the fissures and cracks that form in their marriage, giving Orlok more opportunity to come in and use it against them. Which is quite literally what he does. Thomas staying home, refusing the job, etc., only changes the how and when.

Ellen doesn't quite get it because based on what we know of her background and her father, she's never struggled to make ends meet, she's struggled with wealth and status being used against her. Of course she comes at this from the angle of 'being in a wealthy household didn't protect me', which Thomas can't understand. Neither can Ellen understand Thomas' perspective of being in debt to someone, worrying about failing to provide. I don't think it's simply that Thomas wants to make Ellen comfortable and have a life like she used to - he quite literally is worried that he cannot provide for her at all, especially if she gets sick (mentally or physically).

Like, Thomas in the 2024 movie isn't solely and completely driven by financial success - if you contrast him in the film with how Eggers originally wrote him in the 2016 script or how he's portrayed in the 2023 remake, this Thomas comes across to be more of the mindset that 'having financial success and being of similar standing to Ellen and Friedrich will make everything fine and I will be good enough to deserve her love and his friendship.' The driving factors are really that Thomas a) wants everything to be will for him and Ellen and b) wants to live up to the rigid societal standards of his gender. He's insecure, and he's overcompensating. Which isn't great but is a relatively normal character flaw, and certainly isn't one that is so inherently damning. His love and concern for Ellen still factor into things. He's not turning into a money-obsessed, toxic masculinity-minded asshole or something of the sort. That's why as soon as he's no longer naive to this darkness in the world - the things that Ellen has known of all along - his motivation shifts entirely to protecting Ellen. He understands now that unfortunately, in this rigged, supernatural game they're all trapped in, money means nothing. Money can't save Harding and his family, it certainly won't save Thomas and Ellen. But even IF he had known that all along - it wouldn't have made a difference.

Thomas and Ellen still need to live, Thomas would have to leave for work, and would have to take that job that sends him over to Transylvania. And if somehow they could circumvent that? Orlok still would find a way to separate them. Orlok would still come to Wisburg. Thomas is not the hero in this story, he's the damsel in distress, and unfortunately for him, while he gets to make it out alive, the actual hero who saves the day does not. Thomas loses his wife, but that is not his fault. It's not his fault he got assaulted, traumatized, left for dead, and it's not his fault he couldn't save Ellen. It's not his fault she died.

Ellen was doomed long before she met him, and that wasn't her fault, either.

anyway, all this to say - I'm glad I'm not on twitter. I'm glad I can block people with these takes.

[diokiraceo]

so I've already seen a few ships for Reca being thrown around, but have we considered

[lighthouseas]

i think it's pretty genius how st3 satirizes the american dream and how its constraints inadvertently caused the downfall of hawkins but some of you aren't ready to hear that

[marypsue]

While I'm dredging up 2014 tumblr culture, can I just say that as a pretentious douchebag, every time I hear 'with you to the end of the line', my first thought is usually Double Indemnity (dir. Billy Wilder, 1944) and believe me, in that context, it is...well, okay, it is devastatingly romantic, but that is not a good thing for anyone involved.

[tiranniesu]

thinking about last year's birthday cake. it was chocolate with vanilla, heart shaped, baby pink frosting, with edible glitter, and delicious. it was commissioned by my husband and baked by our friend. it's absolutely criminal that i didn't take a pic of it. it was the best cake i had (⁠´⁠°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥⁠ω⁠°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥⁠｀⁠)

[wonder-worker]

It is true that Æthelflæd exercised a degree of authority unmatched by any royal woman prior to Edgar’s controversial queen, Ælfthryth. Nevertheless, her career should not be viewed as wholly distinct from that of other well-born women of the period. The charters depict a woman who gained political prominence, not in spite of contemporary gender expectations, but through them. Her rise to domina Merciorum followed a traditionally gendered path from daughter to sister, wife, and widow. She, like other noble women, provided her father, brother, and husband with a means of fulfilling their ambitions for themselves and their family. Yet she should not be seen as a passive or unwilling participant in this project; rather, it was her place at the intersection of West Saxon familial expectations and Mercian royal traditions that positioned her to achieve the sort of political influence typically available only to men. At the same time, like the Alfredian entries in the Chronicle or Asser’s vita Alfredi, Æthelflæd’s charters must also be understood as the political propaganda of a savvy West Saxon dynasty accustomed to crafting both a public narrative and a documentary record to suit their needs. The Æthelflæd of the charters is no less fictional than the Alfred of Asser or, for that matter, the Alfred of the prologue to the OE Pastoral Care. The charters, like these texts, are an exercise in political image-making. If the “real” Æthelflæd still remains elusive, however, we may at least be able to catch a glimpse of her in the documents of the law.

— Andrew Rabin, "The Charters of Æthelflæd", Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, and Women in Tenth-Century England (Edited by Rebecca Hardie)

[acaciapines]

I hope you realise that your latest fic "like a car off a cliff" is now permanently burned into my gray matter and won't ever go away as long as I live. I mean this in the best possible way of course - I'm probably gonna go back and read it when I calm down a little because oh my word what a phenomenal story you've written.

Anyhow, I wanted to ask a question about the backstory of this particular fic. We know how Kris and Ralsei met in this continuity, and that she was eventually able to escape her home situation thanks to them, but I'm wondering what it was that made them want to try and have a relationship together. There's something about the fact that these two characters, who in this continuity aren't suited to romance at all, were at least willing to try it together that strikes me as very poignant. Essentially I'm asking - what was it you think they saw in each other which made them want to try for that?

Hope this makes sense - like I said, your writing kinda fried my brain a little bit with how good it was, so if I'm rambling incoherently here I apologise! XD

proud for my fic to live rent free in your head forever <3 always feel free to drop an ask about it No Matter How Long It Has Been. i love to yap.

and of course! uh, the real reason is that both of them were sort of like. i guess this is just what you do, and they were closer to each other than anybody else (kris and ralsei meet when they're ~12ish and continue to meet up until theyre 14, which is when ralsei leaves). basically they saw all their friends getting together and talking about romance and crushes and then susie and noelle got together and its like. oh we're the other two members of the friend group we should do that too right. and thus they did. think like the high school dance is approaching and theyre like oh shit hey wanna go together. and this is how it starts njgkdfg

but ALSO in terms of a romantic relationship they're actually very safe for each other lol, bc neither of them really....want any of that? so for them dating was literally no different from being friends, which is why they sort of didnt. acknowledge that maybe they didnt want to be in a romantic relationship for so long. it only became weird in the context of society! but if its just the two of them they're doing pretty well.

basically theyre both aromantic <3 we love this for them.

hope that helped!!! theres a lot of like. backstory thought that i never put explicitly on the page for this one so, uh. feel free to ask more about this 'verse! it was real fun to translate into 'reality' aka without the dark worlds, cause those are so important to how i interpret these characters yknow.

[starfieldcanvas]

So if it's not Paladin of Souls, which is the Lois McMaster Bujold book you talked about in your notes? I'm curious 😊

The Sharing Knife! It's a four-book fantasy series in a setting based on the Great Lakes region. I was clueless enough the first time around (and so heavily used to vague-medieval-renaissance-Europe-expy fantasy settings) I didn't realize it the first time I read the series, but it's very obvious once you think about it at all, and sometime in the last two years my library updated the audiobook covers from the original "beautiful high-effort romance novel painting where they're both white" style to the "expressionless racially ambiguous cutouts that make the setting explicit" style:

(These are the same book.)

It's a story about fantasy Native Americans ("Lakewalkers") and fantasy white settlers ("farmers"). The actual cosmology and history of the fantasy world is very different from our own—everyone is native to the same continent, and have been living in roughly the same area for at least a few hundred years—so the politics of settler vs. native don't actually apply in the same way. However, the tension of "people who share the land" vs "people who parcel off the land to sell" is still very present, as is the tension of quasi-nomadic groups with seasonal camp rotations vs. people who stay in place and build large towns with industrial capacity.

And then, of course, there's the magic. The Lakewalkers have limited hereditary magic powers, plus magic monsters they're sworn to fight; the farmers have no magic and no defense against it either. Farmers tend to mistrust Lakewalkers and misunderstand Lakewalker magic; Lakewalkers keep the secrets of their powers under wraps and often look down on farmers as a kind of invasive pest species. As I mentioned in my tags, Lakewalkers' most important magical tools involve someone choosing the time of their death—though typically only when already dying of terminal illness, old age, or a mortal wound.

If you love the movie Ever After like I do, you may remember the part where Danielle says to Leonardo, "A bird may love a fish, Signore, but where would they live?" The Sharing Knife is a series about a bird (Lakewalker) and a fish (farmer) that get engaged halfway through the first book and then spend the next three and a half books figuring out where the hell they're going to live...and slowly realizing they may have to remake society in order to find their place in it.

Even the book where they first get together is not really what you'd call a romance novel, but every book in the series is a lot more focused on a central romantic relationship than most fantasy adventure books, so it's interesting from a genre perspective. "Established relationship" is normally my second-least favorite AO3 (my least favorite being major character death) but the political and magical worldbuilding, and the family dynamics on both sides, kept me very invested even with the amount of meandering domesticity on display throughout the books.

There are some potential triggers to ask about if you have common trauma triggers, and the main romance has a pretty big age gap, which I know is a turn-off for some. But if you ever found yourself asking "why is the Wizarding World's excuse for keeping muggles in the dark so fucking flimsy?" or "how the hell does Wei Wuxian stand living in the Cloud Recesses when most of Lan Wangji's sect hates him?" or "why aren't more fantasy authors as obsessed with craft skills as Tamora Pierce" or "why aren't there more permanently disabled fantasy protagonists who actually have to cope with the limitations created by their disability?" or "why aren't there more fantasy protagonists who genuinely lack magical powers?" then this may be the book series for you.

[candyskiez]

Thinks about my jongerry au. They dint know about my jongerry au.

[aroacettorney]

while im 100% biased and prefer ludgercasey to remain purely platonic aro4aro, there is actually one (1) very specific scenario that lives rent free in mind for if their relationship would ever develop into romance:

casey, due to her habits, has a tendency to try "charming" people with her winks

ludger, while accompanying her for a mission and witnessing this, roasts the effectiveness of caseys flirting techniques

casey, displeased with ludgers criticism, fires back at him

they get into a very *serious* argument on who is better at flirting than who

in their pettiness and prides, no one yields the other person, so they decide to make a bet

cue this happens: