#im very much prejudice wickham

[sunkillerlovechild]

"It gives me pain to speak ill of a Darcy" yet youve been doing nothing but for the last five pages

[ko-neko-san]

I'm not sorry, I'm finally reading pride & prejudice and I am like. Feet kicking, giggling, twirling my hair over these fuckin dorks. And rewatching is worse oh my god. I could not imagine reading this in the moment as it was published, I might have actually combusted

[ladysomething]

Hi! First time anon here again to share my thoughts.

I have to do it before the new chapter because I imagine your inbox will fill up pretty quick tomorrow (absolutely can't wait for tomorrow btw).

So, what I cant stop thinking about in regards to wygig is how much it reminds me of pride and prejudice. Well, mostly the dynamics between Max and Charles are to me very similar to Darcy and Elizabeth (in a non sexual way). Max is obviously Darcy while Charles is Lizzy. Max is a proud but emotionally troubled man who actually has a lot of trauma in his past who has overcome all of it to become the man that he is when we begin our story. He is doing everything in his power to protect Charles from the evil ( the evil is the same evil who has hit him - Wickham hurting Darcys sister and trying to do the same to Elizabeth vs An Alpha hurting Max's mom and Charles being in danger from Alphas). He is protecting the person he loves (whether he knows he is in love is unclear but I have a feeling he does from some of the things he said during his first POV) but this person considers him to be the villain (here comes the prejudice) and does everything to get rid of him. On the surface, he despises Max (deep down that is not true obviosuly). But Charles is so much like Elizatbeth in ... everything. He was the "special one" of the family he was his dad's "favorite" they had a special bond bc of their second gender and Lizzy had a special bond with her father also. They are both stubborn as hell, they both will not accept to be saved instead will do everything in their power to push away Max/Darcy because they falsely think the other is the worst person in the world, utterly blind to the truth that is literally staring them in the face. And Max/Darcy just step away when they get rejected time and time again because they are perfect little cinnamon rolls like that.

It seems I got a little carried away but in my head this fits perfectly! I realize I'm stepping really far away from the discussions usually going around on here lol but I hope you like my thoughts.

Also I sincerely hope you know about the story because this would just be gibberish if you dont and I'd be so embarrassed 😅. On the other hand if you do not know about Pride and Prejudice (unlikely) to me it just means you've accidentally rewritten the trope and character dynamic of the literal best love story of all time if you ask me and if thats not impressive idk what is. If you have done it on purpose I'm applauding you bc this is perfect and I will now go and try to figure out what that means for the future of this story. If someone else has figured this out before me sorry for repeating myself.

This was extremely long and im sorry. 😪

hello first-now-second-time anon!!!

so. love this whole thing. I obviously don't want to give away any spoilers, so what I will say about your ask is this: when originally plotted out, I hadn't really about the parallels to pride and prejudice. however, I have also noticed some similarities, and p&p has even directly inspired an upcoming scene.

so here is this:

love love love everything you wrote!!!!

[burningvelvet]

okay more thoughts on pride and prejudice as i begin chapter 39

1 i want to see lady catherine, mrs. bennet, and miss bingley in the same room together on a podcast panel debating things like marriage and childrearing etc but i dont think the world would be able to handle it

2 i’m interpreting mr. darcy as either being neurodivergent (possibly autistic) and/or having severe social anxiety — and this is really informing my entire perspective of his character (as a core theme to his character is being socially understood/misunderstood). however, i know its still very controversial to “diagnose” fictional characters and i don’t want to come off that way — but historical complications aside (the field of psychology didn’t exist back then how it does now) it’s really obvious to see that he’s not neurotypical, although i don’t know if this is an accepted thing in the austen world though!

3 i’m not buying that mr. darcy’s letter was only 2 pages long. 3 pages minimum with tiny handwriting maybe.

4 this entire novel really highlights the importance of social communication more than anything imo

5 mr. collins is fucking hilarious and his interactions with elizabeth are so accurate/relatable of what it’s like to deal with oblivious men as a female, esp. men who dont know how to take a hint — i was actually laughing out loud through his entire proposal sequence, especially at the line where it says elizabeth is trying hard not to laugh too. so familiar.

6 i wish we could see more of charles i actually like him — i also like colonel fitzwilliam and kind of wanted him to marry elizabeth - its kind of hilarious how casual the topic of marriage is with people you’ve just met & i really want to read more about regency history on marriage specifically now to figure out how much is embellished for satire purposes & how much is true to life

7 i have many thoughts on wickham but thats for a separate post

8 from what little i’ve read about p&p analysis/consensus so far, it seems mrs bennet and some other characters have already been torn to shreds over lit history to the point that its become more common to defend them & mrs bennet in particular, which i understand bc she’s supposed to be a satire on women of the time period but of course her concerns are valid and there are real economic reasons for her actions and societal norms that pertain to them. i’ve also read that it’s common for people to prefer mr bennet over his wife and to pit them against each other which can lead into misogyny & i can see this. however (im sure the bennet family ends up happy at the end, but at this point in the story) i think there are valid reasons for these interpretations which lead people to like mr bennet more than mrs bennet. after the ordeal with collins i really lost respect for mrs bennet for threatening to disown eliza & treating her so harshly, and i gained respect for mr bennet for sticking by eliza. i continuously defended mrs bennet and her behavior up until the collins proposal. i understand she’s desperate for eliza to marry so that she doesn’t become destitute etc. but mr collins simply isnt an ideal husband

9 eliza’s feelings on her friend marrying collins are so sad and relatable of how all of us feel when we watch a friend or loved one enter a shitty relationship and/or betray themselves or lose a part of their personality + the idea of having to mourn your friend especially upon growing up etc. but particularly as it relates to the lonely woman’s experience of finding one’s friends starting to center males & prioritize romance over friendship the older you get.

hope some of this is semi-intelligible - i save the grammar for my real essays - but felt like rambling

i think in my last post i was spelling “bennet” as “bennett” so i apologize for that lol - pls dont kill me janeites, i’m new here!!!

[nat-20s]

📕

I got five words for you: jonmartin pride and prejudice au

More words on this- i think i deserve aus where Jon is the one that starts pining real hard real fast while Martin is like UGH this FUCKIN GUY...oh wait...unless...... and what better au than one of the best love stories ever imo. like god pride and prejudice slaps so fucking hard it is the MOLD which all "not technically enemies but definitely people that didn't want to end up at the same parties to lovers" has been built and "grumpy character that's secretly a ball of awkwardness but cares SO SO DEEPLY about His People" with "Personable and charming character that's deeply sarcastic but also secretly just as flawed and complex as grumpy character" is SO FUCKING GOOD AND ALSO!! THEY!!!!

My casting list:

Mr. Darcy- Jon (self explanatory, bad at first impressions, full of love)

Lizzie Bennent- Martin (also self explanatory, funny and sarcastic, lowkey highkey judgemental, kind of goin through it tbh!!)

Mrs. Bennet- Martin's mum, but like. Less awful. Still not great, but at least slightly cares about the wellbein of her son.

Mr. Bennet but not really, mixed with the Gardners- Simon Fairchild. is NOT married to martin's mum, but is the uncle figure that sort of fills a couple of roles

Jane Bennet- Sasha :-) (she's Martin's older half sister in this au, and he ADORES her. Shared mom, different dads)

Kitty/Mary- not in this au lmao

Lydia Bennet, sort of- Gerry. Is actually a live in nurse to Martin's mom, but ends up in the shitty situation that Jon secretly helps out with

Charles Bingley- Tim!!! foot loose and trauma free because his brother is fine in this. speaking of,

Caroline Bingley- Danny. I'm so sorry danny u were probably a nice dude in tma canon before you got got but in this au you're petty and low key in love with jon. that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes okay

Charlotte Lucas- Basira. Not a cop in this, obviously. But like..getting married for practical reasons rather than romantic? that seems very much a basira move to me

Mr Collins- Daisy lmao. WILDLY different personalities, but fufills the narrative role of proposing to Martin initally to end up marrying basira instead. Instead of being a pastor, works security for Lady Catherine

Lady Catherine- Gertrude. Not actually related to Jon, but basically took him on as a ward when his parents died. She doesn't technically control his estate, but she considers herself in charge nonetheless. Expects him to marry her nephew

Anne De Bourgh- Micheal Shelly. Justification is that i mostly thought it would be funny

Georgiana Darcy- who else but Georgie? Not Jon's sister, but she is his other best friend, and she DO be wingmanning

Colonel Fitzwilliam- Melanie! I feel like she would absolutely think she was hyping Jon up when in reality it's like *activates Martin's rage mode*. Also idk i feel like the original character were also mlm/wlw solidarity and I want that to stay

W*ckh*m- okay I want to say this beforehand, but he is NOT a romantic interest for anyone in this au, and he uses/ manipulates people in an entirely different way than wickham does in p and p, with all the focus on the financial aspect. He's a schuckster, not a seducer. But yeah anyway it's elias/jonah. Ugh.

so. yeah. There's definitely some alterations I would make to the original canon, and im not sure if it would be regency or semi modern or anachronistic, but yeah. What it says on the tin. Pride and Prejudice au.

[agntofhydra]

I decided to re-read sawbones since you updated Poe's backstory, also bc i'm a very bored person on this sunday, lol. But I just wanted to say every time I read the part with Poe and Ancin I think of Pride & Prejudice and the beef between Mr. Darcy and Wickham. I mean, you can't really call trying to blackmail and wife up his lil sister beef tbh. That's just like.. beef doesn't begin to explain. Anyway I just wanted to say that bc idk if it was intentional but it kinda makes me giggle every time

oh my god im losing my mind that i lowkey created ancin to foil poe like wickham and darcy?? i haven’t read pride & prejudice since highschool (and let’s be honest, i didn’t actually read it) but if it makes me seem cool if i did it intentionally then absolutely.

but don’t we love a stereotypical character that warns the girl about the dark past of her soulmate?? dunno about you but i eat that shit up. reader is very much so elizabeth, at least in the beginning so this comparison is kinda sick thanks for pointing it out!!

[thehandflextm]

My Immortal...but make it Pride and Prejudice

For my final project, I decided to rewrite My Immortal (the infamous fanfiction) as if the original author were writing a Pride and Prejudice fanfiction instead of a Harry Potter one! I do not own My Immortal nor do I own Pride and Prejudice! Basically none of this is my original text, all credit goes to Tara Gilesbie and Jane Austen.

Chapter 1.

AN: Special fangz (get it, coz Im goffik) 2 my gf (ew not in that way) raven, bloodytearz666 4 helpin me wif da story and spelling. U rok! Justin ur da luv of my deprzzing life u rok 2! Dis stry is like if lizzy wuz goth so itz nut boring! MCR ROX!

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Hi my name is Lizzy Dark’ness Dementia Raven Bennet and I have long curly brown hair with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). I’m a vampire but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I live in a town called Longbourn with my parents, my three younger sisters, and one older sister (I’m twenty). I’m a goth (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow. I was walking outside Longbourn. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of preps stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

“Hey Lizzy!” shouted a voice. I looked up. It was…. Fitzwilliam Darcy!

“What’s up Mr. Darcy?” I asked.

“Nothing.” he said shyly.

But then, I heard my sisters call me and I had to go away.

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AN: IS it good? PLZ tell me fangz!

Chapter 2.

AN: Fangz 2 bloodytearz666 4 helpin me wif da chapta! BTW preps stop flaming ma story ok!

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The next day I woke up in my bedroom. It was snowing and raining again. I opened the door of my coffin and drank some blood from a bottle I had. My coffin was black ebony and inside it was hot pink velvet with black lace on the ends. I got out of my coffin and took of my giant MCR t-shirt which I used for pajamas. Instead, I put on a black leather dress, a pentagram necklace, combat boots and black fishnets on. I put on four pairs of earrings in my pierced ears, and put my hair in a kind of messy bun.

My sister, Jane (AN: Raven dis is u!) woke up then and grinned at me. She flipped her long waist-length blond hair with pink streaks and opened her forest-green eyes. She put on her Marilyn Manson t-shirt with a black mini, fishnets and pointy high-heeled boots. We put on our makeup (black lipstick white foundation and black eyeliner.)

“OMFG, I saw you talking to Mr. Darcy yesterday! Did you know he has ten thousand a year?!” she said excitedly.

“Yeah? So?” I said, blushing.

“Do you like Mr. Darcy?” she asked as we left our shared bedroom and went downstairs.

“No I so fucking don’t!” I shouted.

“Yeah right!” she exclaimed. Just then, Mr. Darcy knocked on the door! One of the servants opened the door and he  walked up to me.

“Hi.” he said.

“Hi.” I replied flirtily.

“Guess what.” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“Well, Charles Bingley and I are hosting a ball at Netherfield Park” he told me.

“Oh. My. Fucking. God!” I screamed. I love going to balls!. Dancing is my favorite thing to do, besides reading or walking or drinking blood.

“Well…. do you want to go with me?” he asked.

I gasped.

Chapter 3.

AN: STOP FLAMMING DA STORY PREPZ OK I KNO THEY DIDNT HV GOFF CLOSE N 1800S!! I JS WNT THEM TO BE GOHT! odderwize fangs 2 da goffik ppl 4 da good reveiws! FANGS AGEN RAVEN!.

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On the night of the ball I put on my black lace-up boots with high heels. Underneath them were ripped red fishnets. Then I put on a black leather minidress with all this corset stuff on the back and front. I put on matching fishnet on my arms. I straightened my hair and made it look all spiky. I felt a little depressed then, so I slit one of my wrists. I read a depressing book while I waited for it to stop bleeding. I painted my nails black and put on TONS of black eyeliner. Then I put on some black lipstick. I didn’t put on foundation because I was pale anyway. I drank some human blood so I was ready to go to the ball.

I went outside. Mr. Darcy was waiting there in front of his carriage. He was wearing a his normal fancy clothes and a little eyeliner (AN: A lot fo kewl boiz wer it ok!).

“Hi Mr. Darcy!” I said in a depressed voice.

“Hi Lizzy.” he said back. We walked into hisblack carriage and drove to NetherfieldWhen we got there, we both hopped out of the carriage. We went to the dance floor and danced together.

“That violinist is so fucking hot.” I said to Mr. Darcy, pointing to him as he played, filling the room with his amazing music.

Suddenly Mr. Darcy looked sad.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as we moshed to the music. Then I caught on.

“Hey, it’s ok I don’t like him better than YOU!” I said.

“Really?” asked Mr. Darcy sensitively and he put his arm around me all protective.

“Really.” I said. “Besides I don’t even know him and he’s not even rich.” I said disgustedly.

The night went on really well, and I had a great time. So did Mr. Darcy. After the ball, we drank some wine Mr. Darcy and I crawled back into the carriage, but Mr. Darcy didn’t go back to Longbourn, instead he drove the carriage into……………………… the forest!

Chapter 4.

AN: I sed stup flaming ok lizzy’s name is LZIZY nut mary su OK! DARCY IS SOO IN LUV wif her dat he is acting defrent! dey nu eechodder b4 ok!

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“MR. DARCY!” I shouted. “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”

Darcy didn’t answer but he stopped the flying car and he walked out of it. I walked out of it too, curiously.

“What the fucking hell?” I asked angrily.

“Lizzy?” he asked.

“What?” I snapped.

Mr. Darcy leaned in extra-close and I looked into his gothic red eyes (he was wearing color contacts) which revealed so much depressing sorrow and evilness and then suddenly I didn’t feel mad anymore.

And then…………… suddenly just as I Mr. Dacry kissed me passionately. Darcy climbed on top of me and we started to make out keenly against a tree. He took of my top and I took of his clothes. I even took of my bra. Then he put his thingie into my you-know-what and we did it for the first time.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! ” I screamed. I was beginning to get an orgasm. We started to kiss everywhere and my pale body became all warm. And then….

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU MOTHERFUKERS!”

It was…………………………………………………….Mr. Bennet!

Chapter 5.

AN: shjt up prepz ok! PS I wnot update ubtil u give me goood revows!

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The next day I woke up in my coffin. I put on a black miniskirt that was all ripped around the end and a matching top with red skulls all over it and high heeled boots that were black. I put on two pairs of skull earrings, and two crosses in my ears. I spray-painted my hair with purple.

In the breakfast room, I ate some Count Chocula cereal with blood instead of milk, and a glass of red blood. Suddenly someone bumped into me. All the blood spilled over my top.

“Bastard!” I shouted angrily. I regretted saying it when I looked up cause I was looking into the pale white face of a gothic boy with spiky black hair with red streaks in it. He was wearing so much eyeliner that I was going down his face and he was wearing black lipstick. He was wearing red contact lenses just like Mr Darcy’s. He had a manly stubble on his chin. He had a sexy English accent. He looked exactly like Joel Madden. He was so sexy that my body went all hot when I saw him kind of like an erection only I’m a girl so I didn’t get one you sicko. He was here with some other officers to visit my sister, Lydia.

“I’m so sorry.” he said in a shy voice.

“That’s all right. What’s your name?” I questioned.

“My name’s George Wickham, although most people call me Vampire these days.” he grumbled.

“Why?” I exclaimed.

“Because I love the taste of human blood.” he giggled.

“Well, I am a vampire.” I confessed.

“Really?” he whimpered.

“Yeah.” I roared.

We sat down to talk for a while. Then Mr. Darcy came up behind me and told me he had a surprise for me so I went away with him.

Chapter 6.

AN: stop flaming ok! i skipped time cuz the middle is boring lul so jus pretnd it al happned!MCR ROX!

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I was trying to sleep when suddenly, an horrible woman with beady eyes and wrinkly skin and everything started knocking on the door! She was wearing all black but it was obvious she wasn’t gothic. It was…… Lady Catherine de Bourgh!

“No!” I shouted in a scared voice but then Lady Catherine grabbed my arm and I couldn’t run away.

“Let me go!” I shouted at her and scratched her arm. Lady Catherine fell on her but and started to scream. I felt bad for her even though I’m a sadist so I stopped.

“Lizzy.” she yelled. “Thou must not marry Fitzwilliam Darcy!”

I thought about Mr. Darcy and his sexah eyes and his black hair. I remembered that Mr. Wickham had said that Mr. Darcy was evel, but he told me himself it was all Wickham’s fault!

“No! Please!” I begged.

“Thou must!” she yelled. “If thou does not, then I shall tell everyone about how Lydia and Wickhma had sex before marriage !”

“How did you know?” I asked in a surprised way.

Lay Catherine got a dude-ur-so-retarded look on her face. “Everyone thinks that already.” she answered cruelly. “And if you doth marry Darcy, then thou know what will happen to your sister!” she shouted. Then she ran away angrily.

I was so scared and mad I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly Dracy came into the house.

“Mr. Darcy!” I said. “Hi!”

“Hi.” he said back but his face was all sad. He was wearing white foundation and messy eyeliner kind of like a pentagram (geddit) between Joel Madden and Gerard Way.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“No.” he answered.

“I’m sorry I got all mad at you but I thought you were mean to Mr. Wickham.” I expelled.

“That’s okay.” he said all depressed “Will you mary me?”

“Yes!!” i said exitedly and we went back into Longbourn together making out.

Chapter 7

AN: well I hav noffing 2 say but evrt1 stup glamming ok!!111 if any gofik ppl r reading dis den u rok!!!11 omfg im leeving dubya pretty soon kant wait!!! Diz wil prolly be da last chaptah until I kum bak.

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Mr. Darcy and I went to Jan’e swedding to Mr. Bingley and we were all happy and clapped when they kissed! Even tho I’m goth, I stil love my sister and am glad she’s happy. Mr. Darcy and I announced our engagement and everyone was happy. My mom fainted with hpapiness because she knew he was rich lolz. My dad didn’t want tme to marry him at first bcuz he though Drayc was meant to me but I told him i loved him so it wuz ok.

Whe got married and i wore al black corest, red fishnets on my legs and purple fishnets on my arms ,a blakc lace vail, and a lether black skirt. Mr Darcy told me I was beautiful and now we’re married!

[virtuissimo]

Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Review)

This book is a modern retelling of the Jane Austen’s seminal classic Pride & Prejudice. Zuri Luz Benitez is a black Haitian-Dominican teenager in her senior year of high school whose identity is constructed around her life in Bushwick, a neighborhood with a tight community that is going through aggressive gentrification. Across the street, in one of the new gentrified houses, the Darcy family moves in, including twins Ainsley and Darius, two rich private-school boys sticking out like a fish out of water.

Zoboi’s adaptation creates amazing parallels when compared one-to-one with P&P, but it can’t hold its own very well. The writing is a simplistic and the characterization for most of the named characters is extremely one-dimensional. I was taken a bit by surprise when I found it in the youth section, and the simple writing makes me confused about the age of the intended audience. In any case, I didn’t have a bad time reading this, but I was expecting a lot more than I got.

To expand a little on the intended audience, I think my confusion is mostly because of the conflicting styles. On one hand, Zoboi’s prose is very simple and almost hamfisted in how she handles her characters and story. Other than some nice and age-appropriate poetry from Zuri herself, the rest of the book isn’t very elegant in writing quality. So I said to myself, ok I found it in the youth section. It’s intended for a younger audience. However, all the central characters are in their senior year of high school, and there are numerous allusions to sex and cusses that I’m not sure would fly in middle fiction. I think those who are in this reading level will find the characters too old and teenagery, while those who are the main character’s ages will find the prose to be lacking. Zuri in specific is a voracious reader, and she herself would not have the patience to enjoy reading this book which is far below her reading level.

It’s easier to read this book for what it’s supposed to be saying rather than what it is saying, if that makes any sense. For instance, Darius when he first shows up is quiet and doesn’t offer much information about himself, but he also wasn’t very rude or belligerent upon first impression. I know “prejudice” is half the thing, but Zuri really jumps the gun and kind of started the whole feud in the first place. It just wasn’t that believable that he was some jerk who deserved her hatred like it was with Elizabeth Bennet, and similarly it wasn’t very believable when she later learns that she just misinterpreted his social awkwardness.

Also, I thought it was interesting that the title removed the “prejudice” when to me that seemed like a much bigger aspect of this version than in Austen’s work. For instance, Darius makes a number of disparaging remarks about Bushwick and its “ghetto” people, but even before he makes these remarks Zuri already “hates” him based on stuff she made up about him in her head. And then later, when they begin to get closer, she actually never confronts him about his prejudice and just. Forgives and forgets.

She also forgives and forgets when it comes to Ainsley and Janae. This bothered me a lot more than some of my other nitpicking because it actually changes one of the important themes of P&P. Not that Zoboi doesn’t have the right to alter thematic elements—she absolutely does! But the theme of family and the fact that Zuri would do ANYTHING for her sisters is told to the reader through a lot of exposition, but we don’t actually see it. The moment in the car when she finds out that Darius split up Ainsley and Janae is really representative of that for me. She got angry in the moment, but she never actually investigates to find out WHY he did it like Elizabeth in P&P. On that note, later on when she forgives him, she never asks him to account for it again.

In fact, character motivation and appropriate emotional buildup was a recurring issue in this book. Nothing hit quite like I think Zoboi intended them to.

The talk on gentrification and class difference is good tho. Perhaps incomplete, but there’s only so much space. They really show how class plays a role in a variety of different circumstances and scenarios, and I think Zoboi succeeds here where others have failed.

Some of the parallels that I liked:

-          Warren and Colin took me OUT when they first appeared. You can really see what Zoboi thinks about Mr. Wickham and Mr. Collins from the original lol.

-          The tour of Howard instead of touring the Darcy home was very interesting to me. I think it was a great introduction to how she wasn’t expecting her world to expand so much, and that there’s a lot of different experiences in the world that she’s missing, and she gets introduced to this idea by people who AREN’T Darius and Ainsley. I really liked that.

-          The leopard print and “inappropriate dress” that the Benitez family wore to the Darcy cocktail party. It seems like a good way to show how respectability politics still play into the modern day, and it added a bit of character to the Benitez family as a prototypical Latinx family that I really enjoyed.

-          The Warren and Georgia situation was also a good way to translate this into the modern day.

-          P&P: In order to avoid scandal, Darcy pays for a marriage between a 16 year old and a 20-something known scumbag, and this is seen as a good thing because it saved the Bennet family. Zoboi’s Pride: Darius beats the shit out of Warren. I REALLY CRIED, THIS IS WHAT I WANT OUT OF AN ADAPTATION.

Things I didn’t like so much:

-          Ainsley x Janae is treated like a veeery minor side story instead of being a secondary plot. One of the big things in P&P is that Jane and Bingley are the prototypical pure love story and they think they are the main characters. Ainsley and Janae are not given much space to breathe in the narrative, and their relationship comes across as an afterthought instead of as one of the principal plot threads.

-          The diversion with Darius’ grandmother was also thrown in there like an afterthought. It didn’t add much to the story other than showing that Darius will side with Zuri when push comes to shove. It still felt like it took up a lot more time than it needed to if the grandmother wasn’t going to appear again at the end of the book like in the original. If it’s role to the plot was going to be minimized like that, I don’t really understand why it was included at all.

-          Charlise and Colin as a pair also felt out of place. In the original, Mr. Collins and Charlotte weren’t a major part of the story, but they contributed to the narrative that Austen wanted to tell about marriage and the different types of marriages that exist in English society at the time. Charlise and Colin don’t really have that effect on the story at all. Both characters are completely irrelevant to the plot (except Colin in the last possible moment), and they’re only really there to BE an adaptation.

-          Some of the plot beats were rearranged. I didn’t mind this so much since any number of directorial decisions are valid so long as the have a positive impact on the adaptation’s goal, but I didn’t really see how they added much.

One thing I REALLY liked was the addition of Madrina. I’m not sure if she’s a reference to something I don’t remember from the text or a completely original addition, but I thought she made for some really interesting moments. I especially loved how much connection Zuri felt with her Orisha worship and that they called her “daughter of Ochun.” I would change NOTHING about this, it was pure and really sweet.

One adaptation I WISH Zoboi had made was to have Zuri call out Darius’ hypocrisy. In P&P, the Bennetts are certainly in a different social class from Darcy and the Bingleys, but they’re ultimately still property owners in Britain. The stakes are different here. Darius keeps talking about how things in his life aren’t perfect just because he’s rich (which is absolutely true, especially when Zoboi starts getting into his experience as a black teenager surrounded by white classmates), but he is STILL not really understanding the difference in experience between himself and Zuri. The thing is, although she’s not right to judge Darius’ whole personality, she absolutely IS right about a lot of his privilege at the very beginning, but she kind of lets that go after a while. Zuri confronts Darius about his wealth many times, but to me at least it doesn’t really seem like she was able to convince him that his whole outlook on life is fundamentally different because of his wealth. Idk maybe I’m grasping at straws here. I just wish that Darius had actually talked about like . trying to persuade his parents to donate more to charity, or doing community service, or idk DISTRIBUTING THE WEALTH. Darius doesn’t change much in the story. At the beginning, he’s like “sorry im rich but lmfao you’re being mean to me!” and then at the end he is like “I am simply a rich boy, I cannot change this” which is barely a difference at all.

Anyways. I really didn’t hate this book. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, which is why I have all these criticisms about it.

I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a thoughtprovoking discussion on class through the lens of one of history’s most overrated love stories (speaking as someone who loves P&P: yea it’s overrated). Read it for Zuri and Darius, who are totally different people from Elizabeth and Darcy. Read it for nostalgia, because even though I don’t know what it feels like to be one of 5 Afrolatine kids in Bushwick, I Felt that family affection.

3/5 for having great ideas but not such great execution.

[danfanciesphil]

I disagree with you slightly. I do believe that tension is important to drive stories forward, but tension does not equal angst. You can have action and conflict without dipping into angst. And also, one example of angst-free multi chaptered fics are fics that explore the development of a relationship. Maybe not the longest out there, but friends-to-lovers and slow-burns are entire genres of fanfiction.

they all have angst! they do i promise!! friends to lovers will have a dip in the middle which is angsty, it makes the resolution sweeter. 

honestly, i would call the fic im writing now the closest i have ever gotten to non-angst lmao. it’s barely got any, it’s just the smidgen it needs to make it interesting. it just wouldn’t be a story without any worry for the characters. 

im gonna prove this to you with some technical stuff now because im a writing nerd and ive studied story-writing for years. 

I use the following two structures when planning my writing: 

or

Depending on the complexity of the story, and the direction I want to take it, I will pick the structure that fits best. In the first, you can see that the tension rises to a mid point, then hits an all time high, then falls back to a reasonable level. This is what I did with Birthday Sex (though in that fic the climax happens a little earlier on than pictured. Hint: the climax is dan’s dramatic hospitalisation). 

For L’Histoire Française, I used the second structure. 

In this one, there is virtually no tension, and instead there are ‘pinch points’ along the way which serve as things to keep the reader’s interest (Jonah, John interrupting them, Phil’s flirtatious comments). The climax comes near the very end in this structure. It serves a purpose to pull the rug out from under the reader’s comprehension of the story (briefly) in order to surprise them and draw them out of their complacency. if the story turns dramatically (good to bad) then the reader will pretty much always want to read on to see it resolve itself.  Pinch points and climaxes are different things. Pinch points are the little blips of excitement that keep the pages turning. The climax is a necessary focal point of the story, without which, it would have no narrative, no point, no satisfying conclusion. 

Let’s take a random example of a popular love story. I’m going to use Pride and Prejudice. 

It takes the first structure, but the point still applies. 

Act One- Lizzie lives with her family in a poor-ish household- Inciting incident: she goes to a ball and meets mr darcy/thinks he’s handsome- Second thoughts: he’s a prick, calls her a name and she’s like... hell nah. - Climax of Act One: Jane gets sick at Mr Bingley’s house- Obstacle: Lizzie is forced to spend time with Mr Darcy- Obstacle: Mr Collins conundrumAct Two- Midpoint (big twist): Mr Bingley dumps Jane- Obstacle: Mr Collins marries Charlotte- Disaster: Kitty runs off with Mr Wickham- Crisis: Mr Darcy runs off to find themAct ThreeCLIMAX OF STORY- Mr Darcy fuckin proposes and Lizzie wrings him out to dry- She realises he broke up Mr Bingley and Jane out of concern & paid for Kitty’s wedding- She realises he’s a cool dude and falls in love- End: he re proposes, she says yes. 

Now, that’s simplified obvs, but without that motherfuckin proposal and rejection, do you see how tame the story would be? Nobody would consider a novel that was just about a headstrong woman and a grumpy dude falling for each other with a few bumps in the road as one of the greatest love stories of all time. Stories need the angst. 

Other examples: Cinderella (the angsty climax is her stepfolk locking her up after the ball so the prince wont find her). Snow White (she dies and the prince has to save her). Stardust (she thinks he leaves to go back to his original love and she almost dies as a result). 

I’m having a really hard time coming up with classic love stories that have happy endings to use as examples lol, but there are some. I dont mean to go on at anyone about this, i just feel very strongly haha. Anyway, that’s my opinion on it, and that’s what I’ve spent years learning and perfecting. 

[lizziebennet]

I've been following you for a while and I've noticed how much you love Pride and Prejudice. I also love both the book and the 2005 film, but I've always had one pretty serious problem with the storyline. I've never understood why Elizabeth falls for Darcy. I've read the book countless times, seen the film even more than that, and I still don't understand. Why does Elizabeth, a wonderful, bright, independent, and headstrong woman fall in love with a man who has repeatedly shamed her and her

family? And when he attempts to make up for hurting Elizabeth’s feelings, he really only fixes the things HE RUINED in the first place (ie Jane and Bingley’s relationship). Other than that, I still don’t understand why Elizabeth should fall in love with this man. She even states that “only the deepest of loves will persuade me into matrimony”, and Darcy has done nothing to warrant that love besides giving Lydia the money for her marriage. I’ve looked up to Lizzy since I was 11 and I don’t get it

[crackles knuckles] buckle up yall we’re ab to get DEEP into pride and prejudice

ok well first of all thanks for sending me this ask bc i love talking ab p&p as everyone knows. 

so ur question: Why does lizzie fall for darcy??????

i like to think about it this way: what would’ve happened if lizzie hadn’t overheard darcy and bingley belittle her at the dance?(there are some rly good fics on this topic btw) how wouldve lizzie and darcy’s relationship progressed differently if lizzie hadn’t been determined to hat e him before they ever really interact? because of their interactions after that hinge on lizzie’s opinion of darcy being set – hes a pompous dick. she decides it. but what if she had greeted him with an open mind like any other new acquaintance? i think she wouldve probably still thought he was awkward and pompous but realized much sooner that there was more to him than that. 

because what happens in the book is that while darcy is having this evolution from his prejudiced view of lizzie based on her social status to falling in love with her, lizzie isnt budging from her opinion that darcy is a dick because she hasnt had any positive interactions with him to change that view. when wickham (a guy she literally jUST met and doesnt have any connections with) tells her darcy is an asshole she believes it right away because thats already how she views him. 

in short what im saying that they both start out with a predisposition to dislike one another �� darcy because lizzie isnt high born and lizzie because she overhears darcy say a mean thing about her. darcy’s opinion changes because he spends time with lizzie (and jane) and sees what great amazing vibrant people they are. 

but lizzies opinion of darcy doesnt change except to get WORSE based on what other people tell her. and thats because of one of the central problems in p&p: DARCY IS HORRIBLE AT COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER PEOPLE!!! he cant show his personality to lizzie the same way she does to him because hes so awkward and doesnt know how to act well. i think if darcy didn’t have issues with being around new people lizzie’s opinion of him would change so much more quickly and thats because DARCY IS ACTUALLY A GOOD PERSON!!!!!

the bennets are always like why does bingley who is amazing hang out with darcy who is the worst??? its because darcy is actually a caring and compassionate friend again he just doesnt do well with new people. we see this with how he interacts with georgiana, when the housekeeper at pemberley tells lizzie and her aunt and uncle that darcy is adored by all the staff and everyone in town, etc etc. darcy is a good person – not perfect, he def has lots of faults like pride and prejudice and classism for example – but he just isnt good at showing that thru words. 

so what changes lizzies mind??? even if darcy is secretly a good person why would lizzie care after what he did to jane and bingley? well a few very important things happen. 

1. lizzie gets the letter from darcy. this letter isnt a 100% fix it situation because he doesnt explain the rude things he says ab her family but it does explain ab wickham and make lizzie feel for him ab that whole situation. it also explained ab jane and bingley and while lizzie doesnt agree w him, it def changes her perspective that darcy is an evil villain who just wanted to cause pain. still, after the letter she mostly feels awkward and guilty and embarrassed but no love. 

2. darcy practices. when at rosings lizzie makes fun of how bad darcy is at talking to people and he tells her that its not something that comes naturally to him. lizzie tells him to “take his aunts advice and practice” and when lizzie goes to pemberley its obvious that he hAS BEEN PRACTICING!!!! lizzie notes that he is not at all like how he was when she interacted with him before, and her aunt and uncle are like why did u tell us darcy was such a bad dude?? he rules?? darcy isnt perfect but the point is that he gets better – he learns!!! lizzie teaches him!!!!!! he becomes better – less judgmental, less standoffish because he wanted to better for lizzie. 

3. actions speak louder than words. even tho darcy is getting better at talking his actions still speak louder than what he says. the way he interacts with georgiana at pemberley, the way he rescues lydia, the way he convinces bingley to go back to jane. these actions show lizzie that the TRUE person he is and make her realize that hes actually Great. 

like if ur thinking ab lizzie and darcy as darcy is an ass why does lizzie change her mind about him i view it differently?? like i think darcy was always a good person who is very suited to lizzie but because of the communication errors (lizzie “willfully misunderstanding” him) and drama that goes on, lizzie doesnt find this out until the end. 

because i do think that lizzie and darcy are Very suited for each other. they are SO ALIKE (lizzie says this so cutely at the end of the 2005 version). they are both proud and they both have prejudices. lizzie kind of thinks shes better than everyone else and love to make fun of people and secretly watch their “follies” to get amusement. darcy prefers to be by himself or with a close few because he generally thinks all new people arent really worth his time. they are both really fiery and passionate. and i think they both challenge each other like… when u think ab darcy growing up losing his parents at a young age and being so rich do u think anyone really called him out on his shit in his entire adult life??? no. so when lizzie like dragged his ass thru the dirt it was probably the first time anyone told him that he came off like a total douche. and even tho lizzie makes fun of darcy when he says “my good opinion once lost is lost forever” ISNT THAT EXACTLY WHAT LIZZIE IS LIKE??? she decides she hates darcy and likes wickham and then realizes she was totally wrong about both of them. 

they are also both oblivious about their friends’ love lives even though they want whats best for them (im talking ab charlotte for lizzie) and both are really loyal to their families. and yeah, what darcy said ab lizzies family was really really rude but was it different than anything lizzie has said before??? she is constantly getting annoyed/embarrassed by her mom and her sisters. so. 

i really think they are soulmates because they bring out the best in one another. they challenge each other and have really different viewpoints and upbringings but the same core values. 

i hope this maybe explained a little of why they fall in love??? basically it wasnt about the lydia wickham thing at all but about lizzie Seeing darcy as he truly is.