#it feels like an au not an actual attempt at retelling the story or adapting it

[kastukj]

Really trying to watch the untamed and give it a proper chance but man there’s just so much that doesn’t sit well w me… i want to love it but it’s making that really hard to do 😞

[shannaraisles]

Fire & Fidelity - Chapter 2

It is a truth universally acknowledged that no fandom can ever have too many Pride and Prejudice AUs. A straight retelling of Jane Austen’s P&P, based on the 1995 BBC miniseries adaptation, with a few tweaks here and there along the way.

Note - I have lifted characters and story elements from Dragon Age and placed them in Regency England purely in order to use the locations in P&P rather than confuse myself with making the geography of Thedas work for this story.

[Read on AO3]

Chapter Two

There truly was nothing quite like a peaceful walk through the countryside, Lizzie reflected a month later, closing her eyes to feel the breeze on her face.

The last grasp of winter was fading into spring, sunshine beginning to pour down over the landscape more regularly, allowing for these long escapes from the tension of home. Ever since Mr. Trevelyan's announcement that he would not visit Mr. Theirin upon his arrival in the neighborhood, Mrs Trevelyan had been increasingly waspish and difficult, far more prone to her performative hysterics and self-pitying wails on a daily basis. Lizzie and Jane had taken to alternating their constant presence in the house day by day, if only to spare Mary from their mother's snapping remarks. Kitty and Lydia thought nothing of remaining in such poor company, more often out and in Meryton than at home during daylight.

Still, with her mother making life at home more than a little uncomfortable, it was nothing less than sheer pleasure to be able to walk out here in the peace and quiet of the countryside, letting the tension fade from her form as she went. The wind caught at the brim of her bonnet, one gloved hand rising to press against the crown before the whole thing could tug painfully at her scalp via the pins that held it in place over her hair.

"Lizzie!"

The peace was shattered by the raucous sound of Lydia yelling her name from the lane on the other side of the field she was following. She turned, finding both Kitty and Lydia walking back toward home with excited smiles on their faces. They had been out walking in the hope that the fresh air would soothe Kitty's chest cold, but it seemed as though the lure of Meryton had been too much, again.

"Wait 'til you hear our news!" Lydia went on, waving wildly before continuing on her way.

Lizzie sighed softly, watching her youngest sisters tramp toward the track that would bring them to her side for the last stretch back home. So much for peace and quiet ... but perhaps what they had to tell would brighten their mother's temper and remove at least some of the discomfort from being at home. Unfortunately for her own peace of mind, it meant that she was obliged to walk along listening to Kitty and Lydia arguing over who was going to share their news first. Lizzie loved her little sisters, but they were extraordinarily strident at times, almost seeming to enjoy the screech of their own tempers clashing and destroying the calm of everyone else around them.

They found their family gathered in the drawing room together - their father reading from his newspaper; their mother listening with her eyes closed as Jane read a letter from her sister, Mrs. Cousland, who lived in London; Mary silently practicing the fingering for her favorite tune beside the piano to keep from disturbing anyone else. Shed of gloves, spencers, and bonnets, Lizzie followed her youngest sisters into the drawing room, unsurprised by the eruption of their enthusiasm as she took up her sewing and sat beside Jane.

"Mr. Theirin is come to Netherfield!" Lydia exclaimed excitedly, thumping down into a seat at the round table. "He was a Templar, they're saying, before he inherited his father's fortune, and still keeps his sword and shield -"

"Sir Malcolm Hawke has called on him already," Kitty interrupted, ignoring Lydia's offended look in her direction even as she coughed uncomfortably.

"Save your breath to cool your porridge, Kitty, I will tell Mama," the youngest Trevelyan told her sister sharply.

Jane caught Lizzie's eye, the two elder sisters sharing long-suffering smiles that echoed their father's irritation at the gossip behind his newspaper. Their mother, on the other hand, was not in the mood to hide her own irritability.

"I do not wish to know," she informed both Lydia and Kitty in a prim tone, waving her lace handkerchief dismissively. "What should we care for Mr. Theirin since we are never to be acquainted with him?"

She threw a distinctly pointed look at her husband - or rather, at the newspaper her husband was currently behind. Lizzie hastily looked down at her sewing. She'd seen the twitch in her father's fingers and knew what it meant. Mr. Trevelyan was enjoying listening to his wife attempting to be both calm and cool about a subject that had riled her up for a full month thus far.

"But Mama," Lydia began, cut off when Kitty coughed once again.

"Don't keep coughing so, Kitty, for the sake of Andraste!" Mrs. Trevelyan snapped. "Have a little compassion on my nerves!"

"I don't cough for my own amusement!" Kitty objected, but Lydia was already protesting her own side of things.

"He has thirty servants, forty servants," the youngest urged, trying to spark her mother's interest with a subject she knew interested the woman. "And he is very handsome, and wears a blue coat."

"And he declared to Sir Malcolm that he loves to dance," Kitty added, taking a sip of water to clear her cough if she could.

"He's promised to come to the next ball!"

"At the assembly rooms -"

"- on Saturday!"

"And he is bringing six ladies and four gentlemen," Kitty finished decidedly.

"No, it was twelve ladies and seven gentlemen," Lydia corrected her, frowning in confusion.

"Too many ladies," Lizzie murmured to Jane as their littlest sisters stared at each other, now thoroughly confused as to what they had heard and what they had made up on the road.

"Oh, Lydia, I beg you would stop," Mrs Trevelyan exclaimed, her aloof tone gone in favor of being close to tears yet again despite the quiet mirth of her two eldest daughters. "For we are never to know Mr. Theirin, and it pains me to hear of him."

"But Mama -"

"I am sick of Mr. Theirin!" the mother declared, torn between upset and fury at her own frustrated ambitions.

"I am sorry to hear that," Mr. Trevelyan commented mildly, folding his paper. "If I had known as much this morning, I should never have called on him."

So that was why their father had braved the drawing room for the first time in a month. Lizzie had to avoid Jane's gaze entirely at the sight and sound of her mother and youngest sisters' utter astonishment, only to catch Mary's quiet smile and splutter a little in her own attempt to keep her laughter to a minimum.

"You have called on him?" Mrs Trevelyan shrieked, shock and disbelieving delight battling in her tone.

Mr. Trevelyan offered up a resigned sigh, his own smile teasing as he looked on his suddenly happy little family.

"I'm afraid we cannot escape the acquaintance now," he commiserated, setting the paper down on his knee to watch the consequences of his little charade with interest.

There was a brief pause as the news sank in, and Mrs Trevelyan let loose a squeal of sheer, unadulterated pleasure.

"Oh! My dear Mr. Trevelyan, how good you are to us!"

She threw herself out of her armchair to embrace him where he sat, never minding his quiet chuckle at her delight.

"Yes, well, well," he muttered, almost embarrassed by her affection in front of their daughters.

"Girls, is he not a good father?" his wife exclaimed, all but bouncing on her toes in her expression of joy. It really was no wonder Lydia and Kitty had little control over themselves when their mother never displayed any control at all. "And never to tell us? What a good joke!"

She cackled with laughter, skipping away from her husband to clasp the hands of her two youngest girls and dance in a circle with them for a moment. Behind the trio, Mary rolled her eyes at the display, smiling for their happiness but not expecting to be included. Lizzie, to her own delight, heard Jane actually giggle beside her, finally letting herself laugh just a little to release some of the tension they had all been carrying for a full month now.

"Oh, and you shall all dance with Mr. Theirin!" Mrs. Trevelyan was declaring as she skipped around with Lydia and Kitty.

"I hope he has a strong constitution, Mama," Lizzie said with a warm laugh, her smile relaxing further when her mother only laughed more in answer, squeezing the captive hands she held.

"And a fondness for silly young women," Mr. Trevelyan added, his own amusement bright in his voice as he smiled at the exuberant display.

"Oh, my dear Mr. Trevelyan," his wife sighed happily, turning to wiggle her fingers near his nose. "Nothing you say shall ever vex me again."

"I'm sorry to hear it," he answered with a chuckle, rising to his feet. "Well, Kitty, I think you may cough as much as you choose now."

And he left them to their laughter, smiling at the success of his own joke. It had been worth a month of sulking and spite just to see the silly women he shared his home with suddenly lit up brightly with happy excitement, even if he would now have to endure a week of silks and laces and balls while his wife prepared the girls for the assembly rooms. He would no doubt hear all about it afterward, too, for several days if all went well. He could only hope that Mr. Theirin and his guests could cope with three of the silliest women in England, and might notice the three quieter, better-tempered women who kept them in check.

Of course, he himself would not be attending the assembly rooms. Mr. Trevelyan had a high opinion of himself and his position, and did not like to attend the crush of a ball to which anyone might purchase a ticket, though others of his own stature seemed to pay such an indignity no mind. He looked upon such events as something sprightly and social to which he could send his wife and daughters, so that he might enjoy an evening of peace before they descended upon him to shatter it with enthusiasm.

Thus, on the very next Saturday, Mrs. Trevelyan gathered her daughters to her and escorted them with great pride into the assembly rooms in Meryton proper. They made a handsome sight, even with the mother bobbing along like an excitable hen. Jane, as the eldest, was set front and center of their group, sedately accepting of the looks that fell upon her golden hair and fine figure displayed to perfection in mint-green embroidered muslin. Lizzie made sure to keep to her side, her own appearance an equally handsome contrast to her elder sister in striped blue cotton. Mary, shadowing the two eldest as much as she could when her mother did not forcibly drag her away, was a shy wraith in pale yellow; Kitty and Lydia, having argued excessively all week, had finally decided upon wearing the same shade of soft pink. Each one had hair fashionably curled and pinned and, like every lady in the place, wore long gloves that covered them to the elbow. A very pretty picture the Miss Trevelyans made walking into the Meryton assembly rooms - it was no wonder that Mrs. Trevelyan was so proud to show them off.

Yet within moments of arriving, the pretty party was split up - Lydia and Kitty to charm their way into dancing near constantly with a few of the limited male partners, much to the dismay of other young ladies; Mary to sit beside her own particular friend, Bethany Hawke, under the warm eyes of Leliana Rossignol, Meryton's very own mystery woman. Mrs. Trevelyan was quick to join Lady Leandra Hawke, Mrs. Mac Tir, and Mrs. Montilyet, determined to gather as much gossip as was possible from the ladies of nearer her own age before the night was through. Jane and Lizzie moved more sedately through the mass of people, side-stepping the dancers to greet Sir Malcolm. Lizzie was unsurprised when young Carver Hawke stepped up and nervously asked Jane to dance - the heir to the Hawke businesses and lands had carried a torch for Jane for a few years now, but they all knew he would never ask for her hand. His mother had greater plans for him.

Left to her own devices, Lizzie was not long without a partner herself, joining in the dancing of the assembly room gathering before graciously relinquishing her partner to another young lady who also longed to dance. She and Jane found themselves stepping quietly to the wall, sharing a resigned smile as Lydia's distinctive cackle of laughter made itself known through the throng.

"Your sisters appear to be enjoying themselves this evening," a familiar voice commented, prompting Lizzie to turn with a bright smile on her face.

"Marian!" she declared, embracing her friend swiftly and allowing Jane to do the same. "How wonderful to see you - we did not think you would be back so soon from London."

Marian Hawke - older, wiser, and still an affectionate friend - shared her distinctive broad smile with the two elder Trevelyan girls, tucking her arm through Lizzie's as they surveyed the dancing masses before them.

"Mother summoned me back," she informed Lizzie in a confidential tone. "For the same reason, I assume, that so many other eligible ladies are here this evening ... I simply must snag myself a Mr. Theirin."

Lizzie bit down on her laughter, knowing that Marian, at least, felt keenly the weight of her mother's expectation. Ideally, Marian should have been married years ago, her age now putting her on the cusp of becoming an old maid. She had no desire to be dependent upon her parents and brother for the rest of her life, and yet that seemed to be the fate intended for her.

"I am delighted to see you returned, in any case," she told her friend fondly. "Meryton has been dreadfully dull without my Marian to aid me in poking fun at myself."

"Honestly, Lizzie," Jane objected in her soft manner. "There is no call to be quite so hard on yourself."

Chastised, Lizzie's smile turned mischievous for a moment, her mouth opening to pass further comment when the activity of the assembly rooms came to a staggered halt. The music faltered and stopped, a susurration among the gathered revelers drawing the eyes to the wide doors, where a party of strangers now stood. Ah, Lizzie thought to herself. This must be the much feted Mr. Theirin and party.

And no wonder their entrance had drawn every eye. London fashions took at least a season to reach Meryton, where the finer fabrics and bolder styles were never available or, if they were, rarely adopted for fear of what the neighbors would say. The Netherfield party consisted of two ladies and three gentlemen, dressed in their best and certainly out to impress the simple assembly ball. The ladies' gowns were, to Lizzie's mind, garish in the extreme, in bold orange and sharp pink, satin and silk liberally peppered with expensive lace, and hair coiffed with astonishing complexity only to be topped with lavish ostrich feathers. Even the men, though their attire was a good deal more subdued than their female companions', wore evening dress of exquisite cut and design.

It was the faces that drew Lizzie's attention. The taller of the two ladies, red hair clashing horribly with her orange silk, wasn't plain by any means, but the expression of distaste on her face twisted her mouth as though she was sucking a lemon. She looked at the Meryton assembly as though surveying something unsightly that had stuck to her shoe on the street. The other lady, whose sharper features were already a drawback to her presentation, was openly disgusted with the company she found herself in. The oldest of the three men simply looked bored with the entire affair. Yet the taller of the two remaining men provided a delightful contrast; his face was wreathed in smiles, no sign of any discomfort or displeasure about him at all. Indeed, that smile made his handsome face even more pleasant to look upon, sending a ripple of yearning sighs through the young ladies of the assembly.

Beside her, Lizzie felt Jane tense ever so slightly, but a single glance was enough to tell her all she needed to know. Her beautiful elder sister's face was flushed with a sweet hint of rose, blue eyes sparkling with a suddenly hopeful smile, fixed on the smiling man whose gaze had skimmed over her and returned as though dragged into the daylight. Smitten, both of them, in an instant, Lizzie was certain. She caught Marian's knowing smirk, not even trying to hide her own delighted smile as her own gaze turned to the last of the Netherfield party.

It was her turn to stiffen, her smile fading in surprise at finding a pair of arresting brown eyes leveled on her. Beautiful eyes, set in a beautiful face, crowned with an abundant crop of golden hair. He was, quite simply, beautiful, the mere sight of him enough to make her breath catch in her throat. But first impressions gave way to other impressions, such as the stiff way he held himself, the disdain in his gaze as he turned his eyes from her to survey the gathering. Lizzie felt a brief pang of disappointment at this obvious sign of superior pride, turning her own gaze back to her sister as the taller of the Netherfield men smiled and bowed to Sir Malcolm Hawke, and the music played once more.

"Only two ladies then, after all," she declared under the sound of the renewed dancing and chatter, hugging Jane's arm with a fond smile to her elder sister. "Do you know who they are, Marian?"

"The taller is Mr. Theirin's sister, Goldanna Theirin, I understand," Marian told them, in the unique position of having this information to share simply because her father was the one who had made the first overtures of friendship to Netherfield's new owner. "The other is a lady of some relation nearing cousin to them, so I believe, formerly Babette Delauncet - the older gentleman is her husband, Monsieur de Montfort. She is his second wife, I understand, of an age with his son."

"They are very elegant," Jane said, as all three women flicked their eyes back toward the party, now being introduced to various pillars of the community.

Lizzie raised a brow as she found herself smiling once again.

"Better pleased with themselves than what they see, I think," was her comment, her eyes falling on the stiff-backed gentleman who had startled her with such a piercing look not so long ago. He had yet to show even half the warmth of his taller companion.

A familiar voice hissed across the room, just a little too loud to be ignored and nowhere near quiet enough not to draw the attention of the gentleman himself.

"Lizzie! Jane!"

As the two young women turned their heads in her direction, Mrs Trevelyan gestured enthusiastically with one gloved hand for them to join her. She had already gathered Mary close, Bethany Hawke moving to replace the Trevelyan sisters in keeping her own sister company while Mrs Trevelyan shared her excited news with her daughters. Exchanging a tolerant glance with Jane, Lizzie murmured an apology to Marian before following her sister into the clumsily fond wrap of her mother's arms through theirs.

"You see that gentleman there?" Mrs Trevelyan asked, gesturing with surprising subtlety toward the man who obviously was not Mr. Theirin or Monsieur de Montfort. "Lady Hawke has just told me he's Mr. Theirin's oldest friend. They trained in the Templars together, and he served under Seeker Pentaghast during the Blight. His name is Rutherford, and he has a mighty fortune and a great estate in Derbyshire. Theirin's wealth is nothing to his - ten thousand a year, at least!" She sighed excessively. "Don't you think he's the handsomest man you've ever seen, girls?"

Yes, indeed, a treacherous part of Lizzie's mind immediately responded, but she suppressed it, refusing to think well of someone so obviously determined to be displeased with everything he saw around himself. She leaned over to Jane, murmuring so their mother would not hear,

"I wonder if he would be quite so handsome if he were not quite so rich?"

Jane giggled, batting at her arm with gentle censure. Lizzie subsided, in deference to her sister's shy discomfort with her own amusement, and instead sent Mary a reassuring wink over their mother's head. Between them, Mrs. Trevelyan suddenly let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a squeak, flapping her hands abruptly at her girls before settling her expression and posture into something far more suitable for the matron of a family.

"Oh, Lizzie! They're coming over." Mrs Trevelyan planted a hand in the middle of Jane's back to straighten her spine. "Smile, girls, smile."

Within moments, Sir Malcolm was before them, with Mr. Theirin at his heels and Mr. Rutherford trailing behind like some kind of chaperone. Lizzie had to bite down on her own wide grin as once more Jane and Mr. Theirin seemed lost in one another's eyes from the moment they looked upon one another.

"Mrs Trevelyan," Sir Malcolm declared in his jovial manner. "Mr. Theirin has expressed an interest in becoming acquainted with you and your daughters."

As if by magic, Mrs Trevelyan's voice rose a few social classes in response to the polite introduction.

"Sir, that is very good of you," she said, letting loose the barest suggestion of a nervous laugh as she curtsied to Mr. Theirin.

Jane, Lizzie, and Mary curtsied with their mother, much to the delight of Sir Malcolm, watching over the proceedings with a proud, paternal eye. No doubt he would enjoy relaying every manly detail to Mr Trevelyan in the days to come. Beside him, Mr. Theirin bowed to the ladies, drawing himself up to his considerable height, his face flushed with what Lizzie could have sworn was embarrassed courage.

"This is Jane, my eldest," Mrs Trevelyan went on, indicating Exhibit A. Jane blushed prettily, inclining her head in a shy nod as Mr. Theirin repeated her name soundlessly behind his broad smile. "And Elizabeth, with Mary. And Kitty and Lydia, my youngest, you see there dancing."

For a reluctant moment, Mr. Theirin looked at the dancers, spying the two youngest Trevelyans and their enthusiasm for the dance with a warm expression in his eyes. Mr. Rutherford, behind him, was apparently listening to every detail as well, for his eyes followed the introductions with his friend's. Lizzie was exceedingly glad he hadn't expressed a wish to be introduced to them. Handsome is as handsome does, but unfeeling pride was awful. However, before Mr. Theirin could get even one word out, Mrs Trevelyan was speaking again, necessitating her elder daughters to swallow down a shared wince at the lack of subtlety in their mother's ambitions.

"Do you like to dance, Mr. Theirin?"

Finally given the space to speak, Mr. Theirin seemed to leap on the opening with enthusiasm.

"There is nothing I like better, madam," he assured Mrs Trevelyan, glancing toward Jane for the briefest moment with shy hope of his own. "And ... if Miss Trevelyan is not otherwise engaged, may I be so bold as to claim the next two dances?"

Lizzie had to exert extreme control over her smile, utterly delighted to see her beloved elder sister so quickly singled out by such an agreeable young man who appeared as taken with Jane as she seemed by him. Indeed, Jane's eyes were alive with happiness as she answered the request.

"I am not engaged, sir," she confirmed, and her smile grew bright at the sudden sense of energy this produced in their new acquaintance.

"Good!" he declared, sharing her smile for a long moment.

But Mrs Trevelyan just had to interject. Not for the first time, Lizzie found herself wondering just how scandalous it would be if she clapped a hand over her mother's mouth or locked her in a closet for the duration of a social gathering.

"You do us great honor, sir," the matron of the family declared. "Thank the gentleman, Jane."

Jane, embarrassed by the lack of courtesy shown by their mother, let her smile fade into a look of apology that was thankfully accepted with a sympathetic smile in return.

"Mama," Lizzie murmured warningly, giving the woman a pointed look.

Mrs Trevelyan seemed to get the hint, but her attempt to correct the mistake just made things even worse. She raised her voice, addressing Mr Rutherford directly, much to her daughters' chagrin. They had not been introduced!

"And you, sir ... are you fond of dancing, too?"

Lizzie wished to any deity who might be listening that Mr Rutherford might simply have an imposing expression when at his ease, but alas, she was to be disappointed. As the man realized he was the one being addressed, his disdainful expression sharpened into stern disapproval at the lack of polite manners being displayed by the matronly woman before his friend. A friend who, when he noticed that Mrs Trevelyan was looking over his shoulder, turned to correct the oversight of not having introduced the man sooner.

"Oh! I beg your pardon, Mrs Trevelyan," Mr. Theirin said, gesturing toward the man just behind him. "May I present my friend, Mr. Rutherford?"

Swallowing down an urge to run away from the stern gaze leveled on them from those beautiful eyes, Lizzie curtsied once more with her mother and sisters as Mrs Trevelyan responded.

"You are very welcome to Hertfordshire, I am sure, sir," she said happily. "I hope you have come here eager to dance, as your friend has."

Mr. Rutherford's bow was exquisitely performed, but there was a sharpness in the motion that suggested he resented being expected to bow to a woman who had yet to prove herself worthy of his manners. Lizzie's eyes narrowed a little, studying the man a little more closely. Broad-shouldered and taller than most, if not taller than his friend, it was easier to see now that he was the superior of the two in garment and bearing, if not in disposition. Her initial impression of him as handsome was waning at every example of his apparent certainty in being the superior of every man and woman here, purely because of his wealth and background.

"Thank you, madam, I rarely dance."

Six words, and while the voice sent  a frisson down her spine that was almost shameful, Lizzie couldn't help sympathizing with the man a little. He had obviously come to the assembly at Mr. Theirin's request, as a friend, and now would likely be badgered all evening by mothers just like her own, eager to make a conquest for their daughters. Mothers who couldn't take a hint, even one made so politely but obviously.

"Well, let this be one of the occasions, sir," Mrs Trevelyan insisted. "For I'll wager you'll not easily find such lively music, or such pretty partners."

At this, she looked directly at Lizzie, her intent obvious and painfully embarrassing for the young woman in question. What was worse was the way Mr Rutherford's eyes skimmed over her briefly only to focus on the Circle brooch pinned to Mary's shoulder. His jaw tightened visibly, evidently disgusted by the presence of a mage, and he bowed again, just as sharply as before, turning to walk back to his party without another word. Lizzie bristled, not so much at the insult to her, but to the implied insult to her mage sister. Mr. Theirin looked over his shoulder, and his own smile faded awkwardly. He, too, bowed to the ladies, but with a good deal better humor.

"Pray, excuse me, ma'am," he apologized, turning to follow his friend and hopefully give him a few lessons in manners.

As Lizzie took Mary's hand into her own, squeezing it gently in reassurance, Mrs Trevelyan fumed, utterly failing to keep her voice down.

"Well! Did you ever meet such a proud, disagreeable man?"

"Mama, he will hear you," Lizzie murmured, aware of the gentlemen's eyes on them once more, but her mother was in high dudgeon.

"I don't care if he does," she declared, furious at the slight given to her daughters. "And his friend disposed to be so agreeable and everything charming. Who is he to think himself so far above his company?"

"Well, the very rich can afford to give offense wherever they go," Lizzie countered, hoping to soothe her mother's temper before it did damage to any hope Jane had of keeping that engagement to dance with Mr. Theirin. "We need not care for his good opinion."

"No, indeed," Mrs Trevelyan agreed, reaching out to take Mary's other hand in hers with an affectionate pat. "Pay him no mind, Mary, nor you, Lizzie."

"Perhaps he is not so very handsome after all," Lizzie suggested softly, delighted when her arch, secretive smile elicited a curious frown from the gentleman in question. Beside her, Mary giggled quietly behind her handkerchief; even Jane smiled at the obvious steering of their mother's opinions.

"No, indeed!" Mrs Trevelyan declared, quite happy to see nothing but fault in the man now he had offended her. "Quite ill-favored. Certainly nothing at all to Mr. Theirin."

Lizzie caught Jane's eye as their mother moved away to share her new opinions with her friends, both elder Miss Trevelyans biting down the urge to smile more widely than would be considered polite.

"I am sorry, Jane," Mary said quietly. "I should not have been here for your introduction."

"Don't ever say things like that, Mary," Jane countered, shaking her head. "You are my sister and I love you. I would not have you hide away for fear of other people's opinions."

"He served under Lady Seeker Pentaghast during the Blight," Lizzie shared, trying to mitigate some of the harm done to Mary's confidence in that one moment of clear distaste from a stranger. "It is no excuse for his rudeness, but it does explain a little of it."

"But he was so rude to you, too, Lizzie," Mary pointed out, surprised when her dark-haired sister laughed cheerfully.

"So long as Jane keeps smiling with Mr. Theirin, I shall consider the evening a perfect success," Lizzie declared, and all three sisters laughed then, too.

Let Mr. Rutherford glare at them from his hiding place behind Miss Theirin and her friend. He was the outsider here; that pride would get him nowhere.

[dragonkeeper19600]

New Mario Movie: Plot Prediction (Part 1)

Yo, folks!

As you may recall, around six months ago, we received word that a new Mario movie was in development over at Illumination Studios.

I’m pretty optimistic about this movie, but I feel like I might be in the minority here. Yes, Minions are oversaturated, but it’s not like Illumination makes bad films. The Despicable Me movies do so well not just because of Minions but because they’re genuinely funny and fun. All of Illumination’s work is gorgeously animated, even the stuff that doesn’t do well, and I feel like their fun and bouncy animation style suits Mario pretty well. I feel like the Mario characters may end up looking and moving like they do in Mario + Rabbids, which had a more fluid and expressive style than Nintendo’s usual cutscenes. 

But, a lot of you may be wondering, as I am, what the plot of this movie will be. Mario games, with a few exceptions, tend to be light on plot, at the request of Shigeru Miyamoto himself, who thinks games are at their best when they’re light on story. It was also Miyamoto who approached Illumination for a Mario movie and is producing the film, so presumably he’s not against a story with Mario, just a story in a Mario game. 

Well, I’ve given in a lot of thought (more than I probably should), and I’ve come with a story that might work as an animated film. The story below may have no similarity at all with the actual plot of the actual film, but at this point in development, I have just as much a clue as anybody else what that film will be like.

This is the first of several parts, so please bear with me:

Right, so, in my mind, this movie will be in a separate continuity from the games. Whether or not a whole AU will branch off from the movie depends on if the movie is successful enough to get sequels, which, to be honest, it probably will be. 

As such, the film, will serve as an introduction to the Mario world and characters to attract movie goers who have never touched a video game. So, this will be a retelling of Mario’s first adventure. However, simply adapting the first Super Mario Bros. will not work. Traveling from world to world fighting silent monsters only to get cockblocked by seven Toads does not a movie make.

Instead, they’ll have to come up with something more dramatic for Mario’s first rescue.

But, first, we open with a prologue that goes something like this:

Once upon a time, there were two neighboring kingdoms.

A kingdom of light

and a kingdom of darkness.

The kingdom of darkness was a place of smoke and fire and fearsome monsters. But, the kingdom of light was blessed by the goodness of their ruler and the power of the stars.

You see, whenever the denizens of the kingdom performed an act of kindness, selflessness, or goodwill, a star would appear. And the people were so good to each other that there was never a short supply of stars. 

The people of the Mushroom Kingdom used these stars as a source of power. The stars were powerful enough to keep the lights on at night, their homes warm in winter, their appliances running smoothly. Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom lived comfortably because of the stars.

But the neighboring kingdom, sadly, was not so blessed. No matter how kind or good anybody was to anybody else, no stars would appear. And so, the people of the kingdom lived in darkness.

The fearsome ruler of the kingdom of darkness envied the light of the neighboring kingdom.

“Light,” we are to understand, refers both to the stars and to the fair princess.

So, he decided to take them both for himself. 

The film proper opens with Bowser’s forces invading Peach’s Castle.

Oh, yes, that’s how we’re starting.

Because there’s no hero to stop them, you see. 

So, a couple of Toads are up on the battlements, patrolling idly, asking about baseball scores

WHEN SUDDENLY the air becomes smoky and ashy. The smell is horrible.

They cough and cover their faces. “What is that smell?”

A shadow falls. They look up and see Bowser’s airship hovering just overhead. 

Without any power stars, it runs on coal, and a huge plume of black smoke rises behind it. Monsters begin to drop from above onto the castle. Fly Guys dropping Goombas, Lakitus dropping Spinies, Paratroopas dropping themselves. The scene turns to chaos within seconds.

The Toads on the roof are swatted aside like flies. But a few manage to get inside and sound the alarm.

The scene that follows is not unlike the opening of Mario Galaxy, except it in the castle, rather than outdoors. Toads fight valiantly against the onslaught of monsters. What’s more, the Toads receive assistance from the power stars.

When a Toad protects another in battle or takes a risk, a star appears, and he grabs it for a power boost, giving him an edge against the monsters.

However, the power of the star soon fades, and even with the stars, the Toads aren’t battle-ready enough to stop the invaders.

Joining the battle is none other than the princess herself, aglow with star power (tee hee!)

But as soon as her star wears off, Toadsworth pulls her aside.

He tells her to wait in a hidden compartment in the wall, where she’ll be safe. 

Peach is reluctant, but Toadsworth half-convinces, half-shoves her into compliance. 

Not long after Peach hides, the battle is brought to a halt with the Boos appear and use their powers to rust through the bolt holding the door outside shut.  

And that thing flies off its hinges. 

The Toads cower as Bowser himself steps into the room

Preceded by Kamek, who’s in this movie, too.

Bowser grabs Toadsworth and demands that he tell him where the princess is.

Toadsworth claims that Peach has already fled the castle, but Bowser’s not convinced. 

“What kind of ruler turns and runs while her people fight?

“You calling Peach a chicken?”

Bowser’s about to sauté Toadsworth right there in front of everybody when someone yells, “STOP!”

Bowser turns and sees Peach herself.

“I’m right here, Bowser.”

Bowser is all simpering smiles as he drops Toadsworth like seven feet to the ground. 

“Princess, look at you!

“Lovely as ever, I see~!”

Peach ignores him and runs over to Toadsworth. 

“Princess, what are you doing out here?”

Peach: “Bowser, please don’t hurt them anymore.

“I’ll go with you. Just leave them alone.”

Bowser is thrilled. “You mean it?”

Peach: “I’ll go wherever you want. All I ask is that no harm comes to my citizens.”

The Toads are frantic. “No, Princess! Don’t leave us!” 

Toadsworth is the most heartbroken of them all. 

“Princess, you can’t!”

Peach helps Toadsworth to his feet and whispers.

“Toadsworth, I need to take care of everyone while I’m away. Promise me.

“And, Toadsworth, find someone who can help us.

“I’m counting on you!”

At this moment, two Hammer Bros. grab Peach and physically drag her away from Toadsworth, onto the airship parked outside.

A star float behind her in her wake, created by her choice to sacrifice herself. 

That star is clenched in Bowser’s fist.

“Finally. Everything is mine!”

Toadsworth is still defiant. 

“You're not my ruler or any of ours!

“This kingdom belongs to Princess Peach!”

Bowser: “Yeah, but see, Peach belongs to me. 

“Funny how that works out.

“This is your own fault, you know. 

“None of you weaklings were tough enough to save her. 

“You twerps don’t get to decide anything. I do. 

“And nobody can save you.”

Cut, that same night, to the home of the Mario Bros.

The phone is ringing, and Mario is asleep.

I mean, mouth open, drool on pillow, covers kicked off the bed ASLEEP.

The phone rings four times, goes silent, then starts ringing again.

So Mario has no choice but to get up.

He blearily gets up, moves past Luigi on the bottom bunk, who has not stirred at all, by the way, and answers the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Mario Bros. Plumbing?”

Mario and Luigi run a plumbing service in the Metro Kingdom. They barely make enough to get by.

Mario apologizes. We don’t take business calls before eight am... which is four hours from now.

The woman on the other line insists its an emergency. 

Mario can hear water running over the phone. Wait, what’s going on?

It turns out the woman is standing in her kitchen up to her waist in water. The sink is spraying like a Super Soaker. 

Mario gently suggests she try shutting off the water.

She insists that she did, but the handle on the faucet twisted off in her hand. 

Mario attempts to clarify. “No, not the sink, I mean-”

But then thinks better of it. “On second thought, we’ll be right there. What’s your address again?”

Thus begins the long process of getting Luigi out of bed. Mario resorts to dragging Luigi out by his ankle. His face drags on the floor.

Our heroes, ladies and gentlemen.

It’s still dark when the Bros. arrive in their van at the woman’s house. 

The job is a real drag, not just because the Bros. are walking around in water almost to their shoulders and have to bail out with the house with buckets before they can work on the sink

But also because the woman herself is an absolute nightmare. 

She frequently berates them for working too slow, watches them like a hawk out of paranoia that they’ll steal something, and weirdest of all, seems to object very strongly to them speaking Italian. 

Even when they’re just speaking to each other about the sink.

“Don’t you know, English?” she asks.

Mario dearly wants to say, “Of course I do. Did you not hear me speaking English on the phone with you at four am this morning?”

But, of course, he can’t say that, so he just apologizes and whispers to Luigi: “English.” 

Which leads to an awkward moment when Luigi can’t remember the English word for a chiave, 

So he asks Mario for a “swish-swish!” while awkwardly pantomiming.

By the time the job is done, the sun is up. Both boys are sitting in the van completely soaked. Their hats are still dripping and everything.

They both look incredibly exhausted.

Mario, a little punchy: “Hey, Luigi,

“You think people would like us better if we were buttons?”

Luigi has no idea what Mario is talking about. 

“You’re driving. Don’t fall asleep yet, bro.”

“You know, if we were like buttons. All you had to do was push us and the sink was fixed. It seems like people would be happier if they didn’t have to deal with us talking or thinking or whatever. Just push the button and we go.” 

Luigi shrugs. They’re little guys. People don’t care about them. He’s used to that.

Luigi is asleep by the time the van pulls back up to their house. Mario looks down at his brother and wishes he could give him more.

To be continued...

[hrrytomlinson]

so i’ve been making monthly fic recs for a full year now! that’s so insane to think about honestly. thanks for all the support! my first monthly fic rec was for april 2016 and it had 10 fics on it. now they have upwards of almost 30 fics. that’s character development. anyway...

here are a bunch of fics I’ve enjoyed and loved reading throughout the month of march. I recommend that you read these great fics in april, if you haven’t already. 

(all fics with a star are my favorites and if there are two stars then it was a favorite favorite)

1. Perfect Storm (80k)*

What do you do when your best friend asks you and your (now) ex to be the best men at his destination wedding? You can either tell him the truth, tell him you’re not together anymore, and deal with the consequences, or you can pretend you’re still together and roll with it, just pray you don’t spiral. Fake it ‘til you make it. You know, for the sake of the wedding.

Harry and Louis choose the latter.

2. The Night Sky is Changing Overhead (124k)**

Harry is a tattoo artist, Louis is a drama professor, and they meet during an argument at a café.

3. All I Wish Not to Remember (71k)**

What happens when all you had, all you loved, all you held dear is viciously ripped away from you? When your inner core, once filled with love and hope and light, blackens to raw, dark hatred?

What happens when your soul is hopelessly consumed and no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you attempt to shake yourself out, to rid your tormented mind of the opaque feelings that plague you, all you can see, all you can feel, all you can want is...

Revenge.

A modern adaption of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. A tragic tale of timeless undying love, merciless revenge, and selfless sacrifice.

4. I Sam Therefore I Am (4k)

Louis and Harry are both creative souls but they aren't friends, not by a long shot.

This is the Rival Slam Poets AU that no one asked for.

5. Use Your Words (6k)

College AU where jock!Harry always serenades flowercrown!Louis with love songs in their music class. What nobody knows is that Harry actually kinda means the words he sings.

But instead it's Louis as the jock and Harry as the flowerchild because I do what I want.

6. We’re Going Down Swinging (21k)

Everyone knows that revenge plots never work. Liam, Zayn, and Niall have told them as much, but Hell hath no fury like Louis Tomlinson scorned. His new friend Harry takes a bit of convincing but, once he agrees to help, Louis is sure his ex will regret the day he decided to cheat.

That is, if Louis can stick to the plan and stop falling for his co-conspirator.

Or, the one where Louis and Harry fake it til they make it, so to speak.

7. Looking in the Dark (With an Empty Heart) (25k)

In a perfect world One Direction is not interviewed by idiots. In a perfect world Harry doesn't have to defend his relationship with Louis.

Harry and Louis are out, and the whole world loves their love story, until an interviewer takes hints that they're together for a very long time now, and their libido must have changed since they were young. They don't say anything, until the media turns against them, saying their relationship must be very dull after all these years.

The only thing the media doesn't know, that Louis is asexual. His biggest fear is that Harry will leave him because of it, even though Harry grabs every chance to comfort him how perfect their relationship is, and he wouldn't want to change anything.

So when in an interview the host directly calls them out on their sex-life, Harry snaps at them without thinking, outing Louis.

8. It’s All Brand New Because of You (17k)

It’s nearing six o’clock in the evening, and despite the fact that it’s summer, the aquarium has emptied out considerably and it’s quiet as Louis wanders the exhibits. A few people try to ask him questions as he wanders, but Louis knows less about the creatures in the tanks than they do, so he keeps having to apologize and explain that he’s just a counselor, not a biologist.

AKA, Louis starts a new job as a summer camp counselor at the local aquarium and Harry is a biologist who really likes teaching people about the ocean.

9. Zero to Sixty in Three Point Five (2k)

Harry bumbles himself out of a bind...and into a boyfriend. It's Niall's fault, of course. As it always is.

10. Wings to Break Your Fall (102k)*

“I’m glad you like my clothes,” Harry whispers, sliding his arms further along the couch until he’s speaking directly into Louis’ ear. “Would you like me to take them off?”

Or Strip Club AU. Harry’s work and family are keeping him busy. He really isn’t looking for a relationship, doesn’t want one. He just wants Louis. Problem is, Louis has other plans.

Featuring: spilled drinks, meddling mums, accidental insults, a pivotal plot point masquerading as a private dance, Harry with wings, slow morning sex, a secret relationship, and tea that fixes everything.

11. For the Sake of Propriety (52k)

Louis Tomlinson is the caretaker of an estate that is not truly his, and when his Uncle calls upon him to take it back, Louis knows he will soon be out on the streets with four overly zealous sisters to care for. His only solution: wed the eldest two off and pray for the best. When an even better solution unexpectedly presents itself in the form of the charming Mr. Styles, Louis is faced with a difficult choice. But as with all things in the regency era, reputation very well may threaten to outweigh the fleeting matters of his heart.

12. Feels Like Coming Home (60k)**

The last thing Harry Styles expects when he's hanging out at the Someday Cafe in Somerville one rainy October day is for his ex, Louis Tomlinson to walk through the door, but that's exactly what happens. After a spectacularly ugly break-up three years prior, Harry hasn't heard one word from Louis, and he's moved on. Gotten over him. But having Louis back in his life, not to mention working at the restaurant where he's a chef, isn't easy, and the feelings that Harry thought he'd left turn out to be not so easily forgotten.

This is a story about love and the power of forgiveness, and how the hard choices we make define us, and change our lives.

13. Love Is a Kitten From Hell (8k)**

Louis Tomlinson passes himself off as an arrogant prick at his new school to hide the fact that he's terrified of being bullied again. Just when he's getting tired of putting up walls, he finds himself in a local pet shop where he finds a sanctuary playing with the kittens in the front window.

Harry Styles is the popular football player who works at the pet shop, secretly watching the boy he thought was utterly unlikable prove him wrong.

Partnered together for a class project, Harry gets more and more hints that Louis is actually someone worth getting to know. But the real question is, will Louis let Harry in?

14. Our Garden Grows (5k)*

Harry lives a rather mundane and dreary life, full of the same sorts of routine day in and day out.

One terribly dull and rainy day, a letter arrives from an L.T. who would very much wish for Harry to write back.

Too bad Harry can't figure out how.

15. I've Been Wandering Round (But I Still Come Back to You) (27k)

"Harry had always been beautiful, but lately he’d blossomed into this tall, sexy, man and Louis was having trouble dealing with it. And so, it seemed, were his hormones."

OR The one where Louis and Harry are best friends and co-stars on a popular television series and Louis inconveniently discovers he's in love with him in the middle of a press tour.

16. When We Were Younger (76k)**

About a week after Harry started visiting this particular chat room, he was watching some kid argue with the whole room about football, personally disinterested as he tipped a bag of crisps into his mouth. He happily chomped on the crumbs, taking a swig from a glass of Ribena to wash them down, glancing at the screen and very nearly spat the squash back out again.

His heart was pounding wildly. The display icon of the argumentative newcomer had caught his eye, and not in a good way. He gulped as he clicked the picture, and when it popped up in full resolution, his heart nearly fell right out of his arse.

Sixteen year old Harry Styles’ world turns upside down when he logs on to gay teen chat to discover somebody has stolen his photos and used them as their own.

17. Can't Start A Fire Without A Spark (22k)**

Louis Tomlinson is the pop sensation with his first new single out since taking a personal hiatus from the spotlight. Harry is a paparazzi hired to photograph him during promo. Louis hates paparazzi with a passion, but there’s just something about the pretty young pap with wide green eyes and chocolate curls that Louis can’t shake from his head.

18. ‘Til I Tasted You (14k)*

Louis is Harry Styles' biggest fan. It doesn't matter that Harry is famous for being a food blogger and Louis can't cook to save his life.

At least, until Harry offers to give Louis a cooking lesson. Then it matters just a teensy bit.

19. Life Was a Song, You Came Along (37k)**

It's embarrassing how long it takes Louis to recognize his own song. Niall had sung it as a bright, hopeful love song, and that’s honestly how Louis had always assumed it should sound. But this new voice, slow and rough, stripped of any backing instrument, has infused the lyrics with just the tumultuous mix of fear and defiance that Louis can remember so clearly from the night he wrote them.

It’s not a comfortable thing, to feel like someone is singing all your secrets back to you.  

Louis is a songwriter trapped in a lie that could ruin his best friend's career. Harry owns a record store, distrusts everyone in the music industry on principle, but loves Niall Horan's newest album. A modern retelling of Singin' in the Rain.

find my other monthly fic recs here

[instantlit]

Popular books that didn’t work for me - Part 1

I always find this topic interesting because it's always full of Unpopular Opinions™ . Of course, it could bring some backlash, but on the whole, I find it funny, especially when other people mention similar opinions to mine. I decided to name it Part 1 because, unfortunately, there's bound to be other popular books that will fall short in my eyes. So, let's bring in the first 5!

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare: This was back when only the first four books, as well as maybe one or two of the Infernal Devices were out. I can't believe that Cassandra Clare has managed to keep such a massive audience, and expand it the way she has. I can't believe, years and years later, people still can't get enough of the Shadowhunter universe. I can't believe that she hasn't grown tired of it, and I can't believe that she still finds stuff to put into her novels. Because, for me, the first three books were more than enough. The problem I had with this series, and it was from the very beginning, was that I couldn't stand most of its main characters: Clary was annoying beyond belief, with the kind of reckless idiocy that makes you wonder "How the hell that girl isn't dead yet?!" I actually wish she had died at some point, it would have saved me so much frustration; Jace is the broody, tropey romantic interest with the hero-complex, the kind that readers fall quickly in love with because of his so-called devotion to poor, plain, Main Female Character. Oh, he's so dreamy! No, he really isn't; don't even get me started on the parents, especially Luke and Jocelyn (the fact that I had to Google what was the name of Clary's mom is telling enough as it is) whose romance I couldn't have cared less about and still was forced to endure for a couple of books, and all the other forgettable characters and romances, those who've been thrown into the story at random, as if these books needed a more voluminous cast. It really didn't. I kept up, for a while, only because I liked the only non-straight, bi-racial romance, because Simon was the kind of nerd that I like and because Izzy was the completely badass opposite of Clary but, in the end, even those four characters weren't enough. I stopped after the fifth book. The fact that I even managed to get this far is prodigeous, and I constantly pat myself on the back for showing such resilience and effort. I'm not kidding, these books were torture and made me roll my eyes so hard and so often that I thought they would eventually end up stuck in the back of my head. I'm so relieved to know that I'll never have to put myself through that again.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: Outlander had everything working in its favor to make me like it: it's a period drama, I love period dramas; it takes place in Scotland, I love basically anything related to the UK; it includes a lot of folklore elements, I love Fantasy and Folklore; and, to top it all off, I love the TV adaptation, which was actually the main reason I wanted to read the books. Outlander had all the keys to my heart, and I had all the best intentions to make a place for it. It didn't work. Outlander is one of the most drawn-out pieces of trash that I've read in a really long time. I hate using the word "boring" to qualify a book because I think it's too reductive and doesn't mean anything unless you elaborate, and anyway, everyone has a different definition of the term, but Outlander is a boring book. And it's even more so when you just think about the potential that a novel about time-traveling, rebellion and political intrigue has. How can such a book be boring?! It should keep me on the edge of my seat. Instead, I'm faced with ten different ways to write sex scenes. Awesome, but I'll just pass. Every Day by David Levithan: I have so many issues with this book. On paper, the idea sounds great: A is a person, except that A doesn't have a body. A has a different one every day. It works a bit like possession, but that's why I'm mad at this book. I'm mad because, one day, A falls in love with their host's girlfriend and then decides to freaking stalk her via their different bodies in the months after. The story has also the worst case of insta-love that I've ever seen. The thing is, this book could have been a great way to explore gender and attraction, but Every Day does nothing of the sort. It's the worst book. The worst!

Northern Lights (His Dark Materials series) by Philip Pullman: Can you imagine that I discovered this series because of a fanfiction AU I've read years ago? True story. I admit, I think I'm too old for this series now, but even when I started on the first book, it was a bit difficult to get into. I found the MC annoying (I can't even remember her name) and, while the world itself was interesting and I wanted to know what my Daemon could be, I couldn't detach myself from the thought that  this world is the opposite of practical. I know that Fantasy is not supposed to cater to the basic laws of science and physics that we deal with in reality, but this world seemed too ludicrous to work. It doesn't help that I had read some unpleasant things about the author (nothing too drastic, but he seemed like such an asshole). All in all, I finished the first book unsatfisfied and I procrastinated reading the sequels. Now, I've just given up and I don't feel guilty about it. I've come to accept that some series are not for me anymore. Actually, some series were never for me, and it feels like getting rid of an enormous weight.

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer: I wasn't going to read the Lunar Chronicles series. While I was all for fairytale retellings, it seemed too stereotypical, too predictable, too heteronormative. And then, someone I know recommended them, said that, considering the way I like slow-burn romances, these books could work for me. They didn't. Well, actually Cinder was okay. Just okay. It convinced me that maybe I should try the sequels, but I wasn't exactly over the moon about this series and the world Marissa Meyer had created. And then, Scarlet happened. In my review of Scarlet , I wrote that this book proved to be everything I had feared. I described the series, and Scarlet in particular as a "mushy romance between characters with no chemistry, brought together by the sheer force of the author's will, and a clumsy attempt at twisting a popular fairytale". I stand by those words and I can assure you that I won't be reading the sequels.

So, that’s it for me. Don’t hesitate to share your Unpopular Opinions, too!