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noandnooneelse · 1 month ago

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So about that thing where Jeeves will just not bring up that he's related to someone way past the point where it'd be normal. because we go the entirety of The Mating Season without Jeeves bringing up that since Silversmith is his uncle and Queenie is his daughter, she has to be his cousin.

‘Yes, sir, in the servants’ hall. He was helping Queenie, the parlourmaid, with her crossword puzzle.

On one hand, why on earth wouldn't he mention here that that's his cousin? On the other, if Jeeves had mentioned it Bertie couldn't be surprised about it when Silversmith talks about how his daughter has gotten engaged to Catsmeat - and if Bertie had known, he might have told Catsmeat to stay away from her, so he wouldn't have ended up engaged to her, which might have made for less entanglement, and entanglement is what the entirety of The Mating Season is about. But realistically, would he even have told Catsmeat? Bertie-knows-Silversmith-is-Queenie's-father-and-doesn't-tell-Catsmeat isn't really any more contrived than Jeeves-doesn't-mention-that-he's related-to-her, though of course, it's a very Jeeves thing to do. (so is the reason why Jeeves never talks about family in detail because of all the times he has tried to tell someone and also Bertie something about some of his aunts and gotten the answer that actually no, We Do Not Care About Your Family and he's taking it to heart?)

(and it isn't that Jeeves never talks about his affiliances with other servants - way past the point where he regularly brings up his friendships with other servants, in Tie that Binds, Seppings talks about how Jeevs is "comforting the parlourmaid" after she got struck by a potato.)

Same with Egbert - he doesn't mention the cousin until he absolutely has to. And also Mabel, who he only tells Bertie is his niece when he genuinely can't avoid it. To the point where the fact that in order to have a niece he has to have a sibling - side note, it has to be Mabel's mother who is his sister instead of her father being his brother, right? Since, when reminded of the address of his hotel, Biffy recognizes it, but Bertie mentions that he'd left the address with Jeeves - and if Biffy, who can be reminded of and then recognize things he's forgotten, is thinking about how he's forgotten Mabel's last name, wouldn't he have noticed that oh actually, her last name was Jeeves? Which opens up the option of her being dead, this being the reason why Jeeves never mentions his sister, despite the fact that the common ground between a milk-walk in Clapham or a boot-shop in Crinklewood is that it's located in London, so Jeeves should have family he never mentions basically next door. But seeing as how he never mentions family either, she could be perfectly alive and well and Bertie wouldn't know.

The same being true for Charlie Silversmith's wife - he has a daughter, so chances that he has a wife are quite good, actually. She might be dead, but then, she doesn't have to be. Given that Uncle Charlie is in service as well, it could be that Jeeves just doesn't know her as well, since Uncle Charlie married her at some point after becoming a butler, and that that happened at some point after all of Jeeves' childhood visits, but extrapolating from Jeeves' reticence to talk about his family, she might be attending the village concert and spending her time catching up with Jeeves.

Which would work out to the three aunts Jeeves claims to have in Tie that Binds - Aunt Emily who is interested in psychical research, Aunt P.B. Pigott with the cat, and the third aunt who is married to Uncle Charlie. (out of all the mentions of aunts Jeeves has, that'd mean that there is at least one that is clearly assignable to a specific aunt - Jeeves has "an aunt [...] who resides in the south-east portion of London. Their temperaments are much alike. My aunt has the same taste for the pleasures of the great city. It is a passion with her to ride in hansom cabs", which would then have to be Aunt Emily with the psychical research, since Aunt P.B. Pigott lives in Maiden Eggesford and Aunt Silversmith would likely live in Deverill Hall in Hampshire)

#personally i feel like it's quite likely that Uncle Cyril was Uncle Cyril Pigott #i also think he's the uncle mentioned in Jeeves takes charge who had a wild youth #a guy who tells stories about bicycle deaths might also like to tell stories about his wild youth #and we know that he's dead by the time of Right Ho Jeeves #and there is no Uncle mentioned in Aunt's aren't Gentlemen so he might have died between Jeeves takes charge and Right Ho Jeeves #which. well. doesn't have to mean he's dead it could just mean that he doesn't mention the uncle.#and jeeves has an aunt who likes to read Rosie M. Banks (that's probably Aunt Emily given that he can 'easily borrow' the books from her #though if they're his books in the first place it could be any aunt who got him into Rosie M. Banks-books)#and he also has an aunt who read him poems by Oliver Wendell Holmes and despite the fact that they're both literary preferences that doesn'#have to mean that's the same aunt either #so it might just as well be some different uncle who had a wild youth #the funniest option is actually that it's Uncle Charlie who had the wild youth. And given that it's Wodehouse going with what's funniest #seems safest #correction: he can't have been Cyril Pigott on account of Mrs. Pigott would've had to have married a Mr. P.B. Pigott bc that's how names #worked

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vasito-de-leche · 10 months ago

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Could we have some Zima relationship headcanons :]

;R1999 ZIMA - Relationship Headcanons

Compilation of headcanons about Zima in a romantic relationship.

ofc you can nonnie, ty for the request! Zima was the other character that got me into the game so he's very dear to me

also also, I'm not sick anymore so I have some steam to work on requests, hehe <3 still working on the sleepy fics though, don't worry yall!

I haven't done a proper analysis/HCs post on Zima yet, so as usual I'll be talking a little about his character before getting into the whole relationship aspect of things!

The portrayal of Zima as a stereotypical, shy introvert feels extremely reductive to me, especially when it's all attributed to his speech pattern - the pauses, the stuttering... None of it is an indication of timidness. We have to remember that Zima's native language, like many other characters, is not english and he struggles when speaking it. That's the reason he speaks in such a way, there's a language barrier he's constantly fighting against in order to communicate with others and yet he's clearly trying.

There's an emphasis on loneliness, isolation and avoidance in his character that is impossible to ignore, which seems to add to the whole portrayal of Zima as a "shy baby". But again, this is something that comes from an important part of his life - the exile he went through. Him being socially inept is a result of a punishment, years of being alone with no one but animals to keep him company. It doesn't come from a sense of inferiority or insecurity such as Charlie, but an absolute lack of human contact.

When examining his voicelines, we also see that he's opinionated - criticizing the Tsar and the poor living conditions of the people, speaking of the beauty of nature and so on and so forth. He explicitly writes poems on any surface like trees, rocks and snow, even if he knows they'll be washed away overtime.

I understand that it's extremely easy to dismiss Zima when it comes to romance because of all of these details, his isolating ways and all, but he's a poet first and foremost.

While he may not be romantic in the more traditional sense we're used to, he's extremely insightful and takes a lot of care to appreciate the small details that often go overlooked, but that make life feel more lively and rich. In the context of relationships, given his age and his lifestyle, Zima would bring a completely different type of vibe - for comparison, most of the characters I talked about already lean towards high emotions, the fun of discovering love for the first time, etc etc...

Pavia's love is a whole rollercoaster on his own because there's always the chance of either getting hurt or having the time of your life, Forget Me Not's feels exactly like being hungover in the morning. But Zima's love is more like coming home after a long trip, knowing there's a warm meal waiting for you. It's familiar and calm.

On the subject of Zima falling in love.

Zima is used to introspection, so I genuinely believe he has a strong sense of self and a good grasp on his emotions. He quickly realizes when he's fallen for someone and he accepts it easily, despite the lack of romantic interactions in his life. This is because the object of his affections is, most likely, someone he already cherishes, and who puts the effort into maintaining a good friendship with him - so the idea of being in love with them feels natural!

I can't see Zima pursuing romantic relationships with strangers and/or those outside his close circle, not even a surface attraction beyond artistic appreciation for someone's looks. He strikes me as the type who can only fall in love with those he trusts and knows.

And even then, his behaviour wouldn't change much!

It's obvious that he lacks friends, so the very few people he does have are extremely important to him - even so, Zima does not need to constantly orbit around them and will gladly spend days (and weeks if you don't actively seek him out) without seeing them, content to catch up with them whenever their paths cross. He shares what little he has to offer with everyone, practical things and knowledge. Zima is 100% that friend who disappears for months and returns as if nothing happened.

When it comes to you, it's the same. Sure, if you ask him to stay a little longer then he'll oblige you. And if you're the chatty type or find his work interesting, then he'll put the effort into having a conversation with you despite the language barrier. But that's about it, the changes aren't noticeable no matter how much he loves you, because all of that happens when no one is looking.

If you happen to stroll around in the wilderness, getting lost in the forest and all, then you might find your name carved on trees along with many, many poems. If you don't speak or read russian, then all you'll be able to recognize is your name - the very first thing Zima taught you in his native tongue - but these are all declarations of love.

The animals are kinder to you, curious even. They follow and treat you like an old friend, as if they knew you, because everything they've heard from you comes from Zima himself. They speak about everything and anything with him, after all.

Zima lacks the initiative to confess or even consider being in a proper relationship with you - I insist, he's genuinely content with being a close friend - but he also lacks the restraint to keep his feelings to himself and thus puts them on display in the only way he knows how: as a poorly kept secret between himself and the nature that surrounds him.

Not many think of him as a romantic because of how stoic he is, but when Zima is in love, he sees you in every flower, in the snowflakes that fall and kiss his nose. You're the gentle summer breeze and the crystal clear rivers once winter ends. You're right there beside him in spirit when he sees little chicks take flight for the first time, or when all the other forest critters wake up after hibernating. Zima finds beauty in every aspect of nature, and he sees you everywhere he looks.

That said, there's no way he'll take the first step. That's entirely up to you, to pick up all these things and confront him about it - that's the only time he'll be open and direct about his feelings. Because you already know how much you mean to him!

Zima would love to teach you his native language.

This is partially me projecting because english isn't my native language either, but I do like to think that Zima's english is all self-taught. He understands when others speak english, but isn't as fluent when speaking himself. And that's why it's sooo infuriating and frustrating for him, as a creative person and poet.

Not only because it's harder to communicate with others, but because his work and poems - the most important part of himself - can't be fully understood. Therefore HE can't be fully understood. Some translations, while good, can't even come close to their original meaning. As his partner, Zima wants you to understand the full depth of his affections and thoughts.

I do think that the process of learning would also be quite organic, starting with Zima simply pointing out at things and teaching you the way they're named in russian, basic stuff he does unconsciously. If you pick up things on your own from his work and his translations, Zima will be over the moon and would ask you to repeat yourself to make sure your pronunciation is right and because he loves the way his language sounds with your accent.

But if you approach and ask him to properly teach you? He's gone, instantly overwhelmed with emotion and thoughts racing in his head, trying to organize a million different things - what would be the best way to teach you? Should he start with the alphabet? You want to learn this brand new language to understand him better, that simple gesture is a huge deal for him.

Once you have a pretty good grasp on the language, at least enough to have basic conversations with him, it will feel like Zima has gotten a little bolder - addressing you with pet names, being generally more blunt and talkative... But in fact, he's just finally able to express himself in his totality.

This also goes the other way around - Zima would love to learn your own native language, whether it's english or something else. It's yet another language he can use to express himself, so it's a win-win. And I know that it's common for us multilingual people to start confusing and mixing all the languages we speak, but I think Zima would have an easy time keeping them apart, so to speak!

On the subject of Zima and how he acts when he's in a relationship.

You two were close friends before you were lovers, so Zima doesn't feel any sort of pressure to live up to some dating standards like fancy dates, gifts or grandiose displays of affections - once again, it's all about what feels natural. You two know each other more than enough to simply fall into a comfortable routine that works out for both.

He does make the effort to drop by more often, to find a middle ground until he feels more comfortable and used to being around large groups of people. But he would also insist that you accompany for his walks in search of inspiration for his work!

When it comes to showing affection, I think Zima might be a little touchstarved - casual physical contact such as someone hugging or patting him on the back as a greeting still catch him by surprise, but affectionate gestures with those he trusts and loves is a novelty that leaves Zima starry-eyed.

He has a lot of things that he needs to slowly get used to again now that he's not exiled in the middle of the woods, but having you shower him with affection is something that he grows to like rather quickly. When you pet him, pepper his face with kisses, hold his hand when walking or hug him - it doesn't matter, Zima will always stand there, fascinated with the way you make him feel, so very warm and safe.

He would appreciate a warning before being touched, and he always makes sure to ask before initiating anything himself - it doesn't matter how many times you tell him that you're fine with this sort of contact, he's going to ask for permission anyway. Just out of politeness. Personal space is important, after all.

I think Zima would try to stick to a routine he can follow without overwhelming himself, especially if you're the type to need more attention (again, Zima will literally disappear for weeks if left to his own devices). It's more of a short list of things he needs to remember to do before the day is over, the two most important ones being greeting you in the morning and wishing you goodnight.

As for more general aspects of a relationship, I don't think there's much to say! Arguments with him rarely happen because he's patient and careful with his words, he communicates his needs and boundaries as well as he respects yours and all. Zima isn't that talkative, but his more "eccentric" traits are something you're probably used to on account of that initial bond and trust.

#reverse 1999 #reverse: 1999 #reverse 1999 x reader #reverse 1999 headcanons #reverse 1999 zima #basically zima is emotionally mature and responsible so hes OBJECTIVELY the safest option out of all guys if youre looking for a partner #the worst thing that can happen is that he just forgets to tell you that he needs time alone to cool off and he disappears for 2 weeks #BUT YOU KNEW THAT WHEN YOU SIGNED UP TO BE HIS BUDDY SO ITS FINE #i got very fluffy with this one bc i love him so much okay no one look t me #hes not a baby hes a grown ass man!!!! but hes so cute!!!!! and i wanna kiss him!!!!!!!!#i wanna do a post analyzing him and all but my god. i dont know nearly enough abt russian history to even GO there

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