#the fortunes and misfortunes of moll flanders

[meluisart]

THE GREAT ESCAPE

A little drawing of Moll Flanders and Lucy Diver, because I'm still refusing to acknowledge the fact that their story ended up in death. Happy pride month, if it were up to me they would've lived.

[rosalie-starfall]

Moll & Lucy

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders - 1996

[mercysong-tardis]

✨❤️ Red Moll Flanders costume Summary ❤️✨

This costume was constructed between February -June 2024. I chose it because Alex Kingston told me it was her favorite costume to wear from her time on “the fortunes and misfortunes of Moll Flanders.”

The dress is constructed of upholstery velvet, trim, embroidered polyester, polyester ribbon, thrifted lace (off a bridal veil), hook and eye closures, vintage buttons, and vintage cording.

I already had the stays from my first Moll Flanders dress, so I used those and used the exact same pattern I’d drafted for myself on this dress. I also used the same bum rolls, padding, and frankensheet as a petticoat. The underskirt has a zipper in the back, and pins closed. The red overskirt closes at the front with a clasp. The bodice has the basque attached, and closes down the front by Hook and eyelet closures hidden behind the bows. The bows are all made of Christmas ribbon in maroon, and covered with vintage buttons from my grandmothers stash. I lined the inside with a specialty silk I’ve been saving for a special project. I used it because wouldn’t Moll have a surprise on the inside of her gowns?

The hat is made off a wicker base, covered in velvet and silk, with ostrich feathers from a derby hat store, trim from Johanns, and one of my old velvet hair ribbons.

This costume is based off of the red and orange dress as it appears in the miniseries, with allowance made for budgeting, costs, and the fact that I am not Trisha Biggar with Swedish fabric from the 60s. 😂😂😂

Alex absolutely loved my dress, and the whole look was pulled together by my devilishly handsome Daniel Craig @songinthestars on instagram who braved the dangerous highways for me, just to be called “Jemily” all day.

[wibblyowzah]

I tell you this, Moll. I never cared for any man the way I care for you.

[perioddramapolls]

Period dramas dresses tournament: Pink dresses Round 2- Group C: Isabella Fitzwilliam, Harlots (gifset) vs Moll Flanders, The fortunes and misfortunes of Moll Flanders (pics set)

[nemoo-m]

✨Alex Kingston✨

[immortal-in-their-way]

Just finished Moll Flanders (miniseries) and discovered my hair makes me look like practically every dude there. I'm delighted and I'll probably rant about other stuff about it (it was AMAZING) but for now it's just gender happies.

[simplyalexk]

Alex Kingston as Moll Flanders in The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders (1996)

[quotation--marks]

He smil’d when he heard all this, and I ask’d him how he could make so light of it, when he must needs know that if there was any Discovery, I was Undone for ever? and that even it would hurt him, tho’ not Ruin him, as it would me: I upbraided him, that he was like all the rest of the Sex, that when they had the Character and Honour of a Woman at their Mercy, often times made it their Jest, and at least look’d upon it as a Trifle, and counted the Ruin of those, they had had their Will of, as a thing of no value.

Daniel Defoe, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

[hayaomiyazaki]

Alex Kingston and Nicola Walker THE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES OF MOLL FLANDERS — 1996

[forthegothicheroine]

It's time, folks, for...

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu’d Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv’d Honest, and dies a Penitent.

[meluisart]

DIVER & FLANDERS

We don't need no permission for freedom And we don't need no crown to be kings

This was only supposed to be a sketch but then the sketch got out of hand, and it's become a bit of a refined sketch. I couldn't just leave it at linework, even though that was the intention.

The intended interpretation here was the morning of the day of Lucy's arrest, before they went out with the intent to steal. A small stolen moment of serenity. But of course, you're welcome to interpret as you wish.

[viviane-lefay]

Fandom Meme

I guess this here needed an update. It’s been a while ... several years to be precise.

If you want to do this, too, feel welcome to. ^^

—

FAVOURITE …

LITERATURE

Fantasy & Sci-Fi

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, etc.

M.Z. Bradley’s Avalon-Novels & Firebrand

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter

Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles

Medieval & Antique Literature, Myth & Folklore

Ovid’s Metamorphoses

The Edda

Nibelungenlied

works of Walther von der Vogelweide

Arthurian Romances - like Erec, Iwein, Parzival, etc.

Gregorius

Aeneasroman

Iliad & Odyssee

Murasaki Shikibu’s “Genji Monogatari” (the language is really beautiful, but I can’t stand the protagonist, old philanderer that he is)

some Classics

Pride & Prejudice

Wuthering Heights

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

The Picture of Dorian Grey

Dracula

Faust I+II

Macbeth

The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr

works of the Brothers Grimm

Siddharta

some “regular” novels

Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”, “Brida”

Nobara Takemoto’s “Shimotsuma Monogatari”

some fanfiction

“Father’s Heart” & “Process of Elimination” by Fern Withy

“Antiquity’s Corollary” by gonnabefamous

biographical books

Mineko Iwasaki’s “Geisha of Gion”

Paramahansa Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi”

Baird T. Spalding’s “Life and Teachings of the Masters of the East”

interesting non-fiction

such as science-related books / websites

those of a more metaphysical & occult subject matter

or those about more controversial topics, such as Extraterrestrials, so-called “conspiracy theories”, and the like (Problem!? Your loss. I don’t see why I shouldn’t look into these topics. It certainly is interesting, and it’s quite arrogant to assume we have it all figured out. Besides, no one says you have to believe anything you read, but it sure can’t hurt to approach things with a more open mind, and to just look where evidence leads us, when it presents itself.)

SHOWS

Fantasy

Game of Thrones (until D&D started messing things up)

Princess Fantaghiró

Buffy

Wednesday (it`s not too bad, but still quite entertaining)

Sci-Fi

Star Wars - The Clone Wars

The Mandalorian

Star Trek TOS

Doctor Who

some Asian dramas

Gou - Himetachi no Sengoku

Atsu-Hime

Ryomaden

Neko Samurai

some Animé

Avatar - The Last Airbender

several works of Hayao Miyazaki

Leiji Matsumoto’s “Queen Millenia” & “Maetel Legend”

Sailor Moon

Naruto  (not anymore, but I still keep it here, for nostalgia reasons)

FANDOM QUESTIONS

DO YOU PREFER REAL-LIFE OR ANIMATED SHOWS?

Both, although there is a definite bias towards the former.

With the latter it greatly depends on the overall quality of the show, as well as the style in which it is presented.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FANDOM?

As a child I had quite some:

Disney Ducks, Pippi Longstocking, Ronja Rovarsdóttir, Princess Fantaghirò, Queen Millenia, and The Addams Family.

While I never was a gamer myself, I very much loved to watch others play games - especially the classic Sonic games, as well as the Super Mario ones … which you can (somewhat) call a childhood fandom of mine, too.

WHAT’S THE LONGEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN IN A FANDOM? WHAT FANDOM WAS IT?

I'm in the Star Wars fandom since the age of twelve, which, in fact, was some years before the prequels came out. (yes, I'm a little older than most of you here, just in case you were wondering ... the same age as RotJ to be precise)

WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING YOU EVER CONTRIBUTED TO A FANDOM?

A drawing of Princess Leia, if I remember correctly.

A PERSON WHO GOT YOU INTO A FANDOM. WHAT FANDOM DID THEY PULL YOU INTO?

@mikeilo got me interested in Prince Phobos (W.I.T.C.H.) several years ago, but to say that I was “involved” in the fandom is a bit too much. It was more about this particular character, though.

NAME A FANDOM YOU DIDN’T CARE / THINK  ABOUT UNTIL YOU SAW IT ALL OVER TUMBLR.

No idea.

Tbh, I hardly search for fandom stuff on Tumblr - given experience showed me that the majority here and I don’t get along, taste-wise.

HAS TUMBLR CAUSED YOU TO STOP LIKING ANY FANDOMS? IF SO, WHICH AND WHY?

No, why should I let a community affect my love for a fandom!? It’s not the fandoms’ / characters’ / authors’ fault that some people are just plain disagreeable and obtrusive.

If anything, it has just reinforced my aversion against the things I disliked from the get-go - especially if there is some “activist” fanaticism, connected with aggressive, proselytizing behaviour involved.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM(S)?

Ambivalent.

There are some obnoxious brats, which should be ignored at best. Drama is a waste of time and energy!

Then again, there are also some very nice people out there.

Most of the time I prefer to have just a few contacts, anyway - i.e. like-minded ones I & my preferences & convictions get along with. Those, I do appreciate greatly, though.

5 FAVOURITE CHARACTERS FROM 5 DIFFERENT FANDOMS.

Star Wars

Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa, Padmé Amidala, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade-Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan Kryze, Merrin, Asajj Ventress, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Dagan Gera, Santari Khri, Cal Kestis, Arc Trooper Fives, Captain Rex, Hondo Ohnaka, Greez Dritus, Firmus Piett, Chewbacca, R2D2

Tolkien

Mairon / Sauron (my headcanon version, that is), Nienna, Aulë, Olórin, Aiwendil, Rúmil of Tirion, Finrod, Glorfindel, Maglor, Thranduil, Tauriel, Lúthien, Galadriel, Nerdanel, Haleth, Eowyn, Faramir, Aragorn, Kili, Samwise

Harry Potter

Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood, Fred & George Weasley, Hagrid, Andromeda Tonks, Regulus Black, Leta Lestrange, the genuinely nice Slytherin students that JKR forgot to mention, Queenie Goldstein, Newt Scamander

Avatar - The last Airbender

Ozai, Ursa, Zuko, Iroh, Katara, Toph, Suki, Sokka, Ty Lee, Aang, Kyoshi, Roku, Master Piandao, Cabbage Guy, Appa

Legend of Zelda

Link, Zelda, Midna, Impa, Purah, Robbie, Urbosa, Riju, Patricia, Revali, Teba, Tulin, Kass, Mipha, Sidon, Yona, Dorephan, Daruk, Yunobo, Bludo, Deku Tree, Terrako, Epona, some Koroks & Bokos (they're a bit anoying, but cute)

Only five characters per section, wasn’t it!? … Nevermind.

A CHARACTER YOU USED TO DISLIKE BUT EVENTUALLY LIKED

Jaime Lannister (book version)

A CHARACTER YOU USED TO LIKE BUT EVENTUALLY DISLIKED

Loki

THE CHARACTER EVERYONE ELSE LOVES THAT YOU DON'T

Melkor

James Potter

Sheldon Cooper

AN EXAMPLE OF A CHARACTER YOU RELATE TO AND WHY

There are many characters I can relate to for one reason or another - my fav villains, for instance, but I think I'll choose a completely different example here (one not even from a fandom of mine), because of an aspect we share, also in regards to rl experiences. It's about something we both did to achieve a desired end, even though the means were a bit different.

So, my pick is Yennefer of Vengerberg.

Why!?

There is a lovely fanmade song about her, and there is one line that describes it quite nicely.

No more explanations here - I'll just let the lyrics speak for themselves:

"I paid in blood so I'd be beautiful"

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE FEMALE / MALE SHIPS?

Mairon & Morvanië (an OC of mine - the “Vani” I happen to mention sometimes)

Finrod Felagund & Amarië

Beren Erchamion & Lúthien Tinúviel

Aragorn Elessar & Arwen Undómiel

Anakin Skywalker & Padmé Amidala

Dagan Gera & Santari Khri

Cal & Merrin

Obi-Wan Kenobi & Satine Kryze

Spock & Uhura

Ivo Robotnik & Adelia Sigrún Sharpe (another OC)

Ozai & Ursa

Zuko & Katara

Link & Zelda

King Boo & Hellen Gravely

Hades & Persephone

Vlad Dracula & Mina Harker

Gomez & Morticia Addams

Rhett Butler & Scarlett O'Hara

Mr. Darcy & Lizzie Bennett

Spike & Buffy Summers

Severus Snape & Lily Evans

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MALE / MALE OR FEMALE / FEMALE SHIPS?

Albus Dumbledore / Gellert Grindelwald

Willow Rosenberg / Tara Maclay

I can’t say that I’m all that emotionally involved in any of these, though, other than finding them somewhat interesting regarding the dynamic between the characters.

If these weren’t canonical pairings already, I would probably never even have thought of them as a romantic shipping constellation at all, as it’s a theme that neither concerns, nor interests me when it comes to the dynamic between characters of the same sex.

Friendships are an entirely different matter, though. But that wasn’t the subject of this question here, was it!?

DO YOU HAVE ANY 3-WAY SHIPS? IF SO, WHAT?

No! I don’t like this theme at all.

A PAIRING YOU SHIP THAT YOU DON’T THINK ANYONE ELSE SHIPS.

My OC / canon ones … alas. T_T

WHAT’S A SHIP THAT YOU WANT TO SHIP PUBLICLY, BUT EVERYONE ON TUMBLR HATES IT, SO YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT ABOUT IT?

I’m just doing my thing. If anyone doesn’t like it then that isn’t my problem.

EXAMPLES OF NON-SEXUAL/-ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS THAT YOU LIKE

PARENT & CHILD

Darth Vader & Leia Organa - The father / daughter dynamic between these two has always fascinated me a lot.

Mairon & Alcanis - The "vaniron" kid, also a complicated case. (OC headcanon)

Ozai & Zuko - Dramatic ...

Severus Snape & Harry Potter - I love the snily ship, so I headcanon Snape as Harry's biological father, because why not ... it's interesting.

CLOSE FRIENDSHIPS

Anakin & Obi-Wan & Ahsoka

Luke & Han

Cal & Cere & Greez & BD-1

Cal & Dagan

Frodo & Sam

Finrod & Beren

Fingon & Maedhros

Ratbag & Ranger (from the Tolkien-based "Shadows of War" game - the only known orc friendship)

YOUR FAVOURITE THEMES / FANDOM TRENDS.

fantastical / mythological elements

As someone who has always been fascinated by ancient myths, I can’t help but love this stuff.

occult / magical elements

Given I am interested in these subjects, I very much like to see, and incorporate, these themes in the fictional universes and characters I like.

anachronistic elements / fusion of different historical period styles

For example, say, Cyber Victorian (garments that combine Victorian era designs with a Matrix style twist, plus futuristic technology, and a setting in a likewise futuristic world)

scientifically sound elements and reasoning

I think this is a quite important aspect, especially in sci-fi.

philosophically inspiring + visionary elements

Such as caste-free social structures & natural law anarchy (not to be confused with the “rule of force” one, let alone the woke version).

scientists, explorers, philosophers & (martial) artists

I just happen to enjoy seeing these types of characters.

sarcasm, dry humour & banter

It certainly adds some “spice” to the mixture.

characters with a scorpionic & virgoan influence

Many of my faves have this, especially the scorpionic one.

depth and complexity in character portrayal & a well thought-out backstory

Should be a given, but unfortunately isn't, more often than not - especially these days. Shame!

complicated, long and well thought-out redemption arcs

If not canon, I’ll do it myself.

I've always been fascinated by the concept of redemption.

In connexion with my favourite villains, it is a theme I am quite obsessed with and can't do without, as I find evil as such not appealing at all.

In fact, what makes these characters attractive to me is their power & potential, and not their misuse of it. The process of redemption finally brings said potential out and puts it to good use, which I find deeply satisfying.

Plus there is also the element of defying the forces of darkness, who always twist and pervert - and this is the ultimate solution to it, making everyone and everything whole again. Redemption arcs are a great "f**k you" to said forces & I love them all the more for that!

happy developments & outcomes for my faves

Because I simply can't have it otherwise.

villain/anti-hero & (anti-)heroine pairings (or vice versa)

It’s a dynamic that I find particularly intriguing - always have - also regarding the redemption theme.

partners that are of equal rank in a relationship - plus healthy relationships, for a change

Especially where you least expect it (see pairing constellation), and where both partners had to work on themselves to achieve it (i.e. realism doesn’t hurt, now does it!?).

happy and loving (not to mention enduringly passionate) committed relationships / marriage

Just like Morticia & Gomez ... *sigh*

monogamous unions + fidelity

Guys as committed as Anakin, Snape, and Gomez are the best!

eternal love / twin flames / soulmates / however you want to call it

Regarding OTPs this theme is an absolute must!

het content

Why yes, that’s just my personal preference, as that is something I can actually relate to.

not overly sexualized portrayals of relationships

I just don't want to see the explicit content (graphic description of genitals, for instance). Most of the time it's enough when it's just hinted at.

Or if you want to write about the sexual act, then at least express yourself in a more pleasant manner - it doesn't always have to be this crude, pornified language.

If anything, make the characters make love - with all the emotional intensity, intimacy, and tenderness that should be there - and not just plain fuck, like mere beasts.

portrayal of female characters where being badass and being feminine isn’t mutually exclusive

Because it is NOT!

physical beauty / perfection + humility

I can't stand it when people are smug about something such as winning the genetic lottery - be proud of your actual achievements, but not about something like this ... if anything be grateful for your luck.

the apotheosis theme

Mortality sucks ... and who wouldn’t want to ditch everything awful that comes with it!? Like diseases, aging - begone!

INVENT A RANDOM AU FOR ANY FANDOM (WE ALWAYS NEED MORE IDEAS).

Star Wars

Darth Vader doesn’t die and gets the chance for an actual redemption arc, atoning for his ill deeds as the Dark Lord - as an act of purification and reclaiming his original, true name - as well as helping the Alliance free the galaxy. (given how powerful he is, his contribution would be immense)

more importantly - he finally has the opportunity to make up with and actually get to know his children - especially Leia. That has always bugged me a great deal. Ani didn’t even get the chance to talk to his daughter. There is just too much focus on the father-son dynamic anyway. Nothing against Luke – love him, but it’s just not right that Leia was being left out of it almost entirely. Plus she is the one that resembles her father more (personality-wise) after all. I’d so have loved to see a confrontation of these two. (not to mention some cute father-daughter moments, eventually)

~*~

I also made an AU for an OTP of mine (Dagan Gera & Santari Khri) from the Jedi : Survivor - Game

[mercysong-tardis]

Meeting Alex Kingston in Moll Flanders cosplay at FanX 2023

Just over a year ago, a little birdy (@now-theres-a-spoiler-for-you) informed me that to the best of her knowledge, Alex Kingston had never seen a Moll Flanders cosplayer. And as an avid appreciator of the Miniseries, I took it upon myself to become the first.

The Miniseries, "The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders" (1996) of which Alex Kingston starred in alongside Daniel Craig, was Alex's major breakout role which led to her role on ER and her subsequent claim to fame. So considering the prevolence, I had to make it special.

I put in a LOT of work researching, sourcing fabric, internet deep-diving, and reading before I ever got started on the dress. The actual hard work of sewing the dress took a few months to make once the initial homework was done. Undergarments? Structuring? Patterns? All of these took a lot of guesswork on my part.

The original was created by costume designer, Trisha Biggar (Which if you are in the costuming community you will know her as the designer of Padme Amidala's wardrobe and the designer for Outlander) for the 1996 miniseries. The dress was constructed of fabric Trisha Thrifted in the 1960s in Sweden, most of which I am fairly certain is Indian Fabric specifically used for Banarasi Sarees. The dress is inspired by a common silhouette from the 1670s London England, based on common evening gowns worn at the time. Considering the substantial trade happening between India and England at that time, it makes sense that a dress is fine as this would’ve been historically constructed with Banarasi silk.

The original evening gown:

Sadly, I cannot afford to construct a dress entirely out of silk in this American economy, so sourced much of my fabric overseas and while I was in Egypt and Israel this summer. The rest of it was either Thrifted or appliquéd by hand by me. All of the notions and ribbons were Thrifted. I believe in doing everything possible to keep cosplay sustainable. There is a video on my TikTok which goes into detail on my construction process.

But once the dress was done, I was ecstatic, and It was time to debut it at a convention. The morning of Thursday FanX SLC, I got some pictures (in my River wig to preserve my curled hair) and this is how they turned out...

Then it was time to show The Queenston herself. I had been a little bit stressed that she wouldn't recognise the dress or wouldn't be very interested, but I held out hope.

Spoiler Alert; I had NOTHING to worry about.

Before I got to Alex, I got an autograph from Karen Gillan, who's table was next to Alex's. While in line, I was staring in awe at Alex, as she was just under twenty feet away. In between people, Alex glanced up to the crowd, then did a double take, and leaned over her table to see me through the crowd. Her mouth dropped open, she pointed straight at me, and she got all excited, and mouthed “You! Moll Flanders! Wow!” Time slowed down and I froze until I gave her a big smile (and I think a thumbs up?) and I was so starstruck that I was convinced I was hallucinating until she added “you look amazing!” still smiling, before going back to the next person. 

When I got to her table, she greeted me as Moll,and she said she'd "Never ever, ever seen a Moll cosplayer!" and I got to tell her that I made the dress. Alex absolutely loved my Moll Flanders cosplay. She told me it was the first one she’d ever seen. She was so sweet. I wasn’t anxious at all. I was so excited to finally meet her but I didn’t cry. I was actually so relaxed, which came as a surprise, as I have a track record of being emotionally overwhelmed and crying in front of Celebrities.

She was so nice and was so impressed with the dress. We got a Photo together and she ended up grabbing the shackles (is it even Alex Kingston without a cheeky touch?)

Then she signed my Making of Moll Flanders book and she flipped through it “oh this really takes me back. This was my favorite dress. The red velvet one. It was quite warm. I loved the big hat!”

For reference this is the dress she was talking about:

Then she looked up back at my dress and asked me “aren’t they fun to wear? Don’t you feel sexy?”

I said yes.

I was a liar.

I was actually incredibly uncomfortable but I would NEVER SAY THAT TO THE QUEENSTON.

So I just smiled and said yes. (I did feel sexy but 17 hours tightlaced in 1670s stays is not fun to wear)

Then at the photo op, Alex played with my hair XD

So that is the story of my most insane cosplay yet! I hope you enjoyed all you people out there on the internet.

[wibblyowzah]

Alex Kingston as Moll Flanders | The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders (1996)

[perioddramapolls]

Period dramas dresses tournament: Pink dresses Round 3- Group C: Elizabeth Dido Belle, Belle (gifset) vs Moll Flanders, The fortunes and misfortunes of Moll Flanders (pics set)