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anghraine · 1 year

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This is unnecessarily long, but: I was just thinking about Wickham's predation on fifteen-year-old Georgiana Darcy and then, almost exactly a year later, Wickham's predation on sixteen-year-old Lydia Bennet.

There are obvious parallels between the two incidents. In fact, they're so obvious that I think the incidents are sometimes treated as equivalent, with the consequences only differing by happenstance. I don't think that's true, personally.

There are some mechanistic sort of differences—Wickham put a lot more effort and planning into the Georgiana situation. He wanted to marry her for her money and to make her brother suffer. She had to be isolated from people who would look out for her interests, he had Mrs Younge in place, he had known Georgiana as a child and was able to exploit his own previous kindness to her as her father's godson, etc.

And Georgiana, despite all of this, and despite being swept away by a teenage infatuation with an extremely attractive man, was still uncomfortable with it. She was worried about disappointing a brother who raised her and whom she deeply loves and admires. When her brother actually showed up by surprise, she decided to tell him everything; Darcy takes pains to give her credit for this. Adaptations generally downplay Georgiana's active decision-making here, but the only element of chance is Darcy deciding to go to Ramsgate at all. He insists that he was only able to act because Georgiana chose to tell him what was going on.

This isn't meant to be an indictment of Lydia, though. Does she admire the parents who raised her? No. But why would she? Especially why would she admire a father who treats her mother and sisters and herself with profound contempt and no sense of responsibility? Why would she ever confide in him?

It's not like Lydia doesn't confide in anyone. In fact, she too confides in an older sibling, her sister Kitty. And in one sense, her trust in Kitty is not undeserved. Kitty does keep the secret. Presumably, she does this because, despite her occasional annoyance with Lydia, she is very much under her influence and goes along with whatever Lydia does. Regardless, she is trustworthy in that sense. Moreover, we see at the end of the book that Kitty is easily improved by being placed in better environments and taught how to behave. She just didn't know better.

How was she going to judge Lydia's situation correctly? Who was teaching her to judge anything correctly? Certainly not their parents.

If Mr Bennet had bothered to interest himself in his younger daughters and try and influence them for the better, impressionable Kitty is probably the one who would have benefited the most. The whole Lydia/Wickham thing would have fallen apart before it went anywhere if all the girls had been been properly raised, even if Lydia did exactly the same things.

And Lydia likely wouldn't do the same things if she'd been brought up properly and, you know, treated with a baseline of respect rather than being openly mocked by her father, the person most able to affect her development. Instead, at barely sixteen, she's been continually rejected by her father, over-indulged by her mother, and flattered by adult men (28-y-o Darcy says he and Wickham are nearly the same age). And she still tells someone what's going on, even though she doesn't care about her parents' opinions or the consequences of her actions. And she was under the protection of a colonel and his wife at the time, who also could have told someone or acted, and didn't.

It's not that nobody could have done anything about the Lydia/Wickham situation. It's that nobody did until Darcy found out and tried to extract her. But it was, in one sense, too late. To Lydia, he's just some unfun acquaintance who says boring things like "go home to your family and I'll do what I can to cover for you." That is, he tries to do what he did for Georgiana.

But Lydia is not Georgiana—she did not choose to tell him about any of this. She did not want to be extracted because she didn't know and couldn't be quickly made to understand what marriage to Wickham would mean in the long term. And she didn't care what her family thought because she had no reason to, pragmatically or psychologically.

Georgiana, otoh, did care about her family's welfare and the good opinion and affection of the head of her family. But despite their radical differences in personality, the most fundamental difference between the girls IMO is that Georgiana had every reason to believe that disappointing Darcy and losing his respect would be a change from the norm.

Normally he is affectionate and attentive towards her. They write each other long letters, he defends her to other family members, and praises her frequently. Georgiana, quiet and intimidated though she may be, talks more when he's around. Disappointing him had actual stakes for her.

Put another way, the potential loss of his good opinion mattered to her because he's gone to the trouble of raising her as well as he can and forming a good relationship with her. She chose to tell Darcy the whole thing because he had earned her affection and trust in a way that Mr Bennet has utterly failed to do. Even Darcy happening to visit Georgiana at Ramsgate comes from his affection and attention to Georgiana's welfare, even if he couldn't have known what would follow from checking on his sister at that particular moment.

Chance is always part of life, and it's part of the novel and these situations. But a lot of how these scenarios wound out was not determined by chance but by long-existing patterns in these girls' educations and relationships.

#this actually spun off from a different post about the contrast between darcy and mr bennet #they're alike in some ways but it only makes the differences all the more glaring #and i don't think we see that more than in how they conduct themselves towards the young girls in their care #and in the drastic consequences of how they educate and relate to those girls #georgiana and lydia made choices but there's a point at which harping on choice!!! and personal responsibility!! doesn't have much value #and the contributing factors and context of those choices matter so much more #anghraine babbles #long post #austen blogging #austen fanwank #georgiana darcy #lydia bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #george wickham #mr bennet #catherine bennet #some unflattering references to mrs bennet but this is more of a mr bennet hate post :)

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bethanydelleman · 2 years

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Mr. Palmer

I used to totally agree with Elinor that Mr. Palmer married a very silly girl for money/lust and now regrets it, much like Mr. Bennet.

His temper might perhaps be a little soured by finding, like many others of his sex, that through some unaccountable bias in favour of beauty, he was the husband of a very silly woman—but she knew that this kind of blunder was too common for any sensible man to be lastingly hurt by it.

But then I was struck by this thing Charlotte says,"We must go, for the Westons come to us next week you know. It was quite a sudden thing our coming at all, and I knew nothing of it till the carriage was coming to the door, and then Mr. Palmer asked me if I would go with him to Barton. He is so droll! He never tells me any thing! I am so sorry we cannot stay longer; however we shall meet again in town very soon, I hope.”

So the trip to see Charlotte's family was a surprise, arranged by Mr. Palmer (I know this is according to Mrs. Palmer, but it would be a strange lie for her). I can't EVER see Mr. Bennet doing something like that. It makes me think Mr. Palmer actually does like his wife, he wants her to be happy, and he just acts this way to seem superior, which is Elinor's other thought:

It was rather a wish of distinction, she believed, which produced his contemptuous treatment of every body, and his general abuse of every thing before him. It was the desire of appearing superior to other people. The motive was too common to be wondered at; but the means, however they might succeed by establishing his superiority in ill-breeding, were not likely to attach any one to him except his wife.

What an interesting character! I wish we got more of him! I suspect that like Mrs. Jennings, he has a heart of gold hidden under his haughty exterior.

#mr. palmer #charlotte palmer #sense and sensibility #mrs. jennings #just because I love her #elinor dashwood #I think the palmers are happier than they look on the surface #but either way I'm glad charlotte is happy #she isn't brought down by her husband #and Mrs. Jennings might be among my very favourite characters #if I was to be an austen character it would be her

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darknights04 · 2 years

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Scandal: Part 4

Summary: Elijah Mikaelson has never met anyone who was more skilled than he was. After all, he’s had lifetime after lifetime to learn. But this all changed when he met Hyacinth Bennet. Mrs. Hyacinth Bennet that was. But was this woman, married or not, the single key to his heart?

Themes inspired by “Last Letters from your Lover” by Jojo Moyes

Elijah Mikaelson x original character

Part One Masterlist

🌹✉🌹

“Did she meet you?” Hayley asked, handing the letter back.

“She did.”

“And? Then what? How did you get her to accept you again?”

Elijah smiled slightly and looked at the ground. If he was still human he was sure he’d be blushing. After a moment, however, his eyes met Hayley’s again as he said simply…

“I confessed.”

🌹✉🌹

“I wish to make this quick,” Hyacinth said as she appeared behind Elijah. The man turned around quickly, his hopes rising as he saw that she did indeed show up to meet him. “I wanted to return this,” she continued, holding out the letter Elijah had delivered back to him. “It would be better in your hands so no one saw it. I figured you’d want your secret kept.”

“Hyacinth I-”

“Mr Mikaelson, I think I’ve allowed myself to become too comfortable with you,” she interrupted. “I apoligize for I should not have allowed myself to-”

“You’re being ridiculous!”

“I’m being ridiculous?” Hyacinth repeated with a scoff. “Sír, I’m not sure you understand exactly what it is I saw the other night. You and you brother had a… a harlot! Dead! In front of you both. Her blood dripping down your faces like she was an afternoon snack! Who is to say I’m not next. Or what other poor creature you’d pray upon next.”

“That’s would never happen, you don’t know-”

“That’s where you are sorelly mistaken, Mr. Mikaelson.” Elijah looked taken aback. He didn’t respond, he was curious as to what the young woman would say next. “I’ve read books, sir. I’ve read all about you and your kind. How you pray on the innocent to keep yourselves nourshed. How you use your mind tricks to subdue your victims into submisson. How you leave them with no memory of said interaction. So I would have no knowledge if this whole friendship between us has been faked.”

“I wish that were the case,” Elijah scoffed. Before Hyacinth got the chance to take offense to his statement, he continued talking. “Do you know how much easier this would be if I had just compelled our relationship to one another. If everything here was simply fabricated, false emotions. If I didn’t have to risk not only your but my own reputation every time I see you across the room.”

The woman was quiet for a moment. She felt her anger and fear slowly evaporating as she began to lose her composure. “What do you mean?” she asked simply.

“I take pride in my honor. I like to think myself a gentleman. But that honor, that duty, is hanging by a thread and gets thinner with every moment I am in your presence.” With every line, Elijah stepped closer and closer to the girl whom was stunned into silence. “Every glance, every laugh, every time you flip your hair over your shoulder or make one of your quick quips towards me, the thread is getting smaller and smaller; threatening to break with every interaction we have.”

“I do not understand what you mean.”

“Oh do not play that game with me. You cannot act the way you do towards me and claim to have no knowledge of these feelings I am describing.”

“You seem to forget, sir, I am a married woman.”

“A fact that has never halted your advances before. Nor stopped you from sneaking away from your said husband to promenade with my family and myself.”

When Hyacinth didn’t respond, Elijah took another step closer to her. The woman began to hold her breath to keep it from trembling with their close proximity.

“Night and day, you occupy my thoughts,” Elijah continued. “Your face is all I can think about, your voice all I can hear, your perfume all I can smell. And every day, every moment I am in your presence I must kick myself to remind me that you are not mine for the taking. But how I wish I could have that honor. The honor your husband has to be able to hold you every night as you fall asleep. To kiss you whenever he feels. To be able to so much as graise your hand in a public setting without worrying about prying eyes around you. So excuse me, if I wish I could compel these feelings away. That with a snap of my fingers I could have you forget me and my family and return to your own life. That I didn’t have to risk my honor nor your own integrity whenever you did so much as smile.

“From the day that I first met you, you infuriated me. I thought how dare there be a woman who could know more of the world than me. Who could be more skilled than me. More linguistic. And what gives her the right to be so damned tempting.”

At the end of his speech, Hyacinth couldn’t take any more. She decided to take things into her own hands. Before Elijah could open his mouth to say anything more, she grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him to her, closing the already small gap between them as she drew his lips to her own. Living over a thousand years has let Elijah experience an array of different things. Every experience you could think of, every skill you could learn, every emotion you could feel. But he would be lying if he said he’d ever felt anything like this before. Every experienced a kiss like hers. They acted as if it could be their last, which it very well could be. But for this moment, this one perfect, secret moment shared between the two, everything was perfect. Nothing else mattered. Not that Hyacinth’s husband sat at home, non the wiser about any of this, nor that not a month prior she had seen the unthinkable in the Mikaelson home. It was just them two in this moment. Nothing else.

Eventually, however, the two pulled away.

“I should be screaming for the hills away from you,” Hyacinth said softly with a small sigh. Despite her words, she couldn’t help the small grin appearing on her lips.

“Or,” Elijah began. “I could rip that vervain from around your throat to compel you to spend the night with me.”

“Was it that obvious?” Hyacinth asked, glancing down at the new locket around her neck, filled with the only small herb she found was a weakness to his kind.

“If the smell wasn’t enough then surely the slight burning against my chest as you grabbed me may have given it away.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, you were being cautious, it’s a smart move.”

“I will be requiring a full explanation about you and your family at some point in the very near future.”

“But right now?”

“Right now…” Hyacinth said with a small smirk, her voice softening slightly. “Right now I need you to kiss me again.”

And that he did.

🌹✉🌹

Hayley seemed in shock and awe at Elijah’s story. She couldn’t believe something like this was happening in that time era. In a time of scandal sheets and unlawful divorce. She couldn’t imagine what would have happened if they got caught. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but to root for the two. She was invested at this point.

“She agreed to return here with me,” Elijah continued. “Niklaus and I explained everything to her. What she saw, what we were, our history. She sat in silence the whole time listening. We didn’t know how she would react when we finished. I half expected her to get up and leave, never to turn back again.”

“And did she?”

“No,” he said with a smile. “Once we finished, she bean asking questions. Questions about our lives. She wanted to know what it was like to live lifetime after lifetime. Eventually, Klaus got bored with the small trip down memory lane, so he left to find his next meal. I offered to bring Mrs. Bennet home, but she refused.”

“Refused? But wouldn’t her husband-?”

“Believe me, I tried convincing her the same. But she wouldn’t budge. I’m not sure why I even tried to argue against her stubbornness. In the end, I asked her why. Why didn’t she want me to escort her home. I assumed she wanted to simply go herself to keep appearances, but no. She wanted to stay. She claimed I was breaking my word to her which confused me. When I asked what I had promised she said simply…”

“You claimed you wanted to compel me to stay the night. Now I’m here, aren’t I? So what’s changing your mind, hm? Allow me to stay here with you, Mr. Darcy.”

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soc-characters-as-songs · 3 years

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The OCs as Jane Austen characters?

everyone is lizzie bennet, remember? lmao

quoted descriptions sourced from the atlantic, barnes and noble, the guardian, and stylist.

and yes, I realize some of these could definitely qualify as hot takes lmao

ivy: fitzwilliam darcy ("I always saw myself as more of a mr. darcy than an elizabeth bennet. we’re both more reserved, and people can mistake our standoffishness for arrogance. but mr. darcy gets the chance to prove what he is really like, and now people often think of him as the ideal romantic hero.")

meredith: marianne dashwood ("marianne is a hopeless, self-indulgent romantic who veers from ecstatic, all-consuming happiness to miserable self-neglect over the unsuitable man she has pinned her hopes on. she is, however, capable of self-improvement and learns invaluable life lessons from her practical and generous older sister, elinor.")

diana: susan vernon ("not all austen’s protagonists are morally sound, well behaved romantics. in her only epistolary novel she presents us with a vicious anti-heroine in the shape of lady susan vernon. a beautiful 30-something widow, she is charming and manipulative towards anyone she can make use of.")

dahlia: isabella thorpe ("in northanger abbey, isabella is one of austen’s funniest characters. she’s a very realistically drawn teenage girl who makes and breaks friends on a whim, is a shallow flirt and loves dancing, shopping and giggling.")

alassie: mary crawford ("in mansfield park, mary crawford is the character all men fall in love with. vivacious, worldly, musical, funny and kind, she is the ultimate femme fatale. even the dull parson edmund bertram falls for her charms, simultaneously attracted and repelled by her particular brand of sexy charisma. she’s a wonderful actress and plays the harp like an angel. she makes the filthiest joke in austen when she makes a pun about sodomy in the navy, concerning rear and vice admirals: “of rears and vices I saw enough. now do not be suspecting me of a pun, I entreat.”")

ramona: anne elliot ("she may be austen’s most hopeful character. without the native strength of emma or lizzy, her quiet character withstands her own youthful mistake to triumph in the end. since most of us blow it to one degree or another in our twenties, anne represents that painful journey to self-knowledge and courage that most of us experience.")

rhea: elinor dashwood ("on the surface, she has it together, she’s in control, she keeps her family together, and she acts like she has no need for romance. but underneath, she is a deeply emotional person. to me, she is jane austen’s most complex and human character. we all exist in layers and are neither sense nor sensibility, but a mixture of both.")

cornelia: elizabeth bennet ("she is smart, witty, charming, and loyal. I have always admired her self-respect: a self-respect that wasn't entirely vain or selfish. the self-respect that would not allow her to marry her intellectually inferior cousin, just to have a home, or save her family. her self-respect that gave her the fortitude to reject darcy's marriage proposal, though, again, it would have secured her future. Her self-respect that gave her the courage to speak her mind among men and women who outranked her socially and economically.")

kaden: emma woodhouse ("emma is rich, pretty, and thinks more of her matchmaking abilities than she should, but she is also a devoted daughter, a loving friend, and above all is someone who is willing to own up to her mistakes and attempt to right them. emma is a heroine you root for as she not only finds love (as any great austen heroine must), but also as she matures from an often inconsiderate girl to a sincere and kind young woman.")

andreia: diana parker ("diana is a homeopathic health fanatic in austen’s final, incomplete novel sanditon, written when she was dying. diana sips herbal and green tea, has anorexic tendencies and distrusts conventional medicine and doctors. she self-medicates with her numerous homemade remedies and is drawn to the other invalids who are staying at the seaside resort. she plans to take a sea bath in a bathing hut on wheels with a mixed-race girl. what a pity that we’re deprived of the chance to see how that would have turned out")

arely: fanny price ("fanny price is also an odd heroine, meek and quiet without any of the strength of her other heroines. she’s also very difficult to read, with a moralistic streak that comes across as quite judgemental. however, like anne elliot, she is very much the outcast of the family and has to endure a fair amount of humiliation from childhood. to see her finally defy her uncle in the gentlest way possible and end up with her childhood love edmund bertram is satisfying."

suzy: catherine morland ("catherine is a dramatic, gothic-novel-loving teen who is desperate for drama and tries to turn her own life into a ghost story, offending and upsetting her friends in the process. throughout my teens I did my best to make my life something in between a fantasy novel and a sofia coppola movie—I can relate. she’s funny, outgoing, and magnificently stupid. but catherine, in her ridiculousness, just wants to make life a fun story. she is the angsty suburban girl who invites you to join her book club with a message written in invisible ink. I would join in a heartbeat.")

samuel: henry tilney ("funny, good-natured, and forgiving, tilney’s even ready to defy his boorish father’s wishes to marry the woman he…loves? this novel lacks the intense romanticism of austen’s later works, but that doesn’t mean henry isn’t a peach.")

bianca: charlotte lucas (sensible and intelligent, does what she has to do for a successful life)

archibald: george knightley ("he is the epitome of kindness, an underestimated heroic quality. he takes care of a vulnerable woman like miss bates, and steps in to dance with lowly harriet smith when he sees that she has been snubbed by the awful mr and mrs elton. he represents the perfect english gentleman and sets himself firmly against french affectation. he refuses to play the conventional hero and talk the language of love: “I cannot make speeches, emma. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.” perfect!")

raphael: charles bingley ("this charming, gallant gentleman wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he would let his chilly sisters talk him out of proposing to the woman he loves, in an era when dancing with her all night has already got half the neighborhood writing up the wedding banns. but who doesn’t keep a spot in their heart for bingley, who’s glad to dance with even the homeliest old maids (we’re talking 27-year-old hags here). he may be suggestible, even a touch weak-willed, but he’s also got a heart of gold. (and if he had a bit more spine, he’d top mr. darcy.)

#not songs #the selected #host characters

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lady-griffin · 4 years

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Prince Geordo looked at Katarina as she stopped to smell some Ice Roses, smiling softly to herself.

It was just the two of them walking through the palace gardens and Geordo couldn’t have been more pleased.

Keith had to meet some daughters of several noble families, Alan and Mary were whisked away by Marquess Hunt, and Prime Minister Ascart had taken his family for a trip down south. Oh and of course Maria had gone home to her small village.

It was perfection.

Geordo smiled smugly to himself. The Ascart family’s vacation and Maria staying home were just good fortune on his part, but the other two. Well he was quite proud of himself to say the least.

A few mild comments about Keith’s lack of engagement had been enough to send Duchess Claes into action. As for his own brother and Lady Mary, well it was fortunate he had run into Marquess Hunt and expressed his sincerest disbelief that his own bother hadn’t performed for his fiancé’s family.

“Why are you smiling like that, Prince Geordo?”

“Are you saying there is something wrong with my smile?” He responded with his best charming smile.

But Katarina wasn’t thrown by his act. In fact, her eyes narrowed and he felt goosebumps gather on the back of his neck.

For as oblivious as his beloved fiancé could be, she seemed to have the uncanny ability to see right through him.

“I get to spend a lovely afternoon with my beautiful fiancé picking flowers, of course I’m smiling.” He said, feeling a bit sheepish for his half-lie. It wasn’t like he was unhappy to be spending the afternoon with her.

Katarina looked at him like she didn’t quite trust his answer, but nonetheless she returned back to the flowers.

“Do you like these ones?” He asked, pointing to the Ice Roses, hoping to move the conversation along.

Katarina nodded enthusiastically at him and Geordo held up the basket filled with flowers that he’d been holding for her. She carefully placed the newly cut roses among the others.

Katarina was planning on making several bouquets. She’d told him all about how she wanted to give one to Keith’s fiancée when she returned back to Claes Manor.

Geordo doubted that even the fearsome Duchess could get Keith to pick a girl to be his bride, but he didn’t tell Katarina that. He was glad that Katarina had cheered up and he didn’t want to ruin her good mood.

She’d been slightly put out when she’d been told it would be better for her to not be at the tea party.

While he was always going to suggest that to Duchess Claes, before he could even say anything, Katarina had already been told to stay away.

Geordo wasn’t sure if the Duke and Duchess were aware that Keith’s fondness for Katarina went beyond sibling affection. Though, at least, the two were aware enough to know that Keith would never give his full attention to other noble ladies if Katarina was around.

For that, Geordo could not fault the younger Claes sibling. All noble ladies fell to the background for him when Katarina was around. In fact, everyone did. How could they not?

“Are you sure it’s alright for me to take these?” Katarina asked unsure, carefully admiring some more flowers. Katarina’s questioning of her position in society was still something that fascinated him. It was endearing, but odd.

“Of course.” He answered simply.

She beamed at him and his heart stuttered. Katarina bent down, softly touching the petals of some Sword Lilies before cutting a few to add to her growing collection. Katarina moved forward.

“What flower do you like best, Prince Geordo?”

What kind of flowers do you like Miss Katarina?

Geordo blinked at the memory he had nearly forgotten.

It was from the day when he had first met Katarina.

He hadn’t actually forgotten about that day. How could he? The memory of Katarina falling and him being unable to do anything as the blood gushed out dominated his memories of that fateful day.

Though, the rest of his memories of that day had faded over the years. Geordo barely remembered the madness of servants and doctors rushing to Katarina’s aid, but the fear on their faces and his own feeling of uselessness had made their marks. He didn’t even recall who finally pulled him away from the bloody scene and walked him back to the palace.

It was no wonder he had forgotten the first part of the day, before Katarina fell. Or as it seemed, he had nearly forgotten.

Now those memories were rushing back to him.

Geordo remembered his selfish fears the following week, when Katarina was bedridden with a raging fever.

He was so concerned of what going to happen to him if Katarina didn’t recover. It wasn’t like he could explain to his parents that Katarina was to blame, not him. Because what would they even say to that? What would society say about the Third Prince refusing to take responsibility?

All of that fuss for some dull, spoiled, and vapid little girl.

“I don’t think I have a favorite flower.” He answered, trying to keep his smile as his stomach twisted in on itself. “I’m haven’t really given it much thought before. Do you think a certain flower would suit me best?”

Katarina turned away for him, listing off all kinds of different flowers that she could think of.

He had once thought Katarina was colorless and boring, that she was just like everyone else.

No.

He had once thought she was worse than everyone else. Even more boring than all other noble girls he’d been force to meet.

Panic seized Geordo as he watched Katarina walk further and further away for him as he stood there motionless, stuck in the garden of their childhood. The colors slowly fading away as she left him behind.

It was almost funny how he had forgotten what the first hour of their first meeting had actually been like. Almost, being the word.

Geordo had been so annoyed at being force to give her a tour. No one had bothered to even ask him if he wanted to do it. It was just presumed he would. But of course, they presumed that.

Geordo had been going along with the meetings and making pleasantries and smiling as every stupid girl he’d been force to meet. The idea that one of them would be his future wife hovered above all their interactions. A depressing cloud to remind him of all the boring years he had to look forward to.

It didn’t matter if it was Lady Catley, Lady Thorne, Lady Bennet or any of the others, because there weren’t any real differences between them. They were all as boring and uninteresting as the last one.

In an odd way, Katarina had stood out amongst the others. It had only been a few minutes of meeting her that he knew he absolutely did not want her to be his wife. Ever.

During their first walk through the gardens, Katarina had clung to his arm. Her fingernails felt like claws digging into his skin, trapping him in place.

All he could do was smile and be the charming prince they all thought he was as he suppressed the urge to push her away. He had wanted her to leave him alone, he didn’t want to spend another second with Katarina Claes.

How blind was he as a kid?

How stuck in his own spoiled thoughts that he had mischaracterized his beautiful Katarina to such a degree that all he saw was some stupid, vain girl with nothing of note about her?

A week after Katarina had fell, young Geordo was told about the scar that marred her once beautiful face. Though according to others, the scar was a few centimeters at most, if even that.

Still, the question of who would want to marry her now had been whispered throughout the palace halls.

At the time, Geordo thought it was ridiculous and beyond infuriating.

But it had given him an idea.

Maybe being engaged to Katarina could help him out in the following years to come. A shield to all the so-called important Lords and Ladies who shoved their daughters at him. If he was engaged, he wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore.

And if the reason for his engagement was just the matter of a silly scar, well surely, he could break it off for another silly matter. It wouldn’t be difficult to manipulate someone like Katarina.

True he would be stuck with an insufferable girl for the years to come, but it also meant freedom from the countless others.

With his plan set to go, Geordo arrived at the Claes Manor to officially check on Katarina’s progress.

Visiting her was the first step into his new future. He wasn’t going to propose to her right then and there, no that would be improper and unseemly for the Third Prince. Still he had to visit her once, so he could propose to her during his second visit. There couldn’t be a second visit, without a first.

But he had been wrong. That Geordo remembered clearly.

He had never really been wrong before and it almost seemed impossible, but yet…

Katarina had apologized to him of all things. She too thought all the fuss around her had been ridiculous and…and he was confused.

Smiling brightly at Geordo, Katarina showed him the scar on her forehead, assuring him that she was just fine. That she could just cover it up with her bangs and that there was no need for him to feel bad.

His eight-year-old self couldn’t even begin to wrap his small mind around Katarina throwing his carefully laid out plan out the window, like it was nothing. So, he quickly proposed to her right then and there.

Formality and properness followed his plan out the very same window.

At the time he hadn’t realize why he had even done that. Why he hadn’t stop to think of another plan, why he had been so impulsive.

But now Geordo did. It was clear that his younger self, with his set plan, had been desperate to enforce it. To ensure to all, no to himself, that he’d been right. That he couldn’t have been wrong about Katarina.

Geordo wanted to laugh at his younger self, but couldn’t find it in himself.

He remembered being confused when he returned to his room after visiting Katarina. Geordo had been able to see through almost everybody his entire life and even with the people he couldn’t, at least he knew he couldn’t.

But Katarina…

He had been so sure of exactly what kind of person she was.

Young Geordo shook his head. It didn’t matter that he was slightly off about Katarina. He had been right in the end, in a way…if one thought about it long enough.

He was still going to properly propose to her the second time he visited.

Everything was still going according to his plan. It had to.

Though it wouldn’t hurt to reconsider what he knew about one Katarina Claes, just so he’d be prepare for their next meeting.

And yet, even with his expectations of Katarina carefully modified for when he returned to properly propose to her, she had thrown him off once more.

Katarina smiled brightly without a care as she stood in the early beginnings of a field in dirty work-clothes, hoe in hand.

Creating a vegetable field to improve her earth magic was one of the most ridiculous and nonsensical things he had ever heard. He almost broke right there as he tried to contain his laughter.

But it was creative and wonderfully Katarina, to think of something no one else had and to go at it with so much determination and enthusiasm. Not caring if she was wrong or right. It was so different from how he approached everything. So wonderfully different.

That day Geordo remembered clearly.

Years of reflecting back on that day had solidify it in his memory. The dull, colorless world he had lived in for so long was marred by the bright and colorful Katarina in the most beautiful way.

That day was when he finally admitted to himself that he’d been wrong; he didn’t know the answer to the confusing puzzle that was Katarina.

That day spurred on Geordo’s countless efforts to figure Katarina out and understand everything about her. Because for the first time in his long eight years of life, he was finally interested in something, no, someone else.

That’s the day he met Katarina Claes.

The days and years that followed had led to him falling hard for her. His beautiful, lovely, and odd fiancé.

That’s what mattered. Who cares if he had misjudged Katarina in the beginning? It didn’t matter. Not now.

So why was he still standing frozen to the ground? Why couldn’t he let go of what he had first thought of Katarina? He was wrong and he had misjudged her, there was nothing more to it. Why couldn’t he let it go?

“Prince Geordo!” Katarina shouted, rushing back to his side and relief filled his body as he finally breathed out. “I’m so sorry. I got lost in talking about Mary’s lesson in proper flower arranging that I didn’t even realize that I had…”

Her face was flushed with a beautiful red and her bright aqua-blue eyes looked wild. His heart pounded at the sight, at the idea of her rushing back to him.

“Geordo?” Katarina asked. His eyes widened as he realized he hadn’t heard anything else she had said. “Are you feeling alright?”

Before he could respond, a cool hand was on his forehead, while the other held his cheek. He was so overwhelmed, that instead of doing the sane thing of assuring Katarina that he was fine, he hugged her tightly.

Because what if Katarina hadn’t hit her head? What if there had been no scar? What if…what if she had never been part of his life at all?

Geordo held Katarina tighter. Afraid that if he let her go, she would be gone.

At eight-years-old he was already bored and annoyed with everything. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what eight more years of that would’ve been like.

Katarina pulled away and he just stood there, embarrassed by his sudden rush of emotions and losing control like that. He tried not to blush as she stared back at him, her mouth agape.

She shook herself out of her daze and then quickly and very loudly began to call for one of the servants to take a look at him.

She grabbed his arm tightly and began dragging him back the palace. She was determined to have someone take a proper look at him, since clearly the sun had gotten to him.

Geordo went along happily, with no desire to escape the forceful grip on his arm.

As the two got closer to the palace, neither one took notice to a certain spot where a young nobly lady had hit her head all those years ago. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Archive of Our Own

I’m intrigued by the fact that Geordo is the only one of the main characters who met Katarina before she hit her head. He’s the only one who knew her before, even if very briefly.

So, I got to wondering if he thought Katarina had a major shift in personality or would he just presume the more logical (but not true) answer, that his opinion of Katarina before she hit her head was wrong.

And then my mind took off with that idea.

#Hamefura #Katarina Claes #Bakarina #Geordo Stuart #Otome game no hametsu flag #Gerald Stuart #destruction flag otome #my next life as a villainess #Jeord Stuart #archive of our own

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thehandflextm · 3 years

Text

My Immortal...but make it Pride and Prejudice

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

Chapter 1.

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

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

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

“What’s up Mr. Darcy?” I asked.

“Nothing.” he said shyly.

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

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AN: IS it good? PLZ tell me fangz!

Chapter 2.

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

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

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

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

“Yeah? So?” I said, blushing.

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

“No I so fucking don’t!” I shouted.

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

“Hi.” he said.

“Hi.” I replied flirtily.

“Guess what.” he said.

“What?” I asked.

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

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

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

I gasped.

Chapter 3.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suddenly Mr. Darcy looked sad.

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 4.

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

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

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

“What the fucking hell?” I asked angrily.

“Lizzy?” he asked.

“What?” I snapped.

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

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

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

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU MOTHERFUKERS!”

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

Chapter 5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why?” I exclaimed.

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

“Well, I am a vampire.” I confessed.

“Really?” he whimpered.

“Yeah.” I roared.

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

Chapter 6.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No! Please!” I begged.

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

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

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

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

“Mr. Darcy!” I said. “Hi!”

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

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“No.” he answered.

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

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

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

Chapter 7

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

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

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

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comradekatara · 4 years

Text

AUs wherein zuko and katara would date (and it would be glorious)

the favourite au –– everyone knows how i cherish this au. it is kind of sad to think about katara losing her resilience and sense of duty as her 17 lost children and the unyielding gout pain continues to wear on her, or zuko coming to the following conclusion: “I must take control of my circumstance. I will need to act in a way that meets with the edges of my morality. And when I end up on the street selling my asshole to syphilitic soldiers, steadfast morality will be a fucking nonsense that will mock me daily.” but yes, she is indeed anne, and he is indeed abigail. you’d think he’d be sarah, because of the scar, but in fact, it is aang who is sarah. yes, aang is insistent that they continue with their war efforts, even willing to put his own loved ones on the front lines simply because he refuses to surrender to the french, who have, technically, already surrendered. anyway this is all to say that none of the logical leaps in this au matter because the only thing that matters is that this is literally the only scenario that could ever possibly be devised wherein zuko eats pussy, and it is to relieve katara’s gout pain

the good place au –– i’ve written about this before, but i think the potential for katara and zuko being set up as soulmates remains not yet explored in full. because the potential is endless. all someone would have to do to ruin them is express their envy at their (what must be!) robust sex life, and the revelation that they both have absolutely no desire to so much as kiss the other shatters them. here they were thinking that they had found the love of their life, blissfully content, the picture of domesticity, the couple all their other couple friends wished they could be.....before realizing that maybe they were just glorified roommates. at first, they both privately try to justify it to themselves by being like “well..... just think of it like being fwb!” but that somehow makes it worse because they were already in a relationship with benefits, the benefit being that they never felt any obligation to fuck!!! and now they do!!! and if either of them admits to the fact that they don’t want to, then they would obviously have a huge falling out, and also katara would have to admit to herself that maybe she’s internalized some really harmful messaging her entire life about what romance should be and she should really reevaluate her entire worldview, and zuko would have to admit that maybe he’s–– ...nah. so they bite the bullet. and just as they feared, they have absolutely no sexual chemistry, and now they’re absolutely miserable, trapped in “heaven,” nowhere to go. it takes them another millennia to truly figure it out.

but i’m a cheerleader au –– okay so in the first two i mentioned, they’re obviously adults, but in this one i don’t think you’d have to age them up more than a couple years, if even. they’re still in highschool, and katara’s seething because not only is her dad away, but gran gran’s decided to marry, and pakku is plain evil. he does not approve of the fact that katara plays sports, is a vocal feminist, doesn’t shave her legs, and listens to beyonce. apparently, all of these are gateways into lesbianism, and though both katara and sokka insist (katara through tears of rage, sokka through tears of mirth) that katara doesn’t have a lesbian bone in her body (not even her smallest phalange) pakku decides the only safe route is to send her to a conversion therapy camp. except, despite the fact that all the staff there insists that her denial is merely a symptom of the closet, you will not convince katara that she is secretly a homosexual. katara would know if she liked girls, because she would have been attracted to a girl by now, considering she once developed a full-fledged crush on five different boys in one day. her current crush is quiet and aloof, with a mysterious scar covering one eye, and hair that falls in his face––like a drummer. a drummer that wears sweaters in july. he’s always slightly rude to her, which is a sign that he likes her; she would know, as she’s read plenty of YA romance. over the course of the month, he becomes so antagonistic towards her that eventually he realizes that he may just be being outright mean to her, so zuko decides that maybe if he is polite to her, she’ll take the cue and leave him alone. no such luck. she tries to kiss him. he lets her, because it’s an opportunity to prove he’s been “cured,” and leave. when katara comes back from conversion camp with a boyfriend, sokka barely looks up as he remarks, “only you, katara.”

pride & prejudice au –– katara bennet is rudely snubbed by aang bingley’s friend, mr. darcy. she decides she dislikes the man a great deal, but otherwise pays him no mind. besides, jet wickham is very handsome. she is proposed to by mr collins, whose patron is ozai de bourgh, but she rejects his proposal as he is far too tedious. instead, he marries her friend (well, friend is a stretch) mai lucas. eventually, katara comes to realize that she truly loves mr. darcy, and she and li live happily ever after. when she goes to visit mai collins (nee lucas), zuko informs her that he and mai are quite content thank you very much, and mai agrees. that night, as with every night, they go to sleep in separate beds, but katara does not bother questioning their tenuous relationship as she is far too blissfully happy with her darcy to care about the collinses.

#a glorious trashfire that is #katara&zuko #AUs #katara #zuko #the biac au is the least pc and funniest thing in the world thank u for ur time

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elcrivain · 5 years

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Hi Ellis! I'm a literature student and I've been working on a school paper. I'm going to talk about Jane Austen on my paper. Sooo I wanna ask if what is a common factor that you’ve noticed in all six novels of Jane Austen? I will be waiting for your response!! Thank you so much

There are a few common factors across Austen’s novels:

1.) Bad parents - this one is in fact so common as to leave few good parents to write about.

Perhaps most famous is the silly Mrs. Bennet, who flusters and fidgets over her five girls, obsessing over marrying them and lending Pride and Prejudice its marvellous opening.

She is not alone. Whether it is:

Mr. Dashwood, failing to provide for Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret in Sense and Sensibility (or alternatively failing to foresee his son, John, will be so selfish)

Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram neglecting all of their children until it is too late for some in Mansfield Park

Mr. Woodhouse leaning too hard on Emma, fussy hypochondriac that he is, and expecting far too much from his daughters in Emma

General Tilney the warhorse and monstrously bad host in Northanger Abbey

Sir Walter spoiling Elizabeth, ignoring Mary, and sneering at Anne, in Persuasion; or

Mr. Bennet forgetting that having a silly wife is no excuse for not providing for and protecting his children in Pride and Prejudice

Austen stuffs her novels with bad parents.

2.) Hypocritical snobs - Austen loves to write about snobs, and loves far more to write about those with precarious positions in the social sphere.

Caroline Bingley is a great example of this, snubbing Jane’s relatives who are actually of higher social standing than her own grandparents’, but without the wealth of her father.

Mrs. Norris, the mere wife of a country parson, flouts her superiority over little Fanny. She is a distasteful fool.

Emma, ferociously proud of her own position, simultaneously raises Harriet Smith, a no one and likely illegitimate, and complains that the Coles do not invite her to their party when she would not be able to accept. Augusta Elton is worse still, not even realising that she is on rocky ground when she complains about the people who would set themselves above the Sucklings.

Willoughby is a hypocritical snob, not seeing that his own character is far lower than the “foolish” and “silly” people he mocks. Marianne gets the snob label, which she absolutely is, but not a hypocrite one.

3.) Scoundrels and bad boys - Every novel needs a villain and Austen’s rogues gallery is fairly complete:

P&P’s Wickham sets a high standard. He seduces, elopes, flirts, charms, and “makes love to us all.” Was there ever such a charming rotter?

Well of course, there’s Willoughby in S&S, seducing all of us before abandoning us pregnant with hope but, luckily, nothing else. He even shares the same W-initialed surname. While Wickham marries the girl he seduces. Willoughby leaves his teenage victim alone and pregnant, while he marries a young woman who is in for a bad time of it with him. Though her vicious nature possibly makes it a fair match.

Mr. Elliot in Persuasion is less obviously charming, and also less devastating. Poor Mrs Smith suffers through his inaction, but there are no pregnant teenagers in his wake. We also have him to thank for making Anne and Captain Wentworth aware of the other’s feelings, when he interrupts their tete a tete at the Assembly Rooms concert.

A more understandable villain lurks in Mansfield Park. Henry Crawford is a selfish child in a man’s body. He takes what he wants, and he pays for it in the end. Pretty, shy Fanny would have made him a better man. Instead, she gets to prig-happily-ever after with Edmund. Sigh.

Northanger Abbey has more than one scoundrel, but it’s John Thorpe who does the most damage, in his limited way. Though Captain Frederick Tilney wreaks havoc as well.

Emma is restricted to the least bad men, Mr. Elton doesn’t really get the title as he’s just a bit mean. Frank Churchill is a bad boy however, as he spends the whole novel deceiving everyone and treating his love badly. I would argue that there is a hidden scoundrel in Mr. Woodhouse though, who is so selfish that it’s a miracle he doesn’t cause more damage.

4.) Wise young women - Austen is littered with young women who are usually wiser than their elders, though it doesn’t always do them much good.

P&P’s Charlotte Collins nee Lucas, for all that she may not ever love her husband, has far more foresight than Lizzie, eight years her junior.

MP’s Fanny Price sees what none of her cousins can, that while play acting is dangerous, Lovers’ Vows can only end in disaster and that Mariah and Henry are playing a very dangerous game. She is a Cassandra. No one listens to her, but she still sees.

S&S’s Elinor Dashwood is smart enough to see through Lucy, but that can’t save her from her machinations. She is trapped by her own goodness, but she also has all the wisdom her kindly but foolish mother lacks.

NA’s Eleanor Tilney manages to glide above the craziness occurring around her without falling for the novels bad boys, getting caught up in the nuttiness of her best friend’s imagination, or marrying beneath her. Quite a feat.

Emma’s Jane Fairfax is perhaps the least wise of the women in this list, but she has the maturity that Emma and Harriet both lack. She knows she’s facing a harsh future as a governess, but retains her dignity no matter what, even when her lover is flirting with another woman in front of her.

Persuasion’s Anne Elliot has hard-won wisdom and is the oldest of our young women. She is wise now because she has had time to reflect and reason to regret. She sees through her father and sisters, never falls in love with the scoundrel of her novel, and wins herself an excellent marriage and social position by staying true to herself.

Note, as much as I like her, Lizzie Bennet does not have a great deal of wisdom, though she’s getting there by the end.

I can think of more, but they don’t hold true across all six books.

Lizzie, Anne, Catherine, Fanny and Elinor are all book lovers, but Emma can barely finish one, despite good intentions.

Many heroines have bitchy friends or mean girl relatives, but their position and power are inconsistent.

The heroes vary in attractiveness, affluence, and affability.

The fates of the heroines vary as well - we all envy Lizzie marrying Darcy, but few of us feel like Fanny won a similarly sized prize in Edmund.

So a few other things, more about the society than anything else, bind the books:

5.) Humour - They are all funny. How funny varies by how much you know what Austen is satirising for Northanger Abbey, playing with Lovers’ Vows in Mansfield Park, or realise about the characters in Pride and Prejudice, which is really much funnier if you think of Mr Collins as only twenty-four, rather than his usual casting in his thirties.

Austen is consistently one of the funniest writers of any novels ever. Her books are full of crackers.

6.) Social satire - We don’t always realise what she’s satirising now as we lack some of the context her readers had, but Austen is always out with her embroidery needle to prick social pretensions and foolishness.

7.) Happy endings - All of our heroines get happy endings with desirable men, most of whom are at least tolerably handsome and kind. We believe that all of them will live happily ever after.

8.) Genius - All of Austen’s novels showcase her genius to varying levels. Whether it is in the perfect retelling of Cinderella for the Regency era for Pride and Prejudice, the quiet and very gentle subversion of the classic passive heroine’s arc in Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey’s clever gothic satire, a meditation on expectation vs reality in Sense and Sensibility, the depiction of a more mature, Sleeping Beauty love in Persuasion, or creating one of the most complex and difficult heroines in Emma, Austen lays down a gauntlet that no one has yet managed to pick up.

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cartoonfangirl1218 · 5 years

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EoA Jane Austen AUs

Emma: This as mainly inspired by @shasta627‘‘s love for Emma and Gababel that I imagine this as a Gababel au. Isabel would be the kind-hearted rich girl using her scientific smarts to match up all her loved ones while getting into more than a few mishaps when she lets her scientific smarts trump the affairs of the heart. Plus it is a small town setting perfect for adding whatever Avaloran townspeople like Tomiko as Harriet, Emma's adorable but easily swayed best friend and Alonso as Frank, the charming new bachlor to town who goes out for months just for a haircut. And of course, there would be Gabe as Mr. Knightly, cautioning Isabel through all her efforts and staying by her side through it all.

Pride and Prejudice: The ultimate Estoma au in my opinion. Esteban is the snobby upper class Mr. Darcy who has a heart of gold underneath his stern exterior and Doña as the stubbornly opinionated and confident Elizabeth Bennet. It's got it all. Doña’s prejudice against rich people and Esteban. Esteban's pride in his osund opinion and pedigree, their constant back and forth. I could see young King Juan Ramon as the sweet Mr. Bingley and Victor would be the bumbling Mr. Collins languishing praise to Catherine De Borough who HAS to be Shuriki She has to be, she has the evil old witch act down pat.

Northranger Abbey: This is Estenaomi for sure. Naomi would be Catherine Morland, off to Avalor City for the first time to live on her and experience life. While she is there she befriends a seemingly sweet but ultimately gold digging and scheming Carla Delgado and of course, the charming young Esteban Flores and his younger cousin Elena whom she ultimately becomes friends with. When Esteban invites Naomi to his home, Naomi would totally get excited and start up a whole fantasy in her head about the mysterious dissapparence of their parents and jump to conclusions. But everything would work out in the end as Naomi gains maturity and the love of Esteban.

Sense and Sensibility: Here is an Eleteo and Manualtina story. Yeah surprise there. Valentina would be the more sensible Dashwood sister, swallowing down her love and affection for Manual because her duty says to respect the class difference between them. Meanwhile, Elena would the impulsive free spirited romantic who falls for the wrong guy before she realizes she had someone to depend on all along, Mateo. A steady, dependable beau who is there for her no matter what. Mansfield Park: This would be another Eleteo with a slight gender bender. Mateo would be the poor orphan Fanny come to live in the palace of the Flores family where most of the court belittles him for his lack of fortune but he still has the warm comfort and friendship of Elena. They grow up together and Mateo harvests a love for Elena that she has no idea about until Alonso and Carla or Valentina come to town. Elena is smitten by Alonso's charm and wild ways and Mateo is soon on the radar of Carla/Valentina and must break out of his introverted shell to deal with all the rampant flirtations when their group of friends try to perform a play.

Persuasion: Another Gababel au. Gabe is penniless but loving navy captain engaged to Isabel when she is pressured to break it off because of his lack of riches. Years pass and Gabe returns victorious from war, with riches and a whole new bevy of admirers as Isabel looks on, knowing that Gabe would never take her back after she had rejected him. Meanwhile Gabe still longs for his former fiance but she is being wooed by the narcessitic royal-blood Alonso. However, fate is on their side as they continue to stray into each other's path until neither can deny their feelings.

Lady Susan: A Carla Delgado novel through and through. Carla would be the titular Lady Susan, a gold digger who manipulates everyone in her path and gets everything she wants in the end through nicieties and trickary. Carla would set her sights on the sweet Gabe after her latest affair with a married man goes belly up. Meanwhile Gabe's friends, Mateo, Elena and Naomi would try to get Carla to reveal her true colors or at least get her to leave but she has Gabe firmly on her side through her retellings of the events.

#jane austen #au #elena of avalor #eleteo #estenaomi #estoma #gababel #manualtina #carla delgado #elena castillo flores #naomi turner #esteban flores #gabe nuñez #isabel castillo flores #doña paloma #princess valentina #manual

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imolaorsitoth · 6 years

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The Darcy Problem

Many romances try to emulate the Elizabeth x Mr. Darcy bickering from Pride and Prejudice. There are all kinds of things they get wrong. For one, Pride and Prejudice isn’t really a romance novel. That’s already an advantage. Things happen that aren’t about the relationship but they aren’t filler like the subplots in a lot of romance novels are. The bickering is another huge thing they get wrong. Nowadays, the bickering in a romance novel is often because the man (note how it’s almost never the woman) is a sexist asshole. Think Twilight and its bastard child Fifty Shades. The men treat the women in those pieces like they are incapable. Edward won’t let Bella make her own choices because he is certain she will get herself killed. Christian is even worse. He is simply a controlling sadist who pretends to be into bdsm. Similar issues crop up in the Mortal Instruments and Sarah J Maas’ books, particularly in the ACOTAR series. Not to say those series have nothing going for them. It’s just that they follow in the trend of ‘abusive guy and naive girl’ to varrying degrees. This is true for much of the YA fantasy literature, especially the books that lean toward being romance novels by focusing heavily on a romantic relationship in the story.

All of these stories have the main coupe argue and clash, but the thing is, it’s always generic. The conflict is about a man trying to control a woman because she is a woman. In Pride and Prejudice, gender has practically nothing to do with the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. Their issues are based on their personalities that go FAR beyond ‘caveman-like sexist’ and ‘plucky girl who teaches the guy women are human.’ Darcy is not a sexist and Elizabeth is kick-ass, but not in a generic way. Darcy doesn’t need to be taught women are people. He needs to be less of a snob. Elizabeth doesn’t need a strong man to protect her. Note how her personality doesn’t mellow out to please him once they get together at the end. She learns she was wrong about who Darcy was, but he also changed. It’s not about a silly girl changing to be less silly like many romances are. Also note that Darcy wasn’t wrong. He really shouldn’t-according to the views of the time period-marry someone with lowly prospects like a Bennet. He isn’t evil for saying this to Lizzie. It’s simply the truth in the world they inhabit. Compared to men in recent romance novels like Fifty Shades, Darcy is a saint.

My point is, if you want to have your couple bicker, go for it. But it’s best to ignore gender. Is the girl the poor one who hates the rich? Good, she hates the love interest because he is rich. Does he hate poor people? Good, his negative reaction to her isn’t because she is a woman. The issue is a social one based on money, not gender.

Gender as an issue is so boring. It’s why lgbt romance novels are so much better. At least with those, sometimes we get stories where no one acts like the boss in the relationship. Conflicts are not based on gender because they can’t be, so the author has to find other traits & aspects of the individuals to have them clash over.

Writing advice - don’t have the conflict between the lead character & the love interest be about gender. Give them traits that put them at odds that aren’t gendered. That’s how you get bickering like in Pride and Prejudice.

#writing advice #pride and prejudice #romance #romance novels

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andrethegiant3001 · 6 years

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You Owe Me a Fifty

Summary: Will Darcy knows that one day his thing with Elizabeth Bennet is going to get him in trouble. He’s also not nearly strong enough to stop it. Modern AU in which Lizzie has to plan Jane’s wedding and Darcy just wants a dance (and maybe something more).

The first thing that Will Darcy notices about Elizabeth Bennet is that she seems remarkably skilled at convincing others to make horrible decisions.

Within the first hour of their acquaintance, she manages to convince Charlie, Will’s self-proclaimed best friend and Elizabeth’s sister’s new boyfriend, to order all his food while doing his best Sean Connery impression, challenges their waiter – who is a guy around their age and clearly unopposed to obliging a pretty girl’s silly requests – to make her one collective drink out of every non-alcoholic beverage on the menu, and tricks Darcy into believing that his drink was spiked by the same waiter she was flirting with moments earlier.

He doesn’t really care if she was flirting with him or not. He just thinks it’s relevant to the context of the story. That’s all, okay?

He calls her impulsive and irresponsible. She returns the favour by quite bluntly telling him that he’s prick with a stick up his arse. They argue throughout most of the evening, attracting the attention of just about every other person in the restaurant. The entire affair makes Jane and Charlie very uncomfortable. To say things get off to a rocky start would be a huge understatement.

And then, somewhere between the second and third hour of their insanely tense ‘get to know your best mate’s/sister’s significant other’ dinner, Elizabeth makes a quip about Darcy being a craptastic wanker, and instead of insulting her back like she expects him to, Darcy laughs because he doesn’t think he’s ever heard a more ridiculous insult. And then Elizabeth laughs. And suddenly, the atmosphere shifts and everything is entirely too friendly and not nearly as hostile as moments ago.

They spend the rest of the night talking to each other and basically ignoring Charlie and Jane, who stopped listening by the second hour of arguing anyway. Lizzie contests basically all his opinions, but it’s not because she dislikes him, it’s because she genuinely has reasons to disagree. He can barely think about how intriguing she’s become to him over the euphoria of having an actual conversation.

He’s pretty sure that he’s been severely deprived of them because of the amount of time he’s had to spend with Charlie’s sisters.

By the end of the night, Darcy and Lizzie are acting like they’ve known each other for years. They part ways after the meal and Darcy doesn’t know when he’ll see her again. He expects it to fade away, just like all the other acquaintanceships he’s made over the years.

And that’s probably what would have happened…if Lizzie was just about any other girl on the planet.

But she’s the Elizabeth Bennet, so things between them inevitably escalate.

It all starts with a snapchat he gets about a week later.

He hates Snapchat and told her as much during dinner, but she refused to listen and downloaded it on to his phone. He doesn’t know why he won’t just delete it.

(It’s not like he’s keeping it just in case Lizzie snapchats him. Cause that would be ridiculous.)

She asks him if he wants to come over because she’s had a bad day and Jane can’t hang out. Even though he has a pile of work the size of the Eiffel Tower, he says yes, because all of a sudden, he’s incapable of saying no to women he’s only spent five hours with.

He suspects that it’s not women in general, as much as it’s Lizzie Bennet that he is unable to say no to.

After that, it becomes a thing. Whenever one of them has a bad day, they call up the other. They cook and argue and watch dumb movies they find on Netflix (most of them with one-star ratings). They spend their free time together and Will will admit that spending time with her is always the highlight of his day.

Then all of a sudden, there’s a shift. Lizzie invites Darcy to a wedding as a date. Well, it’s kind of a date. They never call it a date, but that’s what it feels like. Lizzie makes a joke of it. She says that she needs him around at horrible events like these because he’s the only one that will make very loud, snarky comments with her. He goes along with it because she’s right. They’re both much too judgmental for their own good and it feels weirdly appropriate to do this with each other. So then that becomes a thing to; inviting each other to painful social events to stay entertained.

It never develops into something explicitly. They’re not acquaintances or friends. They’re just Lizzie and Darcy. Like Batman and Robin. Or Scully and Mulder if things between them hadn’t gotten so sexual.

He still thinks they should have stayed platonic, but he’s also a sap for a good love story. His feelings for ‘The X Files’ are pretty inconsistent.

(His feelings for Lizzie are pretty inconsistent too…)

He also quickly finds out that he was one hundred percent right when he observed that Lizzie was good at convincing people to make bad decisions.

He loses track of the number of mistakes he makes during the course of their strange thing, from the time when she dares him to make a sexual innuendo out of every sentence he says at a rather boring dinner party with Charlie’s sisters, to the time when she gets him well and truly smashed while on a lunch date at a fancy restaurant with his cousin, his cousin’s fiancé and his surly aunt. All his worst ideas seem to be planted into his mind by her.

Like that inception shit! She was the inceptor!

… He really shouldn’t reference movies he hasn’t seen.

And the bad decisions only intensify in number and degree when they start sleeping together. Will honestly isn’t sure how it starts.

Except he kind of (completely) knows how it starts and it’s kind of (completely) his fault.

They’re watching Die Hard on the day before Christmas Eve, when he starts complaining about the unrealistic qualities of the movie. Lizzie cuts him off with a rant about ‘movie superiority complex’ and how he should try shutting his brain off for two hours to enjoy at least one part of his fucking miserable life.

Okay, so he’ll come clean. Sometimes he complains about things just to get her to argue with him. He likes watching her as her voice takes on that passionate tone, her posture straightens, and her cheeks flush a little because she gets so worked up. But the best part is at the end, when she smirks at him because she thinks she’s won.

When she looks that sexy he’s pretty sure that he’s the only one winning.

She keeps going, oblivious to the fact that he isn’t really listening to her, but instead intently staring at her lips as she continues to spit rapid fire word vomit at him at a hundred miles per hour.

And then he does the thing. The stupid thing that is definitely going to get him in trouble somehow. The stupid thing that he’s spent such a long time convincing himself not to do. The stupid thing that will most likely destroy him and the small amount of willpower that he still possesses regarding Elizabeth Bennet.

He leans in and kisses her. Catches her completely unaware as he cuts off what he’s sure was a winning speech on the positive qualities of Die Hard.

It’s probably the worst decision he’s ever made, and Lizzie didn’t even make him do it.

But when she responds eagerly to his lips on hers and pulls him down with her when she falls back onto the couch, allowing him to settle himself between her legs and explore every curve and groove of her body, he can no longer remember why this is such a horrible idea when it feels so fucking good.

He pushes her shirt up, letting his mouth move lazily across the skin of her stomach and grins against her skin when she gasps unceremoniously as he gets closer and closer to the edge of her underwear.

Yup, this definitely means trouble.

That leads to a whole new category of inappropriate things she can convince him to do at the most inappropriate times.

And honestly, who is he to refuse her when she pushes him into the closet at Charlie’s house – or anywhere else she pleases– and kisses him until his head is spinning, before proceeding to do some other very inappropriate things to him and then slipping back out, acting as though nothing happened.

A year and six months after Jane and Charlie start dating, he asks her to marry him and she enthusiastically agrees, to Lizzie’s absolute horror. From what Darcy understands of the situation – which is very little – Lizzie now has to plan Jane’s wedding. He’s fairly certain that it has something to do with a bet or a deal they made when they were younger, but he honestly hasn’t the energy to comprehend such things.

He doesn’t have a clue why Lizzie would ever make any kind of deal involving weddings. She hated them with a passion.

After rigorous planning on Lizzie’s part, the big day finally arrives.

Darcy doesn’t think he’s ever seen Lizzie more stressed than in the hours leading up to the wedding. She’s practically pulling her hair out as she phones everyone in the city, confirming arrangements with everyone from the florist to the magician that’s coming in to entertain the children at the reception. He doesn’t really know what he should do, so he does what he does whenever he doubts his course of action. Nothing. He figures that it’s best to stay out of Lizzie’s way until she comes to find him.

And she does just that around an hour before the ceremony. He’s (reluctantly) making polite conversation with Caroline Bingley when she comes up to them, pulling him away with some unconvincing excuse of having to verify the meal plans that he’s sure she’s personally verified more than enough. Then, once they’re out of everyone’s sight, she pushes him into an empty room.

As soon as they’re in the room, she slots her lips to his and kisses him intensely, barely giving him any time to respond. He finally wraps his arms around her waist and opens his mouth when she runs her tongue over his bottom lip, deepening the kiss. His hands slide down her body and she grins against his lips when they grab her ass. She breaks the kiss, quickly moving to down to work on his jaw and neck.

“Lizzie?” He says in a strained voice.

“Yeah?” She says as she kisses her way down his body slowly, sucking whenever he moans quietly and slowly undoing the buttons of his dress shirt.

“Remember how we talked about finding appropriate times for this?” He barely makes the words come out as he feels her hot lips travelling down his chest and to the area right above his belt buckle.

“No, I don’t seem to recall,” she smiles up at him, and it takes all his strength not to just give in right then and there. Her pupils are blown wide, her lips are slightly red from when they were on his and her makeup is done to perfection. She looks absolutely stunning.

Goddamn, she is actually going to be the death of him. He is so screwed.

(Pun fully intended.)

“Well, Charlie and Jane’s wedding is definitely an inappropri-” he cuts off with a groan as she undoes his belt buckle and he feels her hot breath just above his briefs.

Instead of going down any farther (like he kind of wants her too) she stands up slowly, pushing him against the wall and bringing their lips as close as possible without touching.

“You were saying?” She whispers, then lets her gaze fall to his lips once again.

He’s the one to close the distance, bringing their lips together in a kiss that wakes up every part of his body and makes her moan into his mouth just a little too loudly.

He convinces himself that this is her doing, her fault that he does irresponsible things. But he knows that’s wrong. He just can’t help himself.

The wedding is beautiful and all of Lizzie’s hard work as the maid of honour/wedding planner extraordinaire pays off. Her mother cries, her sisters shoot Jane jealous looks and her father lets a tear slip as he gives away his oldest daughter. Even the cold, unfeeling cockroach that is Caroline Bingley seems touched by the ceremony.

She’d probably feel differently if she knew who had organized it.

Everything looks perfect, down to the last flower petal, just how Jane likes things. The only downside is that Darcy can’t stop staring at Lizzie the whole fucking time.

She just looks so goddamn beautiful and she’s not even the one getting married.

That thought just causes a whole series of completely inappropriate images to flash through his mind, all of them involving Lizzie wearing a wedding dress.

He’s not sure how this happened. He knows that it all started as a casual fuck. They had been good friends, but not dependent on each other. They had both been opposed to a relationship, so everything had been good to go. Zero feelings involved.

Except, somewhere in between being her friend and her fuck buddy, Will realized what it meant for them to be both at the same time. It meant something more.

And it’s become something more. At least it has for him. Now, he wants to stay the night whenever they sleep together and then make her tea in the morning. He wants to be able to greet her with a hug in public that lasts just a little longer than it should and catch the smiles she sends him that are only for him.

That may be a problem. Elizabeth Bennet is not his type. Well, not in a relationship at least. He’s used to professionals, which sounds weird because a relationship is as personal as it gets, but the girls he usually dates are rigid, uptight and neatly reserved. They serve his public life. He is a corporate lawyer after all. He needs someone he can take to a professional event that won’t try to expose that he’s ticklish or something.

Elizabeth Bennet is a lot of things, but professional is not one of them. He’s not sure he could convince her to be boring for even one evening. He also doesn’t think he would want to. Lizzie is bright, mysterious and funny. The very opposite of boring.

And he honestly doesn’t think he could watch her turn into anything else, even for the sake of his career.

Despite these sane, rational reasons as to why he shouldn’t turn their current relationship into something more, he finds himself wanting to anyways. Sure, he has fancies outside of his type before, but usually it’s purely physical. A quick shag once or twice and the feeling is gone, and he can move on to his next ‘professional girlfriend’. But he’s already with Lizzie in a purely physical sense and it’s still not enough.

Regarding Lizzie’s feeling for him, her emotions were always a mystery. He doesn’t know if she’s interested in something more, but he does know that he’s not willing to bruise his ego for a girlfriend.

Or a fiancé. Or a wife…

HOLD YOUR HORSES, DARCY! THAT’S GOING A LITTLE FAR!

No, he’s fine with being her fuck buddy who’s in love with her on the side.

Wait to make it sound pathetic.

His table at the reception is the strangest grouping of people he thinks he’s ever seen. Calling Jane and Charlie’s families incompatible would be an understatement. The Bennet sisters spend the entire time gossiping about high school drama, while Caroline looks downright scandalised to have so many low-level people sitting near her. Mrs. Bennet can’t seem to shut up, going on and on about how proud she is of Jane and how beautiful she looks and how handsome Charlie looks. Charlie’s parents, who have to listen to all of this, look ready to jump off a bridge. Mr. Bennet stays silent for most of the night, but Darcy occasionally catches him shooting smiles at Lizzie, his favourite daughter.

He can’t blame Mr. Bennet for picking favourites because she’s Darcy’s favourite Bennet sister too.

Despite the noise and chaos, he’s happy. Lizzie grips his hand under the table whenever her mom says anything particularly embarrassing and he runs the pad of his thumb over her knuckles in a fashion that he hopes is comforting. She spends the entire dinner whispering stupid jokes in his ear and daring him to do ridiculous things she knows he won’t follow through on. It’s a little exciting, knowing that they’re the only ones that know about them.

You know what would be even more exciting?

If everyone knew.

He spends the entire reception trying to spend some time with Lizzie. He can’t help it, he really just wants to pull her into his arms and drag her out on the dance floor. He hates dancing. He’s good at it because his mum put him through so many dancing classes when he was younger. He used to complain constantly about how it was a useless skill, but his mum would always respond with a secretive smile, claiming that she was sure it would come in handy someday.

And now at the age of twenty-six, he finally understands what she meant. He’s happy that he can bring a girl out on the dance floor and know exactly what he’s doing. He can’t imagine how mortifying it would be if he didn’t know how to dance at all. Unfortunately, this realization is quite useless when Lizzie is literally running around the entire place trying to make everything run smoothly.

He tries to catch her, but each time, without fail, she manages to smirk, say something flirty and then run away. He’s starting to wonder if he did something wrong and she’s doing it on purpose.

In the end he does get his dance though. It’s not until Jane and Charlie have left for their honeymoon.

Charlie and Jane were enchanted by the evening. Their words not his, although if he’s being honest, he’s pretty enchanted by it all too. He can’t help but imagine what it would be like to be in Charlie’s position.

Or what it would be like to have Lizzie in Jane’s position.

Man, he really needs to just shoot himself at this point.

Once most of the party has cleared out, he finds himself cleaning up the reception room which is one of the ballrooms of a very nice hotel. He knows he doesn’t have to because the hotel workers who are actually getting paid will do it, but his mum always taught him to clean up after himself and he’s never quite been able to let that go.

He feels someone’s (Lizzie’s) hands encircle his waist and spins around to bring his lips to hers, lifting her up as she kisses him back. He can feel her smile widen against his lips.

This. This feeling is what he wants to feel all the fucking time.

He lowers her to the ground and and looks into her eyes which suddenly brighten.

“I have an idea,” she whispers excitedly.

“You do?” He teases, and she moves away from him and turns around, sticking her tongue out at him over her shoulder.

She moves over to the mixing table and plugs her phone into the aux cord. Her eyes skim over her phones as she looks for a song, then turns around as the first couple chords come out of the speakers and shoots him a dramatic look.

“Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band,” she sings loudly and clearly, closing her eyes and throwing her head back.

He laughs and she opens her eyes and smiles at him. She keeps singing and walking towards him as though she’s serenading him.

He loves it when she’s like this. At times like this, she manages to make him someone he’s not. Someone that doesn’t care what others think. He becomes interesting around her. Every moment with her is an adventure. She’s getting into the role and trying to pull him in too, and heaven knows he can’t refuse her. He starts singing every other line, like they’re having a conversation that was written by Elton John.

They keep singing the lines of the song back and forth as she gets closer and closer to him and when she’s finally close enough, he grabs her waist and pulls her into his chest, singing lowly as the music continues on.

He leads her around the room, using the skills he developed over the ten years he thought had been a waste, and enjoying the feeling of dancing for the first time in his life.

“This is a fantastic song to dance to Liz.”

“Really? It was either this or U Can’t Touch This,” she hums and he laughs softly.

“Must have been a pretty tough competition,” he kisses her collarbone, delighting in the way she reacts to his touch.

“It was, it took me all night to decide.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’ve been putting off this dance with me,” he tries to keep the relief out of his voice, but he’s pretty sure he fails.

“Yup,” she pops the p, “well that and the fact that if I danced with you, Lydia, Kitty and my mum would start planning another wedding before this one could even finish,” she rolls her eyes.

“And that would be bad,” he says it like a statement but he’s pretty sure he means it as a question.

Something flashes across Lizzie’s face. It’s a hint of fear or vulnerability. The same emotion that comes across anyone’s face when they’re questioning a relationship they don’t know how to define.

But then it’s gone and she’s smiling again.

“Trust me, you don’t want my mum or my sisters on our case,” Lizzie sighs and nestles her head against his chest, casting her eyes away from his as they rock back and forth lightly. It effectively shuts off the conversation and as much as he’d like to enjoy the feeling of Lizzie in his arms, he finds himself thinking about the flash in her eyes. That moment in which both of them could have dared to ask the question.

Would it really be so bad if people found out about them?

The song is about to end and for some reason, he knows he’s going to ask. He knows he’s going to ask the question because now it’s floating around between them. He’s not sure if the thing he feels right now is entirely new, so maybe it’s been hovering over them for a while now. The new part is that now they’ve acknowledged it.

As the last note fades out, Darcy squeezes her hip lightly so she’ll look up at him, “Lizzie, I think we should-” his voice catches in his throat because she’s staring at his lips. Her hands, which were previously hanging lightly around his neck, are now moving down his back, sending shivers down his spine.

She smirks, “You were saying?”

“I think we should-” he cuts off with a groan when she shifts one of her legs in between his and kisses her way up his jaw, nipping and licking whenever she feels like it.

“Lizzie,” he warns. He knows that it’ll just make her want to tease him more. She likes him like this, fighting hard to win against her, but not being able to.

He decides to take a different route, “I have to clean,” he’s a little embarrassed at how breathless he sounds.

She scoffs at his lame excuse, “How about you do that right after you take me up to your hotel room?”

He groans dramatically letting his head fall down on to her shoulder.

“Oh no, I’m Will Darcy and a sexy, intelligent, stable woman wants to have sex with me! What a tragedy!” Lizzie imitates, her voice going an octave lower in a hilarious attempt to sound more like him.

“Sexy and intelligent I can agree with,” he whispers into her ear, “but stable? Have you met yourself Lizzie?”

“Many times, and I can confirm that I am an absolute delight-” he cuts her off with a kiss which she quickly returns, taking it deeper before he can even realize that he initiated it.

“So your room?” She giggles between kisses.

“Yeah, okay.”

Goddamnit Darcy, when did you become such a pansy?

They keep it together in the lobby and down the halls of the first floor before finally breaking in the elevator when she melts into him and kisses him squarely on the mouth, swiping her tongue against his bottom lip. He grabs her arse so he can lift her up and press her against the wall of the small compartment.

He’s too busy snogging her senseless and feeling every inch of exposed skin he can to hear the elevator ding way earlier than it should. Or the elevator doors sliding open as him and Lizzie continue to make out, completely unaware of anyone watching.

He becomes very aware the second he hears a high pitched shriek. Lizzie pushes him away, looking absolutely mortified as she stares out the elevator doors. Darcy reluctantly turns around, only to be met by the incredulous looks of two identical sixteen year old girls.

Yes, Lydia and Kitty had caught them making out. And for the record, it was all Lizzie’s fault. If she hadn’t kissed him in the elevator, then none of this would have happened. He should’ve known that her mischievous ways would get them caught sooner than later

“I don’t know what you two think you just saw,” Lizzie starts, walking out of the elevator towards them, her eyes absolutely menacing, “but it was nothing. Got it?”

Ouch…

(Yes, he knows that she doesn’t mean that and just wants to get rid of them, but still… ouch.)

Darcy settles for standing in the door of the elevator to keep it open. He really doesn’t want to get involved.

One of them sniggers – he thinks it’s Kitty – and says, “That didn’t look like nothing. I’m proud of you Lizzie. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if you had it in you.”.

Lizzie just stares at her, astonished. Will is sure that Lizzie’s about to tear them both down, but before she can say anything, Lydia steps in, “I believed in you Liz. Which reminds me,” she turns on Kitty, “you owe me a fifty.”

Kitty sighs while Lydia continues to grin wolfishly, apparently extremely proud of herself.

“I take it back, I’m not proud of you. I thought you had self control. Dignity. You were the sister that wasn’t supposed to throw herself at every hot guy that walked by,” Kitty shakes her head, but then she turns her head to Darcy and looks him up and down, “but I guess he isn’t just any hot guy,” she smirks at Lizzie.

“Did I just get checked out by a fucking sixteen year old?” It just slips out and Darcy realizes that he literally has no more control over any of his actions.

“Eighteen,” Kitty and Lydia snap at the same time.

“What a huge difference,” Lizzie says sarcastically, rolling her eyes at them.

“It is actually,” Lydia says matter-of-factly.

“We’re legal now,” Kitty throws in.

“Oh my god, that’s disgusting,” Lizzie groans.

Darcy can’t help it, he lets out a laugh. All three Bennet sisters turn to him.

“Do you find my pain funny?” Lizzie asks.

“No,” he says cautiously, “but you have to admit this is all pretty funny.” She doesn’t look amused so he keeps going, “I mean, we’re caught snogging by your sisters. Turns out they’ve been betting on us all along and, to top it all off, they start hitting on me. I mean, it’s kind of bloody hilarious.”

And then both Kitty and Lydia let out a laugh and suddenly he’s laughing along with them and now Lizzie’s the only one that looks put out by the situation. He lets go of the elevator door and walks over to her, taking her hand in his and pulling her towards him.

“Hey, it’ll be okay. Let’s just get rid of them and then we’ll talk,” he says to her. She sighs, but then nods her head reluctantly.

“Okay whatever,” she turns to her sisters, “I’ll cut you a deal. You keep your mouths shut about what you saw, and in exchange, I’ll pretend that I didn’t see you guys sneaking out of your room to get drunk and flirt with guys at the hotel bar,” Lizzie says casually.

Lydia and Kitty scowl at her, but then nod their heads.

“Okay deal,” both Lydia and Kitty stick their hands out and Lizzie shakes them. It all feels much too formal and drug deal-esque for a family agreement, but Will can’t really judge considering his own family.

Lizzie and Darcy stick around while Lydia and Kitty wait for the elevator. The doors are about to close when Lydia says, “A piece of advice, you guys should just go public already. Everyone’s waiting for it. Also, I have a lot of bets on you guys so the sooner it happens, the sooner I get my money,” and that’s when the doors close and all that’s left behind is Lizzie, Darcy and tension.

His three favourite things.

Neither of them know what to say. He feels her pain. He can’t even imagine the mortification and endless teasing that would be warranted if his sister had caught them, and he actually liked Georgie.

“So… your sisters know,” he says carefully.

“They’re not my sisters. They’re little devils,” she says bitterly and he laughs lightly.

“Hey,” he says, putting his finger under her chin and lifting her head up so he can meet her eyes, “We can just explain that we’re not serious. Or we can go back to being friends. Crisis averted.”

He hopes that he doesn’t sound as pathetic as he feels because he really does not want to go back to being friends. On the other hand, if that’s the only way he can be with Lizzie, he’s okay with that.

“Okay… so let’s call that plan B,” she says slowly, taking a deep breath, “but I think that plan A should be telling people about… us.”

“Us?” He asks blankly.

“Yeah,” she continues nervously, “and maybe instead of pretending that this is some casual thing, we could actually go on a date and be a real thing.”

“A real thing?”

“Yeah,” she smirks, “and maybe you could actually say something to reassure me. I’m really going out on a limb here Will.”

And in response to that, he just kisses her. He’s never been very good with his words, but he’s really good at other things. Lizzie slides her hands into his hair, playing with it and pulling him even closer as she lets his tongue search her mouth.

She pulls away and catches her breath, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

In response, he just pulls her in for another kiss.

So yeah, maybe Will makes bad decisions when he’s with Lizzie. But at least they’re making them together.

#pride and prejudice #pride and prejudice fanfiction #lizzie bennet #will darcy #william darcy #elizabeth bennet

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butterflieshq · 3 years

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* ( AMADEUS SERAFINI, 22 , MALE, HE/HIM ) welcome back to the redwoods ( BENNETT RAWLSTON III ) i hope this time goes better for them than last. their friends like to call them the ( LIAR ) but they don’t believe that they behave quite that way. they are know for being ( CHARMING ) and ( PROTECTIVE ) but I doubt that people will over look the fact that the ( TWENTY TWO YEAR OLD ) is also quite ( PERSUASIVE ) and ( INDEPENDENT ). i hope they can survive until the morning light *

TW FOR UNDERAGED DRINKING, MENTIONS OF SEX, PREGNANCY AND DEATH UNDER THE CUT!

BIOGRAPHY :

Coming from a prestigious background, it wasn’t abnormal for one to have a tendency to break the rules from time to time. Whether it be sneaking out of the house, robbing the local gas station, or spray painting the exterior walls of abandoned buildings; anything was possible with the teens in the outskirts of New York.

Bennett Rawlston was no exception to this rule. He was the exact opposite of what his family expected of him. While the Rawlston name was known for their prideful, elegant, sophisticated nature, most people that were in Bennett’s life knew him as being quote the opposite. The boy had a passion for trouble. While his friends would do most of the work, Bennett was always right there following along and of course taking as much of the credit as he could. Cause, honestly, what kind of fun were you if you couldn’t at least pretend to live on the edge of your seat right?

Being a Rawlston wasn’t all fun and games though. While Bennett spent as much time as he could away from home, he still had an image to maintain. His father - Bennett Rawlston II - was a circuitous lawyer, one that had many clients who were usually found guilty on whatever terms he was fighting against. Brown hair mimicked his son’s, but most of his features were the completely opposite. Skin a pale color due to lack of sunshine. Voice gruff and stern, though, quiet most often as he usually wasn’t seen without some documents, a whiskey glass or both in his hands. All were features that could be described by most people in New York City; he was the seventh generation of Rawlston men to maintain the name sake in the city after all. Marina Rawlston - a reserved lady with little to no say about most things in her own life - was kind. Blonde hair and blue eyes accented her face; the smallest hint of fear cascading in the deep crevices of her eyes for reasons most people - even her family - didn’t understand.

Friday nights were always dedicated to dinner parties, grand meals and many guests gathered around the table, congratulating the family on their next biggest triumph. Being a Rawlston was a whole event within itself, and anyone would be thrilled to be a member of the family. That was, of course, everyone except for Bennett.

The older the male got, the more he desired to cause trouble. His group of friends got smaller, but the schemes among his friends got larger, and Bennett was living for it. It was at the age of thirteen that Bennett met Kaila, the girl he fell head over heels for. She was the complete opposite of him in most ways - her family was no where near rich, which was the only thing that really mattered to him - and she was the life of the party. Even though she was a bit older than him (three years older than him to be exact), that didn’t stop Bennett from pursuing her in any way he possibly could. The two hit it off quickly, and before he knew it things were getting serious, intimate, and Bennett was falling - hard.

Nearly six months into the relationship the crew all gathered for a night just to party. Alcohol - provided from Mr. Rawlston’s liquor cabinet - was the higlight of the night of course. Kaila and Bennett couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, all while the rest of the friend group made fun of them for the amount of PDA they were expressing when Kaila asked Bennett if they could be alone. After being intimate, the girl told Bennett she needed to tell him something. She was pregnant; Bennett was going to be a father at thirteen years of age. How could he have been so careless? There was no way this could happen; they were too young and he had to convince her to do something.

Two weeks after Kaila told Bennett the news, the group of friends were all at an abandoned warehouse, partying just like they’d done many times before. Bennett seemed distant, but the male knew it was just the nerves of trying to talk to Kaila that was bothering him. Conversation struck and an argument began to spark; the girl was going to go through with the pregnancy. She didn’t care how immature and drunk Bennett seemed to be, she was going to keep this baby, regardless. She didn’t want him to ‘regret it in the morning’. The fight continued and Bennett and Kaila separated, but unlike most of his friends who didn’t care, Bennett was too drunk to try to go home, so instead he slept there, the concrete floor serving as his bed for the night.

Hours turned into days, which turned into weeks of no communication between Bennett and Kaila. The fight had been pretty bad; Bennett wasn’t concerned. That of course, was until rumors started spreading. Kaila had been missing for weeks and no one knew where to find her. Her parents hadn’t seen her since the night of the argument, and Bennett had been too drunk to at least make sure she made it home safely. News stories flooded all the stations with reports of the missing girl, none of which led to anymore evidence that she was found than the one before it. It was all a blur, a crazy stupid nightmare. It had to be.

That was until Kaila’s body was found at the warehouse that Bennett and his friends had been at that night. The coroner explained that fowl play seemed to be involved, and that she’d been there for nearly a month and a half - the timeline adding up to be the night of the argument. Kaila had been murdered, and all signs pointed to Bennett. With his father on his side, Bennett fought to prove his innocence; there was no way that he was going down without a fight. The trial seemed to be never ending, and by the skin of his teeth Bennett was able to get by, the case being ruled as an accident, but the town still pointed their fingers at Bennett even with little evidence he was there. Rumors flew that he pushed her off the ledge and that’s why she was on the bottom of the ground like that. others stated they could be heard arguing about her cheating on him and that’s why he was so angry. Others - some of his friends - say that he acted enraged, but that even they knew that Bennett was innocent. Once his name was cleared and everyone gave the family a second to breathe, the Rawlston’s packed and moved town. A fresh start would do them some good.

As Bennett turned fourteen and the start of a new school year was fresh upon him, he began to create a new life for himself. One where he could do whatever he wanted. Be whoever he wanted. His friend group began to grow as he made himself familiar with the school, and Bennett began to become more thankful for the fresh start; here he didn’t have to maintain a reputation because of his dad. Here, he could be normal. Freshman year was the year that Bennet Rawlston became the person everyone wanted to be friends with. Maybe it was the designer clothes he wore to school everyday. Maybe it was the giving personality he seemed to radiate around the school as he tried to fit in. All he knew was that he loved it.

At the prime of his fourteenth year - and without even realizing it was happening - Bennett (or Benny as his new group of friends liked to call him) was introduced to a girl that would change his life again; Nathlia Scott. Benny and Nat hit it off rather quickly; some even joke it was love at first sight. And while the thought was reassuring, it also scared Benny, more than he cared to admit. Every second of every day was spent with Nat, whether it be together alone or with their group of friends that he’d made here you’d never see one without the other. The two became serious rather quickly, and by the time they both were the age of sixteen, people even joked they were going to get married. Everyone was envious of their love for each other, and while Benny was still terrified from times before him, he was learning more day by day to live in the moment.

While everything for Benny and Nat was pretty much picture perfect, there was a secret that Benny was hiding from everyone in the friend circle, including Nat. He’d been sleeping with her friend for months without anyone knowing. The two of them knew of course, and while Benny knew that it would ruin Nat if she ever found out he just couldn’t stop. There was something so intoxicating about them, about the way that they connected on a more physical level than he ever had with Nat. He loved Nat, probably more than he’d ever loved anyone or anything, however, Benny loved sex just as much, if not more.

Things between Benny and Nat were starting to get distant. With the talk of college, the next big chapter of their lives becoming prime conversation topic for most of Benny’s senior year, things were starting to become stressful. Every conversation felt forced almost, and Benny wanted the freedom he’d felt when he first moved here. That of course all changed when they took the trip that weekend that changed their lives forever.

Benny had fully prepared to talk to Nat about them taking a break, that maybe some time apart would be good for both of them. The night ended up going the opposite as planned though, and Benny never got to talk to her. Between the alcohol, the partying and Benny getting locked in a room with Nat’s friend for the night, things couldn’t possibly go anymore wrong then they already were. Of course, that’s what everyone thought anyways.

That was before Nat went missing; and one of them was the culprit. Which one was it? Which one was at fault? Did someone know about Benny’s secret romance and this was their way of getting him out of it? Or framing him? But most importantly, what would his friends think if they ever found out the real reason he moved to the Redwoods; and that this wasn’t the first time this had happened to him?

PENNED BY KATELYN !

#( biograph. )#skeleton rp #established rp #literate rp #semi appless rp #horror rp #mature rp

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teaching-diary · 3 years

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Reflecting on Pride and Prejudice

A) P&P is a novel that is rich in its descriptions of characters. Choose a female and a male character and copy here the paragraph where they are being described. Have a close look at the vocabulary and make sure you know what the vocabulary means.

B) Then describe those two characters using words we'd be using now. Keepthemeaningofcourse!

C) We have also said that P&P is a novel heavily loaded with cultural issues. Choose one aspect of culture that interests you (food, drink, dance, homes, habits, beliefs ...etc) and discuss how they are being dealt with in the novel. Approx 200 words. Please use quotestojustifyyourchoices.

D) Reply to Darcy's second proposal. Record yourself (audio or video). Don't read it. Please be as natural as possible

E) Imagine you live in that village. Tell the story of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy in your own words.

Mr. Bennet: “Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character.”(Chapter 1)

Mrs. Bennet: “Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.” (Chapter 1)

Jane & Elizabeth about Mr. Bingley: ‘He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!-so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!"

"He is also handsome," replied Elizabeth, "which a young man ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete."

"I was very much flattered by his asking me to dance a second time. I did not expect such a compliment." ’ (Chapter 4)

Mr. Bennet: He embodies the patriarch of the family; he has a sarcastic and cynical sense of humour that he uses to irritate Mrs. Bennet.

Mrs. Bennet: She is Mr. Bennet’s wife. A gossip, foolish, noisy woman whose only goal in life is to see her daughters married.

Mr. Bingley: He is a cute, sensible boy with good manners and well-educated. He is a gentleman, well-intentioned, easygoing; who is unconcerned about class differences.

“Pride & Prejudice” takes place in the period of British Regency during the beginning of the 19th century, characterized by a stratified society, in which social mobility was restricted and class-consciousness was strong. It was a tendency that class divisions were related to family connections and wealth. Jane Austen portrays the landed gentry and their social status. Women had no right to inherit land or to have a certain kind of wealth. Thus, it was better to be married to a wealthy man: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (Chapter 1)

By those times, marriage had always been a goal between women from the middle and upper social classes. It was the only honourable hope for well-educated young women of small fortune. The novel is full of criticism towards marriage. For its sarcastic tone, the author shows her distrust toward the institution of marriage. Jane austen herself never married.

Elizabeth and Darcy marry because they love each other, but not everyone has that privilege. Mr. Collins, on the contrary, wants to marry her to advance in his career and economic situation. Besides, even while Elizabeth seems disregarded with Darcy’s wealth when she initially rejects and eventually accepts him, it cannot be helped how convenient this union is to her. Not only because she is going to be rich, but she will also be able to support her sister.

Marriage was the only career option for women. The result in those times was: sensible women who are married to dull and foolish men; or unmindful girls, either ruining their chances of a stable life or being attached to men who do not care for them.

It was a nice day when my neighbour, Mrs Bennet, came up with the news: a rich young man, named Mr Bingley, had rented a mansion next to our household called “Netherfield Park”. This situation caused a great stupor in the Bennet’s house. My neighbours, the Bennets, were made up of five daughters, Jane, Lizzy, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, (all unmarried) and Mrs. & Mr. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet was desperate to see them all married. That was their only chance to inherit a State and to have a prosperous life. By those times, marriage was a solid institution to which women could only aspire.

A few days later, the Bennets attended a private Ball at which Mr. Bingley was present. Jane danced with the eligible bachelor and spent the whole of the evening with him. He brought his close friend, Mr. Darcy, to that event. Darcy was less pleased with the evening and refused to dance with Elizabeth, which made her think that he was a snobbish, foolish guy. Elizabeth started to hate him… how can he dare to be such a disrespectful creature? The days passed through, and however Lizzy wanted Mr. Darcy to disappear, he started to find himself attracted to Lizzy’s appeal and intelligence. On the contrary, Jane started a good friendship with Mr. Bingley. One day, Jane visited Bingley’s mansion. On her journey to the place, she got stuck in a terrible storm and became ill, forcing her to stay at Netherfield Park for several days. In order to save her sister from the Bingleys, Elizabeth walked through muddy fields and arrived with a dirt dress, which caused the rejection of the snobbish Miss Bingley, Mr. Bingley's sister.

When Elizabeth and Jane went back home, they found that Mr. Collins was visiting their house. Mr. Collins was a young clergyman who was trying to inherit Mr. Bennet’s property. By this time, there were severe rules about inheritance, that it can only be passed to males. Mr. Collins was such a fool… he made a proposal of marriage to Elizabeth... without knowing her. She felt so disgusted, he almost forced her to do it but… her honour was stronger. She wounded his pride.

After that, the Bennet girls became friends with military officers that were staying at a town that was near. They had met Mr. Wickham, a handsome soldier who liked Elizabeth. They became close friends. One day he told her that he had known Darcy before and that he had cheated on him, letting Wickham out of an inheritance.

Time passed through, and I had found that the Bingleys and Darcy left Netherfield Park and returned to London… Jane was devastated.

After a while, Mr. Collins achieved his goal: he married Charlotte, Lizzy’s best friend. Elizabeth visited Charlotte, Mr. Collins’ spouse, who lived near the home of Mr. Collins’s patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who was also Darcy’s aunt. Darcy visited Lady Catherine and met Elizabeth… he started to visit frequently due to Lizzy’s presence.

One day, Darcy made a proposal to Lizzy, who instantly refused. She told him that she considered him arrogant, snobbish and unpleasant; then claimed that he took Bingley away from Jane and disinherited Wickham.

After that, he left and sent a letter to her saying that he pushed Bingley to distance himself from Jane… but established that he did so because he thought their love was not serious. Regarding Wickham, he told Elizabeth that he was a liar and that the real cause of their discord was Wickham’s try to elope with his young sister, Georgiana. This letter made Elizabeth rethink her feelings about Darcy. She went back home and acted distant toward Wickham. The militia left town, which distressed the man-mad Bennetts.

Lydia gained permission from her father to spend the summer with a former colonel in Brighton, where the Wickham regiment was. Elizabeth went on another journey with the Gardiners (Bennets’ relatives). They went North and casually… to the neighbourhood of Pemberley, Darcy’s estate. She went to Pemberley, after making sure that Darcy was not there. Suddenly, Darcy arrived and acted cordially to Lizzy… such a sweet and gentleman man!

In the meantime, a letter arrived from Lizzy’s home, telling Elizabeth that Lydia had eloped with Wickham and that the couple had disappeared. Desperately, Elizabeth went back home. Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet went off to search for Lydia, but Mr. Bennet returned home without a solution. When there was no hope, a letter arrived from Mr. Gardiner saying that the couple had been found and that Wickham had agreed to marry Lydia in exchange for an annual income… The Bennets thought it was Mr. Gardiner who paid off Wickham, but Elizabeth realized that Darcy made the arrangement. Wickham and Lydia return to Longbourn married. They then went for Wickham’s new assignment in the North of England.

Shortly after, Bingley returned to Netherfield and continued his relationship with Jane. Darcy went to stay with him and visited the Bennets. Bingley, on the other hand, proposed to Jane. Mrs Bennet was full of joy.

After that, Lady Catherine de Bourgh visited Longbourn. She warned Elizabeth and said that she had heard that Darcy, her nephew, was planning to marry her. She thought that a Bennet was an unsuitable match for a Darcy. Elizabeth refused, saying that she was not engaged to Darcy... but she would not promise something against her own happiness.

Later, Elizabeth and Darcy went for a walk together and he told her that his feelings had not altered since the last time they had spoken. She accepted his proposal… and they lived happily ever after.

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academiablogs · 6 years

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Yes, It’s All About You (in Writing, Anyway)

I recently noticed that in every one of my novels—five of them now—there’s at least one “letter scene.” Sometimes two. These are scenes where we watch someone write a letter, and what is written, as well as what the character imagines writing, becomes an important part of the story. Letters fascinate me for a number of reasons, though chiefly because we tend not to write them anymore. But imagine a world where people only really spoke through letters, since in society you were carefully monitored, especially as a woman, with family members forever watching you, making sure you were doing your duty and never going too far. To speak your mind to someone you cared for could only be done in a letter, and even then, it had to be done carefully, meticulously. And once delivered, the letter was a precious object, a one-of-a-kind artistic creation that only one other person in the world possessed.

Imagine how different that is today, when even e-mails are never private. We never possess the actual first draft of someone’s thoughts. Being able to see someone’s handwriting and imagine the pressure they placed on a specific word or letter speaks as loudly as the letter itself. In short, to write a letter was to escape from the strictures of society and speak unfettered, truly naked before one other person, be it a friend, a lover, a parent, or a child. You could act, you could quibble, you could even lie in a letter...but it was so much easier for the reader to see the truth.

Since I write fantasy set hundreds of years ago in an alternative past, letter writing is how my characters see the world. In many of the great novels of the past, letters frame an important moment for the characters—think of Elizabeth Bennet’s letter from Darcy in Pride and Prejudice or more humorously, the letter delivered to Malvolio in Twelfth Night. We love these meta moments in fiction, allowing us to read a character in the act of reading, or even better, envision a writer writing about a character themselves trying to put words on a page. As writers, many of us enjoy this, too, since it reflects our own frustrations and doubts about writing. We want to see our own creations struggle with the same problems we do, since they are, in a sense, versions of us. We want to see them cross out words, not find the right words, or not be able to write at all. Perhaps we merely want our characters to suffer the same hell they put us through?

Or should I say, I want to see this, since my books are fundamentally pieces of my own autobiography. So often when I’m writing, there are two kinds of passages: (a) passages that move the story along in some fundamental way and (b) passages that allow me to look at myself in a mirror. The letter scenes are exactly that, and I dash them off like nobody’s business. No Writer’s Block here, just sheer fun and inspiration. The “a” passages are much harder to write and I tirelessly revise them, often losing inspiration in the process. Of course, this begs the question: if the “b” passages are more autobiographical and so much easier to write, are they really all that good? Are you merely indulging in some shameless diary entries or budget psychoanalysis? After all, everyone has an equivalent to my “letter scenes” where they get to indulge in subject matter that is the verbal equivalent of a warm bath. You sink into the words and lose yourself in a bliss of self reflection/satisfaction.

I would argue that every novel (or any kind of writing) needs both passages, “a” and “b.” Maybe a little more of “a,” but the “b’s” make the story. Because a story without your unique stamp as a writer and thinker is no story at all. You have to play to your strengths as a writer and know what motivates you and allows you to get inside the mind of your character(s). The powers-that-be always say, “write what you know,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean “write about someone like you in a place like the one you live in,” etc. It means write about the things that make you excited about the world around you; those things that make you understand your fellow man and woman; the ideas that make character seem alive rather than cardboard cut-outs or convenient tropes. For that reason, a letter scene in my novels helps me ground my characters and truly talk to one another—and quite often, discover what they really want and who they truly are.

In my novel, The Winged Turban, the main character is trapped in an earlier time and appears there as the spitting-image of another character’s lost love. Clearly, she is not this woman, and yet everyone is convinced that she is, to the point that she begins questioning who she is, too—all the more so, that she begins remembering shards of the centuries-deceased woman’s life. She eventually allows herself to believe that she could, possibly, have a life with Charles, but only if such a life is based on the truth; he has to know who she is, or was, if they can ever mean anything together. How could she tell him this? Through a simple conversation? A series of them? Or...a letter?

The Crystal Ball by Waterhouse, 1902. I caught myself here, since I knew I was falling back on my old bag of tricks. And yet, this is what made the story exciting for me: that a woman who was falling in love had to convince herself, and the man she loved, that they weren’t fooling each other. That they could actually see one another for who they were, rather than what they might have been. The story became much more personal for me at this moment, since I understood what she wanted and why she couldn’t let herself have it. So I wrote a letter, probably the letter I, myself, would have written in her shoes. But I did it in her voice, and the result is pasted below, and I continue to think it one of the more successful parts of the novel:

[From Chapter 32]

Beatrice slumped against the wall, feeling trapped in more ways than one. In her mind she had already written most of the letter; the question would be which parts to leave out.

Dear Charles,

You once dropped a glove to catch my heart. You caught it: I gave you everything a young girl could give, all her dreams and secrets. I think this letter is my own glove, what I fear to give voice to and can only place in a letter. Read this before you see me again, and if your feelings still hold, then I will try to accept myself as Isabella, though I fear I can never be what she was for you.

Here is the truth: I am a married woman from another land. Married by contract, of course, but married nonetheless. I am the Duchess of a great estate, of a great family. Though the match was never consummated, it is only a matter of time, and I must do my duty. Should I return, I would have to be his wife, the wife of a man I’ve only met once and can scarcely recall in my head. I would have to forget everything I am and hope to be, and of course everything I’ve seen and experienced with you.

But what if I didn’t return? What if I stayed here and forgot who I was and who I married? Would you accept me? Would you hide me? Would you help me forget? Of course you could never forget, and by coming here I am breaking my vows, shaming my family and offending the gods. I would never be accepted in the world to come. But I would risk that, if only to be here with you. Even if I only lasted a year, that year would be worth an eternity of whatever followed. Because I could remember that once upon a time someone loved me and claimed me for his own. I would do this. But I can’t ask this of you.

And yet I am asking you. I don’t dare ask it to your face, so I write it here, for you to find when I am gone. I hope you will pick it up, but if not, you’ve already given me a glimpse at a beautiful life, one I will carry with me forever, whether I’m Beatrice or Isabella. I await your answer...

Beatrice shuddered at the thought of writing it all down. No, she could never do it. He would never agree.

#amwriting #writing advice #bookish #writer's life #writing process

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beyond-katie-blog · 4 years

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An Analysis of Elizabeth Bennet: A Viewpoint of the British Class System in the 19th Century

Pride and Prejudice, a staple in romantic literature and regarded as a classic, was written by Jane Austen and published in 1813. The novel is based in the nineteenth century near the end of the Georgian era specifically during the Regency period, a time of cultural development before the famous Victorian era. Elizabeth Bennet, a twenty-one-year-old woman that is the second eldest of her five sisters, did not seek marriage like her sisters which was atypical for the time. Elizabeth, unlike the majority of girls and woman like her mother and certain sisters, disliked the pressures and notions of formal society. Elizabeth marries Mr. Darcy, a man with prejudice and pride akin to hers but in different prospects, and it teaches her more about the reality of class and their own troubles. It is expected that “A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved.” (Austen 45) and also improve her mind in the form of extensive reading. Men, in this aspect, are expected to be handsome, gentlemanly yet formidable, and who known all formal graces of courtship of a woman of great standing or a plentiful dowry. In Pride and Prejudice, life can act as a viewpoint of the marital and societal expectations in the British class system by analyzing Elizabeth Bennet’s personal relationships with family, friends, and romantic interests.

In discussions revolving around the 19th century, the social and romantic aspects of the century is what is most commonly seen: For beneath the surface glitter of Regency life - the opulent interiors, the elegant dress, the grand, scenic architecture - was an underlying malaise, a pervasive emptiness and a sense of loss that afflicted a wide spectrum of the populace. (Erickson 8) Elizabeth Bennet shares quite similar views in the way that she abhors what is expected of society in the marital sense. Elizabeth is regarded as the second most beautiful compared to her oldest sister, Jane, and as the most peculiar and expressive. She enjoys dancing, laughing, and being free with her emotions and purpose. She did not hide how she felt but when it would compromise someone else, particularly her sisters or husband. In 19th century standards, she is not the woman a man would usually wish to marry as she is overly witty, intelligent, and stubborn in her opinions of society. These traits were not desirable in women of that time, subservience was expected, and conversation was the least concern compared to confirming succession and wealth for the family. Behind marriage lies the ideal of money not love, most women from a young age were raised to yearn for a man with a plentiful fortune. For the British Class System in the 19th century, “consequence of continuing material progress, the national distribution of income and wealth slowly became somewhat less skewed...” (Goldthorpe/Lockwood 142) it lessened the power dynamic between the classes but did not abolish it. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. (Austen 4) Elizabeth settles that she would die an old maid, a woman who never marries and gets no money from a marriage, rather than enter a loveless marriage. Love is not optional for her but a necessity, the presence of her husband is to be enriching, riveting, and comforting. Elizabeth’s family knows this is an important part of who she is and what eventually led to her self-proclaimed passionate and loving marriage to Mr. Darcy, in which her father accepted due on this basis.

Elizabeth’s parents are dissimilar, as the very first mention of the character illustrates their core personality differences:

Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news. (Austen 6)

Mr. Bennet does not care for his children’s marriages as fervently as his wife, Mrs. Bennet, and certain daughters did. Starting from the eldest sister is Jane, twenty-three, who is known for her beauty and is “so admired” (Austen 15) marries a kind and wealthy heir named Mr. Charles Bingley [a close friend of Mr. Darcy]. Elizabeth is her father’s favorite and shares the closet bond with him due to their shared understanding and admiration. Mary, nineteen, is the middle child and “a young lady of deep reflection” (Austen 9), she is also the only one to remain home after all her sisters married. Catherine “Kitty” Bennet, seventeen, is the fourth sister daughter and is often in the shadow of Lydia, her youngest sister, who “She will follow wherever Lydia leads. Vain, ignorant, idle, and absolutely uncontrolled!” (Austen 265). Lydia Bennet, fifteen, is the youngest child and she is described as “lost to everything” (Austen 318) and was determined to married an officer. This determination to led her elopement with the charming, yet very deceptive officer Mr. George Wickham [a former childhood friend of Mr. Darcy], who Elizabeth herself said “...will never marry a woman without some money.” (Austen 318) Though Mr. Bennet did not expect and greatly disliked the elopement of Lydia and Mr. Wickham, the marriage had to properly happen in order to protect the Bennet family’s honor from total ruin and disgrace. The sisters are all quite different in many regards and can fit into many modern stereotypes, such as Kitty and Lydia falling into the stereotype “all woman are obsessed with men” and Mary being “the silent type.” Ms. Bennet was the one to entertain the younger sister’s obsession with marriage, which led to the Lydia’s predicament but also was able to prevent Kitty, and the reputation of those living in the manor, from the same fate. It is also essential to mention Mr. Collins, a cousin of Mr. Bennet, who is a clergyman, and landholder at the estate of his patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Mr. Collins, in the event that Mr. Bennet’s dies and none of his daughters are married, is the devisee of the Bennet manor. Due to this, Bennet needed to marry a woman of or in relation to the Bennet family. His first choice was Jane for superficial reasons but that did not work out because she was in active courtship with Mr. Bingley. For that reason, Mr. Collins later proposed to Elizabeth, who swiftly rejected him leading him to marry her best friend.

Charlotte Lucas, twenty-seven, is a close friend of the family and Elizabeth Bennet’s best friend who marries Mr. Collins for his wealth and also her growing age. Charlotte was known “for her compassion” (Austen 129) and would recognize the romantic chemistry between Jane and Mr. Bingley, and even Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy from the beginning. Charlotte would listen closely to anyone; she was not bothered by Mr. Collins curt mannerisms. “Marriage vied with inheritance as the most important way to transmit power and wealth.” (Phegley 110) Charlotte and Mr. Collins was not a ‘proud’ one nor was it for love, but for the sake of herself and family’s prosperity. With this, Charlotte and Mr. Collins were able to easily coexist in the marriage where “mutual entertainment between couples would appear to be relatively rare” (Goldthorpe/Lock-wood 142). In the 19th century, especially in the Georgian era “…daughters were seen as the way forward, the family member who could boost the status and fortunes of a whole generation.” (Courcy 29) which is why Charlotte was so hastened to marry Mr. Collins. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal. (Austen 74) His impact is considerably small as a character but as a characteristic of the time he is an example. Mr. Collins is written as the average man to marry in that period, a wealthy and monotonous man whom only pursued marriage on the basis of inheritance and his own steadfast loyalty to whomever held power. Despite Charlotte being Mr. Collins third choice, as a husband he treated her well, as expected, which is described in Cruelty and Companionship: Conflict in Nineteenth Century Married Life:

But despite this [the customs of courtship] rigidity, by the end of the nineteenth century the exposure of marital misconduct among men of all social classes had brought to an unprecedented amount of attention to proper ideals of male behavior in marriage, so that one result of the long marriage debate was a challenge to prevailing concepts of marriage. The ‘manliness’ of husbands was tested increasingly by their marital conduct, and not only their breadwinning capacities, which could not help but encourage more intense questioning of their family authority. (Hammerton 2)

Colonel Fitzwilliam, thirty, is a gentleman whom Elizabeth took frivolous liking to, but were just friends. Though perceived as a complete gentleman, he does admit that he would be unable to ever marry a poor woman, inadvertently emphasizing Elizabeth lower economical stance, as he must provide for himself. He is cousin of Mr. Darcy and the guardian of Georgiana Darcy, the beloved younger sister of Mr. Darcy, and accidentally supplies knowledge to Elizabeth that lessens her opinion of Mr. Darcy. Colonel Fitzwilliam is who tells Elizabeth of Mr. Darcy’s involvement in separating Jane and Mr. Bingley, though he was not aware that Jane was her sister. The colonel said that Mr. Darcy had “congratulated himself on having lately saved a friend from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage...” (Austen 212).

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy did not start out being so ardently in love with each other but actually held hard feelings toward each other due to misunderstandings of each other’s character. They first met at a ball and whilst in Elizabeth’s earshot makes a rude remark of her appearance, “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me…” (Austen 14) which decides her opinion of him being “the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world…” (Austen 13) Elizabeth and Charlotte discuss his status in society, and how he has the right to be prideful, and Elizabeth even says, “I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.” (Austen 23) Elizabeth notices his apprehension for dance, which was a very prominent social activity in the Regency/Georgian era that was not taken lightly and was subject to many works of art such as Albert Ludovici Jnr., The Regency Dance:

Pride and Prejudice, a suitable title and phrase for the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy represents their equal prides and prejudices based upon the British Class System. The class system held favorably to the rich and negatively towards the poor, even more to those who lived in complete poverty. Elizabeth was prideful and had a prejudice against the wealthy, as she felt they all saw the poor as lesser than them. Mr. Darcy was just as prideful and had a similar prejudice on the opposite end of the spectrum as he felt all the poor, especially woman, only cared for wealth. Mr. Darcy, as previously described, separated Jane and Mr. Bingley because of his prejudices without truly seeing the type of person Jane was, and immediately generalized her due to his own skewed perspective. Shortly, only five pages, after Elizabeth finds out his involvement in the separation of Jane and Mr. Bingley, he proposes to Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy confesses that “In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” (Austen 217) After the confession, Elizabeth is left astonished and in shocked silence which gives him the fuel to continue the explanation of his conflicted and quite derogatory reaction towards his own feelings. During this, Elizabeth remains calm until she finally becomes angry and responds with a outright and notable response, addressing her main provocation: “I might as well inquire,” replied she, “why with so evident a desire of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I was uncivil? But I have other provocations. You know I have. Had not my feelings decided against you—had they been indifferent, or had they even been favourable, do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man who has been the means of ruining, perhaps for ever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?” (Austen 219) In the 2005 film adaption of Pride and Prejudice, suitably named after the novel, makes Mr. Darcy “look more passionate than the literary original”. (Gymnich/Ruhl 26) By using the actor as a tool, Joe Wright, the director was able to direct them to display emotions not commonly represented in the 19th century. Such as making the scene occur in the rain, a romantic trope very commonly used in iconic romance films like

The Notebook, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Enchanted

, instead of in the lackluster guestroom of the Collins house she was occupying. For this reason, Elizabeth “referred for the truth of every particular to Colonel Fitzwilliam himself—” (Austen 237) as there was no reason for him to be untrustworthy or biased in her eyes. In gaining Elizabeth’s trust he also fortuitously lessened her opinion of Mr. Darcy, especially after the displaced proposal. She over time finds out he was responsible for saving her family’s reputation by arranging the elopement of her sister, Lydia, to Mr. Wickham and assisting in reconnecting Jane and Mr. Bingley. Through her established friendship with the colonel, and circumstances connecting Mr. Darcy and herself, they began to see one another in a positive light and Elizabeth contentedly agrees to become Mr. Darcy’s wife upon seeing the happiness Jane’s engagement with her Mr. Bingley brought. In finally seeing what was behind his negative behaviors was actually concern and kindness for the people he cared for, Elizabeth was able to admit that she loved Mr. Darcy. When asking her father, Mr. Bennet, for permission to marry Mr. Darcy he asked if she really like him, this was her vivid response:

“I do, I do like him,” she replied, with tears in her eyes, “I love him. Indeed he has no improper pride. He is perfectly amiable. You do not know what he really is; then pray do not pain me by speaking of him in such terms.” (Austen 424)

With this, Elizabeth’s were assured and a stereotype of 19th century marital expectations was broken, as she loved her husband and he did in return, a rarity found in the time of rising society.

To conclude, in examining Elizabeth Bennet’s family, friendships, and romantic interests it was possible to analyze the marital and societal expectations of the British class system. Mr. and Ms. Bennet, though quite drastically different raised intelligent and mature young women, maybe with the exceptions of Kitty and Lydia Darcy, who even if they make mistakes can improve from them. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, along with Jane and Mr. Bingley, were able to break the stereotype of dispassionate marriages, instead entering healthy and tender ones. On the other hand, Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins acted as a prime example of the reality of marriage in the 19th century. Charlotte, only a short time away becoming an “old maid”, ended the burden on her parents and was able to financially ascend with the help of her marriage to Mr. Collins. However, this is not to be misunderstood. Charlotte was not in love with Mr. Collins, but she was content and treated well by Mr. Collins, together developing a unique companionship. With this, 19th century expectations are broken down and evolve into positive representations of what could be seen as negative. Prejudices between the rich and poor occurred in many ways, by not accepting a simple dance or even a proposal, it can take so many shapes. Pride truly takes many forms throughout society; Not enough words or to many, rejection, a superior wage, a bigger home, or just a phrase can hurt another person’s pride. Pride and Prejudice whilst generally focusing upon the marital aspects, it also expresses the moral lacking’s of individuals and their thoughts in society during the Regency era. It made possible, in examining Elizabeth Bennet’s family, friendships, and romantic interests it is possible to properly observe the marital and societal expectations and limitations that live within the British class system.

WORK CITED

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. AmazonClassics, 2017.

Courcy, Anne De. The Husband Hunters: American Heiresses Who Married into the British Aristocracy. St. Martin's Press, 2018. Dillon, Sarah. “Pride and Prejudice.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 Jan. 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/Pride-and-Prejudice.Erickson, Carolly. Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England. William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint Edition, 2011.

Goldthorpe, John H., and David Lockwood. Affluence and the British Class Structure. University of Cambridge, Department of Applied Economics, 1964. Gymnich, Marion, and Kathrin Ruhl. Gendered (Re)Visions: Constructions of Gender in Audiovisual Media. V & R Unipress, Bonn Univ. Press, 2010.

Hammerton, A. James. Cruelty and Companionship: Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Married Life. Routledge, 2016.Jnr. Ludovici, Albert. The Regency Dance. 1852-1932. Art and Antiques, Oxford, England. Bonhams. https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18050/lot/18/?category=list“Romantic Rain.” TV Tropes, Tvtropes, 13 Aug. 2014, tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RomanticRain. Phegley, Jennifer. Courtship and Marriage in Victorian England. Praeger, 2012.

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