#sunfreckle's scribbles

[mysunfreckle]

I was rereading the correspondence included in Pride and Prejudice, and I'm always amused by the "Yours, etc." used at the end of several of the letters simply because it was too much work to write it out the sign off in full. But what really gets me is that Mr. Collins letter to Mr. Bennet at Lydia's elopement is the only one to end with:

"I am, dear sir," etc., etc.

Like Austen is physically tapping you on the shoulder, going: "look, I'm not going to write out any of these commonplace civilities, but I do need you to know that Mr. Collins uses much much more of them"

#pride and prejudice #jane austen #austen #sunfreckle's scribbles #there is one other double 'etc.' in the novel #to indicate that Bingley is Very Very Civil and profuse in regretting that he has to decline an invitation to dinner #and that he'd love to come at any other time #because apparantly there are no people so verbose as a bingley in love and a collins keeping up a correspondence

[mysunfreckle]

Catherine Morland's parents are described as "plain, matter-of-fact people who seldom aimed at wit of any kind" and all we see on the page of her mother is definitely more plain sense than feeling sensibility. So it is very amusing to me that we also get this account of her taste in books, in a conversation between Isabella and Catherine:

“It is so odd to me, that you should never have read Udolpho before; but I suppose Mrs. Morland objects to novels.” “No, she does not. She very often reads Sir Charles Grandison herself; but new books do not fall in our way.” “Sir Charles Grandison! That is an amazing horrid book, is it not? I remember Miss Andrews could not get through the first volume.” “It is not like Udolpho at all; but yet I think it is very entertaining.”

The History of Sir Charles Grandison is an epistolary novel in six volumes from 1753 (so about 45 years old at the time of Northanger Abbey) by Samuel Richardson, and it features:

The beautiful, virtuous young orphan Harriet Byron, with a fortune of 15000 pounds, being pursued by a whole fleet of suitors.

The dastardly Sir Hargrave kidnapping Miss Byron from a masquerade ball and imprisoning her to force her into a marriage

The valiant Sir Charles Grandison coming to her rescue and fighting Sir Hargrave until he can bring her to safety

Miss Byron and Sir Charles falling in love but knowing that it cannot be, because! he is promised to another woman!

The other woman breaking off the engagement, the hero and heroine getting married, and then valiantly stepping up to help the Other Woman stand up to her family

Sir Hargrave dying of a dueling wound after mistreating yet another woman and leaving Miss Byron part of his estate to beg her forgiveness

It also includes a lot of moralising on religion, virtue, motherhood, and good society, which is probably why it a perfect pick for Mrs. Morland. It's all the thrill of abduction and rescue and devoted pining, but neatly dressed up in a morality tale about being good and proper. So you need not blush to say you enjoyed it and can even recommend it to your daughters.

It is also a book that is known for the constancy of its characters. Their morality, good or bad, is very fixed and plain to see. Which also fits with much of the Morlands' approach to people.

All I'm seeing is 16-year-old Catherine almost tripping over her feet to get to her mother with her current volume of Sir Charles Grandison clutched to her chest. Absolutely squealing with excitement over the Miss Byron being rescued from Hargrave's carriage by a virtuous nobleman who refused to even draw his sword because he abhors violence, while her mother placidly comments on how pleasant it is to see kindness and goodness so well reflected in literature.

#austen #jane austen #northanger abbey #sunfreckle's scribbles #sir charles grandison

[mysunfreckle]

Something something Jane Austen letting sweet tempered, yielding women resist the persuasion of people they greatly esteem when it concerns their sense of right and wrong, something something parallels:

The master of the house heard with real sorrow that they were to go so soon, and repeatedly tried to persuade Miss Bennet that it would not be safe for her—that she was not enough recovered; but Jane was firm where she felt herself to be right.

~ Pride and Prejudice

But Isabella became only more and more urgent, calling on her in the most affectionate manner, addressing her by the most endearing names. (…) But all in vain; Catherine felt herself to be in the right, and though pained by such tender, such flattering supplication, could not allow it to influence her.

~ Northanger Abbey

“You should have distinguished,” replied Anne. “You should not have suspected me now; the case is so different, and my age is so different. If I was wrong in yielding to persuasion once, remember that it was to persuasion exerted on the side of safety, not of risk. When I yielded, I thought it was to duty, but no duty could be called in aid here. In marrying a man indifferent to me, all risk would have been incurred, and all duty violated.”

~ Persuasion

“If it were possible for me to do otherwise” said [Fanny], with another strong effort; “but I am so perfectly convinced that I could never make him happy, and that I should be miserable myself.”

~ Mansfield Park

#that's it that's the post #Austen #Jane Austen #Sunfreckle's scribbles #pride and prejudice #northanger abbey #persuasion #mansfield park #my sister found me the Mansfield quote and I still spent 30 minutes raging at Sir Thomas

[mysunfreckle]

Considering the kind of reading Catherine Morland was probably accustomed to before she met Isabella in Bath, I am even more inclined to pardon her temporary disappearance into the Gothic mindset. Because her timeline is as follows:

Arrive in Bath, meet a handsome young man and make a new friend

Get introduced to The Mysteries of Udolpho and a whole list of other "horrid novels" by Isabella. [It's implied that Catherine has only read older novels (like Sir Charles Grandison and possibly Evelina and Cecilia) because, as she says: "new books do not fall in our way"]

Spend about six weeks reading aforementioned horrid novels while falling in love with Henry Tilney

Arrive at Northanger Abbey with a nice little reader-insert fic from aforementioned Henry, including all the horrors she is to find there

Encounter several of those horrors (an old chest, a dark cabinet, an accidentally extinguished candle, and a well-timed storm) in very quick succession. ["Could not the adventure of the chest have taught her wisdom?" Catherine, darling, you didn't stand a chance]

Find out about Mrs. Tilney's tragic death and experience the General's changeable temper and forceful ways almost simultaneously, the very day after her arrival at Northanger

Honestly, she has barely had time to catch her breath. The day that Henry points out the impossibility of her suspicions about his father's villainy is her fourth day in the abbey.

I forgive her, your honour. She was 17 and under the influence of a brand new hyperfixation

#it is to Catherine's credit that she is ashamed of herself #but /i/ forgive her #and henry knows. he forgives her immediately #and if the general had been a better man... #austen #northanger abbey #catherine morland #sunfreckle's scribbles #jane austen

[mysunfreckle]

I have thought of a cursed Pride and Prejudice AU:

• Darcy leaves Georgiana's elopement out of the explanatory letter he writes after the failed proposal at Hunsford, only revealing Wickham's refusing the living in exchange for money and then demanding it anyway. This still softens Elizabeth opinion of him, she still believes him, but has less sway over her feelings.

• When she sees Wickham again she still likes him enough to want to find out the truth. At her first hint he immediately confesses "the truth". He does a very good job of mourning the folly of his youth and explains how ashamed he is of his actions now. He owns that he perhaps ought to be less resentful towards Darcy, but claims that Darcy did not scruple to disdain him for a moment of folly, which, he claims, was brought on purely a by distress of circumstances. He also wishes he would have told her the whole truth immediately, but he simply couldn't bear to think it might sink him in her opinion. Elizabeth, flattered, and aided by Jane's endless faith in human good nature, believes him.

• After agreeing to let Lydia go to Brighton, Elizabeth manages to convince Mr. Bennet that this is actually a very very bad idea. But, judging that it would mean outright war at home if he retracts his permission now, he grumpily decides to take the whole family to Brighton.

• Because of this, Elizabeth does not go with the Gardiners to Derbyshire. Wickham improves his friendship with the whole Bennet family and keeps paying Lizzy special attention.

• Instead of going to Scarborough, the Bingleys and both Darcy's go to Brighton.

• Darcy sees Elizabeth again and immediately tries to show her he has listened to her reproofs on his manners. She, now convinced of his being a decent man, but not softened by a Pemberley meeting and the praise of his servants, is pleased with this change in behaviour, but not immediately so moved by it as she would have been.

• Wickham is for the first time able to see Darcy in company with Elizabeth, and, knowing Darcy's mannerisms better than almost anyone except for Georgiana, immediately sees that Darcy is genuinely in love with her. He also sees how absolutely horrified Darcy is to see him with the Bennets.

• Wickham then changes his idle flirting to full on courtship of Elizabeth, purely to get back at Darcy.

#I have no intention of writing this so it's going on the blog #so it is out of the head #austen #jane austen #pride and prejudice #george wickham #elizabeth bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #sunfreckle's scribbles

[mysunfreckle]

One of the funnest Pride and Prejudice POV switches to write so far

From:

When all of the house that was open to general inspection had been seen, they returned down stairs; and, taking leave of the housekeeper, were consigned over to the gardener, who met them at the hall door. As they walked across the lawn towards the river, Elizabeth turned back to look again; her uncle and aunt stopped also; and while the former was conjecturing as to the date of the building, the owner of it himself suddenly came forward from the road which led behind it to the stables.

To:

He rode directly to the stables, where he was welcomed with surprise and immediate inquiries as to whether any assistance was called for. Darcy assured them none was needed and handed off his horse, making his way down the road and towards the house unattended. His mind was fully occupied by his wish for a change of clothes and some refreshment, and his intention to summon his steward as soon as these had been obtained, so that he might have the remainder of the day to prepare for tomorrow. These were tranquil thoughts however; very different from the discomforts of travel, for they were familiar and sure of immediate remedy. Due to this pleasant and practical preoccupation Darcy was at that moment not aware of any person other than himself. That is, until he rounded the corner of Pemberley House and, standing upon the lawn and gazing up at the building, he beheld Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

Poor guy <3

#this whole pov rewrite is making darcy suffer #luckily the happy ending is fixed #pride and prejudice #austen #jane austen #sunfreckle's scribbles #mr darcy #fitzwilliam darcy #conceit and conciliation

[mysunfreckle]

Me, trying to write Bingley's proposal to Jane for Conceit and Conciliation: I'll read Edward's proposal to Elinor in Sense and Sensibility as inspriation, it will at least give me a benchmark for how emotional and expressive they can get

Jane Austen, writing Sense and Sensibility: "...in what manner he expressed himself, and how he was received, need not be particularly told."

Miss Austen, I beg of you

#sense and sensibility #jane austen #she just really wasn't there for the mushy stuff #restrained proposals or artful parapharsing only #conceit and conciliation #austen #sunfreckle's scribbles

[mysunfreckle]

I’m very interested in the presence of the fairies in Neverafter…

Because the way the fairies are is one of the things that has been changed from the fairy tales D20 is working with. And I’m operating on the assumption that if it was worth changing it’s worth paying attention to

Rosamund's fairies:

Oddly enough we have not met any of Rosamun's fairies yet....probably. We've heard all four of them described in Brennan's opening narration, but no one got to interact with them. But Rosamund's story is the one that has been changed:

Grimm’s Briar Rose has twelve good fairies, not three, and the thirteenth is the wrathful one who was purposefully not invited because there were only twelve golden dishes. While she is called a fairy, she is described as clad in black, with a broomstick, so I’d forgive anyone who misidentified her as a witch.

Perrault’s The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods has seven fairies, with the eighth being the old, forgotten fairy who is accidentally not invited.

The change to three (plus one) fairies could just be because three is a more manageable number and also with very good fairy tale pedigree, or it could be because of Disney. But the "four great fairies of the kingdom (of Reverie)" might also be significant in some other way. One for beauty, one for grace, one for...?

Gerard's fairy:

Grimm’s Cinderella (Aschputtel) has no fairies, but Perrault’s Cinderella (Cendrillon) has the famous fairy godmother. Who, interestingly, is only helpful. She does not punish. But here she is also the fairy that transformed the Frog-Prince:

In the Grimm translation D20 shared The Frog-Prince the enchantment was laid by “a spiteful fairy”, but in many English translations it is a “wicked witch” and that is the word used in the 1857 edition of the Grimms’ fairy tales (in the 1812 edition there is no explanation for how the transformation happened).

The fairy tale also does not state that the Prince was transformed as a punishment. This sounds more like the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast, where the beast is transformed by a fairy to punish his pride, whereas in the most well known version of that fairy tale (de Beaumont’s), the fairy transforms him simply because she is “wicked”. Of course Gerard’s story would not work without it being a punishment and it makes for a much more interesting narrative, but it does muddle the waters between Good Fairy and Wicked Fairy. It’s suddenly a matter of perspective.

Pinochio's fairies:

We haven’t met Pinocchio’s good Fairy yet (if she is good in Neverafter), but we have seen the evil fairy who turned him back into a puppet when he lied about his fathers name (something that probably saved his father’s life). Now I wonder: is this the same Evil Fairy that cursed Rosamund?

I’ve seen it suggested that this evil fairy and the Stepmother are the same person, but that seems odd, considering the Stepmother claims she cares for Pinocchio and his father. Sure she’s probably lying, but if she was that fairy Pinocchio wouldn’t be fooled and it seems he is, even if he’s also afraid of her. I still think his Stepmother is also Cinderella and Snow White’s Stepmother, so in that case she might be a Wicked Witch. She is also Pinocchio's patron, which might make her a fairy, but she calls the Fairy Godmother a "little fairy", which sounds like she's at least not the same type of fairy as she is.

If this Pinocchio’s good Fairy is like the one in his book, she is the Fairy with the Azure Hair (I struggle with her, because Pinocchio is not a folk- or fairy tale, but she is famous). She is described first adopting Pinocchio as her little brother, but later as she grows up (she was already) becomes his mother. She protects him, seems to be the reason his nose starts growing when he lies, and turns him human in the end when he has learned to be kind and obedient. So whether she's seen as good or bad in this universe is anyone's guess.

So, we've met two fairies in game and both of them seem to be bad, but perhaps weren't always intended to be so.

Because right now it sounds like Cinderella rebelled against the narrative her Fairy Godmother tried to force her into, but… maybe there’s something more afoot. The Fairy Godmother did insist “we are trying to help”, so maybe we’ll meet the other fairies after all...

#more of my ranting about fairy tale sources #neverafter #d20 neverafter #d20 meta #dimension 20 #dimension20 #sunfreckle's scribbles #long post #freckle folklore fretting

[mysunfreckle]

I'm very puzzled by the artifacts that Gerard found in the spider lair, because I can only identify the fairy tale influence for two of them:

The Hood of Rushes. Clearly from the fairy tale Cap-o'-Rushes, where an exhiled princess hides her fine clothes under a garment made of rushes. Probably helps with stealth? Or maybe it grants Disguise Self?

The Golden Bridle. Golden bridles have very good fairy tale pedigree. Some kelpie's appear wearing a golden bridle, and if you manage to get it, you can control the kelpie. It also frequently shows up in stories that feature other transformed, magical or exceptional horses that you must either exclusively or never put on a golden bridle, like in Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf. Perhaps it grants a boost to animal handling? Or it could belong to a Phantom Steed?

But for these I don't know:

The Sword of Truth. Brennan has already said this isn't from a specific story but just an "archetypcal fairy tale sword", but I'm really wracking my brain for his inspiration. I'd call it an archetypal fantasy sword. I don't know many fairy tales where a specific sword holds magic power. And the only sword to do with truth I know of is the blade "Fragarach" from Irish Mythology, which apparantly could make anyone tell the truth, but I haven't found the source material for that...

The Black Velvet Cloak with Stars. I have no idea if this is supposed to refer to something. Brennan described it as having stars embroidered on the inside of the cloak, so perhaps it has something to do with hiding light or carrying the night with you, but I really don't know. Very vexing

#I am also very excited about Sheherazade #loved the Shiobhan as canary in the coalmine thing #neverafter #d20 meta #neverafter spoilers #d20 neverafter #dimension 20 #dimension20 #sunfreckle's scribbles

[mysunfreckle]

Obviously everything has become extremely meta in Neverafter, but one thing Brennan said in the Adventuring Party really caught my notice and that was that Puss in Boots, the Frog Prince and Sleeping Beauty do not have morals. And that if there is a moral, it is complex enough to have to be interpreted individually.

Now I'm inclined to agree with him, but interestingly Charles Perrault did add a moral to his version of Sleeping Beauty.

When we were given our 'reading list' for Neverafter, they included an English Translation of Perrault's "The Tales of Mother Goose", but it is a version that took the morals out. Perrault's original collection was titled Stories or Tales from Times Past, with Morals: Tales of Mother Goose.

The moral Perrault added to The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood is set to rhyme, in very flowery language, but a very literal, less flowery translation would be:

It would be very natural to wait some time for a rich, handsome, brave, gentle husband, but I doubt you'll find any woman who will want to wait for a hundred years. And while this story wants to tell us that we won't lose any pleasure or happiness by waiting, women are so eager for marital bliss that I don't have the heart to preach such a moral to them.

Now I've seen this interpreted as "the moral is that women ought to wait", but the tone of the text is much more saucy than that...

Anyway, Siobhan's portrayal of Sleeping Beauty is spot on and I hope she gets to define her own story and still kiss someone about it

#neverafter #d20 #d20 neverafter #neverafter spoilers #d20 meta #dimension 20 #freckle folklore fretting #sunfreckle's scribbles

[mysunfreckle]

I am so happy with the various fairy tale references Brennan and Emily are using for their wolf lore! So far they’ve nicely hit the big three:

“We know that the wolf can wear the clothes of others. We know it can mimic their voice.”

Obviously Little Red Riding Hood, where the wolf first pretends to sound like Little Red to trick Grandma, and then dresses in Grandma’s clothes and calls out pretending to be her to lure in Little Red (and the Grimm’s second ending where a different wolf also pretends to be Little Red). But also The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats, where the wolf disguises his fur and changes his voice to pretend to the be Little Goats’ mother.

“Huff and puff, little one.”

The Three Little Pigs, where the (Big Bad) Wolf blows down two of the little pig’s houses to eat them.

Of course there is also the vulnerability to silver, but I really like that they didn’t go full werewolf with the wolf lore. Because while talking and anthropomorphic wolves are rather common in fairy tales, actual werewolves belong in a very different type of folklore.

Incidentally, three of the wolves mentioned above die in water:

The wolf that swallowed six of the Little Goats got his belly cut open en filled with stones and sewn shut, so that when he went to drink from the river he fell in and drowned.

The Grimms’ second wolf, who unsuccesfully pretended to be Little Red, got tricked into falling in a large water trough by dumping sausage water into it.

The wolf that ate two of the three little pigs gets trapped in a cooking pot and boiled up for supper by the third.

(The first wolf in Grimms’ also gets stones sewn into his belly, but collapses under the weight and dies when he tries to flee. And of course the wolf in Perrault’s Little Red Riding Hood just devours Grandma and Little Red and never gets caught~)

So what I’m saying is I think Ylfa should be careful around water

#dimension20 #d20 meta #d20 neverafter #ylfa snorgelsson #sunfreckle's scribbles #neverafter #freckle folklore fretting

[mysunfreckle]

Stages of Baby, an experimental taxonomy:

Newly Hatched: often barely moves, sometimes quite concerning.

Tadpole: has the wiggles, flails limbs, cannot go anywhere, hates lying on their stomach but has to be made to do it anyway.

Roly-poly: can roll over suddenly, does not always know how to stop rolling, mag wedge themself under a chair.

Wobble: can almost sit, can almost crawl, but can do neither without eventually smashing their head against the floor. Cannot be trusted with any hard surfaces.

Flight Risk: can sit up and crawl and almost pull themself upright, but will fall unexpectedly, topple sideways, or try to move through solid objects. Must be kept in baby jail.

Free-range Creature: can crawl at alarming speeds, trip hazard, will follow you everywhere, or goes exactly the opposite direction, will scream when jailed, harasser of pets, thief of pet food. Close all doors, fence off stairs, regard all objects in your environment with extreme suspicion.

???: Presumably they learn to walk? Terrifying prospect.

#the freckling #sunfreckle's scribbles

[mysunfreckle]

Verified baby-calming techniques

As practiced on the baby Freckling

Dancing with them (source: my sister)

Singing them musical soundtracks (source: me)

Reading them Jane Austen (source: my sister)

Teaching them the laws of physics (source: my husband)

Reading them fanfic (source: me)

Singing them Rammstein (source: my husband)

#in my life #the freckling #sunfreckle's scribbles

[mysunfreckle]

People I encountered during my walk who I want to wish an extra good day:

The small child with long brown hair with two plush demon horns sticking out of it

The owner of the Mini Cooper who forgot to put it on the handbrake so it ended up parked in the middle of the street. (Because you're probably not going to have a great day once you find out)

The two market vendors who, due to the noise of the nearby supply trucks, were forced to do their gossiping about the town's marriage drama at shouting volume

The wind who kept making the fallen leaves rustle as if there was someone walking behind me; I don't trust you, but I respect you.

#sunfreckle's scribbles #people watching

[mysunfreckle]

For the 5 sentence writing meme:

[X] woke to the soft sounds of someone in the kitchen, a pleasant thing to wake up to, that was immediately soured by the smell.

Have fun!

Musichetta woke to the soft sounds of someone in the kitchen, a pleasant thing to wake up to, that was immediately soured by the smell. She could feel the sun had barely sunk beneath the horizon, but the new shutters had been installed yesterday and not a beam of light could reach her as she leapt from her bed and hurried through the house.

"Bossuet, tesoro, what are you doing?"

Bossuet turned towards the doorway as soon as she appeared in it, giving her a theatrically indignant look as Joly struggled to save what was clearly burning on the stove. "You wound me, Chetta, I had nothing to do with this."

"You did too!" Joly protested. "You distracted me."

"You allowed yourself to be distracted."

Musichetta sat down on the nearest chair with a fond sigh. "You're both impossible. Try not to burn the house down during my daysleep."

"No need to be cross, love, he didn't burn your breakfast," Bossuet winked.

"Good," Musichetta said, unable to repress a smile at Joly's flushed cheeks. "Because it's far too early in the evening for first aid."

#thank you for the prompt and the ot3 suggestion <3 #have a bit of the vampire au! #jbm #sweet like blood sugar #musichetta #bossuet #joly #les amis #sunfreckle's scribbles

[mysunfreckle]

Some observations 3 months after having a baby:

The long, curved "nursing pillows" they market to parents to sleep with while pregnant and use to prop up the baby while feeding are excellent for building nests and pillow forts and everyone should have them regardless of parental status

Giving birth sucks. But modern medicine is pretty rad

Newborns are silent when they're not crying. No murmurs, no coos, no gurgles, most of the time you don't even hear them breathe. It's extremely unnerving

Midwives are also pretty rad (and possibly modern household witches)

You know how everyone says small kids are always slightly sticky? Babies are always slightly damp

Breastfeeding is cute, cheap, convenient, and an unholy amount of work

Babies are basically born without facial expressions. The moment they learn how to 1) whimper with a wobbling lip and 2) smile, the effect hits you like a damn truck

People should stop asking me if I have "lost my pregnancy weight", because my answer will have to be "I treat people scales like highly specialized medical devices and have no idea how much I weigh", so the interaction will be embarrassing for both of us

Many baby clothes are grey. This is a mistake. There is nothing more boring than a baby dressed in all grey. Dressing a baby in all black however, is absolutely fantastic

#in my life #sunfreckle's scribbles #the freckling