mryddinwilt

[mryddinwilt]

get yourself a ship that can do both >>>>>>>

#shut up this is too cute #heybourne #ben lloyd hughes #rose williams #alexander colbourne #charlotte heywood

[mryddinwilt]

You make some interesting points. @afirewiel I guess I can better see what the writers were going for but I still think it wasn't the best choice.

You are right that they show set it up that Charlotte would reasonably assume Alexander was Lady Lydia's intended. Though given his declarations I think she could equally assume that it wasn't a love match.

When I said she needed to investigate I meant that in the Regency a proper betrothal included announcing it. People didn't get engaged and not tell anyone (unless they are being shady). So while Lady Lydia might be considered a good source, the lack of announcement asks for an investigation.

And while I understand why you feel Charlotte was being reasonable in not approaching him given her past, it is her past that made me long for a different ending.

I wanted Charlotte to have more of an arc, to make a different choice because she was different now and Alexander isn't Sidney. The ending of all three seasons gives us a Charlotte who acts out of fear. I wanted her to say "I ran from pain before but I know if I left for Ireland without speaking, I would always regret it. I would always wonder what might have been." Again this would fit better with the theme of woman taking charge of their romantic lives.

But yeah, your explanation makes me dislike it marginally less. But I still don't love it.

Sanditon thoughts

Why yes I did binge Sanditon and have *opinions* Everything under a cut so nobody gets spoiled. Since I'm going to mostly be talking about the last episode... you have been warned.

I should say first off that I really enjoyed the majority of the season. The tension. The hand touches. The declarations. The theme of women taking control of their lives. It was all fantastic. All the feels.

That's why the last episode was such a massive disappointment. The miscommunication trope is a staple of the romance genre but it's a staple that is losing favor. For good reason! Too often it is thinly supported and makes little sense. Unfortunately, Sanditon's last episode is a textbook example of this.

Charlotte merely hearing that Alexander might be engaged was not enough motivation for her to just throw her hands up and be all "I guess I'm going to Ireland!" In fact, I think such a choice is contrary to the entire theme of the season. Charlotte is meant to be independent and strong but she can't go and investigate the rumor? She can't ask a single person if it is true?? She can't tell the guy how she feels? She was so mad at him for not speaking sooner and then she does the same? It makes no sense. It's anti-character growth.

Putting aside her not investigating. Let's assume it is true. Alexander Coulborne is engaged. Does that mean they can't be together? Nope! Even taking into account the whole stigma of ending an engagement in the Regency it makes no sense.

First, the engagement is a secret. The woman would suffer no ill effects from a broken engagement. (Not that the show seemed to be even taking that into account but still).

Second, the show spent a lot of time pushing home the point that Coulbourne disagrees with the idea of marriage without love. He wanted her to discard Ralph. Why would she think he would choose differently with the roles reversed?

Third, not giving Alexander the choice is disrespectful. Charlotte knows he loves her. NOT telling him that she is available robs Alexander of the chance to make his own decision about his future.

Fourth, the choice to have Charlotte just give up is the opposite of the theme of the season. The entire season was about women taking control of their lives and not letting the men dictate what they should do. Charlotte being active in pursuing Alexander would have fit better than her giving up.

The miscommunication route was lazy and unnecessary. It was a sad way to end an otherwise very enjoyable season.

I mean imagine that they hadn't fallen onto that tired old trope.

Instead, we could have had an awesome conversation that mirrored Alexander's and their first meeting. Just imagine...

Charlotte goes to the house, enters the study, and he looks up from his writing. She is just as awkward as the first time.

She confesses that she has come with no expectations but rather she must tell him that her circumstances have changed. He swallows, and sits up straighter.

She tells him that she could not marry Ralph when she loved another. When she loved him. He rises, eager to embrace her but she puts up a hand. Continues to tell him that she respects that he moved on, that he could not wait for her, and that she would never want to ruin another woman's happiness. She flees from the room. He follows.

Catching her in front of the house, he tells her there is nothing to ruin. He is free to marry where he wishes. KISS!

And then instead of a quick flash of scenes, we get to actually enjoy a bit of wedding planning. Maybe a small argument. Maybe they talk about the school plans. WHATEVER.

The point is that I did not need the manufactured drama.

I did need Charlotte to actually articulate her feelings for Alexander. I did need to see them announcing their marriage to Leo. I did need hints that this relationship was going to go the distance because it was based on open communication.

Anyway. That's it. I just had to share that.

#sanditon s3 #heybourne #heybourne meta #sanditon spoilers

[mryddinwilt]

Also once William has some more rank he can help his younger brothers along in the profession. I think Crawford helping William is another thing that makes it extraordinary that Fanny turns him down. Getting William promoted is designed to endear Crawford to Fanny. He knows the way to her heart! It also creates a debt, an obligation, and it's clear Crawford hopes he is repaid with her hand.

I love that Fanny is able to say "Thanks for helping my brother, but no thanks." It shows the strength of her character and her excellent judgment.

I just feel the need to point out, with all his faults and motives, Henry Crawford getting William Price promoted is probably the best thing that happens to the Price family in the entire book.

There were thirty-year-old midshipmen in that era. William was watching people get promoted ahead of him over and over. Despite his captains seeming to like him, he isn't moving up. Sir Thomas is likely trying to help (even if it's just to relieve himself of expense), but his interest has done nothing for William. And the whole system runs of nepotism or "interest" which Mr. Price clearly does not have and Sir Thomas doesn't have the right kind.

Henry Crawford goes to London and gets him promoted in a week.

Now William has a real officer position in the navy that pays well. He has broken into the ranks and it's far more possible for him to move higher. Instead of being a financial drain, he has a chance to make something of himself. It's a big deal! William also will have the ability to marry, as he points out himself no one would look at a midshipman.

It's interesting that the two greatest acts of charity in Mansfield Park, bringing Fanny to Mansfield and promoting William, are done by Mrs. Norris and Henry Crawford. No wonder the novel feels like it doesn't have a hero!

#jane austen meta #mansfield park #when an adaptation removes William #you know its already missed the point #mryddinwilt metas

[mryddinwilt]

Sanditon thoughts

Why yes I did binge Sanditon and have *opinions* Everything under a cut so nobody gets spoiled. Since I'm going to mostly be talking about the last episode... you have been warned.

I should say first off that I really enjoyed the majority of the season. The tension. The hand touches. The declarations. The theme of women taking control of their lives. It was all fantastic. All the feels.

That's why the last episode was such a massive disappointment. The miscommunication trope is a staple of the romance genre but it's a staple that is losing favor. For good reason! Too often it is thinly supported and makes little sense. Unfortunately, Sanditon's last episode is a textbook example of this.

Charlotte merely hearing that Alexander might be engaged was not enough motivation for her to just throw her hands up and be all "I guess I'm going to Ireland!" In fact, I think such a choice is contrary to the entire theme of the season. Charlotte is meant to be independent and strong but she can't go and investigate the rumor? She can't ask a single person if it is true?? She can't tell the guy how she feels? She was so mad at him for not speaking sooner and then she does the same? It makes no sense. It's anti-character growth.

Putting aside her not investigating. Let's assume it is true. Alexander Coulborne is engaged. Does that mean they can't be together? Nope! Even taking into account the whole stigma of ending an engagement in the Regency it makes no sense.

First, the engagement is a secret. The woman would suffer no ill effects from a broken engagement. (Not that the show seemed to be even taking that into account but still).

Second, the show spent a lot of time pushing home the point that Coulbourne disagrees with the idea of marriage without love. He wanted her to discard Ralph. Why would she think he would choose differently with the roles reversed?

Third, not giving Alexander the choice is disrespectful. Charlotte knows he loves her. NOT telling him that she is available robs Alexander of the chance to make his own decision about his future.

Fourth, the choice to have Charlotte just give up is the opposite of the theme of the season. The entire season was about women taking control of their lives and not letting the men dictate what they should do. Charlotte being active in pursuing Alexander would have fit better than her giving up.

The miscommunication route was lazy and unnecessary. It was a sad way to end an otherwise very enjoyable season.

I mean imagine that they hadn't fallen onto that tired old trope.

Instead, we could have had an awesome conversation that mirrored Alexander's and their first meeting. Just imagine...

Charlotte goes to the house, enters the study, and he looks up from his writing. She is just as awkward as the first time.

She confesses that she has come with no expectations but rather she must tell him that her circumstances have changed. He swallows, and sits up straighter.

She tells him that she could not marry Ralph when she loved another. When she loved him. He rises, eager to embrace her but she puts up a hand. Continues to tell him that she respects that he moved on, that he could not wait for her, and that she would never want to ruin another woman's happiness. She flees from the room. He follows.

Catching her in front of the house, he tells her there is nothing to ruin. He is free to marry where he wishes. KISS!

And then instead of a quick flash of scenes, we get to actually enjoy a bit of wedding planning. Maybe a small argument. Maybe they talk about the school plans. WHATEVER.

The point is that I did not need the manufactured drama.

I did need Charlotte to actually articulate her feelings for Alexander. I did need to see them announcing their marriage to Leo. I did need hints that this relationship was going to go the distance because it was based on open communication.

Anyway. That's it. I just had to share that.

#sanditon #heybourne #sanditon s3 #sandition spoilers #seriously heed the cut #I'm sad it's over

[mryddinwilt]

I was up for a writing award and I didn't make into the final round. So I came on here to read through my "fear is the mind killer" tag. And boy I have a lot of great stuff in there. And also I miss my tumblr heyday of CS and fangirling.

#about mryddinwilt #lots of friends made #and good times had here

[mryddinwilt]

okay tumblr’s exclusion from the twitter social media ban list is hilarious but genuinely we do not belong on there. if a real human person asks “where can i find you on social media” and your choice is a swift death or revealing your tumblr, most of us would simply expire. half of y’all change urls every week like you’re in witness protection. just imagine for one second attaching your wholeass government name to your latest two am clownposting and tell me that didn’t send a cold chill down your spine. the only place i ever want to see the words “connect with me on tumblr!” is on the ao3 profile of an author i’m actively stalking. anyone in the world can follow me except anyone i personally know. antisocial media.

#preach #and i don't even go here that much

[mryddinwilt]

I can't believe that The Librarians has four seasons. Four whole glorious seasons!

Like I knew about the show, I was obsessed with the TV movies. I remember watching the first season and enjoying it (though I missed Flynn for much of it). But somehow in the craziness of the mid-2010's I missed the other three seasons. And that's sad and annoying because I bet the fandom was fun.

But also I'm really glad that I am discovering these episodes right now. Because listen, it's been a year. And this show makes me so happy. Stupid grinning and giggling every episode. It's silly but fun and interesting and well-written. It makes me want to create more and that's exactly what I need right now.

(Also it has unlocked my long-forgotten love of Noah Wyle. I baby duck imprinted on him back when ER was required Thursday night watching in our house.)

#the librarians #please don't spoil anything #just let me experience it for the first time #noah wyle #mryddinwilt watches stuff #and yes I am alive #and yes life is not great at the moment #anyway off to do one last writing session

[mryddinwilt]

I have this book and it's beautiful. Purchased in Scotland on a trip (and kind of to prove to a critique partner that selkie stories are not only in Ireland).

Selkie Stories - Ruchi Mhasane

#selkie #seriously the person was like your story can't be in Scotland because selkies are irish #sigh

[mryddinwilt]

I can watch no longer in silence. I must complain about you by such means as are within my reach. You’ve ripped out my soul. I am half agony, half hopeless. Tell me not that this is it, that such precious Jane Austen adaptations are gone forever. 

I offer you my screenwriting advice with a heart even more desperate than when you almost broke it with the release of the Persuasion trailer one month ago.

Dare not say that this movie is accurate, that this Anne is a stronger protagonist than her book counterpart. I have loved none but her. Pretentious I may have been, annoying and demanding I have been, but always with the film’s best interests at heart. 

The book alone has brought me to you. For it alone I sat and watched. Have you not realized this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I would not have waited even ten minutes after turning off the TV to write this, could I have mastered my own feelings, as I think you must have guessed mine. 

I can hardly type. I am in every instant recalling something which makes me want to punch a wall. You rewrote Anne as a snarky girlboss, but I can appreciate the nuance of her book counterpart when it would be lost on the Netflix execs. Too horrible, too disgusting adaptation! You do us insult, indeed. You do believe that there is not a single brain cell in your audience. Believe mine to have shriveled up and died while watching this movie, most painfully, in the brain of

-Everyone Watching

I must go, and cleanse my remaining sanity with the 1995 adaptation; but I shall return hither, to laugh at this adaptation with my friends, as soon as I can stomach it. But another sentence of clunky narration, another infuriating wink from this horrible version of Anne to the camera, will be enough to make me cancel my Netflix subscription forever.

#perfect response is perfect #jane austen #netflix: persuasion #if you like it good for you #I'm just not here for it

[mryddinwilt]

2022 books: persuasion by jane austen Alas! with all her reasoning, she found, that to retentive feelings eight years may be little more than nothing.

#jane austen #persusion

[mryddinwilt]

Alexander standing at the window in S2 is done often enough for BLH to make jokes about it in interviews. But can we talk about the last time we see him at the window? Every single time. He is standing straight as he looks out but the last time.

The last time he is slumped against the frame, exhausted and defeated. He just "did the right thing" he just broke his own heart because "it's better this way" and it's a subtle thing but it just shows the character's emotional state so perfectly.

#alexander colbourne #sanditon #ben lloyd hughes acting choices give me life

[mryddinwilt]

Did you notice how Alexander apologizing for the garden party was mirrored in the last episode. His first attempt goes rather poorly and leaves them both more upset than before. His second attempt he is more plain but still cryptic. In the first instance, Charlotte easily forgives him, though she still doesn't understand. In the second, she cuts him off and pushes him away. In S3 I hope we see Colbourne develop the ability to speak more plainly and apologize simply.

#heybourne #alexander colbourne #random sanditon thought #mryddinwilt watches stuff #mryddinwilt metas #sorta #sandition

[mryddinwilt]

Mr. Colbourne bet Mrs. Wheatley that Charlotte wouldn't last the week. Is that just because he didn't have faith in Charlotte or does that speak to his own insecurities?

Nobody stays. Nobody thinks the Colbourne family worth putting up with. The pretty, forthright Miss Heywood will be gone just like the rest...

#idk what this is #sanditon #heybourne #alexander heybourne #it's like a baby meta #the very start of a meta idea

[mryddinwilt]

Random Sanditon Thought: The Spinet

I have lots of questions about why the spinet is locked and what it might mean to hear it for Colbourne. But my bigger question is where did Leonora learn to play? When Charlotte is giving dancing lessons we see her playing quite well for an 8-year-old. Somebody taught her. But who? My headcanon is that Augusta has been teaching her whenever Mr. Colbourne is out of the house.

#sandition #leonora colbourne #augusta markham #mryddinwilt headcanons #sanditon headcanon

[mryddinwilt]

Heybourne: What is Love?

The thing about love is that what you think it is or what it feels like can vary depending on your experiences with it. Not to get too deep into attachment theory but our past relationships and experiences can influence our ability to recognize our own feelings. I feel like both Charlotte and Alexander are dealing with this in S2 and it's something they will both have to resolve in S3.

Let's look at Charlotte first. Her first love was Sidney. A man who was abrupt and judged her harshly in the beginning. At first, she was never quite sure of his motives or her own judgment around him. He confounded her and excited her.

She wasn't at all sure of herself with him. It took Lady Susan insisting that she was in love for her to really examine her feelings. Sidney's about-face towards Charlotte certainly helped those feelings along. But I think there was a lot of her feeling unworthy of him, not refined enough, not experienced enough, not rich enough, just not enough in general.

When Sidney confesses that he thinks she brings out the best in him and begins to really open up, I am sure the insecurities faded but not for long. When they separated and she was left heart broken all those doubts came back.

So still smarting from all that she has Ralph starting to court her. Things with Ralph are comfortable and easy but she doesn't love him and that keeps her from saying yes. She likely thinks that she will never feel like she felt with Sidney again. But I gotta wonder should she?

Back in Sanditon she meets Mr. Colbourne and as that relationship develops it is very different from what she had with Sidney. Her feelings for Alexander grow in a different way. They have their conflicts but where Sidney tended to say exactly what he thought, Colbourne is guarded and speaks in illusions and circles around his points. "The house feels your absence" I mean DUDE!

I think Charlotte started to fall for Colborne long before the dance. BUT it is at the dance that she finally recognizes the feeling as love. She feels something like what she felt at that last dance with Sidney. And it's almost like she is thinking "Wait is this LOVE?" This is why she demands to know Colbourne. She must know who he is if she is going to give her heart to him.

I also think her past with Sidney is why she rejects Colborne at the end of the season. She has learned to value herself ("I know exactly who I am") and realizes she doesn't want to be in a relationship with a man who makes her feel less. I think Sidney often made her feel less but Alexander never did until that moment in his office.

I like this growth for her. I like her demanding more from Alexander. But at the same time I understand why Alexander struggles to speak plainly (and that is obviously another meta). I am excited to see them build an equal relationship in S3.

#sanditon meta #heybourne #heybourne meta #charlotte heywood meta #i was going to do them both but this got long #mryddinwilt metas #mryddinwilt watches stuff #and gets overly invested #and like I am living for this show right now

[mryddinwilt]

So has this been written yet? It needs to be written!

Consider this (based on a conversation I had with some friends a while ago): Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for people who actually like Pride and Prejudice. Look–I tried to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and I got about 20 pages in before I came to the conclusion that the person who wrote it did so out of the belief that the original Pride and Prejudice was stuffy and boring. There were out of character vulgar puns. And the trailer for the movie did not convince me that I had missed anything by cutting short my reading experience. So, what I’m talking about here is this premise: the world of Pride and Prejudice, but if you die, it’s highly likely, almost certain that your corpse will get up and try to eat people. But no one dies in Pride and Prejudice, you might say. In fact, few or no people die in any Jane Austen novel. This is true. But people do get sick with some regularity. Imagine the tension added to Jane getting sick after going to visit Bingley if there was the chance that she would become a zombie after she died. Becoming a zombie in an eligible bachelor’s house probably would have seriously wrecked any chances of any of the living sisters ending up with him. Imagine Mr. Collins, as a minister, having the duty upon someone’s death of severing their head with a ceremonial plate or something that would prevent the corpse from rising. Obviously important, but this only makes him more self-important and obnoxious. And dangerous. For you see, in this version, Mr. Bennett, who stays in his office all the time, whose life is the only thing allowing Mrs. Bennett and her daughters to stay in the house–Mr. Bennett is definitely a zombie. He died at home, and Mrs. Bennett decided that, no way were they dealing with this, and so…just started faking it. Jane and Elizabeth know. The younger sisters don’t. In this universe, I think we have to go with zombies that are not any faster or stronger than the humans they were, and in fact tend to get weaker as time passes because their flesh is rotting. And…hmm, okay, how about they are pretty violent upon rising, and for about a week afterward, trying to bite people and spread the infection (even though most people are carriers anyway, but getting a nasty bite from a corpse will give you other stuff that will have you die while carrying the virus). But then they calm down and basically just start sort of attempting to act like they did in life, that is, taking habitual actions with no consciousness, in a depressing and desiccated way. So Mr. Bennett is a zombie, and Mrs. Bennett’s number one goal is to get her daughters married before anyone finds that out. And this, actually, makes Elizabeth’s refusal of Mr. Collins more frustrating for Mrs. Bennett–obviously Mr. Bennett didn’t tell Elizabeth that she could refuse Mr. Collins, because Mr. Bennett is dead, but Mrs. Bennett can’t say anything or the game would be up. Another question in this version–does Mr. Darcy find out about Mr. Bennett being a zombie somehow? Does Elizabeth find out that he knows and didn’t say anything and this is something that helps repair his earlier actions? Anyway, this is the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies that I was looking for.

#pride and prejudice and zombies #story ideas #oh tumblr i've missed you

[mryddinwilt]

Random Heyborne Thought: Subtext

Listen Ben Lloyd-Hughes is an actor that gets Austen. He understands that subtext is king in these kinds of stories. Love hearing him talk about how acting a scene is about saying one thing with words but another with the eyes or body language. And boy does this understanding shine through in his scenes.

Take the argument about the spinet. Alexander enters and gets upset about Charlotte playing it. This could have been a simple one note emotional scene. AC is angry. But instead we get this really rich nuanced series of emotions.

He comes to the door and looks surprised and confused. He doesn't immediately stop her. Then he seems to remember himself and takes a hesitant step forward. He says "Stop" but not in a commanding shout. It's this half-strangled thing. As if he is choked with emotion and he needs her to stop because he doesn't want to keep feeling that emotion.

Then he is in the room, the music stops, he is still talking in that lowered tone. Until he turns to Augusta, then it grows stronger and stronger still when Leo comes racing in (goodness I love those girls!). Now we get the grumpy, angry guardian but not for long.

Then we jump to the library and there is more bickering but Charlotte is more upset than he is (and this isn't about Rose Williams but she also does amazing!). Indeed it's like he can feel her slipping away, he has had this conversation with many other governesses before.

But this time he wants her to stay. He doesn't want her to leave and it's so clear in the way he asks her if she wishes to leave. Like there were so many ways to say that line and he picked the one that makes him sound just a little bit scared at the thought.

And THEN we get three syllables that probably weren't meant to become some kind of fandom call but GUYS. "Tomorrow then" is gonna be on shirts and stickers because it's ICONIC. And that is a 100% down to the way he says it. Just. YEah.

#heybourne #sanditon #heybourne meta #i guess #idk what this is #i have barely scratched the surface of this scene #ughhhh #i got bad you gusy