Ok, I'll bite. What *is* the difference between Bridgerton and Jane Austen in relationship to their skirts?
Oh! Not in their costuming, just in their general *waves hands* everything. It's a comment I see a lot about Bridgerton: "Well, it's not much like Austen, is it?"
That's because there are 200 years of literary history between the two, and they have not been empty!
This ended up being 1.5k words, but when I put stuff under a readmore, people don't actually read it and then just yell at me because of a misread of the 1/10th of the post they did read. Press j to skip or get ready to do a lot of scrolling (It takes four generous flicks to get past on my iPhone).
First I'll say my perspective on this is hugely shaped by Sherwood Smith, who has done a lot of research on silver fork novels and the way the Regency has been remembered in the romance genre.
The Regency and Napoleonic eras stretch from basically the 1790s to 1820, and after that, it was hard to ignore the amount of social change happening in Britain and Europe. The real watershed moment is the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where 60,000 working-class people protesting for political change were attacked by a militia. The issues of poverty, class, industrialization, and social change are inescapable, and we end up with things like the 1832 Reform Act and 1834 Poor Law.
This is why later novelists, like Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell, are so concerned with the experiences of the urban poor. Gaskell's North and South has been accurately described as "Pride and Prejudice for socialists."
So almost as soon as it ended, people started to look back and mythologize the Regency as a halcyon era, back when rich people could just live their rich lives and fret about "only" having three hundred pounds a year to live on. Back when London society was the domain of hereditary landowners, when you weren't constantly meeting with jumped-up industrialists and colonials.
Jane Austen is kind of perfect for this because she comes at the very end of the long eighteenth century, and her novels show hints of the tremors that are about to completely reshape England, but still comfortably sit in the old world. ("The Musgroves, like their houses, were in a state of alteration, perhaps of improvement. The father and mother were in the old English style, and the young people in the new. Mr and Mrs Musgrove were a very good sort of people; friendly and hospitable, not much educated, and not at all elegant. Their children had more modern minds and manners.")
Sherwood Smith covers the writers who birthed the Silver Fork genre in detail, but there's one name that stands out in its history more than any other: Georgette Heyer.
Georgette Heyer basically single-handedly established the Regency Romance as we know it today. Between 1935 and 1972, she published 26 novels set in a meticulously researched version of London of the late 18th and early 19th century. She took Silver Fork settings and characters and turned them into a highly recognizable set of tropes, conventions, and types. (As Sherwood points out, her fictional Regency England isn't actually very similar to the period as it really happened; it's like Arthurian Camelot, a mythical confection with a dash of truth for zest.)
Regency Romance is an escapist genre in which a happy, prosperous married life is an attainable prize that will solve everything for you. Georgette Heyer's novels are bright, sparkling, delightful romps through a beautiful and exotic world. Her female characters have spirit and vivacity, and are allowed to have flaws and make mistakes without being puritanically punished for them. Her romances have real unique sparks to them. She's able to write a formula over and over without it becoming dull.
And.... well. The essay that introduced me to Heyer still, in my opinion, says it best:
Here's the thing about Georgette Heyer: she hates you. Or, okay, she doesn't hate you, exactly. It's just that unless you are white, English, and upper class (and hale, and hearty, and straight, and and and), she thinks you are a lesser being.
[...W]ith Heyer, I knew where I stood: somewhere way below the bottom rung of humanity. Along with everyone else in the world except Prince William and four of his friends from Eton, which really took away the sting.
But my point is: if you are not that white British upper-class person of good stock and hearty bluffness and a large country estate, the only question for you is which book will contain a grimly bigoted caricature of you featuring every single stereotyped trait ever associated with your particular group. (You have to decide for yourself if really wonderful female characters and great writing are worth the rest of it.)
So Heyer created the genre, but she exacerbated the flaw that was always at the heart of fiction about the Regency, was that its appeal was not having to deal with the inherent rot of the British aristocracy. I think part of why it's such a popular genre in North America specifically is that we often don't know much British history, so we can focus more on the perfume and less on the dank odor it's hiding.
And like, escapism is not a bad thing. Romance writers as a community have sat down and said: We are an escapist genre. The Romance Writers of America, one of the biggest author associations out there, back when they were good, have foundationally said: "Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." A strong part of the community argue that publishing in the genre is a "contract" between author and reader: If it's marketed as a romance book, there's a Happily Ever After. If there's no Happily Ever After, it's not romance.
It's important for people to be able to take a break from the stresses of their lives and do things that are enjoyable. But the big question the romance genre in particular has to deal with is, who should be allowed to escape? Is it really "escapist" if only white, straight, upper class, able-bodied thin cis people get to escape into it? In historical romance, this is especially an issue for POC and LGBTQ+ people. It's taken a lot of work, in a genre dominated by the Georgette Heyers of the world, to try to hew out the space for optimistic romances for people of colour or LGBTQ+ people. These are minority groups that deal with a literally damaging amount of stress in real lives; they are in especial need of sources of comfort, refuge, community, and encouragement. For brief introductions to the issue, I can give you Talia Hibbert on race, and KJ Charles on LGBTQ+ issues.
Up until the 1990s, the romance genre evolved slowly. It did evolve; Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan's Beyond Heaving Bosoms charts the demise of the "bodice-ripper" genre as it became more acceptable for women to have and enjoy sex. The historical romance genre became more accommodating to non-aristocratic heroines, or ones that weren't thin or conventionally pretty. The first Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, was published in 2000, and has that kind of vibe: Its characters are all white but not all of them are aristocrats, its heroines are frequently not conventionally beautiful and occasionally plump, and its cultivation to modern sensibility is reflected in its titles, which reference popular media of today.
This is just my impression, but I think that while traditional mainstream publishing was beginning to diversify in the 1990s, the Internet was what really made diverse romance take off. Readers, reviewers, and authors could talk more freely on the internet, which allowed books to become unlikely successes even if their publishers didn't promote them very much. Then e-publishing meant that authors could market directly to their readers without the filter of a publishing house, and things exploded. Indie ebooks proved that there was a huge untapped market.
One of my favourite books, Zen Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown, is an example of what historical romance is like today; it's a direct callback and reclamation of Georgette Heyer, with a dash of "Fuck you and all your prejudices" on top of it. It fearlessly weaves magic into a classic Heyer plot, maintaining the essential structure while putting power into the hands of people of colour and non-Western cultures, enjoying the delights of London society while pointing out and dodging around the rot. It doesn't erase the ugliness, but imagines a Britain that is made better because its poor, its immigrants, its people of colour, and the foreign countries it interacts with have more power to make their voices heard and to enforce their wills. Another book I've loved that does the same thing is Courtney Milan's The Duke Who Didn't.
So then... Bridgerton the TV show is trying to take a book series with a very middle-of-the-road approach to diversity, differing from Heyer but not really critiquing her, and giving it a facelift to bring it up to date.
So to be honest, although it's set in the same time period as Austen, it's not in the least her literary successor. It's infinitely more "about" the past 30 years of conversation and art in the romance genre than it is about books written 200 years ago.
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@starklysteve rhae asked for some winteriron recs (read: i volunteered to spam rhae w buckytony fics because i adore them), so in no particular order, and based on my memory alone, here are some of my favourite buckytony fics!!
(please remember to leave kudos and comments!!)
American Memorial: @/spqr
“Pick up the shield,” Tony said. Understandably, Bucky told him to go fuck himself
Losing You (Is My Supervillain Origin Story): @amethystinawrites
There are a lot of things that Bucky regrets. The list is, quite frankly, longer than he can handle on most days and, right at the very top, is lying to Tony about who killed his parents. Bucky has known even from before they started dating, but he simply can't bring himself to say anything — to ruin one of the few good things he has in his life. It's selfish and wrong, but Bucky just doesn't know how to tell Tony that he is the one responsible for Howard and Maria Stark's deaths.
So when he starts receiving anonymous emails, threatening to expose the truth to Tony and the rest of the world, Bucky is desperate enough to agree to the blackmailer's terms, even if it means breaking up with Tony. Bucky cannot, under any circumstances, let Tony find out about his parents from anyone but Bucky himself.
Too late Bucky realizes that there is much more to the blackmailer's scheme than just having Bucky break Tony's heart. Too late Bucky realizes that despite his best intentions, he will still end up losing everything — in a much more permanent way than he could ever have imagined.
Hindsight: @amethystinawrites
Ever since he was a little boy, Bucky has dreamed of becoming an astronaut together with Steve, and he can hardly believe their luck when both of them are picked for the Ares 3 crew — the third expedition sent to explore Mars. It is, quite literally, a dream come true.
Things get complicated when Bucky finds himself inconveniently attracted to their mechanical engineer, however. Tony Stark is funny, competent, and absolutely captivating, but considering NASA's strict non-fraternization policy, Bucky knows it's better to keep his interest to himself — at least until they return to Earth. He can wait.
Not once does Bucky consider the possibility that all of them might not make it back alive, or just how much he'll come to regret not acting when he had the chance.
Arsenal: @tangodancer91 (part of a series) (also my all time favourite buckytony series ever)
Two years after the Civil War that tore apart everything she’d bled to build, Toni Stark sacrificed herself for her newly-reinstated teammates and ended up stranded in the past. Freed of her name, her fortune, and her hostile ex-teammates, she built herself a life as an agent for the OSS, the American secret service, and, having nothing to lose, accepted a mission to infiltrate the newest player in the war: an organization that call themselves HYDRA.
Then, she met a young draftee with a dreadfully familiar face, and they clicked like she had never clicked with anyone before. By the time she realized she’d fallen for the man who’d cost her everything, it was too late, but she’d always been an all or nothing type of girl, and if she was damning herself, well then…might as well go all the way.
Yield: @aurumacadicus (this is an a/b/o verse fic)
All Bucky has ever wanted was to win the contest for Tony's hand in marriage. It's a bit harder now that he's down to one arm, but luckily his friends are willing to help make up the difference.
Barnes Family Motors Inc: @phlintandsteel-ao3 (this is an a/b/o verse fic)
In a world where alphas legally own omegas, Bucky is just a small time mechanic from Brooklyn who gets lucky in a poker game. Tony is an omega whose life is fraught with abuse, until his luck suddenly takes a turn for the better.
In the grand scheme of things they may only be able to make little differences in the lives of those around them, but that doesn't mean it's not worth making them. After all, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
The Long Con (don’t kid yourself): @phlintandsteel-ao3
When Tony finds out that Howard is thinking about changing the terms of Tony’s trust fund, he embarks on a not-so-elaborate scheme to prove that he’s totally settling down and not in continued need of Howard’s “guidance” until 25 instead of 21.
Step 1: Get a fiance
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit (Finally be free of Howard)
Unfortunately, Tony Stark is the worst con-artist ever, and may only be kidding himself..
Hot Mess: @/niki
“Would serve him right if we had the world's most ill-advised one night stand.”
Imperceptions and Assumptions: @/NarutoRox
Afterward, Bucky would look back on their first meeting with fondness and a healthy dose of amusement. At the time, though, he’d mostly been confused - and more than a little embarrassed.
Bucky hadn’t paid much attention to the media in his early days, and hadn’t bothered really reading up on the team or anything, either, so when Steve had said ‘Tony Stark’, Bucky had just assumed.
The same way he’d looked at the three people who’d walked through the door - an imposing redhead in heels, a bored-looking brunette who dimpled when she saw him and Steve, and a sturdy-looking man wearing a slight glower - locked eyes on the man, and assumed him to be the infamous Tony Stark Steve wouldn’t shut up about.
It was Bucky’s first lesson when it came to Natasha Antonia ‘Toni’ Stark - never assume.
~
In which Tony Stark is actually Natasha Antonia 'Toni' Stark (which everyone knows) as well as Iron Man (which everyone does not know), assumptions are made, and there are misunderstandings.
From this prompt:
How about a cross between my two favorite tropes? Nobody knows who iron man is other than Natasha/Antonia Stark's bodyguard but Bucky is in love with one or both of them
i know, you know (that i’m not telling the truth) : @imposter-human
psychic tony stark is called to work a routine case with detective bucky barnes; only, he seems to be more connected to the case than anyone thought
or, a psych au!!
the new romeo and juliet: @imposter-human
Bucky and Tony weren’t dating, because a firefighter and a detective couldn’t date (never mind that Tony hadn’t slept with anyone else since their thing had started, and he and Bucky hung out with an alarming frequency, and the whole precinct thought that they were an item). It didn't matter how many nights they spent together, how Bucky had a drawer of Tony's things and vice versa, they just couldn't.
It was a classic Romeo and Juliet situation, if Romeo and Juliet actively disliked each other on top of everything.
if found, please return to: @capnshellhead
Tony Stark shows up at Bucky's bar after a really tough break up and Bucky decides to look after him
gods of carnage: @deathsweetqueen (part of a series)
On May 29, 1970, the Winter Soldier feels a burning sensation and looks down at his wrist to find a single name written in enduring ink: Antonia Margaret Stark.
HYDRA, fearing the defiance of their greatest asset due to a bond that cannot and will not be denied its due, immediately dispatches the Soldier, to locate, collect and deliver this newborn girl to HYDRA, which will become her new home, her new family and her entire world - to be raised as another one of HYDRA’s great warriors: their Engineer.
But the Engineer is a faulty asset. She thinks things that may get her killed one day. She wants things that she shouldn’t, that are not hers to want. She has a mind and body that belong more to herself than any handler, than any commander she may have.
And if she cuts her strings, when she cuts her strings, well, when you put sheep next to wolves, you ask for a bloodbath.
where i walk, you follow (where i burn, you burn): @deathsweetqueen
At his father's command, Anthony Stark trades in his northern keep for a southern crown, wedded and bedded by Alexander of House Pierce, First of His Name.
Tony does his duty, becomes a wolf in name only, toothless and clawless, and a dark, gleaming ornament for the King, even if he would make himself a widower a hundred times over.
Honour demanded it of him, and so he did.
But it is Ser James Barnes, named the Kingslayer for his sins during the Rebellion, that draws his eye, gives him comfort in this pit of liars and monsters
So, what is honour compared to a good man's love? They are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love.
[Fic by deathsweetqueen, Art by MassiveSpaceWren]
Cat Parenting (And Other Meet Cutes): @singingwithoutwords (this is an a/b/o verse fic)
Of all the ways Bucky could have finally gotten a chance to speak to his crush, why did it have to be his cat getting Tony's cat pregnant?
Codename Heartbreaker: @rinnwrites (part of a series)
Today was a day that, contrary to popular belief, Tony Stark had most certainly not been looking forward to. It was election day, or election night, rather, and the polls were closed, the results were in; Howard Stark was the next President of the United States of America.
or
Tony Stark Bingo - R3: Election Day
Fate Strings Not Required: @akira-of-the-twilight
“Hey doll,” a new voice said from Tony’s side.
Tony glanced at the person approaching.
Someone was working the rugged, bad boy look. The new guy rocked a leather jacket and blue jeans.
His blue eyes lit up with joy as he approached Tony. “Something wrong here?” The new guy gave the first guy--the one insisting he was Tony's soul mate--a once over then turned his full attention on Tony. “You’re looking a little stressed, anything I can do?”
Tony took the hint.
Tony wrapped his hand around the new guy’s elbow. He kept his touch light and breakable in case he’d misread the cue.
“Just some guy claiming to be my soul mate, babe.”
The new guy’s eyebrows rose to his hairline in surprise. He chuckled and gave the first guy a smirk. “Strange. Last time I checked we were soul mates.”
Siren’s Treasure: @akira-of-the-twilight
Prompt: I really love the idea of playboy!Bucky flirt of the seven seas first-mate to Captain Rogers, falling completely overboard in love with our Blacksmith-Inventor Inexperienced!Tony who goes from confident captive to shy woe-begone man in the presence of Bucky's fierce affections. Virgin!Tony wonders what a siren like Bucky could possibly want with him. Bucky wants to know what the fuck Logan thinks he's doing flirting with the man who stole his heart like sunken treasures. Happy ending please?
“Sirens killed your crew?” Steve repeated.
The dark haired man nodded. Just an hour ago the Avenger crew had found the man clinging to driftwood in the middle of the ocean. Now he clutched the flask of rum Bucky had given him like it was all that kept him buoyant during these tumultuous times.
The man—Tony—had already downed more than half the flask and was still sober. “Not exactly my crew, but close enough. Yeah.” Tony uncapped the flask and threw back a mouthful.
Steve frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
Tony shrugged. “I wasn’t captain of the ship.”
“So what were you?” Steve pressed.
Road hazards: @riotwritesthings
Steve and Bucky's BFF road trip is not going well. For starters, Steve couldn't even make it, and for some bizarre reason asked Tony to take his place. The fact that it’s only a couple days before someone is trying to kill them isn’t nearly as stressful as the fact that Bucky and Tony have never really had an actual conversation.
It’s hard to avoid someone when stuck in a car with them though, and if they manage to stay alive they just might learn a thing or two.
Once Upon a Wintertime: @iam93percentstardust (this is an a/b/o verse fic)
Look, Bucky knows that he’s fulfilling every cliché in the book right now. He knows that, as a bodyguard, he’s not supposed to fall in love with his client. But Tony’s good and sweet and so, so lonely and how could Bucky not? He thinks he’s got a shot after Tony breaks up with his boyfriend but on a trip across the country, he finds out that Tony needs a bondmate or the board will steal SI—and Ty’s already said yes.
little bird: @thxngam
Bucky laughs, and it’s loud and unbidden, a way he hadn’t laughed for years before, tugging his giggling omega into his lap. Tony quiets and nestles into Bucky’s chest like he was made to belong there, and Bucky has noticed several times that Tony is much smaller than he is, but he never quite noticed how Tony always seemed to curl into him as a reason for his size.
Tony nestles like a little bird.
Teenage Dream: @anthonyed
Tony Stark develops a crush on the school's bad boy who is too cool to hang out with anyone. At least, it's what Tony thinks. He never considered that James Barnes is probably as lonely as he is.
(in the process of editing)
The Best Laid Plans (of Mice and Men): @arboreal-elm-ash-oak
His Dark Materials AU
It was Annalise who noticed their small visitor first.
“Tony,” the spider daemon said softly, skittering up the collar of his dress shirt, two of her eight legs resting delicately against his cheek, “Don’t startle them, but I believe we have a guest. Look, by the coffee table.”
A Kitten and a Soldier: @/ThatDamnKennedyKid
Bucky hadn't heard from Rumlow in years - since the whole Winter Soldier fiasco in Siberia. They've been discharged for nearly six years, but when he gets a message that only says "I need your help" , he grabs his jacket and keys.
The Prince’s Bride: @hddnone
After Tony loses the love of his life to pirates on the high sea, not much matters to him. He agrees to wed Prince Justin Hammer to gain access to vibranium and shut himself away in his workshop until the end of time, but a group of ruffians kidnap Tony to take him to Hydra.
Tony's rescue takes on an unlikely form - the Dread Pirate Rogers, who killed the love of his life five years ago.
A Princess Bride AU
A Kind of Destiny: @weethreequarter
A chance meeting at a wedding brings together an American war veteran and the Prince of Wales. Little do they know, the wheels have been set in motion for a relationship which will change not only their lives, but the monarchy itself.
Bucky and Tony strike up a friendship at Steve and Peggy’s wedding, a friendship that soon develops into more. But it’s not so simple: Tony is the Prince of Wales, and heir to the throne of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Any relationship is played out in the press and public eye, and then there's that pesky issue of succession to consider too. But Bucky is no coward, and when he finds something he wants, he’s prepared to fight for it. And fight he will, at Tony's side, for their very own fairy tale ending.
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@upshuring said: What's one habit or trait of each of the Loser's club (past or present, your pick) that really annoys him, and/or one he admires or envies? Maybe it's even one and the same?
oh this is so fun... ok letss... hold on. this will just be from a like... neutral lens without taking into account other people on here who write dynamics w/ me from different losers. i’m bad with habit related things, but we’ll touch on some general traits.
bill: i think that... richie, like much of the losers club, has a lot of respect and admiration for bill. especially when they’re just kids. this is pretty apparent in all medias, where richie will say something a bit too off-beat and then bill will give him one look and richie says something like ‘sorry bill. she’s missing’ which is a way he backs down to almost no one else. anyway.......i think that there is also truth in the fact that he hates it when bill drags them around on what richie perceives to be like... some big crusade that a) won’t bring back georgie and b) might get one of their friends killed. i often think of richie in the lancer trope, especially next to bill, and therefore i think they provide each other with good character foils. so anyway, richie hates when he perceives bill being blind to a situation’s ramifications. at the same time, he still really admires how much of a natural leader bill is and how brave he is without... really having to “try”, which is what richie is always doing a lot of. and anyway, richie has and will follow bill to the end of the stupid earth.
bev: richie thinks bev is simply the coolest. he admires her for being tough and funny, and probably envies both those things, as these are qualities that glow off her pretty genuinely. bev could have a big bruise up the side of her face and she might explain it off as no big thing. bev is always like, brave enough to do the right thing. and anyway, she tolerates a lot of his nonsense and has the sense of humour to play along with him sometimes, and he trusts her in a unique kind of way... like a lil nod of understanding between them. like she knows what he’s really saying under a joke. like if she knew a secret of his it was safe with her. in terms of what annoys him, i don’t think there is a substantial thing he’d point to. when he’s a kid he gets mildly snotty about her natural aptitude at like, all the cool stuff (me crying thinking abt when she showed him all the yo-yo tricks). but that quickly just turns into admiration as well, like if he thinks someone is cool without strings attached it’s bev.
eddie: okay well these two met and became elderly florida marrieds almost instantly, because they can both be so particular. richie is never not rolling his eyes at eddie’s neurotic ass, but also feels genuinely strongly over how eddie lets his mom convince him that all this shit is wrong with him. the eddie from the book and miniseries i feel is a lot more soft spoken as well, so in general i think richie’s biggest point of contention is that eddie perceives himself as fragile and sometimes weak, because that’s what people around him have said all his life. but richie knows he’s not, knows he can be brave and strong and keep up with everyone else, and that’s also what he admires about him. i also think that eddie is his favourite person to banter at. both general iterations of eddie can effectively clown on richie and he simply loves when someone is capable of shutting him down. eddie gets 40000 affectionatemean nicknames for a reason. richie vc: asshole (dreamy, in love)
mike: okay so mike and richie don’t get enough interactions in my opinion but also in my opinion, richie respects mike in a similar way he respects bill. hasn’t known him as long, but mike is genuinely... good in a way that richie simply cannot clown on. and cannot relate to, because richie considers himself very selfish. probably, he thinks that it was kinda weird for mike to stay in stupid derry and become like, history expert of stupid derry. he genuinely hates that mike thinks he and any of them have any responsibility toward stupid derry, and anyone living in it. but similarly with bill, it translates into why he admires mike... mike just has this hardworking sense of responsibility about him, people like mike because he’s kind and well spoken, and he doesn’t have to pretend about any of it. i think he has complicated feelings toward mike for a little bit after stan and eddie. for a while he struggles with the fact that mike would call them at all, and put everyone in danger like that. but he comes to understand why, and in the end he loves mike too, and can’t hold it against him.
ben: so we lightly bully ben because ben will let you do it, and richie is a bit of a goon sometimes as we know. however! richie i think really likes the way ben’s mind works, in terms of how ben sees information and creates from his mind (specifically how impressed he is with ben building the dam in the stream at the barrens.) he bitches about the clubhouse because he is , a bitch, but i think he’s genuinely very impressed and maybe a little jealous that ben can... think in such an organized way? richie is smart, but not in the same way ben is, so it interests him that ben can pull a blueprint out of his head like that. i think he mainly hassles ben for being too nice to people, letting them walk all over him. richie is like. no! at least pretend ur confident! stop letting people talk shit to u. stop letting me talk shit to u. you know? and it’s because he thinks ben genuinely has such a good heart and he doesn’t deserve to be walked on.
stan: stan the man the myth the legend. richie is also such a goon to stan sometimes, as a long time best friend and someone who is such a complete foil to his own persona. he hassles stan constantly for being so prim and neat and booooorrrinnnnnggg!!! but in truth, he has so much love for stan, who will always take responsibility, who sticks with them even when he’s the only sane one in the room, and even when he’s scared. there’s a time as adults, when stan obviously doesn’t show up with them, where he’s really mad at him. richie perceives that stan dipped out on them, or took the easy way out of their fight. and it’s really hard for him to deal with, until he finally can accept that stan did what he did, and in doing it thought he was doing right by the rest of the losers. and in the end that’s what stan was always trying to do. he admires the way stan thinks, perceives in a way that always seemed a lot older and wiser than any of them as kids. stan was someone who could be super pragmatic in any given situation. also one of the only people that can shut richie down effectively. he bullies stan because stan just tolerates him and isn’t even affected, but hey look. he loves stanley.
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11 questions meme
another meme, this time tagged by @kixboxer. under cut for tl;dr rambling.
1. What is your favorite kind of soup and why?
seafood clam chowder, simply by the virtue that it’s not easily found where I am (the delicious ones, at least - a lot of them just taste like those cheap soup mixes you pour hot water into). also because of that one bowl of chowder I had in a random pub in Doolin (Ireland) which tasted like absolute heaven.
2. What’s your starter Pokémon type or do you change it up?
I’m not really a gamer and the last Pokemon game I played seriously was Yellow, where your starter was only Pikachu. but well, if I had to choose, probably Fire or Water.
3. Can you make an omelette?
yes, though I haven’t really made one in awhile…
4. Would you rather be a vampiric tree or a vampire that feeds on trees?
what’s with the vampire-themed questions, owlbro. UH… a vampire that feeds on trees. because I don’t like being stuck in one place, and being a vampiric tree feels like I need to be rooted to one spot and that sounds a little boring. also, feeding on trees doesn’t sound too bad - trees wouldn’t have blood for me to drain, so I’d assume I’d “feed” on leaves/fruits/nuts? even if I ate the tree bark, it could technically grow back. least harmful option for the tree, y/y?
5. What are your thoughts on eels? Make some up if you don’t have any
eels are kinda cute and cool! also, delicious when grilled. uh, yeah.
6. What is the longest consecutive amount of time you’ve gone without sleeping?
probably a little more than 24 hours.
7. Do you like your tea or coffee sweetened?
for some types of coffee drinks, yes (like flavoured latte/macchiato). but I never put sugar in brewed coffee or cappucino.
8. What is your favorite way to eat potatoes?
I love potatoes so I’ll eat any kind, but roasted potaoes and pan-fried rosti are THE BEST.
9. Have you ever planned the perfect murder? Feel free to share. I am a slubby 20something and definitely not the cops. I am definitely not a 4-person task force with something to prove.
I’d wanted to say I could poison someone with a number of different chemical concoctions, but that would show up in toxicology reports in the post-mortem - I wouldn’t consider it a perfect murder in that sense. so I’m just going to be lazy and say the perfect murder would probably just to put someone into a Force choke-hold or killing them with a single thought Vader-style.
10. How many times have you listened to yolo? Give a rough estimate if you don’t have a playcount somewhere.
YOU KNOW, before I read this question, I didn’t even know there was a song called ‘YOLO’. no, really, I’m not lying and I actually had to search for it on YT. of course it’s from Adam Samberg’s band, ofc. and thank you, now I’m going to be playing this on repeat while procrastinating on things until the 11th hour before I finally #yolo like the responsible adult I’m not :’D so, to answer your question: this is the first time I’m listening to it, but it sure won’t be the last time !
11. Are you working on any fic/art/meta right now? Share a sample?
ADKJKFHHSJF I’M REALLY SLOW WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING apologies to whoever’s following me for fic only but yes, I’m currently bouncing ideas in my head for one long-ish(?) AU oneshot and some short canon fic/ficlets. no idea when exactly I’ll finish them though lol.
some samples scenes for each fic (no major spoilers for the game):
***
“Why do you still keep smiling, even when I tear open your wounds?” she spat, vehemence laced in every word.
(Many moons later, she would find herself asking the same question, to yet another who smiled just like he did even through the anguish and pain.
How could they…. How dare they? It didn’t make any sense, it couldn’t–)
Her brows creased in anger, Symonne forced herself back up to her feet even as her limbs ached and trembled from the growing exhaustion of battle. Being delicate in stature had its drawbacks; she would tire easily from direct combat in a battle. As such, she had perfected the use of her seraphic artes, weaving illusions and doppelgangers born from one’s own deepest fear. She had not asked for this accursed blessing, never wished for any of it. But it was all she’d ever known, all she’d carried within her throughout centuries of misery and growing apathy. It was she was but it was enough for this, for her Lord – she reminded herself, again, as she struggled to stand upright, pointing her baton at the two humans before her. It was enough, as long as she could serve him, her Master. So, she won’t stop here; no, she can’t stop, she must not fall–
“That’s enough, Symonne.” The Shepherd’s voice was soft and gentle, and Symonne felt frustration flaring from deep within. She lifted her head, staring up at the disgustingly radiant smile, at the pity in those evergreen eyes.
***
He shouldn’t have been surprised, honestly. Incidents like these – they were a norm and he should really be used to them by now. Being part the Shepherd’s posse seems bring about both irritability and absurdity in equal parts – he had known of this even before Rose had decided on sharing the burden of a Shepherd and took up the role of Squire; before she’d risked her own life to save the brat from certain death when he’d been foolish enough to face off with the Lord of Calamity.
Still, nothing quite prepared him for this; he was more of a dog person, after all.
“But why cats, though?” Rose finally blurted out, incredulous. Hell, Dezel wanted to know too – who would come up with such a sick joke anyway?
I’m not a cat! The small silver and cat-like creature was scowling up at them with narrowed, violet eyes. Its mouth was open, as if it were attempting to speak. But the only sound it managed was a very indignant and cat-like meow.
W-What? The silver cat crinkled its nose, its tail waving back and forth in confusion. It glanced to its side, gazing at another cat – a longhaired white cat with a bushy, red tail. Why can’t I… Lailah, what’s going on?!
***
“Do not let yourself be so readily deceived by all that glitters, by their honeyed words. After all, they murdered your father when he would not be silenced, and then banished us into the Wastelands. They sent your mother to die all alone – you still remember, don’t you? Her terrified screams when she was cut down, the way her blood stained the wheat fields crimson? Remember that always, child.”
Sorey flinched from the twist of emotion within his gut. Lady Maltran may not be close by, but the ghostly whispers of her words still sent a trail of ice shivering down his spine. He shook his head, pushing away the taunting memories back. No, Lady Maltran was right – this wasn’t the time to let his guard down. He exhaled slowly, finding his centre again, and drew his thoughts back once more to the present. To focus on what had been drilled into him, what he had been sent to do.
okay, here are my 11 questions:
1. If your life was set in an AU, what would it be?
2. Worst things about your current fandom(s)
3. Three tropes that you fall for in media
4. Something you wished your parents had taught you when you were a child
5. Favourite snack(s) from the convenience store
6. What comes to mind when you see the colour orange?
7. Any inspiratational words from a fictional character that you’ve taken to heart?
8. Prefered method of saving the world: piloting a giant mecha robot engaged in space dogfights or riding into battle on the backs of your megaraptor steed?
9. Childhood nicknames?
10. Skydiving and bungee-jumping - yes or no?
11. Favourite kind(s) of autumn beverages/drinks
tagging @armatise @shamingcows @snow-partridge @hakuryuu-tofu @skyress
and anyone else who feels like doing it (or feel free to not do either).
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