#one-sided Darcy/Bingley

[lothiriel84]

Not Handsome Enough to Tempt Me

To say that Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy was in a foul mood the night of the Meryton assembly might have been the understatement of the century.

A Pride and Prejudice ficlet. Bisexual!Darcy, implied bisexual!Wickham and biromantic!Elizabeth.

Author’s note: This is my attempt to adapt the "Two kinsey 5s making it work" Tumblr post about Beatrice and Benedick for the Pride and Prejudice fandom. Proceed with care.

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To say that Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy was in a foul mood the night of the Meryton assembly might have been the understatement of the century. Not only was he still reeling from everything that had transpired at Ramsgate – his own feelings of betrayal over George’s deplorable conduct only making it more apparent how badly he had failed his beloved sister – but he was also forced to bear the painful sight of his particular friend exchanging smiles with one that was widely regarded as the handsomest girl in the room. He could have cursed his own ill luck when Charles took it into his mind to prompt him to dance with Miss Bennet’s sister; after all, he didn’t even need to look at her to know she couldn’t possibly be handsome enough to tempt him.

If only he had known how wrong such an assessment would turn out to be, he might have at least considered holding his tongue; as it was, he thought no more of it, until fate decided to throw him and Miss Elizabeth together once more.

. 

No sooner had the entire party quitted Netherfield that Mr Darcy was able to breathe freely once more. It was bad enough having to vie for Charles’ affections, such as they were, with a country nobody of uncertain feelings and a completely embarrassing family to boast; his sanity had been sorely taxed by the necessity of being constantly on his guard, lest a chance meeting risked stirring the tangle of conflicting emotions he had been striving to suppress with regards to a most unwelcome addition to Meryton’s society. As for Miss Elizabeth Bennet, he hardly knew himself anymore, but as he could scarcely credit his family to approve such a connection, he had therefore resolved to think of her fine eyes and pert conversation no more.

As it happened, fate entertained completely different ideas on the subject, as he would soon find out.

.

He was, without a doubt, the most foolish and despicable man on earth. Elizabeth had been entirely in the right in rejecting his farce of a proposal, and he could blame no one but himself on that count. With sudden clarity, he knew he could never marry, not after this. In all his eight and twenty years, not once had he looked upon a woman with anything but a sense of discomfort, and the disdain of one used to being subjected to the most artful schemes by the ladies in his society; Elizabeth was his one exception, and he had been inconsiderate enough to destroy her regard forever with his pride and his unpardonable conduct.

His previous resolve to seek out an eligible bride to bear him an heir for his estate had dissolved under the same rain he had ridden into after paying his ill-conceived addresses to the one woman he could ever see as the companion of his future life. And if he could not hope to restore himself in her regard, the very least he owed both to her and to himself was to disclose his full motives for his past conduct, and beg for her forgiveness.

After that, he would sequester himself to Pemberley, and devote his full attention to the happiness of his sister. She was now to be his heir, and her future children after her.

. 

There had been a moment, before that fateful letter came, when he had been convinced that, should he pay his addresses again, they would not be so ill received as they had been on a previous occasion. Unfortunately, he was never to find out, as Miss Elizabeth and the Gardiners were now on their way back to Hertfordshire, and he knew he would never see her again. Oh, he planned to find the scoundrel, and give him a piece of his mind before forcing him to do the honourable thing and marry the girl; as much as the thought of securing Wickham’s marriage to a girl of fifteen turned his stomach, he saw no other alternative, and it would at least make it more difficult for George to continue ruining the reputation of unmarried young ladies.

He felt sure that, had he been more careful in concealing his preference for Miss Elizabeth, neither she nor her family would have found themselves in their current predicament. In George Wickham’s eyes, targeting the youngest Miss Bennet had been nothing but retribution for Darcy’s past conduct in his regard, in the same way persuading innocent, sweet Georgiana into an elopement had been.

That the same youthful indiscretion should come back to haunt him for the whole of his natural life, he was now bitterly sure of. Not that he deserved any less, he was convinced, and wouldn’t so much mind the misery he had brought upon himself, if only he could spare those he loved the same fate.

. 

To his credit, Charles Bingley had listened to his friend’s detailed confession of his past misdeeds with an equanimity Darcy had not previously suspected the younger man to possess; even his momentary discomfort at being informed of the full extent of Darcy’s previous regard for him was quickly dismissed, and it was fair to say their longstanding friendship withstood such a trial with an ease and grace that could scarcely fail to surprise – and delight – both parties.

As his mind drifted towards the mutual bitterness of his and George’s parting, both after his father’s death and more recently in London, he congratulated himself on his good fortune in finding such a friend, and assured Bingley of his most heartfelt approval of his intentions to renew his suit of Miss Jane Bennet.

As for Elizabeth Bennet, he wished her every happiness, and prayed to God that she would one day find a husband who might endeavour to deserve her. He knew he did not, and he would regret this unfortunate circumstance for the rest of his life.

. 

In his determination to do everything within his power to ensure his friend’s happiness, Mr Darcy forgot to consider whether his own feelings were under good enough regulation to face the day with the composure required of a gentleman standing up with the bridegroom. He knew that Elizabeth would be in attendance, of course, and that it was entirely possible that she would stand up with her sister; as for the Wickhams, he had dared to hope they would not brave the journey from Newcastle, as news had reached him that Mrs Wickham was expecting. And while he bore no ill will whatsoever to Charles for his happiness in entering the married state, having to bear witness to George parading Lydia around as if she were a prize mare proved to be too much for his already frazzled nerves.

He was halfway towards working himself into a state, hidden away as he was in a prettish kind of little wilderness to the side of Longbourn, when someone approached him, and shortly after a small, ungloved hand came to rest on his forearm.

“I am exceedingly pained to see you suffer thus, Sir,” Elizabeth murmured, sympathetically. “If only there was some small way for me to offer you comfort, you have but to name it.”

Darcy barked out a humourless laugh at that, and subsequently found himself unable to hold back the tears that had been threatening to escape since the morning. “You are too kind, Madam. My pain is of my own doing, as you are entirely aware, and so I must suffer it.”

He didn’t realise she was offering him her handkerchief until he felt it pressed into his own hand. “Mr Darcy, I have thought long enough on the contents of the letter you have been kind enough to give me, and I find I cannot be silent any longer. You expressed your feelings of shame and guilt for forming such a peculiar sort of attachment as society could be never prevailed upon to acknowledge, let alone accept – and yet I cannot find fault in you for simply loving your friends. I know how painful it is to have your particular friend removed from your society upon their marrying, and while Charlotte and I have never discussed our previous attachment, I can assure you it was most grievous for me to see her loyalties, if not her affections, transferred to her husband.”

“I – am not entirely sure we are speaking of the same sort of attachment, Miss Elizabeth. And while I must once again beg your forgiveness for my role in separating my friend from your sister, I knew from the start there could never be anything beyond friendship between myself and a respectable man such as Charles is.”

“I cannot possibly relate the minute details of my previous acquaintance with the former Miss Lucas, Sir, but you must at least trust me with the use of my own understanding and heart. And I wasn’t speaking of my new brother only, as you well know.”

He swallowed and faced away from her, as he surreptitiously made use of the proffered handkerchief. “I am exceedingly sorry that my mere presence in Hertfordshire spurred George to choose your family as the target of his nefarious designs. As I believe I mentioned in my letter, he has every right to consider himself ill-used on at least one count, but even after his shocking attempt to revenge himself upon me through Georgiana, I wouldn’t have thought so low of him as to think him capable of imposing upon a girl so entirely unconnected to myself.”

“Not so entirely unconnected, if my aunt and uncle are to be believed,” she smiled, the warmth in her eyes so palpable he felt his heart leap in his chest. “Which reminds me, I am still to thank you for your invaluable service in rescuing my sister, and securing the continued respectability of my family. It’s not a match I would have wished for any of my sisters, but as Lydia assures me she is far from disappointed in her choice of a husband, my only regret is that it should have come at such a personal cost for yourself.”

A most bittersweet smile coloured his features, and he promptly shook his head. “I have made my choice when I rejected George’s affections, all those years ago. And while I won’t go so far as to claim I do not regret the circumstances of our parting, his subsequent conduct has long destroyed the better part of my regard for him. Securing your sister’s future was the least I could do, when I was the indirect cause of the ruination of all her prospects.”

“You are too generous, Sir,” Elizabeth claimed, her hand impulsively covering his own. “As for myself, I can but heartily pray that your good deeds are rewarded in kind, and that you find the happiness you deserve.”

“I can assure you, Madam, I have as much happiness as I shall ever deserve,” he forced himself to speak around the tightness in his throat, as he sternly reminded himself that she would never be his, no matter how desperately he wished it.

“Mr Darcy, that will not do at all,” she cried, throwing her hands up in frustration. “I know I can scarcely hope for a renewal of your addresses, but is it so wrong of me to wish for all misunderstandings between us to cease once and for all?”

His head spun, and he wondered just how much wine he had had at the wedding breakfast. “Scarcely hope? Elizabeth, you must know – surely you will understand – after everything I disclosed to you in my letter, my honour as a gentleman prevents me from even suggesting a union between a respectable young woman such as yourself, and a – a reprobate, such as myself.”

“How dare you speak ill of the man I love most dearly?” she exclaimed with the force of her conviction, and in a moment of boldness took hold of both of his hands. “I do not care who you loved in the past, so long as you promise to be true in your affections from this day on.”

“Elizabeth,” he whispered her name like a prayer, and all but fell to his knees in front of her. “Is this possible?”

“It is indeed, Fitzwilliam,” she laughed, and when her lips touched his, he was left to wonder whether it was in fact possible to die of happiness.

#Pride and Prejudice #Mr Darcy #Elizabeth Bennet #George Wickham #Charles Bingley #Elizabeth/Darcy #past Darcy/Wickham #one-sided Darcy/Bingley #implied past Elizabeth/Charlotte #bisexual character #biromantic character #period-typical homophobia #internalised homophobia #endgame het pairing #I wrote a thing #Pride (In the Name of Love) [collection]

[blueyellow8green]

Jane Bennet: Charles how much do you like me?

Mr Bingley *physically vibrating with excitement*: I like you a normal amount

#THEIR LOVE WAS SO OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE EXCEPT EACHOTHER *SCREAMS* #one of the most underrated side couples they are SO CUTE #golden retriever girlfriend and orange cat boyfriend i will not take any questions #on that topic elizabeth is a black cat girlfriend but mr darcy is a rottweiler boyfriend #looks tough but in reality he is more scared of that black cat than anything else #anyway i like pride and prejudice a normal amount too #pride and prejudice #charles bingley #mr bingley #jane bennet #elizabeth bennet #mr darcy #jane austen

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Okay you got me. Tell me about PP 1980

Okay, so XD

Imagine you had a BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that was 5 hours long, faithful to the book, and yet having a different perspective/understanding/interpretation of the characters and the story? That's P&P 1980 in a nutshell, and I think it is worth watching just for that. But here are some other concrete things it has going for it, specially in relation to other adaptations:

The casting is closer in age than 95, and on one specific important case, closer than 05 too: Lady Catherine de Bourgh is played by an actress in her mid 40s, and she nails the absolute Opinionated Facebook AuntTM thing that the character has going in the novel.

It's not the only case of closer accuracy to the book in characters: Mr Collins is a young, tall, big guy, whose main issue is being very small minded, petty, and obsequent, instead of recurring to "he's greasy or slimy" as other adaptations do.

If you agree/like the "Darcy has autism" headcanon, this is the adaptation that leans the most heavily into it (it does overdo it, in my opinion, but there's a very interesting contrast between the flat affect of his facial expression, and the richness of inflexion in his voice)

Elizabeth Garvie's Lizzy is just... extraordinary. This adaptation circumvents the Jane-as-prettier-than-Lizzy issue by casting as Lizzy an actress with big, dark, very expressive eyes, small features and a very lively, sharp countenance and manners, whereas Jane's actress is tall and graceful and has a general air of kindness and sweetness, but in a very youthful way.

Speaking of Jane, this adaptation focuses much more on the sisters as sisters, and gives special emphasis to Lizzy's love for Jane, which I appreciate a lot.

Also speaking of Jane, Jane and Bingley are the cutest in this. They are given time, and he's kind and sociable and sweet without being an idiot. This adaptation includes that great line of his about how he wouldn't mind Darcy so much if he wasn't so tall, and the following comment about how Darcy can be fastidious of a Sunday evening.

That way, this adaptation includes several fan favorite scenes/lines that don't usually make it to adaptation, such as Darcy asking Lizzy to dance a reel, Lizzy playing and singing at a party in Meryton, Caroline teasing Darcy about putting uncle and aunt Phillips on the Pemberley portrait gallery, and the "I cannot fix the hour or the spot..." line. EDIT: also, the coffee pot scene!! and the rivalry between Mrs Bennet and Lady Lucas!

I also think it balances well how awful, in different ways, both Mr and Mrs Bennet (EDIT: and she's not insufferably shrill!!!!) are as parents (unlike how 95 and 05 "pick sides"); it emphasizes how self centered her efforts are, and how lazy and callous he can be in his mockery and indolence.

The opening sequence of each episode is a roll of a hand-drawn summary of the events of the episode and that's such a lovely detail.

Mind you, the adaptation is not without its faults. The production values are not what we are accustomed to nowadays. Some acting and lines are stilted and/or awkward. It has the odd choice here and there that is involuntarily funny. But I don't think people need discouragement from seeing it. I don't even think most of the general Austen fandom is aware of its existence. For my part, it has become my favorite adaptation of P&P (that I have watched so far; I haven't gotten yet to either 1967 or the Italian one).

#ask #kajaono #pride and prejudice #Jane Austen #pride and prejudice 1980

[warrioreowynofrohan]

After a reread of Persuasion, I’m thinking about how it relates to Austen’s character types discussed in this post. It stands out from S&S, P&P, and Mansfield Park in not haveing a ‘charming rake’ type as the main male antagonist, but instead a reserved, intelligent, courteous, cold-blooded and selfish man. There is no counterpart to Willoughby, Wickham, or Henry Crawford.

Instead, if Mr. Elliot is a counterpart to any of the characters in Austen’s other novels, he feels like a dark mirror of Darcy. They are both reserved; both (at least at the time of the main plot of the book) place a high value on social status, and look down on commonness and vulgarity. However, while Darcy’s arrogance makes him rude, Mr. Elliot has impeccable manners; and where Darcy in has strong principles and treats the people for whom he is responsible well, Mr. Elliot is a hypocrite and, though voicing good principles, is in fact cruel and uncaring to those who are dependent on him. Mr. Elliot is, really, the type of person that Wickham portrays Darcy as being. The other thing that brought this comparison to my mind is Mrs. Smith’s description of the friendship between her husband and Mr. Elliot, which very much recalls the one between Bingley and Darcy (as an additional note, both Mr. Smith and Bingley are named Charles):

From his wife’s account of him she could discern Mr. Smith to have been a man of warm feelings, easy temper, careless habits, and not strong understanding, much more amiable than his friend and very unlike him - led by him

I think this all goes with one of Austen’s common themes, and one that is especially important to Persuasion - the importance of not marrying in overmuch haste and without good knowledge of and, at a minimum, respect for your partner. Darcy is decidedly not like Mr. Elliot in character - but at the time if his first proposal, for all Elizabeth knew he might have been.

And on the flip side, Frederick Wentworth is not like Willoughby or Wickham - but given the short time Anne had known him when he first proposed, he might have been, and Lady Russell certainly sees that danger. He is, at that time, daring and charismatic, but not prudent, having saved none of the money that he won in his naval career. There’s also another reference to the ‘charming rake’ type in that, like Henry Crawford, he for a while courts two sisters, the elder of whom is attached (though, unlike Maria Bertram, not engaged) to another man. In Wentworth’s defence, he isn’t aware of the latter, and isn’t trying to make them both fall in love with him, just being his (naturally charming) self, and keeping his eyes open for who he might like to marry; and he very nearly gets himself badly entangled and, later, freely acknowledges that as his own fault. Really, Wentworth has elements of all three of Austen’s main male character types, and is the better for it. (Anne herself has, I think, the most in common with Elinor Dashwood in being the only sensible and intelligent person in her family, and in being very perceptive, and with Fanny Price is being rather quiet and imposed upon.)

On the whole, this combination of characters makes the book feel less on the side of intelligence and judgement, and more on the side of a warm and open heart, in making for happiness, whereas S&S and P&P focus more strongly on the need for ‘sense’ and intelligence. Intelligence may well be a necessary quality for a truly good marriage, but it is not a sufficient one, not when it is combined with a cold and selfish heart.

#jane austen #persuasion #pride and predujice #anne elliot #mr elliot #mr darcy #frederick wentworth

[emeraldspiral]

You know, I remember both before and after TLJ dropped people were calling Reylo "Space Pride & Prejudice" but there was one person I recall who said right after getting out of the theater "We were wrong. Kylo isn't Space Darcy, he's Space Rochester" and they were totally right.

Like, P&P really doesn't have that much in common with Reylo. P&P is about misjudging people. Lizzie rejects Darcy at the midpoint of the story because she's had a bad impression of him the whole time and the sudden revelation that he's in love with her does nothing to improve her opinion because Darcy's still clearly communicating that he thinks poorly of her rank and relations and remorselessly sabotaged her sister's relationship with Bingley. By contrast, Jane Eyre is madly in love with Rochester by the story's midpoint but rejects him because there's no way for them to be together without compromising her integrity.

It's easy for Lizzie to reject Darcy because she doesn't like him at all, but it takes Jane tremendous strength to resist temptation and leave Rochester. Rey clearly likes Ben by the end of TLJ. She wouldn't have confided in him, touched his hand, and FedExed herself to the Supremacy if she didn't already like him, and is clearly devastated to have to say "No" when he proposes to her. She even explicitly states in TROS that she was tempted to take his hand. But she didn't, because she would've had to compromise her morals to be with Ben while he was still on the Dark Side. Just like Jane, Rey is someone who's always craved love, so the hardest thing in the world for her is finding her soulmate, only to have to tear herself away from him just when happiness is within her grasp.

#star wars #reylo #rey #kylo ren #ben solo #pride & prejudice #jane eyre #rochester even got the skywalker special in the book

[trashpandacraft]

What are your cats' names? I love them very much 🥹

you are my favourite person. thank you so much for asking this and giving me a chance to talk about my cats, my precious terrible babies.

we have three cats, as you can see in this photo of them supervising me watering the garden yesterday.

the brown tabbies are brothers, and are two years old. the grey one was adopted at the same time, but is younger—about eighteen months. they're terrible. i adore them.

this is darcy. he's impossibly beautiful, so full of beauty that there's absolutely no space left in that precious little head of his for anything as trivial as thoughts. look at those eyes. his mind is absolutely empty.

darcy enjoys hanging his chin over things, feather toys, helping me manage any wool products that i'm using, sunbeams, yoghurt, tearing apart cardboard boxes, and being lightly thunked along his sides. does he like being pet like a normal cat? not really. what he loves is when you aggressively rub his sides up and down like you're trying to towel off a very wet dog, or when you play bongos on his ribs.

darcy is our babiest boy, and also the fanciest and most beautiful boy. he doesn't walk, he prances. his tail is an enormous peacock plume. his mouth is so so so pink. he's also our most timid boy—very friendly, but very cautious, especially when it comes to anything physical. big jump? no thank you, darcy will simply hop down to the floor and take the long way. he's our longest and probably our sturdiest cat, but he does not care to put that to the test.

this is bingley. you may notice, in these photos, that he's missing the paw on his front right leg. this is because he put every single one of his ability points into soft and didn't leave any for paw. he feels like this was a reasonable trade, and is entirely unbothered by its absence.

bingley likes sofa, plush fishie toys, biting and biting and biting his siblings, cotton, being tall, getting onto the bed by jumping directly on my face, and trucks and machines of all types. you have a spinning wheel? this guy is obsessed with spinning wheels. garbage is being picked up? he is tearing into the office so he can watch it out the window. toddler-ass behaviour, frankly.

darcy and bingley are brothers, and when we went to the shelter, we were told that they were a bonded pair, and that darcy relied on bingley for a lot of social cues. this was, at it turns out, 100% correct. darcy is timid and anxious and very reluctant to trust his own abilities; bingley is confident and loud and knows absolutely no fear. this cat has opinions, and by god he's gonna tell you about them. bingley makes the biggest jumps, and is the cat who figured out that he could jump from the knee-high cat tree to the top of the more-than-two-metres wardrobe. i'm honestly glad that he's missing a paw because i feel like if he weren't a tiny bit nerfed, he'd be A Threat. he is also far and away our smallest cat, even though he sometimes makes himself look quite large in photos.

this is goblet. goblet is rightfully called silver—my child named him, thus the thematic disconnect—but i have to admit that i've almost never called him that. you see, when we got him, he was very young, and he had hilariously oversized eyes and ears, which made him look like a goblin. a very small goblin. a goblet, if you will.

goblet likes food, the plastic bottle caps from sports drinks that he fishes out of the garbage, being in things (baskets, drawers, cat beds, etc), headbutts, having his belly rubbed, and sitting with his front paws tucked up very politely.

he's our most skittish boy—if there's a loud noise, he's gone—but also the snuggliest. which is great, because he's also the most trustworthy when it comes to craft supplies. if i pull out my knitting, there's like an 85% chance that he'll appear on my lap within ten minutes or so, and then he'll just hang out there. i've used his limbs to tension yarn before and he just purrs. he's sort of middle of the road on the bad life choices scale—too skittish to have bingley's eyes closed, three paws, can't lose attitude, but more confident than darcy. he's also the smartest cat.

additionally, he has weirdly, freakishly grippy paws. he's not polydactyl, but he very much uses his dewclaws like thumbs. he really holds on to things. it's messed up but also very charming, because he holds on to everything.

anyhow, thank you so so much for sending me this ask and giving me an excuse to tell you way more than you wanted to know about my cats!

#cats #my precious stinky babymen #bin blogging #smartest raccoon i know

[hycinthrt]

if theres is one thing i feel like the 2005 pride and prejudice movie did not come close to portray as well as the 1995 series did was how absolutely MORTIFYING the netherfield ball was. i have never felt so much second hand embarrassment watching a scene oh my god the whole thing was a mess and its supposed to be a mess because this, this was the reason mr darcy was so determined to get bingley the hell out of there

LIKE AHGSJDJDJDHDJ SO MANY THINGS IN THIS SCENE

every bennet family member doing their own embarrassing shit on their corner of the room, elizabeth going through the five stages of grief, darcy looking at everything with a face of complete horror, bingley giving uncomfortable side eyes while trying to keep his 😀 face. it was a train wreck, one of those scenes from a reality show where everything was going wrong

i love you you beautiful embarrassing painful scene

#darcy could not handle the cringe #i love the 2005 movie to death but the 1995 version has so much of the absurdity of the story i love it sm #nothing to see here #pride and prejudice #pride and predjudice 1995 #jane austen #literature #elizabeth bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #mr darcy #colin firth #mr bingley

[shmaptainwrites]

wait i lied do childhood besties to enemies to lovers PLS

betsie ngl it took me a minute to figure out a good plot for this concept that i could do justice with the length i'm going for so now that i have something i really hope you like it! also atp it isn’t a mini blurb it’s a full on ficlet cause i just kept writing LMAO

Pairings: Fitzwilliam Darcy x GN!Reader

Warnings: Wickham mention (yes that's a valid warning bc he sucks), minor height descriptions (again i'm sorry)

Lost Years

Your least favourite time of year was always the time you visited Pemberley with your siblings. It had been that way for a while now, you probably could have pinpointed the date if you tried hard enough.

But just as every year before it was unavoidable.

It used to be an occasion of good fun. Two of your closest friends lived on the estate and you would savour every chance you got to spend with them both, but as you grew older and responsibilities set in, so did the disputes. Your close friendship had become fragmented along with your heart.

The first few days you tried to make sure you were always with at least one of your siblings, or maybe even Miss Georgiana Darcy which would create a buffer for the tension between you and her older brother.

As the estate was so large, it was always possible that by mere coincidence, one may end up in a room alone with another individual.

That quickly became the case for you, as you walked in the library, perusing the selection of books curated by the late Mr. Darcy and his son.

You went to reach for a book on a shelf you could not reach and before you could even thinking of a further attempt to grab it, someone reached from behind you and brought the book.

When you turned around and saw it was the younger Mr. Darcy you couldn't help the sharp remark that slipped past your lips.

"I could have gotten it myself. There was no need for that."

"And I suppose you would have climbed the shelves to accomplish that," he snapped right back.

"I find myself in a different mood than before. You may keep the book, Mr. Darcy," you said curtly and began to walk away.

"Am I to assume that nothing that comes from my hand will be accepted?" he asked.

You turned around.

"Miss, I have delt with your contempt of me in as amiable of a manner as I thought I was capable, but this has crossed a boundary."

"I have crossed a boundary?" you blinked, pointing to yourself. "I believe maybe you should have thought of that when you refused to give Wickham his portion entitled to him of your father's estate!"

Mr. Darcy stared at you blankly for a moment before his expression hardened.

"If Wickham is where your loyalties lie then perhaps contempt on both sides is justified."

"I disagree," you shook your head. "When he told me I could not believe what I was hearing. That you of all people could be so cold and unloving towards a friend. If you could do something like that to Wickham what was stopping you from doing it to me?"

"And what exactly did he tell you?" Mr. Darcy asked and you didn't hesitate to recount Wickham's version of the events.

You could see what almost looked like shock on Mr. Darcy's face as he saw in what light he was being painted, but he allowed you to finish before saying anything.

"I don't suppose you have anything to say for youself," you crossed your arms over your chest.

"That isn't what happened," he said simply.

"T-That isn't what happened? Really Mr. Darcy is that all you can-,"

"I swear it to you," he said. "Ask Mr. Bingley, if you must, but that is not what happened after my father's death."

You loosened your stance, letting your arms fall to your side.

"If not, then what did happen?"

Mr. Darcy took a breath before beginning to explain to you the events following his father's death. He was able to say in great detail what had occured, lining up his story with the timeline of events that had occured in his own life and Wickham's. Even things you had witnessed to your friend's character. Suddenly everything came crashing back down to reality.

When he finished speaking you had to excuse yourself in order to sit down on one of the couches behind you.

"Years," you whispered. "I went on for years believing this."

"You were listening to a friend you thought you could trust," Mr. Darcy even went as far as defending your actions towards him, when all this time he had been innocent of what he was accused. "I understand that this is a lot of information to take in, but may I ask you something?"

"Yes, I suppose," you nodded your head.

"Why didn't you ever ask me about this?"

Of everything he could have asked you, it had to be that. You closed your eyes and swallowed thickly.

"Mr. Darcy I-I'm not sure it would be appropriate to say."

"I have delt with many things much more difficult than this," he assured you. "Please...answer the question."

You chuckled softly to youself,

"We were young, Fitz," you looked over to him and you could see his face soften at the childhood nickname you called him. It was so easy how one word could transport you back in time, maybe a time where things were simpler. "I-," you shook your head and held it in your hands, massaging your temples. The words had become caught in your throat. "I-I-I loved you and if I spoke to you and it was true? It was easier to believe him and spare myself the hurt of hearing it from you directly."

You couldn't sit next to him, quickly standing and moving towards a window instead.

"The thought of finding out someone for which you feel so deeply, might be capable to do something of such an unkindly nature was too much for me to bear I-I'm so sorry."

"You loved me," he whispered softly. "Past tense."

"If I didn't love you, would I care this much about your treatment of Wickham?" you looked back at him, tears glistening in your eyes.

Mr. Darcy stood from his seat and slowly made his way towards you, gingerly reaching for your hand before finally clasping it in his own and bringing it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to its back.

"I have lost money; I have lost trust; I have lost many things because of Wickham," he murmured, your hand still close enough to his lips your could feel them move as he spoke. He lifted his other hand to gently caress your cheek. "But I will never forgive him for making me lose the years I could have spent with you."

"Fitz, I'm so sorry," you apologized as the tears finally spilled from your eyes, "I'm sorry."

You repeated your apologies many times, but they became muffled as he pulled you into him for a tight embrace.

You wrapped your hands tightly around his neck and buried your nose in his shoulder.

When your apologies quieted, he gently moved away, just barely half an arm's length.

"There is no need to apologize, my dear," his countenance calm, at peace. "We will simply have to make up for lost time."

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

@iceman-kazansky

#mimi’s mini blurbs #fitzwilliam darcy #mr darcy #pride and prejudice #pride and prejudice fanfic #pride and prejudice fanfiction #p&p #p&p 1995 #p&p 2005 #pride and prejudice 1995 #bbc pride and prejudice #pride and predjudice 2005 #fitzwilliam darcy x reader #mr darcy x reader #mr darcy fanfiction #fitzwilliam darcy fanfiction #jane austen #jane austen fanfiction

[bethanydelleman]

It took me a long time to realize this because, but the conversation between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth is rude, but for the most part, Lady C is not wrong.

“Why did not you all learn? You ought all to have learned. The Miss Webbs all play, and their father has not so good an income as yours. Do you draw?”

“No governess! How was that possible? Five daughters brought up at home without a governess! I never heard of such a thing. Your mother must have been quite a slave to your education.”

“All! What, all five out at once? Very odd! And you only the second. The younger ones out before the elder are married! Your younger sisters must be very young?”

Yes! They all should have learned and they probably should have had a governess. Especially Lydia and Kitty. The other heroines without a governess (Catherine Morland, possibly the Dashwoods) do have very attentive parents who manage their education. The Bennets don’t have dowries, they could at the very least be educated. It’s far less expensive.

And yes! It’s insane to have five daughters out at once. Even if we just look at it from a financial standpoint, that means five girls need ballgowns and adornment all at once. Families usually put only one or two girls out because of the prohibitive expense. And then we have of course the fact that Lydia is probably too young to be out anyway.

Elizabeth defends her family’s choices, kind of, or at least gives an explanation, but not allowing her family to be dragged through the mud is different than saying her upbringing was correct. And even if she kind of agrees with her family’s justification now, she certainly realizes how devastating these choices were later.

And yet, because Jane Austen is so clever, Lady Catherine is still a rude idiot. A good deal of what she says even during this conversation is ridiculous and condescending. But that is the genius of Austen, she sets up this argument so you get on Elizabeth’s side, even though Elizabeth is wrong. Which is the same as with Caroline Bingley’s warning about Wickham, we discount it because we dislike her and she sneers, but in her speech is the truth.

It’s a nice parallel with Darcy’s first proposal. He’s not wrong, but he is still a rude, condescending jerk about it.

#jane austen #pride and prejudice #elizabeth bennet #mr. darcy #lady catherine #the truth from a tainted source can still be the truth #It took a lot of learning about cultural context to be like oh Lady Catherine has some really solid points here #and the two girls out at a time thing was mostly because of how freaking expensive it would have been #and Lydia should never have been out #I've said it before #I'll say it again

[dearausten]

just rewatched pride and prejudice 1995 and i loved it, even more than before! here are some thoughts:

- the best thing about this adaptation is, to me, the performance of jennifer ehle as elizabeth. honestly, she nails everything about her character, in my opinion. from lizzy’s wit and sense of humor to her firm resolution in rejecting darcy the first time and dealing with lady catherine, while also displaying all her conflictimg emotions not only during the whole wickham affair, but also when she found herself longing for darcy’s good opinion (who knows why!). she was absolutely charming and one can’t help but root for her.

- this might be obvious, but i love how it is pretty much the same as the book! it’s very clear that having six episodes worth of screen time instead of two hours as you get in movies played in their favor.

- i love the bennets! i love seeing the sisters interact! i love seeing them in their daily lives and watching their dynamics. i also think they got almost all of the characterizations perfectly. lydia, kitty, mary and mrs. bennet were all on point! however i do feel like they toned down mr. bennet’s flaws and only focused on the funny/sarcastic side of his character. other than that, i liked him too :)

- i’ve seen many people who don’t like this mr. collins but honestly i really enjoyed him. he was ridiculous and absurd, and he annoyed the fuck out of everyone, which is accurate lol. i do wish they’d made him age appropriate bc... that man is not 25 lol. anyways, i actually thought this collins was more accurate than 2005!collins.

- oh, caroline, you sneaky thing! i have nothing to say about her, really. i think she was portrayed very accurately as well. and they included the hursts!

- mr. bingley was good too! love me some golden retriever energy

- and, of course, how could i not talk about colin firth as darcy! he was DISGUSTED to be around common gentry people. he looked like he’d rather hang himself from the ceiling than be in those goddamn social gatherings for one more minute. he was so displeased with everyone and clearly thought they were nothing but a pain in his ass, and i love that lol.

- but OH MY he’s a simp! he can’t stop staring at elizabeth for the life of him. istg he is so fascinated by her. that scene at rosings when lizzy is talking to colonel fitzwilliam and darcy just stared at them while she roasts the fuck out of him????? top tier

- one thing i adored about his performance was just how miserable he looks when she isn’t around! and mind you, this is DARCY we’re talking about.

- the lake scene was great, but CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT LOOK THEY GAVE EACH OTHER IN THAT ONE SCENE???? YES, THAT LOOK. YALL KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. IT MAKES ME WEAKKK

- the ONLY note that i have is that i wish he smiled more, especially when they meet after the letter (but before that too)

- honestly the only bad thing i have to say about this adaptation is that the second proposal felt a little... underwhelming. it’s supposed to be this big emotional moment why do they look like they’re talking about the weather 😭

my conclusion: i’ve worshipped 2005 since the first time i watched but i feel like i’ve just become a 1995 stan, it was just so so good and so faithful to the book. and yes, i finished it two days ago. yes, i’ll be rewatching today.

#jane austen #pride and prejudice #p&p 1995 #i am now a 1995 truther i fear #that is until i rewatch 2005 and become a mess #and the cycle goes on and and on

[lothiriel84]

A Prodigiously Good Friend

As soon as Georgiana was safely packed away to their aunt and uncle’s, Darcy descended upon the Bingleys’ town house like a shipwreck survivor reaching for the shore.

A Pride and Prejudice ficlet. Bisexual!Darcy, one-sided Darcy/Bingley.

As soon as Georgiana was safely packed away to their aunt and uncle’s, Darcy descended upon the Bingleys’ town house like a shipwreck survivor reaching for the shore. He was exceedingly grateful to his cousin for his offer to stay behind and tie up every possible loose end, for he was in desperate need of some time and space to himself, if he were to regain a modicum of composure in the face of such an unexpected, blatant betrayal on George’s part.

That the man he had once loved so dearly – still did, in some ways, in spite of the heavy blow he had just been delivered – could sink so low as to deceive a sweet girl of fifteen he had known since infancy just to exact his revenge on her brother was beyond thinking; guilt, betrayal, anger, they all vied for control of his own emotions, along with the shame of discovering himself an inadequate guardian for his precious sister. He felt sure he would go mad if he kept dwelling on the consequences of his own actions from nearly a decade before, and he probably would have, had it not been for Charles’ invaluable support in the weeks – and months – that followed.

Not that he had seen fit to enlighten his good friend as to the particulars of the entire debacle; his wounds were still too raw, and while he would have trusted Charles with his own life and that of his sister besides, he simply couldn’t face the prospect of explaining the full extent of his former lover’s treachery to the man that had slowly taken up his place as the beloved of his heart.

Charles’ mere company was enough to lighten his burden, regardless of its heaviness; his friend’s open, cheerful disposition complimented Darcy’s so well he had occasionally allowed himself to daydream about a future that could never, would never be. At least this time around he was going in with his eyes wide open; he knew perfectly well nothing might ever happen between him and Charles, and besides, he could hardly ignore his friend’s partiality for the fairer sex.

In his eyes, Charles’ only fault was a certain propensity to believe himself in love at the drop of a hat; still, he considered himself fortunate to call him his friend, and was assiduous in guarding his feelings from any undue expectation beyond that of a strong, lasting friendship. And if he sometimes caught himself wondering how his friend’s elegant mouth would feel under his own, that was neither here nor there. He was enough of a gentleman to know his place, and besides, he didn’t think he could bear it, were Charles ever to look down at him in disgust upon discovering his secret inclinations.

It is beyond unnatural, it is wickedness itself, Lady Catherine had once condescended to offer her opinion on an older gentleman of their acquaintance, ignorant as she mercifully was that her own nephew – and prospective son-in-law, at least according to her desires – happened to be of the very same persuasion. And for all that he had infrequently dwelled on the possibility of tying himself to his cousin Anne as the lesser of a number of evils, he could scarcely find the prospect less appealing – unless he were to compare it with Miss Bingley’s deluded expectations that he might, one day, offer for her. Charles’ younger sister was the exact sort that invariably did nothing but sorely test his patience; and while the superficial resemblance between brother and sister had been enough to pique his interest at first, he was long past tolerating her out of anything beyond the high regard he held her brother in.  

“What do you say to this one, old chap?” Bingley’s cheerful tone broke him out of his reverie, and he shook his head briefly before approaching the desk his friend was sitting at. “It comes with high commendations from its former occupants, and I hear the neighbourhood is delightful.”

So long as it looks nothing like Ramsgate, that’s good enough for me, he thought to himself, leaning over his friend’s shoulder to give a cursory look to the document detailing the house plans as well as that of its grounds. The light coming in from the window was complimenting Charles’ strawberry curls in such a way that momentarily distracted him, and he was obliged to ask his friend to repeat himself.

“I was merely enquiring if you would mind accompanying me down to Hertfordshire to see the house for myself,” Charles smiled up at him, and he thought it prudent to remove himself from the sweet torment presented by those same curls and delightfully plump lips.

“Not at all,” he replied in a voice carefully devoid of any emotion, even as he retreated to a safe distance and stared out of the window for good measure. “I’d be happy to.”

“Perfect! We shall leave tomorrow,” Charles announced, pushing back his chair and stepping closer to pat him briefly on the shoulder. “I shall send word to the housekeeper presently.”

Darcy’s eyes fluttered closed at the unexpected contact, and it took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to do anything so foolish as leaning in. Blissfully unaware of his friend’s inner struggle, Charles dashed out of the study, leaving a somewhat discombobulated Darcy to collect himself before stepping out at a more leisurely pace.

#Pride and Prejudice #Mr Darcy #Charles Bingley #one-sided Darcy/Bingley #pre-canon #bisexual character #period-typical homophobia #internalised homophobia #I wrote a thing #Pride (In the Name of Love) [collection]

[ladykailitha]

Yesterday I had two ideas for a steddie fic, so you'll be getting two updates from me today...

The first one is a modern (ish it would be set in the 80s) day Pride & Prejudice with Steve as Darcy, Robin as Bingley, and Eddie as Lizzy. Chrissy as Jane. Probably Billy as Wickham.

Nancy as Lady Catherine, but in the way that she's the catalyst at the end that comes up to Steve and tells him he can't date Eddie. Not because Eddie isn't in love with him, but no, because she thinks Steve is straight.

Cue Steve rushing to Eddie to tell him he still loved him.

Not sure where the rest of the gang would filter through. But none of them are related to each other like they are in the book.

I think Vickie would be a great Charlotte though. Deciding to be with someone she doesn't love because she doesn't think she can be with the one she wants because they're (Robin) out of her league.

The scene that gets Eddie to hate him on sight is they're at a party and he overhears Robin and Steve talking and Steve's too embarrassed to go on to the dance floor so he keeps making excuses. Tells her that Chrissy is the only pretty one there. Which Robin calls him out on because Eddie is soooo his type.

Steve scoffs and calls him cute at best.

Now Eddie who has carefully constructed his image to metal thinks that cute is the antithesis of that and gets offended.

Then in comes Billy and starts bad mouthing Steve. Saying all sorts of bullshit that Eddie just eats right up. Flirted with a 14 year old girl (Max and Steve was protecting her from Billy), deliberately threw a basketball game (had gotten a concussion and instead of continuing to play like the coach wanted went to the ER instead), and the list goes on about how miserable Steve has made Billy's life.

Chrissy doesn't believe it because the guys on the basketball team the following year love Steve. But Eddie thinks they were tricked by the King Steve image.

Robin isn't any help regarding the rumors because she wasn't friends with Steve until after all that went down and she wasn't in marching band that year, her parents couldn't pay for the uniform.

I know I know Bingley is the rich one and Jane is the poor one, but work with me here, it's based on personality. Robin isn't naive enough to be Jane.

Anyway.

Steve is oblivious to the drama going on around him because he's trying keep Max out of Billy's hands, as he took custody of her after her mom was unable. And dorky as hell.

He accidentally breaks up Robin and Chrissy with a remark about how Chrissy didn't seem all that interested in her (she was being shy Robin being her first girlfriend and didn't know how to act).

So when Steve asks Eddie out (at party hosted by Nancy that Eddie was trying to duck out of when Steve spotted him), Eddie flips out on Steve throwing all sorts of allegations around and Steve is devastated. He leaves this long voice mail on Eddie's phone explaining his side of the story and Eddie is gutted.

Steve really was a cool guy. But it's too late. Steve has gone back to Indy with Robin as they both nurse their broken hearts.

Chrissy goes to stay with her brother in Bloomington and the band takes Eddie to Indy not realizing that's where Steve's gone.

Their van breaks down near Steve's place and while they're stuck in town waiting until it gets fixed Steve and Eddie get thrown together a lot and Eddie falls head over heels.

Just as things are getting good between them, Eddie's van is fixed and Wayne tells him to haul ass because Billy has been threatening the Hellfire kiddos about Max's location.

Steve comes rushing to the rescue and gets a plate to the head for his trouble, but because of all the witnesses, Billy is forced to run, leaving everyone safe at last.

But Steve tells the kiddos not tell Eddie it was him that rescued Lucas and Max, thinking that Eddie still hated him.

Steve helps get Robin and Chrissy back together and now Eddie done for. He's in love with this man.

Cue the Nancy scene and Steve and Eddie finally getting together.

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #pride and prejudice au

[soft-for-them]

The feeling of anger and the letter that caused it - Pride and Prejudice x plus size reader

Summary: You've known Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley since your were a little girl, so it's only normal for them to offer you a ride home when they spot you sad and angry at the side of the road in such cold conditions. (Can be seen as any version of Pride and Prejudice.)

Comments and reblogs are much appreciated and help more people read my works.

A/N: I hoping people like this like I love this for I have a whole idea for a series where you the reader get to pick who you end up with.

“I despise that filth.” You don’t even use the word man as you start to boil over into a bubbling fury of fire and flames. Your hands are clutched to your side as you walk without a chaperone, down a lovely path were the trees haven’t been effect by the sudden cold of the afternoon yet just so you can rant and mumble to you hearts content without your mother hearing.

Wearing a long black warm coat, one you’d normally wear in winter but the dreary weather calls for it, a very fashionable coat to suits the regency times without making you look bulky and wide, you stomp down the pathway leaving imprints of your worn shoes onto the frosted over dirt. The high collar of your coat tickles your rounder face, the warmth it gives no match for the fiery anger that sets you face aflame with warmth.

“How dare he ever contact me with such familiarity, after all he’s done!” you roar on with a hint of sadness cracking in your voice.

The bonnet you wear on top of your head, a quiet plain but big one with a nice yellow lace ribbon holding it on your head, narrows your view to the side so you do not see a carriage riding down a road off onto the path you stand on. The path, really an old dirt road farmers use to traverse between fields, is long and winding however you could see every inch of it if you just turn your head a little to the side and see the many little roads and intersections that connect onto it.

“If I were a man then I’d challenge him to a dual.”

You’re standing well to the side of the road, brambles and old man's beard catching onto your coat along with tiny drops of last night’s rain. Any carriage can get by just fine though you’re so blinded in fury that you do not notice as a carriage pulled by two fair horses traverses by.

The reticule clutched in your left hand swings side to side as you finally see the carriage now just a bit off in the distance, you eyebrows knitting together in slight confusion as you walk on only to see that it has stopped.

You steps are slows as you ascend upon the carriage, the horses huffing out cold foggy air as they patiently wait to trot on.

As you walk up to the side you see that the ruffled thick curtains, often seen in all carriages for privacy and to block out any unwanted sunlight, are open and two faces look out at you.

One face, all happy and puppy like, leans in more his eyes wide with worry despite still having a smile on his handsome face, whilst the other man sits stoic with a look of disdain on his face (though still handsome none the less.)

Of course you know of these men, how could you not, you grew up around them even if you’re not partially good friends with them.

“Mr Bingley, Mr Darcy.” You greet in the most polite way you can.

“Miss (L/n), I beg your pardon, but may I ask why you’re out walking alone on such chilly day?” Mr Bingley asks with the most concerned voice you’ve ever heard from him, gosh, you think you see his bottom lip tremble as he asks you it.

“Just heading home.” you half lie.

Yes, you’ll ultimately have to go home but right now you’re out walking venting out your anger and sadness, it’s better to do that then to brood at home until you explode into an angry fit of hatful, but untrue, words that would hurt the feelings of you dear family.

“Why don’t we give you a lift? It is unwise to leave such kind friend out here alone.”

For a moment you contemplate arguing back to Mr Bingley, make up a proper lie to deter the ball of sunshine from insisting. But you look up into his big round eyes and reconsider, really you do.

“Mr Bingley, that is very kind but…“ you talk before you figure out a good lie to tell him.

“It's unlady like to be out alone.” Mr Darcy pipes up making you turn your head to the shadowy man.

“I think it’s more unlady like to be seen unchaperoned in the carriage of two unmarried men, Mr Darcy.”

Mr Darcy like he always is just looks at you with his long boring gaze, no more words said, only the small door to the ornate carriage opened by his hand. You let out a ghastly ‘gah’ sound mumbling ‘fine!’ to the two men before hauling yourself up into the carriage.

Mr Bingley, ever the gentleman moves over so you can sit next to him for Mr Darcy seems to be frozen in place, his eyes still lingering on you.

With all your might your try to sit closest to the window so not to bump knees or squish thighs with Mr Bingley but after the carriage starts moving again your legs start to ache from being so tensed up that your legs knock with Bingley’s. The awkwardness inside the small quarter is visible like a thick fog in the air as you smooth down your dress over your round tummy. You try to sit up as straight as you can whilst the sharp stare of Mr Darcy still stares on at you.

It takes a good fifteen minutes for a conversation to start.

“I thank you both for this ride.” You say hoping it will clear the air and thankfully it gets Mr Bingley yapping.

“No ‘thank you’ needed dear friend-“ there it is again, him calling you his friend, “- I wouldn’t wish anyone to be walking out when it’s so cold out, let alone you Miss (y/n).”

“Well-“ your cheeks warm once more but not with anger, Mr Bingley always knows how to fluster you with his kindness even though you believe he does not realise he’s doing it, “- It is rather nippy out today.”

Before Bingley can speak up once more Mr Darcy speaks up.

“What were you doing out?” for a moment it sounds like Mr Darcy cares for you, his voice wavering just a bit to sound more kind.

“I-well-I-“

Your stutter of a response gets both men looking at you with concern on their faces.

They’re a few years older than you but your mother was always friends with Mr Bingley’s mother so you’ve always known the man, thus also knowing Mr Darcy. With knowing them, with befriending Mr Darcy’s younger sister, you’ve still never really been proper friends with them, not really. But from knowing them, knowing Darcy mostly, you’ve been rolled up in scandal and sadness.

You see when you were younger, more gullible, more effected by bullies who talked about your round body like it was a bad thing, a dashing young man by the name of George Wickham came into your life only to break your heart. Years later he came back but he wasn’t interested in you, no, he was interested in the younger Georgiana Darcy. It still makes you sick to think that you so young fell for him, that you hid away and told no one of the fleeting love only for Georgiana Darcy, a friend and honorary younger sister to you, to get hurt.

Now you sit among Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley angry at the man you haven’t thought about for so long, well until today.

With wobbly hands you dig into your reticule to pull out a letter. You look at Bingley, his face sweet and kind, before shoving the letter into Darcy’s hands.

“I got this. I got it just after luncheon, I have been walking off my disdain ever since.”

Darcy’s gaze on you breaks as he uncrumples the letter which was scrunched up and shoved into you reticule like it was kindle ready for the fire. The paper is flimsy and plain, the seal most gone only leaving a red stain on the folded paper.

Darcy open it and begins to read it to himself.

“To my (Y/n),

I hope that this letter is not too informal for I know we have not spoken in a while.

I regret it, how I lead you on for so long making you think I was to propose, for you were always such a good young girl who followed the men in uniform around so merrily, I never realised the love you had for me. I suppose this letter has come to a surprise, though I had to write it for I do wonder what kind of woman you have become.

I am currently in town and wish to see you again, you and you darling family that is.

If it isn’t too rude I wish to invite you to some afternoon tea, see the address below to send confirmation, which I hope you do.

Your dearest,

George Wickham.”

Mr Darcy’s eyes fill with a rage like no other, the flame only calmed somewhat when they flick up to see your face, to connect with your eyes on the verge of tears.

“I hope Georgiana is safe-” you say weakly, “-I have not seen her in a while.”

When Mr Darcy moved into Pemberley your family had moved into a smaller manor of only five rooms just outside Lambton for your father has long passed and many of your siblings, young and old, have been married off, the money problems rising and the network of close friends also moving with it.

“She is safe (Y/n).” Fitzwilliam Darcy says handing back the letter.

“Good, good good.” your eyes travel from Darcy’s to Bingley’s, his head cocked slightly to the side in a confused look.

“Wickham is back in town.” is all you say to the bright man, his hand goes to yours in which holds the letter but he does not take it from your hand, he rather engulfs your hand with a pleasant warmth, an act to show comfort.

You know this last week has been hard for both men; Mr Bingley having fallen for the eldest Bennet daughter to only find out that she’s been married to her childhood sweetheart for the last year (though the two of them have become fine friends none the less) and Darcy having been snubbed by another Bennet daughter.

Wickham is just the icing on the cake.

The carriage pulls up to your home surrounded by farmers’ fields and small ankle deep rivers.

“Thank you both for the ride home.” you place your free hand, reticule hanging from your wrist by its dainty strap, onto Mr Bingley hand given in to tight squeeze.

“My, (Y/n) must you feel upset again then call for me instead of freezing.” Charles Bingley says with a vigour you’ve only seen on love-struck men.

“I will, I will.”

You rise and step out of the carriage not before nodding to Darcy and saying another full ‘goodbye’ to Bingley.

The carriage does not move until you’re safely inside and waving from the front window to the two men.

#not proof read #pride and prejudice #pride & prejudice #p&p #pride and prejudice 2005 #pride and prejudice 1995 #fitzwilliam darcy #mr darcy #mr bingley #charles bingley #mr darcy x reader #mr bingley x reader #charles bingley x reader #fitzwilliam darcy x reader #plus size reader #x plus size reader #chubby reader #x chubby reader

[lannisterdaddyissues]

ok not to beat a hornet’s nest with a baseball bat but i keep seeing people on here who say they want to see an icemav pride & prejudice au but they’re always saying ice would be elizabeth and mav would be mr darcy and i just… don’t get that at all. narratively and thematically it makes no sense to me.

first of all, ice is the one who’s coming from a place of privilege in the movie. he went to the academy, he’s the top dog at top gun, he’s a genuinely good guy but mav thinks he’s a dickhead for, well, being a dickhead. second of all, he’s the one who keeps trying to help mav in his own backwards way, not unlike darcy trying to flirt with elizabeth, who sees each of his attempts to woo her as him instigating an argument. thirdly, he tries to help mav in his time of crisis after goose dies, similar to the scene where elizabeth finds out that wickham absconded with lydia.

on mav’s side, he shares elizabeth’s prejudice against rich, snobby men, but instead his prejudice is directed at ice and naval academy-bred pilots in general. he’s also an outsider amongst the other naval pilots because he never attended the academy and because of his father’s reputation, which matches elizabeth’s lower social status and her ostracization by the bingley sisters. i can’t really say how the wickham plotline would factor into the narrative because there is no such character in top gun, but maverick has been shown to be easily taken in by a pretty face (see charlie).

lastly, the way both characters’ opinions of each other change by the end of the movie are a perfect thematic match. ice has decided that while mav is still dangerous, he now sees this as mav’s strength instead of a fatal flaw. meanwhile mav has come to the conclusion that ice is not the asshole he thought he was, and that he can trust ice to have his back in the air from now on. similarly, darcy was able to rise above his previous reservations about marrying elizabeth due to recognizing that his estimation of her was in fact incorrect and that he needed to reevaluate his beliefs, while elizabeth came to realize that darcy was a better man than she had thought.

is there anything that i missed? i promise this was by no means a callout post, i’d love to hear what other people’s thoughts are because i’ve seen the opposite take in several posts but i simply can’t see it myself. if anyone wants to weigh in with their perspective please do!

#can y’all tell i love pride & prejudice #i’ve done so many analyses on it for school lmfao #that’s what happens when you’ve read dozens of published fanfics for it though i suppose #top gun #top gun 1986 #top gun (1986) #top gun og #icemav #iceman x maverick #maverick mitchell #pete maverick mitchell #iceman kazansky #tom iceman kazansky #ALSO I JUST WANNA REITERATE THIS IS MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION #ANYONE WHO WRITES A PRIDE & PREJUDICE AU CAN WRITE WHAT THEY PLEASE LMFAO #but as someone who loves to analyze that book i’d love to know what the rationale behind it is! i love to hear other people’s perspectives #also this is unrelated but i’m js carole and goose as jane and bingley would be so cute…

[anghraine]

Revisiting my very old P&P fic!

So I didn't initially remember which fic had the Jane-Darcy scene, only that it was an early one, so I went to AO3 and looked at some of my very early fics to refresh my memory before realizing it was Season of Courtship all along.

I only mention this because it was a bit entertaining to re-visit my old P&P fic (despite the very uneven prose) because they were weird and often melodramatic but are still recognizably mine. Like:

Left to Follow: my first Austen fic ever and it's largely trolling. Darcy has apparently cheated on his wife, who has returned home to her father and family with her sickly baby. It's from the perspective of her father. The twist, revealed at the end, is that Darcy is actually the sickly baby and the POV character is his grandfather the earl. (This originally grew into a much longer and more meandering fic than the AO3 version but it kind of sucked, so I only cross-posted the first part.)

Sword and Sorcery: a vaguely tongue-in-cheek series of vignettes in a fantasy AU. Wickham is a vampire, Elizabeth has plant powers of some kind, Georgiana is unexpectedly a necromancer, and Darcy is an empath and has become so overconfident about his (genuinely very strong) abilities that he doesn't seriously think about why he's not picking up much from Jane (it's because she is also an empath and naturally resistant to his powers) or even bother trying to read Elizabeth properly until she rejects him.

Catalyst: a twist on the then-popular fanon of Darcy only really seeing the truth of Elizabeth's criticisms by talking about the Hunsford fight with a cousin like Colonel Fitzwilliam who advocates for Elizabeth's righteousness. In the fic, Darcy does end up talking about it with a cousin (Fitzwilliam's sister) who takes his side in such a forceful classist way that he realizes he sounded like that to Elizabeth.

Such Terms of Cordiality: a chaotic cluster of AU premises. Lady Anne and Mr Bennet used to be in love but she was persuaded away Anne Elliot-style and married Darcy's father instead (their respective children know nothing about this). Darcy and Elizabeth meet at Ramsgate the summer before the novel begins and fall in love with little complication. Jane is not in love with Bingley and struggling with the pressure to be. Lady Anne is still alive. Mr Bennet is opposed to Darcy/Elizabeth and she ends up confronting him about it. I had planned for it to be a reverse-forced marriage scenario, where Darcy and Elizabeth end up married without their canonical character growth and have to grow within marriage, but it's entirely voluntary (I never got that far).

Season of Courtship: my most popular fic even now and easily the most normal thing from that time (it does have some of the melodrama, but it's just about the canon engagement period).

The Widow: Tom Bertram falls in love with a widowed Elizabeth Darcy.

Incumbrance of Mystery: a cracky murder mystery in which Georgiana gets murdered.

Claims to Reputation: probably my personal favorite of these, but it's not quite a fair comparison because I revised it pretty comprehensively later on. It's an unfinished epistolary fic in which Lydia and Wickham's two eldest children, Bess and George, attempt to scheme and maneuver their way into fortune by exploiting their Bennet connections, confiding their true feelings and motives only in their letters to each other. Bess (the more calculating and amoral of the two) is largely successful with Collins's and Charlotte's mediocre son, while George falls genuinely in love with Elizabeth and Darcy's beautiful but extremely withdrawn and wary daughter. He, however, is hampered by the suspicion of pretty much everyone.

It's basically just this flurry of letters around the whole (double) business from everyone connected with it except Miss Darcy; you have to extrapolate what she really feels about it from the (deeply biased) perspectives we get from everyone else. There are also some references to Bess and George's younger sister, Bella, being a sort of inverted Fanny Price—she's the poor relation/niece raised at Mansfield Pemberley, but has been treated much more gently than Fanny ever was and is integrated into the family.

It was odd and challenging and fun!

#the most out there premise is undoubtedly subsequent connections (which i would never have thought of on my own) #(the idea came from a different fic and i was like 'hmm interesting concept! it might be fun to do it like this...') #but that one does seem to be a bit later than these #probably because i drastically overhauled it later though #anghraine babbles #fic talk #austen blogging #austen fanwank #fic talk: left to follow #fic talk: sword and sorcery #fic talk: catalyst #fic talk: such terms of cordiality #fic talk: season of courtship #fic talk: comforts and consequences #courtship #comforts and consequences #long post

[high-school-lit-tournament]

High School Lit Tournament Side B

Pride and Prejudice: Pride And Prejudice, the story of Mrs. Bennet's attempts to marry off her five daughters is one of the best-loved and most enduring classics in English literature. Excitement fizzes through the Bennet household at Longbourn in Hertfordshire when young, eligible Mr. Charles Bingley rents the fine house nearby. He may have sisters, but he also has male friends, and one of these—the haughty, and even wealthier, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy—irks the vivacious Elizabeth Bennet, the second of the Bennet girls. She annoys him. Which is how we know they must one day marry. The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and Darcy is a splendid rendition of civilized sparring. As the characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, Jane Austen's radiantly caustic wit and keen observation sparkle (source).

Jane Eyre: Charlotte Brontë tells the story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds employment as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester. As her feelings for Rochester develop, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall's terrible secret, forcing her to make a choice. Should she stay with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions - even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.

#classic literature #high school lit tournament #pride and prejudice #jane eyre