how is it that you sing?

the grave shall rather have MY MAIDENHOOD

[cannotfly]

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#cannotfly. independent and highly selective johanna hope of sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street. headcanon and musical based with influences from the 2007 movie and christopher bond's 1970 play. set post-canon. focused on plotted interactions. as freed by darcy (she/her; 21+). personal/non-roleplay blogs do not interact. does not follow first.

a study in ending the cycle of abuse, caged larks, sweeney todd as a tragedy, femininity in the victorian era, doomed by the narrative to survive, and yellow hair. 

carrd. pinterest. memes.

[mcflymemes]

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2005) PROMPTS *  assorted dialogue from the film, adjust as necessary

you must know... surely, you must know it was all for you.

you are too generous to trifle with me.

if your feelings are still what they were last april, tell me so at once.

my affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever.

you have bewitched me, body and soul, and i love... i love you.

i never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

i have struggled in vein and i can bear it no longer.

these past months have been a torment.

i came to [location name] with the single object of seeing you. i had to see you.

are you too proud, [name]? and would you consider pride a fault or a virtue?

we're doing our best to find a fault in you.

i have fought against my better judgement, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth by rank and circumstance.

you really do love him, don't you?

please, do be seated.

this is a charming house.

all these things i am willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony.

how are you this evening, my dear?

may i have the next dance, [name]?

my brother gave it to me. he shouldn't have.

i wish you would not call me "my dear."

what endearments am i allowed?

what should i call you when i am cross?

i cannot believe that anyone can deserve you... but it appears i am overruled.

are you out of your senses? i thought you hated the man.

have you no objection other than your belief in my indifference?

i do like him. i love him.

only the deepest love will persuade me into matrimony, which is why i will end up an old maid.

i love you. most ardently.

please do me the honor of accepting my hand.

i appreciate the struggle you have been through, and i am very sorry to have caused you pain.

believe me, it was unconsciously done.

are you... laughing at me?

i wonder who first discovered the power of poetry in driving away love?

i thought that poetry was the food of love.

what do you recommend to encourage affection?

i'm very fond of walking.

i do not have the talent of conversing easily with people i have never met before.

perhaps you should take your aunt's advice and practice?

so this is your opinion of me. thank you for explaining it so fully.

those are the words of a gentleman.

from the first moment i met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world i could ever be prevailed upon to marry.

forgive me for taking up so much of your time.

maybe it's that i find it hard to forgive the follies and vices of others, or their offenses against me.

my good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.

i cannot tease you about that. what a shame, for i dearly love to laugh.

i will not and i certainly never shall.

you have insulted me in every possible way, and can now have nothing further to say.

i must ask you to leave immediately.

i have never been thus treated in my entire life.

i can admire you much better from here.

do you talk, as a rule, while dancing?

i prefer to be unsociable and taciturn.

i dare say you will find him amiable.

it would be most inconvenient since i have sworn to loathe him for all eternity.

no one would suspect your manners to be rehearsed.

i've come to tell you the news.

not all of us can afford to be romantic.

i've been so blind.

they are far too easy to judge.

i was wrong. i was entirely wrong about him.

i am well aquainted with you, [name], to know that i cannot alarm you, even should i wish it.

your skills in the art of matchmaking are positively occult.

i've never seen so many pretty girls in my life!

i do not deny it.

has the pig escaped again?

we are all fools in love.

[cannotfly]

[ and how are the birds today? ] HUNGRY AS ALWAYS, MISS JOHANNA. independent and highly selective.

[cannotfly]

[ and how are the birds today? ] HUNGRY AS ALWAYS, MISS JOHANNA. independent and highly selective.

[whatsbehindthefacade]

It's funny really, in a twisted kind of way. To know that you're hurtling towards your own death. The Capitol don't care that he's someone's son, someone's brother, someone's friend. All he is to them is entertainment. Oh, if he makes it to the final few they might delve that little bit deeper, but they won't care about him, not truly. Whether he lives or dies is inconsequential to them in the end, as long as the spectacle is good. It's the same, year in, year out. District Ten is one of those that knows that better than some others. The careers don't have quite that same fear. They prepare. Their districts are better off, and while he's sure it doesn't apply to all of them, a lot of them haven't had to fret about food in the same way as those of them from Ten or Twelve. Fewer of them have to take out so many tesserae just to have enough to not starve.

Drove's been taking out tesserae since the day he turned twelve. Eight each year, for himself and each member of his family. Thirty six slips in the bowl this year, in the hopes of feeding his family, that his siblings won't have to take out tesserae themselves. Little hope of that now. They'll be putting themselves even more at risk, and he can only hope that the same fate won't befall them. They deserve a peaceful life, or as peaceful as life in Panem can possibly be.

"No, thank you," Drove answers softly. He can't quite stomach the thought of anything right now. Hard to feast when you're counting down the meals till your last. Fingers fidget with the woven bracelet round his wrist. Pursing his lips, the fifteen year old blinks up at her, "What is there to get into?"

[cannotfly]

give them food, give them water. give them anything they could ever think of to want. everything they don't have at home. when she's mentored for her home district, the tributes come with smirks on their faces or a gleeful look in their eye. they won the battle of who would get be in the games. when it was johanna's turn, she saw nothing but an empty face in the mirror. ( ready to die. ) the tributes from four are arrogant. they casually eat pastries or a late lunch as they begin to discuss the games. they don't understand the look in her eyes. they don't understand how flighty she seems.

the bracelet around drove's wrist catches her eye. at least he has something to carry into the arena with him from home. perhaps, someone who cares about him made it or earned it for him. johanna extends her neck out slightly, keeping her gaze on the table. there is nothing haughty about drove or agnes.

❝ the games. your strategies. your strengths. ❞ it's a conversation she's been on both sides of. a few years ago, johanna was on the other side of the table, admitting to have very little to work with despite her training from the academy. her guardian never wanted her strong enough to resist him. but what she did have couldn't remain hidden for long. ❝ we don't... have to jump into that conversation now. we'll won't reach the capital for a few more hours. you can rest all you'd like. ❞ try not to think about it, but there isn't any point in saying that out loud.

[cannotfly]

been thinking about the quartet differently lately. yes, it is still a song about todd giving up on his daughter but it's also exactly what johanna wants. he lets her go. in the song, he let's the idea of ever getting her back go. and then, he actually does. when todd nearly kills her, he could have easily slit her throat. when she runs, he could have easily grabbed her by the collar and done it then. he's a former prisoner from australia, she's a small victorian girl. but he lets johanna go. giving johanna her freedom is all she wants. in giving up parenthood and giving up his desire to reunite with her, he does her a service. he gives her that freedom.

[cannotfly]

anthony canonically calls johanna "my darling" hehe

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FROM RICHARD SIKEN'S POETRY *  assorted lines from richard siken poems, some slightly adjusted to suit a roleplay format, adjust as necessary

sorry about the scene at the bottom of the stairwell and how i ruined everything by saying it outloud.

something's not right about what i'm doing but i'm still doing it.

the enormity of my desire disgusts me.

i woke up in the morning and i didn't want anything, didn't do anything, couldn't do it anyway.

i couldn't make you love me and i'm tired of pulling your teeth.

this is not harmless.

damn if there isn't anything sexier than a slender boy with a handgun, a fast car, a bottle of pills.

okay, so i'm the dragon. big deal. you still get to be the hero.

there are many names in history... but none of them are ours.

i had a dream about you.

let me name the stars for you.

kiss me.

here i am, leaving you clues.

what do you want, sweetheart?

just mash your lips against me.

we are all going forward. none of us are going back.

i swear, i end up feeling empty, like you've taken something out of me and i have to search my body for scars.

you wanted happiness.

the truth is complicated.

i should have known.

tell me how all this, and love too, will ruin us.

the way you slam your body into mine reminds me i'm alive.

monsters are always hungry, darling, and they're only a few steps behind you.

i crawled out the window and ran into the woods.

i had to make up all the words myself.

i made this place for you. a place for you to love me.

if this isn't a kingdom then i don't know what it is.

i wore his jacket for the longest time.

you're trembling.

i feel like i've done something terrible.

i'm trying to choke down the feeling.

i've discovered something i didn't even have a name for.

eventually something you love is going to be taken away.

it is finally happening to you.

i am falling to the floor crying.

i realize i didn't paint it very well.

we have not touched the stars.

tell me we'll never get used to it.

sorry about the blood in your mouth. i wish it was mine.

if you love me, [name], you don't love me in a way i understand.

someone has to leave first.

this is a very old story.

i'm battling monsters.

you say "i'll give you anything" but you never come through.

everyone needs a place. it shouldn't be inside of someone else.

you're trying to smile.

how much can you change and get away with it, before you turn into someone else, before it's some kind of murder?

imagine that the world is made out of love.

imagine a story where everything goes wrong.

hello, darling. sorry about that.

tell me we're dead and i'll love you even more.

i should have known.

no one will ever want to sleep with you.

i'm sorry i couldn't come to your party.

i'm sorry i came to your party and seduced you.

you want a better story. who wouldn't?

who am i? i'm just a writer.

let me do it right for once.

this doesn't look that much different from home.

you were crying, too.

you said i could have anything i wanted, but i just couldn't say it outloud.

okay, if you're so great, make it work.

i saved a plate for you.

please keep him safe.

i do believe his mouth is heaven.

i wanted to explain myself in an understandable way.

i'd rather quit. i'd rather be sad. it's too much work.

[cannotfly]

little wishlist.

soul-crushing love stories. this is a given, but why shouldn't i have it on one of these lists?

relationship with an older muse. not a romantic relationship. johanna is very against forming any sort of parental dynamic, if it goes towards that leading to a moment where she realizes what this is and tries to cut it off and what not or if it leads to a really solid friendship or what!

fellow parent friends. i don't know, i just think she really needs some friends who are also parents.

lowkey beefing type of dynamic. a neighbor that asks a few too many questions and has been deemed an Enemy in johanna's mind. it would be much amusing, i think.

[cannotfly]

@gridbest's arthur donaldson asks, " haven't you heard the stories? "

what, will these hands never be clean?, somehow the line from shakespare's head jumps into her own at the question. heard the stories? everyone has a story. by this point of her life this is what she knows. johanna catches a glance of her own hands. and just like lady macbeth, there is a red spot. one on palm for the life she took when she was young. there is a spot on her throat for the life that was almost taken from her. from when she became an isaac, too. johanna is the central player in so many of her own stories. how could she be repulsed by someone that is haunted by their own?

❝ i've heard about what's happened to you, ❞ johanna whispers. they've never talked about it. as friends or as something a little more. why address all that agony until now? there's no point in lying, either. she's never been one to follow sports, but she has been one to listen when she hears the name of an old friend.

hands wringing, she shyly looks back at him. trying to find a reaction. will he be mad? disappointed? it would be easier if she would just let herself grab his hand, prove to him that she doesn't believe the other side of his story. that she has trusted him. that she loves his daughter and that she wants to be part of his life.

❝ i know, ❞ she whispers, ❝ i know that there have been terrible, terrible people. i know third-person perspectives. i know what reporters have said. i read the interview you did... i've heard all the stories. ❞ and johanna bites her lip, wishing she could wash away the sick, achy feeling in her stomach. she looks back at him. ❝ haven't you heard the stories about me? ❞ the ones about a accidental murder in a psych ward. the ones about a serial killer father. the ones that taint her, too. ❝ i'm sorry i didn't tell you. ❞ it's all over for her now, isn't it?

[whatsbehindthefacade]

The health...of course, that does make sense. Everybody in district ten knows that Hirsel hasn't been herself in a long time, forgetful and distant. She hasn't mentored in years. And Warren...well, it's not exactly a secret that the man isn't the most stable. District ten doesn't really have much luck with their victors, or their tributes. Hardly surprising really. They're amongst the poorer districts, and the careers always seem to enjoy wiping them out. He's not sure that it's going to be any different this year.

When Johanna introduces herself, then confirms his name, Drove nods. In a few weeks time, that's all he'll be, a name, a memory, yet another tribute lost to the games, like so many before him. He can only hope that whenever it happens, that it's quick. He doesn't want to suffer. The chances of that though...the games are always so brutal, so they seem slim.

"Yes," he says softly, hands clasped in his lap, fingers fidgeting uncertainly. Eyes glance to Agnes, but she doesn't speak, scowl fixed, arms folded tightly across her chest. With her work in the slaughterhouse, she certainly has more of a chance than him.

@cannotfly

[cannotfly]

what is she possibly supposed to do? it isn't as if she did much in her games. one kill under her belt... and what a terrible way to think of it. she'd killed someone's son. his life was gone and she was hiding in the trees until she lucked out. johanna can't tell every child that comes through here to stay put and hope for the best.

❝ i wish we could have met under better circumstances. ❞ gooseflesh upon her arms. the capitol is watching this, she knows. she should be more positive, more delighted by the concept of the games. but johanna knows that there isn't anyone who is. no one that's lived through it.

she looks drove in the eye, stomach sinking. ( how will they get him? ) ❝ can i get you anything...? for now? ❞ she leans back from the table. ❝ you don't have to worry about much at the moment. ❞ how ironic. ❝ we don't have to... get into anything if you don't want to yet. ❞

[ohisms]

✱ ˚｡⋆ ↪ MORBID CURIOSITY ... [ REMASTERED ] ( a collection of various original dialogue prompts centered around asking questions. adjust phrasing / gendered terms as necessary. )

give that to me! where did you find this?!

do you drink coffee or tea?

sorry– am i crazy, or have we met before?

do you trust me enough to close your eyes?

when were you planning on telling me?

at the risk of being a cliché, do you want to get out of here?

can i convince you to stay the night?

do i look like someone who knows what that means?

would you consider giving me a second chance?

do you really think that's helpful right now?

would you mind showing me around?

do you ever plan on forgiving yourself?

are you thinking what i'm thinking?

can we ... go out and do something crazy?

why are we whispering?

who exactly are you, anyways?

can't we just be civil for a minute?

does the past ever keep you up at night?

if you have nothing to hide, what's the problem?

how long has it been since i saw you last, [ name ]?

did the power just go out?

are we still doing the thing where we pretend not to care?

how should we celebrate?

can we just ... start over?

why is this so important to you?

how was i supposed to know that?!

do you want me to stay? it doesn't have to mean anything.

where are you? nobody's heard from you.

can you help me zip this up?

why do these things always happen to me?

you don't secretly hate me, right?

can i get you something to eat? –or drink?

ready to see what i've been working on?

where have you been disappearing off to?

what's that perfume you're wearing?

you're laughing?! do you really think this is funny?

are you planning to stay for dinner?

did you think it was going to be easy?

you see where you went wrong, don't you?

when did we become so cold and distant?

who are you working for?

did you really do all of this for me?

can i open my eyes yet?

haven't you heard the stories?

[ name ], what are you doing here?

what's it gonna take for you to trust me?

do you believe people can change?

how about we catch the ten o'clock showing?

don't you remember what happened last time?

why is it so unbelievable that i'd want to help you?

you're [ name ], aren't you?

who did this to you?!

how did you know i'd be here?

what's that supposed to mean?

do you think i'm irredeemable?

what kind of mess have you gotten us into?!

do you see anything you like?

what do i owe you for the food?

why won't this stupid thing work?!

does tonight really have to end?

holy shit. can you believe we really pulled that off?!

i can tell you're upset, [ name ]. what happened?

how long have you been standing there?

do you ever wish you could just ... run away?

haven't we been here before?

wait, shush ... did you hear that?

did i miss today's newsletter or something?

can we put our differences aside for a second?

what are you getting out of this, exactly?

you'd tell me if something was wrong, right?

are you willing to bet on it?

would you kill for me?

what made you think that was okay?!

do you believe people can change?

what's the worst thing you've ever done?

you were going to leave without saying goodbye?

[ name ], can you sit up for me?

can i kiss you?

where are your keys? you're not driving like this.

how's life been treating you?

where have you been?!

aren't we supposed to be alone tonight?

aw, has someone had a little too much to drink?

where are you going with this?

are we really doing this right now?

have you eaten today?

can i crash here for the night?

how did you learn to lie so well?

can i at least buy you a drink?

where should i meet you?

is that  ...  blood?!

are you trying to make me jealous right now?

what’s your problem? you're acting weird.

[ name ], you're ... real, right?

where’s your sense of adventure?

do you like horror movies?

what are you trying to prove?

can you give me a ride?

do you have any idea what you've done?

shouldn't you answer that?

why should i be the one to calm down?

have you been up all night?

why are you lying to me?

is that my [ jacket / hoodie / shirt ]?

what are you so afraid of?

do you want to grow old with me?

you’re gonna walk away from this?

are you nervous? your hands are shaking.

where am i supposed to go?

how many fingers am i holding up?

you want me to just walk away from this?

[ name ], slow down– what's wrong?!

are you embarrassed of me?

what's that smell? something's burning.

how can i make it up to you?

why can't you stay out of it?

is this some kind of trick?

come on, what do you have to lose?

do you ever still think of me?

idiot. why didn't you tell me?!

can we stop and think about this rationally?

how long has it been since you’ve slept?

what's your ideal first date?

are you ready to tell me the truth?

i almost died, and you're laughing?

what do you mean, "sort of"?

can we just stay like this forever?

when can i see you again?

can we put this behind us?

oh ... you thought of me first?

where did you learn to do that?

oh my god,  are you bleeding?!

where are you?  nobody’s heard from you.

[ name ], are you drunk?

how can i make this go away?

someone's jumpy today. are you feeling okay?

are we safe here?

what can i do to convince you?

what could possibly go wrong?

you have no idea who i am, do you?

how do you really feel about me?

why can't you look me in the eyes?

did you know you talk in your sleep?

were you following me?

can we just pretend this never happened?

are you just barely getting home?

are you even listening to me right now?!

where does it hurt?  can you show me?

are you trying to get yourself killed?!

how about we just forget the world exists?

how long have you been keeping this from me?

were you ever going to tell me?

what do you make of this?

[ name ],  what the hell?!

can we just be honest with each other, here?

are you trying to keep me a secret?

why does your story keep changing?

how long have you known?

it can't be that bad, right?

are you happy? i mean, really happy?

isn't this place amazing?

did i interrupt something?

how am i supposed to trust you?

are they still following us?

are you fucking serious?

do you remember our first kiss?

can we take a break for a minute?

how about we disappear for awhile?

you're going to walk away from this?

can you please just cut the crap?!

why didn't you tell me you were hurt?

how can i make this go away?

can you just look at me, please?

is there anything i can do to change your mind?

do you ever stop talking?

that depends. are you done lying to me?

are you sure this is legal?

how do you take your coffee?

can you keep your voice down?

why does your phone keep buzzing?

[cannotfly]

tags; relationships

*❈ ‣ til i’m with you then i’m with you there‚ buried sweetly in your yellow hair — ( rel: anthony. )  

*❈ ‣ if only angels could prevail‚ we’d be the way we were — ( dyn: benjamin/sweeney. )  

*❈ ‣ the grave shall rather have my maidenhood than one such as you — ( dyn: turpin. )  

*❈ ‣ like mother‚ like daughter: the scum of the street! — ( dyn: lucy. )

*❈ ‣ see how the vipers and vultures surround you and they’ll take you down‚ they’ll pick you clean — ( dyn: fogg. )

*❈ ‣ it was like you were holding the whole world when you held him — ( rel: riff / anyfight. )

*❈ ‣ you're in the wind‚ i'm in the water; nobody's son‚ nobody's daughter — ( rel: riff / gridbest. )  

*❈ ‣ i don't wanna kiss another neck and pretend it's yours instead — ( rel: arthur / gridbest. )  

*❈ ‣ i thought you disappeared‚ thought you were gone‚ buried you in my heart as i carried on — ( rel: art / gridbest. ) 

[cannotfly]

tags; verses

*❈ ‣ look at you pale and ivory-skinned‚ looking so sad — ( v: canon. )  

*❈ ‣ poor child‚ she needs so much correction: she sings if left alone — ( v: foggs. ) 

*❈ ‣ and we’ll sail the world and see its wonders‚ from the pearls of spain to the rubies of tibet — ( v: main. ) 

*❈ ‣ isn’t that her dainty footstep on the stair? yes‚ isn’t that her shadow on the wall? — ( v: alternate. )  

*❈ ‣ she feels no control of her body‚ she feels no safety in my arms — ( v: modern. )

*❈ ‣ and though my soul will die with you‚ our child will not be left alone — ( v: single mother. )

*❈ ‣ made of lipstick‚ plastic and paint‚ a touch of sable in their eyes — ( v. hawkins. )  

*❈ ‣ this was an escape plan‚ carefully timed it‚ so let me go and dive into the waves below — ( v: panem. )

*❈ ‣ don’t need a ring for my finger‚ just need a steady hand to hold — ( v: main. feat. anyfight )    

*❈ ‣ chasing our heart’s desire but we go on pretending stories like ours have happy endings — ( v: affair. feat. anyfight ) 

*❈ ‣ if you love me tell me that you love me; if you don't just tell me that you do — ( v: workhouse. feat. anyfight ) 

*❈ ‣ wasn't it gonna be the two of us? weren't we birds of a feather?— ( v: feat. arthur / gridbest )  

*❈ ‣ for somebody i thought was my savior‚ you sure make me do a whole lot of labor — ( v: feat. riff / gridbest )  

*❈ ‣ i had this feeling as i was falling the sound across the bay was the sound of you calling — ( v: great gatsby. feat. gridbest )

*❈ ‣ only we know what we’ve both been through‚ if i save you will you save me too? — ( v: main. feat. art / gridbest ) 

[cannotfly]

tags; general

*❈ ‣ nothing there sings not even my lark. larks never will‚ you know‚ when they’re captive. — ( study. )   

*❈ ‣ and i could use a canary — ( wishlist. )  

*❈ ‣ you put your emptiness to melody — ( headcanon. )  

*❈ ‣ i’m a silly little ninnynoodle — ( ooc. )  

*❈ ‣ how can you jubilate sitting in cages‚ never taking wing? — ( aesthetic. )  

*❈ ‣ outside the sky waits‚ beckoning‚ beckoning‚ just beyond the bars — ( queue. )  

*❈ ‣ have you decided it’s safer in cages‚ singing when you’re told? — ( interaction. )  

*❈ ‣ are you discussing or fussing or simply dreaming?— ( starter call. )  

*❈ ‣ a runaway from everywhere she'd ever been — ( psa. ) 

*❈ ‣ how she had wrung out her girlhood like a death — ( edit. )  

*❈ ‣ making herself even prettier than usual‚ if possible — ( self promotion. )  

*❈ ‣ i feared you’d never come‚ that you’d been called away — ( promotion. )  

*❈ ‣ teach me how to sing. if i cannot fly‚ let me sing — ( meme. )  

*❈ ‣ and are you beautiful and pale with yellow hair like her? — ( visage. )  

*❈ ‣ whence comes this melody constantly flowing? — ( meta. )