I need to know what she does for work. I’ve asked Bernie twice and both times he said we would find out… It will seriously drive me crazy if we never find out.
I have long held the mean suspicion that Caroline’s job was going to be connected to yet more nonsensical villainy but they realized that was a horrible fucking idea and so thankfully changed their minds. Thus how it was a SPOILER~ at one point, but now the series ended with no reference to it whatsoever.
New headcanon: Caroline is one of the first people Darcy went to, to help him take down the site. She eyerolled when he acted weird about asking her -- look, no, she didn't especially care about the Bennet family (ugh THEM AGAIN?) but she isn't petty enough to let personal dislike color something important, like backhacking a skeevy porn producer that takes in material of dubious consensual nature. Caroline is against exploitative pornography even if the people involved are, in her humble opinion, low class.
When a few bottles of Riesling and all her skills failed to bring the site down, only then did Darcy start driving hopelessly around Orange County. Because if Caro's mad skills didn't leave NE's server a gigantic smoking crater, then they were just going to have to pray for a miracle.
Sometimes in Regency romance novels they make a big deal about how the hero and heroine share a room and the duchess’ suite or whatever is never used IN CONTRAST!!1 to the expectation that they would keep separate rooms and visit at their leisure.
Meanwhile I’m like… BUT MAYBE THEY BOTH JUST LIKE...
My husband and I have separate rooms. I am reluctant to tell people IRL this, because of the Reactions we get. But he snores and fidgets and kicks in his sleep, and I'm a crazy night person with insomnia issues, so basically, having a gigantic bed to myself is a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
We still sleep in the same bed some nights, but having it be a choice is such an awesome, freeing thing. And even then, if it goes downhill, one of us can relocate to the extra bed down the hall. So basically, A+ separate bedrooms highly recommended.
There was that one fic where Darcy stopped by the Bennet house to pick up Lydia and they ended up smashing Wickham’s computer. I think that one could easily be adapted to have them smash something else.
I think the main problem going on in the tags is that instead of discussing it in a civil manner, some are arguing and making others feel inferior because they "are naive", or "aren't poc." I'm a poc and I didn't originally see the stereotypes because I don't see race, I see people. I didn't watch the episode and think of Caroline as an "evil asian" or whatever the stereotype is, I watched it and thought "wow what are you guys writing. Caroline's reasons for being here makes no sense."
Okay, this got long. But: you and I differ on one very important point:
And the people saying “ugh can we just ignore this and go back to squeeing over Jing” are being Civil
Whereas I think Group #1 is outraged, hurt, and trying to speak up about being marginalized, while Group #2 is uncomfortable about the implications of liking something problematic and choosing to go the route of … more marginalization.
Also “I don’t see race” / “I don’t see color” is not really a helpful statement. The only people who “don’t see race” are ones who don’t face racism on a day-to-day basis. You’re anon, and this is the internet, so I’m going to act in good faith and assume you’re not just saying you’re a PoC as a shield to deflect criticism, and actually ARE a PoC. But you may not experience shit on a day to day basis the way some people do.
Which is good. I mean. Not experiencing shit is good. No one should have to experience shit. This isn’t a game of “more PoC than thou.” This is pointing out that people who “don’t see race” have the benefit of being able to do that. Because racism doesn’t give them shit on a daily basis.
I’m going to assume that you aren’t Asian, however, and therefore haven’t slammed into this personal stereotype before, either. Okay. But now that Asian people have spoken up to say that they have, then those are their experiences, and their experiences are, as a result, legitimate, and you saying “I don’t see it that way” doesn’t make their experiences go away. They don’t magically go “wow, that non-Asian person doesn’t think it was meant like that. My hurt feelings have evaporated, like dew in the morning sunlight.”
If person A says “I see this as racist” and person B says “I see it as non-racist, but I respect your point of view” — that’s a conversation. But if person B is saying “I see it as non-racist, why can’t people shut up about race? I want to go back to talking about other things,” that’s … selfish, and yes, naive. And if person B says “I see it as non-racist, and therefore, you are overreacting to see it as racist,” that’s just crap.
The problem is that our society gets upset at the people who speak up, not those who keep their heads down and agree with the status quo. So people calling out racism or racially problematic elements are seen as the ones “causing problems,” the way that several of us saying “this relationship of Lydia’s is abusive and I hate the way the creators seem to be glamorizing it” was seen as us causing problems, too.
I want to add that I’ve written a lot of words about racism and other isms here, and I’m white, so I have privilege that I need to check, and if I misstated some crap, call me on it.
BTW, I think that’s what a lot of the PoC have been saying: dear white people: check your privilege, just, see if maybe you’re assuming your experience is universal and ignoring what doesn’t fit that. But people see “check your privilege” as an !insult! when really it’s the equivalent of “okay, you don’t realize it, but your fly’s open, you might want to zip that up.”
step two: various people (mostly PoC) found the depiction of caroline to be racially problematic, and posted explanations detailing why
step three: various other people (mostly white) claimed that group #1 was trying too hard to be offended and why can't we all shut up and enjoy things
step four: group #1 pointed out that it's hard to enjoy things when those things contain racially problematic elements
step five: then people showed up from both group #2 and the world at large to complain that people are talking about racism in the first place
that's p much it in a nutshell
the fun thing is that people are p much always immediately criticized for speaking up about things like racism or sexism because those topics are Ucky and it's better to Not Have to Think About Them
which works great if you're white because then you don't have to think about race, like, ever. much the same way straight people can afford to ignore homophobia if they want to.
Oh my gosh, this fucking tag is embarrassing in its lack of knowledge of things like "Racism 101." Because hey, if you're not actually going "I hate Chinese people" it's not racist, right???
Listen up, guys, I'm writing a new play, okay? And it's going to have three main characters.
The first is going to be a nebbishy penny-pinching cheap accountant. Now I have an actor lined up and by his name I think he just might happen to be of the Jewish persuasion but that's his business as I'm tolerant of all religions.
The second main character is a strong female role!!! She's struggling to feed her four kids (three different dads, it's a long story) while only on welfare and living deep in the ghetto. There aren't enough positive images of PoC in the world, so I'm casting a strong black woman in this role. She'll do great.
The third character is going to be hilarious! He's a slacker and hates his janitorial job, so he falls asleep most of the time. Oh, and the actor has asked if we can make some of his lines in his native language -- it turns out he's from Mexico? I didn't realize. I mean, I don't see color, we're all just fleshy color blobs.
Wait a minute, why is everyone saying my play is bad? I haven't even written it yet! I mean, I based this on my totally lily-white family! My brother is a cheap accountant, and my sister has lots of babydaddies, and I'm a slacker who hates my janitorial job, so there's no way you can say that my play is perpetuating racist stereotypes!!!
just a friendly reminder that if there’s anything you ever want me to tag please let me know
like your comfort is very important to me if i happen to be apart of your blogging experience and if i post anything that does happening to trigger you i am more than happy to tag stuff to make you feel safe
so just ask really don’t be afraid you can even do it on anon if you want
I’m not going to defend Wickham, so I’ll skip that part.
Darcy is controlling, but really was acting in what he thought was his friend’s best interests, and when he was confronted about it he listened and later apologized.
Lizzie is opinionated, but while she’s direct and unapologetic when defending her family and herself after being insulted in her home, she’s not disrespectful. She invited Caroline to dinner after all that, which showed she was willing to move past it if Caroline was (more than she gave Darcy when she confronted him for the exact same thing).
Caroline is overprotective and opinionated, but she’s also rude, manipulative, and kind of selfish. And perhaps she’s misunderstood.
(TEXT EDITED IN THANKS TO HELP FROM @delladilly THANK YOU)
Okay, my point wasn't "these people suck" and/or to get into the minutiae of their actions. My point was that for every other character, their flaws are heavily debated; everyone wants to make a hundred excuses for why they had completely compelling reasons for what they did, and how they were entirely in the right, like you just did.
Then we get to Caroline and it's "ugh, I hate that bitch." None of the same nuance and complexity, none of the same attempt to see the world through her eyes; she is a Villain and deserves bad things to happen to her.
I'm not saying Caroline is a super-great person. I'm pointing out that Caroline gets a dismissive reaction from people that even Wickham, the abusive predator, didn't get. Darcy, we make excuses for. Wickham, we try to woobify. Lizzie is flawed but learning.
But Caroline? Caroline is just all bad.
My post was pointing out how ridiculous those statements look lined up next to each other. Yes, Darcy is growing and changing, but he was high-handed and manipulative before, and no one dismissed him with "what a bitch" (or pick your equivalent insult, although spoiler alert, there really isn't one for gendered insults). Same for Lizzie.
Some of this is because she's the protagonist and Caroline has fallen into the Villain role, but considering that Caroline never needed to be the Villain, and considering how the creators have gone out of their way to keep Wickham, the actual Villain, from being reduced to that level, it really sticks out that Caroline gets the short end of that stick.
And since it's a woman of color getting that treatment, while the other three people are two white guys and a white girl? Yeah, I'm going to point that out.
lbd chicago gangster au | i believe you (but my tommy gun don’t)
the place | chicago, late 1920s. crime capitol of the world. windy city; second city; murder city.
the players | gangsters, gun molls, and g-men
giorgio “the mouth” giancana - a caporegime in al capone’s chicago outfit. heart breaker; love taker; gin maker. the pretty boy of the speakeasy. adopted brother of william. adopted brother and childhood sweetheart to gigi. lover of lydia and others.
william “willie” darcy - former chicago cop. now deputized by eliot ness to serve in chicago’s bureau of prohibition. an honest man forced to keep a thousand secrets. adopted brother of giorgio. brother of gigi. husband of elizabeth. brother-in-law of lydia.
lydia “lips vendetta” bennet - former prostitute, gun moll, aspiring actress. a fixture in nightclubs, particularly capone hangouts. wounded and shining brightly. sister of elizabeth. best friend of gigi. lover of giorgio. sister-in-law of william.
georgiana “gigi” darcy - a musical prodigy also known as “the little levee nightingale.” everyone’s favorite kid from the neighborhood, seemingly destined to escape the life. sister of william. adopted sister and childhood sweetheart of giorgio. best friend of lydia. friend of elizabeth.
the plot | years later, the survivors would look back and wonder: if they’d loved each other less, would things have been different?
