#amarguerite

[laissezferre]

@amarguerite tagged me for 9 books on my 2025 TBR! thank you very much, i hope you're doing well! i did manage to read 7 books in 2024, so hopefully a goal of 9 for this year won't be such a reach. first off, the polar reads:

I May Be Some Time by Francis Spufford -- currently reading this now actually, but only about 20% in. already mentally preparing myself for That One Chapter that is sure to decimate me

Shackleton's Forgotten Expedition: The Voyage of the Nimrod by Beau Riffenburgh -- i hear this has another cast of chaotic expedition members so i'm looking forward to shackles' trial by fire ice :D

A First Rate Tragedy by Diana Preston -- enough said. i never claimed i wasnt a masochist

The Last Viking by Stephen Brown -- roald! roald! roald! another tragic figure despite his successes. right now my sympathy's with the brits but this book is sure to sway things. and now on to non-polar, lest anyone think me Too Obsessed:

Orlando by Virginia Woolf -- honestly i shouldve read this a long time ago and the fact that i've delayed for so long is practically a moral failing on my part

Devotions by Mary Oliver -- a collection of her greatest hits. already 60% in actually but life's beaten me down and the last mile is proving incredibly difficult

Bacchae by Euripides trans. Paul Woodruff -- forgot what this was about actually but one day i thought i might delve into the classics for some Culture and decided on this work

Hamlet by William Shakespeare -- a reread in preparation for The London Trip, p.s. home office approve my visa already!!

Shadow Agents by Budjette Tan & Kajo Baldisimo -- volume 8 of a modern, paranormal graphic novel that i've been following since i was earning enough money to buy graphic novels. it has a netflix btw

i'm not tagging anyone but if you've got nothing to do this new year's day then consider this an invitation to partake!

[marzipanandminutiae]

re: old vs modern names, I will never not love the fact that one of Oscar Wilde's sons was named Vyvyan .

god it sounds so fake

and yet

And. Yet.

[pacific-rimbaud]

I have just read a wonderful fanfic that 1- is a pride and prejudice fanfic as enjoyable as the source material and 2- reminded me of L&oha so acutely that I wanted to share it with you, dear author.

It's a character study of Mr Bennet with the caveat of him being an astrophysicist from 1994 thrown back in time to live his life as the notoriously snarky Mr Bennet.

Mr. Bennet Travels Through Time by AMarguerite - available on ao3

xx

Wow, the couple times I dipped into P & P fic I must have searched for the spicy ones, because there is absolutely no chance I wouldn't have clicked into something called Mr. Bennet Travels Through Time (you'll need to be logged into AO3). A DELIGHT! Quietly chuffed at reading the work of someone very, very clever and discovering that we share a couple brain cells. AMarguerite is a treasure. Thank you so much for sharing!

[ralphlanyon]

Ralph Lanyon, 5-10?

5. Bathing/showering headcanon:

Ralph is highly meticulous about personal hygiene and hates being dirty; he prides himself on being able to look always very tidy and immaculate when he's out in public. Being a sailor he mostly takes short, economical showers and has a quick and efficient showering routine, but occasionally he can be coaxed into indulgently sharing a warm bath with one of his lovers.

6. Hugging headcanon:

Ralph didn't experience much in the way of physical affection from his family as a child, and outside of sex (and Laurie) he tends to bristle and become vaguely uncomfortable when people try to hug him. On the other hand, he is fine with initiating hugs as a way of giving comfort to other people who are in distress, and he is very fond of post-coital spooning and cuddling with Laurie in bed.

7. Kissing headcanon:

Ralph really enjoys kissing, and he's very free and passionate with his kisses during sex, especially if it's with someone he really likes. He takes deep pleasure in kissing Laurie fervently all over his body, in an act of devotion and almost worship. Aside from sex, when he's feeling particularly tender and romantic, he likes to kiss Laurie on the forehead or on the hand when they're alone together.

8. Sex headcanon:

I generally subscribe to the theory that Ralph probably engaged in sex work for a while after he was expelled, hence his reluctance to talk about that whole period. Also, I think Ralph has a tendency to (subconsciously) use sex as a form of self-harm and self-punishment at times when he is deeply unhappy with himself (e.g. his "two years of women," plus his relationships with Bunny and Hazell to a certain extent).

9. General physical contact headcanon:

Navigating the queer social scene of 1930s-40s Britain, Ralph has had to perfect the art of meaningful touches and glances. The act of touching, especially between men, therefore carries a high degree of significance (and potential danger) for him. Before he and Laurie get together, Ralph mentally notes and savors every bit of casual physical contact between them, and afterwards he'll try desperately to analyze all of Laurie's reactions and possible intentions. (There was a cut line from the 1953 edition about Laurie touching Ralph's knee in the car which always gets to me!)

10. Physical appearance headcanon:

After the war Ralph eventually becomes less self-conscious about his injured hand and feels more comfortable going without his glove in public, encouraged by the growing presence of disabled veterans and perhaps a bit of solidarity with Laurie, who has a disability he can't easily mask.

[pilferingapples]

Hollywood historical costuming

I unironically love it when a movie just goes “ screw it” and instead of trying to do the halfass historical-but-like-a-cool-dad thing just go full Van Helsing.  Complete bonkers, corsets on the outside of clothes, makeup and hair not just modern but “ stolen directly from an Adam and the Ants Concert/ Hot Topic/ Facepainting Booth at the Renfair”.    I mean, look at this . What era is this? It’s the era when Van Helsing punched a werewolf and went to a vampire ball, that’s when.   When is this trailer for the Brothers Grimm set?  when Napoleon invaded “ Germany” and a witch-queen was ruling over the forest, of course!  Look at that headdress, when else could it be!  What is  A Knight’s Tale even doing with that little 50′s-veil hat?? I don’t know!  I’m reveling in that absolutely absurd gown !   

Are these sort of movies “ good” ? I don’t care! Hugh Jackman’s friend just set a Dracula on fire!  They will Rock You!  Minor  historical anachronisms are halfass and boring and distracting like a wall of badly-painted stripes but absolutely gonzo levels of anachronism are fascinating like a psychedelic mural and my guarantee of a kickass good time!

[needsmoreresearch]

Enjolras!

Ahahahaha yes good.

I have many reasons for not dating Enjolras, the first and most essential being that he doesn't want to. That's really a dealbreaker.

I mean. We could go out for coffee/tea/chocolate and talk. Talking with women isn't really a Thing Enjolras Does but we'll imagine it happens. Once he gets over the whole woman thing I'm sure we could have a decent conversation, huddled over my phone for Google Translate because my French isn't that good.

But that's not dating. He doesn't want to date.

And I don't want the concept of the French motherfatherland keying my car in the middle of the night. Patria, I promise, we're just friends.

also something something turning into a terrifying angel, flames and wings and eyes

[kcrabb88]

found family!

I love found family SO much. It's why so much of what I write ends up with some form of an ensemble cast, oops!

[patcaps]

Thank you SO much for uploading the video!

you’re welcome!