#martius-mensis

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Fanfic writer emoji ask! 🥺🤡😈🛒👀

Ramble away, lovely~ 🧡

Awww thank youuuu 💜You are kind to me!

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels? I have already answered this here and here, and I can't come up with a third right now, at least not of similar intensity/frequency.

But something that I try to incoporate, at least in longer fics, and that always gets to me, is Catherine's intense guilt and despair over angering Henry, her fear of having lost him, either due to her own fault or for reasons unexplainable to her... I mean it happens twice in canon, so there's opportunity enough to play with it, but at the same time, once the canon events are done, this, too, is done.

So it doesn't come up quite as often as the other two.

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh? Again: There are just so so many :DI love to laugh.

And since the last time I answered this one, I gave an example of Henry&Frederick banter, this time, I'll do a different set of brothers, because I love writing James and his brothers too, and Another Round has some very fun interaction between the three!

It's really hard not to use the very obvious line as an example... But also, there are so many I love, let's go with this one:

„And what about hiiim?“ Charles asked in a cheerful singsong voice, gently nudging James with his elbow. His smile widening, James nudged the youngest of the trio right back. „Charles Morland, you are being nosy. But if you have to know, yes I do.“

(Now I know what I'll read later this evening...)

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers? Other than the one I already mentioned here?

I mean, there was the teasing ending to Nylon&Silk, but then, that wasn't me being playfully mean, that was just me being too chicken to write something more explicit...^^

I'm sure there is something, somewhere, where I absolutely expected some "aaaargh! youuuu!" reactions, but I can't come up with any on the spot, sorry^^ But yeah, I'm sure of it, because I can be a little mischiveous imp ;)

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc. Not sure how obvious it is, because I think it's mostly in the background, but...

Fierce hopefulness.

Like, no matter how much something sucks, it will get better. Dum spiro, spero -- For as long as I draw breath, I hope! And that's something that appears in my writing a lot, I think.

The fluff certainly is "it got better" :D

And love, not necessarily romantic love, but all kinds of love, especially unconditional love. Because being loved openly, sincerely and unconditionally certainly _helps_ with keeping up hope.

We can fight and we can hope, but sometimes it's easier to fight for someone else, to fight and to hope and to keep going because someone has your back, because someone believes in you, someone loves you even at your worst, even at your weakest, even when you fail -- It's the grand theme of Stronger than we are, I think it also shows up in Spectre, the modern James/Frederick series has it...

We should never give up hope, and healing is possible, but we don't have to do it alone, it's okay to ask for help, even if we can't use words to ask for it, and it's okay to rely on the strength of others for a while when our own fails.

I don't know, it's complicated, but it's an issue dear to me and yes, I do think it heavily influences my writing and shows up in most of my fics.

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please! Oh this is hard. Because on the one hand, there are SO many WIPs and so many of them I'd love to talk about, but on the other hand... I really don't know when any of those will be coming, because writing hasn't been going well recently.

The one that IS up and coming, whether I want to or not, is Inkvent though^^ And yayyyyyyyy, Inkvent.

I mean, maybe it is because I was at the village's Christmas market today (it's tiny but the atmosphere is lovely!) and right now I'm vibrating with advent season cheerfulness. So I'm really, really looking forward to Inkvent right now -- Also, even if I can't keep up with the fics, I'm sooooo excited for the ink!

Though this year there won't be 25 stand-alone ficlets. Instead there'll be only one fic with 25 chapters (or hopefully 25, maybe less, we'll see), though those chapters will only be loosely connected by a a common theme: MINI MORLANDS!

I love mini Morlands and I've noticed that throughout my fics, I tend to sprinkle in little childhood memories/memories of home, so why not elaborate on those? Also, I had so much fun with The Green Slope last year, surprisingly, so much so that by the end of that day I was all "Next year, I want to do only that"

Now, it won't be the same style, because I need to consider the time constraints and the fact that I'm already going into this event mildly exhausted, so I need to make it as easy on myself as possible. Which means keeping my usual style.

But yes, little stories featuring various young Morlands, probably all starting with a sentence structured in a certain way... I don't know how interesting it'll be to anyone but myself, but some ideas I had were: That time Richard pushed Catherine out of the chestnut tree, James teaching Catherine how to play chess, Harriet loving custard (and making a huge mess with it), some Morland's birthday (Catherine's maybe?), Sarah's first ball after becoming the Miss Morland, Catherine picking all those flowers she wasn't supposed to touch, one of those dreadful history lessons ;) ...

Yeah, I think there are plenty of options to play with and I just hope that I'll have the energy to actually do all 25 ficlets in time. (Though I apologise in advance, if I can't, then I won't. That much I learned from last year...) I really, really can't wait for December 1st! :D

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Hiiiii!

For the kissing prompts, Catherine/Henry sharing a kiss while someone watches would be grand. Please and thank you, lovely! ^^

Gnihihihihihi, oh this was so much fun!

I mean, I do get the feeling that I'm doing these prompts wrong, because, well, this is a story containing a kiss, and it is about the kiss, but ... Eh, you'll see^^ But I had fun :D

Also, this can be read as a continuation of Affectionately Yours, I certainly wrote it with that one in mind. And, because it got a tad longer, find your kiss under the cut! 😘

The hushed sound of childish laughter and gleeful giggling could be heard in the shrubbery, finally providing Richard Morland with a hint where to find the little fugitives he had been tasked to capture. It had taken him long enough already and he had, when first given the task by his eldest brother, complied with the appropriate amount of grumbling, but still, when he saw the frocks of George and Mary, half hidden amongst some bushes, he smiled regardless.

He, too, had shirked his fair share of lessons in his time.

Silently, he inched closer. Just because he understood their reasons, that did not mean he would not repay them for the effort they had put him through. They had avoided one lesson, so he would teach them another. Not making a single sound, he reached out and grabbed them by their lapels

„There you are! James has been looking for you this past half hour! You mustn't run away like this.“

Startled, his young sister and brother turned around. But rather than meeting him with all the contrition and remorse the situation warranted, instead, they turned to shush him! One finger on her lips, Mary motioned for him to be quiet, while George, with a rather gap-toothed grin, pointed with his grubby, little hand further into the shrubbery, to show Richard what had them so engrossed.

Richard had expected a great many things. It was not very hard to catch the attention of a girl and boy aged eight and six. Some colourful birds usually were enough, or perhaps a bushy-tailed squirrel, looking for a glossy nut. A small rabbit, maybe, or even a young fox.

But that was not what the little ones had espied. No, what, or rather whom, they had found was nothing like that at all. Mouth agape, all Richard could do was stare.

There, amongst the trees, too engrossed in her current activity to notice her surroundings, was none other than his sister Catherine, though that it was she and not some other girl was only for those to tell who knew her well, for of her face one saw very little indeed, hidden as it was in the passionate embrace of a certain gentleman. He was cradling her face in his hands, as his lips met hers with a warmth and fervour that made even Richard blush. Though his passion had clearly found its equal in Catherine's, who in this very moment, buried her hands in his hair, pulling him closer towards her.

Catherine and her Tilney, kissing in the shrubbery. Richard fondly shook his head. So they had finally managed to sneak away; and though he ought to feel scandalised by his sister's actions, all he could do was to keep himself from laughing. They had attempted to find a quiet moment all to themselves often enough these past few days. To no avail, or so Richard had thought.

Still, this was nothing for the little ones to see and he pulled them away with gentle force, disregarding their protests.

„It does not do, to spy on your sister like this. Or on anyone, really. You mustn't. Now shoo, off you go. I meant it when I said James's looking for you!“ He gave them a little shove, to get them moving, when he remembered something. „Oh, and don't tell Mamma and Papa what you have seen here. It would not be kind to do so! They need not know.“

He watched the little ones, as they ran off. It was true, his mother and father did not need to know about this. Not really, after all, Catherine was a reasonable girl. And if not she, Tilney surely had good sense enough to know what he was doing. There was no reason to ruin what little private enjoyment they could find in each other, knowing that it would all come to an end again soon enough, and as Richard was a very generous brother, especially to those younger than he, he chose to forget what he had just seen.

He turned away, a small, almost mischiveous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He would not ruin all their fun –

„Tilney, you better limit yourself to kissing her though!“

Catherine's surprised exclamation, followed by an abashed and unmistakably male groan, were precisely what Richard had meant to achieve. Laughing merrily, he continued on his way back to the house, leaving his sister and brother-to-be to sort things out among themselves.

Richard Morland was a very generous brother indeed, but that did not mean that he was above the occasional, gentle ribbing.

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Knock knock! I hope you're feeling better and somehow successfully trumping the "harrowing memories" along the way. For now... some fanfic asks for the askers. ;)

2. My favorite fic of yours

I think you're probably banking on this, but yes, it's Spectre, my beloved! I loved it since its first draft, I loved it when you posted it, I love it a bit more every time I reread it.

6. Something I remember vividly from reading one of your fics

Hmmm quite a few(?) of them.. but at the top of my head in no particular order:

a. How you described the dresses in Stronger. The striking contrast between Catherine's and Isabella's dresses were beautifully executed and thought out; you can visualise and compare the two. It was an oh oh oh OOOHH moment for me.

b. The Henry/Catherine wine bottle kiss @ around 2 in the freaking AM and them sleeping on opposite sides of Frederick's couch from LiL chapter 21. This was so very adorable!

c. Whisky was everything and Frederick/James' „Because she wanted it.“ „I know!“ can cut me any time.

8. What I like the most about your writing

The puns. Especially when I get them hahaha. But seriously, what I like the most is how you try to stay true to the characters and how careful you transfer/translate NA characters into your writings. How they should react, feel, say things. The little details. The character names in LiL! The hints you drop for some. Your John Thorpe voice on point. :p

10. A character/ship I didn’t enjoy/think about as much before you wrote about them

Hands down, James Morland. Stronger played a big part in changing my feelings (or the lack thereof) towards James. Again, thanks a bunch for that! He's just a lil guy.

🍊

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Reading this is making me sooo giddy! Also... don't worry about those memories... Or maybe /do/ worry, because I'm dealing with them quite well. Very well indeed. 😈It has a title already...

But awwww I'm still melting at all those responses because omg that's so sweet. And so very reassuring because... apparently I'm quite good at the stuff I worry about...

Also YES! Spectre! My beloved. I'm so glad it's your favourite because, it's so soft and gentle and just... calm, isn't it? I love re-reading it every now and then and yeah. <3

Of course you mention the bottle kiss :D Iirc you already went feral over that when you read it the first time and I ABSOLUTELY AGREE!!!! I mean, I went feral writing it so yes, hard agree :D

It's fascinating though that you mention how ..imagineable? pictureable? The dresses in Stronger are. I never knew, but I'm very glad you think so!

(And Whisky! Oh that scene HURT! It cut so deep! I still sometimes cry when reading it. Because... ugh. James. Ma boi. His voice cracking at the edges because he knows. By god, he knows. And that only makes everything worse. )

Also also... Okay this is very cheesy but you really made me tear up a little right now, by calling my writing in character/true to the characters. I worry about that SO much, it's one of my greatest fears and... this really means a lot to me! Thank you!!! <3 <3 <3

James is my boi! I mean, actually kinda same? I didn't care too much about him before Stronger, I didn't dislike him, I actually liked him and pitied him, but he wasn't one of my favourites back then. Though I did think that the fandom wasn't always treating him fairly, and absolutely had a tendency to overlook or downplay what he went through, making Isabella's betrayal more about the loss CATHERINE faces... So part of me wanted to highlight his story, but I didn't expect for things to go to such extremes :D Then I wrote Stronger and fell in love with this pathetic little sad foolish English bean! He is the littlest of guys! Also, he deserves a hug or ten. (And he's very poke-able. It's almost too easy to make him suffer...) So glad to hear that I succeeded on my mission to make people care about him! James, my beloved idiot son! (You will, perhaps, be happy to hear that I'm currently, though in a very relaxed manner, am working on a canon divergence fic focusing on James, giving him a wayyyy happier ending! :D)

Again, thank you sooo much for sending this ask! Absolutely made my day a little brighter! Such a delight! :)

(in case anyone is wondering, this ask is in reference to THIS ask game)

[wurzelbertzwerg]

An ask treat for the beloved!

Since we share similar sentiments about 3-sentence fics, 1 for His Expertise, please, and 2 + 9 + 11. 🍊

Uiii, didn't expect one for that! But oh, I know we have, so let's see what I can say about it. This will probably end up longer than the fic xD

1. Start to finish, how long did it take to plan and write? Did you take breaks during the process?

Okay storytime: I came up with the idea while I helped my brother move. I don't remember what my job was, but it must've been boring xD So I came up with it and started writing it in my head but I had 3 hours to kill until I could go home... Once home I simply wrote down the words and then spent, oh I think 15? Minutes, agonising over one specific word choice. Don't know which one, but with a fic as short as this, each word has to be just right! Anyway, all in all this fic took less than 3.5 hours in total.

2. How did you come up with the idea?

Well, 3-sentence-fics, to me at least, aren't about how long you can make a sentence utilising every trick in the book (for the record, I can do that for free, no incentive needed 😉) but rather about what is NOT said, the words between the lines, the things that are implied but left unsaid, the emotions the few words on the page evoke, the poignancy of it all. (See what I did there? 😉) And then I thought... well Catherine was always almost pretty but of course she would be the most beautiful woman in the world to Henry, especially on their wedding day, no further explanation needed. And I just loved the idea for Henry, the master of words and witticism, to say the most when he says nothing at all. To have him at a loss for words for once. I just love this short, powerful silence between the beginning and the end of his speech. There is so much in this silence, so many words he cannot say, at least not yet, because clever as he is, Catherine is so much better at giving a voice to her emotions. But he can't really stand silence, can he? So he jokes the awkwardness away, as he always does. And there was no need to say anything else because I think everyone knew immediately that Catherine understood him perfectly, because from his eyes the eight parts of speech shone most expressively 😉

9. Did you get stuck at any point? How did you get past that?

Not really. There was that one word I had to poke for a while, and I considered whether the second sentence ought to be longer than 2 words (that one felt quite cheeky, ngl 😆) but never really stuck, no.

11. What was the most challenging aspect of writing it?

Not giving in to the temptation to make things longer, to overexplain or add little details. I knew I could have but again, in my opinion, it would have defeated the purpose. So I forced myself to keep it short (Unlike Iridescent, which, as you know, was supposed to be 3 sentece too... But I loved the idea too much to keep it short)

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Hi, Caranya! For your ao3 wrapped: 6, 19, 29 & 30. 🧡

Whee, thanks for sending this :)

6. Favorite title you used 👀 Lie in Lavender. Because I'm actually quite proud how I managed to put a ton of layers into this title. Some are obvious, like the Pushing Daisies reference, others, I think are more subtle. And lavender is among my favourite flowers so that's another plus ;)

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? Uuuuh, difficult one. There are a few but I think the one I'm looking forward to add into a fic the most, even if only subtly hidden between the lines, and please nobody kill me for this... Frederick Tilney/James Morland. Yes I know... No actually I don't know, judge me all you want, I've thought about it, I think it's neat, I want to explore the possibilities.

29.Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE JUST ONE. I can't. I can't even choose one for each fic... I'll let you in on a secret, I love the stuff I write and poor Kynfylgia/@vaguelythreateningrubberducky has to suffer me quoting my favourite passages to her all the time whenever I re-read something. Some make me laugh, some give me warm fuzzy feelings, some make me cry, some, I think, are just surprisingly clever ;) but... I love so many of them. For the record, this is the last part of the ask I'm answering, the rest has been done these past twenty minutes, I still don't know what passage to choose. I'm giving up. I can't do this for a whole year. Maybe I could for each individual fic/chapter but not all of them at once xD

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year? Help, I think I sound conceited but... How versatile I am? I mean, I'm still very much not as flexible as others, but when I started I thought that I have a very narrow range and would never be able to do certain things, or at least not do them well, but ... apparently I can. At least well enough to be more than happy with the result. I mean, Give me Truth, A very sweet girl, Inevitable... They are all very different little ficlets (and all, in their own way, me experimenting with stuff) but I think I managed to pull them off well enough. While I think I have my own, recogniseable style (yes, apart from the quotation marks but those, too 😉) I still found that I have more of a range than I personally thought and I like that.

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Hey, friend! For the ask-and-you-shall-procrastinate game:🧭🖍♻️

❤️🧡🍷!!!!

Hiiii

...When I said I don't have sentences, I MEANT IT xD And considering that I'm /procrastinating/ rather than /writing/ new sentences aren't exactly cropping up like mushrooms around here. If this continues I'll have to post noteblocks.

Aaaanyway:

🧭An alternative title to your/ one of your WIP(s)? This question only gets harder the more often it's asked. I really... I'm attached to the titles I used. I have a hard enough time choosing the one I go with and if I had any good alternatives, likely I would have used those instead of the title I landed on. And, of course, there are also some WIPs without a real title yet. BUT! I just remembered, even though I haven't updated in almost a year, /technically/ Glimpses of Freedom is also a WIP. And there was a time when I considered Total Eclipse as a title, but nah. That was too on the nose for my liking.

🖍Post Any sentence from your wip Thank the powers that be that I remembered Freedom... You get a sentence (ok, two) from that one. (I could have shared one from the maybe interlude chapter that I started an hour ago but, as I'm not even sure yet if I'll post it...nop) The evening had provided more pleasure by far than what Henry had originally expected and his spirit had risen accordingly. He started to juggle with the snowball, a playful smile on his lips.

♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP Leeeet me open my notes. Hm... Nope, most of that is still possible. Oh. Yeah. Idea, or rather, no idea, which was the problem. So, this is for LiL and @theartofdreaming1 had, when the chapter (was it 9? It was Fool's Gold, that much I know) originally came out, mentioned an interest in the ice cream date Henry and Catherine had after their visit to Mr Holly's store. And I mean, yeah, that would have been perfect for a cute little scene and I really, really wanted to write it. (Still kinda want) Ultimately though, I had to scrap that because I have NO idea what kind of fancy ice cream you'd be able to get in the UK and what the names on the menu would be. And it's surprisingly hard to research. (Especially without any ice cream at hand to satisfy the immediate cravings that come with researching fancy ice cream...) But you can't really write an ice cream date and handwave the ice cream away. I have NOT forgotten about it and if there's anyone who can hand me the menu of any any English ice cream place with a good selection of ice cream sundaes I /will/ write it. Until then though? Scrapped.

I'd thank you for asking but you picked the /most/ troubling questions available 🤣 (jk, thank you so much!)

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Hey! For the aging tumblr population ask game: 1, 2 (I know you do but I also know you love to ramble about things you love! Also, maybe you'd like to share another one), 6, 12, 14. 🍍

Ooooh, a treat! A treat for me! Thank you so much <3

14 what's a hobby you'd like to get into? So. many.

Like, I'm interested in a lot of things, whether I have the talent to actually do well in anything is another story, but the thing is: A lot of hobbies are quite expensive, or take up a lot of space, or both, and I'm actually so, so, SO shy...

But some hobbies I'd like to get into: Playing the piano (wanted to learn as a child, my paternal grandparents actually had a parlour piano from around 1800, but .... they lived about 45min away, oops, so that never came to pass and we couldn't afford one for my home, so...eh) Archery (technically not impossible, there's a club relatively close by... but I did mention the super shy bit? Yeah? Good) Spinning... Which might actually be one I could get into one day Oh, and knitting. I've meant to learn how to knit for years now, because there are some things where knitting just is superior to crochet (and some things where the reverse is true)... But then I look at my WIP pile and tell myself that maybe, rather than starting a new craft, I should use the time I have to finish what I've already started 🙃

12 what's the biggest purchase you've ever made? A (used) car!

Which is funny, because I don't even have a driving license, but I guess I have a well paying job, so I paid for the family car and... I mean, I do use it, I'm just never behind the steering wheel (which is for the best, trust me)

6 what's your go-to recipe when you want to make something that requires minimal effort? Does it count as a recipe when it results in cold food?

Because I LOVE oats! Like, I measure those with one of my grandma's small coffee cups, because I'm too lazy to measure properly, so it's one cup oatmeal, into a bowl, a heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, a teaspoon or two of sugar, and 1 cup of milk.

Mix all together, maybe add raisins if you're feeling like it, bamm. Delicious food! Especially during summer, when you use milk cold from the fridge... There's no soaking involved, so the oats are chewy, the sugar crunchy... It's something I often ate as a child and I still love it.

Alternatively, I use soymilk instead of milk, and peanut butter instead of cocoa, and then a bit more liquid, some fresh fruits and let that one sit and soak for a while. Also very nice.

1 what's your favourite kitchen appliance? Oh THIS is difficult.

I mean, I love my toaster, because toasted bread is delicious, and the coffee maker, whilst I can't make good coffee to save my life, is a life saving appliance alright.

Oooooh, and the kettle! Praise the kettle. Like, I was about to say my favourite is our old electric hand mixer that's roughly as old as I but still works like a charm but...

The electric kettle.

Absolutely the kettle. I couldn't live without. If all else fails, the kettle will always be there for you!

2 do you have a collection of anything? ^-^

I saved this for last, because you are so kind... But also I don't know what to answer, because DO I have a collection of anything? I mean, a collection that deserves the title?

Because I'm in no way even remotely professional about what I do... While technically I have... 7 fountain pens, I wouldn't consider it even the BEGINNING of a collection, because I'm a total noob, I barely know what I'm doing and I mostly get them because ... I'm a bit weird and I don't like the idea of certain inks in certain pens oder using certain pens for certain books/fics/purposes, or taking certain pens travelling, but other pens don't work with the ink I want to take somewhere (that is a legitimate reason to get different pens, like, I really want to like my Pilot pen, but none of my favourite inks work with it and honestly, the pen doesn't really work for me), and ... Yeah I'm weird and before I freak out because everything is wrong I look for other solutions. Also, I just really love the TWSBI Eco, so there's that.

And the other one is... God I really don't know if I'm allowed to refer to it as a collection, because real book collectors are serious about it, and look out for the truly special editions, and go through great lengths to get them... And I, honestly, won't even try to ever get my hands on a real first edition of NA, and most of my books really are nothing special

Except, of course, for the German first edition of Northanger Abbey, and I am proud of that one, that IS my absolute treasure and it's just so so so precious!

Like, I really want for you to come and visit me so that I can show it to you in person! It's not in the best condition but arggsgsrdhsfjd!

Also, the foreword by Daphne du Maurier is amazing! It's a rare thing, especially when it comes to Austen, it feels, to have forewords written by people who actually LOVE the book. Even rarer for NA, which isn't exactly the most popular of the great 6. But Daphne du Maurier? Loved this novel! Loved it just as much as I do, and it SHOWS! Every line, every word, breathes this deep affection for this little story and its characters and the humour, and ... That introduction really resonated with me; for the first time I saw someone of quite some fame, having a very similar attitude and opinion and just...general reading of NA as I do.

It is, by far, my favourite introduction to Northanger Abbey and I'm so so so sad that I only have it in German and haven't found it in the original English yet because I'd love to show it to my mutuals and discuss and just... share the joy!

But yeah, apart from that edition, the others aren't anything special -- They are all still regularly available, or at least I didn't have to sell my hypothetical firstborn to get them. And I don't really care about that?

I love them regardless! (Also, I'd really need to count again, the fact that they're currently distributed across five different rooms doesn't make it any easier, but I do think I have about...17 or 18 physical copies of Northanger Abbey? It depends whether we count a an all-in-one book for the purpose or not)

And they aren't all the same! One is the annotated Shapard edition (which I don't love as much as many others), and then there's a tiny one, which is cute!, but also with illustrations!

And of course, then there are my German copies, which are several, too, because I wanted to have at least one copy of every German translation ever made for Northanger Abbey, so that I can compare them (which I mean to do soon!)

And a Turkish copy, a French, an Italian, and a Spanish one, because ... It is fascinating, looking at various other languages, and apart from Turkish, I know at least bits and pieces (enough to get an idea how "Beware how you give your heart" was translated!) and I love the idea of having access to Northanger Abbey in various languages!

Also, the French copy is just very, very beautiful (and also illustrated)! Though I really didn't like how "Beware how you give your heart" was translated... At least in that copy.

And the Spanish one is sweet, did I ever show you? If not, I will, I mean, it's nothing special on the inside, but the outside very charming :D And not exactly in line with the usual style that's often chosen for Northanger Abbey.

But yeah, I really don't know if that counts as a collection. That word feels a lot more serious than what I'm doing.

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Blorbo ask game! 7, 25, 26 — go! 🍍

Pineapple power!

But why you no send blorbo? If I could choose I wouldn't rely on people sending me asks for giving me an excuse to ramble! 😂

Guess I'll see as I go...

7: If you could put one of your blorbos in any situation in canon, what would it be? Okay, because I've been thinking about it a lot today and because I love it so much...

I want to add James to the Beechen Cliff walk!

For one, Eleanor is a bit of a third wheel in this, at times. Catherine isn't really aware of it, and Henry tries to not treat her as one, but Henry is trying a lot of things in this scene and I wouldn't say he succeeds with a lot of them^^

(I love it, like, to me, he reads almost giddy in the exchange with Eleanor, when she chides him and tells him to be more serious, he's clearly enjoying himself, it's sunshine and flowers for him, beautiful walk, lovely time, it really is all so very nice! To me, personally, he seems extremely happy and playful and for once, ...himself? Like, in this scene he allows himself to actually be as he is, without a mask, and yes, that does include being a bit of a dick 😉 But Catherine doesn't mind)

So yeah, have James to counterbalance that a bit, to give Eleanor some company without having to rely on Henry's good graces and his remembering to share Catherine... That'd be nice.

(Also, I've recently grown very fond of the idea of James and Eleanor forming a friendship, because I think they'd get along well and his slightly less... enthusiastic?^^ but still genuine personality would go well with Eleanor's quiet and calm one. So lemme have that moment!)

But also, for James to actually SEE Catherine truly and genuinely happy? Oh yes please! Let him see that his little sister is in love, let him see that someone is in love with her -- genuinely in love, not just fake-courting her.

If he were to witness the difference, I think he'd get a lot of things a lot sooner.

And making James acquainted with Henry? Prooooobably not the worst idea either :D

(Super added bonus: If he's in that scene, he can't go to Clifton with the Thorpes, and thus he can't, and won't, propose to Isabella, and now wouldn't that be lovely?)

Actually... I mean, I already have one James&Catherine canon divergence idea sitting in my WIP folder, why not add that idea as well? Because it WOULD be the most charming thing in the world!

25: Your blorbo is stuck in a time loop. Who would believe them? The last time I did this, I put Catherine in the time loop...

Now, the problem is... Catherine would ask for help. I'm trying to come up with someone who'd not just stubbornly try to figure it out by themselves.

Like Henry and Frederick would absolutely both try to just fix it without asking for help. And, more importantly, I think both would believe that no one would believe them.

But if either approached Eleanor, she would believe him, though she'd probably ask questions to make sure either brother isn't pulling her leg. And if Henry approached Catherine, not only would she IMMEDIATELY believe him, she wouldn't ask for proof either. And, Catherine being Catherine, she'd be SO eager to help him!

God, Henry stuck in a timeloop trying to figure things out and Catherine, over and over and over again, trying to help him, ... That'd be adorable!

It's probably best case scenario, Henry being stuck, because even if he wouldn't approach Catherine, she'd approach him, and her readiness to believe him would be extremely valuable.

Now, if we put Eleanor into the timeloop... Poor Eleanor, she does not deserve to be put into the timeloop, she already has to endure enough, ... But as far as believing her goes, Henry likely wouldn't. And he'd be hard to convince, I already elaborated on it in the Catherine scenario, though Eleanor would figure the "precisely predict everything that's going to happen in the next 15min" approach a lot sooner, so she COULD convince Henry...

Only we have to keep in mind, she'd have to do that again and again and again... I think Frederick would be the better bet.

Not sure if she'd go to Catherine, but again, Catherine would believe her with probably no questions asked.

And now, because for some people everything just sucks, if we were to put James into the timeloop, he'd either have the worst time of his life, because not only would the Thorpes not believe him, no, they wouldn't even LISTEN.

Fortunately, he has a sister, and once he gives up on Thorpe, and on Isabella, Catherine is always there and eager to help! No questions asked ^-^

(Actually, I think she might even manage to pull in Henry, depending on how much time there is per loop.)

(Also, depending on WHEN the timeloop happens, James deserves to punch Frederick in the face. Thrice. Minimum^^ And probably give Isabella a hefty piece of his mind, too. My boy deserves a treat)

26: If your blorbo could change just one event in their life, what would they change and why? How would it affect their current life? Now, I really didn't know which character to choose for this, and you wished for Henry of all characters...

Ugh! :D

Because I'm not sure there really is anything Henry regrets enough to want to undo it?

There are, of course, some candidates...

I mean, after James's letter, he says “I am sorry,” said Henry, closing the book he had just opened; “if I had suspected the letter of containing anything unwelcome, I should have given it with very different feelings.” but honestly?

I mean, for one, one could argue that it's only a polite, but empty, phrase. but I think he really does mean it... And right that moment, I think he'd rather spare Catherine any pain.

But in hindsight... He grows a good deal over the course of the novel, and facing uncomfortable truths and allowing the discomfort to exist, even if it hurts, because the only way out of it is THROUGH... Yeah, I think with that growth done, he'd realise that nothing short of hiding the letter from Catherine could have lessened her pain -- And that pain is important for her, it hurts, yes, but also? It helps to harden her against learning Isabella's true colours later. A huge reason why she reacts so very indignant and angry whn Isabella's letter arrives IS on James's behalf.

Without her brother's pain, which she felt so acutely, she wouldn't have seen Isabella's letter so clearly for what it was. And I think Henry is aware of that, because Catherine's feelings, in general, are something he admires about her.

Another candidate would be his speech after the whole murder-not-quite-accusation...

I mean, he made Catherine cry, he made himself formidable in her eyes, a word that in Austen's time simply had no positive connotation, and his actions afterwards show that he regrets it.

He might not have shouted at her, and he wasn't violent, but he sure wasn't gentle either, and all of it over something he basically pressured her into admitting, yet which Catherine DID admit, when she could have lied... But she didn't. He (very very understandably) overreacted somewhat, or overstepped, whatever... It's all very understandable, and I don't think he could've done better, but in hindsight?

Seeing her tears? Seeing how pale she was? Perhaps even noticing a hint of fear in her eyes when he first enters the dining room? And then, with the absolute hindsight how despicable his father would treat her for no fault of her own?

Perhaps he would be tempted to wish he had been a little less harsh, perhaps he would want to find a way to chide her, for that was necessary, without making her cry... But I don't think there is a way, and again, it's such an important moment that I don't think he'd risk undoing what it brought him.

Because he grew from it, Catherine grew from it, their mutual understanding grew, they saw each other in a definitely less than favourable light, and they came out of it with just as much affection as before, if not more.

It wasn't a perfect situation, neither handled it ideally, but they learned their lessons, and perhaps he can be brought to acknowledge that it is very well worth-while to be tormented every now and again for the sake of coming out of it wiser for the rest of one's life 😉

Sooo... Would he undo not asking Catherine to become his wife sooner, when his father was still believing her a desirable match?

Nope. I don't think so, because again, the torment that came from things happening as they happened made them who they are at the end of it, it gave them time to know each other even better, it tested their love and ultimately, their mutual affection grew stronger because of it.

Also, the truth would've come out as soon as the marriage articles would be discussed, and oh, that could've been ugly... And even if that still worked out, for some reason, eventually the truth WOULD come out, and I doubt Henry would wish to inflict that on Catherine. His father's wrath then, probably, would be worse than anything that happened in canon.

So no, I don't think there is anything in canon he'd wish to change, all is well that ends well... And he's too happy with his happy ending to do anything to risk it. (And I do believe him to be intelligent, and wary, enough to realise that any small change could have massive consequences, so best not risk it!)