Blamebrampton

She is the more rational choice for Darcy vs. the Bennets. She has education, manners, a fortune, and clearly, relatives that he likes. So many fan fiction authors make her vulgar and/or unfashionable, but she isn't! That is why Darcy enjoys hanging out with her in the beginning; he would not have her at his house if she was embarrassing. Even when angry with Elizabeth, Caroline does not dare go further in attacking Elizabeth at Pemberley. She has self control. She understands boundaries, which Jane and Elizabeth mostly do, but the rest of the Bennet family struggles with. This is why she's a foil for them.

As for Darcy, at the beginning, Caroline is a nearly perfect mirror of his opinions and snobby attitude. She is doing this on purpose as a way of flirting, but it's probably pretty close to her real personality anyway. She's right that Darcy looks down on Elizabeth's uncle being a lower class lawyer. She's right that he finds the Bennet family intolerable to marry into. However, as Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth and then reforms, Caroline's mirror distorts. That shows his growth in the novel. She, like Elizabeth, fails to update her priors, though to be fair to Caroline, she didn't build her knowledge of Mr. Darcy on first impressions. It's harder to change her mind because she did once know him very well.

Side note: this is also why people woobyfying Darcy hurts Caroline as a rational character. They start in a very similar place and love mean girl gossiping together, then he changes. When Darcy's flaws are erased, it makes Caroline look super irrational and much crueller.

And then there's a bit right at the end of the story as the wife and the husband are walking out of court:

Jill turned abruptly. "What is your name? Your real name."

The man's gray eyes flickered. He smiled a little, kind, gentle smile. "I'm afraid you would not be able to pronounce it. The sounds cannot be formed..."

Jill was silent as they walked along, deep in thought. The city lights were coming on all around them. Bright yellow spots in the gloom. "What are you thinking?" the man asked.

"I was thinking perhaps I will still call you Lester," Jill said. "If you don't mind."

"I don't mind," the man said. He put his arm around her, drawing her close to him. He gazed down tenderly as they walked through the thickening darkness, between the yellow candles of light that marked the way. "Anything you wish. Whatever will make you happy."

And I. God. There's something there. A soupcon of monsterfuckery. To tell your partner in a moment of intimacy that yes, you're something so inhuman that the lips you're stealing can't speak your actual name. You're a parasite that not only had the ability to burrow under this man's skin and take over his life, but you were so desperate to escape a dead, dry, blasted planet that you did.

Here it is again. You might want to save it just in case an accident like that happens again

Long Live Evil by Sarah Reese Brennan, page 254

(America never was America to me.)

Langston Hughes, jazz poet, playwright, social activist, leader of the Harlem Renaissance, was a major inspiration for Eric Mitchell, the Golden Cobra and wicked marquis formerly of New York. (And so was Lil Nas X, yes. The past isn’t dead, it’s not even past, and we do not know which songs will echo through the ages.)

‘I was unhappy for a long time, and very lonesome… Then it was that books began to happen to me,’ Langston Hughes said of his childhood, and I think we who love stories know what he means by ‘books began to happen to me.’

‘I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one’s own greed! …

Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings …

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose— The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives, We must take back our land again.’

the poem is really worth reading.

🤨 wait a second… does this guy maybe have… 🤨 a crush? 🤨 on me?? Okay wait. Let me ask real quick. Because Great If True. Okay NEVERMIND NEVERMIND. READ THE ROOM WRONG. So silly of me!!

Lord Marius: what are you talking about?

Lord Zoltan: oh my gods is bisexuality real? Okay I also have a daughter.

Lord Marius: what, I cannot stress this enough, are you talking about?

Humble palace guard Key, in possession of supernatural hearing and pretty good understanding of sexual implications: … I do not Like this man who is trying to Sell his Children.

(For non-Irish folks: "lads" is a local unisex plural. Also: "skint" = "broke". )

(a little article about the pub is here)

Meanwhile, next time I'm up in town, Imma go over and have a glass of wine there (though it's a bit out of my normal stomping grounds) and thank them. 🙂

The Thomas House (on Google Maps)