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I just don't get people who hate "passive" characters because of their inability to take action. Like Fanny Price, wtf is she supposed to do? "She's so passive" yeah, she's an unofficial foster kid in a rich uncle's home. What possible power does she have? What possible benefit would she gain from being "active"? What would her actions possible change?! I think there's a fair amount of narrative evidence that suggests if she'd stayed at home, she'd be dead by now. Staying quiet and doing what she's told is the best of a whole bunch of bad options. She's also a dependant woman in the 1800s!

Why do I get the feeling that people would actually like her better if she took things into her own hands and had slowly poisoned Mrs. Norris, Maria, Julia, Lady Bertram, Tom, and Sir Thomas in succession and then became the unopposed mistress of Mansfield Park by marrying the newly-minted heir Edmund? What a fascinating character! She did it! What a strong female character!

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she's so quotable! I don't blame you

was quoting pride and prejudice in the club last night

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New Sense and Sensibility movie adaptation from Focus Features! How are we feeling guys?

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I don't know exactly how to articulate this but... if you repeatedly show historical fiction women rejecting traditionally female skills/duties and doing swords instead, because swords is obviously the Most Important Thing, you are kind of implying that all the work that has been traditionally done by female hands for millennia was useless all along and not, you know, keeping civilization going. Because it's usually rejected not as a personal preference but as This Is The Important Stuff (male work) and That is The Dumb Useless Stuff (women's work) and that kind of bothers me. The message was supposed to be Vital But Underpaid and Underappreciated, not women's work is insignificant so let's all go do swords.

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It's not just for accuracy's sake that I argue that Darcy isn't shy or painfully socially awkward, it's because it changes the story and makes it worse. Elizabeth telling Darcy to practice talking to people becomes an extrovert demanding that an introvert just get better at masking or some B.S.. But Elizabeth can in fact identify shy people and she's exceedingly nice to them:

With astonishment did Elizabeth see that her new acquaintance was at least as much embarrassed as herself. Since her being at Lambton, she had heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud; but the observation of a very few minutes convinced her that she was only exceedingly shy. She found it difficult to obtain even a word from her beyond a monosyllable... her manners were perfectly unassuming and gentle. Elizabeth, who had expected to find in her as acute and unembarrassed an observer as ever Mr. Darcy had been, was much relieved by discerning such different feelings.

Georgiana’s reception of them was very civil, but attended with all that embarrassment which, though proceeding from shyness and the fear of doing wrong, would easily give to those who felt themselves inferior the belief of her being proud and reserved. Mrs. Gardiner and her niece, however, did her justice, and pitied her.

Elizabeth meets Georgiana and is like, "Nope, nothing like her brother, this girl is super shy." The descriptions are very different too, Georgiana's manners are "gentle" while Darcy's "though well bred, were not inviting". Now is Elizabeth better at reading females than men? Absolutely. But this is an Elizabeth who knows herself better and, more importantly, understands Darcy, and she is like, "Wow, these siblings are super different. One of them will just stare at me without being nervous and the other can barely talk while visiting a party of three even though she's socially superior."

Georgiana and Fitzwilliam Darcy are not the same and one of them shy.

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It's not just for accuracy's sake that I argue that Darcy isn't shy or painfully socially awkward, it's because it changes the story and makes it worse. Elizabeth telling Darcy to practice talking to people becomes an extrovert demanding that an introvert just get better at masking or some B.S.. But Elizabeth can in fact identify shy people and she's exceedingly nice to them:

With astonishment did Elizabeth see that her new acquaintance was at least as much embarrassed as herself. Since her being at Lambton, she had heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud; but the observation of a very few minutes convinced her that she was only exceedingly shy. She found it difficult to obtain even a word from her beyond a monosyllable... her manners were perfectly unassuming and gentle. Elizabeth, who had expected to find in her as acute and unembarrassed an observer as ever Mr. Darcy had been, was much relieved by discerning such different feelings.

Georgiana’s reception of them was very civil, but attended with all that embarrassment which, though proceeding from shyness and the fear of doing wrong, would easily give to those who felt themselves inferior the belief of her being proud and reserved. Mrs. Gardiner and her niece, however, did her justice, and pitied her.

Elizabeth meets Georgiana and is like, "Nope, nothing like her brother, this girl is super shy." The descriptions are very different too, Georgiana's manners are "gentle" while Darcy's "though well bred, were not inviting". Now is Elizabeth better at reading females than men? Absolutely. But this is an Elizabeth who knows herself better and, more importantly, understands Darcy, and she is like, "Wow, these siblings are super different. One of them will just stare at me without being nervous and the other can barely talk while visiting a party of three even though she's socially superior."

Georgiana and Fitzwilliam Darcy are not the same and one of them shy.

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lmaooo how did I forget that Elizabeth's go-to annoyance curse on people who displease her is to hope they marry someone miserable?

We all remember that she sees Anne de Bourgh and is like "yes perfect she'll make Mr Darcy miserable" but how did I forget that she wishes BINGLEY miserable at one point too?!

"This letter gave Elizabeth some pain; but her spirits returned, as she considered that Jane would no longer be duped, by the sister at least. All expectation from the brother was now absolutely over. She would not even wish for any renewal of his attentions. His character sunk on every review of it; and, as a punishment for him, as well as a possible advantage to Jane, she seriously hoped he might really soon marry Mr. Darcy’s sister, as, by Wickham’s account, she would make him abundantly regret what he had thrown away."

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A List of "Beautiful" Czech Words & Phrases

for your next poem/story

Červánky - red evening clouds; afterglow

Chlum - a wooded hill

Cingrlátko - tinkling ornaments

Jezernatý - having many lakes

Káva - coffee

Krásný - beautiful

Letnění - drying out of ponds in summer

Milovat - love

Mlsat - to eat sweets; to have a sweet tooth

Moknout - to be out in the rain

Náledí - ice-covered ground

Odkoukat - to learn by watching

Plácek - a small open space

Podletí - late summer

Potmě - in the dark

Přiotrávit - to almost poison

Prokreslit - to make a detailed drawing

Skýva - a slice of bread

Snář - a dream dictionary

Snesl bych ti modré z nebe - "I would take the blue from the sky for you"; do anything for somebody

Světnice - the sitting room in a cottage which has a lot of light

Tajnůstkář - a secretive person

To je jiné kafe - "a different kind of coffee"; it’s apples and oranges

Trpělivost růže přináší - "patience brings roses"; there’s a reward in waiting

Věřit - believe

Sources: 1 2 3 ⚜ More: Word Lists

If any of these words make their way into your next poem/story, please tag me, or send me a link. I would love to read them!

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Katarsis sticker design 🤌

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All my 2025 ESC illustration series together, hope you like them :D Which one is your fav from this year?? Can't wait to see them turned into shiny prints hehe

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you are your own home 🏡🩷

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In light of some of the many things happening across the world this year, I thought this Pride Month needed a special illustration.

Happy Pride Month, may we all stay safe, look after each other, and keep painting our rainbows, no matter what. 🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️