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dr-yapper · 9 hours ago

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Probably a bad time to ask this if you've got an actual academic dealine to focus on, but based on your extremely justified Fennell-WH hate post I'm curious to know what your ideal adaptation would look like? Who's your dream director and cast? What are the scenes and themes and details that are absolutely vital if you're really engaging with the source material?

omg what great questions, Leo!! Thank you!! i feel so happy you indulged me with these questions and also i always yearn for reasons to delay my dissertation work lmao My ideal adaption of Wuthering Heights would be a mini-series, not a film. I think that a good adaption needs to capture both how young Catherine and Heathcliff are when they are in each other's lives and also how vulnerable and young Cathy and Hareton are in turn. I think a good WH adaption has to be about anger: feminine anger, racial anger, and the anger that Nelly and her peers in the servant class feel against their employers. I think it has to have horror elements, and be uncomfortable, and not skirt away from how irredeemable Heathcliff proves himself to be, especially once he becomes Cathy's guardian. Frankly, I think a great adaption should lean into how fucking creepy it is that he becomes fixated on Catherine's daughter and stays truncated in a would-be relationship with a woman (her mother) he knew in his youth.

I think you need the scene of Ghost!Catherine ripping her spectral arm to shreds knocking on Lockwood's window. I think you need to maintain Heathcliff and Hareton's abuse of animals. I think you need to spend some time with the implication that Heathcliff assaults/abuses Isabella and I think a really gothic adaption should at least flirt with the possibility that Heathcliff and Catherine might be half-siblings.

There's also this small moment in the text -- blink and you miss it -- where it's implied that Heathcliff (or Catherine? I can't remember who) suspect that Nelly harbors feelings/attraction for Heathcliff when they're young. It's a moment that shocked me when I first read the novel as a teen and I think it changes everything about how we ought to look at Nelly. Last, and I'll give it to Fennell in terms of her nod to WH in Saltburn -- I think a scene of Heathcliff trying or at least implying he'd desecrate Catherine's grave would go hard.

As far as cast goes, man . . . I don't know who could do it. I think you need to cast young actors. I think you need a man of color, no doubt, but someone who is at least somewhat racially ambiguous (is he South Asian? is he a mixed-race Black man?). There is no question that Heathcliff is not racially white, but his racial ambiguity -- the fact that he doesn't neatly fit into the simple category of 'Black' or Romani -- is important both to his ability to socially ascend classes but also to the possibility that he is the potential product of Mr. Earnshaw's extramarital affair.

LAST !! I think Wuthering Heights is an incredibly difficult novel to adapt for a host of reasons (the novel spans generation, narrative voice is such a huge element of the novel, it's a frame narrative, etc) but IMO part of the difficulty of writing/characterizing Heathcliff isn't neatly resolved by simply casting a man of color to play him. Part of the problematics of the novel, of course, is that the only man of color in it also happens to be an abject monster, child abuser, and sexual predator (and it doesn't help the optics, either, that his 'victims' are predominately white women). I think a good adaption needs to give space to the abuse he suffered at the hands of Earnshaw and greater English society as a whole (just as much as it portrays his abuse of Hareton, Nelly, Cathy, etc in turn); I think we need to understand that, to some extent, Heathcliff's desire for revenge is not simply against the Earnshaws and the Lintons, but also against empire. I think his appropriation of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange need to feel incredibly subversive and audacious, perhaps especially because he takes these estates from the white men who've most wronged him. I think he needs to be a monster, but I think there ought to be points in which his monstrosity -- like Catherine's own -- feels accessible, and vindicating, and like it is at least somewhat borne from the monstrous conditions he was born into. To make a small comparison, I think how IWTV writes Louis sets a nice model to follow: Louis is cruel, manipulative, flawed, and monstrous in his own right --- but we also know that so much of his hardship is indivisible from his experience as Black man in America (only ~40 years post-abolition). That balancing act is key. In fact, I think that's the heart of the novel: Wuthering Heights is about monsters. It's also about love. But, love doesn't redeem them. love doesn't absolve them of anything. they love monstrously. but man, imagine that. being loved through all your monstrosity -- not despite of it, but partly because of it. and then, for hareton and cathy, to survive the explosive aftermath of monstrous love and choose -- despite it all -- a gentler, kinder love and commitment to each other instead, built on surviving the horrors, but pointedly not replicating it.

#holy hell i wouldn't say it better #this is the only opinion that has rights because damn #we cannot argue with why fennel's adaptation has its right to be #there are so many problems that unfixable and cannot just be swallowed #to cast these actors is a genuine spit in the face of everyone who even slightly cares #to make heathcliff a poc is not an option its a must #i myself always imagined him as a gypsy #andrea arnold's adaptation got so close to the necessary vibe #id add the creepiness of crimson peak with ghosts and cold winds and loneliness and anger

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dr-yapper · 1 day ago

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Ahh that silver fox!! Let's spare him now since him being such a perfect fiancé in the end! My favourite part is him coming with sirens - what a scene!

And also their bantering! I could honestly read it forever and never get tired. I love their relationship so much.

My dear friend Sam, happy birthday! Thank you for existing and letting me know you and being able to read your work! I wish you only good things rushing to you in your new year of life, be safe and sound, full of inspiration and energy to perceive things that you want and that make your life better in every way. Send you my tightest hugs ❤️

Happy Birthday To You

Stepdad!Charlie Reid x Voight's Daughter!Reader

Word Count: 2.55k

Content: presents, flirting, bantering, Charlie proving he's an old man but perfect for us

Note: Self indulgent fic in the stepdad Charlie universe for my birthday September 4th.

Charlie hasn’t made any kind of note of today being your birthday. You’ve gotten no calls, no texts, no little love notes on your kitchen counter… nothing from your old man. He left for work this morning without even kissing you goodbye. If he’s trying to prove to you that he’s able to be a better fiancé, he’s sure not doing a great job of it.

Today is supposed to be full of love and well-wishes, but you’ve never felt so alone. It’s bad enough that you’ve got to go to class today because it’s the first week back for fall semester, but knowing Charlie hasn’t said anything yet hurts more than it should. You honestly thought he would’ve been the first one to say something or, hell, even wake you up with his mouth between your legs because it’s a special day.

Your alarm keeps blaring, so you finally shut it off and get out of bed. Charlie did leave you something to wear out on your shared dresser, which made you smile a little bit. It’s his brown button-up shirt that you love so much, and your favorite pair of black ripped jeans. He didn’t leave you any underwear or a bra, so maybe he’s expecting you not to wear any, which you have no problem doing.

You get dressed quickly and bypass putting on any underwear or a bra since Charlie didn’t leave you any out. You grab your phone off the charger and make your way out of your bedroom and out to the front hallway so you can put your shoes on.

Your phone starts ringing while you're putting your slip-on vans on, so you check and it's just your mother. You send her to voicemail like normal because even if it's your birthday she's bound to say something about you stealing her husband for yourself and you're not in the mood to listen to that.

You grab your backpack from by the door and head out to the busy Chicago streets. Normally you gotta head to Michigan Ave, but your class this morning is on Wabash in one of those buildings that have the old timey basements. Like this class is in a room next to a vault. But it's kinda cool that this is where your criminal psychology class is taking place.

You sat in the back of class for the hour it took place and ignored every time your phone vibrated in your pocket because you're actively trying to be a good student this year. Especially after the whole fiasco from your summer course 2 months ago and that TA Aaron.

When you left the classroom, you pulled your phone out to see why it had been vibrating so much. You cleared away most of the notifications. However, there were 3 messages from Charlie.

From Daddy:

Babygirl, did you find the clothes I left out for you?

From Daddy:

Are you ignoring me? What'd I do now?

From Daddy:

Oh shit, that's right you're in class. Call me when you're done, okay? I love you.

You can't help but smile because granted yes you were ignoring him, but he acknowledged you were in class and told you he loved you. You're still in the school building, so you might as well call him while you can hear him cause there's no way you'll be able to hear him if you're walking down the street. So you dial up Charlie's number and it rings twice before he picks up.

“Good morning princess.”

“What's up Charlie?”

“Wow okay, um wasn't expecting that.”

“Wasn't expecting what Charlie?”

“Not even a good morning daddy just what's up Charlie like you have better things to do than talk to me.”

“Well I mean I do have other things I need to be doing.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“I don't know, but you seem like you're pissed at me.”

“What's today?”

The line goes silent for a minute as Charlie thinks about it and then he groans.

“Fuck angel, I'm sorry.”

“I gotta get to my next class, Charlie. I'll talk to you later.”

“Wait sweetheart.”

You hang up on him, put your phone in your pocket, and leave the building. You don't actually have a class that you need to rush to, you just wanted to hang up on him. Your next class isn't for another hour, so you're gonna walk around downtown and make a pitstop since you deserve a sweet treat for your birthday.

You walk down the street to Insomnia Cookies. You order yourself a basic chocolate chip cookie because it's free and you don't wanna have to choose between all of the deluxe cookies they have out right now. You thank the cashier and head out of the shop with your cookie.

You're eating your cookie and walking down Wabash when you hear sirens. That's nothing new so you don't bother stopping or looking to see where they're coming from. You're forced to stop and look up when the sirens are practically on top of you. You groan because it's just Charlie. He shuts the sirens off and gets out of his car because you looked up at him.

“Can I help you, Deputy Chief Reid?”

“Yes princess you can.”

“What do you want, Charlie?”

“For the absolutely cutest birthday girl I know to forgive me.”

“Get back in the car, we're not having this conversation on the street. But I also have class in 45 minutes so we're going to have to make this quick.”

“Sure babygirl. After you.”

You walk over to the car and get into the passenger seat. Charlie walks back to the car and gets into the driver's seat. He starts the car up and starts driving.

“Where are you taking me babe?”

“Home.”

“Charlie, I have class.”

“And it's online.”

“How'd you know that?”

“I double checked your schedule that I have saved on my phone.”

“I forgot I sent you that.”

“Yeah princess you did. Also you look fucking gorgeous in my clothes. Now back to why we're here, I'm going to let the fact that you hung up on me go because I deserved it.”

“You absolutely did deserve it. I know I do and I don't have anything on under them. Anyways, the fact that you forgot today is my birthday hurt my feelings.”

“I knew today was your birthday babygirl but it slipped my mind this morning when I was getting ready for work and getting the clothes out for you. Best believe I'll be taking advantage of that later baby. Also, I have your presents at home.”

“Presents? Like plural?”

“Well your ring is at home and then I have some gifts for you, yes.”

“My ring?! You actually bought me a ring?”

“Didn't we have this conversation like a month or so ago? Yes I bought you a ring gorgeous. It took a while but I finally found one that I think would be perfect for you.”

“Have I told you I loved you recently?”

“Not today.”

“Well I do love you daddy.”

“I love you too angel.”

“So what's the ring look like?”

“It's a surprise.”

“Rude. What else did you get me?”

“That's also a surprise.”

You just groan because why would he tell you about these gifts if he wasn't going to tell you what they were. Charlie can't help but chuckle at your pouting face. You stick your tongue out at him because you're so mature and all that does is make him laugh more.

Charlie pulls the car up to your apartment building and parks in his assigned space. You get out of the car and wait for Charlie by the main door. Charlie gets out of the car and walks up to you. He unlocks the door and you follow him into the building. After a quick elevator ride, you're practically humming under your skin.

You follow Charlie down the hallway to your apartment and he unlocks and opens the door. You head in first and go take a seat in the living room because you have class in 25 minutes, so you gotta get your laptop set up. Charlie went into your bedroom.

“Close your eyes babygirl.”

“You didn't wrap them, old man?”

“Be lucky you have class in 20 minutes smartass or you'd be paying for that old man remark.”

“I was just messing with you daddy and alright I'll close my eyes.”

You close your eyes and then for good measure you cover your eyes with your hands. Charlie walks into the living room and smiles seeing that you followed his directions. He's got 3 things for you, one of which is your engagement ring.

“Can I open my eyes yet?”

“One second baby girl. I'm gonna set them down on the table first.”

Charlie say whatever he bought down on the table.

“Okay you can open your eyes princess.”

You open your eyes and see the ring box, two tickets to something, more of your blinged out thongs with Charlie's name on them, a birthday card, and a replica black jacket like Charlie wears to work only it says Mrs. Reid on it and doesn't have any of the police patches on it.

“Charlie are those my used underwear?”

“Nope these are new ones!”

You nod your head and pick up the jacket and put it on. It fits like a glove and smells like Charlie. You can't help but smile.

“Did you spray your cologne on this?”

“Maybe.”

“Thank you daddy.”

“Of course angel. Now you've got the card to open and your ring and then the last gift.”

“I'm saving the ring for last. But alright I'll check out those tickets.”

You pick the tickets up and see that they're for the Cubs vs Cardinals game at the end of the month. Your jaw hits the floor and you can't help but turn to look at Charlie.

“Yes I did take a day off to spend with you babygirl. I've got jerseys for us coming in a couple weeks.”

“I love you!”

“I love you too sweetheart.”

Then you pick up your birthday card from Charlie. He didn't seal it, he just tucked the flap in, so you could easily open it. You opened the card and a piece of paper fell out of it. You picked the paper up and saw that it showed your mom and Charlie's divorce as being finalized. You couldn't help but get up off the couch and walk up to Charlie.

He was all smiley and you jumped on him. He's used to this so he caught you with no problem and kissed you. You smiled into the kiss and held onto him for dear life because you're scared that if you let go, this will have just been one hell of a good dream.

“Did you even read the card princess?”

“Later. I'll read it later. All I need to know is that you're mine now forever and nobody else can lay their claims on you.”

“I'm yours angel, till death do us part and then even after that.”

“You're incredible. Oh wait, my ring.”

“Can I set you down to grab it?”

You shook your head no and buried your head into his neck. He just chuckled and walked, with you still hanging onto him like a spider monkey, over to the coffee table. He grabbed the ring box and then sat down on the couch with you in his lap. You unburied your head and let go of his neck so you could look at Charlie.

Charlie opened the ring box and held it open for you to see. The ring is an emerald solitaire ring in 10k black gold. The ring itself is called Melina and it's from a company called DIAMONDÈRE. It's the most beautiful ring you've ever seen and it's perfect for you. You can't help but cry and stick your hand out so Charlie can put the ring on for you.

He kissed your ring finger and then took the ring out of the box and slid it onto your finger. It's a perfect fit. You can't help but stare at the ring in awe.

“How'd I do?”

“I…”

You couldn't get the words out. It's like they were choking you. You just looked at Charlie and hoped your glossy eyes could convey everything you couldn't say. Charlie looked at you fondly and then leaned in to kiss you. You returned the kiss enthusiastically. Charlie pulled away from the kiss first.

“Don't you have class in like 5 minutes?”

“Fuck! Yes I do. Are you going back to work?”

“Nope! I'm yours for the rest of the day.”

“Well Happy Birthday to me!”

“Absolutely babygirl. Happy Birthday my love.”

“Thank you.”

“You better get up off my lap and get your computer set up.”

“Ugh don't remind me.”

You groan but give Charlie a quick peck before you get off his lap and sit next to him. You open your laptop and get the zoom class all loaded up. You make sure your camera and microphone are off. Then you turn your attention back to Charlie.

“You gonna sit next to me the whole time?”

“If that's alright with you, yeah.”

“You can sit wherever you want daddy, this is your home too.”

“Put your feet in my lap and I'll rub them while you're stuck in class and then when your class ends, we'll have some fun.”

“Oh fuck yep okay!”

You lay back against the arm of the couch and put your feet in Charlie's lap. You set your laptop on your lap and just smirks at Charlie. He starts rubbing your feet and you have to bite your hand to stop you from moaning.

“I'll reward you so nice later daddy.”

“It's your birthday princess, I'm here to please you.”

“And I appreciate that, but I'm all for pleasing you once this God forsaken class is over.”

“I won't stop you but it's not necessary.”

“Who are you and what've you done with my fiancé?”

“Can't I just be nice and in a good mood for once?”

“Yes but it's suspicious.”

“I may or may not have sent your sperm donor on a wild goose chase today so he and his team wouldn't be bothering me.”

“That's more like it. And if he's busy, he's not bothering me either. Good thinking baby.”

“Of course. You're all mine today!”

“I'm all yours everyday but yes especially today.”

“You better pay attention babygirl, don't want you to miss anything important.”

“Oh please this will be recorded. Keep using your magic fingers and I'm letting this play out here and you and I will be going to bed.”

“Don't threaten me with a good time.”

“Behave.”

Charlie just smirked and then really dug his thumbs into the soles of your feet. Oh he's playing dirty that's for sure. Just 50 minutes. That's all you have to remember. 50 minutes and you can jump his bones.

And besides this is one hell of a way for your birthday to turn out. You're glad he came and got you and he's more than made up for this morning's lapse in memory loss since he's your favorite old man.

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