#lady Jane fox

[forasecondtherewedwon]

The Artful Dodger, tumblrfied: "Untapped Potential" 9/?

[sweetbuckybarnes]

Wake Up, Belle

Pairings: Jack “Artful Dodger” Dawkins + Lady Belle Fox

Summary: What if Belle woke up on the table?

Jack and Sneed had just finished sewing up Belle’s chest, Jack only had time to drop the tools in his hands haphazardly onto the nearby table, before he was cupping her face, bloody fingers leaving red fingerprints on her cheeks.

“Wake up, Belle,” Jack begged, his eyes roaming her face as he is thumb came to rest on the feel of her heartbeat on the side of her neck. Her heart was beating! So why wasn’t she waking up? “Please, wake up, Belle!”

Gaines came around the table gun in one hand, and wrapped his hand around Jack’s upper arm. “Alright, time to go.”

“No, leave me. Belle, wake up,” he didn’t want to slap her awake - she was a lady after all - but if it’s what wakes her up, he’d do it.

Just as Gaines dragged him off Belle’s body, she took in a sudden deep breath, and her eyes cracked open as she caught her breath.

“Oh darling,” Lady Jane pushed herself around to Jack’s side of the table and blocked her daughter’s view of the surgeon. “Oh, my darling!”

“Jack,” Belle called, reaching her hand past her mother and to the man she loves. Lady Jane took hold of her daughter’s hand, who was quick to shake her off. “Jack.”

He peered over her mother’s shoulder, tears of relief filling his eyes. “Welcome back, Lady Belle.”

“Jack,” she reached her hand over for him to take, but pulled her hand away from her mother’s grip once again. “No, I want Jack.”

“Dearest-“

“You didn’t believe me when I told you I had an aortic aneurysm, you tried to tell me I was wrong, but I was right,” she stared her mother down, reaching her hand out for a third time for Jack to take - even with his hands covered in her blood - he took it. “Jack was the only one who believed me.”

Lady Jane stumbled over her words trying to find the right ones which would separate her daughter from the twisted surgeon for good. However, it was Captain Gaines who spoke up. “My lady, he is a criminal and a thief, he will be hung from the gallows in the morning.”

Belle looked up at Jack, whose face had paled - he had saved the love of his life’s life and now he was condemned to death. She turned her head to look at her father. “Papa, will you pardon Jack, please?”

“Belle, my sweet,” the Governor started, looking at his wife (with her eyes, she was telling him to say no), Gaines (who was silently wanting him to allow him to hand Jack Dawkins), then to the man himself - the young man who he presumed to be a few years older than Belle, was as white as a sheet, staring down at Belle both scared for his life and a look of adoration. Then he turns his eyes on Belle, his little girl (despite being the age of 25), as she looks up at him from the theatre table where just five minutes ago was battling with herself to stay alive, she looks over at Jack with the same adoring eyes, and then up at her father. “Do you love him?”

Belle looked back over at Jack, staring up at his face, framed by his dark hair and dark eyes swimming with tears. In the throes of pain, before she was given the ether, she remembers Jack telling her that he loves her.

“I do. I love him.”

“Then he shall be pardoned, and on the Prof’s retirement, shall be made Head Surgeon,” the Governor declares, watching as his daughter’s face lit up, turning her head to look up at Jack and raise a hand to cup his face.

Jack’s face flooded with relief, leaning down so he could press his forehead against Belle’s then nudging his nose along hers.

“I knew you could do it,” Belle tells him, obviously referring to her surgery.

“Edmund, dearest,” his wife comes around the table, digging her fingernails into his arm. “I thought Dr. Sneed was going to be Head Surgeon.”

The Governor looked over at the other surgeon in the room, who was looking at Jack with what could be considered pride. “Dr Dawkins just saved our daughter’s life, we are very lucky to have him as our surgeon in Port Victory.”

Jack hadn’t taken his eyes off Belle, “I’ll be back in a moment, I need to go clean up,” he motioned to his hands covered in her blood, whilst remembering about the spare shirt he keeps in his office.

“Jack,” Belle says, wrapping her hands around a little bit tighter.

“Lady Fanny, will you keep your sister company while I clean up?” Jack asks the youngest Fox daughter.

Fanny nods, hurrying as fast as her skirt would allow her. “Of course, Dr. Dawkins,” she took her sister’s hand, as Jack leaned down and pressed a slightly scandalous kiss to her forehead.

“I’ll be back in a moment, my lady.”

Belle watched, as she tipped her head until she lost sight of him, as Jack made his way to the bowls and cleaned himself up.

“Belle, do you truly love him?” Fanny asked, looking down at her sister in awe and curiosity.

“Yes, I don’t think I could ever stop loving him.”

Belle didn’t pay her mother any kind of attention until Lady Jane made an unladylike noise. “Belle, it is improper from someone of your station to be associated with him. Society will turn its back on you.”

Belle glanced over at her mother. “Don’t you know, mother?” She looks at her. “I am society.”

[marriageandthecrown]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE DO A MINI SERIES OF JANE BOLEYN that would be AMAZING 🙌🏻

[brucedinsman]

Fox's Book of Martyrs

https://www.biblestudytools.com/history/foxs-book-of-martyrs/ Edited by William Byron Forbush This is a book that will never die — one of the great English classics. . . . Reprinted here in its most complete form, it brings to life the days when “a noble army, men and boys, the matron and the maid,” “climbed the steep ascent of heaven, ‘mid peril, toil, and pain.” “After the Bible itself, no…

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

Episode one - the Yankee Dodge

Loved the the middle daughter oneshot.

can i request Jack Dawkins x Belle's older sister!Reader story (I have not seen any sister!reader) same thing as the oneshot instead of Belle being sick, the reader is. Reader is strong-willed, smart and stubborn as Belle, and Belle being a concerned sister to Reader, almost mothering her. Of course, Jack being an overprotective lover. I just want the story to stay the same way as the The Artful Dodger series is, just following the story only replacing Belle with Reader

A/n: I will do this as a long series following each episode per part. ❤️❤️

You follow your youngest sister into Belle's bedroom, Fanny jumped seeing her in the plague mask.

"Don't do that!" She gasped. You laugh from behind her.

"What?" Belle took the mask off and dropped it on her desk.

"Whatever that is." Fanny huffed, you passed behind her and slid onto the chaise lounge.

"You stormed in on me." Belle reminded her sister.

"What's that ungovernable stench?" Fanny scrunched up her nose. You started to lose interest in their conversation, a tightening of your chest took your attention.

"Your perfume?" Belle joked, "No, it's ether. The new Lancet reports the most extraordinary thing. You can give the patient ether, and they don't feel a thing. I mean, you can perform surgery without pain. It means we could finally help-" she had turned to face you finally seeing you clutch at your chest. Both of your younger sisters came darting to your side.

"y/n, what is it? Do you need a doctor?" Fanny scrambled.

"No, no I'm fine. I just need to lie down." You rest back against the couch and close your eyes. Belle reaches behind you to loosen your blouse and corset. You breathed slowly as Fanny once more tried to get Belle to meet a suitor. She had long given up with you, at six and twenty you were already considered a spinster.

The afternoon was spent much the same. Your mother insisted you take a small walk around the gardens. That would clear your lungs and head in her opinion. It only formed to make your legs ache if anything.

Soon after Fanny had you all standing outside the door waiting for the suitor she had found for Belle. The pompous dandy slid out of the carriage and started resiting awful poetry. You had to stifle my laugh.

You walked down the staircase that afternoon daydreaming to yourself.

"Belle?" You whisper. She shushes you and pulls you against the wall to listen. Your mother was talking about a surgeon, a navel man. Belle had that hopeful look in her eyes that always made you feel sad. She wanted so much to help you, had dedicated her life to finding a cure for you. Even when the numerous doctors told you it was nothing and you'd be healthy soon you both knew different. The strange pumping of your heart kept Belle's nose in the medical texts. A plan was forming in her mind, you could see it.

Your mother and father ushered you both into the parlour were Mr Smales was sat reading. Fanny followed you all in. Lady Jane all but shoved Belle to the chair beside Smales and he began reciting more poetry to her. He asked if she'd like to play the harp, little did he know that it was only you who played the harp amongst your sisters. Belle had once played the violin but it had been years since she had picked it up.

My sister huffed and marched across the room. Your mother stopping her.

"talk to him about hospitals." She hissed.

This finally peaked her interest.

"Come, we're going to see the hospital. I've never been, and I've always wanted to. We should take Y/n as a chaperone." She sent you a grin. You followed her out to the carriage with Smales tottering along behind you both.

"Belle, what are you playing at?" You whisper to her.

"I just want to look at it." She grinned once more

As we rode along Smales kept trying to talk with her.

"do you like to dance?" He asked.

"No." Belle's voice was flat.

"Croquet?"

"Snore."

"Fox hunting?"

"Very much, no!"

"Oh. Why?"

"It's mindless, barbaric, and cruel." You interject. Smales turns up his lips at you.

"What about you? Chemistry? Geology?" Belle asks.

"Oh, yes. With the maps." Smales said animatedly.

"No, the rocks, but close."

You hear the Carriage rider urging the horse.

" Anatomy?" Belle continued.

"Poetry?" She suggested in a tired tone.

"Yes!"

"Yes! Anyone other than yourself and Wordsworth?" She groaned.

"Such as?"

The Carriage Rider shouts for someone to Move aside, but you all feel the tell tail bumping of someone going under the carriage.

Both you and Belle are quick to jump out. A young boy is on the ground his leg broken open with the bone protruding from his skin. The poor lad was screaming. As Belle checked the wound you kneel behind him and place his head in your lap, attempting to comfort him.

"Help! We need a doctor!" Belle called out.

"Okay. Um, you're okay. You'll be all right. You're doing great." You hold the boy's hand.

"Coming through, coming through! Here." A tall, thin man came rushing up with a leather bag.

"Thank God. I've put a tourniquet on." Belle explained.

" It's not tight enough. I need something to tighten it with. Um... " he looked around, Charlie, the boy whimpered. The doctor put a hand on his face, his fingers brushing yours.

" It's all right. I'm gonna sort you right out."

"Can you fix it?" You ask.

"I'll need to amputate."

" What about Bircher's procedure to save it?" Belle pulled his attention

"Miss, please."

"M'lady." She corrected him.

"To do that, I would need to drill into his leg bones, and insert pegs to knit them back together again. He would die of shock and pain." The doctor explained hurriedly

"Not if you take the pain with ether." Belle said. You shot your eyes between them.

"The Yankee Dodge? That is unproven." He bit back at her. As they argue you quickly run to your driver and speak with him before going back to the doctor.

"lift him into the carriage, he cannot stay in the street." You command him. The doctor looks up at you and nods. He scoops Charlie into his arms and you help get the child into the carriage. Your sister climbs in after you both and the carriage pulled away. The pair continued to argue with each other as Charlie squirmed on your lap.

"for goodness sake, will both stop your squabbling. This child will not be losing his leg today. You are the surgeon we have heard about and as such I assume you will be able to do the operation." You say commandingly.

"the prof does not allow it." The doctor finally admitted.

"well, we aren't going to the hospital." You smile as the carriage pulls to a stop.

"Why? He doesn't have much time." He looked out the door, "What are we doing here, you ridiculous woman?"

" This is the Governor's residence." You say.

"Oh, God. You're the Governor's daughters aren't you."

"yes. Belle go in and make sure the way is cleared." You tell your sister. She nods and runs off to the house.

"This is completely arrogant of you both." The doctor growled. "I can't perform an operation here. I need surgical equipment."

You turn round to him, causing the doctor to retreat back toward the carriage.

"there is no need to threat, Doctor. My sister has all the supplies you could need." You say with a finger in the middle of his chest.

"oh, hello looks like we're good to go." Fagin said pointing behind you.

The doctor and Fagin grabbed the boy by his legs and arms, carrying him into the house. Belle had her arms full of her equipment. You can hear your father and his guests beginning to descend the staircase.

"There's no time. We're gonna have to do it here. Set him down." The Doctor said.

" What?" You and Belle said together.

"It's not ideal... Fagin, clear that table. It's all right, Charlie. Okay, all right. It's all right."

In a moment of panic you stepped away from the doctor and addressed your father's guests.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The entertainment. For our main event, I have a very special treat for you." You look over your shoulder at the trio, "Dr. Dawkins will perform an operation, never been done before. Where an inferior cowardly surgeon might just simply remove the leg, Dr. Dawkins will make a thousand years of history by trialling surgery with no pain. The Yankee Dodge!"

A murmur of adoration waved through the crowd. The Doctor's eyes locked with yours for a moment. You nodded to him and he began his work. Fagin, the older man with him, tiptoed away from you all, up the stairs. You step closer to the table stroking Charlie's hair as he whimpers again. Dawkins lent closer to you and Belle.

"If I get hanged for this I'll haunt your every waking moment. I'll be that face you see in your nightmares and trust me, you will only have nightmares."

You can't help but smile.

"Do shut up and ether the patient." Belle quips. You stay at Charlie's head letting your sister address the crowd.

"Watch closely, everyone. As Dr. Dawkins anaesthetises the boy, takes his pain..."

"You're fine." Dawkins reassured the boy.

" ...and then operates with no sensation." Belle had a flare for the dramatics you thought to yourself.

Holding the either mask in his hand Dawkins spoke once more to Charlie, "Now, just breathe. There, we go. That's it. Good lad. Right."

The operation began

Belle was able to find an ivory stick to use as the pin for the bones. You had to admit he was impressive in his work. The crowd oohed and ahhed at his every movement. When he was done and the wound stitched Dawkins reached up to Charlie's face, " Now, ladies and gentlemen, can we rouse him from living death? Charlie? Come on, Charlie. Charlie. Come on, Charlie. Come on. Charlie. Charlie. Come on, Charlie boy."

You were all beginning to panic, your eyes flicking to your father's disapproving face.

"Don't cut me, Doc! I need me leg!" Charlie called out. You released the breath you were holding and smiled at the Doctor.

There is a moment where the room is in awe, every man and woman there thought to congratulate the Doctor until one woman spoke up. Her ruby necklace had been stolen from around her neck. You sighed, knowing instantly what had become of it. Captain Gaines began searching people. Your chest tightened and you put a hand on the table to steady yourself. The Doctor took hold of your arm.

"You all right?" He asked his professional concern showing.

"Yeah. Yes, it's just the ether fumes. Take me upstairs?" You say leaning into him.

" I've got you." He says beginning to lead you away.

"All right. I'm sure you won't mind if I search you?" Gaines says to Dawkins.

Belle steps between them, "Captain Gaines, move aside. My sister is not well. Move aside."

You pant and rest more of your weight on Dawkins. Gains reluctantly stepped aside allowing Dawkins to escort you upstairs to your room. Belle hot on your heels.

"Are you well? Who's your doctor?" Dawkins asked once in your room.

"Prof." Belle answered.

"Has he ever examined you?" He helped you to sit in a chair.

"He's too scared of my father to get it wrong." You say, your hand is still in his. Dawkins glances back at Belle.

"Take off your dress. I need to listen to your back. Take off your dress."

Belle comes over to help you remove your clothing until you were in only your bloomers and chemise. She grabbed a stethoscope from your table and handed it to Dawkins. The doctor sat behind you on the lounge sofa, placing the cold metal to your back.

"Now, just breathe steady. Just breathe with me. In," his voice is low and soft, his breath fanning over the back of your neck, "And out. Good. Again. In. Out. Okay. Gonna come around the front. Once again. In. Good, and out. In. Out."

Belle frowned, she knew what he was hearing.

"You're a common thief. Shall I call Captain Gaines now or later?" You say glancing back at him.

Dawkins drops the stethoscopes "No. No, no. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." He runs to stop Belle from leaving the room, "Darius cheated me at cards. He's gonna take my hand if I don't pay him a ludicrous debt."

"Then pay him with your own money!" Belle argues.

"With what money? I get paid in pennies and thimbles." He is almost begging.

Footsteps can be heard down the corridor.

"You've got two options. I yell "guards" and you get hanged." You begin.

"Not ideal."

"Or you make my sister the first female surgeon and we keep your secret. That or the noose." The door knocks. "Well?"

" I'm thinking."

Part two soon.

@fandomfan-102

[ashstfu]

i was tagged by @swimmingblues to share my “me-coded characters” thanku for tagging me daphne ⭐!! i really enjoyed this

claire (fleabag) / julianne potter (my best friend’s wedding) / charlotte york (satc) / ash (fantastic mr. fox) / delphine (the green ray) / margot (the menu) / toni (girlfriends) / jenna (lady bird) / jane lane (daria)

tagging: @girlstressed @twoheadedfawnn @sailermoon @roadwhores @chapellroan @halahmp3 & anyone else who wants to do this :)

[alder-saan]

The taste of Hell

Jane Murdstone x fem! reader

Words count: 3.3k

warnings: mention of slavery, child abuse. NSFW CONTENT (sub! Jane, fingering Jane receiving)

You promised Jane never to betray her...

thanks to @tanith-rhea for beta-reading it <3

The door opened before your eyes. In the giant golden room, already full of people, you could feel joy, amusement. You knew this room, its long white curtains, its big windows, its wonderful paintings. All was shining in beauty and happiness.  Everyone was wearing their most beautiful clothes and masks. You too, of course. It was your first official ball. You had just been made lady by the king. You knew you were an exception. You were born a slave. You were raised as a maid. You were now a Lady, and not by marriage. You were a Lady because you had saved the Queen’s life. Pure luck, though. You had heard a conspiracy against her and informed her.

But it wasn’t your first ball.

It wasn’t your first ball dressed as a man.

It wasn’t your first ball at the Lambertus Mansion.

___

“Jane, are you sure? What if someone discovers us?”

“No one will, it’s a masked ball!” the young girl smiled.

“Are you really sure?”

“I am. Trust me.”

“I trust you.”

She took your hand in hers, you blushed. Thanks to your fox mask, she couldn’t notice it. She had dressed you with a man suit, and you really looked like a young boy in it. 

“Do you have your invitations?” a man standing in front of the metal gate asked.

“Yes, Jane and Edward Murdstone.” Jane handed him the piece of paper, and he let you in.

Once you were walking in the garden, she chuckled.

“See? I told you no one would notice it.”

You nodded.

“I know it’s bad, but I’m glad Edward is ill.”

“I am too.”

The sun was sinking behind the trees, and you couldn’t help but feel this day was a perfect day like you would never have again. Your hand in hers, you felt the warmness of her soft skin. You were fourteen. You were in love with her. But she was your mistress. It wasn’t appropriate. So all these feelings, you hide them deeply in your heart. You arrived in front of big marble stairs.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“I am,” you answered.

You climbed the stairs, hand in hand.

When the big wooden doors opened, you gasped. You knew why Jane wanted to wear her corset so tight, why she wanted to be in this blue velvet dress. Everyone was wearing the same type of clothes. It was something you could never have imagined. The colours were dancing in front of your eyes, lost in a golden sea. 

“You look like a fish,” Jane giggled behind her bird mask.

You closed your mouth.

“Sorry, it’s just… I never saw this before… It’s so beautiful!”

“Now come and dance with me. You wouldn’t want me to dance with another boy.”

“I’m not a boy.”

“You wouldn’t want me to dance with a boy.”

You definitely wouldn’t want this. You placed a hand on her back, and took hers with the other, like you saw her do with her dance teacher, every Wednesday evening. Then, you began to move, in the rhythm, trying your best not to step on her toes. She smiled, and you felt your heart racing. You were so glad she couldn’t see your cheeks, because you knew they were red. She was glad you couldn’t see hers too. You were so absorbed by her eye colour. Blue as a July sky, as an expensive gemstone. She had gemstone eyes. And those eyes didn’t belong to a maid like you. They belonged to the most beautiful prince, who could take care of them, who could give them the most beautiful case. They needed to rest on red velvet, in a golden wood bed. They needed to be cherished, polished. You would never afford these in your life. You knew it. You weren’t worth her. She deserved the world. You could never offer the world.

After a moment, you stopped and decided to go outside and visit the gardens. Many young people were near the pond, watching a swan, and you walked to see it too, but she took your hand and headed to an oak. Thousands of fireflies and glowworms were changing the foliage into a second night sky. You removed your mask to have a better sight on the branches. She did so.

“Why did you want me to come with you?” you asked.

“Because if I was alone, all the boys would want to dance with me.”

“You don’t want to dance with a boy?”

“They would think I want to marry them.”

“You don’t want to marry someone?”

“There is one, and only one person I want to marry.”

You smiled. So she was in love? You hoped the boy was a good boy, you really wanted to know him, to be sure she was in good hands.

“Who is he? Do I know him?”

“It’s you. I want to marry you.”

Your eyes widened. She wanted to marry you? YOU? So, she liked you too, and not only as a friend? This was probably the best day in your life, or maybe this was a dream. You felt like a proposed lover. SHE was telling you she wanted to marry you. She was so perfect, and she chose you. You, over all people. Over all the boys she chose a girl, and that girl was you. But you were realistic. You shook your head, half disbelief, half disapproval. She frowned, her heart sank.

“It’s impossible, Jane, first, I am a maid, second I am a woman.”

“I know…” she looked awkwardly at the grass “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t ha-”

“But if I was a prince, I would have proposed to you already.”

She looked at you, her lips parted as if she wanted to tell something, but she remained silent. The wind murmured something only the leaves could understand. She took a step towards you.

Her lips crashed onto yours, and she held you close. Jane was a bit taller than you, and you loved having to look up so see her. Now her mouth was on yours, you loved even more having to lift your chin. Her lips were soft, like her hands in yours, and you wondered if maybe, your lips were rougher, like your hands in hers. She broke the kiss, and the realisation hit you. You kissed. You kissed a girl, she kissed a girl.

“We’ll burn in Hell” you whispered, horrified.

“If Hell tastes like this, I want to go there,” she replied.

Your face went crimson. She wasn’t actually saying that, was she? She took your hands.

“Be my lover, be my secret lover like we read in those books. I’ll always keep you by my side if you promise to always be loyal to me.”

“I promise.” you said without even thinking.

_____

You crossed your arms in front of your stomach, remembering Jane’s father’s reaction when he learnt you had been to the masked ball with her. The following day, you were sold to another family.

Jane never answered your letters, and after a year without any reply, you simply stopped sending her mail.

Sometimes, you missed your days in Murdstone’s mansion, even if you learnt later that you were a maid by name only, there. An unpaid maid who’s life is a property isn’t a maid. You had been a slave. And this was a part of your life you wanted to forget. But her. You couldn’t forget her. She had been your only support, your only friend, and your first love.

You breathed in. It wasn’t the time to think about the past. You were here to spend a good evening. 

You breathed out and walked in the room, avoiding the middle, on which couples were dancing. And in a corner, you noticed a tall woman, alone, watching something outside. Her dress was blue, and her feathered mask was making her look like an exotic bird. You smiled. You always loved tall women. Maybe because of Jane. You walked towards her and took your lowest voice. Since you were dressing like a man, you couldn’t let anyone think you weren’t one.

“Good evening, my Lady,” you said.

She turned her head to look at you. She had blue eyes, wonderful blue eyes which got you shivering.

“Good evening, Sir,” she replied coldly.

She definitely didn’t want to talk. But you wanted to try a little more. If she continued, you would abandon.

“Would you join me for a dance?”

“I’m afraid I’m not a good dancer, Sir, you should try with someone else.”

“But I wanted to dance with a tall blue eyed lady, tonight,” you offered her a big smile.

She let out a sarcastic chuckle. It wasn’t the expected reaction, but at least you had a reaction.

“Don’t play this game with me, young man, many have.”

“I play no game, my Lady. I just want to dance with you. What does it cost you to allow me one dance?”

“Fine. One dance.”

She didn’t seem really happy. But it was a victory. Now, you just had to make her like this dance. She held out her hand. You smiled and took it. Soon, you were dancing between other couples, your body against hers, your hand on her waist. You were guiding her, splitting the waves of the crowd. It was you and her. No one else mattered. In your head, you were alone. Everyone had just disappeared. But as you danced, you felt she was a bit stiff. Clearly, she didn’t trust you enough to abandon herself into your arms. 

“Dear, why don’t you let it go?” you murmured.

“I told you I’m not a good dancer.”

“You are, I can feel it the way you move. But you are too tense. Do I make you nervous?”

“Very presumptuous, young man. You do, but every one would. I don’t trust anyone, that’s all.”

“And what could happen to you, here, dancing in the middle of a crowd? Trust me, I’m good enough to make you enjoy this dance. Stop thinking, let it go.”

She closed her blue eyes behind her mask and breathed out. Under your right hand, you could feel she was trying to relax.

Good girl, you thought.

“Thank you,” you said.

Now you could really dance. You swayed, swirled, you twirled, and you couldn’t help but notice her smile. It was a real smile, you knew it. She was truly enjoying this moment, as much as you enjoyed it. You turned her around, and her skirt flew around her. Her scent wrapped you, the music resounded in your ears. You were in Heaven with your tall blue eyed woman. For a few seconds, you imagined her to be Jane, and your heart raced. What would she look like now? Was she happy, with a good husband and some children? You shook your head. It wasn’t respectful. You were dancing with a woman, you couldn’t think about another. And so your thoughts focused again on your stranger.

Yes, she was a good dancer, probably better than you were, when she was younger she certainly was very popular. And when the music finished, some sweat drops ran on your forehead. You led her on the side of the room, trying to catch your breath.

“Did you enjoy this dance?” you asked, even though you already knew.

“Very much, thank you for this.”

“Would you join me for a walk in the gardens?”

She hesitated. You saw it in the way she squinted. But you were confident. You had just had one of your best dances ever, she couldn’t refuse you a walk.

“I don’t search for a husband, I don’t search for anything.”

“Me neither, I just want to enjoy a little time with a sweet stranger I just met.”

“Honeymouthing won’t lead you anywhere. I don’t know what you want but-”

“Your friendship for the evening. That’s all I ask.”

“And that’s all I have to give you.”

“Wonderful.”

She wrapped her arms around yours, and you went out. The outside air was cold, and as a sir, you gave her your jacket. It was a bit small for her, but she seemed to appreciate your respect for etiquette. You lost yourselves on the paths. Near the pond, lovers were gently kissing. She looked at them, and you couldn’t tell what she was thinking. It didn’t seem to be some disgust, she had that sad smile on her lips. You didn’t dare ask her why.

“Thank you for spending this time with me. I think I would have quit this ball if you didn’t come to ask me for a dance.”

It surprised you. She was not the kind of girl to open her heart like that to strangers.

“You’re welcome, I told you you could have a good time with me. Thank you for having accepted, I would have quit it too.”

She nodded. An owl hoot, far away.

“Why don’t you trust people?” you asked

“I don’t think I have to answer this question.”

“I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what you look like. You can tell me anything, I’ll just know a Lady in England thinks that.”

“You could recognize me by my height…”

“You could wear heels.”

She sighed. You smiled.

“Someone betrayed me. Someone who promised to be loyal to me forever betrayed me.”

“I’m sorry. I know it hurts.”

You walked towards the glittering oak under which you kissed Jane, so many years ago. You liked this place. You liked thinking about her.

“She promised me this under this very oak, exactly twenty years ago, at the same masked ball.”

You stopped. You promised to be loyal to Jane under this very oak exactly twenty years ago, at the same masked ball. Your heart raced. Impossible. Was she…

“Jane?”

She frowned, you hadn’t masked your voice. You couldn’t believe it, since the beginning, you were dancing with Jane Murdstone. You were dancing with your first love.

“Who are you and how do you know my name?” she wasn’t smiling anymore. Her gaze had turned cold again.

“I-”

Your hands reached the back of your head, and you untied your mask. Her eyes widened as she discovered your face.

“How dare you show your face in front of me, traitor?”

“I never betrayed you, Jane. I promise.”

“You ran away. My father told me. He told me you had left the mansion, leaving a letter which said you were afraid of me.”

“I never did such a thing!” you almost yelled.

“THEN WHY DID YOU GO?”

She took a step towards you. In her eyes, there was only anger, rage, hatred. You took a step back, intimidated.

“When you left me, I was alone. You were my only friend. And I loved you. Were you really afraid of me? Did I disgust you? Do I still disgust you?”

“He sold me to another family.”

Tears ran on your cheeks.

“He told me I bewitched you. He told me I was the devil, and I couldn’t stay in the same house as you. He beated me so hard that day. I still have marks on my stomach. I never wanted to leave you. I sent you letters everyday for a year! I knew your father would read and destroy them, but I still had a hope you would find at least one letter. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t say a word. She simply took off her mask. Her gaze was sad, now.

“Will you forgive me?” you asked.

“Was it true? All that you said about my father. Was it true?”

“Truth, all the truth, only the truth. I promise.”

“Would you swear on the Bible?”

“I would.” you affirmed.

She closed her eyes. You cupped her face. She opened them.

“Jane, you never disgusted me. I loved you too”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. And it was as if she had never said that, as if she had to learn again how to say it. “I’m sor-”

You softly kissed her. It wasn’t really a kiss though, you simply brushed your lips against hers. But she kissed you. Her hands went on your hips, and she pulled you against her. All you had ever dreamed of was happening now. Your heart seemed to be on the verge of explosion. When you broke the kiss, you took refuge in her neck, to hide your tears. She held you tight.

“Do you think I’m beautiful?” she asked.

“I do. I always have.”

“Even after all these years? I’m so tall, so old…”

“You. Are. Perfect. You. Always. Have. Been.” you said, giving her neck a kiss between each word.

She squeezed you. Your lips kept wandering on her soft skin. She tilted her head, exposing even more skin to your sight. You smiled and kissed every inch of it while making her step back, until she was against the trunk of the oak. You wanted to kiss all the skin you could reach. You sucked her neck. She let out a moan and dissimulated it under a cough.

“Don’t hide those pretty sounds, please.”

You continued kissing and licking her neck, then you claimed her lips once again. You wanted more. You moved your knee between her thighs, and grabbed her collar, pulling her closer to you. When your tongue asked her to let it in, she didn’t even think about not letting it. She opened her mouth, and your tongues brushed against each other.

You grabbed her skirt with one hand, and gently pulled it up, slowly revealing one of her legs. When her skirt was up enough, you passed your hand under it, and reached her crotchless bloomer. She gasped. You kissed her lips, and she moaned into your mouth as your hands lingered on her inner thighs and touched her pussy. It was already wet, and you smiled against her mouth.

“Mmh, darling, you’re so wet for me…”

You sank your teeth into her lips and she whined as you rubbed her clit with your fingers.

“Please…”

“Please what, Darling?”

“Please, fuck me…”

You teased her folds with your fingertips, and entered them in her. She cried, and you crashed your lips on hers to muffle the sounds a bit. You didn’t want anyone to come near the oak. You twirled your fingers inside her cunt, caressing her most sensitive spot. Her tongue touched your lips, and you let it enter your mouth. You felt her breathing accelerating as your fingers moved in her cunt. Her walls were fluttering around you.

“More, more, please…” she panted.

You added a third finger inside her and hooked it like the others. With your other hand, you reached her clit and stimulated it. She bucked her hips, and seeing her squirming under your touch was one of the best feelings in the world. Her moans were getting more and more audible, You knew she was close. She was dripping on your hands. Around your knee, hers were weak and shook. She tilted her head back, breaking the kiss. You continued circling her little bundle of nerves.

“I-I’m so close,” she let out between two whines.

“Come for me, Darling,” you commanded.

She kissed you and she came, pinned against the oak, as you swallowed her whines. You let her catch her breath and her skirt fall on her legs, as if nothing just happened. You gently kissed her neck again.

“You did so good for me, Jane…”

She pulled you closer and chuckled.

“We’ll really burn in Hell…” she said.

You put your fingers to your mouth, sucking her arousal on them.

“If Hell tastes like this, I want to go there.”

_____

[the-great-british-blorbo-off]

The Great British Blorbo Off Begins Shortly....

Thanks everyone for waiting so patiently while I take my time sorting this all out! I'm pleased to announce that I've decided on everyone that will be in the tournament, and we will be starting next Monday (16th)! So, here's how it's going to work:

There are 128 characters overall, and I have split them into 4 brackets with two rounds each.

I will be posting 8 polls (1 round) a week, and will reblog them in the middle of the week and at the end of the week.

Once we get down to one character left from each bracket, they will go against each other in semifinals until only two are left.

Winner becomes the new queen of England <3

If anyone that submitted a character has a specific image of them they'd like me to use, feel free to send it over. If you've submitted a character from a book then I will just be using the front cover of the book they're from as their image, so let me know if there's a TV/film version or certain cover you'd like!

Brackets are below the cut! As always, feel free to send an ask if you're confused about anything :)

(Also let me know if there's any repeated characters or errors, had a few formatting issues before uploading so I apolgise if anything is messed up)

BRACKET 1:

Round 1:

Miss Jane Marple (Miss Marple) vs Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia)

Austin Powers (Austin Powers) vs Jade (Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age)

Dudley (Street Fighter) vs Daisy Steiner (Spaced)

Danger Mouse (Danger Mouse) vs Lady Penelope (Thunderbirds)

Malcolm Reed (Star Trek: Enterprise) vs James Bond (James Bond)

Archie MacDonald (Monarch of the Glen) Vs Lemon (Bullet Train)

Edward Hyde (The Glass Scientists) Vs Maurice Moss (The IT Crowd)

David Ward (I Am In Eskew) Vs Arthur Dent (A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)

Round 2:

Gordon the Big Engine (Thomas and Friends) Vs Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin (Kingsman)

Walter Heath (The White Vault) Vs Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Skull (Lockwood and Co) Vs Jeremy Usborne (Peep Show)

Matthew Vandham (Xenoblade Chronicles 3) Vs Raihan (Pokemon Sword and Shield)

Diana Cavendish (Little Witch Academia) Vs Katherine 'Kitty' Higham (Ghosts)

Leo Fitz (Agents of Shield) Vs John Constantine (DC Comics)

Gnomeo (Gnomeo and Juliet) Vs Bertie Wooster (Jeeves and Wooster)

Jamie Fraser (Outlander) Vs Lexie McTavish (Monarch of the Glen)

BRACKET 2:

Round 1:

Jonathan Sims (The Magus Archives) Vs Laszlo Cravensworth (What We Do in the Shadows)

Nia (Xenoblade Chronicles 2) Vs Daisy (Downton Abbey)

Gwen Cooper (Torchwood) Vs Arthur Lester (Malevolent)

Robert (Genki Elementary Japanese) Vs Aled Last (Osemanverse)

Rose Tyler (Doctor Who) Vs Avril Bradley (Gosick)

Newt (The Maze Runner) Vs Jacob Frye (Assassin’s Creed Syndicate)

Captain Hastings (Hercule Poirot) Vs Lynda Day (Press Gang)

Amelia Hughes (Infinity Train) Vs Heathcliff (Limbus Company)

Round 2:

Alice Cartelet (Kin-iro Mosaic) Vs Billy Kane (Fatal Fury)

Ropafadzo "Ropa” Moyo (Edinburgh Nights) Vs Steve Fox (Tekken)

Alex Rider (Alex Rider) Vs Pietre Carvel/Arby (Utopia)

Professor Layton (Professor Layton Series) Vs Robert EO Speedwagon (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Bede (Pokemon Sword and Shield) Vs Ferb Fletcher (Phineas and Ferb)

Jessica Albert (Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King) Vs Dirk Gently (Dirk Gently’s Hollistic Detective Agency)

Jo Grant (Doctor Who) Vs Evelyn Carnahan (The Mummy)

The Last Constable (Fallen London) Vs Edmund Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia)

BRACKET 3:

Round 1:

Tangerine (Bullet Train) Vs Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes)

Red Guy (Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared) Vs Paddington (Paddington)

Cuno (Disco Elysium) Vs Luke Triton (Professor Layton Series)

Hobie Brown (Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse) Vs Robin Hood (English Folk Legend)

Mary Sera (Detective Conan) Vs Emma (Emma: A Victorian Romance)

Jay Cartwright (The Inbetweeners) Vs Shellington (Octonauts)

Noone (The Sound of Nightmares) Vs Matthew Crowley (Downton Abbey)

Balthazar Cavendish (Milo Murphy’s Law) Vs Cammy White (Street Fighter)

Round 2:

Horrid Henry (Horrid Henry) Vs Ivor the Engine (Ivor the Engine)

Tim Bisley (Spaced) Vs Ignis Scientia (Final Fantasy XV)

Axl Low (Guilty Gear) Vs Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

Marnie (Pokemon Sword and Shield) Vs Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers)

Mason Greyback (Wizards of Waverly Place) Vs Clarice Bean (Clarice Bean)

Agatha Christie (Bungou Stray Dogs) Vs Gromit (Wallace and Gromit)

Lila Pitts (The Umbrella Academy) Vs Mina Harker (Dracula)

Kieren Walker (In the Flesh) Vs Thomas the Tank Engine (Thomas and Friends)

BRACKET 4:

Round 1:

Peppa Pig (Peppa Pig) Vs Martin K Blackwood (The Magnus Archives)

Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins) Vs Tahani Al-Jamil (The Good Place)

Alec Hardy (Broadchurch) Vs Thomas Nightingale (Rivers of London)

Hammer/Hannah (Fable 2) Vs Anthony Lockwood (Lockwood & Co)

Iris Wilson (The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles) Vs Miss Eliza Scarlet (Miss Scarlet and the Duke)

Karen Kujou (Kin-iro Mosaic) Vs Marrick Tremayne (The Bedlam Stacks)

The Ninth Doctor (Doctor Who) Vs Jonathan Harker (Dracula)

Alfred Pennyworth (Batman) Vs Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)

Round 2:

Hugh Anthony Disward (The Mystic Archives of Dantalian) Vs Nathan Young (Misfits)

William "Duke" Wellington (Miss Scarlet and the Duke) Vs George (The Famous Five)

Jonathan Joestar (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) Vs Dio Brando (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space 9) Vs Tori Spring (Osemanverse)

Winston Smith (1984) Vs Strangelove (Metal Gear Solid)

Wheatley (Portal 2) Vs Herlock Sholmes (The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles)

Lucy Carlyle (Lockwood & Co) Vs Wallace (Wallace and Gromit)

Mr Blobby (Noel’s House Party) Vs Tracy Beaker (The Story of Tracy Beaker)

[joshuasumter]

You're not going to believe this! The Disney 100-year Anniversary crossover short, Once Upon A Studio, is coming! 100 years of stories, 100 years of magic, 100 years of Disney! It's like Disney's House of Mouse all over again, with a hint of Night at the Museum. I've been waiting for this all my life, I'm so excited! (Also gets you and some people hoping for a House of Mouse revival/reboot on Disney+, or maybe a mini-series inspired by this short) Featuring 543 characters from over 85 Disney films and shorts, the following list features those that are only from Walt Disney Productions (1937–1985), Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios (1986–2007), and Walt Disney Animation Studios (2007-present).

Films

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Pinocchio 

Fantasia 

The Reluctant Dragon

Dumbo 

Bambi 

Saludos Amigos

Victory Through the Air

The Three Caballeros 

Make Mine Music 

Song of the South 

Fun and Fancy Free 

Melody Time 

So Dear to My Heart 

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Cinderella (1-3)

Alice in Wonderland 

Peter Pan (1-2)

Lady and the Tramp (1-2)

Sleeping Beauty 

101 Dalmatians (1-2)

The Sword in the Stone 

Mary Poppins 

The Jungle Book (1-2)

The Aristocats 

Bedknobs and Broomsticks 

Robin Hood 

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 

The Rescuers

Pete's Dragon

The Fox and the Hound (1-2)

The Black Cauldron 

The Great Mouse Detective 

Oliver & Company 

The Little Mermaid (1-3)

The Rescuers: Down Under

Beauty and the Beast (1-3)

Aladdin (1-3)

The Lion King (1-3)

Pocahontas (1-2)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1-2)

Hercules 

Mulan (1-2)

Tarzan (1-2, Tarzan & Jane)

Fantasia 2000 

Dinosaur 

The Emperor's New Groove (1-2: Kronk's New Groove)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (1-2: Milo's Return)

Lilo & Stitch (1-2: Stitch has a Glitch)

Treasure Planet 

Brother Bear (1-2)

Home of the Range  

Chicken Little 

Meet the Robinsons  

Bolt 

The Princess and the Frog 

Tangled 

Winnie the Pooh

Wreck-It Ralph

Frozen

Big Hero 6 

Zootopia 

Moana 

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Frozen 2

Raya and the Last Dragon 

Encanto  

Strange World 

Wish 

Shorts

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in "Trolley Troubles"

Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie"

Silly Symphony (Three Pigs, Big Bad Wolf)

Donald Duck

Goofy

Pluto

Figaro 

Chip n' Dale

Adventures in Music

Humphrey the Bear

John Henry (Disney's American Legends)

Ballad of Nessie

Paperman

Ben and Me (1953)

Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953)

Lambert the Sleepish Lion (1952)

*Roger Rabbit, made by Richard Williams's studio in England, and Enchanted, made by Tony Baxter, will not appear in this short because they don't belong to WDAS. 69 + 16 = 85!

[disney-is-mylife]

Disclaimer: Keep in mind, I'm counting ONLY the Walt Disney Animation Studios line-up.

Okay, I had to snip a few corners towards the end, but here's my criteria:

the song in question has to be about the MAIN COUPLE

the song has to be sung by one or both of the romantically-involved characters, OR:

the song has to be sung ABOUT the characters in their presence

I also wanted to include as much variety as possible, since several of these songs are beautiful, but less popular than recent ones.

Happy voting! ❤

Side-note: I also technically cut several "looser" examples (listing them below to cover my bases):

"Love is a Song That Never Ends" from Bambi (opening credits)

Basically ANY romantic song from the Package-Era films, which is a LOT

"A Most Befuddling Thing" from The Sword in the Stone (about the one-sided attraction between Arthur and the lovesick squirrel)

"My Own Home" from The Jungle Book

"Thomas O'Malley Cat" from The Aristocats (more like O'Malley bragging about himself/flirting with Duchess)

"Tomorrow is Another Day" from The Rescuers (romantic imagery, but more a soft pop song in the background)

"Natural Attraction" from The Fox and the Hound

"Let Me Be Good to You" from The Great Mouse Detective (..... look, it SLAPS, but it's from a burlesque show)

"Heaven's Light/Hellfire" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (both songs are sung about the romantic feelings for Esmeralda, except both are unrequited, and the latter is............. well.....)

"Strangers Like Me" from Tarzan (there's ..... one or two stanzas about Tarzan's Feels for Jane, but the song is mostly about his character arc)

"Ma Belle Evengeline" from The Princess and the Frog

"Love is an Open Door" from Frozen (this one is Complicated™)

"Lost in the Wood" from Frozen 2 (honestly, I just ran out of room 😭)

And look.... I HAD to count "If I Never Knew You!" It was cut from the theatrical release, yes, but they eventually animated it and stuck it into an anniversary DVD, so! It! Counts! That song never should have been cut, it's so gorgeous 😭

[telekinetictrait]

God help us – for art is long and life is short! (Faust: First Part, written by Johann Wolfgang Goethe and published in 1808)

hiiii heres the first part of what will (hopefully!!!) be a series of western women's fashion from 1800 to today. obviously, not all women looked like this or dressed like this. in fact, most didn't - these are largely going to be looks worn by women of a higher socioeconomic class, at least until maybe the 1880s. this is for a few reasons, mostly being, uh... availability of cc. i'd love to MAKE some historical cc but my laptop won't run blender. another reason is that the fashion of the upper classes is typically better recorded than that of lower classes, especially before the advent and popularization of photography. i'm just rambling now.

anyway! the first part: 1800-1809. we see the opulence of the georgians cling onto fashion in bows, feathers, and jewels. we also see the rise of waistlines to the iconic empire waist, and the influences of neoclassical aesthetics in fashion. hairstyles in particular were emulating those of the ancient greeks, also pulling a bit from the stuarts. this decade also allows me to share one of my favorite tidbits of fashion history: the coiffure à la titus! for a short time in the 1790s through the 1810s, some women (french women especially) took to cutting their hair short and choppy. the reasons range from inspiration taken from a popular play at the time, to symbolizing solidarity with women executed via guillotine. some men at the time thought that having short hair was actually hazardous to women's health, so while the titus cut wasn't the norm, it was widespread enough to cause quite a storm!

you'll notice that 1806 is missing. that's because the dress i used, uh... completely messed up the arms and i did not notice until i was making the gif. if you wanna see it, it'll be under the cut.

cc links + creator tags under the cut!!

see my resources page!

adelais : clepysdra's padme snail hair / ice-creamforbreakfast's vittoria pendant / hanalinori's morning in the garden dress / oydis' willow armlets / oydis' eloise flats

aelita : plasma-jane's athena hair, updated by my-historical-sims / s-clubs laurel crown (tsr download) / kaguya-fox's nioh oichi hair branch / simsonico's shining nikki shy lady dress conversion / dancemachinetrait's lydia flats

alanis : peebsplays' regency bun / joliebean's joanna earrings / leeleesims1's throw it on accessory wrap / dissia's amy accessory sleeves (tsr download) / zeussims' estrella gown

amalthea : simsonico's shining nikki shy lady headband conversion / mothz's accessory necktie / serenity-cc's accessory frilled turtleneck / sifix's hope dress (tsr download) / simsonico's shining nikki reminiscence of flower fan conversion

anamarija : okruee's cicero hair / pixelunivairse's pearls necklace / gilded-ghosts' bingley gown / maushasi's acc. lace top (search 'lace', accessory included in file) / dancemachinetrait's pemberley gloves / leonalure's transparent priestess scarf or here (REUPLOAD, original download on shady site. leonalure – if you see this and want me to take it down, just let me know!!) / dancemachinetrait's lydia flats

aoide : teanmoon's helen updo / zeussims' dreamer earrings / gilded-ghosts' highbury chemisette / sifix's giselle dress (tsr download) / dancemachinetrait's pemberley gloves

arden : bedisfull's feel my rhythm rose straw hat / izuko's urban animal faux fur scarf / gilded-ghosts' emma gown / dissia's ayiana accessory sleeves (tsr download) / simsonico's shining nikki reminiscence of flower fan conversion / joliebean's satin tip shoes

astrid : sadlydulcet's set 22 hat (search 'set #22') / nightingalesongx's low side bun / simsonico's shining nikki shy lady necklace conversion / dancemachinetrait's pemberley gloves / simsbrush's regency dress / dancemachinetrait's kitty flats

azucena : buzzardly28's gesina hair v2 / magnolianfarewell's venus dress / dustyratt's emma frost cape / dancemachinetrait's pemberley gloves / dancemachinetrait's kitty flats

thanks to @clepysdra @ice-creamforbreakfast @hanalinori @oydis @my-historical-sims @plasma-janes @kaguya-fox @simsonico @dancemachinetrait @peebsplays @joliebean @leeleesims1 @dissiasims @zeussims @serenity-cc @okruee @pixelunivairse @gilded-ghosts @teanmoon @bedisfull @nightingalesongx @simsbrush @buzzardly28 @magnolianfarewell and @dustyratt

(heres the failed 1806)

[forasecondtherewedwon]

The Artful Dodger, tumblrfied: "Wet Lettuce" 8/?

[youngbelieverstrawberry]

Katarina rina

Stella cardo

Zazie skymm

Connie carter

Lena Reif

Queenlin

Chole Taylor

Terry Rubens

Marica Chanelle

River Fox

Ruby temptations

Sophia Traxler

Alice wayne

Julia Boin

Haley Cummings

Michele james

Octavia red

Mila Azul

Kira queen

Hazel moore

Kimberly Simon

Tina Ray

Nene Tanaka

Nikky Dream

Jazlyn ray

Jessica Robbin

Alexa black

Angel princess

Alyx star

Nala brooks

Simon kitty

Stella fox

Zhang yunxi

Lady lyne

Clary

Siyaora

Riley reign

Giselle palmer

Kylie page

Violet Myers

Jazlyn Ray

Rae Lil black

Blair Williams

Aria Taylor

Michele james

Lola sin

Blair Williams

Emily Addison

Brandy renee

Hailey Rose

The gorillagripy

Myla angel

Emily Right

Lauren Philips

Shae summers

Molly jane

Taylee wood

Roxxie sinner

Serena salgot

Jessica starling

Keisha grey

Bella Breeze and

Ariana shine

Lola bredly

Skye blue

Jennifer gold

Faye Reagan

Sensual jane

Anna Blaze

Moerelline moore

Miu Arioka

Honoka Tsujii

Rara Anzai

Maria Nagai

Harmony heart

Laura Dickens(sheril blossom)

Lauren pixie

Ava sinclaire

Ava black

Jasmine wilde

[wildwren]

the artful dodger meta dump

So I’ve been making a lot of Artful Dodger gifs and recommending it to people, etc, so I feel like now’s a good time to get down some thoughts about what I liked about the writing and what I wish they’d done better. I’m not intimately familiar with Oliver Twist the novel, so this won’t be an analysis of how the show succeeds as an adaptation or sequel. Rather, I’m assessing the show on its own terms and examining specific characterizations as they relate to gender and race.

warning: spoilers for the entire series

lady belle fox

The most divisive character in The Artful Dodger is without a doubt the female main character, Lady Belle Fox. Belle is a deeply intelligent and ambitious young white woman. She’s also the daughter of the colonial governor, existing in the highest strata of privilege her society can offer — excepting being a man. She’s very forward, bossy, egotistical, often self-serving and occasionally mean. She is, as the kids say, “unlikeable.”

So, is this the dreaded girlbossification in action? I don’t personally find the term “girlboss” to be a useful descriptor for analyzing female characterization, but if you find it useful, go right ahead. However, I do take issue with the accusations of “lazy girlboss writing” because I think the extremes of Belle’s characterization are pretty clearly a feature and not a bug.

The writing gives extensive in-story explanations for why Belle is Like This. She was raised by a wickedly smart mother, Lady Jane, whose marriage to Belle's fuddy-duddy father is a transparent front for her own personal ambitions. She essentially administers the colony herself while her husband works in the garden. Lady Jane recognizes these same qualities in her daughter and actively encourages them, steering Belle in the direction of similarly weak-willed young men who Belle might be able to manipulate into letting her lead the life she wants: one of medical study and practice. This is essentially how she approaches her relationship with Jack from the get-go. She sees him as a man she can manipulate and domineer for her own ends. The problem is, Jack isn’t actually a patsy. He’s a true match, and one of unfortunately unmarriageable quality.

The focus of Belle’s ambition is also not random. She’s has a chronic degenerative heart condition, one which she’s had to research and diagnose for herself, because the doctors around her have failed to give her useful information. It makes sense that her formidable intelligence would end up hyperfixating on medicine and surgery as a means of addressing her own illness.

Due to these factors — the matriarchal power structure of her family in combination with the patriarchal privilege of her culture — Belle can get away with almost anything. She throws her weight around the colony without consequence, invoking her father’s name at will without any of her father’s retribution. The writing certainly takes some liberties with anachronism, but this isn’t just a case of placing a modern woman in a period setting. They've made intentional characterization choices to back it up.

The writing is also very aware of Belle’s flaws and the tension they create with other characters. Belle’s privileged position makes it difficult for her to see the world from the same perspective as Jack. This is most notable in episode 6, when Belle tries to defend her father’s “law and order” crackdown as a necessary measure to control crime, and Jack has to explain to her the concept of structural violence. She’s also called out by Red, the outlaw who’s life Belle saves by means of an emergency surgery. Although Belle lies to protect her, Red doesn’t excuse Belle for her role in colonial project: “Your family are the biggest thieves in Port Victory.”

I was impressed with how this particular subplot was executed with regards to Belle’s arc. It doesn't feel like a “turn to the camera" teaching moment. It feels instead like the inevitable consequence of the tension that arises when people develop relationships across class and life experience. (“If you can’t see what’s happening here, Belle, then you and I have big problems. This puts a wall between us.”) It also doesn't feel like a misogynistic hit designed to take Belle down a peg. Her ego is healthy enough to get through unscathed.

However, there are some aspects of Belle’s specific brand of white feminism that aren’t as well executed. Most notable is her relationship with Hetty. Hetty is a hard-working nurse and Catholic woman of color who works in the hospital. She is increasingly sidelined both in her professional role and her role in Jack’s life by Belle’s self-empowering self-insertion into the surgical room. There’s clear tension between them, and understandable disapproval from Hetty towards Belle and Jack’s indulgence of Belle’s ego. However, this tension is never fully explored. By the end of the series, Hetty and Belle appear to be friends, or at least allies, with no discernible explanation. Is Hetty just that much bigger of a person? Does she think a rising tide will lift all ships? We don’t know, because her motivations are never examined. The closest we get is an introspective moment that implies Hetty’s unrequited feelings for Jack, which does little to explain her acceptance of Belle’s role in the hospital. It’s end up being unsatisfying, a disservice to Hetty’s quite interesting potential as a character.

jack’s gang

However, I think where the writing suffers most is in its failure to examine Jack’s whiteness and privilege. Jack identifies strongly as a have-not, despite having gained some power and privilege as a doctor, and over the course of the story, he ends up surrounded by a crew of other have-nots, most of whom are men of color. His closest friend before Fagin returns is an aboriginal man named Tim, an engineer (and partner to the outlaw Red) who makes prosthetic arms and legs for amputees. There’s potential here, but this relationship is never really examined. We don’t learn how they met or what drew them together, besides apparently working in the same building.

The only tension between them comes when Jack tries to guilt Tim into doing him a favor based on Jack’s previous generosity, and Tim hits back from an equal position: “Pricey, isn’t it? Your loyalty?” But just as with Hetty, this tension is dropped, and Tim’s and Jack’s goals are essentially aligned for the rest of the story. The other members of Jack and Fagin’s gang get even less exploration. On the one hand, it’s a gang of thieves getting up to silly hijinks — they’re not each going to have a fleshed out character arc. On the other hand, the characterization choices uphold some harmful colonial optics, where a diverse crew of characters answer to two white men as the explicit brains of the operation.

red

The best treatment for a character of color is almost certainly Frances ‘Red’ Scrubbs, a sharp-shooting aboriginal woman and a crafty outlaw (partner to Tim). This is definitely because Miranda Tapsell, the actress who portrays Red, was tapped as a consulting writer. (!!!!!). Red’s not a member of Fagin’s gang but a leader of her own crew, and she serves as a sort of playful nemesis to Fagin for the first few episodes, often outfoxing him or beating him to a steal. She also gets a subplot arc of her own, and is the source of the show’s most effective anti-colonial messaging. She embodies an ethos of unapologetic indigenous resistance. Her occasional solidarity with Fagin and Jack is always conditional on her own right to survive and thrive. Her distrust of the colonial medical system she must rely on to escape the noose is the closest the show gets to exploring medical trauma as structural violence (it’s still a very light dive.) The story ends with her taking revenge on the hateful lawman who targeted her and returning to the bush to live with her daughter.

If anything, the show could have benefited from more Red, a deeper exploration of her world and her gang outside of her interactions with Fagin and Jack. But one can understand how that might have been outside the scope of the showrunners' intentions.

At the end of the day, The Artful Dodger is a white-centric narrative. The focus of the story is the relationship between Jack and Fagin and the relationship between Jack and Belle, and both of these dynamics are excellently written. If it’s renewed for a Season Two, I hope they can extend the scope to give space for more complex narratives like Red's.

[vintagetvstars]

Hot Vintage TV Women's Bracket - List of the Ladies!

As promised below is a full list of all 130 women in the Hot Vintage TV Women's Tournament! Thank you to everyone who submitted their favs!

Just a brief bit of cleanup before the list. Thank you for all the submissions. If your submission didn't make it into the bracket or some of your propaganda isn't used know that I still appreciated the submission even if we weren't able to use it. Some things got cut for being outside the bounds of the tournament, some things got cut because the links were broken, etc. Anything I wasn't sure about got brought to family and friends for a second opinion. I did my best to keep as much in as possible but some things just ended up leaning too far outside of our criteria. If you notice some stuff that seems outside the criteria slip by it's because I tried to be very generous so as long as something wasn't obviously outside of our time period or rules I usually gave it a pass.

Anyway, I am working on the bracket as we speak and apologize in advance cause I don't think there's any way to make round 1 completely painless, as you'll see we have a pretty stacked line-up so I'm excited to see how things work out! Enjoy and see you all on Monday April 15th for round one of the Hot Vintage TV Women's Bracket!

Eartha Kitt

Dawn French

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Nichelle Nichols

Loretta Swit

Joan Bennett

Mary Tyler Moore

Yvonne Craig

Barbara Stanwyck

Lara Parker

Bea Arthur

Barbara Feldon

Rue McClanahan

Lynda Carter

Kellye Nakahara

Jan Smithers

Elisabeth Sladen

Diana Rigg

Janet Hubert

Carol Burnett

Jackée Harry

Betty White

Gillian Anderson

Anne Francis

Peggy Lipton

Eliza Dushku

Joan Chen

Terry Farrell

Gina Torres

Catherine Bach

Tina Louise

Carolyn Jones

Dawn Wells

Vivica A Fox

Mariska Hargitay

Deidre Hall

Aimi MacDonald

Carol Cleveland

Valerie Harper

Lisa Hartman

Julie Newmar

Fran Drescher

Melissa Joan Hart

Mira Furlan

Nana Visitor

Claudia Black

Courteney Cox

Sarah Jessica Parker

Jane Krakowski

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sherilyn Fenn

Eve Arden

Elizabeth Montgomery

Marlo Thomas

Lucy Lawless

Joanna Lumley

Barbara Eden

Kathryn Leigh Scott

Grayson Hall

Eva Gabor

Siân Phillips

Shannen Doherty

Lisa Robin Kelly

Debbie Allen

Lisa Bonet / Lilakoi Moon

Rachel Bilson

Karyn Parsons

Jane Seymour

Jonelle Allen

Julia Duffy

Lalla Ward

Miranda Richardson

Mag Ruffman

Penelope Keith

Carole André

Amanda Tapping

Lucille Ball

Nicole de Boer

Jeri Ryan

Penny Johnson Jerald

Katy Manning

Charisma Carpenter

Morena Baccarin

Katee Sackhoff

Janine Turner

Marcia Strassman

Farrah Fawcett

Kate Jackson

Jaclyn Smith

Lily Tomlin

Melissa Leo

Sabrina Lloyd

Joan Collins

Diahann Carroll

Jennifer Aniston

Pamela Anderson

Alexandra Paul

Chloe Annett

Hattie Hayridge

Thalía

Itatí Cantoral

Connie Booth

Linda Cristal

Doris Day

Angela Lansbury

Dorothy Provine

Vivian Vance

Suzanne Pleshette

Bea Benaderet

Gracie Allen

Amanda Randolph

Anna May Wong

Sheila Kuehl

Barbara Billingsley

Barbara Mullen

Phyllis Logan

Annette Crosbie

Geraldine James

Audrey Meadows

Peggy Ashcroft

Holland Taylor

Emma Thompson

Judy Parfitt

Francesca Annis

Mädchen Amick

Joely Richardson

Alex Kingston

Cicely Tyson

Lauren Graham

Kim Cattrall

[katharinepar]

24 October 1537: Death of Queen Jane Seymour.

‘[Jane] had lingered throughout the day, gradually slipping away. This time there was no respite. We have no record of Henry’s visiting his dying wife but would not expect to find one. It was not the custom, and in any case, the king was always afraid of sickness, even in those he loved. Much though he had adored Anne [Boleyn], he had stayed miles away from her as she had burned with the sweat. So, like everyone else, he had waited as the hours slowly passed and Queen Jane’s strength ebbed, her chances of survival diminishing. Norfolk, worried about how Henry would react to the news that all were dreading, had scribbled a hurried note to Cromwell, begging him to return to Hampton Court instantly. The duke had written at 8 p.m. that evening, hoping that the minister could make it back by early morning on the following day. He was sure that Queen Jane would be dead by then, but Cromwell would be needed “to comfort our good master.” There was “no likelihood” that the queen could recover, Norfolk had said, signing the missive as from “the hand of your sorrowful friend.”

And Norfolk had been right. The queen had not recovered. She had been beyond the desperate efforts of Dr. Butts and Dr. Owen and the prayers offered up on her behalf. With her weeping ladies clustered at her side, one of them almost certainly Jane [Boleyn], the queen had died.’ J. Fox, Jane Boleyn.