#lockwood not being shy about saying how much lucy means to them even if he can't fully articulate it. he wants her even if she's a liabilit

[pearlcaddy]

pearlcaddy's 2023 follower celebration ♡ favorite lockyle scene

lockwood & co. tyburn gallows scene ↳ for @sanssssastark

[fastidious-and-a-mess]

Hi I love all of your lockwood & co thoughts! I've been thinking recently that Lucy grows on me with every rewatch. Like I'm used to POV female characters who are sort of just a conduit for the story (the kind of passive character that's easy for viewers/readers to imagine as themselves) and on my first watch I was seeing the other characters as Lucy sees them but not paying much attention to her. But I love her so much. I love how she's kind of mean to people she doesn't know, I love how she makes her own decisions and sometimes surprises me, I love how emotionally mature and grounded she is. I really like the scene when the skull is trying to convince her to send George and Lockwood into the mansion while she and the skull hang back and then she does the opposite bc she sees through his manipulation. I love how she calls Lockwood out for his recklessness but also sees the underlying issues he has that cause that behavior. Anyway I love Lucy Carlyle that's all

YES i agree with all of this! she's such a great pov character because you're right, she's not just a conduit for the story but an active participant. she's flawed (in no dramatic sense, just in little ways that human beings are messy) in a lot of ways that are rare for female characters. she's kind of mean to people she doesn't know and honestly that one of my favorite things about her.

i also absolutely love the scene when she brings the skull upstairs and has that dialogue with george and lockwood about how she's "really fucking powerful" because she IS. lockwood knows she is, george knows, we as the audience obviously all know, but she knows too and that's really refreshing to me because the whole humble "i'm nobody special, there must be some mistake, there's no way i'm this powerful" thing that i see all the time was getting a bit tired.

it's just SO much fun to see a female character not only acknowledge but be proud of her strength. and that takes development! after the first time the skull speaks to her, but before she's realized that that's what happened, lockwood calls her the best listener in the coutry or something and she says "lockwood, i'm good. that's it" like even before she knows how good she really is, and after she's been put in the spotlight so much against her wishes, she doesn't say "i'm not that great" or anything self-deprecating, because she knows she is good at what she does and she has no reason to shy away from that.

lucy has such a strong presence as a character and as a person, she is actively reaching out to the characters and story around her and is not just reacting as her story happens to her (inasmuch as everything a character does is always a reaction to something around them, but some are more proactive and some are more passive and lucy is definitely not the latter). she stands up to her mother, she runs away, she's rude to george when they first meet, she confronts lockwood on his bullshit, she knows what she's worth and she moves through the world refusing to let it happen to her.

this may have gotten away from me a bit but god yes absolutely. i love lucy carlyle that's all

[mermaidsirennikita]

Valentine’s Day Reads

Happy Valentine’s Day!  As I often gripe about badly done romance on this blog, I thought I’d list a few books that actually do it well.  Some are classics; some are decidedly not.  But I love the love stories in all of them.  I tried to cover my bases, and while I won’t say that all of these are all-time favorites for me, they do stick out in my head for their romantic plotlines and the chemistry between the leads.  Hopefully, something here will appeal to you.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.  Scarlett is a spoiled, vivacious southern belle on the eve of the Civil War.  She wants Ashley, a gentleman whose romanticism and genteel nature embody the antebellum era they’ve grown up; he’s the one man she can’t have, engaged to his sweet, kindhearted cousin Melanie.  As the war begins and becomes increasingly brutal, Scarlett must grow up and become a survivor, pining for Ashley while engaging in a game of wits and and emotion with Rhett, a man whose cynical and opportunist nature makes him a pariah in the south--but perhaps might also make him Scarlett’s true match.  The love/hate narrative is really defined by GWTW, which is less a tragedy than it is a coming of age story.   Scarlett and Rhett’s chemistry and rightness for each other is undeniable, but held back by the fact that she can’t recognize her own true feelings, committed to an idea rather than reality, and he is too protective of his own feelings to admit that he loves her.  GWTW is one of the few “classics” out there that is truly and compulsively readable, and it suggests a lot of Deep Things while at the same time entertaining you with a frustrating, gorgeous romance.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  Cinder is a cyborg, shunned by society and neglected by her stepmother and stepsister--despite her status as a gifted mechanic.  When the stepsister she loves grows fatally ill, she catches the blame, putting her in a precarious position.  At the same time, however, she finds herself as the mechanic of none other than Prince Kai, heir to the throne of the Eastern Commonwealth.  As Cinder becomes more entwined in political intrigue through Kai, she must also fight her feelings for him, and her lack of self-worth.  It’s hard to explain this series without spoiling a lot--and while The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorites series, I’ll admit that Cinder--though the first book--isn’t my favorite (that honor goes to Scarlet, the second book in the series).  But Cinder and Kai have a fantastic, sweet romance that of course draws from Cinderella, as every book in the series draws from a different fairy tale.  Yes, there is a lot of sci-fi going on in The Lunar Chronicles, and various space politics, but ultimately, each novel is a love story, and the couples you meet in one book return in the next.  (Except for Fairest, the excellent villain origin story prequel, which is an obsession story.)  Highly recommend if you’re on the lookout for some fun, romantic YA with a sci-fi spin.

Beauty by Robin McKinley.  The awkward Beauty doesn’t much feel like she deserves her nickname, especially when she pales in comparison to her gorgeous sisters.  But when her father returns from the castle of a mysterious beats, she rises to the occasion, offering to be the beasts’s prisoner in his place--and determined that she can tame it.  Obviously, this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling--but it’s a definitive one.  This a slow-burn romance, and the book is as much about Beauty learning to love herself as the beast.  But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some excellent moments between the two of them.  When you’re looking for something with a bit less heat and a bit more gentle romance, check this out.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore.  Miel and Sam are childhood friends, having weathered prejudice--Miel is an immigrant, and Sam is a trans man--together, as well as the strange roses that grow out of Miel’s skin and the attention that attracts.  But just after their relationship crosses a line--going from pining to physical--confusing the two of them, the Bonner sisters return to town.  Rumored to be witches, they want Miel’s roses, and will do whatever it takes to get them.  McLemore is really, really good at magical realism.  And there’s a lot of that in this book.  But the central story here is Miel and Sam’s relationship, their pasts, and how they’re struggling to come to terms with who they are.  The story is both romantic and erotic, and perhaps part of why it feels so incredibly real is that parts of it reflect McLemore’s own life.  Whether or not that’s true, however, is irrelevant--it’s impossible to not love her dreamy prose and the intensity of Miel and Sam’s feelings for each other.

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones.  Liesl is underappreciated and in many ways repressed, taking on a lot of responsibility at the family inn.  Her sister Kathe is the beautiful one, and her brother Josef, a gifted musician, is the talented one--regardless of the fact that Liesl herself is a driven composer.  Ever since they were children, the siblings have been preoccupied with the Goblin King, but though he inspires her music, Liesl has dismissed him as a childhood fancy.  Until, that is, Kathe is taken by goblins--and the Goblin King needs a bride.  To save her sister, Liesl takes her place as the Goblin Queen.  While initially repulsed by the Underground, she becomes enthralled by her new husband’s world, and their shared passion for music.  Wintersong is well-written and thoroughly addictive, laced with a kind of erotic intoxication.  You fall for the Goblin King as Liesl does; you fall for his world as she does.  It’s morally ambiguous and dark and strange, and quite perfect for those who never got over David Bowie in Labyrinth.

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux.  Jilted by her self-obsessed boyfriend and left penniless, Dougless asks for a knight in shining armor and gets one--in the form of Nicholas, a medieval knight sent forward in time.  Dougless is initially disbelieving, but as she and Nicholas learn about his real legacy--which falls short of what he expected--they gradually fall in love.  However, their relationship is cut short by his sudden disappearance, sending Dougless back in time to find him.  This is a classic 80s romance novel, and therefore I had to include it.  It’s silly; it’s problematic; it has quite a few sex scenes, some of which may or may not involve ice cream.  But there’s a kind of purity to its cheese and silliness that is lighthearted and unique to the era.

The Girl in 6E by A.R. Torre.  Deanna Madden wants to kill people.  So, she stays in her apartment all day, making a living as a cam girl.  As a result, she has to have a lot of things delivered to her--prompting the interest of the delivery guy, who just wants to get to know this woman he’s never even seen.  Too bad Deanna wants to murder him.  Basically, this is an erotic novel; there are a lot a lot a lot of explicit sex scenes, and a few different men who may or may not have a romantic interest in Deanna beyond her body (and if the series continues beyond the three books it’s already had, I wouldn’t be shocked if the author expands upon that).  But there’s something sweet about a guy and a girl who really don’t know each other being genuinely intrigued by one another--and the fact that the relationship’s main obstacle is Deanna’s own desire to kill makes it all the more interesting.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorn.  Lucy and Josh are work rivals at their publishing company--though “rivals” may be putting it lightly.  They loathe each other, regularly taunting one another throughout the day while competing.  That competition gets ramped up a notch by a promised promotion that only one of them can get.  But as they each struggle for the job, Lucy and Josh begin to realize that the tension between them may not just be professional.  The Hating Game is a rom com, but like... a sexy one.  There are plenty of UST-filled moments throughout the book.  And the great thing is that Josh isn’t an asshole, like most men in these sorts of books are.  He doesn’t want to ruin Lucy’s life; he actually seems into her, not into dominating her.  If you want something light and lovely and hot, go for The Hating Game.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.  Heathcliff is an orphan, brought to Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw and raised as a “lesser than” sort of foster child alongside Earnshaw’s children, the abusive Hindley and spirited Cathy.  Equally wild, Heathcliff and Cathy become childhood best friends, and their feelings gradually deepen into intense romantic love as they grow up.  But Heathcliff is socially unsuitable for the upper-class Cathy, and when she agrees to marry her shy neighbor Linton--while vowing to love Heathcliff forever, out of his earshot--he runs away.  When he returns, Heathcliff is wealthy and bent on revenge; but the feelings between himself and Cathy remain, leading two families and multiple generations into ruin.  I feel like a lot of people are immediately put off by WH because it’s not told from Heathcliff and Cathy’s perspectives, exactly.  In fact, the story is told long after their children have grown up, by Nelly, a housekeeper who observed much of the story’s events, to Lockwood, a visitor to Wuthering Heights.  It’s also a really twisted love story--as much of a hate story as anything else.  Heathcliff and Cathy resent and adore each other in equal measure.  They thwart their own happiness over and over, and both are beasts to those that love them.  But this novel is so significant precisely because it shows that two hideous people can love each other--and it conveys a haunting sort of passion that seems almost out of place in a novel of its time.  The strain of morality running through Jane Eyre--tempering its subversive plot--isn’t present in Wuthering Heights.  Even when the cycle of abuse that consumed Heathcliff and Cathy finally is broken, the people that do so are hardly angels.  It’s a sad, angering, obsessive story.  But at its core, this is a book about love--and the things both terrible and great that it drives people to.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.  As a little girl, Grace was attacked by wolves--and since then has been somewhat obsessed with the yellow-eyed wolf in the woods behind her house.  Sam is a wolf in the winter and a boy in the summer, his transformation completely involuntary and based on the temperature.  This time, when the weather warms, he finally meets Grace, and they begin a tentative relationship--but if Sam can’t figure out how to stop himself from changing, he runs the risk of becoming a wolf forever, and losing not just Grace but himself.  Maggie Stiefvater has become increasingly famous for her Raven Boys series, and don’t get me wrong, I love that series.  But I love The Wolves of Mercy Falls more, and not just because it was the first book of hers that I ever read.  There’s a lovely approachable, understanding tone to Shiver--her writing is still beautiful and lyrical, but the simplicity of Grace and Sam’s love story set against the backdrop of a complicated, fraught situation is impossible to resist.  As the series continues, another very good, contrasting romance is added in--but I can’t really get over how incredibly soft Sam and Grace are, and how much this series feels like young love to me.