#our goverment is a disgrace in so many ways that i don’t even know where to start

[metalcorebarbie]

x

[sentiment-or-profit]

Greetings, all! What follows is something I’ve been wanting to address for a while. It’s a bit of a headache (I know, believe me------I had to write it all out xD), so bear with me, please. :) (A big thanks to born-to-be-admired for contributing to this post as well!)

I have stated multiple times, as I’m sure many of you have noticed, that myself and my exclusive partners do not abide by the canon of S3 of the new series (Or S2 beyond E04) of Poldark. Sadly, both S3 and a great deal of S2 do a horrible job portraying both events and characters, straying dramatically not only from the source content (The novels) but more importantly, from the already existing canon of the show (Most notably in the cases of characters such as George, Elizabeth, Demelza, and Caroline). Also, both butcher the passage of time beyond recognition. As a result, we have been now been presented with versions of events/characters that I consider to be poorly conceived of and in some cases entirely inaccurate, and so don’t abide by.

Let me just start off by saying that I am in no way attempting to dictate other people’s portrayals------like me, you’re free to run with whatever version of the canon you want, for whatever your reasons. As I’ve said before, the canon I abide by is taken essentially from the books, with modifications made to allow for the canon of S1 of the new series (And S2 up to E04), which is my first and foremost source.

This doesn’t mean that I’m unwilling to interact with people who don’t abide by all the same canon as me------as I’ve said, I’m not here to dictate other people’s portrayals, and so long as blatant contradictions don’t arise in our interactions, we’re probably going to be okay. However, if contradictions are raised, and it becomes clear that our versions of events/characters are very different, I may be forced to drop the exchange. Obviously, it just doesn’t work to have my character saying one thing happened and yours saying another when that thing is meant to be an indisputable fact.

So, what I would request first and foremost is that you don’t assume when RPing with me that anything happened like it happened in S3 of the new series, or in S2 from E04 onward. I understand this may be confusing for some people (Particularly those who haven’t read the books), and that you may be wondering what remains and what doesn’t, and in the cases of the things that don’t, what occurs instead. I will try to outline some of the differences I think are most likely to arise below.

Of course, there’s a lot I could go into------the vast majority of George’s behavior in S3 is illogical, and that’s not even touching on other characters/events. That said, I will try to keep this short and highlight the points which I feel are most likely to come up during interaction, and which could be potentially detrimental to that exchange (And not go into all of the whys, since that would get unnecessarily lengthy). Also, I won't delve too deeply into anything involving only myself and my exclusive partners, as we're already on the same page, and that information isn’t going to be of a lot of use to other people.

First off, let’s talk about the passage of time in the new series. This is very complicated and messy (Take my word for it), but I will try to put it as simply as possible: not as much time passes in the new series as passes in the books. Of course, this shouldn’t matter much, provided the story is adapted to suit. But it isn’t. Instead, there comes a time in S2 where to the new series fails to acknowledge the fact that less time has gone by (And does nothing to compensate for the time lost). In other words, with the passage of time the show has presented, it is not possible for the year to be 1794 at the start of S3, but the series writers choose to behave as if the year is 1794 just the same. The year should in fact be 1791, and this is what myself and my exclusive partners run with. This means that George and Elizabeth’s marriage takes place in 1790, and Valentine and Clowance’s births in 1791. Agatha’s death would take place in 1792. Morwenna’s arrival at Trenwith/Drake and Sam’s arrival at Nampara, however, must still take place in the year of 1794 (Again, I won’t go into all of the reasons why. Just take my word for it). This also means that Dwight (Who would have joined the Navy in 1790 instead of 1793) is at sea for longer before he is taken prisoner.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s move on to those points I was going to highlight. Again, these are taken directly from the novels, with some small modifications made to allow for the canon of S1 (And S2 up to E04), which remains my first and foremost canon source.

- Both Jud and Prudie have been dismissed from service at Nampara by the time of Valentine’s birth (They still live nearby in the village of Sawle), having been replaced by John and Jane Gimlett.

- Dwight does not attend Elizabeth during Valentine’s birth. Rather, she is attended first by Dr. Choake, and then by Dr. Behenna.

- Dwight does not treat Valentine when he develops rickets. This also falls to Dr. Behenna.

- George does not question Dwight about Valentine’s prematurity. These questions are posed to Dr. Behenna.

- George and Geoffrey Charles get along well prior to George discovering that he and Morwenna have been associating with Drake.

- Geoffrey Charles does not take interest in visiting Ross, or in mining.

- Morwenna’s appointment as Geoffrey Charles’s governess is a mutual decision reached by George and Elizabeth, both of whom are in favor of the idea. George does not spring her appointment on Elizabeth, and Geoffrey Charles is informed he is to have a governess beforehand.

- George never deliberately attempts to use Morwenna to put distance between Elizabeth and Geoffrey Charles, but rather hopes that her presence will better prepare Geoffrey Charles for the more disciplined environment he will be faced with when he begins attending school.

- Elizabeth, while saddened by the growing distance between herself and Geoffrey Charles, is never resentful towards Morwenna, and is only ever kind to her.

- Morwenna, while greatly taken with Drake and influenced by her feelings for him, always maintains a strong regard for what is expected of her and their respective social standings. She would never lightly disgrace her family, or abandon them financially by marrying a penniless man without their consent. She feels not only a considerable obligation to conform to what is socially acceptable, but also a genuine desire to please and care for her family.

- Morwenna and Drake at no point agree to marry (Prior to their marriage near the end of The Angry Tide, that is).

- Geoffrey Charles, while very pleased that Drake and Morwenna are friends, takes a greater interest in his own friendship with Drake. He is not aware of Drake and Morwenna’s romantic interest in one another, and does not attempt to encourage it.

- Demelza, while disappointed that Ross does not accept the magistracy he was offered, is not critical of his decision. She does feel as though he could have effected positive change had he taken the position, but she is far more deeply troubled by the fact that she feels he has declined an honor that was his by right, and she feels badly that he will not receive the recognition she believes he deserves. However, she fully supports his decision, and firmly believes he should only do what he feels to be right. This incident does not create any contention between them.

- While George is eager to make a good match for Morwenna for his own personal benefit, he also looks to please Elizabeth by securing an advantageous marriage for cousin, as well as to prevent Morwenna further influencing Geoffrey Charles (By sending her away), as he believes her influence to be a poor one. He also has a genuine concern for Morwenna’s future.

- Demelza and Morwenna do not meet prior to Morwenna’s marriage to Osborne.

- Ross did not torment George with toads while they were at school, and has nothing whatsoever to do with George’s dislike of them.

- On the sixth of June, after Drake has stopped bringing toads to Trenwith land but before his arrest for the theft of Geoffrey Charles’s bible, George and Elizabeth are informed by Clarence Odgers that Drake and Morwenna have been meeting. George, at this point, forbids Morwenna and Geoffrey Charles from seeing Drake. They meet once more at Trenwith in spite of this, and Geoffrey Charles gives Drake his bible.

- Drake’s bringing of the toads to Trenwith land and his supposed theft of Geoffrey Charles’s bible both take place prior to Dwight and Hugh’s rescue by Ross (The mission to France occurs immediately after Drake’s release).

- Morwenna marries Osborne while Drake is gone to France. Drake learns of Morwenna’s marriage to Osborne shortly after his return from France. Drake and Morwenna have no further contact after he returns.

- George does not make Morwenna’s marriage to Osborne a stipulation of Drake’s release; in fact, she has already heard of Drake’s release by the time she consents to marrying Osborne. In other words, although there is considerable pressure put upon her to do so, Morwenna is not forced to marry Osborne. Rather, she marries him because it is what is expected of her and what will most benefit her family, and also because (In spite of her love for him) she has always been aware that marrying Drake was never a rational option. Also because (Having heard of Drake’s arrest and feeling their relationship played a part) she does not wish to endanger him in future.

- Following Dwight and Hugh’s rescue, Ross and crew put in at Falmouth (Where the Blameys live), not at Hendrawna Beach.

- Following his imprisonment in France, Dwight’s physical health is compromised and he is left permanently weakened, which impacts his relationship with Caroline and his ability to practice his profession.

- Morwenna does not speak to anyone about the abuse she suffers at Osborne’s hands.

- Hugh does not sketch. Poetry is his only artistic endeavor.

- When Ross informs Demelza of his decision to decline a seat in Parliament, she is both pleased and relieved. As with the magistracy, she feels as though he might have effected positive change, and she would have been glad to see him do so---however, she feels he would have been very unhappy as a Member of Parliament, as there would have been a far greater likelihood of him being forced to deviate from his own beliefs and morals. Thus, she both supports and commends his decision to decline the offer.

- Demelza’s feelings for Hugh do not originate from spite or revenge. She does not wish to use him, and she does not indulge his advances out of resentment towards Ross. Rather, she comes to genuinely care for Hugh over a long period of time, and is particularly vulnerable to his attentiveness, as even when matters are well between her and Ross, he can be negligent of her more sensitive feelings. Hugh offers a kind of concern and thoughtfulness she has never been given before. When she learns of Ross and Elizabeth’s meeting in the graveyard, it does further distance her from Ross, which does make her more susceptible to her feelings for Hugh, but her own unfaithfulness is not an act of revenge. She never intends to be unfaithful, and she never intentionally encourages Hugh, though her feelings for him do undermine her efforts at times. When Hugh and Demelza do finally sleep together, it happens first and foremost because of her own deep feelings for him, developed over his many months of pursuit, and also out of sympathy, both for his illness, and for the love he bears her, as she knows she cannot truly give him what he wants.

- Though he has great misgivings about their relationship, and is fully aware that each has feelings for the other, Ross does not know that Demelza has been unfaithful to him until some time after the fact, when Hugh is on his deathbed. When he finds out, he reacts very badly.

Again, this is by no means everything wrong with S3, or everything that I do differently------but it does touch on a lot of the points I feel are more likely to come up. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and have a good one! ;)