[Commenty!]As I told you, I really love Rosalie's "grown up" look. It suits her quite a bit, and it's also pretty. :D Rosalie is totally the type to wear pearls all the time.
I assume Rosalie actually did complete college in game, if not in story?
Love Rosalie's reaction to Shirley's reaction to having to wear a pink dress. It's lovely, yes, but it's so not Shirley.
It's really interesting to remember that Rosalie is in her early twenties when all of this is happening, as she'd have been 20 or 21 when she got married - it seems so young to me, as I'm 28 and not interested in being a wife and mother yet, and certainly not in a life in which everything is completely about the husband. Rosalie, however, seems to be thriving on it, which is partly her personality and partly the culture of the time, I would think. But it's interesting, because Rosalie isn't as much of an equal to Bruce as Alice is to Nick or Shirley is to Walter, but it's because Rosalie has chosen not to be - she's chosen to put herself in the subservient role.
I really do wonder if the "no longer in love" piece is her, because it seems like the type of issue she might have after years of marriage and suppressing her desires in favor of her husband's and children's, when she suddenly realizes that her life has passed without her noticing.
Love spotting that Rosalie does have some of the familial influence - with the gardening from Elizabeth and all, when Jan hated it. She's not nearly as bad as Jan, though there are definitely issues. I mean, she's trying - the letter writing may be generally boring to her brother, but she really is doing the right thing here, and not just for appearance's sake - she's writing letters to truly try and keep Bruce and Gilbert entertained and connected. Also, as much as she has strong opinions about what is right, she's willing to put in the work to live up to those opinions, and to take care of her parents when they need it. Honor your parents, honor your husband - Rosalie does her best to live up to these principles.
As much as it is selfish, I can't blame Rosalie for being relieved that Bruce isn't actually at the front. No one wants their loved ones to possibly die in war. I assume he (or she in his place) was in the drawing for who would die, but he came off fine, so you put him somewhere where living made total sense?
Love Rosalie's pride in Gilbert. As much as she has issues with him (and certainly with his homosexuality), she still loves him, and he's still her little brother. And she truly is sad when he dies.
The fact that they know from experience that it can take days or weeks to sort out the casualties is worrying for what it implies - that someone else already is dead or is thought dead.
Is Steven significantly older than anyone else in the generation? *curious* I suppose we'll see as you cover the rest of these chapters, but I'm curious now! :P
Continuing in another comment because it's too long.
[MOAR commenty!]I must admit that I got much more worried about Gilbert the instant I saw your cover - Calla and Taddy were clearly mourning, from what I could see, and based on what you'd said and written in drabbles, I didn't think it would be Bruce, which left Gilbert - as Rosalie clearly wasn't going to the war front herself.
I'm glad the pregnancy pulled Calla out of her depression. Poor her, having to lose a child.
Yay babies! You know, since they had twin sons, if they wanted to keep the Seiff name going, one of the boys could take it. Of course, I'm not surprised Rosalie managed to throw you twins even though you didn't plan on it. It suits her. :P
I'm glad for her parents that Rosalie and her family are going to keep living there, as well as for the fact that it gives you one less house to play. :P
I see Clarence kept hanging around. I feel bad for him, losing his lover like that. :(
I can't help but wonder if Gilbert and his insistence on getting what he wanted and being true to himself meant that he lived more than Rosalie did, in some ways. She chose her husband logically, but I've noticed that she doesn't use the word "love" when describing what she was with Bruce. She wanted to be Mrs. Thorne, she didn't want to live with the man she loved. Gilbert managed to fall in love and go for it whole-heartedly, but Rosalie's relationship is the socially acceptable one, which...well, it's sad.
I'm glad you gave us Gilbert and Clarence's letters as well. It's a very different view from Rosalie's.
The idea of Shirley giving Rosalie a hug without cleaning up is hilarious. I totally want to see that. :P
I do hope Clarence can be a good husband to Loretta, because I'm sure she deserves one, though we don't know her at all - she seems nice, and we certainly have seen nothing that she's deserving of any trouble.
I'm not sure what I think of Clarence allowing his father to make sure he didn't go to war. It's...not the right choice, but it's also something that is very human. We can be cowards, and, I mean, look at the Civil War - paying someone to take your place was legal! It's still not a good thing to happen, though.
[Reply!] Rosalie’s grown up look does suit her. She is very much the pearl-wearing type. And yes, in-game Rosalie finished college, even if story Rosalie did not.
Heh, Rosalie wouldn’t hesitate to make her friend look like an idiot to make her wedding perfect. But no, Shirley was NOT happy about wearing a pink, frilly dress.
It is sometimes hard for me to put myself in Rosalie’s shoes, for all the reasons you said. She is VERY different, not only for wanting to get married and pop out babies at an age when I wasn’t ready to contemplate that, but because she does put her husband in the driver’s seat. It’s very much in keeping with the times, yes, but even among her peers she’s very different. Rosalie is in no ways equal to Bruce, while Nick and Alice and Walter and Shirley are on more equal ground. But yes, it was Rosalie’s choice, so don’t go feeling too bad for her.
Not going to say who’s in the “no longer in love” piece. That will come up in the story soon enough. :P
:) Rosalie does have some Bradford in her, and it’s not all from Jan. She does try to do what she thinks is right. And she does live up to what she thinks are her obligations: taking care of her family (even when she doesn’t agree with what they’re doing), obeying her husband and parents, etc.
It’s a little selfish in a way, but I don’t blame Rosalie for being relieved that Bruce wasn’t overseas either. Yes, “Rosalie’s Husband” (as I didn’t yet know who he would be; I did let the crystal ball pick Rosalie’s husband and they have 3 bolts!) was in the drawing for casualties, and he was pretty much at the bottom of the list. So he got a cushy, safe, stateside assignment.
I think Rosalie is also proud of Gilbert because his willingness to enlist in a branch of the military would help remove any “tarnish” from his (and therefore the family’s) reputation. But yes, it’s partially because he’s her little brother and she loves him. And she really was upset when he died.
Not going to comment on what their knowing how long it takes to sort casualties out means. :P
Steven would have been born roughly in 1943; the twins late 1945/early 1946. So he’s about 2-3 years older than his cousins. So older, but not by much (and certainly not as bad as it would have been if I wasn’t using my aging hack!).
[MOAR Reply!] Yeah, I knew the cover was spoilery, but I figured that it could also be interpreted as them being upset because someone (Gilbert) was severely wounded as well. And yeah, I have made it pretty clear that Bruce was not going to be a casualty.
I’m glad that Calla found a reason to pull herself out of her grief. It made sense to me that seeing her surviving child in need would be the thing to do it.
Babies! Ugh. Rosalie WOULD throw me twins when I least expected it. I hadn’t thought about having one of the boys take the Seiff name; maybe that will be a plot point in a future chapter.
Yeah, when I knew Gilbert was going to die I decided that Rosalie and Bruce would take over the Seiff house. No point in playing more houses that I have to. :P
Yeah, Clarence was always in the background. He got quite the rough break. :(
There is quite a contrast between the two Seiff siblings and their relationships. Rosalie chose the “safer” route, and Gilbert followed his heart even though it wasn’t socially acceptable at the time. Only time will tell how the rest of the story plays out.
Gilbert and Clarence’s letters were quite the contrast to how Rosalie told the story.
Heh, I may have to slip Shirley giving Rosalie a hug when she’s all dirty from riveting into a future chapter.
I think that Clarence will try his hardest to be a good husband to Loretta. Just because he’s not in love with her doesn’t mean he won’t try to keep up the illusion. I do feel bad for her if only because she’s probably more in love with Clarence than he’ll ever be with here.
As Clarence said, he was scared. It wasn’t the right thing to do, of course, but I think that if he’d been drafted he would have gone.
I assume Rosalie actually did complete college in game, if not in story?
Love Rosalie's reaction to Shirley's reaction to having to wear a pink dress. It's lovely, yes, but it's so not Shirley.
It's really interesting to remember that Rosalie is in her early twenties when all of this is happening, as she'd have been 20 or 21 when she got married - it seems so young to me, as I'm 28 and not interested in being a wife and mother yet, and certainly not in a life in which everything is completely about the husband. Rosalie, however, seems to be thriving on it, which is partly her personality and partly the culture of the time, I would think. But it's interesting, because Rosalie isn't as much of an equal to Bruce as Alice is to Nick or Shirley is to Walter, but it's because Rosalie has chosen not to be - she's chosen to put herself in the subservient role.
I really do wonder if the "no longer in love" piece is her, because it seems like the type of issue she might have after years of marriage and suppressing her desires in favor of her husband's and children's, when she suddenly realizes that her life has passed without her noticing.
Love spotting that Rosalie does have some of the familial influence - with the gardening from Elizabeth and all, when Jan hated it. She's not nearly as bad as Jan, though there are definitely issues. I mean, she's trying - the letter writing may be generally boring to her brother, but she really is doing the right thing here, and not just for appearance's sake - she's writing letters to truly try and keep Bruce and Gilbert entertained and connected. Also, as much as she has strong opinions about what is right, she's willing to put in the work to live up to those opinions, and to take care of her parents when they need it. Honor your parents, honor your husband - Rosalie does her best to live up to these principles.
As much as it is selfish, I can't blame Rosalie for being relieved that Bruce isn't actually at the front. No one wants their loved ones to possibly die in war. I assume he (or she in his place) was in the drawing for who would die, but he came off fine, so you put him somewhere where living made total sense?
Love Rosalie's pride in Gilbert. As much as she has issues with him (and certainly with his homosexuality), she still loves him, and he's still her little brother. And she truly is sad when he dies.
The fact that they know from experience that it can take days or weeks to sort out the casualties is worrying for what it implies - that someone else already is dead or is thought dead.
Is Steven significantly older than anyone else in the generation? *curious* I suppose we'll see as you cover the rest of these chapters, but I'm curious now! :P
Continuing in another comment because it's too long.
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[MOAR commenty!]I must admit that I got much more worried about Gilbert the instant I saw your cover - Calla and Taddy were clearly mourning, from what I could see, and based on what you'd said and written in drabbles, I didn't think it would be Bruce, which left Gilbert - as Rosalie clearly wasn't going to the war front herself.
I'm glad the pregnancy pulled Calla out of her depression. Poor her, having to lose a child.
Yay babies! You know, since they had twin sons, if they wanted to keep the Seiff name going, one of the boys could take it. Of course, I'm not surprised Rosalie managed to throw you twins even though you didn't plan on it. It suits her. :P
I'm glad for her parents that Rosalie and her family are going to keep living there, as well as for the fact that it gives you one less house to play. :P
I see Clarence kept hanging around. I feel bad for him, losing his lover like that. :(
I can't help but wonder if Gilbert and his insistence on getting what he wanted and being true to himself meant that he lived more than Rosalie did, in some ways. She chose her husband logically, but I've noticed that she doesn't use the word "love" when describing what she was with Bruce. She wanted to be Mrs. Thorne, she didn't want to live with the man she loved. Gilbert managed to fall in love and go for it whole-heartedly, but Rosalie's relationship is the socially acceptable one, which...well, it's sad.
I'm glad you gave us Gilbert and Clarence's letters as well. It's a very different view from Rosalie's.
The idea of Shirley giving Rosalie a hug without cleaning up is hilarious. I totally want to see that. :P
I do hope Clarence can be a good husband to Loretta, because I'm sure she deserves one, though we don't know her at all - she seems nice, and we certainly have seen nothing that she's deserving of any trouble.
I'm not sure what I think of Clarence allowing his father to make sure he didn't go to war. It's...not the right choice, but it's also something that is very human. We can be cowards, and, I mean, look at the Civil War - paying someone to take your place was legal! It's still not a good thing to happen, though.
Can't wait for Shirley's chapter!
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Rosalie’s grown up look does suit her. She is very much the pearl-wearing type. And yes, in-game Rosalie finished college, even if story Rosalie did not.
Heh, Rosalie wouldn’t hesitate to make her friend look like an idiot to make her wedding perfect. But no, Shirley was NOT happy about wearing a pink, frilly dress.
It is sometimes hard for me to put myself in Rosalie’s shoes, for all the reasons you said. She is VERY different, not only for wanting to get married and pop out babies at an age when I wasn’t ready to contemplate that, but because she does put her husband in the driver’s seat. It’s very much in keeping with the times, yes, but even among her peers she’s very different. Rosalie is in no ways equal to Bruce, while Nick and Alice and Walter and Shirley are on more equal ground. But yes, it was Rosalie’s choice, so don’t go feeling too bad for her.
Not going to say who’s in the “no longer in love” piece. That will come up in the story soon enough. :P
:) Rosalie does have some Bradford in her, and it’s not all from Jan. She does try to do what she thinks is right. And she does live up to what she thinks are her obligations: taking care of her family (even when she doesn’t agree with what they’re doing), obeying her husband and parents, etc.
It’s a little selfish in a way, but I don’t blame Rosalie for being relieved that Bruce wasn’t overseas either. Yes, “Rosalie’s Husband” (as I didn’t yet know who he would be; I did let the crystal ball pick Rosalie’s husband and they have 3 bolts!) was in the drawing for casualties, and he was pretty much at the bottom of the list. So he got a cushy, safe, stateside assignment.
I think Rosalie is also proud of Gilbert because his willingness to enlist in a branch of the military would help remove any “tarnish” from his (and therefore the family’s) reputation. But yes, it’s partially because he’s her little brother and she loves him. And she really was upset when he died.
Not going to comment on what their knowing how long it takes to sort casualties out means. :P
Steven would have been born roughly in 1943; the twins late 1945/early 1946. So he’s about 2-3 years older than his cousins. So older, but not by much (and certainly not as bad as it would have been if I wasn’t using my aging hack!).
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Yeah, I knew the cover was spoilery, but I figured that it could also be interpreted as them being upset because someone (Gilbert) was severely wounded as well. And yeah, I have made it pretty clear that Bruce was not going to be a casualty.
I’m glad that Calla found a reason to pull herself out of her grief. It made sense to me that seeing her surviving child in need would be the thing to do it.
Babies! Ugh. Rosalie WOULD throw me twins when I least expected it. I hadn’t thought about having one of the boys take the Seiff name; maybe that will be a plot point in a future chapter.
Yeah, when I knew Gilbert was going to die I decided that Rosalie and Bruce would take over the Seiff house. No point in playing more houses that I have to. :P
Yeah, Clarence was always in the background. He got quite the rough break. :(
There is quite a contrast between the two Seiff siblings and their relationships. Rosalie chose the “safer” route, and Gilbert followed his heart even though it wasn’t socially acceptable at the time. Only time will tell how the rest of the story plays out.
Gilbert and Clarence’s letters were quite the contrast to how Rosalie told the story.
Heh, I may have to slip Shirley giving Rosalie a hug when she’s all dirty from riveting into a future chapter.
I think that Clarence will try his hardest to be a good husband to Loretta. Just because he’s not in love with her doesn’t mean he won’t try to keep up the illusion. I do feel bad for her if only because she’s probably more in love with Clarence than he’ll ever be with here.
As Clarence said, he was scared. It wasn’t the right thing to do, of course, but I think that if he’d been drafted he would have gone.
Working on Shirley’s chapter right now!
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