The Janeite Tag

Good evening, my friends! I hope you've had a lovely day. I have been pretty sick the last few days, so the posts I had planned needed to be put on the backburner. But, HUZZAH! There was an encore to my blogging life! The lovely Paige of Sunday Best and All the Rest, being the sweetheart she is, descovered my weakness for Jane Austen and invited me to join in this fun game!

The Rules:

~Thank and link back to the person who tagged you.

~Tell how you were introduced to Jane Austen and share one fun fact about your Janeite life (This fun fact can be anywhere from "I stayed up all night reading Emma" to "I went to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England.")

~Answer the tagger's questions.

~Write seven questions of your own.

~Tag as few as 1 or as many as 7 other Janeites and let them know you've tagged them.

I was introduced to Jane Austen around 2007 when my family was lounging around the living room, flipping through the channels and came upon the 2005 "Pride and Prejudice." We only caught the end, but my mom and I were totally hooked! We rented it, bought it, then moved on to "Sense and Sensibility" (1996) and then "Emma" (1996) and beyond, which, in my opinion, is the funniest Austen film (and book)!

Fun Fact: I can fully quote both "Emma" (1996//Gwyneth Paltrow) and "Sense and Sensibility" (1995) doing all the voices just like the actors (Except maybe Colonel Brandon; the only one who can do Alan Rickman's voice properly is Benedict Cumberbatch) 

Paige's Questions//My Answers

1. What is your favorite Austen Book?

Hands-down "Mansfield Park"!

2. What is your favorite movie adaption of Austen's books?

One does not simply...oh, goodness! This is a hard one. I would probably say "Sense and Sensibility" (1995). I adore Alan Rickman as the Colonel and couldn't imagine anyone else as the characters! No other S&S adaption measures up, in my opinion.

3. What is your *least* favorite movie adaption?

From what I've seen so far, "Sense and Sensibility" (2008). It wasn't bad, it just didn't connect for me. It fell rather flat.

4. Which character in any of the novels do you relate to most?

I wish I was just like Fanny Price-Bertram, but in character, I am a absolutely Elinor Dashwood-Ferrars. My sister is Marianne, too! And right now (as in the beginning of the book), we are 19 and 16!

5. If you could choose a Jane Austen home to live in, where would you live?

Donwell Abbey. I relate to Emma a lot, as well, I'm afraid. But Donwell seems the most welcoming place to me. To be in the position of benefactress to so many good people (read: Abbey Mill Farm). I imagine it as a grand, inviting place with lots of stone and rugs and chandeliers that just needs a woman's touch ;)

6. Who is your favorite Austen hero?

George Knightley, bar-none! I am determined to find my own Mr. Nightley. Forget Darcy, he was an absolute idiot (forgive my language), Edmund Bertram was blind to everything, Colonel Brandon was too tragic, Henry Tilney was both charming and cold at the same time, Edward Ferrars was...well, dreamy, but rather unaspiring. Knightley had me from page 1!

7. If you were to write a sequel to any of Jane's novels, what would it be about?

"Death Comes to Pemberly" is a pretty acurate sequel already. But I think I would love to write more about Emma. She still trips up, she still makes mistakes, but she never gives up and with her husband by her side, she can learn a lot more. Plus, I would love to see what their children would have been like. Most likely, at least, a level-headed daughter and a wild, conniving son, always getting his poor sister into the most terrible scrapes! That would make me laugh :)

Here are my "nominees", if you will:

Desarae of Gladness of Heart

Tara of A Lass of Yesteryear

Kellie of Accordion to Kellie

Amanda of Amanda Grace

And I have one dear friend who is decidedly not a Janeite and I thought of tagging her, but I thought better of it. You know who you are ;)

MY Questions for YOU

1. Which do you prefer? Books or Movies?

2. How would you go about introducing a friend to Jane Austen?

3. It's Marathon Movie Night! Which 4 adaptions are you going to watch and in what order?

4. Who is your favorite "Villain"?

5. Who would you rather travel with on a long journey by carriage? Mrs. Jennings or Lady Catherine DuBurgh?

6. Which book/movie do you think is the funniest or most clever?

7. With whom would you rather be forced to stay with during your London trip? The "Affable" Miss Lucy Steele, the incorrigible Lydia Wickham, or the incessant Mrs. Elton?

I can't wait to see your responses! Don't forget to comment with the link to your post when you get around to it :)

Speaking Well of Your Family

My hair was so long *sniff*

I can say, very honestly, that my family and I get along really well most of the time. That picture above is my brother Moses and I laughing it up. We genuinely like each other! Every day, he says to me, "McKenna, I'm so glad you're my sister." No kidding! 

It breaks my heart to see families that talk about each other behind their backs, "It's so annoying when sister does this; you think she would know better." or, "My brother does this when he thinks no one's looking." and worst of all, "I don't agree with my parents; they said this and this and they think they know everything." BIG no-no, kids! 

As a sister, as a brother, as a parent, as a friend you want those around you to know that their reputation is safe with you. If you speak badly about your family to your friends, the only natural thought they think is, "Gee, if she speaks about her sister behind her back, what does she say about me when I'm not around?"

PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS!!!

The first step to make, if you've found yourself guilty, is to go to that person you've offended and apologize. They most likely don't know about what you've done, but if you go humbly and confess, it will build your relationship considerably. They might be mad, it might take them awhile to come around; you might have a LOT of people to talk to, but God will bless it in the end.

Hope this little tidbit has encouraged you today and made you think. I know I'm guilty...now, I have some apologizing to do.

Blessings,
McKenna

I Don't Want to Go...Why I Won't Continue Watching Doctor Who and Sherlock

I can't believe I chose that picture; I'm already crying and I haven't gotten to the sad stuff yet! If you know me personally (or follow me on Pinterest), you probably know that I [was] a Whovian/Sherlockian. However, due to unforseen circumstances, I have decided to leave those respective fandoms and I'm writing to explain why.

Not gonna lie, I kind of expected that reaction from you, Sherlock. Call me a Cyberman, call me Mycroft, but I'm not pleased with the "upgrades" that BBC has made to the most recent seasons of my two favorite shows.

I don't like those disappointed/angry faces!

Before I continue, I want to say upfront that the purpose of this post is not to bash either show or the beliefs of the writers and crew who produce them. My ultimate goal in life-or for this post, is not to defame Steven Moffat (brilliant writer of both shows). I am simply revealing, from a Biblical standpoint and mindset, the flaws that have come to my attention. Up to this point, I have thoroughly enjoyed both shows (I even have a "Time Lord" t-shirt and "Exploding TARDIS" mug) and unabashedly branded myself a Whovian and a Sherlockian.  

Really, John?! And you too, HedgeMartin?! Dang, you've all turned against me. Well, almost all...

*sobs* I'll miss you too, Doctor...

So, here's the underlying issue of both:
MORAL AMBIGUITY

In Doctor Who:
If you, the reader, has seen DW season 7 and beginning of 8, you probably know, off the bat, what (who) I'm talking about. For those of you unacquainted with the show, I am referring to a lesbian couple.

 I am not "homophobic". I am not afraid of homosexuals or LGBT.
 But this does not mean that I agree with their lifestyle. 

As a Christian, I believe that homosexuality is sinful. In the Old Testament, by God's law, homosexual behavior was punishable by death (Leviticus 20:13). But after Jesus payed the price of our sins by His death on the cross (thereby taking all the weight of humanity's sin upon Him and redeeming it), the "old" law was not rejected, but fulfilled. The fact that we live under Grace (God's forever acceptance of those who believe in and follow Him), does not mean that we can just do anything we want and still get our "ticket-into-heaven". One day, we will all stand before The Judge (God) and give an account of everything we've ever done. In addition to what is written in the New Testament, we can study the laws that God originally put in place to discern His heart and how He feels about things. I think He feels very strongly against an act of sin that was punishable by death, don't you agree?

You might be familiar with the very Christainese phrase, 
"Hate the sin, love the sinner"
While somewhat cliche, it's so true! I am not the judge of the world, God is. I don't want to shy away from people who wear their lifestyle on their sleeve, whatever it is (you know, unless they're a serial killer or something).

It's become clear to me more than ever that every form of media has an agenda.

Usually, it's an agenda to shout from the mountaintops their support of "Do what you want whenever you want; ditch consequences! That's a made-up word." In the media, "Chase your dreams" often translates to, "Pursue all the twisted desires of your heart regardless of motive or morals." I didn't notice it in BBC much until this year. Especially after watching "Deep Breath". Vastra and Jenny (the lesbian couple) must've said aloud, "we're married", or something to that effect, at least 20 times during the 70-minute episode. They had appeared in a few episodes of the previous two seasons, however, I had just brushed it off. But after my sister (whose Spiritual gift is Prophecy) watched the episode in which they kissed, God lifted the blinders for her. She came to me and explained how she felt the Lord speaking to her about the issue and that got me thinking. 

In Sherlock:

The same sort of issues popped up in this one with lines like, (John to Sherlock) "Do you have a boyfriend? Which is totally fine, by the way." And speculations within and without the show questioning the nature of John and Sherlock's relationship. And in this newest season,  Sherlock shrugged off the fact that he slept with and feigned affection for a woman simply to get information from her. They turned Irene Adler's character from being a thief in the original works, to being a bisexual prostitute who appeared to Sherlock nude (only the clever angles of the camera kept us from being entirely exposed). It's these red flags that popped up here and there (except for the Irene episode that I caution everyone away from if talking about the show), including Mary becoming pregnant with John before they were married, that I had been unintentionally ignoring. 

This video by our beloved Skit Guys really hits the point home!



The morality of BBC (and the media in general; this post really applies to a lot of things) is dwindling away and I'm deeply saddened to see it go. But I wish to look inward more than outward. Where is my morality diminishing? I was shocked to find how much questionable content like fornication and language I have been allowing myself to shrug off because, "I would never do that" or simply scrunch up my nose and mutter, "I don't agree with that". But the more junk we allow ourselves to witness, the more we begin to accept it in our hearts, probably without noticing. I certainly didn't notice how apathetic I had become about what shows I watched until my younger sister gently took me by the hand and by confessing what she saw inside herself, lifted the blinders for me.

As much as I really enjoyed the shows in and of themselves, I can't, in good concience, continue to support a company (by watching on tv or buying products) that champions sinful behavior. I may or may not re-watch the episodes I know to be appropriate; still praying about that one. Certainly won't be plastering my name on the fandom bilboard for the world to see, that's for sure. I have cried a little bit over this decision; prayed a lot and turned the matter over and over in my mind. I really liked Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and I'm sure he'll do a bang-up job, but I can't continue to watch a show that could hurt my morals.

If you've been considering this matter already, I know you've seen the pros of watching either show. What I hope I have presented, after a lot of careful thought, are the cons that prick my conscience. The worst thing that could happen, is that any show with questionable morals could desensitize you. The goal should be to keep your conscience tender so that you can listen closely; movies and media without morals can cause a callous to form over your conscience. Thus, I encourage you to look at whatever your conundrum is, from each point of view; pros and cons. Pray about it and seek wisdom. I read this post to my parents, edited it then reread it to them several times before I posted it :) Don't ever do anything rash; deciding to join or leave a fandom is a big deal, even if you don't realize it. You're putting your stamp of approval on whatever that is and I can guarantee there are people looking up to you and following your example.

And as a token of my tears, I place this gif atop the grave of future unwatched episodes. May I rest in peace with my conscience intact.

Lookee!!! I learned how to add a GIF to my blog posts! I'm so proud of me...