WhatcouldGoWrong

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 24: Jemima gets a little more than a bonnet #leonardisfeelingbetter #Fbroughthimsomanygifts #andwherewasdaddydearestnow 🙄 #jemimaissadthatflikesruth #mrsbradshawsendshertobuyabonnet #theseamstressmentionsrecognizingruth #jemimaknowsthetruthnow #whatcouldgowrong #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig
@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 4w

Bookwormjillk Ugh. I don‘t like this at all. I feel like there‘s no hope for Ruth. 4w

mcctrish This can‘t end well 4w

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willaful I'm glad that Jemima wasn't immediately vindictive and isn't letting jealousy blind her to Ruth's blamelessness re F, but, ugh, what a mess. 4w

Cuilin Poor Ruth. I hope Jemima keeps quiet but something tells me she won‘t. 4w

KAO Poor Ruth. It will all come out in the open soon, I fear! I‘m surprised that Jemima didn‘t blab right away, but it feels like a ticking time bomb now. 4w

Clare-Dragonfly Jemima doesn‘t exactly know the truth. Because of course the dressmaker blames Ruth for being a seductress, and not Bellingshit 🙄 4w

AllDebooks Crikey, it's all coming to the boil now. I just wish Ruth would stop being so good and passive and just tell all the judgemental buggers to feck off for once 🤬 4w

dabbe I am so exceedingly grateful that I was born in the 20th century. How unbelievably frustrating it must have been to have been born a Victorian woman. I think I'm still reading because I'm hoping that Ruth will (like @AllDebooks so aptly said) tell all of them to f*ck off and live her life on her terms. AUGH!!! 4w

jewright @dabbe I think about this often. 3w

julieclair @Clare-Dragonfly 🎯 3w

dabbe @jewright 🎯! 3w

AllDebooks @dabbe 😊 I was annoyed! 3w

dabbe @AllDebooks #ditto! 😂 3w

35 likes14 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 20: well, that took a turn #FisntlikingJeminasattitudelately #bradshawasksruthtospeaktoher #ruthwantstowitnessthebehaviorfirst #whatcouldgowrong #well #Flovesruthnow #bradshawthinksitworked #hewantstobuyruthafancydress #becausethatsnotweird #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

rubyslippersreads Wouldn‘t Bradshaw giving Ruth something as personal as a dress be considered extremely improper? Maybe if Mrs. Bradshaw had given it to her, or Mr. & Mrs., or even as a gift from the two little girls (not Jemima, though!) 😏 (edited) 1mo

mcctrish Bradshaw is absolutely the most pompous self interested patronizing ass in the history of literature 🤯 he wants to buy a dress for Ruth because her best realty isn‘t and it would be totally okay if she told everybody that he treated her @rubyslippersreads no, because he‘s a righteous prick so no one could think that 🙄 1mo

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AllDebooks Not a fan of Bradshaw and his manipulations 1mo

currentlyreadinginCO Not a fan of any of this!! 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly I don‘t like Bradshaw, but he‘s not that awful—he just wants the whole world to see him as rich and generous! @rubyslippersreads He already gave her fabric and the Bensons persuaded her to accept it—I‘m pretty sure that‘s what the gift would be this time as well, silk fabric, and she can make it into a dress herself. 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly Also, I‘m now worried that F is going to propose to Ruth and either she‘ll accept and go down Tess‘s road, or tell him why she can‘t accept him and be thrown out of her job. There‘s no winning for poor Ruth! 1mo

willaful Getting a Mr. Knightly/Emma vibe here, though neither of them is nearly as interesting. And inviting Ruth definitely backfired. 🙄

I wonder what a “red-hot Valentine“ consisted of in Gaskell's time. 😂 1mo

Bookwormjillk Whelp 1mo

rubyslippersreads @Clare-Dragonfly @mcctrish You‘re right; he‘s set himself up as being completely righteous and beyond contempt. 😠 1mo

Ruthiella Honestly I find Jemima a breath of fresh air in her temper Ruth is just too GOOD. I know Gaskell had her reasons, but for this modern reader, she‘s a little too perfect. 1mo

julieclair @currentlyreadinginCO 💯! 1mo

julieclair The deeper we get into this book, the sadder I‘m becoming. Ruth is so good, and she just seems trapped by her past (most of which was beyond her control). I hope @willaful is right and we get a Knightly/Emma ending. 1mo

rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella I agree with you about Jemima. Ruth is sweet, but such a goody-two-shoes, she seems almost one-dimensional. 1mo

36 likes14 comments

TheBookHippie

The Forty Elephants | Erin Bledsoe

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Selfridges
Got the job
Store lady detective - YIKES

Also she must be demure 🫣

BarkingMadRead #whatcouldgowrong 1mo

IndoorDame Yeah… I would‘ve sent Maggie to apply for this job instead 1mo

Librarybelle I get that Alice wanted an unknown face for the job, and she felt she was the one for it given she only recently joined the Forty Elephants, but Alice better be a really good actress! 😂 1mo

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TheBookHippie @Librarybelle 🫣🤣 and she has to keep her mouth shut. Oy. 1mo

Librarybelle @TheBookHippie I know! 😂 Good luck Alice! 1mo

AmyG @TheBookHippie Ha, I thought that, too. Hard but I think she can. 1mo

vlwelser Definitely demure. 😂 1mo

vonnie862 Aye, Alice is gonna mess it up. BTW, I am loving that the detective is a woman. 1mo

Karisa “Demure” is the word all of the sudden according to my daughter and students on Tik Tok. Jools Lebron is hilarious! I laughed to see the word here too. Hoping Alice can be demure for real to pull this off 1mo

Deblovestoread Alice seems to be able to be what she needs to be in the moment. Hopefully that holds true for this. 1mo

TheBookHippie @Karisa Demure Fall apparently. 🤣 okay by me! 1mo

kspenmoll Alice seems to be able to be a chameleon when the end game is one she is committed to. I appreciate how she digs in to learn new ways of being- new roles. 1mo

dabbe @vonnie862 And another hard-ass ... maybe she'll join the gang! 😂 1mo

DebinHawaii @Karisa @vlwelser Yes, hopefully she is “very demure, very mindful…” 🤣🤣🤣 1mo

mollyrotondo Now there‘s a detective walking around and sitting in on interviews. This does not look good for our gang. I have a bad feeling about it 1mo

julieclair The lessons with Pearl gave me Eliza Doolittle vibes! 1mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I thought Litsy would be a space safe from demure and mindful! 🤣🤣🤣 I get a bad feeling about this. I know y'all are done reading so my crazy theories don't hold weight, but in my mind, it's the elevator attendant who really needs to be watched! She's a little too chatty. I wonder if the lady detective is really making notes or if it's just doodles and hearts with her & her beau's names? 3w

15 likes17 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 18: Ruth‘s new job? #sallyhasawill #thatwassorandom #bradshawwantsruthasgoverness #whatcouldgowrong #hashtagbrigade

TheBookHippie #whatcouldgowrong anyone else talking to their book?!? 🫣 1mo

BarkingMadRead @TheBookHippie yelling at my book…. 1mo

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Aimeesue @TheBookHippie So much!! 1mo

Bookwormjillk @TheBookHippie yes I have a lot to say to this book 1mo

mcctrish 1. Sally is like a whole other story going on 2. Once again, nobody talks to Ruth 3. I‘m disappointed in Mr Benson 4. Brother and sister will sink this ship 5. If Mr Bradshaw doesn‘t want a #bwithb ( I‘m still not sure) is his moral radar piqued and he‘s trying to out Ruth? 6. Basically I don‘t trust Bradshaw 1mo

Cuilin @mcctrish I‘m not trusting the Bradshaws, including Jemima. 1mo

mcctrish @Cuilin yes, she‘s a nosy posey 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly I thought Sally was going to inspire Ruth to also have a will, but no, that went nowhere 😂 The Bradshaws, on the other hand… I fear that Ruth will be thrown in with the young rake Bradshaw, and he will seduce her! 😨 1mo

rubyslippersreads In spite of all she‘s been through, I think Ruth is naive enough to fall for another cad. 😏 1mo

currentlyreadinginCO @mcctrish Sally really is a whole other story! 1mo

currentlyreadinginCO @Clare-Dragonfly @rubyslippersreads I am also fearing this turn, but really hope that's not what happens ... 🙈🙈🙈 1mo

currentlyreadinginCO @TheBookHippie 🙋🏻‍♀️ I have much to say to this book! 1mo

rubyslippersreads @currentlyreadinginCO @mcctrish I think Sally is my favorite character. 🐷 1mo

TheBookHippie @currentlyreadinginCO RIGHT?!?! 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 1mo

37 likes1 stack add15 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 16: an interesting chapter #sallysalmostengagement #mrcollinsvibes #ruthwantstoleave #theyconvincehertostayforoneyear #shesdepressed #shedecidestolearnenoughtoteachbaby #whohasnoname #namethatbabby #hashtagbrigade

IndoorDame Hahaha definite Mr. Collins vibes! 🤣 1mo

Bookwormjillk Mr Collins vibes 😂 1mo

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AllDebooks 🤣🤣Mr Collins, absolutely 🤣🤣 1mo

AllDebooks It was common practice not to baptise infants until at least 6 months, due to infant mortality. Could still call him somrthing other than baby, tho! 😅 1mo

Cuilin Oh, you‘re a teenage mother postpartum, you have no prospects, you have no family, you are an orphan, but could stop crying and just learn how to make a bed cheerfully. Thanks 🙄 1mo

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin right? Omg 1mo

TheBookHippie 🏆 Mr Collins indeed 🤣 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly I love Sally 😂 1mo

mcctrish @Cuilin 🤣🤣 although moving out to live in squalor taking in dressmaking that is doomed to be subpar isn‘t the greatest plan 1mo

mcctrish Sally rocks 1mo

dabbe #sallyisasassylassie 😂 1mo

rubyslippersreads I love that the only thing that tempted Sally about the proposal was the 🐷. 1mo

BarkingMadRead @rubyslippersreads it‘s all about the 🥓🥓 1mo

Cuilin @mcctrish agreed 1mo

currentlyreadinginCO At this moment I feel like things COULD be okay and this could be the end of the story -- Ruth has shelter, support, she's working on her education and the cover story seems to be working ... not ideal, but something made of a bad situation. And yet 71% remains. 1mo

Cuilin @rubyslippersreads 🤣🤣 1mo

BarkingMadRead @currentlyreadinginCO #whatcouldgowrong #betterbesomething 🤣 1mo

Cuilin @currentlyreadinginCO there‘s a storm a brewing 🌪️ 1mo

julieclair I‘m listening on audio, and whoever is narrating Sally‘s part is a gem! Even if I do have to replay it sometimes because her accent is pretty thick. 😎 1mo

BarkingMadRead @julieclair I love when audiobooks have different actors for each character! 1mo

38 likes21 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 14: Faith full gets on board with the lying 🙄 #andnowBwasasurgeon #thosebradshawsworryme #ruthprayinginthechurch #thishasdidasterwrittenalloverit #whatcouldgowrong #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

Bookwormjillk These people are kind of terrible at lying. 1mo

AllDebooks When Faith started embellishing Ruth's 'story', I couldn't help feeling she was looking to out her, even if subconsciously. An embellished lie is always going to catch you out. It would be better to keep it simple. 1mo

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mcctrish I‘m still in shock over hacking off all of Ruth‘s hair 1mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish SAME. 1mo

currentlyreadinginCO don't trust these people at all 🙄🙄 1mo

Cuilin Faith, the truth will out, what are you doing? 1mo

Ruthiella Oh dear. “What could go wrong ?” EXACTLY!!😬 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly And now Faith has to remember all her lies—and so do Ruth and Thurstan. And I don‘t think anyone has told Ruth! 1mo

mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly nobody actually tells Ruth anything 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly @mcctrish New subtitle for this book 😂😂😂 1mo

rubyslippersreads @mcctrish 😂😂😂 1mo

mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly @rubyslippersreads I mean, look where we are in this story and it‘s all based on a lack of sharing information with Ruth 🤯 1mo

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish you just summed up the entire plot in one sentence 🤣 1mo

rubyslippersreads @mcctrish @Clare-Dragonfly If only someone had at least told Ruth about the birds and the bees. 😏 1mo

mcctrish @rubyslippersreads @Clare-Dragonfly @BarkingMadRead #donttellruth 1mo

35 likes16 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 7: Mrs B is here #whatcouldgowrong #sheseemsdelightful 🙄 #ruthhangsaroundforinfo #mrsbisnthavingit #shewantsruthtoGTFO #poorruthwaitingforBtocallforher #notlikelywithmomaround #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 1mo

willaful It's so hard to stick to just one chapter! 1mo

mcctrish @willaful absolutely especially when I do not understand the nature of the relationship between Ruth and Sir B who have obviously been sharing a room so it must be more than I think it is 🍆🍑😱 1mo

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BarkingMadRead @mcctrish I knowwwww like did they or didn‘t they?!? They must have, but it‘s not even alluded to! We want to know!!! 1mo

dabbe I'd love to wipe the holier-than-thou attitude off Mrs. B's face. Things are going from bad to worst for our Tess. I mean Ruth. 😂 1mo

mcctrish @dabbe apparently that‘s how women of worth are supposed to act and how Ruth outed herself immediately 1mo

currentlyreadinginCO @mcctrish @BarkingMadRead I am confused, too! Is everyone this bent out of shape bc they're just sharing a room together!? Or are we just supposed to understand that they're sleeping together and if so why isn't Ruth conflicted about that ? 1mo

Bookwormjillk @willaful YES 1mo

Bookwormjillk @currentlyreadinginCO @mcctrish @BarkingMadRead I am confused too. I would have expected a little more inner monologue from Ruth. 1mo

IndoorDame @BarkingMadRead @mcctrish right? I keep feeling like I missed the reference and wanting to go back, but aside from just how rude the locals were and the fact that he fussed with her hair and she didn‘t react, I saw nothing. And he‘s rich, his room could have a sitting room or something, right? 1mo

willaful I think we're seeing stylistic conventions. Ruth is supposed to be too innocent to even understand but we're supposed to get it. 1mo

Librarybelle I agree, @willaful . I think Gaskell is playing up that Ruth is that naive that she doesn‘t understand what‘s happening. She‘s in love; she thinks B is in love with her. She also keeps thinking B will call for her. Gaskell I think also writes this in that we as the audience can infer what has happened. 1mo

mcctrish Good lord @Librarybelle @willaful I can appreciate this isn‘t a romance novel but it feels like Ruth is too dumb to know what‘s going on or I guess I am 🤣🤣 1mo

Librarybelle @mcctrish Oh no! I come to this reading knowing a little bit about Gaskell—this book was very controversial when it was published, as Gaskell wanted to show society how cruel they were to women like Ruth—and I keep getting Tess vibes from this. I‘m also incredibly jaded and have read enough 19th century lit to guess what‘s going on. I think Gaskell is trying to show that sheltering your daughters from the world leads them to situations like this. 1mo

Librarybelle ⬆️ If I didn‘t have prior knowledge, I‘d be wondering the same things as everyone else! 1mo

mcctrish @Librarybelle I commend Gaskell for her mission 1mo

Librarybelle @mcctrish Me too! She strikes me as a woman who was strong and was willing to make people think. 1mo

Bookwormjillk @Librarybelle major Tess vibes! 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly I agree with @willaful and @Librarybelle. It reminds me of Sister Carrie—I read it knowing it was supposed to be super scandalous and not knowing why, and then I was so confused when it became clear to me she‘d had sex with a man, and went back a few chapters trying to figure out when that was mentioned. I think neither Gaskell nor Dreiser could have published anything more explicit; a man and woman sharing a room was enough for their readers. 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly

Sister Carrie

1mo

BarkingMadRead @Clare-Dragonfly @Librarybelle that makes total sense 1mo

willaful @Librarybelle overly sheltering on the one hand, but also selfishly putting them potentially in harm's way and then abandoning them, like her mistress did. And.. Thomas was it? He had no words to explain to her what he was (very rightfully) afraid of. Keeping people ignorant keeps them powerless. 1mo

Librarybelle Agreed, @Clare-Dragonfly . I think the audience of Gaskell‘s time would immediately draw a conclusion about sharing a room at the inn. 1mo

Librarybelle Yes, @willaful ! Completely agree! 1mo

Crinoline_Laphroaig I'm find Ruth's naivete annoying. I yelled at page stop being so clueless. Also she was given a room stop skulking in the hallway. And stay out of the Dragons way. 1mo

rubyslippersreads I think sharing a room with a man was enough to ruin Ruth, whereas for Bellingham, although his mommy didn‘t like it, “boys will be boys.” 1mo

34 likes26 comments

BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 4: the day trip takes a turn #thomasseesall #bellinghamisstillajerk #theystaytoolong #timeforashortcut #agrumpymasonseesthem #nohomeforruth #bellinghamtakesadvantage #becausethatswhatbrosdo 🙄 #offtolondon #isaiditbeforeandillsayitagain #whatcouldgowrong #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 2mo

mcctrish We could take the carriage but then I‘d miss my walking time FFS right from the get go it was doomed to fail but running into Mason was even worse than I expected 2mo

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish how did she get to be this age and know nothing about men?!? Ugh! 2mo

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mcctrish @BarkingMadRead nobody talks about anything useful apparently 2mo

IndoorDame Seriously! Why does nobody talk to their daughters about anything useful? And why hasn‘t this changed more? 2mo

IndoorDame I hate him so much more now!!! I was predicting she‘d stay completely clueless and he‘d just passively take advantage, but she finally had half a good instinct and good idea, and tried to act on it, and he‘s doubling down on his scheming and manipulation! 😡 2mo

Clare-Dragonfly For a minute there I thought Mrs. Mason was going to drag her away and Ruth would be upset but safe for the time being. But no, she just made it worse 😭😭😭 2mo

TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead half the teen moms I mentor have zero idea how they got pregnant … guess what they are…. Evangelical Christians 😵‍💫😭🤢🤬 2mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame Religiosity and control. Knowledge is power. 2mo

TheBookHippie @Clare-Dragonfly 😭😭😭😭 2mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame LOATHE INTENSELY 2mo

BarkingMadRead @TheBookHippie nooooooooo 🙈🙈🙈 2mo

TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead makes me so mad. 2mo

Bookwormjillk It‘s a bookworm thrill to sit down on a Sunday and read a chapter that starts with a sentence about how lovely Sundays are. Too bad the chapter took a turn, like we all said it would. Also maybe if Mason would have just fed her a sandwich Ruth wouldn‘t have been wandering around on Sundays making bad decisions. 2mo

dabbe What makes this even sadder (IMHO) is that Ruth thinks she loves this man and willingly believes he'll take care of her. I mean, she saw him save a kid, he's rich, he gave her a flower and (so far) has acted fairly chivalrously. If it weren't for our omniscient narrator, I might be swayed, too. At least Tess loathed D'Urberville. Not that it saved her. #men 🙄 2mo

willaful Such an excruciating chapter! It's like everything conspires against her. :-(

@IndoorDame yes, he is absolute trash. 🤬 2mo

currentlyreadinginCO Agreed @dabbe I can't stand the way in which she trusts this man, but I suppose that the narrator makes it really easy to understand what's about to go down here for even the most naive of readers 2mo

dabbe @currentlyreadinginCO Definitely not going to be good for Ruth. And we already love and care about her! 😢 2mo

dabbe @willaful @IndoorDame Pretty package on the outside, utter evil on the inside. 👿 2mo

Crinoline_Laphroaig Naivete of Ruth is so over the top. I find it hard to bite she has no concept of the social mores of the day. Also setting out at 2pm with expectation that you'll be home on time is just bad math. 2mo

Aimeesue A big part of Ruth‘s problem is her unwillingness “to oppose the wishes of any one.” Fine when it‘s your parents or people who love you, but horrible when it‘s someone who wants to control you or take advantage of you. 1mo

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BarkingMadRead

Ruth | Elizabeth Gaskell

Ch 3: poor lonely Ruth #masonissocheap #nodinneronsundays #ruthspendsthetimealone #tragicpast #bellinghamaskshertogowalking #ofcourseshegoes #sheslonely #brothermyass #heplansalongwalktoheroldhome #whatcouldgowrong #heknowsbetter #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @librarybelle @ruthiella @currentlyreadinginCO @amor4libros @bookwormjillk @catlass007 @mcctrish @indoordame @rubyslippersreads @thebookhippie @dabbe @crinoline_laphroaig

@clare-dragonfly @julieclair @aimeesue @quietjenn @kao @bklover @alldebooks @jewright @cuilin @willaful 2mo

currentlyreadinginCO such a creep!! brother? plegh 2mo

AllDebooks I'm not a fan of Bellingham, gives me the heebie jeebies 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 2mo

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IndoorDame Agreed! Super bad vibes! But being young and cold with nowhere to go is super relatable. Bad options start to seem better when you‘re desperate. 2mo

TheBookHippie 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 She doesn‘t even see it coming 😭 poor girl. And her father 😡 how horrific to leave a Will like that!!!! 2mo

Cuilin Agree with everyone. Bellingham = all the 🚩‘s . She‘s so innocent, she has no idea. 2mo

Aimeesue Ugh. The whole “we need to walk or the servants will see us together” thing. RED FLAG, GIRL! RUN!! 2mo

Bookwormjillk Is it too late to mail Ruth a copy of Tess of the D‘Urbervilles? 2mo

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk 🤣🤣 2mo

Ruthiella @Bookwormjillk I was thinking too of Tess! Here we go again. 🙄 2mo

dabbe @Ruthiella @Bookwormjillk At least this guy saved a kid. #theonlythinggoingforhim 2mo

mcctrish @dabbe #theonlything 🤦🏻‍♀️ 2mo

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk 🤣🤣🤣 2mo

mcctrish This is going sideways promptly 2mo

rubyslippersreads @Bookwormjillk 😹 2mo

Crinoline_Laphroaig Mrs Mason ' oh lets not ask how anyone spent there days because I might find out that they were cold and hungry and I might be forced to do something about it. 2mo

BarkingMadRead @Crinoline_Laphroaig she‘s the worst 2mo

38 likes17 comments

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