#american field pansy

[worm-gar]

American Field Pansy growing out of the cracks of the sidewalk found this morning on a walk with my dog.

They are so teensy tiny

SwampMan Craig is a 20 lb AHT for scale

[satansapostle6]

Characters I Write For

Please message me with any ideas/requests! I need ideas(short fics or series)

Mostly write for fem!readers. I can write fluff, angst, smut, etc. If I’m not comfortable with something I can let you know

Character/Actor List

Favorite Characters/Actors To Write For

Draco Malfoy, Weasley twins

Jesse Pinkman

Paul Dano characters

Josh Hutcherson characters

Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel

Damon Salvatore, Silas, Klaus Mikaelson, Kol Mikaelson

Rodrick Heffley

Bellamy Blake

Ezra Fitz(should probably make it clear I don’t condone)

Ian Duncan(Community)

Charlie(It’s Always Sunny)

Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase

Finnick Odair

Tommy Shelby

Killian Hook

Paul Dano

Klitz(The Girl Next Door)

Dwayne Hoover(Little Miss Sunshine)

Edward Nashton(The Batman)

Calvin Weir-Fields(Ruby Sparks)

Brian Wilcox(Fast Food Nation)

Joby Taylor(For Ellen)

Nick Flynn(Being Flynn)

Josh Hutcherson

Peeta Mellark(The Hunger Games)

Mike Schmidt(FNAF)

Josh Futturman(Future Man)

Devon Bostick

Rodrick Heffley(Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

Jasper Jordan(The 100)

Cillian Murphy

Tommy Shelby(Peaky Blinders)

Dr. Jonathan Crane(The Dark Knight)

Neil(Watching the Detectives)

Christian Bale

Patrick Bateman(American Psycho)

Bruce Wayne(The Dark Knight)

Breaking Bad

Jesse Pinkman

Jane Margolis

Saul Goodman

Harry Potter(Golden Trio Era)

Harry Potter

Ron Weasley

Hermione Granger

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Ginny Weasley

Luna Lovegood

Neville Longbottom

Draco Malfoy

Pansy Parkinson

Blaise Zabini

Theodore Nott

Daphne Greengrass

Adrian Pucey

Terence Higgs

Harry Potter(Marauders Era)

James Potter

Remus Lupin

Sirius Black

Lily Potter

Severus Snape

Regulus Black

Lucius Malfoy

Narcissa Malfoy

Bellatrix Lestrange

Arthur Weasley

Harry Potter(Fantastic Beasts Era)

Newt Scamander

Queenie Goldstein

Leta Lestrange

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson

Annabeth Chase

Luke Castellan

Thalia Grace

Jason Grace

+ Gods

Criminal Minds

Spencer Reid

Aaron Hotchner

Emily Prentiss

Derek Morgan

JJ

Penelope Garcia

David Rossi

Elle Greenaway

Cat Adams

Megan Kane

Supernatural

Dean Winchester

Sam Winchester

John Winchester

Mary Winchester

Castiel

Charlie Bradbury

Rowena McLeod

Adam Milligan

Lucifer

Ruby

Jessica Moore

Gabriel

Benny Lafitte

Bela Talbot

Jo Harvelle

Ellen Harvelle

Superstore

Jonah Simms

Amy Sosa

Marcus White

Garrett McNeill

Gilmore Girls

Lorelai Gilmore

Christopher Hayden

Luke Danes

Logan Huntzberger

Jess Mariano

The Hunger Games

Peeta Mellark

Katniss Everdeen

Gale Hawthorn

Finnick Odair

Johanna Mason

Haymitch Abernathy

Pretty Little Liars

Aria Montgomery

Spencer Hastings

Emily Fields

Hannah Marin

Mona Vanderwaal

Alison Di Laurentis

Jason Di Laurentis

Ezra Fitz

Toby Cavanaugh

Jenna Marshall

Caleb Rivers

The Vampire Diaries

Damon Salvatore

Stefan Salvatore

Katherine Pierce

Elena Gilbert

Jeremy Gilbert

Bonnie Bennett

Caroline Forbes

The Originals

Klaus Mikaelson

Elijah Mikaelson

Kol Mikaelson

Rebekah Mikaelson

Freya Mikaelson

Hayley Marshall

Marcel Gerard

Davina Claire

Twilight

Edward Cullen

Bella Swan

Alice Cullen

Jasper Hale

Rosalie Hale

Emmett Cullen

Victoria

The 100

Bellamy Blake

Octavia Blake

Jasper Jordan

Shameless

Fiona Gallagher

Lip Gallagher

Carl Gallagher

Frank Gallagher

Mandy Milkovich

Kevin Ball

Veronica Fisher

The Bear

Carmy Berzatto

Sydney Adamu

Richie Jerimovich

Suicide Squad

Harley Quinn

Rick Flag

Blackguard

Once Upon A Time

Emma Swan

Regina Mills

Killian Jones

Rumplestiltskin

Robin Hood

Ruby

Hades

Community

Jeff Winger

Abed Nadir

Annie Edison

Troy Barnes

Ian Duncan

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Charlie Kelly

Dennis Reynolds

Dee Reynolds

Mac

Cricket

House MD

Greg House

Robert Chase

James Wilson

Lisa Cuddy

Parks and Recreation

Ben Wyatt

April Ludgate

Andy Dwyer

MCU, Marvel

Steve Rogers

Tony Stark

Natasha Romanoff

Bruce Banner

Wanda Maximoff

Loki Laufeyson

Peter Parker(Holland, Garfield, Maguire)

Gamora

Peter Quill

Scott Lang

Steven Strange

Jessica Jones

Wade Wilson

DC CW

Oliver Queen

Barry Allen

Felicity Smoak

Laurel Lance

Sara Lance

Malcom Merlyn

John Constantine

Leonard Snart

Ray Palmer

Caitlyn Snow

Julian Albert

Rip Hunter

10 Things I Hate About You

Patrick Verona

Cameron James

New Girl

Jess Day

Nick Miller

Schmidt

Other Characters

Charlie Kelmeckis(Perks Of Being A Wallflower)

Jesse Eisenberg Characters

Dr. Who(10th Doctor)

Will Probably Add More

[swifty-fox]

There had been precious few books in the paltry excuse for a library in the Stalag. A mismatch of subjects, many had been in German, maybe had been torn or dirtied. Pages ripped out or splattered with mud and the occasional more rusty stain Gale preferred to imagine was Wine instead of the heartsblood of some poor American G.I. field stripped and robbed by the enemy. Some were sequels with no prequels. Many were dry academic-sort texts. College textbooks and volumes of old stuffy poetry. 

They had been dull, tasteless. The few physics textbooks Gale had managed to track down to teach his fellow soldiers were interesting to him but held little excitement for the rest. But there had been one book, a gardening manual written in German that stood out. Page after page of highly detailed, lovingly painted flowers and leaves. Fat bumblebees and butterflies danced between the pages, alighting on butter yellow daffodils and pansies and tulips. Diagrams of flowers, renderings of different garden styles and configuarionts. In the brown wood, brown dirt, red blood of the Stalag it was a riot of color and life that sometimes hurt to even look at. 

John had coveted that book, pulled rank to snatch it away from the greedy ownership of his fellow soldiers. There’d been countless nights Gale had watched pore over that book as closely as if he could read the words, dirty fingernails tracing the curves of petals and leaves with desperate tenderness. He’d worn some pages translucent thin. 

Forsythia, Crocus, Azalea. Wisteria.

Spring flowers, bright flowers. They’d become little more than whispers of their own image, absorbed into John through hours of reverent touch.

John had burned it for warmth, holed up in some farmhouse halfway through their march and shivering until their teeth broke against themselves. Gale could remember his grip tight on the book, creasing the pages. He’d thought John would tuck it back into his coat pocket, thought he’d open it for one last peruse of his favorite pages.

John had tossed it on the starving flames, face impassive. 

Later, in the quiet of a German forest Gale realized he had switched coats accidentally with John at some point. A mix-up in the confusion of the march. And he finds a torn scrap of paper, nearly silk-like for how many times it had been folded and then flattened. Painted with the lavender-hued petals of Wisteria. -Kfak (WIP: 51k)

116 pages and this bitch is talking about flowers instead of letting me wrap up this damn story

[alcnfr]

American Field Pansy (Viola rafinesquei) blooming in the yard...

[dsthingsandstuff]

Henbit and American field pansy covering the yard

[pacific-rimbaud]

Firstly, I love your work so much - everything, from the hideous dialogue in the opening scene of One and Done, to all the muggle AUs (socialist firebrand Hermione in Party Lines 😍), to vignettes like Tommy Plays Guitar and Les Pèlerins (one of my go-to first fic recs), they’ve given me so much joy. Thank you.Q: how do you come up with your premises and pairings? Especially uncommon ones like Luna/Tom, Draco’s friendship with Charlie in Field Guide, Narcissa and Percy at a summer camp?!

My first rare pair was Pansy/Neville, when I was new to fanfiction and fandom and had never heard the term "rare pair" or read any. I just thought Rights & Wrongs Pansy deserved to be unequivocally centered by a partner, and Neville would be really sweet to her. I remember having to look up what "rare pair" meant when someone expressed their surprise. In 2020-2021, I started to dig into HP rare pair writers and was hooked. At that time, I was in a rare pairs group on Facebook, and had the best time dreaming up and writing rare pairs with my close friends. I also did a number of Wheel of Doom prompts, where my friends or I would open a prompting period on Tumblr and then select pairs and prompts via picker wheel.

Luna/Tom was a Tumblr Wheel of Doom fic (ship and song prompt, which was Girls Just Wanna Have Fun), Draco + Charlie in Field Guide was a pairing from the 3rd round of the 2020 Death By Quill HP writing competition (my three surviving entries from that comp are Tommy Played Guitar, Field Guide to North American Dragons, and Major Aracana), and Percy/Narcissa came out of the joyful creative confluence of the summer camp collaboration and our hilarious, unhinged group chats.

It was all so so so fun. I miss those times.

[sunflowersareonfire]

Nature Memo #1

I decided to go on a little adventure over the weekend since I had three days off (I generally work on the weekends and am almost always on-call for crisis situations). I picked up a new journal so that I could collect plant samples and press them. I've been intending to do this for way too long (2011) but have not gotten around to doing it until now.

I find nature to be mesmerizing and way too often taken for granted. Parks are great, and those with unpaved nature trails are even better. But even then, they are taken for granted.

In any event, below are the list of observations that I made. This is incomplete because I did not include the trees and shrubs that were observed. Of the 29 listed items below, 10 were ones that I had not previously recorded, so I'm pretty excited about that. The total number of living species (plants, insects, birds, reptiles, fungi, arachnids, mammals, fish, mollusks, amphibians, and other species) that I have recorded (as in, photographed, dated, and confirmed the species of) is now 276.

Plants observed (all pressed!)

Oxalis triangularis, False Shamrock

Narcissus poeticus, Poet’s Narcissus

Achillea millefolium, Common Yarrow

Muscari neglectum, Grape Hyacinth

Galium aparine, Catchweed Bedstraw

Stellaria media, Common Chickweed

Oxalis violacea, Violet Woodsorrel

Vinca minor, Lesser Periwinkle

Bowlesia incana, Hoary Bowlesia

Narcissus tazetta, Bunch-flowered Daffodil

Veronica persica, Bird’s-eye Speedwell

Valerianella locusta, Common Cornsalad

Allium vineale, Wild Garlic

Cardamine hirsuta, Hairy Bittercress

Ranunculus hispidus, Bristly Buttercup

Ornithogalum umbellatum, Common Star-of-Bethlehem

Houstonia pusilla, Tiny Bluet

Viola bicolor, American Field Pansy

Claytonia virginica, Virginia Spring Beauty

Insects observed

Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Black Carpenter Ant

Papilio rutulus, Western Tiger Swallowtail (Butterfly)

Coleomegilla maculata, Spotted Pink Ladybeetle

Polistes Carolina, Red Wasp

Eurema lisa, Little Yellow (Butterfly)

Celastrina ladon, Spring Azure (Butterfly)

Amphibians observed

Pseudacris crucifer, Spring Pepper (Frog)

Fungi observed

Trametes versicolor, Turkey-tail

Cladonia evansii, Evan’s Deer Moss

Arachnids observed

Oxyopes salticus, Striped Lynx Spider

Next step is to let the pressed plans dry, followed by labeling, dating, notes on GPS coordinates for each sample, as well as information on whether it it is edible, seasonal growth, and if I am feeling particularly brave I will attempt to draw them.

All of these samples were taken in Arkansas between Siloam Springs, Pea Ridge National Battlefield, and Bella Vista.

[xtruss]

On the island of Sardinia, the flowers of mirror orchids (Ophrys speculum) perfectly mimic the reflection of blue sky on a female wasp's wings. Male wasps, beguiled by the flower's sight and scent, are lured into service carrying pollen from plant to plant. Photograph By Christian Ziegler, National Geographic

How To Photograph An Orchid! These Fascinating Plants Are Worlds Unto Themselves.

— By Alexa Keefe | Photographs: Christian Ziegler | Published: March 21, 2017

There are over 25,000 wild species of orchids on six continents around the globe, not counting thousands more hybrids cultivated by horticulturalists. Orchids come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and in almost every color except true black. They live in soil, atop rocks, or on trees, gleaning nutrients from the moist air.

Orchids are also masters of manipulation, using the full arsenal of their anatomy—color, textures, and smells—to trick insects into spreading their pollen. Their diversity—and adaptability—are what enthrall photographer Christian Ziegler. "Every place I have been, there have been orchids," he says, from the woods of southern Germany where he first discovered them on nature hikes as a boy, to the rainforests of Panama where he now lives.

Ziegler spent two years traveling the globe on assignment for National Geographic and for his book, Deceptive Beauties. He finds that the plants make fascinating subjects, and he has tips for anyone who wants to photograph their seductive flowers.

Courting bees and beetles, the nectarless pansy orchid impersonates a nutrition-rich neighbor, the pea flower.

Courting bees and beetles, the nectarless pansy orchid impersonates a nutrition-rich neighbor, the pea flower.

Do Your Research.

More than 90 percent of orchid species grow in the tropics, but that doesn’t mean there aren't some near you. North America alone is home to more than 200 species. (One resource for finding orchids near you: Go Orchids, a geographic database run by the North American Orchid Conservation Center.)

If a greenhouse or botanical garden is your best option, find out when the next orchid show will be and whether there are rules about photography.

Christian Ziegler photographs orchids in field in Sardinia.

Pack Light But Bring The Essentials.

When Ziegler goes into the field, he typically takes his digital SLR camera with a macro lens (2.8/100mm), a wide-angle zoom lens (2.8/16-40mm), three off-camera flashes, and a small tripod. "With the macro you can focus in on a small flower and easily isolate the flower from the background," he says. The shallow depth of field also blurs the background, so you get the colors of the surrounding environment without distracting from the star of the show.

Male flowers of tropical Catasetum orchids conceal a pollen-loaded slingshot, which fires its sticky bundle when a prospective pollinator jostles the trigger. Bees are prime targets. (Top)

Each mottled flower two inches across, a Prosthechea prismatocarpa bows from a moss-encrusted rock beside a mountain stream in Panama. (Bottom)

Show Them In Their Natural Element.

The landscape can be as much a part of the story as the orchid, Ziegler says. When he wants to incorporate the setting, Ziegler uses a wider lens. "The image turns into a landscape with the orchid as the focus, which works especially well when the flower has a strong color to help it stand out from the forest backdrop."

Snail orchid flowers photographed in a mobile studio in Western Australia (Right)

A crab spider orchid photographed in a mobile studio in Western Australia (Left)

A blue velvet orchid photographed in a field studio in Western Australia (Left)

A bird orchid photographed in a field studio in western Australia. (Right)

Play To Their Strengths.

"Both the shape and color of orchids are crucial. Everything depends on them," Ziegler says. "Sometimes I like the straightforward look of a simple portrait—just the flower—especially when it is small and you need to drive attention to it."

"I always use flash to highlight the orchid flower. I keep the flash low so it's hardly noticeable, but it helps to highlight the colors." He also uses a soft box to diffuse the light source.

If he is going for more of a portrait, he might photograph the plants against a black background in a makeshift field studio. "I use a large piece of black velvet and it's important to arrange it evenly. Then I set up three or four flashes on brackets and put my camera on a tripod. All without disturbing the plant." This enables us to focus on the beauty of the flower without distraction.

Following a perfume trail to its source, male wasps in Australia ravish a king spider orchid. Every orchid has a petal modified for pollination, some theatrically so. (Top)

Flies—one with a yellow pollen sac already attached to its back, in a spot it can't reach—visit a Masdevallia orchid in Central America. (Bottom)

Spend Time To See What Other Creatures Light Show-up.

Orchids are masters when it comes to attracting pollinators, even mimicking scents, colors, and textures of female insects in hopes of attracting males—who will unwittingly picking up tiny pollen packets in the process. Bees, butterflies, wasps, and hummingbirds are all lured by the orchid and can help tell a more complete story.

A lilliputian orchid, each flower under half an inch long, blooms brightly in the highlands of Panama.

Get Creative With Your Camera To Add Something Extra.

To photograph this lilliputian orchid, Ziegler tried a different approach. "I used three off-camera flashes combined with available light. Then I took a longer exposure for the picture, around one-tenth of a second, and moved the camera a little to create the washed-out effect around the edge of the flower." The macro lens creates a blurry background, which focuses all the attention on the flower.

Leave Them As You Found Them.

Like any wildlife, wild orchids are part of a larger ecosystem and disrupting them affects not only the plant, but also insects and creatures that rely on it. In some cases, orchids are also protected by law. And, chances are if you are enjoying the experience of finding and photographing an orchid, others will too.

[ubuntu-village]

The Sweet Sacrifice: Wild Field Pansies Evolve to Produce Less Nectar

As insect populations in Europe fall, some plants are turning to self-pollination.

Change is the essence of life, and this is no less true for the wild field pansy. This vibrant flower, a beloved staple of the American countryside, has been quietly evolving in ways that have significant implications for the ecosystems it inhabits. Recent research reveals that these pansies have gradually shifted towards self-pollination, producing less nectar in the process. But how has this…

[sailorsenshishitposter]

Steven Armstrong x Reader

Warning for racism and xenophobia

Senator Steven Armstrong:

You're extremely patriotic, from Texas or just love huge men who smash everything with their giant hulk fists

First Date:

You were a secretary at World Marshal Inc. and had started to recently have an affair with your boss who was not only CEO of the company but was also running as candidate for the upcoming election. To say you had to keep things on the down low would be a massive understatement. The public couldn't get wind of this as it would be a huge scandal. You were saddened that you hardly ever got to see Steven but he promise that he would make it up to you. He donned a fake moustache with a chef's hat and pretended that he was a world renowned culinary artist from France who's specicialty was making the mother of all omletes. Personally, you thought he was kind of over thinking it. Especially since you were at a football game.

"Did you know that I used to play for the University of Texas? They said I could go pro but I did the honorable thing and joined the navy. These pansies couldn't even keep up with me. I bet I could break them in two!" You placed your hand over his massive forearm. "Lets just try to enjoy the game dear." You were right. "I apologize. I'll go get us some refreshments." He kissed you on the cheek and walked off.

While waiting in line he couldn't help but notice that a large number of people ahead of him were of asian descent. "Damn foreigners! First these orientals come here with their candy ass trees and the next thing you know they're taking our jobs. It's unamerican, I tell you what!" he thought to himself. Eventually it was his turn and he reached the register. "Hello, may I take your order?" Armstrong couldn't believe his eyes. "Jack?! What are you doing here!" he said in disgust.

"NO! No fucking way am I serving you!" Armstrong grabbed him by the uniform. "You piece of shit, don't make me get your manager!" Raiden cursed under his breath. "Shit!" He knew he couldn't afford to lose this job. "Alright, fine! I'll have you know that since leaving Maverick, it's been very hard to find a job in this economy and I need this one to pay for my son's child support. Anyway, what will it be?"

Armstrong looked over the menu. It was all deep fried, calorie loaded garbage that would give you imminent diabetes but damn it, it was the most American food he had ever seen. "I'll take two Big Mac's, some fries and two Coca colas. How much will it be?" Raiden was trying everything he could to keep Jack at bay. "There aren't any Big Mac's, this isn't McDonald's! Order something else!"

Armstrong said "Fine. Two Whoppers. Take it or leave it!" Raiden slammed his head into the cash register violently. "You idiot! That's Burger King and we don't have those either!" Armstrong was getting agitated. "WHERE THE HELL IS A MAN SUPPOSED TO FIND A GOOD OLD FASHIONED HAMBURGER!?" Raiden then pointed to the sign. "Sir, this is a Wendy's. We have burgers if you'd like to order some."

"Fine!" he grumbled and the senator threw some change at the table. "Allow me to prepare your order" and with that, Raiden returned to the kitchen and took his sword out, slicing all the food he could. He returned with a bag and said "That will be $24.99" Armstrong scoffed. "Damn war economy!" He opened the bag and inspected all its contents. "The hell is this? My fries are cold!" Raiden was stunned. "Sir, I assure you that's the standard temperature we cook them at-" Suddenly Armstrong got in his face and was screaming about how he was being scammed and that he wanted his money back.

"No way! I'm not giving you a refund-" The next thing he knew, Raiden was punched so hard in the face that he flew into the air and landed on the football field. In his haste, Armstrong's disguise fell off and he rushed after the cyborg. The players stopped to look at what they were witnessing and a camera was now showing living footage on a large screen television. Armstrong jumped on Raiden and began to punch him so hard that craters began to form.

"Die you piece of shit!" He caused so much trauma to his skin that his nanomachines hardened in response. Gasps could be heard among the crowd. "Isn't that Senator Armstrong? Why is he trying to kill this man?" Another person shouted "Hey! Stop doing blackface!" Suddenly everyone in the stadium was taking pictures. Armstrong stopped. "What's happening?" Raiden let out a chuckle. "Check Twitter lately? You're getting #cancelled."

The senator stood up in a panic. "WAIT! THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!" Another person in the crowd began to shame him for attacking a helpless Liberian immigrant. "WHAT!? THERE'S NO WAY THAT SAUCY JACK IS A PERSON OF COLOUR!" Suddenly Bladewolf showed up and projected video footage of him in Packistan. "OH GREAT! NOT ONLY IS HE RACIST, BUT HE'S ALSO A COLONIZER!" The audience was calling for him to be burned at the stake.

The Denver police unit showed up and arrested him on the spot, much to everyone's joy. Sadly this was America and being a corrupt country that empowers terrible people, he was released the next day and received a slap on the wrist for attempted murder. He was just glad he could bribe the judges to drop the charges. He turned on the television.

"In other news, Senetor Steven Armstrong was arrested last week, his following in the polls dramatically dropping. CNET would like to show you our exclusive footage with our special guest. Jack, how have you been since the incident?" Armstrong couldn't believe it. Not only was Jack on screen but he was seemed healthy and likely well recovered.

"Pretty good actually. I have a really good doctor that was able to patch me up. The best part is that I don't even have to pay him in cash. He takes hands!" Raiden started to snicker. The anchor woman wasn't sure how to respond to such a statement. "Yes... Well then.. Do you have any words that you would like to say to Mr. Armstrong?"

"Yes. Yes I do. I just want everyone to know that the rest of this country doesn't like dumb old Texas and that people from there are dumb-" Armstrong began to screech. "HOW DARE THAT MAGGOT TAKE THE NAME OF TEXAS IN VAIN!" Suddenly he was having a massive heart attack and managed to press the life alert button on his wrist as he fell. Paramedics arrived and rushed him to the hospital where he would later die during open heart surgery.

[ladlesnsoup]

could you pick some favorite albums of all time out of like everything you have ever listened to

It is so hard to pick favorites so Imma limit myself to 15 of my favorites but these albums are just like completely iconic and/or rewired my brain and I probably am forgetting some ngl (also these aren't in any particular order)

- The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs

- Green Day's American Idiot

- Selena's Amor Prohibido

- Mitski's Be The Cowboy

- Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland

- Rosalía's El Mal Querer

- Cocteau Twins' Heaven or Las Vegas

- Nirvana's In Utero

- Phoebe Bridger's Punisher

- KISS' self titled album

- Korn's self titled album

- Slipknot's self titled album

- SZA's SOS

- MCR's Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge

- Pansy Division's Undressed

[cyeria]

wild pansy

[rivermaison-archive]

Some cute wildflowers I found in my backyard~

(American field pansy)

[onebluebookworm]

June 2022 Book Club Picks

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Dorian Gray is young, beautiful, and innocent - the perfect subject for portrait artist Basil Hallward to capture on the canvas. Basil’s acquaintance Lord Henry Wotton agrees, but laments the cruelty of Dorian losing his beauty and vitality to the ravages of age, while his portrait remains unchanged. Dorian, influenced by Lord Henry’s hedonistic worldview, utters a terrible wish - if only his portrait could age instead. As Dorian descends further into selfish sin, his portrait continues to twist, a hideous reflection of his crimes.

Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Baker: The relatively new field of queer theory can often seem vast and unapproachable to the uninitiated. Through this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated guide, scholar Meg-John Baker and cartoonist Julia Scheele aim to demystify the many tenants and schools of thought, from Kinsey and Butler’s early groundwork theories to more modern, inclusive takes.

The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies by Vito Russo: Traces the history and social implications of homosexuality portrayed on film, from the Pansy Craze and sissy characters of early film, to the various backlashes homosexuality in film has faced, to the multitude of censorship attempts to keep gay representation off the screen.

How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Scientists Tames AIDS by David France: Part history, part social commentary, part memoir, and part political manifesto, David France minutely tracks the full course of the American AIDS epidemic, to the culture wars of the early years, to the fight for life in the later years. Heartbreaking in many place; you will bawl like a baby.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kristen Cronin-Mills: Gabe is like a record - he has an A side that everyone knows, and a B side, which isn’t as well known, but just as good. His A side is Elizabeth, assigned female at birth and part of a family that isn’t quite ready to accept the truth, that he’s a boy and always has been. But at night, on his radio show, Gabe lets his B side play free and loud. And when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes along, Gabe has to choose whether he’s ready to let everyone hear his B side.

[pacific-rimbaud]

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (ish) favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Tagging @dreamsofdramione @scullymurphy @feelingofthesea @heyjude19-writing @niffizzle @ms-merlinblack @anneamm @frumpologist @raven-m-3 @ravenslightwrites and anyone else who would like to do this!

(I made a separate post, the other one has grown vry lorge)

Les Pèlerins

Draco x Hermione, Rated M, 10k words complete one-shot

I still cannot believe I was asked to write for D/Hr Advent. Thank you again to anyone who put my name in that hat. 🤯 I had a few ideas for Advent (Mall AU where Draco and Hermione are elves at the North Pole, Bletchley Park codebreakers AU) but really wanted to do an urban walking-and-talking piece just to see if I could write something that was actually readable. I particularly love what you don’t see: a broken Draco sitting in churches contemplating redemption, trying to glue himself back together and discovering his shape has changed, Hermione trying to make life and love work through sheer force of will and then learning to ease her grip, what it looks like for D&H that morning, the rest of the winter, in the spring.

Bright Objects

Pansy x Neville, Rated E, 17.5k words complete multi-chapter

This is less about the piece itself and more about the process of creating it with @grangerdangerfics @scullymurphy and @provocative-envy​ I am SO proud of what the four of us built as a whole, and our time working on it was one of the very best parts of a really terrible year. 25/10, would die for this crew and also for this soft soft Neville and this vulnerable, relatable bébé Pansy having a watershed WTF moment at the threshold of adulthood.

The Secretary

Pansy x Percy, Rated E, 45.9k complete multi-chapter

This was my second completed short multi-chapter after A Dress with Pockets, and it was a total pleasure to write. I have a lot of feels for these two. I loved this office AU so much I wrote in it again. Also I sometimes think about how smutty this is and want to hide my face, WHAT HAVE I DONE?

Notes on the Temptation of Peter and Heloise

Pansy x Percy, Rated T, 3k complete one-shot

This was exceptionally satisfying to write. I don’t know about anyone else but I loved watching this Pansy Parkinson lose her goddamned mind over this Percy Weasley. The absolute ache of these two. This is tied with Field Guide to North American Dragons for my favorite of the pieces I wrote in Death by Quill 2020. I grew tremendously over that competition and am deeply grateful for that experience.

One and Done

Draco x Hermione, Rated E, 35k complete multi-chapter

I know this is just a small slice of zesty Hermaco cheesecake, but it’s also probably the most Me thing I’ve written. My soul looks like this fic. Gawain Robards: a self-insert. This is my very, very favorite Draco (although he is very much adjacent to Draco from Love and Other Historical Accidents). I LOVE HIM. I love how much he loves her. I LOVE PANSY in this, I love that Pansy “Dislocated Cunt” Parkinson is the woman who loses her shit for Percy “Keep Calm and Carry On” Weasley in this AU, and for all its frivolity and spice, the scene where Pansy narrates Draco’s fantasy is structurally one of the more elegant things I’ve ever written.

Also, I’m not burning down the fandom art world, but I am SO proud of the art that sparked One and Done. I drew this from absolute scratch (this is a very art-nerdy thing to be excited about!) including that lace, and FUNNY STORY: to make it look right I had to draw and shade her bare breasts and then add the lace over her skin as a separate layer, which was a much, much spicier place than I was ever planning to go with fan art.

[clemsfilmdiary]

The Best of June 2021

Best Discovery: Advise & Consent

           Runners Up: The Asphalt Jungle, The Big Heat, The Boys Next Door, Broken Blossoms, Coup de Torchon, Dark Blue, Downloading Nancy, Grand Hotel, The Nun's Story, Out of the Past, Sunrise, The Unknown, The Wind

Best Rewatch: Body Heat

           Runners Up: The Blue Angel, Days of Heaven, Floating Weeds, Sicario, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Most Enjoyable Fluff: Chocolat

           Runners Up: Garage Sale Murder: The Novel Murders, Last Scene Alive: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery, Love Under the Stars, Ms. Matched, Ninotchka, Redneck, Stop the Wedding, Summer Villa, You Had Me at Aloha

Oddity of the Month: Viva

Best Male Performance: William Hurt in Body Heat

           Runners Up: Maxwell Caulfield and Charlie Sheen in The Boys Next Door, Lon Chaney in The Unknown, Melvyn Douglas in Ninotchka, Glenn Ford in The Big Heat, Emil Jannings in The Blue Angel, Philippe Noiret in Coup de Torchon, Jason Patric in Downloading Nancy, Kurt Russell in Dark Blue

Best Female Performance: Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

           Runners Up: Maria Bello in Downloading Nancy, Emily Blunt in Sicario, Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus, Greta Garbo in Ninotchka, Audrey Hepburn in The Nun's Story, Kathleen Turner in Body Heat

Best Supporting Performance: Ray Wise in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

           Runners Up: Stephane Audran and Isabelle Huppert in Coup de Torchon, Lionel Barrymore and Joan Crawford in Grand Hotel, Gloria Grahame in The Big Heat, Jean Hagen in The Asphalt Jungle, Machiko Kyō in Floating Weeds, Don Murray in Advise & Consent

Most Enjoyable Ham: Kavan Smith in You Had Me at Aloha

           Runners Up: Joan Crawford in Humoresque and Untamed, Bo Derek in Ghosts Can't Do It, David Keith and Tim Thomerson in Take This Job and Shove It, Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon, Tony Musante in The Detective, Shawn Roberts in Ms. Matched

Best Screen Couple: David Keith and Tim Thomerson in Take This Job and Shove It

           Runners Up: Maxwell Caulfield and Charlie Sheen in The Boys Next Door, Melvyn Douglas and Greta Garbo in Ninotchka

Best Mise-en-scène: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

           Runners Up: The Blue Angel, Body Heat, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Days of Heaven, Floating Weeds, The Letter, Out of the Past, Sicario, Sunrise, Viva

Best Locations: Days of Heaven (rolling wheat fields of Southern Alberta)

           Runners Up: Floating Weeds (exteriors of cozy Wakayama seaside town), Iguana (rocky volcanic island locations), The Journey of August King, (dark forested roads and open hills of rural North Carolina) Sicario (bleak Sonoran desert, sprawling urban hellscape of Juarez), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (eerie suburban dream-houses, abandoned railway carriage and lush, foggy rainforest)

Best Score: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (Angelo Badalamenti)

           Runners Up: Body Heat (John Barry), Broken Blossoms (Joseph Turrin), The Letter (Max Steiner), Sicario (Jóhann Jóhannsson)

Best Cartoon: Minnie the Moocher

           Close Second: Lullaby Land

           Runners Up: Dizzy Dishes, Oh What a Knight, Three Little Pigs

Best Leading Hunk: William Hurt in Body Heat

          Runners Up: Maxwell Caulfield in The Boys Next Door, Robert LaBrosse and Jason Saucier in Three for One, Niall Matter in Stop the Wedding, Franco Nero in Redneck, Jason Patric in Incognito and The Journey of August King, Shawn Roberts in Ms. Matched

Best Supporting Hunk: Don Murray in Advise & Consent

           Runners Up: John Finn in Geronimo: An American Legend, David Keith and Tim Thomerson in Take This Job and Shove It, Norman Kerry in The Unknown, Dash Mihok and Scott Speedman in Dark Blue, Jason Patric in Becoming

           Honorable Mention: Craig Stevens in Humoresque

Assorted Pleasures:

- Phantasmagoric shape-shifting tanuki parade in Pom Poko

- Uncanny walrus rotoscoping of Cab Calloway's dance routine in Minnie the Moocher

- Striking blend of color and black and white in Pleasantville

- Rare early glimpses of seedy gay underworlds in Advise & Consent and The Detective

- Tantalizingly juicy Pansy-Craze nightclub scene in Call Her Savage