#and Bernhardt too

[heritagebrowser]

The most famous art nouveau style shop interior must be the shop of Nicholas Fouquet

L

Because of the particularly remarkable decorations of the Fouquet jewelry store, reconstituted and presented within the collections of the Carnavalet museum, you are immediately immersed in the Art Nouveau style, born in Belgium and further developed in France (and later also other distinct european regions), which will dominate the architecture, the decorative arts then the plastic arts (paintings, sculpture) until the First World War. A style characterized by curved and elegant lines; floral, plant or animal motifs inspired by nature; slender and idealized female silhouettes with extra long, flowing and evanescent hair. A style that will also put color back at the heart of arts and architecture.

To create the decorations for his jewelry store, presented here at the Carnavalet museum, Georges Fouquet (1862-1957) called on the Czech Alfons Mucha (1860-1939), an essential and emblematic illustrator of Art Nouveau from the end of the 19th century . Mucha was born on July 24, 1860 in Moravia, a region today partly encompassed by Czechia. After passing through Prague, Vienna and Munich, he arrived in Paris in 1887 to study art. At the same time, he gradually became known by producing magazines, illustrating catalogs or creating sublime advertising posters. His portraits of the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt, like those of many women in a vaporous and typically Art Nouveau style, made him famous. So much so that he was officially rewarded for his talents at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900, notably thanks to a collection of jewelry that he designed.

This is how, in 1901, Georges Fouquet invited Mucha to design the decor for his new jewelry store located at 6 rue Royale, between Place de la Concorde and La Madeleine. The artist created a modern and functional boutique (Art Nouveau is in fact a quest for both aesthetics and functionality), designed as a work of art in its own right. Mosaics, furniture, display cases, stained glass windows, lighting, door handles... everything in the decorations and volumes is of naturalistic inspiration, with a lot of curves, plant and floral motifs, or even animal motifs (the bronze peacocks behind and in the (counter tops are beautiful). A central figure in Mucha's work, the elegant woman is present here too, but mainly in front of the store or in small touches inside. Dreamlike, magical and almost phantasmagorical, the powerful settings imagined by Alfons Mucha will surprise, fascinate and seduce his contemporaries. Dismantled in 1923, most of the shop's decor was given to the Carnavalet museum by Georges Fouquet in 1941. But only in the 1980's the shop interior was reconstructed in the museum.

[hussyknee]

From the blog of K. J. Charles dated 19th April 2024, copy-pasted for Tumblr history nerds and historical fiction writers.

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Eponymosity!

A quickie blog post today, inspired by Benjamin Dreyer’s entertaining rant on the distinction between eponymous and titular (it’s in footnote 1 for a clearer explanation than I am inclined/able to provide), and also by the fact that one of these sneaky little bastards nearly got me in a recent book.

So. An eponym is simply a word taken from a person’s name. Obamacare is an eponym, so is Reaganomics. If you hoover your carpets, the verb comes from the eponymous brand of vacuum cleaner. (We do not use the capital letter, no matter what the Hoover corporation may think: that ship has sailed, as demonstrated by the fact that I hoover with a Dyson.)

If you write historical novels, eponyms are one of those damn things. They tend to be extremely and usefully specific in meaning, but they are also extremely specific in dates, meaning you can’t rely on the old “well it was probably around for decades before it made it into the dictionary” line.

Here for your advisory is an incomplete list of eponyms that may trip you up, depending on period.

Boycott: The name comes from 1880 (Ireland, Charles Boycott, a shitty land agent who was socially and economically ostracised). The practice is older: there was a widespread boycott in the UK of slavery-produced sugar starting in 1791, during which sales plummeted by something like 40%. It is totally historically plausible to have a consumer or personal boycott in your Georgian or Regency novel, but you can’t call it a boycott for several decades more.

Chauvinist: Named for a French vaudeville character. Meaning ‘blinkered nationalist’ it dates from 1840; you can’t use it for a male pig until 1960.

Fedora: The hat beloved of men who spend too long on the internet getting angry about Star Wars sequels actually used to be a symbol of female liberation and cross dressing. Comes from the 1887 play Fédora starring Sarah Bernhardt.

Fuchsia: You will be able to spell this if you remember it’s an eponym for Mr Fuchs. The flowers are so named in the UK in the 1750s, the colour not till the 1920s. Do not put your Regency heroine in fuchsia, is what I mean.

Maverick: Supposedly from a US cattle owner, Samuel Maverick, who let his calves run wild. 1880s US at the very earliest, more probably 1930s. Yes, that is irritating.

Mesmeric: He may have compelling eyes but they ain’t mesmeric before the 1860s. The hypnotist Mesmer flourished in the late 1700s, giving us mesmerism (hypnosis); mesmerise wasn’t a verb till the end of the Regency, and even then it still meant ‘to put into a hypnotic trance’.

Sadistic: Marquis de Sade, as you already know, but NB that sadist/sadistic aren’t in general use till the 1890s or so when sexology got going, along with masochism (also an eponym).

Sandwich: 1762 since you ask.

Silhouette: The outline picture is named for French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette. Used in France from 1760. However, despite there being a craze for silhouettes in England, the actual word didn’t come here till the mid 1820s, which is sodding annoying if your novel about a silhouette cutter happens to be set in 1819 I’M JUST SAYING.

Sweet Fanny Adams: This UK usage originally referring to something no good, now often used as an alternative to ‘sweet FA/fuck all’, came in from 1869 and cannot be used before 1867. You really don’t want to know where it comes from but here if you must (be warned, it’s genuinely grim). (My note: tw for CSA and child murder.)

Thug: Originally from India. Used to describe the Thuggee (as Brits then called it) sect from 1810. Didn’t become generalised to all violent lowlifes till 1839. You can’t be assaulted by thugs in a Regency unless they are actually Thugs.

Trilby: Another hat your Regency gentleman can’t wear. Comes from George du Maurier’s mega hit Trilby published 1894, which also gave us svengali (the name of the baddie in the book).

Feel free to add to this in the comments, there’s always something!

Death in the Spires, my Oxford-set historical murder mystery, is out now. The silhouette book, The Duke at Hazard, publishes in July.

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End c+p.

KJ Charles is one of my absolute favourite writers in the world and the contemporary star in the crown of the MM historical romance genre. Her blog is also worthy of following because she reads incredibly widely and diversely and posts book recommendations as well as good advice about writing.

Re: Dreyer's rant, I am absolutely a prescriptivist, and if you use the word "nonplussed" in that unholy way I'm blocking you. We colonized folk of the former Raj didn't learn the intricacies of this cussed language for you to change meanings on a dime because you couldn't be bothered to crack open a dictionary.

[philosophors]

“We ought to hate very rarely, as it is too fatiguing; remain indifferent to a great deal, forgive often and never forget.”

— Sarah Bernhardt

[yinandyanglifestyle]

I went to Sydney for Alphonse Mucha

by: Icie

One thing to know about me, I was an interior design major back in my home country. I absolutely sucked at it, but I fell in love with Art History. In that minor, our professors taught us about different art styles through the ages and bit by bit I saw the progress of art through the ages. I loved the OG Gothic Style, Romanesque, was disillusioned with Baroque and Rococo from the west... It was too Western focused and it didn't interest me as much (because I was an Asian kid) until we got towards the end of the 19th century where the grandparents of weebs (of which I am a part of) hailed from and Japonisme was a thing. Japonisme inspired so much beautiful art and it triggered a domino effect that ultimately led to Art Nouveau where Alphonse Mucha was a main character.

This was it. My favourite art style! I can never go back to loving other art styles after discovering Art Nouveau. It spoke to me about how feminine it was and it awakened something from my mostly masculine soul. I wanted to see more of these beautiful girls surrounded by flowers and stars, wearing kimono-inspired clothes in pretty pastels. The macaroni hair only added to the romanticism of it all. This is what love is like, but in art form!

Fast forward to 2024, The Mucha Foundation collaborated with the Art Gallery of New South Wales to host over 200 of this master's works which was "the most comprehensive exhibition ever seen in Australia of this visionary artist's work". I had to see it. I needed to see it! I am a big fan of Mucha and Art Nouveau, and one of my dreams was to go to Paris, Brussels, and Prague for all of the beautiful swirly-whirlies. Being a Brisbanite, I was exited. Please come to my city! Please, please, please! But AGNSW said "sorry, it's exclusive to Sydney."

Dammit. It's off to Sydney I go. I donned my Sailor Moon dress, packed my bag for a 3 day trip with my partner just so I could see this legend's works and boy, I was not disappointed. I learned to love Mucha and his works even more. We landed in Sydney, didn't check in our hotel, and went straight to the main quest:

Outside, they had this big banner of Mucha's name. Inside was this glorious area that showcased Summer (left) and Rose (right). Oh wait, the exhibit is next door. So we went to the more modern building, down two floors, bought tickets, and enjoyed the art.

In the newer building next door, I was treated to pre-art nouveau Mucha. We learned about what his life was like before his popularity. He designed some clothes for a theatre, hung out with everyone's buddy Paul Gaugin, Ludek Marold and Annah the Javanese. The tour guide said, "if he wasn't a painter, he would've been a great photographer".

Then we were treated to the meat of the exhibit: the Sarah Bernhardt stuff, his lithographs, his sketches, but what struck me most were his concept art to reality. (Excuse my phone's shadow. For some reason, AGNSW decided to put these works on a 45° angle under bright lights. The girl beside me even said "fucking glare!" and I wholeheartedly agreed.)

We were treated to so many wonderful works and I cried when I saw parts of Le Pater. I'm an atheist but this made me think that maybe there is a god. Maybe. But still, beautiful artwork that left me speechless.

I got to stand next to my favourite work of his: White Star. Joy!

At the end of the exhibit, the tour guide talked about how Mucha who was somewhat influenced by Japan, now influenced Japan. Now we come full circle with anime and manga characters depicted in art nouveau styled paintings and posters. Oh boy, we had our Lord Yoshitaka Amano's works in the gallery as well. I was so lucky to see works of my two favourite artists in one day!

It was almost 2PM by the time we finished the tour. We spent at least 4 hours in the gallery after landing just because I fangirled and was willing to spend money on Mucha. Yeah, I bought stuff. A reproduction of Alphonse Mucha's original "Documents Decoratifs" which focused more on his industrial design work (jewellery, cutlery, furniture etc) which I rarely see on the internet, a set of badges and make-up from Japanese brand MilleFée.

I went to Sydney for Alphonse Mucha and it was worth it. I end this rabid fangirling with the parting words of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' tour guide: Mucha's style has never been as well loved and as well represented as it is in Japan.

[gatabella]

Katharine Hepburn by George Hoyningen-Huene, 1934

"The Baron met Hepburn on the boat, coming over from Europe. He was with Ernest Hemingway, whom she wanted to meet. So his artist’s eye had the opportunity to study her informally, at close range. “Katharine Hepburn,” he says, “‘is the contrast of tremendous, burning intensity, inside a placid face with tiny features and the skin drawn tight like a drum. She is like a fire at which you would wish to warm yourself, and you would surely be burned if she did not dart away too soon. There is a fanatical expression in her eyes and a dynamo inside her which makes her slightest word or gesture take on enormous importance. With her flaring nostrils and harsh mouth, she could never be called beautiful, but her face has a dynamic quality which is more important to an actress than beauty. She could make people believe anything; she is almost hypnotic. It is this which is back of her ability. It makes everything she does dramatic, and it makes you wait for her to do something else, if only to sit down. It is too bad she has had a quick career. She should have arrived later, after work and struggle, because she has the same touch of violence that Sarah Bernhardt had—only Bernhardt had it under perfect control. She must have muscular things to do rather than spiritual. Then there is the genuine Peter Pan quality about her, too. She is always young. Her casualness as to appearance, that, also, is genuine, not intentional....”

-photographer George Hoyningen-Huene, Photoplay, Aug. 1934

[gwydpolls]

Time Travel Question 58: Performances IV

These Questions are the result of suggestions from the previous iteration.

This category may include suggestions made too late to fall into the correct grouping.

Please add new suggestions below if you have them for future consideration.

*The Broadway Premiere names were lost over a year ago because I didn't realize how big this was until I'd spent several hours on first day telemetry for the very first Time travel poll.

Please Feel Free to share ones you want to see for future polls.

[adarkrainbow]

People frequently talk about the presence of a dragon in Sleeping Beauty - wondering if it is was the Disney movie that invented this concept, if there were cultural precedents to it, or what were Disney's influences if any they were.

Well here's a little piece to add to the puzzle if you want: there was a famous French adaptation of Sleeping Beauty where the prince had to fight a dragon to wake up the Beauty. Well, it was famous back then, today most people don't know about it, but it still is an important piece of fiction because it is tied to someone everybody still knows today: Sarah Bernhardt

Sarah Bernhardt, THE great and famous theater actress of France, the one and only super-star of the second half of the 19th century/early 20th century. She acted as the main actress and stage director of a Sleeping Beauty adaptation that was created in 1907 in her theater: "La Belle au bois dormant" by Jean Richepin and Henri Cain (a duo who had previously worked on Massenet's Cendrillon stage adaptation). This play (a "féerie lyrique" in verse, one prologue, two parts, fourteen tableaux ; all in alexandrins but switching between singing parts and talking parts) was a HUGE success of the time, beloved by both the audience and the critics (Sarah Bernhardt's presence certainly did help, as anything she was in was bound to be a success). It was remember as one of this works that tried and managed to bring a "féerie totale", this desire to create a féerie show where the literary aspect would be just as important and powerful as the musical and theatrical aspects.

In fact, this is what has been doing the success of the play, as some people analyzed: it both spoke to the audience who was in need of huge marvels and powerful supernatural on stage, desiring big-budget "féerie" shows (the play had TONS of singers, dancers, actors, etc, and the sets and props were done by famous craftsmen of the time) ; and to a certain part of people who were complaining that shows were becoming purely "visual" entertainment and "ocular" performances without any actual quality writing or literary effort in there. This show was both a big-budget special-effect feast, AND an effort at being a literary and cultured creation (it gathered and synthetized the many stage-adaptations of Sleeping Beauty of the 19th century - as it had been frequently adapted in theaters - with references to Shakespeare, La Fontaine, Banville and more... (Some have pointed out how the over-saturation of tropes, references and inspirations might have played a part in the show being forgotten, because once Bernhardt was out, it felt like a kitch performance mixing too-obscure references with a superficial fairytale melting pot... anyway).

The prince in this play (played by Sarah Bernhardt herself, since she adored playing "cross-dressing" roles) doesn't just cross the briar forest, he actually has to face three different trials (people have noted an influence of Wagner's creation in the sequence, like his Siegfried and Parsifal). And the first of these trials is a huge dragon. It is the eighth tableau: in "le bois des épouvantes" (the wood of terrors), under loud thunder, in the "half-day of a sinister and greenish twilight"), the prince fights and kills a fire-spitting dragon (later the text evokes a "green dragon spitting red fire", seemingly continuing from the visual color clash).

If you are curious about the other trials, the prince then is literaly englued in a soporific darkness (it is compared to pitch and glue), and as he falls asleep a Demoness/Enchantress appears. She tries to distract him away from his quest by invoking "nymphs with bodies of flowers" and "nymphs with bodies of flames", who perform a flower-fire lascivious ballet representing the "venomous wine-dreams" they send the prince, the Enchantress trying to snatch a kiss from him - but the prince shakes off the lustful illusions and the demoness and her nymphs disappear.

The last trial is at "le lac de désespérance" (the lake of despair - or rather "the lake of despairing"). There, he encounters grey, aetherial women formed out of the mists and fogs over the lake - they are alternatively called "undines" and "the sirens of oblivion", and they perform a sorrowful, sad and haunting melody, with a song about despair, death and eternal rest, inviting the prince to... well to suicide. But the prince refuses the call, refuses to get in the water. The undines disappear in the fog - and when the mist gets away, the Sleeping Beauty's castle is revealed in the light of dawn. The prince then just walks on the waters of the lake like some sort of new Jesus, to go save the princess...

[frenzyarts]

Frenzy, you’re the only other person I’ve heard collect Mucha books too! I’ve been for a few years. Do you have a favorite artwork of his in particular?

HELLO FELLOW MUCHA FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m not sure if I have a favorite, but off the top of my head I really love basically anything he did of Sarah Bernhardt, especially the ones he did of her as Hamlet and Medea:

Also this one rules:

[vintagestagehotties]

FAQ

Welcome to the vintage theatre showdown! The Vintage Theatre Actress Tournament to determine the hotness of vintage theatre ladies will begin Saturday, April 13. Submissions are currently closed! Hot male actors will come soon, but I’m in a ladies mood at the moment.

Can I currently submit hotties?

Submissions for hot fellas are CLOSED.

How long will the finals last?

The semifinals will begin on Saturday, November 9th and last one week.

What are the criteria for contestants?

Your hottie must:

Have a significant theatre career - ie, more than two theatre credits to their name, have played leading or featured roles, won awards, etc.

Have had a decent chunk of their career take place pre-70s (ie if they made their stage debut in an ensemble in 1969 but then became famous in years to come, I’m not counting it). Similarly, a decent chunk of their career must have taken place post-1900 (ie if their last stage role ever was in February of 1900, not gonna count it).

Exceptions to the above will be accepted at my discretion - for example, maybe they only played one or two shows but earned a Tony Award. To take into account the racism of past theatre, exceptions will be made nearly always for the sake of inclusivity and diversity

What counts as theatre?

I am accepting performers from plays, musicals, revues, and operas. Other types of stage performers (for example, comedians and ballerinas) will be accepted on a case by case basis, provided a case could be made that their stage career involved a degree of acting. I’m accepting Broadway, West End, worldwide productions, tours, even regional theatre counts! One of my personal favorite submissions for the ladies tournament was a Peking opera performer!

What counts as vintage?

The timeline to be considered vintage for this tournament is 1900-1969. A fella can have a significant chunk of his career post 1970 or in the 19th century, but at least some of it has to be within this time frame.

Can I submit propaganda?

Yes! You can send propaganda to my asks or submissions, or you can tag me in reblogs or posts. However, I won’t be posting or reblogging any propaganda until the tournament starts except the posts I have queued to lead up to the tournament’s beginning.

What tags do you track?

I track the tags #vintagestagehotties and #vintagestagepoll

The #vintagestagepoll will be the tag for all of the polls, while #vintagestagehotties is for anything relating to the tournament.

Other tags include #propaganda, which is pretty self explanatory, #losers highlights, highlighting some of our performers who are gone but not forgotten, and #mini polls for fun miniature pools featuring our contestants.

Why did you use this photo/propaganda/etc…?

Propaganda is entirely submitted. I try to remain as impartial as possible and will simply post the propaganda that is submitted to me, however I will not use negative propaganda.

For photos I try to use the main photo submitted whenever possible. I try to make sure the photo is from the period that they were active on stage within the time frame (ex I didn’t use use a pic of Greer Garson from the 40s when she wasn’t doing any stage work, I didn’t use any pics of Sarah Bernhardt from before the 20th century, etc). Other than that I try to make sure that you can clearly see their face, it’s not too blurry, and there’s no watermarks (I have a watermark remover but if it doesn’t work I’ll use the image in propaganda and find a different main picture). I also prefer not to use pictures where stage makeup or wigs change their natural appearance too much.

If you dislike the photo used for an actress or actor, send me an alternative and I’ll see what I can do!

How will the pairs be selected?

For round 1, I pit similar decades against each other and then am more random in following rounds.

There is a lot of overlap between theatre stars and film stars, and a great many major vintage film stars had successful theatre careers as well. So, in order to avoid the last rounds turning into a hot movie star competition, early rounds will see the incredibly famous movie stars pitted against each other. This is in the spirit of fairness to give lesser known performers with only theatre careers more of a fighting chance.

Will there be future polls?

Yes! In addition to the poll for vintage stage men, I have a few others planned - vintage women in STEM is pretty definite, and I’m tossing around the idea of a silent film star poll, a vintage ballerina poll, a femme fatale poll, and a poll just for vintage opera stars. And to be honest there’s enough vintage stage women in the world that I could easily do a second tournament for them! And clearly I HAVE to do a Peter Pan actress poll in the very near future.

[onefootin1941]

''MY REPUTATION'' (1946) Directed by Curtis Bernhardt. Starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Warner Anderson, Lucile Watson, John Ridgely, Eve Arden, Jerome Cowan, Esther Dale, Scotty Beckett, Bobby Cooper.

Barbara Stanwyck portrayed Jessica Drummond, an upper-class widow from Chicago who innocently falls in love with an army officer (George Brent), much to the consternation of her gossipy friends and domineering mother (Lucile Watson) who causes scandal in her conservative community feeling it's too soon. Her romance also pits her against her two teenage sons (Scotty Beckett and Bobby Cooper).

The film was made in 1944 and generally released in 1946. Edith Head was borrowed from Paramount to design Barbara Stanwyck's costumes. Barbara considered this her favorite film.

Kevin Wedman, Warner Bros.—First National Pictures group, Facebook

[allgarbo]

In the Dragonette household there are beautiful paintings, fine books, recordings by or of Sarah Bernhardt, James Joyce, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Walt Whitman. At a breakfast, Garbo asked for a copy of Leaves of Grass and did a beautiful reading of an obscure poem from the volume. Only recently she asked again to hear the Bernhardt and Joyce recordings."Garbo is basically extremely honest," says Nadea. "Most people don't understand this. She reads anything and everything, but she never talks about things she doesn't understand thoroughly. She'll say nothing. She can't participate all the time, she's too honest. And so she retreats and people think she's mysterious. The mystery is something that people read into her. Every friend has a completely different view of her, that's how complex she is. That's the canvas.” 

Greta Garbo photographed by Cecil Beaton c. 1946  

[purrlockswatson]

For the OC and creator ask game😁🥰

2,4,5,8,13,15,17,20,27,30

A,B,D

Have a safe, fun New Year's Eve,and may this new year be one of many blessings and all things good for you and your loved ones!!!

Oh my, thank you for asking! Questions are from this ask game. Lots of good ones here!

2. How easy is it to make them laugh? Pierce and Cleopatra are a pair of clowns at a funeral. They laugh easily, joke weirdly, and fill my carefully crafted gothic atmosphere with too much comedy. Sarah laughs at people's misfortune. Especially when it's Pierce.

4. How easy is it to earn their trust? Pierce trusts on instinct; luckily, it usually works, and he has a gaurd dog (Sarah). Cleopatra holds people at arms length, but she's so outwardly sweet that it's hard to tell. Earning Sarah's trust would take a lifetime, and you'd probably be wasting your time.

5. How easy is it to earn their mistrust? You'd have to do something really horrible to Pierce's Undead heart to earn his mistrust. Cleopatra, fairly easily, but she gives second chances. You have Sarah's mistrust by default.

8. What are they told to stop doing as a child? Little Pierce brought home creatures and friends that he begged to keep but were probably no good for him. When he was older, he had to be told to stop squandering the family fortune. Little Cleopatra had to be removed from her room to be introduced to human company. Little Sarah bit people, swore a lot and terrorised her governesses.

13. Oh, this is a good one! The trio dress according to the three Gothic colours, red white and black. Pierce wears white and pale colours, signifying his role as the 'innocent.' Cleopatra wears red, vitality and passion. Sarah dresses in black, Doom and Gloom and severity.

15. How do they speak? Pierce is equally fluent in eloquent flirting, undignified emotional monologues and spontanious yapping. Cleopatra changes her style according to who she's talking to and what she thinks they expect of her. Sarah has two gears: swearing and death-threats or cold politeness with discreet sarcasm.

17. Are they easily embarrassed? Pierce gets flustered when he meets someone as good at innuendo as him. Cleopatra used to be self-conscious, but not anymore. Sarah is proud, she reacts badly to being demeaned.

20. How would they explain the difference between familial, platonic, and romantic love?Pierce would say platonic and romantic loves are chosen, but familial love isn't, and the difference between platonic love and romantic love is that with romantic love, there's the desire to become part of that person and have a part of them inside you (metaphorically... I think he knows how that sounds). Cleopatra would say the difference is the places they hold in your life and that many kinds of love can't be pinned down. Sarah believes any kind of love is an obligation.

27. What causes them to feel dread? Pierce: when people fall out of love with him. Cleopatra: the sense of being worthless, helpless or purposeless. Sarah: she'd be the last to say so, but she has a fear for anything that cause her physical or emotional harm.

30. Who do they most regret meeting? Pierce can't really wrap his little brain around regret, but he does have many of them. Deep down, he regrets meeting the vampire who made him a vampire. Sarah and Cleopatra both regret meeting Pierce at some point.

A. Are you excited about your oc(s)? Yes. I write about them every day. They don't always give me an easy time, but I love it.

B. What inspired you to create them? Pierce was originally just a happy vampire, but then I started basing him on Dorian Gray, and then I realised that he has a lot of me in him. Cleopatra has a lot of my own traits. Sarah was based on the actress Sarah Bernhardt in the beginning, but now she's a completely different character and only her name, appearances and sass are the same.

D. Have their physical appearance changed? Pierce was once tall. It gave me a shock to read my description of his tallness in earlier drafts. Sarah's dress and hair changed when I changed her backstory. Cleopatra is unchanged, except that I decided that her hair isn't naturally ginger.

If you've come so far, thank you for reading all this! And I wish you and your family a happy New Year as well, all the best with everything!

[superghfan]

GENERAL HOSPITAL Stars Remember Robyn Bernard

Soap fans were heartbroken to learn of the death of GENERAL HOSPITAL actress Robyn Bernard, who played Terry Brock on the soap. And so were some of the castmates and friends she made during her six years in Port Charles who shared their thoughts and memories with Soaps In Depth.

Kevin Bernhardt, who played Kevin O’Connor, Terry’s love interest who married her before gaslighting and trying to kill her, was devastated by the loss. “Robyn so perfectly embodied the character of Terry Brock that oftentimes Terry Brock seemed embodied in Robyn,” he recalled. “Robyn lived life to the fullest, and left every ounce of herself on those sets, as well as a big piece of her heart — with her songs.

“I am saddened to hear of the personal challenges she suffered after she had graced the show,” Bernhardt continued, “but I will continue to hold this beautiful and talented leading lady in my heart — as I remember Mrs. Kevin O’Connor. Robyn’s surely in a better place now, where she, Terry Brock, and their gospel songs will be just as beloved as they were by those who loved them on GENERAL HOSPITAL.”

Terry’s singing partner in 1987, Dusty Walker, was played by Shaun Cassidy, who shared: “I was saddened to learn of Robyn’s passing. She brought joy to a lot of people through her work on the show, and while I was only there for a brief period, she taught me a lot. My condolences to her friends and family.”

Brad Maule (ex-Tony) expressed: “Robyn Bernard was a wonderful actress and very much loved by everyone on GH. In the words of Willie Nelson, she was, ‘an angel flying too close to the ground.’

Guy Mack, who was Terry’s other leading man, Patrick O’Connor, composed some absolutely lovely words to pay tribute to his friend. “In the tapestry of life, she was a melody lost, a soul ensnared by shadows of torment,” he said. “Through the labyrinth of her existence, she sang with a voice that was a testament to her immense talent and resilience. Yet, her journey was veiled in a shroud and the harrowing echoes of past traumas. Gone are the burdens of a harsh world’s weight as she shed her cloak of mortal toil and pain.

“Though she wandered alone, lost, stubborn, and resolute,” he continued, “may she now find solace in the embrace of our Lord with eternal tranquility, where her voice and her soul’s song echoes forever. Like the autumn leaf untethered from the bough, she departs this mortal coil, no longer bound. Farewell, my friend. May your spirit soar unfettered, finally at peace. God bless you, Robin.”

Lynn Herring, whose Lucy was a mousy librarian at the time, shared: “So very sad. I loved her beauty and her talent so.”

“I remember Robyn very fondly,” shared Ian Buchanan (Duke). “She was a gentle, kind soul. So very talented and tons of fun! I am very sad to hear of her passing and send my deepest sympathy to her loved ones.”

X

[justforbooks]

14 January 1900: Tosca premieres in Rome

Puccini’s dramatic opera wows the audience – despite threats from anarchists

The genesis of Tosca, often seen as Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece, was a saga in itself. His opera was based on the 1887 theatrical work La Tosca by the French playwright Victorien Sardou, who specialised in historical melodramas. Set in June 1800 in Rome, when that city was trapped between the armies of Napoleon and the kingdom of Naples, the original play was awash with murder, torture and surging passion. And since it starred Sarah Bernhardt, the most glamorous stage star of her day, it was a colossal international hit.

In May 1889, less than two years after the play’s original production, Puccini made his first bid for the operatic rights. He had already seen the play at least twice, and was convinced he could make it work. However, he did not obtain the rights, and Sardou instead struck a deal with a rival composer, Alberto Franchetti. Puccini never gave up, though, and in 1895 he convinced Franchetti to transfer the rights to him. By some accounts, he achieved this by persuading Franchetti that the story was too violent for an opera audience – and then proved that it certainly wasn’t.

With glorious timing, Tosca’s première at Teatro Costanzi (now the Rome Opera House) was scheduled for 13 January 1900 – at the peak of the Holy Year celebrations, when the city would be full of Catholic pilgrims. In the febrile climate of the day, Rome was simmering with rumours of anarchist and anti-clerical terrorist plots.

Learning that Italy’s queen consort Margherita of Savoy and other dignitaries had been invited to the première, one anarchist group threatened to bomb the theatre. The police arranged that the conductor would play the Royal March as a signal if there was an emergency; then, as a further precaution, the event was pushed back a day, to 14 January. They need not have worried. There was no attack and, though some critics complained about its brutality, the audience loved Tosca – and it has remained at the heart of the opera canon ever since.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[jomiddlemarch]

The Black Widow

“I think I’ve been too hard on Blaise’s mum, all these years,” Hermione said, her shoulders slumped instead of maintaining her usual impeccable, McGonagall-inspired posture, her chin held in the hand that wasn’t curled around a cup of tea. It was actually a very fine cup of masala chai that Padma had made using the Patil family’s own karha recipe and Hermione had chosen it over a glass of Shiraz and the two fingers of bourbon that had also been offered and perhaps foolishly declined. She took a breath, tried to let the scent of the spices soothe her.

No dice.

“Maybe you’re, I don’t know, exaggerating a bit?” Padma said carefully.

“She means you’re being more dramatic than Celestina Warbeck and Sarah Bernhardt put together, darling,” Theo said. They were her two most rational friends, Theo a hatstall for Ravenclaw, Padma properly Sorted and also Second Wrangler for her year at Cambridge. It had made sense to come to them and not, say, Harry, who was pants at validation, or Ginny, who only ever wanted salacious details and sulked when Hermione wouldn’t share, or Luna, who might say something daft or something that was as sharply acute as an Unforgivable, with the additional burden of being Unforgettable, and who was also in Svalbard. It had made sense and yet now Hermione was considering she could have just gone to any wine-bar in Soho and gotten sloshed without any incisive commentary.

“Incisive, I like that,” Theo said as Hermione had evidently voiced that bit of her internal monologue aloud.

“I always said she must be a dreadful person and now I’m the dreadful person,” Hermione said. Was there a slight moaning quality to her tone? She had come seeking tea and sympathy. “I should have understood the cards were stacked against her and that she couldn’t fight the patriarchy of the Wizarding world by herself—”

“I’m not discounting the point about the patriarchy, but I don’t think you and Madame Zabini are much alike. Nor are your circumstances,” Padma said.

“She means you haven’t murdered any of your men,” Theo said, peering at Hermione through his glasses. “In case you were too addled to make out what she meant by circumstances. You’re still a Gryffindor, you often need things told to you point-blank. Or at wandpoint, but that seems unnecessary.”

“He’s right,” Padma said. “Though to be unfair, there’s no confirmation about several of Madame Zabini’s husbands’…demises. There was no body recovered for the last one and she’s always spoken fondly about Blaise’s father. She’s allowed to have some bad luck and there have been two wars—”

“Come off it, Padma, the witch is a bloody menace and even Riddle was scared of her. That’s why Blaise didn’t have to get the Dark Mark,” Theo said. “Tom was into Dark magic, but Madame Zabini knows the Old Ways.”

“Fine,” Padma said. “Still, Hermione, it’s not the same.”

“First of all, no one you’ve dated is dead,” Theo pointed out.

“Anthony said I was a life-ruiner,” Hermione replied. 

“As if he had a life worth ruining, the tosser,” Theo said, scoffing. “So full of himself.”

“Ron got cursed at the Final Battle because he was trying to protect me,” Hermione said.

“He’s been getting free rounds of drinks off that injury for the past twenty-odd years,” Padma said. “If he’d listened to anyone, he could have had it repaired at St. Mungo’s that first week instead of relying on a field dressing by a fifth year Hufflepuff. He’s only still got the limp and the scar because he waited and then it was permanent.”

“Bill said that too,” Hermione admitted. 

“And just because Viktor Krum hasn’t been heard of in about nine years, that’s nothing to do with you,” Theo said. “I know you’ll mention that last letter of his, where he wrote about Ioanna and her amber halo, but really, that could mean any number of things. And also, again, not confirmed dead and not at your hand.”

“McLaggen had it coming to him,” Padma said and sniffed. “You were helping out all female-presenting creatures and beings when you hexed him.”

“I don’t feel that bad about him,” Hermione said.

“Good. That’s progress, love,” Theo said. “You’re not still counting Snape, are you?”

“I mean, I let him die, Theo. I was right there—”

“You had a crush on him during sixth year but I don’t see how he counts as one of you men. I think he would rather have died again, more gruesomely, as Nagini kibble, than have a relationship with any student, let alone a Gryffindor like yourself,” Theo said. 

“You couldn’t have saved him,” Padma said more softly. “You were with him when he went, his portrait said as much. He doesn’t bear you any ill-will. Quite the contrary, I think he’s a bit fond of you now, though he’d say this was a bunch of bloody sentimental shite. And probably take one hundred points from Gryffindor and call you a silly cow.”

“Death has not softened him up much, has it?” Theo said. “Good old Snape. Or Bad old Snape. Whichever. That was his thing, double-agent, et cetera, wasn’t it? But he’d never see himself as one of your victims.”

“I appreciate you are both trying to cheer me up,” Hermione said. She took a gulp of the chai, which was at the perfect temperature, because Padma had used the good Charmed china. 

“We are trying to reason with you, brightest witch of our age,” Theo said.

“Neville—” Hermione said, breaking off.

There was a moment of silence, respectful, sincere, thoughtful. Sort of like Neville had turned out to be, besides being the Prophecy’s spare, the slayer of Nagini, champion wearer of Fair Isle jerseys and well-worn cords, strider of moors, Sprout’s successor. Hermione’s former almost-fiancé.

“It never would have worked out,” Padma said.

“I know. I just loved him so much, he was so dear,” Hermione said. “When he proposed, it was like a dream—”

“He fell in a bog and broke both his legs,” Theo said. “Again, Not Dead. Perhaps terminally embarrassed, especially since he lost the ring in the bog and now the bog kassapu won’t give it back and Madame Longbottom is furious—”

“His gran didn’t mind that much,” Hermione said. “But she did say it was a sign. And that because Neville broke his legs in an enchanted bog, it wasn’t something St. Mungo’s could heal up easily and I wasn’t to think twice about refusing the offer. Neville said the same thing.”

“I suppose you could wait for him,” Padma said. “You are a witch. Another couple of decades—”

“We agreed it was for the best, ending it. We’ll stay friends, close friends, but he saw what was happening,” Hermione said. She’d often been told, dismissively by Slytherins, that one could read her face like a book; at the moment, it must be a torrid, fraught romance, albeit one without any ripped bodices or irascible, secretly wounded dukes. 

“It’s not like you and Draco planned to meet at St. Mungo’s,” Theo said. “It’s not like you orchestrated it for him to be on-call when you and Neville arrived and for him to be the one who sat up with you the whole night while the other Healers stabilized Nev. It’s not like you tried to fall in love with each other, former rivals and adversaries who had more in common than they’d admit until they couldn’t any more, wouldn’t—”

“Even though the rest of us could see it coming from a mile away. Years before. Since that first night at the pub,” Padma said. “Harry saw it. George Weasley’s had a bet going since you went to the loo that night, the pot could buy a lovely holiday villa in the Algarve by now. Minerva—”

“You call her Minerva now?” Theo whistled. “I thought that was reserved for the brightest witch here.”

“I advise some of the more gifted Arithmancy students who are beyond Vector’s skills,” Padma said. “Hermione might have done, but she had that Potions torch to carry and then Bill roped her into the side-gig at Gringott’s. Minerva told me she didn’t want to be called Professor by a colleague, certainly not one who made a better pot of tea than she did.”

“She said that?” Hermione exclaimed.

“I made the masala chai. She’s not stupid,” Padma said. “She said she’d wondered about you and Draco since the Yule Ball and that if Dumbledore had simply managed the Voldemort situation better, we could all have spent our Hogwarts years waiting to see if the two of you would get together.”

“Oh my,” Theo said, laughing. Hermione made a face, scrunching up her nose, then shoved back the hair that had come loose from the combs she’d used to pull it back.

“I guess the truth is, I’m afraid,” Hermione said. “I’m thirty-eight years old and I’ve never had a successful romantic relationship, they’ve all been unmitigated failures, well, maybe I get a pass on Neville, but otherwise it’s all been utter shite and I don’t want to mess anything up with Draco. I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t want to be the Black widow and Walburga has been giving me the evil eye since she heard—”

“There it is,” Padma said.

“You cannot let that blasted portrait bother you,” Theo said. “Draco ought to be able to shut her up, heir to the House and all.”

“You’re not going to mess anything up. At least, you won’t do it by yourself. This is about you and Draco, what’s between you. What you make with how you care about each other,” Padma said. Theo nodded.

“And for the record, Draco has done a superlative job of keeping himself alive in situations that would have killed any lesser being. He survived Riddle as a houseguest. He survived Bellatrix changing his nappies. He survived Lucius finding out you’d beaten him in every class and Harry winning the Tri-Wizard Tournament,” Theo said. “You can’t take him out, darling girl, even if you try.”

“You should talk to him,” Padma said.

“I don’t know, he’ll think I’m being silly or that he has to take care of me,” Hermione said.

“You are being silly and he does have to take care of you,” Theo said. “So, yes, he’ll think that. But I am confident that he will express himself most eloquently on the topic.”

“How care you be so sure?” Hermione asked.

“Because this isn’t the first pot of masala chai I’ve made that one of you hasn’t drunk this week,” Padma said. “You’re the more secure of the two of you though—he went to Harry first.”

“And then to Millie,” Theo added. “She has not become more patient with age. It was a near-fatal error.”

Bonus image of my Madam Zabini fancast:

[hisui555]

Hazbin Hotel thoughts : Pets 3

"How would they be with a pet ?" (Heaven's cast)

(Pets 1 (Hazbin crew) here)

(Pets 2 (Vees + Overlords) here)

Masterpost here.

Boy does this thing need a masterpost. Will work on that once I'm finished with this stuff (and to keep the sass under control. Yeah right, as if I'll manage. Good, I already lost, that's one less problem to take care of. One day I'll build myself an automatic sarcastic clapping box like GlaDOS. Goal in life, woo, I'm such a useful and productive member of society, wow.)

(The thing won't last five minutes within my sister's range.)

A-hem. Heaven.

Emily might have a whole freaking zoo of pets. I mean, have you seen the girl ? She's ex-aequo with Charlie on the "nicest person alive" podium (the fact that none of them is human isn't that surpri - shhh, cynism, shut up. I just got rid of sarcasm, don't you dare start it), and every doe-eyed kitten she'll meet will be added to the growing jungle (she has seraphim powers, I'm sure she's putting that reality-warping trick to good use) she has between dimensions. She'll name them all, remember each one, take her sweet time with cuddles and nuzzles, and will feed them all personally. She also loves grooming them. If someone good-hearted wants one, she'll gladly and regularly put them up for adoption, overjoyed that said critter will live its best life. Hurt pets tend to especially tug at her heart, and if anyone dares to harm one out of pettiness, she might bust out her true form and give them one hell of a verbal lashout.

Every vet appointment she'll go personally, and is very empathetic to each and every little beastie she has - any life is worth love. Unlike Charlie, who in the Pets 1 post I described as quite the normal owner, Emily will overcoddle the bejeezus out of each and every one of them, but knows to back off when it gets too much. For funny points, while she loves soft and cuddly animals, that would include stuff like tarantulas, bears and skunks, which she would nuzzle all day if she could - to Sera's consternation. I think even Charlie will be surprised by that one. If one dies (from natural causes), she'll be distraught and grieving, but accepts that death is a part of life.

Sera might have a personal pet in private, something autonomous and independent, regal and poised like her, but still cherish it. She'll be a normal owner, knowing that an animal is still an animal, but she'll do her best to suppress some instincts that she deems unbecoming or harmful. She mostly lets it be, but isn't against it climbing on her lap or flying around, as long as it doesn't make a mess. Might be a fan of actual big cats, like Heaven's version of pantheras, or, à la Sarah Bernhardt, cheetahs (which are easily stressed animals, so Sera's calm environment would help). She might also be fond of a sanctuary of butterflies, and naturally, songbirds, that she'll keep in a delimited space that they should not wander out of - gilded cage applied to a whole garden, unsurprisingly. While she might have more than one pet at once, she'll also supervise that any animal found will find its forever family (something Emily helps a great deal with, naturally).

She'll be quite serious and rigorous on maintaining vet appointments and healthcare for her pet(s), and just like Vaggie be naturally good at managing her pet's life, work and diet. Animal cruelty is severly reprimanded, she will make her displeasure known, and better not catch the offender in the act of hurting a critter ever again. Might leave the grooming to Emily, but a good brush down from time to time helps ease her own nerves and take a break from work. She might also confide in the pet, in secret, what she can't tell others, like Emily, basically having it also partially as some form of support.

Adam, well, will use any pet that reinforce his virility, and fail miserably at it because lions don't bother to do much, bears are too tiring to tame, he gets on the nerves of tigers and while gorillas would be on the list, he doesn't want others to think "like owners, like pets" concerning the other thing gorillas are known for (which is, well, being rather small in the neither regions). When someone cracks that he should try a donkey (which has the inverse problem), he'll turn it down because he doesn't want to be associated with an ass (and the irony is completely lost on him). He might have one turtle just for the sake of a crass joke (also it's very low-maintenance, and it escaped long ago due to his neglect and inattention, leading a better turtle-life in the home of another angel who adopted it), but let's say that he might have a soft spot for bunnies, especially hares, because they're badass and, you guessed it, very good at multiplying, which reminds him of his own performance as the First Man. However, his naming skills are the opposite of stellar (that's the man who gave Vaggie her name, what did we expect ?), and he constantly forgets to keep the cages locked, so there are more bun-buns (not those, dammit) in his home than Lady Tottington's castle at the end of Curse of the Wererabbit (Wallace and Gromit movie, it's quite fun). At one point, they all fled anyway.

Then one time he stumbled upon a honey badger, and its crackhead determination (wink at you, Casual Geographics) pleased him, so he took it with him as a pet. Or, closer to the truth : the thing invited itself and takes care of itself because Adam can't be bothered to try, being too self-absorbed. He won't harm it, but neglect is sure on the list, and the only reason the thing hasn't died yet is because it is very hard to kill. So basically it's Adam, and his honey badger roommate.

(Seriously, one does not fuck with honey badgers. That thing does not care about death, and it's known to attack animals ten times its size and bloody win. The thing can put itself in a coma to not succumb to highly venomous snakes and ultra-aggressive hornets, then pop back up awake as if nothing or almost happened. So again, dear mother of god and all her wacky nephews, one does not fuck with honey badgers. You'll have a better chance trying to go to Mordor and facing Sauron with a toothpick and wearing only diapers.)

For Lute, well. Another one I highly doubt will ever have a pet but once more, let's close our eyes, willingly ignore reality, maybe help the process with a good drink and that sugar-that-is-not-sugar added on top, and imagine a world where, against all common sense, Lute has a pet. Yes. Lute, having a pet. Okay. We can do this (Dang it feels as wrong as putting a bikini on Alastor. At least to me, I don't have much hopes for the rest of the Internet, let's be real). So. She'll probably have something highly active, bloodthirsty, something like a hound or a very ill-tempered big cat, but honestly, I would peg a lioness for her, because contrary to Adam's failure with lions, she would actually impress the thing enough that it lets itself be tamed and willingly joins her. But anyway, any pet that ends up with her, she'll render extra-aggressive and it's more of a fighting partner and second-hand 'man' than a companion for friendship, though she will deeply care about it and find a kindred spirit - even let Adam believe it obeys him so that he isn't butthurt (boy does this guy need to compensate).

She might not care much about other pets and animals (especially not hellish ones), and expects hers to tough it out on many things, but if it is hurt or dies, expect her to fly into a murderous rage fueled by grief and sorrow, with heavy mourning after - because despite everything, it was a close reciprocated bond, and it's not just an animal that has fallen, but devoted a comrade-in-arms. (Fuck that went sad fast.)

And for the last, St-Peter. A nice, kind, not-too-hyper pet might be a good match for him, he'll probably like a nice little canary, or anything that isn't too high-maintenance, but I can also see him flail behind a multi-leash of 20 neurotic ferrets and accidentally getting peed on when he isn't paying attention. I think he'll prefer a nice and tranquil pet still, maybe even have a thing for bugs, frogs and snails (they don't move much, it's all good), or even reptiles (for the complete irony, lizards and snakes). He'll be the one to dish interesting Animal Facts (TM) to anyone asking, panics at the first sign of the pet being sick, and keep it nice and cosy for the whole time it needs to recover. Another thing he might do is being a foster home for birds, especially those without parents nearby, teach them the bird way of life like how to fly, and release them once they've grown up enough. He'll never forget them, with lots of photo albums to remember them by (okay, that also went sad fast, but in a good way).

Aaaand done ! Hope my five-years old snark level wasn't too obnoxious, and that you had a good time reading. I might have more Foils series ideas, so next time you need to kill time, you know where to find me.

Again, Masterpost here.