#catherine maura
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Books I recommend I read so far:
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
King Of Wrath by Ana Huang
Twisted Games by Ana Huang
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
If he had been with me by Laura Nowlin
If only I had told her by Laura Nowlin
The Wrong Bride: Ares and Raven by Catherine Maura
Blind Side: A Fake Dating Sports Romance by Kandi Steiner
Weak Side: A Fake Dating Hockey Romance by SJ Sylvis
#the silent patient#alex michaelides#king of wrath#ana huang#twisted games#the love hypothesis#ali hazelwood#if he had been with me#laura nowlin#if only i had told her#the wrong bride#catherine maura#blind side#kandi steiner#weak side#sj sylvis#bookworm#book review#books#booklr#bookish#book recommendations#book recs
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“Let’s normalize walking away from toxic situations. You don’t have to stick it out when your mental health is taking a beating, just because that’s what everyone expects of you. It’s okay to reassess and decide whether or not a situation is still acceptable to you.”
-the wrong bride, catherine maura
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I don't have type
Also me when she is a traumatized female detective
#olivia benson#stella gibson#catherine cawood#maura isles#i know she is not a detective but she is law inforcment so shh#kate todd#jenny shepard#jennifer jereau#dana scully#catherine willows#kate beckett#mare sheehan#grace rasmussen#joan watson#wendy carr#peggy carter#clarice starling#tina goldstein#lorraine broughton
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Retratos Pinturas Acrílicos Actrices..... Por Miguel Angel Vesco
Silvana Mangano, Carmen Maura, Raffaella Carrá, Sissy Spacek, Vanessa Redgrave, Margit Carstensen, Liv Ullmann, Verónica Forqué, Graciela Dufau, Graciela Borges, Gena Rowlands, Catherine Deneuve, Mariangela Melato, Jill Clayburgh, Fanny Ardant.
#silvana mangano#carmen maura#raffaella carrà#sissy spacek#vanessa redgrave#margit carstensen#liv ullmann#veronica forque#graciela dufau#graciela borges#gena rowlands#catherine deneuve#mariangela melato#jill clayburgh#fanny ardant#miguel angel vesco#pintura retrato#portrait painting#portrait actress#art work
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one thing i've learned from love island. i NEED to move to ireland
#no joke every time they bring an irish person on the show i am down BAD#catherine... greg... yewande... maura.... and dami i guess.... hmu babes i am free on thursday#charlotte watches li uk
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When they'd first met, Maura had felt something inexplicable.
Irritation, sure.
But Jane found Maura in the morgue later, cutting up one of the Johns. Ate a whole Danish, propped in the doorway, robe draped over her skanky little skirt, makeup still plastered on her face, heels higher than Maura had ever worn. Her badge hung over the gown, and Maura didn't want to ask where she kept her gun.
But she did, and Detective Rizzoli had choked on her Danish and laughed, a sound so deep and pleasant that Maura let herself bathe in it for a moment, wondering if she would get an answer.
She never did, but instead she got the second Danish in the bag, sweet and glazed and full of complex carbohydrates.
She'd felt it then. A sense of being comfortable. She relaxed when Detective Rizzoli appeared for autopsies, and thanked her when she chased away that awful Crowe.
Jane always gave her a slanted grin, a raised eyebrow, and a promise that she'd ask the same of Maura one day.
--
Detective Rizzoli made the promotion to homicide she'd wanted.
"You know, this means we get to spend more time together," Jane told Maura, her voice low, as though they were co-conspirators. Something about Jane had Maura feeling like a giddy teenager, and Maura had never, ever been a giddy teenager. Maura looked up with her usual flat smile, seeing a flash of hurt behind Jane's eyes and knowing she'd caused it.
"Congratulations, Detective Rizzoli," Maura said, her voice and tone as flat as her smile. Jane shrugged and pulled away; she'd been reading a report Maura had been typing from over her shoulder, her surprisingly soft breasts pressing against Maura's back. If she turned her head, she'd be afforded a view she wasn't sure she could handle, not with the memory of Jane's warmth against her shoulder blades. When she'd almost reached Maura's office door, Maura relented.
"I'll miss you in those heels," she said, blushing and wishing she'd said anything else. Jane's grin was cheeky and her hand rested gently on the doorframe as she swung back to look at Maura.
"I bet my ass you will," Jane said, eyebrow raised, and Maura's blush deepened further. She'd thought she'd been discrete with her glances to the other woman's posterior, but apparently she'd been caught out. Jane's grin was knowing but not unkind, and Maura's mouth quirked up shyly to match her smile. Jane's eyes softened, and so did her mouth, and Maura felt that something inexplicable rise in her chest again. Jane tapped the doorframe twice, as though she was about to say something else, but instead she just tucked a corner of her bottom lip into her mouth and nodded three times, pushing away from the doorframe with her endless energy.
--
Maura was one of the first on the scene. Korsak beat her, cleared the room, covered Jane with his coat while the crime techs photographed the basement.
Jane was sobbing, somewhere. While Maura examined the other woman in the basement, already knowing what she'd seen, what had been done to her. She left Hoyt, bleeding, on the floor. The ambulance could deal with him, and he was cuffed and taken out before they arrived.
Korsak beckoned Maura over.
"She always said she likes you, and hell, I can't help her with these bear paws." He held up his thick hands. "And I can't wait for the ambulance."
Maura glanced over at the other woman. Catherine. She'd been sedated and one of Maura's lab techs was sitting with her, along with a detective. She'd been tied, and her bound hand been loosed.
So when Korsak drew back his coat, Maura gasped. She hadn't expected - tears sprang into her eyes. She touched Jane gently on the chin, making eye contact before Jane nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.
There was a reason Maura didn't doctor the living. She never knew what to say, how to interact with them. But she knew Jane. She slipped on fresh gloves and heard the ambulance. A few blocks away still, but she couldn't leave Jane like this a moment longer. Right now she was calm; almost catatonic. In a moment she might struggle and injure herself further. Dimly Maura was aware of Korsak shielding Jane from view, from cameras, from people, keeping Maura and Jane secluded while Maura worked as quickly as she could.
She gave Jane a quick sedative.
"This is going to hurt," she warned Jane, grasping a scalpel that penetrated the entirety of one of those thin, strong hands. Jane's jaw clenched.
"Didn't think otherwise," Jane said, some of her former bravado returning.
Maura prepared gauze, laying it on Jane's stomach over her shirt. She readied herself. When she was unable to avoid looking at Jane any longer, Jane's eyes were soft and full of something Maura couldn't read.
"Rescue me," Jane said, too quiet for Korsak. She wasn't angry or impatient, just resigned to her fate.
"The paramedics are here, I'm sure they have more experience..."
"No. You're the only person I'm going to let touch me."
"It's not-"
"In your job description. I know. But you're the only person who can see me like this and not think any less of me, because you couldn't care less."
Maura's brow furrowed, but she pulled the scalpel free, Jane's breath hissing out of her sharply, Korsak turning to check in, then looking away again quickly, giving them their privacy.
One down. Maura doused the hand in antiseptic and loosely bound it. She swallowed as she reached over Jane, crouched on the grimy basement floor in a dress that cost more than the house and land. She looked down at Jane.
"I could care less. But I don't." Jane's brow furrowed as she tried to follow the logic. Her eyes caught on Maura's chest as she leaned over her, and her breath caught as well. "I don't want to do this because I don't want to hurt you. I don't want you to associate this with me, because I think we were good colleagues, and we might have been more if you hadn't asked me to do this."
Maura pulled the second scalpel out, dousing Jane's right hand, her left already cradled to her chest. Jane sat up, trying to struggle to her feet, and Maura stopped her.
"I bet your Ma always used to kiss it better, huh?"
Jane froze completely, her dirty face streaked with tears, her eyes caught on Maura's lips like a beacon in the open sea. Jane swallowed harshly; Maura had been trying to distract her. With the sedative she'd be unable to get to her feet on her own. She could hear the paramedics assessing Catherine, readying to take her from the basement. She could hear Korsak explaining the state he'd found Jane in. She was running out of time.
She balanced carefully, then leaned in and kissed Jane's temple, feeling the sedative kick in, feeling the weight of Jane's body resting against her. She held her.
"There. All better," Maura said, her voice dull, but Jane just nestled deeper, her dirty face leaving marks on a dress that Maura never had the nerve to clean and the soft, white flesh beneath it in the space over her heart.
Jane had made her feel something.
--
"Your brother gave your mother my number. Not my work number, my personal number I gave you. For personal reasons. I feel like I need to reassert my professional boundaries."
"Well, I'm off-duty," Jane said, struggling to sit up. Maura helped her reflexively, the body beneath the gown warm against her hands. "So technically you're bringing work to me."
Maura chuckled and saw the way Jane's head shot up, looking at Maura like she'd won a prize.
"She called to thank me. Apparently you talked about me a lot?"
Maura sat in the visitor's chair at Jane's bedside, seeing Jane's eyes watch her cross her legs. They were just shins, but Jane eyed them like a perp in an alleyway.
"I might have been unduly harsh, when you were sedated," Maura said by way of apology.
"You said you cared." Jane's voice was low and almost scared.
"I did. I do. Oh, here." Maura dug in her bag for the chocolates she'd brought with her. Jane waited expectantly, and Maura realised uneasily that she'd have to feed them to her. She washed her hands carefully in the adjoining bathroom, then unwrapped a single chocolate. Jane's hands were covered in bandages, and she was on a morphine drip. She took the chocolate from Maura's fingers like Cleopatra taking a grape from a lover. Maura blushed and looked away as Jane chewed with her eyes closed.
"What the hell was that?" Jane asked, her voice awed.
"I told you about them - I thought you might like them." Maura wet her lips as she unwrapped a second chocolate, Jane's mouth open and ready for her, her lips brushing against Maura's fingers as she took it from her.
Already deeply blushing, Maura couldn't look away from Jane's mouth.
"I only meant some of it." Jane admitted when she stopped chewing. "I hate being vulnerable. I hate that Korsak saw me like that, I hate not being able to do anything for myself. It's why I told Frankie not to hand out my room number at the precinct."
Jane licked her lips, tracking down a crumb of chocolate. Maura leaned forward and wiped a second crumb away, surprised when Jane's tongue stole it from her thumb. She unwrapped a third, unsure what Jane was trying to say. The medication would have kicked in, and she might not mean it now either.
It had hurt, when Jane said Maura didn't care about her. Maura already cared too much. There was a constant tug in her chest when Jane was nearby. Seeing her tortured hadn't made it any easier. It had just made her prouder of Jane, more protective. Jane had shown herself to Maura in her most vulnerable moment, and Maura had gazed at her like the night sky through her first telescope.
Jane chewed thoughtfully.
"You're not exactly easy to get to know. But you pride yourself on being professional and detached. I went for your pride, but I hurt you in doing so, and that was wrong of me. I didn't want anyone else touching me because I couldn't have stood it. You were with me. You understood. You understand. You do, don't you?"
Tears in her eyes again, Maura nodded. Jane nodded too, swallowing hard. She blinked and laughed.
"You looked at me like that, and everything made sense for a single moment. You didn't pity me, or think of me as a victim. You were just happy to see me. The way you always are."
Maura thought back to the first time she'd noticed herself relax once Jane arrived at a crime scene, at an autopsy. She trusted her, and was pleased when she arrived.
But happy to see Jane? Surely not. She looked down at a woman who looked much smaller lying down, and she reached out with her bare hand and touched Jane's forearm. Jane's skin was warm and brown and welcoming, and a smile split Jane's face.
"I'm happy to see you too," Jane admitted. "Hit me."
"Huh?"
"Chocolate. Hit me."
Maura removed her hand from Jane's arm, knowing Jane knew she found human contact uncomfortable. But she left it there a little later, when the opiates had rendered Jane unconscious. For her own comfort as well as Jane's.
The older woman who came in a little later was familiar - Maura had met Jane's mother before. She went to get out of the chair, but Angela pressed her back down, then leaned over to kiss first Jane's temple and then Maura's own, her hand resting on Maura's shoulder. She knew, too, that Maura found touching awkward, but she was so physically expressive that Maura knew this was the bare minimum Angela could stand to give.
"You belong there, honey," Angela insisted, and Maura glowed.
She'd found where she belonged, and it was at Jane's side.
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DETECTIVES
Jane Rizzoli • Vince Korsak • Barry Frost • Frankie Rizzoli Jr. • Sean Cavanaugh • Nina Holiday • Riley Cooper • Darren Crowe • Rafael Martinez
FORENSICS
Maura Isles • Susie Chang • Kent Drake • T. Pike
FAMILIES
Angela Rizzoli • Frank Rizzoli Sr. • Tommy Rizzoli • TJ Rizzoli
Constance Isles • Arthur Isles
Hope Martin • Cailin Martin
Colin Doyle
ANTAGONISTS
Charles Hoyt • Warren Hoyt • Patrick Doyle • Dominick Bianchi • Alice Sands • Dennis Rockmond
F.B.I.
Gabriel Dean • Cameron Davies
MISCELLANEOUS
Casey Jones • Catherine Cordell • Stanley • Ian Faulkner • Giovanni Gilberti • Jack Armstrong • Rondo • Tasha Williams • Kiki • OC
PAIRINGS
(Friendship • Romantic)
Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles • Jane Rizzoli/Casey Jones • Jane Rizzoli/Gabriel Dean • Jane Rizzoli/Rafael Martinez • Jane Rizzoli/Barry Frost
Maura Isles/Ian Faulkner • Maura Isles/Kent Drake • Maura Isles/Tommy Rizzoli • Maura Isles/Frankie Rizzoli Jr. • Maura Isles/Barry Frost • Maura Isles/Jack Armstrong
Barry Frost/Frankie Rizzoli Jr. • Barry Frost/Vince Korsak
Vince Korsak/Kiki • Vince Korsak/Jane Rizzoli
Frankie Rizzoli Jr./Nina Holiday
Angela Rizzoli/Sean Cavanaugh
PLACES
Precinct • Homicide Squad Room • BRIC • Ballistics Shooting Range • Autopsy Room • Labs • Maura's office • Division One Café
Jane's condo • Maura's house • Maura's guest house • Jane's house (season 6/7) • Frankie's appartment • Korsak's house • The Dirty Robber
Hospital • Other places
TROPES
Chosen One • Dark Lord • Dystopian Society • Enemies to Lovers • Fake Relationship • Forbidden Love Romance • Friends to Lovers • Haunted House • Hero's Journey • Love At First Sight • Love Triangles • Magic Mentor • Mean Girl • Prophecy Foretold • One Bed • Queer Relationships • Race Against Time • Soulmates
GENRES
Adventure • Angst • Bromance • Crime • Drama • General • Family • Fantasy • Friendship • Horror • Humour • Hurt/Comfort • Mystery • Poetry • Romance • Sci-Fi • Supernatural • Suspense • Thriller • Tragedy • Whump
VERSES
Alternative Universe • Books • TV Show
FANWORKS
Digital art • Traditional art • Story
This is a non-exhaustive list that can be completed over time.
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tagged by @katebeckets 🩵
rules: choose 4 of your favorite characters from 4 pieces of media as options and let your tumblr pals decide which one most suits your vibe
no pressure tagging: @moxyphinx @mikelogan @singinprincess @junousher @captainsavre
#rambles#polls#polls;mine#this is INTERESTING#I wasn't sure if I should give little run downs of each character bc I feel like everyone comes from different fandoms#aka i am a disaster and have THE MOST interests ever#aka commitment issues#anyway lets seeee
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Submissions so far!
Have a new mosaic header, with the women who were submitted so far, and a list, grouped by show/movie etc., under the readmore!
Don't worry; if your champion isn't in here, you can still submit them via this form, until April 30th!
I chose these pictures based on the following ranked criteria:
included/linked in the submission OR
actual still from the movie/show/whatever, rather than a promo shot or fan art etc. AND
showing them in a characteristic and/or competent situation
for the characters Deanna Troi, Dr. Beverly Crusher and Seven of Nine, I decided to go with their most recent appearances in ST:PIC
If by any chance I chose NOT a still/screenshot, but your manip of the same, please let me know if you'd like me to take it down/replace it, or keep it and credit you!
Ally McBeal (TV show): Ally McBeal
Better Call Saul (TV show): Kim Wexler
CSI (TV show): Catherine Willows
DC (franchise): Alex Danvers DC (franchise): Sara Lance DC (franchise): Zari Tarazi
Doctor Who (TV show): River Song Doctor Who (TV show): Sarah Jane Smith
Drawtectives (Youtube show): Jancy True
The Expanse (TV show): Camina Drummer The Expanse (TV show): Chrisjen Avasarala
Greys Anatomy (TV show): Dr. Addison Montgomery
Harry Potter (franchise): Fleur Delacour
Holby City (TV show): Dr. Bernie Wolfe
House of the Dragon (TV show): Rhaenys Targaryen
Jane Doe books (book series): Jane Doe
Leverage (TV show): Parker Leverage (TV show): Sophie Devereaux Leverage: Redemption (TV show): Breanna Casey
The Librarians (TV show): Eve Baird
Little Witch Academia (TV show): Amanda O'Neill
Lupin III (TV show): Fujiko Mine
Marvel (franchise): Melinda May
Once Upon a Time (TV show): Regina Mills
The Owl House (TV show): Eda Clawthorne
Person of Interest (TV show): Sameen Shaw
Pokémon (franchise): Cynthia Pokémon (franchise): Iris Pokémon (franchise): Nemona
Rizzoli and Isles (TV show): Dr. Maura Isles
Sanctuary (TV show): Dr. Helen Magnus
The Sandman (TV & Comics): Death of the Endless
Sonic the Hedgehog (franchise): Amy Rose
Star Trek (franchise): B'Elanna Torres Star Trek (franchise): Deanna Troi Star Trek (franchise): Dr. Beverly Crusher Star Trek (franchise): Erica Ortegas Star Trek (franchise): Jadzia Dax Star Trek (franchise): Kathryn Janeway Star Trek (franchise): Seven of Nine
Star Wars (franchise): Ahsoka Tano
Stargate (franchise): Samantha "Sam" Carter
Tomb Raider (franchise): Lara Croft
Warehouse 13 (TV show): Claudia Donovan Warehouse 13 (TV show): Helena George Wells Warehouse 13 (TV show): Myka Bering
The X-Files (TV show): Dana Scully
Xena Warrior Princess (TV show): Xena
(please stay civil in the notes: no bashing anyone, no matter who, or where they're from!)
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The first round of preparations are finally complete, and that means the first round of the Classic Sapphic Ships bracket is almost ready to go! I'll be preparing the polls today and tomorrow to hopefully go live on Friday, and voting time for at least the first two rounds will run for a week. Check out the FAQ in the meantime, and feel free to send over any additional questions as well!
The full list of Round 1 Match Ups is under the cut!
Right side:
Franky/Bridget (Wentworth) vs Regina/Emma (Once Upon a Time)
Watson/Moriarity (Elementary) vs Lucy/Amy (DEBS)
Gina/Rosa (Brooklyn 99) vs Debbie/Lou (Ocean's 8)
Jo/Blair (The Facts of Life) vs Peyton/Brooke (One Tree Hill)
Piper/Alex (Orange is the New Black) vs Bering/Wells (Warehouse 13)
Xena/Gabrielle (Xena: Warrior Princess) vs Trini/Kimberly (Power Rangers 2017)
Ripley/Annalee (Alien) vs Annalise/Tegan (How to Get Away With Murder)
Susan/Talia (Babylon 5) vs Chessy/Meredith (The Parent Trap)
Ann/Anne (Gentleman Jack) vs Scully/Reyes (X-Files)
Cat/Kara (Supergirl) vs Olivia/Natalia (Guiding Light)
Nikki/Helen (Bad Girls) vs Ola/Lily (Sex Education)
13/Cameron (House MD) vs Sara/Catherine (CSI)
Delphine/Cosima (Orphan Black) vs Emily/JJ (Criminal Minds)
B'elanna/Seven (Star Trek) vs Rachel/Quinn (UnReal)
Emily/Alison (Pretty Little Liars) vs Beca/Chloe (Pitch Perfect)
Carol/Maria (Captain Marvel) vs Raven/Abby (The 100)
Left side:
Grace/Frankie (Grace & Frankie) vs Shaw/Root (Person of Interest)
Callie/Arizona (Grey's Anatomy) vs Stef/Lena (The Fosters)
Eve/Mazikeen (Lucifer) vs Luce/Rachel (Imagine Me & You)
Tara/Pam (True Blood) vs Ally/Ling (Ally McBeal)
Alex/Olivia (Law and Order SVU) vs Miranda/Andy (The Devil Wears Prada)
Samantha/Janet (Stargate SG-1) vs Nomi/Amanita/Sense8)
Willow/Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) vs 13/Yasmin (Doctor Who)
Sharon/Brenda (The Closer) vs Kalinda/Alicia (The Good Wife)
Max/Anne (Black Flag) vs Petra/Jane (Jane the Virgin)
Eleanor/Tahani (The Good Place) vs Kelly/Yorkie (Black Mirror)
Rory/Paris (Gilmore Girls) vs Aneela/Kendry (Killjoys)
Quinn/Rachel (Glee) vs Jane/Maura (Rizzoli & Isles)
Nico/Karolina (Runaways) vs Serena/Bernie (Holby City)
Laura/Danny (Carmilla) vs Peggy/Angie (Agent Carter)
Hecate/Pippa (The Worst Witch) vs Bobbie/Chrisjen (The Expanse)
Bo/Lauren (Lost Girl) vs Bette/Tina (The L Word)
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Today's joy with Rachel Joy Scott Friday edits is for missing kids I hope soon they be found and Brought back home safe and sound Madeleine McCann, Inga Gehricke, Summer Wells, Haleigh Cummings, Morgan Nick, Ben Needham, Timmothy Pitzen, Baby Lisa Irwin, Baby Sabrina Aisenberg, Kayla Berg, Mary Boyle, Jennifer Joyce Kesse, Amy Lynn Bradley, Asha Jaquilla Degree, Brian Randall Shaffer, Brandon Swanson, Lars Joachim Mittank, Maura Murray, Kyron Richard Horman, Rebecca Coriam, Evelyn Grace Hartley, Frederick Valentich, Lauren Spierer, Marjorie West, Margaret Ellen Fox, Joshua Guimond, LeeAnna Warner, Tara Leigh Calico, Cherrie Ann Mahan, Nyleen Kay Marshall, Phoenix Coldon, Laureen Ann Rahn, Johnny Gosch, Sara Anne Wood, Rebecca Reusch, BRANDON LEE WADE, Katrice Lee, Adele Marie Wells, William Tyrrell, Rene Hasee, Jane Beaumont, Dennise Jeannette "Denny" Sullivan, Ember Skye Graham, Tricia J. Kellett, Donnis Marie "Pinky" Redman, Renee Aitken, Dulce Maria Alavez, Jonathan Allen, Victoria Allen, Mylette Josephine Anderson, Erica Nicole Baker, Ava Grace Baldwin, Amber Renee Barker, Brittney Ann Beers, Tammy Lynn Belanger, Alessia Vera Schepp, Livia Clara Schepp, Ilene Rebecca Scott, Mary Lou Sena, Natasha Marie Shanes, Kathleen Ann "Kathy" Shea, Crystal Ann Tymich, Anna[1] Christian Waters, Holly Ann Hughes, Ashley LaShay Jones, Sofia Lucerno Juarez, Amber Jean Swartz-Garcia, Brooklinn Felyxia Miller, Marjorie Christina "Christy" Luna , Lorie Lynn Lewis, Sheri Lynn Johnson, Lauren Maria Pico Jackson, Hattie Yvonne Jackson, Janice Kathryn Pockett, Alice Pereira, Sabine Morgenroth, Daniela Moreno, April Ann Cooper, Catherine Barbara "Cathy" Davidson, Mary Rachel Bryan, Hazel X. Bracamontes, Melissa Lee Brannen, Edna "Bette Jean" Masters, Shaina Ashly Kirkpatrick,
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Review: Cassilda's Song
Cassilda's Song: Tales Inspired by Robert W. Chambers King in Yellow Mythos was one of the anthologies on the further reading list in the back of my copy of The King in Yellow. Specifically, it's a collection of stories by women writers interacting with the concepts and beats from the foundational text. I got around to reading through it yesterday, so this is just going to be a quick review!
Overall: hits and misses. I categorically resent the fact that so many collections of fiction by women are entirely absent of stories that don't involve sexual abuse, or conflate womanhood with suffering or mystify the experience of women as entirely alien. My sister put it really well when we were talking about it: depictions of women's sexuality aren't subversive if they posit it as either 1) nonexistent without assault or 2) inherently abnormal, and a lot of stories in this collection do that. I was not surprised that many of the author bios mentioned dark fantasy. Outside of this trend, I enjoyed most of the stories when I considered them individually.
Spotlight on my favorites from this collection (in the order that they appear):
Nicole Cushing's "Yella": Checked every unsanitary box, very difficult for me to get through given my personal compulsions but mercifully very short. Absolutely fantastic character work in such a limited page count, really visceral and physically grounded.
Helen Marshall's "Exposure": Immediately grabbed me with its modern style and the vitality of its (bigoted, judgemental) narrator. Loved the way that it initially demystifies the cosmic locations before bringing all the incomprehensibility back in.
Maura McHugh's "Family": Really interesting weaving of interpersonal dynamics that hits on a lot of the unreliability of the original text. Very solid character voice and grounded set dressing.
Nadia Bulkin's "Pro Patria!": This story has no equal in the collection. Only author to really grapple with the colonial implications of the mythos, horror is frighteningly realistic and I'm fascinated by how the cosmic elements act only as a backlight for the mundane. I'm highly tempted to scan the whole thing in so that everyone can read it.
E. Catherine Tobler and Damien Angelica Walter's "Her Beginning is Her End is Her Beginning": Both authors contributed a story each to the collection on their own, but I didn't like either nearly as much as I liked this one. The jumping put me in mind of This is How You Lose the Time War, and its approach to the power-of-language idea that's so present in Chambers was excellent. Will say however that I was extremely thrown off by the inclusions of real historical figures- that did not work for me. The creation myth it establishes is a high point.
#book club#cassilda’s song#happy to provide specific content warnings as best I can! the random zionist stuff in one caught me completely off guard#I have another anthology downloaded for later so I'll probably do something like this again
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Looking Beyond 2024: Who’s Winning the 2028 Presidential Election? - POLITICO
Think out of the box. Kathy hochul. Maura healey. Tina kotek. Maggie hassan. Katie hobbs if wins reelection. Tammy baldwin. Michelle lujan grisham. Catherine cortez masto, susan rice. Admiral Michelle howard. Val demings. Tammy duckworth. Sheryl sandberg. Tom perez. Miguel cardona. Jared polis.
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Have you read forever after all by Catherine Maura? X
i haven’t, do you think i’d enjoy it?
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Everyone please continue to follow, our Catherine, Princess of Wales has switched over to Maura Higgins
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Jane had been dreaming of Hoyt. Killing him was the best birthday present she'd ever had. But she'd been dreaming of him.
He went after couples, and Jane didn't have anyone in her life. Well, she did, she had Maura, but that wasn't - it wasn't what her dreams made of it.
Before Maura it had been Catherine. Jane had dreamed, after the basement, when she was heavily medicated in hospitals, that Catherine had been her lover and he'd made her watch.
He had made her watch. It was just as well she couldn't wash herself because she'd have scrubbed all of her skin off. Catherine was alive; she'd visited Jane. But there was nothing between them but the knowledge of what had happened to them, individually and collectively, and the memories were so painful that seeing each other made them both flinch.
It had been his MO to go after couples. And Jane should never had let Maura come to the prison with her. Should never have left Hoyt ever even see her.
But even before her birthday, Jane had dreamt of Maura. Of trailing her fingers across that soft skin, of having Maura's hands grasp her, of Maura's breath catching as Jane's lips brushed her throat. And then Hoyt, always Hoyt. Taking Maura the way he'd taken Catherine. She always woke in a damp sweat, underlaid with a secondary dampness that made her ashamed and confused. These dreams were very soft right up until they were very violent. Nothing about them should be appealing.
But Hoyt was dead, and Jane had killed him for daring to even touch Maura. She tried to keep the party vibe light, but Maura looked over with concern every so often, and Jane knew Maura could read the tightness of her smile.
Maura stayed, because of course she did. She'd been there. She'd thought she was going to die. She needed to feel safe and protected, and Jane had done that in real life, she could also do it in Maura's dreams.
The dream started out the same. Maura stepping in and holding her after a long day, then kissing her, because they were together and this was what they did. And Jane kissing her back, because dream Jane was into this, into Maura, and Maura was soft and sweet, her mouth meeting Jane's willingly, kissing her back, pressing against her, warm and alive.
Jane woke to a whimper that wasn't hers. It wasn't Jo's either. Maura shot upright, breathing heavily, and Jane sat up, reaching for her, turning on the lamp and pulling Maura against her, ignoring the throbbing in her hands and chest - and lower - from her own dream. Maura folded herself in against Jane gratefully, holding Jane even as she was held.
"He's dead," Jane said comfortingly. The bad part of her dream hadn't had a chance to start, so all she had was the tingling, heady softness of the first part of the dream, of being with Maura. She'd been wondering about that for a while. Did it mean she was attracted to Maura, or was she just lonely? Hoyt had followed his MO, hurting the partner of his target in front of her. Had Hoyt seen, had Hoyt known? Jane brushed her hands over her crying, vulnerable friend, making soothing little noises, pushing down the rising tension from the brush of Maura's fingers on her bare arms, of the nuance of Maura's lips brushing against Jane's chest, where Maura's head was pressed, wet now with Maura's tears.
"He's dead, he's never going to hurt you again," Jane said fiercely, pulling Maura tighter. Weird dreams or not, Maura was the person she'd kill for. The person she'd die for. The person she'd fight for.
Maura pulled away and swept her face with her fingers, clearing away tears. She looked up at Jane in the dim light.
"Thank you," Maura said, her voice shaking. "But I'm not sure that's accurate. Today is going to stay with me for a long time."
"Me too," Jane admitted, not admitting that the dreams had been going on for a while, that the dreams were ongoing. Not admitting that she dreamed of Maura when she dreamed of Hoyt, not admitting that she'd miss the dreams when they were gone because the touch of Maura in them was all that got her through her worst days.
"I know it's your birthday, but would you mind holding me?" Maura asked as she lay back down, and Jane turned the lamp back off. She lay next to Maura again, and this time she slid her arms around the body she knew so well. From her dreams, yes, but also from the way they held each other in their waking life. Jane felt like half of a pair, and when she pulled Maura tight against her she felt like part of a whole.
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