#i like a gershwin tune... how about you?

[hanzajesthanza]

women, magic, power... grail

andrzej sapkowski interviewed 2000 / lysistrata, illustrated by norman lindsay / mother goddess, wikipedia / seated woman of çatalhöyük / tower of fools / cybele / świat króla artura / hecate / tower of fools / catholic mariology, madonna of the rose bower / pietà of the lubiąż abbey (lower silesia, poland) / warriors of god / samson and delilah, master e.s. / the last wish / the vampire, by philip burne-jones / tower of fools / sir galahad receives the holy grail, edwin austin abbey / świat króla artura / lady of the lake

[terf/radfem DNI]

[lousypotatoes]

I'm Happy Again

Song Recommendation:

Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

90 years ago...

It had been almost 2 weeks since Y/N had called into the radio station. She had called in ever since.

"Ah, my dear Y/N! How lovely it is to hear your voice!" he exclaimed on the other side of the line. "The usual tune?

"Not this time, Alastor," she giggled into the phone.

"Oh?" Alastor said curiously. "What song would you like to request then, my dear?"

"Mhmmm, how about Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin?"

"Ah, another splendid classic!" Alastor said. "You sure do have a wonderful taste in music, Y/N,"

"Oh, cease your flattery sir," she gushed. "You're makin' me blush."

"You'll hear Rhapsody in Blue right after this song, darling," Alastor said smoothly.

"Thank you, kindly,"

"Of course,"

The flower shop was really busy, it being Mother's Day, everybody in there, whether it was a father with his children, or single men, were all picking out flowers for their mothers.

It made Y/N feel warm inside. She wanted so desperately to have children of her own to give her flowers.

"What's the rate for these tulips?" said a voice.

Y/N turned and saw a very handsome man with dark skin, brown air, and glasses. His voice seemed so familiar, but she couldn't think of where she had heard it.

"Oh um," she stuttered. "Three dollars per stem, sir."

"Terrific," he said, handing her the money.

"I presume those are for your mother?" she asked kindly, taking the money.

"Yes," he smiled. "Tulips happen to be her favorite."

"Your mother has refined taste in flowers then," Y/N giggled.

Alastor looked at her, after a moment his eyes widened.

"Y/N?"

She looked at him, surprised he knew her name. Then it hit her.

"Alastor?"

"Oh, what an unexpected surprise!" Alastor exclaimed. "It's a delight to finally meet you in person, my dear." He extended is arm out for Y/N to shake.

"Thank you, Alastor," she said, taking his hand and shaking it. "I never expected to meet you in person, let alone at my flower shop."

"Well, I do have a knack for surprises," he chuckled, letting go of her hand. "How are you on this lovely morning?"

"I'm doin' quite well, what about you?"

"Oh, I'm peachy!" he said. "This place looks wonderful. It really is quite impressive."

"Thank you kindly, Alastor," she blushed. "Is this your first visit to the shop?"

"I've frequented here a few times before," he answered. "But I only really come on Mother's Day."

"That's quite understandable," Y/N said. "You should visit here more frequent," she said, feeling bold.

"Perhaps I will, my dear."

"Have ya'll finished flirtin'?" someone behind Alastor rudely said. "I need these flowers bagged up.

"Oh, yes right away, ma'am," Y/N said quickly. "Will I be seein' you again soon, Alastor?"

"You have my word, Y/N," he smiled at you. "Have a lovely day, my dear."

"You as well, Alastor," she said as he turned around to walk out.

sorry that this chapter is shorter, I have a lot to write today lol.

stay safe and drink lots of water, it's hot today.

xoxo, Izzy

Taglist 💋

@slytherin4ever @trippoverrt @maksdust

[theloniousbach]

GOOD OLD TRIOS AT MEZZROW’S

RAY GALLON with David Wong and Kenny Washington, 7 NOVEMBER 2024, 10:30 pm set

ALAN BROADBENT with Harvie S and Billy Mintz, 11 NOVEMBER 2024, 9 pm set

After being atypically cranky about first Roberta Piket and Jean-Michel Pilc and then David Kikoski with Elvitar Slivnik and Bruce Barth with Tim Armacost, I was glad to find a better mood and/or better sets. ALAN BROADBENT’s trio is a regular working unit and one of my favorites; RAY GALLON is solid enough to check out often but not every time. That he had Kenny Washington along made this can’t miss and invites a comparison with Billy Mintz.

Let’s start there. Washington was a bigger presence; he was where my attention was drawn with complex, how did he do that flourishes that moved the time around subtly but powerfully. The last time I saw Mintz was with Piket and he was bigger than his Zen minimalism with Broadbent. Seeing him take up more space then helped me see the space he does take up in this usual gig. My Little Suede Shoes is a showcase, not just for the Latin feel but a very tune centric, nearly melodic showcase. Washington too played the tunes as he does in his regular gig with Bill Charlap.

David Wong is always a welcome addition and contributed to what Gallon was about with strong accompaniment and incisive solos. But, as a band member rather than a sideman, Harvie S could step out with forceful solos. Blue in Green opened with Broadbent playing around the tune before giving way to Harvie S playing chords and strumming by himself before all of them coming in to play a straight enough version of the tune.

Gallon was articulate and accessible leading with four of his own tunes. His standards were deeper gems, Gershwins’ For Me For You For Everyone and a tasty once in a while. His tunes were suitable opportunities for this elite band to swing. I am to the point that the closing blues, Two Track Mind, is familiar. Broadbent too closed with some originals—This One’s for Bud which he’s played the last time or two which shows his Powell side and Woody’n’Me which was unexpectedly brooding for a piece in honor of his old boss, Mr Herman, but referring to the Dizzy Gillespie tune. They opened with standards I wished I recognized, particularly the second one.

All these folks are very very good. That I like Alan Broadbent is a matter of taste, my good taste, I think. Though he’s probably not a Hall of Famer like Kenny Barron or Cyrus Chestnut, his distinguished reputation is well-deserved.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #610

Top Ten Sequences from the Fantasia Films

Amazingly – or unsurprisingly? – I’m banging on about something to do with Disney again, for at least the fourth week in a row. At least Disney is such a huge and monolithic corporation that their output can veer wildly from superheroes to creepy freaks to, in this case, classical music.

Fantasia is a weird film, and I think it’s one that’s more enjoyable as a sort of historical exercise than a film in its own right. Thanks partly to just being a bit of a swot, and also to the invaluable resource that is the Disniversity podcast, I know all about the whys and wherefores of its production – Walt Disney’s intent to create a theatrical experience, a living musical document that would travel the globe, with new songs and animation being added, old ones stripped away; however, the massive budget and meagre box office put paid to his plans. The film, therefore, is an animation curio, one that most people have seen bits of, but which is probably isn’t of towering interest to most unless you’re a classical music scholar, an animation nerd, or maybe just a Disney completist.

The same is broadly true for its belated sequel, a film which troubles the chronically anal by being called Fantasia 2000 whilst releasing in the year 1999 (it’s not as egregious an offender as Blues Brothers 2000, which as well as being a worse movie in and of itself, also had the audacity to come out in the Year of Our Lord 1998 – but I may have digressed slightly). These two films are oddities in the Disney catalogue, audio-visual smorgasbords celebrating what the filmmakers considered some of the very best compositions recorded. They can be bold and daring and fascinating and – yes – entertaining; but they’re kinda weird things to just sit and watch, especially at home on Disney+.

Anyway, the very fragmented nature of the films makes it quite easy to separate the distinct individual segments; the various different animated sequences, each based on a piece of classical music. Now, before we go any further, it’s worth pointing out that I’m not a classical music scholar; when you say Beethoven I think of the dog. My introduction to opera was Bugs

Bunny. Ride of the Valkyries is the theme tune to Apocalypse Now. I am an ignoramus in this world. So if you’re looking for nuanced takes on the musicality on display, this ain’t that. I can’t really comment with any degree of aptitude or authority on how well the films interpret the music, or whether there’s some deep reference or allusion or anything like that. I can just watch each short film and talk about if I think it’s good or not, based on my own opinion and very little else.

All that being said, there are some belters here. And I guess the overall quality – how much I like it, basically – does rely on how well I think the music and the animation sit together, in harmony if you will. And that’s all there is to it! Now let’s put our monocles in and get all artsy-fartsy.

Rhapsody in Blue (Fantasia 2000, 1999): spoiler alert, we’re going to see a lot more OG Fanta here rather than its sequel, but my favourite sequence is still this adorable epic from 2 Fant 2 Asia. The Gershwin composition, being more recent than most, evokes the Twentieth Century, and the heavily stylised art – all solid lines, flat colours, and round-headed characters – likewise is redolent of minimalist sixties animation. The combination of the two feels tailor-made to tell the story of a city, a marked contrast with the more pastoral offerings of most Fantasia pieces. It’s a bustling urban story, with multiple characters weaving in and out, and it actually tells a proper story rather than “just” being a dance or something abstract. It’s great, it’s multicultural, it’s funny, it’s rather touching, and the music and animation combine to produce something magical. Should have won an Oscar all on its own.

The Rites of Spring (Fantasia, 1940): the first two “proper” Fantasia pieces are very me-centric; this one’s all about dinosaurs! And it’s suitably badass, with exploding volcanoes and foreboding skies, the tumultuous creation of the world leading to swift Pteranodons and lumbering apatosaurs before the thrilling appearance of a T-Rex. The music fits perfectly, the highs and lows depicting furious chaos and sudden drama before slowly fading out as the dinos are wiped away by storm and sun.

Night on Bald Mountain (Fantasia, 1940): the absolute master of bad-assery, and a serious contender for the most metal thing Disney has ever done. Look, it’s got the freaking devil waking up on a mountain and getting all kinds of freaks and skeletons and stuff to dance around. The music rocks – despite not being, y’know, rock music – and the visuals are just extreme. Chernabog – the big bad devil dude – is just iconically evil and delicious, and it all ends with a choir of monks singing Ave Maria and restoring good to the world. It’s amazing.

Pastoral Symphony (Fantasia, 1940): beautiful pastoral scenes with all kinds of sprites and nymphs and whatnot, delightful and cute mystical creatures cavorting under pastel skies. It’s all nice and relaxing. Except actually it’s probably the horniest thing Disney have made, with all these little Greek guys are desperately trying to get it on with each other.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Fantasia, 1940): ah, the big famous one. You can probably buy toys of some of the other Fantasia bits and bobs, but it’s Sorcerer Mickey who’s the break-out star. And it’s still a great little story! Mickey is really cool in this. When it gets to the bit where he freaks out and starts hacking the brooms apart with an axe, it’s actually really gnarly, and choreographed brilliantly to the music.

Carnival of the Animals (Fantasia 2000, 1999): a short but funny little piece as a group of flamingos try to be all refined but are frustrated by their goofy mate playing with a yo-yo. It harks back to some of the dancing animals from the first Fantasia, but adds a good deal more comedy, which ramps and ramps with slapstick abandon.

Dance of the Hours (Fantasia, 1940): the serious counterpoint to the above – well, sorta. But the dancing ostriches and hippos do try to represent the music with some sincerity. But it’s how the oh-so-Disney animals interpret the dance – ballerina hippos being held aloft by comically skinny crocodiles – that really sings, with the whole thing building and building until it literally brings the house down.

Pomp and Circumstance (Fantasia 2000, 1999): that’s the name of the music, but probably most people would call it “Noah’s Ark” – for that is what it is. Clearly an attempt to “do a Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by casting an established Disney stalwart, we see Donald Duck as Noah. Well, actually, Noah’s assistant or something. It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s dramatic, and there’s a bit where Donald – a duck, remember – has to lead a pair of ducks into the Ark.

Firebird Suite (Fantasia 2000, 1999): a kind of attempt to do an updated version of Bald Mountain, as a sweet life-giving woodland spirit is overcome by a vast and destructive firebird. Like the day/night dichotomy of Bald Mountain it’s about how death and new life are an inherent part of the natural world. And in its anthropomorphism of such concepts – and the overall art style employed – it’s pretty Ghibli-esque too.

Piano Concerto No. 2 (Fantasia 2000, 1999): more from the sequel than I thought really. This one is very interesting, and I think I like it more as an animation artifact; but approaching both these films kinda clinically, as if wearing a beret, is probably a decent approach regardless. This is a soft adaptation of an existing story, a little toy soldier trying to get back to his ballerina doll but attacked by a sinister jack-in-the-box; but it’s the use of computer animation that sets it apart. Yes, it wasn’t a revolutionary concept – Toy Story 2 came out the same year, and other pieces in the film use CG animation to some degree – but this really feels like a minor landmark for Disney, one of (if not the) first times they told a whole little story in this new medium. And, y’know, it kinda works.

Sadly didn’t quite have room for the “Meet the Soundtrack” section from the first film, which invents the WinAmp visualiser about six decades early.

[everydaydg]

41. Flower Sun and Rain (DS)

FSR... FSR man...

There is something about this game, I decided not to do review as soon as I could as trying to describe what makes the game special is so... hard. This doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this game.

You walk everywhere, the puzzles are all done with a guidebook, the music is mostly made of arrangements of classical tunes, the writing and scenarios are odd, the characters are dicks to you.

All of this sounds odd and, in some way, outright bad but it just... works with amazing writing, fun scenarios, memorable characters and an intriguing premise that hooks you

The game should be bad. It should be dogshit considering that the gameplay is mostly walking.

but it somehow isn’t.

it requires the patience of a saint at first yes but once you are hooked... you are hooked.

The writing is SO GOOD. Every bit of dialogue is memorable, the comedy in the game is on point.

The way the game does commentary on video games as a medium, sometimes making jokes about it (shoutaro always leads to some funny ass scenes)

The whole game rebels in how unconventional it is. In every aspect it’s out of place yet so in place

The puzzles are fun to figure out and not too obtuse! except the mahjong one, fuck that one in particular

The characters... the characters... I don’t have words to describe how good the characters are

The soundtrack is way too fucking good to the point it makes walking everywhere tolerable cause it’s just so damm catchy

HEARING I GOT RHYTHM BY GEORGE GERSHWIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME WAS SO DAMM REFRESHING MAN, LIKE YEEAAAH EVEN IF THE CHAPTER IT APPEARED HAD ME SHOCKED CONSIDERING THE EVENTS OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER- AGH

Even if everything I’ve said is positive, it is an unconventional experience which makes it hard to recommend. It’s easy to come out hating this game due to the things it does

it’s not a game made for everyone.

I did shoot myself in the foot by not playing the silver case first but... I don’t regret playing this.

This whole thing isn’t a review, it’s a huge scramble of words.

It’s a horrible review.

but sometimes. that’s just how it is

My dear lost paradise.

8.5-9/10

[jminter]

Interview: Todd Talbot, stars in Crazy For You at Royal City Musical Theatre this Spring

For its 31st season, Royal City Musical Theatre (RCMT) presents the Gershwin comedy musical Crazy for You at the Massey Theatre from April 27 – May 14.

Royal City Musical Theatre presents Crazy For You at Massey Theatre April 27 - May 14, 2023 A classic romantic comedy about a boy, a girl, and a theatre in need of salvation, it is full of humour, larger-than-life characters and some of the greatest showtunes of all-time. The zany yet lighthearted script is complemented with sensational tap dancing and a collection of the most beloved tunes from George and Ira Gershwin including the romantic “Someone To Watch Over Me” and “Shall We Dance”, “I Can’t Be Bothered Now” and the high-energy dance number, “I Got Rhythm”. RCMT’s Crazy for You features Vancouver’s own Todd Talbot playing the lead role of Bobby Child, alongside his wife Rabecca Talbot. You may know him from the hit TV series Love It or List It, Vancouver or possibly from the 90’s Nickelodeon series Fifteen - but you may not know, Todd is a theatre professional for more than 20 years, a true song and dance man!   Get to know a bit more about Todd Talbot in 5 questions: 1. Many may only know you from hosting Love It or List It, but you really are a true triple-threat: actor, singer, dancer with many theatre productions on your resume alongside your TV work.  What draws you to each genre, is there a preference between TV or Stage?

Todd Talbot stars in RCMT's Crazy For You at Massey Theatre opening night: April 29 I’ve been lucky to be able to spend time on Tv and on stage. Each genre has its pros and cons. After spending 8 years shooting Love it or List it, I was keen to get back on stage. Part of that desire was to challenge myself to flex that muscle again and an even bigger part was a chance to be back in that community. I’ll admit, having spent so much time in theatre, I took it for granted and didn’t realize how amazing that ‘family’ is. I missed them. But, TV pays better ha ha ha! 2. Followers of your Instagram have seen you dive into building of your “eh Frame” home and brand, over the last few years.  Does building and design offer a different or complimentary creative outlet to performing? It’s a very different experience for me. I love building because it’s tangible. I love the zen like state it puts me in. There’s a solitary element to it and a lasting end result. Performing is much more ethereal and fleeting. Especially theatre, which is a moment in time and only lives on in memory. Both are great but for me, opposite experiences other than both take a different creative energy. 2. Also on social media, you’ve said Crazy for You is one of your favourites, have you performed in the musical in the past? I’ve never done this show before but was on my bucket list since seeing it in London’s West End while I was a theatre school in England. My mom came to visit and we were mesmerized by the production. I remember it to this day. The music, the choreography amazed me, and the role of Bobby seemed the ultimate theatrical challenge. 4. Crazy for You was prepared to open three years ago but the pandemic put a damper on that. How has the company weathered the break, has everyone been able to return or have you had to recast or recrew? From what I hear there are about 50% returning from pre-Covid. All the leads will be back which is great. It feels like a lifetime ago but I’m sure it will fall back into place. I know that the theatre community was especially hard hit during the pandemic and I hope that folks find the time to get out and give themselves the gift of an evening in the theatre. It’s good medicine for audience and cast alike. 5. This isn’t the first time sharing the stage with your wife, how was it taking on these roles of Bobby and Polly together, 20 years since your first time? Oh boy…we sound old. We met doing West Side story at the Arts Club Theatre and as I share this story, tomorrow is our 16th wedding anniversary. It really is a treat to share the stage with her, she’s such a talent and sings this music beautifully. It does put a little pressure on working with your spouse but it’s all worth it. What I’m curious to see is what our two kids think?? Directed & choreographed by Valerie Easton with James Bryson, Musical Director, Crazy for You continue the Royal City Musical Theatre’s 30 year tradition of producing acclaimed Broadway-quality musicals.  Find more information and tickets online at royalcitymusicaltheatre.com Read the full article

[whisper-my-serenade]

wip

Winter.

Red noses, chapped lips, cracked hands. Scarves, hats, gloves, ten minutes getting ready to be outside for thirty seconds. Waking up to fresh snowfall that you know in a few hours will turn into gray slush because this is New York, what else would it do, but for now the world just looks like it’s been perfectly coated in powdered sugar. The hum of a radiator, always on. A warm mug of tea with too much honey poured in it. Late sunrises. 

So late, in fact, that when Neil wakes up to find the sun casting a hazy orange glow over his bedroom, he panics for a minute. 

Oh, it’s Sunday. No worries. 

Not like he’d have much to do on a weekday, anyways. Done with high school, done with college, script reading for his next show doesn’t start for another two weeks. He lays in bed, staring at the ceiling, letting his thoughts drift. The bed is small, all too similar to the dorm rooms he spent too many years of his life in, but it’s softer and warmer and the sheets are bunched up from too many nights of twisting and turning. The biggest difference is that it’s the only bed in the room. Just one wall separates this room from an identical one with the same twin bed. He and Todd bought them at the same time, back when they were first furnishing the apartment and they realized that buying beds was not exactly an aspect of adulthood they’d been prepared for.

It was the third year of college and both of them agreed that they were sick of living in dorms. Todd had suggested sharing originally, dug up the place, even, but Neil was the one who made the phone call. Soon it was theirs to be filled with books and dishes and shoes and memories. Even when they both graduated and made space on a wall for their shiny new degrees, neither suggested moving out. How could they? It’s home. 

Neil hears Todd stirring from somewhere in the apartment (his bedroom? The kitchen? He can’t quite tell). Todd has always been a late sleeper, but becoming a high school English teacher has forced him to change his habits. Now he stays up late, gets up early, and has a nasty caffeine addiction. Music floats in from the living room. An old Billie Holiday record, of course. It’s one Todd has played many times, so Neil mouths the lyrics to himself even though he can’t really hear them. 

If you hear a song in blue

Like a flower crying for the dew

That was my heart serenading you

My prelude to a kiss

Eventually Neil forces himself out of bed, the winter air hitting him sharply as he throws off his blankets. The bedroom door opens with a creak, and there’s Todd, softly singing to himself as he stirs cream into his coffee. He’s self-conscious about his voice, and he stops singing as soon as he notices Neil poking his head out. 

“Morning,” Todd says quietly, setting his coffee on the counter to grab another mug from the cupboard. Neil picks up the song. Though it's just a simple melody, with nothing fancy, nothing much, you could turn it to a symphony一a Schubert tune with a Gershwin touch.

“Did you see it snowed?” Neil asks as Todd hands him the mug. Their fingers brush for a moment, and it warms Neil more than the steaming drink in his hand. 

“Yeah, traffic’s gonna be a nightmare today.”

Neil shrugs. “Good thing we don’t have anywhere to go, then.” Todd smiles softly, still mindlessly stirring his drink. 

Oh! How my love song gently cries

For the tenderness within your eyes

My love is a prelude that never dies

A prelude to a kiss

[never fear, there's a lot more of this. just not done yet. school ends in two weeks and then praying i can actually get something done <3]

(taglist: @crumbly-apple-pie @inahallucination )

[oh-no-another-idea]

It’s Wednesday and here are words

A big round of applause for @dgwriteblr who tagged me half a century ago with the terrific words write, sky, call, start, and chair! 

Write: (from a fic)

He opens the fridge and finds next to nothing in it, so he gets a scrap of paper and writes down go shopping. Next to go shopping, he finds himself sketching. A pair of eyes, staring down at him, hand outstretched.

On the shading of his cheekbones, he takes his time. With the tendrils of hair tucked behind the curve of his ear. The wrinkles surrounding the knuckles of his fingers. Under the hand, he draws a record—one Buck had been so excited for when it’d first come out. Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday—it was one of them, singing Gershwin.

Sky: (from Stars and Ships)

The ship burst out of the doors and into the sky. Quin immediately wheeled upwards, remembering conversations about missiles, at first the force of it pushing him back into his seat, and then for a minute was zero gravity, and Quin was weightless again.

Machinery hummed, and the cockpit’s gravity system kicked on. Quin sat up straight and focused on getting as far away from the prison as possible.

“Are we in the clear?” the mechanic called.

“No, we are not!” Jax yelled from another part of the ship. “We have ten ships on our tails right now—”

Call:

The huge doors shuddered and hissed open. The mechanic surveyed the whole affair with his hands on his hips, muttering about oiling mechanisms. Quin was learning to tune him out whenever he started talking about mechanisms.

Then the doors were out of the way and he was facing his brother again. Quin waved, feeling like an idiot in his too large guard uniform. “Just on time?”

“You moron,” Jax said, but there was no mistaking the relief in his voice. “You’re roughly twenty minutes late.”

“Twenty seven,” Selene called from across the room. “If we’re being exact.”

Start:

“There you go,” the mechanic murmured from behind him. “I knew you had some brains. Just gotta use them before you nearly blow us up next time.”

Quin scoffed at that next time, but handed back the gun and started crawling forward again. Spiderwebs blanketed the grates he passed, and one particular pipe jaggedly stretching across the space had him biting back bile.

Chair:

Quin held back a curse. He just needed to work the problem. “Hey, you. How are we coming on the override?”

“I need more time,” the mechanic moaned, rolling his chair back and forth between two panels, still pushing buttons and flipping switches. “They’ve buried the protocols and I just…I’m not smart enough for this. Give me more time.”

I’ll tag @splashinkling @asomeoneperson @pertinax--loculos @sleepy-night-child @asher-orion-writes @zmwrites @fiercely-raging-writer and you, reading this! New words: speak, sigh, sliver, and shoulder <3

[buck-buck-boose]

I'll Love You 'Til I Die

Masterlist | Playlist

Summary: A Brooklyn schoolgirl fell in love with James Buchanan Barnes at the tender age of nine. With this love she made a vow, promising to love him until her very last breath.

Pairing: Bucky x OFC

Warnings: Language, pining

Word Count: 2.1k

Author's Note: Thank you for all the patience and support! I love love love seeing replies and reblogs :,)

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Journey to Azzano

October 24, 1943

Yet another sleepless night. A night spent away from the nurse’s tent, handkerchief in hand, with eyes cast towards the heavens. The stars stared back, silent watchers from above; the petrified audience to a grotesque display of gore, violence, and inhumanity. Lottie knew that they were nothing but balls of gas, great masses of fire that drifted in that infinite chasm of space millions of lightyears away. Somehow, her heart still broke for them.

How painful it must be to be a star, she thought, To see the Earth, to see its people, to see the love and hope. To be forced to watch its destruction, its pain. Oh, how the stars must weep, gazing down at the broken bodies of men and boys, women and children, all victims of such a cruel war.

Still, the pain of a star could never come close to the pain of a nurse. The stars would never hold those bodies in their arms, they would never fumble for a tourniquet as blood spilled from a fresh wound, the stars would never have to slide a man’s eyelids shut, his skin cold to the touch.

Lottie was becoming quickly acclimated to the smell and feel of death. It never seemed to leave her skin, no matter how thoroughly she washed her hands. Though they were constantly rubbed raw, she could not rid them of death’s stench or its thick grime that seemed to coat every inch of her skin.

After they’d left Pantelleria, the SSR had scrambled to stay afloat, constantly caught in the crossfire of other Italian campaigns. The Germans had weaseled their way into northern and central Italy, with carnage in their wake, the nurses of the SSR were left to care for their victims. Lottie had come to know death as intimately as one knows the curves of their lover’s body, all the dimples, ridges, and edges.

“No number of bandages would’ve saved him, Lottie,” Gladys would whisper, “We’re nurses, not miracle-workers.”

“If I remember correctly, folks at the SSR sure love to rant about that ‘miraculous’ serum we developed.” “Betty, you know what I mean.”

Lottie wished she could be a miracle worker. The men that she managed to save definitely thought she was, but who wouldn’t think so highly of the woman who saved them from certain death? It would have been a comfort to visit them in the recovery ward, but the SSR would whisk them away, further north and closer to Hydra before she had the chance.

The SSR found themselves in Siano, a village an afternoon’s trek away from Salerno. At another time, it would be quite lovely. The quiet little community was nestled between small mountains, far too grand and looming to be called hills. The greenery was lush and the air was crisp, mingled with the saltiness from the nearby sea. A cool, sweet breeze kissed Lottie’s cheeks and became entangled in her curls that had finally been loosed from her strict bun. With every graze of the breeze against her cheeks and every rustle of the grasses beside her, it seemed that the very earth was breathing beneath her. Every movement was a great inhale or exhale that emanated around her; the only calming element to an otherwise restless night.

Their camp was just outside the town, stationed in an expansive field which was quite likely an abandoned pasture. Camp had been sloppily thrown together, after a horrifically bloody day in Salerno, morale was low and they knew their stay would be short-lived. Agent Carter had mentioned that they were urgently needed in Azzano; there was a POW situation up there that involved Hydra. Their stop in Siano, as Colonel Phillips had explained, was merely for recuperation. With a day of bloodshed behind them and several days’ worth of traveling ahead of them, rest was needed by all.

But she couldn’t really rest, could she? Lottie would always be on edge, on high alert, until she had her boys by her side once more. At every camp, in every campaign, she searched for the 107th. For any sign of a USO show. So far, she had come up with nothing. Nothing but disappointment.

All that she could do was gaze up at the stars and wonder if a pair of clear blue eyes were doing the same.

Somewhere in Azzano

Liquid fire in his veins. Muttered words in German. Leather straps that dug into his skin; they kept him from writhing in pain. Days bled together and he could barely find the willpower to stay conscious, blurring the lines between his dreams and reality.

Bucky didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know what was going on, either. All he knew was agony, frustration, and a girl. His best girl, Little Lottie. The first time he’d seen her, he was sure that she was real. He had just undergone the first round of… whatever this was, and all of a sudden, she’d appeared before him, dressed just as she’d been when he last saw her— white uniform, thick stockings, and a heavy coat that seemed to swallow her whole.

He’d tried to yell at her, warn her about how dangerous this place was, but he could only muster a choked groan which had earned him a blow to the head. After that, she kept appearing— every time he was poked or prodded at, she stood in the corner of the room and watched over him with a smile on her lips. His head would loll to the side with exhaustion and their gazes would connect; it was the only glimmer of hope in the midst of his torture.

His Little Lottie would only speak to him in his dreams, but she wouldn’t speak, really. No, she’d do this thing he’d seen her do to Stevie hundreds of times when he was sick in bed. With gentle hands, she would smooth his hair away from his forehead, freeing the sweaty, bloodied strands that clung to his skin. She quieted his groans of pain with soft sounds and breathy hums of her favorite songs— mostly from the musicals they had gone to see in the thirties. Little Lottie was fondest of numbers by the Gershwin brothers, he’d noticed, as she was always humming one of their tunes in his dreams.

Any anger toward her was forgotten, but the fear remained. Fear for her safety devoured him from the inside out; if Hydra ever got their hands on her, there would be hell to pay.

Siano, the next day

“Y’know if you’re gonna make a habit of this, I might as well take your pillow for myself.”

Lottie blinked her eyes blearily, taking in the figure of Betty before her. Apparently, she’d fallen asleep outside. Again. The first time it had happened, they’d been camped out in Salerno and while her companions had gone to bed earlier, she’d attempted to calm her nerves with a midnight cigarette. Suffice to say, the cigarette had done its job, though she’d woken up with a terrible pain in her neck.

This time, the pain was located in Lottie’s lower back, probably due to the uneven ground she’d fallen asleep on.

“Believe me, Betty, I don’t intend to make this a habit,” Lottie gritted her teeth in pain as she attempted to maneuver herself off of the ground.

Betty sighed and grabbed her hands, heaving her up, “C’mon, we don’t have all day. Colonel Phillips wants the tents down as soon as possible.” She jerked her head in the direction of the other three nurses a few yards away, they were evidently having a difficult time with the canvas and poles of their tent.

The two of them rejoined their group and Gladys tossed a pack to her with a smile, “Your stuff’s all good to go. Figured you needed the extra sleep.” Lottie squeezed her shoulder in thanks and observed Nancy and Mary as they argued over the correct way to pack up their tent.

“First we need to disassemble the poles, then we wrap up the canvas and—”

“No, we need to take care of the canvas before we can—”

Agent Carter stalked toward them with a rather agitated look on her face; only she could look powerful crossing an uneven field in heels. Lottie bundled up some poles in her arms, trying to stow them away in a pack before they could be berated for being the last ones to finish.

“Ladies,” Agent Carter began, voice firm, “You did not go through a year of training just to be the last ones done packing up your tent. We need more speed from you five to reach the one hundred and seventh in time.”

Lottie nearly dropped the metal poles in her arms and choked out a gasp, “The one hundred and seventh?” That was the regiment with the POWs? The POWs that had fallen victim to Hydra? Her heart was suddenly beating a mile a minute, her stomach was all in knots.

Agent Carter furrowed her brow, likely confused by her reaction, “Yes, they were vastly overpowered in a recent battle. We’ve been summoned to provide medical care to the survivors as well as to assist in a reconnaissance mission for information regarding the whereabouts of the POWs.”

She was tempted to ask about Bucky, to see if she’d heard anything about their survivors, but she ultimately decided against it. It was unlikely that they already had extensive knowledge regarding those who had been saved or lost.

“We’ll be done in a jiffy, Agent Carter,” Nancy nodded, removing the poles from Lottie’s grasp.

After another minute or two, their tent was packed away, and each nurse was outfitted with a hefty pack that carried their belongings. Together, the nurses and the rest of the SSR agents began their trek through the Italian countryside, keeping close in their groupings. It would have been far easier to be transported by plane, but the agents had to take as much caution as possible with Hydra's threat level. If traveling by foot kept the lowest profile, then that was what needed to be done.

Lottie’s four companions broke out into quiet conversation to pass the time while fearful thoughts weaseled their way into her mind. What if Bucky really had been taken by Hydra? What would they do to him? Would they kill him? She’d heard of their horrors from Erskine, and she’d even seen their ruthlessness at his assassination. The dark thoughts that began to swim around in her head made her want to be sick. Lottie wanted to double over and retch, to alleviate the sick feeling that crept into her at the thought of Bucky in Hydra’s clutches.

“You alright there, Lottie? You’ve been awfully quiet,” Gladys sidled over to where she was walking, only a foot or two away from the rest.

“I don’t think so,” Lottie began, her voice strained, “I mean, with the one hundred and seventh and everything, I just, I don’t know how to—”

Gladys nodded, a sad look on her face, “I know, it’s a dreadful situation, isn’t it? I can’t imagine how those survivors must feel. Having your comrades stolen away from you in a bloody battle.”

“It’s not just that, it’s also—”

“Oh yes, definitely more than that. Not only the mental anguish but the physical, too. I mean, we’re here for a reason, we’ve got to be prepared for the worst when we get there. I’ve heard they’re in absolute shambles.”

Lottie fisted her hands in frustration, “Gladys. Bucky’s a member of the one hundred and seventh. That’s his damn regiment. And I haven’t a clue of whether he’s dead, alive, or barely holding on in some dingy cell, so I would really appreciate it if you would spare me the monologue about how terrible their situation is.”

Gladys stared at her, a look of shock painted on her face, “Lottie, I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I— gosh, I feel absolutely awful now, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Lottie grabbed Gladys’ hand to squeeze it, their arms knocked together as they walked side by side, “I just need to think optimistically right now. If I start thinking about all the atrocities, I might go crazy.”

Gladys squeezed back, a faint smile growing on her lips, “You’re right. Think optimistically. I bet he got out of it just fine, with a few scratches though. But he’ll be waiting for us real patiently, waiting for the fine nurses of the SSR to patch him right up.”

She found comfort in Gladys’ words. It was much nicer to picture him that way, sitting in a medic tent cot, wounds scabbed over in blood, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Maybe he'd be cracking jokes with the other poor souls stuck in that tent, his eyes alight with humor and that lopsided grin threatening to send that cigarette straight to the ground. He would be a bit battered and bruised, but he’d be there waiting. Waiting for her.

[podcastbigbang]

'21 Projects Masterpost

dust and ashes | Unseen

Steven Winstead and Robin Fend make a deal to help each other to get out of Blackstar custody; Steven tries to figure out how to live with himself.

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Another Lazy Day In Pepper Heights | Dreamboy

Dane and Luke have a lazy day together, in which they attempt to talk about feelings, they dye Dane's hair, and watch some movies.

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A Heart for a Heart | Limetown

A "what might have happened" Fic for season 2 of Limetown. Follows Daniel Rassmueller and his journey from saving Emile Haddock to falling for him, and the tragedy of the Bridge.

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Growing Up | Desperado

Now Samar is on her own for the first time in her life, with only the stubborn Belkacem twins for support, as she struggles to find herself s an individual and prove to her ancestors that she's worthy of their return.

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Embers Still Burn | Critical Role

Caleb Widogast has been out of the AM and working to get himself free of their shadow for years now. What will he do when people close to him start to come under their influence?

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Chancellors and Changes of Heart | Stellar Firma

David gets to keep their place. Trexel learns to be a sink chancellor, what it's like to be actually vulnerable, and how to be a slightly better person.

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spite, caffeine, and homosexuality | Kaleidotrope

Coffee, study dates, identity shenanigans, and more. The question amidst this chaos is if Harrison and Drew will ever realize they love each other.

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A Tune Without Words | Kaleidotrope

Prince Harrison never thought he would get a happily ever after. That is until he meets a swan in the forest. A Swan Lake AU

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A Strange New Reality | Kane and Feels

Lucifer Kane spent a long time figuring out who and what he is, and there was a time where he had to figure out who he was. This tells of that time, and other moments of his youth.

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Library Pseudoscience | Kane and Feels, The Magnus Archives

Detectives Kane and Feels investigate the Magnus Institute. Can they face the horrors within, or will the terminally paranoid head archivist convince them to leave before they get the chance?

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i've lost and found you in seafoam and shorebreak | The Adventure Zone

Davenport is a traumatized man after having his autonomy and entire identity stripped away for years. He copes by sailing the old-fashioned way, and letting natural forces, rather than human decision and magical intervention, have control of his destiny.

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say what we wanna do, make it all come true | Strange Case of Starship Iris

Sana, Arkady, Brian and Krejjh are an up-and-coming indie band called Rumor. When they save would-be whistleblower Violet Liu from the clutches of her employers at a gig, they gain a band member - but also make an enemy of a ruthless corporation.

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a rumor of a fight | Strange Case of Starship Iris

a road trip complete with late night, inexplicably space themed diners, hotels with suspiciously few twin beds, and a few gentle interventions.

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You Know Me Well | Welcome to Nightvale

The year is 1811. Carlos is a prolific writer of gothic novels featuring everything from ghosts and spectres to vampires and beyont.

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A Thousand Hours (To Rearrange The Stars) | Welcome to Nightvale

An introspective look into the life and trauma of the beloved radio host of Night Vale, Cecil Gershwin Palmer.

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broken bottle mosaic | Welcome to Nightvale

A fairly introspective little piece about Carlos’ scars, both physical and not, and an exploration about how everyone has flaws or damage from the past, and how those things are not detriments to our whole self but instead a critical part of it.

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take me to the pilot | Wolf 359

What's left of the Hephaestus crew go on a road trip. What could go wrong?

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Funzo 2: It's Back and It's Personal | Wolf 359

Post-finale, the Hephaestus gang gets stuck in Cutter’s old office on the Sol. Things go from bad to weird when they find a certain “Craziest Board Game of 1973” in one of Cutter’s desk drawers.

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a weed usurps a spaceship | Wolf 359

There's an awful lot you see from within the vents. Space Mutant Plant Monster, on her crew, itself, and humanity.

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You Say I Killed You (Haunt Me Then) | Wolf 359

A mostly canon-compliant exploration of the SI-5’s past, and the difference between masks and monsters.

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Misroch Grabbing Chairs | Brimstone Valley Mall

In which Misroch grabs chairs, Trainees are acquired, and Belzagor knows all.

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Throw My Dead Body in the Dumpster Behind Weiner World When I Die | Brimstone Valley Mall

What if Brimstone Valley Mall was the other way around. Wouldn't that be fucked up or what?

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Handle With Care / Not Alone Anymore | Brimstone Valley Mall

Hornblas is gone. Belzagor is only just now registering this.

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falling doesn't feel so bad when i know you've fallen this way too | Brimstone Valley Mall

In which Belzagor and Xaphan are ordained by the heavens to clean up the satanic messes they’ve created in South Central Pennsylvania, and between furby reconnaissance and Chole's day jobs, end up hurtling through some identity crises together in true useless lesbian fashion.

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TBS Projects Masterpost | TMA Projects Masterpost | TPP Projects Masterpost

[jerzwriter]

So, we all know how Ethan likes the Opera. But does he like musicals? Does Kaycee like musicals? If so, which one(s) are their favorite(s)?

He does... but only because of Kaycee. Kaycee LOVES musicals. LOVES them. She is always singing show tunes, and she goes to see musicals whenever she can. When she was an undergrad at NYU, she went to every Broadway and Off-Broadway production she could. She nearly considered turning down Edenbrook for a residency at New York-Presbyterian, JUST so she'd still be near Broadway. So, Ethan had no hope...

He wasn't happy about it at first. Hamilton was blaring in his apartment at all hours of the day, but that was better than Kaycee singing it. She made him learn the difference between Stephen Sondheim, George Gershwin, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Leonard Bernstein ( you see where this is going) and there were quizzes.

He found her enthusiasm adorable, so, even though it wasn't his cup of tea, he did his best to learn. Especially since she went out of her way to learn about and appreciate opera for him. It wasn't just about the music, it was about someone caring enough about him to make what mattered to him, matter to her too. So, how could he not try?

By the time all was said and done, he became a musical aficionado too. They spent a lot of time supporting the arts in Boston... and making quite a few trips to NYC as well.

As to their favorites, I know that I received an ask from @icecoffee90 at one time with this very question, and I gave it an inordinate amount of consideration to come up with their favorites. lol Sadly, I cannot find it to save my life. But, off the top of my head, I'd say:

Kaycee: Impossible to narrow this down, but Hamilton and In The Heights, she's Lin obsessed. Rent, Into the Woods, Ragtime, A Chorus Line, Fun Home, Dear Evan Hansen, Les Miserables, and Dreamgirls are all top contenders. She hasn't seen A Strange Loop yet, but she plans on - they have a week in NYC coming up and they have tickets to see that, Paradise Square, Wicked (again), and Stomp! (off-Broadway.)

Ethan tends to prefer more traditional productions such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Man of La Mancha, Showboat, The King and I, etc.

They both have a soft spot for Ain't Too Proud because it's what they saw on their first "official" date. (Their First Date)

(In case you can't tell, I'm obsessed with musicals, and I made sure Casey/Kaycee was too! So this ask was too much fun for me. Thank you!)

[larapeteira]

Ted Lasso: Quick Post-match Analysis

Ted’s unalloyed enthusiasm for puns?

I am here for it. See also: the rhyming. I am tickled by it and I don’t care. 

Keeley and Rebecca are cracking separately, and a delight together. 

It’s also fun to see Ellie Taylor playing an Andrea Savage-type role.

All. That. Jazz. (Honourable mention to ‘Fuck yeah, the Gershwins!’)

James Lance is still playing dickhead characters whose voice I find uncomfortably delicious. I do not get the Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen hair though. Nope.

Still - in a similar way to the West Wing - I have more than a few questions about the show’s perspective on the UK (print) media landscape. 

I am impressed that they worked in a pun based on Mancunian pronunciation with Jamie & his ‘beer-by’. Top work.

Also on Jamie Tartt (do-do-dee-do-dee-do): I had a proper ‘Fuck me, that was YOU?!’ moment with Phil Dunster once I finally realised where I'd seen him before. (On stage years ago, in Pink Mist. *weeps*)

‘then everyone finds out back ‘ome and laughs at me until my face melts off’

Nate the Great exudes wan Yorkshire irony on a level that would make Alan Bennett awkwardly proud and has, for my money, the best introduction of any of the characters.

‘Does my face look like it’s in the mood for shape-based jokes?’ To be fair, Roy, I was slightly convinced you were made of CGI for the first couple of episodes.

Football is not my thing at all, but I think it shows how engrained it is here that I could catch a hint of the Match of the Day theme tune in the opening of the title music. (See also: Wonderwall. I’m not really an Oasis person either, but any size group rendition of it is thrilling.)

As a trans(-north-)atlantic comedy project I think it bears some interesting comparisons with Veep - especially in terms of how they blend US/UK comedic and cultural perspectives.

[theloniousbach]

NOT!!! A LIVESTREAM!!: BILL CHARLAP/NORIKO UEDA, MEZZROW’S, 11 OCTOBER 2024, 9 pm set

This was an absolutely wonderful set, a seminar in standards, performed with fire and taste as an intimate conversation between piano and bass. I would revel in this as a stream, but this SOUVENIR will inevitably be more about what was a pilgrimage to a shrine.

But let me at least try to savor the music. BILL CHARLAP dug into Sunny Side of the Street as a prelude to Body and Soul when NORIKO UEDA brought her woody/wordy bass line to the discussion including an expansive solo. Professor Charlap held forth about the modulation up and down in the bridge of the Johnny Green tune. After Tea for Two, he recited an entire verse of those lyrics before embarking on how Vladimir Ducalsky becoming Vernon Duke at George Gershwin’s suggestion, including on the accomplishment of Autumn in New York. But he played his Not A Care In The World. Next up was an unnamed Duke Ellington tune that was not one of the ultra familiar ones, so maybe it was Warm Valley which is wonderful but in that next level of treasures. Easy Living was next with a rich booming Ueda solo. I couldn’t place the next tune, but Caravan was a blockbuster with a powerful double time exchange which launched the biggest bass solo of the night. There wasn’t an encore as such, but he paused and said what do you want to hear? I mentioned Detour Ahead which he considered but did another wonderful ballad which they caressed lovingly.

Charlap was, as always, tasteful but not overly polite with tunes he knows inside and out. Those moments where he pushes the tunes are fascinating and, who knew except by being at this close range, that he vocalizes mildly. He listens big too and is appreciative of his bandmates, yes by announcing them but even more by taking them very seriously. Ueda is a worthy collaborator, differently big than Peter Washington from the trio. Maybe she took up Kenny Washington’s rhythmic space too.

I had a better view of her playing as such as I was on her side. But I did see Charlap’s head throughout, the pushing up the glasses over eyes that are, in turn, alert and envisioning what’s next. To be fair, unless you sit at the pianist’s elbow, you don’t see the keyboard.

I was at the fifth and last table in a chair on the sole aisle across from a German couple. That configuration was on both sides. That means 30 people at tables and I suppose five stools on each side. They sell just 40 seats a show; it’s even smaller than Focal Point. And, like Focal Point, I made myself at home. I talked to both musicians on the way in, telling Charlap that I’d seen Artemis two weeks ago and that his wife, Renee Rosnes, overhearing me tell Ueda that I was going to this show, that she was playing with Ron Carter that night. Then, I said hello to Ueda who also greeted me. I also talked to the emcee, the one who always greets “those of you who are watching at home.” On the way out, I told him how much I treasured the streams and asked him to thank the Small’s Live team.

I was struck during the show that is was 1977 when I went to a show at the Village Vanguard and, more appropriately, a set at Bradley’s. This was only my third NYC jazz club gig. I mentioned to Charlap that I’d seen Jimmy Rowles at Bradley’s. I’m not surprised that he admired Rowles too. I can now construct a better memory of that gig 47 years ago sitting in this similarly compact narrow room where such masters practiced their supreme craft.

I can also better imagine what’s going on when next I stream in.

[aedwritesfic]

♦: Slow dancing

Hey, love! Thank you so much for the prompt and for PMing me the pairing. I know you love Severus/Tonks and hope that I was able to do it justice.

The brassy notes of a Gershwin tune gracefully stumble their way from the gramophone across the surprisingly spacious sitting room. They had shoved the furniture off to the side and were left with a decent amount of space to dance. 

Well, Severus was dancing. She was desperately trying not to step on his toes. Again.

He sighed silently, but she could see the barest flicker of amusement in his dark eyes. “You’re thinking too hard,” Severus murmured in his gravely baritone.

Tonks groaned in frustration, her hair shifting from he preferred bubblegum pink to brick red. “I really wish you would have just let me charm those shoes to follow your lead. It would have been much easier.”

“And you would not have learned,” he quipped, pulling her close yet again. “Try something for me?”

She nodded. The ministry ball was on Friday and she was required to attend. At this point, she was willing to try anything.

“Look at me,” he purred. 

Her eyes snapped to his and she tried to suppress the small shudder that ran down her spine every time he used that voice.

“Don’t look anywhere else. Pay attention to how I feel in your arms. My movements. If you listen and respond to the cues my body gives you, you’ll be fine.”

A new song started up, one that was a bit slower than before. Tonks took a deep breath and allowed herself to dive headfirst into his obsidian gaze, letting everything else fall away. The music was still there, soft and lilting, but it no longer consumed her. Subtle changes to the gentle pressure of his hand on her back spurred her feet to move, telling them where to go without words. When his piercing stare became a bit too much, she allowed her eyes to drift closed and her head to rest upon his chest. The wool of his jumper was just this side of coarse, but it smelled of him: bay rum aftershave, a variety of potions ingredients, clean sweat. Her Severus.  

When the song ended and he gently pulled away, Tonks was shocked to see a grin plastered across his face.“You did it!” he chuckled at her confused look, gently reaching out to smooth the wrinkles that formed between her eyes.

With a whoop of delight, she tackled him to the floor and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She heard him grumble something about the indecency of being on the floor, but she didn’t care. She, Nymphadora Tonks could dance. 

If you'd like me to write a little drabble featuring your favourite HP ship you can shoot me an ask with your pairing and a prompt from THIS LIST of acts of non-sexual intimacy.

[marinmusings]

WRITING A SPEECH

I am writing a speech about a childhood thing, event, place that influenced me throughout the rest of my life. I'm putting the first draft here. It all feels new to me. I am most comfortable "writing" things when I talk into a recorder. Get used to writing drafts (she said to herself, reminding herself to not expect greatness).

"Summertime and the living is easy" or so says George Gershwin's classic American tune from "Porgy and Bess."

At five, the school was coming to an end and I could not wait for the freedom of summer. I came home one day to find a large black trunk and my clothes with sewn-in labels. Mysterious. Trunks were for people crossing the Atlantic on big ships, no? I was only five, how much could I understand when my parents said it was all for a big summer adventure called "sleep-away camp." I’d learn, and I learn to love it for the next eight years.

THE NEWS ABOUT CAMP

Too young to recall exactly how it was explained to me, I knew my brother and sister were going, and they were expected to look after me. (An odd and sometimes terrifying thought as when they did notice me at home, as the youngest, it was usually to torment me in some way). Next thing I know I am on a bus, taking me from the Bronx to an exotic place called “The Berkshires.”

THE TRIP and FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Once my tears were wiped away, I relaxed. Maybe it was the “going away” care package of candy my parents left with me. We pulled into a magically GREEN place, like no green I had seen in the Bronx. The first thing I noticed was all the weeping Willows. They were so majestic. And everything was wet and dewy and green. It all smelled wonderful. In the Bronx, the playgrounds were great but

had pavement, not grass. If you fell off a swing hard, that could mean surgery. Here there was a never-ending pasture and hills.

NEW BEST FRIENDS AND NATURE

Before my big brother had the chance to come over to play, which meant to push me down one of those hills (all in good fun) I met my new best friends, two other five-year-olds named Randy and Meryl. There were other cabin-mates my age. And we all became fast friends. Though I had an idyllic pink bedroom at home, I immediately love the rustic cabins we stayed in. I learned quickly that I had the spirit of the outdoors in me. I wasn’t just a city kid. Nature spoke to me and I never really wanted to leave it. I spent the next eight years at summer camps.

Camp came with challenges, but also so many rewards. No time to miss home when I had almost every outdoor activity to compete in. We got points and letters and medals, and I was going to get every one that I could. I learned that I was deeply competitive.

I learned to swim in the cordoned-off area of the lake. Once I could swim, I canoed and leaned sailing. I also discovered what lakes were while canoeing far away - one day I looked down the murky waters saw only the tops of some brown weedy plants. I imagined that they went on forever, right down to the center of the earth. So I learned I had fear of deep water. Oppps. That did NOT keep me down. I got up on water skis. And you can be sure with those creepy underwater plants I was NOT going to fall off my skis. Yeah thos plants turned into my JAWS.

I competed at archery, I did headstands in gymnastics and timed them until I never fell very. I was a yogi before I knew what a yogi was. And singing! Every counselor had a guitar. I learned the lyrics to folks songs that protested a war I knew nothing about. It seems half of our days were spent singing. Singing was a competition too, we tried out for musical theater. In fact, that is the only part of my basically just cultural Jewish upbringing I knew - was the words to every song of American musical theater. I knew none of the words to the Sabbath services celebrated every Friday night as we walked up the hill with our candles lit. But that wasn’t a competition.

Summer camps ended at the age of 13, but my love for the outdoors stayed.

Years later, I moved out West, where there are REALLY big mountains, and started backpacking.

I bought all the gear and found some people at the time that could help guide me in the backcountry.

I bought a mountain bike and though I usually went on a beach path, I was brave sometimes and took it into the backcountry. I owe that attachment to nature to my summers at camp. I was never a mountain goat and always trailed the group. I didn’t even mind a few tears when I fell off my bike. I just got up and watched the Alpinistas leading the group leave me behind in a cloud of red desert dust!

I have moved a lot, lost my gear, and never go outdoors. I don’t know anyone to go with and I am not a brave solo camper. But oh did I miss. And when I moved to upstate NY from California a few years ago, I was delighted to willow trees everywhere, even now in WASHINGTON park. And I still find them amazing and comforting, taking me in under their canopy. I just miss nature.

[emerald-studies]

The complex Nina Simone

“Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina on February 21st, 1933, Nina’s prodigious talent as a musician was evident early on when she started playing piano by ear at the age of three. Her mother, a Methodist minister, and her father, a handyman and preacher himself, couldn’t ignore young Eunice’s God-given gift of music. Raised in the church on the straight and narrow, her parents taught her right from wrong, to carry herself with dignity, and to work hard. She played piano – but didn’t sing – in her mother’s church, displaying remarkable talent early in her life. Able to play virtually anything by ear, she was soon studying classical music with an Englishwoman named Muriel Mazzanovich, who had moved to the small southern town. It was from these humble roots that Eunice developed a lifelong love of Johann Sebastian Bach, Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert.After graduating valedictorian of her high school class, the community raised money for a scholarship for Eunice to study at Julliard in New York City before applying to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her family had already moved to the City Of Brotherly Love, but Eunice’s hopes for a career as a pioneering African American classical pianist were dashed when the school denied her admission. To the end, she herself would claim that racism was the reason she did not attend. While her original dream was unfulfilled, Eunice ended up with an incredible worldwide career as Nina Simone – almost by default.

 One fateful day in 1954, looking to supplement her income, Eunice auditioned to sing at the Midtown Bar & Grill on Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Word spread about this new singer and pianist who was dipping into the songbooks of Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and the like, transforming popular tunes of the day into a unique synthesis of jazz, blues, and classical music. Her rich, deep velvet vocal tones, combined with her mastery of the keyboard, soon attracted club goers up and down the East Coast. In order to hide the fact that she was singing in bars, Eunice’s mother would refer to the practice as “working in the fires of hell”, overnight Eunice Waymon became Nina Simone by taking the nickname “Nina” meaning “little one” in Spanish and “Simone” after the actress Simone Signoret.At the age of twenty-four, Nina came to the attention of the record industry. After submitting a demo of songs she had recorded during a performance in New Hope, Pennsylvania, she was signed by Syd Nathan, owner of the Ohio-based King Records (home to James Brown), to his Jazz imprint, Bethlehem Records. The boisterous Nathan had insisted on choosing songs for her debut set, but eventually relented and allowed Nina to delve in the repertoire she had been performing at clubs up and down the eastern seaboard. One of Nina’s stated musical influences was Billie Holiday and her inspired reading of “Porgy” (from “Porgy & Bess”) heralded the arrival of a new talent on the national scene. At the same mammoth 13 hour session in 1957, recorded in New York City, Nina also cut “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” previously recorded by Nate King Cole, Count Basie, and Woody Herman. The song was used by Chanel in a perfume commercial in Europe in the 1980’s and it became a massive hit for Nina, a British chart topper at #5, and thus a staple of her repertoire for the rest of her career.

Nina Simone’s stay with Bethlehem Records was short lived and in 1959, after moving to New York City, she was signed by Joyce Selznik, the eastern talent scout for Colpix Records, a division of Columbia Pictures. Months after the release of her debut LP for the label (1959‘s The Amazing Nina Simone), Nina was performing at her first major New York City venue, the mid-Manhattan-located Town Hall. Sensing that her live performances would capture the essential spontaneity of her artistry, Colpix opted to record her September 12, 1959 show. “You Can Have Him,” a glorious torch song previously cut by Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald, was one of the highlights of the evening. The song opened with a dazzling keyboard arpeggio that would become her signature for decades. So momentous was the Town Hall performance that it inspired some of the same musicians, featuring the vocals of Nina’s only daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, to do a tribute to a sold out audience over forty five years later.As Nina’s reputation as an engaging live performer grew, it wasn’t long before she was asked to perform at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. Accompanied on the June 30th, 1960 show by Al Schackman, a guitarist who would go on to become Nina’s longest-running musical colleague, bassist Chris White, and drummer Bobby Hamilton, the dynamic show was recorded by the Colpix. The subsequent release in 1961 of the old blues tune “Trouble In Mind” as a single gave Nina her third charted record.Her stay with Colpix resulted in some wonderful albums – nine in all – included Nina’s version of Bessie Smith’s blues classic “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out.” Issued as a single in 1960, it became Nina’s second charted Pop and R&B hit and one of two Colpix tracks to achieve such a feat during her five year stint with the label. Other stand out tracks from that era were the soulful song “Cotton Eyed Joe,” the torch tune “The Other Women,” and the Norwegian folk rendition of “Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair” – all beautiful examples of Nina Simone at her storytelling best, painting a vivid picture with her skill as a lyrical interpreter. During this time with the label, Nina recorded one civil rights song, Oscar Brown Jr.’s “Brown Baby,” which was included on her fifth album for the label, At The Village Gate.“Critics started to talk about what sort of music I was playing,” writes Nina in her 1991 autobiography I Put A Spell On You, “and tried to find a neat slot to file it away in. It was difficult for them because I was playing popular songs in a classical style with a classical piano technique influenced by cocktail jazz. On top of that I included spirituals and children’s song in my performances, and those sorts of songs were automatically identified with the folk movement. So, saying what sort of music I played gave the critics problems because there was something from everything in there, but it also meant I was appreciated across the board – by jazz, folk, pop and blues fans as well as admirers of classical music.” Clearly Nina Simone was not an artist who could be easily classified.

Nina’s Colpix recordings cemented her appeal to a nightclub based U.S. audience. Once she moved to Phillips, a division of Dutch-owned Mercury Records, she was ready to expand her following globally. Her first LP for the label, 1964’s In Concert, signaled Nina’s undaunted stand for freedom and justice for all, stamping her irrevocably as a pioneer and inspirational leader in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Her own original “Mississippi Goddam” was banned throughout the South but such a response made no difference in Nina’s unyielding commitment to liberty; subsequent groundbreaking recordings for Philips like “Four Women” (recorded September 1965) and “Strange Fruit” continued to keep Nina in the forefront of the few performers willing to use music as a vehicle for social commentary and change. Such risks were seldom taken by artists during that time of such dramatic civil upheaval.For years, Nina felt there was much about the way that she made her living that was less than appealing. One gets a sense of that in the following passage from I Put A Spell on You where she explains her initial reluctance to perform material that was tied to the Civil Rights Movement.“Nightclubs were dirty, making records was dirty, popular music was dirty and to mix all that with politics seemed senseless and demeaning. And until songs like ‘Mississippi Goddam’ just burst out of me, I had musical problems as well. How can you take the memory of a man like [Civil Rights activist] Medgar Evers and reduce all that he was to three and a half minutes and a simple tune? That was the musical side of it I shied away from; I didn’t like ‘protest music’ because a lot of it was so simple and unimaginative it stripped the dignity away from the people it was trying to celebrate. But the Alabama church bombing and the murder of Medgar Evers stopped that argument and with ‘Mississippi Goddam,’ I realized there was no turning back.”

Nina was deeply affected by these two events. In 1962, she had befriended noted playwright Lorraine Hansberry and spoke often with her about the Civil Rights Movement. While she was moved by her conversations with Hansberry, it took the killing of Medgar Evers and the four girls in Birmingham to act as catalysts for a transformation of Nina’s career.There were many sides to Nina Simone. Among her most amazing recordings were the original and so-soulful version “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “I Put A Spell On You” (which had reached to #23 in the U.S. charts), eerily moody, unrestrained, drama to the max; “Ne Me Quitte Pas” tender, poignant, filled with melancholy; and with gospel-like fervor, the hypnotic voodoo of “See-Line Woman.” In her own unrivaled way, Nina also loved to venture into the more earthy side of life. After she signed with RCA Records in 1967 (a deal her then husband/manager Andy Stroud had negotiated), her very first recordings for the label included the saucy “Do I Move You?” and the undeniably sexual “I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl” which were from the concept album entitled Nina Sings The Blues. Backed by a stellar cast of New York CIty session musicians, the album was far and away Nina’s most down-home recording session. By this time, Nina had become central to a circle of African American playwrights, poets, and writers all centered in Harlem along with the previously mentioned Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin and Langston Hughes. The outcome from one of the relationships became a highlight of the LP with the song “Backlash Blues,” a song that’s lyrics originated from the last poem Langston Hughes submitted for publication prior to his death in May, 1967 and gave to Nina.Nina’s seven years with RCA produced some remarkable recordings, ranging from two songs featured in the Broadway musical “Hair” (combined into a medley, “Ain’t Got No – I Got Life,” a #2 British hit in 1968) to a Simone-ified version of George Harrison’s “Here Comes The Sun,” which remained in Nina’s repertoire all the way through to her final performance in 2002. Along the way at RCA, songs penned by Bob Dylan (“Just Like A Woman”), the brothers Gibb (“To Love Somebody”), and Tina Turner (“Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter”) took pride of place alongside Nina’s own anthem of empowerment, the classic “To Be Young, Gifted, & Black,” a song written in memory of Nina’s good friend Lorraine Hansberry. The title of the song coming from a play Hansberry had been working on just prior to her death.After Nina left RCA, she spent a good deal of the 1970’s and early 1980’s living in Liberia, Barbados, England, Belgium, France, Switzerland and The Netherlands. In 1978, for the first time since she left RCA, Nina was convinced by U.S. jazz veteran Creed Taylor to make an album for his CTI label. This would be her first new studio album in six years and she recorded it in Belgium with strings and background vocals cut in New York City. With the kind of “clean” sound that was a hallmark of CTI recordings, the Nina Simone album that emerged was simply brilliant. Nina herself would later claimed that she ”hated” the record but many fans strongly disagreed. With an eighteen piece string section conducted by David Mathews (known for his arrangements on James Brown’s records), the results were spectacular. The title track, Randy Newman’s evocative “Baltimore,” was an inspired Nina Simone choice. It had a beautifully constructed reggae-like beat and used some of the finest musicians producer Creed Taylor could find including Nina’s guitarist and music director, Al Schackman.

Aside from 1982’s Fodder On My Wings that Nina recorded for Carrere Records, two albums she made of the independent VPI label in Hollywood (Nina’s Back and Live And Kickin’) in 1985, and a 1987 Live At Vine Street set recorded for Verve, Nina Simone did not make another full length album until Elektra A&R executive Michael Alago persuaded her to record again. After much wining and dining, Nina finally signed on the dotted line. Elektra tapped producer Andre Fischer, noted conductor Jeremy Lubbock, and a trio of respected musicians to provide the suitable environment for this highly personal reading of “A Single Woman,” which became the centerpiece and title track for Nina Simone’s final full length album.With two marriages behind her in 1993 she settled in Carry-le-Rout, near Aix-en-Provence in Southern France. She would continue to tour through the 1990’s and became very much ‘the single woman’ she sang about on her last label recording. She rarely traveled without an entourage, but if you were fortunate enough to get to know the woman behind the music you could glimpse the solitary soul that understood the pain of being misunderstood. It was one of Nina’s many abilities to comprehend the bittersweet qualities of life and then parlay them into a song that made her such an enduring and fascinating person.

In her autobiography, Nina Simone writes that her function as an artist is “…to make people feel on a deep level. It’s difficult to describe because it’s not something you can analyze; to get near what it’s about you have to play it. And when you’ve caught it, when you’ve got the audience hooked, you always know because it’s like electricity hanging in the air.” It was that very electricity that made her such an important artist to so many and it will be that electricity that continues to turn on new people all over the world for years to come.Nina Simone died in her sleep at her home in Carry-le-Rout, Bouches-du-Rhone on April 21, 2003. Her funeral service was attended by Miriam Makeba, Patti Labelle, poet Sonia Sanchez, actor Ossie Davis and hundreds of others. Elton John sent a floral tribute with the message, “You were the greatest and I love you”.” (source)

Watch “What Happened Miss Simone?”