#not really but it’s donna anna so

[cartridgeconverter]

Rereading the Hell segment of G.B. Shaw's Man and Superman and really liked this line

[disabled-dragoon]

The Disability Library

I love books, I love literature, and I love this blog, but it's only been recently that I've really been given the option to explore disabled literature, and I hate that. When I was a kid, all I wanted was to be able to read about characters like me, and now as an adult, all I want is to be able to read a book that takes us seriously.

And so, friends, Romans, countrymen, I present, a special disability and chronic illness booklist, compiled by myself and through the contributions of wonderful members from this site!

As always, if there are any at all that you want me to add, please just say. I'm always looking for more!

Edit 20/10/2023: You can now suggest books using the google form at the bottom!

Updated: 31/08/2023

Articles and Chapters

The Drifting Language of Architectural Accessibility in Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris, Essaka Joshua, 2012

Early Modern Literature and Disability Studies, Allison P. Hobgood, David Houston Wood, 2017

How Do You Develop Whole Object Relations as an Adult?, Elinor Greenburg, 2019

Making Do with What You Don't Have: Disabled Black Motherhood in Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, Anna Hinton, 2018

Necropolitics, Achille Mbeme, 2003 OR Necropolitics, Achille Mbeme, 2019

Wasted Lives: Modernity and Its Outcasts, Zygmunt Bauman, 2004

Witchcraft and deformity in early modern English Literature, Scott Eaton, 2020

Books

Fiction:

Misc:

10 Things I Can See From Here, Carrie Mac

A-F:

A Curse So Dark and Lonely, (Series), Brigid Kemmerer

Akata Witch, (Series), Nnedi Okorafor

A Mango-Shaped Space, Wendy Mass

Ancillary Justice, (Series), Ann Leckie

An Unkindness of Ghosts, Rivers Solomon

An Unseen Attraction, (Series), K. J. Charles

A Shot in the Dark, Victoria Lee

A Snicker of Magic, Natalie Lloyd

A Song of Ice and Fire, (series), George R. R. Martin

A Spindle Splintered, (Series), Alix E. Harrow

A Time to Dance, Padma Venkatraman

Bath Haus, P. J. Vernon

Beasts of Prey, (Series), Ayana Gray

The Bedlam Stacks, (Series), Natasha Pulley

Black Bird, Blue Road, Sofiya Pasternack

Black Sun, (Series), Rebecca Roanhorse

Blood Price, (Series), Tanya Huff

Borderline, (Series), Mishell Baker

Breath, Donna Jo Napoli

The Broken Kingdoms, (Series), N.K. Jemisin

Brute, Kim Fielding

Cafe con Lychee, Emery Lee

Carry the Ocean, (Series), Heidi Cullinan

Challenger Deep, Neal Shusterman

Cinder, (Series), Marissa Meyer

Clean, Amy Reed

Connection Error, (Series), Annabeth Albert

Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star, Laura Noakes

Crazy, Benjamin Lebert

Crooked Kingdom, (Series), Leigh Bardugo

Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots, (Series), Cat Sebastian

Daniel, Deconstructed, James Ramos

Dead in the Garden, (Series), Dahlia Donovan

Dear Fang, With Love, Rufi Thorpe

Deathless Divide, (Series), Justina Ireland

The Degenerates, J. Albert Mann

The Doctor's Discretion, E.E. Ottoman

Earth Girl, (Series), Janet Edwards

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, Emily R. Austin

The Extraordinaries, (Series), T. J. Klune

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, (Series), Trenton Lee Stewart

Fight + Flight, Jules Machias

The Final Girl Support Group, Grady Hendrix

Finding My Voice, (Series), Aoife Dooley

The First Thing About You, Chaz Hayden

Follow My Leader, James B. Garfield

Forever Is Now, Mariama J. Lockington

Fortune Favours the Dead, (Series), Stephen Spotswood

Fresh, Margot Wood

H-0:

Harmony, London Price

Harrow the Ninth, (series), Tamsyn Muir

Hench, (Series), Natalia Zina Walschots

Highly Illogical Behaviour, John Corey Whaley

Honey Girl, Morgan Rogers

How to Become a Planet, Nicole Melleby

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager, (Series), D. N. Bryn

How to Sell Your Blood & Fall in Love, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites, Joy Demorra

I Am Not Alone, Francisco X. Stork

The Immeasurable Depth of You, Maria Ingrande Mora

In the Ring, Sierra Isley

Into The Drowning Deep, (Series), Mira Grant

Iron Widow, (Series), Xiran Jay Zhao

Izzy at the End of the World, K. A. Reynolds

Jodie's Journey, Colin Thiele

Just by Looking at Him, Ryan O'Connell

Kissing Doorknobs, Terry Spencer Hesser

Lakelore, Anna-Marie McLemore

Learning Curves, (Series), Ceillie Simkiss

Let's Call It a Doomsday, Katie Henry

The Library of the Dead, (Series), TL Huchu

The Lion Hunter, (Series), Elizabeth Wein

Lirael, (Series), Garth Nix

Long Macchiatos and Monsters, Alison Evans

Love from A to Z, (Series), S.K. Ali

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, Kristen O'Neal

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

The Never Tilting World, (Series), Rin Chupeco

The No-Girlfriend Rule, Christen Randall

Nona the Ninth, (series), Tamsyn Muir

Noor, Nnedi Okorafor

Odder Still, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Once Stolen, (Series), D. N. Bryn

One For All, Lillie Lainoff

On the Edge of Gone, Corinne Duyvis

Origami Striptease, Peggy Munson

Our Bloody Pearl, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper

P-T:

Parable of the Sower, (Series), Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Talents, (Series), Octavia E. Butler

Percy Jackson & the Olympians, (series), Rick Riordan

Pomegranate, Helen Elaine Lee

The Prey of Gods, Nicky Drayden

The Pursuit Of..., (Series), Courtney Milan

The Queen's Thief, (Series), Megan Whalen Turner

The Quiet and the Loud, Helena Fox

The Raging Quiet, Sheryl Jordan

The Reanimator's Heart, (Series), Kara Jorgensen

The Remaking of Corbin Wale, Joan Parrish

Roll with It, (Series), Jamie Sumner

Russian Doll, (Series), Cristelle Comby

The Second Mango, (Series), Shira Glassman

Scar of the Bamboo Leaf, Sieni A.M

Shaman, (Series), Noah Gordon

Sick Kids in Love, Hannah Moskowitz

The Silent Boy, Lois Lowry

Six of Crows, (Series) Leigh Bardugo

Sizzle Reel, Carlyn Greenwald

The Spare Man, Mary Robinette Kowal

The Stagsblood Prince, (Series), Gideon E. Wood

Stake Sauce, Arc 1: The Secret Ingredient is Love. No, Really, (Series), RoAnna Sylver

Stars in Your Eyes, Kacen Callender [Expected release: Oct 2023]

The Storm Runner, (Series), J. C. Cervantes

Stronger Still, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Sweetblood, Pete Hautman

Tarnished Are the Stars, Rosiee Thor

The Theft of Sunlight, (Series), Intisar Khanani

Throwaway Girls, Andrea Contos

Top Ten, Katie Cotugno

Torch, Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Treasure, Rebekah Weatherspoon

Turtles All the Way Down, John Green

U-Z:

Unlicensed Delivery, Will Soulsby-McCreath Expected release October 2023

Verona Comics, Jennifer Dugan

Vorkosigan Saga, (Series), Lois McMaster Bujold

We Are the Ants, (Series), Shaun David Hutchinson

The Weight of Our Sky, Hanna Alkaf

Whip, Stir and Serve, Caitlyn Frost and Henry Drake

The Whispering Dark, Kelly Andrew

Wicked Sweet, Chelsea M. Cameron

Wonder, (Series), R. J. Palacio

Wrong to Need You, (Series), Alisha Rai

Ziggy, Stardust and Me, James Brandon

Graphic Novels:

A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability, (Non-Fiction), A. Andrews

Constellations, Kate Glasheen

Dancing After TEN: a graphic memoir, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Vivian Chong, Georgia Webber

Everything Is an Emergency: An OCD Story in Words Pictures, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Jason Adam Katzenstein

Frankie's World: A Graphic Novel, (Series), Aoife Dooley

The Golden Hour, Niki Smith

Nimona, N. D. Stevenson

The Third Person, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Emma Grove

Magazines and Anthologies:

Artificial Divide, (Anthology), Robert Kingett, Randy Lacey

Beneath Ceaseless Skies #175: Grandmother-nai-Leylit's Cloth of Winds, (Article), R. B. Lemburg

Defying Doomsday, (Anthology), edited by Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, (short story) (anthology), Seiko Tanabe

Nothing Without Us, edited by Cait Gordon and Talia C. Johnson

Nothing Without Us Too, edited by Cait Gordon and Talia C. Johnson

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens, (Anthology), edited by Marieke Nijkamp

Uncanny #24: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction, (Anthology), edited by: Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Dominik Parisien et al.

Uncanny #30: Disabled People Destroy Fantasy, (Anthology), edited by: Nicolette Barischoff, Lisa M. Bradley, Katharine Duckett

We Shall Be Monsters, edited by Derek Newman-Stille

Manga:

Perfect World, (Series), Rie Aruga

The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud, (Short Stories), Kuniko Tsurita

Non-Fiction:

Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education, Jay Timothy Dolmage

A Disability History of the United States, Kim E, Nielsen

The Architecture of Disability: Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes beyond Access, David Gissen

Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism, Elsa Sjunneson

Black Disability Politics, Sami Schalk

Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety, Dr. Elinor Greenburg

Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure, Eli Clare

The Cambridge Companion to Literature and Disability, Barker, Clare and Stuart Murray, editors.

The Capacity Contract: Intellectual Disability and the Question of Citizenship, Stacy Clifford Simplican

Capitalism and Disability, Martha Russel

Care work: Dreaming Disability Justice, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Catatonia, Shutdown and Breakdown in Autism: A Psycho-Ecological Approach, Dr Amitta Shah

The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays, Esme Weijun Wang

Crip Kinship, Shayda Kafai

Crip Up the Kitchen: Tools, Tips and Recipes for the Disabled Cook, Jules Sherred

Culture – Theory – Disability: Encounters between Disability Studies and Cultural Studies, Anne Waldschmidt, Hanjo Berressem, Moritz Ingwersen

Decarcerating Disability: Deinstitutionalization and Prison Abolition, Liat Ben-Moshe

Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally, Emily Ladau

Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World, Ben Mattlin

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From the Twenty-First Century, Alice Wong

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability and Making Space, Amanda Leduc

Every Cripple a Superhero, Christoph Keller

Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation, Eli Clare

Feminist Queer Crip, Alison Kafer

The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Growing Up Disabled in Australia, Carly Findlay

It's Just Nerves: Notes on a Disability, Kelly Davio

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot

Language Deprivation & Deaf Mental Health, Neil S. Glickman, Wyatte C. Hall

The Minority Body: A Theory of Disability, Elizabeth Barnes

My Body and Other Crumbling Empires: Lessons for Healing in a World That Is Sick, Lyndsey Medford

No Right to Be Idle: The Invention of Disability, 1840s-1930s, Sarah F. Rose

Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment, James I. Charlton

The Pedagogy of Pathologization Dis/abled Girls of Color in the School-prison Nexus, Subini Ancy Annamma

Physical Disability in British Romantic Literature, Essaka Joshua

QDA: A Queer Disability Anthology, Raymond Luczak, Editor.

The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability, Jasbir K. Puar

Sitting Pretty, (memoir), Rebecca Taussig

Sounds Like Home: Growing Up Black & Deaf in the South, Mary Herring Wright

Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness: How to Stay Sane and Live One Step Ahead of Your Symptoms, Ilana Jacqueline

The Things We Don't Say: An Anthology of Chronic Illness Truths, Julie Morgenlender

Uncanny Bodies: Superhero Comics and Disability, Scott T. Smith, José Alaniz 

Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman, (memoir), Laura Kate Dale

Unmasking Autism, Devon Price

The War on Disabled People: Capitalism, Welfare and the Making of a Human Catastrophe, Ellen Clifford

We've Got This: Essays by Disabled Parents, Eliza Hull

Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life, (memoir) (essays) Alice Wong

Picture Books:

A Day With No Words, Tiffany Hammond, Kate Cosgrove-

A Friend for Henry, Jenn Bailey, Mika Song

Ali and the Sea Stars, Ali Stroker, Gillian Reid

All Are Welcome, Alexandra Penfold, Suzanne Kaufman

All the Way to the Top, Annette Bay Pimentel, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, Nabi Ali

Can Bears Ski?, Raymond Antrobus, Polly Dunbar

Different -- A Great Thing to Be!, Heather Alvis, Sarah Mensinga

Everyone Belongs, Heather Alvis, Sarah Mensinga

I Talk Like a River, Jordan Scott, Sydney Smith

Jubilee: The First Therapy Horse and an Olympic Dream, K. T. Johnson, Anabella Ortiz

Just Ask!, Sonia Sotomayor, Rafael López

Kami and the Yaks, Andrea Stenn Stryer, Bert Dodson

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay, Cari Best, Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship, Jessica Kensky, Patrick Downes, Scott Magoon

Sam's Super Seats, Keah Brown, Sharee Miller

Small Knight and the Anxiety Monster, Manka Kasha

We Move Together, Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, Eduardo Trejos

We're Different, We're the Same, and We're All Wonderful!, Bobbi Jane Kates, Joe Mathieu

What Happened to You?, James Catchpole, Karen George

The World Needs More Purple People, Kristen Bell, Benjamin Hart, Daniel Wiseman

You Are Enough: A Book About Inclusion, Margaret O'Hair, Sofia Sanchez, Sofia Cardoso

You Are Loved: A Book About Families, Margaret O'Hair, Sofia Sanchez, Sofia Cardoso

The You Kind of Kind, Nina West, Hayden Evans

Zoom!, Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko

Plays:

Peeling, Kate O'Reilly

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With an extra special thank you to @parafoxicalk @craftybookworms @lunod @galaxyaroace @shub-s @trans-axolotl @suspicious-whumping-egg @ya-world-challenge @fictionalgirlsworld @rubyjewelqueen @some-weird-queer-writer @jacensolodjo @cherry-sys @dralthon @thebibliosphere @brynwrites @aj-grimoire @shade-and-sun @ceanothusspinosus @edhelwen1 @waltzofthewifi @spiderleggedhorse @sleepneverheardofher @highladyluck @oftheides @thecouragetobekind @nopoodles @lupadracolis @elusivemellifluence @creativiteaa @moonflowero1 @the-bi-library @chronically-chaotic-cryptid for your absolutely fantastic contributions!

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Submit a Book:

[emmahasadhd]

Well since yall have brought my attention back to my post, I may as well add another, and probably cooler reference. In the end, when Holmes arrives and Kitty basically comes to save the day, the background music is shortened orchetral part of the finale of Don Giovanni, which shows Giovanni's downfall and death, as he is being dragged into Hell to be punished for his sins.

(I still love the first one mentioned more as the aria is one of my favorites from Don Giovanni)

Also I would've just reblogged, but it won't let me add the clip lol

And also almost full story explained below

Just to clarify the basic storyline of DG. The opera starts with Giovanni trying to seduce donna Anna. Well lets just say that does not go according to the plan and results in Giovanni killing Commendatore, Anna's father. Anna and her fiancé swear to have their revenge on Giovanni and not to mary until the former is achieved. Giovanni tries to seduce another woman later in the story, also while being pursued by donna Elvira one of his many former mistresses, who hopes he will come back to her. Giovanni doesn't want to, since he just wants to vontinue with his not really a boyfriend material lifestyle.

(Also reffering to the beginning, everywhere is said "seduce" I would think it is not about seducing as he is just trying to escape from her fucking house while she wants to unmask him. And I won't believe she is just "so much into him that she doesn't want him to leave". But yeah, that on your own interpretation I guess, since many stage productions put it simply like this. In my mind she just stopped her assailant and she hates his guts for everything he has done)

So the ending comes like this. Giovanni and his servant Leporello are at the cemetery. Giovanni sees the late Commendatore's statue and invites him over to dine with him. To his surprise and terror, the statue actually shows up and offers him a handshake. Giovanni accepting the handshake and refusing to repent dies, being dragged to Hell. Anna and her fiancé eventually get married, Zerlina and her husband are happy together and Elvira decides to join a convent.

The subplot with Zerlina, the woman Giovanni wants to seduce and Elvira I will leave out to simplify the story, as well as some other things. But if you are interested, look it up, youtube has many excelent recordings of the whole production.

(I would reccomend an older one though, since it usually portrays the opera set in the original time period and doesn't include conceptional and contemporary direction and scenic elements, therefore makes it a good starting point for opera newbies. Nothing against contemporarily produced performances, but if you want to get familiar with the source material and don't want to pre-read everything, those can make it harder to grasp what is actually going on.)

[kind-of-a-shitty-wizard]

hello opera tumblr im new here and dont know all too much abt opera but i really enjoyed a production of don giovanni that i havent seen anyone mention so i wanted to bring it to more ppl :pp

come to the 2005 teatro real production we have

beautiful set

cool nebulously 1800s-1900s costumes

anachronisms where it works. for example don giovanni wears sunglasses sometimes because of fucking course he would

solid cast especially leporello

(^ like ohmygod... i was about to click off this production to watch the one with samuel ramey but then he started singing madamina and knocked it out of the park so hard that i watched the whole prod. im lorenzo regazzos biggest fan rn)

they dont do that weird thing where they make donna anna be in love with don giovanni

they actually portray donna anna well overall. there’s the right balance of "im in mourning" and "i want revenge" which im given to understand is a rarity

did i mention the sets were cool asf

also they make leporello wear this

its available on youtube here with english subs :]

[essektheylyss]

Ten Books to Know Me

@aboxthecolourofheartache reblogged her version of this from ages ago but she'd tagged whoever saw it and it sounds very fun and difficult so let's do it!

Tris's Book by Tamora Pierce - I had a habit as a kid of always picking up the second book in a series, so this was the first of Tamora Pierce's books I read. Emelan had an effect on me on a microcosmic level, I'm pretty sure. Anyway, the protag of a whole world of mine is named Tris now, in homage to Trisana Chandler, so. the particulate is still kicking around in my brain.

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud - Another childhood FAVE. This series as a whole started fucking with what I understood a book to be. Also the ending of it has a vice grip on me to this day, and it is probably why so much of my writing is very vibey and favors ambiguous endings.

Cyrano de Bergerac - This was the first assigned reading I had in high school that I utterly LOVED. I love this play so much, I love the tragedy, I love the quiet sorrow. This was also the first proper tragedy that I remember really loving.

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan - This is a book of poetry and short stories by a Yale creative writing student who was killed in a car crash very soon after graduating, compiled by her professor after her death. I read it repeatedly in college; it is really quite lovely.

Underland by Robert Macfarlane - Apologies to Box who wanted reading recommendations, but she is who introduced me to this book if I remember correctly, and I have spent the two years since I read it habitually picking up Macfarlane's writing without even realizing it. Absolutely phenomenal writing.

Staying with the Trouble by Donna Haraway - @ professor Haraway I know you are a semi-retired scholar and also in the most expensive college town on earth but are you looking for research assistants cuz uh

The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing - I actually read both Staying with the Trouble and this book on the same weekend in the start of 2021. I compromised on not including Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, which I felt was very cliche of me, by including this book, which had as much of an effect. Read those three and Pantheologies by Mary-Jane Rubenstein and you will have some semblance of an idea of what the spiritual portion of my brain looks like. In the interest of not writing the same blurb four times I left the latter two off but know they make up a little microcosm of 'you could make a religion out of this' for me.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natskukawa - A Japanese novel about a cat who appears to a teenager after the death of his grandfather, a bookseller. I read it when I was very frustrated with trying to read contemporary fiction and it was a bright spot among that. (I am still very frustrated with the state of contemporary fiction and this book remains a light.)

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - Okay I read this one most recently out of this list (over the summer) but it had been on my list for a long time and it really does live up to the hype because it is just so luminous in every sense.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - I had to put this one last simply because HOLY HELL. Rewired my brain. This is the goal I aspire to, this is the dream I dream, this is the highest peak among the mountain range of writing aspirations that I climb. If I can one day write anything even akin to the Southern Reach trilogy I will be ready to die, but that is an utterly unachievable goal so God's just gonna have to let me live forever, I guess.

[thesummerstorms]

Okay, the really funny thing about the Annabeth Wayne verse is that at least as of the volume of NTT I'm currently reading (not sure if it got retconned or relocated) ... Dick's Titans team operated in New York City when they were on Earth.

Like.

Olympus was right there.

Camp Half-Blood was right there.

But because Dick doesn't have the necessary context, he would have been searching for Anna in and around Gotham. There wouldn't have been much reason to think that a seven year old would plan to run away to NYC, much less that she would make it there under her own power.

At best, they would have maybe looked into trafficking rings, etc. that might have also operated in NYC, but it wouldn't be the first or most likely place to look.

Long Island? Why on earth would they look there without some kind of sighting or tip? And we know Athena wasn't letting any of those through.

And again, if Bruce or Dick had known to ask, Diana or Donna likely could have told them at least where Olympus was and given them a means of focusing their efforts.

But if they had known to ask, they likely wouldn't have needed to ask at all.

So at some point, Anna (and Luke and Thalia and Grover) would have been in the Titan's city. In Dick's city. Maybe she even knew that and was looking for them as she ran from monsters.

But he wasn't there. Because he was looking for her.

[aporeticelenchus]

While struck down by Covid (alas, alack, etc), I’ve been watching operas on my mom’s Met Opera account. So far we’ve gotten through:

Barber of Seville (2007, Peter Mattei and Joyce DiDonato):

Charming! A delight! I want to spend more time with the music later to get a better sense of individual movements. Largo Al Factotum looms large and is as good as promised. I enjoyed Peter Mattei as Figaro and Joyce DiDonato as Rosina a lot too! Bartolo’s patter songs are fun. Looking forward to hearing those again.

Marriage of Figaro (1998; Bryn Terfel and Cecilia Bartoli as Figaro and Susanna; Renee Fleming and Dwayne Croft as Countess and Count):

Finally watched a Figaro production after listening to it a million times! Also a delight! For some reason they switched out Susanna’s two solo arias, which threw me. I saw some reviewers thought Cecilia Bartoli did a little too much physical comedy, but I really liked her. Renee Fleming was a great countess; Porgi Amor is still a dead bore to me but that’s not her fault. Cherubino was adorable, but seemed to struggle a bit with Non So Piu.

This continues to be my favorite opera, and I enjoyed this as a production. I plan to watch the other two productions available on the Met on Demand later.

Don Giovanni (2000; Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, Solveig Kringelborn, Hei-Kyung Hong):

I’ve now spent enough time with Don Giovanni to have an opinion: it’s good, but I don’t like it nearly as much as Figaro. The plot flow and pacing frustrate me. There are some standout musical moments, but also some parts that drag (hi act 2 Donna Anna). I do love La Ci Darem and Hei-Kyung Hong’s Zerlina was charming. Finch’Han Dal Vino and Deh Vieni A La Finestra are songs I enjoy from Don G, and of course Lepprello’s little list is fun. Donna Elivra generally has good music behind her, as does Act 1 Donna Anna.

Does Don Ottavio need to be in this opera? I’m just…not sure he does….

Every time I hear the Statue sing “Don Giovaaaaaaaannnnniiii” at the end, my brain fills in “from thy dark exile thou art suuuuuuumoned”, and it took me a bit to realize I was pulling that from Iolanthe. I like to think it’s a deliberate musical homage by Sullivan.

I definitely want to watch some more stagings of Don Giovanni; overall I enjoy the opera and I can imagine it changing a lot with different directorial choices.

Die Fledermaus (1986, Kiri Te Kanawa, Judith Blegan, Tatiana Troyanos, and some men probably)

I love an operatta. I love a dumb musical comedy. I love a catchy waltz I can’t get out of my head. Two thumbs up; great use of my time listening, bad use of my time trying to follow the details of the plot because it did not really matter. Special shout out to the Overture for being a jam. It almost renders the rest of the operetta superfluous.

A+ joke having an opera singer character who won’t stop singing during the talky bits. Love that the prince is a trouser role; that helped me through some of the dumb gender stuff elsewhere.

Total blast. I plan to listen to some more recording, including two English-language adaptations. (The POP Opera project did their English-language adaptation set in 1920s Hollywood; that’s on my short list to watch) I think I like J Strauss II!

Carmen (2014; Anita Rachvelishvili and Aleksanders Antonenko)

I’ve seen Carmen before, but it’s been awhile. My mom loves Carmen; I…struggle with it. Maybe it’s just my pro-comedy bias.

The music is very good, of course; the Habañera and Toreador song are some of the most recognizable music today for a reason. The Act 1 overture is great! Short and punchy! I think the opera might be growing on me musically as I listen to it more; I’ve found the group numbers initially overwhelming, but with a little more time i can better parse the music and find parts I really like.

But anyway, I liked most of this production! I thought the Carmen was compelling, and Don Jose was a good singer (I just hate his character a lot). The set deign (1930s Spain vibes) worked for me, which was a pleasant surprise.

Going to see La Boheme tonight! Wish me luck.

[itsjustafia]

4x12 favorite moment #1

This scene.

Brenton and Anna's delivery and emotions are just amazing.

I've rewatched it so many times.

This is Dick's worst nightmare coming true. He spent the entire season trying to prevent Kory from having to make her sacrifice and in the end it wasn't enough.

Kory reluctantly telling him that it's time to say goodbye and him saying he can't. He doesn't know how to say goodbye to her? The tears in both their eyes? Heartbreaking.

And when you think about all the people Dick has lost in his life - his parents, Garth, Jericho, Donna, Jason and Hank - it makes his statement even sadder because he wasn't able to stop those deaths either. And he never had a chance to say goodbye to any of them before it happened. The closest to anything like that he's had was with Hank last season. But even then, he avoided saying goodbye, only talking about good memories from their past. Which is likely why he knew so quickly what Kory was really trying to say back in the rv. She was using his same tactics.

So finding out that this was potentially Kory's fate so early on had him in complete denial about the prophecy until the end. To the point where it was frustrating to watch at times. Because acknowledging something doesn't mean you believe it's going to happen.

But the scene at the beginning of the episode, where Dick makes a reservation for a party of 6, shows just how much hope Dick has. Yes, he was in denial, but he also felt that they could get through the worst of situations.

Even when Kory says that Sebastian will come back stronger again if they just throw him into the wormhole, Dick still has hope and tells her that they'll be stronger too as a solution. He doesn't give up. Especially when it comes to the people he loves. Even more so when it's Kory.

And I really enjoyed watching Dick fight for Kory this season. To see him being overprotective, fussing over her well being. From fighting to free her from the spell, saving her from mind control, and just refusing to have her deal with the prophecy alone. He was always there for her. I don't think Kory's ever experienced that before. To have someone care about her in that type of way.

Anyway, I say all this to say that this might be one of my top dickkory scenes from the series.

[companion-showdown]

Showdown 2k24 Nominations!

alright, redoing this post now that I can give a concrete start date of Monday the 15th of January!

Nominations for the tournament are open up until the start date, and you can submit anyone who could reasonable be considered a companion, either by sending me an ask or by filling out

this form.

If you make your nomination via the form you can also submit some propaganda to go alongside the poll. Anyone who was considered a regular at any point in the last year will automatically be included, as well as anyone who was in the original tournament (+/- a couple I might miss or misremember as being a regular because I don't have old lists anywhere). The exception to this is last years winner, Rose Tyler, she will not be getting a place in the main tournament, however after the final I will run a poll to see if our new winner can beat her. (oh and also maybe I'll leave the TARDIS out but not fully decided yet)

The tournament is going to be run in the same way I did @adventure-showdown, meaning I'll keep companions from different periods of the show and different mediums segregated at first so the nicher ones don't immediately get knocked out, and slowly get mingled together. The exact details are going to depend on just how may characters get included.

Errm yeah, so go wild, nominate whoever you like (as long as they are a companion). If they are from teh TV show they have to be on this list to qualify, and for EU companions I'm going with them needing a TARDIS wiki page, and also I will give them a quick proof read to make sure they pass, the bar is low but it is there

if you want to submit an alternate version of the character sorry but main version only unless you can give a really good reason, eg regenerations of a time lord

also, if they are primarily from another franchise that'll be a no

The full list of contestents is under the cut and will be updated as nominations come in. Its sorted by medium and then to be alphabetical by first name. if an eu companion exists in multiple mediums i just sort of picked one or I put them under the other category, people who exist in real life are also sorted into their own category. There are some characters under Classic Who/NuWho who were not companions on TV but were in the EU. Companions who's names are in green have had propaganda submitted for them, if they're not in green then they don't, and just because someone has propaganda doesn't mean i wont accept more

Classic Who

Ace McShane

Adric

Barbara Wright

Ben Jackson

The Brigadier

Chang Lee

Dodo Chaplet

Grace Holloway

Harry Sullivan

Ian Chesterton

Jamie McCrimmon

Jo Grant

K9

Kamelion

Katarina

Leela

Liz Shaw

Mags

Mel Bush

Mike Yates

Nyssa

Peri Brown

Polly Wright

Romana I

Romana II

Sabalom Glitz

Sara Kingdom

Sarah-Jane Smith

Sergeant Benton

Steven Taylor

Susan Foreman

Tegan Jovanka

Turlough

Vicki Pallister

Victoria Waterfield

Zoe Heriot

NuWho

Adam Mitchell

Amy Pond

Bill Potts

Canton Everett Delaware III

Clara Oswald

Dan Lewis

Donna Noble

Graham O'Brien

Grant Gordon aka the Ghost

Handles

Inston-Vee Vindor

Jack Harkness

Karvanista

Kate Stewart

Martha Jones

Mickey Smith

Missy

Nardole

River Song

Rory Williams

Rose Noble

Ruby Sunday

Ryan Sinclair

Wilfred Mott

Yasmin Khan

Audio

Alex Campbell

Anya Kingdom

Bliss

C'rizz

Cass Fermazzi

Charley Pollard

Cousin Eliza: Christine Summerfield: Horus

Dalek Test Subject 2

Erimem

Evelyn Smythe

Helen Sinclair

Hex Schofield

Iris Wildthyme

Liv Chenka

Lucie Miller

Mark Seven

Molly O'Sullivan

Narvin

Oliver Harper

Sheena (The Starship of Theseus)

Tania Bell

Novels

Anji Kapoor

Anna (Good Companions)

Badger

Barusa

Bernice Summerfield

Business woman (Time on a Vine)

Catherine “Cat” Broome

Chris Cwej - have propaganda but in conjunction with another contestant

Cinder

Claudia Marwood

Compassion

Dorothy (The Wonderful Doctor of Oz)

Fitz Kreiner

Guinevere Winchester

Hector (All Flesh is Grass)

Homunculette

Ikalla

Irving Braxiatel

Jack McSpringheel

Larna

Marie (Alien Bodies)

Milena

Patience

Penelope Gate

Peter Summerfield

Rosie Taylor

Roz Forrester - have propaganda but in conjunction with another contestant

Ruth Leonidas

Sam Jones

Serena

Sibling Different aka Mae

The Mortimer Family (Ida, Alan, Helen, George)

Trix MacMillan

V.M.McCrimmion

Wolsey the Cat

Zeleekhà

Comics

Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer

Angus ‘Gus’ Goodman

ARC

Chantir

Child Master (The Then and the Now)

Cindy Wu

Dave Lester

Destrii

Duh

Flanx

Fey Truscott-Sade

Frobisher

Gabby Gonzalez

Gillian & John Who

Grayla

Hattie Munroe

Izzy Sinclair

Jayne Kadett

John Jones

Josie Day

Kroton

Ly Chee the Wise

Majenta Pryce

Maxwell Edison

Olla

Rose-the-cat

Shayde

Ssard

The Squire

Weeping Angel (Origins)

Real Life

Alan Turing

Claudia Winkleman

John Lennon

Jules Verne

Mary Shelley

Peter Cushing

Other

Alison Cheney

Andy Davidson

Antimony (Death Comes to Time)

Brian the Ood

Dormouse (The Red and the Blue)

Emma (curse of fatal death)

Koschie

Romana (Battle for the Universe)

Splinx

Susan Who

Tom Campbell

[leporellian]

what opera would you adapt so that everyone was played by beanie babies. also what characters would be what beanie baby

unfortunately i could probably cast every single opera with beanie babies. there are so many of them, in both directions, and i could very easily do it to the point that if you just said 'cast (whatever opera) with beanie babies' i could do it. (however i do distinctly think i would have more fun if given leeway to pick any stuffed animal...)

however i feel like making this simple so here goes: don giovanni with beanie babies

the don himself is fredrick the fox:

first off, this is one of the modern beanie babies (not a beanie boo, mind you, which is a separate line) so this thing is everywhere, which i feel like fits the vibe. it's also cute enough you could take it home but not cute enough that you would feel safe divulging secrets to it. (the eyes... they don't got any light in them.) finally i feel like the don Has to be a fox because it has that delicious sort of reynardian quality about it.

leporello is ears the rabbit:

ears is the only beanie baby rabbit that was produced in this lying down pose. which gives it this utterly defeated quality every time a photo is taken of it because its head sort of angles towards the ground and the arms buckle around the head like it has a migraine and it's just sort of an unfortunate scene. obviously therefore this thing has to be leporello.

donna elvira is specifically this promotional arlene beanie baby from garfield the movie (2004)

this is a frankly gorgeous beanie baby in terms of execution, pose, fabric/plastic color choices... and its been typecast into being The Bitch Wife character, which is i feel like really meta-textually perfect for what we are dealing with here. there's also the added context of this being a promotional plush toy (of a side character! an accessory!) that was meant to be discarded as soon as garfield the movie (2004) was no longer being marketed. so. yeah

donna anna is caw the crow:

usually i like making anna something horse-themed because like, really considering everything that feels like the best pick. HOWEVER something about caw the crow gets me. this one was released before beanie babies had poems and birthdays so the inside of its card was just... blank except for its name. also apparently multiple people have reported being a little creeped out by it. so i feel like its the best fit

don ottavio is hydrant the dalmatian:

this thing makes me laugh. this is meant to be a firefighting dog. however the poem and the general look of it scream anything but that. they gave this thing the face of a newborn sock. there is no way. There is No Way. another funny thing is that hydrant the dalmatian was a 'beanie babies 2.0', a more 'updated' beanie baby that was basically just a shameless webkinz clone because that was what was in vogue in 2008. now if you get a hydrant beanie baby, this advertised feature no longer works bc the site was shut down long ago. this is a reference to don ottavio's broken promises

zerlina is spring the rabbit:

i am cheating a LITTLE BIT because technically currently 'beanie bellies', which this is a product of, is a separate line from 'beanie babies'. however they initially sold as 'beanie babies' and were then spun off into something separate so this to me is fair game. this has all the overly-cutesy trappings of the modern beanie babies without looking too fake (except for ty warner not knowing rabbits don't have paw pads) HOWEVER at the same time i think this thing absolutely would wield a knife and start advancing on me in a toy story universe which fits what i am looking for

masetto is snort ii the bull:

another really new beanie baby but not nearly as cutesy as the one above and more self-explanatory. however its weirdly shaped face (and? disproportionate bead eyes?) means i cannot take this thing seriously in the slightest without feeling like a 7 year old is staring at me about to ask if i have games on my phone. so. yeah.

not counting the commendatore bc he's onstage for 5 minutes but if you REALLY wanted you could probably make him one of the very early pre-poem beanie babies. The statue is still inexplicably a statue, because I am a man of law

[astorianyxkings]

So recently on tiktok I saw that one scene from the Titans show where Rachel accuses Jason of drawing crucifixes on her mirror and the others essentially start adding on to it when HE DIDN'T DO IT BY THE WAY and I was reminded of why I have a love hate relationship with the show.

And one part of that is Kory and Rachel's characters. The show really took two badass besties, made them have a mother/daughter relationship and then have them be absolute assholes to any and everyone they didn't vibe with. When in the comics or other shows they're calm and collected and nice and bubbly.

And yeah Kory's beautiful and to this day I'd die for Anna Diop, but wow I hated her character when she interacted with Jason. She was always so patient with Gar and Rachel but never Jason. Did you really decide to stop being a mentor after two kids? And no one else was there. Hank was the being the bitch he is, Dawn was just there and Donna was just like "why Jason?😕" and Dick was well a dick.

I mean I get it, not a fan of his replacement, got the issues with Bruce, figuring out his relationship with the team yada yada yada. But you mean to tell me Jason had no one's support on that team?? (Aside from Gar theire little bestie moments were so cute). And when strange things happen when Rose shows up why are we looking at Jason? Why aren't we using critical thinking and looking at the new person? The daughter of Deathstroke?? Did we loose all ability to use common sense?

But the one that actually made me stop watching for a couple weeks was when Kory was talking about Jason's death and was like "this is an example of what not to do" knowing goddamn well if anyone said such a thing about Rachel she'd go ballistic. And nobody said anything? Like hey, let's maybe not indirectly call the dead KID incompetent right after his death, I know you're new to earth but its called decency.

And then to AUDACITY for all of them to act surprised when he comes back as Red Hood and wants to kill them? Hell I would've gone to Bruce, grabbed his contingency plans and put them to use because ain't no way I'm the bad guy after you assholes assholed a little too close to the sun.

Like the show really ran with "we made him the villain but its still his fault". Part of the reason Jason's death was a tragedy was because he was HAPPY, and I think the show forgot that.

Like I would've killed to see Rachel, Gar and Jason as a little trio doing shit together, perfect opportunity to be besties. And then see them mourning him when he dies and Dick would have to convince them not to go after the Joker, yeah I'd love to see that. Not this.

In conclusion, Titans Jason deserved better, I hope Kory slips down the stairs, I'm praying Rachel has a migraine and I'm still pissed they didn't even apologize when they found out it wasn't Jason messing with them. AND THEY DID IN FACT FIND OUT.

[cartridgeconverter]

Don Giovanni characters as fountain pens

I have long postponed making this post as I was afraid it might convince me to spend more money. However, armed with a new sense of fiscal responsibility, I think I am prepared.

I've tried to have a range of prices that roughly correspond to the status of the characters, as well as many different brands. Honestly all of these are just vibes, but I've tried to give my justifications were I can.

Leporello - Sailor Profit Junior in Kohiru ($60 as part of a limited edition set, including other products)

I know I just said that I would try and match the lower-class characters to appropriately-priced pens, but look at it. It has a bunny on it. This is the best pen ever.

Don Giovanni - Visconti Opera Gold in Red ($348)

This is probably the only pen on this list that I would absolutely never buy, no matter how much opera-themed branding it has, because it is a ridiculous price and also looks stupid. But "ridiculous price" and "looks stupid" are both things I associate with Don G, and he would definitely be a Visconti whore -- it's a brand highly associated with luxury.

My other choice for him is also a Visconti model, this time the Divina Matte in Bordeaux. This is an even more ridiculous price, at $796. However, it is less obnoxiously red than the Opera Gold, so it is an alternate. He probably would have both anyway.

Donna Anna - Nahvalur Voyage in Shanghai ($130)

I have this one! She is beauty, she is grace. She is also very poorly designed but I forgive her for that. This pen is super elegant, albeit large, and is made from resin with real diamond flakes in it. I love the color also - black, with streaks of blue that show up under light. It reminds me a bit of Anna's costume in the Kasper Holten production. It's simply a very beautiful pen (with tons of design flaws and constitution issues, grr).

The Commendatore - Parker Jack-Knife with silver filigree ($5 in 1902, which is equivalent to $183 today)

This is a very lovely vintage pen from the Parker company, of which I scoured this ancient website for a picture (https://parkerpens.net/index.shtml). As an aside, this site is great; it's very well-kept and contains a detailed account of Parker models through time, with pictures. This pen, though gaudy, is exactly the type of thing that I think old men who do things like duels in the middle of the night would have. (Please work with me here, I don't exactly have a lot of content to go off of :P)

Don Ottavio - Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Shikiori Amaoto collection in Kirisame ($360)

Honestly, any purple Sailor will fit for Ottavio. They're generally on the smaller side, but the designs have an elegant simplicity to them. Also, purple. It's him! It's just him.

This will probably be the ultimate piece in my collection. It's such a lovely little thing, with a 21k gold nib. Unfortunately, I will not be purchasing it any time soon, due to my responsible spending habits.

Donna Elvira - LAMY Al-Star in Black Purple ($48)

Also another model I own -- I swear by Lamys as a great everyday pen. They're reliable and ergonomic, even if they're not as visually appealing as some other brands. The Al-Star, being made of aluminum, is a bit of an upgrade from their plastic model, the Safari with a slightly higher price. I think it's very fitting for Elvira, as a travelling woman.

Zerlina and Masetto - LAMY Safari in Savannah Green and Terra Red ($19)

The Lamy Safari is my favorite everyday pen to use, full stop. It's the same model as the Al-Star, but made from a lightweight plastic. They have a very practical and minimalist aesthetic, but it works, and it works well. They're super durable and apparently can survive being run over by warehouse equipment. I just think this model really suits these two, or maybe I'm biased since it's my favorite.

In particular, these are the two special edition colors made to celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the model, as they were the original colors to be manufactured. The green (which I own) matches Zerlina's dress in the IvH production, which is why I named it Zerlina to begin with. That seems to have been a good name - although filling the converter for the first time was a dramatic ordeal, it's been a reliable pen no matter how much wear and tear I put it through (the black paint on the clip has completely flaked off by now).

Hope you guys enjoyed this tenuous connection between my nerdy hobbies that was actually just a vessel for my rant about how much I love Lamy Safaris. I had fun putting it together, even if a few of these are out of my price point right now. Maybe I will do inks next, although I have put less thought into that.

Off of this list, I hope to eventually buy both Sailors (Leporello and Ottavio) as well as the other Safari (Masetto), although that's not a priority. I just like thinking about having nice things.

[officialtrashbin]

Reading preview:

“Why on God’s green earth do ya have an anti-mutant collar under your pillow, Cajun?”

Gambit raises his hands in surrender. “Would you believe Remy if he said it a weddin’ gift?”

“Course Ah wouldn’t!”

Gambit blinks and realizes Rogue has closed the distance between them when he wasn’t paying attention, her other palm splaying over his heart as if assuring it still functions. She might feel it threatening to beat out of his chest just to get closer to her. Close enough to touch.

Her pretty nose wrinkles up at him. “Start talkin’ or Ah’m confiscatin’ it.”

The cursed thing was borrowed, contrary to anyone’s knowledge, from Professor Xavier’s vault of precarious items assembled along the walls like war medals. Science projects. Doo-dads. Gadgets weaponized against the mutant menaces, or something to that headache-inducing extent. Gambit had been raised and honed a thief, and the vault hadn’t been particularly reinforced to prevent a nightly excursion or two.

“It not like anyone else were usin’ it,” he says. “Gambit wanted to see if it help him sleep.”

Rogue’s eyebrow quirks. “You’re a terrible liar for such a petty thief.”

Perhaps he’s just bad at lying to her (and Storm, because that woman possesses an uncanny third eye for punching straight through his nonsense). She only caught him at all because he was bad at hiding secrets from her, too, and noticed the collar peering out from under his pillow in the middle of an otherwise casual pass to bid him goodnight.

“Maybe you just got a good eye,” he replies.

“Why do ya have it, really? Can't keep avoidin’ my questions, Swamp Rat, or Ah’ll just keep houndin’ ya like a fly to a horse’s rear.”

“Dat sounds promisin’. I quite like havin’ you around, chere.”

Her expression shifts, all at once too sad for him to endure, and to his horror, the honesty reaches her eyes. Bella Donna looked the same way the night he left her behind.

His gut fills with concrete and he catches her hand in his. “Anna—”

“Please, Remy. For once could ya be honest with me?”

The truth: he wears it as needed like a cool hand to a fever, such a temporary relief from the reality of the agony gradually building inside of him, a soda bottle shaken to the edge of expulsion. He’s been enduring too many days lately with his nail under the cap of disaster. A single night with the collar has been enough of a momentary relief to realign his power for a week or two, at least, though sleeping in it has given him such an awful crick behind his shoulder he can’t reach.

The truth: such information will regularly intercept his routine with long days under Ol’ One Eye’s watch and more concerned glances than he knows how to deflect. He neither wants to worry Rogue nor hurt anyone who isn’t himself when the situation inevitably goes tits-up, so the collar has been his long term short-term contingency plan.

The truth: he’s scared of hurting Rogue.

The truth: he’s scared.

[onekisstotakewithme]

20 questions for fic writers 💜

tagged by the lovely @mihrsuri (I think more than once, although the other time was some time ago... thank you for the tag! 🥰💜)

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 221, not counting unrevealed ones from exchanges

2. what's your total ao3 word count? 1,417,178 words

3. what fandoms do you write for? Right now, mostly M*A*S*H and The West Wing, though I do occasionally dabble in other fandoms (Star Trek TOS, For All Mankind, etc.)

4. top five fics by kudos? 1) Ties That Bind - Star Trek (Spirk) 2) a wild call and a clear call (that may not be denied) - Star Trek (Spirk) 3) Uncharted Territory - M*A*S*H (Beejhawk) 4) ye who are weary, come home - M*A*S*H (Punnihawk, Charles/Donna, canon pairings, etc.) 5) you were meant for me - M*A*S*H (Punnihawk)

5. do you respond to comments? Not usually. I feel pretty guilty about it and I do try and go for a thank you note in the A/N at the end of each story/chapter, but my spoons are pretty limited. I do however cherish each and every comment, and if I have regular commenters, your username is probably carved into my heart. 🥺

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Uhhh. That is a good question, because even if I write in angsty/bittersweet scenes, the endings are usually more hopeful or happy.

I guess my best answer to that is "let's do some living (after we die)" only because it's immediately followed by canonical character death. lmao.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? There are any number of stories you could pick for this one, haha. But I guess if I had to pick (twist my arm, why don't you!), then it's probably either "ye who are weary, come home" (OT3 Endgame!!!), OR "Make the Leap" (this one takes place on January 21st, 2007, so that and the title should make it self explanatory 😉)

8. do you get hate on fic? Not... really? Sometimes I'd get comments complaining that I should be writing a different pairing 🤷🏻‍♀️ (which..???) but I don't get much "engagement" to begin with usually, so I'm grateful that what I do get is for the most part positive. 🥰

9. do you write smut? Yep. Nothing super hardcore and not very often (because I am a self-conscious girlie haha) but I will write it. Posting it is another story. I want to do more, it's just getting over myself to do it. (if anyone has advice on how to proceed with getting over my self-consciousness, I'm ALL ears).

10. craziest cross over? I once, in my misspent youth, wrote a crossover between Downton Abbey and Titanic (it's still buried in the depths of my FFN page, alas it is unfinished.)

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? Not as far as I know, no.

12. have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! My one M*A*S*H Fic, "Here's Hoping We Meet Now and Then" (aka BJ puts the "GOODBYE" stones together with the help of the rest of the 4077) was translated into German by a dear friend of mine, Pat. And you can read that here.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? A few times in the distant past. Once recently (I'm sure you'll all see it soon enough!!) 😈... in general, I love the idea of getting to write with my fellow ficcers whom I cherish and admire, so I'd love to do more co-written fics.

14. all time favorite ship? I'm not picking one lmao. But if I had to? Probably CJ/Danny. They had everything. the chemistry. the will they/won't they. the yearnnnning. (Close runners-up are BJ/Peg/Hawkeye, Anna/Bates, Spirk... and Kate/Gibbs because I don't forget my roots).

15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Triad Wedding. 😬 I got kinda burnt out and (at the time I finished it) went "eh no one will want to read this anyway" so now I have a 125k MASH draft on my desktop. It has... well, everything. Bisexual OT3 wedding. Mucho smut (more than I've ever published in one story before in my LIFE). Communication ✨. etc. It's been two years now, so even though there's a full draft, I don't want to promise that it'll ever be done. It needs a lot of work.

16. what are your writing strengths? Dialogue. I used to be terrified of writing dialogue, and now I think I'm decent at it. Staying in character, maybe?

17. what are your writing weaknesses? Pacing! Ask me why the 125k draft mentioned above is only seven days of in-universe time.

Also I could be better at worldbuilding. I know many authors who flesh out the whole universe and make it feel so breathable and lived in (Mia for example, she's a champ at that!) but that's still a work in progress for me. AND smut. I need to get better/more confident at that, but I've yet to learn how after six-odd years of writing it. 😐

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language? I don't speak enough languages for that. Other authors can do it and do it convincingly. Not me tho.

19. first fandom you wrote in? Lost (baby's first fanfic, still buried in the depths of my FFN page); but I really got into it with Downton Abbey.

20. favorite fic you've written? I could give one of my usual answers about "ye who are weary" (because of the technical achievement of covering so many characters in one story), or "Don't Bet Your Future" (probably my MOST self-indulgent) but instead...

I really enjoyed writing "None of Us Are More Than Caretakers", guys. The season 7 secret relationship is one of my favourite time periods to cover for CJ and Danny, and getting to write this little "missing episode" between Last Hurrah and Institutional Memory was so much fun, and a great technical challenge. Plus it WAS self-indulgent because I got to write all the post-coital scenes we were robbed of in canon AND build up to the events of IM.

thank you again!!! and I'll tag whoever is interested and has a few free hours to kill! 💜✨

[sceneohscene]

Let's make it real

While Harvey and Donna pretended to be a couple to help the lawyer on a case, if it was supposed to be only for one night, they never thought that the secretary's half-sister would have ruin everything. As Anna ran into them together at the restaurant during a business meeting, she rushed to repeat it to the redhead's parents who were eager to meet their new son-in-law. If the two colleagues decided to pretend one more time, it was without thinking that this little act would have repercussions on them, this new life as a couple affecting them more than they would have believed, changing the perspective they had of their futures.

Rating: T

Words: 11,827

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harvey and Donna had been working for a little over a year now at the New York County District Attorney's Office together, and as they knew from the moment they met in that bar that they would work well together, they never thought that they would be so essential to each other at some point. They were attracted to each other, obviously, as soon as they had laid eyes on each other, they had felt their hearts racing and the butterflies in their stomachs going crazy. When they met, Donna had been single for six months, having dumped her ex because he had asked her to choose between him and her career after almost a year of dating, and aside from a few one-night stands, she had never been in a serious relationship since then. She knew who Harvey Specter was, she had already seen him from afar and in the newspapers, but as they were now face to face, she melted as he looked at her with a mixture of tenderness and desire, his dark chocolate eyes driving her crazy already. If she had had echoes of who he was and could see it on a daily basis, over time, she had learned to discover another side of him that made her fall hard for him. For Harvey, he was a womanizer, liked to flirt, make out, and spend the night with some of them, fleeing love like the plague, being afraid of reliving what his father had lived years ago. He didn't have a particular type of woman and wasn't looking for anything, but when he saw her in that bar the first time, she could have asked him whatever she wanted, and he would have done it. She was beautiful, and even if at first he only saw her as a pretty face, quickly he realized that she was much more, and in a few months, she had become so important in his life that he could not imagine himself without her. Until now, if he had won all his trials so far, this one was about to be complicated. In fact, while Cameron Davis had forced him to collaborate with an older lawyer, since their first meeting, the young lawyer had the feeling that he was looking down on him. That, Harvey did not accept, and while the two were in the man's office discussing, Harvey was starting to get fed up.

« I don't question your talent, and I'm convinced that you're an incredible lawyer, but it's not to you that I'm going to teach that in a trial, there is the law, but there is also the human »

« You say that I'm not human? » snorted Harvey.

« Look, the opposing camp is going to play on feelings, this man has just divorced, they took his children away, he is mentally unstable, and his lawyer is going to use that. So I'm just saying that a man who has never been in a serious relationship can't understand what a divorce and a heartbreak can do to a person »

Faced with the man's words, Harvey was a little disconcerted, not expecting at all to have been brought onto this ground, and yet, as he looked at the man with incomprehension, the older man sighed.

« You have a reputation, Harvey. You're young, fiery, playful, and not always serious, but in this case, we’re talking about something more than serious, I don’t think you’re the good partner for that »

He understood what the man wanted to tell him, really, and deep down, Harvey knew he was right, but the opportunity was too good, and he was still trying to impress Jessica to go work at her firm as soon as possible. So wanting absolutely to be on the case and not have the man convince Cameron to withdraw Harvey from the trial, he did what he did best: bluff.

« Well, you shouldn't trust what you hear »

« How so? »

« I’m in a serious relationship for a while now »

« Really? »

« Yeah »

« Well, how about we're having dinner all four of us: you, your mysterious girlfriend, my wife and me. What do you say? »

« Perfect. Tomorrow night is good for you? »

« Of course »

« We’ll invite you »

« That's nice, Harvey. See you tomorrow, then? »

« See you, John »

Barely out of his office, Harvey hurried down a few floors before heading to his office and observing Donna, who was sitting at her desk, not even noticing his presence as he murmured quickly.

« In my office, now »

Intrigued, she got up to follow him as he motioned for her to sit down, and after closing the door, he took his place in front of her.

« Are you alright? » asked the redhead.

« I need your help »

« Of course, anything. What's going on? »

« You see who John is? »

« The asshole lawyer Cameron is forcing you to work with? »

« Yeah »

« What about him? »

« He doesn't think I can handle it »

« The case? Why not? Harv, you're the best »

« That's not it. The man we're confronting in trial just got divorced, and he's convinced they're going to use that to make him win »

« What does that have to do with you? »

« Well, he thinks a guy who's never had a serious relationship can't understand what the man is facing and fucking up the trial »

« This is bullshit. What did you do? »

« I bluffed »

« What do you mean you're bluffed? »

« I told him I was in a serious relationship with my girlfriend »

« Girlfriend? »

« Yeah »

« Harv »

« We're having dinner with him and his wife tomorrow »

« What? »

« You and I, with him and his wife »

« I’m your girlfriend? »

« Of course you are, who else? »

Read more

[scottsummersgal]

Misc. Tag Game~ (thanks a lot for the tag, Emily @1waveshortofashipwreck!♡) started by @ronald-speirs

Favorite place in the world you’ve visited? - Well, I think my favorite has to be Australia. I was there for ANZAC day last year and the sights really took my breath away.

Something you’re proud of yourself for? - I'm quite proud of my determination and ability to be analytical. It's a really handy skill to have in my academics and in daily life. I just love analysis a lot, helps me feel more connected with the world as a whole.

Favorite books? - In no particular order, here are some books that have left an incredibly lasting impression on me:

The Things they Carried by Tim O'brien - (blurb taken from the internet) '[...] tells the story of the men of Alpha Company, a squad of soldiers in the Vietnam War. O'Brien cuts through the veil of romanticized war to show these men as heroic, flawed, loyal, afraid, and above all - human.' -> This book is nothing short of a masterpiece in my opinion.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt -(blurb taken from the internet) 'Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.' -> Has a forever special place in my heart :)

Behind the Secret Window by Nelly S. Toll - (blurb taken from the internet) The autobiographical account of an eight-year-old Jewish girl as she hides from the Nazis in a small bedroom in Lwo+a7w, Poland, in 1943 contains twenty-nine examples of her many paintings during that period. -> I picked this up randomly because I liked the illustration on the cover...made me really emotional as I finished it

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - (blurb taken from the internet) Anna Karenina is a novel of unparalleled richness and complexity, set against the backdrop of Russian high society. Tolstoy charts the course of the doomed love affair between Anna, a beautiful married woman, and Count Vronsky, a wealthy army officer who pursues Anna after becoming infatuated with her at a ball. -> About over a year ago I listened to the audiobook during my bouts of insomnia and found that I quite enjoyed it

Something that makes your heart happy when thinking about it? - My very niche interests and dreams hehehe. A lot of it is historical related, of course. I love historical and vintage architecture and fashion, etc. My dream since middle school was to be a historian.

Favorite thing about your culture? - Hmm...perhaps the values of being fair and hardworking!

When did you join the HBO War fandom? What was the first show you watched? - Pretty late last year, hahaha. My teacher did once show a clip of Band of Brothers in class once and it left quite an impression. Recently I started watching The Pacific. I've only had Eugene Sledge for five minutes but if anything happened to him I'll kill everyone in this room and then myself

Have you read any of Easy Company’s books? If so, which ones were your favorite? - I'm reading Ambrose's book at the moment. I intend to get my hands on a copy of each of the others, too...especially Speirs'. @ronsparky 's posts really interested me

Favorite HBO War character and your favorite moment with them? - Eugene Roe and Shifty Powers my beloveds :( My favorite moment is perhaps when Doc Roe receives the chocolate from Renée for the first time and he smiles..I think my heart melted then and there. As for Shifty, it was when he spoke to Winters in the last episode. Again, I'm weak for that boy :( ♡

Do you make content for any fandoms, if so; what sort of content? - I mostly make content for Band of Brothers but I intend to branch out now that I'm getting pretty into The Pacific...I post some stuff from comic books I like from time to time on my instagram (mostly art).

Favorite actor/actress and your favorite film of theirs? - I love Emma Stone and Audrey Hepburn!! I find them to be really witty and charming. They're quite my role models hehe (esp. Emma). I'd say for Emma Stone I'd prefer Easy A, and Roman Holiday for Audrey.

Favorite quote/s that you wish to share with others? - "Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one's courage" by Anais Nin is something I like to live by

Random fact your mutuals/followers don’t know about you? - I can't swim, guys

If you’re a writer, do you need a beta reader? - Most of the time I just write and then call it done. No beta, we die like men

Three things that make you smile? - 1. Sunlight 2. french windows 3. sunlight pouring in through french windows (all of which remind me of my younger years sighh) bonus: Christmas!

Any nicknames you like? - I like being called by my name usually but I particularly enjoy it when people call my by my last name, especially when followed by a 'Miss' . Something about it makes me want to chuckle in amusement

List some people you love to see around on tumblr! - All my moots and the entirety of the hbowar fandom, to be honest! Historical blogs, too! bonus: @pilferingapples @just-aloststar @myrthena @rknchan @foolsocracy @macau1ay are some personal favorites that I always enjoy seeing

What would you do during a zombie apocalypse? - I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try to survive which can be possible if you can be pragmatic and smart enough about it. I'd try to explore how far I can go, maybe try to enjoy a few lawless days or months, help out when I can.

Favorite movie? - Roman Holiday (1953). I watched it a long time ago, but it still has a special place in my heart. aaand Sleeping Beauty (1959).

Do you like horror movies? - I'm always a sucker for good horror movies

Again, thanks so much for the tag Emily! 🥰 No pressure tagging: @montied @roeinyourheart @vanellq77 @executethyself35 @star-trek-supernatural and anyone who'd like to give it a go