#so is it a tb or are they all in LA?

[anothersebastianblog]

SebAnna + Drew shared by Kelly

[petrovna-zamo]

The Bald & The Beautiful Live in Los Angeles!

[dionysus-complex]

the thing keeping me going through this rough start to the academic year is that not only am I seeing MCR next month, I am also seeing Thursday next month

[sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog]

A Big TB Announcement

Greetings from Washington D.C., where I spent the morning meeting with senators before joining a panel that included TB survivor Shaka Brown, Dr. Phil LoBue of the CDC, and Dr. Atul Gawande of USAID. Dr. Gawande announced a major new project to bring truly comprehensive tuberculosis care to regions in Ethiopia and the Philippines. Over the next four years, this project can bring over $80,000,000 in new money to fight TB in these two high-burden countries.

Our family is committing an additional $1,000,000 a year to help fund the project in the Philippines, which has the fourth highest burden of tuberculosis globally.

Here’s how it breaks down: The Department of Health in the Philippines has made TB reduction a major priority and has provided $11,000,0000 per year in matching funds to go alongside $10,000,000 contributed by USAID and an additional $1,000,000 donated by us. This $22,000,000 per year will fund everything from X-Ray machines, medications, and GeneXpert tests to training and employing a huge surge of community health workers, nurses, and doctors who are calling themselves TB Warriors. In an area that includes nearly 3,000,000 people, these TB Warriors will screen for TB, identify cases, provide curative treatment, and offer preventative therapy to close contacts of the ill. We know this Search-Treat-Prevent model is the key to ending tuberculosis, but we hope this project will be both a beacon and a blueprint to show that It’s possible to radically reduce the burden of TB in communities quickly and permanently. It will also, we believe, save many, many lives.

—

I believe we can’t end TB without these kinds of public/private partnerships. After all, that’s how we ended smallpox and radically reduced the global burden of polio. It’s also how we’ve driven down death from malaria and HIV. For too long, TB hasn’t had the kind of government or private support needed to accelerate the fight against the disease, but I really hope that’s starting to change. I’m grateful to USAID for spearheading this project, and also to the Philippine Ministry of Health for showing such commitment and prioritizing TB.

—

One reason this project is even possible: Both the cost of diagnosis (through GeneXpert tests) and the cost of treatment with bedaquiline are far lower than they were a year ago, and that is due to public pressure campaigns, many of which were organized by nerdfighteria. I’m not asking you for money (yet); Hank and I will be funding this in partnership with a few people in nerdfighteria who are making major gifts. But I am asking you to continue pressuring the corporations that profit from the world’s poorest people to lower their prices. I’ve seen some of the budgets, and it’s absolutely jaw-dropping how many more tests and pills are available because of what you’ve done as a community.

—

I don’t yet have the details on which region of the Philippines we’ll be working in, but it will be an area that includes millions of people–perhaps as many as 3 million. And it will include urban, suburban, and rural areas to see the different responses needed to provide comprehensive care in different communities. This will not (to start!) be a nationwide campaign, because even though $80,000,000 is a lot of money, it’s not enough to fund comprehensive care in a nation as large as the Philippines. But we hope that it will serve as a model–to the nation, to the region, and to the world–of what’s possible. 

—

I’m really excited (and grateful) that our community gets to have a front-row seat to see the challenges and hopefully the successes of implementing comprehensive care. Just in the planning, this project has involved so many contributors–NGOs in the Philippines, global organizations like the Partners in Health community, USAID, the national Ministry of Health in the Philippines, and regional health authorities as well. There are a lot of partners here, but they’ve been working together extremely well over the last few months to plan for this project, which will start more or less immediately thanks to their incredibly hard work.

[marzipanandminutiae]

What’s the New England vampire panic?

:D

:D :D :D

IT. IS. FUN.

(to research- it was probably horrifying to live through. just so we're clear)

basiclly, it was a series of incidents in response to tuberculosis outbreaks throughout New England (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont) during the late 18th and 19th centuries. it wasn't actually a single event, but rather isolated cases of TB being blamed on revenants rather than disease. where this belief prevailed, people frequently exhumed the alleged vampire, burned their heart or another organ on a blacksmith's anvil, and mixed the ashes into water for living consumptive people to drink

unsurprisingly, this never worked

though the earliest documented incident was in 1793, most people's awareness of this phenomenon coalesces around the 1892 death and exhumation of Mercy Lena Brown, of Exeter, Rhode Island. after dying of TB at age 19, Mercy was posthumously accused of afflicting her brother with the disease. despite drinking the ashes of her heart and liver in water, he- shocker! -died. the Brown case reached the popular press, who reacted to it with a sort of morbid fascination. "look what these crazy backwards Country People did" energy. Brown's grave has become a popular site for legend-tripping among Exeter teens since then- the game is to stand there and say, "Mercy Lena Brown, are you a vampire?" and see what happens

aforementioned classism and/or regional prejudice is a fascinating aspect of the Vampire Panic(s). like I said, a lot of the commentary- even going back to the 18th century -takes a tone of bemused horror that such superstitions could still exist, and of judgment on the intelligence of those involved

but honestly, before widespread understanding of TB bacteria...it COULD have been vampires, for all people knew. most of them were aware that it wasn't, but when your choices are "it's a disease; do nothing and watch your loved one die" vs. "it's vampires; do this thing and your loved one might not die, even though there's no proof it works," one might want to feel like one was at least trying

and unlike other mass hysteria cases a la Salem, nobody actually got killed because of a Vampire Panic. just saying

(there's a theory that Bram Stoker may have been partially inspired by the Brown case in writing Dracula, but I've seen no compelling evidence that it inspired him any more or less than any other vampire story)

[grapejuicebluesx]

hi! i'm new but i miss harry so bad rn so here's a sweet little thing Xx.

(p.) harry styles x taylor's!bff

(fc.) phoebe dynevor

FANS VIA TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

liked by gracieabrams, harryflorals and others

yourname taylor i feel blessed to know you and honoured to love you ❤️ cheers to you!

view all 5,282 comments

taylorfan1 bday gang slays as per usual

gracieabrams 🤭❤️

gemmastyles gorgeous :)

taylorfan2 taylor x yourname is all i need

jackantonoff ☀️

liked by yourname, harrylambert, and others

fingermonkey #tb what id give for a night in with you 🍦

view all 54 comments

camillefan1 youre so pretty

yourname je t'aime 🩵

yournamefan1 my FAVES

harryfan1 collecting the exes like pokemon

harryfan2 imagine being friends with taylor and camille

liked by harryfan3, taylorfan3, and others

harryupdates 🚨 harry spotted hugging a friend in LA!

view all 708 comments

harryfan3 wanna know what i love? singlerry 🥲

harryfan4 i missed himmmmmm

harryfan5 OMG WHO IS THIS

harryfan6 WHAT

harryfan3 hand placement

liked by gemmastyles, fingermonkey, and others

yourname ever since new york ive been dying for some cali sunshine 🌞

view all 1,266 comments

harryfan7 omg esny

taylorfan4 GORG!

annetwist ❤️

harryfan2 anne and gemma love this girl

kendalljenner 🥃

liked by devonleecarlson, winnieharlow, and others

kendalljenner happy nights with drink818

view all 6,467 comments

yourname 🫦

harryfan3 collecting harry's exes like infinity stones

yournamefan1 hear me out... building an army

haileybieber my girls

harryfan8 too much is lining up now...... 👀

harryfan9 crossover of the century

BREAKING NEWS

In a surprising turn of events, music sensation Harry Styles was recently spotted enjoying a cozy dinner date with none other than Taylor Swift's best friend, Y/N Y/L/N. The sighting has ignited a frenzy of speculation and excitement among fans, who are eagerly speculating about the potential new romance brewing in Styles' life.

The One Direction heartthrob and A-List actress were seen stepping out together for an intimate dinner at a trendy restaurant in Los Angeles. The duo appeared to be engrossed in each other's company, laughing and sharing animated conversations throughout the evening.

Harry Styles, known for his charismatic personality and magnetic stage presence, has had his fair share of high-profile romances in the past. However, this recent sighting has raised eyebrows due to the association with Taylor Swift, who is not only a global superstar but also an ex-girlfriend of Styles.

The unexpected connection between Styles and Y/L/N has added an intriguing twist to the story, fueling rumors and captivating the attention of fans worldwide. Swift's loyal fanbase has been abuzz with curiosity, wondering about the dynamics between the former flames and the potential impact on their friendship (or future collaborations).

Neither Harry Styles nor Y/N Y/L/N has made any public statements regarding their relationship. It remains to be seen whether this dinner date was merely a friendly outing or the beginning of a romantic journey. Fans and followers will undoubtedly be eagerly watching for any updates or confirmation from the parties involved.

For now, the world can only speculate on the nature of the connection between Harry Styles and Taylor Swift's best friend. As the story continues to unfold, fans will remain captivated by the enigmatic charm of Styles and the fascinating dynamics within this intriguing love triangle.

Stay tuned for more updates on Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, and their entwined personal lives, as the world eagerly anticipates the next chapter in their captivating journey.

likes, comments, reblogs are always appreciated! Feel free to drop in to say hi and lmk if you want to be tagged in the next one hehe Xx

[clairehadenough]

A conversation between a certain blogs and TMZ.

TB: You know Alba said antisemitism things on set of WN her co-star said so.

TMZ - that’s good. Whats the co-stars name?

TB:no idea

TMZ: right so how do you know? Is there evidence, a copy of a conversation, text, tweet, video?

TB: No it’s rumors

TMZ: so hearsay

TB: I guess but she’s a N**I and her grandparents fled to Brazil right after the war

TMZ: And the evidence? Has it been researched and confirmed?

TB: well no but she body shames people

TMZ: Good where is the evidence of that

TB: Her friend Justin’s IG and Tweets from 8yrs ago. And another trans gender friend KiKo made N**i comments from years ago. And Alba likes weird posts.

TMZ: yes disgusting comments from KiKo I agree. Did Alba know her then?

TB: No but they are friends now.

TMZ: Do you have any evidence of anything she has done directly?

TB: Yes these IG posts of cultural misappropriation and her soft porn movies. Also she made a white supremacy sign.

TMZ: You mean the international sign language signal for Ok each thousands use everyday. Which ordinarily people use as well so that can be argued that what she was using.

So we have some cultural misappropriation and soft porn films which she hasn’t done since 2019. That’s a start.

Anything else?

TB; She deleted stuff off her IG the bad things.

TMZ: Do you screenshots of them?

TB: Well no

TMZ: So how do you know they were bad or incriminating?

TB: 🤷🏻‍♀️

TMZ: Anything else

TB: Yes a fake marriage.

TMZ: But Chris confirmed he was married?

TB: But you haven’t produced the certificate and there are no wedding photos and Chris is been drugged to comply and wear a fake wedding ring. It’s all a coincidence that a wedding planner, photographer, his friends, RDJ, Renner,Scarlet,Hemsworth were in MA that weekend. Also that his family and friends and hers were in PT along with the wedding planner and photographer.

TMZ: Renner and Hemsworth told fans they were there for Chris’s wedding.

TB: They were lying. And DHS are looking into their fake marriage and her immigration status.

TMZ: Has she actually said anything.

TB: No but she a yacht girl and slept with her director, producer, anyone to get a part. And she’s into sugar daddies. Her friends followed a sugar daddy account.

TMZ: Again hearsay barring the sugar daddy account follow.

TB: Her FB is followed by dirty creepy man and she posts sexy pics on it for them to like.

TMZ: Proof it’s hers? Do her family and friends follow her.

TB: No and no. But we have sources like people who live in Concord, in LA, talk round the water cooler and a BUA is coming JJ is sitting on it waiting to release it.

It’s all CAA and Megan’s fault. They are drugging Chris and he has clout chaser friends and everyone he and she know breadcrumb the fandom and he sends out messages in his interviews.

TMZ: Ah weren’t some blogs involved in scammer money out of Chris’s fans.

TB: Yes but that was Candy’s fault

TMZ: 👌 don’t call us we’ll call you🤦🏻‍♀️

🫠

The thing is that’s exactly how I think it would go if they ever called them😂😂

[lemonhemlock]

The amount of people on TB that talk about how TG's fixation on the Strong boys being bastards being some TradCath religious extremist position is hilarious. I was on a TB titkok and they started pulling out statistics from 2023 regarding how many kids in America/certain European nations were born out of wedlock every year and basically saying she didn't understand why TG cared about bastardy when 'bastardry' is very common nowadays.

Ummm.....it's almost as if those nations are not feudal monarchies where wealth, money, and power is passed on through political marriage and uncontested bloodlines stemming from those political marriages? And all those people having out of wedlock children are not the literal heirs to those monarchies? And those are actual real people......and we are analyzing a fictional story based on the literal world building and lore provided by the creator of said fictional story?

It's almost as if Nick, the accountant, and his girlfriend, Stacy the schoolteacher, deciding to have kids without being married in the year of our Lord 2023 is literally not the same as the heir to a feudal monarchy destabilizing the realm by trying to pass off illegitimate children after spurning all laws and customs which provide the necessary order needed for said monarchy to run?

Like, it's such an insanely bad faith take I don't even know where to begin.

I've been trying to tell people this for the past year, but they just cover their ears and go "la, la, la". A while ago I had a conversation with another anon on how a large part of the fandom simply dislikes the medieval European setting and how a lot of their talking points can be traced back to that root. It's why they are so fundamentally incurious about that time period and societies, refuse to engage with the text in good-faith and constantly try to impose their 21st century capitalist democracy ideals onto a backdrop that simply isn't equipped to handle that.

Again, before some smarty pants tries to tradcath this post too, everyone is allowed to prefer different settings for their stories, but, if that's the case, and you just harbour this deep-seated antipathy towards medieval customs, what are you even doing here? Why are you putting so much time and effort into a fandom centered around worldbuilding you just don't care for? Because they certainly aren't "critiquing" it either. Is it truly critique if one refuses to understand the basic economic and political rules of a fictional environment? What quality of criticism is supposed to derive from that?

[periodiccompletionist]

50% of 118 is 59; 75% of 118 is 88.5; 90% of 118 is 106.2

Periodic Symbols are: H He Li Be B C N O F Ne Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn Fr Ra Ac Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr

EDIT: As of November 14th 2023, I've decided to start keeping track of when a post does not include a single-letter element. Single-letter elements are, in order: H B C N O F P S K V Y I W U. These posts will be tagged with "missing single".

Spaces, capitalization, emojis, numbers, and punctuation will not be taken into account. For example, the term "lush🍃13garden" would still count for Mercury (Hg). Letters are the only thing that interrupt symbols.

Anything that isn't a tally is tagged with "not a tally", asks are tagged with "Arsenic Potassium Sulfur", and posts people tagged me in are tagged "Thanks for the tag!" (because "tag" and "tags" unfortunately can't be made with only elemental symbols. they could if we had G but we do not)

Some things to keep in mind:

I try to avoid any piece of moving media (video/gif) that has words in it of any kind. I'm already a transcriber as a job, and while I love it, I'm not gonna do it on my silly little side blog.

I usually don't analyze anything fandom-related, since nothing good can come from a fandom post leaving its circle. There are some exceptions I'll make, though.

I use a script to search for the symbols, but it can't read the words in images, so they have to be retyped into the script 100% manually. I'll most likely still do it, but just keep that in mind when sending in posts with lots of images.

I'll only analyze posts where it's very clear what order things are read in; charts, graphs, doodle pages, and other images with words all over the place won't be counted.

When it comes to URLs, I don't count them for the main tally unless they show up in a screenshot or as a tag somewhere in the thread; instead, the URLs of the users in the thread are listed out afterwards in their own separate tallies, with the elements listed in the order that they appear in the person's URL (this does not include URLs that only appear in screenshots/tags).

If you tag me in a post, I won't be counting anything that you added to the thread, though you will still be part of the secondary URL tally.

When I make a tally, I (usually) won't be adding my own comments, and on the occasions that I do, whatever is in my comment is not added to the final tally.

I tend to stray away from analyzing posts with other similar gimmick blogs already in them these days. This is because we all tend to influence each other's results- for example, if I analyzed a post where alphabetcompletionist tallied up all 26 letters, that would (potentially) artificially add Cd, Mn, and No to my tally. If I did end up doing this, I would be highlighting Cd, Mn, and No in a different color to denote that they would not have been there had I not reblogged from alphabetcompletionist directly.

My main account is not disclosed at this time; please do not try and find out what it is or I will block you. Another blog I run that is publicly known is @cantheykillmacbeth, if you just want to see more from me.

There might be times where I will accidentally reblog from someone other than the source of the post, or where I can't due to the source having been deactivated. If you go digging into the people that I reblog posts from, I am not responsible for what you see. If you blame me for what you saw from the people I happen to follow, then you shouldn't have gone looking in the first place. That's on you.

I will not be adding my gimmick to posts about serious topics. This is not because I do not care about these topics, but the exact opposite: I do not want the gimmick of this blog to be used to detract from anyone's message. These sorts of gimmicks are meant to add to the humor of a post, not act as a twisted punchline to a serious discussion. If you tag me in a serious post, you will be ignored (at best).

I don't care how you feel about gimmick blogs. I'm having fun and you can't change that. Seethe.

[bethanydelleman]

Do you know if in the 19th century and before, it was common to use "consumption" not just as a term for tuberculosis, but as a euphemism for "syphilis"? You yourself have written that in "Sense and Sensibility," even though Eliza Brandon allegedly died of consumption, she probably really died of syphilis. And Wikipedia suggests that Marie Duplessis, the famous French courtesan who inspired "Camille" and "La Traviata," may have actually died of syphilis, not TB, though I don't know if that's true or not. Was it common to hide cases of syphilis by claiming they were TB, much like the use of "cancer" or just "long illness" as euphemisms for AIDS?

I'm not totally sure, to be honest I don't have a great reason to think Eliza is dying of syphilis, I just think it's likely because we are told she fell into prostitution. According to my favourite word website, "consumption" means "wasting of the body by disease; wasting disease, progressive emaciation" and while it was most often TB, the term was also used for other diseases.

In Sense & Sensibility, Colonel Brandon says this:

I could not trace her beyond her first seducer, and there was every reason to fear that she had removed from him only to sink deeper in a life of sin... That she was, to all appearance, in the last stage of a consumption, was—yes, in such a situation it was my greatest comfort. Life could do nothing for her, beyond giving time for a better preparation for death; and that was given. I saw her placed in comfortable lodgings, and under proper attendants; I visited her every day during the rest of her short life: I was with her in her last moments.

Which could totally mean it was tuberculosis, but she also could be wasting away from mercury poisoning which was the main treatment for syphilis. I think the timeline is too short for syphilis itself to be killing her.

I do know that tuberculosis was considered a more Romantic disease, so given that Colonel Brandon's backstory is the height of Romanticism, Jane Austen was probably imagining TB. Elinor makes fun of Marianne about it earlier in the book:

“Had he been only in a violent fever, you would not have despised him half so much. Confess, Marianne, is not there something interesting to you in the flushed cheek, hollow eye, and quick pulse of a fever?”

But I think it also fits with Colonel Brandon's protectionism of Eliza's memory to give her a more socially acceptable ending. He spends a lot of time during his speech trying to explain and excuse her behaviour (I'm totally on his side by the way, his father and brother were the real villains!), so I wouldn't be shocked if he pretended she had a more "innocent" disease.

Anyway, this is just my theory, but people in this era totally knew syphilis came from sex somehow. I have to imagine that just like people do today, if you could you would claim a less embarrassing illness.

If anyone knows of cases like this please let us know in the reblogs!

[risingsoleil]

Fic Writer Interview

My lovely friend @sheepwithspecs tagged me here, and I will spread this by tagging @yellowsalt3 @linnorabeifong @vr-tb @chiefbeifongcanrailme

1. How many works do you have on ao3? 14!

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 414,633

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Choices, Chances, Changes

You Are My Life

Talking to the Moon

The Other Side of Heaven

Lay All Your Love on Me

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I definitely try to respond to comments! The fact that someone spent time and energy to comment means so much to me, and I want to acknowledge that. I'm not the best at leaving comments, but I'm trying to do it more often as a reader bc I, too, am often dying at how awesome fics are

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

It's probably Meant To Be. Now that I think about it, I might write an extra piece for this fic just bc I feel like being salty lol

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

The Only Light We'll See - The whole fic was just an excuse to write steamy, smutty Linzin and let them have a happy life together. I guess you could argue that the main Linzin and family AU I write could also be one of them, but I haven't completed their story yet in this universe. Tbf, I don't think my Linzin AU has an "ending" but whatever happens, Linzin gets their happy ever after

7. Do you write crossovers?

Right now, I don't. But I was more open to writing crossovers when I was a kid.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I haven't thankfully, I have really awesome and sweet and kind-hearted readers in my circle 💞

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Hell yeah, I fucking do! It's prob one of my fav things to write 😂 Idk what they mean by "what kind" but I've written possessive, romantic and loving, quickies, foreplay, first times, and spontaneous stuff. It's fun and my otps tend to be...super horny vibes

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I haven't, but I would be interested in seeing one of my fics translated!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! It's Come As You Are with picajc and @alemanriq, and this holds a special place in my heart

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

404 error. I have too many, but for now it's Lin/Tenzin

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Probably Olvídame y Pega La Vuelta just bc I lost the vision for it

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think emotions are a big part of my writing process and it comes through in my fics. I channel my own emotions into my writing and it does leave a more profound impression.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I want my writing perfect in the first draft, and it stops me from just enjoying the process. Recently, I've been wanting to write and that has manifested into writing for "results" rather than quality. I mean, I still try to write my best and for the fun of it. It's just that work sucks my energy and the time I have left for myself is recharging 😭

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I need more context with this question. Does this mean if I do something like this:

Lin and Tenzin raised their brows at the girl with the electronic device.

"어머, 죽겠다! 린베이퐁과 텐진 진짜 앞에 있다," she said aloud, though the language is not her mother tongue. "어떡해...인스타로 올리겠지"

In general, I would be open to it because it can open up new pathways for writing

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Meet The Robinsons

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I don't think I have one. For the most part, if I want to write for a fandom, I just do it lol

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Choices, Chances, Changes. I swear a divine force guided me into writing this bc I was so compelled to bring it to life. The updates were posted every few days, and the story was completely written in 6 months.

There were 21 chapters.

Also, it was the first fic I completed in like 14 years (omg I sound old now 💀)

Thanks @sheepwithspecs for tagging me! 💜

[dracothedeatheatingcupcake-ao3]

Hey all!! So, there is a poll at the end of this post, asking advice on a path to take for my fic Luigi and the Beast. This post got a bit long (like always -.-) so I wanted to make sure y'all know there is a poll here, lol.

Anyway! This question might not make too much sense, but I wanted y'all's opinion on it. So, in the fic, I'm currently trying to write a chapter that will kind of resemble the ball scene from Beauty and the Beast. The thing is, I'm a bit torn on what sort of outfit to have Luigi in for this scene.

On one hand, I think having him in a dress would be nice, since it's always good to break gender norms, and he does canonically like wearing dresses (based on the canon you follow, at least). Plus, I did hint in a previous chapter that he would wear a fancy dress eventually. On the other hand, however... I also like the idea of Luigi in an elegant suit. Not only would it make him more comfortable overall during the scene, since as I have written him thus far, he'd be very uncomfortable being seen in a dress. And while I can write him with his discomfort being addressed and overcome, I think it would add an unnecessary stress onto myself that I'm not sure I want to deal with, since I am kind of struggling to write this chapter in general. I have two long car rides coming up on Sunday (heading up to LA for the Pokémon Go fest thingy, if anyone else is going, ha), so I should be able to write more then, I hope. As such... I would like to get y'all's opinion on this now, just so I have more info. Ultimately I will do what is easiest for me given my struggles with writing lately, but I would like to know the general consensus. So...

[read-and-write-]

20 fic writer questions

Thanks to @daisymae-12 @inexplicablymine @suseagull04 for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Nineteen! Really spiked this year

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

40,581

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Red, White and Royal Blue currently and actively. I have written for All for the Game, Shadowhunters (Books), and Hispanic MCYT roleplay server

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

las formas de llamarte amor (Red, White and Royal Blue) My first fic in this fandom, written on a whim two days after joining tbs, and I still love it as much you are an idiot (i missed you) (All for the Game) This fic is the definition of "write the fic you want to see in the world" Minyard-Josten rivalry my beloved i don't want you to be a secret (but i want them to shut up) (All for the Game) the sequel to the one above, another instance of write the fic you want to see in the world really i am ignoring the next one arbitrarily sue me a train of thought (of things not to forget) (Red, White and Royal Blue) This fic There's something so special about projecting things about yourself in a fictional character, the Alex child of divorce fic that I pulled from the depths of my soul and every song reminds me of you (Red, White and Royal Blue) a 3 + 1, an ode to Alex and the music that reminds him of Henry.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try, that's the keyword here. I love getting comments and I try to respond as much as I can but I am extremely slow, so if you comment know you will get an answer someday and that I really really appreciate you

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I am a softie at heart so most of my fics have at least hopeful endings but with that being said I wrote a MCD for Karmaland that it's still the saddest thing I've written.

there's also a train of thought (of things not to forget) that seems to have brought back some memories from other children of divorce and Rhys did call it emo (love you Rhys)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think most of my fics have a happy ending, if I could point to a happiest it'd probably be Y hace falta que te diga que me muero (por tener algo contigo) High School AU and a declaration of love that really is just fluff

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, and thank God because I would cry

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No. My dabble into smut is limited to one fic I will not mention and a drabble that Jamie helped me write because I am just not built for it. That being said it doesn't keep me from trying and failing

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

PJO x RWRB??? maybe. I really don't write crossovers

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Two of my AFTG fics where translated into Russian! I was very honoured to see someone wanted to translate one of my fics

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, I have before and that one time was awful BUT I am currently co-writing Super Six and the Siren's Call aka the most amazing pjo au with @inexplicablymine and @happiness-of-the-pursuit and this is the most fun thing ever

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

This really changes every time, it's a mystery but Firstprince is my current favourite

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have two Six of Crows WIPs that I really want to finish, I had very solid ideas that just ~dissapeared~

and a Henry character study of his relationship with his identity and coming out that's been sitting in my docs since march-ish

16. What are your writing strengths?

Outlines. There really isn't anything I take so much care of than a carefully crafted outline that works as a map for me, so much so that I gave a fun little masterclass in the brownstone server yesterday ashdgdf

And when it comes to writing dialogues come very easy to me, and feelings™ I pride myself on having made people cry with my writing before and I'll do it again

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Actions. Actions are the death of me, I leave a lot of [something something x happens] as I write because otherwise I get stuck. This paired with dialogue tags, I just can't find enough synonyms for "said"

Can English be a weakness? hdhgdshjsz I think I get stuck a lot in vocabulary sometimes, and just general grammar, i am getting better at it tho practice really does make perfect but very much inevitable since I write in a second language

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I will not let an opportunity to write dialogue in Spanish in a fic, if it fits within the context I am adding it. RWRB really has me living my best life with this. Now, for other languages I don't add anything beyond words I might be familiar with.

I love reading fics with lines in Spanish, even if they are not perfect, they make me happy and I love clocking out other hispanics in fandom. Also I love helping people if they need help with Spanish, at any point for anything just ask and I'll run

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Violetta, argentinian telenovela, I have mentioned this before and even if the writing was awful I am glad I started

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This is like the hardest question because I have different favourites for different reasons, but I do think this is my favourite one for now un hilo de pensamientos (de cosas que no se deben olvidar) the Spanish version, because it just feels closer to me

No pressure tags but I'd love to see your answers! @raysletters @happiness-of-the-pursuit @heybuddy-drabbles @14carrotghoul @sherryvalli @affectionatelyrs @littlemisskittentoes

[princesssarisa]

Since I did this for Carmen and Don Giovanni's deaths, I might as well do it for Violetta.

Not that there's very much variety: in all performances, she suddenly feels restored to health and strength, rises up, and sings a final exclamation of joy, only to drop dead. But the slight variations directors and sopranos have found can be interesting.

I can see why some prefer to keep it simple: either follow the libretto and just have her briefly stand up, then fall back on the sofa, or not even have her stand up at all, but just rise onto her knees. She is dying of a debilitating disease that realistically should leave her barely able to move by the end.

But this last euphoric moment isn't realistic to begin with. The whole concept of spes phthisica, that TB causes feelings of euphoria even as it kills, might be just a romantic myth to begin with, but even if it's real, I'm sure it rarely, if ever causes an apparent complete return of health and strength in the last few seconds of life. With this in mind, why shouldn't some productions make it more dramatic? Opera directors always love a good stagger to center stage and dramatic slump to the floor. Or why not go crazier still: e.g. by having her stand up on her bed, or Richard Eyre's choice to have her run madly in a circle around the room?

The stagings where she dies in Alfredo's arms are good for the romantics among us, for giving her the ultimate final happiness, and for suiting pop cultural expectations the Camille story (e.g. memories of the 1936 MGM film's famous ending, with Greta Garbo in Robert Taylor's arms, or of the end of Moulin Rouge! for that matter).

Yet that one staging I found on YouTube where Giorgio Germont is the one to hold her at the end was very interesting too. After all, everyone agrees that Act II's lengthy Violetta/Germont scene is the heart of the opera, and while Alfredo is arguably just the same romantic, hot-blooded young fool from beginning to end, his father undergoes real growth and change thanks to Violetta.

Then there's the cruel twist from the Zeffirelli film and productions inspired by it, where at the very end it turns out that Violetta just hallucinated Alfredo and Germont's return and she dies alone. On the one hand, it is heartbreaking, and it's truer to the original novel, where Marguerite dies before she can reunite with Armand. But on the other hand, maybe it's too cruel. At any rate, it wasn't Verdi or Piave's intent, it denies Giorgio Germont his redemption by turning it into Violetta's fantasy, and it only works if the other characters' final exclamations of horror and grief are cut.

The last option, from another video I found on YouTube, is also an interesting choice: where she doesn't drop dead, but is still standing in a euphoric pose at the end, bathed in light, while the rest of the stage goes dark. It's as if we're seeing her spirit instead of her body, ending on a note of transfiguration instead of grief. But maybe that's too sentimental and religious for this mostly-realistic tragedy of social commentary.

I'd love to see other people's thoughts.

@simone-boccanegra, @supercantaloupe, @notyouraveragejulie, @ariel-seagull-wings, @leporellian

[twopoppies]

The lyric changes are so funny lol Last night I could hear “he’s got my devotion” very clearly in a clip but heard “you’ve” when I watched a different video. Same for “hopelessly devoted to Lou” on one clip but heard “you” on a different video. He needs to be more clear like “all Lou little things” 😂 One that I’m quite sure is Louis saying “I know HE hateS the smoke without me” in LA on March 13, 2022 ( I think he’s got the TB shirt on) as I watched a few videos of that.

I agree. Different videos do sound differently. I don't think I saw the video from LA, though! Oh, that old one from 2014: "Just like HE already owns it" was one that was super clear, too.

[rapha-reads]

After sending the summer dissecting A Curse So Dark And Lonely (amongst a corpus of other novels) to study contemporary rewritings of Beauty and the Beast, now that the thesis is done, I went and read the sequel, A Heart So Fierce And Broken.

I think I love A Heart more than A Curse.

Grey and Lia Mara have something so agonizing that Harper and Rhen lacked. Or, to say it otherwise, Harper and Rhen, for all that they are very modern versions of Belle et la Bête, are still constricted by the role they must play. The story, their story, has already been written, and they must play their part until the end, no matter the side quests on the way.

Of course, because A Curse is a play on B&tB, it's a variant, a critical adaptation, so reducing Rhen and Harper to just their motif is a bit mean. I honestly really love A Curse. I might be biased against it after months of learning about the og tale inside and out.

Meanwhile, Grey and Lia Mara occupy spaces of their own. Academic deformation or thesis post-trauma stress, I'm trying to think but I can't find the tale-type they'd belong too. They're not fairy tale archetypes developped into Fantasy characters, they are Fantasy characters exploring their own as-of-yet-unwritten story (all the stories have been told, but also, all the stories are still waiting to be told).

They are honestly fascinating, the guard turned long lost heir and the princess discarded who turns out to be the real power. There's so much anguish in them. So much self-sacrificing, self-effacing. Gods I should have included the book in my thesis, I could have drawn parallels between Rhen stuck in his role of Beast and Lia Mara in her role as the spare, Harper as the Beauty and Grey as the unwilling Prince... Dammit I'm having ideas now. Oh, well, let's keep them for when I'll give the PhD a try. Some years down the line.

Quote, because that passage made me weep a little. The weapon boy and the quiet reading girl. Oof. If that's not exactly my kind of favorite dynamic!

Also I'm a sucker for messy yet intense sibling relations and I'm soooo here for Harper and Jake, Lia Mara and Nolla Verin and especially Rhen and Grey. That's totally my jam.