Rec: We Better Make a Start (Stranger Things, Steve/Eddie)
Dec. 9th, 2025 03:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
out_thereIt is summer! It is finally, finally summer! I am wearing a cotton dress and the window is open and there's sunshine outside. I slept without a heater on and when I got up in the morning to let the dogs out, I didn't need to grab a jumper against the chill. It is warm and bright and man, November was so grey and chilly I'd almost given up on the sheer happiness that comes from warm weather and fresh air.
Also, we've got through November month end, so it's just three weeks until Christmas break, time for work to slow down and life to be good. (By "slow down", I mean there are still tasks to do but we can take our time, iron out the little issues and turn off the laptop at 5.30pm without guilt or looming deadlines. December really is my favourite time of year.)
...having said that, we're out of dog food so I'll have to go to the shops tonight. Fingers crossed 6pm on a Tuesday will be quiet, because weekend shopping has already hit that Christmas crowds thing where it's all a bit much.
In the spirit of sharing things that bring you joy, I've been enjoying Steve/Eddie Stranger Things stories lately, and I have to rec this one. It was recced byrunpunkrun and it's an absolute joy. Himbo!Steve and teenage make-out sessions and Steve and Robin as BFFs:
We Better Make a Start (11087 words) by thefourthvine
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson
Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Himbo Steve Harrington, First Time, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends, Podfic Available
Summary:
And then I discovered this podfic of it, which is an utter delight. I listened to it driving home last night and honestly wished my commute was longer so I could keep listening:
[podfic] We Better Make a Start (45 words) by reena_jenkins
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson
Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley
Additional Tags: Podfic, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Post-Season/Series 04, Himbo Steve Harrington, First Time, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends
Summary:
Also, we've got through November month end, so it's just three weeks until Christmas break, time for work to slow down and life to be good. (By "slow down", I mean there are still tasks to do but we can take our time, iron out the little issues and turn off the laptop at 5.30pm without guilt or looming deadlines. December really is my favourite time of year.)
...having said that, we're out of dog food so I'll have to go to the shops tonight. Fingers crossed 6pm on a Tuesday will be quiet, because weekend shopping has already hit that Christmas crowds thing where it's all a bit much.
In the spirit of sharing things that bring you joy, I've been enjoying Steve/Eddie Stranger Things stories lately, and I have to rec this one. It was recced by
runpunkrun and it's an absolute joy. Himbo!Steve and teenage make-out sessions and Steve and Robin as BFFs:We Better Make a Start (11087 words) by thefourthvine
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson
Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Himbo Steve Harrington, First Time, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends, Podfic Available
Summary:
As soon as Eddie gets to the counter, Steve turns to him and says, “Back me up here. Kissing is no big deal, right?”
Steve Harrington is talking about kissing. Eddie’s brain shorts out. “Uh,” he says.
And then I discovered this podfic of it, which is an utter delight. I listened to it driving home last night and honestly wished my commute was longer so I could keep listening:
[podfic] We Better Make a Start (45 words) by reena_jenkins
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson
Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley
Additional Tags: Podfic, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Post-Season/Series 04, Himbo Steve Harrington, First Time, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends
Summary:
As soon as Eddie gets to the counter, Steve turns to him and says, “Back me up here. Kissing is no big deal, right?”
Steve Harrington is talking about kissing. Eddie’s brain shorts out. “Uh,” he says.
10trueloves tables
Dec. 8th, 2025 05:53 pmgreatandgreyFound a neat community called ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
10trueloves. I miss the days of doing prompt table challenges, so I decided to claim a few. Also: Happy 20th Anniversary, RGG!
Rules: Claim character(s), every fic has to be a relationship fic with a new character (OT3s, etc allowed). Romantic, platonic, familial, gen, and enemy/anonymity all count.
( Read more... )
10trueloves. I miss the days of doing prompt table challenges, so I decided to claim a few. Also: Happy 20th Anniversary, RGG! Rules: Claim character(s), every fic has to be a relationship fic with a new character (OT3s, etc allowed). Romantic, platonic, familial, gen, and enemy/anonymity all count.
( Read more... )
Many Trailers
Dec. 8th, 2025 05:51 pmthisbluespiritI went to town briefly last week, so of course, was ill for days afterwards, but am now back to usual level of general rubbishness anyway.
Here are some random TV/film things:
1. Outrageous, which I enjoyed very much in the summer on Drama, is now on the iPlayer, if you're in the UK and missed it. (Drama series about the Mitfords).
2. They did another minisode for the S21 trailer for Doctor Who - this time Five and Tegan together again, which was great. It's here.
3. I hadn't had any idea someone was doing a whole film of The Faraway Tree series till YT randomly threw this trailer my way the other day. I never expected that, and it looks like fun anyway.
4. Been enjoying watching Cooper & Fry on Ch5, which I watched mainly because it had DW's Mandip Gill in the lead, along with Downton's Rob James-Collier, and who doesn't always need yet more detectives in their lives? Anyway, it's been good so far - a bit more moodier than a cosy but nothing too grim, and I like the local folklore aspect that crops up (even if it's never real). Here's a trailer.
(I have been watching Ch5's The Forsytes, which is largely very pretty and easy and not much more, but I haven't watched the last 2 or 3 eps, because I went out and also I watched Cooper & Fry instead, because it was more interesting, lol).
Probably, as ever, also other things I am forgetting!
Here are some random TV/film things:
1. Outrageous, which I enjoyed very much in the summer on Drama, is now on the iPlayer, if you're in the UK and missed it. (Drama series about the Mitfords).
2. They did another minisode for the S21 trailer for Doctor Who - this time Five and Tegan together again, which was great. It's here.
3. I hadn't had any idea someone was doing a whole film of The Faraway Tree series till YT randomly threw this trailer my way the other day. I never expected that, and it looks like fun anyway.
4. Been enjoying watching Cooper & Fry on Ch5, which I watched mainly because it had DW's Mandip Gill in the lead, along with Downton's Rob James-Collier, and who doesn't always need yet more detectives in their lives? Anyway, it's been good so far - a bit more moodier than a cosy but nothing too grim, and I like the local folklore aspect that crops up (even if it's never real). Here's a trailer.
(I have been watching Ch5's The Forsytes, which is largely very pretty and easy and not much more, but I haven't watched the last 2 or 3 eps, because I went out and also I watched Cooper & Fry instead, because it was more interesting, lol).
Probably, as ever, also other things I am forgetting!
Fannish 50 Challenge 2025: Post # 43: Help Joyce Who Has Given So Much to Fandom
Dec. 7th, 2025 05:02 pmride_4everYou may know Joyce Hindman as LionHeart Distribution or as Requiem Publications, publisher and seller of zines and as Bast Ravenshadow's publishing partner, or you may know her for her four tables at Media West, or as the artist with the little boxes and jewelry and other fun beaded stuff in the Media West art show, or as the fic writer Sekhmet.
She is now a senior citizen (over 70), and on social security after years on disability, along with her husband who is also a senior with health problems.
This has been a particularly tough year as far as health problems and medical expenses. Her husband was hospitalized with pneumonia. She needed rotator cuff repair on her dominant arm and additionally shortly thereafter broke the humerous bone near her shoulder on the same side.
She and her husband are now trying to cope with many medical bills for surgeries and physical therapy at a cost of thousands of dollars. With fixed incomes, and looking at increases in insurance premiums, food costs, et cetera, and with her husband's part-time job offering no work for two months now, they are very uncertain about how to pay these bills.
If you can donate anything to the Hindman GoFundMe, please do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-joyce-overcome-medical-expenses . If you would rather donate privately as I did and you have PayPal, you can PayPal Joyce at jersey dot lion at gmail dot com.
She is now a senior citizen (over 70), and on social security after years on disability, along with her husband who is also a senior with health problems.
This has been a particularly tough year as far as health problems and medical expenses. Her husband was hospitalized with pneumonia. She needed rotator cuff repair on her dominant arm and additionally shortly thereafter broke the humerous bone near her shoulder on the same side.
She and her husband are now trying to cope with many medical bills for surgeries and physical therapy at a cost of thousands of dollars. With fixed incomes, and looking at increases in insurance premiums, food costs, et cetera, and with her husband's part-time job offering no work for two months now, they are very uncertain about how to pay these bills.
If you can donate anything to the Hindman GoFundMe, please do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-joyce-overcome-medical-expenses . If you would rather donate privately as I did and you have PayPal, you can PayPal Joyce at jersey dot lion at gmail dot com.
Persona 4 and Nanako the stray kitten
Dec. 7th, 2025 10:37 ammudousetsuna
We found a kitten!!
Edit: we worked everything out and are keeping Nanako!
( a few preview cosplay pics, more later )
Did lightbird sign up for yet another bingo card
Dec. 6th, 2025 01:01 pmlightbirdwhen she hasn't even started working on the first one she signed up for?
Yes she did.
Yes she did.
| College / University / Education | The Early Hours before Dawn | When I'm 64: Future | Vignette | Left Brain / Right Brain |
| Race Against Time | Summertime (and the Livin' is Easy) | Music | Season of Mists (Autumn Colours, Sensations, Activities and Festivals) | Hey, it's that guy: Minor characters |
| Speech-deprived | Diaries and Journals | Wild Card | Nightwear | Implacable |
| Water | Introspection | Canon Themes | Trousers (Pants) | Stream of Consciousness |
| Cooking | Protectiveness | Mistaken Identity | Eclipses and other Astronomical Events | Closets, caves and other tight spaces |
Holiday Happenings
Dec. 2nd, 2025 10:59 pmmkrobinsonI am participating in three holiday stockingesque things this year: no pressure on anyone to give to me, but I wanted to post my links here.
Fandom Trees: HERE
Sapphic Stocking: HERE
Holiday Wishes: HERE
If you would like to leave me a prompt for a fic, please do so at THIS post. I would love to gift people things for the holidays.
Fandom Trees: HERE
Sapphic Stocking: HERE
Holiday Wishes: HERE
If you would like to leave me a prompt for a fic, please do so at THIS post. I would love to gift people things for the holidays.
31 days of gratitude
Dec. 2nd, 2025 01:56 amruricSo to combat the general feelings that we're rapidly heading into he'll in a handbasket I'm attempting December's 31 days of gratitude challenge.
Pretty simple rules:
Commit to writing in a gratitude journal daily for 31 days in December. Just 5-10 minutes each day listing what you're thankful for can transform your mindset, improve relationships, and boost happiness. No special skills needed — just a notebook and willingness to appreciate life.
* Write Daily: spend 5-10 minutes writing 3-5 things you're grateful for each day.
* Be Specific: instead of "I'm grateful for my family," write "I'm grateful for my sister's encouraging text today."
* Feel It: don't just list items - truly connect with the feeling of gratitude as you write.
* Mix It Up: include big things and small moments, people, experiences, and personal qualities.
* By hand: write it in a dedicated journal or on a piece of paper by hand. The physical act of writing is important here.
Pretty simple rules:
Commit to writing in a gratitude journal daily for 31 days in December. Just 5-10 minutes each day listing what you're thankful for can transform your mindset, improve relationships, and boost happiness. No special skills needed — just a notebook and willingness to appreciate life.
* Write Daily: spend 5-10 minutes writing 3-5 things you're grateful for each day.
* Be Specific: instead of "I'm grateful for my family," write "I'm grateful for my sister's encouraging text today."
* Feel It: don't just list items - truly connect with the feeling of gratitude as you write.
* Mix It Up: include big things and small moments, people, experiences, and personal qualities.
* By hand: write it in a dedicated journal or on a piece of paper by hand. The physical act of writing is important here.
Fly by rec
Dec. 1st, 2025 10:40 amthisbluespiritMy wrangling got slightly derailed this morning, because I was scrolling down my bins and then suddenly a WILD TAG IN ENIGMA 2001!
And it wasn't me misreading, it wasn't some giant multi-fandom essay, or somehow ASOIAF, Harry Potter, Sherlock or Star Wars, it was real and pretty much perfect. Not particularly spoilery (the only thing this reveals is also evident pretty soon into the film):
de la lune (273 words) by misura
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Enigma (2001)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Claire Romilly, Wigram (Enigma 2001)
Additional Tags: Pre-Canon
Summary: "I've always wanted to be a Claire." (pre-canon)
I got too flaily to wrangle.
And it wasn't me misreading, it wasn't some giant multi-fandom essay, or somehow ASOIAF, Harry Potter, Sherlock or Star Wars, it was real and pretty much perfect. Not particularly spoilery (the only thing this reveals is also evident pretty soon into the film):
de la lune (273 words) by misura
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Enigma (2001)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Claire Romilly, Wigram (Enigma 2001)
Additional Tags: Pre-Canon
Summary: "I've always wanted to be a Claire." (pre-canon)
I got too flaily to wrangle.
Fannish 50 Challenge 2025: Post # 42: Postal Mail from Fen
Nov. 30th, 2025 10:38 pmride_4everThank you kindly to small_hobbit for the postal mail! small_hobbit is the first one to send me a card for my "milestone" birthday!
small_hobbit for the postal mail! small_hobbit is the first one to send me a card for my "milestone" birthday!Week 49 - final month almost here!
Nov. 30th, 2025 12:41 pmruricDecember looms which means I have 3.5 weeks to get my flat in order so I don't spend the time I have off work stressing about going into the new year totally disorganised. Challenge accepted!
#ORJENISE100 I've started on these but not finished any yet.
HOME: have maintained tidy kitchen, bathroom, hall, landing, stairs which is a win. I'm chipping away at the bedroom but plan to push on with this a couple of nights next week. Aiming to have it at least tidy by close of play 7 December.
HEALTH: pretty good!
LIFE ADMIN: a little financial jiggery pokery.
DIGITAL DECLUTTER: got email down to 11,500 then it went back up to 12,000 but currently back to 11,700. Need to set aside 30 mins a day to deal with archived folders. No progress on phone images recently. May just need to leave this to Xmas hols!
GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: just have the three living room windows boxes to do. Still not made it into the back garden Lots of tidying to do in the tiny back gardenmnor taken the compost to the allotment, also have to sort out houseplants. More tasks for Xmas hols.
COOKING/EATING: last week was still about eating down deli items and living on sandwich lunches. Onn the plus side my fridge is almost empty for my next Oddbox which arrives on Friday and I am currently defrosting some stuff from the freezer to see me through next week and I plan to make a giant curry tomorrow.
READING/LISTENING: nope.
WATCHING: still watching Pluribus and Robin Hood. I like how they've pitched this iteration with Henry II gallivanting in France, we get Eleanor of Aquitaine scheming, plus Sean Bean is a pretty decent Sherrif caught between a rock and a hard place. Since I subscribed to Acorn TV I've had detective shows on in the background. Have just hammered through Hinterland which would lead you to believe Aberystwyth is the murder capital of Wales - it led me to check 34 homicides in the whole of Wales in 2021/22. It was a good show with a compelling storyline through all 3 seasons but was grim viewing. I'm ready for an overload of saccharine Hallmark Xmas movies now.
CREATING/LEARNING: I've been to one Monday and a couple of Friday crochet sessions. I think I'm going to pass or only do 1 Monday a month and focus on the Friday lunchtime ones. I've almost finished my freestyle beanie hat and the Xmas garland is coming along. We did granny square Xmas trees on Friday which are cute and simple - finished one in class and made 5 more at home. Also made some simple stars at home. Focusing at the moment on fast makes that can be completed in 15-30 mins and have been raiding Pinterest and YouTube for free patterns. I also bought a giant load of wool (thank you Black Friday sale) from Wool Warehouse so I can make a start on the totally mad granny square blanket next year. I seem to also have acquired lots of wool over the last year - obviously bought for specific projects but I did not label them at the time (yet another task for the Xmas hols).
CATS: all good.
VOLUNTEERING: still can't get back into allottment Insta but did chase up the other things I needed to do. Will miss next committee meeting tomorrow as it's the AGM for the 23 sites at work tomorrow night.
SOCIALISING: online catch up with friends last Thursday which was good.
WORK: did 3 late night's last week with a colleague as we're both inundated. Productive but long days and it did mean last week was all about work and nothing else! No work-life balance at all. Which I will remedy in December and in to 2026!
#ORJENISE100 I've started on these but not finished any yet.
HOME: have maintained tidy kitchen, bathroom, hall, landing, stairs which is a win. I'm chipping away at the bedroom but plan to push on with this a couple of nights next week. Aiming to have it at least tidy by close of play 7 December.
HEALTH: pretty good!
LIFE ADMIN: a little financial jiggery pokery.
DIGITAL DECLUTTER: got email down to 11,500 then it went back up to 12,000 but currently back to 11,700. Need to set aside 30 mins a day to deal with archived folders. No progress on phone images recently. May just need to leave this to Xmas hols!
GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: just have the three living room windows boxes to do. Still not made it into the back garden Lots of tidying to do in the tiny back gardenmnor taken the compost to the allotment, also have to sort out houseplants. More tasks for Xmas hols.
COOKING/EATING: last week was still about eating down deli items and living on sandwich lunches. Onn the plus side my fridge is almost empty for my next Oddbox which arrives on Friday and I am currently defrosting some stuff from the freezer to see me through next week and I plan to make a giant curry tomorrow.
READING/LISTENING: nope.
WATCHING: still watching Pluribus and Robin Hood. I like how they've pitched this iteration with Henry II gallivanting in France, we get Eleanor of Aquitaine scheming, plus Sean Bean is a pretty decent Sherrif caught between a rock and a hard place. Since I subscribed to Acorn TV I've had detective shows on in the background. Have just hammered through Hinterland which would lead you to believe Aberystwyth is the murder capital of Wales - it led me to check 34 homicides in the whole of Wales in 2021/22. It was a good show with a compelling storyline through all 3 seasons but was grim viewing. I'm ready for an overload of saccharine Hallmark Xmas movies now.
CREATING/LEARNING: I've been to one Monday and a couple of Friday crochet sessions. I think I'm going to pass or only do 1 Monday a month and focus on the Friday lunchtime ones. I've almost finished my freestyle beanie hat and the Xmas garland is coming along. We did granny square Xmas trees on Friday which are cute and simple - finished one in class and made 5 more at home. Also made some simple stars at home. Focusing at the moment on fast makes that can be completed in 15-30 mins and have been raiding Pinterest and YouTube for free patterns. I also bought a giant load of wool (thank you Black Friday sale) from Wool Warehouse so I can make a start on the totally mad granny square blanket next year. I seem to also have acquired lots of wool over the last year - obviously bought for specific projects but I did not label them at the time (yet another task for the Xmas hols).
CATS: all good.
VOLUNTEERING: still can't get back into allottment Insta but did chase up the other things I needed to do. Will miss next committee meeting tomorrow as it's the AGM for the 23 sites at work tomorrow night.
SOCIALISING: online catch up with friends last Thursday which was good.
WORK: did 3 late night's last week with a colleague as we're both inundated. Productive but long days and it did mean last week was all about work and nothing else! No work-life balance at all. Which I will remedy in December and in to 2026!
Sunday
Nov. 30th, 2025 08:03 ammalinaldaroseI slept in just a bit this morning (only about half an hour), but I have already been trapped under a cat, so there's that, I suppose. Parker jumped onto my desk while I was reading DW and I was trapped for half an hour or so. Fortunately, I had the commentary on the Miss Universe pageant gowns linked to by senmut to keep me company.
I am noticing that my computer is making a droning electrical noise this morning and I am beginning to wonder if I need to start looking for a replacement after all. Le sigh. Sure, why not. I clearly haven't spent enough money this weekend.
Speaking of which, I did not end up getting the new vacuum at BJ's. Between stacking coupons and discounts, Kohl's ended up having the better price, and now I will have $45 of Kohl's cash to spend on new pajamas, since mine are becoming threadbare. Which is easy enough, since rather than expensive pajama sets, I buy flannel bottoms and regular t-shirts a size up from what I normally wear. Works just fine and is basically what pajama sets are anyway.
Yesterday, I went out to the grocery store after the pharmacy opened at 9:00 a.m. It turned out that the doctor's office had sent a new prescription, so they filled it for me while I picked up a few things. When I got home and put the stuff away, the first load of laundry was done, so that got hung up in the basement and the second load put in.
I looked at my do-list and looked at all the things that need to be done around the house and just shook my head. There's no way. So, instead of trying to put fall decorations away and get out winter ones, I sat down at my desk and listened to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me while drawing the January pages in my home calendar for next year. I've decided to use the somewhat fiddly box layout that I rejected for my work calendar. I'm getting tired of the boxes with triangular flags that I have used for the last couple of years. I got all of January drawn, though I'm not certain I'm going to include the trackers and notes pages that I've had for the last couple of years, because I didn't use them at all this year, so what's the point? I might try something else, instead, or I might just flow one month into another as I do with my work calendars. We'll see. Also, while I like the idea of a book journal, I didn't keep up with it, so I think that's just going to turn into my new book where I just keep my lists of what I have read (which grew out of the 50 Book Challenge years and years and years ago -- I have been keeping the current book since 2008, but I'm down to the last few pages, so I need to start a new one).
After that, I tok the work calendar upstairs and decorated the August and September pages. I was certain last week that I would have it finished and ready to go to work with me tomorrow, but I don't know that I'm going to make it. I need to do the December pages in my home calendar today, and I suppose if I did nothing else, I'd be able to finish the work calendar...but I'm not betting on it....
Last evening, I had dinner early because I skipped lunch, then I cleaned the kitchen, and settled on the couch and read all evening, until I finished Enchanter's End Game. So that's The Belgariad finished. I am debating whether or not I want to go on to The Malloreon. I might decide to read something else first and then go on to it. Or I might just go grab it as being easier than trying to choose something new.
It is 29° this morning. According to the weather wiseacres, it's supposed to get up to 39° and both rain and snow. Won't that be fun? I thought briefly about going to see if the new bookstore had any more stock this week than they did last week, but I don't think I'll be doing that. Too many other things to do to waste my time on that. (And it would be a waste of time, I am certain.)
senmut to keep me company.I am noticing that my computer is making a droning electrical noise this morning and I am beginning to wonder if I need to start looking for a replacement after all. Le sigh. Sure, why not. I clearly haven't spent enough money this weekend.
Speaking of which, I did not end up getting the new vacuum at BJ's. Between stacking coupons and discounts, Kohl's ended up having the better price, and now I will have $45 of Kohl's cash to spend on new pajamas, since mine are becoming threadbare. Which is easy enough, since rather than expensive pajama sets, I buy flannel bottoms and regular t-shirts a size up from what I normally wear. Works just fine and is basically what pajama sets are anyway.
Yesterday, I went out to the grocery store after the pharmacy opened at 9:00 a.m. It turned out that the doctor's office had sent a new prescription, so they filled it for me while I picked up a few things. When I got home and put the stuff away, the first load of laundry was done, so that got hung up in the basement and the second load put in.
I looked at my do-list and looked at all the things that need to be done around the house and just shook my head. There's no way. So, instead of trying to put fall decorations away and get out winter ones, I sat down at my desk and listened to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me while drawing the January pages in my home calendar for next year. I've decided to use the somewhat fiddly box layout that I rejected for my work calendar. I'm getting tired of the boxes with triangular flags that I have used for the last couple of years. I got all of January drawn, though I'm not certain I'm going to include the trackers and notes pages that I've had for the last couple of years, because I didn't use them at all this year, so what's the point? I might try something else, instead, or I might just flow one month into another as I do with my work calendars. We'll see. Also, while I like the idea of a book journal, I didn't keep up with it, so I think that's just going to turn into my new book where I just keep my lists of what I have read (which grew out of the 50 Book Challenge years and years and years ago -- I have been keeping the current book since 2008, but I'm down to the last few pages, so I need to start a new one).
After that, I tok the work calendar upstairs and decorated the August and September pages. I was certain last week that I would have it finished and ready to go to work with me tomorrow, but I don't know that I'm going to make it. I need to do the December pages in my home calendar today, and I suppose if I did nothing else, I'd be able to finish the work calendar...but I'm not betting on it....
Last evening, I had dinner early because I skipped lunch, then I cleaned the kitchen, and settled on the couch and read all evening, until I finished Enchanter's End Game. So that's The Belgariad finished. I am debating whether or not I want to go on to The Malloreon. I might decide to read something else first and then go on to it. Or I might just go grab it as being easier than trying to choose something new.
It is 29° this morning. According to the weather wiseacres, it's supposed to get up to 39° and both rain and snow. Won't that be fun? I thought briefly about going to see if the new bookstore had any more stock this week than they did last week, but I don't think I'll be doing that. Too many other things to do to waste my time on that. (And it would be a waste of time, I am certain.)
Fannish 50 Challenge 2025: Post # 41: Hockey Fandom and Dog Fandom, Continued
Nov. 29th, 2025 10:14 pmride_4everMy first post of combining hockey fandom and dog fandom was so well received that I've decided to do another one:
Unofficial Fandom 50: Terence Rattigan [3/50]
Nov. 29th, 2025 06:47 pmthisbluespiritSince I've been trying to watch (or listen to) all of the Rattigans lately, this seems like a good topic for a post!
Who was Rattigan?
Terence Rattigan (1911-1977) was an English playwright and screenwriter, whose most famous works are The Browning Version (1948), The Winslow Boy (1946), The Deep Blue Sea (1952) & Separate Tables (1954). His works are usually sharply observed, low-key character pieces, mostly v middle-class background*, one of a combination of factors that caused him to fall from favour in the wake of Osborne's Look Back in Anger in the 50s. He wrote for (low-brow!) cinema, radio and TV too, another factor. Since the 90s in particular he's been recognised as one of the 20th C greats, via several major revivals of many of his works and you'd be hard pressed to find a year now when some major British theatre or other isn't putting on a Rattigan.
He was gay, which is evident in many of his plays, although usually more implicitly than explicitly - the most explicit use of a gay character, in Separate Tables, he censored himself prior to its Broadway performance. From 1998, though, happily, modern productions have usually restored the original version. The Browning Version isn't explicit, but is very much about queerness, too.
I came across him when my teacher gave us The Browning Version for A-Level, and instantly fell in love, even if it took me thirty-odd years to finally get up and try some of the rest of his plays. I think I was worried that they wouldn't be as good or would contain aspects that might spoil TBV for me - happily, as you can see, I needn't have worried!
What do I love about his works?
He's very much all about character pieces, especially small-scale, claustrophobic ones (which the theatre naturally tends towards), in a way that I really love.
His first success was the farce French Without Tears (1936), so between that and the screen-writing, he's a very easy watch, in the best sense - his dialogue says so much about character, and often still feels fresh, and he can do light comedy as well as the more serious pieces. You'll often find variations on mismatched marriages, moral choices, people from different positions finding understanding of each other, and trial by the media in one form or another. His characterisation is always well-rounded and complex.
The thing I love the most, though, is his characteristic trick of having so much of the mood or conclusion or character shift on a literal sixpence - one small item, or action, or change of point of view leads to an uplift of hope we didn't expect - and on rare occasions, the reverse, acting as the last spiteful straw. The gift of a book, the discovery of a letter, love of art - how big small things can be to us humans.
I'll talk about specific plays if I carry on with this meme, I'm sure, but I definitely think he's worth trying out if you haven't already. There are a range of adaptations around, new and old, (TV, film, Radio, some of which he wrote the screenplays for himself), as well as current theatre productions.
The National Theatre has a really nice little two-part intro to five of his major works (spoilery, though, as ever with these things) - I presume this means they have some Rattigans on their At Home service, too. If you wanted to try a live production, The Winslow Boy or The Browning Version are particularly good starting places.
(Warnings - not many! He's not a bleak writer at all as a rule, but suicide does crop up in various ways in After the Dance, The Deep Blue Sea, Cause Celebre, and Man and Boy; and In Praise of Love has a character with a terminal illness - leukaemia, which he had himself).
The last thing of his I watched was Heart to Heart, a 1962 BBC TV screenplay written to launch one of their anthologies - it deals again with mismatched marriages, trial by the media, and an attempt to do the right thing that isn't very successful, but at the end, the main character, learning that out of nearly 300 people who phoned into the TV station after a broadcast, 3 of them got the point: "That's something," he says. "They must be very interesting people."
How very Rattigan. ♥
* He attended Harrow, although wiki, if it is to be believed, says that while he was there, he was in its Officer Training Course and started a mutiny, which is brilliant if it's true. <3
Who was Rattigan?
Terence Rattigan (1911-1977) was an English playwright and screenwriter, whose most famous works are The Browning Version (1948), The Winslow Boy (1946), The Deep Blue Sea (1952) & Separate Tables (1954). His works are usually sharply observed, low-key character pieces, mostly v middle-class background*, one of a combination of factors that caused him to fall from favour in the wake of Osborne's Look Back in Anger in the 50s. He wrote for (low-brow!) cinema, radio and TV too, another factor. Since the 90s in particular he's been recognised as one of the 20th C greats, via several major revivals of many of his works and you'd be hard pressed to find a year now when some major British theatre or other isn't putting on a Rattigan.
He was gay, which is evident in many of his plays, although usually more implicitly than explicitly - the most explicit use of a gay character, in Separate Tables, he censored himself prior to its Broadway performance. From 1998, though, happily, modern productions have usually restored the original version. The Browning Version isn't explicit, but is very much about queerness, too.
I came across him when my teacher gave us The Browning Version for A-Level, and instantly fell in love, even if it took me thirty-odd years to finally get up and try some of the rest of his plays. I think I was worried that they wouldn't be as good or would contain aspects that might spoil TBV for me - happily, as you can see, I needn't have worried!
What do I love about his works?
He's very much all about character pieces, especially small-scale, claustrophobic ones (which the theatre naturally tends towards), in a way that I really love.
His first success was the farce French Without Tears (1936), so between that and the screen-writing, he's a very easy watch, in the best sense - his dialogue says so much about character, and often still feels fresh, and he can do light comedy as well as the more serious pieces. You'll often find variations on mismatched marriages, moral choices, people from different positions finding understanding of each other, and trial by the media in one form or another. His characterisation is always well-rounded and complex.
The thing I love the most, though, is his characteristic trick of having so much of the mood or conclusion or character shift on a literal sixpence - one small item, or action, or change of point of view leads to an uplift of hope we didn't expect - and on rare occasions, the reverse, acting as the last spiteful straw. The gift of a book, the discovery of a letter, love of art - how big small things can be to us humans.
I'll talk about specific plays if I carry on with this meme, I'm sure, but I definitely think he's worth trying out if you haven't already. There are a range of adaptations around, new and old, (TV, film, Radio, some of which he wrote the screenplays for himself), as well as current theatre productions.
The National Theatre has a really nice little two-part intro to five of his major works (spoilery, though, as ever with these things) - I presume this means they have some Rattigans on their At Home service, too. If you wanted to try a live production, The Winslow Boy or The Browning Version are particularly good starting places.
(Warnings - not many! He's not a bleak writer at all as a rule, but suicide does crop up in various ways in After the Dance, The Deep Blue Sea, Cause Celebre, and Man and Boy; and In Praise of Love has a character with a terminal illness - leukaemia, which he had himself).
The last thing of his I watched was Heart to Heart, a 1962 BBC TV screenplay written to launch one of their anthologies - it deals again with mismatched marriages, trial by the media, and an attempt to do the right thing that isn't very successful, but at the end, the main character, learning that out of nearly 300 people who phoned into the TV station after a broadcast, 3 of them got the point: "That's something," he says. "They must be very interesting people."
How very Rattigan. ♥
* He attended Harrow, although wiki, if it is to be believed, says that while he was there, he was in its Officer Training Course and started a mutiny, which is brilliant if it's true. <3
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