Recondita armonia di fandomi diversi

Hi! I'm Mercury, a young woman who writes, acts, sings, and enjoys good stories. Mostly opera, DS9, Enterprise, and Bonanza, also home to an ever-expanding roster of great fandom interests and some original work.

[basingstokemercury]

I write on AO3 as HgMercury39, and currently have a few short Bonanza and Enterprise fanfics published.

Blog Tag Directory:

Most of my fandoms are under their standard tag, but there are a few exceptions.

#space station squad - DS9

#the julian bashir chronicles - posts specifically about my favourite character ever

#from the holoimager - DS9 screenshots and photosets

#pondering the ponderosa - Bonanza

#lost in adamiration - posts specifically about my second-favourite character ever

#trepidly voyaging - Voyager

#an enterprising crew - Enterprise

#a malcolm may indulge a little pardonable swagger - you guessed it, more favourite-character-posting!

#come la tosca in teatro - Tosca

[basingstokemercury]

don carlo picrews!

[original-asteria]

my favorite thing about Bra’tac is that every time you think he’s about to die for Teal’c’s characher development, he just… doesn’t

[basingstokemercury]

tosca is devastating right away and hits hard and grabs you

don carlo is upsetting first watch and then you sit and think and analyse and it just gets worse and worse each time

[basingstokemercury]

carlo wanting to build a glorious monument to rodrigo in flanders

the man who always refused any honour to himself finally being immortalised in death among the people he gave everything to help

[basingstokemercury]

don carlo is probably bad for my mental health but i cannot leave it alone help

[basingstokemercury]

how to save your best friend's life: trick your other friend (his father) into having you murdered

[basingstokemercury]

Dowager Duchess of Denver my beloved

"what if the talkative scatterbrained old lady trope were actually highly intelligent and usually knew exactly what she was talking about and how to use the way people perceived her to take them off guard"

[basingstokemercury]

the problem with finding a don carlo tag is trying to settle on something that isn't specific to a character...

"o strano sognator" is a good line but i already have a rodrigo tag picked out

[basingstokemercury]

crying at watching maria callas in vissi d'arte 😔

[basingstokemercury]

on similar note to previous post, something that's interesting but I don't know enough to speak on:

the historical Don Carlos was known to be mentally unstable (and apparently of a quite different personality than his operatic portrayal)

opera Carlo seems to hallucinate while meeting Elisabeth in the garden, and to be perhaps even more emotionally volatile than most tenors even when trying to stay calm and diplomatic

so I wonder if he was also written to be mentally ill, and what exactly might be going on with him from whatever modern diagnostic lens could be applied to an opera where everything is already heightened beyond reality...

[animate-mush]

@sherbertilluminated you're my Don Carlos guy

[sherbertilluminated]

Thanks mush!

I actually don't have too much to say on this front because I don't know enough about Schiller/Verdi's engagement with contemporary frameworks of mental illness. I have wonderful mutuals who have read more widely on the authors and to whom I could refer you, but I also don't know if this is quite their area either.

Based on my own engagement with 21st century dramaturgy it seems to be fairly common for actors and directors to interpret Carlos' behavior through this lens, but not overwhelmingly so. I'm glad that the play/opera are performed often enough that a variety of interpretations persists, even if it means I can't give you a more confident answer.

[basingstokemercury]

Thanks! I'd be glad to hear from anyone who might have more background on the subject as well, it's a fascinating interpretation whatever the writing intent might have actually been

[basingstokemercury]

what should my don carlo tag be?

[basingstokemercury]

so what exactly is it that takes Philip from "I regret everything" in Sii Maledetto to "KILL EVERYONE" in the finale? being unable to deal with the knowledge of what he did to Rodrigo and seeing this as some kind of twisted vengeance (because it was for Carlo and Elisabeth that Rodrigo gave his life)?

[basingstokemercury]

I wish I knew how much of Malcolm's manner during the interrogation scene in Shockwave was genuine and how much putting on an act (writing is hard)

The only other time I can think of he faces a similar situation is The Communicator, where he's a lot more passive, completely stonewalling their captors - but of course that's on Archer's advice to "say as little as possible", which he clearly takes very seriously

But in a situation where the antagonists knew who and what he was, where there wasn't any active deception happening on his part, I'm not sure how he'd act... Calm? Defiant? Angry? Trying to stay impassive until he can't hold out anymore?

[basingstokemercury]

Rodrigo: this is Carlo my dear lord I love him so much he's going to do great things Eboli: I know your secret Carlo! I can destroy you! Rodrigo: uh DON'T LISTEN TO HIM HE'S CRAZY?

[basingstokemercury]

i think being allowed to cry out "IO L'HO PERDUTA" when something goes wrong would fix me

[basingstokemercury]

on reflection randomly shouting "SALVA LA FIANDRA" at dramatic moments would probably be even more confusing

[basingstokemercury]

and when something truly bizarre is going on of course one just has to thunder "È CARLO QUINTO"

[basingstokemercury]

on similar note to previous post, something that's interesting but I don't know enough to speak on:

the historical Don Carlos was known to be mentally unstable (and apparently of a quite different personality than his operatic portrayal)

opera Carlo seems to hallucinate while meeting Elisabeth in the garden, and to be perhaps even more emotionally volatile than most tenors even when trying to stay calm and diplomatic

so I wonder if he was also written to be mentally ill, and what exactly might be going on with him from whatever modern diagnostic lens could be applied to an opera where everything is already heightened beyond reality...

[basingstokemercury]

and when Eboli guesses Carlo's secret, Rodrigo tries to throw her off with "ignore him he's raving"

which could suggest that Carlo not always being in his right mind is a known phenomenon?