Archive of Our Own ^beta

Notes:

PS: I did, for a minute, entertain the thought of recording ‘Crabapple of my Eye,’ and offering only the first chapter to you as your holiday gift and the rest following as I had time over the course of the year, but I didn’t feel quite right offering an incomplete gift (but now that the idea is in my brain, it continues to intrigue), and besides, I felt that 'Curves Facing Up' is a beautiful illustration of what I love so much about your presence in this fandom and the richness you bring to us all: your knowledge of medicine and medical procedures gives such depth to your stories and your commentary on the episodes. But more than that, it’s the way you are able to show how what they are actually doing in surgery interplays with who they are as people.

On a personal note, I want to express how glad I am to know you and how much I enjoy everything about the way you interact with this show that we all love, from your cosplay to your stories to your love for memorabilia. You are a delight. And especially in regards to your writing, I want you to know how much your stories have moved and affected me – after reading a few of your more surgically-oriented fics, to then go back and watch the show and to know how much more is going on that we’re not seeing when they’re moving their stained-red hands beneath the stained-red drapes, it heightened all my senses of who these people are, of how incredibly skilled and dedicated they are, and also how horrific this situation is for them and how amazing they are for living through it, staying (mostly) sane, and holding on to their compassion and humanity. Rare the story that both changes and enhances one’s experience of the source material in such a profound way: your stories did that for me.

To speak specifically about Curves Facing Up, I found myself so drawn in to the details of the case that it wasn’t until a second read-through that I realized how delicately you found the balance between detail and pacing. I get the feeling that a medical professional and a layperson could enjoy it equally; the medical jargon never overwhelms the scene or slows the pace, every detail serves the story, and deepens our understanding of who these characters are as people. I found it so touching, the way you showed us Margaret being so used to doing everything herself and being so intensely competent that she could do it all herself, learning to lean on those around her. And Charles’ convoluted path to working himself up to just going to see Margaret at the end of a difficult day; the details you include about his thought process, his habits, his intentions, showing his hyper-awareness of everything around him even when he does not fully understand it (or himself).

And of course, Klinger and Kellye, the unsung heroes of the OR. As Margaret said to Charles: “[you don’t understand] how good I have to be at my job to make you look better at yours,” and that goes for everyone on every rung of the ladder. I was so touched to see Klinger’s dedication to his role in this operation, and the acknowledgment of his and Kellye’s skill and competence was so well-deserved and shown so deftly, it made me very emotional.

Happy MASHolidays, my friend!
<3 Rosie