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#and like mary as an aspiring musician

gaysludge · 3 days

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Maybe the rage deal in the last episode wasn’t JUST “You live but have extreme amounts of rage.” What if they were offered their wildest dreams and the rage was a clause in like microfont bc to them the gifts of achieving their goals and living seems like a great deal especially for children. The rage pushes them to achieve a goal, the rat grinders are KIDS they arnt gonna have crazy outrageous dreams and ambition at 17 years old, I knew nothing when I was that age.

You have a crush on a girl for a couple years and want to catch her attention? Bam. Get more confidence, become buff, get noticed first the first time ever. Oisin was completely unrecognizable before but now after all this?

You hate another rogue so much you want to be better than him? Bam! Kipperlily finds the rogue teacher first AND signs up for the election assuming riz would be the one to do it bc why would Kristen Applebees want to be president? Which could be an event bigger fuel to KLCK’s fire.

You want to be a famous musician and you’re jealous of a bard in school who never goes to class but has what you don’t? Bam! Ruben copies her look and produce music when she’s on hiatus as well as getting signed by her label

Mary Anne’s is small and girly she was probably bullied and wanted to make it stop, so shes now indifferent, and strong enough to stand up for herself, she sees Gorgug on the first day of school get decked in the face jsut to grow into this strong guy and sees him as inspiration

Lucy was content with life, she loved her friends, loved her god and knew the rage wasn’t what she wanted to have to live with. The resurrection is supposed to help them feel fulfilled but she’d just be more unsatisfied with life if she took the offer. Lucy was happy with what she had, and had no further aspirations, she loved her god and 'stuck to her guns'

Buddy dawn a follower of helio, watches the chosen one of his church abandon everything, he’s sad and confused as to why she did what she did. He dies and is offered the chance to become the chosen one for an unnamed god, he’s scared, helio is missing, and if Kristin took an offer from a new god and was okay why wouldn’t he be?

The rat grinders were scared kids who needed a miracle, and one was offered CHILDREN WILL SCREAM FOR HELP UNTIL THEY ARE ARE OFFERED SANCTION, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO THE SAVIOR IS

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silliestsims · 4 months

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The ERAS Legacy Challenge

Hello! I am an avid sims player AND a swiftie! So I thought, why not make the best of both worlds! So this legacy challenge will kind of be like the 'Not So Berry Challenge' made by Lilsimsie and Alwayssimming.

A few notes before you get into the challenge

The generations gender does not matter! Play as a boy or girl, it makes no difference!

The sims(mostly debut) are not meant to be played as Taylor! (ex: for debut I named my sim Mary from "Mary's Song" and Her love interest (who I made, but you do not have to and can be with a townie) is named Drew from "Teardrops on my Guitar."

I made the albums that are not yet Taylor's Version (as of the time writing this out) be unmarried(still in relationships or not it's your decision!)

I have specific colors taken from the album colors that should be used in most of the sim's house! You do not have to have the whole house this way though!

I had my debut sim start out as a young adult, but you can start them as an adult if you'd like!

If a like has -insert pack here- beside it, that like can only be found if you have that pack! So if you don't have that pack, don't sweat it!

This is mostly base-game friendly, but if you tweak it a bit to fit some of your favorite mods and packs, feel free to!

And that is it, so let's get on with the challenge!

DEBUT

This sim was born in a small town and knew when they were young they had wanted to pursue a career in the music world! They begin their career in the music industry hoping to find a place in this world.

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Traits: Creative, Cheerful, and Music Lover

Color: Green/Blue(possibly teal as well)

Likes: (Color) Green & Blue, (Music) Blues-base game-and Ranch-Horse Ranch Pack-, Guitar, Writing, Piano-base game- and singing-City Living-

Career: Musician

Rules: Complete the Musical Genius Aspiration, Max Musician Career, Max Guitar skill, Max Piano skill, Max singing skill-City Living-, Have at least one child to become the heir, be 'good friends' with their children.

FEARLESS

Watching their parent(s) treat them with such kindness and love, this sim knew that they wanted to share these feelings with the world. They have much love to give, but their love life has been rocky. This sim is ready to settle down and give their child(or children) the best childhood.

Aspiration: Friend of The World

Traits: Outgoing, Loyal, and Ambitious

Color: Yellow

Likes: (Color) Yellow, (Music) Hip-Hop,(Activities)Writing and Baking.

Career: Chef

Rules: Complete the Friend of the World Aspiration, Max Chef Career, Max Writing skill, Max Baking skill, Have at least 2 relationships before finding the significant other, Have kids while an adult, Have at least one child to become the heir, have next heir have the max motor skill.

SPEAK NOW

This sim's parents loved them a lot, and they knew that. They were raised to believe that they would grow up and get a practical job like a writer or techie, but this sim has always looked to the stars for comfort. They simply were enchanted by the stars, would they be the foolish one to want to be among them? They love their parents, but will they still love this sim if they take on their dreams of reaching the stars?

Aspiration: Serial Romantic

Traits: Goofball, Perfectionist, Good

Color: Purple

Likes: (Color) Purple, (Music) Easy Listening-Get to Work-and Singer-Songwriter-Cats and Dogs Pack-(Activities) Fitness and Rocket Science.

Career: Space Ranger

Rules: Have max motor skill as a child, Complete the Serial Romantic Aspiration, Max Astronaut Career, Max Fitness skill, Max Rocket Science skill, Date at least 8 people before settling down, Have a child to one of your exes, Have the child born to one of their exes become the heir.

RED

Growing up and seeing this sim's mother/father date many people before finally settling down made them realize that maybe they weren't exactly sure if true love was real. The only true loves this sim had? Alcohol and working. They were young, only feeling 22! They knew all too well how much love could hurt, they'd seen one of their parents go through it plenty of times, but when they meet another sim at a bar? Maybe everything has changed for this sim and their views on love.

Aspiration: Master Mixologist

Traits: Gloomy, Self-Assured, Foodie

Color: Red

Likes: (Color) Red, (Music) Pop, (Activities) Mixology and Cooking

Career: Mixologist

Rules: Complete the Master Mixologist Aspiration, Max Mixologist Career, Max Mixology skill, Max Cooking skill, Date no one until meeting significant other, Meet significant other in a bar, Finish work tasks as quickly as possible, Have a child as an adult, Have at least one child to become the heir.

1989

Having parents who didn't have a child until much later in their lives made this sim cherish what little time people actually had in life. They decided that living a boring, unfulfilling life just wasn't their style. When they had turned into a teen, they threw parties with friends every weekend. This sim falls in love with one of their high school friends, but once they grow up they fade apart. Now that they don't talk, this sim is forced to move on, but their heart is stuck on them. They take this chance and fall in love with other sims, but when they meet back up with their high school sweetheart, are they still in love?

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Traits: Jealous, Loyal, Clumsy

Color: Blue and White

Likes: (Color) Blue and White, (Music) Pop and Electronica, (Activities) Gaming and Comedy

Career: Trendsetter

Rules: Throw parties every weekend in high school, Have a high school sweetheart, Break up with high school sweetheart, Date two other people before getting back with high school sweetheart, Get back together with high school sweetheart, Complete the Renaissance Sim Aspiration, Max Trendsetter Career, Max Gaming skill, Max Comedy skill, Have at least two children, Choose whichever child you wish to be the heir.

REPUTATION

This sim knew growing up that no one would love them like everyone seemed to love their mother/father(last generation) When they were a teen, the only person who knew them was their high school boyfriend/girlfriend- someone that their parents didn't like. They could call it what they want, This sim was in love and no one could tell them any different. Their relationship with their parents began to worsen and when they became a young adult they moved into a house far away from their parents with their high school sweetheart. Basically leaving in a getaway car made this sim realize that maybe doing something bad felt so good. Maybe they'd never see their parents again, but they could make a new family...a crime family.

Aspiration: Public Enemy

Traits: Loner, Romantic, and Genius

Color: Black, Gray, and White

Likes: (Color) Black, Gray, and White , (Music) Pop and Alternative, (Activities) Mischief and Fitness

Career: Criminal Boss

Rules: Have a high school sweetheart, Have parents dislike the significant other, Have a bad relationship with parents, Move into a house with significant other immediately after becoming a young adult, Complete the Public Enemy Aspiration, Max Criminal Career, Max Mischief skill, Max Fitness skill, Have at least one child to be the heir.

LOVER

Growing up, this sim was always told about their parents love story. High school sweethearts who ran away with each other? That was the best love story that anyone could ever ask for! This sim grew up without being around their grandparents, they never asked, so they were never told why. Being raised in a chill and laidback family made this sim think that everyone just needs to calm down! As a teen, they dated a few of their friends, trying to find a love like her parents, but ultimately all of those relationships failed. They decided to put aside their lover heart and go onto business in their young adult life, but what happens when they accidentally become woohoo partners with someone they work with?

Aspiration: Successful Lineage

Traits: Childish, Art Lover, Family Oriented

Color: Pink, Yellow, and Blue

Likes: (Color) Pink, Yellow, and Blue, (Music) Pop and Romance, (Activities) Writing, Painting, and Guitar

Career: Business (management branch)

Rules: Date at least 2 friends in high school, Breakup with the high school relationships, Don't date anyone until halfway through the sims young adulthood, become woohoo partners with a coworker, Complete the Renaissance Sim Aspiration, Max Business Career, Max Writing skill, Max Painting skill, Max guitar skill, Have at least two children, Have the first child be the heir.

FOLKLORE

Having outgoing parents that seemed to always have something else going on seemed fun...in theory. In reality, however, this sim grew up closed off and playing make believe by themselves. They had read books on the last great American dynasties to distract themselves and found peace in day dreaming and making up stories. When this sim was a teen, they worked hard in school so they could keep their parents eyes off of them and keep the attention on their sibling(s). This sim became a young adult and moved into a small house and began writing the stories they had once dreamt up- mostly romance. They began selling these books and met "the one" at a library/museum, finding the love that they had only written about.

Aspiration: Bestselling Author

Traits: Loner, Bookworm, and Loyal

Color: Gray and White

Likes: (Color) Gray and White, (Music) Blues, (Activities) Writing and Guitar

Career: Author

Rules: Stay to self while a child and teenager, Be an A student in high school, Meet significant other in a library/museum as a young adult, Complete the Bestselling Author Aspiration, Max Author Career, Max Writing skill, Max Guitar skill, Have any amount of children, Choose whichever child you wish to be the heir.

EVERMORE

Growing up in a small, cozy house that was filled with love made this sim enjoy life, but still find the faults within it charming. This sim was born into a house of creativity and enjoyed the nature aspect and loved beautiful scenery. As a child they had a best friend that went into high school with them, but they had gotten into a fight and had become enemies with them. They had a high school relationship that went into young adulthood and was engaged, but the significant other cheated on this sim- ending the relationship. This sim had moved on relatively quick, why tolerate cheating then cry over it? They had spent their nights at clubs and flirted with many people and found one really attractive sim- "that's my man." this sim was dead set on this. They finally found the love they had been searching for. Long story short...they survived.

Aspiration: Painter

Traits: Creative, Perfectionist, and Art Lover

Color: Orange and Brown

Likes: (Color) Orange and Brown, (Music) Alternative and Classical, (Activities) Panting and Piano

Career: Painter

MIDNIGHTS

This sim's family had many lives lived, they could go back to their great great great great great great great grandma and never truly understand their whole family. That didn't stop this sim from being interested in everything and anything that they could get their hands on. This led them to be kleptomaniac, karma surely wouldn't track them down. When they had been a teen, this sim enjoyed working out as a way to stay active and busy their mind away from the urge to steal. In their eyes, they were an anti-hero who was trying so hard to push back what they hated about themself. This sim became a young adult and still was curious about everything they could know, so they became a secret agent. This sim met their significant other, but they were worried because this sim was good while they were a klepto. Their significant other didn't mind, though, and let this sim be bejewled.

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Traits: Ambitious, Kleptomaniac, and Neat

Color: Blue, White, Navy Blue, Purple

Likes: (Color) Blue, Purple, and White, (Music) World Music, (Activities) Guitar, Piano, and Fitness

Career: Secret Agent

Rules: Begin working out as a teen, Marry a sim that is good, Complete the Renaissance Sim Aspiration, Max Secret Agent Career, Max Guitar skill, Max Piano skill, Max Fitness skill, Have any or none children. thank you for completing the challenge :)

You're on your own kid, you always have been.

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aus-wnt · 2 months

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Back in 2006, long before Australia fell in love with the Matildas, Lydia Williams was in mad rush to finish an evening team meeting in Canberra. She wolfed down dinner and then her and her teammates bolted out the door as quickly as possible.

The reason? To catch a Pink concert at the AIS Arena.

Almost two decades later, they’re both still going strong – and on Saturday night, Williams got to meet one of her musical idols backstage before her show in Melbourne, presenting her with a little piece of history.

Relenting to intense public pressure after Mackenzie Arnold’s shootout heroics at the Women’s World Cup, Nike is now selling Matildas’ goalkeeper jerseys – something it has never done before for an Australian team, male or female. Pink and her daughter, Willow, were the first in the world to get their hands on the retail version, which goes on sale on Tuesday.

“She grabbed it right away. She was like, ‘These are sick’,” Williams said.

There aren’t many more famous people in Australia at the moment than the Matildas – aside, of course, from touring musicians Taylor Swift and Pink. The former’s tour wraps up on Monday night, but the latter is still going strong; so strong that Pink is basically an honorary Australian, given how often she seems to be performing here. She has sold more than three million career tickets here and in New Zealand, and her current show – the Summer Carnival tour, which runs through to the end of March – will be seen by more than 900,000 people.

“She loves Australia, and she loves Australians,” Williams, 35, said. “And supporting women’s sport, she’s a huge advocate. When she realised it was about the World Cup and the first release of the jerseys, her excitement and genuine curiosity ... she’s smiling big in the photo, so she’s definitely pumped about it.

“She’s like the Taylor Swift of our generation. If Pink had that level of social media back then she would be the equivalent to that.”

Nike is only selling the purple version of the jersey – not the black shirt Arnold actually wore during Australia’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over France in the quarter-final – but it’s a start.

England’s Mary Earps first put the issue on the table last year, saying it was “very hurtful” and an “injustice” that the apparel company didn’t produce goalkeeper jerseys for fans to buy, which she said stopped young people from aspiring to play in that position.

Williams, who was part of Australia’s World Cup squad as a back-up to Arnold, concurs.

“The amount of people who wanted to get a jersey was massive,” she said. “It’s so important for the visibility of females in sport and female goalkeepers. ‘Macca’ obviously had an amazing performance at the World Cup, and now for people who have her and myself and Teagan [Micah] and Jada [Whyman] as their heroes, it’s really exciting that they can have that opportunity.”

Williams will watch her teammates play the second leg of their Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan on Wednesday night from the stands at Marvel Stadium, having recently undergone ankle surgery to give her a chance of making it to Paris 2024.

“Timing-wise, it wasn’t ideal, but if I had it later, it was even less ideal,” she said. “When you get over 30, it’s slow and steady wins the race. Hopefully, I’m not too far off now being able to join the team a little bit and be around the girls instead of being locked away in a pool or spa, in recovery mode.”

#lydia williams #matildas #auswnt

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craycray-wolf · 2 months

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So.

I wanna make a bunch of Omori fan content, especially for post-game stuff which I wish to explore when @ask-spirit-mari has reached the true ending segment of the game!

I'd like to share many of my ideas! Sunny is my boy so they're mostly related to him haha. I'd be happy to answer any questions though!

General Sunny headcanons:

My version of Sunny is a Universally Loved one.

His birth name is Taiyo, and Mari was the one who gave him his nickname at a young age. It's stuck since.

Sunny is actually a very emotionally expressive person and his emotions are just stunted in the game because y'know. Trauma.

He doesn't mind speaking, it's just that his natural state of being is quiet.

My boy Snuuy is an absolute bi disaster lmao

Post-game Sunny headcanons:

He eventually comes across the aspiring musician Michael, and both parties are happy to have a familiar face in the city.

He ends up volunteering at the animal shelter, and through his time bonds with a cat which he adopts. I'm still working on details about said cat BUT IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT IT EXISTS TRUST ME

He grows his hair out some and starts experimenting with it a bit.

Snuuy is an absolute sweats and hoodies man and you cannot take this away from me. No seriously he is legit the type to love sweatpants and hoodies

He likes to explore the city and get out if the house. Not only does it feel good to him to finally be out and about, but deep down he's very afraid that he'll coop back up.

Sunny meets lots of new people! Especially in school, where he eventually ends up with his own ragtag friend group. I'm working on details about the ragtag group as well but I wish to establish it's existence.

Via the pooling of many resources, both Sunny and Basil get therapy because holy crap these kids need it, please help my babies 😭 I think it'd be especially beneficial for Snuuy as he's actively working on himself at the end of the game. The rest of the Faraway eventually get help as well, they just prioritized the kids fighting a whole lotta SOMETHINGs.

Basil made Sunny an eyepatch with a white tulip design embroidered (Gma taught him) on it, and the latter happily wears it everyday.

I'm a shipper of Sunkissed, so I like to imagine that happens later on when the characters are adults!

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simandthedimbulbv2-0 · 3 months

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if you're not busy, could we learn more about Benjamin and Dylan Livright? Thank you!

As you wish 👉👉

These are the Livwrights; a normal American family living in the suburbs. Of course, appearances are only skin deep.

Benjamin Livwright: The workaholic father of the Livwrights. Ben slaves away at his desk job, convinced that the hard working American really can make something of himself —or at least earn his living— a viewpoint resulting from generational trauma inflicted by his own father. He wants nothing more than to provide for his family, but his manner of doing so is far from healthy.

While he comes off as a distant, unsympathetic father due to his disapproval of his son’s hobbies, his heart is in the right place.

He worries for his son’s wellbeing, afraid that the boy will be disillusioned—and even harmed— if he pursues his aspirations to become a musician. Unfortunately, as so often is the case, his worry manifests as anger.

The viewpoint character of the song I Earn My Life, caricatured by his son in As Your Father I Expressly Forbid It

Works at The Company, a weirdly nondescript business owned by Mr. Morimichi (of Man-Made Object). Technically a coworker of Mr. Wolfgang, but thankfully not on the same floor.

Very sensitive about his receding hairline.

Has a curious affinity with the Antfolk of Spiral of Ants; so much so that after an encounter with the spiral (from which he rescues his son) he is permanently partially mutated into an ant person. It’s ok though. Tbh he’s a lot healthier for it, and his wife and son don’t mind.

Ironically, he was briefly part of a band in his youth. His father put a stop to it very quickly.

Mary Livwright: Benjamin’s wife and Dylan’s mother. Homemaker. In her spare time, she likes to paint landscapes, but she doesn’t have much time for that. She mainly focuses on keeping the house spotless (perhaps as a coping mechanism more than anything) to avoid adding any unnecessary conflict to the feud between her husband and son. Mary puts on a brave face and plays the diplomat, but inside she’s terrified that her family will fall apart at any second. She desperately wants to help her husband and son reconcile, but to her distress, she isn’t sure how.

Suffers from anxiety

The ‘wife’ mentioned in I Earn My Life— she does indeed hear her husband’s justifications a lot.

Has a Bachelor of Arts in Painting

Uncannily good at strategy games

Dylan Livwright: Ben and Mary’s son. Dylan is a clever young man with a passion for music. He wants nothing more than to become a guitarist and produce his own songs, a goal that puts him at odds with his father. A fairly typical grouchy teenager with all the sarcastic, ungrateful trappings. However, Dylan is also quite sensitive, artistic, and responsible. As much as he hates his father’s lack of attention and approval, he still loves him and wants to make him proud.

Dylan is the in-universe author of a number of songs including As Your Father I Expressly Forbid It, Being a Rockstar, Go To Hollywood and Ancient Aliens.

Met professor Callenbach through a community service program. Callenbach eventually trusted him enough to befriend, and now Dylan plays the McFly to his Doc Brown.

Dylan proves to be instrumental to Callenbach’s attempts to contact the mysterious MC, as his musical talents are capable of properly fueling and calibrating the prof’s tone-powered communication machine.

Dylan lives in the same neighborhood as and is friends with the Moulinet boys despite being a few years older. He later helps Eugene figure out how to mix music.

Refuses to cut his hair short no matter what his dad says. Eventually starts wearing it in a ponytail, though.

Kenneth Livwright: The overbearing patriarch of the Livwright family. A retired investment banker and former business man with rather traditional values. He visits his son occasionally to keep an eye on how he’s doing, and to correct him if he’s getting off track.

Probably one of the most unsympathetic characters. Good thing he’s barely there.

The family as a whole:

The whole family is in this weird temporal aesthetic range of 50s to 80s to ‘00s; mainly due to the vibe I get from their situation. Hopefully it isn’t too jarring.

Benjamin’s ancestry is Danish, as a nod to Hans Christian Andersen, author of The Little Mermaid, which provided the partial inspiration for As Your Father I Expressly Forbid It (according to the commentary)

The whole family has punny/symbolic names, of course, starting with the surname which is a corrupting of ‘live right’; something the family is constantly trying to do.

Benjamin: short form ‘Ben’ means ‘son of’, as Ben’s life is completely dominated by his own father. In full, a corruption of ‘been living right’, which he is convinced he is doing.

Mary: homophone of marry, because her only mention in the actual music is as the wife of the singer. Also homophone of ‘merry’, as she’s the most cheerful of the Livwrights (outwardly, at least). And finally, depending on the etymology, can relate to the sea, which goes back to the little mermaid references, and also her son because…

Dylan: meaning ‘born of the sea’. Initially chosen as a corruption of ‘didn’t live right’, but also as a nod to the Little Mermaid. Also provides symbolic opposition to his grandfathers influence, as his name is…

Kenneth: etymologically related to fire. Also a corruption of ‘Can live right’ in its short form Ken, and a corruption of ‘cannot live right’ in its full form, for obvious reasons.

#Ask #took a while but hope you enjoy 👉👉

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mudwerks · 2 years

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(via Mary McCaslin, Folk Singer Who Lamented the Lost Old West, Dies at 75 - The New York Times)

Ms. McCaslin, who also played banjo and ukulele, was self-taught, and her open tuning — tuning the strings to sound like a specific chord, as Joni Mitchell did — distinguished her guitar playing.

“While Joni’s tunings were more jazz-inflected,” said Mitch Greenhill, president of Folklore Productions/Fli Artists, who managed Ms. McCaslin and her first husband, the folk singer Jim Ringer, starting in the mid-70s, “Mary’s went the opposite way. They were more angular, more Celtic sounding. And she always put the tunings on her albums, which aspiring musicians always appreciated.”

Tunings are a never-ending hole of possibility. especially if you don’t limit it to western 12-tone standards.

youtube

#Mary McCaslin #music #obit #nytimes #tunings #way out west

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kemetic-dreams · 1 year

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Chevalier de Saint-Georges

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges(December 25, 1745 – June 10, 1799), was a FrenchCreolevirtuoso violinist and composer, who was conductor of the leading symphony orchestra in Paris.

Saint-Georges was born in the then French colony ofGuadeloupe, the son of Georges de Bologne Saint-Georges, a wealthy married planter, and an enslaved African woman named Nanon. At the age of seven he was taken to France, and at the age of thirteen educated asgendarmeto the King. He received music lessons from François-Joseph Gossec and likely violin lessons from Jean-Marie Leclair, while continuing to study fencing.

In 1764 Antonio Lolli dedicated two concertos to Saint-Georges. In 1769 he joined a new symphony orchestra; two years later he was appointed concert master and soon started composing. In 1773 he was appointed conductor of "Le Concert des Amateurs". In 1775 he introduced the symphonie concertante, using the possibilities offered by a newbow. In 1776 he was proposed as the next conductor of the Paris Opera, but was subsequently denied this role by a petition by the divas of the time to the Queen. This then put an end to any aspirations that Saint-Georges had to becoming the music director of the institution. In 1778 he lived for 2.5 months next to Mozart in the Chaussee d'Antinand stopped composing instrumental works in 1785. He knew many composers, including Salieri,Gossec,Gretry,Mozart and Gluck. He commissioned and performed the Paris Symphonies by Haydn and travelled to London where he met with the Prince of Wales and George IIIin 1787.

Following the 1789 outbreak of the French Revolution, the younger Saint-Georges served as a colonel of the Légion St.-Georges(established in 1792), the first all-African regiment in Europe, fighting on the side of the French First Republic. Today the Chevalier de Saint-Georges is best remembered as the first well-known classical composer of African ancestry. He composed numerous string quartets and other instrumental pieces, violin concertos as well as operas. Ludwig van Beethoven held his music and his views very highly.

Joseph Bologne was born in Baillif, Basse-Terre as the son of a planter and former councilor at the parliament of Metz, Georges de Bologne Saint-Georges (1711–1774) and Nanon, his wife's 16-year-old enslaved African servant of Senegalese origin, who served as her personal maid. Bologne was legally married to Elisabeth Mérican (1722–1801) but acknowledged his son by Nanon and gave him his surname

Starting in the 17th century, a Code Noir had been law in France and its colonial possessions. On April 5, 1762, King Louis XV decreed that "Nègres et gens de couleur" (Africans and people of color) must register with the clerk of the Admiralty within two months. Many leading Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire argued that Africans and their descendants were inferior to White Europeans. These laws and racist attitudes towards mixed-race people made it impossible for Joseph Bologne to marry anybody at his level of society, though he did have at least one serious romantic relationship.

Musical life and career

François-Joseph Gossec

Nothing is known about Saint-Georges' early musical training. Given his prodigious technique as an adult, Saint-Georges must have practiced the violin seriously as a child. There has been no documentation found of him as a musician before 1764, when violinistAntonio Lollicomposed two concertos, Op. 2, for him,[note 1]and 1766, when composerFrançois-Joseph Gossecdedicated a set of six string trios, Op. 9,to Saint Georges. Lolli may have worked with Bologne on his violin technique and Gossec on compositions.

(Beauvoir's novel says that "Platon", a fictional whip-toting slave commander onSaint-Domingue, "taught little Saint-Georges" the violin.[note 2])

Historians have discountedFrançois-Joseph Fétis' claim that Saint-Georges studied violin withJean-Marie Leclair. Some of his technique was said to reveal influence byPierre Gaviniès. Other composers who later dedicated works to Saint-Georges wereCarl Stamitzin 1770, and Avolio in 1778.

In 1769, the Parisian public was amazed to see Saint-Georges, the great fencer, playing as a violinist in Gossec's new orchestra,Le Concert des Amateurs. Four years later he became its concertmaster/conductor. In 1772 Saint-Georges created a sensation with his debut as a soloist, playing his first two violin concertos, Op. II, with Gossec conducting the orchestra. "These concertos were performed last winter at a concert of theAmateursby the author himself, who received great applause as much for their performance as for their composition." According to another source, "The celebrated Saint-Georges,mulatto fencer [and] violinist, created a sensation in Paris ... [when] two years later ... at theConcert Spirituel, he was appreciated not as much for his compositions as for his performances, enrapturing especially the feminine members of his audience."

Young Saint-Georges in 1768, aged 22. The three roses on his lapel were a Masonic symbol.

Saint-Georges's first compositions, Op. I, were a set of six string quartets, among the first in France, published by famed French publisher, composer, and teacherAntoine Bailleux. They were inspired byHaydn's earliest quartets, brought from Vienna by Baron Bagge. Saint-Georges wrote two more sets of six string quartets, threeforte-pianoand violin sonatas, a sonata for harp and flute, and six violin duets. The music for three other known compositions was lost: a cello sonata, performed in Lille in 1792, a concerto for clarinet, and one for bassoon.

Saint-Georges wrote twelve additional violin concertos, two symphonies, and eightsymphonie-concertantes, a new, intrinsically Parisian genre of which he was one of the chief exponents. He wrote his instrumental works over a short span of time, and they were published between 1771 and 1779. He also wrote sixopéras comiquesand a number of songs in manuscript.

In 1773, when Gossec took over the direction of the prestigiousConcert Spirituel, he designated Saint-Georges as his successor as director of theConcert des Amateurs. After fewer than two years under the younger man's direction, the group was described[by whom?]as "Performing with great precision and delicate nuances [and] became the best orchestra for symphonies in Paris, and perhaps in all of Europe."

Palais de Soubise, venue of Saint-Georges' orchestra

In 1781, Saint Georges'sConcert des Amateurshad to be disbanded due to a lack of funding. Playwright andSecret du RoispyPierre Caron de Beaumarchaisbegan to collect funds from private contributors, including many of theConcert'spatrons, to sendmaterielaid for the American cause. The plan to send military aid via a fleet of fifty vessels and have those vessels return withAmerican rice, cotton, or tobacco ended up bankrupting the French contributors as theAmerican congressfailed to acknowledge its debt and the ships were sent back empty. Saint-Georges turned to his friend and admirer,Philippe D'Orléans, duc de Chartres, for help. In 1773 at the age of 26, Philippe had been elected Grand Master of the 'Grand Orient de France' after uniting all the Masonic organizations in France. Responding to Saint-Georges's plea, Philippe revived the orchestra as part of theLoge Olympique, an exclusive Freemason Lodge.

RenamedLe Concert Olympique, with practically the same personnel, it performed in the grand salon of thePalais Royal. In 1785, Count D'Ogny, grand master of the Lodge and a member of its cello section, authorized Saint-Georges to commissionHaydnto composesix new symphoniesfor the Concert Olympique. Conducted by Saint-Georges, Haydn's "Paris" symphonies were first performed at the Salle desGardes-Suissesof theTuileries, a much larger hall, in order to accommodate the huge public demand to hear Haydn's new works. QueenMarie Antoinetteattended some of Saint-Georges's concerts at the Palais de Soubise, arriving sometimes without notice, so the orchestra wore court attire for all its performances. "Dressed in rich velvet or damask with gold or silver braid and fine lace on their cuffs and collars and with their parade swords and plumed hats placed next to them on their benches, the combined effect was as pleasing to the eye as it was flattering to the ear." Saint-Georges played all his violin concertos as soloist with his orchestra.

#saint george #joseph bologna #paino #african #kemetic dreams #black mozart #afrakan #brownskin #afrakans #brown skin #african culture

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selfsabotaqe · 1 year

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throwing out a bit of a plotting call out here, because i’ve been having a lot of muse & i would love to meet new writing partners to write with on tumblr. i am willing to both use my ocs & create new muses for you privately. something i am really looking for is something long term but slow paced. sometimes it takes me a long time to get to replies, not because i am not interested but because i don’t have as much mental space to write. i’ll be around plenty in tumblr dms & on discord, where we can always chat, headcanon and plot our ships further. as for plots and ships, i am particularly looking for slice of life and mlm and wlw but i am open to a wide variety of plot types & also am open to playing or playing against any gender, with any mix of pairings. beneath the cut i’ll list some basic info from my main ocs and some faceclaims i would like to use & my rules can be found in my pinned post. if you’re interested, simply like this post & i’ll come message you! 🤭💗

♡ ◞ main ocs.

nadiye güzelcan — aslihan malbora, 24 to 28, phd student in astrophysics. max lockhart — lorenzo zurzolo, 19 to 23, college student or professional soccer player. adela “addie” ortega — lizeth selene, 22 to 25, bassist in a feminist punk band. luca calderón — froy gutierrez, 22 to 25, college student. aera sun — im jinah, 28 to 33, pediatric nurse. ** lale sayar — ozge yagiz, 23 to 27, college student & aspiring romance author. ** devrim yildiz — emre bey, 23 to 27, twitch streamer. leonora “leo” langford — maia cotton, 20 to 25, college student or classical musician. ** kiran desai — dev patel, 30 to 35, high school history teacher. emre kilic — serkan cayoglu, 35 to 38, pr manager. teresa hazen — dakota johnson, 30 to 35, mechanical engineer. **

** indicates there’s alternative faceclaims for this muse, you can ask for them. in general i’ll often be very down for adding new faceclaims for my muses, but these already have options. sometimes that includes older verses as well !

♡ ◞ fcs i want to play.

greta onieogou, katie douglas, davika hoorne, chase sui wonders, madelyn cline, julia dalavia, melisa pamuk, im nayeon, camila morrone, adam dimarco, michael evans behling, felix mallard, sila turkoglu, hazal filiz küçükköse, simay barlas, samantha logan, berk cankat, renee rapp, gong yoo, priscilla quintana, anya chalotra, mookda narinrak, ni ni, oktay cubuk, danny ramirez, freddy carter, janhvi kapoor, parveen kaur, ayca aysin turan, simone ashley, melissa barrera, apo nattawin, bruna marquezine, calahan skogman, hande ercel, rudy pankow, maia reficco, win metawin, cody christian, drew starkey, wolfgang novogratz, logan lerman, chay suede, lucas bravo, grace van patten, yang hyeji, kim doyeon, zoey deutch, jessica alba, khadijha red thunder, bensu soral, elias kacavas, ryan destiny, savannah lee smith, giuseppe maggio, zethphan smith gneist, giancarlo commare, melis sezen, maya hawke, casey deidrick, alex landi, raymond ablack, daisy edgar jones, adria arjona, maris racal, maude apatow, hafsanur sancaktutan, manny jacinto, banita sandhu, park sooyoung, gemma chan, neslihan atagul, bright vachirawit, zendaya, brittany o’grady, antonia gentry, nathalie emmanuel, zorzo natharuetai, carmela zumbado, cierra ramirez, megan suri, auli’i cravalho, brianne tju, nailea devora, song kang, geraldine viswanathan, wawwa nicha, bahar sahin, rafael silva, bensu soral, park chaeyoung, charithra chandran, lily james, michael cimino, thomas weatherall, josh heuston, alex fitzalan, jessica lucas, nam joohyuk, wi ha joon, janella salvador, emilio sakraya, dylan minnette, oliver jackson cohen, kennedy walsh, ashley moore, alicia vikander, nathasha liu bordizzo, camila queiroz, daniel sharman, alisha boe, yasemin yazici, jennie kim, nychaa nuttanicha, aslihan malbora, halle bailey, baifern pimchanok, lee hojung, kiana madeira, courtney eaton, cemre baysel, sean teale, evan mock, sarah gustafsson, stephanie hsu, adeline rudolph, jacob elordi, adam brody, lorenzo zurzolo, diane guerrero, aly michalka, evan roderick, madison bailey & jessica alexander.

#1x1 #1x1 rp #indie rp #indie bi rp #indie gay rp #plotting call #plot call

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thessalian · 1 year

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Thess vs ALL THE DEMOS

It’s not a Steam Next Fest, but last night I was sitting there going, “I hurt too much to sleep and I should do some hyperfocus Zen until the pain meds kick in a bit more or I’m too tired to care” and decided to prune my current Demo folder. And then today I went perusing for more demos (thanks to recent time spent on DREDGE, it really wants to throw eldritch horror at me, to the point where it’s pointing me at things where not even the demo is out yet, never mind the game). So now there are a lot more demos.

Sometimes I worry about seeming pretentious because I barely play anything that isn’t indie or, like, nearly a decade old? But honestly, I think I’ll just be glad I can sit here and celebrate indie games. Besides, the Stray Gods: RPG Musical demo dropped and this is David Gaider writing and a whole lot of very talented voice actors and I have got to see this. And the others look interesting.

So, yeah. More demos.

Lake: This one’s an older game, but it’s been on my wishlist for quite awhile. I just hadn’t seen the demo before. I was checking the store page to see how long it’s going to be on sale, since I was considering adding it to my purchases when Cook, Serve, Forever and Pan’Orama come out in a couple of days, and boom, demo. So I gave it a try to see if I actually wanted to buy the thing. And ... I think I do? I mean, there’s some vehicular stuff that occasionally feels a little counterintuitive to me, and I’ve clearly been living in this country too long because I keep driving on the wrong side of the road, and some of the people in that town need a slap across the mouth (don’t even get me started about Meredith’s regular boss), but there are stories there and I want to see where they go. And I haven’t crashed the postal van yet, so that’s something. Basically it’s driving around, delivering mail, occasionally talking to people, and getting bits and pieces of the stories that float around little quasi-rural towns in Oregon. The scenery’s nice too.

Blue Wednesday: This one’s kind of a maybe. The bit of it I played was interesting, but I’d really need to practice the piano minigame if I really want to actually do the thing. Then again, I guess that’s what playing the game is for. ...Also admittedly this one hits a bit close to home, as it features a young aspiring jazz musician who’s more or less having to put his dreams of being a professional musician on hold because capitalism, basically. I think everybody who’s likely to play this one is going to get a twinge out of that one, and that’s just the first in-game day. So I’ll be keeping an eye on that one when it comes out - the gameplay’s pretty clever and the premise is relatable, for sure.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical: I got fairly interested in this one as soon as I heard about it. This game has got pedigree. David Gaider’s one of the directors and writers, one of the other directors was writing for Pillars of Eternity, and as for the cast ... well, in the demo alone I got Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, and Khary Payton, plus a couple “I know that one sounds familiar” that haven’t hit IMDB yet and Janina Gavankar, who I mostly know from having been into True Blood and a fairly minor role in Horizon Zero Dawn’s The Frozen Wilds expansion ... but also from some of the Forspoken trailers. Anyway, it also has Troy Baker, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Allegra Clark, Erika Ishii, Rahul Kohli, Anjali Bhimani, Felicia Day (which ... ehh for me but y’know)... Fans of Critical Role will know a lot of these voices. But still, pedigree doesn’t count for much if the story and mechanics aren’t there. Now, the demo’s really short, and doesn’t touch on the plot that much? But the mechanics are interesting. Basically ... okay, think of it as The Wicked and the Divine meets Scooby Doo meets that one Buffy musical episode, Once More With Feeling, where you’re given options and the decisions you make not only affect how you proceed, but also shape the lyrics of your big musical numbers. It’s honestly clever as shit, and that’s another one I don’t think I’d mind pre-ordering. Don’t know if that’ll be an option, but it’s coming out in August, so at least it’s not a massively long wait.

Lighthouse of Madness: Steam has been throwing eldritch horror at me because of the amount of time I’ve spent on DREDGE lately, so here we are. This one’s ... interesting but problematic. I mean, it’s first person, so that’s an issue for me, and honestly the controls are a little janky. It looks wonderfully atmospheric and creepy, but it’s a low priority on my wish list because honestly, I’m not sure how well I’d be able to play it. Still, lots more eldritch horror where that came from.

Not right now, though - if for no other reason than that this post is going to get insanely long if I don’t knock it off. So more later - this is going to be a “Poking At Demos” kind of weekend. Yaaaaaay!

#Thess plays video games #Thess vs Demos

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boricuacherry-blog · 1 year

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Tall and slender with bright blue eyes and brown hair down to her shoulders, Jackie Fuchs could have passed for Mary Tyler Moore's daughter. She would spend time on the Sunset Strip, where she could dance and discover new bands and feel at home among all the free spirits and Ziggy Stardust wannabes. This was the Strip pre-paparazzi, pre-bodyguards era.

One night in the spring of 1975, Rodney Bingenheimer, a notorious hanger-on and the unofficial mayor of the Sunset Strip, caught sight of Jackie and her friends on the dance floor at the Starwood. He'd been going around the room asking every girl whether she played an instrument. Jackie didn't stand out. She was just next.

Jackie told him she played guitar, but when he wanted to know how old she was, she hesitated. Why would anyone be interested in a 15-year-old musician? she thought. But when she revealed her age, he squealed, "Oh, you're perfect!" He told her there was this producer she had to meet - right now, in an apartment a short drive away - who was putting together an all-girl rock band. She was giddy but dubious, bringing two friends with her.

It was around 9 p.m. when they knocked on the door to Kim Fowley's apartment, known as the Dog Palace. Fowley took one look at her and went straight into a stream-of-consciousness pitch about his vision for her in the band. No one listening to Fowley at that moment could have predicted that the band he was describing, The Runaways, would have a lasting influence on pop culture and feminism - that it would launch the careers of metal icon Lita Ford and Joan Jett, or that it would inspire the riot grrrl movement of the early 90s.

Within several months, she would have to decide whether to quit school to join the band. Jackie was a straight-A student who had scored in the 98th percentile on her SATs. He wanted her to play bass, convincing Jackie's mother that they would have a bodyguard and tutors with them.

The other girls in the band sensed she was a novice on bass and didn't like that she played with a pick. But Fowley wanted her in the band - which consisted of singer Cherrie Curie, lead guitarist Lita Ford, rhythm guitarist and singer Joan Jett, and drummer Sandy West - so she was in. Jackie Fuchs became Jackie Fox, and Fowley was their mentor, their boss and their provider.

As he would admit to anyone, Fowley was mostly after teenage girls. Steve Tetsch, a guitarist who was friend with Fowley, says they used to drive to high school looking for teen girls to hit on.

In early 1975, Fowley became enamoured with Kari Krome, a 13-year-old aspiring songwriter he'd met at Alice Cooper's birthday party. She was his type: a young girl who spent too much time dodging her violent stepdad and bouncing from apartment to apartment in various working-class neighborhoods. She sought refugee in the glam-rock scene, where her bisexuality was welcomed, and filled notebooks with songs.

It was Krome who discovered Joan Jett and convinced Fowley to start a band with her; she says he didn't see Jett's potential at first. Krome ended up being assaulted by Fowley. The next day when she tried to talk to Jett and West about him "abusing her," she says they both just looked at her like she was an idiot. "I remember getting really mad and just saying, 'You know what? Watch your ass, because you might be next.'"

One day after a final set, at around 1 a.m., Fowley took the band to a drab motel near the club, where they started celebrating with friends. Soon after Jackie arrived at the motel, a grown man she thinks was a roadie approached her with a Quaalude in his hand. He told her she needed to take it, no questions asked. And she did.

Most of the people at the party were teenagers, and they were spread out into different rooms. They smoked cigarettes and passed around beers. Jett played guitar while Krome smoked a joint with a guy outside. When Helen Roessler and Trudie Arguelles, two of Jackie's friends from the Sunset Strip showed up, they couldn't believe the state she was in. They had known her for a year and never once had they seen her intoxicated. "It didn't seem ok," said Roessler. "Jackie was always really in control."

At some point, Jackie said she had to lay down on the bed, because she was having trouble standing upright. When a roadie came to check and see if she was ok, Fowley asked him if he was interested in having sex with her. "She doesn't mind," Fowley said. "Do you?" Jackie tried to protest, but she was frozen.

"You don't know what terror is until you realize something bad is about to happen to you and you can't move a muscle," she said. "I can't move. I can't speak. All I can do is look him in the eye and do my best to communicate: please say no. I don't know what it looked like from the outside. But I know what was going on inside and it was horror." The roadie declined Fowley's offer, and soon after, Jackie says she started to slip in and out of consciousness.

According to Roessler, Fowley stood over Jackie and began to unbutton her blouse. Jackie wasn't wearing a bra. "Nobody seemed to really care," Roessler said. "It was really weird. Everybody was sitting in there alone with themselves. It felt like everyone was detached or trying to pretend like nothing was going on."

When Fowley started taking Jackie's pants off, Roessler couldn't bear it anymore. She got in her parents' car and left. Multiple witnesses say that Fowley began to penetrate Jackie with the handle of a hairbrush. Fowley invited other guys to have sex with Jackie before removing his own pants and climbing on top of her. Someone called others in to watch. Arguelles returned to the room to see if this was all a big joke.

"I remember opening my eyes, Kim Fowley was raping me, and there were people watching me," Jackie said. She looked out from the bed and noticed Currie and Jett staring at her. She says this was her last memory of the night. Jett has denied witnessing this event. Krome escaped to the adjoining room and began drinking. She said she was confused why nobody did anything to end the attack. She recalls that Jett and Currie were sitting off to the side of the room for part of the time, snickering. "I didn't know what to do," she says. "Go outside and drive and find a payphone and call the police? I didn't want to call the police on anyone, but at the same time I knew what was happening was wrong. At 14, I didn't know how to process it."

Nobody in the band acknowledged what had happened, which made Jackie feel she should keep quiet too, thinking it was somehow her fault. "That was the day the elephant joined the band," she said. She compartmentalized the rape so she could stay in the band. The distrust between her and the other girls in the band made her guarded. When she was about to leave, Jett got on her knees and begged her to stay. However, after another incident broke the straw on the camel's back, she finally did leave the band.

Shortly after Jackie returned to Los Angeles and the stories of her quitting the band hit the news, Brent Williams, who witnessed what happened to her that day in the hotel, says he received a call from Jett. She said that Jackie's parents might file a lawsuit. If lawyers ever contacted him, he needed to deny being in the motel room that night. (Jett's representative did not comment when asked about the phone call).

Victory Tischler-Blue was Jackie's replacement on bass, and one of her main memories from her time as a Runaway was how some of the other members made fun of what happened to Jackie.

Years later, Jackie thought she had come to terms with her rape or at least figured out how to live with it. "You develop mechanisms to compensate for what happened. You put it in a box. Except, she says now, the rape had warped her life in ways she failed to recognize, with intimacy being a constant struggle, and sleep being an issue. Her trauma intensified in 2000 when she learned that Currie wanted to write about the rape in a memoir, depicting the incident in lurid detail, but instead of Jackie, portraying the victim as a fictionalized groupie who encouraged it, and portraying Jackie as the passersby who was unmoved.

Her guard only started to come down when she read Krome's comments about the rape in a Runaways biography. She didn't mention Jackie by name, but she didn't need to. Krome's account perfectly matched her memory.

#jackie fox #joan jett #cherie currie #kari krome #kim fowley #the runaways #rock music

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isfjmel-phleg · 2 years

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The Secret Garden musical - no, not that one

Of interest to @marysfoxmask.

Before the 1991 Secret Garden musical, a different version (with book by Alfred Shaughnessy, music by Sharon Burgett, lyrics by Sharon Burgett, Susan Beckwith-Smith, and Diana Matterson) was produced in the UK in 1983. It doesn’t seem to have gone far, but there was a studio recording done in 1986. If you’re looking for this recording, you’re going to want the cassette version for completeness. The CD and the LP both cut several songs (but not the same songs for each). Several of the songs are available on YouTube, mostly Martha’s solos and duets. I’ll link these in the synopsis below.

It’s a pretty traditional musical in its format. The tone is much lighter than the 1991 musical’s. Judging from the synopsis, the plot is mostly fairly close-ish to the book’s, with a few notable changes. Including:

Mrs. Medlock and Dr. Craven are the villains (and maybe romantically involved?) and aspire to owning the manor.

Martha may or may not be in on the secret of the garden from the start?

Colin’s belief in his poor health is due to the doctor’s influence alone.

Shortly after Mary and Colin meet, she and Dickon try to take him outdoors but are caught by Mrs. Medlock and Dr. Craven, who then separate the children and lock Mary in her room.

The tantrum seems to be a reaction against not being allowed to see Mary?

Martha, not her mother, is the one to write to Mr. Craven (while the children are still separated). She also lets Mary out of her room so the children can sneak out to the garden.

Ben’s catching the children in the garden does not lead to Colin’s standing in indignation. He stands later “with enormous effort.” Martha arrives shortly afterward to let the children know Mr. Craven is on his way home, but she is interrupted by his arrival. Colin then walks for the first time to his father.

These are all changes that tend to show up in one form or another in various adaptations--not terribly surprising. Martha’s expanded role is likely due to the need for an adult performer to carry the musical (as the 1991 musical gives a lot of attention to Archibald and Lily). And the villain upgrade provides a concrete antagonist (which the book doesn’t really have--or need), although it’s not executed especially well. Judging from the songs, Mrs. Medlock and Dr. Craven are given cartoonishly evil characterization (”How We Love Children” is painful) that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the production, and their subplot doesn’t really seem to go anywhere by the end.

A chorus of the Misselthwaite staff have a few songs, mostly as exposition or commentary. It’s a serviceable device, if not overly creative. “The Likes of You and Me” could easily have been cut; it’s a lengthy rant on How Rich People Are Weird that doesn’t really move plot or characterization forward.

The songs overall are better than the 1987 musical’s (which are pretty bad). Sometimes they’re a little too on-the-nose, and they lack the beauty and memorability of the 1991 musical’s soundtrack. But most of them are rather pleasant. I can’t properly evaluate the music from a musician’s perspective, but I really like the children’s songs in particular. Mary has a couple of duets with Martha that deal respectively with her homesickness and the effects of her mother’s emotional neglect. Dickon is actually played by a child, not a teenager or young adult, and he gets a bouncy “I Am” Song that sums him up perfectly. Colin gets an “I Am” Song, an “I Want” Song, and an “I Am Becoming” Song, which is impressive compared to how sidelined he is in the 1991 musical (in which his only solo is really just another song about his father). All three of them get the chance to speak for themselves and seem reasonably in character.

While the 1991 musical still is the best in terms of creativity and quality (as much as I take issue with its interpretation of the story), this production has its good points. Probably none of the songs will be living in my head rent-free, but it’s definitely an album I’ll be revisiting occasionally.

The cast list, synopsis with links to the few available songs, and the lyrics are below (and very lengthy!) if you’re curious. I had to transcribe the lyrics from the recordings; for some of these, I had a hard time deciphering the words, no matter how often I relistened. My apologies for these gaps (which are noted with question marks) and for any misheard lyrics.

Cast

Martha Sowerby: Barbara Cook

Archie Craven: John Cullum

Ben Weatherstaff: George Rose

Dr. Craven: Max Showalter

Mrs. Medlock: Judy Kaye

Mary Lennox: Victoria Coote

Dickon Sowerby: Paul Glen

Colin Craven: Daniel Waller

Synopsis

England 1911. Mary Lennox, whose parents have both died of cholera in India, is returning to live with her widowed uncle, Archie Craven, at Misselthwaite Manor on the edge of the Yorkshire moors. Mr. Craven has sent his housekeeper, Mrs. Medlock, to fetch Mary from London, and the servants eagerly await her arrival. (ANY MINUTE NOW). Their hopes of having the gloom of Misselthwaite dispersed by a young child are quickly dashed when they meet the spoiled, imperious, and thoroughly unattractive little girl who arrives. Martha, the housemaid, refuses to do Mary’s bidding, and a battle of wits ensues between the two. (I WILL DO NOTHING).

Left to herself, Mary roams the gardens and encounters a cantankerous old gardener, Ben Weatherstaff, who advises her to change her ways or she will become as friendless as he. (JUST LIKE ME). Rejected, homesick, and thoroughly miserable, Mary dreams of returning to India. Martha sympathizes with her and they become friends. (WINGS). Martha reveals the details of the Manor’s secret garden: ten years earlier, Mr. Craven’s wife had died in a tragic accident in her favorite walled garden. Wild with grief, Archie locked the garden door and forbade anyone to enter the garden again. Nobody ever knew what became of the key; even the door seems to have vanished.

This, of course, piques Mary’s curiosity and every day is spent exploring the many walled gardens. One afternoon, she comes upon a boy of her own age with a lamb in his arms and an old collie at his heels. He charms Mary by producing a squirrel from his pocket and introduces himself as Martha’s younger brother. (DICKON IS MY NAME).

Sometimes, at night, Mary hears mysterious crying coming from a part of the house Mrs. Medlock has forbidden her to enter. When she finally meets her uncle and asks about the crying, she is curtly rebuffed. Mary has unwittingly touched on a subject far too painful for him to discuss. (SOMEWHERE IN THE PAST). Meanwhile, Mrs. Medlock and Dr. Craven (Archie’s cousin) discuss their ambitious plans to inherit Misselthwaite Manor. In the background, the servants reflect on their own view of life at the Manor. (WISHFUL THINKING).

At bedtime one evening, Mary asks Martha about her family and especially about her mother. Martha replies in a lullaby that evokes Mary’s memory of her own mother. (MY MOTHER).

One day, with the help of Ben’s only friend, a small, industrious robin, Mary discovers an old, rusty key and, miraculously, an ivy-covered door. The key fits—Mary has found the secret garden! Once inside, she sees a mass of tangled growth and a profusion of untended roses. Mary vows to make this place come alive again, and asks Dickon to help her. Martha encourages the children in their project. (BEFORE YOU KNOW, IT’S SUMMER). Archie Craven, embarking on one of his frequent trips abroad, notices a change in Mary’s behavior and questions the girl, but Mary carefully evades the real reason for her happiness. (I’VE GOT A SECRET).

Late one evening, Mary resolves to follow the sound of the mysterious crying and bravely sets off down a long passage. In a dark and ornate room, she discovers a small boy lying in an enormous bed. He is as surprised to see her as she is to find another child in the house. The boy is Archie Craven’s son, Colin—confined to his bed by Dr. Craven and convinced by him that he will never walk or live to grow up. (NO ONE NEEDS ME). Mary gains Colin’s undivided attention when she reveals her secret. (A SECRET PLACE). Although Martha is terrified that Mrs. Medlock will learn of this new friendship, she is pleased that the two lonely children have found one another and feels that Mary is the tonic that Colin needs. (SOMETHING SPECIAL).

Mary and Dickon conspire to carry Colin out of the house to show him the secret garden. Just as they reach the front door, they are caught by a furious Mrs. Medlock and Dr. Craven. Dickon is abruptly banished from the house, Colin whisked back to bed, and Mary locked in her room as the first act ends.

Gathered in the great hall, the servants wonder at the severity of punishment imposed upon the children. They conclude that, at times, the upper classes behave in strange and peculiar ways. (THE LIKES OF YOU AND ME). Mrs. Medlock, determined that no meddling ten-year-old will disrupt the highly disciplined routine at Misselthwaite, reveals a long concealed resentment for the responsibilities she has had to assume. (TRADITIONS).

Colin desperately wants to see Mary again. He feels she is his only salvation. (I DON’T WANT TO BE AN ANGEL). Martha, accused by Mary of being Mrs. Medlock’s accomplice, denies the charge and promises to help Mary. (ONE PATCH OF BLUE). Meanwhile, Colin produces a grand and classic tantrum causing an exasperated Mrs. Medlock and Dr. Craven to exclaim—(HOW WE LOVE CHILDREN)!

Martha, as good as her word, writes to Archie, begging him to come home. Her letter arrives as he sits on the terrace of his hotel in Italy listening to the orchestra. (MY FAVORITE SONG). Realizing at last that his only true chance of happiness is at home with his son, Archie resolves to return to England at once (WINGS—reprise).

Martha, against Mrs. Medlock’s strictest orders, leaves the door to Mary’s bedroom unlocked. Mary and Dickon manage to sneak Colin out of the house and into the secret garden. Once there, they all feel the magic in the garden and Dickon explains how he can make the magic work for them. (WEAVE A SPELL). Ben Weatherstaff appears over the wall and, not recognizing Colin, orders the children out of the garden. Colin makes himself known and, in turn, orders Ben to come in and help them. Ben, listening to their plans to make the garden grow again and to help Colin learn to walk, heartily agrees to support them. (YOUR BEST FOOT).

Each day, Martha allows the children to slip secretly out of the house to work in the garden. In time, Colin’s legs strengthen until one day, with enormous effort, he pulls himself to his feet. Suddenly, he realizes that he is not going to die. (I SHALL LIVE FOREVER). At that moment, Martha appears to tell them of Mr. Craven’s return. Before she can say anything, a mystified Archie enters the garden. He stands speechless—the garden has come to life. It blooms. Supported by his two friends, Colin takes his first faltering steps toward his father and falls into his arms. Martha, as overwhelmed as the others, realizes that love is the key that has unlocked this garden, and that only the children instinctively knew that. (THE SECRET GARDEN). She runs to spread the news and soon the garden is filled with servants and family, all celebrating the happiness that has returned, once again to The Secret Garden. (THE FINALE).

ANY MINUTE NOW

Ensemble

The carriage will be coming

Any minute now!

Is everybody ready?

Any minute now!

We’ve made this dreary house

A brighter house today.

It’s such a gloomy house

For any child to stay.

I’ve clipped the hedges

Neatly in a row.

And I’ve pruned the roses

So the blooms will grow.

And we have mowed and hoed

The whole day long for someone whom we know is

Coming any, coming any, coming any, coming any

Any minute now.

We’ve polished the mahogany, rubbed up the oak,

And we’ve scrubbed each stone on the floor.

With one hundred rooms who’s to say if we’re done.

And besides, in one minute more,

There’s a little girl coming.

A little girl’s coming,

A hothouse Indian plant

In a damp English winter in Yorkshire.

She’ll wish she were elsewhere

Until spring pushes through.

When the moor is in bloom

And the world is a room

Full of blue skies and butterflies,

If she’ll close her eyes

She’ll see it too,

She’ll see it too.

We’ve brushed away the cobwebs

And chased away the gloom.

Let’s hope our girl is given

A cheerful little room.

She’s going to need someone

To hug her when she’s sad,

Someone who’ll be her mum

And spank her when she’s bad, bad, bad!

See the carriage coming (See it coming now)!

She’ll be here at last (She’ll be here at last)

To brighten up our future

And sweep away the past.

And after all these years,

Imagine hearing laughter once again.

She’s going to need a family,

Going to need a family.

Any minute

The carriage will be coming, coming, coming, coming, coming, coming,

Any minute now!

I WILL DO NOTHING

Martha

Get quickly out of bed and let me look at thee.

From here you look a skinny little mite to me.

I’ve had about as much as I can take from thee.

And do not think I wouldn’t take me hand to thee!

Mary

Just bring my clothes, I wish to dress.

And don’t you think it’s time you learn to chatter less?

For I will do nothing, most definitely nothing.

I’m brilliant at nothing and sadly feel nothing for you.

Martha

So you will do nothing, most definitely nothing.

There’s certainly, definitely something the matter with you.

Now you listen to me, young lady,

I tell you here right now you’re going to find somehow,

There’s lots of little things you’ll have to learn to do.

So let me make it clear that my position here

Is just to help and not to be a slave to you!

Mary

Who do you think you’re talking to?

Now get me dressed at once as you’re supposed to do.

For I will do nothing,

Martha

Most definitely nothing!

Mary

Most certainly something.

Martha

Most certainly nothing.

Mary

I always need someone and

Martha / Mary

Someone is definitely you.

Mary

Well, I know I really could, though

I don’t see why I should.

You’re just a servant, you must do as you are told.

Martha

I’d never do as I was told by any cheeky ten-year-old.

Why, I would rather scrub the tubs,

Rather scrub the tubs, rather scrub the tubs

Than give a hand to you.

Mary

This waist is much too tight, it’s underneath my chin.

What are these buttons for? My arm just won’t go in.

These stockings are too wide, my legs are much too thin.

Can’t you see the dreadful tangled mess I’m in?

Martha

You think that life’s a game to play.

It’s time you knew that two can play the same game too!

Your manners are chilling, I’d never be willing

To dress you or help you to button it, buckle it.

Snap it or tuck it or lace it or tie in a bow, so

I will do nothing.

Mary

And I can do nothing.

Martha

Decidedly nothing.

Mary

Incapably nothing.

Martha

Well, possibly nothing.

Mary

Well, practically nothing.

Martha

That’s something for nothing.

Martha / Mary

I will do nothing,

No nothing, no nothing,

No nothing, no nothing for you!

JUST LIKE ME

Mary (spoken)

I am Mary Lennox, and I live here now.

Ben (spoken)

I’ve heard tell of thee. They’re saying in servants’ hall that Mr. Craven’s ward be a plain, sour-faced little minx with a sharp tongue and a nasty temper.

Mary (spoken)

Is that what they say? How rude!

Ben (spoken)

‘Tis much the same as they say about me.

Ben (sung)

If you furrow your forehead and squint through your eyes

Until you’re not able to see,

If you pull on your nose, till it’s long as a hose,

Then the chances are quite good, the chances are you could,

The chances are you would look just like me.

Be as gruff as a badger, stubborn as a stoat,

Mean as a bear with a bee

If you keep to yourself, take no heed of none else

Then the chances are quite good, the chances are you could

The chances are you would be just like me.

If you learn how to speak with a smile on your cheek,

Be pleasant to people you see—

Laugh, really laugh, maybe once ev’ry day,

Then I’d say that you won’t be like me.

If I screamed like a banshee, screeched like an owl,

Howled like a cat up a tree,

If I snarled at the world with my lips tightly curled,

Then the chances are quite good, the chances are I could,

The chances are I would sound just like thee.

You are young, very young, why, you’re still just a girl.

You don’t know what living is for.

As for me I’m accustomed to life as it is—

The garden, a robin, no more.

You can take my advice, you can leave it alone,

You’ve a choice—a rare thing to see.

Your skies can be gray, or blue every day,

Your life should be all it can be

I’m a man on me own and I live all alone.

It’s the road that I’ve chosen for me.

If you don’t change your ways, for the rest of your days,

The chances are quite good, the chances are you could,

The chances are you could,

The chances are you will be—just like—me!

WINGS

Mary

If only I had wings,

Magic wings to glide the moonbeams,

I’d fly home,

Home again.

On wings, magic wings to ride the rainbows,

I’d fly home

Home again.

Night after night I’ve been dreaming dreams,

Lovely dreams of those sunny days

I left behind,

On my wings, magic wings, gliding moonbeams,

I’ll fly home

On my own magic wings.

Martha

It’s easy to fly,

Just call on an old magic spell.

Believing is how you can

Tell when you’re in it,

It just takes a minute.

Martha / Mary

On wings, / Magic wings!

Gliding moonbeams, / I’ll be

Flying home, home again. / Flying home, I’ll be flying home again.

On wings, / Magic wings,

Riding rainbows, / On wings,

Flying home, flying home, home again.

Mary

Night after night I’ve been dreaming dreams,

Lovely dreams of those sunny days

I left behind.

Martha / Mary

Magic wings, / On my wings, flying home,

Riding rainbows,

You’ll be home on your own / Home on my own

Magic wings.

DICKON IS MY NAME

Dickon (spoken)

I know thee! Tha’rt Miss Mary.

Mary (spoken)

And you're Dickon. You talk to the animals and birds, don’t you? Martha says you understand everything they say.

Dickon (spoken)

I think they do, and they think I do.

Dickon (sung)

I can make a hedgehog whistle,

Anything you ask.

I can pick a prickly thistle,

That’s an easy task.

The blackbird on the rainbow,

The robin on the wing

Call me Dickon,

Know I’m Dickon,

Call me Dickon—Dickon is my name.

I can hear the foxes running

Far across the moor.

I can see a spider spinning

Through his tiny door.

Ask me how the wild goose

Knows it’s time to go,

‘Cause I’ve lived each day the same,

With the creatures who know

Dickon is my…

Name me a river,

Find me a forest,

Find me a field I don’t know,

Show me the heather when

Morning first sees it.

I’ll say I got there

Before it warmed it.

I can show you paths to follow, run and laugh like me.

See that clever little swallow, he learned to fly like me.

You can fly tomorrow, you will walk today.

Follow Dickon,

Walk with Dickon,

Fly with Dickon,

I will show the way!

SOMEWHERE IN THE PAST

Archie (spoken)

I trust your room is comfortable, Mary.

Mary (spoken)

Yes, but Mrs. Medlock says I mustn’t wander about the house. I have to stay in my own room or play in the gardens. What’s in this house I’m not supposed to see? Who is it I hear crying?

Archie (spoken)

Stop it, child! Stop asking questions. Go back to your room. Leave me!

Archie (sung)

Somewhere in the past

Every day was new.

Morning air was sweeter then,

Skies a brighter blue.

I remember smiles,

Laughing eyes of blue,

Someone’s hand enclosed in mine,

Precious time spent with someone

Who could change a stormy day from dark

To shining gray.

And silver rain became the softest kiss—

How I miss

Someone in my arms,

Someone’s gentle touch.

I could never love as much,

Care as much, live again

For someone new,

When somewhere in the past

There was you…

Who could change a stormy day from dark to shining gray.

And silver rain became the softest kiss—

How I miss

Someone in my arms,

Someone’s gentle touch.

I will never love as much,

Care as much, live again

For someone new,

When somewhere in the past

There was you.

WISHFUL THINKING

Mrs. Medlock

You with your bedside manner

And I in my usual competent, tolerant way—

Who would ever say

Our intentions, though curious,

Were meant to be spurious

And just slightly injurious.

Dr. Craven

Quite right, you could say, in a manner of speaking,

There’s something afoot in this house,

Which might slightly imply, in a manner of speaking,

The cat’s just been put with the mouse!

Mrs. Medlock

So little time, so much to do,

Is it a crime, wishful thinking, with you?

Dr. Craven

The crystal chandeliers, decanters, crested plates, my dear.

Mrs. Medlock

The walnut secretaire, those Georgian chairs, a beauvais tapis too.

Dr. Craven

A cellar stacked with racks of vintage port, some claret rouge.

Mrs. Medlock

And cupboards brimming full with linens, lace and damask tablecloths—

Dr. Craven

The silver monogrammed and hallmarked, sixteen—

Mrs. Medlock

Queen Anne—

Dr. Craven

—Ninety-two!

Mrs. Medlock

So little time!

Dr. Craven

So much to do!

Mrs. Medlock / Dr. Craven

Is it a crime, wishful thinking with you?

Men

Too many rooms for just one man to use,

Too many buckets of coal.

Women

Too many cobwebs they’d never excuse.

Ensemble

Better watch it when Medlock patrols!

So little time,

So much to do.

Is it a crime to miss a corner or two?

The grand piano in the drawing room has eighty-eight.

The fifty fire-tongs and fire-dogs have fifty matching grates!

Men

The sixty up and sixty down here in the staircase hall

Women

Are dusted daily till you don’t see any dust at all.

Ensemble

The windows, tables, chairs, the servants’ stairs,

The floor, the boots, the shoes in corners lurk—

Still left to do!

Is it a crime if we miss just a few?

Mrs. Medlock

Mistress of Misselthwaite I’m soon to be.

Dr. Craven

Master of all I survey.

Mrs. Medlock

Languishing late when I’m served morning tea.

Dr. Craven

Well, you’d better get going, you know what we’re going to do.

Mrs. Medlock / Dr. Craven

Is it a crime, wishful thinking

With you?

MY MOTHER

Martha

Mother is kind, Mother is gay.

Mother is love in a comforting way.

When day is done, she tells us good night

And always comes in to tuck us in tight.

She always comes in to tuck us in tight.

Mary

My mother was beautiful, happy, and gay.

She glided through life in a magical way.

She laughed, and her eyes shone ever so bright,

But she never came in to kiss me good night.

Her dresses were floating and all made of lace.

Her friends all adored her and longed for her grace.

She’d pick up their babies and sing of their charm,

But she never held me in her lovely arms,

She never held me in her lovely arms.

No, no, she never loved me.

I’m lonely and fretful and she couldn’t see

I’d locked up my heart and buried the key.

No, no, she never loved me.

Martha / Mary

Mother is kind, Mother is gay, / My mother was beautiful, happy, and gay,

Mother is love in a comforting way. / She glided through life in a magical way.

When day is done, she tells us good night / She laughed, and her eyes shone ever so bright,

And always comes in to tuck us in tight, / But she never came in to kiss me good night,

She always comes in to tuck us in tight. / No, she never came in to kiss me good night.

Mary

She never came in to kiss me good night.

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT’S SUMMER

Martha

The evening wind is bold,

The morning dark and gray.

The air is bitter cold,

The sun just hides away.

And while a dreary world is sleeping

Through the winter time,

The clock ticks on,

It won’t be long.

There will be a sky

Blue as blue again,

Silver morning dew again.

It sparkles and glistens,

Listen and you’ll hear

The birds are humming round.

Bees are buzzing round.

Touch a yellow butterfly

As it flutters by.

Watch a baby bird try.

There will be a day

Clear and bright again,

When clouds are pillow-white again.

Dandelions fly,

Catch a falling star,

Ride the rainbow far as you can see,

Before you know it’s summer

And all that summer will be.

[repeat stanza]

I’VE GOT A SECRET

Archie

You see, this little girl who’s come to stay,

She rushes in with so many things to say,

As if her day were full of those magical promises

Someone once promised for me.

And now in this pair of eyes there’s no disguise,

Could she, I wonder, she need me?

Mary

I’ve got a secret, a secret, a secret,

Deep as a well!

I’ve got a secret, a secret, a secret,

I’ll never tell!

Did you know the stars keep the sunlight,

The sunlight, right next to their bed?

Each morning a star packs his knapsack

With sunlight and travels all day

Till he finds a place to stay,

Opens his knapsack, and takes out the light,

In case he should wake in the night and be scared.

A star keeps the sunlight next to his bed.

[repeat “I’ve got a secret” refrain]

Archie

Suddenly this little girl seems to pull all the strings of my heart.

Suddenly all I can see is a face that reminds me of roses…

Martha

Oh, what has our Dickon been telling thee, lass?

Archie

In summer…

Mrs. Medlock

Always filling thy head full of whimsy and such.

Archie

Lilacs…

Mary

Most wonderful things, do you think she suspects?

Archie

In spring.

Mary

Who else can I ask? Who’d be knowing so much?

Did you know the sky wears a tailor-made coat

When it’s rainy and gray?

Just any old coat wouldn’t fit

If it’s bitter and windy all day.

So Sky buys an extra large blanket of cloud for his tailor to sew,

And that’s how I know Sky is cozy and dry,

Wrapped in the best coat money can buy.

[repeat refrain]

NO ONE NEEDS ME / A SECRET PLACE

Colin (spoken)

Are you a ghost?

Mary (spoken)

No, I’m Mary.

Colin (spoken)

Nobody said there was a girl here. Are you real?

Mary (spoken)

I think so. I heard you crying.

Colin (spoken)

Sometimes I have bad dreams. Nobody comes.

Colin (sung)

No one needs me.

I stay forgotten in this lonely room.

I’ve never learned to walk.

There’s no one I can talk to.

They give me boring books and horrid looks

And leave me to sulk.

No one needs me.

I sit for hours here with nothing to do,

And even though I have all that I need,

No one, no one needs me.

Mary (spoken)

Colin, I’ve got a secret!

Colin (spoken)

Tell me! You must tell me.

Mary (spoken)

I found a hidden garden! It’s somewhere we could go to get away.

Colin (spoken)

But how could I get there? I can’t walk.

Mary (spoken)

Don’t worry. I’ll find someone to help us.

Mary (sung)

There’s a special place I know,

Hidden just behind a garden wall.

A garden with a faded face,

Like heather on a winter morn,

And there’s a secret smile

In every vine around the door.

A place where we can hide

From all those people who we don’t want to see,

Where we can be all alone,

It will be all our own.

We’ll make it bloom,

Make it grow,

Make it somewhere special

To go.

Colin

A place where we can hide,

Mary

A place where we can hide

Colin

From all those people who we don’t want to see,

Both

Where we can be all alone,

It will be all our own.

Colin

We’ll make it bloom,

Mary

Make it grow,

Both

Make it somewhere special

To go,

Make it somewhere special

To go.

SOMETHING SPECIAL

Martha

When you hear a robin sing,

Something special happens when a robin sings.

And when you see lilacs bloom in spring,

All the world’s been sleeping in its cozy bed,

Then something special happens to wake up its sleepy head.

And late at night when you’re alone,

Something special happens so you’re not alone.

Just close your eyes, your heart knows what to say:

Now I lay me down to sleep and thank thee for this day.

And one thing’s certain,

Very certain,

Something special happens that way,

[repeat stanza]

THE LIKES OF YOU AND ME

Ensemble

It’s very clear the folks upstairs are not like you and me.

They often dine when it’s half past nine

In a drafty old room in the gloomiest company.

They take their tea from a dainty cup.

It’s so small there’s naught to sup.

Not a mug like you and me.

They’ve a haughty look and a snooty glance,

And they never stand up for a lively dance

With the likes of you and me.

And the way they talk sounds more like a squawk

Or a squeal or a quack, it’s an act, never rot [?].

No, they’re not like you and me.

They wear fine silk stockings,

Flimsy shocking things all laced up tight.

You should see their petticoats, frock coats, and overcoats,

Hunting caps with chin straps (chin straps),

Shooting sticks and top hats (top hats),

Lace caps and nightcaps (nightcaps).

They don’t half look, don’t half look a fright.

They wear braces and brooches and capes for their coaches,

And sometimes their bloomers come down to their knees.

They wear powder and patches,

And wigs in their thatches are growing in stature.

They’re not like you and me.

They go hunting on white horses and their backs they crack in courses

That would certainly diminish, truly be the finish

Of the likes of you and you and me.

Up they get again and [?] some friends with [???],

Like to ride like they were mad, like they really must be mad.

Oh, they’re not like you, not like you and me.

Now if you’re a country gent or an educated man,

Remember you’re a member of a most exclusive clan.

You’re called Algernon or Dickie,

Not Harry, Joe, or Sam.

And you ride in fancy carriages (clip clop),

You ride in fancy carriages (clip clop),

You ride in fancy carriages,

But never in a tram.

Ben

I’ll make you a wager, I’ll bet you a pound

That the master’d rather dine with his favorite hound

Than drink with the lads some good thick ale

And hop it to the tune of a tailor’s tale.

Ensemble

He sends his sons to boarding schools.

To boarding schools—they must be fools.

Why can’t they learn with the chalk and rule

Like the likes of you and me?

There’s one safe place a chap can go

When a tip with the whip has laid him low.

He can go to his club, which is sacred ground.

It’s just like a prison the wrong way round.

It takes years to get into the wretched place,

And you’re out in a flash if you can’t keep pace.

If Bertie ain’t your next best friend

And lacks your guns, you won’t stay in.

And that’s no fun for gents whose pence are as foolish as their pounds.

Oh, they’re not like you, no, they’re not like you and me.

So if you want to be where the bond is free

And there’s nothing that’s wrong with the lass on your knee,

In our set is where you want to be (where you want to be)

With the likes of you and me.

TRADITIONS

Mrs. Medlock (spoken)

That boy is becoming more and more impossible! And as for Mary—

Dr. Craven (spoken)

You must be patient!

Mrs. Medlock (spoken)

Oh!

Dr. Craven (spoken)

Remember, one day things will be different.

Mrs. Medlock (spoken)

It’s easy for you to say that, but it’s always me that is left to deal with his problems.

Mrs. Medlock (sung)

One hundred years, one hundred ways

To serve the traditions we know.

And I’m tired of

“Bring me the papers! Ring for the footman!

Send for my carriage, I’m leaving for Paris

And catching the boat train—you’ll see me perhaps in a month,

Maybe two.”

And I’ve never seen Paris.

Will I ever see Paris?

Does it sparkle like a diamond?

Does it glisten, does it shine?

Do the rubies grow like roses?

Do the rivers flow with wine?

And I’d like to see Paris,

I’d like it just fine.

I’ll have rubies big as roses,

Drink from rivers filled

With one thousand years of tradition

And a thousand and one ways to live.

I’ll ring for the footman, send for the papers,

Order my carriage whenI’m going to Paris,

And catching the boat train.

I’ll leave in a month.

Maybe two, maybe not.

If traditions don’t change in these one hundred rooms

For the next hundred years,

Then I’ll be leaving

Soon!

I DON’T WANT TO BE AN ANGEL

Colin

Please, God, make me better.

Please, God, hear my prayer.

Are you really listening?

Are you really there?

I don’t want to be an angel.

I don’t want to wear a crown.

If you put me up on a big white cloud,

I’m sure I’d tumble down.

I just want to see the garden,

I just want to climb the wall,

And I don’t want to be an angel,

I don’t want to fly at all.

Please, God, make me stronger.

Please, God, hear my prayer.

Are you really listening?

Are you really there?

I don’t want to wear a halo,

I don’t have curly hair,

And I don’t want to play a harp all day,

Not even if you’re there!

I just want to be like other boys.

Maybe you’ll show me the way.

And I don’t want to be an angel.

Please

Don’t take me away!

ONE PATCH OF BLUE

Mary (spoken)

I’ll never see the garden or Colin or Dickon ever again! I wish I’d never come to this horrid place. I wish I was dead!

Martha (spoken)

That’s nonsense, and you know it. In a couple days, it will probably all be forgotten.

Mary (spoken)

Mrs. Medlock never forgets anything.

Martha (spoken)

Come to the window, Mary. Can you see that bit of blue sky peeking through the clouds there? It’s big enough to make a sailor suit, and you know what that means.

Martha (sung)

With just one patch of blue,

Just one glimpse of sky,

And a star shining through,

You can wish your dreams come true.

One rainbow high

Will rise over you.

When the clouds roll by,

You can wish your dreams come true.

You must wait, you must wait,

While those thousands of raindrops keep falling.

They will soon stop,

And the last drop

Says get ready, get set to start wishing.

On that one patch of blue,

That one glimpse of sky,

And a star shining through,

Make a wish, and wish it true.

HOW WE LOVE CHILDREN

Mrs. Medlock (spoken)

It beats me why any woman has a child.

Dr. Craven (spoken)

There must be some compensations.

Mrs. Medlock (spoken)

Well, I certainly fail to see them. But let’s keep up the pretense.

Dr. Craven / Mrs. Medlock

Oh, how we love,

Really do love

Children one and all (one and all)!

It is such a surprise,

It brings tears to one’s eyes

That children don’t love us at all.

Dr. Craven

You truly are a marvel, Mrs. Medlock.

Mrs. Medlock

Thank you so much.

Dr. Craven

Having slaved your every finger to the bone.

Mrs. Medlock

Oh yes, I try to play my part,

And I can say with all my heart

You’d think I loved the little darlings

As my own.

And how I hate to tell them all at Christmas

That they may not eat the cake or sugar plum,

And when they ask for candy cane,

It gives them such a fearful pain.

I have to eat the sweet instead

And send them promptly off to bed

Without a crumb.

Well, I do love a sweetie now and then, don’t I?

Dr. Craven / Mrs. Medlock

Oh, how we love, really do love

Children, you and me!

Can’t you see

They’re like silver and gold,

Such a treasure to hold,

A pleasure to bounce on our knee.

Mrs. Medlock

You’re such a splendid doctor, Dr. Craven.

Dr. Craven

Thank you, ma’am.

Mrs. Medlock

Always caring for the ills of little ones.

Dr. Craven

When with measles they are cursed

Or even mumps, which are the worst,

I simply lock them in a room without the sun.

Mrs. Medlock

Is that so?

Dr. Craven

And when their whooping cough

Won’t stop its whooping

Mrs. Medlock

What do you do?

Dr. Craven

There’s a remedy I know

That knows no faults.

I’ve found that most of those disasters

Can be cured with mustard plasters,

But the kiddies do recoil

When I lace their castor oil

With epsom salts!

Mrs. Medlock

Oh, you devil, you!

Dr. Craven / Mrs. Medlock

Oh, how we love, really do love

Children everywhere!

Be they British or Boer

From Bangkok to Jahore

Mrs. Medlock

They’re delightful!

Dr. Craven

Marvelous!

Dr. Craven / Mrs. Medlock

Children, scheming children,

Who needs children?

We’ll dream of good riddance

To kids, dear.

I think, dear,

It’s clear that

You know what I mean.

Children, fiendish children,

Ruthless children.

The truth is, we don’t love those children.

The fat or the thin ones, the short or the tall!

We don’t love children

At all!

MY FAVORITE SONG / WINGS (REPRISE)

Archie (spoken)

Would you be kind enough to ask the orchestra to play those melodies again?

Man (spoken)

Any particular one, sir?

Archie (spoken)

No, no, no. Any of them will do.

Archie

If you play me my favorite song,

Play every note she sang for me,

I’ll only hear

A reverie play on.

If you play me my favorite waltz,

Play every step she danced with me.

I’ll only hear

A rhapsody play on.

Play me the mountains ringing,

Rivers singing, oceans roaring,

Fountains soaring, overflowing,

Filling my life with a symphony.

If you play me my favorite tune,

Play every note so sweet and clear,

I’ll only hear

A memory play on.

Play me the mountains ringing,

Rivers singing, oceans roaring,

Fountains soaring, overflowing,

Filling my life with a symphony.

If you play me my favorite tune,

Play every note so sweet and clear,

I’ll only hear

A memory play on.

Man (spoken)

There’s a letter for you, sir.

Archie (spoken)

“Dear Sir, please forgive me for writing you, sir…”

Martha (spoken)

“...but things are happening at Misselthwaite that you should know about. You must come home, sir, you must. Your respectful servant, Martha Sowerby.”

Archie (sung)

Night after night I’ve been dreaming dreams,

Lovely dreams of those happy days I left behind.

On my wings,

Magic wings,

Gliding moonbeams,

I’ll be home, home again.

On wings,

Riding rainbows,

I’ll be home

On my own magic wings.

WEAVE A SPELL

Dickon

Weave a spell, magic spell, turn and spin.

Weave a spell, you can tell when you’re in

A lovely, mystical, wonderful world where your wishes come true.

In my hand is a magic wand,

And if I wave it around

So the thing’s got your feet in a dance,

Feel your head in a trance,

Feel your hands running out.

Your fingers will tingle, slap tap,

And they’ll swing a full circle around.

Hold my hand, with your eyes, with your prayers [?],

Feel the magic begin.

Weave a spell, magic spell, turn and spin.

Weave a spell, you can tell when you’re in

A lovely magic land where your wishes all come true,

And I can always prove it to you.

[repeat last two stanzas]

YOUR BEST FOOT

Ben

When you’re lonely,

It’s likely you’re only

The one feeling sorry for you.

So put your left foot,

Then your best foot,

Forward in front of you.

So if it’s raining

There’s no need complaining.

The sensible thing to do

Is put your left foot,

Then your best foot,

Forward in front of you.

If what you’ve got is not a lot,

It’s what you do, not what you get

That makes you strong, and don’t forget

This world won’t turn for you!

So keep your chin up,

And even a grin up your sleeve

Will show them who’s who.

And one little left foot

Will lead to your next foot.

The rest is up to you.

If one little left foot

Will lead to the next foot,

Then that’s the best you can do.

Mary / Dickon

If what you’ve got is not a lot,

Ben

It’s what you do, not what you get

That makes you strong, but don’t forget

This world won’t stop for you!

All

Keep your chin up

And even a grin up your sleeve

Will show them who’s who.

Ben

And one little left foot

Mary / Dickon

Will lead to the next foot.

All

The rest is up to you.

Ben

With one little left foot,

Mary / Dickon

You’ll be on the next foot.

All

And that’s the best you can do.

I SHALL LIVE FOREVER

Colin

I shall live forever,

And I’ll grow tall and well.

Races I’ll be winning,

Like a top I will be spinning,

I’ll do almost anything.

The stories they will tell!

First I’ll fell a tree,

Then I’ll build a little fire.

I’ll catch a fish and cook it,

They will never know

The one who hooked it.

I’ll climb the highest trees

And swim the seven seas

And never ever tire.

I shall walk the heather

With Dickon by my side.

And when my father sees me once again,

His smile will be,

His smile will be

A father’s smile of pride.

THE SECRET GARDEN (RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES)

Martha (spoken)

One of the strange things about living in this world is that now and then we are quite sure we shall live forever and ever. We know it sometimes at dawn, watching the unchanging majesty of the sun rising. Or alone in a wood at sunset when the deep gold stillness seems to be saying something we can’t quite hear. And sometimes the immense quiet of the dark blue at night with millions of stars waiting makes us sure, and sometimes a look in someone’s eyes.

Martha (sung)

There lies a magic place

Where marigolds embrace,

And morning songbirds soar.

A garden of surprise

Right before our eyes

That grownups just ignore.

We wander through a maze,

Regretting yesterdays,

And miss the glowing rose,

When from the very start

The childish heart can tell you

How the flower grows.

Each bright and magic morn

A miracle is born,

And love appears to warm the skies.

It’s love that has found us,

It’s magic astounds us,

Right here before our eyes.

[repeat stanza]

THE FINALE

Archie (spoken)

Well, Weatherstaff, what do you make of this then? Haven’t I a fine son?

Ben (spoken)

That you have, sir. But you’ve a lot to thank Miss Mary for.

Mary (spoken)

And the garden. It was really the garden. And Dickon. And Ben. And Martha. Oh, it was everyone! Everyone!

Mary (sung) / Dickon / Colin

If what (if what)

You’ve got (you’ve got)

Is not (is not)

A lot (a lot),

Ben

It’s what you do, not what you get

That makes you strong, and don’t forget

Ben / Children

This world won’t turn for you!

Ensemble

So keep your chin up,

And even a grin up your sleeve

Will show them who’s who (show them who’s who).

And one little left foot (and one little left foot)

Will lead to the next foot (will lead to the next foot),

And that’s the best you can do (that’s the best you can do),

The best you can do.

Martha

When you hear a robin sing,

Something special happens when a robin sings.

Archie

And when you see lilacs bloom in spring,

Archie / Martha

All the world’s been sleeping in its cozy bed,

Then something special happens to wake up its sleepy head.

Ensemble

And late at night when you’re alone,

Something special happens so you’re not alone.

Just close your eyes, your heart knows what to say:

Now I lay me down to sleep and thank thee for this day.

[repeat stanza]

And one thing’s certain (one thing’s certain),

Very certain (very certain),

Something special happens

That way,

Something special

That way.

#The Secret Garden 1986 musical

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historyhermann · 1 year

Text

Webcomics Focus: "Ryder"

Ryder tells the story of a music sensation in L.A. whose life is changed completely after an encounter with a woman named Blithe in a coffee shop.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog, and Wayback Machine. This was the twentieth article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on December 15, 2021. Also, this post has been slightly changed from the original.

Ryder is a webcomic by illustrator Austen Marie which she described as a "Bisexual Rock N Roll Supernatural Romance." Ryder "Ry", the comic's protagonist, is confident in herself. An aspiring musician who likes a musician named Landon Moon, she wants to become a pop star. Five years later Ry is barely making rent, but everything is set to change for her in a big way.

As a warning, this review discusses some spoilers for Ryder.

Ry is about to go to a concert honoring Landon Moon when she meets a woman named Blithe, who crushes on her. When she goes to her open mic that night, she sings a song of Landon's, drawing in Blithe. She goes to a costume party, breaks up with Dean, kisses Blithe, and accidentally enters a whole different world.

Ryder has a compelling storyline and characters, especially Ryder and Blithe. The webcomic's artistry, done with Clip Studio EX and apple pencil according to Marie, is impressive and amazing, which makes a clear impression on the reader. This is coupled with its themes of self-worth, acceptance, and romance. While the characters in this comic, especially after the fourth issue, remind me a little of Vivienne Medrano's ZooPhobia and Caytlin Vilbrandt's Tamberlane, they are unique in their own way and jump out of the screen. The comic becomes even more interesting with the mystery of what is going behind in this alternate world that Ryder stumbles into, and what role Blithe has in this world, making that much more intriguing.

The six-episode webcomic is written and illustrated by Austen Marie. She is also known for her webcomic, Soul on Hold. By the end of the last posted episode, I had a lot of questions, not only about Landon being a werewolf but about Blithe. I'd love to see more of this webcomic, and hope that it continues in the future.

Ryder has an openly bisexual protagonist, with Ryder showing attraction to Landon and Blithe, with both comfortable with this, fine that she is attracted to both of them. So, that in and of itself makes it unique. There are other webcomics which focus on music, like the mature comic The Rock Cocks and the coming of age teen comic Radio Silence, to name two LGBTQ comics which have music as a major theme, among the many webcomics out there.

Ryder is available to read on WebToon and Tapas.

You can find Austen Marie on Twitter and Instagram. The webcomic can be supported on Patreon.

#ryder #tapas #patreon #webtoon #webtoons #los angeles #music #bisexual #lgbtq

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thewomanwhowatchedchristmas · 1 year

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Christmas Miracle (2012)

This movie was much more formulaic than I’m used to for Christmas movies. Like, we had the young recently married couple to foil the miserable couple who constantly fight, we had the guy who lost his wife and infant son in childbirth to foil the guy who hasn’t been appreciating his wife and son and may lose them. We have the adult with dyslexia to foil the child with autism.

So, the premise of the story is that this group of seven (later 8 and eventually 9) people get stuck in a snow storm, so they’re bunking in a church. I know I just went through all the foils, but let me give you the breakdown for each character. James Mason (Aaron Pearl) is a struggling pastor who lost recently lost his wife and his position in his church. Joe Wells (Dan Payne) is trying to get home to spend time with his son Matt (Valin Shinyei) and hopefully also his recently separated wife Mary (Allison Hossack). Is it heavy handed to have the main couple in a Christmas film be named Mary and Joseph if it’s not a nativity story? I would argue yes. Darryl (George Canyon) is too good of a man to be real- former EMT, currently postal worker and musician, aspiring doctor. Also just so nice the whole time. Like he’s the most unrealistic thing here. Drake (David Nykl) and Madeleine (Lori Triolo) are driving home from seeing her parents for Christmas and fighting relentlessly. Nick (Randal Edwards) and Christy (Siobhan Williams) are on their way home from their 3 day long honeymoon.

It’s kind of hard to go through anything that happens because a lot of it is, again, very formulaic. Like it’s one project after the other and they rotate who helps with what and who reveals what about themselves until they’re all besties for life. But specifically Joe, James, and Darryl are besties. I do think that this was a true Christmas movie, and while the attitude towards autism leaves much to be desired, I have no other complaints. But while I’m on that subject, why would you respond, “I’m sorry,” to someone who says their son has autism? And I don’t like that Mary seemed to accept it. Joseph has a much better attitude about it when he says basically quit trying to make him normal and embrace how special he is. I have stated in past reviews that children with autism are my favorite humans so I call out any misrepresentation or mistreatment.

Anyway… while I don’t have many other complaints, I also wasn’t moved terribly or impressed. Like we’ve all been stuck somewhere in a snow storm. My family got stuck at a farmhouse with a 50something stoner woman named Carla who made spaghetti and watched Indiana Jones all night. Overall, I give it 3 stars.

#christmas #review #movie review #christmas movies #amazon prime video #2012 #christmas miracle #allison hossack #aaron pearl #dan payne #valin shinyei #george canyon #david nykl #lori triolo #randal edwards #siobhan williams

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azbookblog2023 · 5 months

Text

Lord of the Fly Fest

Lord of the Fly Fest is a YA Mystery Suspense/Thriller written by Goldy Moldavsky. The target audience for this book is Young Adults 14-18 years.

This story follows Rafi Francisco who is looking for new material for her true crime podcast. She has her eye on a musician named River Stone whose girlfriend recently went missing. Rafi decides to spend all of her money on a ticket to Fly Fest- a music festival in the Caribbean, but when she arrives she discovers that the relaxing getaway she was expecting may not be so promising. Moreover, as she gets closer to River Stone she realizes that he might be hiding more than she suspected.

I chose to review this book because I read Moldavsky’s other Mystery Suspense/Thriller “The Mary Shelley Club” in the summer and really enjoyed it. I was eager to read another novel by this author, and as a crime junkie myself I liked the idea of Rafi being an aspiring podcaster who is trying to solve a murder. I appreciate that Moldavsky’s main characters tend to be Latine, because it gives representation to young readers who also identify as Latine.

Evaluation: For this review, I will be evaluating Theme, Setting, and Mood.

Theme: One of the central themes of this book is society's fixation on social media and the illusion that everything that we see online is real. The second is that Rafi is on this island to investigate a murder for her podcast. However, she gets trapped on the island with influencers and a murder suspect. I thought this was an interesting approach by the author to demonstrate the lasting impact that social media has on not just everyone but young adults and what they are willing to do to maintain a following. There were so many references to modern social media with a satirical twist that became a bit overwhelming. I think it would have been interesting if the author would have created influencers that did not reflect real life celebrities.

Setting: The majority of this story takes place on a sketchy island with spotty to no wifi. The Fyre festival that was supposed to happen on the island is now a failed festival. I really wanted to imagine the island in this book, but had a hard time doing so because the author went from describing it as "gorgeous" to an "ugly sand beach". There is a lot of satire in this book so I had a hard time differentiating what was satire and what wasn't. I think this is the main thing that interfered with the setting for me.

Mood: I also had a hard time distinguishing the mood in this story. At first I got the sense of adventure as the protagonist spends all her money to attend this festival in search of a murderer. I then got the feeling that something was off but couldn’t quite describe the mood I was feeling as if the story shifted and they ended up on an island that wasn’t what was promised. I do feel like this book was all over the place which made it hard to follow. I think it had potential but lacked well constructed characters and plot.

References:

Moldavsky, G. (2022). Lord of the fly fest. Faber and Faber.

#7TH-12TH

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sinsiriuslyemo · 5 months

Note

Oh my god I want a directors commentary on everything you've ever written lol but maybe something from making an agent or the lawyer and the piano bar?

Making An Agent

What made me want to write this?

I think I mentioned in the author's notes that I got the idea for this series from a very similar series that I wrote for back when I was in the Vin Diesel fandom. It was a really cool concept that I thought would be interesting with the characters that Raúl Esparza has on his resume. So I thought, who is the most likely to be involved in an organization like R.A.U.L? Nevada and Rafael both came to mind, but I had been writing Nevada in Cuba v DR for so long that I worried I would bring a lot of that Nevada into this story, and I wanted it to be differenr. I also wanted to play around with what I knew could be a hilarious dynamic with Rafael being pulled into this organization.

Making an Agent specifically allowed me to show Rafael becoming an actual secret agent, but also gave me a chance to flush out Headquarters, which would be a permanent fixture in the series. Making an Agent was more of a fun, laid back story that was mainly for worldbuilding and character development.

Where did I get the idea for Charlie?

I was heavily influenced by Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise Parker's character from the show, Weeds) for Charlie's personality, specifically for her humor. The rest was me wanting to give her some baggage so that her interactions with Rafael would be more interesting and there would be more potential depth for explore. Her code name is actually based on a tattoo that Nancy gets later in the series, but I had it mean something completely different for Charlie. For Nancy, it was a reminder of the first man she killed. For Charlie, however, it was a reminder that anyone can turn their life around, no matter how far gone they may seem.

I chose Mary Louise Parker as my face claim for Charlie because I thought she would look good paired with Rafael and because I hadn't seen anyone use her as a face claim for any other story.

The Lawyer and the Piano Bar

What made me want to write this?

This story came about from me wanting to write a mlm story with Rafael but not wanting it to be a Barisi story. Don't get me wrong, I love Barisi to pieces, but I wanted to explore a gay relationship with Rafael and a character outside of the context of SVU. It all started with the banner I made with Scott Caan and Raúl Esparza. From there, I started imaging what their relationship might look like.

I knew I didn't want the story to focus too heavily on the procedural aspect of Rafael's character, though I did incorporate a subplot where Rafael asks Liv for help in trying to solve the murder of Sebastian's mom. But I wanted this story to be primarily a romance story about two men who fall in love.

Where did I get the idea for Sebastian?

Scott is very artsy in real life as far as how he dressed and some of his hobbies so I incorporated some of his personal style and his love of the arts into the character of Sebastian. I chose to make him an aspiring composer because I knew it would be a good fit for Rafael love of the theatre and because it would give me the opportunity to explore a male character who leans into his emotions, as they are essentially his bread and butter.

I wanted to create a juxtaposition between Rafael's very organized lifestyle and that of a disorganized musician. I figured they could find common ground in that they both experienced life-altering events in their childhood that heavily influenced who they became as adults.

Another fun part of dreaming up Sebastian was imagining the people in his life. I wanted to give him his own world because in many ways, he exists solely for Rafael, but I didn't want him to actually solely exist for Rafael, if that makes sense. I wanted to give him his own dreams, his own cherished relationships, especially since I plan to explore Rafael's relationship with Liv in this fic

I'm not sure what else I could put in a director's commentary, but feel free to ask questions if you have them, and thank you so much for this ask! It was fun to think about these answers ❤️

#rafael barba #law and order svu #raul esparza #writing #raul spies #rabastian

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