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dreamy625 · 1 month

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Overture and beginners - chapter 3

< Chapter 2

Words: 2435

Content: Nothing I can think of, this one’s pretty wholesome

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As they’d parted so hastily with no opportunity to exchange numbers, Steve had to wait until Monday for the chance to see Katie again. He volunteered for every errand around the factory, making a detour each time to pass the administration department in the hopes of spotting her. Finally, on the fourth trip, he almost walked into her, coming out of Packing with a sheaf of dockets in her hand.

Her face broke into a delighted grin. “What are you doing here?”

“Collecting this…” He held up the tool he was carrying. “Whatever it is, from Stores.”

“On the other side of the building?”

“Er, I got lost?”

She raised one eyebrow. “Uh huh.”

Steve slid his eyes away from hers and cleared his throat. “Anyway, since I’ve bumped into you, quite by chance, I wondered if… well if… you’d like to come to the pictures with me?”

“Hmm…” She pretended to consider for a moment (as if she could possibly say no to those hopeful eyes). “Yes please.”

He beamed back at her. “Sunday? Only I’ve got band practice most nights.”

“Sunday’s good.”

“Maybe seven? I can come pick you up? Actually, best not, if your dad’s likely to be home. Meet at the bus stop on Worrall Road?”

“It’s a date.”

“Cool.” The ear-to-ear grin rather belied his casual tone.

He looked like he didn’t know quite what to do next, so Katie took pity on him. “Shouldn’t you be getting the whatever-it-is back to the workshop? Before they send out a search party?”

He looked at the object he’d forgotten he was holding, “Oh yeah. See you later then.” He ambled up the corridor and, with a final wave over his shoulder, disappeared round the corner.

On his return to the machine shop he was informed by Simon, who worked the lathe next to his, that the foreman wanted to see him in the office and was, he added with a spiteful grin, ‘hopping mad’. Steve’s happiness of a few moments ago evaporated as he made the seemingly interminable walk across the workshop and knocked apprehensively on the door.

“Ah yes, Mr Clark.”

He smiled a smile that to Steve’s eye looked very much like a hungry shark.

“Y-you wanted to see me Mr Rafferty? Sir.”

“Mr Clark, you were late three times last week, you mixed up the metric and imperial die sets, your hair is too long, and your overalls are a disgrace.”

Steve glanced down, wondering how you were supposed to work in a machine shop without getting covered in oil - surely that was the point of the overalls?

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you, boy.”

“Sorry sir.”

“Without a significant improvement in both attitude and application, the chances of you successfully completing your apprenticeship are slim. Very slim. You need to buck your ideas up, young man.”

Steve, who was pretty much counting on becoming an internationally famous millionaire rockstar within the next eighteen months primarily so he didn’t have to finish his apprenticeship, just nodded, and then added ‘Yessir’ when that didn’t seem to be sufficient.

“And on the topic of your delinquent ways.” Mr Rafferty drew himself up to his full height, which was in fact slightly shorter than Steve, but he was about twice as wide as the slender younger man and seemed to loom over him as he leaned intimidatingly close. “What are your intentions towards my daughter?”

“I… er… nothing… You have a daughter? I… um… barely know her…” he stammered in a panic.

“DON’T lie to me, boy. I saw you with her last Friday.”

“Oh… right… Friday… that daughter…” Mr Rafferty’s face had turned an alarming shade of purple by this point and Steve sought desperately to placate him. “Lovely girl, a credit to you, sir.”

“That she is. The apple of my and her mother’s eye. She has a promising future ahead of her and I won’t allow anything that could derail that. So I ask you again, your intentions towards my Katherine?”

His voice had dropped lower and quieter, but that didn’t make it sound any less dangerous. Steve’s petrified brain tried to think of something that sounded as innocent and honourable as possible. “I just… I just want to get to know her better,” was the best he could manage.

“Get to know her better?”

Steve nodded uncertainly.

“If you lay a finger on that girl…” This was delivered at a roar and Steve reflexively leaned back. “I will not be responsible for my actions!”

Already almost nose to nose, he took another step forwards, and Steve took a step back. Reverting to the hushed tone, the older man almost growled, “I can make your life a misery and I will not hesitate. Do you understand?”

He stepped forward again and Steve backed up again. In this manner he almost pushed him out of the room, adding a few more threats for good measure before slamming the door a mere inch from Steve’s toes.

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At the cinema, their options were Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ice Castles, and something set during the Vietnam War, which they both instantly dismissed as depressing. Steve was steeling himself for two hours of romance and melodrama on ice when Katie piped up, “Don’t judge me, but I really like sci fi films. Can we see that one?”

“Of course, whatever you’d like.” (He would have sat through the ice skating one, for her, but he was rather glad not to have to.)

The cinema was only about half full and they chose seats near the back without too many other patrons nearby so they could talk through the trailers without being shushed.

“You can hold my hand if you get scared,” Steve offered.

“That’s very sweet of you, but whose hand are you going to hold when you get scared?”

“I’ll close my eyes.”

“Ohh, but that’s when the monsters get you,” she warned, before lunging at his neck with her teeth - fangs - bared!

He backed away in pretend terror, but actually the thought of her nibbling his neck was strangely appealing…

As it turned out, the hand-holding started almost as soon as the lights went out, questing fingers finding each other in the darkness and coming to rest on Steve’s thigh. There weren’t a lot of jump-scares in the film, though they did both jerk and tighten their grip when a supposedly inert alien body suddenly opened its eyes. Then there was one scene which wasn’t frightening as such, but was pretty disgusting, with the slimy, half-formed pod people hatching, that made Steve, who did not have a strong stomach, hide his face against her shoulder. He then basically just stayed there, his head on her shoulder, and they watched the remainder of the film as cuddled up as they could be with an armrest between them, only pulling reluctantly apart when the lights came up at the end of the credits.

“So… do you need to get back or…?”

Katie looked at her watch. “I’ve got a while longer before anyone starts worrying about me. What do you want to do? Pub maybe?”

“I think I’m hungry, are you hungry?”

“Actually, starving! I was too nervous to eat much tea.” She rolled her eyes at the needless jitters that had led her to stir lamb stew and dumplings round and round on her plate until it turned to mush.

“Me too, my mam was livid,” confessed Steve.

“The Wimpy’ll still be open, we could go there?”

Seated in the restaurant, Steve ordered a cheeseburger and Katie opted for egg and chips, but was less decisive when it came to a drink.

“I want a strawberry milkshake, but I can never drink a whole one; they’re too cold and it makes my head hurt.”

The waitress shifted from one foot to the other impatiently. “Why don’t I bring you two straws and you can share?” she offered.

When their order arrived, Steve was momentarily distracted from his burger by watching the cute shape Katie’s lips made as she sucked on the straw.

“Mm, icy but delicious. You have to have some too, save me from the brain freeze!”

He waited for her to push the glass over, but instead she put the straw back in her mouth and raised her eyebrows in invitation.

“Oh, Lady and the Tramp style.” He leaned over the table and angled his head to reach the other straw. After a few sips, he dropped the straw to remark, “You are very pretty, you know.”

“I am? How can you tell from this distance, I must be all blurry?”

Steve leaned back. “Yep, still pretty.”

“Thank you.” She lowered her eyes demurely, a pleased little smile turning up one corner of her mouth.

Steve put the cheeseburger back down and licked a splotch of ketchup from his thumb. He looked thoughtful. “Will you go out with me again?” he asked, a trace of uncertainty audible in his voice.

“Yes please,” she responded with no hesitation.

“Will you go out with me again, after that?”

“Probably. As long as you don’t take me to the opera or something!”

“No opera. And how about again after that?”

Katie laughed, “Why do I have to answer that now?”

“Because I want to get to something, and it’s too soon, but I can’t wait.”

Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what he was working up to. “Go on,” she said, a little guardedly.

“Would you…” He wished belatedly that he’d picked a more romantic location for this. Not that he’d actually planned it at all. More that, once he thought of it, he couldn’t wait another week to ask it. “Would you be my girlfriend?”

The wary look softened into a fond smile. “Stephen Clark. You are very odd. But I like you. Sooo, yes.”

His face cracked into that glorious half-moon grin that had been so irresistible to begin with and, unable to celebrate the new relationship with an embrace because there was a table in the way, she settled for reaching across and squeezing his hand.

“So now we’re official, I want to know all your terrible secrets!”

“Well I have tons of those. What d’you want to know?”

“Umm, what’s your middle name?”

“Maynard. Stupid name. What’s yours?”

“Meredith. After my grandmother. Second question - what’s hidden under your bed?”

“A guitar. It’s not hidden, there’s just nowhere else to put it.”

“Boring! Okay, here’s a personal one - is that your real hair?”

“Are you suggesting it’s a wig?” he asked with mock affront.

“Nooo, at least I hope not. But I don’t remember it being curly at school?”

“Alright, I confess, it’s a perm. My gran did it.”

“Ah ha! I thought so. It’s cute though, you look like Peter Frampton.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Definitely, he’s gorgeous! Ooh, that’s a good one - who’s your celebrity crush?”

“Frida from Abba. And I had a bit of a thing for Sophia Loren when I was a kid.”

“You and every man alive I think!” laughed Katie. “And on a similar topic,” she ate the chip from the end of her fork and held it under his chin like a microphone, “first girlfriend?”

“Really?” he said with pleading eyes.

“Enquiring minds need to know.” She waved the fork again in a more threatening manner.

Steve arranged and rearranged the ketchup and mustard packets on the tabletop. “It’s not a very exciting story, I'm afraid. First real girlfriend was not long after I started at GEC, Rebecca. I met her at the college where I was doing my training course on day release; she was doing catering. We went out for the rest of that year, but then she went on to proper catering school in Leeds. We wrote, and I got the train up there once or twice but… I guess it just fizzled out.”

“Aw, that’s sad.”

“A little bit, at the time, I suppose. But I’d started with the band by then, so I was focused on that, and she’d made other friends, so it wasn’t a big dramatic breakup or anything. The only one since then was Jenny, who’s Colin’s - he’s at GEC too, a year ahead of me - sister. That was just a casual thing. We just,” he looked slightly embarrassed at the revelation, “snogged at a couple of parties. But she met someone much more interesting than me, with a motorbike, and that was the end of that. Huh, pretty pathetic really.”

“No, you’ve proved you’re not undateable at least!” she laughed.

“Okay, I’ve showed you mine, you show me yours.”

“Ah, also not much to tell. I had a boyfriend at school, but I don’t think that really counts. He went to Myers Grove and we just used to see each other at choir competitions and hold hands in the interval over orange squash and digestive biscuits. Then there were a couple of blokes I went on dates with that didn’t go anywhere. Then most recently there was Gary, who I was seeing for about a month and a half. But he was kind of dull. So I dumped him when I met someone else I liked and hoped might ask me out.” Seeing Steve’s questioning expression she clarified, “You, silly!”

“Ohh.” He grinned down at the remains of his chips.

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Wending their way slowly to the bus stop, arms wrapped around each other’s waists, they tried to work out when they could next see each other.

“I’m on the swing shift next week,” explained Steve, “which mucks up everything.”

“Ugh, shift work is horrible. I’m so glad we just do regular office hours.”

“Swing is the worst. I mean, it’s easier for sleeping than the night shift, but at least with nights I can go to practice beforehand. Or on dates with pretty girls.”

He swung round, abruptly stopping their progress under a streetlamp. He held Katie’s face in his hands and kissed her until with a giggle she extracted herself. “We’ve got to gooo, we’ll miss the bus.”

“There’ll be another one,” he argued, but reluctantly he started to walk again, taking her hand in his.

“I’d love to see you rehearse one day. And meet the rest of the band.”

“Ah, no girlfriends allowed at practice. Joe’s rule; he says they’re too distracting.” In response to Katie’s moue of disappointment he offers, “You could come and see the rehearsal room another time though? It’s a bit manky, but we’ve got furniture and a heater and a kettle.”

“Mmm, what girl could resist that tempting offer?”

Chapter 4 >

#steve clark #steve clark fanfic #steve clark fanfiction #def leppard fanfic #def leppard fanfiction #overture and beginners fic

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lizzemeavisualnovels · 6 days

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All Things Visual Novels

A collection of links to current, interesting visual novel related stuff and information from around the web, for adults interested in the medium

Current features: Visual Novel OST Song Recommendation, Visual Novel Recommendation, Upcoming Game Jams, Visual Novel Fanart, Reviews, Ebay Finds, and Visual Novels On A Budget

✨Today's Visual Novel OST Song is Clear from My Merry May, by Takeshi Abo

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✨Today's Visual Novel Recommendation is: Our Cinderella

"Our Cinderella is a winter fairy tale themed stat management sim / texting sim created for the Once Upon a Time and Winter VN jams. Help Iggy make it to the party and find love with one of his childhood friends!" art and quote from the itch.io page

This free visual novel was an absolute joy to play, with very funny&witty dialogue. Each character felt alive with their varied vocabularies and various texting styles. I chose to romance Orlam and the whole ride was fun, romantic and in the end quite sweet. It's not very difficult, I beat it on my first try. Highly recommend for anyone who wants a short funny romance that relies on wit, with zero needless fanservice.

Upcoming Itch.io Game Jams 🎮

For visual novel developers, these jams accept visual novels

Otome Jam 2024 (for making Otome Games) Starts April 30th, 1 month duration

Josei Jam 2024 (for making games aimed towards woman) Starts April 30th, 1 month duration

Preggo Game Jam #2 (for making pregnancy themed games) Starts May 1st, 3 weeks duration

Cyberpunk Game Jam (for making cyberpunk games) Starts April 26th, 9 days duration

Wierd game jam except it's spring🌷🌸🌹🌺 (for making weird games) Starts April 26th, 4 days duration

Visual Novel Fanart From Around The Web 🎨

Found or made some fanart relating to the medium? feel free to message me on tumblr with the link! I'd love to see it

Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes from Ace Attorney Dual Destinies as drawn by ichi2co

Various Drawings of Luke Atmey with other characters from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations drawn by ryu1

Hoshino Yumei from Planetarian as drawn by ふにまる

"Enter The Void" An art of Monika from Doki Doki Literature Club by Shirakawa Shuu

Amane from If My Heart Had Wings as drawn by redhoodedicosahedron

VN Reviews ✏️

disclaimer: I have not always read the following visual novels myself

Utakata no Uchronia (泡沫のユークロニア) reviewed by orenjipekolatte

If My Heart Had Wings reviewed by Andrew Barker

The Coffin of Andy and Leyley reviewed by LewdNekoNya

Too Many Santas! reviewed by William Worrall

Upcoming Visual Novels 🆕

Visual Novels currently in development

Love Can Only Go Up: A Visual Novel About Stock Market: Romance whilst navigating the stock market. Partly funded, ends May 5th

Without a Voice: Blooming Edition: Kickstarter for Physical copies of the pay-what-you-want yuri horror visual novel Without a Voice. Fully funded including stretch goals, ends May 5th

Save The Villainess: Guide a romance novel villainess, and try to save her from being murdered. Kickstarter upcoming

Ebay Finds 💸

Visual novels and merch currently on ebay

Phantom of Inferno JP Visual Novel DVD Port

Clannad Sony PlayStation 2 PS2 JP Best Version Sealed New WATA 9.6 A+ Graded

Full Metal Daemon Muramasa Collector's Edition English JASTUSA Nitroplus Opened

Rewrite Limited Edition Japanese Import PC Visual Novel Key Windows JP US Seller

Fate Stay Night Limited Edition Game Windows PC TYPE MOON Japan

Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na Feena Fam Earthlight 15th anniversary 1/7 PVC Figure

Visual Novels on a Budget 💰

Current sales and free games

For 8 bucks USD, The Itch.io Palestinian Relief Bundle ends in about 12 days and features 373 games, some of which are visual novels

Wanna play the og tsukihime? A fan has ported it to the web

The GOG visual novel sale has 2 days remaining including noteworthy titles "Please Be Happy" (15.99 USD), "Higurashi", "Long Live The Queen" (2.49 USD) and the point and click game "Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures" (2.99 USD)

The Asenheim Project aims to emulate several old pixelated Visual Novels in browser with javascript (NSFW)

The game jam Nanoreno 2024 has recently ended, resulting in several new, free to play short visual novels

Emily is Away <3 is currently $1.99 USD on steam until April 29th

Itch.io has several free visual novels available to browse through, including Contract Demon and Doki Doki Literature Club

And that's all folks! ✨

I hope this was informative! Wanna see more? Got any ideas? Let me know, and feel free to message me with any art, announcements, sales, reviews, or any links at all relating to the medium of visual novels

#visual novel #visual novels #vn #vn news #itch io #liz posts #kickstarter #vns #our cinderella #All Things Visual Novels #Hoping to do more with this on a future date #let me more if I should make another one of these

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movies-to-add-to-your-tbw · 1 year

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Title: The Dig

Rating: PG-13

Director: Simon Stone

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott, Archie Barnes, Monica Dolan, Eamon Farren, Paul Ready, Peter McDonald, Stephen Worrall, Danny Webb, Robert Wilfort, James Dryden, Joe Hurst, Christopher Godwin, Ellie Piercy, Bronwyn James

Release year: 2021

Genres: drama, history

Blurb: As World War II looms, a wealthy widow hires an amateur archaeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate. When they make a historic discovery, the echoes of Britain’s past resonate in the face of its uncertain future.

#the dig #pg13 #simon stone #carey mulligan #ralph fiennes #lily james #johnny flynn #ben chaplin #2021 #drama #history

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andrewtheprophet · 1 year

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The Sixth Seal Will be in New York (Revelation 6:12)

Earthquakes Can Happen in More Places Than You Think By Simon Worrall PUBLISHED AUGUST 26, 2017 Half a million earthquakes occur worldwide each year, according to an estimate by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Most are too small to rattle your teacup. But some, like the 2011 quake off the coast of Japan or last year’s disaster in Italy, can level high-rise buildings, knock out power, water…

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#Andrew the Prophet #andrewtheprophet #Earthquake #new york #nyc #revelation 6 #Sixth Seal

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its-suanneschafer-author · 8 months

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BOOK REVIEW: Star Crossed by Heather Dune Macadam and Simon Worrall

Paris in the 1930s was a temple of all cultural forms: music, art, literature, film. Unfortunately, as Nazis moved into occupy France, they dimmed the City of Light. Star Crossed is the story of a Jewish family, the Zelmans, as they intersect first with Paris and then with the Nazis. Annette, the eldest daughter babysits her younger siblings and attends art school at the Académie des Beaux-Arts.…

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random-jot · 3 years

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2020 Books Read:

These are all the books I’ve read in 2020:

Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Fevre Dream - George R.R. Martin

The Dwarves - Markus Heitz

The Psychology Of Time Travel - Kate Mascerenhas

Death Note: Another Note - Nisio Isin

The Armageddon Rag - George R.R. Martin (up to March)

The Poet And The Murderer - Simon Worrall (finished April 16th)

Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch (fin Apr 27)

Assassins of Athens - Jeffrey Siger (fin May 21)

Wards Of Faerie (Dark Legacy Of Shannara Vol 1) - Terry Brooks (fin May 29)

The Memory Of Fire - Callie Bates (fin Jun 14)

The Fall Of Gondolin - J.R.R. Tolkien, Edited by Christopher Tolkien (fin Jun 24)

Dracula - Bram Stoker (fin Jul 7)

The Last Werewolf - Glen Duncan (fin Jul 22)

Dragons Of A Fallen Sun - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (fin Aug 10)

The Witcher: The Last Wish - Andrzej Sapkowski (fin Aug 20)

The Trouble With Peace - Joe Abercrombie (fin Sep 28)

Unfinished Tales - J.R.R. Tolkien, Edited by Christopher Tolkien (fin Oct 21)

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman (fin Oct 31)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams (fin Nov 3)

The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe - Douglas Adams (fin Nov 5)

Wolfblade - Jennifer Fallon (fin Nov 21)

Life The Universe And Everything - Douglas Adams (fin Nov 23)

A Gathering Of Shadows - V.E. Schwab (fin Dec 3)

The Name Of The Wind - Patrick Rothfuss (fin Dec 18)

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movie-titlecards · 3 years

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The Dig (2021)

My rating: 6/10

Overall quite solidly made, though it fizzles a bit toward the end, and I really didn't care about the whole love triangle with Peggy and her husband and whatshisface.

#The Dig #Simon Stone #Ralph Fiennes #Stephen Worrall #Danny Webb

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theatheistphotographer · 3 years

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Day 80 — Asian Arowana

Asian arowanas (dragonfish), are considered to be symbols of good luck and prosperity, especially by those from Asian cultures. This reputation derives from the species' resemblance to the Chinese dragon, considered an auspicious symbol. The large metallic scales and double barbels — slender, whiskerlike sensory organ near the mouth — are features shared by the Chinese dragon, and the large pectoral fins are said to make the fish resemble "a dragon in full flight."

In addition, positive feng shui associations with water and the colours red and gold make these fishes popular for aquariums. One belief is that while water is a place where chi gathers, it is naturally a source of yin energy and must contain an "auspicious" fish such as an arowana to have balancing yang energy. Another is that a fish can preserve its owner from death by dying itself.

The highest price (for a single arowana) was $300,000, which supposedly sold to a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party. (Meet the World's Most Expensive Pet Fish, Simon Worrall, National Geographic)

Photo: Aquarium capture

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lioninsunheart · 4 years

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Tomb Containing Three Generations of Warrior Women Unearthed in Russia

The four Scythians were buried together some 2,500 years ago

The Amazon warriors of ancient Greek lore were once considered mythical figures. But in recent years, archaeological work and genetic analysis have identified women buried with weapons, horseback riding equipment and other accoutrements traditionally associated with warriors.

Earlier this month, a team led by archaeologist Valerii Guliaev announced the discovery of a 2,500-year-old tomb in which four such women were buried together. The findings were published in the journal of the Akson Russian Science Communication Association this week.

The women belonged to a nomadic group called the Scythians and were found in one of 19 burial mounds studied during a decade-long survey of the western Russian village of Devitsa, reports Ruth Shuster for Haaretz. The youngest individual in the grave was 12 or 13 years old. Two were in their twenties, and the last was between 45 to 50 years old.

Interestingly, says Guliaev in a statement, women warriors were the norm, not the exception, in Scythian culture.

As Adrienne Mayor, author of The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World, explained to National Geographic’s Simon Worrall in 2014, about one-third of Scythian women whose remains have been found to date were buried with weapons. Many sported war wounds.

The Scythians lived in small tribes, wore trousers—necessary when constantly riding on horseback—and fought with bows and arrows.

“If you think about it, a woman on a horse with a bow, trained since childhood, can be just as fast and as deadly as a boy or man,” Mayor pointed out.

(Smithsonian-Jan.2020)

"A warrior woman’s heart is not here for you to conquer, play or own. That’s not how loving a fierce woman works. You don’t tame her and you don’t subdue her. She’s not a trophy or a conquest. She knows all the games and lines, so just don’t. If you’re looking for something to dabble in and occupy a little of your time, the heart of a warrior woman isn’t meant to be your playground, so move along. She’s wants someone who has done their work and is rooted in their truth. She wants real love or nothing at all." ~Ara

#women warriors #goddess culture #smithsonian

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eyreguide · 4 years

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National Theatre Live - Jane Eyre

In 2016, I eagerly watched the theater broadcast of the U.K. play adaptation of Jane Eyre. This 3-hour production was directed by Sally Cookson and starred Madeleine Worrall as Jane, Felix Hayes as Rochester, and five other actors playing all the other roles. I wrote this review back in 2016, and with the release online, I’m re-posting my thoughts. I do have some critiques on the choices in the production, but I did enjoy it overall and am looking forward to seeing it again!

During the interval before the broadcast of this play, there was an interview and behind the scenes video about the play, and I really liked what I heard from the director about how she views the story, and how she feels that Jane's journey is the essential feature. It is called Jane Eyre after all. I very much agreed with her on that, and I loved that she felt such a connection to the story and put that love for it into her production. The play is focused on Jane's story as a whole, starting with how she develops, so it was nice to see that all five parts of the book (Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Morton, and Ferndean) are pretty fleshed out (the first three though is the main focus). It was overall a good adaptation and a bold and unique interpretation of the story. I only had some minor issues with it.

I wonder that if I had a chance to watch this again, I would feel as strongly about the things I'm about to mention. Because when I first heard Jane Eyre the Musical I didn't love it, but after listening to the soundtrack a few times - I adored it. So it's possible I just need to get used to some things, and also forget some of my hopes and expectations to really see the piece for what it is because this is not a straightforward adaptation.

But anyways. The first thing that struck me with this play was the staging. It's very stark, modern, minimal and theatrical. But I would have liked something a bit more evocative of the time period. This is theater, so I understand that sometimes it's nice to pull back and focus on performance and see the story created by just the actors, but for me, sitting in a theater watching it on a big screen, I felt a little taken out of the story at times by how the background was bland and unexciting. It had the feeling of a really good rehearsal. I would have loved a little more theater-level realism to set the stage as it were. When there were some great moments in the play (and there were!) I was so easily distracted by the feeling that these are actors performing a role. It was just something that was at the back of my mind sometimes while watching. I did like some things about the set though. There was real fire coming out from the bottom of the stage. And for a simple constructed set, they made good use of everything and it was very inventive.

Some of the ways they adapted the story felt more like it was there to be modern or innovative and I felt like it would have been better if it was there to serve the story and not just to be an effect. Things like the way the play shows Jane traveling to a new place by the whole cast running in place. It went on for a little longer than necessary. And I felt like they could have just transitioned (*cough* and added more dialogue from the book *cough*). And Rochester's dog Pilot. He was comic relief because he was played by a person, running around barking, and he was funny, but Pilot isn't in the story that much. It didn't add anything to the story and must have replaced some things I would have liked to see.

There was music to go along with the action - a live band played background and also played for the mysterious woman who seemed to narrate Jane's inner thoughts through song - turns out the woman was playing Bertha and I actually liked that! - and I also did like the music. Some of the songs that are in the novel was set to music for the show (with some liberties taken with the lyrics) including my favorite - Rochester's song to Jane. I don't think I've ever seen that done before! That made me so happy! However, there were a couple (two that I recognized) modern songs that were sung to illustrate the story and it bothered me that although the songs have some parts that fit with the story (kinda) the lyrics don't completely fit. Like "Mad About the Boy" with one lyric that goes "Lord knows I'm not a school girl/ Who's in the flurry of her first affair" -- but that's exactly what Jane is though.... And then near the end there was "Crazy" - the Gnarls Barkley song which hardly fits if it was sung for Jane. Which it seemed like it was. If it was sung for Bertha, that fits better. It was strange for me though.

Things that I really liked:

The Greek chorus of the cast speaking Jane's inner thoughts as if she was having a conversation with herself. I especially liked it when Rochester tells Jane he'll tell her everything when they have been married a year and a day, and the chorus of Jane's thoughts are basically like "What? Are you kidding me??" For me (because Jane does not show her feelings!) it's nice to get that window into her thoughts this way.

The scene where Jane tells off Mrs. Reed was particularly powerful to me. I loved the real indignation that seemed to emanate from the actress playing Jane. That moment was very believable in the show.

After Jane and Rochester meet, there is this montage of Jane and Rochester sort of seeing each other around the house and watching each other. It showed that they sensed each other's 'strangeness' and were intrigued by each other. Especially because there is that passage in the book where Rochester talks about watching Jane in the early days. It was nice to see that adapted. Pretty much anything that shows Jane and Rochester's connection appeals to me though.

In a similar vein - Jane and Rochester's engagement scenes appealed to me, because Rochester was trying to give Jane gifts, and Jane kept refusing them. Until he gave her the veil. And she accepted it - only because it would make him happy. Aww.

The farewell scene emotion-wise was pretty good too. I did wish there was more time spent on Rochester's motivation for what he did (like when Jane says she does believe Rochester would hate her if she were mad, Rochester does not say his answer to that - and I do love that speech.)

The Cast

Since the cast is small, I want to talk about them individually:

Madeleine Worrall as Jane. I think she did a tremendous job carrying the whole production with a lot of emotion, and she had to play Jane as a baby into an adult which must not have been easy. I do wish Jane was played by a younger actress though - it is superficial of me, but I feel like Jane's youth makes it easy to understand why she makes the mistakes she does with Rochester. I also thought that it was out of character how overly emotional Jane was at times. When Jane is an adult, she really keeps things locked down tight, on the outside. Madeleine's Jane always seemed on the verge of an outburst. Jane is restrained and composed. which makes those moments when her reserve cracks all the more effective. That seemed missing to me in this adaptation. It would have been nice to see her inner emotions more through the chorus of Jane's thoughts I think.

Felix Hayes as Rochester. Just superficially again - me no likey the beard haha. But I liked him more as Rochester than I did of Madeleine as Jane. Even though this Rochester showed a bit more anger and bitterness than that teasing side of Rochester that I like, he did have some funny moments and he did deliver on some teasing. The proposal scene just lacked a little bit in romance because he seemed so angry when he was asking/ordering Jane to marry him. I mean the audience laughed at how aggressive he was, and I feel like the proposal shouldn't really be a funny moment... Felix also played John Reed which was interesting. Should I read some kind of interpretation in that??

Simone Saunders as Bessie, Blanche, and Diana. There were two actors I really liked in this production. Simone was one of them. I liked her because I felt like her portrayal of Bessie was so spot on. Just the right amount of temper and tenderness, and she was so believable. And her Blanche was fantastic too. Snooty and entitled. I was really impressed by her acting! Especially because they were such different characters and she was so great at doing all of them.

Craig Edwards as Brocklehurst, Pilot and Mr. Mason. Craig Edwards was the other actor I really loved. I kinda wish he played Rochester! It would have been interesting to see his interpretation. But it was his Brocklehurst that I thought was so good. He just seemed so stiff and forbidding and perfect. And his Pilot was fun, even if I was not as happy with the addition he made to the scenes.

Laura Elphinestone as Helen, Adele and St. John Rivers. Hmm. Helen is Jane's friend, but I didn't really get a sense of Helen's great kindness from this production. It seemed like Helen was really nice to Jane just once, the other two times Helen's conversation with Jane came off a bit begrudging. Adele was weirdly super loud and annoying every time she had a scene. No wonder Rochester didn't want her around. That's probably just the way both characters were adapted perhaps. Laura as St. John was very good though. I loved how uptight and preachy she was. There was very little sympathy for him as a character though. Not that I do have sympathy for St. John, but Jane does in the book.

Maggie Tagney as Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Fairfax. Maggie was great in both roles. They are such different characters, and Maggie made them very believable as individuals. And they felt true to the characters as they are in the book!

Melanie Marshall as Bertha. Wow, Melanie has a fantastic voice. Such a great range, and it was used to full potential here. Sometimes her singing was high and eerie and served as background, and other times it was jazzy or folksy for whatever served the song. And again, I liked that she was Bertha too. It kind of fit that she was in a way, shadowing Jane throughout her story. But not in the way that Jane and Bertha are similar or have a similar life, but because she will play a role in Jane's life unbeknownst to her.

I feel like this review is pretty critical but I hope not overly so. I think this was a good production - I mean there are ones that really get it wrong, but this play does have a lot going for it. A great sense of atmosphere for one. It's like an impressionistic version of the story, and it does portray the emotional beats of the novel well for the most part. And again, I love that the focus is so much on Jane. It's gotten some very good reviews in England, so I think as a piece of theater it must be excellent. And it seemed like a lot of the theater goers when I went enjoyed it. It is a very intriguing interpretation that got me thinking, regardless of my personal issues!

#Jane Eyre #Charlotte Bronte #National Theatre #National Theatre Live #Play

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natgeokurd · 4 years

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‘ÇEMÊ DIKELE’ YÊ LI AMAZONAN ÇI BIXE NAVA XWE DIKUJE

Nivîs: Simon Worrall | Wêne: Andres Ruzo Çemekî ku di kurahiya Amazonan de dikele, serpêhatiyan veduguherîne rastiyê. Li gorî baweriyên herêmî Çemê ku dikele devereke wisa ye ku xwediyê hêzeke nuwaze ya spîrîtuel e. Di wêneyî de şamanek ji Rihê Dûxanê re klaman distrê ku ew bawer dikin ev rih diayên kevir, daristan û hemû afirîdeyan digihînin Yezdan. Wekî çîrokeke Jules Verne ye: Çemekî wisa ye ku wekî ku ji navenda Cîhanê dizê, dikele û hemû zindiyên ku dikevin nav wî jî dikuje. Kaşifekî ciwan ê National Geographicê Andrés Ruzo cara ewil ev çem ji kalikê xwe bihîstiye. Ruzo dema dibe jeofizîkîst biryarê dide ku li vê çîrokê bikole bê ka rast e an zanist derbarê vê de çi dibêje. Di pirtûka xwe ya bi navê The Boiling River: Adventure and Discovery in the Amazon (Çemê Dikele: li Amazonan Kişf û Macera) yê de dikeve nav daristanên baranê yên Perûyê û dide pey vê nepenê. Ruzo li mala xwe ya li Dallasê ji me re behsa lêkolînên xwe dike: Tişta ku dibe sedem ev çem hemû tiştî bikuje, çima hin şîrketên neftê kêrî daristanê tên û çima ewqas girîng e ku qada derdora Çemê Dikele were parastin. Çemê Dikele di nav rastiyên zanistî û efsanewî de dimîne. Tişta ku bala te kişand û te li ser vê çîrokê lêkolîn kirin çi bû? Min ev çîrok cara ewil li Lîmayê dema ez zarok bûm min ji kalikê xwe parçeyekî winda yê efsaneya bajêr ê zêrîn ê li Amazonan bihîstibû. Piştî demeke dirêj dema min doktoraya jeofîzîkê dikir ez li ser hûrguliyan sekinîm. Read the full article

#boilingriver #çemêdikele #menaziraslan #natgeo #slide

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sciencespies · 4 years

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Tomb Containing Three Generations of Warrior Women Unearthed in Russia

https://sciencespies.com/history/tomb-containing-three-generations-of-warrior-women-unearthed-in-russia/

Tomb Containing Three Generations of Warrior Women Unearthed in Russia

Interestingly, says Guliaev in a statement, women warriors were the norm, not the exception, in Scythian culture.

“The Amazons are common Scythian phenomenon,” he adds. “Separate barrows were filled for them and all burial rites which were usually made for men were done for them.”

The calathos headdress, as seen in an artist’s rendering (left) and in situ (right)

(Archaeoolog.ru)

The Scythians lived in small tribes, wore trousers—necessary when constantly riding on horseback—and fought with bows and arrows.

“If you think about it, a woman on a horse with a bow, trained since childhood, can be just as fast and as deadly as a boy or man,” Mayor pointed out.

The graves of the adolescent and one of the young women were robbed, but the other two burials remained intact. Notably, the oldest woman wore an engraved gold headdress called a calathos. The specimen is the first of its kind uncovered in the region, according to Shuster, as well as the first found in situ, perched atop its wearer’s skull.

“Of course, earlier similar headdresses were found in known rich barrows of Scythia,” says Guliaev, but the others were often found by local landowners and passed between many hands before reaching specialists.

“Here we can be certain that the find has been well preserved,” the archaeologist explains.

The older woman was buried with an iron dagger and a unique forked arrowhead. Lamb bones in the barrow suggest that the burial was completed in early autumn, while a lecythus vase hints that the women were buried during the fourth century B.C.

The other woman whose burial was left undisturbed was found with a bronze mirror, two spears, and a glass bead bracelet. Per the statement, she was buried in the “position of a horseman,” as if riding a horse for eternity.

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#History

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battingonjakku · 5 years

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A guide to the 18 counties and why you should/shouldn’t support each one (version 2.0)

Hello! It’s been a couple of years since I did this original guide, so I thought it was time for an updated version as after all, a lot has happened since then.

All the confirmed overseas players I’ve found have been included, the most significant Kolpaks (not all though, because there are many), and the most recent England/Ireland/Scotland players as well…and then some just to look out for.

Without further ado then, here is a relatively comprehensive guide to choosing your county for the year ahead…

Derbyshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Logan van Beek, Kane Richardson (T20), Ravi Rampaul

England/Ireland/Scotland: Mark Watt

England prospects: Matt Critchley, Hamidullah Qadri

Why you should support them: Who doesn’t love an underdog? Quite a bit of young talent around, including in Hamidullah Qadri the first county cricketer born in the 21st century (welp)

Why you shouldn’t support them: They always seem to fly under the radar, and I still haven’t met a Derbyshire supporter (please reveal yourselves if you are out there!)

Durham

Overseas & Kolpak: Cameron Bancroft, D’Arcy Short (T20)

England/Ireland/Scotland: Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Stuart Poynter

England prospects: Josh Coughlin, Matty Potts

Why you should support them: One of the leading producers of England players over the years, and who have suffered a lot at the hands of the ECB. Who doesn’t have a soft spot for Durham?

Why you shouldn’t support them: It’s been a tough few years due to off-field circumstances, and a lot of their top players have left in the process. Likely to struggle again.

Essex

Overseas & Kolpak: Peter Siddle, Adam Zampa (T20), Mohammad Amir (T20), Simon Harmer, Cameron Delport, Matt Quinn

England/Ireland/Scotland: Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Ravi Bopara

England prospects: Jamie Porter, Daniel Lawrence, Nick Browne, Sam Cook

Why you should support them: The place to get your Alastair Cook fix post-England retirement. They’re also a lovely bunch of lads, and with their unexpected 2017 CC win have become one of the division’s leading teams.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Have a notable Kolpak contingent, and are just one of those teams for whom when things go wrong, it happens spectacularly.

Glamorgan

Overseas & Kolpak: Shaun Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Ingram, Marchant de Lange

England/Ireland/Scotland: Ruaidhri Smith, Timm van der Gugten (well, Netherlands)

England prospects: Prem Sisodiya

Why you should support them: Flying the flag for Wales as the only county not based in England, and another underdog to root for as well. A decent pace bowling attack that should see them improve on last year.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Continually struggling, last year coming bottom of the County Championship and with no trophies in a long time.

Gloucestershire

Overseas & Kolpak: Michael Klinger (T20), Dan Worrall

England/Ireland/Scotland: Adrian Neill

England prospects: Ryan Higgins, Ben Charlesworth

Why you should support them: A team with an exceptional history in short-form cricket, and though they tend to be underdogs nowadays, can still prove themselves worth more than the sum of their parts.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Have tended to stay mid-table in Division Two over the past few years without making huge strides forward. Though known for limited overs success, form can be variable.

Hampshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Aiden Markram, Kyle Abbott, Fidel Edwards, Rilee Rossouw

England/Ireland/Scotland: Liam Dawson, Mason Crane, James Vince

England prospects: Sam Northeast, James Fuller, Aneurin Donald

Why you should support them: Often strong performers in the shortest forms, winning the one day cup last year and having been regulars at T20 finals day in the last decade.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Tend to scrape their Division One safety in the CC every year, so prepare for the stress. Also one of the counties people love to hate, thanks in part to high profile Kolpak signings and the attitude of their chairman.

Kent

Overseas & Kolpak: Matt Renshaw, Adam Milne (T20), Mohammed Nabi (T20), Heino Kuhn

England/Ireland/Scotland: Joe Denly, Sam Billings

England prospects: Daniel Bell-Drummond, Zak Crawley

Why you should support them: A steadily improving county in all formats, reaching the one day final and being promoted from the CC last year. Soon to be 43, the evergreen Darren Stevens is also worthy of a mention here too.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Another team with a notable Kolpak contingent in addition to those above. A team with little experience of the first division as well, so who will be facing a challenge.

Lancashire

Overseas & Kolpak: Joe Burns, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner (T20), Dane Vilas

England/Ireland/Scotland: James Anderson, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed, Keaton Jennings, Liam Livingstone

England prospects: Saqib Mahmood, Alex Davies, Matthew Parkinson

Why you should support them: With a strong squad it would be a surprise not to see them promoted this year, especially with the bowling attack that managed to pick up the most bonus points last year. It also looks like they’ve final gotten rid of that god-awful green kit, too.

Why you shouldn’t support them: It’s Lancashire, what more is there to say? (I had to get a dig in here somewhere, didn’t I?)

Leicestershire:

Overseas & Kolpak: Mohammed Abbas, Colin Ackermann, Mark Cosgrove

England prospects: Will Davis

Why you should support them: Just lovely, and definitely improving as a team after many years at the bottom of the pack. Always developing young, talented players. The only ground I’ve been to where I’ve been offered a bag of Sweets Or Weed.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Well known for their top players leaving, and another big exodus took place at the end of the season. Supporting them can be painful, too.

Middlesex

Overseas & Kolpak: Mujeeb Ur Rahman (T20), AB de Villiers (T20), Ross Taylor

England/Ireland/Scotland: Eoin Morgan, Steven Finn, Toby Roland-Jones, Tim Murtagh, Paul Stirling, Sam Robson

England prospects: Nick Gubbins, Ethan Bamber, Tom Barber, Tom Helm, Max Holden

Why you should support them: A squad with a lot of English and Irish talent and hot prospects who will be striving for promotion this year. And there’s the Lord’s factor, because where better to watch cricket?

Why you shouldn’t support them: Have underperformed in the two years following their CC win, and it’s best not to even mention the shorter forms.

Northamptonshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Temba Bavuma, Faheem Ashraf (T20), Jason Holder, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Levi

England/Ireland/Scotland: Kyle Coetzer

England prospects: Ben Curran

Why you should support them: A team without big resources who have become one of the more successful T20 teams in the country. Also, I love Temba Bavuma in general and just want that stated here.

Why you shouldn’t support them: That T20 success that made them famous went spectacularly downhill last year, finishing well adrift at the bottom of the group. Have lost important players since, too.

Nottinghamshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Dan Christian (T20), James Pattinson

England/Ireland/Scotland: Stuart Broad, Jake Ball, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett

England prospects: Joe Clarke, Zak Chappell, Matthew Carter, Tom Moores, Ben Slater

Why you should support them: A team with a lot of England talent from the past, present, and likely the future. Have strengthened their squad a lot over the winter and will be looking to challenge on all fronts.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Not too popular for buying a lot of their talent, particularly with their winter recruitment. Have also underperformed in the longer format despite a strong squad.

Somerset

Overseas & Kolpak: Azhar Ali, Jerome Taylor (T20)

England/Ireland/Scotland: Jack Leach, Dom Bess, Craig Overton, Josh Davey

England prospects: Jamie Overton, George Bartlett

Why you should support them: A well-liked county, by everyone really apart from the ECB. Also the home of Marcus Trescothick, making centuries into his forties, and probably the best place in the country for spin bowling.

Why you shouldn’t support them: It always ends in pain, doesn’t it? A great track record for finishing high among the runners up, but not getting over the line, which has also returned among the last couple of seasons.

Surrey

Overseas & Kolpak: Aaron Finch, Dean Elgar, Morne Morkel

England/Ireland/Scotland: Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Ollie Pope, Rory Burns, Liam Plunkett, Ben Foakes, Jason Roy, Mark Stoneman

England prospects: Amar Virdi, Will Jacks, Conor McKerr

Why you should support them: England players a plenty, with many coming through the academy system at the moment. The reigning champions of the CC and the favourites to win again, and should compete in the other formats.

Why you shouldn’t support them: One of the definitive love-to-hate counties among the 18, and another who like Notts are regularly called out on their spending.

Sussex

Overseas & Kolpak: Rashid Khan (T20), Mir Hamza, David Wiese, Stiaan van Zyl

England/Ireland/Scotland: Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills

England prospects: Jofra Archer, George Garton, Delray Rawlins

Why you should support them: An up-and-coming team, coached by the wonderful Jason Gillespie. Particularly exciting fast-bowling stocks, and last year’s T20 runners up who will want to go one better. Also, Luke Wright.

Why you shouldn’t support them: For whatever reason, they tend to be bad at 50 over cricket, so probably not the team to root for if you’re after that Lord’s final.

Warwickshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Jeetan Patel, Ashton Agar (T20)

England/Ireland/Scotland: Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Ian Bell

England prospects: Will Rhodes, Ed Pollock, Sam Hain, Henry Brookes, Dom Sibley

Why you should support them: A likeable team, as they would be with Chris Woakes and Ian Bell. After a few years with an aging squad, now have quite a few young players who have either come through or been given a second chance from elsewhere.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Though they’ve bounced straight back from division two, they really crashed out during their relegation season so their return to the top flight might be a learning curve.

Worcestershire

Overseas & Kolpak: Callum Ferguson, Martin Guptil (T20), Wayne Parnell

England/Ireland/Scotland: Moeen Ali

England prospects: Pat Brown, Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington

Why you should support them: A team with a lot of strong homegrown young talent, who won the nation’s hearts on their way to their T20 Blast win in 2018. Led by Moeen Ali, and if you don’t appreciate them for that then what’s up with you mate?

Why you shouldn’t support them: The ultimate yo-yo team, constantly being promoted or relegated whilst rarely staying in one place, so not one to support if you don’t want the sadness every other year.

Yorkshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Duanne Olivier

England/Ireland/Scotland: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Gary Ballance

England prospects: Ben Coad, Matthew Fisher, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Harry Brook

Why you should support them: They’re my team and I would die for them, the best team you can support. In seriousness though, they feature a lot of England players from past and present and tend to challenge across all competitions in some degree. Look strongest in the shorter forms.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Another love-to-hate county, as us Yorkshire fans do tend to go on about our successes. It has been a tricky couple of years as well, with a struggling batting line-up and no major reinforcements on that front.

#right i should have all the overseas listed #though as i was writing it middlesex signed ross taylor #so who knows #i haven't listed *all* the kolpaks as it would be a lot #and i'll have missed some ireland/scotland players as to knowledge #I just didn't want player lists to get too long when they're already quite long in places #but yeah #and state your case as well if you wish!#cricket #county cricket

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