#Cabinets in prince george

[countrymusiclover]

1 - Life Changing Deal

Princess Red Thief

Part 2

Tag list - just ask to be added @mystrey101 @melvia-ito @kmc1989 @tallrock35

Peaking my head through the treeline I saw the large castle in front of me. I ran straight for the nearest window reaching inside my cloak drawing a sword I stole from the soldiers armor outside my chambers. Swinging it against the glass it shattered when I ducked my head so it didn't get in my eyes. Climbing through the window I dropped down on my knees inside the castle. "Okay, now where's that dagger?"

Heading over to the cabinets filled with objects I began rummaging around for the specific blade in question. I started throwing books and other things on the ground until one of the globs shattered onto the floor and a voice called out behind me. "Looking for something specific are you, dearie?"

"Show yourself, beast." I draw the sword I used on the window holding it out in front of myself for defense.

A Purple cloud of smoke appeared in front of me. "Here I am, dearie." The figure in front of me had curly brown hair and scaly skin. He was dressed in leather and snake skins.

"What are you? Are you the one they call Rumple...Rumplestiltskin?" I questioned tightening my grip on the blade handle.

The figure giggles performing an over the rope bow. "Indeed I am Rumplestilskin. Now who are you and why so foolish to try and steal from the Dark One?"

"My name is Everly. My parents are Princess Abigail and Prince Frederick." I explained to him moving towards the long table that was in the center of the room.

The dark one clicked his tongue putting his fingers together. "Ah yes I recognize the princess's name. She and King George's son are supposed to wed through a deal I help arrange. But that doesn't explain why you've tried to steal from me."

"I am here because I am a threat to my kingdom." Placing my freehand on the table my palm turned red and I could feel the magic running through my fingertips. The cabinet behind me that had seen through glass suddenly shattered into a million pieces at my feet. "I have an uncontrollable amount of power even though neither of my parents were born with magic."

He nodded, waving his fingers at me. "And you needed my dagger to force me to help you control it."

"I do apologize, Rumplestilskin. I wouldn't dare steal from someone who is declared so powerful if I was not so desperate for a solution to this. I wish to help my mother free my father from his golden prison but I can't do that if this ability or curse isn't kept at bay."

"Magic is not always a curse, Red Thief." He stepped closer to me snapping his fingers and a silver dagger appeared in his grasp. He showed me that his name was engraved on the blade. "I will help you if you choose to embrace your power."

I fired back knowing the rumors that members across kingdoms had spread about him. He used only dark magic and was notorious for making deals with the most desperate types of people. "What do you want in return from me? I know you always want something back for a price."

"I'll enchant your cloak given that I do rather like the color red on you. Once it is enchanted you and I will be connected consciously. You will help me with my deals and the customers that are connected with them."

"What do you mean like if someone breaks a deal with you you'll make me kill them?" I questioned hearing the darkness in his voice.

Rumplestilskin smirked. "I'll decide what fate I wish to bestow on them. Now do you accept my offer or not?"

"I don't know if I can go through with this, Dark One. Ahhh!" I screamed bumping into one of the curtain covered windows seeing my palm turn red again but this time the curtain caught on fire.

Rumple snickers at me. "It appears you don't have any other option here, Red Thief."

"My name is Everly." I corrected him even though I probably shouldn't since he could turn me into a bug and kill me easily if he so wished.

He stepped closer where I shifted the hood of my cloak since it was blocking my view. Our eyes met and I could see he had deep brown eyes. "So long as you work for me I can call you whatever I wish. Unless you think you can find help through someone else."

"I suppose I will. So I'll take your deal." Extending my hand I paused unsure if I would hurt him if I touched him.

He grasps my small hand in his larger one. "We have a deal, Red Thief."

Resting my chin in the palm of my hand I kept scanning my eyes over the paperwork that was in front of me. I had been doing the storage inventory for the pawnshop for as long as I could remember. In my opinion every object had a story that needed to be told rather than just sitting in the dusty old store. But that wasn't what my boss believed. He thinks there's a price of money for everything. "Let's see the unicorn chandelier, tea set and red cloak are all accounted for. Wait red cloak, I didn't see that here."

"It has to be here. It has to be here. If it isn't he will dock my pay." I frantically began searching around every cabinet in the shop not finding the piece of clothing anywhere.

The store bell rang making me shriek running back to my desk in the back room trying to play it cool. The curtain got pushed open and Mr. Gold stepped inside the room. "How has the inventory gone tonight?"

"Uh, pretty good. How was your walk?" I asked him tapping my fingers on the desk nervously, hoping he didn't notice.

His brown, almost chocolate eyes focused on my gaze. "You seem nervous, Eve. Any particular reason why?"

"No reason. Just wishing to be done with work for the evening, sir." I lied to him.

He sent me a half smile revealing a bag from behind his back in his other hand that wasn't holding onto the cane he used to walk with since he had a limp. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you realized this was missing?" He drew something from the bag and I gasped seeing a red cloak fall down while he held it up in front of me.

"I....I....um. Sir, I am sorry. I thought I had accounted for everything. I don't know how it ever left the shop." I began panicking, running my fingers through my hair that I had left loosely.

Mr. Gold chuckles breaking the intense silence that I was feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Calm down, lass. I saw that it was dirty so I took it to the cleaners. Figured it should look in better shape before I gave it to you."

"Oh god that's a relief." Putting a hand over my forehead I sighed in relief. "Wait a minute. Give it to me, why would you do that?"

Gold moved forward offering me his freehand after he laid it on my desk briefly. Putting my hand in his I allowed him to help me get to my feet. "I saw that it was your size from the looks of it one day. And no one in this town has claimed it so I thought it shouldn't go to waste. May I?" He gestured holding it up and opened it in his hands.

"Sure...thank you this wasn't really necessary." I turned around putting my back to his front feeling him place the fabric on my shoulders.

Gold smiled when I spun around so he could clasp the front pins together. "Perfect fit, dear. Just like I had thought. Now don't you worry about paying me for it. It's on the house."

"Thank you, sir." I smiled looking up to meet his gaze since he was slightly taller than me.

He waved a finger in my face grabbing a hold of his cane prepared to leave to collect the town's rent. "I told you to either call me Adam or just Gold. Now come, we have money to collect."

"Understand, Gold." I nodded wearing the red cloak since it was quite cold outside. I followed after my boss and we drove out to our stops finding leaving the inn as our final one for the evening.

Granny, the owner of the inn, spoke as we walked up the wooden stairs. "Now, what's the name?"

Opening the door, Gold and I came face to face with a blonde woman wearing a bright red jacket that I had never seen before in this town. Meaning she must be someone new which hadn't happened for 28 years if I had done my math correctly. The woman spoke her name, giving me a name to go with the new face. "Swan. Emma Swan."

Gold responds to her squeezing my hand in his and I could have sworn I heard him say something else but in a completely different voice. "Emma. What a lovely name....Red Thief."

"Did you hear someone say Red Thief?" Looking at my boss I raised a brow at him confusedly swearing that I had heard something.

He shrugged his shoulders not saying anything yet I saw some light in his eyes where he had recognized something in this room but just wasn't going to share it with me. He shifted his gaze over to the elderly woman. Granny passes Mr. Gold a roll of bills. "It's all here."

"Yes, yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you. You enjoy your stay...Emma." Gold put it away in his suit pocket touching the door handle, opening it once more calling out to me. "Eve?"

"I'm coming, sorry." I paused standing behind the blonde woman while I ran my freehand over the red fabric that I was holding on my other arm feeling like I had seen it before.

Shaking my head I pulled myself from the trance that I was in following him outside being able to hear the conversation between the girls still inside. "Who's that?" Emma asked.

Ruby peaked out the window seeing me still standing on the front porch. "Mr. Gold. He owns this place."

"The inn?" Emma asked more.

Granny reached down in the drawer pulling out a key. "No, the town. So, how long will you be with us?

"A week. Just a week." She responded.

Granny handed her the key. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

"So who is the woman that is with him if you don't mind me asking?" Emma held the key in her hands heading towards the staircase to go check out her room.

Rudy closed the curtain focusing on the new women. "I don't know if this is true or not. But most people in this town have only seen her with him. She's worked for him for years. I think she was abducted by him or something."

"Rudy!" Granny snapped at her granddaughter. "What makes you think such a thing?"

The girl put a hand on her hip. "Maybe it's the fact that she doesn't talk to anyone else in this town. She's only ever seen with him or doing small jobs for him. That's just strange to me."

"I'm sorry for my granddaughters crazy theories. Enjoy your time here, Ms. Swan." Granny ended the conversation before things went further. Emma went up the stairs and I ran down the stairs meeting Gold at his old car. We drove past the clock tower and I couldn't believe I saw the hands move.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[addsalwayssick]

Marauders Night At the Museum Au part 1

Remus pressed his lips into a line a quirked his eyebrow. James, on the other hand, smiled. “Thank you, sir.” James said, patting his back.

“You start tonight. There are rules in the cabinet.” Albus said, waving them out of his office door for the night.

Albus soon packed up, leaving both Remus and James behind in the sunset.

Remus pulled out a book, starting to read. “You’re so boring. We should be exploring.” James sighed, spinning around in a spinny chair.

Remus rolled his eyes. The sunset drew to a close, as a curtain of darkness fell upon them. James, now sleeping in a chair, only awoke when Remus screamed. Now, James was expecting a robber, or a burglar or something. What he was not expecting was a skeleton dog trying to get behind the circular desk that James and Remus were sat at. James was wide awake now. “Holy crap! What do we do?” James yelps.

“Get the rules!” Remus says, his voice rushed.

James tries to open the cabinet Albus said it would be in, failing to. “It’s locked!” James said.

“Try again!” Remus shouted.

“I can’t!”

They heard a piercing whistle throughout the museum, and everything stopped. A man wearing tight pants, and a complicated top came out. The skeleton dog rushed to him, sitting by his side. “What are we doing chasing the new night guards?” He asked the dog. The man was gorgeous. With his long dark hair, eyes silver yet warm, and a smile radiating through the cold air of the museum.

Remus thought he was beautiful. Remus had never thought of anyone like that. “Who are you?” Remus said, coming to his senses.

“I am Prince Sirius Orion Black the lll of France. Well, previously I suppose. It is…2024, non? Well I was disowned in 1775, so I suppose that’s that. I was killed in 1780, though, so it didn’t matter.” He said, his black hair swishing elegantly, despite his sad story.

“Are you alone?” Remus asked carefully, his mind swimming with questions. “Are you real?”

Sirius laughed. “No, i’m not alone. I have my brother Regulus. He got disowned and guillotined in the same day. He technically died before me. Only by a month, though. And no, i’m not real. I’m made of wax.”

“Where is Regulus?” James found himself clearing his throat and asking.

“Well he got sent out for enjoying men’s company and guillotined for having no desire to be a woman, so most likely changing. They’re awful here, they put him in a corset every day. He changes, every night though.” Sirius told them.

Remus and James’s mouths dropped. At the stunned silence, Sirius groans. “Please don’t tell me you don’t like the fact we prefer men over ladies. Ladies are lovely, I just don’t like them. The last night guards were like that and-“

“You like men too?” Remus chokes out.

Sirius nods carefully. Remus gets up out of his seat, patting Sirius in the back. “I’m sorry that happened to you. I promise James and I don’t care. I’m bisexual and James is Pan”

Sirius furrows his eyebrows. “You speak two languages? As do I. What does that have to do with anything. And James is a pan? He doesn’t look like one.”

Remus laughs. “I like men and woman. James likes everyone.”

Sirius frowns. “Oh. That’s nice. So what am I called?”

“You just like men, right?” Remus asks, taking him to the seats. The dog follows. Sirius nods. “Then you’re gay, probably.”

“Gay? As in happy? Well, I suppose I am happy with men.” Sirius thinks aloud.

Remus laughs, brushing his hair out of his face.

James, on the other hand, is nearly banging his head against the desk. He truly didn’t think life could get any crazier after his boyfriend of 2 years broke up with him, kicking him out, with no job. But of course, wax statues, skeleton dogs, animals, and is that a talking statue of George Washington? are coming alive. James was not having the best time. He was happy his best friend, Remus, finally met someone (even if it was a wax statue) and thought that was awesome, except for the fact they were talking wax statues that are now alive. Wasn’t Remus supposed to be the logical one?

But then again, all his logic apparently flew away when a man walked down the stairs with James’s clothes on. James coughed. “Those are my clothes.”

The man turned to him and frowned. “Hm. Sorry. Yours must have been the locker I nestled into. I have to steal these clothes you see, because apparently committing so called treason and getting executed isn’t enough for me to be put in men’s clothes.”

“Oh, no! It’s totally okay, just a bit of a shock. Considering it had my name on the back and things.” James choked.

James had walked in wearing a spider-man t-shirt, black jeans, and a letterman jacket from high school that said ‘Potter 03’ on it. He had to change into his uniform, so the clothes went into the locker.

It seemed wrong that someone as elegant as this man before him was wearing something so casual. He looked as if he belonged in a painting.

He smiled. “Thank you then.”

“Are you Regulus?” James asks, fascinated by this new man.

Regulus nods. “I suppose Sirius had told you our entire life story?” James nods. “Thought so.” When James looked confused, Regulus sighs. “He tells everyone.”

i haven’t posted any writing in literally forever so have this unfinished scrap xx

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Dumbledore is a Manipulative Piece of Shit: Part 3/?

The Prophecy

In the first post in this series, I mentioned having reason to doubt the validity and truth of the prophecy regarding Voldemort and Harry. This is this post.

Although I don't have definitive proof the prophecy is a lie, I have plenty of circumstantial evidence that sheds reasonable doubt on the prophecy and Dumbledore's interpretation of it.

(link to part 2, for those interested)

Exhibit 1: The Location

So, we know how this goes:

“I did,” said Dumbledore. “On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog’s Head Inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer, and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned to leave.”

(Order of the Pheonix, page 840)

“That might, indeed, have been the more practical course,” said Dumbledore, “except that Voldemort’s information about the prophecy was incomplete. The Hog’s Head Inn, which Sibyll chose for its cheapness, has long attracted, shall we say, a more interesting clientele than the Three Broomsticks. As you and your friends found out to your cost, and I to mine that night, it is a place where it is never safe to assume you are not being overheard. Of course, I had not dreamed, when I set out to meet Sibyll Trelawney, that I would hear anything worth overhearing. My — our — one stroke of good fortune was that the eavesdropper was detected only a short way into the prophecy and thrown from the building.”

(Order of the Pheonix, page 843)

The reason I'm bringing this up is this specific part of the quote above in particular:

The Hog’s Head Inn, which Sibyll chose for its cheapness

Since when does an interview prospect for the position of Hogwarts professor choose the location of the interview?

We know that when Tom Riddle came to his interview for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position in 1967, the interview was held in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts:

The Dumbledore behind the desk showed no sign of surprise. Evidently this visit had been made by appointment. “Good evening, Tom,” said Dumbledore easily. “Won’t you sit down?” “Thank you,” said Voldemort, and he took the seat to which Dumbledore had gestured — the very seat, by the looks of it, that Harry had just vacated in the present. “I heard that you had become headmaster,” he said, and his voice was slightly higher and colder than it had been. “A worthy choice.” “I am glad you approve,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “May I offer you a drink?” “That would be welcome,” said Voldemort. “I have come a long way.” Dumbledore stood and swept over to the cabinet where he now kept the Pensieve, but which then was full of bottles. Having handed Voldemort a goblet of wine and poured one for himself, he returned to the seat behind his desk.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 441)

Why would Dumbledore choose to hold Trelawney's interview in the Hogs-Head? Because it was his choice. He could've interviewed her in his office like he had Tom Riddle. But no, he preferred the cheap inn, run by a brother who hates him and is known for attracting less reputable sorts (including Death Eaters) in the middle of a war?

And even if he is holding the interview in the hogs-Head, let's say he has a good reason for it, why not make sure he wasn't overheard in such a place? We know its possible with the Imperturbable Charm.

Turning to Fred and George she said, “It’s no go with the Extendable Ears, she’s gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door.”

(Order of the Pheonix, page 69)

Because if Molly Weasley can cast this charm, surely Dumbledore can.

Or the Muffliato Charm that Snape has invented by that point:

and, perhaps most useful of all, Muffliato, a spell that filled the ears of anyone nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing, so that lengthy conversations could be held in class without being overheard.

(Half-Blood Prince, page 238)

But no, instead he made sure to be in a place where he was likely to be spied on and took no precautions against it, even though he could've held the interview in the safety of Hogwarts.

The only conclusion I can draw is that he wanted to be overheard. That he wanted some Death Eater to hear the prophecy and take it to Voldemort.

Exhibit 2: The Circumstances

But why? Why would he want Voldemort to hear a prophecy that would make him target an innocent baby?

Well, Dumbledore was in a rough spot in May of 1980 when the prophecy was made. Voldemort practically controlled the ministry and did as he pleased (even though, it wasn't much). The Order of the Phoenix had 15 of its members and member families killed from August 1979 to that interview.

Dumbledore and the Order were losing. And they were losing badly.

Arthur Weasley says:

“Oh, Molly, come on, it’s about time you got used to hearing it — look, I can’t promise no one’s going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we’re much better off than we were last time, you weren’t in the Order then, you don’t understand, last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one. . . .”

(Order of the Pheonix, page 177)

By 1980, if Dumbledore wanted to win, he needed a miracle. And that's when he was approached by Trelawney approached him.

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say he held a normal interview in the castle, and in that interview, she made a real prophecy about Harry and Voldemort, but not the one we hear. Dumbledore heard the prophecy and knew he'd have to orchestrate the circumstances of Halloween 1981 if he wanted to end Voldemort. So he did.

He gave Trelawney a script, and he made sure to be somewhere a wizard down on their luck who wouldn't stand the temptation to spy on him would overhear and sell the information to Voldemort. I don't know if Dumbledore specifically intended for it to be Snape, but maybe? I don't know.

But I know he made sure Voldemort got hold of the prophecy, or at least part of it so Dumbledore could set Voldemort's demise into motion.

Exhibit 3: The Only Time We Hear the Prophecy

Now, we would never know what the true prophecy said, since it was smashed.

The only source we have for the full prophecy is the word of Albus Dumbledore. Well, his word and his odd memory:

Then, with a sigh, he raised his wand and prodded the silvery substance with its tip. A figure rose out of it, draped in shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous size behind her glasses, and she revolved slowly, her feet in the basin. But when Sibyll Trelawney spoke, it was not in her usual ethereal, mystic voice, but in the harsh, hoarse tones Harry had heard her use once before. “THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES. . . . BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES . . . AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT . . . AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES. . . . THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES. . . .” The slowly revolving Professor Trelawney sank back into the silver mass below and vanished.

(Order of the Pheonix, page 841)

No other memory Harry sees in the pensive behaves this way. Harry always places his head in the pensive and is sucked into the memory, to walk in it. It's how a pensive always worked.

Except for this one singular instance, in which it shows a "memory" like a hologram, like an illusion.

I don't think this is a memory at all, just from how different it is described from any other memory. For context, pensive memories are described like this in the same book:

Harry walked the remaining few feet to the Pensieve and stood over it, gazing into its depths. He hesitated, listening, then pulled out his wand again. The office and the corridor beyond were completely silent. He gave the contents of the Pensieve a small prod with the end of his wand. The silvery stuff within began to swirl very fast. Harry leaned forward over it and saw that it had become transparent. He was, once again, looking down into a room as though through a circular window in the ceiling. . . . In fact, unless he was much mistaken, he was looking down upon the Great Hall. . . .His breath was actually fogging the surface of Snape’s thoughts. . . .His brain seemed to be in limbo. . . . It would be insane to do the thing that he was so strongly tempted to do. . . . He was trembling. . . . Snape could be back at any moment . . . but Harry thought of Cho’s anger, of Malfoy’s jeering face, and a reckless daring seized him. He took a great gulp of breath and plunged his face into the surface of Snape’s thoughts. At once, the floor of the office lurched, tipping Harry headfirst into the Pensieve. . . . He was falling through cold blackness, spinning furiously as he went, and then — He was standing in the middle of the Great Hall

(Order of the Pheonix, page 640)

Even if I did take the prophecy at face value, which is a big if, I can interrupt it in multiple ways. I'll give one example:

The third line:

BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES

Sure, it can refer to July, the seventh month in the Julian calendar we use today. But before Julius Caesar and Agustus (the Roman emperors) added months named after them, September was the seventh month. It's why it's called September — "Septima" means "seven" in Latin. September is literally named "the seventh month".

And that's without talking about other calendars, that have a whole different system to their months.

Or the Line before it:

BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM

What exactly counts as defying? It's so vague any disagreement could be considered a defiance. Is it battle? Is it that he offered James and Lily to join him and they refused?

Vagueness means it could mean literally anything and puts the whole interpretation of the prophecy in question.

Conclusions

So, we have a prophecy that was made under odd circumstances, where the only source we have to it is supposedly a memory of a powerful Legilemense that knows how to edit memories.

There isn't exactly cutting evidence the prophecy is fake, but I think there's enough here to make us doubt its validity along with its intentions and interpretation.

[immergladsss]

Moonacre Week 2024- Isolation (V0)

(Version 0)

“Oi Robin!” Richard called from somewhere below. “Where’ve you gone off to this time?”

“Your father wants to have a word with you!” David shouted from somewhere to the west. 

But Robin didn’t answer. Instead, he inched back along the high tree branch on which he was precariously perched. He pushed into the thinning tree trunk, further into the canopy’s shadows and away from the eyes and ears of his friends below. 

The last thing he wanted was to speak to his father again. He didn't need another reminder of the utter dolt that he was. Or the sore excuse for an heir.

When they had first learned of George Merryweather’s death, Robin didn't hesitate to jump at the opportunity of swiping the pearls from right under their noses. With death in their heads, they were bound to be mindless of their surroundings. What he didn't expect was for the Merryweather heir to have so many goddamn belongings.

It was damn near impossible to maneuver that maze of a bedroom. What a frivolous London fop.

And all it took was a misstep against a cabinet for it all to go to shit.

Robin let out a deep breath.

No. He didn’t need any more reminders of that. Besides, he looked up at the sky, he had about a few hours or so until the Merryweather’s arrival. He had time to clear his head. 

That's what he needed right now.

Silence. Clarity. Some isolation to remove that Merryweather face from his mind.

To forget the unnecessary details.

He didn’t need to know how the moonlight illuminated his ridiculously soft copper waves or delicately pink lips. How his freckles formed the constellation of Orion across his pale and smooth cheek. How the collar of his loose tunic was skewed just enough to reveal—

Robin froze.

He clenched his fists and dug his nails into his hands. “Moon Prince, ha!” he spat, trying to elicit the feelings of hatred and revenge for the Merryweathers that had been driven into him since a young age.

…Yet he couldn’t help but think… that Merryweather certainly looked like a Prince.

[scotianostra]

On 27th March 1625, King James VI died.

James Charles Stuart has many facts, myths and urban legends surrounding him, this is just one of them.

Rumours have abounded for centuries that James was a homosexual, I'm not saying he wasn't but at very least you might call him bisexual, he did after all father seven children to his wife, only three of whom survived. Known for writing poetry, there is little doubt he loved his wife, Anne, and wrote many poems and love letters to her throughout their marriage. Most of the rumors of James’ sexual orientation came from Sir Anthony Weldon, who was a bitter enemy of the king, whose writings were published long after James was dead.

One of the most amusing quotes from King James regarding marriage and women was when, at the Hampton Court Conference, the Puritan leaders complained of a line in English wedding vows where the groom says to bride “with my body, I thee worship.” James’ response was “If you had a good wife yourself, you would think all worship and honour you could do her, were well bestowed upon her.”

James supposed lover was George Villiers was a courtier who became a favourite of King James I. The King became infatuated with him and made him Viscount in 1616, Earl in 1617, Marquis in 1618 and Duke of Buckingham in 1623. Outmanoeuvring his rivals the Howards, Villiers was appointed Lord High Admiral in 1619. He manipulated the lovestruck King James to gain unprecedented control over royal patronage, rewarding himself and his family generously. He married his relations into the most important families in England. His own marriage was to Lady Catherine Manners, only daughter of the wealthy Earl of Rutland. Was their friendship more than platonic? To coin a Scottish phrase, "

Mibbes aye mibbes naw."

James had a deep and terrible fear of witchcraft and personally oversaw many witch trials while ruling in Scotland. He saw witchcraft as a branch of theology and even wrote a famous treatise titled Daemonologie, in which he dealt with sorcery, magic, and even vampires and werewolves!

James had a relatively peaceful reign, except for the infamous Gunpowder Plot, and kept taxes low. He was known as both the British Solomon and was called “the wisest fool in Christendom” by the King of France. James was both a brute and a gentleman, a sloth and a scholar, a boor and a poet, paranoid and cunning.

Perhaps we should look at his mother's French Emissary Monsieur de Fontenay who had the following to say regarding the young James’ character and traits:

“I have been well received by the king, who has treated me better in reality than in appearance. He give me much credit, but does not show me much kindness. Since the day of my arrival he has ordered me to live in his house along with the earls and lords, and that I shall have access to him in his cabinet just as the others have… .

To tell you truly what I think of him – I consider him the first prince in the world for his age. … . He apprehends and conceives quickly, he judges ripely and with reason, and he retains much and for a long time. In questioning he is quick and piercing, and solid in his answers. … He is learned in many languages, sciences, and affairs of state. more so than probably anyone in his realm. In a word he has a miraculous wit, and moreover is full of noble glory and a good opinion of himself.

Having been brought up in the midst of constant fears, he is timid and will not venture to contradict the great lords; yet he wishes to be thought brave.

He hates dancing and music in general and especially all the mincing affectations of the court … .

From want of proper instruction his manners are boorish and very rough, as well in his way of speaking, eating. dress, amusements and conversation, even in the company of women.

He is never at rest in one place but takes a singular pleasure in walking; but his gait is very ungainly and his step is wandering and unsteady, even in a room. His voice is thick and very deep as he speaks. … He is weak of body … But to sum up, he is an old young man. …

He misunderstands the real extent of his poverty and weakness; he boasts too much of himself and he despises other princes. In the second place, he disregards the wishes of his subjects; and lastly, he is too idle and careless in business and too much addicted to his own pleasures, chiefly hunting. … He told me that he really gave greater attention to business than he seemed to do for he could get through more work in one hour than others could in a day. …"

James ruled Scotland as James VI from 24th July 1567 and, as you might recall from my post a few days ago, ruled in England, Wales and Ireland as James 1st from 24th March, 1603. He died 27th March, 1625 at Theobalds House, and his remains lie in the Henry VII Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey.

The third pic shows James's body next to Henry VII and his queen in the vault

[peculiarparasol]

My Hamilton Review

So I had the ability to go see Hamilton in Dallas recently and oh god, it was lovely! Everyone was wonderful and a few interesting takes in this production really stood out to me in the most lovely ways!

The cast I saw was:

Hamilton- Blaine Alden Krauss

Burr- Deon'te Goodman

Eliza- Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama

Angelica- Lencia Kebede

Peggy/Maria- Milika Cheree

Lafayette/Jefferson- Jared Howelton

Laurens/Phillip- Tyler Fauntleroy

Mulligan/Madison-Eddie Ortega

Washington-Carvens Lissaint

King George-Paul Louis Lessard

HIGHLIGHTS!:

Okay, right out the gate, a lot of the cast had more R&B voices, including Hamilton and I genuinely loved this. Washington and Angelica had the most beautiful control when it came to their voices and it was just gorgeous to hear them every time they were singing. And Lissaint as Washington had some booming growl to his voice that just absolutely grabbed and held onto your focus during Right Hand Man and just the most perfect soul like riffs during History Has Its Eyes On You and of course One Last Time.

The biggest differences in character portrayal were Hamilton and Burr, but I really liked these takes.

Krauss played Hamilton as angry. And I don't mean like quick to anger, but really has angry moments with everyone in his life, including anger towards Eliza when she explains she wrote to Washington that she was pregnant but not Alexander. But it also created some beautiful 'calm down' moments as well. When Washington calls him back, he plays Alexander as hesitant to leave Eliza while she's pregnant, even bends down to kiss her belly before he leaves. Just a beautiful touch. He played young, scrappy, playful Hamilton so well, I wondered if he'd sell the older version in Act 2 and he really did, he slides into it slowly. Makes his voice quieter, more gravelly as the descent starts and it's just so beautiful the way he progresses.

Goodman plays Burr as reserved, but you can feel this constantly simmering resentment towards Hamilton the whole way. This is less charismatic than Leslie plays him, but again, it works for Goodman's portrayal. He still gets loud during the right parts, goes full tilt during The Room Where It Happens . But his anger, his emotions are cagey, like you are waiting for the last straw to break the camels back and its goooooooood when he finally snaps in Obedient Servant. He makes you wait for that moment all musical and it delivers in the last two confrontation songs.

Howelton also has a slightly different portrayal of Jefferson. He has the same physicality and charm that Daveed has, but he has this wonderful deep gravel to his voice that made him sound older, and he leaned more into the limp in What'd I Miss? Daveed always seemed like his Jefferson was around the same age as Hamilton, but Howelton acts and sounds like he is the appropriate decade older and it really works, I constantly thought he was looking at Alexander like a yappy puppy he had to deal with and I really loved it.

Lessard as King George chewed on every song and scene he was in and I giggled at parts of the songs I've never reacted to before. XD He was a delight and we all cheered every time he returned to stage. I would love to see this man as the King every time if I could!

Goofy Notes:

EVERYONE besides Washington and Angelica are shorter than Hamilton in this production. I about wheezed when Jefferson and Hamilton square up in the first Cabinet Battle and Jefferson had to crane his neck to look up at a fucking smirking Hamilton, who had to look down at him. It was like a hilarious au reality and it made me giggle every time they stood close enough to notice. Eliza also only came to Hamilton's shoulder and he had to bend fully at the waist to kiss or hug her, but that man dipped her like a fairy tale prince to kiss her in Helpless. I bought that man loved her!

Stage Direction Differences:

The most differences in stage direction all happen in Take A Break, and I ate up this entire song because it was so different. It's all about the same till we get to the first 'take a break'. Hamilton buries the letter from Angelica. Not just covers it, he pulls various papers and opens a book to start writing in ontop of it, boy knows he is doing wrong in the letters. He's adorably affectionate with Phillip, softly affectionate with Eliza's plea for him to go with them.

Then Angelica shows up, and it's not the soft/nervous 'hi' Lin does. It's a giddy 'hiiii' and arms spread wide with 'gimme' hand gestures before Angelica even gets to him, wraps her up in his arms, etc. The back and forth between Eliza, Angelica and Alexander is very playful after that as well. During the 'tell this man/tell my wife' exchange, they stage Angelica in between Eliza and Alexander, having the married couple do a playful game of telephone with the eldest Schuyler. Alexander even taps Angelica on the shoulder before the 'Angelica tell my wife' line. It's fun and dangerous. Another change is how Alexander responds to the sisters making their final plea for him to go with them. Lin has Alexander panic pull away from Angelica first. Krauss lets that anger/frustration show here instead. He snaps at them, emphasizing the losing his job line here and storms away. I really loved this scene. It boths leans heavy into the playful family and the emotional affair between Angelica and Alexander.

I might have thrown in my lot for some Lucky Seats to see this cast again before they leave...no shame!

[silverhallow]

Bridgerton Drabble: Princess Diaries AU

Part #2 Broken

“What do you mean you’re still going through with it?” George sighed as he looked at his brother exasperated a couple of hours later.

“Well just that, Sophie assured me it was a one off, that it would never happen again and I believe her.” Phillip argued back.

“George, it is his decision at the end of the day…” Marina said as she walked into the room, Amanda wrapped in a blanket as she went to place her in the cot next to her twin brother.

“It’s a stupid ass decision that is what it is. Come on, the entire country has seen the Bridgerton bloke sniffing around her for the last month, it’s clear to anyone with eyes that whatever that was wasn’t just a one off… and besides you said it yourself, there isn’t a spark there! You see her more as a sister! And I’ve seen you pining after that Bridgerton girl…”

“Eloise and I are just friends…” Phillip said going red and George laughed

“I didn’t say which Bridgerton… but come on, you’re going to be stuck in a loveless marriage and it will eat away at you” George said

“She picked me, we’re doing this. She can’t marry anyone else and if she doesn’t marry by the end of the week then the country goes to the Cavenders” Phillip argued

“And that has nothing to do with you, you can return to England, back to your plants and forget about this entire mess” George said “I am sure you can persuade Eloise to come to Oxford or Cambridge for University since she’s due to start next term” he teased raising his brows suggestively.

Phillip threw a grape at his brother who laughed.

“It’s not that simple. I won’t see this entire country be wrecked by some imbecile because I wasn’t prepared to help where I can. Sophie is the best thing that ever happened to this country, even if she only found out about it a few years ago, she cares so deeply about everyone, she wants to make it a better place, a better country and I can be a part of that, I can help her achieve that and I can do my botany work anywhere. She chose me, we are seeing this through. I do not need any more lectures about it George, I just need you to be supportive please. Like Marina is being”

“Marina is being supportive because she knows she has little choice” Marina laughed “you were supportive of us when we found out about the twins and helped us with the press and your father’s rage”

“Yes, like dad would be happy about you doing this…” George scoffed

“What? The idea of me marrying someone who is going to be Queen of a country. It’d probably be the only thing in my life i’d have done he would have approved of… thinking i could seize control for the family or something… but even if he didn’t approve, it’d have been something i’d have wanted to do even more to get away from him” Phillip said shaking his head.

“Point taken…” George said before looking between his brother and his wife and heaving a deep sigh “fine, I shall continue to be supportive of this stupid endeavour and I shall be the first to either congratulate you on becoming Prince Consort, or to say “I told you so” when it goes tits up” he grinned

Marina swiped at her husband who ducked it and laughed “i promise, i’ll be on my best behaviour, I just want Phil to be happy and if being married to the Queen of Penwood will do that… then I shall be the supportive big brother”

“Thank you, that is all I ask…” Phillip said, walking over to the drinks cabinet to pour himself a drink

“And maybe keep him away from Eloise” Marina whispered into her husband's ear who nodded glumly.

They knew there was no changing Phillip’s mind when he’d set it to something that it would take a lot to change it…

He’d been adamant that when Marina and George found out she was pregnant, that to avoid the scandal of the unplanned pregnancy, the unwanted attention in the press and their father’s fury, he had offered to say he was the father and take the brunt of everything from their father…

But given the news of Marina falling pregnant by one of his son’s out of wedlock, had caused their father to have a heart attack… that lie hadn’t been required but for George, as much as he liked the Queen to be and knew that on paper this was a good match and that his brother and Sophie were friends and very similar in personality, he couldn’t help but feel that this was not the end of the matter and that the saga with the wedding was just starting…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Over at the houses of parliament, Edmund Bridgerton was pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked over the documents finalising the plans Andrew and Roger had sent over for the new orphanage to be built as per the Princess’ request.

It had been a morning of putting out fires and dealing with the broken heart of his 24 year old son.

Benedict had come back from the palace and his sneaky yet innocent night with the Princess completely broken.

He had never seen him like this before and he had no idea what to do about it. The rules were the rules. They had been set well over 200 years ago by men who didn’t think that a woman should rule period, let alone on her own and therefore they forced through ridiculous rules.

Some of them they’d managed to abolish over the years but the marriage law… that was something that they’d never seen to rectify and he had no idea if it was even possible for the Lords of the country to make such a decision as any decisions around the crown had to be set by the King or Queen.

The marriage law as it stood now had been passed in 1812 when the then King George only had legitimate daughter’s and wanted one of his bastard sons to rule instead and he’d made it as difficult as possible for his eldest daughter Sophia Charlotte, to take her rightful place as Queen once he passed away.

He’d forced through the rule that said in order for her to rule she had to marry and be over the age of 20, before she could assume the throne but also made it clear that whoever they were to marry, would not have any power over the throne, as he was sure it would have made her whole position less fanciful, why marry a Queen if you get no power… which all men married for, power and position and for 100’s of years… that law had been enforced.

Sophia had managed to outwit her father and married a simple Lord and went on to be one of the country's greatest ever rulers.

“It’s a stupid rule” Benedict had wailed so many times into his hands that Edmund was sure it was all he was going to think about when he slept that night. He knew his wife would be the better person to calm their second son down, she always had been but there had been some sort of drama with Eloise so he’d been left to deal with Benedict.

It broke his heart that there was nothing he could do, he personally didn’t have the power to change it, he couldn’t even make the motion to change the rule that could only come from the sovereign or sovereign to be, and then parliament could decide on whether or not to back the motion…

And given half of the men that sat on the benches of parliament, he wouldn’t put it past them to not pass it and being so close to the wedding now…

Edmund hated this. He hated that he hadn’t learned more earlier, when he first got to know their future Queen, he’d assumed that she’d have found a way out of it, or been happy but he’d not anticipated the connection that seemed to form almost instantly between his son and the Princess.

It had been even quicker than that of when he met Violet when he’d known by the end of the dance… he’d seen the Princess run into Benedict and stand on his toe and he’d seen the sparks fly…

And knew that they were in trouble.

“I know she’s the best thing for this country but it’s not fair… it’s not fair” he wept over and over in his hands, his eyes were red and swollen, as was his nose from the hysterics. It didn’t matter that he was a grown ass man of twenty four years old.

Benedict knew he would never find anyone that compared with Sophie and living in this country meant he was going to be forced to see her face every single day, it would be everywhere right down to the money he earned and spent.

Her life would be broadcast, he’d have to see her pregnant with another’s baby, on the arm of another.

Or he will have to leave the country, never to return, never to see his family unless they came to see him…

He wasn’t going to be strong enough to endure seeing the love of his life thriving in that capacity.

It took Edmund several hours to get his son to stop breaking his heart, to stop his son from the weight of he guilt he felt after the rumours had briefly flown that Sophie and Phillip were not to marry and it was being called off after the “incident” but they’d received communication from Anthony and Kate that the wedding was still to go ahead, which of course set off another round of tears in Benedict.

Eventually he managed to persuade his son to go home and not do anything drastic or dramatic. Edmund had an idea on how he could get the information to Sophie about it could be stopped, how it could be changed and challenged but it would be a risk.

If parliament didn’t back her… then everything could be a disaster.

[stenka-razin]

in 2023 I watched some movies

I was gonna catch up on all those best picture nominees from the last 5 years, but watched crap like Caligula 2 instead

The 1989 World Tour - Live (2015, dir. Jonas Åkerlund) Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022, dir. Rian Johnson) Flight 666 (2008, dir. Scot McFayden and Sam Dunn) Dracula (1931, dir. Todd Browning) Moonraker (1979, dir. Lewis Gilbert) The Pez Outlaw (2022, dir. Bryan Storkel and Amy Bandlien Storkel) Encino Man (1992, dir. Les Mayfield) Star Trek: Insurrection (1998, dir. Jonathan Frakes) Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood (2019, dir. Quentin Tarantino) Cleopatra (1963, dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz) The Alligator People (1959, dir. Roy Del Ruth) The Silence of the Lambs (1991, dir. Thomas Demme) Godzilla vs. Megalon (“ゴジラ対メガロ” 1973, dir. Jun Fukuda) Invasion of Astro-Monster (“怪獣大戦争” 1965, dir. Ishirō Honda) Breaking a Monster (2015, dir. Luke Meyer) Terror at Orgy Castle (1971, dir. Zoltan G. Spencer) Wake in Fright ("Outback" 1971, dir. Ted Kotcheff) m.A.A.d. (2014, dir. Khalil Joseph) Reservoir Dogs (1992, dir. Quentin Tarantino) Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002, dir. Steve Oedekerk) House (1977, dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, dir. Steven Spielberg) Dunkirk (2017, dir. Christopher Nolan) Final Destination (2000, dir. James Wong) Glitch: The Rise & Fall of HQ Trivia (2023, dir. Salima Koroma) Basic Instinct (1992, dir. Paul Verhoeven) Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985, dir. Tim Burton) Caligula 2: The Untold Story (“Caligola: La storia mai raccontata” 1982, dir. Joe D’Amato) La noche del terror ciego (1972, dir. Amando de Ossorio) Rocky IV (1985, dir. Sylvester Stallone) Saw IV (2007, dir. Darren Lynn Bousman) House of Wax (1953, dir. Andre DeToth) Thir13en Ghosts (2001, dir. Steve Beck) Kashchey the Immortal (“Кащей Бессмертный” 1944, dir. Aleksandr Rou) Ghost Ship (2002, dir. Steve Beck) The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971, dir. Piers Haggard) The Face of Fu Manchu (1965, dir. Don Sharp) The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966, dir. Don Sharp) The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967, dir. Jeremy Summers) The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968, dir. Jesús Franco) April Fool's Day (1986, dir. Fred Walton) It's Pat 1994, dir. Adam Bernstein) The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969, dir. Jesús Franco) Adam and Eve Meet the Cannibals ("Adam ed Eve, la prima storia d'amore" 1983, dir. Enzo Doria & Luigi Rosso) The Mountain of the Cannibal God (“La montagna del dio cannibale” 1978, dir. Sergio Martino) When Harry Met Sally… (1989, dir. Rob Reiner) Beetlejuice (1988, dir. Tim Burton) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir. Peter Jackson, Long as Shit Version) The Hobbit (1977, dir. Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, dir. Robert Wiene) The Wicker Man (1973, dir. Robin Hardy) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, dir. Tobe Hooper) House of 1000 Corpses (2003, dir. Rob Zombie) Chopping Mall (1986, dir. Jim Wynorski) Basket Case (1982, dir. Frank Henenlotter) Cube (1997, dir. Vincenzo Natali) Cube 2: Hypercube (2002, dir. Andrzej Sekula) Practical Magic (1998, dir. Griffin Dunne) Tropic Thunder (2008, dir. Ben Stiller) Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015, dir. J.J. Abrams) Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017, dir. Rian Johnson) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019, dir. J.J. Abrams) Eyes Wide Shut (1999, dir. Stanley Kubrick) Superbad (2007, dir. Greg Mottola) Bruce Almighty (2003, dir. Tom Shadyac) House of Flying Daggers (“十面埋伏” 2004, dir. Zhang Yimou) Saltburn (2023, dir. Emerald Fennell) Grandma’s Boy (2006, dir. Nicholaus Goossen) Five Nights at Freddy's (2023, dir. Emma Tammi) Caligula and Messalina (“Caligula et Messaline” 1981, dir. Bruno Mattei) The Wizard of Oz (1939, dir. Victor Fleming, King Vidor, George Cukor, and Norman Taurog) A Christmas Prince (2017, dir. Alex Zamm) A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018, dir. John Schulz) The Knight Before Christmas (2019, dir. Monika Mitchell) Goldfinger (1964, dir. Guy Hamilton) Total Recall (1990, dir. Paul Verhoeven)

[stephensmithuk]

Garter and Silk

No, not the name of a pair of detectives with red hot chemistry solving murders, but two items somewhat relevant to this story.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Thornaby, K.G. is the holder of two very important titles in the UK. Right Honourable means he is a Privy Counsellor, a title given to high-ranking politicians and which gives them access to highly secret information. You retain membership for life unless you resign or do something really stupid.

But I'm going to talk more about a organisation with a somewhat silly name. K.G. stands for "Knight of the Garter", which means Thornaby is a member of the Order of the Garter. Covering England and Wales, this is the highest state honour you can get that does not involve the serious possiblity of dying getting it; the two above it being the Victoria and George Crosses. Scotland has the Order of the Thistle, just below it in precedence. Ireland had the Order of St Patrick; with no new member added since 1936 and the last surviving member dying in 1974, it is essentially defunct.

Tradition has it that the order was founded by Edward III in 1348, but records suggest it was actually slightly early. The most popular version of the name is that a woman at a dance in Calais had her garter fall down. As courtiers sniggered at the wardrobe malfunction, Edward picked up the garter, returned it and said "Honi soit qui mal y pense!", which is generally translated as "Shame on him who thinks evil of it". The story comes from the 1460s and may well have been conocted to explain why the order was named after what was then a feminine garment.

As you can see from the link, the blue belt has a prominent role in the royal coat of arms used outside of Scotland. The Scottish version has the Order of the Thistle's motto Nemo me impune lacessit or "No-one provokes me with impunity", which definitely sounds more stereotypically Scottish!

It also features in the simplified version of the arms used by the British government, featuring on all British passports.

Membership is limited to the monarch (of course currently Charles III), the Prince of Wales (Prince Williams) and 24 living members. There are also Royal Knights and Ladies, basically members of the Royal Family like Queen Camilla, the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Edward) or the Duke of Kent (the other Prince Edward). In addition, there are Stranger Knights and Ladies, covering a good proportion of Europe's monarchs, active or retired. Both the former and current Japanese Emperors are there; Hirohito was thrown out in 1941 for obvious reasons, but reinstated in 1971.

The latter two do not count towards the total.

The current membership gives you an idea of the sort of people who get this honour. For example:

Former Cabinet Secretary Lord Butler of Brockwell, also known for the Butler Inquiry into intelligence used to justify the Iraq War.

Sir John Major and Sir Tony Blair, former Prime Ministers.

Lord King of Lothbury, former Governor of the Bank of England.

Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Lord Stirrup, former Chief of the Defence. Or Jock Stirrup.

Lord Lloyd-Webber. Yes, the musicals guy.

The 7th Marquess of Salisbury, also a former Cabinet minister. Descended from the PM at the time of "Knees of the Gods" and all the way back to William Cecil, chief minister to Elizabeth I; the Cecil family have long been friends with the royals.

There are currently three vacancies.

Until 1946, appointments to the Order were made by the monarch on advice from the government... with all the potential for patronage that would involve. Edward VII threw a major tantrum in 1902-1903 over giving it to Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, the Shah of Iran, because the guy wasn't a Christian. An alternative design for the badge minus the Cross of St George was drawn up... and Bertie literally threw it out of the porthole of his yacht. He eventually had to back down though.

However, in 1946, Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, at the time Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition respectively, agreed that the honour would go back to the monarch. Elizabeth II would make them both Knights of the Garter.

****

So, onto the Silk part. "Kingsmill, Q.C." is a "Queen's Counsel", meaning he is a highly experienced lawyer appointed from the profession. You'd want one of these if you were up on a charge in the Old Bailey.

As a QC, he would have the right to wear a silk gown when in court, hence the nickname of "silks". At the time they were appointed by the monarch on advice from the government; since 2004 a selection panel makes the decision and it's a formality from there on in.

This story is set in 1893 when Queen Victoria was on the throne. When the reigning monarch is male, like at the moment, these people are known as King's Counsel or KC. The changeover is immediate; when Elizabeth II died in 2022, the head of the Bar Council signed off his tribute with "KC", causing some moderate confusion and necessitating a clarification on that matter:

The current Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer is a KC by virtue of having made a silk in 2002 as a barrister; he would later head the Crown Prosecution Service. His knighthood is the Order of the Bath. Others may make the jokes.

Sitting MPs who were barristers were made silks automatically until the 1990s; the top law officers of the government get the title as well. This is not necessarily a popular decision with other lawyers, especially if the person has little recent legal experience.

There was a BBC TV series that ran from 2011 to 2014 called Silk about a chamber of lawyers in London; including some QCs. The first season features Natalie Dormer before she joined the cast of Game of Thrones.

****

It is entirely possible to be a Silk Garter i.e. have both honours. There is currently one in fact - Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, former President of our Supreme Court.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Four More Years

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 22, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 23, 2024

With the passage of the national security supplemental bill through the House of Representatives on Saturday, Punchbowl News noted today, President Joe Biden became the winner of this Congress. When the Republicans took control of the House in January 2023, they vowed to impeach Biden and members of his Cabinet, overturn the signature legislation the Democrats had passed in 2021 and 2022, and force the Democrats to accept draconian  immigration policies. 

Instead, the impeachment effort against Biden collapsed into ridiculousness as, after months of hearings by the Committee on Oversight, Democrat Jared Moskowitz of Florida moved to impeach Biden and asked committee chair James Comer (R-KY) to second the motion. Comer refused. That admission that the point of the investigation into Biden was to create media soundbites against him was widely assumed to be the end of that project. Last week, on April 17, the top Democrat on the committee, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, called it “a propaganda experiment” and asked Comer: “What is the crime that you want to impeach Joe Biden for and keep this nonsense going?... Tell America right now.” Comer answered: “You’re about to find out very soon.”  

The House did, in fact, vote to impeach Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas—the first time that a cabinet secretary has been impeached in almost 150 years—but senators refused even to hold a trial, saying that Mayorkas’s implementation of Biden’s policies in the absence of congressional legislation to provide more security at the border was not a high crime or misdemeanor. 

House Republicans did not get the deep cuts they wanted to funding for the Internal Revenue Service, measures to address climate change, social welfare measures, or the budget in general. Instead, leaders have had to rely on Democrats to carry the weight of keeping the government funded, while Republicans have repeatedly been caught touting the internal improvements they voted against. Republicans demanded a strong border security measure, forced senators to spend months hammering one out, and then killed it in an astonishing own goal, at Trump’s demand. And the extremists did not succeed in abandoning Ukraine. 

Instead, they have had a bruising fight in which they threw out their own speaker, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and had trouble replacing him. Shortly thereafter, he left Congress, leading the way for more than 20 Republican representatives, including five committee chairs, who have said they will not seek reelection. They had to expel one of their own members, George Santos (R-NY), a serial liar who is under indictment for crimes associated with campaign financing—only the sixth time in U.S. history the House has expelled a member. 

In November 2023, extremist representative Chip Roy (R-TX) charged his colleagues with throwing away their shot at changing the country. He demanded one of them “explain to me one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done.” 

Now those opposed to the extremists are firing back, publicly charging them with killing border security. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) went further, telling Dana Bash of CNN on Sunday: “It’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags. Matt Gaetz [R-FL], he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties. Bob Good [R-VA] endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”

The chaos of the House has shifted the weight of governance toward the White House, and Biden has taken advantage of that shift to put in place measures popular with the majority of Americans. Today, on Earth Day, Biden also honored the idea of a government that works for the people when he spoke at the Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, a national park developed in the 1930s by the government’s Works Progress Administration under the New Deal.

Biden called attention to the country’s historic investment in addressing climate change under his administration. He noted that that investment has created a clean-energy manufacturing boom that has attracted hundreds of billions of dollars in private-sector investment and created more than 270,000 new jobs. 

In Virginia, Biden announced $7 billion in federal grants for solar projects for more than 900,000 low- and middle-income households, saying those projects would save those households about $400 a year annually, more than $350 million total. The projects will also create nearly 200,000 jobs. 

Biden also announced the launch of the website to apply to join the American Climate Corps (ACC), an initiative modeled after New Deal president Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Over its nine-year existence, the CCC employed more than three million young men improving the nation’s public lands, forests, and parks, many of whom earned their high school diplomas thanks to the educational opportunities connected to the program. 

When the administration unveiled the American Climate Corps program last year, more than 42,000 young people expressed interest within weeks. The first ACC jobs will start in June. Beginning this summer, ACC members will have access to training in trades, thanks to a partnership between the program and the North America’s Building Trades Unions’ nonprofit partner TradesFutures. 

This national shift toward a government focused on the good of ordinary Americans is facing a backlash.

As right-wing voices have lost control in Congress, they have worked aggressively to take over states. There, they have pushed extreme abortion bans, gutted labor laws including for child labor, restricted voting, banned books from public schools, worked to privatize education, and so on—precisely the sort of reactionary state movements the U.S. Supreme Court used the Fourteenth Amendment to undermine from the 1950s to the 1970s. 

Today, on Earth Day, The Guardian reported that Louisiana’s flagship state university, Louisiana State University (LSU), has permitted oil and chemical companies to influence research and teaching activities concerning climate change in exchange for donations to the university. 

The attempt to cement right-wing dominance in the states in opposition to a more liberal national government is a political tradition almost as old as this country, but in 2024 it is being challenged. On Friday, April 19, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), despite a letter from the Republican governors of six southern states—Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas—warning the workers that unionization would stop auto manufacturers from expanding in their states.

Similar votes, with similar opposition from Republican leaders and business interests, failed in 2014 and 2019. This time, 73% of the workers voted to join the UAW, which has just negotiated strong contracts with the Big Three U.S. automakers. In a statement, Biden said: “Let me be clear to the Republican governors that tried to undermine this vote: there is nothing to fear from American workers using their voice and their legal right to form a union if they so choose. In fact, the growing strength of unions over the last year has gone hand-in-hand with record small business and jobs growth alongside the longest stretch of low unemployment in more than 50 years. I will continue to stand with American workers and stand against [Republicans’] effort to weaken workers’ voice.”  

Tennessee reporter Phil Williams noted that the Beacon Center, a right-wing think tank in the state, tried to tell Tennesseans that the UAW has a “radical political agenda,” but its own latest poll shows that the people of Tennessee view the UAW’s unionization efforts in the state favorably. (The research also shows that only 12% of likely voters in Tennessee believe the current U.S. tax system is “fair and effectively supports public services.”) 

Today also saw the opening statements of The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump. The prosecution outlined a 2015 meeting in Trump Tower in which Trump, his then-fixer Michael Cohen, and David Pecker, the chief executive officer of American Media Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, struck an agreement to influence the 2016 election by finding negative information about Trump and hiding it, publishing flattering stories about Trump, and attacking Trump’s political opponents. 

The defense said Trump is innocent and called Cohen a liar, pointing out that he is a convicted felon (without noting that he committed crimes in Trump’s service). 

Pecker took the stand for about 20 minutes before court ended for the day. He is expected to testify again tomorrow. 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[dreamoonverse]

Unbreakable Vows 💚🐍✨🪄

Chapter 2: plague the dreams

Just imagine you weren’t supposed to fall for him…it was forbidden, after what the dark lord has did to your family…but yet someone seems to change that. Bucky is full of secrets but this one secret he can’t keep hidden forever and you will both pay a price to hide it…

Death eater Bucky x Witch! Reader

NFSW series 18+ no minors!

Mentions: Wet dream, cursing, sexual tension, some fluff 😘

Series master list

"Dreams are road signs along the nighttime highway of sleep," -Astrid Alauda

You step outside to the cold brisk air of the morning, another gloomy day you think to yourself. You mean the weather always matches your mood anyway. Always usually feeling empty, not really any fucks given. Your father would already be at work. You had a shop not far from the Weasley's joke shop. You made medicines, perfumes, facials, even certain potions for meditation. You excelled in school in potions. You could make any potion there was...of course you had a little cheat sheet. There was one beat up book no one wanted it had writing all over it and in the first page center at the bottom did it read “Property of the half-blood prince,” strange you did know or could through many searchings find who that was but it came in handy. Memorizing each spell you put it back in the cabinet where you felt it belonged and that the next person would know what to do.

Carrying on about your day tending to customers when needed nothing really too bad looks like it might rain. You stare out the window of the shop folding your arms letting yourself for a moment get lost in your thoughts. It seems like your always going back to the night before at the club. His breath against your neck, strong arms. Damn…it is ridiculous for you to be like this, you are not a crazy school girl. You shake your head letting the thoughts roll away.

*Screaming* You stop wiping the counter for a moment seeing some people run coming out the shop in the wet rain again. About 3 or 4 blocks down a shop on fire but you know that stop…that olivanders, the wandmaker’s shop. You don’t even have time to register before disapparting and apparting behind corner wall inching slowly ton peek over. “Take him back,” One orders under a sliver skull like mask. Death eaters, you know who they are, “The wands too, don’t let them get out of your reach,” He warns that voice low and husky sounds strangely familiar.

The other one rather more on the lean side just nods. Draco…you think, actually you know it’s him. Even with the mask…you know. You creep back leaning your head against the wall looking over at fred and george’s shop course they had to take a day off today. Before you know it they are gone with poor olivander, he is in his older days this isn’t right. You look around and proceed around to the shop pulling out your wand putting out the fire not much you could do to save it, there is only but so much magic can fix beside the raiding previously done. You really didn't like these dirty games they played…you knew why they were doing it and that this war had just begun. You walked inside the sound of leftover glass, wood whatever was underneath your sneakers crushing. The wands where all gone not one there… what really bothered you was why they were being taken if was raising an army how many were going to his side. The wand always chooses the wizard or witch. I could hear him say so humble…you and your robes walking in with your mother only 12 not knowing what was gonna happened.

You hear a cracking noise not your own stopping you in your tracks turning behind you. The same skull features for sure a ring leader for the group. “I don’t think you need to lurk anymore clearly the job is finished,” You swallow hard for a moment. They lift there wand making you take in a sharp breathe but they hold up their hand in surrender waving the wand over their face unveiling who is it is. “You gotta be shitting me…you really?!” you groan rolling your eyes should’ve known it was Bucky. The long hair almost down to his shoulders, staring at you with those icy blue eyes. He clenches his jaw some seems annoyed by your comment “Ya know maybe I should’ve just let everyone know five minutes ago you were snooping instead of helping I mean aren’t you suppose to be one of us,” He questions.

You folds your arms huffing a little “what my business is with the death eaters is not your concern I have my responsibilities and you have yours,” You go to exit past him before you feel a firm grip to your arm “You think it’s gonna be that easy?” He spins you around to face him holding your arms.

“I’m not entirely sure what you are referring to barnes…” you feel the tight grip it’s no use in trying to wiggle your way out you roll eyes some. “You better watch the attitude kitten and you know damn well what I’m talking about…” he scolds. “You think you can hide these secrets huh…the Weasleys you were at the other night…what did you tell ‘em?”

You freeze for a moment how does he know about that. You do everything to make sure that is confidential classified. “I don’t know what you are talking about…” you say trying to fib your way out then. He chuckles licking his bottom lip. “I will let it slide for now…but don’t think i won’t find out…besides you are coming with me Friday night…the dark lord gave us a job and I won’t take no for an answer.” His words are precise and cold.

“Fine, and Ya know you should try to be more loose then.” You tease the scent of fresh balsam hitting your nose. He leans in closer eyes trailing down your body and back at you. Your breathing becomes slightly uneven watching his eyes like he is thinking no not thinking like he is fantasizing. “Be there…” he states before black smoke forms around you and then he is gone leaving nothing but his scent for you. It makes you breathe out heavily like he takes the air out of you or weak…

———

As the night approached you found your way to the Weasleys. You never cared about the mansion you resided in. Despite the size and massive rooms. It feels so empty and cold. You liked the warmth and closed space Molly and Arthur’s house was. Yeah they struggled to make ends meet. You persistently offered what you had for them but they refused. Just ask that you always come over not just to deliver the news or information just to getaway and enjoy the company they offered to you. You couldn’t resist it. If anything you would rather live with them then stay with your father. He never was like that till your mother passed. It all changed after that.

Ginny and you were inseparable. You thought of her as a sister. She never judged you. You had a hard time coming down from the other side of you that frankly made you question if you were truly good or evil whatever the hell it meant.

“He has his followers gathering more troops…they even took Oliviander and all his wands.” You explain to everyone in the room.

“Apparently that is why professor Slughorn was hiding when Dumbledore and I visited him. They are recruiting or death I’m sure.” Harry adds. You and Harry also have a close bond. You know what it’s like to not know what side you're gonna get when you make decisions. And if it will hurt the people you love.

“Yeah the ministry is in a frenzy right now…we don’t know what else he has planned. I’m sure this is just the start,” Arthur rubs his head a little.

You all continue to talk for a bit before Molly shoves everyone in the kitchen to eat and worry about all the mess later. Conversation between Harry and them starting school again helps you take your mind off it some but you're too lost in your own thoughts to listen to everything.

George finds his way to you sitting outside on the balcony watching the moonlight. “Hey moony,” he half smiles, putting his arm around you while you rest your head on his shoulder. “Surprised you didn’t pop up next to me jerk,” you tease. “Mm element of surprise y/n…Just wanted to make sure you're okay. I know this whole thing can be overwhelming, don’t put so much pressure on yourself darling,” he says.

“I’m aware…but I have to, if I don’t do this right…everyone could get hurt,” you sigh. “Don’t do bloody sad shit with me, you know I don’t take it seriously…” he teases. You giggle a little while wrestling him a little. “Just tell that clunk of metal to stay away from you. I don't want you getting hurt, I have a weird feeling about him,” George scratches his head.

“George be nice…i can handle it,” you ease his mind getting up ruffling his hair heading to Ginny’s room for the night.

————

“Look at you babydoll….your doing so well for me like I said,” he taunts you squeezing your wrists your moans and whines can’t be contained. Him inside you feels so fucking good how he fills you up letting him be in control. “James I need to….please,” you cry out not sure how long you hold back from screaming his name needing to be released. “Beg better than that you little slut you wanna cum say what I want you to…what you call me like you're supposed to,” he growls feeling your walls clench around his throbbing cock. “Daddy please!” You whine. “Good girl now cum…make a mess,”

You open your eyes, breathing hard, sitting up scrunching the sheets. It's dark, only part of the moonlight creeping through Ginny still passed out in the twin bed across from you thank god. You rub your eyes why did you even dream that….but damn it felt so real and now you were frustrated groaning softly fuck you can’t be thinking of him like that. You hoped it was just a dream…

[mariacallous]

One of the regular refrains from Keir Starmer’s team during their wilderness years was that oppositions don’t win elections, governments lose them. So, there is an argument for the opposition to not rock the boat unless it really has to. Four months into this Labour government, some in the Tory party have started to think such tactics might work for them: sit quietly and hope Starmer self-destructs.

However, the election of Kemi Badenoch on Saturday changed that. MPs and members picked a leader who is not known for restraint. Instead, the Tory firebrand has won fans and critics in equal measure for her straight-talking approach that has seen her accused of being able to start a fight in an empty room.

Now installed as leader of the opposition, the hope is that Badenoch can pick the right fights to get the Conservative party back into power. That means causing problems for Starmer to the left of her and Nigel Farage on the right. “There will be no Ming vase strategy,” says a close supporter, ruling out a campaign run on caution. “It will be a ‘run fast and try to change things’ strategy. Kemi is a high-energy, high-risk, high-reward leader.”

In picking Badenoch, the Tories have ultimately decided that boldness is required. Sunday showed a sign of what is to come when Badenoch sat down with Laura Kuenssberg. The new Tory leader said she opposed Labour’s private school VAT crackdown, played down aspects of Partygate, and criticised Rachel Reeves for going on about being the first female chancellor. “It seemed to be a template of what’s going to be the next year: newsmaking, chaotic, engaging,” says a party source.

That approach has won over the membership – what about the party and public? While Badenoch had the highest number of MP backers in the final parliamentary round by one vote, it’s notable that no candidate managed much more than a third of MP support in the party. The last time that happened was 2001 – and it didn’t exactly end well for the victor, Iain Duncan Smith, who was forced out in a confidence vote two years later.

This time around, steps have been taken to minimise the chance of drama. The 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers has raised the threshold for the number of no-confidence letters required to trigger a confidence vote to a third of the parliamentary party. Yet Badenoch still needs to tread with caution. While most MPs are talking publicly about the need to unite, there is already discussion over whether she will make it to the election.

The former chancellor George Osborne has suggested that Rishi Sunak could enjoy a renaissance on the backbench and return to lead the party at the next election – although “George has said it so that means it won’t happen,” according to one Tory aide. Privately, MPs wonder whether James Cleverly – who was knocked out in the final MP round – could steal the crown in the future. His decision to stay on the backbenches rather than join Badenoch’s shadow cabinet will add to the sense that there is a prince across the water ready to move if things don’t go to plan.

Badenoch is under pressure to form a cabinet that represents the different parts of the party. Her first appointments have been chief whip – Rebecca Harris – and two loyal foot soldiers in Dominic Johnson and Nigel Huddleston as co-party chairs.

In the wider reshuffle, she has brought in two former leadership rivals – Mel Stride as shadow chancellor and Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary – following calls for her to reach out beyond her close cabal of fellow 2017 intake MPs.

Ahead of the reshuffle, an old hand said what she offered the other leadership contenders would be an indicator of her direction. So far she has ticked the rivals box but appointed those who pose the least threat.

The real key question was what to do with Robert Jenrick; there was little love between the two camps by the end of the process. Late on Monday it was reported that Jenrick is expected to be confirmed as shadow justice secretary. But behind the scenes there are already nerves as to how their working relationship will play out.

The next challenge is going to be on message. Already Labour is trying to force a political choice on Badenoch with regard to the budget. Asking if she rejects the employer national insurance rise, and if so, how would she give the NHS a £22bn injection? Or would she simply not? Labour aides are having a field day trawling through her past comments.

But when it comes to new policy, they could be left waiting. The new Tory leader wants to take time. This is one area where she is happy to learn from Starmer. His team were often criticised for failing to offer up policy – but it didn’t harm him in the long term. It means the early part of her leadership will be defined as much by her personality and philosophy. She has spoken of her admiration for Roger Scruton, the late philosopher, as well as Thomas Sowell, the US economist.

Her general diagnosis is that her party’s failures have been driven by timidness – a slow slide into managerialism, as the Tories have lost confidence in their principles. Badenoch’s antidote to this is to respond with authenticity, even if that means standing by views that challenge the status quo. It’s an approach that could win back disillusioned Tory voters, but it could also provide plenty of fodder for her critics.

Even her supporters are aware that it is a high-stakes gamble. “If she pulls it off it’s going to be fantastic,” says a member of the shadow cabinet. “But the risk is high.”

[norahmusic]

A Trip to Music in Films (1/4)

We watch films because we need to dream, learn and share with the others. And we like to do it in a dark room, full of strange people, looking at a bright big screen and at a volume you cannot even hear your own thoughts, but never mind, we like to share emotions with the screen and the rest of these unknown humans seated in that movie theatre room while watching a film of our choice luckily. This type of environment creates a singular atmosphere of intimacy between the spectator and the story is being showed that causes a real connection, that is probably why we don´t mind to share that moment with people we don´t really know. Cinema enlarges life and it represents it to us in an audio visual production narrative format. But what lay behind this media product causes a catharsis between the spectator and the story, has to do with the ritual of tragedy, comedy or satyr classic Greek theatre brought us (1), (2) several centuries ago. Theatre was born over 2.500 years ago as a form of entertainment for society in the classical Athens in the 5th century BC (3).

As spectators, there is an emphatic resonance with what we see and listen to in films, becoming a part of that reality for a while; movies allow us to feel intense emotions without having to endure the events ourselves. We can also be any character we want without making more effort than getting ourselves to the theatre, sit and watch. Films help us learn about us, our environment, our history or the way others solve their issues in life. Films help us to encourage as spectators, to recognise ourselves in characters so that we can perform change. We will always resemble with one of the characters, because that is why we are choosing to watch that movie and not any another. They can drive social changes, giving visibility to what or whoever needs it, just like music does (4).

Now think about silent films (5). The first silent films started to see the light slightly before 1878, made by nouvelle filmmakers, photographers, researchers and writers like Georges Mèlies, the Lumiere Brothers (7), Edward James Muggeridge (6), Lewis Carroll or Charles Chaplin (9) among others, leaving us many jewels in the shape of films. The first featured length film (original 70’ running time) that had a story was “The Story of the Kelly Gang”, on 1906 by Charles Tait(8).

At the very first of film making, beginning of the 20th Century, films were often accompanied by a live music orchestra, bright piano or a quartet that enhanced scenes using music to convey a better understanding of the plot, the exposition and resolution of the film, as the film was going by. Technical development and honing on kinetoscope, phonograph and chronograph resulted on the Phono-Cinématographe (Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre System (5)) and it made possible to incorporate sound on films. Sound was included in films after 1926 with the production of films like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” 1920 (10), “Nosferatu” 1922 (10), “Battleship Potemkim 1925 (10), “The Adventures of Prince Achmed”, 1926 (10), “Metropolis”1927 (10),“Don Juan, 1926 or “The Jazz Singer” in 1927 (10). This technical event resulted in new skilled positions in the filming industry for producers, directors, actors, music composers, musicians and technicians. The development of computing sciences and computer components throughout the 20th century and early 21st century, made possible the digital era in which we are, leading the electronic age of music and turning it into the digital film music, letting us enjoy films today with high digital effects and high quality sound we never could have dreamed of a century ago (11).

In the 1930s filmmakers started to figure out music as an emotional component and started to use music to support the film´s plot and character actions. Music became almost essential to set the mood, genre and to enhance characters in the film´s story. The first score composed for a film was “Birth of a Nation” (12) and it was created with classical works rather than diegetic sound like in “The Jazz Singer” or “Casablanca” (12). The first original soundtrack composed for a film was Max Steiner´s King Kong in 1933 (12).

In late 1930s and the decade of 1940s, filmmakers discovered the power of jazz in their films. Jazz (white jazz) became indispensable when it came to depict moments of fun and celebration in films. Over time, a more purist form of jazz (black jazz) with trumpets and saxophones was incorporated into films. Orchestras kept performing film scores on almost every film music genre as in “Fantasia” 1940 (12), “The Third Man” 1949 (12) or in “Duel in the Sun” 1949 (12) scores.

Symphonic scoring made a huge comeback in the 1950s thanks to Spaghetti Westerns (“Winchester ’73” 1950 (12), “The Searchers” 1956 (12), “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” 1957 (12), “3:10 to Yuma” 1957 (12), “River of no Return” 1954 (12)) where twangy guitars, spanish trumpets were performed to accompany horse chases and gun battles. Orchestras also performed in many other film genres by that time (“A Streetcar Named Desire´s” 1951 (12), “La Strada” 1954 (12), “The King and I” in 1956 (12), “The Bridge on the River Kwai” 1957 (12)).

The 60s was the decade of unsettling music. Sci-fi and suspense films emerged strongly. Unusual sounds arouse to create different atmospheres in films (“James Bond Dr. No” 1962 (13), the “Pink Panther” 1963 (13), “Onibaba” 1964 (13), “The Jungle Book” 1967 (13) or  ”Z” 1968). Musicals came back shyly in this decade (“West Side Story” 1961 (13), “Une femme est une femme” in 1961 (13)). Another flavour of animated musical film was left in “Yellow Submarine” 1968 (13). “The Graduate”1963, “Alfie”1963 (13) and many other films made within the 60s incorporated pop music of that time in their soundtracks also known as needle drops. In this decade avant-garde music could be heard in films such as “Woman in the Dunes” (13). Spaghetti Western film compositions continued throughout the decade of the 60s (“The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” 1966 (13)).  Military march maintained its legacy in late 1960s as we can listen to in “Battle of Britain’s” Goodwin and Walton´s score (13), “War and Peace”1967 score (13), “The Shop on Main Street” 1965 (13) or “The Ipcress File” 1965 (13).

Experimentalism kept growing in the 70s though classical scoring giving characters and their relationships more emotional complexity in epic crime scores like “The Godfather” 1972 (14) or in crime action thrillers like “SHAFT” (14). In the late 70’s Orchestra Composition was recovered for “Star Wars”1977 (14), “Allegro Non Troppo” 1976, “Heavy Traffic” 1973(14), “Life of Brian” 1979 (14) . Synthetisers and computer generated music took the lead in the late 1970s and early 1980’s on the majority of film scores leaving us soundtracks like “Chariots of Fire” 1981 (14) or “Halloween” 1978 (14) or “Dersu Uzala” 1975 (14). The decade of the 1970s was defined by more complex orchestra and jazz compositions, disco film music (“Saturday Night Fever”1977 (14)) and reggae film music (“The Harder They Come” 1972 (14)) as an evolution of 40 years of rock, folk-rock, jazz, quartets and orchestra’s compositions in films. These changes in film music transmitted to fantastic and war films (“Die Blechtrommel” (The Thin Drum) 1979 (14), “Tora! Tora! Tora! ”1970 (14), “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” 1972). Musicals felt out of favour in this decade.

In the the 1980s computer generated music experimented (17) a huge expansion, software libraries of sound appeared thanks to the creation of MIDI protocol. Classic music, vintage and modern pop (synth-pop) songs took the handover on many film soundtracks during this decade, like in “Blue Velvet” (15) or “The Secret of Nimh”1982 (15) or “Tootsie” 1982 (15). Disco evolved into modern dance music, hip hop consolidated and rock evolved into other flavours like glam rock. Historic moments got depicted in films like “Mephisto”1981, “Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire)” 1987 (15), “Babette’s Feast” 1987 or “Pelle the Conequeror”1987. Animated film music let us foresee the changes of this decade in films like “Akira” 1988 (15), “The Snowman” 1982 (15) or “Transformers” 1986 (15). Dancing movies arouse strongly on the 80s like “Flashdance”, 1983 (15), “Foot Loose” 1984 (15), “The Breakfast Club” 1985 (15), “Breakin’” 1984 (15) or “The Blues Brothers”1980 (15).

More reflections of the contemporary and social moments that went through in this decade can be heard in “Cinema Paradiso” 1988 (16), Scarface” 1983 (16) or “Come and see” 1985 (16). Classical Baroque music can be found on “Fanny and Alexander´s”1982 soundtrack (16). Hybrid music orchestra, computer made music (sampling scores), avant-garde music and modern pop in their soundtracks is what can be noticed in almost every genre in the 80s film music, since this decade was the one in which major technological and experimental innovation and improved digital recording decade (“The Neverending Story” 1984 (16), “My neighbour Totoro” 1988). The decade of the 1980s has revealed as the beginning of several film music series that lead to a rise of the soundtrack albums. These productions have lasted to the 2010s and 2020s in some cases (“Crocodile Dundee” 1986 (16), “Back to the Future” 1985 (16), “Aliens” 1986, “The Terminator” 1984, “Top Gun”, 1986, “Indiana Jones” 1981, “Die Hard” 1988, “Ghostbusters” 1984).

In the 1990s many technical advances boosted an improve on devices and software storage, data compression and many other technological features that made recording, sampling and music libraries better in music software. This advances also created new positions within the film music industry such electronic musicians and producers. Electronic music started to take off in this decade and film music introduced those in many score themes and soundtracks. But in the early 90s a taste for the old style sound, big band and disco genres with an anachronistic use of those songs arouse on film scores also “Ghost” Unchained Melody 1990 (18), “Pulp Fiction” 1994 (18), “Trainspotting” 1996 (18), “Belle Époque” 1992, “Indochine” 1992 (18), “Forrest Gump” 1994 (18), “Life is Beautiful” 1997 (18), “All About My Mother” 1999(18), “Muriel´s Wedding” 1994 (18), “The adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Dessert” 1994 (18), “Wild Wild West” 1999 (18), “Men in Black” 1997 (18) or “The Cider House Rules” 1999 (18). Pop rock culture was brought to the screen as well through titles like “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” 1991. R&B and Soul music took a more relevant place in films like “The bodyguard” 1992 (18) or “Not Gon’ cry” 1997 “Waiting to Exhale”1995 (18) just like hip-hop style lived a big raise in film music in this decade as in “How to Survive in South Central” in “Boyz n the Hood”1991 (18) or “Fight the Power” anthem in “Do the Right Thing” 1989. More classical and ad hoc compositions with sparks and flashes of epic, magic and scary effects can be found on films like “Only Yesterday” 1991 (18), “The Lion King” 1994 (18), “The Nightmare before Christmas” 1993 (18), “Kolya” 1996 (18) or “Karacter” 1997. The Marvel Phenomenon started with comic series back in 1972, and suffered many changes until this “comic-styled” films turned reality in 1994 with “Fantastic Four” 1994 (18). This film series is still bringing to the screen impossible dreams and super-powered characters nowadays.

In the 2000s dedicated software samplers boasted with new features on samplers like battery and drums improved notably. Development of studio recording kept improving (pitch correction, auto-tune features) within this decade. Improvements on larger storage room and better data compressing in sampling devices gave electronic music the opportunity to gain quality and save budget on film music’s projects. The spread of Internet-mediated music sharing and digital downloads transformed the music industry. This availability inspired a new generation of musicians, who would go on to make their own marks. The way music was distributed and consumed was the result of the then emerging fourth technological revolution in which we are. The introductions of iPod and other mp3 players, digital stores and streaming services had a huge impact on music distribution. Music television shifted to focus on reality shows, shaping music trends and opportunities to artists. Internet music platforms boosted popularity thanks to the easiness in reaching artists. Indi bands pushed boundaries on this genre with inventive sounds. Hip hop, R&B, pop, emo-pop and Indi genres offered an emotional diversity in their music easing introspective and more eclectic moods for listeners. Synthpop, electropop, electrohouse, trance, chillout, indietronica, J-pop, K-pop,  genres became popular and left an impression on score suites (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” 2000 (20), “No Man´s Land” 2001 (20), “The Devils Backbone” 2001 (20), “Gladiator” 2001 (20), “Der Tunnel” 2001, “City of God” 2002 (20), “Goodbye Lennin” 2003 (20), “Lord of the Rings” 2001-2003 (20), “The Barbarian Invasions 2003”, “Shaun of the dead” 2004 (20), ”The Sea Inside” 2004 (20), “The Pianist” 2004 (20), “Wolf Creek” 2005 (20), “Tsotsi” 2005 (20), “Letters from Iwo Jima” 2006 (20),  “Letters of Others” 2006,  “Persepolis” 2007 (20), ” The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas”2008 (20), “Slumdog Millionaire” 2008 (20), “Departures” 2008 (20), “Red Cliff” 2008 (20), “The Secret in Their Eyes” 2009 (20), “Coraline” 2009 (20), “Inglorious Bastards” 2009 (20))  . Nu-metal bands, House DJs, snap music and rap lived a global influence in experimenting and merging styles thanks to connectivity, creating many new musical movements that lasted beyond this decade (19).

In the decade of the 2010s hybrid scoring technique increases notably in sound score production, combining real musicians, synthesised sound effects (“Inception” 2010 (21), “Robin Hood” 2010 (21), “Automata” 2014 (21), “Train to Busan” 2016 (21) ). We find synth and distorted dark electric guitars to recreate a crime western in “The Duel” 2016 (21) and synth dark chords to introduce us into a battle war atmosphere in “Dunkirk” 2017 (21).  Percussion samples and more needle drops in the shape of soul songs from the past are brought to the screen in film series and score compositions such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” 2011 or “The Dark Knight Rises” 2012 (21). More emo-classic tones with synth and new ambient effects can be listened in score themes and soundtracks like “A separation” 2011 (21), “Ernest & Celestine” 2012 (21), “Parasite” 2019 (21), “Song of the Sea” 2014 (21), “The Handmaiden” 2016 (21), “A Fantastic Woman” 2017, “Den 12 Mann (The 12th Man)” 2017, “Roma” 2018  (21), “White Snake: The Origin” 2019 (21) or “Pain and Glory” 2019 (21). The decade of the 2010s is characterised by globalization, social sharing and setting music as a worldwide language since a person from one country could follow in streaming a broadcast on the other side of the world and share it. Music platforms multiplied and improved notably and the consumption of music varied in between paying per song on a digital music marketplace or subscribing on a platform. Implications for music industry were huge since listeners could access many new and varied types of music than ever; and this actual speed music propagation benefited the filming industry too in a way. Rhythm and Blues, Hip Hop, Pop and Latin Music and K-pop have globalised and reached every corner of the world in this decade. The music-making process has amplified the power to reach anyone thanks to cheap recording devices and online compositional tools allowing emerging groups and artists to start faster and cheaper in the music industry and serving as pipeline for songwriters, singers and other artists to create collaborations in new ways and with a blending of genres never seen before. Artificial Intelligence improves listeners’ experience in music platforms offering a more personalized experience (recommended songs, offering shared playlists and finding new international artists). In the 2010s there is a rise of boy and girl bands that continues in the next decade.

2020s. Today the way to compose has evolved and experimenting with new sounds, manipulating recorded sounds, the employ of unconventional instruments to create unique scores in electronic compositions (“The Portable Door” 2023(22), “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” 2022 (22), “There is something in the Barn” 2023 (22)) that enrich the film´s emotional depth (electronic music and avant-garde music transports us to a crude and terrifying war world war I on “All quiet on the western front” 2022 (22), and a nostalgic trip on “Another Round” 2020 (22)). The pandemic in 2020 boosted a new de-centralized and virtualized way to collaborate and produce music since lockdowns occurred in almost every big city. Thanks to how evolved social media and music platforms were at the moment of lockdowns, we were able to re-connect and share easier. Trap music boosted, hip hop, have shifted towards plug, rap, reggaeton or jersey club styles did too. Synth-pop merged with pop-rock, emo-pop and cyberpunk ((“Land of Bad” 2024(22), “Reminiscence” 2021 (22), “The Mitchels vs. The Machines 2021” (22), videogame inspired music (“Guns Akimbo” 2020 (22), “Mutant Ghost War Girl”, 2022 (22)), gothic folk-pop, indie pop, hyper pop, nu-disco, pop-punk, emo-pop, house, indie rock, drill music and afro beats elevated the number of listeners considerably on mainstream media music affecting film music as well. Nostalgic feeling that persists after the pandemic has raised the demand of old songs, and so are acoustic, electric guitars, drum kits and hybrid electronic keyboards and orchestra sound (“Napoleon” 2023 (22), “Journey to Bethlehem” 2023 (22)). Electronic music and film soundtracks have experienced a return into the 60s and classics chords (“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” 2021 (22),  ”Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” 2023, (22)), the 70s, 80s and 90s and jazz music (“Drive my Car” 2021 (22)) due to a reconnection with our roots after Covid-19 but, this time, with a merge of styles (“Guardians of the Galaxy” 2023 (22) ,“The Zone of interest”, 2023 (22) , “Nomadland” 2020 (22) , “Poker Face”  2022 (22)) . In the 2020s for both, listeners and creators, the music industry keeps growing and recognizing talent regardless status, gender, sexuality, race or ethnic region and this reflex can be noticed on every score suite.

Film music acts as an emotional catalyst, making us feeling joy, fear, sorrow, tension while following the narrative shown on the story we´re watching. The narrative language in which film music becomes, makes our brains take an emotional journey, evoking memories, good and bad things we have gone through in our lives so that we don´t forget what the point still is, because there is always a point, and making us connect with our own feelings. Film Music helps us to live in a healthier way and escape of everyday tensions and monotony at the reach of our remote control.

The 4th technological revolution enhanced by technological advances and connectivity have modified the way we produce and consume forever. Filtering and selecting contents have become essential in this decade. Films and Music are our legacy to future generations and a tribute to past ones that left effort, energy, investment and tons of work in film and music making, so that we can have a film or a serial on our favourite digital platform nowadays.

Films and music are about sharing our culture, lifestyles and way of life in a more than a globalized and over-connected world, learn off what we see it´s still a personal choice. And this should serve us to improve our lives instead of dividing us. Take advantage of what we have, and take care of one another instead of destroying what we have will be always a personal choice. Huge teams of people work on filming and music industry productions because we all need to have dreams (and nightmares too...) and, that´s what life is about, balancing constantly, otherwise your road could be much more “interesting” than you expected.

Thanks for smiling. Enjoy The Road!

References in #atriptomusicinfilms2, #atriptomusicinfilms3 and #atriptomusicinfilms4.

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

March 26, 2024

THE PRINCESS AND THE PICTURE —OH MY

Oh gawd! Did you hear the news, Princess Kate doctored a picture of herself with her children. It's a scandal, a real royal scandal. Touching up a photo — what is the world coming to. There must be something big going on behind the scenes. Kate disappeared for a while after announcing she would undergo abdominal surgery. Soon the tabloids and the web were alive with rumors. Where is she really. Something must be going on. Then boom — on Mother's Day Buckingham Palace released a picture of the smiling princess and her cute children. See, nothing is amiss, nothing up their sleeve, no mysterious slight of hand. But wait, look, there's something wrong with that photo. Princess Charlotte's has two left hands; Prince Louis' sweater pattern spells, “Satan”; the zipper on Kate's jacket is upside down. What's going on here. Is Prince William having an affair. Is Kate having an affair. Is King Charles actually dead. Wait, hold on. Breaking News: The Royals just had a press conference. Princess Kate announced she's being treated for abdominal cancer. Is that all? Not much fodder for a good conspiracy. And, of course, now we have to feel sorry for the Royals. No fun. But stay tuned — Harry and Meghan should have something earth shattering next week. Bet on it.

CUT MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY FOR A HEALTHIER AMERICA

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Republicans just can't help themselves: They just have to go after the two most popular social programs in the country, like monkeys who can't get their hands out of the cookie jar. They want to raise the age of eligibility for Social Security to 69 and turn Medicare into some kind of “Advantage” plan that would cost seniors a lot more. This, they say, will make for a healthier country. It's déjà vu all over again. Remember when the Tea Party sought to shrink government and then freaked out when George W. Bush wanted to put individual Social Security accounts in the stock market. “Don't touch my Social Security,” they shrieked. Not long after that the market crashed. Mmm, that stuff is better forgotten, just like other brilliant moves by W, like invading Iraq because... well, there weren't any good targets in Afghanistan and the “chickenhawks” wanted to blow stuff up. The same Republican Study Committee that wants to sabotage Social Security and Medicare seeks to make permanent Trump's huge tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy — totaling $5 trillion over 10 years. Social Security and Medicare will break us! And by the way, let's trim the IRS to cut audits. As Leona Helmsley said: “Only little people pay taxes.”

TRUMP LIKES MIKE LEE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL

Hey Wilson, word has it that when he is president again Donald Trump is considering Utah's very own Mike Lee for Attorney General. And who better. Lee is a Constitutional expert — no really, he says so all the time. There is one weird thing, though. Trump has said he wants to do away with the Constitution. If that were the case then Lee would be an expert of nothing. But we digress. Lee actually does qualify for a seat in Trump's cabinet because he did his darnedest to get alternative electors for Trump's scheme to stay in the White House after he lost the election. Trump owes him one. But more important, Lee compared him to Captain Moroni, a hero in The Book of Mormon. That's pretty cool — it's like a normal statesman comparing someone to FDR or Reagan. No Wilson, we're not exactly sure why Lee compared Trump to Captain Moroni. According to Mormon gospels, Moroni "did not delight in the shedding of blood." Dead ringer for Trump — well, not exactly. “Bloodbath,” anyone? But still, ass kissing is ass kissing and Trump loves his kissed — it's a prerequisite for his A.G. If Mike Lee were the A.G. instead of Bill Barr in December, 2020, maybe Trump would be president right now and running for his third term. Of course there's that turncoat Mike Pence, but that's another matter.

Post script — That's a wrap for another lovely week here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of “legitimate political discourse” so you don't have to. That's what Ronna McDaniel called the Jan. 6 insurrection. Five Alarm Fire: She just joined NBC News as a paid commentator after being pushed out of her chairmanship role at The Republican National Committee, aka The Cult of Donald Trump, where she took an active role in trying to up-end electors in the 2020 election and then echoed Trump's lies after he lost. Staffers at NBC News are spitting mad — who let the skunk in. Meanwhile, Trump is on the campaign trail saying the Jan. 6 treasonous rioters are heroes who are held hostage by the feds. When he is elected president again, he will pardon them. It's little wonder congressional Republicans don't want to fund Ukraine for the ongoing war with Russia. They're betting that like 2016, Russia will interfere with the election, so they don't want to piss off Putin. If you'd like to escape all the political madness with a trek up Mount Everest be careful. A Welsh woman in route to base camp was gored by a yak when she got close to the beast while showing friends on FaceTime. The lesson: Don't get near beasts with sharp horns, especially if they're wearing MAGA hats.

Well Wilson, Easter is coming up and it's time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The guys in the band probably don't know this but Easter falls on the Sunday after the full moon following March 21. So maybe you and the guys can rustle up a tune in celebration of he who preached love and understanding. We could use some now:

[Judas:] Every time I look at you, I don't understand Why you let the things you did get so out of hand You'd have managed better if you'd had it planned Why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land? If you'd come today, you would have reached a whole nation Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication Don't you get me wrong - I only wanna know [Choir:] Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ Who are you? What have you sacrificed? Jesus Christ, Superstar Do you think you're what they say you are? [Judas:] Tell me what you think about your friends at the top Who'd you think, besides yourself, was the pick of the crop? Buddha, was he where it's at? Is he where you are? Could Mohamed move a mountain, or was that just PR? Did you mean to die like that? Was that a mistake, or Did you know your messy death would be a record-breaker? Don't you get me wrong - I only wanna know [Choir:] Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ Who are you? What have you sacrificed? Jesus Christ, Superstar Do you think you're what they say you are? (Jesus Christ Superstar — Andrew Lloyd Webber)

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Premier David Eby says B.C.'s forest industry is facing a "reckoning" following last week's announcement that 300 jobs will be lost at a Prince George pulp and paper mill.

Eby is in the city to deliver remarks at the Natural Resources Forum, an annual gathering of industry and political leaders. He is expected to announce support for forestry workers and communities at 1:45 p.m. PT. CBC will show the announcement live.

While at the forum, Eby will meet with workers and answer questions from people directly impacted by the downturn in the forest industry.

In an interview on CBC Daybreak North Monday, the premier addressed remarks made by union representative Chuck LeBlanc blaming the cuts in part on the provincial government's decision to temporarily defer logging in about one million hectares of a forest until it comes up with an old-growth management plan.

Eby countered by saying the deferrals are just a small part of two decades of challenges. These include massive forest fires and the rise of the mountain pine beetle in the late 1990s.

Eby said his goal is to develop a long-term plan that recognizes the challenges facing the industry and the communities that rely on the jobs it creates. Old growth protection, pine beetles and forest fires aren't the only culprits being blamed for the industry's downturn. Companies, conservation groups and politicians share their narratives about why jobs are essential.

In his remarks, LeBlanc also said raw logs are an issue as manufacturing jobs are shipped elsewhere rather than staying in-province.

Meanwhile, Michelle Connolly, director of the Prince George-based advocacy group Conservation North, said the real issue is 40 years of industry consolidation, allowing a handful of multinational corporations like Canfor to take control of most of B.C.'s timber supply, reducing jobs and community accountability in the process.

Connolly pointed out there have been no old-growth deferrals in the Prince George region from which Canfor would supply its pulp and sawmills.

She said it was also disingenuous for companies and governments to point to pine beetles and wildfires for job losses. This is because their impacts could and have been predicted for decades.

Adam Olsen of the B.C. Green Party echoed that sentiment, saying that industry and the province have been focused on maximizing short-term profits rather than long-term ecosystem management and more secure, community-based jobs.

Mo Sihota, a former NDP cabinet minister and a current lobbyist whose clients include pulp and paper manufacturer Paper Excellence agreed to an extent, saying he was disappointed the company wasn't taking a "home team discount" to try to preserve jobs in B.C. while seeking new markets for its paper products.

But he said it was too simple to blame corporate greed for the problems, pointing out demand for B.C. forest products has declined, making it difficult to operate.

Instead, she argued the cost of doing business in B.C. is too high, pointing out that other companies have been making cuts in recent months.

In Prince George Tuesday, a rally organized by conservation and labour groups is planned outside the Natural Resources Forum while Eby is speaking inside.

Among the demands is more community control over forests, something Eby said "resonates with me." Asked if he was worried taking away from corporations might lead to pushback, Eby acknowledged the tension between industry leaders and the province.