#Mere Sai 29th September

[gvenevera]

Kuroshitsuji Musical ~ 寄宿学校の秘密 (Secrets of the Boarding School) 2024 ~ VERA’S REVIEW!

Yes you read that right! I’ve had the most fateful chance to watch the very first performance of the newest Kuromyu in Hyogo last Saturday, so I figured I’ll eternalize some of my best memories here.

Before we begin: the LIVE STREAMING is available for the LAST PERFORMANCE, September 29th 2024, HERE! For only 3800 yen, you’ll get to watch it live at home, or watch it later for up to 1 week (October 6th)! Apparently you need a Japanese VPN though, if anyone knows how to navigate the site, please do share.

A few disclaimers from me:

*Anti-shippers DNI. This post barely has any shipping content at all but I don’t like people who harass others over fictional preferences. I’m a shipper, I can’t help being biased for my OTPs.

**Since photos were prohibited in the venue, I’ve included stage pictures featured in official news websites or accounts.

***This is by no means a critical review but merely a fangirl’s ramblings, and I often drew comparisons to the original stage play Kuroshitsuji Musical: Secrets of the Boarding School (2021). For reference, I suggest you watch it first! I intentionally avoided rewatching the 2021 version close to the airing date though, so my memories may not be accurate. Also my Japanese is mediocre so I apologize if there were important dialogues I didn’t catch.

Introduction

I know, sorry for the dilly-dally intro. But I’d like to first stress that ever since I started following Kuroshitsuji in my first year of university (like 9 years ago now lmao), I’ve ALWAYS dreamed to watch the stage musical live in person. When 2024’s performance was announced immediately after the last episode of the anime, I was overjoyed to see that our old cast was coming back.

And it was fate that gave me the opportunity - my scheduled work program this year was set to be in Kyoto AND during September! Needless to say, I had the Kuromyu ticket bought and reserved first, before my confirmation with the Kyoto office or my visa and plane ticket. Priorities, right?

Quick remark on the ticket process: I hit a snag right in the beginning because the ticket reservation website Eplus required a Japanese phone number to sign up. I contacted multiple people (middle school friend whose brother used to work in Japan, another who was quarter-Japanese, several dealer websites with high rate exchanges), until I settled on my roommate’s friend from high school who was currently working there. Many thanks to her and my roommate for the help!

She took care of registration for me - even so the advance sales was a LOTTERY ticket! We fortunately got the lucky draw - I saw many Japanese fans on X who were not so lucky, while others bought in bulk to sell later. Then, I used the online barcode to exchange for a paper ticket when I arrived in Japan on September 1st. That’s when I get to know my seat number - 3rd floor, 2nd row B. A very far position from the stage, but it’s alright because we’re here for the atmosphere anyway!

The performances for the first 2 days were set in Hyogo Performing Arts Center, KOBELCO grand hall. I’ve honestly never been to any kind of music performance (or even concerts) in my life, so I was blown away by the sheer size of the venue.

By 10 AM, the audience was trickling in. I was in awe of the fact that you can tell who was coming in to watch kuromyu - beautiful women dressed in black-and-white tones, many even sporting gothic lolita bows and dresses to keep up with the Victorian England theme. In fact, it felt like the whole of Ikebukuro were gathered here in this very building!

We were ushered into the hall entrance at 11 AM and let me tell you, the crowd was suffocating! In front of the theater, there was a goods section for Kuromyu merch. I’m so glad I took the time to queue up because it seems some of the merch were starting to sell out by the second day. The booth clerk looked perplex to see a non-Japanese customer here though. Here’s how the line looked like, and this was still early before most of the audiences got in:

(We’re not supposed to take any photos but I saw the warning signs too late…Here’s a view from where I was sitting on the third floor.)

I realized then as we were settling in that some ladies around me had binoculars!! Well how was I supposed to know you could bring those here, instead of trying to find those fancy opera glasses!?! Ah well, I was lucky that I’d recently had my prescription glasses updated and the seat to my left was vacant, so I could lean in to see the center better.

The Performance

While it is true that you can barely see the actors’ faces from the balcony seats, it was the grandness of the performance itself that blew me away. For the first time I could see the stage in all its entirety, all the actors dancing in synchronization, and the special effects…oh it had improved A LOT from 3 years prior!

The stage sets for Weston may look a tad “crowded” in the still photo, as compared to the original where they used white backgrounds but in reality, it blended in so prettily with the flashing stage lights. The middle section was a rotating floor and one of my memorable scenes was where Ciel and Sebastian were discussing their plans while crossing the rotating stage, to give the illusion of “strolling across the school grounds.” Sounds like a simple trick but if looked amazing from above.

On to the story itself - the execution actually barely changed from the 2021 rendition, which for me, was a relief! Now I know, some would argue a rerun should add in different elements, because who would want to see the same thing twice right? From past experiences with Kuromyu, the reruns tend to be hit or miss - different actors, different song remixes, voice changes, and so on. For this performance, I could barely tell that the cast (apart from Ciel, Sebastian and Undertaker) were all new members. Everyone got into character flawlessly!

The story of course followed the entirety of the Public School Arc. The script and choreography was almost identical to the 2021 stage musical version. If you would remember, this Kuroshitsuji arc was the first to be portrayed on stage before the anime adaptation - same as previously, they seemed to take inspiration from the manga only rather than the anime.

Some key moments from the play:

The opening sequence was again a recap of the previous arcs - Jack the Ripper (Lycoris that Blazed the Earth), Book of Circus (Noah’s Ark Circus), Book of the Atlantic (Tango on the Campania). I’ve always loved this part because you could tell they slipped in iconic themes from the past musicals.

Perfect Black: the main theme, and my favorite from this stage! I’m so happy to have heard it live! *swoons* Thank god they didn’t do anything weird to remix it. The whole cast dancing together was beautiful! However I thought 2021 did it better with the dramatic light focus on Sebastian during the chorus drop.

Ciel’s Earl of Phantomhive outfit was changed from the glittery blue suit to a blue-green checkered coat this year. (I’d have bought his Earl photoshoot set if I knew it beforehand) Yana-sensei later tweeted that she was the one to re-design it, to better match Eito. Then Eito Konishi himself replied, saying he was honored to play as Ciel Phantomhive, to which Yana-sensei praised his singing and called him “Eito-bocchan” …boy was he fanboying hard over that. He’s one of us!!

Arrival at Weston: I don’t have a comment on the P4 in particular, they were all straightforward from the manga. I think I like Redmond’s character the most here, he looked very pretty with the side-ponytail and while he was a show-off still, he wasn’t as annoying or arrogant as I somehow expected.

A notable interaction: Violet forcing Greenhill to pose for him at the swan gazebo. Greenhill’s actor really looked strained trying to keep an upside down bridge pose (Edward was supporting his back, but kept getting distracted). When he broke the pose and got up, Violet hit him over the head with his sketchbook so hard that the thump echoed through the hall.

As for the Prefect’s Fags: Edward and Cheslock were giving off some suspiciously gay rivals-to-lovers vibes over here. Which I kinda vibed with, I hope they kept the energy into the Blue Cult Arc!

One important thing: they kept the ALL the Fag lines! Which in Japanese accent also kinda sounded like them repeatedly calling each other “Fućk”. Oh how I wish the anime had kept those!

Soma Asman Kadar: now this guy deserves an ovation just for himself. Not only did he kill the role, he was also the funniest! Soma’s song was greatly improved and lengthened with catchier music and dancing - when his troupe “arrived” at Weston, he even dragged Ciel and Clayton to join in. I can’t do it justice, you have GOT to see those two English gentlemen crack the Indian dance moves! His pestering of Maurice Cole was hilarious and he kept exasperating Ciel out of his character, their chemistry was wonderful. I really didn’t expect to get hooked by Soma in this arc out of all people! Too bad Agni wasn’t here.

Maurice Cole’s miniarc - Flawless. Sometimes I wonder if he was an easy character to play just because his character trait is so extremely over-the-top lol.

The library kabedon scene and sebaciel burning Purple House scene didn’t exist. Another scene cut off from the last musical was where Clayton and the Blue House kids were congratulating Ciel on his fag duties and Sebastian took the chance to blend in with them. Sadly that was one of my favorite adlibs.

Ciel’s dream sequence: this was originally in the 2021 musical. After a talk with Macmillain made him revisit his past trauma, Ciel “dreamed” of the cultists, and Sebastian’s close call with Undertaker in BotA. I actually forgot about this part when I watched it in theater - the highlight was sebaciel reenacting the scene in BotA where they reached for each other, the enactment surprisingly gave me the impression of Ciel’s “worry” over Sebastian’s “vulnerability” here. Unlike the 2021 version though, Undertaker didn’t pull Ciel into a bridal carry or referenced the R!Ciel wake-up scene as clearly.

The second half after the break was the long-awaited Cricket Match. Like the previous version, there was no scene of Ciel jumping into Master Michaelis’ arms, but I think they just couldn’t fit that one into the sequence. The cricket songs were mostly the same as the original - with an improvement being them cutting out Red House’s random beauty pageant contest. It actually felt like the cricket match went by faster this time, which was a win in my book. I’ve heard people complain of Kuromyu 2021 being a “Prince of Cricket” musical, hence the bad reviews back then.

The laxative meat pie scene was hilarious. From Sebastian faking it as a student complete with Red House’s uniform, to the team’s diarrhea horrors. Redmond stole the show again, as he was going to help Harcourt in the middle of the field, but tragedy struck which made him deadpan: “Oh. Someone get Harcourt.” Then immediately left the stage lol. The Blue House kids lifted Harcourt out.

The Green vs Purple house battle was the same as last time. I always felt bad to see Cheslock being the only Purple kid doing his best because without any support member cast while Violet was sitting in the grass. But this time, he gave Cheslock a tree sculpture of his bust as a good-job reward! Good for them.

Lastly Green vs Blue. They incorporated the rotating stage again in the last batting when Greenhill accidentally hit Ciel. The end of the match cut straight to the Thames Boat Ride, then they did the Blue House cheering scene after. Sebastian finally got to do his signature bridal carry, awww.

Midnight tea party: the setting was even more beautiful than last time. Undertaker letting his hair fall from his hat was iconic as usual. I was impressed with Master Agares’ fight scenes because his actor looked quite older than his 2021 predecessor. I always liked how they did Derrick Arden’s death in the musical, it felt more anguished from the P4 POV while in the anime, it just felt like a gruesome horror scene.

Final musical number was Ciel-Sebastian-Undertaker chorus during their fight in the garden. Music and choreography seemed to be similar, EXCEPT they somehow changed the iconic “Your life is my priority” scene!!! 2021’s version had me hold my breath as Sebastian had his arm possessively hooked around Ciel and took off his glove with his teeth (seriously, you have to see it yourself). This time they had Sebastian and Ciel reenact the scene on the highest stage instead of front and center, and I didn’t feel as much suspense nor was there any glove-removal from what I could see. It was also a weird placement because they were so far away, and Undertaker should’ve been the one on the top as he did his goodbye pose holding the moon.

We end the story with Sebastian recapping the aftermath with Weston’s students, and finally sebaciel’s conversation back at the manor. Again, Ciel reiterates that Sebastian is the only one who could never lie nor betray his trust. Perfect Black came on as an outro, and I got chills when Sebastian ended the last verse on a raised note!

The curtain call was the experience I’d waited for. Somehow I only realized just then that the actors would do the full call during their finale performance, which was what we got to see in the recordings! That day, after the cast bowed twice, the exit announcement immediately came on but guess what? The audience, including myself, kept clapping all the way through the announcement, it went for so long that the cast actually came out to take another bow! As they returned on stage, most of us also stood up for a standing ovation - according to twitter this doesn’t seem to be a regular occurrence outside of the finale. It felt like a truly wholesome “welcome back” for the troupe and for Kuromyu, especially after the rather harsh criticisms from the previous stage (due to major cast and style changes, even I took a while to bring myself to watch it) and the long break due to the COVID years.

Overall summary

Kuroshitsuji Musical 2024 was a faithful rerun of its predecessor. They succeeded with the musical numbers, new cast, overall adaptation of the story. The settings, props and special effects were wonderfully upgraded. The original cast carried the show: Eito Konishi’s singing felt greatly improved and I thought he carried himself as more mature than his last performance as Ciel. Sebastian’s Toshiki Tateishi had a mesmerizing voice the more I listened to him, he never went out of breath even while dancing or fighting - truly vocals fit for the troupe leader. Kandai Ueda did well as his own Undertaker too, even with Undertaker’s peculiar accent.

My few complaints: I felt like the P4 cast (bar Redmond) could do to have more distinction in their tones and movements. It felt hard to distinguish who was talking at times. The performance seemed to have a faster pacing this time around, and you get less absorbed in certain conversations between the characters, so I wished they’d added in slow scenes here and there. And of course I miss the signature sebaciel moments that I’ve mentioned - granted, this manga arc had always been my least favored because of the lack of sebaciel interactions anyway! So I’d say they did the best with the source material.

While I enjoyed seeing my favorite production performed live with the music blasting through my eardrums, it was the atmosphere that truly made the experience for me. Sitting in the 4-storeys grand hall full of some 2000 Kuroshitsuji fans really pulled me back in time, especially during the standing ovation. I’m so happy to see my favorite series so loved after all these years. I’m sure Yana-sensei could feel it too.

I wish a successful performance for the cast going forward to Tokyo, and hopeful for many more musicals to come!

[mads-weasley]

Epiphany Pt. 5: Breathe

Lewis Nixon x Reader

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

A/N: two posts within a few days?? what's this?? anyways, this is a short kind of filler, so i hope you enjoy! this is about the fictional portrayal of easy company on the show. nothing but love and respect for veterans on this blog!

Summary: People say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that is nothing but true after (y/n) and Lewis are separated in the aftermath of Market Garden.

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: mentions of wounds, straight fluff pining

OCTOBER, 1944: HOLLAND

For Lewis Nixon, the remainder of September had passed in a haze of numbness, and before he knew it, the calendar had turned to the first week of October. The once-warm Dutch air had seemingly overnight transformed into a chilling autumn breeze. On that crisp October day, he found himself in the Battalion CP, meticulously going over recovered German intelligence alongside Colonel Strayer. 

Amidst their focus, a knock echoed through the small office, momentarily breaking the officer’s concentration. Colonel Strayer, engrossed in his reports, responded without looking up, “Come in.”

The door creaked open, and Vest stuck his head inside, offering a brief salute to the ranking officers before holding something out for Nix. “Cap’n, I have a letter here for ya.”

His heart leaped in his chest as he accepted the letter, instantly recognizing the familiar handwriting on the envelope. It was (y/n)’s handwriting.

Three long weeks had passed since she had been evacuated to the field hospital, and if he were honest with himself, he didn’t know how much longer he could endure her absence. The void left by her departure was suffocating, and he felt as if he couldn’t breathe without her by his side. The mere sight of her handwriting brought a mix of emotions – hope, longing, and a sense of connection he had sorely missed, regardless of how they left things.

Sensing the importance of the letter, Strayer dismissed Nix with a friendly slap on the shoulder. “That’s enough for now, Captain. You’re dismissed.”

Rising to his feet, Lew quickly saluted his superior and stepped out of the CP, the chill of the autumn wind hitting him as he found a quiet corner to read the letter. His anticipation was palpable as he carefully tore open the envelope. 

As he read (y/n)’s words, he felt a rush of emotions that seemed to fill the void her absence had left behind. Her words were like a lifeline, connecting him to the woman he missed so dearly. 

September 29th, 1944

Lew,

How have you been? I hope you’ve not given Dick too much trouble yet. We both know how mischievous you can get without me there to supervise you. I miss you and the men dearly. 

The hospital is filled to the brim with injured men from Market Garden. Was it really as bad as everyone's said? Apparently, the British took more casualties than us. 

As far as my recovery goes, I’m feeling better by the day. It still hurts to breathe, and it’s also hard to walk without my stitches pulling painfully, but I’m gonna break out of this prison and come back to easy as soon as I can. This place is driving me crazy, Nix. Thankfully, the doctors said I should be out of here within the next few weeks. But will I wait that long? We’ll see. 

On another note, I didn’t get to properly apologize for the way I treated you before. Sure, I did say I was sorry, but we also thought I could die, so it felt a little rushed. So, I’m sorry for getting upset with you about Eindhoven. I know you were just trying to protect me. I hope you can forgive me. 

I’ve got to go on my daily walk around the hospital, so I’ve got one thing left to say…please don’t drink yourself away. If I hear one peep about you being drunk on duty, I will not hesitate to write Dick and ask him to throw out your stash. Just because I’m stuck here doesn’t mean you can stop taking care of yourself. 

Please stay safe,

(Y/n) (y/l/n)

Lew lowered the letter with a gentle sigh, a warmth spreading through him. She was recovering well, and that was the best news he could hope for. A soft smile played on his lips as he reread her words. In his mind, he could hear every sentence in her voice.

“If I hear one peep about you being drunk on duty, I…” he muttered to himself, chuckling at her playful threat. Even while confined to a hospital bed, she still was trying to take care of him.

“That from her?” A voice asked.

Nix looked up with a smile to see Dick approaching. “Yeah.”

"How is she?"

“Good,” he chuckled. “She threatened to get you to pour out all my whiskey if it became a problem.”

Dick shook his head with a grin. “I would do it, you know.”

“Oh, I know you would,” Lew replied, raising his eyebrows.

Silence settled between them, both men lost in their thoughts. 

“How are you doing?” Dick asked. “I know we haven’t been able to talk much with everything going on.”

Nixon grabbed his flask from his pocket and took a sip. “I’m alright. I miss her like crazy, though. It’s like…I don’t know, Dick. I think I’m in love with her.

The ginger’s eyes widened, locking onto Lew’s face, which bore a boyish smile. ”I’m glad you’re finally admitting it.”

“Now what do I do?” Nix chuckled bitterly. “We’re in the middle of a warzone and I’ve gone and fallen in love. They should put that on the recruitment posters, huh?”

Dick sighed, scanning their surroundings. “When she gets back you tell her.”

Lewis furrowed his eyebrows. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

“Everyone can see that she does, Nix. Trust me.”

A faint smirk tugged at Nix’s lips. “You know, Dick,” he remarked. “You’re not as bad as they say.”

Dick rolled his eyes and checked his watch. “I’ve got a meeting with Sink about our Market Garden casualties.”

“I’m glad I don’t have to be a part of that.”

Dick started to walk away but stopped and turned back to Nix. “Lew, be careful. You know there are rules, and the last thing I want to see is one or both of you getting in trouble.”

Nixon nodded. “Well, nothing’s happened yet, but I know. I will.”

With that, Dick walked around the corner, leaving Lewis alone with his thoughts. He took another gulp from his flask, the warmth spreading through him. Dick didn’t have to know every detail about his drinking habits.

Once (y/n) got back, though, he decided that he was going to reign it in. But until then, he reasoned, he could continue with whatever he needed to cope with the emptiness that had settled in his heart during her absence.

OCTOBER 31, 1944: AMERICAN 24TH EVAC HOSPITAL

(Y/n) lay in her uncomfortable cot, staring up at the blank ceiling as she had done for the last month. Although the nurses tried to give her some privacy by hanging sheets around her bed in the corner, it did little to block the sounds of snoring coming from Webster beside her. 

She shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position, but her side still ached from the wound. The pain was a constant reminder of their failed mission, and she longed to be back with Easy Company. The inactivity gnawed at her and the hospital walls felt like a prison.

The room was dimly lit by a flickering lamp, casting shadows across the walls. The war had taken a toll on everyone, physically and emotionally, so it wasn’t unusual to wake up to the horrifying sound of screams echoing through the halls. When the lights went out, it was the time when the hospital’s occupants became the most lonely. 

She missed the camaraderie, the shared laughter, and even the adrenaline-fueled moments of combat with her friends. But most of all, she missed him.

As she lay there, she couldn’t help but wonder how Lew was doing. His absence was keenly felt, and she longed for his familiar presence and snarky attitude. She knew he had his demons and struggles, but they all did. The war had a way of shaping and breaking people in unpredictable ways. 

A sudden noise from outside the room startled her, and she strained her ears to listen. The distant rumble of a jeep and the murmur of voices reached her. She imagined Lew out there in the field with Dick, and it brought her a sense of comfort to think of the duo out there doing what they did best, and that they were watching each other’s backs. With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and tried to push aside the pain, allowing herself to drift into a restless sleep.

The small squeak of boots on the tile floors awoke the (y/h/c) with a startle. Her breathing quickened as she sat up slowly and pulled back the curtain, revealing someone with a familiar screeching eagle and medic patch a few feet away.

“Gene?” She whispered, face contorted in confusion.

The Cajun turned quickly and smiled distantly as he recognized her. “(Y/l/n). How are ya’ doin’, cherie?”

She took a moment to glance at his blood-smeared ODs, realizing what had brought him to the hospital at such a late hour must have been bad, so she didn’t question him about it. 

“I’m ready to bust out of here.”

He sighed, a knowing grin painting his lips. “Are you healed up enough to bust out?”

“Yes,” (y/n) nodded enthusiastically. “Doc said any day now.”

Gene raised an eyebrow, approaching her cautiously. “Let me see. If I think it’s healed well enough, I’ll take you back with me tonight. If not, you’ve gotta stay, alright?”

Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of reuniting with Easy. “Wait. Seriously? Just like that?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Just like that.”

Suppressing a wince, she carefully laid down on her back and pulled up her shirt, revealing the thick white bandage that was wrapped around her side. Gene, ever the respectful young man, looked up at her for confirmation before he began unwrapping it.

As Roe carefully unwrapped the bandage, (y/n)’s healing wound was revealed. The site of the injury was marked by bruised, discolored skin, and a well-defined entry point where the bullet had torn into her body. 

Gene leaned in, his eyes focused and gentle as his hands hovered over the wound. He was meticulous and caring in his inspection. His fingers probed around the entry point with a practiced tenderness, gauging the healing process and the neatness of the stitches. He checked for any signs of infection, monitoring the redness and warmth around the stitched area. His eyes scanned for swelling or abnormal discharge, all signs that would indicate the need for further care. 

(Y/n) winced slightly as he pushed on a sensitive area where the stitches were pulling on her skin, and Gene immediately eased his touch, offering her a reassuring smile.

“Cap’n Nixon will be glad,” he smirked, wrapping up the wound.

(Y/n)’s eyes lit up. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes ma’am. It looks good. I’ll just tell the officers to put you on light duty until you’re a hundred percent.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She whispered, excitement brimming in her voice as tears threatened to fill her eyes.

Gene smiled warmly. “You’re welcome, cherie. Everyone’ll be glad to have you back.”

As Roe left to inform the necessary people, (y/n) settled back on her cot, a surge of relief and happiness coursing through her. She was going back to Easy, and she couldn’t wait to reunite with her comrades, especially a certain intelligence officer whose absence had left a void that was now going to be filled.

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[scotianostra]

The Battle of Hadden Rig was a battle fought on August 24th 1542, except maybe it wasn't.

To explain this I have to tell you about how much of the dates in history from centuries past can be identified, in this instance it is down to the the feast day of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, rather than post a date the chroniclers would merely say it was a certain saints day or so many days either side to whatever christian feast, The Battle of Hadden Rig was on St. Bartholomew's day, so the dates all correspond to them aye? Naw, because the calendars changed in 1752, St. Bartholomew's day was originally on September 11th on the old style Julian calendar, nowadays the Catholic Church honours him on August 24th, oh and to muddy the waters a wee bit more Eastern Christianity observe June 11th to honour him. We also have the fact that the actual date September 11th in the Gregorian calendar actually corresponds to August 29th!!! So with that in mind I'll get on with telling you about Hadden Rig.

I think this little known battle is largely forgotten about is due to the numbers involved and the exact location being relatively unknown, I will post a link to this afterwards.

With Scotland now ruled by the young James V under the influence of his English mother, hopes for improved Anglo-Scottish relations were high. However, in 1534 Henry VIII broke the link between Rome and the English church appointing himself as its Supreme Head. Suppression of the Abbeys and plundering of the wealth of the church followed.

Such action was strongly opposed by James V who was heavily influenced by the staunchly Catholic and pro-French magnate Cardinal David Beaton. With Scotland resisting the English move towards religious reform, tensions between the two nations increased significantly. The death of Queen Margaret in 1541 removed the final impediment to war.

Henry VIII demanded that James meet him in York to discuss a religious settlement between the two nations but the Scottish King failed to attend. An English army then raided the Scottish borders under the Command of Robert Bowes.

The only real source for what happened is from the book "The History of the Wars in Scotland: From the Battle of the Grampian Hills In The Year 85, To The Battle Of Culloden In The Year 1746, which was first published in 1783, so a guid few years after the battle. This is directly from that book.

Henry of England, being disgusted at his nephew's connections with France, and finding that Henry of England, Francis had sufficient employment at home, resolved to invade Scotland, both by sea and land.

He, ' appointed a very considerable army to rendezvous upon the borders, under the command of Sir Robert Bowes, one of his wardens, the Earl of Angus, and his brothers. James had nominated the Earl of Huntly to command his army on the borders, consisting of 10,000 men; and his lieutenant was Sir Walter Lindsay of Torphichen, who had seen a great deal of foreign service, and was esteemed an' excellent-officer.

Huntly acquitted himself admirably Well in his commission, and was so well served by his spies, as to have certain intelligence that the English intended to surprise and burn Jedburgh and Kelso.

The English army, under Bowes and the Doug lases, continued still on the borders; and the Scottish nobility and gentry had resolved ’not to attack them on their own ground, nor to act offensively, unless their enemies invaded Scotland. Huntly being informed that the English had ad advanced, on the 24th of August, to a place called Haddonrig, and that they had destroyed a great part of“ the Scottish and debatable lands, resolved to engage them; and the English Were astonished when they saw the Scottish drawn up in order of battle about day-break. Neither party could now retreat without fighting; and Torphichen, who led the van. consisting of 2000 of the best troops of Scotland, charged the enemy so furiously, that Huntly gained a complete and easy victory.

Above 2,000 of the English were killed, and 600 taken prisoner among whom Were their General Bowes, Sir William Mowbray, and about sixty of the most distinguished northern barons; the Earl of Angus escaped by the swiftness of his horse. The loss of the Scottish was so inconsiderable that it is not mentioned.

Of course Henry VIII was not to let this go and got his revenge in November at Solway Moss, more on that in Novembers post.

The following link lets you know where we are in the understanding of the battle as of a couple of years ago, it calls into question the above account, although now mentioning it, it also asks questions about the location, and disputes the numbers.

https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/.../mystery-over...

[liviavanrouge]

Caring Pt 8

Cynthia: So Livia~

Livia (2nd Life): *Flinches, her eyes widening as she gripped her teacup*

Cynthia: Did Hyde tell you when you're scheduled to die?

Livia: He's not-

Cynthia: *Smirks as the party guests snickered* You don't actually think he won't kill you, Livy?

Cynthia: Nobody cares about you, not your father, not Malleus, not your beloved brother, nobody cares about you whatsoever

Cynthia: So just roll over and drop dead, you understand

???: *Sets Cynthia's dress aflame causing the girl to scream*

Malleus: Beastie!??

Lilia: Cynthia!!

Livia: *Looks back, finding a furious Hyde standing there* Hyde-

Hyde: How dare you talk to my wife like that? You must be out of your damn mind you mere commoner!

Cynthia: *Trembles, her eyes wide*

Hyde: She is the Lady of my House and My Wife, you are below her so start treating her with respect or I will destroy the entire Valley of Thorns

Lilia: We have a marriage treaty-

Hyde: TREATY MY ASS!!!

Hyde: You sent Livia to me, a fifteen year old girl! That's an insult right there but you all are so lucky that I've fallen for her otherwise war would've been called

Hyde: If anybody disrespects her again, I won't show mercy, I'll keep Livia to myself and destroy everything here, only sparing the people she requests I let live

Lilia: *Glares at him, his eyes narrowed* You're foul

Hyde: Says the one who sent his daughter to me, tossing her away without a second thought

Hyde: And mind you, I haven't touched her.

Livia: *Looks away when Lilia looked sharply at her*

Hyde: Livy, come on

Livia: *Grabs Hyde's hand, quickly following him away*

Cynthia: *Grips the ends of her hair scowling* Disgusting wrench!

~~~

Livia: *Perks up when Hyde stopped and leaned down*

Hyde: When's your birthday?

Livia: September 29th...

Hyde: *Grins* Ah, it's getting close, you'll be an adult in no time

Livia: *Laughs, smiling up at him* I guess so!

Hyde: *Picks her up with one arm* Wanna head home?

Livia: *Wraps her arms around his neck, her cheek squished against his head* Yes please, I'm so tired...

Hyde: Very well *Chuckles and vanishes into thin air*

@queen-of-twisted @yukii0nna @zexal-club @pekoetiikapu @teddymochi

[sweet-vanilla-sims]

Year 1659

TW/CW: Death Mention, Child Marriage

As the year began, Giulia decided to focus on the future instead of what she wished should have happened especially as news of her sister's Mother-in-law's death spread throughout the town.

Giovanni was thrilled when Giuliano began to be able to actually help out around the gardens and the pair would talk about the plants eagerly. Giovanni was a stern man but the few times he seemed approachable was when they spoke about the plants.

Giulia had feared that with all the talks about their eldest marrying into nobility away from their simple farming life her son would resent that he was likely to just stay home and tend the fields but as it was, he was excited to learn more about the crops.

Orelia was the first one of Orsolina's siblings that she saw coming back from her lessons in early summer. Orsolina was proud to say that she had been a natural study and had gotten the approval of the Collari family to marry officially. Orelia was happy for her sister since she seemed happy but she wondered if this was a good thing.

Orelia wasted no time in sharing her sister's news with Osana who was happy for her sister before Orelia reminded her that Orsolina would be leaving when she married and who knew if she'd have much of a chance to visit since she would be nobility and they were mere farmers and nobility had so many rules to abide by. Osana thought it was absolutely ridiculous that her younger sister seemed to be put off at the concept of being noble but she couldn't deny that it hurt to think of her sister leaving their home, they were best friends and if Osana had anything to say, that wouldn't change.

Things moved quickly as summer progressed and the adults of both families planned out the specifics for the wedding hoping to have it later in the year. Orsa and Osana gushed over the romantic side of wedding planning though Orsolina was rather uninspired because she was well aware of her own and her betrothed's feelings on the matter of their arrangement being purely a result of their fathers' relationship and social arranging.

Osana turned thirteen and after spending time with her sister during wedding planning became enamored with the way the foods were prepared so much so that she was willing to ignore her own revulsion at the dirt to gather quality ingredients for meals. Her skills in the kitchen were rather clumsy and in need of practice though her sisters were glad when they knew their mother was doing the cooking as they didn't want to tell their sister that her cooking was... terrible. Luckily Giulia used that as an opportunity to make sure all her children knew how to cook at least something basic.

Like her sister, she was interested in working on her stitching and hoped that taking up a more refined hobby would do her well when it came time to find a partner for herself. She daydreamed of a romance where she would be swept off her feet by a handsome young man rather than be arranged to a man she hardly knew. So despite knowing her sister wasn't having the blissful romance she wanted with her wedding, she was glad that the extra time to come up with money for her own dowry would allow her to maybe find love for herself.

The night before Orsolina's wedding both sisters spent the night together in the spare room knowing that their lives would change the very next day but at least it would be together. Osana had done her own scheming and since the nobility always wanted new servants she decided to work in the Collari home to make money for the family but mostly to be nearer to her sister and though it took some convincing the Widow Collari agreed to let Osana serve as her sister's personal attendant after spending the months leading up to the wedding in training.

The wedding went forward as planned and on August 29th, Orsolina and Octavio Collari were wed. On the first of September, Osana left the Morosini home to care for her sister.

The house felt empty without the older girls. Giulia tried to keep busy when little Olivia didn't require her attention. While the other kids tried to ignore it by keeping busy with lessons but the feeling still persisted.

Orsa and Giuliano bonded by their mutual love of plants and the outdoors now that their older sisters were gone and Orsa wasn't busy with them as much it was easier to ignore the desire to be more mature like their sisters when she was around just her twin and little siblings.

Perhaps it was the newfound security that he had at least made sure one of his children had a decent future but Giovanni seemed to soften more after Orsolina's wedding.

It really was no shock that Giulia began to feel the telltale signs of expecting once more as her birthday passed by again. Still, Giulia wondered if this was to be her last child or if there were more to come especially as she thought as to how difficult her previous pregnancies were and her and her husband's increasing age. As much as she loved her children and motherhood, she had grown weary of infants of her own and was eagerly anticipating being done with them. But if her hunch about expecting was correct, she decided that, at least to herself, she would pray that this would truly be the final one.

[cosplayinamerica]

by Zippy

After visiting my first anime convention in my final months of college in March 2007, DaigaCon in Bowling Green, Kentucky, I knew I needed to seek out more conventions to feed my burgeoning love of anime and the fan community. This led me to wake up my sister super early on September 22nd, 2007 to take the nearly two hour drive down from Chattanooga to the Cobb Galleria, where I’d participate in my first, but certainly not last, Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA). At the time AWA was celebrating its 13th year, with a “mere” 10,000 attendees, a third of what was estimated to have attended in 2022. 

For my eyes though, entering Anime Weekend Atlanta was like discovering a bustling Otaku metropolis full of strange sights, sounds, and perhaps smells too. I planned a full schedule of panels including one featuring some of my favorite podcasters Anime World Order, which I found had Otaku Generation members in attendance as well – I fanboyed hard over all of them. I also ensured we would meet some of the guests, and specifically my sister and I both wanted to meet Greg Ayres who then, and everytime I’ve met him since, has been an absolute treasure. Of course we also marveled at all the cosplays too, and to this day my sister and I still recall some of our favorite cosplays we saw that year including a fancy deer cosplayer who bowed upon meeting us! After exhausting ourselves with panels, events, and running around, with the tiredness leading to some sibling squabbles, we took a break and relaxed in line outside the door for the concerts of the evening featuring Peelander-Z, The Emeralds, and The Captains. After rocking alongside the bands, in the late PM early AM hours, we drove back where I summarily had my first post-AWA sleep and recovery. This day still is treasured in my heart and my memories.

Since my trek down to my first AWA, my love of the con, as well as its importance in my life, has grown year after year. As a member of the press in attendance for many years, I had the pleasure to interview some incredible people including the author Helen McCarthy, music artist and producer Taku Takahashi, Otaku USA founder Patrick Macias, and DJ/producer TeddyLoid to name a few. I’ve also made many lifelong friendships, which makes AWA feel as much like a reunion as it does a convention. I’ve even had my share of heartbreak connected to the con, with friends who used to attend with me passing away, and also missed moments and lost connections over the years. All in all it has added up to the con becoming an incredible part of my life, which I think is why I was especially feeling emotional leading into this final year at the Cobb Galleria.

This year was my 16th trip to the convention, which I’ve attended consecutively (excluding the year of the Covid cancellation) since that first trip down in 2007. (This was also Anime Weekend Atlanta’s 29th year in existence.) My place in fandom has certainly evolved since then, as I’m now the former president of an anime club, former radio host of an J-Pop/J-Rock/anime college radio show, and former director for an anime con that ran for seven years. My time spent watching anime has dropped significantly too, less due to lack of interest and more time obligations, and so though my love of anime, anime cons, and the culture therein has never waned, I’ve seen myself go from a young upstart to becoming a somewhat elder statesmen looking on as new generations take their own paths into the fandom. I caveat that all to say that coming into this year’s Anime Weekend Atlanta was emotional at the onset, as the rumor mill had predicted – correctly so – a move from the Cobb Galleria, AWA’s home for the last twenty years, to the future home of the con the Georgia World Congress Center.

Many of us undoubtedly had and have mixed feelings about the move, though as a past con runner myself I certainly understand many of the pressures and the reasoning for the move, but without yet thinking too much on the future we all wanted to focus on the time and present and to enjoy this convention to its fullest. Thanks to a combination of wonderful weather, an incredible array of guests, panels, vendors, and artists, nearly everyone I encountered was able to do just that and seemed to really enjoy their AWA experience to the fullest.

Certainly there were some changes: the hotel introduced wristbands for the lobby, the main path of flow between the Cobb Galleria and the Renaissance Waverly was reversed (I eventually got used to it), and registration was in the old theater, which feels like it should’ve been used from the start. Yet what remained the same spoke to the success of the con over the years and presented a positive outlook for its future. I’m specifically speaking of things like the packed, yet fun if you got inside, Super Happy Fun Sell. I’m also including the many incredible music performances such as the rave, highlighted by the inclusion of TeddyLoid and Taku Takahashi of M-Flo. I of course have to shout out the full array of guests, who drew folks to their panels and to the back of the dealer’s hall for autographs in droves. Likewise the panels were awesome as always, including Dave Merrill’s Anime Hell, a panel whose presence over the years has been like a steady anchor in the everchanging schedule. (Merrill helped create Anime Weekend Atlanta, and previously served as con chairman.) Lastly and most importantly everywhere in the con there were fans of all ages, some in cosplays which is always incredible to see, who through their presence and participation in the con showed their love for the fandom and for each other by helping to create this place for us all to just geek out for a weekend.

It’s important I think to remember that the fans are the rock of conventions like Anime Weekend Atlanta. Merrill in his opening for Anime Hell highlighted the work of every fan at the con, and in the American anime community at large, who through our presence and support not only helped make Anime Weekend Atlanta happen all these years, but also helped build the anime fandom that now flourishes in America. “We did that”, Merrill emphasized, giving credit to fans over companies. That’s an incredibly resonant point and a reminder that while AWA may change in various ways over the years, as long as fans remain, and as long as it’s a welcome home for this community, no matter where the convention will take place it’ll have a lasting life for present and future anime fans for many years to come.

Zippy is a contributor to Cosplay in America as well as editor of Last Looks

[norwayblogging]

Week 28/08 - 03/09 28th august:

A refreshing new week has begun again! Today was merely a theoretical day since we’ve had some lessons throughout the hours. I’ve worked on my blog today and went to the gym with some others. Tomorrow will hopefully be filled with more adventure!

29th august:

Mushroom time! In the morning I’ve had theoretical talk about mushrooms; the ones that are safe to eat and the ones that can kill you (Yes, kill you… I’m not joking). My class was divided into 2 groups, My group had to search for different kinds of mushrooms in the school area whilst the other group had more time to learn about the ways of kayaking. Since my group didn’t have much luck in finding a lot of mushrooms, we asked if we could drive a little further towards the woods a few kilometers away from the school to find more. We got green light ofcourse! And we found so many mushrooms!!! (Many edible ones and a few toxic ones.) In the afternoon, my group went snorkling. It was a little nerve racking for me since we were in the water again… But I enjoyed it a lot, I was so fascinated by the schools of fish that I observed. Sadly the day was a little cloudy and windy so we couldn’t admire all of the beauty of the fjords today.

30th august:

What a lovely morning! I helped the others with making some waffledough. Why waffledough? You probably think to yourself. Well… Today is International day, everyone represents their country with their lovely national dishes. Us as Belgians decided to bring homemade fries and waffles to the table! I enjoyed this day so much! My social meter was filled up to the brim and I talked more to everyone. I tasted every dish from every country that was represented; Danish applecake, Catalonian pudding and tortilla de patatas, Dutch homemade kruidnoten and Swiss grittibänz. Lastly we also got some free pizza, presented by the school itself. You could pretty much say that I ate myself round today. In the afternoon I rented an electrical bike from the school and I went to the store by bike with a dormmate. The sun was out so it was a really beautiful day to go biking!

31st august:

I started my day with some morning classes. We got some information from a guy to prepare ourselves for the glazier trip in two weeks. I’m feeling nervous for the next upcoming weeks. Next week we will be going on a canoetrip. The week after will be the glaziertrip. Lastly, there will be one week of Leirschole (Some sort of forestclasses like we have in Belgium but slightly different). Everything is so close to each other which can make the next few weeks very exhausting. But… I’m really excited to learn all these new things! It was beautiful weather outside and nicely warm. I took my book, some drinks and snacks and went all the way to a nearby small island near school to chill. I took some time to relax before all of the trips. The sounds and the view were amazing! In the evening I played some cards with a few of my dormmates which was very fun.

1st september:

Let’s go biking! I WAS SO TIRED OMG. You can say that biking isn’t one of my best qualities 🤣 The goal of our bike tour was to go to the kindergarten, primary and secondary school in the area. On Sunday we have to go to an event that’s near one of the schools, so it’s nice to know the way to it. During our trip we encountered a beautiful pathway were different kinds of fairy tales were displayed through self made puppets. The puppets were made by the community of the area. If you went further down the pathway, you could search for the hidden trolls in the forest. Also witches were hanging from the branches and on sticks along the path. It really felt as if we were biking through a dream. On the way back to campus, I ate lunch with some other dormmates on a picknick bench since the weather turned really sunny. After lunch, we biked back home and enjoyed the view of the island.

2nd september:

Finally I got myself to Heiane and I expected it a little different really. It felt like an industrialised small town. I was mainly here to go shopping for a micro-SD-Card since I want to use my gopro-camera on the next few trips. But I also got some clothing hangers and other stuff for my room, to make it more liveable and cosy. I made some pancakes for dinner and went to the gym.

3rd september:

Rainy, rainy, rainy!! Today we had to bike to a nearby event, organised for the families and children of the area. It was raining sadly… But the small adventurous hike was nice. Along the path, they displayed some questions that you had to answer. You could play games, canoe and more. At some point we arrived at a Gapahuk (Some type of wooden shelter) where they served hotdogs and juice. I ate two hotdogs 🤭 After that, we went back to the studenthousing to dry. It was a lovely day today. From now on, the weeks will become more intense!! I’m nervous and excited at the same time! ☺️

Week 28/08 - 03/09 28 augustus:

Een verfrissende nieuwe week is weer begonnen! Vandaag was slechts een theoretische dag omdat we de hele dag les hadden. Ik heb vandaag aan mijn blog gewerkt en ben met een paar anderen naar de sportschool geweest. Morgen zal hopelijk gevuld zijn met meer avontuur!

29 augustus:

Paddenstoelentijd! In de ochtend heb ik een theoretisch gesprek gehad over paddenstoelen; de paddenstoelen die je veilig kunt eten en de paddenstoelen die je kunnen doden (Ja, doden… ik maak geen grapje). Mijn klas werd verdeeld in 2 groepen. Mijn groep moest op zoek naar verschillende soorten paddenstoelen in de buurt van de school, terwijl de andere groep meer tijd had om te leren over de manieren van kajakken. Omdat mijn groep niet veel geluk had met het vinden van paddenstoelen, vroegen we of we een stukje verder konden rijden naar het bos een paar kilometer van de school om er meer te vinden. We kregen natuurlijk groen licht! En we vonden zo veel paddenstoelen!!! (Veel eetbare en een paar giftige). In de middag ging mijn groep snorkelen. Het was een beetje zenuwslopend voor mij omdat we weer in het water waren… Maar ik vond het erg leuk, ik was zo gefascineerd door de scholen vis die ik zag. Helaas was het vandaag een beetje bewolkt en winderig, dus we konden niet alle schoonheid van de fjorden bewonderen.

30 augustus:

Wat een heerlijke ochtend! Ik heb de anderen geholpen met het maken van wafeldeeg. Waarom wafeldeeg? Je denkt waarschijnlijk bij jezelf. Nou… Vandaag is het internationale dag, iedereen vertegenwoordigt zijn land met zijn mooie nationale gerechten. Wij als Belgen besloten om zelfgemaakte frietjes en wafels op tafel te zetten! Ik heb zo genoten van deze dag! Mijn sociale meter was tot de rand gevuld en ik heb met iedereen meer gepraat. Ik proefde van elk gerecht uit elk land dat vertegenwoordigd was; Deense appeltaart, Catalaanse pudding en tortilla de patatas, Nederlandse zelfgemaakte kruidnoten en Zwitserse grittibänz. Tot slot kregen we ook nog gratis pizza, aangeboden door de school zelf. Je zou bijna kunnen zeggen dat ik me vandaag helemaal volgegeten heb. In de middag huurde ik een elektrische fiets van de school en ging ik op de fiets naar de winkel met een huisgenoot. De zon scheen, dus het was echt een prachtige dag om te fietsen!

31 augustus:

Ik begon mijn dag met wat ochtendlessen. We kregen wat informatie van een jongen om ons voor te bereiden op de glaszettersreis over twee weken. Ik ben zenuwachtig voor de komende weken. Volgende week gaan we op kanotocht. De week daarna is de glaszettersreis. Tot slot is er nog een week Leirschole (een soort bosklassen zoals we die in België hebben, maar dan net iets anders). Alles ligt zo dicht bij elkaar wat de komende weken erg vermoeiend kan maken. Maar… ik heb er echt zin in om al die nieuwe dingen te leren! Het was prachtig weer buiten en lekker warm. Ik nam mijn boek, wat drinken en snacks mee en ging helemaal naar een klein eilandje vlakbij school om te chillen. Ik nam even de tijd om te ontspannen voor alle uitstapjes. De geluiden en het uitzicht waren geweldig! s Avonds heb ik met een paar klasgenoten gekaart, wat erg leuk was.

1 september:

Laten we gaan fietsen! IK WAS ZO MOE OMG. Je kunt wel zeggen dat fietsen niet een van mijn beste kwaliteiten is 🤣 Het doel van onze fietstocht was om naar de kleuterschool, basisschool en middelbare school in de omgeving te gaan. Zondag moeten we naar een evenement in de buurt van een van de scholen, dus het is leuk om de weg ernaartoe te weten. Tijdens onze reis kwamen we een prachtig pad tegen waar verschillende sprookjes werden getoond door middel van zelfgemaakte poppen. De poppen waren gemaakt door de gemeenschap van het gebied. Als je verder het pad afliep, kon je op zoek gaan naar de verborgen trollen in het bos. Ook hingen er heksen aan de takken en aan stokken langs het pad. Het voelde echt alsof we door een droom fietsten. Op de terugweg naar de campus at ik lunch met een paar andere klasgenoten op een picknickbank omdat het weer erg zonnig werd. Na de lunch fietsten we terug naar huis en genoten we van het uitzicht op het eiland.

2 september:

Eindelijk was ik in Heiane en ik had het eigenlijk een beetje anders verwacht. Het voelde als een geïndustrialiseerd stadje. Ik was hier vooral om te winkelen voor een micro-SD-kaart, omdat ik mijn gopro-camera wil gebruiken op de volgende reizen. Maar ik heb ook wat kledinghangers en andere spullen voor mijn kamer gekocht, om het wat leefbaarder en gezelliger te maken. Ik maakte pannenkoeken voor het avondeten en ging naar de sportschool.

3 september:

Regen, regen, regen!!! Vandaag moesten we op de fiets naar een evenement in de buurt, georganiseerd voor de families en kinderen uit de buurt. Het regende helaas… Maar de kleine avontuurlijke wandeling was leuk. Langs het pad stonden vragen die je moest beantwoorden. Je kon spelletjes doen, kanoën en nog veel meer. Op een gegeven moment kwamen we aan bij een Gapahuk (een soort houten schuilplaats) waar ze hotdogs en sap serveerden. Ik heb twee hotdogs gegeten 🤭 Daarna gingen we terug naar het studentenhuis om te drogen. Het was een heerlijke dag vandaag. Vanaf nu worden de weken intenser!!! Ik ben zenuwachtig en opgewonden tegelijk! ☺️

[squadron-goals]

Finally off to Flanders

During summer 1917 Berthold sustained another serious injury, he was shot though the right calf.

15 August 1917

Now I have to start all over again. In Flanders, the English have so far dominated the air, so good fighter pilots are even more necessary than infantry. It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to my people of the Jasta 14 and go to Flanders alone. My new squadron first needs thorough flying training, I want to use the whole of August to practice. Already the English offensive begins to fizzle out like the French enterprise on the Aisne. At last my fight for a better organisation of the airmen is showing some success, since I have recently got the commander of the Flanders Army on my side: At my suggestion, four squadrons are always united into so-called fighter groups and these are placed under the leadership of old, proven fighter pilots.

20 August 1917

Today I received a picture and a few friendly lines from Prince Eitel Friedrich. A few weeks ago, when I was still with 14, I got to know the prince as a simple, natural person with a strict sense of duty. I had been to dinner with him one Sunday. There was only soup and a piece of meat with vegetables. No feasting and material ostentation, which might be a privilege for wretched parvenus, but downright Spartan-like, old Prussian simplicity! When I think of this, I realise that we Germans should be happy and grateful to have at the head of our empire a Hohenzollern dynasty that has not only led throughout the centuries, but also preserved a genuinely German way of life.

6 October 1917

My Jasta 18 has now become the core troupe. In September, it had already achieved 32 aerial victories. There is now no pilot without his own victory. This is not my doing, I merely trained them and led them to the enemy, showed them how to attack. The attack itself, the killing of the enemy, the main thing, is the achivement of the pilots. Their brilliant fulfilment shows what an outstanding spirit there is in the entire Jasta, in each individual! I quickly settled in at 18. Two old good friends are faithfully at my side: Seppl Veltjens and old Mr Dingel. If Seppl stays alive, he will achieve great successes. He is like a young hunting dog: he still hasn't got the hang of it, even though he has already made quite a nice number of kills. He still lacks the eyes and the calm, cold calculation in difficult moments. But I will teach him what is missing. Old Mr Dingel and Father Turck are loyal, they never let our Jasta down and, even if they don't shoot any more themselves, they often help more with their decent attitude. They are the guarantors that an impeccable tone, a decent conception and a right aviation spirit always remain alive in the Jasta. Every busy day of flying tires me out, so I can't devote as much time as I used to to the organization and the comradeship. Now it is the 4th time that the Jasta has cleaned up in the English bomb squadron which was considered unassailable! Apart from my opponent, 2 others have been brought down. It is my 28th! The mechanics are beaming. When we come back from a flight and there isn't a single enemy smashed up, they make a very reproachful face. The good guys!

Another severe injury!

On 10 October Berthold shot down his 29th opponent. In the process, he was shot in the upper right arm from the side, shattering the bone. He still managed to land safely, but had to be rescued unconscious from the machine. The serious injury could not be treated in the field hospital; Berthold was sent to a hospital in Berlin, where his sister Franziska was a head nurse. His wound is severe: the right upper arm is completely shattered, broken like an oak that has been struck by the deathblow. He has to spend 4 month in the hospital. On his insistance he returned to the front, where he lead the newly formed Jagdgeschwader 2. His arm was still not properly healed, painfull and lame. Still, on 28 Mai 1918 he shot down another victory. On 10 August 1918 he shot down his 44th victory but during the fight his plane is so damaged that he crashes. Badly injured again, with his right arm broken once more, he is taken to a field hospital from which he soon escapes. But soon wound fever sets in and he has to admit to himself that the war is over for him. He returns home.

[findingmyselfat35]

It was June 2020, a few months in from the beginning of the pandemic. Yeap, life changed drastically for everyone that year. And I was not exempt.

During what I believed to be a regular conversation with my therapist (I no longer see this therapist, by the way), she asked me about my plans for turning 30 in a mere few weeks. I scoffed. I'm a self-proclaimed loner who would much rather curl up in bed at 2 pm on a Saturday and mindlessly scroll on her TikTok, and when that gets old, sleep.

She implored me to think about my future, telling me to set realistic goals and then be intentional about accomplishing them.

Well, I knew immediately what two of those goals were. I've always felt deep in my heart that I was born to be a mom. It's an innate feeling that swells from the depths of my soul and I get excited when I think about how I'd step into the role with ease. I also had a goal to be a wife. And yes, in my perfect world, becoming a wife first would be the ideal order.

I prayed to God often back then about those desires. I prayed to God and asked him to grant me the strength, discipline and tools to be have the exact life I wanted - a business owner, mom and wife.

It strikes me as ironic that while the entire world was in QUARANTINE, my therapist encouraged me to date intentionally, as much as I could throughout the summer. I needed to decipher what values and characteristics I wanted in a partner.

Eventually I took her advice. I set myself up on Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and BLK. What she didn't know was that I REFUSED to take this seriously. Why? Well, because it's DATING APPS! Do I really need to say more?

And less than 48 hours in, I cursed the fact that I ever even took her advice.

After a few weeks, I went out on my first date. Then another nearly a week later, and then another. All different men. All for drinks, or dinner, or morning coffee. Nothing earth-shattering. And for safety concerns, of course, I texted my girlfriend before and after ever single date.

It was early September that I met one gentleman (he'll remain nameless) and we clicked almost immediately. He was funny, hardworking, involved in lots of non-profit organizations in his city, and showed genuine interest in me. He cared about texting me back right away, you know?

However, after 3 dates over 4 months, I quickly realized my patience was practically non-existent. Well, let me clarify. I was tired of the games. I refused to pretend like I didn't have a goal. I was crystal clear that if at some point there was dating without intention, I'd block and delete faster than you can say "InanyformImgivingyousweetdreams". And so it was over - as fast as you could say "InanyformImgivingyousweetdreams".

As the new year - 2021 to be exact - quickly approached, I swore off dating. I deleted all my accounts, deleted all the apps. I shifted my focus to learning as much as I could about the process of becoming a business owner. I dived deep into research about LLCs, business plans, start-up funding, small business loans, website hosting platforms, and much more.

I rang in 2021 in bed, with a cup of hot cocoa, my fingers frantically dancing across my MacBook keyboard, publishing the last minute touches on my new website. My plan was to begin my lifestyle concierge services business, launching with the easiest division, and monetizing on my writing, editing skills, and digital design skills.

I slept as still as the night, peace in my heart, content with the fact that I very well might spend the next few years in solitude.

I didn't remember that I gave my number to another gentleman (I'll refer to him as WC). Sometime before 2021 rolled in, I did. On January 24th, I received my first text from WC.

I'll spare all the insignificant details of our early conversations. What I will say is that on January 29th, we went on our first date, which was brunch at Tapas in Bloomfield.

And, my, oh my.

[selormohene]

day 88 (friday, september 29th 2023)

It's funny how different all sorts of people can be in person from the impression they give off online. It's a bit of a banal point when you think about it; we all lived through the era of Catfish and all that. But even people who are largely being authentic online. I've met mutuals who were taller in person than I'd imagined they would be, for instance, and not because they were deliberately disguising their height or anything. But the point is that you extrapolate a more-or-less-complete picture of a human being based on the limited information you have of them. Sometimes that limited information is skewed, and that sometimes deliberately and sometimes not, but in other cases all that's going on is that the picture they present of themselves is merely one facet of their personality, the facet which happens to be the one they find most conducive to posting online, or is compatible with a number of possible interpretations or possible ways of being filled out into a three-dimensional personality. And then, once you meet them in person, you're able to reinterpret what you see online in the light of what you've encountered in person, and observe firsthand the different manner in which you could have understood what you initially saw in a certain way. Your old perspective and your new perspective are integrated into a sort of stereoscopic vision.

It's funny, because different people have different views of what people "ought" to say about themselves online in order to satisfy whatever images they have of those people. But, thinking about my own perspective, it strikes me that the sorts of things I talk about are only distantly connected to what I'm concerned with, because I take my online presence to be an avenue for communication with others as opposed to a direct expression of my innermost self, first and foremost, and as someone whose primary audience is myself, even when I'm expressing myself in what would otherwise be perfectly well described as a sincere and heartfelt way online, it's still a mode of self-expression for another (or for others, or for an audience which, for all it allows me to be, is nonetheless other than myself). This diary has been helpful in allowing me to let go of that impulse to a great extent but like I said on the first day it's still in a relatively public forum, and I'm still writing it — obscuring some details, being less specific about certain things, etc. — in the mind that it might be read by someone else at some point. But I guess that's how these thing go.

I was looking through the problem sets for the class I'm teaching for and it occurred to me that a solution I'd suggested to a handful of people for one of the problems was wrong, or at any rate incomplete. I didn't realise that it was incomplete until I saw the allowance for an edge case which one of the students incorporated into a solution, but which had barely even crossed my mind, although it should have. Anyway, I think I would have probably done things differently if I hadn't been so concerned with seeming like I knew what I was doing to a greater extent than I actually did, both to other people and to myself. Lessons in hubris and in self-regard, I guess.

[indecisivepsyche]

Dracula: The Evidence

Well, now that we've finished reading Dracula, I'd like to highlight yet another upcoming way to read Dracula! This one is Dracula: The Evidence by Beehive Books, a small press imprint in Philadelphia currently available to preorder. Let me preface this by saying that I'm not affiliated with the creators of this project. I'm just discussing it because I think it's cool. I'll also warn that the two cheapest options for purchasing these items are $400 (for the complete artifactual experience) or $100 (for a hardcover version). If that's too much for you, I'd still recommend taking a look at the neat prototype images and information about the creation process found on their product pages and project updates.

Dracula: The Evidence is a project recreating the primary sources that make up Dracula. As they describe it, "In our edition, you are not merely a reader – you are an explorer making your way through this archive of first-hand evidence, retracing this nightmarish story through the remnants it left behind: correspondence, charts and diagrams, memoranda, artifacts, photographs, and much more."

That means you'll be receiving items like Jonathan's journal and letters from Lucy to Mina in their complete (and unburnt) form.

For people willing and able to shell out the $400, these items will come in a suitcase. For those who can commit $100, you can purchase a hardcover art book with pictures of the artifacts and transcripts of their contents.

There's also the option to purchase a vinyl record of Seward's phonograph recordings (also for $100).

I'm going to ramble a bit more about the project under the cut, but before that here's a link to a post I've made with links to the project. One of them is a promotional Twitter thread written by a fictional archival intern hired to process the Stoker Papers. It's pretty fun.

Edit: It slipped my mind that there was a PDF preorder on offer on Kickstarter for $25. It's not currently on the Beehive Books storefront, but it might be sold once the preorder period is over.

Beehive Books has been transparent about supply chain issues and events like the calligrapher they cast to write for Jonathan Harker being conscripted in the army causing delays. However, it is currently projected that the products will ship in early 2023.

Speaking of calligraphers, they've hired over a dozen of them to write for the different characters. It's neat to hear that they've put a lot of consideration into how the personalities of the characters should be reflected in their handwriting.

If you want to hear a sample of their recordings for Dr. Seward's diary, check out the September 12th Kickstarter Update on either edition. The updates are open to the public, and they've posting a link to a Dropbox with a two-minute sample from Jack's May 25th entry.

Check out the update from January 10th, 2022 to hear how they're tackling the fact that most of the documents that make up Dracula are originally not written in standard English. Here's an excerpt from it:

"For Mina, we've had her switch back and forth between shorthand and longhand throughout her diary. We've used it to enhance character building and storytelling. She's using the journal as an opportunity to learn and practice shorthand -- so which sections does she feel most urgent about, and might she scrawl down in her natural hand without translating into her shaky shorthand? Which sections might she feel private about, and want written in an alphabet that someone who comes upon her diary might not understand?

And then we have Mina's typescript, which transcribes every word of every document contained therein, and more. This allows readers to work with the two documents side-by-side, decoding shorthand or Russian with the help of the typescript."

On the update from October 29th, 2021, they discuss how the Captain of the Demeter wrote his log before the modernization of the Cyrillic alphabet and how they had to find a linguist to rewrite their Russian translation.

Seriously, even if you can't afford to buy this, there's a lot of fun to be had in poking around the project updates and looking at the prototype images they've shared.

That's all from me! It's time to see some of the adaptations for myself, starting with Dracula (1931).

[sarcasticslothy]

But is it still a home when you’re all alone

Tarlos Week 2022 Day 4 September 29th: “Don’t do this” and/or a story set between season 2 and season 3 The fic in which Carlos gets hurt, but TK still hurts him more.

Read on AO3

They’re a mere thirty minutes from the end of their shift when the call comes in. It’s listed as a domestic disturbance and the details given to 911 operators are sketchy at best. Carlos has responded to domestic disturbance calls for years and they range from the smallest family arguments that get just a little too loud to serious incidents that required the most tactile of responses. He gives his partner, Lexi Mitchell a nod as she accepts the call and he flicks the lights and sirens on, carefully navigating the after-work traffic.

Upon their arrival, the street is quiet. They pause outside the address, looking for anything amiss and come up blank. Carlos spots the neighbour appear out the front of their house motioning them towards him and Carlos gestures with a slight nod. “He’s inside,” the neighbour tells him when they greet him and Carlos frowns. “Who’s he?” “It’s Jenna’s ex, Richie” “Jenna Raymond?” Carlos confirms, remembering the name from the property report they’d studied on the way to the scene. “Yes. I don’t know what happened, but Jenna told me they’d split a few weeks ago and ever since, he’s been coming around and constantly knocking on her door. I heard her tell him that it was over and he need to go and then she screamed, and I haven’t heard anything since” “Okay. We’ll check it out, head back inside your property please” “She’s a really sweet girl and they seemed happy, I don’t get it” “Thanks, sir” They wait until he’s back into his house. “I’ll knock, you hang back so you can see if anybody does a runner” Carlos murmurs a few moments later as they ascend the house’s front steps and Lexi gives him a quick nod of acknowledgement, staying back a couple of steps from him. His first knock is met with complete silence, he waits for a moment before knocking again. He hears a faint sound of footsteps towards the door and immediately is on edge when the door eventually opens to a young woman with obvious terror in her eyes, her lips set into a half smile that looks more pained than joyful. “Hello, I’m Officer Reyes. We’ve had a 911 call for this address and just want to check everything is all right” “Everything is fine,” she says carefully and then tenses, her eyes closing for a moment like she expects something bad to happen to her. Carlos has been to way too many of these cases, with someone so obvious in their want to tell them they need help but is too terrified to do so in the moment. “The report says they heard a scream. Are you here alone, ma’am?” Carlos asks and he looks past her for a moment as the movement of a shadow catches his eye. “I’m fine, thank you” she tries again, not even answering the question Carlos had proposed to her. The desperation on her face is clear, but Carlos can’t figure out if she is desperate for them to leave or desperate for him to push inside. “Can we please come inside to confirm that?” Carlos questions and there’s a pause where the girl looks to her right and a moment later everything immediately changes when she’s pulled backwards, the door slamming shut in front of her. “Austin Police, open the door!” Carlos yells, hitting the door with his fist. Carlos draws his weapon stepping back so he is standing next to Lexi. “Definitely someone there with her, there was a reflection in the glass door inside. Call in backup and I’ll go around the back” Carlos waits for Lexi to give him a nod of confirmation before heading towards the back of the house, weapon trained on the windows as he passes. There’s only darkness when he steps towards them, blinds closed to keep anybody out. By the time he has reached the rear of the house, he can hear the hushed conversation inside, so backtracks out of view. “All you had to do was say nothing was wrong, Jenna. It’s not hard!” a voice says, dripping with anger. “I’m sorry. Please, Richie. I’m sorry” the girl cries and Carlos hears an abrupt muffled scream and then can see two figures, one pushing the other down the stairs. “Austin Police! Put your hands up and let her go!” he yells as they both jolt with shock turning towards him. He sees the shine of the knife as it moves to rest against Jenna’s neck and feels the familiar rush of adrenalin running through his body. “Do not come any closer” the man warns, but he waivers in his movements and Carlos signals behind him for Lexi to stay out of view when he spots her in his peripheral vision. “I’m staying here, why don’t you put the knife down and we can talk” Carlos reasons and the girl sobs as the knife is pushed closer against her throat. Carlos puts one hand off his weapon and holds it palm up, urging the man to stay calm. “I don’t want to talk to you” the man mutters out, his eyes whipping around their surroundings “I need to talk to her. Alone” “Okay. I don’t want anyone to get hurt” Carlos tells him and lets out a breath when the comment doesn’t anger the man in front of him any further. “It’s Jenna right?” Carlos says, catching her eye as she stares at him, shock on her young face. Her face is covered in tears and she weeps quietly. “Y-yes” she stammers out “And you’re Richie right?” Carlos asks calmly, getting a brief nod in response. Richie starts to look behind them, clearly looking for a getaway route and Carlos knows that any chance he had to escape is already gone, back up will already be surrounding the house, unseen for the moment. “Okay, Richie. What’s happened today?” Richie nervously glances between Carlos and the house, the knife shaking in his hold and Carlos knows there’s a limited time where this goes smoothly. “I didn’t mean to do all this. I just wanted to talk to her” Carlos senses the situation, takes a gamble on his gut and lowers his weapon, keeping it at his hip. “To Jenna?” Carlos prods and Richie nods, the sound of a car on the street making him jump but he concentrates back on Carlos again a few moments later. “I just wanted to understand” he explains further, and Carlos doesn’t even know if he realises that he's lowering the knife. “Understand what, Richie?” “Why she left me. I just want to understand why” The words make Carlos’s gut churn; they echo ones he has asked himself hundreds of times in the past month. He forces himself not to let himself get distracted by his own problematic life and instead what’s in front of him. “Okay, but this isn’t the way to go about it, Richie” “She said she loved me. Why would you do that to someone you loved?” Richie asks and Carlos glances at Jenna for just a moment and sees her close her eyes, staying silent. He looks back at Richie and just for a moment he sees his own desperation, the complete and utter confusion of thinking somebody loved you beyond anything in the world and then having it crush down on you that you were wrong with no reason why. “I don’t know, Richie. I do know that if you loved her, you wouldn’t want her to be hurt or scared. Don’t do this” Richie’s grip on the knife loosens further and it lowers from its position against Jenna’s neck. He presses on “Let’s put the knife down and talk about it” “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” Richie repeats into the back of Jenna’s head. Carlos takes a step forward and then another when Richie doesn’t react. “Drop the knife, Richie,” he says, keeping his voice firm as he continues walking forward. “I just wanted to know why. That’s all. I didn’t mean it. I love you. I’m sorry” “You have to drop the knife, Richie” Carlos repeats and is only a few steps away when a fence at the back of the yard squeaks, causing Richie to spin around, the knife that was barely still in his hands now tight in his grip again. Jenna ducks out of the way, running away with a scream and Carlos moves to the left to cover her exit only for Richie to take a step towards him, knife perfectly positioned to slice into his shoulder. He feels the pain in his shoulder bloom immediately but still manages to grab Richie’s wrist, twisting so the knife clatters to the ground. He pushes Richie towards the ground, relieved to see officers swarm from behind him, so he doesn’t have to stretch his shoulder any further.

’I’m sorry. I’m sorry” Richie cries and Carlos turns away to walk towards the steps, gripping the rail tightly. “Reyes!” Lexi calls as he drops to sit on the step, reaching up to touch his shoulder, swiping at the blood that he can feel soaking into his long-sleeved uniform shirt.

“I’m okay” he mutters. “We need medics around the back of the house,” Lexi speaks into her radio, crouching down to support him as he hears his heartbeat far too loud in his ear, adrenalin still pumping. “I’m sure it looks worse than it is” Carlos reasons with her. “Let’s let the medics decide that huh?” she tells him “Jenna okay?” “Other unit took her around the front, I’ll check on her in a second” he hums in reply and then groans inwardly when he sees the familiar face of Tommy walking towards him. “Hey Carlos” she greets and Carlos wants to tell her he doesn’t need help, but the pain has started to throb, so he lets her sit next to him with no argument. He watches behind her, waiting for the moment her fellow paramedics will appear, his heart beating erratically for an entirely different reason. “Hey Tommy” he replies and she smiles at him. “We’re going to need you to take your shirt off, see what we’ve got here” he hears her request, and is considering the least painful way to complete the task, then all he can see is TK walking around the corner, stopping when he sees Carlos in front of him. His face drops in shock, eyes going straight to Carlo’s bloody shoulder. He starts to hurry towards him before stopping suddenly, hands squeezing into the straps of his backpack as he stays glued to the spot. It’s not the first time he’s seen him since he walked out, their awkward encounter at his dad’s house where Carlos had desperately tried to get him to talk with no response has that covered, but it’s been over a month now and it hits Carlos just as much. “Carlos” Tommy says, gently shaking his forearm and Carlos assumes it’s not the first time she’s said it. “Shirt off or I cut it off” “Okay, okay” he mumbles, and with help starts to take off his vest followed by his shirt. With no barrier, he can see the knife wound is significant, but nowhere near as bad as he first thought. He looks anywhere but at TK as she asks him questions and presses on the wound, and he’s pleasantly surprised that the blood is already slowing when he looks back down. “I could use you inside, Cap,” Nancy says over their radio and Tommy sighs, glancing behind her at TK “Is this going to be a problem?” she says quietly to Carlos. Carlos focuses on TK and knows if he wasn’t someone who didn’t care about professionalism, he would have no hesitation saying no, but there’s a girl inside who has had a worse day than him. He shakes his head. “Push on this” she grabs his hand pushing it on his shoulder where she’s put a large gauze against it “It’s a really clean cut, you’ll need some stitches but besides that, you’ll be good. I’ll be back” “Thanks” Carlos whispers. Tommy gives him a gentle smile before heading towards the house, talking quietly to TK for a second before continuing past him. “Tommy wants me to wrap it, we can do it at the rig if you’re okay to move?” TK asks him when he eventually comes towards him. His voice is apologetic, Carlos hates that it makes him feel sorry for him. “Yeah” He tries to push himself up with his good arm, but wobbles on his way up as he gets his balance. TK comes close as he falters, automatically grabbing onto him to try and keep him upright. They pause, staring at each other for a quick moment before TK rushes out a whispered apology, stepping away from him. By the time he slowly makes his way to the rig, sitting down on the step, TK has supplies waiting next to him and he tentatively reaches towards him, hands stopping for a moment after he touches him. “Is this okay?” TK asks quietly No, of course not he thinks to himself. “Just do it” he replies instead. “I’m sorry” TK whispers a little while later, as he wraps a bandage around Carlos’s shoulder. “We’re not doing this right now”

“Carlos...”

“We are not doing this now” he snaps firmly and this time TK seems to get the message and they exist in silence as TK concentrates on Carlos’s shoulder again. It’s the slowest job he’s ever seen him do, but he can’t seem to find it in himself to call him out on it. There are words on the tip of his tongue wanting to hurl themselves out. Everything he’s wanted to say, lying in the bed that was meant to be theirs, inside the loft that he’d thought they’d make a home in together. He looks across as they lead Richie out towards the car, his head hanging towards the ground.   Why would you do that to someone you loved?

“I’ve been trying to talk to you for weeks” The words shock him just as much as TK, who tenses as he finally finishes the bandage, but once Carlos starts, he finds he can’t stop. “If you had picked up any of the dozens of phone calls you could’ve apologised ten times over by now. I tried to fix it and you ghosted me. You kicked me out of your dad’s house like I meant nothing to you”

“I know. I’m sorry I-”

“That guy, Richie? There’s a part of me that understands him and what does that make me?” He rattles out a breath and refuses to be embarrassed when a sob gets caught in his throat “You broke my heart. And whatever reason you think there was to do that, it wasn’t good enough. Are we done here?”

He meets TK’s eyes for a moment and every part that loved him wants to take back the words, wants to pretend, even just for a moment that they are still the TK and Carlos that everyone else sees, but the burning in his gut reminds him of why he can’t do it. “You need stitches” TK mumbles, and Carlos ignores the way his voice cracks and squeezes his hand together against the urge to comfort, to forget, to forgive. “I’ll go myself,” he tells him and steps off the rig, nodding at Nancy on his way past. He finds Lexi waiting off to the side, and when she notices him, she quickly heads in his direction.

“Your arm good?” she asks, stepping into line next to him as they head to the cruiser.

“It needs stitches, can you take me to the hospital?” She looks behind him and Carlos expects her to send him back to the ambulance.

“Sure,” she says instead, and Carlos can’t get out of there quick enough.

Carlos looks out the window of the car as he waits for them to be led out of the scene, he tells himself not to look for him, but his eyes find him anyway as they have since the moment he first spotted him across the floor of a dark bar. Nancy sits close to his side, rubbing his back as they talk, probably about him he supposes. Tommy comes out and they both straighten and start to clean up their supplies. He tries to ignore the drag to his movements, the quiet sorrow shadowing his every move.

“You two going to work it out?”

He turns away, leans his head back against the headrest and closes his eyes. 

“I don’t know”

[anomaly-high-diaries]

Lavande’s Basic Diary

Cover: You’d be sick to read my diary!

August 29th:

OMTB, so, it’s my first day of school! Like, a normal school, not home-school. Though, I have to live at the school, in a dorm, so I’m kinda home-sick… but it’s still nice! I’ve never been out of home for this long, like, not once, ever. Dad really freaked out when the letter showed up, but luckily grandfather thought it would be nice for me to make friends! Out of the family, of course. And friends who aren’t Ray-Ray, I’m not sure if he counts as a family member. Oh, almost forgot, I was allowed to bring Ray-Ray! He scared my roommate a little, but it’s all better now!

OH GOODNESS, I forgot to mention my roommate! Her name’s Connie, she’s so cool, she’s a human! I’ve never met a human before (Or well, a living one), so this is fun! She was a little freaked out, (I think she might be scared of me?) but she’s calmed down now. She’s pretty nice, and also hasn’t really been allowed to leave her home. I’m not sure why… but that’s just something we can bond over!

August 30th:

Ok, so, turns out the people here aren’t as friendly as I thought. I ran into this girl, I think her name was Royal, and she said I didn’t belong here. I’m not sure why she thought that though, and she wouldn’t tell me! She seemed kinda spooked. She said I was wrong? And she wouldn’t elaborate on what that meant. And this other girl, Wobble, I think (what is wrong with that girl’s parents) was like “you’ll regret scaring my roomie” and I was like “I need to head to class actually”.

So I went (to math class) but oh dear, this third girl who was also with the first two, her name is Sorchpia, I’m sure about that one, was also in the class! And she burned my paper! She said it was an accident though, so she probably didn’t mean too. And the teacher got me another paper! It didn’t happen again, but Sorchpia kept giving me weird looks.

September 1st:

Ray-Ray’s missing oh my grandfather where is my rat help he’s gone my boy crap

September 1st (again):

So uh, Connie found this note, and erm, well, I’ll just write what it said.

Daddy always said revenge was best served with blood.

I’m really freaked out, what if these are the people who took Ray-Ray? I’m searching all over the school for him, I’m like really freaked out right now WHERE IS MY BOY!?

But hey, I found this nice girl, Aviya, who offered to help find Ray-Ray! She came out of her dorm with her roommate after hearing me freak out, and asked what was wrong. I explained the situation, and she was willing to help! Her roommate, Oozelle, also offered to help, though she was somewhat reluctant. But hey, she is helping, so that’s gotta be good! Ooh, and she can walk through walls, so she can search faster!

Anyways, if anyone’s looking into my diary… Do you know where Ray-Ray is? Also stop looking into my diary please and thank you. Unless you’re me.

September 2nd

One time, a year or two ago, Ray-Ray’s left leg fell off. He started sniffing the leg. And I’ll admit it: I started crying like I was a child. It’s just that, rats’ legs weren’t supposed to do that. What would dad say? Would grandfather have to take him away? Dad heard me crying, and came in, asking what was wrong. He saw Ray-Ray.

Ray-Ray isn’t a normal rat. Dad doesn’t really like normal rats. He says they spread diseases. But don’t all animals have that ability? Anyways, Ray-Ray’s ability to spread disease was removed. Because of this, he’s all stitched up. So dad merely had to sew Ray-Ray’s leg back on! That was a lot of worrying about something so simple! He started giving me sewing lessons, in case something else happened and he wasn’t here to help. I was never really all that good with sewing, though I’m getting better!

I’m trying to remember them now. It’s good to think about anything else right now.

Anything other than the disassembled Ray-Ray left outside my room. Not a single piece moving.

September 3rd

I’m trying everything I can! But nothing’s sticking, Ray-Ray keeps falling apart. Connie told me that he might just be dead. But he’s not! For the brief time I stitch him up and he stays that way, he stands up, looks at me. He’s alive in there! I need to save him!

Who could doom him to a fate worse than death!?

Anyways, I sent dad a letter. Maybe he can help? Poor Ray-Ray…

Oh, and I made some progress! He’s blinking! Connie doesn’t see it, but I just think they have the same blink patterns. It’s nice Ray-Ray still has a sense of humor.

Oh, Connie just caught him blinking! What did I tell her? Yep, Ray-Ray’s still alive, but I don’t know for how long.

September 5th.

Dad’s response came. Now, I could copy down everything they wrote but I’m freaking out too much. And it’s hard, because their handwriting is not very good. Basically, their letter said this:

“I’m coming over.”

I’m just sitting here like, how is he gonna do that, I’m not even entirely sure how they got me here, and so is Connie and Aviya and Oozelle and everyone I asked. Connie asked if she could hide when they got here, for some reason. I’m also worried because, like, how serious is this? How bad is this? I don’t wanna lose Ray-Ray now, I really don’t. There’s so much he hasn’t gotten to do yet!

On the plus side I managed to get his tail to stay attached to his body. The tail wags a little. Maybe I’m making a mountain out of a molehill.

September 6th.

Dad arrived. The two of us were sitting in the headmistress's room. I just woke up here, and they said the same. The headmistress asked why we called the meeting, and I, screaming a little, explained the Ray-Ray situation.

“...You mean this Ray-Ray?” The headmistress turned her seat all around, and when she came back into view, she was holding Ray-Ray, good as new! He leaped into my arms, and while I was confused, I was mostly happy to see him ok! Dad, however, was way more confused, and demanded to know how she did that. She got out of her chair, and grabbed his hand. However, my grandfather did not appear. Dad was freaking out, obviously, I was a little worried too, and what she said next worried me more.

“No one will ever die at my school. No one can die at my school.”

And then I woke up, back in my room. Ray-Ray was on my lap, also having just woken up! Connie seemed aware I wasn’t there the whole time (or Ray-Ray) and was a little freaked out. We had just appeared when she wasn’t looking! It took a while to explain that I can’t usually teleport. I just told her that Ray-Ray was cured. I don’t want to worry her about anything else.

Death is a part of life. It happens to everyone, no matter how, or what, we will all die someday. And while it makes sense to postpone it and all that, I won’t pretend I didn’t freak out about possibly losing Ray-Ray, making it so no one can die here is messing with the natural order of things! While I would prefer to walk out of this school alive when summer comes, if there’s an accident that kills me, it should, you know, kill me!

But hey, Ray-Ray’s fine. And besides, there could be some other explanation for all this, like, maybe the Headmistress is immune to my dad’s touch and was just speaking in hyperbole, yeah, that’s probably more reasonable, right?

…Right?

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Today in Tolkien - September 25th

Today gets two full chapters of Fellowship of the Ring: “A Short Cut to Mushrooms” and “A Conspiracy Unmasked.”

Sam is particularly affected by his conversation with the elves, and seems to have gained a perspective that will stay with him through the whole of the quest:

I don’t know how to say it, but after last night I feel different. I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can’t turn back. It isn’t to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want - I don’t rightly know what I want: but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire. I must see it through, sir, if you understand me.

It seems as though Sam has had an almost Elvish glimpse of foresight; this memory comes back far later, at the very darkest parrt of the journey, when he thinks that Frodo is dead in Cirith Ungol:

And then he remembered his own voice speaking words that at the time he did not understand himself, at the beginning of their journey: I have something to do before the end. I must see it through, sir, if you understand.

…“What am I to do then?” he cried again, and now he seemed plainly to know the hard answer: see it through. Another lonely journey, and the worst.

And so he takes upon himself the Ring, and the quest to Mount Doom, and as a result prevents Sauron from getting it. The seeds of that pivotal moment are sown in this chance-meeting with elves.

Looking at the map of the Shire at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring, it seems like the hobbits’ ‘short cut’ today takes them south from near Woodhall to the upper parts of the Stockbrook; dowmstream along the Stockbrook a ways, and then south across it before it’s fully exited the forest of Woody End; then, accidentally, south (rather than west) through a part of Woody End. But I’m not sure about that; if it’s accurate, they spend a large part of the day getting quite turned around and heading south rather than east. But Farmer Maggot only lives about five miles from Bucklebury Ferry, so the hobbits must have managed to walk most of the way there, and by Frodo’s estimate it would have been 18 miles even without getting turned around.

At any rate, Frodo is probably prudent in deciding to stay off the road, as they have three more encounters (well, two sightings and one hearing) with Black Riders, to add to the two the previous day - one shortly after they start out, one in the afternoon when they are in the woods, and the one that they see from the far side of the Brandywine just after getting off Bucklebury Ferry.

This chapter (and the last one, with Gildor’s people) is a strong illustration of the importance Tolkien places on friendship and kindness and unexpected help. Not for Tolkien the ‘lone hero against the world’ story! (Indeed, those who insist on isolating themselves are almost always acting out of pride, and are almost always corrupted.) The hobbits only escape the Black Riders thanks to the aid first of the elves and later of Farmer Maggot, who drives them to the ferry; and Frodo and Sam would have been much worse off the later parts of their journey if Merry and Pippin hadn’t insisted on coming along. Later there’s Bombadil, and then Aragorn, and Glorfindel, and later Galadriel, and Treebeard, and Faramir. And while a few of these meetings - Glorfindel, who was spent specifically to seek them, and Lothlórien - are planned, most are not. Providence in Middle-earth seems to work in large part through ‘chance-meeting’, just as it did with Gandalf and Thorin immediately before the events of The Hobbit (recounted in “The Quest of Erebor” in Unfinished Tales). Even in the Silmarillion such chance-meetings have great importance, as between Finrod and the Beorings or Beren and Lúthien. They are quite clearly intended to be understood as more than mere chance.

And I love Merry’s statement on friendship when they insist on coming with Frodo:

You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo.

I’ve read the books more times than I can count, and I still can’t decipher the meaning of Frodo’s dream at the end:

He seemed to looking out of a high window over a dark sea of tangled trees. Down below among the roots there was a sound of creatures crawling and snuffling. He felt sure they would smell him out sooner or later.

Then he heard a noise in the distance. At first he thought it was a great wind coming over the leaves of the forest. Then he knew that it was not leaves, but the sound of the Sea far-off; a sound he had never heard in waking life, though it had often troubled his dreams. Suddenly he found he was in the open. There were no trees after all. He was on a dark heath, and thete was a strange salt smell in the air. Looking up he saw before him a tall white tower, standing alone on a high ridge. A great desire cam over him to climb the tower and see the Sea. He started to struggle up the ridge towards the tower: but suddenly a light came into the sky, and there was a noise of thunder.

It’s possible that the first part of the dream is conveying Gandalf imprisoned in Orthanc. The second part, Frodo’s dream of climbing a tower and seeing the sea, may be related to where he will be three years hence, on his journey to the Grey Havens. This journey lasts from September 22nd to 29th, so by the they are likely west of the Shire by the 25th:

… going about the south skirts of the White Downs, they came to the Far Downs, and to the Towers, and looked on the distant Sea.

The Prologue to FOTR mentions that:

Three Elf-towers of immemorial age were still to be seen on the Tower Hills beyond the western marches. They shone far off in the moonlight. The tallest was furthest away, standing upon a green mound. The Hobbits of the Westfarthing said that one could see the Sea from the top of that tower; but no hobbit had ever been known to climb it.

[adachikiyoshi]

Disclaimer: These are merely predictions based on what context is given in the show. Under the cut I have compiled the reasoning for this timeline, do take a look. Warning: it got..........long 

All the assuming dates given here are based on the date Oct 28th that was mentioned during the 6th episode. 

DAY 1) So the show starts the day before Adachi’s birthday. (Episode 1) assuming September 30th

DAY 2)Then it’s his actual birthday, when he first develops his cherry magic. Plus from the calendar, we can see it’s October. (Episode 1) assuming Oct 1

DAY3 After we establish that, there’s a timeskip and it’s a week after Adachi’s birthday. Still October. The day he discovers Kurosawa’s crush, works overtime and later stays over at Kurosawa’s.  (Episode 1-2) assuming Oct 8th 

DAY4 The next day. Breakfast at Kurosawa’s place. Timeskip (?) to drinks/dinner with Tsuge. I assume the same night, since Adachi talks about ‘this morning’.  (Episode 2)  assuming Oct 9th

DAY 5)  And I’m assuming this is the next working day. Urabe undermines Adachi’s work, Kurosawa snaps yadda, yadda, yadda, Adachi pops a question but is then interrupted by Rokkaku inviting them to the drinking party. And, well, we all know what happens then. Also, happy birthday Tsuge! (Episode 2-4)  assuming Oct 12th

DAY 6)  After that That Adachi spends two weeks avoiding Kurosawa. Cruel, but understandable. Adachi gets attacked, flying Kurosawa (Adachi’s words, not mine) saves the day. Patches up his wound. Then gets in trouble with that president(?). Adachi helps him, Kurosawa thanks him, Adachi gets all giddy. Then he sees him with his sister and misunderstands and walks in the rain like the dramatic little shit he is and gets a cold.  (Episode 4-6) assuming Oct 26th  Side not I’m just realizing all this happened in the span of one day. Wow.

DAY 7)  It’s the next day! Adachi is sick and also a tsundere suddenly. Kurosawa takes him home and spends the night taking care of him.  (Episode 6-7) assuming Oct 27th

DAY 8)  Next morning! October 28th! The first full date we get from the show and the start of the ‘sweet private life’....or maybe not. Sorry, Kurosawa. They’re back at work, because I assume Kurosawa’s porridge can cure colds, and Rokkaku invites himself over! And who is Adachi to say no to a cockblocker? (Episode 6)

DAY 9)  Good morning again! Kurosawa has disappeared into thin air! Oh wait nvm he’s here. And he’s sad. Wtf. I did not sign up for this. Anyway it’s October 29th now (also seen by Kurosawa’s phone) and Kurosawa officially confesses. (Episode 6-7)

DAY 10)  New day! October 30th! Adachi realizes at last and does a gay little run to find Kurosawa who spend the whole episode as if he was part of a sad music video. Stuff gets resolved. Congratulations to the couple! (Episode 7)

[oswincoleman]

2020 Jenna Coleman’s Year in Review, part 2: Acting

Death Be Not Proud (Inside No. 9 series 5 episode 2)

Jenna Coleman secretly filmed this back in early 2019, before she started rehearsing for her theatre production of All My Sons. It took almost a year after that, for the rest of the episodes of the series to be filmed, and released. This remains the only film or TV role of Jenna that was released this year. And although the initial promotion for it appeared to show Jenna in the leading role in the episode, that turned out to just be a ruse to hide the secret of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith reprising their roles from Psychoville in Inside No. 9, so her total screentime was only about 10 minutes or so. 

It was an interesting episode, though not quite to my tastes, and Jenna played her role brilliantly as always. With the way it ended, it was like a bit of a teaser of what was to come. 

This was her only appearance in film and television this year. Throughout her acting career since 2005, Jenna has always had substantially more screentime every year, than she did this year. The only exceptions being 2010 and 2011. Of course that is mostly not her fault; The Serpent would have been out much earlier without the pandemic. 

The Serpent

After 4 months of intensive filming for The Serpent in the latter half of 2019, Jenna Coleman felt somewhat burnt out, and went on holiday with her parents to the Maldives in January. She described her experience there in a travel article she published later in the year.

Filming for The Serpent finally resumed in February,after a 2 month break, because Tahar Rahim has been working on a film in the meantime. This long break however proved to be quite problematic, as after only 3 weeks of filming, production had to be halted, due to the spread of COVID-19, with just 5 days of filming left to do.

There had already been plans for events to advertise The Serpent, but these were canceled.

Filming for The Serpent finally resumed in August. But unlike what had been planned, of filming the last few scenes in Bangkok and Budapest, they were shot in a manor in the small English town of Tring. A set had been built up there to resemble an apartment in Bangkok. Everyone whk was working on it at the time respected health guidelines, and so managed to safely complete filming in 2 weeks.

So in total, Jenna only spent 5 weeks filming this year, and she wasn’t even required to film on all of those days.

A Separate Peace

But over the course of the year, with the pandemic making filming difficult to impossible, Jenna instead diverted her attention to acting in other ways.

Most notably amongst those was A Separate Peace by Tom Stoppard; a virtual theatre performed by multiple actors over Zoom. It marked a significant improvement over actors merely reading text out loud, was amazing to watch, and was strongly praised as the best alternative to actual theatre currently available.

Jenna played 22 year old nurse Maggie Coates, who tended to, and befriended a patient, played by David Morrissey, who arrived at the hospital without having any medical issue whatsoever.

It was short and poignant, and it was amazing to see Jenna in this role. But info have some criticism about the producers. With minimal promotion for it, the turnout could have been much better. It was announced to be the first in a series of virtual theatre performances like this, and it seemed as though this was sort of a test run, to see whether this was possible at all, to see whether the media liked it, or not. The reaction to it was overwhelmingly positive, with very great reviews praising it’s ability to at least achieve some semblance of theatre despite all the restrictions preventing live theatre performances. It was even praised as among the best of theatre in 2020 (https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/2020-Year-In-Review-Gary-Naylors-Best-of-Theatre-20201207). 

After seeing those reviews, which were shared much more widely than the initial promotion for it, I saw lots of people who either wanted to watch the production, but couldn’t, as it was only shown once, and was not shared by the producers afterwards, or were interested in watching future installments of such virtual theatre performances. But the producers of this virtual theatre performance did not produce any other ones, despite initially announcing that they would. And even though it was understandable at the time, that they were unwilling to share the recording of the performance, as the money from the tickets did go to charity, and they did not want people to know that they could still watch future similar performances without having to pay anything, as they did not make any other similar production, it is perplexing why they never made the recording of this play available. 

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

As the pandemic prevented most types of acting for large parts of the year, Jenna instead turned her attention to several audio performances.

Way back in 2011, Jenna voiced Princess Melia in the English dub of the fantasy role-playing game Xenoblade Chronicles. 10 years after the initial release, Nintendo worked on a new release; Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, with updated graphics, gameplay, and a whole new extra storyline, that prominently features Melia. It was released on the 29th of May 2020. 

Since Jenna rose to fame after she originally voiced Melia, the Xenoblade Chronicles fandom thought it very unlikely that Jenna would return to voice Melia again in the new release. But against all odds, she did return. It is unclear when she recorded the new lines for Melia, but I think it was probably in January or February this year, and Jenna has still never commented publicly about this role, or her reprisal of it. 

Though I haven’t played the game, you can watch all the cutscenes of the game here: https://youtu.be/Tsgy1h5x8VU and the phrases Melia says througout the gameplay here: https://youtu.be/l7oDcI8HmI4

Pressures, Residential

On July 12th, Esquire UK released a recording of Jenna Coleman reading the short story “Pressures, Residential” by Philip Hensher, in support of Unicef UK, as part of the Esquire Summer Fiction Series. It’s a creepy story told brilliantly by Jenna. It’s always lovely to listen to her incredible voice. You can listen to the story here: https://youtu.be/VSpc4H-z40A

The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies

On the 17th of September, the audiobook collection “Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales” was released, in which Jenna read the story of “The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies”. 

Charlie Waller Virtual Carol Service

On the 7th of December 2020, the Charlie Waller Trust held a virtual Chirstmas carol service, that had been pre-recorded, and was streamed over youtube for those that bought a ticket earlier. As part of the event, Jenna Coleman read an extract of a Christmas carol poem by George Wither. 

Additional Comments

With a lack of projects this year and the last, and with Victoria series 3 not being recieved that well, Jenna unfortunately didn’t win any awards, and wasn’t even nominated for any awards this year. Even though I think she was nominated and won far too few awards for her recent work, she at least had managed to maintain a success of several award nominations, and at least one win every year since 2016. 

2020 has also been the first year of her acting career, since 2005, in which she didn’t officially get announced to have been cast in a new film or TV role, or had the certainty of continuing to play a role that she had already played, in the next year. 

Even though Jenna Coleman was involved in many different projects this year, overall, she did not have any work to do for the vast majority of this year. With the TV and film industry being shut down or at least massively reduced for large parts of the year, there might not have been that many roles for her to audition for. We know that Jenna went on two holidays, and she had shared a bit of what she got up to during lockdown in this article: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/g32374333/self-isolate-with-jenna-coleman/ But for the most part, it remains somewhat unclear what she did this year. We know she kept up French lessons for The Serpent, she did some gardening, possibly attended some photography courses, and possibly tried her hand at painting. She revealed all of that in May, and hasn’t talked about what she did with her time since then. 

There is a possibility that she had been working on renovating her new house in the Cotswolds for some time this year. And there is also the possibility of her having already started filming work for her secret new project; after all it remains unclear where she was during her latest Galaxycon Q&A session. 

Overall, this year has not been great for Jenna from an acting perspective. But 2021 will definitely be better! The Serpent airs on January on BBC, and will be released on Netlix sometime later that year. And then there’s also Jenna’s secret new project. Depending on what it is, we might even see that come out towards the end of 2021.