#except josephine lee she turned it

[a-birdhouse-in-your-soul]

the us women…sure us womened today…

bad things happen in columbus.

[crimsoncityhq]

PART I

One thing rang true and that was the prediction of the brutal blizzard of November 28th. Everyone prepped the best they could with the remembrance of how last Winter had ruthlessly blanketed their homes. There’s a frenzy for backup generators that get bought up in the Chicago stores for the anticipation. The first ominous whistle of the wind, and the pebbles of ice fall on the eve of Thanksgiving. Power flickers in each home giving them a moment of awkward darkness, before the backup generators kick in. The power companies in the city promise to have everyone serviced, but they start to service the scattered patches on the outskirts of the city first .

Most joked that was the brutal blizzard they had prepared for, until Mother Nature dropped her poker face. The ships with cargo became stuck in the harbor due to the icy fortress that froze over the gigantic lake. No lights of passing planes in the sky, as the wind turned into a sinister howl. Darkness engulfed the entirety of the city, except for a strip of hotels in neutral territory. The footmen of the families alert them that there seem to be only a handful of hotels that seem to be around. Meanwhile the temperature dips in the homes of those unlucky, and they must face a brash decision to not become the ice sculptures akin to the people of Pompeii. 

Multiple phone calls are done, and just as their phones are about to die they get a booking. A hotel that mentions that the accommodations might be crowded -- However, they can host your groups and promise warmth as long as the storm doesn’t shut them down. Everyone packs up their children, pets, and housemates to journey to the only solace that isn’t sold out in all Chicago.

After a restless eternity everyone was given a room number with their baggage ( human and otherwise ). The group of people that checked guests in alert them that there is a room for the animals to stay in kennels or they may accompany the others up to the room. Just when everyone was annoyed after being crowded in the lobby, and having to wait decades to get from one floor to another in the elevator.  It doesn’t help there’s always that one asshole that tries to asphyxiate everyone with their heinous flatulence. 

They FINALLY make it into their hotel room. Massive enough and customized with multiple full sized beds. No television, the heat blares up, it’s the poster child of the most bare necessities room. While everyone claimed a bed and stared haughty towards the guests that had ended up in the same room with them. A loud crackle followed by a slight rumble of their feet had the lights in the hotel rooms go off. The hotel doors seemed to have powered down, and anyone that tried to leave them --found they wouldn’t budge. A soft wheeze emitted from the heater in the room, and for a moment that’s the only noise in the room with you until the profanities start to flood. Winter wasn’t the only one that had prepped for the evening. The Walshes and their affiliates watch on with hidden elation as their plan goes into motion.

Part I will run from November 28th until December 3rd. Under the cut will be the groupings as well as some additional notes for this event.

Please don’t make any new starters open or closed that don’t pertain to this event while it’s happening. Normal replies can be done while the event is running, but it gets confusing timeline wise if people have additional threads that they start that would belong after the event timeline.

For this event specifically, the weather in Chicago is fictional. After the event you can feel free to glance at the Weather app and RP it out that way!

Animals will also be boarded at this neutral hotel. Keep in mind if the animals are left at your residence with the current temperature and no heat they will likely pass away.

Keep in mind that if your character has children (unless they are Walsh affiliates) they  likely have their kids in the room with them or any other NPC’s. If the character is a Walsh it was their choice to have them be ‘stuck’ in the room with them or left with a babysitter provided by the council.

For information on the bold names check the Walsh Discord channel. 

PREP PLOT SLOTS CHOSEN

 LIAM WALSH & IVY IVASHKOV volunteered to carpool with a hotel van to the hospital for sedatives and other harvesting supplies. AUDREY ROUSSEAU is already at the hospital and helps them fill the van before they all ride back to the hotel together. DAVUT DEMIR & KILLIAN WALSH are tasked with going to The Westin and sabotaging the hotel in time for the storm. They are told to do whatever necessary to make sure the hotel can’t accept any more guests before they return for the night. DARREN MURPHY took a smoke break after unloading only one of the supply vans at the hotel. LINCOLN DAWSON caught them smoking—as opposed to working—and made DARREN MURPHY finish unloading two other vans while they watched. 

ASLYN WALSH collected the weekly stash owed from the business owners at Magnificent Mile. She delivered the money to the council without prying eyes of local law enforcement or rival gangs catching on. ARMANDE IVASHKOV & another associate, had the dirty work of cleaning up the old blood stained hotel rooms used for organ harvesting the night before. They made it presentable before opening night. Their efforts were doubled when other affiliates weren’t aware of the chore, and had set off to bloody the room with a fresh harvest session.TARON LYNCH & JOANNA "JOEY" O'SHEA are instructed to sabotage the backup power generators on the north side. Surprisingly, they didn’t get caught. CAOILAINN WALSH had to “check” everyone into the hotel—AKA, assign each guest to a room. Everyone converges in the lobby and watches them impatiently, and the later it gets, the more aggressive the crowd becomes. ASLI DEMIR & FLETCHER HARGRAVE met with Jean Jaques “JJ” Baptiste and persuaded him by discussing terms of agreement for him to temporarily close Romanet Hotel the night of the massive storm.

ROOMS

ROOM #1: Arlo Flores, Fletcher Hargrave, Ira Evans, Jesse Valencia, Theodore "Teddy" Cohen

ROOM #2: Anastasia Sahin, Billie Washington, Josephine "Josie" Leon, Mathias Attano, Taron Lynch

ROOM #3: Andrea "Andy" Perez, Asli Demir, Blythe Sweetwine,Braden Kahale, Margeaux Saint Claire

ROOM #4: Alejandra Ruiz, Armande Ivashkov, Harlow Dumas,Jackson Marston, Lev Vasile, 

ROOM #5: Gwen Arnolds, Hana Faust,Jean-Jacques Baptiste De Romanet, Jessika Delmonica, Oisin Donnelly

ROOM #6: David Sharpe, Juno Song, Layla Jiminez, Nadia James, Nicola Faust, Peyton Bridges

ROOM #7: Callan Quinn, Effie Faust, Igor Vasile, Letitia "Tia" Valentine, Rosalie Halliday, Sutton James

ROOM #8: Addison Mckinley, Anton Volkov, Aries "Rhys" Rigsby, Cecilia Cavendish, Esmeray Demir, Lucian Faust

ROOM #9:  Aslyn Walsh, Catriona O'Shea, Oliver Faust, Tulsa Jane Honey

ROOM #10: Genevieve Bisset, Lee Malkovich, Levi Bohan, Maisie Kane, Saskia Vasile

ROOM #11: Amara Ricci, Auron Wright, Christine Li, Holden Mercer, Sloan Washington, Stefano Vitorri

ROOM #12: Edith Cohen, Ellis Rowe, Lavrenti "Lav" Vasile, Lincoln Dawson, Silas Hale

ROOM #13: Fabian Drake Kalashnyk, Carrigan Connolly, Cassidy Faust, Monika Adler, Nicholas Krieger

ROOM #14: Erin Cerci, Lada Antonovna, Leonid "Leo" Vasile, Rahi Kumar, Zoe Washington

ROOM #15: Abel Washington, Dominika Romanov, Faith Williams, Olivia Madden, Rosalia Leon, Cassandra Conally

ROOM #16: Atticus Mercer, Diamond Washington, Killian Walsh, Lorelai Faust, Oakley Butler

ROOM #17: Audric Noire, Mikhail Morosov, Noah Etkin, Nova Deveraux, Viktoriya Vasile

ROOM #18: Anatalya Vasile, Darren Murphy, Julia Faust, Konstantin Vasile, Violet Madden

ROOM #19: Davut Demir, Katarina Vasile, Veronica Pierce, Vincent St James, Zane Washington

ROOM #20: Beauregard “Beau” Griveaud, Blair Faust, Caoilainn "Callie" Walsh, Milo Arrington, Zedekiah Vasile

ROOM #21: Dante "Sebastian" Faust, Liam Walsh, Marissa Atkinson Orion Anderson, Vitomir Kipriyanov

ROOM #22: Andrew "Drew" Whittmore, Callum James, Ivy Ivashkov, Marie-Anne Beaulieu,  Nikolai Volkov ROOM #23: Audrey Rousseau,Barnaby Eaton, Constansia Fournier, Edie James, 

ROOM #24: Birdie Mendoza,Eleanor "Elle" Eaton, Joanna "Joey" O'Shea, Katya Ivanova, Wyatt Leon

[falrytales]

hiya tags ! i’m an old friend of the indie world and have recently decided to hop back on the scene and am looking for some things to start up. here’s some general guidelines for those of you who might be interested in writing with me: 

i’m 21+ so i expect my partners to be the same, please !

i play both males and females

i prefer to write on tumblr, but i’ll use discord as well

a majority of what i write will feature mature themes so if that’s not your thing, we might not be compatible ( sorry ! )

i have an assortment of already created muses, but i’m always willing to create a new character on the spot if i like a plot enough 

below the cut are some faces and plots i’m interested in currently, feel free to like this post if any look appealing !

wanted faces —

priscilla quintana

yvonne strahovski

timothy granaderos

christina hendricks

cody christian

tristan mays

olivia munn

samara weaving

nick bateman

josephine langford

dj cotrona

marlo kelly

elizabeth lail

rome flynn

madison bailey

kathryn winnick

casey deidrick

greta onieogou

danielle campbell

sophia bush

wanted opposites —

max riemelt

sydney sweeney

ronen rubenstein

jesse lee soffer

manny montana

camilla luddington

michael evans behling

rebecca rittenhouse

john krasinski

edgar ramirez

jamie chung

danny pino

oliver jackson cohen

emily tosta

douglas booth

casey deidrick

scarlett byrne

wanted plots —

Muse A is the quintessential housewife/suburban mom. She religiously attends PTA meetings, ensures dinner is made every night, and packs the kids sweet little notes in their lunchboxes. These things seemingly makes Muse A happy, but after discovering she’s in financial ruin because her husband’s mistress has expensive taste, Muse A refuses to sit by idle while he fumbles for money solutions and apologies. Desperate to pay off the neglected mortgage and other financial burdens by any means necessary, Muse A resorts to carrying out an unlikely heist that is surprisingly successful. Unfortunately, Muse A robbed from a business that Muse B launders money through, inadvertently stealing from a crime boss.

She soon realizes law enforcement is the least of her worries when she’s confronted by Muse B and henchmen, demanding his money back + interest. Having spent all of the cash, Muse A becomes tangled up with a crime syndicate, forced to work for Muse B by laundering money/completing dangerous tasks until he’s fully reimbursed. Though Muse B is aloof and callous, the suburban mom’s antics has a way of amusing him. Initially alarmed by the lifestyle, Muse A begins to enjoy the thrill of it all, and officially wants in for herself after paying back what’s owed. Muse B is humored by her gall to ask for further involvement and percentages, but most importantly, has developed a soft spot for Muse A.

xxxxxx

muse a is a criminal that owns a technically-legal-but-shady business (casino, strip club, nightclub, etc.) that doubles as a front for their definitely-not-legal business. muse b is a brand-new employee. despite them not being in the shady business and rather low on the ranks (and thus, usually not even a blip on muse a’s radar), muse b catches muse a’s eye one night, and the two begin to talk and hang out at work – and that quickly turns into a relationship. the two genuinely fall for each other, and muse a slowly brings muse b further into their world, once they’re sure their criminal activities won’t scare muse b off.

except there’s something muse a doesn’t know. muse b was hired by a rival criminal (or possibly the feds) to act as a spy, collecting info on muse a’s shady dealings in exchange for a huge chunk of change.

xxxxxx

‘we’ve been fucking with no strings attached but i just saw you go upstairs with another guy and im drunk and following you both upstairs to punch the shit out of him’

xxxxxx

“we hooked up last week in a club, and you fucked me better than i’ve ever been fucked before. but now it’s the first day back at school and oh my god, you’re my teacher.”

xxxxxx

plot where MUSE A has just had her heart ripped apart by her boyfriend of eight years, who has not only cheated on her but left her for the other woman. devastated, she is forced to move back home with her family and rebuild the fragments of her life she’s been left with. one day whilst walking around town, she bumps into MUSE B, someone who was in the year above her at school and went out with tons of girls. they weren’t really friends but they used to have a little thing for each other. basically he wants to catch up with her and go out for some lunch and he’s instantly captivated by her like wow, how could this guy have let her go?? but yeah MUSE B has to slowly pick up the pieces of MUSE A bc she’s still completely hung up and in love with her ex. like she’s such a fragile little thing that is now riddled with trust issues and needs protecting and he is just raring to jump in and be with her but he has to wait for once his life

xxxxxx

“you’ve just married one of my parents, but i don’t want yet another step parent. so i’m gonna tease you until you cave in, and i can tell everyone that you’re a creep. except you never seem to give in, and now i’m getting desperate for you to pay attention to me.”

xxxxxx

please an arranged marriage between two socialite families/ big names in their city. but like she’s still stuck in the party stage and fucking up because she’s upset with her parents or unhappy with her life and he’s dealing with a lot of pressure and stress from his family to take over the family business and it’s just two polar opposites but it could be super cute sometimes when she gets super drunk and he picks her up and hold her hair back when he throws up and stays up to give her a glass of water and make sure she sleeps well even though he has a huge meeting in the morning that he should be resting for. but also the angST and the fights and the ‘i didnt ask for this’ and making each other jealous and sexual tension

xxxxxx

i really need a “you used to be my babysitter and although you were the worst babysitter alive (letting me stay up late, eating cake for dinner, watching rated r movies with me and helping me hide the ceramics we broke) i was practically in love w/ you and told you that i was gonna be your bf/gf someday. you would always just laugh and say that i was too young. WELL i’m older now and we just got matched on tinder/my parents just invited you to my birthday party/etc

xxxxxx

give me a plot of “i’m your father’s mistress && and was nearly caught sneaking out early one morning but you saved the day by introducing me as your girlfriend && now your mother invited me to spend the summer at your vacation home so we have to spend the entire summer pretending to be in love.”

xxxxxx

muse a was born into the life of harleys, guns and rock and roll. her father was the president of a motorcycle gang, while her mother was a sweet woman who welcomed his lifestyle with open arms. it was an unspoken rule that no one in the club, especially full patched members, was allowed to touch muse a, but she couldn’t stop the feelings that had grown for her father’s co president aka muse b. he was older and rough around the edges and she knew he wouldn’t dare even looking at her twice due to the respect he had for her father. although, when she turned eighteen, muse a mustered up the courage to confess her feelings for him during a party at the club house. muse b was shocked to hear she had feelings for him, and told her that he wasn’t interested ( perhaps a small piece of him was? )  and muse a left the party heartbroken. unknown to anyone else, the reason she had decided on confessing her feelings was because she was skipping town the next morning, and didn’t want to have any regrets. she left her parents a short letter telling them that she needed to find her purpose in life and would come back home in the near future. over ten years passed and muse a finally did so, only because she got word her father had died at the arms of a rival gang. muse b had been ranked up as president and is dealing with new responsibilities, and he’s shocked when the scrawny, awkward kid he last saw ten years ago is now a beautiful woman. angst & drama ensues.

[girlobsessed21]

Thoughts on The 100 7x01

Before I get into the episode, I felt the absence of Bellamy and Octavia, they are my favorites and a very core part of this show. I was worried about the lack of Bellamy in all the promotional material, but Jason explained in an article that he needed some time off and they gave that to him, but he still plays a vital role and we will see him again.  At the end of the day, we don’t know what happened, but the mystery around his disappearance into anomaly is quite intriguing.

For now, I’m holding out hope that he will return to my screen in full force, until proven wrong I’m going to be positive. Despite that, I enjoyed it. It wasn’t my favorite first episode, still a strong start spreading optimism for the rest of the season. Lots of surprises that made it worthwhile.

The anomaly colony

Hope wakes up with memory loss while Gabriel examines her tattoos. She runs away and finds a note to herself that says, ‘Trust Bellamy’. Bellamy, not Octavia, who she clearly knows, which seems like Hope wasn’t aware she would find Octavia in Sanctum.

Now, why would Hope want to trust Bellamy and stab Octavia? Perhaps she needed his help finding her in return for Diyoza? This seems like a logical conclusion given that ‘He’ has her mother. The Blakes certainly hold some key to the anomaly, everything points me in that direction.

I can’t say all that much about Hope, due to the amnesia she has no personality yet, but it’s clear she’s smart and capable.

Gabriel being an anomaly-dork. Gosh, I love him too bits. The acting in the scene where they try to figure out what happened to Octavia and Bellamy is a little cringy, but I turned a blind eye and focused on the dialogue.

I’m getting to the good stuff…

Roan coming back to haunt Echo is probably my favorite part of the episode, I’ve missed the king so damn much. He asks her who she is without Bellamy or her queen. I’m so glad they’re delving into the subject. If you read my previous blogs, you’ll know I asked this question many times. She’s such a bad ass spy, she needs a purpose and story apart from him. Nonetheless, I like Echo and I would love to see her gain some of her own identity and build her own life. Being distanced by time and space could really do that for her. Scroll down for the shipping part of this story…

The more important thing is that there are people who control the anomaly and know exactly who they are. Like Echo predicted because of the bad shots they were sent to capture and not kill them except for Hope. I assume it’s because she knows how the anomaly works. Who are they and what do they want? My guess, Bellamy and Octavia. Perhaps Clarke as well?

Loved the three of them entering together because a few second difference could mean months. That means Diyoza and Octavia could have been months, maybe even years, apart.

Rising from and burning to ashes in one afternoon

This new beautiful house with the dysfunctional family and Madi with Picasso is certainly heart-warming in a show that continues to push the bounds of darkness. How great is that little picnic in the yard? Now I’m curious, they drink to Abby, but have they forgotten Kane?

Also, good to see Raven and Clarke on better terms. They really spoiled her character in season 6 but it seems like she’s back on par. It’s clear that good things happen when they’re working towards the same goal, as family. That dynamic has been broken since season 2 and if there’s one lesson that can be learned from season 1 it’s that they’re outstanding on the same team. 

At first, I wondered why they weren’t questioning Octavia, Bellamy and Echo’s absence but then I realized they probably saved them a room like they did for Jordan and assumed they were exploring the anomaly. It’s still the same day as 6x13 since they were having lunch. Episode 6x13 ended at dawn and 7x01 starts at lunchtime.

I know Murphy did a lot of obscure things in season 6 but he’s not to blame for Abby’s death. Emori’s right, Russel killed her.

Why did Clarke choose the master suite, though? It seems a little out of character for her to do something so selfish.

On to other things, I must point out Indra’s line: “Someone needs to speak for the commander and I’m hungry.” She’s magnificent, hard and sharp, as always. Pair that with Miller being a dutiful, abiding shoulder and you have greatness.

Raven makes a comment about mothers and daughters and Clarke says she’s fine. Later, Madi also asks her to open up about it, and she still claims to be fine. When I heard this the first time, I was instantly worried because they heap one set of PTSD on top of the other and never deal with it. The woman just lost her mother, how the hell can she be fine. The answer: She can’t.

And I’m really glad they expanded on that to show how utterly necessary it is to deal with your grief and trauma. Sure, Clarke is a powerhouse of a woman, but she’s human and clearly hurt, she can’t compartmentalize and continue on like nothing has happened – I hope she finds a way to actually deal with it instead of following in Jasper’s footsteps. She was already suicidal, give the damn woman a break.

Is civility an ability?

Faith is a powerful and dangerous thing. Interesting topic. While I don’t completely believe that faith is dangerous, when it comes to the point of blindly following charlatan’s into harms way, yes it becomes dangerous. My biggest thoughts on this narrative is whether peace can indeed exist in a world where different factions exist with various beliefs and opinions. I’d like to quote John Lennon:

Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people living life in peace, you

Keyword being ‘Imagine’, this song is written about an unattainable Utopia which is still a reality several hundred years into the future.

“Too many people”

“Good thing ALIE’s not around.”

The humor is all around outstanding this episode even Clarke cracks a joke.

We’re introduced to a few new characters and not much too say about them since we didn’t see much of them. I like Nelson, he is firm in his stance, logical and pragmatic. Trey is just annoying with his faith in the divinity of the primes. The only thing I got from Nikki is that she’s compulsive and lethal while Hatch has this Southern charm and charisma. He reminds me of Sawyer from Lost.

Next, Jordan goes to check on Russel. I appreciate the way they build around the morality we saw withing Russel at the beginning of season 6. JR Bourne is a fantastic actor with the depth he plays into the grief and guilt of losing his family.

Also, the softness of Monty and Harper still shining through Jordan. I’m glad he’s not adjusted and simply trying to keep the peace. Not sure if that’ll change. Curious to know why they saw the anomaly in their visions…

I just need to add that Murphy sitting at a bar is perfect!! Another amazing episode for him and Emori. He questions himself with his own varied degrees of morality while Emori continues to grow by reading Kay Lee Prime’s journal. I guess the believers must be blind to continue following their orders, but hey, props to Raven for exploiting the opportunity and Murphy and Emori did an entertaining job with it. Emori has come such a long way and the ‘We are one’ line felt personal in the sense that she had also established herself as part of the family.

Losing my religion

Can you truly lose your religion? What is a fleimkeepa without a flame, what is Sanctum without the primes and what is Echo without Bellamy? Sometimes faith is stronger than truth. Bad thing, no! Because what is the truth really? Interesting subject to explore but I don’t have an answer on this. I’d rather focus on the fact that I’m glad we’ll get to explore these characters on new paths.

Clarke’s composure vanishes. Boy oh boy, Eliza’s acting. When you compare s6 and 7 to s1, it just shows you the value of experience. The way that switch flipped when Russel handed her Abby’s clothes and wedding band. I looked at the fighting and her explosive rage in detail and I cannot help but compliment her on that perfect portrayal of the result of passive aggression.

Now, I don’t understand how Sheidheda uploaded himself into Russel’s mind drive when it was made clear that two consciousness cannot exist in the same mind.  When Clarke killed Josephine in the mind-space, she came back to life within seconds. Will this be another Clarke/Josephine battle and are the other commanders still subdued?

If he is going to be one of the main villains of the season, I would like to get under his skin. I’m not interested in a one-dimensional pure evil villain. I’m hoping JR Bourne will make something remarkable of him.

Shipwreck

There’s a friendship blooming between Clarke and Gaia and I’m all for it. Could they be setting them up romantically? It’s a possibility and I’d take it as a consolation prize for Bellarke if it’s well-built. Focus on the well-built. If Clarke finds out that Bellamy is missing and goes through hell and beyond to save him, I will interpret that as Clarke still loves Bellamy. If they want me to fall in love with Claia, they should make me fall in love with Claia.

Although I’d always prefer Bellarke. From a storytelling or writing viewpoint, all loose ends should be tied with the conclusion. Bellarke is a complete loose shard. If romance is not their destiny, I hope they at least address the topic in full, because it has been building for seven years. If you haven’t read my post on Bellarke, please do so. I explain in the romantic elements of their story in detail.

As for Echo’s vision of Roan. He questions her devotion to Bellamy and says she will even betray the man she now claims to love. I interpreted that as him referring to Mount Weather as well as secrets she’s obviously hidden from Bellamy. For example, her real name.  This could go two ways in my opinion. One, they’re trying to set Echo apart from Bellamy, separating them by time and space to break them up or they are trying to teach her how to be her own person as well as the other half of their relationship.

I’m not quite invested in their relationship, and they would have to rip one bigass hare out of the hat to get my attention. Love their characters individually, but season 6 showed me Bellamy still loves Clarke. If Becho’s relationship was built to last, the writers would have written it that way. When you compare it to Murphy and Emori or Monty and Harper, it’s clearly questionable.

That’s it, let me know if I got something wrong, if you agree or disagree, love to hear your opinions.

[bowmanx7-blog]

The 1846 Clinton Gilbert House - 12 West 10th Street

The addition of the fourth floor is evidenced in the change of brick color.

In 1845 attorney Augustus W. Clason, Jr. began construction on an upscale brick-faced house at No. 58 West 10th Street (until 1870's 10th Street addresses began at Sixth Avenue.  The house would then be renumbered No. 12.).   The residence, completed the following year, outdid most of its imposing neighbors through its exceptional 32-foot width.

Originally three stories tall, it sat above a brownstone clad English basement.  The floor-to-ceiling parlor floor windows sprouted exceptionally fine cast iron balconies, their delicate design incorporating stylized plant forms.  A lacy fringe ran along the bottom, dripping acorns.

Clason erected the house as an investment.  It was purchased by banker and importer Clinton Gilbert and his wife, the former Mary Stokes.  Born in 1816 near Washington Square, Gilbert was the son of silversmith George W. Gilbert (reputedly the first silversmith in New York City).   He and Mary, who were married on June 1, 1831, had no children.   They maintained a summer house in New Rochelle, New York.

Mary's widowed mother, Mrs. Thomas Stokes, lived with the couple.  Her grandson, Anson Phelps Stokes, described her in his 1910 Stokes Records as "a woman with delicate hands, fine complexion, large eyes, calm and gentle manners, and pleasant English voice."  She died in the house in 1849.

Clinton Gilbert started his career in the metal importing business, forming Stokes & Gilbert with brothers Benaiah and Henry Stokes, two of his wife's brothers.  By now his many titles included president of the Greenwich Savings Bank, a trustee of the Corporation of Greenwood Cemetery, and a partner in The Broadway Railroad.

It was most likely Gilbert's busy schedule that prompted him to skip grand jury duty on January 15, 1862.  The judge was not pleased.  The New York Times reported "The Grand Jury reported to the Court that they were unable to attend to business owing to the absence, without excuse, of several of their members."  Gilbert was fined $25--about $630 today.

Mary Stokes Gilbert suffered "paralysis of the throat" in her latter years, making her unable to speak.  Anson Phelps Stokes recalled that "On account of his wife's health, he afterward moved to a quieter part of Fifth Avenue."  She died on Tuesday, April 4, 1865.

Gilbert did not give up ownership of No. 12, and, in fact, by now owned No. 14 and No 20 West 10th Street.  An advertisement in The New York Herald in 1875 offered "To Let--Extra wide house, handsomely furnished, No. 12 West Tenth street; rent reasonable to good tenant."

Gilbert would die in No. 20 West 10th Street on November 29, 1891 at the age of 84.  The Rhodes' Journal of Banking noted "The greater part of his life was spent within a stone's throw of the house where he was born, and he died at his home in 10th street not far from the same place."

Before his death No. 12 had become home to Frederick Esler, head of the streetcar firm Metropolic Contract Company, and his wife.  The couple moved among polite society, rubbing shoulders with other wealthy visitors at fashionable resorts.  On October 14, 1887, for instance, The Evening World reported "Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Esler, who have been spending the summer at Seabright and Bar Harbor, have returned to their home at No. 12 West Tenth street."  A month later the newspaper noted "Miss Elanor Winslow will be entertained at luncheon on Thursday by Mrs. Frederick Esler, of 12 West Tenth street."

Around 1892 Dr. Walter Vought, a bachelor, purchased the house.  He would not enjoy it for long.  Vought selflessly treated patients suffering the worst of contagious diseases.  That year he was in charge of the Quarantine Station at Fire Island during a cholera epidemic.  On September 25, 1893 The New York Times reported that he "died at 11 o'clock yesterday morning in the New-York Hospital of typhoid fever, which disease he contracted while attending a little child about ten days ago."

In May 1894 the doctor's estate sold the property to Robert J. Fox for $31,000--about $911,000 today.  The sale triggered a rapid-fire turnover of ownership, ending with esteemed architect Bruce Price.  Before the family moved in Price made some substantial changes.

A full floor with a simple paneled cornice was added, the parlor windows were removed and replaced by a sizable copper-clad rounded bay, and the Greek Revival style entrance was changed to neo-Classical.

The double entrace doors with their wonderfully-eccentric brasses were Price's design.  photo via Sotheby's.com

He and his wife, the former Josephine Lee, had two children, including Emily, recently married to Edwin Main Post.  She would become a successful author of articles on architecture and interior design, five novels and serials in popular magazines like Harper's Weekly.   Her greatest fame came through her books on etiquette.

This 1910 photograph shows that Price's redesigned stoop originally had no railings.  from Stokes Records, 1910 (copyright expired)

Bruce Price was among the preeminent architects of his day.  Among his works were the cathedral in Savannah, Georgia, the Lee Memorial Church in Lexington, Virginia, and the cottages and clubhouse at Tuxedo Park (where the Prices had their summer home).  So when rumors circulated that the largest hotel in the world--backed by "Vanderbilt interests"--would cover the entire block between Park and Madison Avenues and 41st to 42nd Streets, reporters went to No. 12 West 10th Street to verify the story.

On the night of December 15, 1897 he opened his door to a New-York Tribune journalist.  The reporter wrote "Mr. Price stated explicitly that so far as he knew there was no such project in contemplation."  However, he would not turn down the job.  "'I should be only too happy,' he said, 'to be commissioned to draw up plans for a monster hotel.'"

Price's niece, Sadie Price Pell, divorced her wealthy insurance broker husband, Archie H. Pell, in Saratoga in the summer of 1902.  The daughter of Price's brother, Benjamin, she soon announced her intentions to marry Dr. Percy R. Turnure.  Following their marriage in the Church of the Ascension on Fifth Avenue, a reception was held in the 10th Street house.

Bruce and Josephine were traveling in Paris on May 29, 1903 when the architect died at the age of 57.   In May 1906 Charles Buchanan purchased No, 12; who resold it by 1914 to Felix Lamond.

Lamond was a renowned organist.  Not only was he organist of fashionable Trinity Chapel, he was the director of the Trinity School of Church Music, a training school for organists, choirmasters and choristers.  Additionally, he was one of the organizers of the New York Oratorio Society.

The Lamonds' daughter, Marjorie, was educated both in New York and in Europe,  She had been introduced to society in 1912 and was traveling with her parents in Europe on August 1, 1914 when her engagement to Henry Fairfield Osborn, Jr. was announced.

The family did not return to New York for the wedding; instead the groom and his family (described by The Sun as "one of the most prominent families in the city") went to London.  The original plans were for a Paris wedding, but, as explained by The New York Times on September 9, 1914 "when the war began it was decided to wait until the party reached London."  The destination wedding, held in Westminster Abbey, was attended by prominent New Yorkers like Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Morgan.

Shortly after Marjorie's wedding No. 12 West 10th Street became to Henry Wood Flournoy.  His wife's niece, Alice Gertrude Gordon (who often went by her middle name), lived in Washington; but the couple kept a room available for her visits to New York.  The arrangement would draw the house into the history books.

When Gertrude's father, General J. J. Gordon died, he left her what The Evening World termed "a large fortune."  Gertrude's best friend was the widowed Edith Bolling Galt.  The two were virtually inseparable, seen at entertainments and the theater together both in New York and Washington.  Gertrude's prominence in Washington society was evidenced on May 6, 1914 when The New York Times reported "President Wilson, who frequently seeks relaxation after an arduous day at one of the local theatres, varied his custom to-night by attending the circus, accompanied by Miss Margaret Wilson, Miss Helen Woodrow Bones, Miss Gertrude Gordon, and Dr. Cary T. Grayson."

In the fall of 1915 both Gertrude and Edith Galt were staying in the Flournoy house.  On November 28 a prestigious caller arrived.  The New-York Tribune reported "Woodrow Wilson set down his Presidential burden last night on the door-mat of an unpretentious red brick house in West Tenth Street, Just off the avenue.

"The door opened to his ring and closed behind him--and then for more than two hours, while secret service men, detectives, reporters and plain hoi polloi awaited the reappearance of the President, Woodrow Wilson, the human being, the accepted suitor, enjoyed the companionship of the woman who is to become his wife."  Reportedly, it was in the Flournoy home that the President had recently proposed marriage to Mrs. Galt.

No. 12 became the focus of press attention.  On November 30 The Times reported "Yesterday was a busy day for Mrs. Norman Galt, the fiancee of President Wilson.  From early morning until sundown she kept appointments with her dressmakers, furriers, and milliners...Mrs. Galt left the home of her friend, Miss Gertrude Gordon, at 12 West Tenth Street, about 9 o'clock."

Despite nasty rumors that the President and his fiancée had murdered his wife, Ellen, the couple was married on December 18, 1915.  But the presidential couple would return to No. 12 West 10th Street at least one more time.

The following year, on May 24, Gertrude married White House physician, Dr. Cary T. Grayson in St. George's Chapel.  The First Lady stood by the bride's side and held her bouquet.  Witnessing the ceremony with the President, were Secretary of the Treasury, William Gibbs McAdoo, and his wife.  Outside around 300 people gathered in the park to get a glimpse of the distinguished persons entering and leaving the church.  Three years later The Sun mentioned "It was very much of a White House wedding, even though the ceremony was performed in New York."

Afterwards a reception was held at No. 12 West 10th Street.  The wedding cake was a gift of the Wilsons, who attended the "informal reception."  The Times noted "Gifts were received by Dr. Grayson and his bride from the President and Mrs. Wilson, members of the Cabinet, Senators, Representatives, many Government officials and employees at the White House."

Following the Flournoy's leaving, around 1919, the house was converted to two residences, the homes of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert S. Houston and Mrs. and Mrs. William Ransom Barbour.  The Houstons remained at least through 1930; by which time Harris Baldwin Fisher and his family had moved into the former Barbour apartment.

In 1928 the lower level was converted to the Poetry House.  On June 8 that year The New York Times remarked "Pegasus went in dinner jacket and gleaming white shirt to the formal opening last evening of Poetry House, a meeting place for poets and all lovers of literature, at 12 East Tenth Street."

A renovation in 1958 resulted in two apartments in the basement, where Poetry House had once been, one on the first floor, and two each on the upper floors.  Among its more celebrated residents was Isabel Lydia Whitney, the renowned water colorist and muralist.  Upon her death in her apartment on February 1962 The Times called her "the first woman in America to stand on a scaffold or ladder and do fresco painting."  Among her works was the fresco for the 1925 wing of the Brooklyn Museum.

No. 12 West 10th Street never truly declined.  When cosmetics creative directors Richard Ferretti and James Gager sold their 2,200-square-foot apartment in December 2015, it commanded a price of $5.75 million.

photo via city realty. com

And while most of the interior details have been removed over the decades, some, like the entrance staircase, survive.  Outside the 1890's remodeling by Bruce Price remains little changed.

photographs by the author

Source: http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-1846-clinton-gilbert-house-12-west.html

[beautiful-liu]

Chapter 32 - Remember Me - Kryber

Title: Remember me

Pairing: Kryber [Amber Liu x Krystal Jung] Fandom: f(x) Genre: Drama, romance

Summary: The bad ass androgynous girl Amber Josephine Liu with a sex, drugs and rock-‘n-roll attitude whom everybody seemed to fear and admire at the same time, with the flash of a smug smile on her handsome face, and a sigaret or lolly pop in her mouth, depending on her mood. A leather jacket always hugging her shoulders, ripped jeans and a loose tank top that displayed just a tiny bit of her sports bra when she lifted her tattoo-filled arms. Everyone was weak for Amber Liu. Krystal simply didn’t see it. Until that one night she accidentally met her, and met a whole other person than the stories she had been made to believe. Word count: 5100 Rating: T A/N: Excuse the grammar mistakes. This is my first time writing a multi chaptered fic. Hope y'all enjoy the progress!

Read it on: AO3 & asianfanfics

Moodboard: x

With Amber safely at home, Krystal was finally able to concentrate on her work again. And she would need her head clear the coming few days, because tomorrow Liu Economics and Lee Electronics would break off their contract. That day was the calm for the storm: the Board was relaxed, her father was his 'busy' self and no one seemed to have a clue that something big was going to happen. Except for Krystal Jung, of course. With nothing to worry about, Krystal could focus completely. Her daily ritual continued: getting up from the bed she slept in with Amber – either her own or her girlfriend’s – and going to work, lunching with Amber and Jack Jack, working again and going home to see her soulmate trying to cook dinner, which eventually always turned out in a small disaster. Nevertheless, Krystal ate the food, because that’s what girlfriends do. A few days after Amber came home, her tattoo looked precisely the way she wanted it to look. The redness had disappeared and the letters flowed in the exact right way over her skin. Her hair usually fell over it but she found herself more often rubbing her neck when she was nervous – as a new habit forming. It was her way of being close with Amber, her own ‘what would Amber do in this situation?’. When she was home, she put her hair in a ponytail, much to the delight of her girlfriend, who loved to look at her new decoration. Amber’s fingers often trailed over the flowing letters of her own name in her neck, making goosebumps appear all over her body, the same way Krystal did when they laid in bed late at night and Amber’s back was unexposed and her tattoos free and visible. Living like that – crossed Krystal’s mind – wasn’t at all that bad. Even as Vice-President. But Krystal wouldn’t be Krystal if she blew off now. She owed it to herself, to Amber, to Victoria that she would go through with this. So, that meant she sent a confirmation e-mail to Jackie Liu and Amy Lee the night before the grande finale would happen. Both of them replied back within an hour, affirming their part of the plan. They would break the contract in the late hours of that evening so the plan could be set in action tomorrow morning. Krystal slept with a light heart that night, with Amber’s arms curled around her waist. She slept soundly, not waking up once. The next day, it felt like a tornado had run over the Jung Internationals' Headquarters, but the Headquarters only. When she entered the hall, it seemed like a normal working day. Unlike that time Victoria outlasted herself as her father's associate, the ladies behind the information desks weren't gossiping through their headsets, whilst trying their hardest to get on top of the work that was being shoved down their throats. They didn't even seem aware that Liu Economics and Lee Electronics had left. As soon as she came upstairs, she noticed why. There was no meeting called. The Board greeted her happily when she arrived – that is, as happy as old men can be on a Tuesday morning – and her PA Eloisa gave her the schedule of that day: it was a normal working day. But as soon as she opened her laptop, Krystal saw an e-mail of her father popping up, saying they needed to talk and it would be nice if they could have lunch together later. Krystal texted him back – not fond communicating through e-mails with her own father – telling him that she'd love to grab some food together during their breaks. Krystal got a reply back to meet him at Zucchini’s – the Italian two blocks away – at 1 PM. At last, she had sent a confirmation before putting her phone away and starting her laptop. In her mailbox, she found two mails from Jackie and Amy, both telling her how they had successfully ended their contract. And yet, no one seemed to know. Krystal decided not to ask and play dumb; waiting for others to make the first move. With such a big thing coming up, her normal work seemed like child’s play to her. Dull, boring work that consumed too much of her time and was in fact useless right now. If the company would fall apart in a few hours, what use was it do all of this work? Yet, she stayed at her job, despite working slower than usual. She let her mind wander about how she was going to run the company when she was in charge. When her father would leave it to her in times of despair, she needed to be a strong leader who knew what to do. Of course, she’d enlist Song Software, Liu Economics and Lee Electronics again, but it would still take a while before Jung Internationals would be strong again. Around half past twelve, Krystal started to clear up her stuff. To Eloisa she said that she’d be out for an hour or two. She knew her father well enough that if he invited her to lunch that there was something going on. All of the lunches and dinners they had ever spent between just the two of them had been because there was some sort of problem that needed fixing. Krystal had always felt incredibly superior that her father trusted her and only her with such problems and wanted to hear her opinion. She knew better now. Her father just needed someone who would agree with him in the meeting room, so the Board would be more easily convinced. Krystal had always admired her father and for a long time she thought that all of his decisions were correct. Now that she had grown older, she knew better than to let her judgement be clouded by her feelings. Her father was a formidable business man, but he as well had grown older and that was affecting his sense of judgement. Sometimes it felt like he was going blind, like there had formed a layer of whiteness on top of the dark brown of his eyes and that prevented him from seeing clearly. Krystal arrived at the restaurant five minutes late and she was immediately directed towards a table in the back. The smell of tomatoes and garlic immediately entered her nosetrils. The floor cracked familiarly underneath her feet when she walked. The walls were still dirty dark green and the wooden bar still looked like a piece of driftwood. The bartender was polishing glasses with a towel. Her father was already there, waiting patiently with a glass of dark red wine in front of him, his fingers intertwined with each other and his gaze down. When he heard the familiar clicking of Krystal’s heels on the wooden floor, he looked up and smiled. It was the smile he had shown her a dozen times when she was little. One that was a mix of pride, admiration and love. Whenever she had gotten a good grade as a kid or had managed to get first place in an athletics event, he would show her that smile. Krystal didn’t understand why he showed it her now, after years of not using it. It almost made her uneasy. “Sit down, love,” he told her, and Krystal did so. A waiter immediately put a glass of the same wine in front of her, but Krystal declined. “I prefer white wine, actually,” she told him. “Chardonnay, please.” The waiter nodded, took the glass away again and returned a few moments later with a bottle Chardonnay. He poured her a glass and Krystal slowly took a sip. “I thought you liked red wine more?” her father asked her, his eyes not averting from his daughter. Krystal put the glass down and nodded. She would not want to confess that due to Amber she didn’t like the bitter taste in the red wine anymore, but preferred sweet. “I underwent a change recently,” she muttered. “If I want to drink something that’s not to my taste, I’d take whiskey. I actually like the taste of white wine, unlike red.” Her father nodded slowly then shrugged. His daughter’s taste in wine was his least concern. For a moment, a silence fell. Krystal thought her father would break the ice by introducing the topic of why he had brought her here, but instead he took the menu’s and handed one over to her. “Anything you want, I’ll pay,” he told her, as he opened his. Krystal nodded quietly. Half an hour later, both of them had a damping plate of food in front of them. Salmon and ravioli. They were both quietly eating their food, when her father suddenly put his knife and fork down. “Do you know why I took you here?” he asked her. Krystal didn’t look up from her plate. “This was my favorite place to go when I was young, but I suppose it rather has something to do with Jung Internationals because I don’t recall you re-living memories for fun ever.” Her father chuckled. “Always so attentive,” he said. “I remember that you always wanted to come here on your birthday. We could have gone to the best chef in the country if you had wanted to, but you always chose this place with prices not higher than fifteen dollars over a five-star cook. One time your mother got food poisoning because she ate badly cooked chicken breast here. And still, you want to come here on your birthday, every year again.” Krystal looked up and tilted her head a little to the left. “This was the only place in the city that made me feel like a common girl. Like a normal, middle-class family who had no money to rent a five-star cook to make dinner for their daughter. The fact that mom got food poisoning once made it even better.” Her father nodded. “I know you felt that way. That’s why we let you.” “Why are we here, dad?” Krystal asked abruptly, not liking that he spoke so easily over her childhood. He doesn't know how she felt or would ever feel and she didn't like it that he interpreted her feelings. Her father sighed and rubbed his temples. For just a second, he looked like a fragile, old man again, who had had his days and needed a break. The circles underneath his eyes seemed to have turned darker when he looked back up to her. “I wished it would’ve never come to this point but I cannot hide it anymore.. Jung Internationals is doomed to fall soon and I don’t know how long I can pretend that everything is going to be alright anymore…” Krystal frowned. “What are you talking about?” Her father took a big sip of his wine and licked his lips afterwards. “That Song Software left us wasn’t at all that bad. We had an economy big enough to save us. But this morning… I found two mails from Ms. Liu and Ms. Lee that they wanted to quit as well, now that Victoria Song had left. Only, what I didn’t think they’d do was that they took all of the products with them. They have cancelled the production of the goods we had together under our names. Do you know how many combined stuff we have together with Liu Economics? Half of our assortment… The other quarter belongs to Lee Electronics. They don’t want to do business with us any longer. Jackie Liu said that she understood why Victoria had left. They will form a coalition together, the three of them. And with three quarters of our products and income gone, I don’t think Jung Internationals’ will last much longer.” Krystal tried to look as surprised and deeply shocked as possible, but she had never been a great actress. Nevertheless, her father was wallowing so much in self-pity that he didn’t even recognize the triumphant look in his daughter’s brown eyes. And even though she had practically won already, a strange feeling started to gather in her stomach. To hear her father talk about the company like this was heartbreaking. He had spent his whole life to build up something good and now due to his own daughter, he would lose it all. And if Jung Internationals’ economy was really going to crumble down, would Krystal be able to prevent it from dying? Despite her few years of experience, she was still young. But even if she wanted to stop right now, there was no way back. She’d just have to push through and set the last part of her plan in action. “Why did they leave?” she asked. Her father shrugged. “Amy Lee said that we were losing and we weren’t responsible business partners anymore and Jackie Liu followed Victoria Song. It seems like the three of them have been conspiring against us all along and it was just a matter of time before they left too. Song Software was simply breaking the ice.” “And there’s no way to stop this?” she asked sincerely – or, as sincere as she could. “I know the Liu’s well enough to know that Jackie Liu isn’t going to make up her mind. And as for Amy Lee, I understand damn well why she would choose the other side. We’re indeed losing, Krystal, and there’s very little we can do. Only the Empire Group stays with us but they have always been sucking onto us like a parasite. Soon, we won’t provide enough blood for them anymore and they’ll leave too, to the next host.” Krystal sighed and placed her head in her hands. “We have to make this public soon…” her father muttered. She looked up. “Why? Don’t you want to hush this up as much as possible? You always told me that bad publicity is also publicity but I don’t think that this belongs to that category.” He shook his head. “I cannot start firing people out of the blue, Krystal. Soon, we won’t have enough money anymore to uphold so many employees. We will have to select our best workers and fire the rest. The others have to work extra hours to come up with new products but even if we can design new items within the next few weeks I don’t think it will help…” Krystal sighed and looked at her father. He was staring at his place, like a kid who was just told he wasn’t allowed to play outside after dark. He looked defeated, tired and breakable. Her heart ached to hug him, but she controlled herself. Wasn’t that what you have always taught me, daddy? Control yourself; think rationally, without any emotions clouding your judgement. That’s why she said: “I want a re-vote.” Her father looked up, a look of hurt in his eyes. It was just for a second or two, then it got replaced by annoyance that was followed up by anger. “You can’t be serious.” But she was and she knew she needed to break the news now or it would indeed be too late for Jung Internationals. If she didn’t act quickly, the company would never be the same. “There is a reason why Victoria Song, Jackie Liu and Amy Lee bailed on you. There is a reason why they shared behind me. It’s simply because you’re not fit for the job anymore. I’m going in appeal, as soon as possible. But before that, I will make public what has happened with Liu Economics and Lee Electronics. The Boards and the other employees need to know,” she said, as she stood up, “Perhaps there’s still a chance for me to save Jung Internationals if I’m quick. Don't think about stopping me, if you want to see our company ever the same again.” And with those words, she turned around and strode out of the restaurant, leaving her father speechless at the table. A lonely, distant feeling fathered in her stomach. Krystal's face was neutral as emotionless spread through her abandon. “Did you really say that to him?” Amber asked her a few hours later, after Krystal had enthusiatically told her what had happened during lunch. She stared at her with eyes as big as saucers. Krystal shrugged, not really getting the worried response of her significant other. “I suppose I did. Aren’t you proud of me?” Amber let a sigh escape from her mouth and furrowed her brows. “Well, I’m proud of you for standing up against him but don’t you think it’s a bit too hard? He sounded like he was at the edge of crying.” Krystal pouted her lips. “It’s not like Jung Internationals is really going bankrupt. He’ll just have to bear with the situation right now,” she muttered. “Wasn’t it painful to see him like that? I know you think of him badly but still… he’s still your father.” Krystal rolled her eyes and sat upright from the bed, freeing herself from Amber’s arms abruptly. Her girlfriend immediately noticed that there was something wrong and propped herself up on one elbow too. “I don’t know if you have noticed, but good relationships aren’t exactly the most important thing in our family. I know you’re all close and sweet with your parents and sister, but I simply have never had that childhood. So no, it was not painful. It felt like I was finally getting what I deserved.” Krystal stood up from the bed and immediately took her bathrobe, feeling cold without Amber’s body heat and the sheets now that she wore just her lingerie but not wanting to admit it. She turned away from Amber, who quickly hurried up from the bed. Right as she wanted to leave the bedroom, she grabbed her hand and spun her around. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know that your relationship with your father is difficult,” Amber said, her face serious and her brown eyes deeper than ever. Krystal sighed and turned her face away. “It’s not understandable for an outsider. I barely knew him. I became the person I am today because I wanted to get to know him and I did. What I found out wasn’t exactly encouraging our relationship. I just see him as a rival, nothing else. If he cries about losing his position, then that’s his problem,” she hissed. “He doesn’t cry about not being CEO anymore, he cries because his lifework is going up in flames. Give the man some slack,” Amber tried. Krystal took her hand back furiously and looked deadly in her girlfriend’s eyes. “He deserves it.” She felt something pop in her as she said that. It wasn’t the surprised, almost hurt, look in Amber’s eyes, but something within herself that she had refused to acknowledge. She had always told herself that she loved her parents no matter what. It was expected of a person to love their family. But she didn’t. She only loved Jessica unconditionally and she wasn’t there ninety percent of the time. As a matter of fact, her sister made the choice to escape the family drama too, leaving her sister right in the middle of it. She didn’t love her parents nor would she ever. In fact, with saying this out loud, she understood that she perhaps even hated them. Strongly disliked at least. She hated them for turning their daughter into an emotionless robot, programmed to do as they say, believing that it’s good to do what its parents say. Krystal was brainwashed as a kid and would have been a completely different person if only she was brought up with love. But she had not and that’s why she could only be together with Amber now, after eight years, instead of right away. She had been programmed to think that love was bad. It wasn’t, but she was only able to understand now, at the age of twenty-six. And she hated it. She hated it that she could only be happy now and only give Amber now what she deserved. They had ruined her and she wanted revenge. She wanted to make her father suffer like she had, even if that meant burning Jung Internationals to the ground. “Please, go home. I want to be alone now,” she muttered distantly, not looking in Amber’s eyes. “No.” “Excuse me?” Her voice had shot up a few octaves. In utter disbelief she looked up, only to see a very stubborn look in Amber’s eyes. She stared back with the same stubbornness. “It’s not right for him to pay like that. He didn’t hurt you because he liked it. He’s probably brought up the same way,” she said. Anger gathered in her chest. “I don’t care. If we will get a kid together, I will not raise it like my father. That he has been fucked up too doesn’t mean you have to burden your child,” she barked angrily. But instead of anger or at least annoyance, Amber stared at her with shock in her eyes. “‘Our kid’?” she whispered. Krystal’s anger faded immediately when she realized her mistake. Krystal felt like her heart stopped. For a full few seconds, they just stared at each other. Her hands were shaking, she noticed. “Is this normal?” she eventually blurted out, when Amber would not say anything. “Because I don’t know, Amber. I don’t know if I’m supposed to think about that already or if it’s actually too soon. I don’t know anymore…” Amber took her hand again, tried to comfort her shaking girlfriend. But Krystal couldn’t set herself to grab her hand firmly. She didn’t know. She didn’t know how a relationship was supposed to work because she was simply never taught. “It is, I think. It is normal,” Amber replied softly. “Then have you thought about it?” “No…” she admitted. “Children are the next step in marriage, I suppose. Would you marry me, then?” “Is this a proposal?” “No,” Amber said firmly. “If it will come to that, I will propose in a special way.” “What if I want to propose?” she asked. It wasn’t like she had always dreamed about someone getting on their knees for her, but it would be revolutionary if she proposed. “Then you can. Just make it special,” Amber replied, with a weak smile on her face. She took her hand firmer and squeezed it reassuringly. “Please, don’t ever think that your thoughts might not be normal. You are normal, you are okay. That your parents lacked in this, doesn’t mean you’re different. You are perfect and good and even if you want to get married in Las Vegas right now, steal a child from a kinder garden and grow up somewhere in a small cabin in the woods in Europe, I’d say yes. You are everything I need, Krystal.” She breathed shakily in, trying to control her own body as much as possible. Her shoulders tensed and she gritted her teeth together to prevent tears from gathering in her eyes. And she didn’t want Amber to see her cry. Even though she had promised to open up more, she couldn’t have it. So, she placed her hands around her face and pulled her towards her roughly. Their lips clashed together in need. A sloppy kiss formed as their mouths moved over each other, teeth clinking together and heavy breaths in between. Amber gripped at the bathrobe, clutching the fabric between her fingers. Krystal felt tears roll down her cheeks during the kiss. She didn’t know if Amber could feel her lower lip shake, but she did and it made her heart ache even more. Why couldn’t she just be happy just being with her? Why did she always want more? CEO instead of Vice-President. Married instead of just a relationship… and what about children? She didn’t want to ruin the beautiful thing she had with Amber by wanting too much. Later that night they had settled on the couch. After their conversation, they had both been in need for hugs and silent love. Amber had settled in the corner of Krystal’s lounge sofa and Krystal half leaned half laid against her. Amber caressed her cheek and otherwise played with her hair whilst watching the movie – Jurassic Park – together. As the living room filled herself with the screams of dinosaurs, Krystal couldn’t find herself concentrating. Instead, her eyes closed slowly and she settled in a more comfortable position against her girlfriend, eventually pulling the thin blanket that was always on the rug of her couch over her body. Before she fell asleep, she muttered: “Just so you know, I’d say yes if you proposed to me.” Amber stirred. Her breathing stopped for a moment, then continued to breathe unevenly. “Why are you letting me know that? It’s no fun for me to propose if I know you’re already going to say yes,” she chuckled. Krystal closed her eyes. “I already let you know by tattooing your name in my neck,” she replied softly. “You knew from the moment we met again at the party. You have always known.” Amber stroke her hair, eventually moving her hand to her neck and tracing over her tattoo. She kept her gaze on the screen, watching how the tyrannosaurus rex attacked the portable research center of Dr. Grant. “I have. But I want to hear you say it when I propose, not right now.” “Okay, but then you first have to propose.” “Maybe.” “Maybe?” she asked. “It’s no fun in knowing I will propose, now, is it?” she chuckled. Krystal smiled softly. "I agree."

[larryland]

by Roseann Cane

Typhoid fever, a life-threatening bacterial illness, is still fairly common throughout the world, with about 5,700 cases developing annually in the U.S. Today typhoid fever can be prevented and treated with antibiotics, but at the turn of the 20th Century, typhoid fever was often akin to a death sentence, terrifying in its rapid spread throughout households.

By the end of the 19th Century, physicians had determined that bacteria caused the disease, and they believed it was spread by contaminated drinking water. Even so, in 1900 about 20,000 Americans succumbed to typhoid fever, and the victims were often grouped in a specific location. An outbreak in the summer of 1906 struck the inhabitants of a Long Island home rented by a banker; of the four family members and seven servants, six people were infected. Public officials were at a loss in determining the cause. The owner of the house hired sanitary engineer George Soper from the New York Department of Health to investigate.

Soper learned that the cook, Mary Mallon, had started working for the family just three weeks before the first family member became ill. Three weeks, the engineer knew, was the average incubation period for typhoid fever. Soper checked the files at the domestic service agency where Mallon had been hired, and learned that Mallon had changed jobs regularly over a seven-year period. At every one of the seven homes where Mallon had worked previously, typhoid had struck.

When Soper showed up at Mallon’s home to request samples of her urine, feces, and blood, she chased him away with a sharply pronged meat fork. The Department of Health dispatched an ambulance containing three police officers, two interns, and Dr. Josephine Baker. After chasing Mallon for three hours, the team was able to drag her into the ambulance, where Dr. Baker had to sit on Mallon to control her.

Keri Safran & Tasha Lawrence. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Kevin O’Rourke. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Keri Safran. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Kevin O’Rourke & Tasha Lawrence. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Miles G. Jackson & Tasha Lawrence. Photo: Carolyn Brown.

Miles G. Jackson & Tasha Lawrence. Photo: Carolyn Brown.

Keri Safran & Tasha Lawrence

Kevin O’Rourke & Tasha Lawrence. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Tasha Lawrence. Photo: Carolyn Brown.

Kevin O’Rourke & Keri Safran. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Kevin O’Rourke & keri Safran. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Miles G. Jackson & Tasha Lawrence. Photo: Carolyn Brown.

Tasha Lawrence. Photo: Carolyn Brown.

Keri Safran. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Miles G. Jackson. Photo: Carolyn Brown.

Frances Evans. Photo: Carolyn Brown

Award-winning playwright Mark St. Germain has expertly fashioned a study of the woman who became infamous as Typhoid Mary, and the people who worked to contain her and the spread of typhoid. Tasha Lawrence crackles in the title role. An Irish immigrant who had little formal education, Mallon was an intelligent, literate woman who read The New York Times and had a fondness for the works of Charles Dickens. Lawrence makes Mallon’s frustration, anger, dignity, and even tenderness palpable, and she is maddeningly, wonderfully complex.

The characters orbiting around Mallon are, I assume, representations of the people and ideas, institutional and spiritual, who try mightily to rein in the threat Mallon poses. Kevin O’Rourke, as Riverside Hospital Administrator Dr. William Mills, delivers a well-honed portrayal of a man determined to do what he concurs is in the best interest of the population. As Dr. Ann Saltzer, Keri Safran’s tightly-wound physician provides a satisfying performance as a woman who has learned to harden herself during a period when female doctors were generally regarded as inferior to their male counterparts. Her prickly relationship with Mallon, and their resentment of each other, lends an enlightening dimension to the story. Miles G. Jackson’s Father Michael McKuen’s gradually weakening struggle to lend spiritual guidance and companionship to Mallon is deeply touching.

Brian Prather’s clever, handsome set morphs gracefully through scene changes. The costumes, designed by Elivia Bovenzi, are authentic, evocative, and attractive, and Scott Pinkney’s lighting design seamlessly enhances the onstage action. Kudos, too, to Alexander Sovronsky for his finely wrought sound design.

Typhoid Mary is not an easy play to watch because St. Germain has not only tackled a difficult subject, he has explored the complexity of human thought and behavior. There are no heroes or villains in this play, and the big questions about ethics are left to the audience to ponder. As Mallon says, “Doctors must despise exceptions, they keep them from being right all the time.”

Typhoid Mary by Mark St. Germain, directed by Matthew Penn runs from May 23-June 16, 2018, on the St. Germain Stage in the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center at Barrington Stage Company, 36 Linden Street in Pittsfield, MA. Set design by Brian Prather; costume design by Elivia Bovenzi, lighting design by Scott Pinkney, and sound design by Alexander Sovronsky. Production stage manager Geoff Boronda .Cast: Tasha Lawrence as Mary Mallon, Keri Safran as Dr. Ann Saltzer, Kevin O’Rourke as Dr. William Mills, Frances Evans as Sarah, and Miles G. Jackson as Father Michael McKuen

Performances: Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30pm; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 3:00pm. Opening night May 27 at 3:00pm. St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center (36 Linden Street). Tickets: $15-$48. Barrington Stage Box Office: (413) 236-8888 or online at www.barringtonstageco.org.

Playwright Speaks Series: History Seen Through The Eyes of Mark St. Germain. Saturday, June 2 at 1:00pm at the St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center (36 Linden Street). FREE. Barrington Stage Box Office: (413) 236-8888.

REVIEW: “Typhoid Mary” at Barrington Stage by Roseann Cane Typhoid fever, a life-threatening bacterial illness, is still fairly common throughout the world, with about 5,700 cases developing annually in the U.S.