#happy mey rin monday!

[hisbutleronhiatus]

It has been 105 days since the Kuroshitsuji hiatus was announced.

Grelle is stitching together a Mey Rin doll to accompany the one she already made of little Sebas—soon, she’ll have stuffed replicas of both of her darlings! 😌

[eemoo1o-animoo]

Kuroshitcember Prompt List:

(2022 edition)

Kuroshit name, I know. But, I’m making this a thing! Reblog if you’re using it, and feel free to send me the results!

Happy Kurostmas everyone, and other merry tidings.

Thursday, the 1st of December; — Sebastian delivers a letter to his master.

Friday, the 2nd of December; — Grelle smiles at Will everyday when he comes into work. Why? How does she feel when he ignores her? Does he ignore her? How does he react?

Saturday, the 3rd of December; — Agni stands by his prince in absolute silence. Why? What is he thinking about? How does he feel? How long has he been doing this for?

Sunday, the 4th of December; — Pick a male character and dress them up in drag! Ciel doesn’t count. Why are they in drag? Do they like it? How do people react? Is this a regular occurrence? What happens next?

Monday, the 5th of December; — Fast forward a century or so, and the Grim Reaper Dispatch’s collection system has switched to AI and other complex technologies. How good are the grim reapers at this? How do they feel about it?

Tuesday, the 6th of December; — Caskets and coffins, colds and collectibles. Write something about the Undertaker and his fresh clients of winter deaths!

Wednesday, the 7th of December; — Demons don’t usually sleep. So, how do they dream?

Thursday, the 8th of December; — Pick two characters and swap their species! What does this do? Is demon Will just another version of Claude? Is human Sebastian any different to how he is now?

Friday, the 9th of December; — Listen to Stolas Sings by Sam Haft. What do you think this could represent?

Saturday, the 10th of December; — Paperwork that Will asked for gets handed in late. What happens?

Sunday, the 11th of December; — Finny writes a letter to St. Nicholas. What does he write?

Monday, the 12th of December; — As Christmas draws near, so does the cold, which plays hell with Tanaka’s old bones.

Tuesday, the 13th of December; — Ronald Knox’s wristwatch breaks. One of the other reapers gives him a gift to replace it while it’s in repairs.

Wednesday, the 14th of December; — Ciel’s birthday. What happens? How does he feel?

Thursday, the 15th of December; — A day in the life of a Trancy servant.

Friday, the 16th of December; — Rice cakes. That’s it. That’s the prompt.

Saturday, the 17th of December; — Eric Slingby reminisces about his domestic life with Alan Humphries. What does this entail?

Sunday, the 18th of December; — Listen to Bloody Mary by Lady Gaga. What do you think this could represent?

Monday, the 19th of December; — The Undertaker used to be allied to the Phantomhives. Why was that? How does he feel now that he’s no longer affiliated with them? What was his relationships like with Cloudia and Vincent like, respectively, perhaps in contrast to the one that he now has with Ciel?

Tuesday, the 20th of December; — Grelle Sutcliff and Madame Red are just after meeting. What happens? What do they talk about?

Wednesday, the 21st of December; — Mey-Rin sits down with Bard over a packet of smokes. What do they do? What do they talk about? Is it romantic or completely platonic?

Thursday, the 22nd of December; — “[She/He/They/It] prowl(s) around London with [her/his/their/its] [claws/weapon] dragging along the wet ground, waiting until […].”

Friday, the 23rd of December; — Sebastian thinks about his life before his contract with Ciel.

Saturday, the 24th of December; — Sebastian (and, more optionally, the servants) prepares the manor for the young master for Christmas Day.

Sunday, the 25th of December; — Sebastian bears an awful resemblance to someone held near. Pick a character and let them realise this!

Monday, the 26th of December; — “And then he was all like, ‘I am simply one hell of a butler’. Ugh! I hate that guy.”

Tuesday, the 27th of December; — William T. Spears is just after laughing. Why? How? What has just happened to cause such a cosmical event?

Wednesday, the 28th of December; — “Tanaka looks to Sebastian and Ciel. All he truly sees in front of him is a monster.”

Thursday, the 29th of December; — The Undertaker and [Ciel/Sebastian/one of the reapers] sit down and have a chat during dire times. Why? What do they talk about? Is it an argument? If so, who’s winning?

Friday, the 30th of December; — The Grim Reapers prepare the office for a New Years’ Eve party. Why? What happens?

Saturday, the 31st of December; — Sebastian takes his final bow as the final curtain call nears on Ciel’s life.

[Image ID: SFW and NSFW is allowed! Sebaciel and the like is not! *Sebaciel shippers DNI!*]

[plague-of-insomnia]

Ch 178: The Gist - Revenge of the Roast Chicken, And A Look into Bard’s Tragic Past

Prefacing this by the fact that I may not have all the pages in the chapter, so I’m going off what I do have (10 pages, not including the cover).

Also I’ll be leaving the Japanese out to save time.

I won’t be offering analysis here, but will in separate post(s) if I’m able, as my body and mind are both out of spoons sadly.

Ch 178 picks up where 177 ended, with the (sadly “mistranslated”) roast chicken revenge.

The chapter is essentially made up of two pieces: 1) Sebastian attempting to (yet again) instruct Bard on how to properly roast a chicken, along with a couple of cameos by the other servants, and 2) Bard remembering his past, first with fondness and then as a full-out PTSD flashback.

On the first page, Sebastian is clearly trying some reverse psychology (or maybe he really thinks Bard is just dumb/ignorant and not just defiant), and begins, saying, essentially,

I’m so sorry, I didn’t know how to explain properly before. I wasn’t aware there were people who didn’t know how to find the roaster. I had no idea there were people like that.

Naturally, this ticks Bard off, who retorts,

Step by step… you’re very effective at being annoying.

Sebastian ignores him and simply says he will now go through the recipe for roast chicken, which follows, in detail, on the second page.

Sebastian’s lesson continues on the following pair of pages, where he explains about the turnspit dogs, and the importance of keeping the rotisserie moving so the meat won’t catch fire. Bard, ofc, is all for having the dog do the job, but Seb is having none of it.

(These pages were exceptionally difficult to read, so I’m sorry I can’t do a better job with the nitty gritty here.)

By the fourth page of Sebastian’s instructions, Bard’s mind begins to wander, and this is when he begins to recall the boy and woman, starting with her, remarking on how everything she cooked looked and tasted delicious. However, Bard says “everything you cooked…” (あなたって) so it’s still not clear at this point what their relationship was exactly.**

After this, we finally jump ahead, to where Bard is manning the spit (in the present), and Finny and Mey Rin make their cameos.

Finny arrives first, announcing to Sebastian he’s finished the weeding, only for a surly Bard to reply, “Jeeves ain’t here.” (The American generic name for a Butler, basically the equivalent to “Sebastian” in Japan.)

Finny seems unperturbed by Bard’s mood and happily greets him.

Once again, Finny makes Bard remember the boy (his son? It’s not clear.)**

Mey Rin shows up not long after and her presence pushes Bard to remember both the boy and the woman, as he recalls a scene when he arrived home to find them cooking (one of his favorite things).

This happy moment is soon Interrupted as Bard is thrust into a traumatic memory/PTSD flashback (tw warning, child death) of another time he arrived home to find the fields/house aflame and the child dead (with presumably no sign of the woman, though with the framing, we can’t be sure of this).

My copy ends with Sebastian bursting into the kitchen, screaming Bard’s name and yelling at him for burning the chicken (presumably bc he stopped turning it).

Poor Bard is startled and confused as he’s suddenly yanked back into the present to a mini inferno in the hearth….

~#~

** Bard’s relationship to the boy and woman, clarified:

The only word I could find in the copy I have that gives any hint at all as to whether or not the woman is Bard’s wife and the boy his son (or if they’re not), is from a panel that’s pretty blurry/warped and partly chopped off:

My first read through, I assumed the boy was speaking, so I was very confused by the fact that he seems to be referring to his mother (presumably) with this word: お夫, which, depending on context, can mean either husband or wife, but in the past, was also used (presumably between spouses) as a term of endearment, like the word “darling” in English.

I couldn’t make sense of why the child would use that word (the rest of the sentence is basically asking about what’s cooking/are you cooking).

So either one of three things is going on:

Bard is actually speaking, in which case he’s saying something like “darling, what’s for dinner/what’re you cooking?” And if so, it would confirm that she is his wife and the boy most probably his son;

The boy is mimicking how he’s heard his parents speak to one another (the way kids sometimes do, maybe to sound more grown up without fully understanding what they’re saying), and is saying “darling, are you going to cook/what are you cooking” or something like that;

Or (and I don’t think this is the case), I have misread the kanji and he (or Bard) is saying something else entirely

But this is why I’m still reticent to confirm that the woman is Bard’s wife and the boy his son, although I think there’s a strong chance that’s the case. The other possibility would be that the woman is his sister, and the boy his nephew (or she’s his brother’s widow/maybe his wife, in which case the boy could still be his nephew).

~#~

Sorry I couldn’t be as detailed this month, but I hope this helps tide you over until Monday.

As always, apologies in advance for any errors.

[grelleswife]

Kuroshitsuji Ladies Appreciation Week: Event Rules

Hi, again! We were thrilled by the positive response to our interest check for Kuroshitsuji Ladies Appreciation Week, and it is officially happening!

Currently, this fandom event is scheduled from May 25th-31st 2020. Rules and guidelines are as follows:

1. No fetishization, incest, pedophilia, transphobia, sexualization of minors, etc. will be tolerated.

2. We will accept both SFW and (moderately) NSFW works. However, since the focus of this event is spreading positivity related to the Kuro ladies, please refrain from graphic violence, rape/noncon elements, etc. and tag any NSFW themes appropriately.

3. As shown below, each day of the week is devoted to a different set of Kuro ladies. Depending on your preference, you can focus on just one character each day, or you can include two (or all three!) in your work. For example, on Monday, you could write a fic or draw a picture solely focused on Mey Rin, but you could just as easily do a manga edit of Mey and Ran Mao from the current maid arc, or make art showing Paula, Mey Rin, and Ran Mao having a “girls day out.”

4. Shipping and gen works will both be accepted, including works involving wlw ships with two ladies from different days. For example, you could write a Grellrin fic for Monday, but you would need to keep the narrative focus on Mey Rin (her POV) since Monday is “her” day.This rule also applies to gen and m/f fics--give that day’s lady the spotlight!

5. This event is an opportunity to celebrate the canon Kuro ladies. Therefore, we will not accept crossovers, genderbends of canonically male characters, or works that focus heavily on female OCs.

6. Any and all forms of media may be used, including but not limited to fic, art, moodboards, AMVs, manga colorings/edits, anime gifs, etc. However, please give credit to the mangaka if manga/doujinshi panels are used.

7. You do NOT have to do something for every day in order to participate. Feel free to make something for as many or few days as you like!

8. Mangrellers (people who use he/him pronouns for Grelle Sutcliff) and Seb*ciel shippers are not welcome. We want this event to be a safe space for all participants, and allowing these sectors of the fandom to take part would not be conducive to that goal.

9. Please include “kuroshitsuji ladies appreciation” in the tag for all fanworks so that the hosts can locate and reblog your creations!

Questions? Inbox me or my fellow co-hosts, @deadly-safety-scissors and @cosmic--lion, and we’ll get back with you as soon as we can.

Happy creating, and I look forward to seeing everyone’s works!

Monday, May 25th: Mey Rin~Paula~Ran Mao

Tuesday, May 26th: An~Rachel~Frances

Wednesday, May 27th: Lizzie~Sieglinde~Shiori

Thursday, May 28th: Hannah~Angela~Claudia

Friday, May 29th: Beast~Doll~Wendy

Saturday, May 30th: Nina~Irene~Jane

Sunday, May 31st: Grelle Sutcliff

[writemarcus]

ABINGDON THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR "VIRTUAL FALL FESTIVAL OF SHORT PLAYS"

Posted by: Official_Press_Release 07:28 pm EDT 10/13/20 ABINGDON THEATRE COMPANY (ATC) IN COLLABORATION WITH EDUCATIONAL THEATRE FOUNDATION (ETF) ANNOUNCE THE FINALISTS FOR "VIRTUAL FALL FESTIVAL OF SHORT PLAYS" SIX FINALISTS INCLUDE: AUGUSTO FERDERICO AMADOR, ALBERTO BONILLA, CHRISTINE TOY JOHNSON, NICK MALAKHOW, ALEXIS SIMS, MARCUS SCOTT OCTOBER 19-30, 2020 New York, NY (10/13/20) - In this time of change, Abingdon Theatre Company (Chad Austin, Artistic Director) is recommitting to creating opportunities for all voices to be heard. With this in mind, they are delighted to announce the finalists of the Virtual Fall Festival of Short Plays! The 2-week festival begins on Monday, October 19th (through October 30) and will shed light on stories by people of color. A diverse panel of judges, theatre professionals who are BIPOC, chose 6 pieces from hundreds of submissions, and these will be directed and performed by people of color and streamed to the public via Abingdon Theatre Company's YouTube channel (here). The winner of the festival will receive a stipend to be used to support further exploration of their piece and will be invited to become an "Artist in Residence" at Abingdon Theatre Company. Abingdon will then also commit to producing the winning piece as part of its "Around the Table" free reading series. Through the outreach, online readings and finally the staged reading of the winning piece, ATC hopes to engage 1500 people of color to create a more diverse environment at Abingdon. The Festival is free of charge to viewers and is a fundraiser in collaboration with the Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF). Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon will present a special video message. "Congratulations to the Abingdon Theatre Company for the visionary 'Festival of Short Plays'," states Julie Theobald, ETF President. "And thank you for supporting Pathway - racial equity through school theatre - a new program which will help BIPOC students gain access to invaluable mentoring opportunities through their school theatre programs. The Pathway grant program honors the late Craig Zadan, a visionary with a lifelong commitment to addressing issues of diversity. Craig helped make musical theatre more accessible to millions, continually breaking down industry barriers around race and helping many careers. Pathway will enhance the school theatre experience for many students now and in future generations." "With over 80 plays submitted from around the country, I am thrilled to present these six powerful voices as part of Abingdon's inaugural short play festival," states Chad Austin, Artistic Director. "To be partnering once again, with the Educational Theatre Foundation, in honor of my friend and mentor, the late great Craig Zadan, is a true honor. My hope is to shed light on these stories, and the artists behind them." "As an immigrant myself, it was crucial to be part of a project that sheds light on BIPOC," declares Beatriz Cavalieri Associate Director of New Works. Abingdon Theatre Company wants to make sure that everyone, but especially people of color, have a chance in the theatre. I am proud to be part of a project that is taking steps to make that happen." The finalists include Augusto Federico Amador (Screenwriter of 86'd, optioned by Wise Entertainment), Alberto Bonilla (Marvin's Room), Christine Toy Johnson (Come from Away, Nick Malakhow (Writer of Seeing Eye - finalist in the 2018 Latinx Theater Commons Carnaval), Alexis Sims (Matilda - Northern Stage), Marcus Scott (Finalist, Sokoloff Arts Fellowship at Town Stages 2020). The cast for the plays will feature Andrew Allen, Rin Allen (Cyrano De Bergerac), Kezia Bernard-Nau (Sesame Street 50th Anniversary 'Rock Video'), Denise Blasor (Happy Feet) Danny Bolero (Plaza Suite), David Castillo (Juicy Stories), Jacob Dickey (Aladdin), Jose Febus ("Law and Order"), Brandon Gill (A Christmas Carol), Jeff Gorti (A Chorus Line, Signature Theatre), Rebecca Hirota (Vietgone), Deborah Lew (South Pacific), Esau Mora (Read to Me - Portland Stage), and Reynaldo Piniella (Venus). The Jury Panel is comprised of Roberto Araujo, Rashad V. Chambers, Deidre Goodwin, L Morgan Lee, Jaime Lozano, Mauricio Martinez, and Juan Villa. The 6 selected pieces will premiere online as detailed below: Monday, October 19th @7pm EST ATACAMA Written by Augusto Federico Amador Directed by Sara Guerrero Cast: Denise Blasor/Jose Febus Wednesday, October 21st @7pm EST EMPRESS MEI LI LOTUS BLOSSOM Written and Directed by Christine Toy Johnson Cast: Rin Allen/Deborah Lew/Rebecca Hirota Friday, October 23rd @7pm EST THE INVITATION Written by Alberto Bonilla Directed by Adrian Alea Cast: Danny Bolero/Esau Mora/Andrew Allen Monday, October 26th @7pm EST SUNDOWN TOWN Written by Marcus Scott Directed by Rebecca Clark Cast: Reynaldo Pinella/Brandon Gill Wednesday, October 28th @7pm EST COIN TOSS Written by Alexis Sims Directed by Chari Arespacochaga Cast: Jacob Dickey/Kezia Bernard-Nau Friday, October 30th @7pm EST A PICTURE OF TWO BOYS Written by Nick Malakhow Directed by Justin Lucero Cast: David Castillo/Jeff Gorti The Abingdon Theatre Company is dedicated to developing and producing brave, new American work by emerging and established artists. The company provides a safe home where playwrights, directors and actors can collaborate within a supportive and nurturing environment. We search for stories about the human experience that reflect our social, political, historical and cultural diversity. We are acutely aware of the theatre's power to unite disparate population groups through stories about common human interests, and we strive to shed light on a variety of perspectives. In January 1993, a group of five professional theatre artists eager for ongoing collaboration and greater control over their creative lives gathered in a brownstone near New York City's Abingdon Square Park for a series of bi-weekly readings of new plays. After a few months of informal meetings, enthusiasm swelled and the artists pooled their theatrical experience to establish an open-door home where they could collaborate, invite their colleagues to join the process, and develop new plays. Over twenty-five years later, Abingdon has collaborated with more than 200 playwrights, produced 85 New York and World Premiere plays, presented more than 700 readings, staged 175 ten-minute plays, and commissioned 6 one-act plays. Theatre teaches essential skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking to enable success in college, career, and life. The Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) is the philanthropic arm of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA). The Educational Theatre Foundation provides financial support to enhance excellence in theatre education and to expand access to K-12 school theatre programs for every child. The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) is a national nonprofit organization with approximately 135,000 student and professional members. EdTA's mission is shaping lives through theatre education by honoring student achievement in theatre and enriching their theatre education experience; supporting teachers by providing professional development, networking opportunities, resources, and recognition; and influencing public opinion that theatre education is essential and builds life skills. EdTA is home of the International Thespian Society (ITS), an honorary organization that has inducted more than 2.3 million theatre students since its founding in 1929. Link: http://www.abingdontheatre.org