#he came from the fleur de lys

[radioactivemoss]

lines from musicals that make me want to scream (affectionate)

“Maybe he'll come today/Maybe he came already/And he's sitting in the drawing room /And I simply forgot” —No One Else, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

“Guys are fightin', bleedin' fallin'/Thanks to good ole' Captain Jack/Captain Jack just wants to close his eyes and go”—Santa Fe, Newsies

“I gets weary/And sick of trying/I’m tired of living/But scared of dying”—Old Man River, Showboat

“You, the one I left behind/If you ever walk this way/Come and find me lying in the bed I made”—Flowers, Hadestown

“Damned if you don’t/Damned if you do/Whole damn nation’s watching you”—Word to the Wise, Hadestown

“Where is the girl called Esmeralda?/The flames grow tall/And sharp as fleurs-de-lis/All Paris burns for Esmeralda/And still it all comes down to her and me”—Esmeralda, the Hunchback of Notre Dame

“Now here is a riddle to guess if you can/Sing the bells of Notre Dame/What makes a monster and what makes a man?”—The Bells of Notre Dame, the Hunchback of Notre Dame

“I see nothing but the candle in the mirror/No visions of the future/So lost and alone”—Letters, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

“Can you show me now that I would not be killed in vain?/Show me just a little of your omnipresent brain”—Gethsemane, Jesus Christ Superstar

“Look at all my trials and tribulations/Sinking in a gentle pool of wine/Don't disturb me now; I can see the answers/Till 'this evening' is 'this morning', life is fine”—The Last Supper, Jesus Christ Superstar

“Now that we have the gentleman/What more evidence do we need?/Judas, thank you for the victim/Stay a while and you'll see him bleed!”—The Arrest, Jesus Christ Superstar

“Start by admitting/From cradle to tomb/Isn’t that long a stay”—Cabaret, Cabaret

“Every coward seems courageous in the safety of the crowd/Bravery can be contagious when the band is playing loud/ Nothing makes a man so bold/As a woman's smile and a hand to hold/But all alone, his blood runs thin/And doubt comes... doubt comes in”—His Kiss, The Riot, Hadestown

[queenmarytudor]

Mary I's Fight For The Throne

1st October - Mary is crowned England's first Queen Regnant

On the 31st September, the day prior to her coronation, Mary had processed through London "sitting in a chariot of tissue, drawn with 6 horses, all betrapped with red velvet". 1 The Earl of Oxford bore the sword before her and Sir Edward Hastings led her horses. After the queen's chariot came another covered in cloth of silver "and therin sat at the end, with her face forward, the lady Elizabeth; and at the other end, with her back forward, the lady Anne of Cleves." 2

There were a variety of different pageants across the city, including one by the Florentines where "an angel clothed in green with a trumpet in his hand [...] was made with such a device that when the trumpeter who stood secretly in the pageant did blow his trumpet, the angel did put his trumpet to his mouth as though it should be that he blew the same." 3 Arches in the display included an image "of the Queen triumphant [and under] was written Salus Publica [Public Welfare]. Under the image of Pallas (Athena) Invicta virtus [Invicible Virtue]. Under the history of Tomyris, Libertatis ultrici [Avenging of Liberty]. Under Judith, Patriæ liberatici [Liberator of the Country]. 4

Another one involved "children clothed in women's apparel, the middle having a crown on her head and a sceptre in her hand called Grace, the other on her right called Virtue with a cup and the third Nature with an olive branch. When the queen passed they knelt down and sang." 5

Many featured children and singing; children from the schoolhouse in Saint Paul's church sung verses to Mary, and "there she stayed a good while and gave diligent ear to their song." 6 Another had children holding burning lit tapers "made of most swete perfumes." 7

The star of the show was an acrobat on Saint Paul's steeple, that stood on the weather vane and shook a little flag with his hand, and "after standing on one foot did shake his other leg, and then kneeled on his knees upon the said weather cock, to the great marvel and wondering of all the people which beheld him, because it was thought a matter impossible." 8

The next day, 1st October, Mary's Coronation officially takes place. The streets are "again covered with flowers and decked with stuffs." 9 as Mary goes "from the Hall of Parliament and Justice to the church, in procession with the bishops and priests in full canonical dress." 10

In the church, "the Quire [was] very richly hung with cloth of arras [and] well strewed with rushes, and the place between the high altar and the chair." 11

Once she had entered, "She mounted a scaffolding that was erected at the church for this purpose, and showed herself to the people." 12 The scaffolding had "stairs up to the same and down to the altar, and thereupon a throne of seven stairs, whereof the four uppermost covered with fine baudekin, and the other stairs covered with carpet. And in the middle of the throne set a great royal chair, covered with baudekin damask gold, with two cushions; one black velvet embroidered with gold very richly, and the others of cloth of tissue; the said chair having pillars at the back, whereon stood two lions of gold, and in the midst a turret with a fleur de lys of gold." 13

The Bishop of Winchester conducts Mary to the four corners of the dais and cries "If any man will or can allege any cause why queen Mary should not be crowned, let them speak now :" and then the people in every place of the church cried, " Queen Mary!" 14 He then proclaims the queen's pardon, and Mary is "brought unto the said throne again, and immediately removed into a rich chair by the gentleman ushers before the high altar, upon which altar her Grace offered her pall of baudekin [and money], verifying the words of Scripture,' Thou shalt not appear void before the Lord God." 15

She then returns back to her chair, where a cushion of velvet is then "laid before the altar, upon the which her Grace lay prostrate while certain oraisons were said over her." 16

After oath is taken and the Litany chanted, Mary prepares to be anointed. She had requested fresh oils from Rome to be anointed with, as she had "a scruple that the holy chrisms prepared in England may not be such as they ought because of the ecclesiastical censures upon the country." 17

Now she has "a pall holden over her by four knights of the Garter, the Bishop of Winchester applying the holy oil and chrism and saying unto her certain words, with divers oraisons and prayers. Then after the inunction the Bishop of Winchester did dry every place of the same with cotton or linen cloth." 18

Mary is then brought to the alter again, where she offers up a sword, before returning to her throne at the high alter where "the Bishop of Winchester and the Duke of Norfolk brought unto her Highness three crowns; to wit, one King Edward [the Confessor]'s crown; the other the imperial crown of the realm of England; the third, a very rich crown purposely made for her Grace. Then the crowns were set one after another upon the Queen's head by the Bishop of Winchester; and betwixt the putting on of every crown the trumpets did blow." 19

After the crowning, the choir sing Te Deum accompanied by organs. While the singing occurs, "a ring of gold was put on her Grace's marrying finger by the Bishop of Winchester." 20

Mary is then given bracelets of gold and precious stones by the Master of her Jewel House, before being delivered the royal sceptre, Saint Edward's Staff, the royal spurs, the ball of gold, and the regal of gold by various nobles. 21

"And the Queen thus sitting in her chair apparelled in her royal robes of crimson velvet, containing a mantle with a train, a surcoat with a kirtle furred with the wombs of miniver, pure, a riband of Venice gold, a mantle lace of silk and gold, with buttons and tassels of the same, having her crown imperial on her head, her sceptre in her right hand, and the ball in her left hand, was conveyed again to the throne to St. Edward's chair; having a pair of sabatons on her feet, covered with crimson cloth of gold, lined with crimson satin, garnished with a ribbon of Venice gold." 22

The nobles gathered then pay homage to her, while the Lord Chancellor declares "a goodly large and ample pardon for all manner of offences except certain persons and conditions [...] not worthy to be pardoned." 23

After, Mass is sung while the Gospel is brought to Mary, who kisses it. At the offering part of the Mass ceremony she makes an offering of bead, wine and a pound of gold, and after is conducted to the alter where the Bishop "took the crown from her head and set it on the said altar. Then she was conveyed again into her traverse, and the Lord Great Chamberlain received of her all the regalia, and delivered them to the Dean of Westminster, to be laid upon the said altar. Then her Grace was unclad of her apparel, and other royal apparel given to her by the said Great Chamberlain, a robe of purple velvet with the kirtle and surcoat overcoat, and a mantle with a train furred with miniver and powdered ermine, and a mantle lace of silk and gold, with buttons and tassels of the same, and riband of Venice gold, the crown set upon her head, and a goodly canopy borne over her by the barons of the cinque ports." 24

By this time it is almost 4pm, and Mary has "in her hand a sceptre of gold, and in her other hand a ball of gold, which she twirled and turned in her hand as she came homeward" 25 out of the church.

Mary is carried from the church to Westminster Hall, where a banquet is prepared. After she leaves the church, there is a "scramble for the cloth and rails." 26

At the banquet Mary sits "on a stone chair covered with brocade, which they say was carried off from Scotland in sign of a victory, and was once used by the Kings of Scotland at their crowning", 27 and is served by earls, lords, knights and officers.

The Bishop of Winchester sits on Mary's right, while on her left is her sister Elizabeth and former stepmother, Anne of Cleves. 28

After the first course, "there came riding in on two goodly coursers the Lord High Steward of England, and the Earl Marshal, both richly apparelled, and their horses trapped according to their estate". 29 After the second, "the Queen's Champion appeared upon a courser richly trapped with cloth of gold, holding in his hand a mace, and on the other side of him a page, one holding his spear, another his target with a herald before him. The usual challenge having been made, and repeated thrice, the champion received the cup as his fee from which her Majesty had drunk to him." 30

While the "earls, vassals, and councillors paid homage to her, kissing her on the shoulder", 31 "The Queen's style was then proclaimed by Garter with the rest of the officers of arms, in Latin, French, and English, concluding with ' largesse, largesse, largesse.'" 32

This leads to poor people swarming the kitchens for the left over meat, "And when they had done casting out meat there was no less scrambling for the kitchen it self, every man that would plucking down the hordes thereof, and carrying it away, that it might well be called a waste indeed." 33

After, Mary stands with Elizabeth and Anne of Cleves while the Mayor of London brings another "goodly standing cup of gold to the Queen's Majesty, and after her Highness had drunk so, gave the Mayor the cup." 34

Mary finally withdraws to her private Parliament chambers, and after changing back into her original clothes, is conveyed by water back to Westminster palace, where there is yet more "feasting and cheer." 35

As a relived Simon Renard writes after the event, "the ceremonies came to an end without any of the interruptions or troubles that were feared on the part of the Lutherans, who would rejoice in upsetting the Queen's reign." 36

At the age of 37, Mary has finally achieve her birth right and is the first crowned Queen of England.

Sources:

1. Wriothesley's Chronicle

2. Wriothesley's Chronicle

3. Wriothesley's Chronicle

4. Giulio Raviglio Rosso’s Historia, somegreymatter.com

5. Wriothesley's Chronicle

6. Wriothesley's Chronicle

7. Wriothesley's Chronicle

8. Wriothesley's Chronicle

9. Spanish State Papers, 3rd October 1553

10. Spanish State Papers, 3rd October 1553

11. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

12. Spanish State Papers, 3rd October 1553

13. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

14. Wriothesley's Chronicle

15. Wriothesley's Chronicle

16. Wriothesley's Chronicle

17. Spanish State Papers, 9th September 1553

18. Wriothesley's Chronicle

19. Wriothesley's Chronicle

20. Wriothesley's Chronicle

21. Wriothesley's Chronicle

22. Wriothesley's Chronicle

23. Wriothesley's Chronicle

24. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

25. Wriothesley's Chronicle

26. Chronicle of Queen Jane and Queen Mary

27. Spanish State Papers, 3rd October 1553

28. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

29. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

30. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

31. Spanish State Papers, 3rd October 1553

32. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

33. Chronicle of Queen Jane and Queen Mary

34. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

35. Crowns & Coronations: A History of Regalia

36. Spanish State Papers, 3rd October 1553

[detectivedrewshouldgetaclue]

G’day, Clue Crew! Dropping in, to talk about one of my favorite artists: Alphonse Mucha. His work can be seen in several Nancy Drew games.

Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorative theatrical posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt. He produced illustrations, advertisements, decorative panels, as well as designs, which became among the best-known images of the period.

The slider puzzle box, as seen above, was featured in The Final Scene. The tiles have Mucha’s Zodiac decorating them. But this was not Zodiac’s debut in a Nancy Drew game—oh, no, no, no. She can first be seen in Abby Sideris’ bedroom, in Message in a Haunted Mansion.

Zodiac is again seen in the gift shop of Castle Finster in The Captive Curse.

However, Zodiac isn’t the only piece of Alphonse Mucha’s work to be displayed in a Nancy Drew game. Emily Crandall, from Secret of the Old Clock, has no less than 5 Mucha pieces, in her bedroom. She displays every print from The Seasons series, on her walls.

This was Mucha's first set of decorative panels and it became one of his most popular series. It was so popular that Mucha was asked by Champenois to produce at least two more sets based on the same theme in 1897 and 1900. Designs for a further two sets also exist.

The idea of personifying the seasons was nothing new - examples could be found in the works of the Old Masters' as well as in Champenois's other publications. However, Mucha's nymph-like women set against the seasonal views of the countryside breathed new life into the classic theme. In the four panels shown here, Mucha captures the moods of the seasons - innocent Spring, sultry Summer, fruitful Autumn and frosty Winter, and together they represent the harmonious cycle of Nature.

You’ll notice that the picture that “mysteriously keeps moving,” is not part of aforementioned polyptych. This Mucha piece is called Friendship. It was featured in the New York Daily News on April 3rd, 1904.

The New York Daily News referred to him as "the world's greatest decorative artist," and dedicated its Sunday Art Section to Mucha on April 3, 1904. For the illustration on the cover of that section, Mucha created a wonderful allegorical image entitled Friendship, in which America and France are each depicted as women. America, with stars on both her tiara and gown and red and white ribbons cascading from her hair, appears as the young protégé of France, who watches over her, protectively adorned with lilies in her hair and fleur-de-lys patterns on her dress. As Jirí Mucha points out, the two women are jointly "holding a wreath of lime leaves, [a] national symbol of Czechoslovakia.”

I personally adore Mucha’s allegorical style and really appreciate that he’s featured in the Nancy Drew PC games. One might even argue that Art Nouveau influences us, to this day. Perhaps it even played a part in the design and illustrations of some aspects of the games. Art is always changing—artists grow upon the backs of their predecessors. Mucha is still highly influential and relevant.

His work and the style he developed during the period of 1893 to 1903 came to define an era and forever serve as an influence to future illustrators

I loved the Alphonse Mucha pieces from the PC games, long before I went to university and wrote papers, on his work. I’d like to think I, in part, owe my love of Art Nouveau, to Nancy Drew. 🔎🖼

That is all. Happy scrolling.

[vapaus-ystavyys-tasaarvo]

My Les Mis Letters annotations for 1.1.11! (I really hope next chapter won’t have this many... orz)

“a philosophical bishop,” or a “patriotic curé.”

I'm not sure about the philosophical here, but "patriotic" is often used in a revolutionary context in this era. The idea being to be loyal to your country rather than a king I guess? Or that's how I always understood it. I assume “philosophical“ has as similar connotation in context.

"baron of the Empire"

After declaring himself emperor, Napoleon started building up his own class of nobility, so you see these noble titles being granted. (Especially for military service but for other kinds of service to the Empire as well, as we see here with Myriel.)

As far as I understand, these titles came with land and certain ceremonial rights, but not the kinds of privileges that the old nobility had. No tax exemptions or anything.

Hugo doesn't talk about Myriel's reaction to the title here, but obviously royalists in general were not super into this concept, as we’ll see later.

The arrest of the Pope took place, as every one knows, on the night of the 5th to the 6th of July, 1809

All this stuff about the arrest of the pope and the synod and Cardinal Fesch.... I’m apparently not “every one” because don't know anything about it.

"I am only a poor peasant bishop.”

I hope it's become pretty evident by now that bishops, even “peasant bishops”, were not poor lol

Myriel is a very special case and even he is so purely voluntarily.

"it seems that he would have been found to be an ultramontane rather than a gallican"

Straight from Wikipedia: Ultramontanism is a clerical political conception within the Catholic Church that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope. It contrasts with Gallicanism, the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarch's or state's authority—over the Church is comparable to that of the Pope.

“The ideas of the century” might also be used with a more general meaning here, though? Encompassing all the various new ideologies that arose from the French Revolution? But idk.

"on his return from the island of Elba"

Elba is an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Italy where Napoleon was originally exiled after his defeat in 1814. He escaped in February 1815 and returned to France on 1 March (another date Hugo likes to reference). He did indeed pass through Digne on his way back to Paris! And it is also true that in Province he wasn't quite so warmly received as elsewhere along his route (Province being very royalist in general.)

"a person whom one is desirous of allowing to escape"

This tension between Myriel and his general brother is a rather mild example of how politics could divide families in this era, something Hugo himself was very familiar with. We will see other examples later.

The French army was still harbouring a lot of sympathies for Napoleon. The troops sent to capture him ended up joining him instead, or I guess "pursuing" him in the aforementioned style. Louis XVIII gave up without a fight and fled before Napoleon made it to Paris, choosing to wait for an opportune moment to return. (Which he got about three months later.)

"as much of a Bonapartist as the eagle"

Eagle was one of Napoleon's imperial symbols, chosen as a reference to Roman legions. (The other one was bees. No, I'm not kidding.)

Bees.

“I will die,” he said, “rather than wear the three frogs upon my heart!”

Louis XVIII replaced the imperial eagle on the Cross of the Legion of Honour with three fleurs de lys. I guess this guy thought they looked like frogs? I don’t see it but okay

"the good and weakly flock who adored their emperor"

Napoleon really was wildly popular among the regular people of France. He was a very charismatic leader who had given them reasons to be proud to be French. I think that's mostly what it was? And for many people he still represented a kind of continuation of the Revolution that had enabled his rise to power, despite being another monarch.

Although I guess his legal code was pretty much just the legal code that had been in the works and mostly finished before he even came to power, with some changes from him (mostly bad changes from what I’ve heard tbh), so in a way he was, sort of, continuing at least something that the revolution had started. And although the Napoleonic Code, as it ended up getting called, was deeply flawed in many ways, it did codify the abolishment of the feudal system and its privileges.

I don’t know if it’s even that deep, though, people just thought he was cool and that he would bring glory to France. In any case his popularity lasted for a long time. Its ripple effects were enough to affect the course of history even decades after his death.

[simshousewindsor]

HEAVY IS THE HEAD

[Queen's Dressing Room, Buckingsim Palace 3:28 PM WST]

[Palace Aide]: Does it fit alright, Your Majesty? We can always have it adjusted more.

Queen Katherine: (in a daze)

[Palace Aide]: Ma'am?

Queen Katherine: No, no. The fit is just fine. I... Do you suppose I could borrow it for a couple of days? Just to practice...

[Palace Aide]: Borrow it, ma'am? From whom? If it's not yours, whose is it?

Queen Katherine: It IS quite heavy.

[Palace Aide]: It weighs 2.07 kilos. It is made of solid gold and is set with colored stones (rubies, amethysts, sapphires, yellow and colorless topazes, tourmalines, zircons, aquamarines and one peridot, one garnet and one spinel) and diamonds. It is also composed of a purple velvet toque with an ermine band. It has several symbols: four crosses pattées, four fleur-de-lys and two arches but also a small orb that represents the world topped by a cross.

Queen Katherine: It's not as easy at it looks.

Prince Phillip: (laughing) Don't tip over!

Queen Katherine: "Thank you, son!"

Prince Phillip: Will I get to wear it on my coronation?

Queen Katherine: You will but let's hope that day is in many, many years!

(Rainier enters)

Prince Rainier: (annoyed) Everyone out, please!

Queen Katherine: (shocked) Rainier!

Prince Rainier: Leave us! Thank you.

(Everyone exits)

Queen Katherine: What's this all about?

Prince Rainier: I was just embarrassed, yet again.

Queen Katherine: Embarrassed how?

Prince Rainier: I just had lunch with Anthony and he was so excited knowing you were granting their child powers when it's born. What is he talking about, Kate? How does he know you're a spellcaster?

Queen Katherine: Rainier...

(Rainier exits)

[Queen's Bedroom 3:32 PM WST]

Queen Katherine: Lara came over the other day upset about having to delay their pregnancy announcement because of the coronation. I showed her the orb I can create. I had to tell her. She's my sister!

Prince Rainier: ...and then you promised to make her child a spellcaster? You don't even know how to control your own powers, let alone the ones our own children will one day possess.

Queen Katherine: You think I wanted this?

Prince Rainier: Yes! Yes, I do! Ever since you found out that the amulet granted powers you were all in, just like your father! I should have known this was your plan all along!

Queen Katherine: That’s not fair! We possess twenty-three stones! That power is unthinkable! One stone is different than twenty-three, so I was protecting my children, my descendants! I didn't want to become a spellcaster. This isn't what I wanted, Rainier!

Prince Rainier: ...and I’m left to believe that?

Queen Katherine: What else do you want from me, Rainier? I can't fix the past.

Prince Rainier: King.

Queen Katherine: What?

Prince Rainier: I want to be crowned beside you as King. I'm not kneeling!

Queen Katherine: (gasps)

Queen Katherine: Rainier? You don’t think that’s…

Prince Rainier: That’s what? Asking for too much? These are MY children too! Now I have to accept that not just my children but my wife…

Queen Katherine: What? Are Spellcatsers?

Prince Rainier: No! Will share something without me.

Prince Rainier: (somber) The weight of always being left out is very heavy, Kate. I don't understand how you don't see that, after all these years together. So, no. I don't think asking to be crowned beside you is asking too much. I'm your husband. Your partner. I won't do this any other way.

Queen Katherine: I need time to consult my advisors.

Prince Rainier: I'll give you a day.

Previous | Beginning | Next

[winterbirb]

My daydreaming can't be put on hold until late 2025 so here's some of my PL:ZA!AU

Characters

Juliette [Sycamore] - the head doctor of the Blue Cross (an × shape instead of +). Doesn't like pokemon because she's dealt with so many pokemon-related injuries. Not a fan of the city's renovation for how it's causing more pokemon-human injuries. Juliette (July) like Augustine (August). Xerneas. Prof Sycamore's curly hair pulled back into a bun; streaks of grey at her temples. Has her descendant's typical flair when talking about medical innovation.

Liliane [Fleur-de-lis] - Kalosian royalty, a descendant of the ancient king. The main financial backer of Lumiose City's huge renovation—and thus, also the protagonist. Liliane because... lilies, and I couldn't find a great lion name that wasn't trying too hard. Yveltal doesn't tie in as neatly. Maybe death of the old ways, in with the new? Long red hair like the female version of that lion pokemon I forgot the name of. Not wearing Lys's Yveltal gijinka suit.

Governor Désiré. Diantha's ancestor. The political force behind the renovation... and yes, this does follow the PL:A template, thabks for noticing. He's the "twist" villain, seeking to build a version of the Ultimate Weapon in Lumiose Plaza that's powered by none other than... *drumroll* Diancie! He wants to build a beautiful city and then turn it all, people and pokemon included, into Diancie's pink diamond so it's "beautiful forever." The Governor's Mansion has pink diamond statues which he refers to as his "beloved pokemon." Masc version of Diantha's face structure with the same base hair color, but styled in a perfect Politician's Cut with perfect streaks of grey at his temples... almost like he dyes his hair. Maybe he doesn't even leave grey streaks. Dresses in white suits with pink accents, a white ruffle collar with a pink diamond gem.

Emmet <3. He's in The Tunnels, for some reason. What tunnels? Well. IDK if catacombs would fit Pokemon (but it would certainly fit the life/death theme). If not actual catacombs, then some sort of ancient Diancie-created tunnel structure. He remembers more about the past/future than Ingo—same with my Serena vs Lucas. Why? Because it's my story, and I want them both to suffer in new ways. Emmet is seen as a strange ghost-like figure who haunts the tunnels, looking for his brother (how to find a way home).

Serena - originally from Unova, from the same town as Rosa (B2W2 protag), but a year younger than her. Moved after the Kyurem thing. Loves fashion, looks up to Elesa.

Mechanics

Serena (as the MC) needs to change clothes to fit in different parts of the city (like Looker doing disguise stuff; my Lucas has Looker's detective skills)

Zygarde is the "sponsor" this time, much like Arceus in PL:A. Some sort of Zygarde-tablet-thingy. But also Serena needs to do the Find Zygarde's Cells quest, because of course she does.

I don't really have any other mechanics. This section was just made to include the fashion thing.

Oops, I forgot about Mega Evolution. It's there, I guess.

I just remembered Hoopa. It helps Serena travel around the city and get into places she shouldn't be in. Why, when its chaos is the opposite of Zygarde's order? IDK, Governor Désiré probably pissed it off.

Other

It's Paris in the late 19th century. It's gross. It's overpopulated. Greedy capitalists abound, and so do the horrors of poverty. There's also an overconsuming Royal Class. She has to hold onto her ideals despite all the signs pointing to the "easy out" of Lysandre's hardcore-Malthusian philosophy. She succeeds with flying colors, because "kill all the poors and unworthy so humanity has enough to survive" is a terrible philosophy.

Might be redundant because Zygarde, but a major theme is ecology and ecosystems.

Emmet and Ingo both disappeared and came back in 2011; BW happens in 2010, B2W2 happens in 2012, XY happens in 2013, and Serena disappears a few years after 2013. Emmet remembers being in the past, and is very alarmed when a younger Serena becomes the Kalosian champion. Elesa, who is troubled by how much the twins have changed and how little she knows, eventually gets in contact with Serena. When? IDK. I just want them to meet up eventually.

Lysandre isn't dead in the present time. Even in Y, in-game dialogue implies he's still alive. There was plenty of time to drag him out of the Ultimate Weapon.

Perhaps Zygarde traveled through an Ultra Wormhole to bring Serena back and prevent Désiré's dumbassery... but got scattered into Z Cells. Or maybe Hoopa brought it to the present, but on the way back to the past it had to use an UW and got scattered. IDK, I'm just trying to figure out a way for post-games Lucas and Serena to meet in Alola (to harass Looker and give Nanu a headache ofc).

[hunchbacked-one-eyed-lame]

Deleted “Play Within a Play” Sequence from my WIP Hunchback Adaptation

Hello! The following sequence was cut from the hunchback play I’ve been writing and revising. I felt that the audience spent too much time without seeing Gringoire after the “Sanctuary” scene, so I wanted to bring him back into the narrative in a natural way. Lacking any substantial scenes from the novel to adapt, I had to invent my own.

The conclusion I came to is the scene you’ll find posted here. The idea is that the aristocrats commission a play in honor of the pending wedding between Phoebus and Fleur de Lys, the sort of thing that was often the case in the Middle Ages. 

Our Gringoire, of course, is the author who is commissioned to write it. However, his artistic integrity is somewhat compromised because his verses were revised and dictated by Fleur, making the play a thuddingly obvious condemnation of Phoebus’ infidelity.

This scene was one of my favorites that I wrote, because the imagery is very comedic and would work very well on stage. It’s also one of the only scenes that isn’t from the novel, but there is plenty of inspiration, and the style of drama is similar to Gringoire’s earlier work “The Good Judgement of the Virgin Mary” (which I call “The Judgement of Notre Dame” in my adaptation.)

Unfortunately, I found that this scene was fun in isolation, and it gave greater characterization to Fleur, but it dragged down the overall pace of the story. I’m in the process of cutting and massacring the play to be shorter and thus more appealing to publishers -- I may have to cut Jehan, sadly. Darlings like this have been casualties. 

Enjoy!

{Scene: The Home of Aloise de Gondelaurier. Enter Gringoire, wearing a black cloak, from the left. He crosses to the center and bows.}

GRINGOIRE: In honor of the pending marriage between Fleur de Lys and Captain Phoebus, I have been commissioned to write a secular drama. Many of the verses were revised by the bride herself. 

ALOISE: Aren’t you the fellow who balances on his head?

GRINGOIRE: No, I am Gringoire, the master poet and philosopher. (Gringoire folds his arms, causing his cloak to open, revealing his jester costume. The ladies giggle.) Start the show.

{Exit Gringoire. The musicians/actors gather their props and costumes. The actors assume the roles of a Greek Chorus, Apollo, Hera, and the Allegory of Loyalty. The Greek Chorus steps forward.}

CHORUS:

Hark to a tale as old

As the land and the sea

Of the burning sun

And lilies soft

A lover’s tragedy

A tale to whom 

All may abide

If you are the groom 

To a bride

{The Greek chorus steps back. The Allegory of Loyalty steps forward.}

LOYALTY: I am Loyalty. I am a friend to friendship and am wed to marriage. I am never asked for, but I am as expected as the rising of the sun.

{Gringoire enters, crouching across the stage and hiding his face. He is holding a stick with a crude picture of the sun on the end of it. The actor playing Apollo marches behind him triumphantly.}

APOLLO: I am Apollo, the God of the Sun. Who are you?

LOYALTY: I am the virtue of Loyalty. I pray that you take me into your heart.

APOLLO: Nay! I spit upon loyalty!

{Apollo takes the sun-stick from Gringoire, who crawls away and beats Loyalty to death with it.}

ALOISE: (Apprehensive) Fleur … did you write this part?

LOYALTY: (Collapsing) I am slain!

APOLLO: Good riddance to ye! The god of the sun has no use for the likes of Loyalty!

CHORUS: (Stepping forward)

From Mount Olympus 

There came down

A goddess whom

Upon the sins of Apollo

She did frown

{The Greek chorus steps back. Hera steps forward.}

HERA: I am Hera, the goddess of marriage. I bore witness to the slaying of the Virtue of Loyalty, Apollo. It is most displeasing to me.

APOLLO: What care does the goddess of marriage have for loyalty? 

HERA: I cherished Loyalty above all the virtues of the world. For your actions, I will curse you. (Hera raises her arms and wiggles her fingers rapidly. Apollo twitches and falls onto his stomach.) Upon thy belly thou shalt go, and dust thou shalt eat all the days of thy life.

APOLLO: Alas! If only I had taken Loyalty into my heart.

{The aristocrats applaud. Phoebus is uncomfortable. The actors bow and exit to the left.}

PHOEBUS: Fleur, did you write that ending?

FLEUR: A little bit.

[littleragondin]

I was tagged by @howdydowdy ages ago (quite literally gosh), thank you a lot! Even if it was incredibly hard to pick up only 8 books oh my god, the show version felt like a walk in the park in comparison lol

8 shows books to get to know me in no specific order

- "Les Fleurs du Mal" by Charles Baudelaire, illustrated by Henri Matisse. I got this book when I was maybe 10? I liked Baudelaire already (I was a very festive child I swear), and I loved drawing and art, so my mother - who loves book as much as I do - got it for me. It cemented my love of poetry, I think. Baudelaire is still a favorite of mine, and Matisse's illustrations just enhanced the experience.

"Alors, ô ma beauté! dites à la vermine Qui vous mangera de baisers, Que j'ai gardé la forme et l'essence divine De mes amours décomposés!" - from "Une Charogne"

- "The Belgariad" (and "The Mallorean" that follows) by David & Leigh Eddings. I have always loved fantasy stories, and this one has been with me for a long time. It's very classic fantasy, Chose One goes on a quest with the help of A Group of Prophecy Designated Companions but it's terribly well done, the characters are lovely, and it's very funny.

Silk: Not to worry, Urgit. Hettar came all the way through the streets of your capital, and he didn't kill even one of your subjects. Urgit: Remarkable. You've changed, Lord Hettar. You're reputed to be a thousand feet tall and to wear a necklace of Murgo skulls. Hettar: I'm on vacation. - from one of The Mallorean books

- "My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness" by Nagata Kabi. There had to be some illustrated work of course. Sometimes you read a story that resonates so much with you it kind of makes your body vibrates - like an echo that keeps responding to itself. This story did that to me, and the art (sketchy, nervous, simple but efficient) truly enhances the feelings.

“Maybe the times I couldn't move were the times I needed to take better care of myself.”

- "Le Petit Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Another one from when I was a child. I had an abridged version read by French actor Gérard Philippe, and I would listen to that CD all the time. Then my mom (her again) got me the book, and I have read and reread it regularly since then. I think I like different things about it now than when I was a child, of course, but the sadness of the Narrator at the end makes my heart aches the same way it did back when I read the book sitting under my desk at 12.

"Et quand tu sera consolé (on se console toujours) tu seras content de m'avoir connu. Tu seras toujours mon ami. Tu auras envie de rire avec moi. [...] Ca sera comme si je t'avavais donné, au lieu d'étoiles, des tas de petits grelots qui savent rire..."

- "Smoke and Mirrors" by Neil Gaiman. Particularly "Chivalry" and "Murder Mysteries", respectively first and last of the collection. I love a great many of Gaiman's works, so he had to go on the list. I picked this one because it sparked my love and appreciation of the short story format. Plus, I love magic hidden in the mundane (like in Chivalry), and I love retelling of religious stories (like in Murder Mysteries), so it's also a good intro to that I think.

"I feel dirty. I feel tarnished. I feel befouled. Perhaps it is true that all that happens is in accordance with Your will, and thus it is good. But sometimes You leave blood on Your instruments." - from "Murder Mysteries"

- "Oh boy!" by Marie-Aude Murail. She was my favorite author when I was a child/teen, I devoured everything she offered (the Nils Hazard series was such a huge part of my childhood). I picked this one because I loved it very, very much - I remember breaking a friendship because I lent it to a girl who never gave it back to me, lying that her mom bought it for her and that it was not mine. It's a story about grief, about siblings love, about facing adversity together and coming out from the other side, maybe a little worse for wear but still here. All things I still cherish very much in stories today that I'm the adults' age and not the teens anymore.

"Chapitre 13 qui n'existe pas pour ne pas porter la poisse aux Morlevent."

- "This is how you lose the time war" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Sometimes you start a book the way you absent-mindedly brush your fingers against the surface of water, and sometimes that water swallows you whole but you don't drown, the water just fills you. I closed that book with all its words left in me, I think, and I had to catch my breath again. It's about war, and it's about love, time, and choices and sacrifices. It's a small book, all in all, but it took me some time to come back down from it. I think mostly, it's here because it touched me, and it's a good example of why I like words. Also it's epistolary, a format I deeply, deeply love.

"But when I think of you, I want to be alone together. I want to strive against and for. I want to live in contact. I want to be a context for you, and you for me."

- "The Discworld" by Terry Pratchett. I know this one is, like, the worst cheat because it's more than 40 books and I just went and gave them all to you as one. But I can't have them off the list! Not a year goes by without me re-reading some of them, and while I do have favorites they all hold a big place in my heart. The whole collection (in French and in the Atalante edition which is, like, very pretty) was my mom's gift for obtaining my PhD even if I already owned nearly all of them in either French or English, so I guess that gives you an idea of how much I love them.

"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." - from "A hat full of sky"

I won't tag ppl because I tagged a lot for the actual show version, and I don't know how much my mutuals would like to do it, but if you do PLEASE tag me so I can see your lists <3

[dyglc]

Make Your Desk Pop with the Pop Art Desk Lamp!

Hi, this is Deya!

A first year student of RepubLikha from Bachelor of Design of Miriam College. Let me introduce you to my third design!

For the third requirement in Design History (AAV-104) class under Mr. Rino Datuin, we were given the freedom to choose an era and any type of design to create our very own lamp design.

To come up with a design, here is another moodboard that I put together to guide me and here you guys have: The Pop Art Desk Lamp!

Stay tune to find out how the Pop Art Desk Lamp came to be and why I chose this as my inspiration!

Pop goes the Art!

The pop art movement peaked in 1960s as it evoked during the 1950s in America and Britain. It was The movement was motivated by the popular culture in the western society and began as a rebellion against traditional forms of art.

Artists that belong in the pop art movement believed that traditional art does not reflect the real world and it was built abide with the traditional contemporary art standards instead.

Who makes the Art in Pop?

There are a lot of pop artists from the 1950s to present and as they continue to grow; Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith Haring remains as the notorious artists in the pop art scene.

Andy Warhol (Andrew Warhola) was born August 6, 1928 and died February 22, 1987. He was known for his Campbell's Soup Cans (1962) art piece, "its canvases are hand-painted, and the fleur de lys pattern ringing each can’s bottom edge is hand-stamped".

Roy (Fox) Lichtenstein was born October 27, 1923 and died September 29, 1997. He was known for his Drowning Girl (1963), an art piece that was a cropped page from a romance comic book but was altered. Lichtenstein says, “My work is actually different from comic strips in that every mark is really in a different place, however slight the difference seems to some. The difference is often not great, but it is crucial”.

Keith Haring was born May 4, 1958 and died February 16, 1990. He was known for his Radiant Baby (1990) art piece, "a simple outline of a baby or person crawling on the floor on their hands and knees with lines emanating from them. Haring himself has commented that for him this baby represents youthful innocence, purity and goodness".

Pop Art is a unique movement that focuses on what is real. It allows not only the artist but also the people to know the important subject matter, bridging modern and classical art together to realize the true meaning of art and being an artist.

The Design & The Process

The first moodboard on this blog was part of the initial concept of the Pop Art Desk Lamp however, due to materials not being available I had to change the design and inspiration of the lamp.

For my initial concept, it was mainly inspired by magazine cut-outs and some andy warhol design. However due to lack of materials, I had to change the concept of where the pop art lamp will go. That is how I considered Keith Haring's design as he is still a pop art artist and falls under the graffiti subculture in New York City.

These are RepubLikha's lamp designs together and as you can see, for my lamp, the redesigned Pop Art Desk Lamp finally came to life!

Aside from the design change, most of the initial concept that I have in mind was kept during the lamp design process. Same base lamp but some materials were changed; the washi tape and acrylic paint while cut-outs and stickers were removed.

Here are the details of the pop art lamp, a keith haring inspired design on the lamp head, body of the lamp was changed from black to yellow, fuzzy wires were wrapped on the wire, small neck of the lamp covered in label sticker and lastly, the funko pop and miniature figure of iron man.

With the pop art lamp, it will never be a boring work time ever again! A functional piece of pop of color and design that will make your desk fun and come to life.

────────────

Check out my teammates’ designs through their blogs for more inspiration!

Bea's | Claire's | Ann's | Zeanne's

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References

Rise Art. (n.d.). What is Pop Art? A Guide to the Pop Art Movement. https://www.riseart.com/guide/2352/guide-to-pop-art

Tate. (n.d.). What Was Andy Warhol Thinking? https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/what-was-andy-warhol-thinking

Howie, L. (n.d.). Andy Warhol's 5 Most Famous Artworks. https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-andy-warhol/guides/andy-warhols-5-most-famous-artworks

MoMa Learning. (n.d). Campbell's Soup Cans. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/andy-warhol-campbells-soup-cans-1962

The Editors of Encyclopaedia. (2022, November 9). "Andy Warhol". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andy-Warhol. Accessed 5 December 2022.

Tate. (n.d.). Roy Lichtenstein 1923–1997. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/roy-lichtenstein-1508

Yood, James. (2022, November 18). "Keith Haring". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Keith-Haring

Broad, J. (2020, January 6). The 20th century history of the Anglepoise lamp — 1933–1985. James Broad Interiors. https://jamesbroadinteriors.medium.com/the-20th-century-history-of-the-anglepoise-lamp-1933-1985-c90129b5fd7f

Jimmie Martin. (n.d.). Rocket — Life Size Mannequin Floor Lamps. https://jimmiemartin.com/lighting/#bwg18/6824

Design Fair. (2014, January 27). I’M A MESS (and more …) Mannequin Floor Lamps by Jimmie Karlsson & Martin Nihlmar from JIMMIE MARTIN. https://www.design-fair.com/im-a-mess-and-more-floor-lamps-by-jimmie-karlsson-martin-nihlmar-from-jimmie-martin

Garcia, L. (2019, October 30). The Pamaypay & Abaniko Throughout Philippine History. https://www.filipinowedding.com/blogs/wedding-blog/the-pamaypay-abaniko-throughout-philippine-history

[lasororiteinfernale]

. The . ABYSMAL . TALE . of . MARQUESSA . FELL . {ttr}

۰.۰ ⌘ ۰.۰

۰.۰ 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 ۰.۰

𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 . . ⌘ . . Marquessa Ilduara Juana Fell 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 . . ⌘ . . Marqui

𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 . . ⌘ . . Velvela Fell

𝐀𝐠𝐞 . . ⌘ . . Twenty 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 . . ⌘ . . 9 October 𝐙𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐜 . . ⌘ . . Libra ☼ | Cancer ☽ | Cancer ↑

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬 . . ⌘ . . She/Her 𝐒𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 . . ⌘ . . Bisexual

𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 . . ⌘ . . Issa Lish

۰.۰ 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲 ۰.۰

Marquessa is the twin sister of Marculfo, and the only biological daughter of Velvela. As Velvela’s only girl-child, Marquie’s especially doted upon by her mother (and- though as children they were bitter rivals- now as adults, it is not lost on Marquessa that her twin brother was never treated as well as she was by their mother). Once Marculfo was eighteen and left the house, Marquie also began venturing out into Saint Fleur in search of a bit of newness- “someone to cannibalise”, Şivekar had joked. It wasn’t just that- though Marquie is known to tear through both men and women like a white-hot knife through butter- but something motivated her into seeking out the other Fell son- her older brother, Angeluccio, who was already living at the Hôtel des Fleurs. It was how she ended up taking a job as one of the hotel’s “housemaids”- a perfect fit for Marquessa as she loves being nosy and watching just who comes in and out of the hotel together, how long they stay, what they leave behind, etc. Besides, then she could hang around with her brother on her breaks and keep him company (as he seemed so dour all the time). Bugging her brother almost every day was fun- often they’d go on walks together and people would give them a wide berth as they always did- as if they might catch the disease of Fell if they came too close. They went to the Polyphemus plenty of times to swim and the water gardens and so forth. It was, without a doubt, the most “normal” Marquie had ever felt before after being raised like veal her entire life. Then she began having nightmares. Nothing new to Fell children, of course, but this was quite different- vivid, almost real like a memory. Marquessa saw herself standing in the rose garden with its bloody-faced roses glistening under a round, full moon- and they would speak to her- all at once. Sweet nothings, at first- soft and tender but in an abyssal tone that vibrated darkly in her core. Very slowly, lazily almost, roses would begin slink and slide towards her, coiling and uncoiling like a tangle of serpents in order shape themselves together into a- a distinct form- one she knew well. The garden would become a rose-knitted version of her brother Angel- and each of the roses would speak, mimicking his voice but in a way that was not quite right and set her to shivering uncontrollably. The nightmare would end suddenly and she’d lay in bed still quaking at the rose-version of her brother that spoke to her in a way he should not… or, in a way she knew he should not. The nightmares were so intense that she couldn’t even get away with lying to Angel about them because he knew there was something wrong almost immediately upon seeing her. And, so, she told him precisely what she was seeing in her nightmares…and it was uncomfortable. After that, for a while they did not see each other, and Marquessa quit working at the hotel hoping that the problem would be taken care of if they stopped seeing so much of each other. However, as he is wont to do (and as it is his very lot in life), Malfante was able to sniff his daughter’s troubles on the wind, so to speak- gleaning from her very mind the thing plaguing her. Her father seemed sympathetic and offered Marquessa a bit of advice. He advised her to, in the nightmare, offer the rose-version of Angeluccio a bit of blood from the inside of her elbow. That, Malfante assured her, would see the end of those awful, sickening visions. If she gave the roses what they wanted, they would finally leave her be, you see. So, Marquie did as she was instructed. And fed the rose-brother from the crook of her arm. Horribly, however, as she did so, the rose petals covering his body began to billow and fall away revealing Angeluccio as he usually appeared. Her brother, eyes half-lidded, his lower face covered in her blood… .

The week following that particular nightmare, Marquie was invited to a very rare thing, indeed- a private dinner with her father and mothers. Being a Fell child, it’s not a common thing to be invited to eat with the parents alone, unless something pivotal is to be discussed. This invitation immediately placed Marquessa on edge because, in her gut, she knew there was only one thing her father would want to speak with her about. Soon her mothers would know this terrible thing that she couldn’t…stop. But as bad as the situation seemed, once she arrived at her father’s private dining room, she realised it was so much worse. Angel was there at the table among their three mothers. Avoiding her eye, looking resigned to whatever godawful fate awaited him. When was the last time he’d even been to the castle ? To the gathering, Malfante- never one for tact- said this, “Angel likes to play hero in his mind, my dears- did you know ? He fantasises about taking you all away from here. I need nine to satisfy the pact- to keep myself in order- we all know this fact by now. Yet, I could see letting one of you go- what do you think, Angeluccio? Belluccia- ? You could finally whisk your poor sister away to supposed-safety, well away from me. What do you think?” He was answered only with stunned silence from them all. Vevlela finally spoke after what felt like an eternity of shared bewilderment. “Malfante, what-?” “It’s as I said. I will let Bellaluccia leave, but, of course, she’ll need replacing. I need nine.” “There are only nine,” Velvela said, becoming agitated with Malfante’s dramatic pronouncement. “What are you asking?” Malfante placed his elbows on the table before him and laced his long fingers- the tips of which seemed, by candlelight, to reach his wrists. “Better still than the blood of a Fell woman,” he said, “the blood of a purely Fell child.” Marquessa, at that, felt her heart plummet into her stomach. Now she knew why she was there, and she couldn’t bear to look at her brother’s face. “I’ll give you Belluccia,” Malfante continued, “in exchange for a granddaughter…” No one breathed. Malfante looked around the table, perhaps slightly baffled at their reactions due to the fact that he very much felt he was being reasonable by suggesting such a trade. He then divided a look between Angel and Marquie. “…from the two of you.”

۰.۰ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 ۰.۰

𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 . . ⌘ . . 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 . . ⌘ . .

𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 . . ⌘ . .

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 . . ⌘ . .

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐬 . . ⌘ . .

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 . . ⌘ . . 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 . . ⌘ . .

𝐎𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧(𝐬) . . ⌘ . .

𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭(𝐬) . . ⌘ . . 𝐑𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫(𝐬) . . ⌘ . .

۰.۰ 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬 ۰.۰

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 . . ⌘ . . 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 . . ⌘ . .

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 . . ⌘ . .

[robertfripp]

"Haskell helped out by listing Fripp as his favourite guitarist on his Fleur De Lys band biography, figuring that it was a way of getting his old schoolfriend's name about. Fripp saw the potential of teaming up with Haskell again when he heard that the moderately successful Cupid's Inspiration needed a bassist and guitarist. Haskell was impressed with Fripp's resourcefulness. "He'd obviously done a bit of networking because he came up with the Cupid's Inspiration for him and me because he clearly wanted to retain our schoolboy friendship and link. Perhaps because he was lost in London? I guess he'd just heard of a job and shared it with me.""

"In the end Haskell got the job and Fripp was left behind. But the irony for Haskell was that the job was short-lived and, after backing Scott Walker on tour, came to a bad end. Not for the last time in his career as a musician, a dispute over money was the cause of his departure [...] "Robert is messing around with the boys but the tragedy is he tempted me away from my happiness in the Fleur-De-Lys.""

From In the Court of King Crimson by Sid Smith

[amitapaul]

6/1

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#24GloPoWriMo

Prompt Dated : 2024 April 1

Response No : 1

Poem No: 6

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Prompt : A poem that recounts the plot, or some portion of the plot, of a novel that you remember having liked but that you haven’t read in a long time.

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Featured Poem :

A Sword

Grant me this in the darkness,

Stay the chattering din.

Shrug off the weighted judgment

Spark the light within.

When words are weapons of terror

When scorn is a theatre of war

Let my wit time unknit in the furor

Heart’s wisdom that came before.

The guard derelicts their duty

The magistrate strays from his word

It falls to my pals to protect me

Together we wield the sword.

For Transgender Day of Visibility

March 31, 2024

Glenn Mitchell

The Clothes have no Emperor

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Poetry Resource :

Tom Snarsky’s X account

This year, our poetry resources will focus on social media accounts (though we’ll have a few other things, too) that regularly post poems from books, magazines, and elsewhere, letting you discover new-to-you poets, and just get a quick fix of poetry from time to time. Today’s resource is the twitter account of the poet Tom Snarsky, where you will find a plethora of poems to peruse!

Is it true

that only by having first passed

through absolute despair

can we arrive at anything close

to self-knowing?

Carl Phillips

Then the War

From

Tom Snarsky’s Twitter Account

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Prompt :

Today, we’d like to challenge you to write – without consulting the book – a poem that recounts the plot, or some portion of the plot, of a novel that you remember having liked but that you haven’t read in a long time.

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Poem Title :

The Book Whose Title I Forget

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Was it a vision, or a waking dream ?

Funny thing is, I forget its name,

I mean the title of the book.

Some very ordinary word

or phrase, obviously.

It was about this girl,

this child growing up,

her mother dead,

and her father and her grandfather

fighting for her custody

perhaps also for her love

though her father is a man

of no emotion

while her grandfather

has an excess of it

with the added sadness

of her mother too

having grown up without a mother

for most of her childhood.

You find yourself identifying

with this growing child

shuttling between

the cold austere widower’s world

of her honest but vain

selfish and unemotional

strict and self- absorbed

father

and her warm angry troubled grandfather

owner of a decaying inherited estate

in North Bihar

ravaged by floods

suffering from neglect

as he struggles to come to terms

with the death of a daughter he loved

but could never understand

and a grand- daughter

whose father he hates

but whose loyalty he wants

though it hurts that she is so much

like the daughter he never understood

and the wife whom he adored

but who died too young.

That house

Those gilt sofas with their brocade covers split

and the plastic foam bursting out in places

Those crimson velvet curtains

musty with the smell of flood waters

never fully dried out

a fat grey- green- black lizard clinging

to their tasselled golden cords

That Bhutanese carpet

with a puffing Chinese dragon fading out

as mould catches hold of it

Those Burmese teak floors

and the green patina on the copper fleur de lys

adorning the black rails of the estate boundary wall

three of which, enlarged,

formed the picture on the book cover—

I remember them vividly.

And I remember speculating about who the girl was

among the real life people I know.

I often recall the story

and wonder why it stays with me

though I do not remember its title

or the name of the author,

or even the names of the characters.

I remember the name of the river : Kosi.

What compels memory

so selectively,

so strongly ?

( ASA )

%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^

Poet : Amita Sarjit Ahluwalia

Poem 6 /1 st Day

%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^

[passanima]

2017 notre dame de paris musical (compared to 1999)

the best: gingoire. i really like his voice! very smooth, it surprised me + genuinely fit the character

the worst: esmeralda. not the voice but her acting, very reminiscent of the italian production which is. not good. in both of these versions they tried to make it clear how naive she is but over did it. girlie is acting 10 y/o instead of 16, it's super awkward

the same: frollo. literally the same singer, it made me laugh! his costume is really good this time!

in general

some lines were added which confused me as they were pretty much unnecessary. all i can imagine as to why was to make the story more clear but... i watched the original when i was young and understood the story without problem then, so it's strange

some lines were the same but given to a different character which i simply do not understand! very jarring

for some reason they changed the tempo of some singing lines which is jarring as well as i was mumbling along. also for most of these, the original tempo was better, so why?

this quasimodo isn't bad but i still prefer the 1999 singer. he gave quasi such a believable innocence both in singing and acting. maybe it's a question of tastes but since the first time i watched it as a kid he was endearing to me and it always seemed like a crucial part of the story. you're supposed to care for him + it makes way more sense for quasi to be this naive with the way he was raised instead of putting it all on esme

re acting some WEIRD choices were made, usually happens with esme (still with her acting too much like a child) but there's also "hmm?" moments where characters are laughing... when they really shouldn't be. ex: a scene where clopin was originally very upset now he's having a good time and it makes no sense with what's happening. odd!

i hoped the stage directions would be different from 1999, specially fot the background dancers who are badly utilized. alas, it's the same as before, which means the weakest point of the musical

ouh, liked the way fleur de lys was directed in phoebus "pls baby take me back" song where she just stare at him unamused and when he's done, holding her hands, she pushed them away as she stands up, clearly upset. that was a way better choice than the original where she just gives herself to him in a kinda strange way at the end (bending)

at the same time the original way she acted in this song was also interesting, not facing him until he said what she wanted to hear

hmm, but the one right after that, where she sings alone, in this version they chose to keep phoebus around for her to act toward which makes sense as she singing about their relationship, but... prefer the original that focus all our attention on her

she doesn't even get on the ground at the "rolling in the mud" line, boring! this version has her acting way too seductive in her anger which is a strange choice to me. yes the lyrics are sexual but it isn't a love song. her ego was hurt alongside her trust. she's not crying about her fiancé cheating on her, she's enraged that she wasn't enough for him. she gave him everything without question and he threw it all away. this is a song about her innocence shattering. so why have her act cutesy at times or roll her hips here? she's not trying to get him back, he came begging by himself!

this ver sure struggle with the girls and i don't get why cause both singers gave really good performances that made sense for the characters in 1999, so... what happened here?

sad cause 1999 fleur de lys is so good it's wild! she's still one of my favorite performance

for some reason 2017 esme didn't scream when she was being tortured, but moaned very soflty, which was very strange and made the events coming from this nonsensical, but... in another song at the line "i bite like a dog" she barked the "bite" and it was so good! but then again, if the singer isn't afraid of screaming, why didn't she do it the scene where it was required of her? then! at the end of that song she has a tired and terrified scream, begging frollo to leave, and here too she put a lot of emotion into it, so clearly she's capable! so why... didn't she scream... when tortured...

when they save her, the first thing she does is hug her brother, that was very sweet! don't remember if that happens in 1999

2017 gave esme a line that is both written and acted childishly. the singer even made her voice more like a little girl which she does not do for the rest of the musical. if you made me listen to this line without visual i'd assume the character is 6 y/o it's BAD. genuinely think who gave her directions to act this way do not understand esme as a character

in the end it was... meh. some interesting choices, but too many baffling

[killem-all-if-they-wont-eat-cake]

Today, 21 January, 1793, after being found "guilty of treason" by the French National Convention, Louis XVI, King of France, is executed by beheading by the guillotine. 

 "I die innocent of all the crimes imputed to me. I pardon the authors of my death, and pray God that the blood you are about to shed will never fall upon France.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

This is a tiara rooted in tragedy. Princess Mary of Teck was engaged to be married to the future king, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence & Avondale, in 1891.

But just a few weeks after the engagement was announced, he died of influenza.

His younger brother, Prince George, Duke of York, became the heir to the throne. He was also unmarried. Prince George had proposed to one of his cousins, who he was in love with, but she turned him down.

He turned his attention to Princess Mary, and she accepted. The couple were wed on 6 July 1893.

The tiara was a wedding gift to Mary. The name came from the committee of women, led by Lady Eva Greville, who raised the money for its creation.

They purchased the piece from Garrard in 1893. At Mary’s request, the remaining money from the fundraising event was sent to a fund to support widows and children of sailors who died in the HMS Victoria disaster, which killed 350.

Mary didn’t wear the piece on her wedding day - instead choosing one given to her by Queen Victoria - but it became one of her favourites. She chose it for one of her first official portraits when George ascended to the throne in 1910.

When her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947, Mary decided to gift her the tiara. It is reported that the Queen still calls the diadem “Granny’s Tiara” because of this.

Like Mary before her, Elizabeth loved this item and wore it often - including one for her first public appearance after her father’s funeral.

She had chosen it for portraits and at many official events over the years, marking it as her signature tiara.

Made by Garrard, this diadem features festoon and fleur-de-lys designs. Made of diamonds set in silver and gold, the original version was topped by 14 pearls.

It also came with a second frame, allowing it to be worn as a coronet. It could also be taken off a frame entirely and worn as a necklace.

Mary tweaked the tiara in 1914, removing the top row of pearls and replacing them with 13 diamond brilliants.

The pearls found their way to the Lover’s Knot tiara instead. The base of the tiara was also removed, and Mary wore it a separate bandeau.

Elizabeth put the two pieces back together in the 1960s, which is how it remains now.

Commenting on the tiara for Express UK, James Constantinou, owner of Prestige Pawnbrokers of Channel 4’s Posh Pawn, said:

"This tiara was a wedding present from the 'Girls of Great Britain and Ireland' to the Duchess of York, later Queen Mary in 1893.

It was purchased with money raised by a committee chaired by Lady Eva Grenville who became one of Queen Mary’s ladies in waiting."

"In November 1947, Queen Mary gave the tiara as a wedding present to her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth.

The Queen has worn the tiara regularly throughout her reign. She is depicted wearing it on certain issues of British and Commonwealth banknotes and coinage.

Due to the historic attachment to Queen Mary, this spectacular piece would most likely not come onto the open market, but hypothetically, if it did, it could certainly sparkle interest of up to £20 million."

How many tiaras are there in the royal collection?

There are dozens of priceless tiaras owned by the Queen and other members of the Royal Family. Many of the British aristocracy also own tiaras, wearing them at state banquets and on wedding days.

As well as tiaras currently in existence, there are a couple which have been dismantled to make other diadems. This includes The Surrey Fringe and The Nizam of Hyderabad.

Some tiaras have formed part of iconic moments in the history of the Royal Family.

The Cartier Halo, for instance, was worn by Catherine Middleton on her wedding day to Prince William in 2011.

And it is the Lover's Knot tiara that is most often seen today, as it is a favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge.

It was closely associated with Diana, Princess of Wales, during her marriage to Prince Charles, so it holds a special significance for Catherine.

Edited

[signoraviolettavalery]

Okay y’all are getting more malex musketeer AU excerpts

I’ve already posted some of these but they have since been rewritten

He comes to rely on Alex more and more. He listens to him. These days, it is rarely “Captain” and usually “Alex.” As now, when he calls Alex’s name and, with his usual deference, Alex responds “My Lord?”

“Call me Michael, please.”

“My Lord, I – “

“Alex,” Michael interrupts. “I trust you with my life. I trust you with Max and Isobel’s lives. You are honest and loyal, and you are the one person I can truly rely on, I think you’ve earned the right to address me as an equal.”

“Equal?” Alex asks, uncertainty coloring his voice.

The word had slipped out. Equal. They could never be equal. Even the old King’s bastard, Michael is of a higher rank than whatever petty nobility Alex probably comes from. But what does it matter? If it came down to skill and courage and loyalty, Alex would be ranked above most men at court. In Michael’s mind – in his heart, if he’s honest with himself – Alex holds the highest rank, next to his sister and brother.

“To me, in all the ways that matter, you are.”

“Michael.” Alex’s voice sounds reverent, full of devotion, to a man, a cause, a monarch, a saint, he’s unsure.

Michael thinks he’s in love with how Alex says his name.

Then again, he’s starting to think he’s in love with more than that.

 He can’t get that thought out of his head. Alex is beautiful, and he is constantly distracted by how his dark lashes kiss his cheeks as he leans over a table to look at a map during council meetings, with the way an earring glitters in his ear. There’s a small scar on his forehead, and Michael spends many an hour fixated on it, wondering if it’s from a duel or a battle.

He begins to flirt, and Alex always smiles, and takes it in stride. He doesn’t encourage, doesn’t flirt back, but he doesn’t shut Michael down, and Michael can’t bear to stop, chasing the possibility that maybe, one day, Alex will respond to his overt offers.

Then a ball happens, and Alex is in parade uniform. He looks stunning, the blue of the uniform stark against his dark eyes and hair, the contrast striking. The gold of his earring matches the fleur-de-lys on his uniform, and Michael is smitten.

“You look stunning tonight,” Michael says.

Alex turns away, eyes downcast, diffident as always when faced with praise. “You exaggerate, my Lord,” he says.

And Michael is struck an awful thought: has Alex simply allowing this, unable to reciprocate yet afraid to ask Michael to stop? But Michael has asked Alex to be honest with him, even if he doesn’t want to hear it; has relied on that blunt honesty. He has thought of Alex as an equal, but perhaps Alex thinks of this in terms of their respective ranks, uninterested yet afraid to say so to his lord, his liege?

“Alex,” he rushes to say. “Look, you don’t have to do the false modesty thing. You know you can be honest with me. Just tell me if you don’t want me and I’ll respect that, I swear.”

Alex shakes his head.

“What I want doesn’t matter.”

Michael frowns.

“Is there some part of you that you think I won’t accept?” He presses. “You don’t think I have an issue with – with your leg, or our difference in rank, or something? Because that’s not true, Alex. I want you, every part of you, just as you are. Whoever you are by birth.”  

“Don’t,” Alex whispers, like the words were a blow. “Please. Michael. I’m asking.”

It’s the use of his name that makes him cave.

“As you wish,” Michael says, and after that, he keeps the flirtation in check. He might be a king’s bastard, but he was still a gentleman, and Alex has made his boundaries clear.