#rhs choir

[whentherewerebicycles]

couldn’t fall asleep last night and then had to wake up at 6:15 to get ready for the day before the baby woke up 😵‍💫 but whatever it’s fine I am Facing the Day. he is down for his first nap and for some reason is talking very joyfully to himself in the crib instead of grumbling haha. lord I am tired and I don’t want to do this student meeting or this extended rehearsal!!! but I give myself full permission to go sloth mode in the afternoon once I’ve collected the baby and walked the dogs. also I can look forward to watching my poor loser hockey team stagger through another game this evening yippee.

now:

8:15-8:30 finalize revision plan for RH and get baby’s stuff all ready to go

8:30-9:30 RH mtg

9:30 change baby, grab sleep sack bottle and spare diaper, and head out

10-1:30 choir

collect baby

walk dogs for 30 min

crawl into bed and snuggle nap with baby

4ish watch game

[saintadeline]

(don't remember if this was answered in game!) how long do you think the entire process in research hall was? + what do you think she was like before her time in there?

GOOD QUESTION TBH bloodborne timelines in general are extremely vague and confusing aside from a few events, its less about being hard to place in order (thats usually fine) and more who the fuck knows how much time passes and when. Like how the old hunters and the events of the dlc couldve happened 5 years ago just as they might have 80 years ago. So that doesnt really help theory making LMFAO. The way i see it, the rh timeline is kind of cut in two where the waking world has its own timeline of events and then when the nightmare took it, it was brought back to a mix of specific times in the past, resetting some of the timeline of events and mashing it together to put them in stasis. So to make it easier ill just talk about the waking world LOL i think its like... we know for sure adeline was part of the early experiments, i wouldnt say the first because of the timeline of the healing church itself, the rh was created fairly soon after the healing church actually took position (after the hamlet incident) and we know adeline likely became a saint around its creation as well, so the way i see it she helped in the rh as a saint/nun before actually joining the experiments. So not the first (few?) batch(es) of patients but still early on relative to the rest. I also think her waking world self died a few years after the start of the actual experiments? She seems to have been a bit more resilient than most patients at least in terms of what she could take, but the her we see in the nightmare is definitely not the same way she was in the waking world but thats a whole other can of worms. What im getting at is i think she was possibly already gone by the time the experiments advanced to the stage of the living failures which are definitely more developed in terms of manmade ascension. Its hard to tell when and how the rh transitioned into the orphanage but the way i see it, either the living failures marked the end of an era of trial and error, or the nightmare had a physical effect on it somehow. Maybe both. ITS HARD TO EXPLAIN what i mean about the nightmare id have to make like a timeline graph but i think there IS a physical and timestamped event when a certain place is brought into the nightmare (see: yahargul and mensis), however the nightmare realm itself isnt bound by the law of time and can bring things back in time inside itself when twisting them. I completely lost what i was talking about but i think there was an off time between the official "end" of the rh, (possibly because they could tell something about water wasnt working right. And laurence and maria probably died in between.) and what was later known as upper cathedral ward. I dont *think* the orphanage is directly the rh? Id say the orphanage is a subset of the choir and we can see its not the exact same area as the rh it just overlaps in one place. What i mean by that is the orphanage didnt Replace the rh and there is still very much likely an active equivalent of the rh still working nowadays that the orphanage is attached to. We just dont get to see it but i highly doubt the choir was just concentrated in the orphanage and that wasnt just a smaller portion of upper cathedral ward. Anyway all that to say ummm i have to clue as to how long exactly but id say the rh as a whole had a span of over a few years, maybe something like 5-7? Could be more or less depending on how close to present time you see the dlc. Not extremely long, you can tell the research didnt manage to get pushed very far compared to the emissaries for example. But these did have the backing of ebrietas so its hard to say how much of it comes from pure research and how much is an outside influence. Overall id say it kind of depends on when you think laurence died compared to when he created the church. I dont think he had a long lived vicarhood

[i-am-a-fucking-nerd]

The shul I went to for RH services tn was a new one for me and wow I knew it prolly wouldn’t be amazing or blow my mind away, and I was rly just hoping I wouldn’t be too disappointed, but damn certain parts were actively rough. They have a choir (smth I’m always iffy on cuz a lot of the time they sound church-y) and they sounded extremely church-y. So much so that I was literally having flashbacks to being in church as a kid w my paternal grandparents. They even had a piano going. If someone started singing abt Jesus I wouldn’t’ve even been surprised. 0/10, not looking forward to that for the rest of the HH.

In other respects it wasn’t the worst so… that’s good? And thankfully the choir part was mostly relegated to the beginning. I’m not thrilled and going to the HH here but I am determined to make the best of it and get what I can from it anyway. It’ll be what it is. My roommate and I had fun anyway and we will make the experience as good for ourselves as we can

[west-tokyo-incidents]

"Rh-03?"

The swimming gore in the right echoes oddly with the soft blue of the left. A blue like the walls of a nursery juxtaposed with the blood of birth.

The woman stares blankly off, and does not respond to her designation.

In her hands, she cradles an empty sphere. Unbroken, unshattered, unkilled. But unliving. Short blonde hair sways gently in the wind from a little fan that noisily clicks in the corner of the room.

"...Meraki?"

She blinks rapidly, as if woken from a dream.

"Yes?" She turns, at last, to look.

A relieved smile greets her, "Is Mother talking to you again?"

She shakes her head, "No, he was singing. You should listen some time." She stands and places the empty sphere on a stand.

The room is a replica of her old bedroom, though she is no longer the apathetic, cruel teen she once was. No longer does she hide the empty socket of her eye, eternally raw and bleeding.

"I should." The visitor agrees, "I just don't have the ears, I'm afraid."

She laughs. It's a pleasant sound.

"What brings you here, --?" She says the visitor's name, but it scrambles on her tongue, a sound like static and a thousand choir voices at once.

Goosebumps and a shiver dart up the visitor's back, but the smile doesn't falter, "The Admin has called for a meeting of the Rh-08 and you hadn't responded yet."

"Oh." She blinks, as if she's only being told she'd left a charm laying somewhere, "Well, I shouldn't keep him waiting. Thank you, --."

Again.

She brushes past the Sophia instance, unworried about his presence in her room as she leaves. There's something so... reassuring yet terrifying about how she speaks names. They aren't the ones they choose, yet they're unique all the same.

The wisdom instance stares at the empty sphere on its platform. It is just that. Empty. Mother is not there.

The names Meraki speaks are ones that Mother has given them. Meraki has playfully called them nicknames, like any mother gives their children. But they feel like so much more.

Something moves in the sphere, and the wisdom instance bows, "Apologies, Mother." And he turns to leave as well.

[incorrectrockyandshockyquotes]

RTC + RH/ST crossover but instead of the “going to the afterlife” thingy that happens in RTC, the choir show up at the Frankenstein place and now Frank has to play babysitter /j

Frank: Columbia, if I die I’d like you to do one small thing for me.

Frank: I want you to build a one-hundred-acre museum dedicated to my memory. Bronze my clothing and possessions. Have at least three hundred marble statues erected of me in my most dashing poses. One of these statues should stand one hundred feet tall and greet ships as they float down the Hudson River. One of the fourteen wings of the museum should have an amusement park with the world’s fastest roller coaster inside. None of these rides should be equipped with safety devices. You can license some of the space to fast-food restaurants and ice-cream parlors but nothing should be healthy or nutritious. The gift shop should sell stuffed Frank dolls packed with broken glass and asbestos.

Frank: There’s a more detailed list in my room.

[redwoodgigantea1955]

Photogallery: RHS Choir Show

Photogallery: RHS Choir Show

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

I forgot about this! I just found it when I was going through my pictures. (It’s when my or/g took a Silly Picture at one of our func/tions!)

I don’t usually ~do~ silly. But this org contains some of the very few people who know how to bring it out.

Almost two years ago, that was my idea of “formal dress”. At least, it’s formal dress with Big Symbolism built in! (The big blue skirt and arm warmers are very Personally Symbolic of some big reasons why I do what I do with them. And it’s wordplay, but that’s a lot to explain. 8FF)

For comparison, here’s the Serious One.

[vgprintads]

‘Rhythm Paradise’ [aka: ‘Rhythm Heaven’]

[DS] [SPAIN] [MAGAZINE] [2009]

“The latest celebrity hired by Nintendo to push its wares on the mainstream market is Grammy award-winning singer Beyoncé Knowles, who, based on behind-the-scenes footage from the upcoming spot, adores the upcoming DSi handheld and quirky music game Rhythm Heaven.

I fully agree with her sentiments here — both the DSi and Rhythm Heaven should find their way into your game collection as soon as you can manage — but there is something that’s always struck me as a bit disingenuous about this series of ads.

Obviously these celebrities are being paid to extol the virtues of these games, regardless of how they may actually feel, so aren’t each of these spots essentially a more socially acceptable equivalent of late night infomercials?

Then again, maybe Beyoncé really does spend her free time tapping along with RH’s adorable choir, instead of partying in Ibiza with hubby Jay-Z. I know that’s what I’d be doing if I was worth tens of millions of dollars.” ~Earnest Cavalli, WIRED (”Video: Beyonce Promotes Rhythm Heaven”, Nintendo DSi”, 03/26/2009, via Wayback Machine)

Source: Nintendo Acción, August 2006 (#201) || Internet Archive; Sketch the Cow

[theloversthedreamersandme82]

Ugh. Here we go again.

On the bright side I don't have to worry about who's running my store while I'm off with a bung leg and my 2ic has shoulder surgery, cos it's not open! 🤔

And I don't have to worry about missing choir rh cos there won't be any this week 🤔

[bluerosesburnblue]

HPHM Character Profile: Seren Dwyn

Original template created by @cynicaljapanophile

Tagged by @batgirl-87, like forever ago

General Information

Name: Seren Aisling Dwyn

Age: 16 as of the start of Year 6

Gender: Female

Nickname(s): Rinn (by Jacob), Ash (from Charlie’s Dragonologist friends in the future. Together they’re Char and Ash)

Date of Birth: July 29th, 1973

Astrological/ Zodiac Sign: Leo

Ethnicity: Irish and Faroese (with minor British heritage)

Nationality: Irish

Species: 13/16 Human, 3/16 Siren

Blood Type: A Rh+

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Family: The whole thing is detailed here (x)

Affiliation(s)/ Organization(s): None. Refuses to join the Order of the Phoenix due to a personal hatred of Dumbledore. Affiliations are on a by-person basis. The only consistent ones are Jacob (and their shared detective agency) and her Hogwarts friends

Occupation(s): (Future) Private detective, licensed to use and capture Beasts by the Ministry’s Beast Division

Magical Characteristcs

Form of Boggart: Jacob as he was before he left telling her that she was a disappointment that shouldn’t have been born. Later on becomes herself, completely alone and telling herself just how much nobody loves her

Form of Riddikulus: Jacob/any one of her friends telling really bad jokes until they start laughing at themselves. Because Seren finds their reaction to their own jokes funnier than the actual jokes.

Form of Patronus: Common Seal

What do they see in the Mirror of Erised?: Herself with her hairstyle from before she cut it. Jacob is leaning on her shoulder and wearing a Quidditch uniform while a beater bat lays at his feet. He’s playfully batting at Charlie, also in Quidditch gear. The rest of their friends are surrounding them and it’s fairly obvious that there was a Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor match that Hufflepuff just won. She doesn’t see a world where Jacob is back. She sees a world where Jacob never left in the first place. (In the future it changes to everyone in their adult appearances, laughing in the Dwyn Detective offices. Seren looks confident and happy, because all she really wants is to be sure that the people she thinks love her actually do)

First Wand:

Length: 12″

Flexibility: Pliable

Wood: Acacia

Core: Unicorn Hair

Description: The default wand that MC gets at the start of the game. A fairly basic wand with a gold vine-like structure wrapping around the base.

Second Wand: 

Length: 11 3/4″

Flexibility: Quite Bendy

Wood: Cedar

Core: Unicorn Hair

Description: A simple, straight shaft with no coloration applied. The handle has a medium finish and curves outward for easy gripping. There’s two bands of crushed seashell inlay, one on the top of the handle and one at the base. A small knob at the bottom is carved with a scale-like texture.

Animagus: Common Raven

Amortentia: The sea after a storm, liquorice, fresh-cut grass, something smoky

Appearance

Height: 160cm (5′3″)

Weight: 130lbs (110lbs when she’s starving herself with worry over the Vaults)

Complexion (skin tone/conditions): Pale, clear skin. Under-eyes shadow easily

Hair Color/Style: Dark brown, short and choppy, layered, asymmetrical (she cuts it with Diffindo...)

Eye Color: Very dark blue

Hogwarts Information

Worst Class(es): Potions, History of Magic

Best Class(es): Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology

Least Favourite Teacher(s): Snape, Binns, Rakepick (when she was a teacher), Dumbledore is not a teacher but I’m putting him here anyway

Favourite Teacher(s): Flitwick, McGonagall, Kettleburn

Quidditch: Doesn’t play, but might’ve been an alright Seeker

Favourite Spell(s): Aguamenti, Depulso, Metelojinx/Meteolojinx, Stella Cascadia ;)

Trivia

Her father made her and Jacob take step dancing lessons as a kid, and she can still do several of the steps even if there isn’t a single instance in which she’d use them (besides a duel)

She’s actually a very skilled watercolor painter. She and Badeea have been teaching each other in the use of the other’s medium, though watercolor is still Seren’s preference

Seren has no idea how wizard money works and at this point is too afraid to ask

She does the Alex Russo wand-in-boot thing all the freaking time, to the point where it’s her preferred place to store her wand and it makes her very uncomfortable when she’s not wearing high boots because she has no idea where to put her wand anymore

She’s garbage at Gobstones. None of this “distract your friends” nonsense, she hasn’t won a single game once in her life. Not even against Barnaby, who doesn’t know the rules. The first time she played against Charlie, she managed to skip the ball over every other ball in the ring without hitting any of them and then screamed into her hands for a full minute

She’s actually very interested in Alchemy and will absolutely take the class if they ever offer it during her time at Hogwarts

She’ll eat anything once. She’s constantly being dared to eat Flobberworm sandwiches in the Great Hall. She also habitually challenges people to blind-bag Every Flavor Bean challenges where each player has to guess what bean they grabbed without ever seeing the bean

My personal headcanon for the Quidditch sidequest is that during Year 2, Penny pressured her in going for a tryout. She did the training right up until the Vault of Ice happened just before tryouts for the next year and decided that it wasn’t worth the effort

Similar thing with the Frog Choir in that she got in during Year 4, but was only in it for half a year before dropping out due to the Vaults yet again

She has four creatures that are “employed” at her and Jacob’s detective agency:

Brishen, the Augurey and Seren’s cooler alternative to an owl. Brish is a messenger primarily, but also an excellent scout when doing stakeouts

Spud, the Crup that she got as a puppy in Year 6 who is excellent at sniffing out clues and identifying the scents of people who would have been on the scene

The Kneazle kitten that she’s gonna get at around the same time but I haven’t developed yet

Nickelboon, the Niffler from the Creature Reserve that she eventually adopted who... steals evidence from crime scenes now. And also everything in Jacob’s desk. The two don’t like each other much

@oveliagirlhaditright this isn’t really a tag or anything, but I thought it would be helpful if you ever wanted to keep Rapunzel’s info organized

[heleneplays]

HPHM Profile Template

Modeled after @hogwartsmysterystory ‘s and edited by @thecursedvaultchild (x)

Tagged by @thecursedvaultchild and @slytherin-puffskein

entries copied after - (x)

General Information

Name: Helene Marie Sayre-White Adler Age: 16 (as of her current progress in 5th Year) Gender: Female Nickname(s): Little Firefly (From El), Little Queen (from Le Blanc family members), Lee (close friends’ shorthand) Date of Birth: January 10, 1973 Astrological/ Zodiac Sign : Capricorn Ethnicity: Eurasian | Half-German ( Father’s Side ), Quarter Filipina & American ( Mother’s Side ) Nationality: German Species: Human (ish) Witch Blood Type: Rh null Blood Status: Pureblood

Family - (x)

Father: Cyrus Alfonsè Adler

Younger Twin

German Pureblood Nobility

Tall, Blue-eyed, Sandy Blonde hair and a Face of extreme charm-- many have fallen to his deceptive figure and quiet nature. Extremely cunning to the core-- Cyrus is a wizard of notable strength and influence, who chose the path of unconventional academe.

Trained mainly under their Father during childhood, who cultivated his Darkness and penchant for the lost arts. He went to Durmstrang and passed all his subjects with flying colors. Became a well established Unspeakable for the British Department of Mysteries dealing with Runes and Rituals, and as well as obscure ancient potions.

Master Occulmens, Wandless Magic, and Adept Legilimens

Slowly succumbed to the curse of insanity, and made use of his daughter as a test subject for his research, amplifying her strength and powers for the cost of more than Two-Thirds of her life expectancy; Erika none the wiser.

Died in the Summer of 1981, along with his twin, Marie Adrìenne Adler after a fierce fight that sprung between the two. Marie confronted him with the knowledge of his experiments on Helene and the two dueled to the death by the bay of the Lake by the Adler Family Manor.

Mother: Erika Sayre-White

Younger Twin

Fil-Am Pureblood Witch

Petite, Dark-haired, Green-eyed and charm and voice that had led lesser people to trouble, she has a silver-tongue and a wit as sharp as a knife.

Trained by her mothers to straddle both the magical and mundane worlds alongside her brother, she also received an eclectic education on blade play, business management, diplomacy, languages, and how to navigate the underworld.

Went to Ilvermony, and sorted to Thunderbird like her twin. Entered the Penpal Programme, a year and a half after, and met Cyrus Adler as her partner. Applies and gets accepted to the Beauxbatons exchange program, and tours the French MoM that inspires her to be a liaison.

Adept Legilimens and Lion Animagus. Very slight seer abilities.

Met Cyrus after graduation, and entered a courtship that lasted 2 years before they got married. 

Brother: Jacob Emmanuel Sayre-White Adler

[1] 

[2] 

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

Affiliation(s)/Organization(s)

von Adler Family

Saxon Family

Sayre-White Family

Le Blanc Family

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Durmstrang Institute

Occupation(s)

5th year - Prefect, Frog Choir Member, Knight of the Table

Since the start -  Dealer of Wine and other Drinks,Tutor for runes

General - Heiress to the von Adler-Saxon noble line, The Direct Descendant (Child of Prophecy to White / Le Blanc family line)

Magical Characteristics

First -Length : 11′ ¾ -Flexibility : Inflexible -Wood : Hornbeam -Core : Dragon Heartstring

Current -Length : 11′ ¾ -Flexibility : Slightly Yielding -Wood : Ebony -Core : Dragon Heartstring

Future -Length : 14′ ¾ -Flexibility : Reasonably Springy -Wood : Cherry -Core : Horned Serpent Horn + her blood

Description :

Hornbeam - Hornbeam selects for its life mate the talented witch or wizard with a single, pure passion, which some might call obsession - more kindly - vision, which will almost always be realised. Hornbeam wands adapt more quickly than almost any other to their owner’s style of magic, and will become so personalised, so quickly, that other people will find them extremely difficult to use even for the most simple of spells.Hornbeam wands likewise absorb their owner’s code of honour, whatever that might be, and will refuse to perform acts - whether for good or ill - that do not tally with their master’s principles.

Ebony -  This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration

Dragon Heartstring -  As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.

Cherry -  This very rare wand wood creates a wand of strange power, most highly prized by the wizarding students of the school of Mahoutokoro in Japan, where those who own cherry wands have special prestige.

Horned Serpent Horn -  This wand core was used by Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry founders Isolt Sayre. The wands made from this core were exceptionally powerful. They were also sensitive to Parseltongue and warn its owner of danger by emitting a low musical tone.

Special Abilities: Runic boosts, Larger magical reserves, Animal-speak, Occulmency, Animagus

Pet(s): SHE HAS ALL THE PETS (oh my god she sickleworth-ed them)

What do they see in the Mirror of Erised? Happiness. In the form of having a good family, El & Aunt Patty being back, Aunt Marie being alive again, and a present mother. Also maybe a wife, or a companion, along with 30 nifflers.

Form of Boggart: Then - An Altar, where a woman lays, unbreathing The altar where Cyrus inked and carved her with runes when she was but a child, and where she laid her Aunt Marie when she died | Now - A Secret El and Patricia leaving her again and again  | Future - Turning to the worst possible version of herself, giving in to the darkness and destroying everything she once held dear

Patronus:

Form: Kumonryuu Koi Fish

Memory: She draws power in the memories of love and joy she’s experienced in Hogwarts :’)

Amortentia:

What she smells: WE DK COZ SHE HASN’T FALLEN IN LOVE YET (X)

What she smells like to others:  Petrichor, Philippine Jasmine and Ylang Ylang, Old books, Blood and Ink

Appearance

Height: Year 5 - 5′3 | After Hogwarts - 5′8

Weight: 64 kg

Complexion(skin tone/conditions): Pale, with the lightest of scars of runes spanning the length of her back

Hair Color: Light Blonde

Hair Style: Long and Loose,

Eye Color: Blue/Light bllue due to Central Heterochromia

Hogwarts Information

Worst Class(es):

Potions bc fuck Snape

Best Class(es):

Runes

Charms

Transfiguration

Least Favorite Teacher(s):

Severus Snape :3

Favorite Teacher(s):

Filius Flitwick

Patricia Rakepick

Closest HPHM Friends:

Rowan Khanna - RIDE OR DIE BRO

Jae Kim - Smuggle buddies

Talbott Winger - Chill hoe

Closest MC Friends: i’m just putting top 3 bc oof

Ana Diaz - @alsogolden-ana

Letha Shacklebolt - @shacklebolt-girl

Lilian Le’reau - @ravenclaw-craftsgirl

Favorite spell(s):

Incendio

Fiendfyre >:3c

Trivia (random facts about the, future, face claim, theme song, etc.):

Theme songs: (x) (x)

Future Job: Cursebreaker (x) OR an Independent Researcher (x)

Faceclaim: Melissa Benoist <3

[grackielechuga]

Why does the music teacher at RHS exist if we don't get to see what it's like in the music class? My choir nerd ass needs to know

[kleinewahines]

Shana(h) Tova(h)! 

Tonight and tomorrow I got choir stuff so I may be slightly tired come tuesday lmao I’ll be on discord. Please let me know if I owe you and whatnots as things have mostly fallen out of my head except for RH music. 

[the-wheelchair-critic]

Out the Window

Written in the Style of The Globe and Mail

3 Stars

Written by: Liza Balkan

Directed by: Sarah Garton Stanley

Starring: Sarah Kitz, David Gerry, RH Thomson

Venue: Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Out the Window seeks to answer deep and important questions about the role of policing in situations where a person is experiencing a mental health crisis. Are the deaths of those who are in crisis inevitable, or is there another way that we, as a society, can respond to those in moments of vulnerability and need? Programmed as part of Toronto’s Luminato festival, the show is an exploration of violence in policing, and our responsibility to care about each other as human beings. Playwright Liza Balkan created Out the Window as a response to witnessing the 2000 death of Otto Vass during a violent encounter with Toronto police which resulted in his death. It acts as a realistic, yet sensitive depiction of the trauma that one experiences both as witness to such an event, and the way that witnessing such an event can unravel a witness’ life through court cases, inquests and attempts to make sense of everything they are experiencing.

The first two acts of out the window are a tight, fine-tuned, precision machine. The scene rapidly changes from moments of Liza’s (Sarah Kitz) testimony, aspects of police officer training, and testimony from the officers involved in the incident. During one striking scene taking place several years after Otto’s death, wait staff in a restaurant slowly morph into police officers over the course of a meal, as Liza becomes increasingly agitated, aptly demonstrating how after a police fatality there are always multiple victims. Time morphs and stands still in a jumble of unanswered questions, and closure that will never come.

The third act of the performance is a more recent addition, oscillating between the tightly choreographed forms of the first two acts, and allowing pauses for dialogue, sharing and celebration. It is at times both profound and confusing, rapidly changing directions between celebratory and critical. It begins with a performance by the Bruised Years Choir, a Workman Arts performance program, and leads into a raucous moment of the cast enjoying food and drink together celebrating Otto’s Hungarian heritage. Another vignette is a demonstration of a common police de-escalation tactic and how the uniform changes our perception of those who wear it. During this third act Syrus Marcus Ware, who was on stage silently drawing for the first two acts speaks about his involvement with the show, and the relevance that it has on his life as someone who lives at an increased likelihood of a violent police encounter. After that, the audience are invited on stage for a tour of Syrus’ drawings and to partake in a communal meal in celebration of Otto’s life. While the third act is chaotic and unpredictable, it continues to hammer home the message that there is nuance and subtlety that is required when attempting to make space for these stories. While the juxtaposition of the elements of the third act is initially confusing and jarring, it becomes clearer when understood as an attempt at recognizing the complexity and myriad emotions that mark these events. There is a need to recognize that there is more to remember about victims of police brutality than their mental health crises and much to celebrate within their lives.

Rather than concluding that deaths like Otto Vass’ are unavoidable, Out the Window paints a picture of an alternate future where deaths involving police can become a thing of the past. Alternative community resources for those who are experiencing mental health crises, and how to intervene safely are presented. The show is unapologetically anti-policing as an institution, but mindful that alternatives need to feel real and viable to their audience. Rather than denying the harmful ways that mental health crises can sometimes play out, the audience is given simple advice to empower them to respond and advocate on behalf of those in their lives who may experience such a crisis.  Out the Window tells us that it is time to demand better, and that by caring just a little bit more, it might be well within our grasp to achieve.

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

Does anyone else have that experience where...

...you just hear someone with a really nice voice singing a really nice song...

And even if you don’t know them, or the song, you reflexively Want to Sing Along?