#witw 2017

[weltato]

Rating: General Audiences Warnings: None Category: Gen

Relationships: Rat & Toad (Wind in the Willows), Mole & Toad (Wind in the Willows), Badger & Rat & Toad (Wind in the Willows), Badger & Toad (Wind in the Willows), Mole & Rat (Wind in the Willows), Badger & Rat (Wind in the Willows)

Characters: Badger (Wind in the Willows), Rat (Wind in the Willows), Toad (Wind in the Willows), Mole (Wind in the Willows), Mrs. Otter (Wind in the Willows)

Additional Tags: Friendship, Temporary Character Death, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, you can't tell me ratty doesn't have anxiety, have you seen the musical?, Toxic friendship, toad causes toxic levels of stress, Feelings, Fear, Jetpacks, post-musical, post-show, Post-Canon, POV Alternating

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 2,438

Series: Part 4 of ‘The 12 Fics of The Holidays (2024)’

Summary:

Jetpacks! Way more fun than boring old run-of-the-mill motocars, right? Absolutely! Well, they are to Toad at the very least. To everyone else, it's an absolute nightmare. Ratty's worst fears almost come true.

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Ratty angst fans pspspspspspsps

This is an old wip but it's here now. Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays everyone! I'll see you next after Christmas bc I'm busy tomorrow.

[daily-brain-worms]

"Just as the great Pimpernel eluded the French, I shall escape from this cell a buxom but comely wench!" - Rufus Hound as Mr. Toad, 'To Be A Woman', The Wind In The Willows 2017 London production

[weltato]

Such a power duo honestly

They are my quilty pleasure

[drmopp1966]

TWO OF THEM

[kaelang12]

WitW Comparison pt 2: Rat

it has been...[checks clock] 3 years since i had last done this. but the urge to finish this series has finally come upon me, and finish it i shall!

now, for Rat:

tj!Rat feels to be your average, everyday gentleman. he's content to be at peace in the river, rowing his boat; but when a friend is in trouble, he has no qualms of extending an offer for them to stay with him

compared to most versions i'm aware of, here he's already friends with Mole. the poor animal lost his home, and he changes his plans to head straight to Toad Hall to deal with Toad's bullshit (but that doesn't mean they can't have a leisurely boat ride along the way).

"Finest house on the river, what?"

"Yes." "Yes."

look at that stare. this is someone who is used to Toad, and he regrets every minute of it. if "ghosting" was a thing in his time, he'd wish he could do it, but unfortunately that is Rude (and potentially Wild Wooder activity).

i love this bit. shy, awkward Mole, the animal who is afraid of his own shadow, actually offers to commit a jailbreak for Toad, and Rat is Shook.

oh shit, the rat is packing heat!

despite his demeanor, he doesn't hesitate to grab a gun and help in taking back Toad Hall.

overall, i feel that tj!Rat is the most static of the main four characters. he doesn't change much, but i appreciate that he helps keep the dynamic stable.

-------------------

someone give musical!Rat some anxiety meds, please! this poor animal has So Much happen to him in the span of a year.

first he meets his new boyfriend, and he takes him on a lovely boat ride, extolling the virtues of Messing About in a Boat on a River With You.

he and Mrs. Otter warn Mole about his ex former friend Toad. Mole is naturally curious, but Rat tries his hardest to tell him all the dangers of someone like Toad.

needless to say, it does not work.

every attempt at physical contact by Toad makes Rat very uncomfortable. he's still pissed off at Toad; he knows what the amphibian is like, and i have a feeling he doesn't want Mole to go through the same heartbreak that he did.

which he experiences again after his first fight with mole.

"What's the matter, Rat? Are you really so frightened of the Wild Wood?"

but even after their spat, he still braves the Wild Wood to go find Mole and apologize.

(love the face Mole makes here. poor little guy.)

"Ratty, if only I had your brain!"

"Well...ya haven't."

Rat can be a bit insulting when he wants to be, but i give him a pass considering he has to deal with animals like Toad on a daily basis.

"I will have you know that rats are a delicacy in the Far East!"

Ratty, you use Kung Faux and know about Asia. anything you want to tell us, you goddamn weeb? he's probably picked up a few facts from other river boaters, which gives me a feeling he's been in the Wide World, or at least close enough to interact with humans sailors.

compared to tj!Rat, musical!Rat can be a bit childish at times; not as bad as Toad, but it's noticeable enough.

"Heh-heh, bluetit." Stay classy, Ratty.

honestly, Rat is completely validated in not forgiving Toad. he shouldn't have to forgive him if he doesn't want to, and i just know he'll be lording all of what happened over Toad for the rest of their lives.

musical!Rat just wants to be at peace, but when someone like Toad is around, it can be very difficult. he's Tired, moreso than tj!Rat, and has every right to be angry at everything Toad does. now please put him on a boat before he has an aneurysm.

[foxes-that-run]

Sign of the Times

SOTT is from the POV of a dying mother's words to a newborn. In the 2022 New York Apple Music Live Harry said this 'the first song he ever put out', then repeated that before Beautiful. Harry choose it to set the tone of his solo career, as a message to himself to rely on himself, similar to Taylor's later Your on your own Kid. I hear it as Harry talking to himself, willing him to go on despite challenges and fears in his solo career. To me the theme is both urging himself on and also considering who he is apart from fame. It references Taylor and she it. It is open to interpretation and by no means I am no expert, just my thoughts.

To Rolling Stone in 2017 Harry said: “Most of the stuff that hurts me about what’s going on at the moment is not politics, it’s fundamentals,” Styles says. “Equal rights. For everyone, all races, sexes, everything. …  ’Sign of the Times’ came from ‘This isn’t the first time we’ve been in a hard time, and it’s not going to be the last time.’ The song is written from a point of view as if a mother was giving birth to a child and there’s a complication. The mother is told, ‘The child is fine, but you’re not going to make it.’ The mother has five minutes to tell the child, ‘Go forth and conquer.'”

Lyrics

Just stop your crying It's a sign of the times Welcome to the final show Hope you're wearing your best clothes You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky You look pretty good down here But you ain't really good

To me, Harry is likening his leaving One Direction as a death and his solo career as the new birth/beginning. I hear final show is literal, their final show. He's telling himself to not cry, he can't bribe his way to solo success, it's on him and he has to try his best. He left a lot of once important relationships behind, even though many were already strained he lost the 1D infrastructure, the band friendships.

To me, you look pretty good down there, but you aren't really good to directed at Taylor. Referring to their attraction and reminding himself of their cyclical relationship. Their relationship was at its lowest point when he left 1D as described in Woman and MMIH, at a time he needed anchoring he was telling himself not to repeat it.

If we never learn, we been here before Why are we always stuck and running from The bullets? The bullets We never learn, we been here before Why are we always stuck and running from The bullets? The bullets

To me the second verse speaks to the cyclical nature of his relationships in this time, in the band and also Taylor.

I hear 'stuck running from the bullets' as hiding from camera's. As described in I Know Places "They take their shots, but we're bulletproof / I know places" and Perfect, they constantly hid or ran from press.

They were trapped in a cycle of not learning and repeating a cycle described in Style "when we go crashing down, we come back every time" OOTW as 'we were built to fall apart and get back together.' They sing of a repeating, almost addictive nature of their relationship in many songs.

Just stop your crying It's a sign of the times We gotta get away from here We gotta get away from here Just stop your crying It'll be alright They told me that the end is near We gotta get away from here

Harry is urging himself to rise to the challenge.

Taylor refers to the end in Mirrorball, which is a similar song "Hush, I know they said the end is near"

Harry is hoping he can break the cycle and be happy with (or without) Taylor.

It'll be alright is also similar to Fine Line's "We'll be alright" and WITW "And I know we'll be alright, child"

Just stop your crying Have the time of your life Breaking through the atmosphere And things are pretty good from here Remember everything will be alright We can meet again somewhere Somewhere far away from here

Harry is telling himself to let his past success with the band behind, remember to enjoy himself aside from doubt and fear. Rather than 'you look pretty good' in the first verse it is now 'things are pretty good' he is turning inward to get there alone.

He's setting aside the relationship for the future, he also said a similar idea in Someday (Michael Buble) "We could be in love once more / Till then I won't give my love away / Darling, I'm forever only yours" and in Walking in the Wind " Yeah, you will find me / In places that we've never been / For reasons we don't understand"

We don't talk enough We should open up Before it's all too much Will we ever learn? We've been here before It's just what we know

Harry reflects on their lack of communication, I think with Taylor but also broader in his relationships. Not communicating is another Haylor theme.

Stop your crying, baby It's a sign of the times We gotta get away x5 We got to, we got to, away x3

I love the outtro, and his performance of it in the video above. I'm so happy for him paving his path successfully.

[weltato]

First: Ratty throwing Toad's hat to Mole and Mole's subsequent little jump to catch it.

Second: Mole trying to hide by standing still and bending over, bless him.

Third: Ratty. Hugging. Moley. All to keep him safe from the lunatic that is Toad in that moment, who is quite miffed to have his hat and coat stolen off him.

Fourth: Can't say much apart from Toad and Ratty noticing Mole at the same time and just. Stopping.

Fifth: Aw, look at him <3

Sixth: Toad tries to go after Mole. Ratty says "not today" and spins him around so skillfully and effortlessly that you can tell he's done this before. Then he just walks over to Moley and is like "c'mon, let's take those off now." So chilled. A moment of exasperated calm for Ratty.

Bonus: Toad going after Mole again bc Mole kinda did a woopsie and mentioned his mother. Badger stopping Toad so smoothly with his cane like the boss man he is. Ratty immediately stepping between Toad and Moley to protect Mole <333

I love them. I love them so much.

favourite wind in the willows musical moments (7/?)

Toad’s Intervention

Bonus 

[catsafari25]

Thanks for the tag @mortalfollies 💕

🎶✨When you get this, you have to put 5 songs you actually listen to, publish, then send this ask/tag 10 of your favorite followers  🎶✨

1. Tongues and Teeth - The Crane Wives

2. Stray Italian Greyhound - Vienna Teng

3. W.I.T.C.H. - Devon Cole

4. Better Tomorrows - from del Toro's Pinocchio

5. Messing About in a Boat - from WitW musical, 2017

As for the tagging... uh let's go with @tcrmommabear @wolfiethewriter @yellowsomethings @sindysugar @lestatslestits – but consider yourself tagged if you qant to do this too!

[gameforestdach]

Die Weihnachtszeit, bekannt für ihr festliches Ambiente und familiäre Zusammenkünfte, birgt auch eine dunklere, aufregendere Seite in der Welt des Films. Weihnachtliche Horrorfilme, ein eigenwilliges und faszinierendes Genre, mischen festliche Themen mit Elementen des Horrors und bieten den Zuschauenden eine gruselige Alternative zur traditionellen weihnachtlichen Freude. Dieser Artikel taucht in einige der bemerkenswertesten Weihnachts-Horrorfilme ein, von denen jeder einen einzigartigen Dreh in Sachen festlichem Schrecken bietet. "Hosts" (2020) In Hosts verwandelt sich ein scheinbar normaler Heiligabend durch die Einladung der Nachbarn zu einem Abend unvorstellbaren Schreckens für eine Familie. Dieser Film verkörpert den Horror des Unerwarteten und liefert ein packendes und beunruhigendes Erlebnis. "Inside" (2007) Inside präsentiert die erschütternde Erzählung einer schwangeren Witwe, die an Heiligabend von einer psychopathischen Scheren schwingenden Bedrohung terrorisiert wird. Die intensive Atmosphäre und die klaustrophobische Szenerie steigern die verstörende Wirkung des Films. "The Advent Calendar" (2020) The Advent Calendar leitet Horror durch einen scheinbar harmlosen Gegenstand ein, wobei das Öffnen jeder Tür zu unheimlichen Ereignissen führt. Dieses kreative Konzept verknüpft traditionelle Weihnachtselemente mit ominösen Ausgängen. "Christmas Evil" (1980) Durch seinen psychologischen Horror hebt sich Christmas Evil ab und folgt einem Kaufhaus-Weihnachtsmann auf einem Amoklauf, wobei er in seine Vorgeschichte und Motivationen eintaucht. Dieser Film sticht hervor durch seine Tiefe und Erzählkunst, er bietet mehr als nur eine Slasher-Erfahrung. "A Christmas Horror Story" (2015) Indem es fünf separate Geschichten zu einem Blutbad-Finale vereint, in dem der Weihnachtsmann gegen eine Zombie-Elf-Armee kämpft, legt A Christmas Horror Story das Augenmerk auf William Shatner in einer Schlüsselrolle als Radio-DJ, der diese Geschichten verbindet. "Better Watch Out" (2016) In Better Watch Out verteidigt sich ein Babysitter während des Weihnachtsfests gegen einen Hausangriff und bringt damit eine clevere Wendung ins Genre. Diese schwarze Komödie unterläuft typische Horror-Klischees für ein einzigartiges Erlebnis. "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale" (2010) Mit einer Mischung aus Horror und trockenem Humor erzählt Rare Exports von der Entdeckung der Überreste des Weihnachtsmanns in einer skandinavischen Stadt, was zu mysteriösen Verschwinden von Kindern führt. Dieser Film bietet eine innovative Genre-Kombination. "Krampus" (2015) Krampus erzählt die Geschichte einer Familie, die von der dämonischen Gegenspielerfigur des Weihnachtsmanns heimgesucht wird und vermischt dabei Horror mit Humor. Mit Adam Scott und Toni Collette in den Hauptrollen bietet der Film eine moderne Interpretation der Krampus-Legende. "Anna and the Apocalypse" (2017) Als einzigartige Kombination aus Zombiefilm, Weihnachtskomödie und Musical begleitet Anna and the Apocalypse eine junge Frau im Kampf gegen Zombies während der Feiertage. Dieser Genre-Mix spricht eine breite Publikumsschicht an. "Red Snow" (2021) Red Snow bietet eine frische Perspektive auf den weihnachtlichen Horror, obwohl bestimmte Handlungsdetails in den Quellen nicht gegeben sind. Wahrscheinlich folgt es unkonventionellen und unheimlichen Ereignissen in der festlichen Jahreszeit. Diese Filme zeigen die Kreativität und Vielseitigkeit von Filmemachern, indem sie die festliche Stimmung von Weihnachten mit dem Nervenkitzel des Horrors kombinieren. Sie reichen von psychologischen Thrillern bis zu schwarzen Komödien und demonstrieren die vielfältigen Erzählmöglichkeiten innerhalb des Genres der Weihnachtshorrorfilme.

[classicalmusicdaily]

During his studies, he was awarded with the Rector’s Award in 2010 (for new project “DuLuM”), as well as with the Dean’s Award in 2012 (as an assistant conductor in the production of Bizet’s opera Carmen). In 2013 he conducted a performance of Stravinsky’s opera Le rossingol. He continue to collaborate with the Academy of Music in Zagreb from 2016 on, as an Assistant professor (Conducting studies and Sight reading), as well as a conductor of the new production of Massenet’s opera Cendrillon in March 2020. Since 2013 he was a member of the team at Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, firstly as a Répétiteur, later as a Studienleiter. As an assistant conductor, he made 10 productions for the theater: Les vêpres siciliennes, Don Carlo, Madama Butterfly, Turandot and Gurre-Lieder, just to name a few. He conducted performances of operas such as Don Pasquale, Mimi and Equinox. From September 2019, he is a member of Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, where he had his german debut in March 2021. He is a conductor and an artistic director for three ensembles: Vocal baroque ensemble Projekt Lazarus (with concerts in Rome, Vienna, Venice, Varaždin, Zadar and many more), Chamber opera company “Opera bb” (with two premieres: Die Lustige Witwe in 2017 and Die Fledermaus in 2019) and Chamber ensemble “Col legno” (with contemporary repertoire performed at many festivals in Zagreb, Cres and Rovinj). Hello, dear Darijan and welcome in our Conductors of the future rubric! We are very happy to have the chance to get to know you better and to talk with you about your path & the beautiful world of opera. First of all, please, tell us about how everything started for you, about your musical journey. Dear OperaCharm Team, it is a great pleasure having this opportunity to talk with you all present myself and my work to a wider audience. I’ve been living with music since very early age. My older sister is a concert pianist and I had often been present while she’d practiced at home and my father always mention that I’ve been humming with her and sometimes even correcting some mistakes even before I started to play piano myself – so, there was a conductor somewhere inside even then I’ve started to work with my first piano teacher around my 7th birthday in my small hometown Novska (Croatia) and piano is always near me and I think it will be my whole life the basis of my musicianship, but with time I’ve realized that I like to make music with my friends and colleagues more and more… In that sense, I’ve gathered a few friends and started my own choir during my high school. After graduation in both piano and music theory, I moved to Zagreb, where I studied conducting and eventually got my MA Diploma in 2014. In 2011 you started your professional career as an assistant conductor in the production of Bizet’s Carmen, how was it for you? What is it like to have the chance, as a young conductor, to assist & be a part of the musical creation process? Except for living with classical music, mostly repertoire for piano solo in my youth, I’ve always been interested in wide range of music, going from arrangements for all kinds of ensembles (from chamber choir to symphonic orchestra) to even playing pop music in a few different groups. Somehow, opera as a form got to my attention quite late, i.e. during my studies in Zagreb. That was really the so-called “A-ha moment” when I felt really like I got “infused” with some kind of a drug I could never get rid of. All joking aside, that was really a great pleasure to assist my professor at the time and get the chance to be included in all stops on the way of making an opera production – from the very first coaching and lessons, learning the roles with singers to conducting staging rehearsals with soloists and full chorus. That experience was and still is crucial for all projects that came later. I’ve had an opportunity to find a way of giving my best working patiently with singers on all needed skills within a goal of

performing his/her best, from mastering most of languages of operatic repertoire to sing other parts, that still makes me happy to this very day. reposted from https://opera-charm.com/

[drmopp1966]

SIMON LIPKIN KNOWS WE EXIST

I'll never be the same again

@amayzingmayzie got the willows server a SIMON LIPKIN CAMEO AUUUUGHHH

unironically cried on call I fear

[weltato]

every time I listen to Wassailing Mice now, all I can hear is the little things Ratty does

when he lifts up Moley to put up the decorations bc Mole can't reach

the "Tommy..." when the other mouse is telling the kid to lift up his lamp

the joy when he hears he's in the song - raises arms, "I'm in a song!" biggest fucking grin ever

his shared joy with Mole at Mole being in the song too

even afterwards when the mice want the humbugs and he just says "well why didn't you say so" in that resigned yet witty way he has

I love him sm

[radio-partywelle]

Soundgarden: Neue Songs mit Chris Cornell auf dem Weg

Manchmal kommen sie zur Vernunft: Die verbliebenen Mitglieder Soundgardens, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron und Ben Shepard, haben den jahrelangen Rechtsstreit mit der Witwe ihres 2017 verstorbenen Sängers Chris Cornell außergerichtlich beigelegt. Zukünftig wollen beide Seiten sogar kooperieren. Eine Win-Win-Situation könnte man auch sagen. Schließlich geht es u.a. um sieben unveröffentlichte Songs, an denen Soundgarden noch mit Cornell gearbeitet haben. "Die Versöhnung markiert eine neue Partnerschaft zwischen den beiden Parteien, die es Soundgarden-Fans auf der ganzen Welt ermöglichen wird, die letzten Songs zu hören, an denen die Band und Chris gearbeitet haben", heißt es u.a. in dem begleitenden Statement. Wir freuen uns auf neue Songs. Lesen Sie den ganzen Artikel

[suitysue]

Any witw headcannons for the upcoming Christmas?

hmmmmm

ratty is really into the holidays, christmas, halloween, everything. and although mole is jewish, (IDK HOW IT WOULD WORK BUT UHM) ratty has always included him and made sure to let mole explain his holiday traditions!

badger is the “head” of the “Holiday Committee,” basically its a few community members coming together to honot and celebrate all the holidays!

portia, the baby hedgehogs, etc have all been able to “light the neighborhood christmas tree” before! (idk how it fully works either lol but they make it work)

badger’s first real christmas (since he was a child) happened after he got close to mole, toad, ratty, etc. where they all got together and made him have the best christmas ever yay!!!!!!!!

mole and ratty have those stupid lil advent calendar things

[sardinesandhumbugs]

I mean. This is coming from the human who has to have subtitles on at all times, so trust me when I say I’m calling out myself as much as anyone else

Also: a few of my favourite misheard lines: 

and the most frequently misheard line:

ACTUAL LINE:

In essence:

[kaelang12]

WitW Comparison pt 4: TOAD

here he is, folks- the Ambitious Amphibian, the Ayatollah of Rock n Rollah, Toad of Toad Hall!

it takes a great effort to portray him right, and which version will come out on top? let's find out!

tj!Toad is, in my honest opinion, a little too much like me to be comfortable with.

i WAS Toad, when i was a kid. unaware of how the world works, bad with money, socially awkward, and switches hyperfixations at the drop of a hat. truly an ADHD icon /s.

look at him, so happy to have visitors. he wants to be around people so bad, but he just has zero sense and cannot read a room.

he's the one who sells Mole's home to the weasels, just so he can have quick access to more money.

it's not that he's greedy about money- quite the opposite, in fact. he will throw money at whatever he wants as long as he gets the gratification from it.

Rat: "Don't worry, he'll soon get bored with it."

geez, not even a day and he's already tired of the caravan.

at least he's a better driver than me

about the only thing he learns from Badger after a stern talking-to is to call people he doesn't like "nincompoop".

which gets him 15 years added to his prison sentence for back-talking a Bobby.

i'm gonna skip the whole "disguise in drag" thing, for both my and your sake.

does he ever feel bad about what he's done? i would say at least once.

that shell-shocked look right there. he's thinking to himself "I screwed up, and it's all my fault."

but considering he's Toad, he recovers rather quickly after he learns that Toad Hall wasn't blown up.

i wonder how he paid for the plane

Toad, in pretty much every adaptation i've seen, suffers from a heavy case of Aesop Amnesia. he rarely, if ever, learns his lesson, and gets away with it in the end.

tj!Toad is very much what i call a "manchild." even Bertie Wooster would tell him to wisen up.

will the musical make him better? let's find out!

-------------------

i LOVE musical!Toad. he has influenced me enough to add some of his behaviors to my own oc, and i do not regret it one bit.

INCOMING HAM ALERT! INCOMING HAM ALERT!

seriously, i have to wonder how he can talk when he's too busy chewing the scenery. absolute Mad Lad. my goal as a masc NB is to look like this in the future.

it's too late. the hyperfixation has already taken ahold of him.

Ork logic tells me that red things go fasta, so i gotta believe them. and it feels like Toad has also taken that to heart. if he had a GoPro, he'd absolutely slap that bad boy on and cruise around doing dangerous stunts. actually, scratch that- he'd still do it, GoPro or not. it's all about the adrenaline, babey!!!

"The thing is...that I'm not sorry!"

Toad, not being sorry:

once more, i will skip the drag scene for everyone's sake.

so, he retakes Toad Hall, gets forgiven (but just barely), and has a party. is he gonna be able to surpass tj!Toad?

of course he does.

dunno where he got the jetpack, or how much it cost, but he is now free to menace the skies at his leisure.

musical!Toad is not a good person. he's selfish, fickle, and gets away with multiple crimes in the end.

but is he fun to watch? absolutely! he hams it up loudly and proudly. he's Toad of Toad Hall, and you will bear witness to his greatness.

just take the jetpack away from him before he hurts somebody. or himself. preferably not both.