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beedreamscape · 1 year

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Loquaerryn fluff because I can and there's isn't enough of it. Syrupy sweet, clown behaviour with the tiniest pinch of spice. 1.7k words.

Laerryn has never been in love before.

She had once, in her more than a century-long life, felt satisfied in someone's company, the companionship, and it could've been something --- he was handsome, reasonable, driven. But it wasn't enough to keep her around once their interests began to diverge. He would eventually make his way across Domunas, pursue a war artificer career, and she'd make her way across Exandria, conquering the skies and beyond.

So when it happens, it comes knocking as a battering ram.

A thrill ride, the unexplored territory of being irrevocably smitten, equal parts exhilarating and mortifying. It's a neverending hunger, an ever-burning flame of thought.

She's a grown woman in all her freedom and rights, yet she becomes a thing that loves in Loquatius' presence.

She's aware of the ways of fey --- through a torrent of questions she hopes Patia took as mere curiosity and nothing more. She knows of their contracts, their hierarchy, their peculiar shade of magic, uncanny and mesmerizing at the same time. Also knows of their charm, their beauty and allure, their alien strangeness.

That all felt more true to nymphs and pixies and fairies, the legendary Archfeys and rags. Loquatius, even with his fantastical metamorphic powers, comes out as an ordinary man with a peculiar personality. He has a job and acts accordingly in social events, his rental is reasonably organized and he speaks eloquently enough to sell even the cheapest ideas.

But then the chrysalis will crack and reveal the magnificent vibrant creature lying within.

She will hear him laugh and charm a crowd with ease no ordinary person ever could and wonder how could she have ever doubted it.

She will wake in the night and watch him sleep and have confirmed every rumour and every myth --- No mortal man could be this beautiful, this ethereal.

Or maybe it's in the way he holds her and, in every inch of connection, she can feel an otherworldly possessiveness awaking in her an instinct to give in.

How many times had she made fun of Evandrin for the same sort of behaviour? For his foolishness and his soppiness, for his eagerness and surrender. Falling in love was always for other people who were reasonable and likeable and gentle, who didn't have their minds wrapped in ambition and had time for idleness.

It'd make her laugh were it not so terrifying.

Evandrin never told her about that part...

Despite her lack in deceptiveness, she finds success in keeping her affections under covers. While the sexual tension is more than palpable and their endeavours aren't a secret to their friends, she doesn't bring him up in conversation very often and acts mostly sane in Quay's company, hiding every shade of romance that could color her words.

But while she stands there, serious-faced and unperturbed, her own body makes sure to remind her that something as honeyed as it is fiery coats her soul, each and every time, at the faintest sign of his presence.

But then in private, just the two of them, it's arduous to contain the ever-growing fervour of feelings. He becomes a quiet and tender thing and she turns into a giddy and frisky mess.

She sits sideways on his lap, resting in a slow late afternoon, a position she hadn't thought she'd allow herself to be in a year before, the soft cotton of her skirt leaving her perceptive to the corduroy fabric of his trousers, always expensive and perfectly cut for him. It's a comfortable place to be.

He means to brush a strand behind her ear but instead twirls the curl around his finger. “You haven't been as vocal as usual, darling girl.”

She sighs resting her temple on his shoulder. “I'm circling through some thoughts.”

“Would you care to share them?”

She smiles for a moment. “Always the exemplar reporter.”

He chuckles. “I can't help it.”

He allows her a silent moment to ponder but tilts his head sideways to look at her watching the muscles of his neck shift.

Her lips open with a fleeting sound, but spotting his loving eyes fixed on her, instead, she reaches her hand towards his face, stroking his cheek, his cloud-soft skin underlined by a marble-like weave of veins, then traces lips, nose ridge, the thin dark skin around his eyes, the feathery fan of white eyelashes, the barely there peak of his ear. Others wouldn't believe how dainty a thing his face can be from its drastic shifts and all those grand expressions.

The corners of his lips curve into a smile. “Are you trying to distract me?”

She sighs. “Trying to make sense of something.”

“I promise this is my real face.”

Lastly, she traces the dip beneath his lips down to his chin before pulling away. “I know that. You're... “

“What?” He whispers.

“I can't word it…”

And truly, words escape her along with a growing weight the longer she observes him. She straightens, on his lap still.

“You're making me worried, Lae.”

“Well, I'm about to make it worse.”

He stiffens beneath her, leaning forward to get a better look at her face. Laerryn is rarely ever a hard person to read, never had someone he met been this unmasked. He rests a gentle hand on her elbow.

Her eyes flutter and there's a tightness just below her lungs. It's a sudden wave of boldness which, this time, she chooses to ride.

“I'm in love with you, Quay.” She looks him in the eyes. “I love you.”

And the words feel just as true out of her mouth as they have felt in the past month or so, as much as she tried pulling them away.

There's only a deep exhale in response from Loquatius and Laerryn's stomach grows icy cold with regret. She never longed for anyone's attention or appreciation, but any indifference from Quay would be too much even for her. To have the breaking of her soul be seen as anything but monumental and deep would be the death of the most wonderful thing she has shared with someone and she isn't sure there'll ever come someone capable of putting her back together.

But, slowly, Quay's face grows silvery bright along with the most tender of smiles. He's flushed.

His hand ascends from her elbow to the back of her head, holding her still as their lips meet. It's all the answer Laerryn needs, even more than she could've hoped for. If words escaped her, her body is always ready to reveal its truths.

And the answers it doesn't possess, she is more than pleased to seek in Quay's mouth. It's hidden in the way he pulls her close, disguised in the way she cradles his face in her hands, obscured by the way they want more, closer, intenser.

“Nothing else could've made me happier,” he says between kisses without ever pulling more than two inches away from her face. “No time I've called you my darling has meant anything less. My. Darling.”

She adjusts her legs beside his hips and kisses him again, to steal the words from his mouth, to taste the honey that coats his tongue. He's engulfed in her hold, contained within a cloud of noisy desire, the rocking of her hips trying to wake the primal fey essence of his soul and body, the part that wants her in the most physical of forms. And he wants her, for all the gods, he wants her.

The pull of clothes is desperate between laborious breaths and the magnetism of lips tongues teeth, warm skin, wet mouths.

Laerryn is loud, louder than she'd ever been before. There's nothing left to hide, the cut has already been made, and no other option is left but to tear herself open from tip to tip, to finally share with Quay the true extent of her desire.

But Loquatius has all the sensibilities to recognise that Laerryn's mind and organism are both running a thousand miles an hour, knows she's trying to burn through the feeling and the exposition of confession instead of sitting with the weight of the moment.

“Darling, darling,” he grips her hips until she stops and she whines against his cheek, “don't exhaust yourself, I'll give you what you want.”

“I want you,” she says with a growl yet coated in warm honey.

“And you'll have me.” He holds her face in front of his. “Let's go to my bed, let's take our time. Our time.”

And then it's too much and the tears start pouring and, in a reluctant fashion, she tries to wipe them away against the continuous pour, cursing under her breath. She's not sad, she's not frustrated, she's simply overflowing with feelings she's yet to name.

“Oh, love, don't…” He kisses her cheekbones. “It's okay though. It's all very overwhelming, is it not?”

“Overwhelming doesn’t cover half of it. I've never felt this way... I feel like I'm dying and nothing can save me.”

Quay knits his would-be eyebrows pinch together at the sight, it was his first time seeing her cry and it was tragically beautiful how the tears make the gold in her eyes glitter.

“You don't need saving. If you're falling, you're falling into the safety of my love where my heart is tender and ready for you. I love you since I first saw you, Laerryn.”

Every word is made even more beautiful with her lipstick smeared across his lips against the pale grey skin, she wipes it out with her thumb either way.

And a smile grows through the tears. “You didn't know me.”

“Doesn't mean I didn't want you. You've given me a gift with the truth of your feelings and I wanna repay you with my loyalty. Give this whatever name you prefer, I'll be yours for as long as you'll have me and even then I’ll still be yours.”

“Loquatius Seelie, you are lightning in a bottle. Where else can I find someone like you?” His face can barely contain his smile which in turn makes Laerryn sigh in admiration. “Yes, I’ll have you. I just hope you’re mindful of the bargain you just struck with me.”

And it’s with vibrant laughter that he takes her, this most beautiful woman that loves him, in his arms to his bedroom.

#loquaerryn #laerryn x loquatius #laerryn coramar seelie #loquatius seelie #writing #flash fic #wow would you look at that #me still in love with these two... in this economy #the guy mentioned in the beginning is a legit character I came up with for my fic bc 🤩drama🤩#i just felt corny the other day and had to do something about it #that's it

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noa-ciharu · 1 year

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Reasons to read Banana Fish (maybe a joke)

MC is a literal TRC!Kamui who would do anything for his TRC!Subaru

PRETTYBOYS! BABYGIRLS! FEI WANG REED COUNTERPARTS!

Clow Reed exists lol

Basically plot exists like Code Geass

Real life bs wishing shakespeare wrote it lol

Shiz becoming TRC minus mokona and dimension travel

I've seen couple of episodes so I know which characters you are talking about. Aside the friskiness, I dissent Ash and trc!Kamui are similar. TRC!Kamui captivated me immediately when I first saw him and Ash just... did not. Nonetheless he was my favorite character in banana fish since other mc annoyed life out of me. I guess most people find banana fish angsty and deeply emotional but those emotions are evoked by the fact they're deeply connected with characters (which have bad things happen to them). And that's sort of the issue since I failed to feel connection to any of them

If it real has plot like code geass later on then I might give anime another try. Tbh I was mostly captivated by dynamic plot in banana fish and not characters. I expected more depth to them you know? Since anime is followed by such good reputation. Guess it just failed my expectations but then again, I've seen only like 4 eps so maybe it was too early to judge

#noa being soft bullied into watching bf adventures

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critrolesideblog · 2 years

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A few preliminary ideas for the create-your-own, blank cards in the Oracle deck. I am not an artist, so these are ideas I feel like I could reasonably execute with some practice, my meager skills, simple lines, and geometric shapes.

Card of Light – A star above snow-covered mountains. Star: Guidance. Messages. Aid. Friends may be found in unlikely places. Mountains: Difficulty. Obstacles. Hard roads.

Card of Curiosity – A tall, green tower overlooking the ocean. The Horizon: Call to adventure. Courage. Exploration. The Tower: Withdrawal. Introversion. Study. Self-reflection. Pent-up energy.

Card of the Lost and Found – A coin purse with a tear, spilling buttons. The Cut Purse: Loss. Misfortune. Grief. Buttons: Discovery. Solved mysteries. Mending. Delight.

Card of Shade – A tree strung with lights against a starry sky. (Maybe the whole Xhorhaus if I'm feeling frisky.) The Tree: Respite. Rest. Ease. Companionship. The Shadow: Secrets. Tension. Unresolved questions. Plots. The roots of this situation dwell in darkness.

Card of the Fey – A disembodied pair of green cat eyes. Familiar – Loyalty. Devotion. Time to summon a friend. Fey – Enigma. Mystery. Mischief. Need more information.

Feel free to steal for your own deck if any of these strike a chord

#looking forward to seeing what other people do w their cards #critical role #oracle of the moon

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psychandcraft101 · 2 years

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Growing up in a pagan household- Beltane:

Disclaimer~ my family practice in relation to the Celts. This will not be accurate for others but for my household. Thought I’d share some Beltane traditions as May Day is almost upon us!

Celebrated May 1st,

The Union of the God and Goddess is observed,

Turning fully away from winter as pollination begins,

The door to the Otherworld is reopen,

Belenus is honoured on our family alter,

The Goddess and The Greenman are celebrated,

We usually light a fire a few hours before celebrating and then extinguish it and relite it as symbolism for The Great Fire Of Beltane

When my brothers (I don’t have sisters) got girlfriends they went a-Maying in the woods with them (haven’t reached the stage of hand fasting for either of them yet),

Sometimes we’d pretend to crown my parents with flower crowns and they’d jump over a broom,

We were always warned to not go into the woods on Beltane as the fey and individuals from the spirit realm are particularly frisky on this day,

Usually on the day after we’ll start planting stuff in the garden,

We’ll usually (separately) do some chakra mediation to bring about the charge of the Goddess,

Love spells (obviously) are particularly good to do around this time but I caution you, unless the other participant has consented do not cast any spells (love or otherwise) onto them. It will come back 3 fold.

Blessed be 💜✨

#witchy house #pagan witch #pagan wicca #witchcraft #witchy #witchythings #beltane

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bukbot · 5 years

Conversation

thisiswaht: For the modern world was gonna do...

bluecrownedsnakes: Signed.

thisiswaht: I can add them to mingle in a hole, frisky and in the music of the illusion for what appears: One fey creature is pushed to one of the Road, Toy Machine had to open our eyes that melt my heart.

bluecrownedsnakes: Who is a broad genre of music u like bts.

thisiswaht: In the book.

bluecrownedsnakes: Being on the Delaware.

#chat #thisiswaht #bluecrownedsnakes

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eorzean-lusts · 5 years

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i don't remember if i've sent you a prompt like this already, but here's something that might be fun: how about a lucky scholar guy getting a special "pole dance" from Eos and Selene, if you catch my drift? of course, bonus points if they end up covered by the end of it!

[Ooh, fun! Be warned though, your next sexual partner might know you’ve been fooling around with your summons. Fairy dust is notoriously hard to get rid of!]

A stranger turn of events couldn’t have taken place, but it’s not like having a special bond with the companions that are at your side was a bad thing, right? “H-Hey!” A gentle yelp escaped the nervous Scholar who had been caught pleasuring himself in his home... forgetting he had his faithful fairy friends summoned and freely roaming his cozy cottage... although he was quickly reminded.

The glowing green booty of a particularly frisky Eos grinded on the base of his shaft while a naughty Selene was latched onto the bulbuous head of his cock and was trying quite hard to lick his cock clean. It was like a dream, but the two small fairies were doing wonders at servicing his rock hard erection. Giggles and tiny moans were heard as Eos was doing quite well at dancing and grinding around the shaft of his cock, making sure to be gentle. Selene’s kisses peppered his pulsing member and made the scholar shift in his chair, trying to stifle his moans as they went to work. “G-Guys... a-ah! T-This is... ah!” The scholar stammered out, making his companions giggle as fairy dust was glowing all over his shiny and wet dick.

Eos and Selene smiled at each other, Eos spreading her legs to wrap them around his shaft so her small, wet slit was grinding up against it, and Selene doing the same, the two holding hands as they slid themselves up and down their master’s fat, throbbing cock, as if he was fucking the both of them simultaneously! Such an incredible skill would quickly drain their master, as his hips bucked a bit, their glowing eyes looking up at him as he started to cum. Thick ropes shooting from his member and painting his legs... and his two companions.

The fairies squeaked quite loudly as they quickly retreated to planting their tired selves onto his leg, soaked in cum and fluttering their wings while they looked up at their spent master, happy to have served him, but having become quite the mess themselves. A very different variation of Fey Union.

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mischiefandnightmares · 5 years

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Frisky!

Send “Frisky” for my muses reaction to your muse getting handsy…

@nightlight-star-bright

The nightmare King raised a brow at Nightlight. “And what are you doing?” Pitch questioned sternly, as he felt the other being’s hands upon him.

Feeling hands upon her, Fey drew her sword and pointed it at him. “Ya best remove yer hands from be before I do.”

#nightlight star bright #both of them a bit grumpy today XD #queue

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0ccuria · 6 years

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🤗🏷️🔮💭for any of your ocs!

Thank you

My Muse in a Relationship

I’ll just default to Fey cause I always do

🤗Are they physically affectionate?

Very much so. He’ll ease into it over time, but once it’s been long enough into the relationshipit’s kind of hard to pry him off. He’s kind of like a cat that won’t stop nuzzling you. Most common thing he’ll do is take his loves hand and plant gentle kisses on it, or tuck hair behind an ear. He can get pretty frisky at times too (especially after battles and watching Cass do her thing), but he’ll only be as touchy as is accepted. It’s rare he’ll get really raunchy, but it's happened before. (it really only happens if he’s tipsy or drunk which isn’t often)

🏷️Do they give their partners cute nicknames?

Other than the usual stuff like “Dear”, “Love”, “Darling”, “Vhenan” etc, he’d refer to Zehlma as “Da’Assan” (little arrow) every now and then when they were married and Cassandra is sometimes “Sunlight”, “Sunshine”, or “Da’Mi” (little blade) though that one is kind of rare.

🔮Do they believe in soul mates?

Kind of. It’s more so he fantasizes about that cliche happy ever after in romance stories. He felt both Zehlma and Cassandra were soul mates to him.

💭 Do they tend to sleep better when in bed with their partner?

Definitely. He’d spoon and curl up around Zehlma a lot. He just got used to having someone there to hold. It kind of reversed with Cass though, he’s the one being spooned most of the time lol. Having their hands linked together really eases him to sleep faster.

#ask #feyrien lavellan #galpalaven

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storyofauke · 6 years

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You've seen the raws? Can you say what happens?

Okay, this is going to be just bare bones but mostly this chapter gives us information on Sudou. It starts with Sudou getting dressed and Sakazaki comes in and says he is in no shape to leave and where’s he going to go, anyway? Sudou says to tell Mikhail that he wants to go somewhere else. Sakazaki questions Sudou’s intelligence. But Sudou is not going to go quietly. He’s out for revenge.

Sakazaki says in that case, he’s going to need the help of Mikhail’s organization, and Sudou reveals that he knew that Mikhail was the one that screwed with the deal where he got shot, with the goal of taking Asami down.

There’s some back-and-forth about Sudou and Asami. Sakazaki roughs Sudou up a bit and then gets frisky, like Sakazaki does, offering to do Sudou in Asami’s place. Sudou seems to feel bad about what he’s done but he still vows revenge on Asami and tells Sakazaki to take him to Mikhail.

Then we shift to Aki working in a farm field with Hot Monk and an old lady. There’s lots of unimportant talk about helping out and blah blah. Aki goes into a bit of a bucolic trance re: the peacefulness of this life and how his old life is just a memory. But then he comes back to the present, thinks about Fei and wonders if his messages to Asami had been delivered.

He also thinks about how Hot Monk has kept up with the self defense training but will he ever let Aki go? Who knows. They head back to the temple but stop at the sight of smoke. The temple is on fire! To be continued!

#finder series #you're my loveprize in viewfinder #finder no hyouteki #Anonymous #spoilers #finder spoilers

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2700fstreet · 7 years

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OPERA / 2017-2018

CANDIDE

MAY 3 OPEN REHEARSAL

Washington National Opera

Music by Leonard Bernstein Book Adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler in a New Version by John Caird Lyrics by Richard Wilbur with Additional Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, and Leonard Bernstein

Who’s Who

Candide: an innocent young man, nephew of Baron Thunder-ten-Tronckh (tenor—the highest male voice) Cunegonde: Candide’s love and the baron’s daughter (soprano—the highest female voice) Dr. Pangloss: a teacher and philosopher (baritone—a middle-range male voice) The Old Lady: an old lady (mezzo soprano—a middle-range female voice) Maximilian: Cunegonde’s brother and the baron’s son (baritone) Paquette: Cunegonde’s maid and Pangloss’s girlfriend (soprano)

PHOTO (Top) Caption: Candide (pronounced kahn-DEED) and Cunegonde (coo-neh-GOHN-duh) defy custom and get engaged.

Take a listen…

Before we even get started, let’s take a minute to listen to the overture. Though the story of Candide can be dark at times, the electric energy and pulsating rhythms of this opening music remind us that Candide has all the makings of a fun and frisky satire. (Even composer—and conductor!—Leonard Bernstein can’t help dancing.) Pay attention to some of these melodies; you’ll hear many of them again and again as Candide crosses the globe.

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So, What’s Going On?

Westphalia, a German kingdom, the eighteenth century.

You are here…for now at least. But keep your passport handy.

Meet Candide. He’s a pretty optimistic guy. And why shouldn’t he be? As the illegitimate nephew of Baron Thunder-ten-Tronckh, he gets to live in a beautiful castle. He also gets to sit in on daily lessons with a philosopher named Dr. Pangloss whose personal motto is that all things happen for the best, and this world is, in fact, the best of all possible worlds.

But most importantly, Candide gets to spend his days with the baron’s daughter, Cunegonde, on whom he has a walloping crush.

Take a listen…

Candide’s tastes are a lot simpler than Cunegonde’s, but these two crazy kids are still in love (awww…). Even though Candide and Cunegonde have very different ideas about their future together, they actually sing the same tunes and keep insisting they “agree” on everything. Listen for some irony in the lyrics and in the music here.

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Candide’s sunny outlook is put to the test, however, when he and Cunegonde announce their plans to marry, and Cunegonde’s brother, Maximilian, kicks Candide out of the palace. (Tough break, Candide.)

Wandering aimlessly through the Westphalian countryside, Candide stumbles upon a foreign army. No sooner is he forced to enlist than the army attacks Westphalia and Candide finds himself at war with his former homeland. Candide witnesses a terrible battle fought in the name of nationalism and glory (on both sides). Horrified, confused, and not knowing what’s become of Cunegonde and the rest of the Baron’s family, Candide flees amidst the chaos.

Heartbroken, Candide searches for Cunegonde across the war-torn landscape and eventually meets a beggar with a tin nose. Surprise! It’s Dr. Pangloss, who likewise escaped from the Baron’s castle, only to find his body ravaged by a “special” disease transmitted to him by Cunegonde’s maid, Paquette.

Take a listen…

Dr. Pangloss explains his debilitating disease is worth all the trouble it’s caused in this, the first of two (count them: two) songs about syphilis in the show. Listen for the occasional march-like rhythms in the song, which suggest Pangloss is entirely serious about his conviction that everything is for the best. (Note: The “Croix de Guerre” Pangloss refers to is a French military award for bravery. It translates as “Cross of War.”)

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Reunited, Candide and Pangloss team up with a generous Anabaptist (basically, a guy who doesn’t believe in baptizing infants…a heretic in the eyes of European Protestants and Catholics but, to Candide’s surprise, a decent sort of fellow) and decide to set sail for…

Lisbon, Portugal

But along the way, a storm hits, and the Anabaptist is drowned (again…genuinely sad). Even more terrible? Almost exactly as Candide and Pangloss arrive on the Portuguese shore, a volcano erupts, and the resulting earthquake all but destroys the city of Lisbon, killing tens of thousands of people (once again, extremely sad and also immensely disturbing, especially seeing as it actually happened on November 1, 1755).

Candide and Pangloss are promptly arrested by the Lisbon branch of the Spanish Inquisition, which is looking for scapegoats to blame for the catastrophe. The two men are brought to an auto-da-fé (aw-toh-duh-FEY), a public execution ceremony in which heretics are tried and executed. Pangloss is hanged, but Candide manages to get by with only a beating. (Ain’t he the lucky one?)

Take a listen…

The citizens of Lisbon are perhaps a little too excited to take part in the torture and mayhem of the auto-da-fé . Check out the break-neck speed of the wind instruments and the breathless chants from the chorus, perhaps meant to represent the crowd’s unhealthy thirst for blood. Be on the lookout for some clever puns as well (“Shall we hang them or forget them?”/ “Get them!”), as well as for some references to the Latin masses that would have been observed in Lisbon churches (examples include: “Miserere,” a type of lament; “Pax Vobiscum,” meaning “peace be with you;” and “Dies Irae,” a requiem hymn).

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Shockingly, though, it’s not all bad news for Candide.

Thanks to a happy twist of fate, Cunegonde has survived the Westphalian war! And now her beauty and charm have landed her in…

Paris, France

Here she splits her time (and affection) between a wealthy Jewish gentleman and the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris. She’s a bit upset she’s had to sacrifice her “virtue” for a few trinkets and a nice place to live, but not upset enough to say goodbye to her current living situation.

Take a listen…

Of all the many solos (or “arias”) in Candide, Cunegonde’s “Glitter and Be Gay” is probably the most recognizable (you may even have heard one or two sopranos try it out in your music class). Though the song is a mini-parody of a showy type of nineteenth-century singing known as coloratura, and though much of the tune sounds bright and bouncy, the aria is also a scathing satire of humanity’s obsession with material things. Try listening to the song here and then revisiting it when it turns up in the show. Does it have a different feel when you hear it in context?

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So…Cunegonde seems set for life in Paris. That is until, by an insane coincidence, Candide arrives.

Overjoyed to discover neither one of them has actually died, the two decide to pick up where they left off, but are interrupted by Cunegonde’s two suitors (yikes). A violent confrontation ensues, and Candide stabs both men to death (double yikes).

With the police now on their tail, Candide and Cunegonde escape with the help of a friendly old lady, known simply as “the Old Lady.” The three make their way to…

Cádiz, Spain

But their stay doesn’t last long.

All of their possessions are stolen, the French police begin to close in, and Candide needs to make yet another escape.

Take a listen…

If you can believe it, the Old Lady’s had an even rougher life than Candide and Cunegonde put together (highlights include having one of her buttocks chopped off …we’re not kidding.) Still, like Pangloss, she’s determined to make the best of things. Hoping to sing her way out of a bad situation, the Old Lady tries to “assimilate” into the Spanish culture by offering her own rendition of a habanera (hah-buh-NAIR-uh, a dance with rhythms similar to a tango…you may have heard something like it in Bizet’s Carmen).

(Note: The “Rovno Gubernia” the Old Lady refers to is actually a reference to a region in the Ukraine where Leonard Bernstein’s father was born. The Spanish words used to rhyme with “Gubernia” also have personal significance for the composer: They were given to him by his wife, whose family was from Chile, and they translate as “I’m dying; I’m growing a hernia.”) You can’t make this stuff up!

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Caption: The Old Lady takes a crash course in Spanish.

Miraculously, Candide is suddenly offered a position fighting for Jesuits (missionary Catholics) in South America. He jumps at the chance and, along with Cunegonde and the Old Lady, embarks for the New World.

Phew.

Let’s take a breather for intermission. Go get a snack. We’ll be here when you get back.

Okay. The theater lights are flashing.

Ready to return to the death-defying (and sometimes absurdly ridiculous) adventures of Candide? Sounds good. When we last left our hero, he was headed for…

Montevideo, Uruguay

Candide, Cunegonde, and the Old Lady reach Montevideo. But hold onto your hats, kids, because guess who’s there, too? Maximilian and Paquette (yup, they survived the Westphalian war as well).

Maximilian and Paquette end up at a Jesuit camp deep in the jungle, while Cunegonde gets a marriage proposal from the Governor of Montevideo, and poor Candide is forced to flee once again, as he’s managed to annoy the Spanish/Uruguayan police, too.

Candide employs a local named Cacambo as his companion, and the two venture through the wilderness until they uncover a Jesuit camp. (You guessed it; it’s the same camp where Maximilian and Paquette have been hiding out.) Instantly recognizing one another, Candide and Maximilian quickly fall back on old habits. Candide explains he still wishes to marry Cunegonde, and Maximilian still refuses to give his blessing. The two begin to fight, and, somewhat predictably, Candide ends up stabbing Maximilian and needing to flee. (If you’re thinking the body count is getting a little out of control, you’re right.)

Tired? Confused? Need yet another break? Here: Have an INEXPLICABLE time-jump!

Years pass and Candide and Cacambo are still lost in the South American jungle while Cunegonde and the Old Lady remain at the governor’s house. Soon Candide and Cacambo’s travels bring them to…

Caption: Candide and Cacambo take in Eldorado.

Eldorado

(If you’ve never heard of it, don’t worry. It’s completely made up.)

Yet despite the fact that Eldorado is a near-perfect paradise with gold and jewels to spare, Candide can’t get his mind off Cunegonde. Taking a gift of several golden sheep (yes, they have those in Eldorado), Candide heads for the coast, suggesting Cacambo bring one of the sheep to Montevideo and trade it for Cunegonde’s freedom. The men split up and Candide arrives in…

Surinam, a Dutch colony

Candide comes up with a plan to meet Cunegonde in Venice (because…why not?) and purchases a ship to cross the Atlantic. Only problem? The ship merchant is a total villain—she sells Candide a vessel that can barely float.

Will Candide ever make it to Venice? Will he and Cunegonde ever be reunited for good? And will our hero be able to maintain his positive attitude after all that’s happened to him?

Could be. Anything is possible in this “best of all possible worlds.”

Good to Know

Does the title Candide sound familiar at all?

That’s because you’ve probably encountered it in the classroom or on a summer reading list. It was originally a novel by French poet, playwright, and philosopher François-Marie Arouet, better known as “Voltaire” (1694-1778). An unapologetic spoof, the book version of Candide was a product of the French Enlightenment, a time of great scientific progress and new emphasis on logic and reasoning. Yet despite this shift in social thought, Voltaire saw much to criticize in his contemporary environment.

Not-so-subtly buried within the novel was a witty argument against certain optimistic thinkers of the day—particularly Alexander Pope and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz—who essentially believed that everything happened for a divine reason. Struggling to reconcile immense tragedies such as the Lisbon earthquake and the impending Seven Year’s War with the idea that every single event is both right and good, Voltaire penned a story about a young man whose naïve positivity gets him into a ton of trouble.

Caption: In a nod to Pope and Leibniz, Dr. Pangloss educates his pupils in the beauty of optimistic reasoning.

Centuries later in 1950s America, playwright and author Lillian Hellman approached a young-yet-already-famous conductor/composer named Leonard Bernstein about collaborating on an operetta (a light, comic opera) of Candide that would be in the satirical spirit of Voltaire.

And this wasn’t just because Hellman was a fan of French literature. No: Hellman felt the overblown optimism, cruel abuses of power, and tremendous hypocrisy displayed in Candide would serve as an ideal metaphor for the American Red Scare (the fear of communist beliefs and practices) and its unjust sanctions and interrogations spearheaded by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Both Hellman and Bernstein had suffered personal and professional consequences at the hands of “McCarthyism,” so the two were naturally drawn to the project. In notes for a 1989 concert version of Candide, Bernstein even described the connection between his own experiences and those of Voltaire:

“That was the time of the Hollywood Blacklist…television censorship, lost jobs, suicides, expatriation and the denial of passports to anyone even suspected of having once known a suspected communist. I can vouch for this; I was denied a passport by my own government. By the way, so was Voltaire… His answer was satire, ridicule and, through laughter, to provoke in his reader self-recognition and, of course, self-justification: ‘Who, me? Not me.’ Which produces discussion, makes debate—and debate is, after all, the cornerstone of democracy. So Lillian and I were naturally magnetized by Voltaire’s…wit and wisdom, and quickly set about our work…”

Check This Out…

How the musical styles and choice of instruments change with each new location. Would you be able to tell when Candide has traveled to a new country without being told? How so? (Hint: Think slow and steady hymn-like songs for Westphalia or castanets and syncopated rhythms for Portugal.)

How the lighting, sets, and costumes give you clues about the characters’ fates. For example: Do Candide’s clothes give you any hints about when he’s run into some good fortune versus when he’s had a bad day? Do the scenery and lighting changes provide a sense of Cunegonde’s social status in Paris and in Montevideo?

In this production, the singer playing the role of Dr. Pangloss will also play the role of Voltaire, the ever-present narrator. Do you think this example of “double casting” is effective? What do you think Pangloss and Voltaire have in common? Throughout the show, does one of these characters come across as more sincere or more believable than the other? In what ways?

Think About This…

Both Candide the novel and Candide the operetta were artistic reactions to turbulent times. Do you think Candide still holds up as social commentary in today’s world? Does the satire make sense in our post-Red Scare era of social media, “fake news,” and international revolution?

The land of Eldorado has no courts or prisons and no concept of fear or revenge. Given Voltaire was somewhat frustrated with the society that surrounded him and that he was a known pacifist, what do you think Eldorado represented in the original story? Do you think it symbolizes something similar in the operetta? Can you think of a modern-day equivalent of Eldorado in literature, TV, or film?

Though the Candide novel ends rather abruptly, the musical adaptation has a long finale with a definite message. What do you feel the operetta’s creators wanted to say in this final scene? Does the show ultimately leave you in an optimistic or a pessimistic mood…or somewhere in between?

Take Action: Make Your Garden Grow

One of the key takeaways from Candide (in both its novel and musical forms) is to “make your garden grow,” or to take the time to cultivate something meaningful for yourself and for those around you. We think it’s a pretty good life lesson.

Why not be more like Candide? Okay, silly question (he makes a lot of destructive choices). But why not adopt his character’s thoughts on making your own personal garden? Don’t worry: We’re not talking literal gardens (unless you like that sort of thing!). Instead, we encourage you to take on an extended project you think will be worthwhile for you and your community.

It could be anything. If you and a few of your friends always wanted to start a band, you can book a local venue a few months in advance and get practicing. If you’ve been thinking about running a marathon, you can look up runs for charities in your area over the next year and start training. Or—if you want to be more exact about it—you can plant an actual vegetable garden and donate your produce to a soup kitchen or family shelter. The only rule here is that it has to be something that takes a lot of care and a lot of commitment.

Social media savvy? Track your progress and show the world the results of all your hard work using the hashtag #makeyourgardengrow.

Explore More

Go even deeper with the Candide Extras.

All photos by Karli Cadel

Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of WNO.

WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.

WNO's Presenting Sponsor

Additional support for Candide is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

#opera #candideat2700F

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mukyoucom · 7 years

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The Drop: New PlayStation Games for 7/11/2017

From Playstation Blog USA

A ruined kingdom. A lost bloodline. A spark of rebellion. The original 2006 adventure finds new life on PS4 thanks to Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.

Players will once again follow Princess Ashe and her comrades in their fight against the imperial forces occupying the Kingdom of Dalmasca. With enhanced visuals, a reorchestrated soundtrack, and a deeply refined battle system, The Zodiac Age is a new way to play the critically acclaimed PS2 original. Build a unique party with the Zodiac Job System and embark on an epic quest to liberate Ashe’s homeland.

For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation, read on. And enjoy The Drop!

New Releases: Week of July 11, 2017

The Bellows

PS VR — Digital

Plunge yourself into a world of nightmares and fear, and discover just how frightening virtual reality can be.

Black The Fall

PS4 — Digital

After decades of toil, an old machinist plots his escape from the oppressive grasp of the Communist regime. Through hidden passages, shadow and grief, he struggles. Ingenuity, reflexes and deception are his tools.

Day D Tower Rush

PS4 — Digital

Defend yourself from a horde of vicious creatures by building towers and catapults, and defend the time machine at all costs! Exciting and wild worlds await you!

Derelict Fleet

PS4 — Digital

Derelict Fleet is a fast-paced space combat game. You are tasked with defending a refugee fleet as you travel the stars searching for a new colony to call home.

Echoes of the Fey: The Fox’s Trail

PS4 — Digital

Echoes of the Fey: The Fox’s Trail is a visual novel/adventure game that blends the magic of high fantasy and the mystery of a classic detective story. Play as Sofya Rykov, a private investigator with a secret of her own — the power to turn into a cat.

Energy Balance

PS Vita — Digital (Out 7/12)

During a mission your spaceship encounters an unknown anomaly and all systems fail. You have to balance the energy in order to get them running again and to get home safely. Energy Balance is a number puzzle. You have to swap power units in such a way that their sums form correct chains both vertically and horizontally.

Fantastic Contraption

PS VR — Digital

Build and create in a Fantastic world! Fantastic Contraption is a surreal VR puzzle game where you use simple tools to assemble amazing machines to get your ball to the goal area.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

PS4 — Digital, Retail

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age improves upon the PS2 classic, now more beautiful and easier to play than ever. The high-definition remaster introduces several modern advancements, including reconstructed battle design and a revamped job system. Players both returning and new to the game will experience a grand adventure that spans the world of Ivalice.

Frisky Business

PS4 — Digital (7/13)

You are Mr. Falco Frisk, private detective of Frisk Investigative Solutions! Develop your relationships with your team as you take on your very first case.

Hunting Simulator

PS4 — Retail

In Hunting Simulator, discover distinct hunting areas and complete hundreds of objectives alone or with your friends. Explore varied environments, track your prey and become a better hunter.

Iron Crypticle

PS4 — Digital

The glorious Royal Treasures of Cryptonia have been stolen! Now the King’s washed-up knights must suit up and descend into the ancient palace crypts to return the golden goodies!

Leap of Fate

PS4 — Digital

Leap of Fate is a furiously-paced cyberpunk roguelite about overcoming your fears and achieving your fate. In a New York City where magic is real, you play as a technomage who must develop unspeakable powers to confront the Crucible of Fates. Can you survive the trials?

Minecraft: Story Mode – Season 2 (Episode 1)

PS4 — Digital

Now that Jesse and the gang have vanquished the Wither Storm, saved the world, and become totally super famous heroes, life has gotten a bit more… complicated. With more responsibilities and less time for adventure, old friendships have started to fade — at least until Jesse’s hand gets stuck in a creepy gauntlet that belongs to an ancient underwater temple.

MotoGP 17

PS4 — Digital

The 2017 edition of the official MotoGP video game brings all the adrenaline and need for speed of the new world championship, including all the riders, teams, and tracks of the 2017 season.

Mr. Pumpkin Adventure

PS Vita — Digital

Immerse yourself in a game of logic and puzzle-solving that will help Mr. Pumpkin regain his memory. Make your way through an adventure-filled kingdom of plants –50 wonderful scenes that will take you through this fantastical world on our quest to help Mr. Pumpkin!

Mr. Shifty

PS4 — Digital

Shift through bullets and master lightning-fast takedowns in an all-new kind of action game from tinyBuild and Team Shifty! Mr. Shifty follows a teleportation-fueled heist to break into the world’s most secure facility.

Serial Cleaner

PS4 — Digital

Slip on your flares, grab your shades, and hop in your station wagon — it’s time to go to work… as a professional cleaner for the mob.

Transport Giant

PS4 — Digital

It is the year 1850. The world is experiencing its biggest upheaval. Witness the birth of mass production and mass transport. With a little capital and an innovative idea, you can build an empire.

Warlocks vs Shadows

PS4 — Digital

Choose the most powerful Warlocks in the universe and wage a war to cleanse evil once and for all! Warlocks vs Shadows is an intense 2D action RPG/brawler featuring five terrifying dimensions.

YamaYama

PS4 — Digital

Play as one of the armless rejects in the YamaYama arena of joy. Your goal is to impress the flat god faces of the Underverse by FatSuiting your opponents into oblivion.

SpiderMan: Homecoming Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

21 Savage – Issa

Toro y Moi – Boo Boo

Gifted

Going in Style (2017)

Will- July 10 at 9/8c (TNT)

Adam Ruins Everything- July 11 at 10/9c (truTV)

Game of Thrones- July 16 at 9/8c (HBO)

The information above is subject to change without notice.

final fantasy xii the zodiac ageplaystation gamesplaystation storethe drop

The post The Drop: New PlayStation Games for 7/11/2017 appeared first on Ship 2 Block 20.

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vileart · 7 years

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Dramaturgy is Close to You: Matthew Floyd Jones @ Edfringe 2017

Richard Carpenter is Close to You

Underbelly (George Square)

5.20pm

2 - 27 August (Not 15)

Richard from The Carpenters used to be on top of the world looking down on creation, to the left of (and slightly behind) Karen. Now, he's back at the piano once more in this razor-sharp tragicomedy that takes you on the ultimate ticket to ride.

Cos solitaire really is the only game in town! Written and performed by Matthew Floyd Jones, the piano player from Frisky & Mannish.

Richard Carpenter is Close To You – Written and performed by

What was the inspiration for this performance?

At last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, I was feeling blue - the beard I grew for the play I was in not only itched like a bitch but my boyfriend clearly didn’t like it, I had no work lined up after August, and every time I walked down the street I saw my erstwhile partner Frisky plastered across huge posters looking (as always) sensational. My worst nightmare had seemingly come true: the peak happened and it’s all downhill from here. I started pretending I was in a film and my character was played by Mackenzie Crook, just to find humour in it.

As I walked past YET another poster of gorgeous Frisky, a Carpenters song came into my headphones - ‘Superstar’. The deep love I bear for them is akin to my love for ‘Anne of Green Gables’ or ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ - I don’t give a shit if they’re not cool, they remind me of home and parents and being a child and other warm things.

But the feeling I got this time was more than a flood of comfort - it was a slow, profound realisation that Richard Carpenter is my kindred spirit, and the perfect subject for me. Now, I could go into all the myriad reasons why, but I’m sure you can figure the obvious ones out, and the rest will be in the show!

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?

It’s a space for ideas, that’s all I’m prepared to commit to! Whether the public “discuss” it in any meaningful way is sort of up to them really. I’m ok with that - I honestly don’t need every piece of theatre I see to involve me in an obviously “interactive” or participatory way, and challenge me to respond there and then. But I’m a firm believer that a performer doesn’t have to be actively discussing a particular “idea” for that idea to come through - Frisky and I were always gently ribbed for being a superficial act, all glitter and no depth, but even just the fact that we were a sexy woman and a gay man in comedy was often enough to spark discussions of gender and sexuality.

All those people (not just men) who felt compelled to tell us how much they enjoyed our work “despite” our femininity - it definitely opened my eyes. When we started, I was basically trying to channel Steve Coogan, despite the leggings and eyeliner, and once a guy complimented me on being just straight enough to not alienate the men - I remember being so pleased with that. Now I look back and wish I’d challenged him a bit more, like saying “Oh gurl, you want some mince in that bolognese?” and then Vogueing off stage left.

How did you become interested in making performance?

Pure childhood vanity and narcissism, I’m sure. I just really don’t understand anyone who says they’d be horrified to go onstage! Like, I don’t get it. Are you ill? If not, sing out Louise, you can be a pretty girl for the next 60 minutes. That show-offness gradually transitioned into something a bit more mature - I loved it when people would come up to us after gigs and say something like “I had a really terrible day today and I wasn’t even sure about coming, but I feel so uplifted now - thank you!”

And that’s the thing I always come back to whenever I feel like this whole job is just super self-indulgent and unimportant - I still think doctors, nurses and sewage people are champions of the world, but I get the value of what I do a little bit more now.

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

This is the second solo show I’ve made actually, and I think I’ve done literally everything differently this time. I brought in collaborators and advisers from the very beginning, as opposed to working for months in isolation to get it “ready.” I scheduled a work-in-progress showing before I’d even written the script, to give me something to work towards - something which in the business is called “doing a Tina Fey.” But the main obstacle to overcome has been the issue of the real Richard Carpenter.

He is still alive, and famously litigious - in fact I believe he’s currently suing his own record label for unpaid digital royalties, and in the past he has got other projects nixed by refusing permission. I thought about contacting him, but I worried that would create an unhelpful pressure to make it a certain type of show that he would “approve” - when in fact, I wanted that to be the furthest thing from my mind. So I got some advice and it turns out that I don’t necessarily need his permission to do a show inspired by him, I just need to make sure it’s presented as clearly fictional and doesn’t make any seriously defamatory claims.

The only thing I needed permission for was the use of actual Carpenters songs - and luckily for me, my entire career has been built on my ability to manipulate music so that it sounds like something but isn’t. So, fingers crossed, we good!

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

It definitely has a broad thematic overlap, in that it is a lovingly unsparing pastiche of a pop music artist. But that’s probably where the similarities end.

There’s no Karen to provide the stonking star power and megawatt charisma, and that’s really Richard’s ultimate struggle - how to either continue in the role that you played before your partner left, when it’s not really enough on its own, or convince people to see you in a new light when they’ve already made up their minds. In terms of genre, it’s always hard to pin it down exactly, and both this show and my previous show have straddled genres - Frisky & Mannish across comedy and cabaret, and Richard Carpenter across theatre and comedy - but if I was pushed to choose a side, I’d say that it’s a comedic piece of theatre. With music. And a touch of cabaret in some of the interactions. Ugh, I don’t know. IT’S A SHOW!

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

Fulfilment, joy, stimulation, the tender caress of a person who loves you… Oh, sorry, you meant at my show in particular, duh. "I hope that they like me, they really, really like me" is what the vain kid version of me would say, and he’s still in here. I hope that they get it, and what amuses me most about doing this is that I find you are always more worried about whether they’ll get it then you need to be, and they always surprise you by being intelligent perceptive beings with the ability to discern - who knew?

I hope that, the next time they hear someone say “God, there’ll never be another Karen Carpenter” within earshot, they might consider adding “Mmm, and it was wonderful that her brother Richard, the oft-forgotten Carpenter, was so instrumental in arranging such beautiful songs that showed such intuitive understanding of how her gift might best be displayed, so props to him too!”

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

That sounds like a military operation - I wish I was that disciplined! All I’ve done is taken my ten years’ experience of making people laugh, and applied it to a story that I think is incredibly poignant and affecting, and I hope I’ve come out with something that will uplift you as much as it might unsettle you. I have no interest in making an audience feel shit, ever.

Even though I myself personally love prickly, difficult, hard-to-enjoy drama. It’s just not what I like doing onstage - it’s not my jam. If I do have a strategy, it’s that I want this show to be equally as engaging to a non-Carpenters fan - yes, it’s about the Carpenters, but it could just as easily be about any partners, any siblings.

To that end, I’ve been doing a lot of research as to what is generally known about them, and what is “niche,” and treading the line carefully. I’ve already had multiple responses of “I don’t really know or even like the Carpenters but I loved your show” which means a) some people have weird masochistic ticket-booking habits, but also b) I’ve struck a good balance!

from the vileblog http://ift.tt/2qTfUlX

#Theatre #Blogger #visual art #Edinburgh Fringe #Experimental Critique

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