#1660s cloak | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

angst-fairygodmother · 4 years

Note

Might I request: “There is enough room for both of us” & "You're warm" (& I'ma be a predictable binch & ask for Valdo x reader) :3

A/N: Did someone say sick fic? Oh wait that was me. I hope you enjoy this lovely. :)Word Count: 1660Content Warning: Mild swearing.

Silence stretched over the two travelers as they walked down the road, their dappled pack pony plodding placidly between them.

“Remind me again why we bought this beast instead of mounts for the both of us?” Valdo asked, his sharp tenor the first sound either of them had made in hours.

“Because the only thing we could afford two of was donkeys. And you said your dignity would not suffer an ass,” you snapped, rolling your eyes before muttering under your breath. “So instead I have to.”

You weren’t sure what had brought on the mood you were in, whether it was how tired and sore you were from walking or the gloom of the damp, chilly day, or something else entirely, but you honestly worried that if you did not reach the next town soon, you might throttle your companion, no matter how much you loved him.

“Ah yes, I recall now. I still say that horse trader was trying to swindle us. No matter, the market in Vizima will be much better.”

“Only if we ever get there.”

The next thing you knew, you were stopped short as you crashed into Valdo. You shot him a glare, wondering how he had managed to circle the horse to stop short and invade your personal space without you noticing.

“Alright, Y/N,” he said, frowning. “What on the Gods’ green Earth is your problem?”

You sighed. “I am tired. We’ve been traveling for days without sight or sign of anyone else on this stupid road. Everything hurts. My eyes feel like I’ve been rubbing sand in them for fun. There’s a storm on the horizon. And I’m fucking freezing. So can we please keep walking? I’d like to make it to the city before I die.”

Whatever Valdo might have said in response was cut off as you sneezed, sniffling pathetically after. Immediately his cross expression dropped as he reached out to place the inside of his wrist against your forehead.

“Wha…what are you doing?” you asked looking up at the curly-haired idiot like he had grown a second head.

“You’re warm.” He stated as if that was any answer. “Y/N, my darling, why didn’t you say you were unwell?”

You shifted uncomfortably, feeling your face flush. “It didn’t seem to matter that much. There’s nothing to be done but get to town anyway. So can we…?” you made a ‘keep moving’ gesture.

He frowned and then turned to the docile pony munching on grass that peeked up through the stones of the road, shuffling bags around, taking some off and setting them aside.

“What are you doing Valdo?” you asked exasperatedly.

“It won’t be the most comfortable ride, but I won’t have you exhausting yourself and making it worse,” he explained, shouldering several packs.

“It’s a cold, I’m not an invalid!”

“Sundrop, please. Your equine escort awaits. If you won’t care for your own health then do it for me.” He pressed his graceful hands together in a prayer-like pose and gave you that irritatingly irresistible pout. You sighed in defeat.

“You know there’s room enough for both of us.” You said as you climbed up into the saddle, shifting around to awkwardly settle between the various packages on the pony’s back.

“We both know that’s horseshit. Especially with all our stuff.”

You raised an eyebrow at him, or rather at the swear passing his lips. Usually he was lovingly exasperated at your coarse language and not one to use it himself. He caught your glance and shrugged as if to say ‘odd circumstances allow odd behavior.’

“Pony shit actually,” you said with a smirk and another sniffle. “But I guess you’re probably right.”

He chuckled and shook his head ruefully, taking the pony’s reins in hand and leading off down the road at a slightly brisker pace than you had been going.

By the time the gates of Vizima came into view, an early night had fallen and the howling wind had both of you pulling fur-lined cloaks close. Your pony’s head was bowed miserably as icy torrents of rain poured from the sky. You shivered violently despite the layers, the chill weather heightening the effects of your fever.

Still, Valdo insisted on pressing inward toward the center of the city in search of “a decent inn.” You had half a mind to start begging to stop literally anywhere just to get inside when he finally found one that satisfied him, The Bee and the Bottle. As soon as you passed into the yard an eager straw-haired boy of maybe seven ran out, offering to take care of your pony, words whistling through the gap of missing front teeth.

You felt hands wrap around your waist, gently lifting you down and then steadying you when your feet touched ground and you swayed. Wobbling with exhaustion and cold, you turned to the child.

“You take good care of Spot here, alright?” you asked ruffling his hair and causing him to giggle. “If you do, I’ll see about sneaking you some sweets before we leave.”

He nodded eagerly at your offer. “I promise, I’ll be extra good to ‘im and make sure all his tack is shiny and clean. You’ll see.”

“And see if you can’t find someone to bring our bags to our room?” Valdo tried to keep the order out of his voice and found himself smiling as the boy saluted him before leading the creature away.

“Spot? Really dove?” Valdo whispered in your ear as he led you into the inn by the elbow.

You shrugged peevishly. “If you had named him when we bought him you could have called him whatever you wanted. I could have done worse.”

You sank gratefully into the luxurious bath, letting the road-weariness melt from you and the lightly minty steam work into your sinuses and throat to soothe their sting. Valdo’s fingers worked their way through your hair, massaging your scalp but you frowned, noticing their clumsy motions, no sign of his normal nimbleness. Reluctantly you pried your eyes open and twisted to look at him.

Immediately your eyes fell to his blue-tinged lips and you sighed. Your fingers curled around his wrist and you both gasped at the temperature difference between your skins.

“You’re useless to me if you freeze to death love,” you teased. “Why don’t you get in the water and thaw out?”

“Y/N,” he groaned. “I am supposed to be taking care of you. I can’t just take your bath.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that. There’s room enough for the both of us. Please?” You cast your most pleading expression up at him, knowing that he was weaker to your charms than he cared to admit.

Without a word, he began unbuttoning his damp shirt (having discarded his doublet earlier in expectation of helping you wash). You smiled softly at him before settling back in against the wall of the tub. Moments later, the water sloshed as Valdo slid in beside you, long arms wrapping around your middle to draw you against him. He pressed his lips to your temple, beard tickling where it brushed your face.

“Oh sweetheart, you are definitely feverish. As soon as you’re washed,” he lathered soap into a cloth and began to sweep it over your shoulders and back as he spoke, “we’re getting you straight to bed. I’ll have the innkeeper bring you some soup, and tea. Something herby and probably horrible tasting that will chase this sickness away.”

Valdo Marx was many things, but you knew he was not necessarily the most nurturing of men and the prospect of caring for you while you were ill was daunting. The fact that he was doing it at all was truly special, so you hummed in appreciation for his ministrations, leaning in to his touch and doing your best to comply with his wordless requests for movement until he was satisfied that you had been fully bathed.

As the water cooled to a tepid temperature, he reluctantly exited the tub, gathering up a particularly plush towel to wrap around you, sweeping you into his arms and carrying you to the bed. He gently dried you off and helped you into your favorite nightshirt (which he noted wryly was actually his missing shirt which you had claimed months ago not to have seen).

“I feel the need to remind you,” you said, stifling a yawn, “I am not an invalid.”

“Hush, love. And lay down. Rest.”

A series of violent sneezes shook your body and he found himself torn between fretting over you and admiring the truly adorable noises you made.

You groaned as you recovered your breath from the fit and relented to the idea of curling up in the many layers of blankets that invited you. As you snuggled down, you clung to Valdo’s hand, not letting him get up from his seat at the edge of the bed.

“Stay,” you murmured. “I need you to cuddle me.”

He smiled, soft and longing. “And why is that angel?”

Even as he asked, he shifted the covers to allow him to slip in beside you, curled around you like a cat.

“Because I’m still so cold. And you’re warm.” You burrowed closer, pressing your bodies together to sap as much of his body heat as possible, and he was content to let you.

His embrace tightened around your shoulders and he tucked your head up under his chin.

“Your wish is my command. Try to get some sleep.”

He pressed his lips to the top of your head and you closed your eyes, safe and content. He listened to your breathing for a while, intent for any rasp or stutter in the air, only relaxing when he heard it begin to settle into the slow, steady pattern of sleep.

Just as he was drifting off himself he thought he heard you mumble “I love you” and his lips curled upward blissfully.

#Valdo Marx x Reader #The Witcher #The Witcher fic #reader insert #requests #Soft Saturday #to be honest my brain checked out about an hour ago and I don't know if I know what I wrote #but I think it's fine #tired writing is a special challenge

16 notes · View notes

anastpaul · 5 years

Photo

Quote/s of the Day – 1 January – New Year’s Day 2019

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Brothers, . . . I can only say, that forgetting all that lies behind me and straining forward to what lies in front of me and I am racing towards the finishing-point, to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13

May he give you what you desire and make all your plans succeed. Then we will shout for joy over your victory and celebrate your triumph by praising our God. May the LORD answer all your requests.

Psalm 20:4-5

“The bread you store up belongs to the hungry, the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked, the gold you have hidden in the ground, belongs to the poor.”

St Basil the Great (329-379) Father & Doctor of the Church

“Love God, serve God; everything is in that.”

St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)

“Teach us to give and not to count the cost.”

“All for the greater glory of God.”

St Ignatius de Loyola (1491-1556)

“You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy – the root of all that is evil and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

“Let us go forward in peace, our eyes upon heaven, the only one goal of our labours.”

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)- Doctor of the Church

“During this new year, I resolve to begin a new life. I do not know, what will happen to me, during this year. But I abandon myself entirely to You, my God. And my aspirations and all my affections, will be for You. I feel so weak, dear Jesus but with Your help, I hope and resolve, to live a different life, that is, a life closer to You.”

“Father, do You know, the latest idea that has come into my head? It is to become a saint at all costs. I made this resolution yesterday evening. During my meditation I was thinking, that one lives only once and it is certain, that one is going to die, then one will have to answer to God.”

“Every time the clock strikes, I will repeat three times – ‘My Jesus, mercy!”

St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)

(via Quote/s of the Day - 1 January - New Year's Day 2019)

#2corinthians5:17 #quotesofthedayjanuary1 #january12018 #newyearquotes #philippians3:13 #psalm20:4-5 #stbasilthegreat #stclareofassisi #stignatiusloyola #stvincentdepaul #stthereseofthechildjesus #stgemmagalgani #mypics #mypic #catholic #catholicism

12 notes · View notes

fontasticcrablettes · 6 years

Text

I’m not sure when I’m going to post more fic, but in the meantime, I was thinking “holy shit is Danse Macabre really a year old already?” (not from posting, but from when I did the bulk of writing) and I was thinking about the changes the plot went through and maybe if you liked that fic you’d be interested to hear how things could have gone down. So here are some Super Exclusive Behind the Scenes Alternative Plots for my fic Danse Macabre (spoilers in this post if you ever plan to read that)

1. Originally, Estelle was gonna get tortured first. She would have been accused of witchcraft before Yuri was. There’s some residue of this plot point in the resulting story in her role - an independent woman, able to read and write, midwife, knowledgeable... she is the archetypal witch hunt victim. When I decided Yuri would be the only victim, I had to arrange a blizzard when Yuri’s friend went into labour to justify Yuri’s presence at the birth (because in that period, men weren’t to have anything to do with childbirth unless a doctor had to be called in an emergency) in order to pass the “witchcraft accusation tied to the eventual death of the infant” plot point over to Yuri.

The reason this changed was in part to streamline events. Originally, Estelle would have been tortured for a few weeks before an accusation landed on Yuri as well. This prompts Flynn to decide to take the fall for it, because Yuri’s arrest proves that this is spreading and he wants to stop it before more innocent people suffer.

2. Yuri’s whole arc changed. The other reason I changed the Estelle getting tortured bit is because of a line from the poem “Half Hanged Mary” by Margaret Atwood, based on the allegedly true story of a woman who was beaten and hanged by vigilantes after being accused of witchcraft, but somehow survived. In the poem, she says, “Before, I was not a witch. But now I am one.”

Something about that line really struck me and it became one of the driving themes of the story, so it made perfect sense for Yuri’s story to also end with him being beaten and abused until he became the very witch he was accused of being.

3. Yuri becomes a witch? In the final story he doesn’t really become a witch after the torture. My idea had been that Yuri would inherit Flynn’s cloak and hat, and take care of one of Flynn’s ghostly horses, which would give him some Ankou powers while still alive. He could used this power to walk through walls or turn invisible in order to access Cumore to kill him. In effect, he becomes a witch to murder the man who wrongly accused him of being a witch.

This changed mostly because I reworked how the Ankou power works and what abilities Flynn would have (since, in the final story, he can’t walk through walls. And the reason for that is that it would be far too easy for him to sneak into the basement, pass Yuri his cloak, and Yuri could walk freely out of jail.)

Oh, and from a “the romantic relationship between Yuri and Flynn is the driving subplot of this story” perspective, it just made more sense to keep Flynn’s sacrifice entirely about Yuri.

4. That alternate ending where Yuri maybe dies. Yeah, this is a thing! I still kinda like this ending. So, in this ending, Judith helps Yuri break out of the pillory when he’s left there overnight. Yuri decides to leave town, but first he heads up into the ravine to find Flynn’s body, because he hates the idea of Flynn’s skeleton lying there for 30 years without a burial.

In the middle of the night on December 31st, Yuri slips on the ice making his way down the ravine and tumbles into the stream at the bottom. He manages to find Flynn’s bones under the snow, but he’s too cold and tired so he decides to sit down and take a rest. That’s when Flynn finally reappears after he’d been executed. He sits to talk with Yuri for a bit, and then helps him up and they start to leave. As they leave, Yuri remembers Flynn’s story, and how Flynn didn’t realize he was dead until he looked back to see his body. Yuri decides not to look and just holds on to Flynn tighter as church bells ring in the new year.

5. Different setting. I wanted to set the story in a real town because I am obsessed with historical details and accuracy. It very nearly was set in Kemper (Quimper), the town that ended up being Flynn’s former residence, but I couldn’t find any good historic maps of the town or details about it, so I decided that if I was going to make it up anyway, I might as well just call it Zaphias. The fictional Zaphias is located in roughly this area:

All other town names mentioned are real places, but they were referred to with their Breton names, since that was how they were known at the time.

6. That time I forgot how base 10 number systems work??? Ok so the battle where Flynn witnessed Alexei killing his brother was very nearly part of the Italian Wars in 1559. Alexei would kill Flynn very soon after the battle. But wait, you’re saying, how could it be in 1559 if Flynn needs to be the last person to die that century?

For like, a solid day and a half, I casually thought that 1559 was the last year of the century because apparently I thought centuries worked like minutes and they roll over at 60 rather than 100???? I don’t know man.

7. London? The very earliest iteration of this story was set in London in the 1660s during a plague outbreak, and Flynn would either be a witch, or perhaps an alchemist that they mistake for a witch. The core idea was he’s using magic to try to stop the plague, but the community gets spooked and turns on him even though he’s just trying to help.

It changed after I decided to base Flynn on the Ankou myth, which originates in Brittany. I did nearly set it in Cornwall though, because I could find a lot more resources on plague and witch trials and social history in the UK than France (because the best writing on niche subjects in French history is unfortunately only in French). Cornwall, like Brittany, was a Celtic nation and they had their own version of the Ankou.

Honestly one of the big reasons I decided against setting it in England is because witches were never burned in England, only hanged, and I really wanted to set Flynn on fire lmao. Of course, after picking my location and establishing a year based on historical plague outbreaks, I learned that witch hunting was de facto outlawed in 1625. But, I managed to work that into the story.

#Nightfoot writes things

11 notes · View notes

marialeto · 2 years

Photo

December 11, 202111 encourages you to be an inspirational guiding light to bring illumination to others and help raise spiritual awareness. Aquarius is the eleventh astrological sign in the Zodiac. (January 20 – February 18)In the Tarot, eleven is the card of Strength or Justice.Justice symbolizes balance between the spiritual and material world.This is the card of balance and justice.Number 11 Fun Facts:The deepest known point of the ocean is at Callenger Deep, Marina Trench located in the Pacific Ocean. The depth is 11 km.Canadian one-dollar coin is a hendecagon; an eleven-sided polygon.The Indian two-rupee is also a hendecagon.Sodium has the atomic number 11.Tin celebrates the eleventh year anniversary.In the Mayan Calendar the current time cycle ended on December 21, 2012 at 11:11 am GMT.There are eleven players on a soccer team, on an American football team, on a cricket team, as well as on a field hockey team.New York became the eleventh state of the United States on July 26, 1788.Liberty Island – Eleven-Pointed StarFort Wood on Bedloe’s Island had the shape of an eleven-pointed star.The walls of this eleven-pointed star shaped fortification are used as the base for the Statue of Liberty (New York).Bedloe’s Island was officially named Liberty Island in 1956.“The Eleventh Night” is a celebration in the Protestant community of Northern Ireland. The Eleventh Night also known as “Bonfire Night”. In the mid 1600's England was divided in eleven parts. In 1660 Charles II became king.When Britain switched to the Gregorian calendar, eleven days were simply deleted. Wednesday September 2, 1752 was followed by Thursday, September 14, 1752.The Biblical Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob.Joseph dreamt the sun, the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him. (Genesis 37:9) Joseph also became a great interpreter of dreams and successfully interpreted Pharaohs dreams.South Africa has eleven official languages; Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu.The feast day of Martin of Tours(316-400) is November 11th. He is patron saint of France, soldiers, beggars and innkeepers.Martin of Tours started was a soldier in his early life. Once he met a beggar. He cut off half his cloak and gave it to the beggar. He later dreamt he saw Jesus wearing the cloak. Martin refused to fight anymore and converted to Christianity. He later became bishop of Tours. (Amen)Believers in Saint Martin contribute the end of First World War on November 11th to him.St. Martin’s Day is celebrated in many Catholic countries. This includes special family gatherings and processions with paper lanterns. Countless churches are named after him.SONNET 11As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou growestIn one of thine, from that which thou departest;And that fresh blood which youngly thou bestow'stThou mayst call thine when thou from youth convertest.Herein lives wisdom, beauty and increase:Without this, folly, age and cold decay:If all were minded so, the times should ceaseAnd threescore year would make the world away.Let those whom Nature hath not made for store,Harsh featureless and rude, barrenly perish:Look, whom she best endow'd she gave the more;Which bounteous gift thou shouldst in bounty cherish: She carved thee for her seal, and meant thereby Thou shouldst print more, not let that copy die.Shakespeare, WilliamThe Number 11 as a Master Number represents awareness, vision, artistic ability, inventive genius, and idealism. Today is Saturday the 11th. What will you reflect on?

0 notes

ao3feed-lokitony · 6 years

Text

Tones, Honey Bear, Brucie Bear, Glinda, Elphaba, and Space Cowboy

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2lfo5UL

by GoringWriting

How Tony met each of his husbands.

Words: 1660, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of Tony Stark's Poly Protectors

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Thor (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Other

Characters: Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, Loki (Marvel), Peter Quill

Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, Loki/Tony Stark, Peter Quill/Tony Stark, Tony Stark/James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Bruce Banner/Stephen Strange/Loki/Peter Quill

Additional Tags: First Meetings, First Dates, Tony Feels, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Polyamory

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2lfo5UL

#ao3feed #fanfic #frostiron #ironfrost #loki x tony #tony x loki

3 notes · View notes

ao3feed-frostiron · 6 years

Text

Tones, Honey Bear, Brucie Bear, Glinda, Elphaba, and Space Cowboy

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2lfo5UL

by GoringWriting

How Tony met each of his husbands.

Words: 1660, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of Tony Stark's Poly Protectors

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Thor (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Other

Characters: Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, Loki (Marvel), Peter Quill

Additional Tags: First Meetings, First Dates, Tony Feels, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Polyamory

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2lfo5UL

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #frostiron #lokixtony #loki #tony stark

3 notes · View notes

cma-european-art · 3 years

Photo

A Bearded Man Wearing a Hat, Rembrandt van Rijn , c. 1655-1660, Cleveland Museum of Art: European Painting and Sculpture

Amsterdam of the early 1600s was a religiously tolerant city, attracting many Jewish settlers of both Sephardic (Spanish and Portuguese) origin and Ashkenazic (Eastern European) descent. Rembrandt lived among both denominations and found inspiration in the manner and dress of the Ashkenazim, who maintained traditional comportment and attire and were less affluent than their Sephardim counterparts. As a result, many of the unidentified portraits from Rembrandt's late period once carried Jewish associations, but because of a lack of sufficient evidence, those assignations have since been reconsidered. Such is the case with Portrait of a Man, which was once considered a portrait of the Dutch Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) as well as a representation of a Jewish student. Rembrandt's authorship of the painting has also undergone reassessment. The broad and thinly painted cloak and hat suggests the painting is likely a workshop product and while it does display Rembrandt's characteristic interest in a sitter's introspection, the figure's thoughtfulness remains comparatively superficial. Size: Framed: 119.4 x 104.1 x 14.6 cm (47 x 41 x 5 3/4 in.); Unframed: 84.5 x 69.2 cm (33 1/4 x 27 1/4 in.) Medium: oil on canvas

https://clevelandart.org/art/1950.252

#europeanart #museumarchive #clevelandartmuseum #cmaopenaccess

71 notes · View notes

ao3feed-thebigguns · 6 years

Text

Tones, Honey Bear, Brucie Bear, Glinda, Elphaba, and Space Cowboy

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2lfo5UL

by GoringWriting

How Tony met each of his husbands.

Words: 1660, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of Tony Stark's Poly Protectors

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Thor (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Other

Characters: Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, Loki (Marvel), Peter Quill

Additional Tags: First Meetings, First Dates, Tony Feels, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Polyamory

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2lfo5UL

#ao3feed #Tony Stark #James Rhodes #Iron Man #War Machine #The Big Guns #fanfic

1 note · View note

mauritshuis-museum · 3 years

Photo

Posthumous Portrait of Mary I Stuart (1631- 1660) with a Servant, Adriaen Hanneman, 1664, Mauritshuis Museum

Mary Stuart, daughter of the king of England, was the wife of the Dutch stadholder Willem II of Orange-Nassau. She died at the age of just 29. This portrait was painted a couple of years later by Hanneman, who was the most important portrait painter of The Hague at the time. Mary is dressed up as an ‘American’ or ‘Indian’, ready to go to a fancy dress ball. She is wearing a cloak of feathers and an ostrich feather turban. The whole picture is made more even more exotic by the black servant beside her.

https://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/2021672/resource_document_mauritshuis_429.html?utm_source=api&utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=j4AoMQNzp

#museumarhive #mauritshuis #europeana #mauritshuismuseum #artmuseum

3 notes · View notes

likeniobe · 7 years

Text

GOTHS

or the COMPLEAT FEMALE STAGE BEAUTY

Being the History of Edward Kynaston and the Restoration Stage

i. rain in soho but no one’s dancing, no one’s dancing down there though you repent and don sackcloth and try to make nice / you can’t cross the same river twice we played for you but you would not sing / no one was going to get away with anything

Wheareas the distressed Estate of Ireland, steeped in her own Blood, and the distracted Estate of England, threatened with a Cloud of Blood by a Civil War, call for all possible Means to appease and avert the Wrath of God, appearing in these Judgements; amongst which, Fasting and Prayer, having been often tried to be very effetual, have been lately and are still enjoined...It is therefore thought fit, and Ordained, by the Lords and Commons in this Parliament assembled, That while these sad causes and set Times of Humiliation do continue, Public Stage Plays shall cease, and be forbore, instead of which are recommended to the People of this Land the profitable and seasonable considerations of Repentance, Reconciliation, and Peace with God.

parliamentary directive, 2 september 1642

ii. andrew eldritch is moving back to leeds there's indifference on the wind but a faint gust of hope / at a club nobody goes to with a musty velvet rope no sign to mark its going, no tombstone for its grave / there will be goodbyes by dozens so practice being brave

Our Musike that was held so delectable and precious, that they scorned to come to a Taverne under twentie shillings salary for two houres, now wander with their Instruments under their cloaks, I meant such as have any, into all houses of good fellowship, saluting every roome where there is company, with Will you have any musike Gentlemen?

the actors remonstrance or complaint for the silencing of their profession and banishment from their severall play-houses, 1643

iii. the grey king and the silver flame attunement trying to get our shapes back doomed sailors / born high by the waves / wild with wonder / leather and lace and good friends / most of them good, most of them friendly

Tho’ as I have before observed, Women were not admitted to the Stage, ’till the return of King Charles, yet it could not be so suddenly supply’d with them, but there was still a Necessity, for some time, to put the handsomest young Men into Petticoats; which Kynaston was then said to have worn, with Success.

colley cibber’s theatrical autobiography, 1740

Kynaston at that time was so beautiful a youth, that the Ladies of Quality prided themselves in taking him with them in their coaches, to Hyde Park, in his theatrical Habit after the Play....Of this truth I had the curiosity to enquire and had it confirmed from his own mouth in his advanced age.

colley cibber’s theatrical autobiography, 1740

iv. we do it different on the west coast the papers write about it back in england there’s a whole new world just up around the corner

And we do likewise permit and give leave that all the women’s parts to be acted in either of the said two companies for the time to come may be performed by women, so long as these recreations, which by reason of the abuses aforesaid were scandalous and offensive, may by such reformation be esteemed not only harmless delights but useful and constructive representations of humane life to such of our good subjects as shall resort to see the same.

letter from king charles to the reopened theaters, 1660

I come, unknown to any of the rest To tell you news, I saw the lady drest; The woman playes today, mistake me not, No man in gown, or page in petticoat; A woman to my knowledge.

prologue for the occasion of introducing “the first woman that came to act on the stage, in the tragedy called the moor of venice,” thomas jordan, 1660

v. unicorn tolerance hard limits fade into memory once broken through love to the ghosts who taught me everything I know

In the course of this comic subplot, Lady Would-be, Sir Politic’s wife, is convinced that her husband is having an illicit affair, and the first object of her suspicion is the character Peregrine, who is always in his company. She assumes, in fact, that he is a woman in male disguise, but the comedy of the scene depends on her suggesting male–male erotics...The joke works by playing on the supposedly disguised gender of Peregrine, and Lady Would-be’s accusations are vivid in the way that they insist on gender deviation...All these comic effects are intensified, however, when the actor, like Kynaston, prettily and softly handsome, is known to everyone in the theater as the recent heroine Arthiopa (or Aglaura or Princess Ismena). The very actor who has so recently and so popularly been a woman is accused on stage of being a woman in disguise. Surely he was given this role for the uproar this scene would cause among his admirers in the audience.

“‘the queen was not shav’d yet’: edward kynaston and the regendering of the restoration stage, george e. haggerty

vi. stench of the unburied say what you will for the effort / you can’t fault the technique keep climbing forever / try to keep the torch lit

The King coming a little before his usual time to a Tragedy, found the Actors not ready to begin, when his Majesty not chusing to have as much Patience as his good Subjects, sent to them, to know the Meaning of it; upon which the Master of the Company come to the Box, and rightly judging, that the best Excuse for their Default, would be the true one, fairly told his Majesty. that the Queen was not shav’d yet: The King, whose good Humour lov’d to laugh at a Jest, as well as to make one, accepted the Excuse, which serv’d to divert him, till the male Queen cou’d be effeminated.

colley cibber’s theatrical autobiography, 1740

vii. wear black all this coast is vanishing / check me out, I can’t blend in / check me out, I’m young and ravishing see me keeper of the source code

Stunningly beautiful in earlier scenes, in various poses and various costumes, here Arthiopa enters with “her haire dishevell’d,” a shamed and brutalized victim, and she fulfills the abject potential of the opening scene as she succumbs to her feelings here. This type of pathetic heroine became the specialty of Kynaston, and in these roles he was rarely equaled, as John Downes’s remarks about Kynaston’s performance in this play suggest. For Downes, Kynaston “being then very Young Made a Compleat Female Stage Beauty, performing his Parts so well, especially Arthiopa and Aglaura, being Parts greatly moving Compassion and Pity; that it has since been Disputable among the Judicious, whether any woman that succeeded him so Sensibly touch’d the audience as he.”

“‘the queen was not shav’d yet’: edward kynaston and the regendering of the restoration stage, george e. haggerty

viii. paid in cocaine baubles and bangles, a lost age / still all aglow with the radiance of the stage that’s who I was / this is who I am

The last and arguably best known boy actor to play Desdemona on the Restoration stage, Edward Kynaston, was playing female parts until his early 20s. In 1660, Desdemona was the first major stage part to be played by any English actress on the professional stage, and the boy player tradition declined rapidly after this.

othello, stuart hampton-reeves

Cassio, played by Edward Kynaston (a pre-Restoration actor who was also noted for playing the woman’s part), is simply, “the Moor’s Lieutenant General.”

description of a 1681 cast list in othello: a contextual history, virginia mason vaughan

ix. rage of travers they break the news to me so gentle / but I start to feel sentimental nobody wants to hear the twelve-bar blues / from a guy in platform shoes

Because the film [Stage Beauty] openly invites us to understand this climactic scene as a scene of triumph, we are asked to understand that an anachronistically modern conception of acting, in which art is indistinguishable from nature, is superior to historical conceptions of acting as personation—a superiority recognized even by the seventeenth-century theater patrons in the film—and that the elimination of cross-gender performance enables this artistic progress. The shots of an ecstatic audience on their feet shouting “Hughes! Hughes!” also make this a “recognition scene” that acknowledges a presumed liberal audience that desires progress in gender relations and takes satisfaction in Maria's professional success. Ultimately, though, the success is Kynaston's. In gaining control over and finally “killing” the character that, in the film's terms, was responsible for smothering his masculine nature, Kynaston comes into his own. As he says backstage, “I finally got the death scene right.”

“‘what’s the trick in that?’ performing gender and history in stage beauty, cameron mcfarlane

x. shelved the ride’s over, I know / but I’m not ready to go

For male actors, especially boy actors, this meant that some major adjusting had to occur. Male Restoration actors began to have a reduced pool of roles to choose from, playing only male characters – though they might play “in skirts” (in comedic female roles) for a broad comic effect, as in the Renaissance. Masculinity in male roles became more definitive and limited with the rise of the actress, and was reinforced by patriarchal society at large.

“bawds, babes, and breeches: regendering theater after the english restoration,” laura larson

xi. for the portuguese goth metal bands star-crossed lovers and their tragic fates finally head west, but it’s a dead end / come home dead broke but still among friends there’s not so many of us / but you don’t know any of us

Restoration history is primarily written through the circulation of well-known anecdotal evidence by scholars, which rarely includes representations of actresses, or women for that matter, and becomes an incomplete and biased narrative of women’s lives that is canonized. This severe lack of primary source material is one of the main factors in the disagreement among Restoration scholars, since there can be many different analyses of the same sources. Indeed, one is hard-pressed to find anything beyond a brief mention of women on stage in diaries or papers, and the relevant play material – prologues and epilogues written for specific performances – are largely edited out of available modern play texts.

“bawds, babes, and breeches: regendering theater after the english restoration,” laura larson

xii. abandoned flesh

but the world came to agree / what you see is what you get and what you get is what you see you and me and all of us / are gonna have to find a job / because the world will never know or understand / the suffocated splendor / of the once and future goth band

Did not the Boys Act Women's Parts Last Age? Till We in pitty to the Barren Stage Came to Reform your Eyes that went astray, And taught you Passion the true English Way. Have not the Women of the Stage done this? Nay, took all Shapes, and used most means to Please.

epilogue to elkanah settle’s the conquest of china by the tartars, spoken by leading lady mary lee, 1676

#the mountain goats #edward kynaston #please clap this took me so long and I don't know anything about restoration theater

41 notes · View notes