#Piano Regulation New York | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

99point9percentwhump · 2 years

Text

Whumptober Day 1- Unconventional Restraint

"It was a bustling evening in Waldo's before Maguire showed up and changed everything. I was playing the piano and people were having a good time, a nice Friday evening for most people, just not for me"

"Maguire showed up at about 10:30. He was a distraught man, mid-thirties with a military regulated mustache. I could see that a mile away as he cut through the tables and cigarette smoke looking for something, apparently me. As soon as his eyes saw me he made tracks and sat down without an invitation. I had kept playing when he whispered desperately in my ear that he needed help. I nodded over at a spare booth and he sat there and waited as I finished the set and then wandered over to the eagerly waiting man."

Sitting down Johnny lit a cigarette, not needing to offer one to the man tapping the table worriedly. "How can I help you?" Johnny offered.

"My name's Maguire. I need you to help me find someone." Maguire took a desperate heavy swig of the drink Waldo had brought while he was waiting.

"Okay, I need some more details."

Maguire shook his head. "I don't know who, I just need your help finding out who they are."

Puzzled, Johnny smoothed a hand over his dark hair. "Look friend, if you want my help you're gonna have to give me more than that."

The man 'Maguire' dragged a hand down his face. "I don't know her name." The man had an air of experience and he seemed well traveled, but he also looked like a man who was just put out to dry.

Taking a long drag on his cigarette, Johnny leaned forward. "What did this woman do then?"

Shifting uncomfortably, the man leaned closer to Johnny. "She robbed me."

That wasn't an uncommon occurrence in the city, not even in the world. I'd heard many stories in Korea of GI's being robbed by a dame.

Johnny flicked the loose ashes. "When and where?" The man leaned back, eyes looking toward the door. "What did she take?" the PI tried. Maguire's attention returned to him. "My wallet, my train ticket and my watch!" he said louder than he intended, quickly casting a wary eye around to make sure no other patron had overheard.

Johnny waited, then beckoned to the bar who quickly jumped to making another drink and brought it. Maguire finished it in a gulp. "It was last night, this girl at a bar well…" he trailed off. "Yeah, I get it. Okay, when did it happen?"

"We got back to her hotel room at the fireside motel, she said she was only staying in New York. The next two nights she made drinks and then the next thing I know I'm waking up on the floor, wallet and watch missing and so is the girl!"

Pretty classic case.

"So, how am I supposed to find this girl if she wasn't supposed to stay in the city?"

Maguire said, face flustered, "You're the investigator and you come highly recommended!"

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Johnny stubbed out his cigarette. "Leave your contact information and I'll let you know.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Johnny made his way across the busy streets on a mission.

What Maguire was looking for was one in a million. Trying to track down one girl who swindled him was nearly impossible, but I said I'd try and I have a place to start. The Fire Motel.

I had some dealings with the manager of the motel through some other cases. She wasn't my biggest fan but my work with the police is the only reason she helped. This was to avoid them looking too much at the comings and goings of the motels business.

Johnny stepped up on the curb bathed in the neon red sign reading Fire Motel, a second one that flashed vacancies and a sign on the wall giving price of stays by the week, night, and hour.

The PI stepped through the creaking door into the lobby, its old, well worn carpet half the color it once was. The wallpaper was peeling in patches and the front desk's proprietor was sitting in an ancient leather desk chair that once would have been properly seated at a fancy dining hall, now leather cracked and sunken from use. The woman sat in it smoking, her eyes already on him peeking over her crooked glasses. She huffed a cloud of smoke in irritation at the site of him.

"Donna." he said, trying to be friendly. She replied by jamming her spent cigarette in an already overfilled ashtray and twisted it violently. He smiled at her.

She was in her early 50s, involved in the various businesses that ran out of the motel for most of her life. Her blond hair was tucked back. "Whaddya want Staccato?" Her voice once might have been pretty but was now warped from years of heavy drinking and smoking. It was raspy and harsh and filled with spite for the man. "I was hoping you'd have someone here I'm looking for."

"Ohh I got lots for you." She gave a dark smirk at her own innuendo. "Not that kinda girl, Donna. One that's just passing through, robbed a guy last night."

She lit another cigarette. "Doesn't happen at my place," she said defensively.

"Not without your permission at least," Johnny countered. Donna let out a raucous laugh "You know, I could be very offended by that kind of statement Johnny."

Johnny caught movement from the shadows, someone he had missed. A hulking man in a black suit, arms crossed, a hand tucked inside the jacket. "i'm only looking for a girl, if she doesn't work for you, then you should want her gone. She's giving your place a bad reputation," he countered, a smirk playing up. Donna stood sizing up Johnny "We've only had one room let for someone just staying the night."

Donna reached down and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of dark liquor and poured a round into each glass. She slid one at Johnny. The glass slid across the polished desk, stopping right at the edge. Donna smiled wickedly. "Still got it." She raised her glass at Johnny expectedly.

"The room, Donna," he countered without touching the glass.

"Oh! That's right," she turned with a flourish, grabbing a coffee mug and then the pot sitting on a burner. She filled it while Johnny looked towards the heavy-set man who was staring at him from the shadows, just waiting for Donna to tell him what to do. A clink of the mug on the counter brought Johnny back to Donna. She took the amber filled glass she sent to him and drank it.

"Donna. I don't have all night."

She pulled a face. "And I always thought the one thing you had was manners," she pouted glancing at her bodyguard. Johnny suppressed a sigh and took the stained cup, debating whether it was safe but lacking a better alternative, he said "To your health," and he sipped the drink. It was lukewarm, watered down but very bitter still. Donna smiled pleased and finished off her second drink Johnny forced himself to take another drink of what once was coffee, then Donna stepped out from behind the front desk, smoothly grabbing a key off the wall. "I'll show you the way."

"I can find it myself." Johnny argued. Donna dramatically frowned and looked hurt. "Oh Johnny, it's not everyday I get to take such handsome men to one of my bedrooms," she leered at him. He plucked the key from her hand and put the cup down.

"Still haven't," he said equally.

She leaned back against the desk. "If you insist, it's your loss."

Johnny checked the tag on the key. Room 12. He eyed the guard as he passed and made his way down the narrow halls of the Fire Motel, doing his best to ignore the various sounds emanating from different rooms he passed. He looked for Room 12, he finally found it at the poorly lit dead end of the first floor. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he glanced back at the empty hall. He shook it off, chalking it up to the location. The PI slid his hand to his revolver nestled in his waist holster as he eased the key into the lock and opened the door.

The room was dark, so he reached for a switch. He found one and snapped it on, revealing the room. It was like any room for money, minimally furnished with anything but a bed. It had no signs of being occupied. Johnny shook his head, he didn't think his quarry would be here but he had to check. He turned for the door when a wave of dizziness hit him he pinched his eyes shut, caught off guard at the feeling. He tried to stand straight but the world tilted out of his control. He caught his hands on a support, the brass footboard of the bed as a slow ringing started in his ears, then it occurred to him he hadn't seen Donna pour the coffee. "Oh no."

He didn't mean to say it aloud.

"Something wrong?" a mocking innocent voice asked. Still gripping the footboard for support, he looked at the open doorway to find Donna leaning wantonly on the doorframe.

A cold sweat broke out all over Johnny, he tried to speak but all sound caught in his throat coming out only in a slight moan. He could feel his hand slipping on the brass as Donna took a slow purposeful step toward him. He tried to stand upright when the room began reeling. All senses dulled, he barely felt his knees drive into the worn carpeted floor. All he saw was an up-close look of the shredded fibers when, somehow, the world violently turned again and he was facing the ceiling. He blinked slowly as it shifted in and out of focus, then Donna's face came leaning over him. She was heavily leering at the prone detective. Johnny tried desperately to get his arm to move to his revolver, but his body refused to respond.

He was helpless as kneeled down. Donna flicked away his suit jacket covering his waistband holster. She placed a hand on his chest to support her as she plucked the hand gun from its place, then leaned down draping herself across his chest. She dragged the nose of the revolver under Johnny's chin.

"And you said I'd never get you into my bedroom," her smokey voice purred in his ear as she ran her free hand over his cheek. Then she dragged it down his face and lower to places she had no place in being. Johnny was almost grateful as his vision dimmed and he lost consciousness.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The first thing Johnny noted as his sense started to return was the painful ache in his shoulders and the pins and needles in his hands. Then the headache made itself known. He wanted to fall back into oblivion and escape the feelings when the memory of himself collapsing and Donna came rushing back to him. The panic forced his eyes open and his eyes struggled to focus, his stomach turned in knots. He swallowed back the nausea, then he went to lean forward to ease the nauseous feeling when he was stopped. The pain in his shoulders flared, so he sat back, then he saw what was holding him back. Each of his wrists were bound to the brass footboard with a nylon stocking. he tried to twist his hands free but the stocking held fast. A mocking laugh came from the door causing him to freeze. Donna stood again in the doorway eyeing him nastily.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen. That's the oldest trick in the book, Detective."

He could help but glance down, happy to find his clothes mostly intact. Only his jacket was removed, and his shirt was unbuttoned half way. He sent her a fury filled look. She sauntered over as he shifted. Still helpless, she casually checked the knots "I was tempted to use my best silk ones for you Johnny." She chuckled and bent down and grasped his chin, forcing him to look up at her. He jerked his chin free of her grasp. "Let me go."

Donna let out a laugh. "Oh don't you worry your pretty little head about that. Someone will." She walked to the doorway, swaying her hips a little more than necessary as she walked.

She turned and leaned against the doorway. "I called the police, they'll be here shortly." She smiled smugly "Adieu, my dear." She left, pulling the door shut behind her, leaving Johnny alone

Johnny fought against the bonds holding him a fresh wave of dizziness washed over him. He let out a small whimper and tried to rest his head on one shoulder, but the nausea returned. Lost in his own head, leftover drugs in his system overtook him and he fell asleep.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The sound of voices and doors clattering open woke Johnny. His arms were on fire and now he had an uncomfortable crink in his neck from sleeping. Considering his plight he felt better, more aware. Even his stomach had settled and the room before him was in more focus when the door knob shifted and slowly eased open, revealing the figure of a man in a crisp suit and fedora sitting at an angle; his colt looked specially drawn. Johnny let out an uncomfortable sigh. Detective Sullivan scanned the room, never letting his police instincts down. "You alright Staccato?"

Johnny sighed. "Do I look alright, Sully?!"

Sullivan smirked a bit, letting Johnny get away with the snap. He holstered his Police special and walked over, inspecting the stockings holding Johnny prisoner. "She never runs out of surprises, does she." Sully retrieved a Swiss Army knife from his pocket and went to work freeing the private detective. "You arrest Donna?" Johnny grimaced as Sully finally cut through one. He cradled his arm in his lap

"Nope, she flew the coop" he stated as he cut through the last of the stocking. Johnny rushed to stand but swayed dangerously once he did. Sullivan grasped him by the arms to steady him. "Easy Staccato," he looked sympathetically at Johnny. We

"We have to find her." Johnny said adamantly. Sully raised his eyebrows and didn't let Johnny go, preventing him from running off. "Johnny, Donna is a pro but she'll turn up again. The only place you should be is the hospital."

Johnny weakly tried to pull free of Sully's hold. "No, no hospitals. I'm fine."

The police detective scoffed. "Then you're only going back to Waldo's. At least he'll keep an eye on you till you're thinking clearly." Johnny went to protest but Sully wasn't one to debate. "It's Waldo's or the police station." That got through to Johnny that he has no real choice in the matter. He conceded, "Fine. Waldo's."

"Alright then."

Releasing Johnny, he walked the private investigator out, grasping him by the elbow when he staggered and helping the younger man to the car. Waiting for him, Sully got the door. Johnny waved his hands "Sully I'm fine. I can walk."

Sullivan scoffed. "You're not walking ten feet, get in," he ordered. Reluctantly, Johnny obeyed and got in the back seat. He was followed by Sully, who ordered the driver to Waldo's. "Donna's a heck of a player to get you, eh Staccato." There was no response. Sully looked at Johnny who'd fallen fast asleep leaning against the car window.

"Walk indeed," the detective said under his breath as the police car took off into the night. AO3 LINK

#whumptober2022 #Day 1 #unconventional restraint #tied up #whump fic #whump writing #power play #drugged #collapse #Johnny Staccato

13 notes · View notes

rhpsdys · 1 year

Text

below the cut is raine's 1940s las vegas verse from b.accano campaign that i forgot to post. it's also been added to their carrd.

Born in Bushwick, Brooklyn to one human parent and one elven one, Raine was raised with a foot in two worlds. They had an early passion for music, and it became evident around age five that they had been granted magic a few years earlier in 1920 — while plucking out notes on the piano at a friend's house, they inadvertently cast a prestidigitation cantrip, and the resulting magical effect drew attention to their powerful abilities at such a young age. They enrolled in music classes, where their prodigious skills became evident, learning not only the piano, but the flute, the guitar, and finally the violin at a rapid pace.

At age eight, they were accepted into the pre-college program at Juilliard, where they studied primarily violin along with the rest of the classic string ensemble instruments. They furthered their studies with private lessons in the woodwinds, and continued to teach themself guitar. Over the next ten years, Raine practiced, improved, and mastered over half a dozen different instruments. Raine then completed their Bachelor of Music degree in Violin and Graduate Diploma in Historical Performance, completing all studies by age 23. They auditioned for the New York Philharmonic, and at 24 were hired playing Second Violin. By 28 they were promoted to First Violin.

Even within this exceptional ensemble, comprised of the country's most accomplished musicians, Raine rose through the ranks swiftly; they were talented and hardworking, but while they remained passionate about the music itself, the uptight and formal nature of such a prestigious formal organization was constricting and tempered their love of playing.

Turning back the clock a bit...

Halfway through high school, Raine's family moved to Manhattan — their mother Kali got a raise at work that allowed them to move closer, making Raine's commute to and from Juilliard easier. At their new school, they met Eda — class clown, lacrosse star, and directionless but gifted kid. The two became fast friends, and Raine fell for her HARD. They started going out shortly after graduation, and Eda's wild and carefree spirit was the escapism Raine needed to continue finding the passion in their music as they made their way through school. They were in love with her, even planned on marrying her one day. Sometimes, more frequently than they'd care to admit, Raine considered dropping out of school, to just go off and be a street performer, or play in dimly lit bars, or even just sitting on the floor of the tiny apartment they shared, making music for and with Eda — their love, their muse, their biggest cheerleader, and their best friend.

But Eda was not without her own demons, and Raine found themself in the position of needing to provide for both of them. Over time, life in New York became too difficult to maintain, as the war came and went, and as magic usage — especially by those who came from other planes — was strictly regulated. In 1946, Raine made the difficult decision to resign from the Philharmonic, and the pair moved from NYC to Las Vegas in hopes of finding more financial success, while working a lower-stress job (lol) that would give them the flexibility needed to continue taking care of Eda, whose situation was worsening. Raine begins playing more jazz than classical — something they thrive at due to its loose and improvisational nature. They gig around at various bars and clubs, and they love it — but concern for Eda is always on the forefront of their mind, and tensions between the two have only seem to grow since their move.

also apparently eda accidentally helped make the liquor of immortality (alba just informed me of this like 2 seconds ago god bless)

#i know its been forever. i'll be back but i needed to post this #out of.

4 notes · View notes

flopsy-art · 2 years

Text

STAR TREK TOS WATCH, The Best Episodes IMO (Episodes number is based on Netflix)

S1 E5, The Naked Time (everyone looses self control, Spock admits his friendship with Kirk and his love for his mother)

S1 E6, The Enemy Within (double Kirk, v funny to me)

S1 E8, What Are Little Girls Made Of (Kirk gets turned into an android, Spock immediately notices lol)

S1 E11, The Corbomite Maneuver (Kirk is smart ooooo)

S1 E14 The Consious of the King (KODOS more Kirk backstory)

S1 E15 A Balance of Terror (Kirk is smart, part two. "Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the bridge." )

S1 E17 The Galileo Seven (Spock makes an emotional, last ditch effort to save the away team. "You're not going to admit that for the first time in your life, you commited a purely human, emotional act?" "No, sir.")

S1 E20 Tommorow is Yesterday (back in time sksjsk, military shenanigans "is that a uniform of some kind?" "This little thing? Oh, just something I slipped on")

S1 E25 This Side of Paradise (sex spores lmao. Kind of depressing tbh)

S1 E26 The Devil in the Dark (Spock melds with a rock creature. Rock creature is v smart)

S1 E29 City on the Edge of Forever (wack time travel shit, "I see you've noticed the ears. They're actually easy to explain. . ." "Perhaps the unfortunate accident I had as a child- " "the unfortunate accident he had as a child." )

S2 E1 Amok Time (need I say more?)

S2 E3 The Changeling (Spock melds with a missile. Kirk out logics the missile.)

S2 E4 Mirror, Mirror (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE BABY. Uhura kicks ass. Watch out for goatee Spock, he kills.)

S2 E6 The Doomsday Machine (fucked Commodore dude does annoying things with Kirk's ship. Kirk don't give a fuck. "Blast regulations! Mr Spock I order you to assume command!")

S2 E8 I, Mudd (second Mudd epsiode, except this one is actually funny. Uhura my beloved.)

S2 E10 Journey to Babel (SPOCK MUM AND DAD! People also die but don't worry about that.)

S2 E13 Obsession (Kirk backstory oooo.)

S2 E15 Trouble with Tribbles (that's it.)

S2 E17 A Piece of the Action (too many things to name. One of the most enjoyable episodes. New York gangsters)

S2 E24 The Ultimate Computer (they test a computer, not as good as first thought. Kirk has a crisis)

S2 E26 Assignment: Earth (more timey whimey shit, now with aliens! Spock holds a cat.)

S3 E1 Spock's Brain (lady steals Spock's brain, what more is there to say.)

S3 E3 The Enterprise Incident (Kirk is smart part 3. Cross that border, captain.)

S3 E6 Spectre of the Gun (as punishment recreate this gunfight!)

S3 E9 The Tholian Web (Kirk is dead! No he's not! No he's not!)

S3 E14 Whom God's Destroy (beats the criminally insane with chess questions. Kirk is smart part four?)

S3 E19 Requiem for Methuselah (Spock and the piano. That's the whole reason this episode is here.)

S3 E24 The Turnabout Intruder (Kirk switches bodies with one of his old girlfriends. Hmm trans.)

#have a little thing that is mostly for myself lmao #startrek

6 notes · View notes

church-capital · 6 months

Text

Exploring American Guerrilla Marketing Tactics

Unleashing Creativity: Exploring American Guerrilla Marketing Tactics

In the fast-paced world of marketing, where attention spans are fleeting and competition is fierce, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to capture the imagination of their audience. Enter guerrilla marketing, a bold and unconventional approach that challenges the norms of traditional advertising and leaves a lasting impression on consumers. In this blog post, we'll delve into the captivating world of American guerrilla marketing tactics, exploring the creativity, ingenuity, and impact behind these daring campaigns.

Guerrilla marketing is all about thinking outside the box and leveraging creativity to generate buzz and excitement around a brand or product. Unlike traditional advertising, which relies on paid media placements and mass distribution, guerrilla marketing thrives on surprise, spontaneity, and interactivity. From flash mobs and viral stunts to clever street art installations and pop-up events, guerrilla marketing campaigns are designed to disrupt the status quo and spark conversation.

One of the defining characteristics of guerrilla marketing is its ability to leverage existing infrastructure and resources in unexpected ways. Take, for example, the "Fearless Girl" statue, which was strategically placed facing Wall Street's iconic "Charging Bull" statue in New York City. Commissioned by State Street Global Advisors as part of an advertising campaign promoting gender diversity in the workplace, the statue quickly became a symbol of empowerment and garnered widespread media attention, reinforcing the brand's message in a powerful and memorable way.

Similarly, the "Ice Bucket Challenge" campaign, which went viral on social media in 2014, demonstrated the power of grassroots activism and collective action in raising awareness and funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. What started as a simple challenge to dump a bucket of ice water over one's head quickly snowballed into a global phenomenon, with millions of people participating and sharing videos of their experiences online. The campaign not only raised millions of dollars for ALS research but also sparked conversations about the disease and inspired countless individuals to get involved in charitable causes.

Another hallmark of guerrilla marketing is its ability to create immersive and interactive experiences that engage all the senses. Take, for example, the "Piano Stairs" installation by Volkswagen in a subway station in Stockholm, Sweden. By transforming a staircase into a giant piano keyboard that produced musical notes with each step, Volkswagen encouraged commuters to take the stairs instead of the escalator, promoting a message of fun and fitness while subtly showcasing the brand's commitment to innovation and creativity.

In the realm of experiential marketing, guerrilla tactics are also being used to create memorable brand activations and pop-up events that bring consumers closer to the products and services they love. For example, Nike's "Unlimited Stadium" in Manila, Philippines, transformed a city park into a giant running track featuring LED screens, interactive games, and live performances, allowing participants to test out Nike's latest athletic gear in a fun and immersive environment.

Despite its many benefits, guerrilla marketing is not without its challenges and risks. From legal considerations and public safety concerns to potential backlash from consumers and regulators, executing a successful guerrilla campaign requires careful planning, coordination, and execution. However, when done right, guerrilla marketing has the power to captivate audiences, drive brand awareness, and create lasting emotional connections that traditional advertising simply cannot replicate.

In conclusion, American guerilla marketing tactics represent a bold and daring approach to advertising that challenges conventions, captivates audiences, and leaves a lasting impression on consumers. From viral stunts and interactive installations to immersive brand activations and pop-up events, guerrilla marketing campaigns are redefining the way businesses engage with their audience in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace. As brands continue to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation, one thing is clear: the future of marketing is guerrilla.

#American Guerrilla Marketing #American Guerilla Marketing

0 notes

dustedmagazine · 1 year

Text

Russ Lossing & King Vulture — Alternate Side Parking Music (Aqua Piazza)

Alternate Side Parking Music by Russ Lossing

For some, life in a burg with complex parking regulations means that one must spend time and energy each day either figuring out where the car will go, or sitting in it when there’s no opportune place to put it. Pianist Russ Lossing lived that life for years as he coped with the task of forever having to give up and locate spots under the alternate side parking regiment on Manhattan’s car-clogged streets. Under such circumstances, you have to wonder how one gets to be king vulture. By getting good at hovering over spots? By diligently defending what you find on the street? Anyway, back to Lossing, who derived two things from the experience. One, ultimately, was to move out of town; when I chatted with the guy after a Samuel Blaser concert in 2022, he talked about the sanity-conferring benefits of moving to a smaller town outside of New York City. The other is this music.

Lossing has been on the jazz scene for decades, both as an accompanist with Paul Motian, Kirk Knuffke, and Blaser (among many), and as a leader. In any setting, he can be relied upon to prioritize clarity over density, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll shy from complexity; he just doesn’t call attention to the fancy stuff. The sound of this quartet, with its effects-laden electric pianos sharing space with an acoustic instrument, Adam Kolker’s pithy reed phrases, and the assertive rhythm section of Matt Pavolka and Dayeon Seok, is distinct from many of his other projects. It takes some of the spaciness out of early 1970s electric jazz, and balances repetitive funk elements with a comprehensively developed interactive element. The quartet played this material, which requires from all players both an adherence to fixed elements and a willingness to make split-second decisions (thus the parking metaphor), for four years, and it shows in their cohesive execution of the King Vulture songbook’s lucid melodies, abstracted yet palpable grooves, and complicated joints. This music doesn’t blow out or blaze; it simmers, smolders, and ceaselessly reconfigures behind a foreground of sturdy, fixed elements.

Bill Meyer

#russ lossing and king vulture #alternate side parking music #aqua pizza #bill meyer #albumreview #dusted magazine #jazz

0 notes

anincorrectpetunia · 3 years

Text

Not knowing much about Olivia and Fitz, Brock took control of the music, attempting to regulate the group's mood. Kenny snuck up behind Brock, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You OK? We can leave when you're ready."

Brock placed the record's needle down and spun around to face Kenny. Piano keys pinged and the velvet tones of Johny Hartman's Easy Living calmed the room.

"I'm good, actually."

"Come sit with us." Kenny led Brock back to the group in the sitting room, his hand at the small of Brock's back.

Laying her naked feet across Naem's lap, Chandani looked at the two and proclaimed, "You're very cute together, "

"How did you two meet?" Naem continued.

"At the Lounge, right? Remember that whole 'Another Maroon love connection' thing Cara toasted to?" said Quinn.

"Another?"

"Love?"

Brock and Kenny expressed different sentiments at the same time.

"We've only been seeing each other for a month-ish. I think it's a little too soon for the 'L' word," said Kenny.

"Nonsense, it's never too soon. When you know, you know."

"How would you know? You've never been in love," retorted Abby to Harrison.

"Which is why I know. Whether it's 24 hours or 24 weeks, it's just never hit me with any of the girls I've been with."

"That's why you should try dating adult women instead."

"Harrison's right, though. It didn't take me long to realize Dani was the one," said Naem.

"It took you longer than me. I knew the night I met you."

"Do you really think love at first sight is a thing? Seems more like a marketing scheme," said Abby.

The room was split between those who believed and those who did not. Brock was a believer. He loved 'love,' feeding on a diet of romance in every flavor and variety. Sometimes he felt old fashioned and was made to feel out of touch with reality, even at his relatively young age. He was not one who thought marriage was some heterosexual construct in which radical gays should not participate. But he also did not believe devotion had anything to do with sexual monogamy. What his parents felt for each other, he wanted that, but in a way that was conducive to who he was and how he lived his life. Brock listened in on the arguments for and against the belief in love at first sight. "Is that what happened with our host and hostess? They seem like the love-at-first-sight type of couple. But what's tea on those two?"

"Mmm... I'm not sure about at-first-sight. I wasn't there for the first meeting, but I was there for the falling in love part, at Maroon. And also for much of the what-the-hell-is-going-on-here parts. The don't-talk-to-me-about-him-or-her parts-"

"Whew, that was rough, " said Abby. "But, hey, I got a job out of it."

Kenny continued. "The dating other people part. And then the part where they stopped acting dumb. I mean... they still act dumb from time to time, but they work it out. Chile, the drama these two can create. War and Peace has nothing on them."

"Oh, god, you should have been there in New York. After that whole mess of a year?" Dani's hand went to her face just recalling the memory.

"Can you believe they were there the same weekend? Did either one of you set that up?" Abby said looking between Cara and Chandani. Both denied it.

Time periods, seasons, dates, inside jokes kept flying over Brock's head like jigsaw pieces being thrown at him. He tried to grab at the pieces to make his own puzzle, but he had no real basis from which to begin. Feeling slightly obsessed and convinced they had the life he coveted for the future, he just wanted to know about the couple whose music he'd been playing all night.

"Ok, now I have to know. How did they finally get together?"

More from Episode 9

#olitz fan fiction

2 notes · View notes

thisaliennerd · 4 years

Note

so true blaine, sam and britt are autistic!! but post about it i wanna know why u think that

I literally only needed one person to ask me this, so thank you for being that person, anon! Britt is very self-explanatory, and Sam is also pretty obvious imo (although I do have lots of notes on him too), but since I think Blaine needs a little bit more explaining, here is my evidence as to why I think he’s autistic.

First of all, let’s look at some of the common symptoms of autism in adults:

Difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling

Trouble interpreting facial expressions, body language, or social cues

Difficulty regulating emotion

Trouble keeping up a conversation

Inflection that does not reflect feelings

Difficulty maintaining the natural give-and-take of a conversation; prone to monologues on a favorite subject

Tendency to engage in repetitive or routine behaviors

Only participates in a restricted range of activities

Strict consistency to daily routines; outbursts when changes occur

Exhibiting strong, special interests

I think Blaine exhibits all or almost all of these things throughout the show, so let’s go through the list, point by point (with examples):

First, difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling. Blaine is very bad at this, especially romantic feelings. He doesn’t catch on to Kurt or Tina having crushes on him for way too long even though neither of them are subtle about it. He also doesn’t seem to pick up on most of Sebastian’s stuff. He seems to be aware that he’s hitting on him, but he doesn’t seem to be aware of his rivalry with Kurt or any of his malicious intent. Every time he and Kurt get into a fight he needs Kurt to explicitly tell him what’s wrong.

Second, trouble interpreting facial expressions, body language, or social cues. Blaine is TERRIBLE at this. He doesn’t understand sarcasm, he can never tell when people are lying to him, he often doesn’t understand how to talk to his peers, and he has no idea when people are uncomfortable. I have so many examples for this and the first point, but here’s just a small sample: s2e12 (22:15) - not getting that Jeremiah was very uncomfortable with the song, s5e9 (37:20) - when he’s named valedictorian instead of Artie or Tina, he apologizes to them and says that he thinks that things get handed to him, they sarcastically say they haven’t noticed, and Blaine believes them, s5e14 (15:10) - when he asks Kurt if he’s smothering him, and Kurt lies and says no, he believes him even though Kurt is a terrible liar, and (my favorite example of this) in s6e5 (40:15) - saying that he should thank Sue for trapping them in that elevator because now he and Kurt are just friends, and she says, “So thank me” and he actually says thank you (followed by Kurt saying, “Don’t actually thank her!” - amazing).

Third, difficulty regulating emotion. Blaine is very bad at regulating his emotions, especially negative ones. Most notably, anger. Blaine has intense angry outbursts, which will tie in later. Examples of this: season 3 episode 8 (13:50) - getting into a fight with Sam, season 5 episode 14 (26:50 and 27:20) - yelling at Elliot, and season 3 episode 15 (22:35) - outburst at Cooper.

Fourth, trouble keeping up a conversation. Blaine frequently talks about how he’s bad at communication and talking to people, especially about feelings, outside of song. He often has to sing to say bad news or confess things. Examples of this: Singing to tell Kurt about him cheating (s4e4 - 14:30), singing to confess his feelings to Sam (s4e17 - 21:15), singing to tell Kurt he’s not in June’s showcase (s5e20 - 10:40). When he is confronted by a conversation that makes him uncomfortable or that he wasn’t prepared for, he often has to shut down to think about it. Examples of this are when Kurt confesses his crush in season 2 episode 12 (30:40), Sam telling him he knew about Blaine’s crush in season 4 episode 17 (37:10), and the Frat Boy Physicals incident in season 5 episode 16 (21:05).

Fifth, inflection that does not reflect feelings. Generally, Blaine seems to be pretty good at this, especially in comparison to Brittany, but when he gets upset, he does sometimes get weirdly monotoned or just puts on a strange tone of voice. The best example of this I have is in season six, episode four (9:40 and 10:10).

Sixth, difficulty maintaining the natural give-and-take of a conversation; prone to monologues on a favorite subject. This is definitely true, especially when he gets upset about things. Season 5 episode 7 has the best examples of this, he starts by trying to lead the glee club in Mr. Shue’s absence, but he ends up coming on too strong and speaking over his peers (00:40). Next, when Kurt implies that he’s being a puppet master, he gets very upset, and keeps focusing on and coming back to that, even when Kurt tries to change the subject (6:45), and finally, he starts ranting to Brad, and cuts him off when Brad tries to chime in with his problems (11:40).

Seventh, tendency to engage in repetitive or routine behaviors. Blaine has the most consistent clothing and presentation out of anyone in the show, and as seen in season 3 episode 15 (17:15 and 38:10) and in season 5 episode 6 (28:15), Blaine has been dressing like this and doing his hair the same way since he was a kid. He even owns the same shirt in multiple colors (season 5 episode 6: 27:25). In season 4 episode 17, he talks to Sam about how his daily routine and how he walks the exact same way from class every day (00:45). This is also the first time Blaine mentions efficiency, he measures his routine down to the second, and it being efficient is really important to him. This comes back in season 5 episode 14 when he’s trying to make the loft more efficient (23:05). He also reveals in season 5 episode 20 that he needs to measure the stage before performing in order to improv (7:30).

Eighth, only participates in a restricted range of activities. Now you may be thinking, but Miriam, this doesn’t apply, wasn’t he president of like every club his senior year? Yes, he was, but this actually doesn’t disprove this one. He still really is focused on a few activities like glee club, student council, and school in general. He only signs up for the other clubs in a time of crisis, and he’s never seen doing anything outside of school in college or in seasons 2 or 3 (except for his special interests). And as these are all school clubs, that meet on school grounds, they’re still in his comfort zone.

Ninth, strict consistency to daily routines, and outbursts when changes occur. So we’ve talked about his routines, what happens when they’re broken? In season 5 episode 14, Blaine attempts to set routines with Kurt, making him breakfast every day, scheduling their days rigorously, etc., which leads Kurt to feeling smothered, but Blaine tells Elliot that he feels like he doesn’t know how to communicate. He feels very uncomfortable with the change of living in New York and the shift in the power dynamic between them. This is reinforced a few episodes later in episode 16, when these issues come back. In addition, episode 16 has an example of Blaine having an outburst when a short-term plan is disrupted. He and Kurt had planned to walk to class together, and Kurt had bailed without telling him, and Blaine gets very upset (23:05). Another example of this is when he finds Tina and Sam making out in season 5 episode 10 (24:45, 29:30). Their plans were disrupted, and he has an outburst/meltdown. Another example of long-term routines being disrupted is in season 3 episode 8. Sam has just come back to McKinley, and immediately, Sam and Blaine dislike each other. They’re both trying to choreograph and don’t like each other’s ideas, and they get into a fight that gets physical. Both of them are having an outburst due to the other invading the other’s space and routines (13:50). This then becomes an example of point three, as Blaine is seen boxing (physical reaction) to regulate his emotions (effectively stimming), which he also does in season 3 episode 15 when he’s angry at Cooper (26:40).

Finally, exhibiting strong, special interests. This one is probably the easiest to prove. Blaine’s special interests include show choir (he knows everything about it, he even reads the show choir blogs - s5e11: 6:50), boxing (he started a fight club at Dalton - s3e8: 14:00), Broadway (when he coaches the Warblers, Karofsky mentions that it’s pulling teeth to get Blaine to use any music that’s not Broadway - s6e3: 00:25), piano, and even music in general. To give some specific examples, Blaine is also known for having some shorter-term interests that he gets just as invested in, the best examples of this are puppet making (I know, I know, but it applies, he gets so into it for that week) from season 5 episode 7, dressing up as a superhero (no neurotypical person could do Nightbird, please) from season 4 episode 7 and season 5 episode 10 (16:45), and star wars fanfiction (he and Sam have a whole conversation about how ewoks are obviously polygamists) from season 5 episode 15 (5:20 and 26:35).

Blaine also has some other general traits. If you’ve ever watched him sing, he is constantly bouncing on his toes. He’s prone to incredibly intense eye contact, and is very sensitive to criticism, rejection, and public embarrassment (Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria - I have too many examples of this to name). Little things that could be interpreted as sensory overload: season 5 episode 7 - hating loud chaotic environments, and lashing out because of it (00:35 and 00:55) and season 6 episode 5 - where he’s the first to say that they should just kiss to get out of Sue’s elevator because he’s getting very hot (29:00). In season 6 episode 1 during the break up scene, Kurt says that Blaine initiated a 3 hour fight about Kurt getting toothpaste on a towel (21:30), which is not neurotypical behavior, and Blaine responds in a way that indicates that it really bothered him. He’s an actor seemingly a very talented one, something that would make sense if he’d been masking his whole life. Finally, he has a very deep connection with Sam, who is clearly neurodivergent. He and Britt are the only people who understand Sam, and there are multiple times where Blaine knows how to calm Sam down when no one else can.

Now there’s also a case to be made about him having a terrible childhood and having some trauma from that, (I strongly believe that he feels like he has to be doing things for people in order for them to love him because of Cooper) but I also think that this is pretty compelling evidence.

The episodes that I found the most evidence in if you want to look for yourself are season 2 episode 12, season 4 episode 11 (this one’s also good for Sam), season 5 episodes 7, 14, 16, and 20, and season 6 episodes 1 and 5.

#blaine anderson #glee #sam evans #brittany pierce #glee headcanon #kurt hummel #klaine #autism #headcanon #gleeposting 😔

72 notes · View notes

cupcakesmuses · 3 years

Text

starter for @whatwedointhemultiverse

It wasn’t too often that Ray Stantz didn’t get stopped in the streets of New York now. Their business was almost too much, too exhausting. Janine was prioritizing calls, their cork board of appointments was slam full. But after Ray had fallen asleep standing up with his proton pack on... they decided they needed to regulate their hours a little better. Three could take on a job, giving one a full day off, and in the case of Ray and Egon, if they were badly badly needed of their expertise, they were always within two minutes of a phone. Egon mostly stayed in the lab, working anyway. But Ray had another way to unwind, other than his love of reading about the occult...

There was a blues bar not too far away from the firehouse. A little known place that Ray had heard from a friend who heard from a friend, wasn’t that the way it always went? He usually “disguised” himself with big thick framed reading glasses he never wore on jobs, but they were actually needed while playing the piano. He really favored a harmonica, but tonight they needed someone to sit in on keys and Ray had done the band the favor before. And he really liked these guys. They all knew who he was, but didn’t exploit the fact. They knew he worked hard and obviously this was his chance not to think about running around the city with a nuclear generator on your back or the dangerous destructive class 4 in the trap in your hands.

He spotted Alexandra in the crowd. Ray hadn’t spoken to her in a while, things had just been so busy. She’d been Peter’s girl in college and so Ray never so much as made any kind of move... But things were a lot different now than in college. God, she was gorgeous. Even more so now, older and wiser, than when he’d first asked to borrow a pencil from her in class. He had a pencil behind his ear the whole time. It wasn’t a move. He’d just forgotten about it.

Gorgeous and kind, she was also a hell of a singer. Ray finished up the number with the band and asked the main singer, an dynamic lovable cannonball of a white guy named Jake, if they could take a five and, if he wanted a bit of a longer break, he could maybe pull on a girl he knew with pipes that would bring the whole damn house down. Jake agreed, announced their break and went to the bar for a drink. Well, Ray knew Alexandra could have the rest of the set if she wanted when Jake when to drink. He jumped down from the stage to go meet her.

“Alex! Fancy seeing you here... Um, not to be a pest, but you know you can sing with us if you want to.” Ray thumbed towards the bar, his large glasses slipping off his nose a bit from sweat.

#ray closed thread #unwind: alexandra #whatwedointhemultiverse

2 notes · View notes

ofstarsandfireflies · 4 years

Text

This movie, man, this movie gets me every time.

Stephen didn’t want to work for Kaecilius anymore.

There was so much good he do with his magic, so many lives he could change.

But the one he was destined to change came into his life soon after stealing Kaecilus’ cloak of Levitation.

Stephen had to get out of the city.

He had to start anew.

The only way he could do that was with money.

And the only person he knew who had a lot of money, was Tony Stark.

So, believing he could get in and out without any hassle, he broke into Stark’s home, believing the billionaire to be out and doing whatever rich people did.

He hadn’t expected him to be home, playing the piano so beautifully.

And more than that, he hadn’t expected Tony to be so nonchalant about an intruder.

But, he was.

He didn’t have company around, the only people he knew were Pepper and Rhodey, so a new face was welcome to him, even if that face belonged to someone who had only come here to rob him.

So they sat down after Tony made him some tea, and Stephen could tell right away there was something wrong.

He could see it in the way Tony moved, the way he breathed.

The way he wasn’t drinking his tea.

Tony had a bad heart.

Anything that elevated it’s pulse above a regular heartbeat could very well kill him, so he’d been sheltered almost all his life.

He pulled his shirt up to show Stephen the device he had in his chest that was keeping him alive, a circular disk glowing with a bright blue light that was regulating his body temperature while also having the ability to send a shock to the organ if it stopped.

Tony explained that he was to keep all excitement from his life; no relationships, no exercise, no excitement.

And no caffeine.

And the way he spoke of all those missing things, was as if he believed he didn’t deserve them in the first place.

But the sad smile he gave Stephen when talking about his own life, quickly lifted into something remarkable when Stephen began talking about his.

About the life he’d lived as a thief and as a Sorcerer.

And Stephen never wanted that smile to go away.

He wanted to take Tony away from this prison, but Tony couldn’t leave.

Rhodey would be around to check on him soon and he didn’t want to worry him, so Stephen promised he would visit him tomorrow.

The very day he’d been planning to leave New York far behind.

Maybe he still should?

But what if Kaecilius came after Tony while he wasn’t here?

Needing answers, he turns to Wong.

Wong had always been there for him and he always had the answers to Stephen’s questions when he could get them out of him.

Stephen must have talked at length about Tony Stark and how in love he was.

How it felt like he’d known him for a thousand years.

How easy it was to talk to him while he drowned in those brown eyes.

And Wongs advice was simple, as it often was, pushing Stephen back into the path of Tony Stark.

When he got to Tony’s house though, he found Kaecilius was also there.

And he had Tony.

It was the cloak that took immediate action.

One minute Stephen was half way through a spell and the next he was being flown right at Kaecilius.

He reached out his hand for Tony, who took it immediately, and the cloak lifted them both up, carrying them away into the city to Stark Tower.

Rhodey was the one to be alerted when there was a security breach.

He just hadn’t expected it to be Tony and some stranger.

His first concern was Tony, making sure however he’d ended up on the top floor balcony hadn’t caused him too much excitement, but at Tony’s insistence that he was fine, he sent Tony to his lab while he sized up this man and what he wanted with his friend.

At first he thought he wanted his money, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Next he thought he was toying with Tony’s heart because it was easy to tell someone who had never experienced love that you loved them, but that wasn’t the reason why this Stephen Strange was now a part of Tony’s life.

Rhodey didn’t trust this guy, but Tony seemed to, so he decided to take his portal ring and put up with him until the day he made a mistake, on which he would be the one to throw him out.

Only, that day never came.

During the day, Stephen warded the Tower from Kaecilius and his followers so they couldn’t find them and talked with Tony in his lab and kept him company while he worked on a new arc reactor.

Then at night they would part, Tony going to the top floor to sleep while Stephen stayed ten floors below him, as per Rhodey’s non negotiable statement and threat of kicking his ass.

And Stephen would dream of those brown eyes that had captured his heart, willing the night to hurry up so he could see them again.

A month passed this way.

Rhodey had finally let his guard down, accepting Stephen’s presence in Tony’s life, and Tony seemed happier with Stephen beside him, which was always a win for Rhodey.

Tony finished the arc reactor which he had Stephen help him with installing and removing the old one from his chest.

Stephen had it framed in a glass case, which Tony thought was sweet of him, even if he wasn’t the sentimental type, joking about how he’d let Stephen keep it after he passed.

Stephen told him he’d use it to bring him right back to him.

That he wouldn’t allow Tony to go.

And for someone who had come to terms with their death, seeing that determination in Stephen’s eyes had him holding him to that promise.

It was nearing the end of the month when two things happened.

The first was Tony hearing of a gala being held nearby and wanting to go, despite dancing being one of those things he had to avoid.

The second was Kaecilius deciding to shift his focus from Stephen to Tony.

Once Tony was gone, once Stephen’s heart was broken, Stephen would break.

And once that happened, all the fight left in him to live would be snuffed out.

Stephen decided he wasn’t going to be another person to shut Tony out from the world, so he’d agreed to take him to the gala he wanted to go to.

They dance, they drink, and Tony doesn’t taste the poison he’s been slipped by one of Kaecilius’ followers.

And when they go back to the Tower, Tony returns Stephen’s ring to him with a wink, and proceeds to the top floor, just like he would any other night.

Only, this night, Stephen follows him.

And Tony asks him to make love to him.

Which is precisely what Stephen does.

Slowly.

Gently.

Making sure Tony is alright to keep going, which he eagerly is every time he asks.

And when it’s over, as they kissed and held one another, Tony smiled at him, sighed, and went still.

He wasn’t breathing.

In a panic, Stephen smashes the glass case with the old arc reactor in it, pulls the one out of Tony’s chest and connects it like he’d been shown.

Like he’d promised to do to bring him back to him.

But it didn’t do anything.

All he could do was hold him, begging him through tears not to leave.

And when Rhodey found them the next morning, he couldn’t look at Stephen the way he used to.

He didn’t want anything to do with the man who had taken his best friend from him.

He wanted to get angry, to beat him until his pain was showing on Stephen’s skin, but he couldn’t.

Tony had loved him.

And Rhodey had to respect that.

Once the funeral was over, however, Rhodey gave him the reactor which he’d tried to use to save Tony, and cut ties with the Sorcerer all together.

Heartbroken, a mere shell of the man he had been for a single month of pure bliss, Stephen returned to Kaecilius.

There was no point in living anymore without Tony.

The plan he’d had to run away and live his life had been the lonely dream of a man who hadn’t known love.

So, letting the cloak go free before Kaecilius could capture it again, he met with the Dark Sorcerer.

He wasn’t running away now.

And Kaecilius doesn’t hold back, inflicting pain both physically and emotionally until Stephen is barely hanging on, beaten and bloody.

It’s then Kaecilius tosses him through a portal into the ocean be rid of him once and for all.

But, somehow, Stephen survives.

He washes up on the shore of a New York City he has no memory of, with no name, no past, and standing in a cemetery, looking over the countless graves and trying to remember why he came here in the first place.

And every night, he would dream of a pair of brown eyes.

They belonged to someone.

Someone important.

Perhaps the same someone who gave him the strange device he has in his pocket.

But as the years pass in a blur, ending just as soon as they’ve begun, and the world changes around him, he remains the same.

No name.

No past.

And haunted by someone he doesn’t know.

By the time he has lived a century, nothing new has come to him.

Often, he will take out the small device from his pocket and try to figure out where it originated from, how he came to have it, but aside from turning it on and getting zapped by it once or twice, he can’t remember.

He’ll walk through the cemetery, looking at all the names and hoping something will come back to him.

But it never does.

And then, one day, he meets Peter Parker.

A high school student, who literally runs into him and ends up sprawled on the ground.

Stephen helps the apologising boy up to his feet, picking up the sheet of paper he’d been carrying and getting a quick look at the logo.

Stark Industries.

That name...there was something about that name.

Peter is also giving him a weird look, saying he looks exactly like a man in a photo at his work.

It’s then Peter offers to take him to Stark Tower where he’s interning so he can see this photo.

And when he enters and he sees the portrait of Tony, his memories come flooding back.

He sees the arc reactor, so similar to the one he’s been carrying around with him all these years, and Peter shows him some other photos, one of which had Stephen and Tony together in it.

Stephen...

That was his name.

He turns to Peter, and realises he has the same brown eyes Tony had.

This kid was the reason why he had been kept alive all this time

This was why he was here.

No sooner had he come to this realisation, Kaecilius, who has been alerted to Stephen’s existence with the return of his memories, appears in Stark Tower, breaking through all of the warding magic Stephen had placed decades ago.

Peter leaps into action, using the web shooter hidden under his jacket sleeve to pull the ring this stranger used to get here from his hand

Kaecilius knows he killed the wrong brown eyed beauty, but relishes in making Stephen relive that pain of losing Tony all over again when his magic hits Peter square in the chest, sending him flying back.

Not allowing another to die on him, Stephen puts everything he has into one final powerful blast and sends it at Kaecilius, knocking him through the glass of a window and sending him falling to his death.

Then he turns to Peter, and rushes to him, feeling for a pulse that isn’t there.

Quickly, he pulls Tony’s old arc reactor from his pocket, makes sure it’s on, and hits Peter in the chest with it, the shock reanimating his heart and bringing the kid back to him.

Peter is a confused mess, but Stephen doesn’t hang around for long when he hears people rushing to the room they’re in.

Taking the sling ring, he leaves before anyone can see him, ending up in the cemetery he’d gone to so many times, walking the rows of graves until he finds the one he’d been looking for but just didn’t know it.

Stephen touched the vines now growing over Tony’s grave and smiled.

He was done.

His miracle had saved Peter, whom he knew Tony would have loved.

He felt the cloak sit itself over his shoulders and he smiled.

Now, finally, he could be with Tony once again.

Quotes -

“What are you doing here?”

“I was just robbing the place. That was the idea, anyway.”

“Is that still your intention?”

“No. No it isn’t.”

“Well, then...I suppose the polite thing to do would be to offer you a cup of tea.”

Stephen meets Tony.

“What’s...what’s wrong with you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Consumption. I’m 21 and I’ve never been kissed on the mouth. Sorry, that came out wrong. I don’t know anyone, you see. I can’t go out. I can’t dance. I sleep in a tent on the roof to keep my body temperature within reason. I have maybe, according to one doctor who came up from Baltimore, a year and a half. In Boston they said six months. But that was eight months ago so, really, I’m already two months dead.”

Tony has come to terms with his death.

“What’s the best thing you’ve ever stolen?”

“I’m beginning to think I haven’t stolen it yet.”

“Aren’t you the charmer?”

Too cute not to add

“You know what?”

“Sir?”

“You look like a crook. Who are you? What do you do? What is your relationship to Beverly, are you aware of her special condition, what are your motivations and intentions and desires? Tell the absolute truth. Don’t elaborate. Stop if a neighbor, child or servant comes in and be brief.”

“Be brief? These are complicated questions.”

Rhodey doesn’t trust Stephen

“You’re late.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you don’t make love to me now, no one ever will.”

“That’s exactly what I’ll do then.”

Tony and Stephen’s night together

“Or was it something simpler? That she was capable of great love? The kind of love that makes the world all warm and light. And gives the others hope. The kind of love that tilts the scales. Well, it doesn’t matter, she’s dead. Cold, dead and already in the ground.”

Kaecillius when he finally catches up to Stephen.

Keep Me Close

Stephen loves someone he shouldn’t, and pays the price for it.

January, February

Missed a Day? Catch up here!

Day 1

#ironstrange #strangeiron #osaf’s movie night

17 notes · View notes

pittarchives · 3 years

Text

His Old Tribulations, Our Current Struggle: Remembering Garner in the Current Call to Reform Cannabis Laws

This post was written by Warner Sabio Sr., Graduate Student, Jazz Studies, University of Pittsburgh.

Recently, on April 7th, Virginia’s legislature passed a bill legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, making it the 16th state to do so. Under Virginia’s law, adults can possess an ounce or less of marijuana beginning July 1. Several weeks before, New York passed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in the state. New York’s legislation also expunges the records of people convicted on marijuana-related charges that are no longer criminalized. These two drug-policy reforms concerning marijuana are a few of the many looking to respond to the disproportionate and often tragic impact previous legislation has had on communities of color.

For Erroll Garner, the drug policies regarding marijuana and the enforcement of those laws affected him personally and professionally. On January 26, 1946, Garner was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with violating section 11500 of the California Health and Safety Code—a felony at the time. The State accused Garner of possessing “flowering tops and leaves of Indian Hemp (Cannabis Sativa)” and set bail at $500. According to dollartimes.com, adjusted for inflation, $500 in 1946 is equal to $7,156 in 2021. An excessive amount, it seems, for the non-violent crime he was accused of committing. Nevertheless, on April 10, 1946, Garner pled guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 90 days in the county jail. This incident would mark Garner as a felon and a “dope addict,” in the problematic wording of the language that circulated in press accounts. The distinction would continue to cast its shadow and haunt the pianist for at least another decade, if not the rest of his life.

(Above) Page 1, (Below) Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, and Page 11 from folder “Erroll Garner Personal,” Erroll Garner Archive, 1942-2010, AIS.2015.09, Box 3, Folder 18, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.

Six years later, after a performance at Mack’s Tavern in Atlantic City on September 12, 1952, the pianist was again arrested and brought up on charges surrounding a marijuana-related drug bust. According to The Baltimore Afro-American, Garner was held “for failure to register as a convicted addict under the state’s narcotics registration law and not for being an actual user of narcotics.”[1] The conviction referred to by New Jersey law-enforcement authorities was based on Garner’s 1946 Los Angeles arrest, which he reportedly informed authorities of at the time. Interestingly, Garner, convicted of possessing marijuana in the initial Los Angeles case, was now branded a “dope addict” in press coverage revolving around the Atlantic City incident.

(Above) Image of the article from The Baltimore Afro-American, Sept. 13, 1952.

The headline on the front page of September 13, 1952, Pittsburgh Courier read: “ARREST ERROLL GARNER FOR DOPE.” The subhead for the article noted that Garner was “Part of Big-Time Roundup.” The lede stated:

ATLANTIC CITY – Erroll Garner, Pittsburgh’s significant gift to jazz and dexterous piano-playing, was nabbed here in a post-Labor Day roundup of alleged dope addicts and suspects.”[2]

(Above) The Pittsburgh Courier, Sept. 13, 1952.

The Courier also reported that forty-one other suspects were also arrested. One of those arrested included Garner’s roommate and valet, Frank (Tons) Randolph, who was accused of “being a dope peddler.” The Afro-American reported Randolph “was placed under $25,000 bail after two witnesses testified in Municipal Court on Monday that they bought marihuana in $10 and $20 lots from him.” According to dollartimes.com, adjusted for inflation, $25,000 in 1952 is equal to $245,730 in 2021. From the reports, it does not appear that authorities found any weed on Garner or Randolph. Nevertheless, it seems the testimony was enough to warrant the arrests.

It is also interesting to note that the Courier report hinted at a possible ulterior motive for the arrest. Perhaps stemming from the practice of racial profiling of Black men driving nice cars, the paper reported, “police are alleged to have stated that Garner has been driving around Atlantic City in a 1952 Cadillac and a woman, described by some as his wife has been driving a Chrysler.”

In a follow-up story on September 20, The Afro-American interviewed Garner about the arrest. The headline read: “GARNER SHRUGS OFF DOPE COUNT ARREST: ‘Just One Of Those Things,’ Pianist Says of Shore Incident.”[3] Garner discusses the Los Angeles case in the piece, affirming his conviction (saying it took place in 1943) and stating he was “sentenced to 45 days to an honor farm.” Garner elaborated:

“It was all a ‘frame.’ I was turned in by a fellow whose job I took in a night club in which I was playing. The guy was salty and squealed. But I am not complaining because it did happen. At the time, I was a youngster and went around with a bunch of wild guys.”

(Above) Headline from The Baltimore Afro-American, Sept. 20, 1952.

As for the Atlantic City incident, Garner was quoted as saying he “was through with that kind of stuff now” and had “too much to lose.” However, he was critical of the publicity, stating, “the only thing is that I was the least involved and got most of the publicity. This is one time that I wished I was digging ditches.”

Almost a month after the Atlantic City arrest, on October 11, 1952, The Afro-American reported that Garner was fined $50 for failure to register as a dope addict.[4] The case was thereafter dismissed, and Garner “filed the necessary registration forms in compliance with the local ordinance. According to the paper, the incident had left Garner feeling “disturbed” and “embarrassed.” Garner was forced to cancel several weeks of bookings “in order to permit him to rest” because he was “suffering from nervous exhaustion.” As for Randolph and the others arrested that night, my limited search came up empty as to how they fared.

On Jan.17, 1953, the Courier reported that a case involving Garner’s arrest in St. Louis on New Year’s Eve was tossed. Garner was charged with possession of narcotics.[5] The paper said, “Garner’s case was thrown out of court because the officers did not have a warrant when the arrest was made.” Garner’s attorney, however, clarified that the basis of the arrest was “a crank telephoned St. Louis police that the pianist had carried narcotics from New York to St. Louis in his automobile. It was revealed that Garner had arrived in this city by plane.”

For Pittsburgh-born Garner, professional success could not shield him from the insatiable appetite to punish that has driven much of the nation’s drug policies for decades. Major players in the formation of these early policies are uniquely linked to Garner geographically. Harry J. Anslinger, who served as the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics, was an Altoona, PA native. Pittsburgh’s-own Andrew Mellon, the uncle of Anslinger’s wife, appointed him to the post. Mellon, at the time of Anslinger’s appointment, was the Treasury Secretary.

According to The Economist:

“The drafters of the Harrison Act of 1914, the first federal ban on non-medical narcotics, played on fears of ‘drug-crazed, sex-mad negroes.’ And the 1930s campaign against marijuana was coloured by the fact that Harry Anslinger, the first drug tsar, was appointed by Andrew Mellon, his wife’s uncle. Mellon, the Treasury Secretary, was banker to DuPont, and sales of hemp threatened that firm’s efforts to build a market for synthetic fibers. Spreading scare stories about cannabis was a way to give hemp a bad name. Moral outrage is always more effective if backed by a few vested interests.”[6]

According to law professor Michael Vitello, “while the Harrison Act did not include a prohibition against marijuana, its framework would become the model for Congress’s first efforts to criminalize marijuana.”[7]

(Above) Harry J. Anslinger served as the first commissioner of Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Image from the Associated Press.

Driven by stereotypes, some framers of early U.S. drug policies linked the usage of both marijuana and cocaine to marginalized communities and racialized “fringe groups like pimps, prostitutes, and day laborers” and “uppity Southern blacks and race-mixing drug parties.”[8] Concerning Anslinger’s beliefs, Vitello states:

“Finding racist quotations attributed to Anslinger is easy and a reminder of how ingrained racist language was in this country. Here are a few choice quotations: “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men”; “Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white woman twice”; and “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”[9]

These antiquated and racist beliefs would vibrantly pulsate through the heart of drug laws for generations. Unfortunately, Garner’s experience was not isolated or rare. For Garner, the arrests and court cases must have been taxing. His experience speaks for many people caught up in the web of draconian drug laws pervading the justice system. The growing frustration has led to calls for change.

As previously mentioned, recent efforts have yielded changes to drug policy concerning marijuana across the United States. To date, sixteen states, two territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized small amounts of marijuana for adult recreational use. Twenty-seven states have decriminalized weed, meaning, “small, personal-consumption amounts are a civil or local infraction, not a state crime (or are a lowest misdemeanor with no possibility of jail time).”[10] However, more needs to be done to undo the gross injustice that lopsided enforcement has produced. It is a flawed system of policies and laws that impacted Garner then and thousands today. We must resolve the discordant tones struck by the framers of foundational drug war policies, the effects of which still resonate and impact civil society today.

Works Cited

Erroll Garner Archive, 1942-2010, AIS.2015.09, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.

“Arrest Erroll Garner For Dope: Pianist Part of Big-Time Roundup.” Pittsburgh Courier (Pittsburgh, Pa.), September 13, 1952: 1.

Bender, Steven W. “Joint Reform? The Interplay of State, Federal, and Hemispheric Regulation of Recreational Marijuana and Failed War on Drugs.” Albany Law Environmental Outlook 6, no. 2 (2013): 359–.

“Errol Garner Case Thrown Out of Court.” Pittsburgh Courier (Pittsburgh, Pa.), January 17, 1953: 1.

“Errol Garner Pays $50 Fine: Failed To Register As Dope Addict.” Baltimore Afro-American (Baltimore, Md), October 11, 1952: 9

“Garner Shrugs Off Dope Count Arrest: ‘Just One Of Those Things,’ Pianist Says Of Shore Incident.” Baltimore Afro-American (Baltimore, Md), September 20, 1952: 3

Gootenberg, Paul. Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global Drug. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2008.

“‘How did we get here?’ A Survey of Illegal Drugs.” Economist, July 28, 2001, p. 4. The Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2015 (accessed April 13, 2021). https://link-gale-com.pitt.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/GP4100323851/ECON?u=upitt_main&sid=ECON&xid=779492d4.

“Pianist Under Bail For Not Registering As Addict; Shore’s Raids Called Biggest.” Baltimore Afro-American (Baltimore, Md), September 13, 1952: 1

National Conference of State Legislatures website, https://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/marijuana-overview.aspx

Vitiello, Michael. “Marijuana Legalization, Racial Disparity, and the Hope for Reform.” Lewis & Clark Law Review 23, no. 3 (2019): 789-822.

[1] “Pianist Under Bail For Not Registering As Addict; Shore’s Raids Called Biggest,” Baltimore Afro-American (Baltimore, Md), September 13, 1952.

[2] “Arrest Erroll Garner For Dope: Pianist Part of Big-Time Roundup,” Pittsburgh Courier (Pittsburgh, Pa.), September 13, 1952.

[3] “Garner Shrugs Off Dope Count Arrest: ‘Just One Of Those Things,’ Pianist Says Of Shore Incident,” Baltimore Afro-American (Baltimore, Md), September 20, 1952.

[4] “Errol Garner Pays $50 Fine: Failed To Register As Dope Addict.” Baltimore Afro-American (Baltimore, Md), October 11, 1952.

[5] “Errol Garner Case Thrown Out of Court.” Pittsburgh Courier (Pittsburgh, Pa.), January 17, 1953: 1.

[6] “‘How did we get here?’ A Survey of Illegal Drugs,” Economist, July 28, 2001.

[7] Michael Vitiello, “Marijuana Legalization, Racial Disparity, and the Hope for Reform,” Lewis & Clark Law Review 23, no. 3 (2019), 794.

[8] Paul Gootenberg, Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global Drug, Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2008, 193.

[9] Vitiello, “Marijuana Legalization,” 799.

[10] National Conference of State Legislatures website, https://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/marijuana-overview.aspx

#erroll garner tuesdays #erroll garner #criminalization #newspapers #cannabis laws #drug policy #harry anslinger #racism

3 notes · View notes

auror-lovie · 4 years

Text

Moonlit Coven Event; Original Character: Biography

MINISTRY OF MAGIC DATABASE

✅ DEPT. OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ✅ AUROR OFFICE ✅ STAFF FILES ⬜ REPORTS ARCHIVE ⬜ IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE ⬜ WIZAENGAMOT ⬜ OTHER OFFICES ⬜ DEPT. OF MAGICAL ACCIDENTS AND CATASTROPHES ⬜ DEPT. FOR THE REGULATION AND CONTROL OF MAGICAL CREATURES ⬜ DEPT. OF INTERNATIONAL MAGICAL COOPERATION ⬜ DEPT. OF MAGICAL TRANSPORTATION ⬜ DEPT. OF MAGICAL GAMES AND SPORTS ⬜ DEPT. OF MYSTERIES ⌜ ⌝ VIEW STAFF FILES? ✅YES ⬜NO ⌞ ⌟ INSERT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ************** INSERT PASSWORD ********* ACCESS GRANTED

SELECT FILE:

⬜ BALLARD, TOMMY ⬜ BARNES, STEVEN ⬜ DUNN, ELEANOR ⬜ FLEMING, CHRISTINE ✅ HOWARD, VICTORIA ⬜ LITTLE, DOREEN ⬜ MARTIN, CHRISTOPHER ⬜ PIERCE, JAVIER ⬜ SCAMANDER, THESEUS ⬜ SIMMONS, LAVERNE ⬜ TORRES, LISA ⬜ UNDERWOOD, LUTHER ⌜ ⌝ VIEW VICTORIA HOWARD’S FILE? ✅YES ⬜NO ⌞ ⌟ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 0 % loading... ■■▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 20% loading... ■■■■▒▒▒▒▒▒ 40% loading... ■■■■■■▒▒▒▒ 60% loading... ■■■■■■■■▒▒ 80% loading... ■■■■■■■■■■ 100% download complete...

——————————————————————

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ B A S I C S ۞

“Victoria Howard. My friends call me Vi.”

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ Full name ۞

Victoria Mei Mendoza Howard

۞ Nickname ۞

Birdie

Victoria Mei

Mei Mei

۞ Birthday ۞

31 May

۞ Height ۞

5′2

157 cm

۞ Gender ۞

Female

۞ Ethnicity ۞

Filipino

Chinese

Japanese

British

۞ Social Class ۞

Upper Middle Class

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ A P P E A R A N C E ۞

“I don’t tolerate being made fun of because of my appearance.”

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ Skin Colour ۞

Tan

۞ Eye Colour ۞

Dark brown

۞ Hair Colour ۞

Black

۞ Hair Style ۞

Naturally straight

۞ Body Type ۞

Endomorph

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ P E R S O N A L I T Y ۞

“Being a bitch isn’t a personality.”

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ Normal mood ۞

Calm, collected. Focused and very welcoming.

۞ Temper ۞

Very patient. Though if already agitated, she will go off on the person causing the situation to get worse.

۞ Discipline ۞

Very disciplined, though that’s how she was raised. Don’t talk too much. Don’t ask for help, you’ll be a burden. Don’t hang around the wrong people. “Don’t disappoint me.”

۞ Strengths ۞

Hard working, caring- to a motherly extent. The ability to write a long essay the morning it’s due. Can throw a punch if necessary.

۞ Weaknesses ۞

Has a lot of self-doubt and can be naïve at time.

۞ Drive/dreams ۞

Acceptance. Being okay to be herself. Not needing the approval of others.

۞ Fears ۞

Large bodies of water (ocean, pool, lakes). Disappointing her parents, especially her mother.

۞ Likes ۞

Likes reading, writing, the occasional hang out with friends. Playing her instrument.

۞ Dislikes ۞

Close minded people.

۞ Soft spot ۞

Her love interest and animals.

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ R E L A T I O N S H I P S ۞

“I don’t have time for a relationship, Scamander.”

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ Father ۞

Name: William Howard

Occupation: Head of Muggle Liaison Office; Ministry of Magic

Alma Mater: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Ravenclaw Prefect

۞ Mother ۞

Name: Katherine Mae Mendoza Howard (nee. Mendoza)

Occupation: Healer; St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

Alma Mater: Ilvermorney School of Witchcraft an Wizardry; Thunderbird

۞ Other relatives ۞

Distant relatives in the Philippines. Last visited when Victoria was 10- doesn’t know much about them now.

Somewhat close to her father’s side of the family, but there are no cousins near her age, so she’s distant from that side as well.

۞ Rivals ۞

Academically: Theseus Scamander

Romantically: Nicole Hutchinson

۞ Friends ۞

London Life

Matthias Anderson

Theseus Scamander

Credence Barebone

Newt Scamander

Mei Rosaline

New York Life

Tina Goldstien

Queenie Goldstein

[REDACTED}

۞ Best friend ۞

Credence Barebone

۞ Love interest ۞

Theseus Scamander

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ P A S S - T I M E ۞

“Sorry I can’t go to Hogsmeade, I have lessons.”

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ Hobbies ۞

Reading, writing, spending time with friends,

۞ Talents ۞

Can play the piano and violin.

۞ Sports ۞

Played Quidditch in her Hogwarts years. In her sixth year, she was made team captain.

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ L I F E S T O R Y ۞

“Life doesn’t stop for anybody.”

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

۞ Age 0-12 ۞

Victoria was born on the 31st of May at 5:03 in the morning at a hospital in New York. When she turned 6, her parents introduced her to magic. Her mother was set on sending Victoria to Ilvermorny. Around the same time, her mother had started Victoria on piano lessons.

A couple years later, her father started her on violin lessons. Around age 10, her magical qualities started to show. Then the following year, she got a letter from Hogwarts. Confused, Victoria asked her mother why she received a letter from Hogwarts and not Ilvermorny. Her mother explained that due to her father’s transfer from MACUSA to the Ministry of Magic caused the change in schools.

۞ Age 13-18 ۞

Victoria’s Hogwarts years were interesting.

She didn’t know anyone there, until she met this boy on the train. Matthias Anderson was there to help her find a compartment. That’s when she met Theseus Scamander. When it came to sorting, her situation became a Hat Stall, but the Sorting Hat chose to put her in Ravenclaw.

In second year, she tried out for Ravenclaw Quidditch Seeker and got the position. As her years in Hogwarts progressed, she was skilled in DADA and Potions. Despite her work load, she found a way to continue her violin lessons.

In fifth year, she was chosen to be Prefect. Then in seventh year, Headmaster Dippet had appointed her as Head Girl. At the end of the year, she’d gotten O’s and E’s on her NEWT exams.

۞ Age 19-Present ۞

Once graduating Hogwarts she went straight into Auror Training. One passing the program, she currently works under Torquil Travers.

━━━━━•✦.✧.☾.✧.✦•━━━━

“Memento mori.”

#moonlitevents #event: 002 #hp oc #original character #victoria mei mendoza howard #victoria howard

1 note · View note

newstfionline · 4 years

Text

Monday, November 23, 2020

Trump Using Last Days to Lock In Policies (NYT) Voters have decided that President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. should guide the country through the next four years. But on issues of war, the environment, criminal justice, trade, the economy and more, President Trump and top administration officials are doing what they can to make changing direction more difficult. Top officials are racing against the clock to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, secure oil drilling leases in Alaska, punish China, carry out executions and thwart any plans Mr. Biden might have to reestablish the Iran nuclear deal. In some cases, like the executions and the oil leases, Mr. Trump’s government plans to act just days—or even hours—before Mr. Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20. At a wide range of departments and agencies, Mr. Trump’s political appointees are going to extraordinary lengths to try to prevent Mr. Biden from rolling back the president’s legacy. They are filling vacancies on scientific panels, pushing to complete rules that weaken environmental standards, nominating judges and rushing their confirmations through the Senate, and trying to eliminate health care regulations that have been in place for years. Mr. Biden and his top aides have not publicly criticized the president’s policy actions at home or abroad, abiding by the tradition that there is only one president at a time. But the president-elect has vowed to move quickly to undo many of Mr. Trump’s domestic and foreign policies.

Doctors and nurses want more data before championing vaccines to end the pandemic (Washington Post) Doctors and nurses, coping with the daily risk of coronavirus exposure, are expected to get top priority to receive vaccines that could become available as soon as next month. But it’s an open question how many will seize their place at the front of the line. The hesitancy of some health-care workers is attracting attention as the first two vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, near deployment. Government, academic, and health-care officials say that significant numbers of providers want more data about the vaccine before it is deployed. A report released Thursday by the University of California at Los Angeles researchers said that 66 percent of Los Angeles health-care workers who responded to an online questionnaire (not a randomized sample) said they would delay taking a vaccine. The American Nurses Association, a national union, said one-third of its members do not intend to take the vaccine, and an additional third are undecided. Among professionals contacted by the state of New Jersey, “some did not want to be in the first round, so they could wait and see if there are potential side effects,” New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith M. Persichilli said at a Nov. 9 news briefing. Health-care leaders say President Trump’s frequent promises about vaccines have raised doubts about the objectivity of agency reviews, as have the speed of the manufacturers’ clinical trials, and unfamiliarity with the novel techniques used by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to trigger natural antibodies.

Music to get us through (NYT) At the fearful height of the pandemic in April, Simon Gronowski, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor, began playing jazz tunes on his piano from his apartment window in Brussels, bringing relief to his besieged neighbors throughout the lockdown that lasted into late May. “Music is a means of communication, of connection,” said Mr. Gronowski, who taught himself how to play the piano as a teenager after escaping the Nazis. Piano was a way for him to connect with his sister who had died in Auschwitz. Throughout the summer and into the fall, live jazz has become a near-constant presence across New York City. The makeshift outdoor shows have been therapeutic for musicians and fans alike.

Homicides skyrocket across U.S. during pandemic (Washington Post) In Greensboro, N.C., the violence has gotten so extreme that a shootout erupted in front of the county courthouse the other day, across the street from the sheriff’s office, leaving a 20-year-old man dead. Greensboro set a city record with 45 homicides last year, and, as of Friday, already had 54 this year. “We’ve always had a level of gang activity,” Greensboro Police Chief Brian James said in an interview, “but it’s more prolific now. I’m not sure what’s changed, but the offenders are more bold than they’ve ever been.” Homicides across America rose more than 28 percent in the first nine months of this year, and aggravated assaults increased nine percent, while rapes and robberies saw significant drops compared to the same period last year, according to statistics compiled this month from 223 police agencies. Some police commanders say the twin impacts of the coronavirus and civil uprisings against police violence caused them to redirect their officers away from proactive anti-crime programs, whether due to virus-related budget cuts or strategic redeployment of forces to handle the unrest. Other officials point to job loss and other stresses of the pandemic as fueling tension and leading to violence. And with many schools shuttered, police say, many areas have seen a rise in violence involving juveniles.

Charleston weighs wall as seas rise and storms strengthen (AP) Vickie Hicks, who weaves intricate sweetgrass baskets in Charleston, South Carolina’s historic city market, remembers climbing onto the table at her grandmother’s booth downtown when the floodwaters rushed by. Decades later, the seasoned seller of this art form passed down by descendants of West African slaves still works downtown, where merchants regularly set out sandbags and scrutinize daily weather forecasts. Hicks says the flooding’s only gotten worse. “God’s taking back his land,” she said. Now, the low-lying Atlantic seaport is considering its most drastic measure yet to protect the lives and livelihoods of residents like Hicks from the threats of climate-driven flooding: walling off its peninsula from the ocean. In 2019, the downtown flooded a record 89 times according to the National Weather Service—mostly from high tides and wind pushing water inland. And the city could flood up to 180 times per year by 2045 according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There’s also the threat each year that hurricane-driven storm surge could inundate the city’s peninsula, which is at the confluence of three rivers and mostly less than 20 feet (6.1 meters) above sea level.

Protesters in Guatemala Set Fire to Congress Building Over Spending Cuts (NYT) Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Guatemala’s capital on Saturday, setting fire to the nation’s congressional building in a show of anger over a budget bill passed this week that cut funding for health care and education. The demonstrations in Guatemala City, which also included peaceful marches in the central plaza, rocked a nation still recovering from back-to-back hurricanes that displaced thousands of people, destroyed homes and obliterated critical infrastructure. As heavy rains brought on by the second storm pummeled impoverished towns in Guatemala’s highlands and coastal regions on Wednesday, the country’s Congress passed a budget that cut spending on education and health in favor of increasing lawmakers’ meal stipends. The bill, which also proposed gutting funding to combat malnutrition and slashed funding for the judiciary, set off immediate outrage and led to demonstrations across the country. One group of protesters kicked in the windows of the Congress building and set a fire that sent flames billowing out of the entrance, social media videos showed. Police officers sprayed tear gas at demonstrators and firefighters quickly put the blaze out, according to local news reports.

Russia’s health system under strain as the virus surges back (AP) When Yekaterina Kobzeva, a nurse at a preschool in Russia’s Ural Mountains, began having trouble breathing, she called an ambulance. It was four days before she managed to find a free hospital bed. She was only admitted after her story made local headlines. Russia’s health care system, vast yet underfunded, has been under significant strains in recent weeks, as the pandemic surges again and daily infections and virus death regularly break records. Reports in Russian media have painted a bleak picture in recent weeks. Hospital corridors are filled with patients on gurneys and even the floor. Bodies in black plastic bags were seen piling up on the floors of a morgue. Long lines of ambulances wait at hospitals while pharmacies put up signs listing the drugs they no longer have in stock. Russian authorities have acknowledged problems in the health system. President Vladimir Putin even urged regional officials not to paper over the situation, saying that “feigning the impression that everything is perfectly normal is absolutely unacceptable.” During the fall resurgence of the virus, the Kremlin has consistently pointed fingers at regional governors. Regional governors find themselves in an impossible position, explained political analyst Abbas Gallyamov. They face public frustration if they don’t impose tough restrictions and the outbreak continues to rage, and they face it if they do because they don’t have the funds to ease the pain of closures.

Azerbaijanis who fled war look to return home, if it exists (AP) As Azerbaijan regains control of land it lost to Armenian forces a quarter-century ago, civilians who fled the fighting decades ago wonder if they can go back home now—and if there’s still a home to go back to. An estimated 600,000 Azerbaijanis were displaced in the 1990s war that left the Nagorno-Karabakh region under the control of ethnic Armenian separatists and large adjacent territories in Armenia’s hands. During six weeks of renewed fighting this fall that ended Nov. 10, Azerbaijan took back parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself and sizeable swaths of the outlying areas. More territory is being returned as part of the ceasefire agreement that stopped the latest fighting. But as Azerbaijani forces discovered when the first area, Aghdam, was turned over on Friday, much of the recovered land is uninhabitable. The city of Aghdam, where 50,000 people once lived, is now a shattered ruin.

China to launch moon probe, seeking first lunar rock retrieval since 1970s (Reuters) China plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft to the moon this week to bring back lunar rocks in the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from Earth’s natural satellite since the 1970s. The Chang’e-5 probe, named after the ancient Chinese goddess of the moon, will seek to collect material that can help scientists understand more about the moon’s origins and formation. The mission will test China’s ability to remotely acquire samples from space, ahead of more complex missions. If successful, the mission will make China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet Union decades ago.

In Lebanon, army courts target anti-government protesters (AP) Khaldoun Jaber was taking part in an anti-government protest near the presidential palace outside Beirut last November when several Lebanese intelligence officers in plainclothes approached and forcibly took him away. The demonstration was part of a wave of protests sweeping Lebanon against corruption and misrule by a group of politicians who have monopolized power since the country’s civil war ended three decades ago. Jaber didn’t know it then, but Lebanese security forces targeted him because of his social media posts criticizing President Michel Aoun. What followed were 48 harrowing hours of detention during which security officers interrogated him and subjected him to physical abuse, before letting him go. “Three of my teeth were broken and I lost 70% of my hearing in my left ear,” Jaber said. A year after mass protests roiled Lebanon, dozens of protesters are being tried before military courts, proceedings that human rights lawyers say grossly violate due process and fail to investigate allegations of torture and abuse. Defendants tried before the military tribunal say the system is used to intimidate protesters and prop up Lebanon’s sectarian rulers. The trials underscore the growing perils of activism in Lebanon, where a string of court cases and judicial investigations against journalists and critics has eroded the country’s reputation for free speech and tolerance in a largely autocratic Arab world.

Palestinian rocket fire draws Israeli air strikes in Gaza (Reuters) Palestinian militants fired a rocket into Israel, drawing Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said on Sunday. There were no casualties reported on either side of the border. Israeli police said the Gaza rocket fired on Saturday night damaged a factory in the southern city of Ashkelon. The Israeli military said its aircraft struck in response against several military sites belonging to Hamas, the Islamist armed group that controls Gaza.

‘Save yourselves’, Ethiopia tells Tigrayans as it moves on rebel-held capital (Reuters) Ethiopia’s army plans to surround the rebel-held capital of Tigray region with tanks and may use artillery on the city to try to end a nearly three-week war, a military spokesman said on Sunday, urging civilians to save themselves. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which is refusing to surrender its rule of the northern region, said its forces were digging trenches and standing firm. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal troops have taken a string of towns during aerial bombardments and ground fighting, and are now aiming for Mekelle, a highland city of about 500,000 people where the rebels are based. The war has killed hundreds, possibly thousands, sent more than 30,000 refugees into neighbouring Sudan, and seen rockets fired by rebels into neighbouring Amhara region and across the border into the nation of Eritrea.

#headlines #news

1 note · View note

kathyprior4200 · 4 years

Text

Smile, My Dear Annie!

TO COMMENCE, JUNE 2020

For many years, orphan girl Annie wishes her parents would return for her and get her out of the orphanage from the strict Miss Hannigan. Warbucks appears on Bert's radio show, offering money to help find Annie's parents. Annie and the girls get excited and dance to "You're Never Fully Dressed."

But then, something goes terribly wrong. The radio starts glitching and through the static, a demonic voice can be heard. Dad jokes, electro swing, and broadcasts of murders start appearing on all the radios. A mysterious brown-haired mixed radio host named Alastor arrives, claims to be desperate for money and food.

Grace encourages Warbucks to adapt Annie, and Annie hopes to be able to leave the orphanage. But things turn south when Hannigan's brother and his girlfriend pose as her parents. Even worse, a new serial killer is on the loose, hungry for revenge and entertainment.

No one knows what will happen with the strange supernatural occurrences and the rush for people to raise her. But one thing's for sure...

Annie isn't safe anymore.

Now she must reunite with Grace, Warbuck and her friends and escape the greedy couple...if Alastor doesn't end up finding her first...

The scene starts off with a brief snippet of Alastor's death in New Orleans in 1933. In Hell, he desires to go back to New Orleans to broadcast more murders and eat individuals who were cruel to him. He notices how some lower class demons get influenced by his radio broadcasts. After hearing from an overlord that "humans would be good bait to use in war," he gets an idea.

With the help of I.M.P. Alastor gains access to Earth, but he accidentally ends up in New York instead. He looks over and sees his old radio he used to listen to when he was a kid. (It even had his name engraved on the side). Apparently, several people bought it from an antique shop in New Orleans and added it as a stage prop, after thinking it was “cool” that it had been cursed. As the radio was part of him, it allowed him to take on his physical demon form on Earth once he reunited with it. Annoyed in shadow form, Alastor emerges from the radio and proceeds to kill everyone at the show. The radio gets smashed by falling debris before Alastor can reach it, breaking his darken heart. He flees the gory scene and the survivors wake up, not remembering what had happened (due to the radio being destroyed). (off screen, he uses his blood to create his human body disguise).

Scene shifts to Annie. Annie first lives in an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan, who forces them to clean the building all day. Annie hopes that her parents will return for her, and she keeps half of a locket as her treasured possession, to remind her of them. Annie adopts a stray dog named Sandy, but gets taken back to the orphanage by police.

Annie travels to Warbuck's mansion where she meets the many servants and bodyguards. Warbucks lets her stay and takes her to the Radio City Music Hall to watch a movie.

Warbucks appears on the radio show, offering money to help find Annie's parents. Annie and the girls get excited and dance to "You're Never Fully Dressed."

But then, something goes terribly wrong. The radio starts glitching and through the static, a demonic voice can be heard. Dad jokes, electro swing, and broadcasts of murders start appearing on all the radios. A mysterious brown-haired mixed radio host arrives, claims to be desperate for money and food.

(Alastor actually died the same year and, with the help of imps, traveled to Earth through radios in a disguise in an attempt to get back to New Orleans).

Hannigan, her brother and his girlfriend search through Annie's belongings and plan to use the locket to pose as her parents. But Alastor's shadow steals it away from them!

The more Annie spends time with Alastor, the more suspicious Grace and some of Annie's fellow orphans get. Sandy, the dog, growled and sensed evil in Alastor from the beginning, but Annie told Sandy not to be mean to “our new guest.” Like Charlie in Hazbin Hotel, Annie dances and sings with the disguised demon, getting more influenced when the radio is on. (no romantic love). Alastor's demon reflection is revealed in mirrors. Kate notices it and warns Annie that a "monster lives inside him," though Annie doesn't believe it.

Not having to worry as much about environmental threats and survival, Alastor begins another killing rampage, hunting deer and selfish adults while broadcasting again. He carves sigils onto their flesh, ensuring they become his slaves/prey back in Hell. The radios around him additionally served as hiding places for him after murders.

Meanwhile, the newspaper gets a new heading "Random Serial Killer on the Loose." Another headline reads "Similar Kill Count to the now deceased New Orleans Deer Devil Cannibal," triggers back memories, making Alastor go insane. After debating on several terms such as the "Bayou Killer," "Devil of New York," among others, the public comes up with "Brusier of Broadway."

Alastor broadcasts murders, dad jokes, and news, influencing others to tune in and listen. All the orphans are influenced by it…Alastor gaining more power. Sandy barks loudly, briefly snapping them out of their trance. Hannigan was follows Sandy into the room, threatening to butcher him. Hannigan, in a drunken haze does something redeemable for the first time: she yells “Stop having fun, get to work, and turn that thing off!” The static and noise was giving her a headache, the pain overriding the trance powers. Despite the girls trying to stop her, Hannigan smashes the device against the floor, the girls shaking their heads. “Whose drunk now?” she retorts.

The other girls later tell Warbucks and Grace that Annie had been kidnapped by Rooster and Lily. The police begin a search. Rooster attempts to kill Annie and he knocks his sister away. Before Rooster can reach her, he is brutally stabbed by Alastor. Alastor reveals his plan to possess Annie and several others in both Hell and on Earth to create a diverse army to take down racist individuals, providing him with food and entertainment. (He only harms adults). His human disguise falls away and Annie watches in horror as he begins to eat Rooster and Lily. Punjab rescues her and destroys the radio before Alastor possessed her and she reunites her with Grace and Warbucks.

Alastor would get distracted and a bit scared of Sandy the dog (as he had died due to rabies, being shot in the head and getting attacked by dogs).

A local church and police forces arrive and team up to defeat Alastor. He gets shot several times with guns and reels back when several silver crosses are held up. Not too far away, the imp portals begin to close and weaken...dragging him back to Hell (similar to how Dr. Facillier did but was more accepting of his fate and smiled the whole time). Annie lives with Grace and Warbucks and her friends arrive for the party. "Brusier of Broadway Vanquished in Less Than a Week."

Annie didn't listen to the radio for several years afterwards. The scene ends with Alastor singing "You're Never Fully Dressed" on a radio in Hell, the old locket next to it, then saying "stay tuned, folks."

Transcript

Annie Script

Scene 1

Molly: Annie. Annie I can't sleep.

Pepper: Shut up! How am I supposed to get any sleep around here?

Sally: She cries all the time.

Duffy: And she wets the bed.

Molly: I do not!

Pepper: What are you doing in our dorm? You should be in the baby room.

Annie: She's ok you guys. You can stay here with me Molly.

Molly: I couldn't sleep Annie.

Annie: When I can't sleep. I think of my folks

Molly: (looking at Annie's locket) You're the only one who has folks here. Mine are dead.

Annie: I think of what they're like and how someday soon they're going to come and get me.

(Song: Maybe)

Maybe far away, Or maybe real nearby. He may be pouring her coffee, She may be straightening his tie. Maybe in a house All hidden by a hill. She's sitting playing piano, He's sitting paying a bill. Betcha they're young Betcha they're smart Bet they collect things Like ashtrays and art. Betcha they're good - Why shouldn't they be? Their one mistake was giving up me. So, maybe now it's time And maybe when I wake, They'll be there calling me "Baby". Maybe. Betcha he reads Betcha she sews Maybe she's made me A closet of clothes. Maybe they're strict As straight as a line - Don't really care As long as they're mine. So, maybe now this prayer's The last one of it's kind; Won't you please come get your "Baby"? Maybe.

Scene 2

Miss Hanagen enters

Miss H: Did I hear singing? Who's happy? Well?

Orphans: We love you Miss Hanagen.

Miss H: Sure. Well if you're so wide awake you can get up. Get outta bed and clean up this place. This room had better be regulation before breakfast my little pig dropping or kill kill kill!

Annie: But it's the middle of the night.

Miss H: (imitating Annie) But it's the middle of the night. And if this room don't shine like the top of the Chrysler building your backside will understand?

Orphans: Yes Miss Hanagen.

Miss H: What do you say Annie?

Annie: I love you Miss Hanagen.

Miss H: Why anybody would wanna be an orphan is beyond me.

Molly kicks Miss Hanagen's foot.

(Song: It’s a Hard Knock Life.)

Annie It's the Hard-Knock Life for us! Orphans It's the Hard-Knock Life for us! 'Stead of treated - we get tricked! 'Stead of kisses - we get kicked! It's the Hard-Knock Life! Got no folks to speak of, so! It's the hard-knock row we hoe! Cotton blankets - 'stead of wool! Empty bellies - 'stead of full! It's the Hard-Knock Life! Annie Don't it feel like the wind is always howlin'? Kate and Tessie Don't it seem like there's never any light? Molly Once a day don't you want to throw the towel in? Orphans It's easier than puttin' up a fight! July No one's there when your dreams at night get creepy. Duffy No one cares if you grow, or if you shrink. Pepper No one dries when your eyes get wet and weepy. Orphans From the cryin' you would think this place would sink! O-o-o-o-oh...! Empty belly life! Rotten smelly life! Full of sorrow life! No tomorrow life! Molly Santa Claus we never see. Annie Santa Claus - what's that? Who's he? Orphans No one cares for you a smidge, When you're in an orphanage! It's the Hard-Knock Life! Molly (Imitates Mrs. Hannigan): "You'll stay up, till this dump shines Like the top of the Chrysler Building! Kill, kill!" Orphans (Molly) Yank the whiskers from her chin! ("Little Pig Droppings!") Jab her with a safety-pin! ("Rotten orphans!") Make her drink a Mickey Finn! ("Nobody loves you!") I love you, Mrs. Hannigan! Molly "Get to work!" "Scrape those beds!" "Scrub that floor!" "Polish my shoes!" "And I mean... start... NOW!" Orphans (Molly) It's the Hard-Knock Life for us! ("Mud in your eye!") It's the Hard-Knock Life for us! ("Egg in your bear!") No one cares for you a smidge, ("Hair on your chest!") When you're in an orphanage! Orphans It's the Hard-Knock Life! It's the Hard-Knock Life! It's the Hard-Knock Life! The... Hard-Knock... LIFE!

Scene 3

(Annie jumps in the washing basket)

Annie: Cover me up good.

Duffy: All you ever do is run away.

Sally: Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.

Pepper: You're gonna get us into trouble.

Nell: I'm gonna tell.

(Miss H entering)

Miss H: What are you all standing around for? There's the kitchen and the bathroom to clean before lunch and if you skip the corners there will be no lunch. And we're not having hot mush today.

Orphans: Yay!

Miss H: we're having cold mush.

Orphans: OOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhh!

Miss H: What?

Orphans: We love you Miss Hanagen.

Miss H: Where's Annie?

Molly: She had to go bathroom.

Miss H: (imitating Molly) She had to go bathroom.

(Mr. Bundles enters. Miss Hanagan tries to look pretty.)

Mr. B: It's heavy today.

Miss H: It shouldn't be.

(Orphans try to warn Mr. Bundles not to give them away)

Mr. Bundles: You sure look pretty today, Miss Hanagan.

Miss H: Oh Mr. Bundles thank you. I will be right here when you get back.

Orphans: Oooooooohhhhhhhhhh!

Scene 4

Annie gets out of the basket and happily walks along loving her freedom when she sees a group of naughty children chasing a dog with tin cans tied to its tail. She runs after them.

Annie: Beat it kids what did he ever do to you? She punches one and they all leave.

Annie: You're ok now you dumb dog.

(Song: Dumb dog)

Dumb dog, Why are you following me? I ain't got a crumb dog, How about lettin' me be? I ain't gon-na feed you, Ain't got a scrap for you. Need you? Don't give a crap for you. Dumb dog dumb-er than they come dog. You're the most presumin' dog That a human could know.

(Dog catcher drives down the street and tries to take the dog.)

Annie: Hey, Mister, that's my dog!

Dog Catcher: Oh yeah? Where's his collar, his lead, his registration?

Annie: I left them home by mistake. Please don't take him to the pound. My father's blind and this dog leads him to work. If he can't get to work we'll all starve sir.

Dog catcher: What's his name?

Annie: My father's name?

Dog Catcher: The dog's name.

Annie: Oh the dog’s name? Well…his name is ...Sandy. Right Sandy.

Dog Catcher: Call him.

Annie: Call him.

Dog Catcher: That's right go over there and call him.

(Annie moves a few meters)

Annie: Sandy!

(Dog doesn't move)

Annie: Come on boy, Sandy, Sandy, Sandy!

(Dog comes)

Annie: Good boy!

Dog Catcher: You got yourself a dog kid. Go home and get his leash.

Annie: I will sir.

(Police man takes her by the ear back to orphanage)

Miss H: (gruff voice) Annie!

Police: Look who I found.

Miss H: (softer for policeman’s benefit) Oh Annie I was so worried.

Policeman: I knew you would be a big hearted woman like you

Miss H: How can I ever repay you?

Pepper: Kissy, Kissy, kissy.

Miss H: Kill, kill, kill.

Scene 5

(Orphans are very excited to meet Sandy)

Orphans: Ooooohhhhhh!

Molly: What's his name, Annie?

Annie: Guess.

Molly: Fiffi?

Pepper: This mutt’s no Fiffi.

(Song: Sandy)

Fifi, That ain't a name for this mutt. So how about Champion? Champion you're anything but. We could call him Tiger, But there's no bite in him, Tiger! Kittens would frighten him. Rover! When you think it over, Rover is the perfect name for this dumb look-in' dog. Sandy, Sandy's his name if you please. If you don't be-lieve me ask anyone of the fleas Residing on Sandy, True he ain't pedigreed, Sandy, there ain't no better breed. And he really comes in handy, 'Specially when you're all alone in the night And you're small and terribly frightened it's Sandy, Sandy who'll always be there!

Duffy: She's coming. Quick!

(They try to hide Sandy under laundry)

(Miss H approaching Annie)

Annie: I love you Miss Hanagen.

Miss H: And you will love the paddle closet Annie. And this (Grabbing Sandy) Will love the sausage factory.

Orphans: Oooooohhhh!

Miss H: What?

Orphans: We love you Miss Hanagen.

Miss H: Shut up!

Scene 6

Grace: Miss Hanagen, I'm Grace Farrell. The New York Board of Orphans sent me. Miss H: Well My goodness, won’t you come in. Welcome to our happy home. She pretends to be nice to orphans .

Miss H: What did you say your name was?

Grace: Grace.

Miss H: Aptly named.

G: I'm here to inquire about an orphan.

H: Look Grace I can explain the whole thing. You see...what happened...she escaped in the laundry and I know I should have called Mr. Donatelly but I saw red so I called the cops instead. Anyway she's back and she's fine. No harm done huh?

G: Miss Hanagen, whatever are you talking about?

H: Wait a minute, honey are you peddling beauty products? Coz clearly I don't need no beauty products G: I'm the private secretary of Mr. Oliver Warbucks

H: Oliver Warbucks the millionaire?

G: Oliver Warbucks the billionaire.

H: My Lord!

G: Mr. Warbucks would like to invite an orphan to spend a week with him.

H: Isn't that nice. What sort of orphan did he have in mind?

(Annie sticks her head in through the door)

G: Well, friendly, intelligent…

(Annie: (whispering) Spells out MISSISSIPPI)

G: And happy.

(Annie laughs out loud. Miss H, slams door.)

H: How old?

G:Age doesn't really matter..7

(Annie raises her hand until right age guessed)

H:7

G: 8

H:8

G:9

H: 9

G: 10

(Annie makes stop gesture)

G: 10 is perfect. Oh I almost forgot. Mr. Warbucks prefers red headed children.

H: 10 year old red head, No, sorry. Ain’t got it!

G: What about this child?

H: Annie? You don't want Annie.

G: Why not?

H: She's a drunk!

G: Fiddle sticks! Annie, how would you like to spend a week with Mr. Warbucks in his house?

Annie: Oh boy, I would love that!

H: Slow down, hold on. You can have any child you want in the whole orphanage except Annie.

G: Why?

H: Because she's got it coming to her and I don't mean a week in the lap of luxury. This brat's got to learn her place!

G: Her place!

H: And Annie's entirely too cheeky.

G: Well Mr. Warbucks loves cheeky orphans.

H: Tough.

G: I assume your objection is something to do with Mr. Donatelly and the board of New York Orphans?

H: Don't assume nothin sweetheart.

G: Well Mr. Warbucks and Mr. Donatelly are like that.

H: Is that a fact?

G: Yes and he was at the house just the other day and he was saying how many people he had lined up for your job.

H: Is that a fact?

G: Yes that's a fact. It's an awful time to be out of work isn't it Miss Hanagen?

H: It's terrible.

A: Leapin Lizards!

Miss H (imitating Annie) Leaping Lizards.

Annie: Come on Sandy. This is my dog. He's real nice and he almost never jumps up on people.

(Sandy jumps up on Grace)

G: He's a really sweet dog Annie but I'm not sure Mr. Warbucks would approve.

Annie: Then I can't go.

G: What?

Annie: She said she would take him to the sausage factory.

H: I'm not a sucker for dogs.

G: We'll take the dog!

Annie: Oh boy!

Scene 7

(Annie is awestruck(

Grace: I have an announcement to make everyone. This is Annie and she'll be staying with us for a week and this is her dog Sandy.

Annie: And he'll be staying with me.

Servant: May I take your sweater?

Annie: Will I get it back?

Servant: Of course dear.

Grace: Now Annie, what would you like to do first?

Annie (looking around): The windows, then the floors. That way if I drip...

Grace: No Annie, you don't understand. You won’t have to do any cleaning while you're with us.

Annie: I won’t? How am I gonna earn my keep?

Grace: You're our guest Annie.

(Song: I think I'm gonna like it here)

Grace: Cecile will pick out all your clothes Cecile: spoken: Blue is your best color, no red I think. Grace: Your bath is drawn by Mrs. Greer. Mrs. Greer: spoken: Salts?...No, bubbles, I think. Grace: Annette comes in to make your bed. Annette: spoken: The silk? No the satin sheets, I think. Annie: I think I'm gonna like it here! Grace: The swimming pool is to the left Annie: spoken: Inside the house? Oh boy! Grace: The tennis court is in the rear Annie: spoken: I never even picked up a racket. Grace: Have an instructor here at noon spoken: Oh, and get that Don Budge fellow if he's available. Annie: I think I'm gonna like it here. Grace: When you wake ring for Drake Drake will bring your tray When you're through Mrs.Pugh Comes and takes it away. Grace and servants: No need to pick up any toys Annie: spoken: That's okay, I haven't got any anyway. Grace: No finger will you lift my dear ALL: We have but one request Please put us to the test Annie: I know I'm gonna like it here Used to room in a tomb Where I'd sit and freeze Get me now, holy cow Could someone pinch me please! Grace: spoken: She didn't mean it. (Singing) We've never had a little girl ALL: We've never had a little girl Grace and servants: We hope you understand Your wish is our command (Said together) Annie: I know I'm gonna like it here Servants and Grace: We know you're gonna like it here ALL Welcome

Scene 8a

(Mr. Warbucks marches in)

Mr. W: Has the painting arrived?

G: Yes sir.

(Painting is held up for him. It's the Mona Lisa)

W: I don't like it. Send it back. Any messages?

G: Yes. President Roosevelt called 3 times. He said it was urgent.

W: Everything is urgent to a Democrat. What else?...Wait! There's something interesting about that woman's smile. I might learn to like her. Hang that in my bathroom.

G: Mr. Warbucks I'd like you to meet...

W: Why do I smell wet dog?

(Annie comes out from hiding with Sandy )

Annie: Because we gave Sandy a bath.

W: What's this?

G: This is Annie, sir. This is the orphan who will be staying with us for a week

W: Orphan. What are you talking about?

G: Sir, it’s a press story for the papers remember? It's only for a week.

W: This doesn't look like a boy. Orphans are boys

G: Oh you didn't say you wanted a boy sir. You just said an orphan so I got a girl.

W: I want a boy.

Annie: I've got an interesting smile too sir. Don't you think you could like me too sir? Hang me in the bathroom?

W: Take them back now!

G: Oh Sir but she only just got here.

Annie: That's ok. We'll be ok. It was real nice meeting you anyhow. I sure do like your place.

W: Thank you Annette.

Annie: Annie. I've had a really swell time. The driver came in a car the size of a train Mr. Warbucks and we made Drake sneeze and I played your pipe organ and Sandy got a bubble bath. And well I've had enough fun to last me for years. It’s really a swell idea to have an orphan stay for a week Mr. Warbucks. Even if it’s only for your image. Even if I'm not the orphan I'm glad you're doing it.

W: I'm glad you approve. Let's get to work.

G: Are you sure you need a boy? Couldn’t she stay? It’s only for a week.

W: Whatever but just for the week.

Scene 8b

(Miss Hanagen is listening to the radio)

Male voice: I Love you.

H: I love you too.

Male voice: Kiss me as only you can.

H: Oh you devil!

(She kisses the radio. Orphans see and laugh)

H: Get away!

(Song: Little Girls)

Little girls Little girls Everywhere I turn I can see them Little Girls Little Girls Night and day I eat, sleep and breathe them I'm an ordinary woman With feelings I'd like a man to nibble on my ear But I'll admit, no man has bit So, how come I'm the mother of the year? How I hate Little shoes Little socks And each little bloomer I'd have cracked Years ago If it weren't for my Sense of humour Some woman are drippin' with diamonds Some woman are drippin' with pearls Lucky me! Lucky me! Look at what I'm drippin' with Little girls! Little cheeks Little teeth Everything around me is little If I wring Little necks Surely I will get an acquittal Some day I'll step on their freckles Some night I'll straighten their curls Send the flood Send the flu Anything that You can do To, little (little, little), little (little, little) Little girls Some day I'll land in the nuthouse With all the nut and the squirrels (giggle) There I'll stay Tucked Away Until the prohibition of Little girls

Scene 9

(Rooster and Lilly appear)

H: Rooster.

R: Sis.

H: You're supposed to be in jail.

R: They let me out early.

Lilly: On account of his good behavior.

R: I want you to meet a friend of mine. Lilly St Regent.

L: Named after the motel.

H: Room Service.

R: This very afternoon I got my nose on this beautiful horse 8 to 1. All I need is 5 bucks to tide me over.

H: Not even a nickel for the subway.

R: Oh come on sis.

H: I bet you miss stick fingers here can lend you a lousy 5 bucks.

L: I beg your pardon. I'm short but I don't stoop to what you're incinerating.

H: Give me back the goods toots.

(Jewelry is pulled from Lilly's pickets and top.)

H: Ok Rooster if I loan you 5 bucks will you take this dumb hotel and just get the heck outta here?

R: I'm sorry sis. Not even a nickel for the subway.

L: You and her have the same mother? (

she takes something on the way out) Hanagen checks her bag when they leave and her purse is gone.)

H: (Screaming) Rooster!!!!

Scene 10

(Warbucks is practicing squash and Annie runs back and forth for fun)

A: Thanks so much for having me to stay. Mr. Warbucks. I’ve had the greatest time and Miss Farrell has been just so kind and all the staff. You know she really thinks you're sliced bread but you don't notice.

W: Sliced bread huh?

A: I've had enough fun to last a life time that it won’t even matter when I go back to that stinking orphanage.

W: How do you remain so positive?

A: I sing a little song and everything seems better.

(Song: Tomorrow)

Annie The sun'll come out tomorrow... Bet your bottom dollar that Tomorrow, there'll be sun! Just thinkin' about tomorrow Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow 'Til there's none! When I'm stuck with a day That's gray, And lonely, I just stick out my chin And grin and say... Oh... The sun'll come out tomorrow So you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow Come what may! Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You're only a day away! To-morrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You're only a day... A-...wa-a-a-ay!

Grace: (spoken) C'mon, Annie, let's go to the movies! Annie: (spoken) Let's go see the stars! Grace: Cowboy heroes, Cops and robbers, Glamour and strife, Bigger than life! Sitting in the darkness, What a world to see! Let's go to the movies, Annie, wait and see. Betty Davis is probably lying, And Greta Garbo is probably crying, While Robert Taylor Is locked in her dying embrace. Chico and Groucho And Chaplin and Lloyd Are all super. Sweet Mickey Mouse, Shirley Temple, And dear Jackie Cooper. Annie: Let's go to the movies... Annie and Grace: Let's go see the stars! Grace: Fred and Ginger Spinning madly... Songs and romance. Life is the dance. Sitting in the darkness, Popcorn on your knee! Give the maid the night off! Warbucks: (spoken) Turn the kitchen light off! Grace and Warbucks: Let's go to the movies, Annie, you and me! Ushers: Welcome to the movies! Welcome to the stars! Welcome to this Grand illusion. All of it's yours Right through these doors! Every plot's a dilly, This we guarantee! Welcome to the movies Wait and see. Female Chorus: Let's go to the movies (See the movies) Let's go see the stars. Red lights holler Big Depression What do we care? Movies are there! Only happy endings (Boy gets girl, yes) That's our recipe! Welcome to a lovely M-O-V-I-E! Male Chorus: Let's go to the movies (We love to go, to RKO, Columbia, Universal) Let's go see the stars (Jack Warner and, Sam Goldwyn and, MGM and Paramount) Both: Dreams of glory, Cast of thousands, Bigger than life, Bigger than life! Only happy endings, That's our recipe! So, welcome to the movies Wait... And... See!

Scene 11

(Warbucks and Grace having breakfast. Warbucks reading the paper not paying much attention to Grace)

W: I'll have to close the factory in Pittsburgh. Miss Farrell.

G: About Annie…

W: What about Annie?

G: Couldn't we keep her? You haven't seen that horrible orphanage. I can't bear to send her back there. I can't.

W: Get a hold of yourself! What's come over you?

G: She wouldn't be a bother. I'd take care of her. You have plenty of room here. The staff adores her. We could take her on, well as your ward couldn't we?

W: Absolutely not! I'm a business man. I love money, I love power, I love capitalism. I now and never will love children!

G: Watching you with her last night. I though well maybe...

W: Grace…

G: Yes?

W: I've just noticed something.

G: Yes.

W: You're awfully pretty when you argue with me.

G: Thank you sir but…

W: Oliver…

G: Oliver...Do you really just love money and power and capitalism? You know they're never going to love you back.

W: You're teeth are crooked.

G: I'll have them fixed.

W: I like them crooked.

G: I'll leave them.

W: Thank you.

G: I could have the papers signed this morning.

W: It means a great deal to you doesn't it?

G: Yes. It means a great deal to me.

W: I’ll do it myself.

G: I could just kiss you.

W: Grace!

G: Yes?

W: Get her a gift.

G: That's a great idea.

W: Something from Tiffany's. A new locket.

G: Oh and you be careful when you go to that orphanage. That woman has claws and fangs.

(Warbucks laughs)

(Song: We got Annie)

Grace: We got Annie. Gardener: We've got Annie? Grace: Yeah! She's like the shine on your shoes, Or hearing a blues that's great. Makes you relax, Like a big tax rebate! We got Annie! Servants: We got Annie! We got Annie? We got Annie! Mrs. Pugh: And Benny Goodman's got swing. Bing is a king, by far. Mutt has got Jeff, And Eleanor, F.D.R.! Grace: We got Annie! Asp: We got Annie! Punjab: We got Annie! Asp: We've got Annie! Grace: We got Annie! (Whispers) Annie.

Scene 12

W: Miss Hanagen, I presume?

H: Yes.

W: I want to talk to you about Annie.

H: You want to return her and forget it? Or trade up?

W: I want to adopt her.

H: would you excuse me for a moment (goes into room and screams) (Returns)

H: Won’t you come in? Welcome to our happy home.

(She pretends to be nice to the orphans Warbucks hands her papers)

H: You know something? For a Republican you are sinfully handsome.

W: Thank you.

H: Why I just go absolutely weak at the knees over men like you.

(Noticing his diamond button)

H: My God! Is that thing real?

W: Miss Hanagen, just sign the papers.

(Song: Sign)

Warbucks Miss Hannigan! You need to sign a paper. Miss hannigan Mr. Warbucks, do you know something for a Republican you are sinfully handsome. Warbucks Thank you. Miss hannigan Why I just go absolutely weak in the knees over men like you. My GOD, is that thing real? Warbucks Just sign the papers. Miss hannigan Don't you wanna see the bedroom, my little billiard ball? Warbucks Sign. Miss hannigan I make a very dry martini. Warbucks Right here. Miss hannigan I make a very wet souffle. Warbucks Just your name. Miss hannigan Don't be so mean, you mean ole meanie. Warbucks Come, my dear. Miss hannigan Let's you and me make, why shouldn't we make haste? Warbucks I have an appointment at 1. Miss hannigan This way... You ever been to Bonus Ires? Warbucks Where? Miss hannigan A hunger for the Argentyne? Warbucks ArgenTINE. Miss hannigan Let's me and you fill up our diaries Warbucks What? Stop! Miss hannigan Buy me a ruby Warbucks No! Miss hannigan Why shouldn't you be mine? Warbucks Come Miss hannigan I've got your numbah Warbucks Close Miss hannigan Ya like to rhumba Warbucks Madam, while Miss hannigan I'll call you Ollie Warbucks We Miss hannigan My hot tamale Warbucks Pry through this Miss hannigan And now I've gotcha Warbucks File Miss hannigan My cucaracha Warbucks From my pri- Miss hannigan Oh! Warbucks -Vate Miss hannigan Ooh! Warbucks Eye. Miss hannigan Ay ya ya! Warbucks You spend your evenings in the shanties, Miss hannigan You had me followed? Warbucks Imbibing quarts of bathtub gin. Miss hannigan Bronchitis. Warbucks And here you're dancing in your scanties. Miss hannigan Great gams. Warbucks With some old geezer called Little Caesar. Miss hannigan He's an uncle! Warbucks You lock the orphans in the closet. Miss hannigan They love it! Warbucks You hock their Christmas souvenirs. Miss hannigan Drink? Warbucks You steal the funds you should deposit Miss hannigan It's fresh... Warbucks You make them grovel, while you buy lavaliers. You'll Miss hannigan Must you upset me Warbucks Sit Miss hannigan Why don't you pet me? Warbucks Out this Miss hannigan It's you I crave now Warbucks Century Miss hannigan Let's misbehave now Warbucks In some Miss hannigan You wanna smoochie Warbucks Deep dark Miss hannigan My little poochie? Warbucks Penitentiary Miss hannigan Jail!? Warbucks Sign. Miss hannigan I guess I'll never know the feeling Warbucks You'll rot in jail Miss hannigan Of running fingers through your hair. Warbucks In Sing-Sing. Miss hannigan I guess this means no Buenos Aires. Warbucks Will you sign?! Miss hannigan Well I don't need ya! Warbucks That's fine. Miss hannigan So just forget me! Warbucks The dotted line Miss hannigan Forget my sweetness! Warbucks Don't whine! Miss hannigan Forget you met me! Warbucks You can't decline! Miss hannigan This day is sorta Warbucks Just sign! Miss hannigan Like Britain Waterloo. Warbucks Sign! Miss hannigan Why didn't you say so in the first place. Swine!

Scene 13

W: Annie I want to talk to you about something serious

A: You don't want me anymore right?

W: On the contrary I do. Good lord. Annie can we have a man to woman talk?

A: Sure.

W: What I'm proposing would involve a long term...well agreement. Actually maybe you want to know more about me before you make up your mind

A: Ok

W: Let's go for a walk.

A: Ok.

W: I was born in Liverpool in a rail road switch house. My younger brother died of Pneumonia because we didn't have money for medicine. Well I decided then and there that one day I would be rich. Very, very rich.

A: Good idea. (Warbucks is pacing up and down and Annie is copying him)

W: In those days America was the land of opportunity. I worked on a ship as cabin boy when I was 12. By the time I was 21 I made my first million and in the next 10 years I turned that into 100 millionaire.

A: Wow.

W: That was a lot of money in those days. I was ruthless, hurt a lot of people. Making money was all I ever gave a damn about until now. It occurred to me no matter how many houses I have, how many Rembrandt unless I have someone to share them with I might as well be broke and still living in Liverpool. Annie do you understand what I'm trying to say?

A: Sure...kinda...not really.

W: Damn.

(Hands her the present of a locket)

A: You've given me so much already Mr. Warbucks.

W: I signed the papers today. It's official.

A: What is? It's so pretty but...

W: Let me put it on you.

A: It’s a really swell locket Mr. Warbucks, but if it's all the same to you I’ll keep my old one.

W: It isn't all the same to me. Your old one's broken. This one's engraved. You didn't even look at it. “To Annie with love from Daddy Warbucks.”

A: Mr. Warbucks, when my folks left me at the orphanage 10 years ago they left a note saying they’d come back for me as soon as they could and they kept the other half of this locket so I'd know it was them when they came. I'm gonna find them someday, Mr. Warbucks. I'm gonna have a regular mother and father like a regular kid. I am! I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. You've been nicer to me than anyone in the whole wide world but I've been dreaming of my folks for as long as I can remember. And I just gotta find them.

W: Then I'll help you. Grace, get me J Edgar on the phone right now. Grace, get me the chief of police. Drake, get me Walter Winthrop. Ponjab, get me William Randolph Hurst and San Jay, get me a drink!

Scene 14

(Orphans are listening to the radio)

W: This is Oliver Warbucks and I'm offering a $50, 000 reward to find orphan Annie's parents. 987 5th Avenue New York City. Drop Page. Johnson's minty fresh toothpaste will have you smiling from ear to ear with minty goodness all day. Did I just read a commercial?

(Song: You're never fully dressed without a smile)

Healy: (spoken) This is Bert Healy saying... Hey, hobo man Hey, Dapper Dan You've both got your style But Brother, You're never fully dressed Without a smile! Your clothes may be Beau Brummelly They stand out a mile -- But Brother, You're never fully dressed Without a smile! Who cares what they're wearing On Main Street, Or Saville Row, It's what you wear from ear to ear And not from head to toe (That matters) So, Senator, So, Janitor, So long for a while Remember, You're never fully dressed Without a smile! Boylan Sisters: Ready or not, here he goes Listen to Bert Tap his smilin' toes Healy: (spoken) Ah, the lovely Boylan Sisters Boylan Sisters: Doo doodle-ooh doo Doo doodle-ooh doo Doo doo doo doo Doo doo doo doo Your clothes may be Beau Brummelly They stand out a mile But, brother You're never fully dressed You're never dressed Without an Connie Boylan: S- Bonnie Boylan: M- Ronnie Boylan: I- Connie Boylan: L- Boylan Sisters: E. Smile darn ya. Healy: (spoken) Yes, this your old softie, Mrs. Healy's Boy Bert, saying until next time, bon soir, buenos noches, guten Nacht, bueno sera, and gosh, I almost forgot, goodnight. All: That matters.

Tessie spoken: So, for all of the "Hours of Smiles" Family, this is Bert Healy saying... (Singing) Hey hobo man, Hey Dapper Dan, You've both got your style All orphans But brother, you're never fully dressed Without a smile Your clothes may be Beau Brummelly They stand out a mile But brother you're never fully dressed Without a smile JULY Who cares what they're wearing on Main Street Or Saville Row It's what you wear from ear to ear And not from head to toe. KATE That matters All orphans So, Senator, so, janitor So long for a while Remember you're never fully dressed Though you may wear the best You're never fully dressed without a Smile Smile Smile! Smile darn ya, smile.

Hanigan: Do I hear happiness?

(Molly steps on her foot)

H: They never miss.

Scene 15

(Hundreds of couples are crowded outside the Warbucks’ mansion)

Couples Oh Annie darling yoo hoo!

Grace: It’s amazing how many dishonest people there are in New York.

(Annie walking in)

A: Have you found my parents yet?

Grace: No Annie. I'm sorry.

A: I guess they're dead. I think deep down I've always known that. I guess I just wanted to believe that I wasn't just any old orphan. I wanted to believe that I was special.

W: You are special. Don’t you forget that!

Scene 16

(Rooster and Lily on the doorstep of orphanage. Rings doorbell)

H: Yeah.

R: Are you the lady who runs this establishment?

H: Unfortunately.

L: 10 years ago we left our little baby girl on the front step.

R: We were starving. There was a job managing a motel but only if we had no children.

H: Rap it up, I'm listening to the radio.

L: We never meant to leave our little Annie.

H: Annie?

R: Now we have a hardware store in New Jersey we can take care of her.

L: We've always loved her.

H: You're Annie's parents?

L: Our house isn't fancy but it's home. We live over the store.

R: There's a yard out back.

L: We have chickens.

R: And a rooster.

(They take off disguises)

H: Rooster! My God I would never have recognized you. Come on.

(Looking around to make sure no one is watching)

R: If we can fool you, we can fool Mr. Money Bags.

L: 50,000 smakos.

H: You'll be the death of me, Rooster.

R: Come on sis.

H: What's in it for me?

R: A split of the money. A 3 way split

H: I want half.

L: Half!

H: Half!

R: Alright 25 for you and 25 for me and Lilly.

L: Rooster! Wait and see what she's got first to see if it’s worth 25,000.

H: What do you want?

L: We need specifics on Annie. Details.

H: You want details I'll give you details! I've got specifics on every kid in this dump. It’s just a question of finding the right box.

(Looking through boxes.)

H: Annie wears a locket round her neck. She says her parents have the other half to one day come and claim her with. Years ago her parents were killed in a fire and the cops brought me all their junk. Well baby brother if Annie's parents can claim her with that locket so can we!

(Orphans overhearing)

L: 50,000 big ones!

R: And the kid, we'll drop in the river.

Molly: They're gonna do something bad to Annie! Pepper!

Pepper: (reading magazine) HAVE YOU CLEANED THE CAN?

MOLLY: LISTEN TO ME! I MEAN IT!

Molly: Listen you guys, we gotta do something.

Pepper: You want a knuckle sandwich?

Molly: We gotta warn Annie!

Pepper: Scrub!

H: It's in a sealed envelope. (to Lilly about boxes) Make yourself useful.

(They find the locket)

(Song: Easy Street)

Rooster: I remember the way Our sainted mother Would sit and croon us Her lullaby Miss Hannigan: She'd say, kids, there's a place That's like no other You got to get there before you die Rooster: You don't get there By playing from the rule book Hannigan: You stack the aces Rooster: You load the dice Hannigan and Rooster: Mother dear Oh, we know you're down there listening, How can we follow Your sweet Advice to... Rooster: Easy street Easy street Where you sleep till noon Hannigan: Yeah, yeah, yeah Rooster and Hannigan: She'd repeat Easy street Better get there soon. Rooster, Hannigan, and Lily: Easy street Easy street Where the rich folks play Yeah, yeah, yeah Move them feet Hannigan: Move them ever-lovin' feet Rooster, Hannigan, and Lily: To easy street Hannigan: Easy street Rooster, Hannigan, and Lily: When you get there stay Rooster: It ain't fair How we scrounge For three of four bucks While she gets Warbucks Hannigan: The little brat! It ain't fair this here life Is drivin' me nuts! While we get peanuts She's livin' fat! Rooster: Maybe she holds the key That little lady Hannigan: To gettin' more bucks Rooster: Instead of less Maybe we fix the game With something shady Lily: Where does that put us? Hannigan: Oh, tell her. Rooster: If you want: yes! Rooster, Hannigan, and Lily: Yes! Easy street Easy street Annie is the key Yes sirree Yes sirree Yes sirree Easy street Easy street That's where we're gonna... be!

(Orphans running to find Annie at Warbucks’ mansion

Duffy: Oh my goodness, we're never gonna get there!

Pepper: Wait. Look there's 5th Avenue!

Molly: We're at number 1, we gotta find 987.

Nell: Ooooh my feet are killing me!

Molly: We gotta keep going!

Scene 17

(Rooster and Lilly disguised as Annie's parents talking to Warbucks)

R: We were starving, we needed the job, that's why we left our baby girl.

L: We left her on the doorstep of the Hudson St Orphanage.

(Annie comes in)

L: Oh Annie! (rushes to hug her) Look Ralph, she still has the locket.

(She puts the other half of the locket on)

.L: We've finally found you

W: I suppose you heard about the reward?

R: Reward? What reward?

W: On the radio.

L: We don't have a radio.

Grace: How did you know Annie was here?

R: That kind lady at the orphanage told us.

L: I have the birth certificate right here (handing it over) I've kept it close to my heart all these years.

A: I'll go pack.

L: You want me to help you, baby?

A: NO thanks...Mum.

(Warbucks writes a check)

R: Sir we're just so thrilled to have Annie back. We don't need the money

L: (snatching check) We are poor. We could use it to buy food. A warm blanket for Annie.

W: Put it in your pocket, Mrs. Mudge.

(Annie packs with Grace)

A: Do you think the stores would take all these clothes back?

G: But don't you want to keep them?

A: My folks, they're poor. All these clothes might make them feel bad. Could you maybe take them to the orphanage and give them to my friends?

G: Sure.

(Annie sings Maybe) “Bet you my life is gonna be swell. Just looking at them it's easy to tell.

Warbucks seeing her leave sings “It will be fine”

Annie Betcha my life is gonna be swell. Looking at them it's easy to tell. And maybe I'll forget how nice he was to me, And how I was almost his baby... Warbucks It'll be fine, nothing to fear. She'll be as happy as she was here. Things have worked out much better than planned. It makes you smile to see fate take a hand. And I know I'll forget how much she meant to me And how she was almost my baby... Maybe...

Scene 18

(Outside the mansion Miss Hanagen pretends to be blind and gets into the car.)

H: You got it? (She grabs the check) I better hold onto it for safe keeping!

L: Give it back!

(Annie realizing the plot)

A: Mr. Warbucks help!

(They cover her mouth)

Scene 19

(At the mansion Orphans rush in)

W: What's this?

Molly: Mr. Warbucks?

Pepper: I think he's a highness.

Molly: Your Highness, we're friends of Annie’s.

W: Annie’s gone. Her parents came to get her.

Duffy: But they weren't her real parents, Your Highness.

Molly: They was bad people.

Pepper: it's a swindle.

W: Leapin Lizards!

(Warbucks gets on the phone)

W: The orphan Annie has been kidnapped. I want all of your best men on it!

Scene 20

(Annie in car)

A: Mr. I think you better pull over. I gotta go.

(No response)

A: When ya gotta go ya gotta go.

(They pull over)

H: Make it snappy.

(Annie kicks Miss Hanigan's foot and grabs the check and runs, ripping up the check)

L: Get her!

R: I'll kill her!

H: He's really gonna kill her. Rooster no! She's just a baby!

(Rooster grabs at Annie’s feet then he tries to strangle her but Hanigan knocks him out. The police arrest them.)

Scene 21

(Annie is reunited with Grace and Mr. Warbucks)

(Song: Together at Last)

Warbucks and annie Together at last! Together for ever! We're tying a knot, They never can sever! Annie I don't need sunshine now, To turn my skies to blue -- Warbucks and annie I don't need anything but you! Warbucks You've wrapped me around That cute little finger. You've made life a song ... You've made me the singer! Annie And what's the bathtub tune You always "Bu-Bu-Boo?" Warbucks Bu-Bu-Bu Ba-Ba-Ba But you Annie Yesterday was plain awful Warbucks You can say that again Annie Yesterday was plain awful Warbucks But that's Annie Not now Warbucks and annie That's then Annie I'm poor as a mouse, Warbucks Ah ha! I'm richer than Midas. FDR Oliver, marvelous! Warbucks and annie But nothing on earth Could ever divide us! And if tomorrow, I'm an apple seller, too-- I don't need anything, anything, anthying I don't need anything... But you! Servants Annie Annie Annie Everything's humming now Annie Annie Annie Good times are coming now Since you came our way It's Christmas, Christmas everyday We dismiss Bad times, sad times Now they're all yesterday news Since Annie Kicked out The blues Annie Annie Annie Look what you've done for us Annie Annie Annie Turned on the sun for us Grace Have they sent the cheese? Drake Yes and ice camemberts and bries Grace Judge Brandeis ALL Annie Annie You filled our life with a song They're two of a kind The happiest pair now Like Fred and Adelle, they're floating On air now And what's the title of the dream Warbucks I don't need anything Annie Anything ALL Anything I don't need anything But you

End

#annie #annie 1982 #musicals #hazbin hotel #alastor

12 notes · View notes

acuppellarp · 5 years

Photo

Welcome (back!) to A Cup-pella, Aly! We’re excited to have you and Dani Harper in the game! Please go through the checklist to make sure you’re ready to go and send in your account within the next 24 hours.

OOC INFO

Name + pronouns: Aly + She/Her. Age: 27. Timezone: GMT. Ships: Dani/Chemistry. Anti-Ships: Dani/Forced.

IC INFO

Full Name: Danielle Faith Harper. Face Claim: Demi Lovato. Age/Birthday: 23/July 29th. Occupation: Tattoo Artist at Tattoo Envy, and singer/guitar player for Pamela Lansbury. Personality: Driven, Independent, Loud, Loyal, Playful, Sarcastic, Unique. Hometown: Dallas, Texas. Bio: [ HOMOPHOBIA TW, RELIGION CW ]

There are many things that Michael and Renata Harper should not have done, with the main one being making the decision to have children. The fact that Michael had a son already from his previous, very short-lived marriage but only saw on the occasional weekend should’ve been enough to let anybody know that Michael was not parent material, and his wife was not much better. In fact, scratch that—of the two, Renata was much worse. Both raised in strict Catholic households, the Harper’s had certain ideals they had been raised to uphold, most of them entirely backward and outdated, and all revolving around not only respect but also a large fear of God. These ideals where pushed onto their daughter, the one they had never planned but found themselves conceiving anyway, only a few short months into their new marriage.

Danielle was supposed to be the very epitome of perfect. Like all young girls in their close minded hometown, Danielle would be a pretty little ballerina, would wear beautiful, frilly dresses and would worship the heck out of her Lord above. Unfortunately for the Harper’s, they hadn’t counted on creating a child that would have such a strong sense of freewill right from the off. From the toddler years, Danielle was boisterous and loud, though not exactly badly behaved. She just liked to have fun, and could always be found with a smile on her face, as well as some kind of colored sharpie or leftover food from the bowl she’d dumped over her own head earlier that day. She was every bit the handful her parents had never planned for, and as soon as Danielle was old enough, she was tossed right into classes that would hopefully put her on the right track.

First came etiquette classes. Her etiquette teacher, however, Mrs. Newman, would constantly report back to Michael and Renata to let them know that their daughter refused to follow direction, and would constantly correct her, telling her her name was Dani—a shortened version of her name the youngster gave herself early on, but something her parents flat out refused to address her by. Next were ballet classes, where Dani was expected to perfect her pirouettes alongside all of the other good little girls, but could instead be found in a corner of the room, sliding on her knees and playing air guitar. Nevertheless, her parents persisted, with piano lessons up next. Surprisingly, this was an area in which Dani excelled and showed real potential. Unfortunately for them, she seemed bored with the classical music she learned to play by ear, and would instead bang her hands on the keys in what she stated was a “rock” sound. Her parents were less than impressed.

The Harper’s weren’t exactly poor, nor were they rich. They were an average income family, who provided their daughter with only a handful of toys, all of which were very gender specific. Dani was supposed to play with dolls and tea sets, but instead she’d choose to grab a sharpie or crayon and doodle all over the shiny objects. Her parents insisted it was defiance, and that their daughter was an absolute tearaway, but she wasn’t. Dani’s early interest in making “artwork” was a telltale sign of things to come, though Michael and Renata would never acknowledge that. A redeeming factor for Dani was up front in church choir, where she’d sing her heart out with a beaming smile upon her face. It was evident that she’d been blessed with an angelic voice, one her parents could actually be proud of, but they had no interest in her pursuing a musical path. As long as she could sing in church, that was all they wanted.

By the time Dani reached middle school, music had become incredibly important to her. While she’d been pulled from her ballet classes when it became clear that she had no intentions of following any rules or regulations, Dani continued with her piano classes, and became a very skilled little artist. After only two or three times of hearing it, Dani could play almost any tune by ear, and was even gifted her own keyboard for her thirteenth birthday. Her parents had expected her to use it to practice the songs she’d learn in class, but instead Dani found a better use for it. With a clear gift, Dani had begun writing her own music, and eventually lyrics to go along with it. She’d use her keyboard to bring those new creations to life, and much to her parents dismay they were anything but classical. No surprise, when Dani begged her parents for a guitar the following year, their answer was a loud and firm no, but that wouldn’t stop her.

Not fitting in at all with her family, if Dani was not out with friends, she could be found in her bedroom, either writing music or making detailed pieces of beautiful artwork. Her creations were often kind of weird, definitely not the traditional Mona Lisa style, but they were good, Dani knew they were, and she made sure to save every last one of them in a large folder, which would someday become her portfolio. By high school, Dani’s artwork was not the only weird, unique thing about her; her style became just the same. Refusing with no uncertainty to wear dresses and skirts picked out by her mother, Dani could instead be found wearing skinny jeans, band tees and occasional blazers, one day even coming home with her hair dyed bright pink. It was a temporary dye, but her parents were not at all happy. Dani, of course, thought she looked awesome, and had no intentions of ceasing to express her creativity.

Many things changed for Dani in high school. It was during those years that she got her first job, working at a local diner and making pretty great tips thanks to her chatty, friendly nature. It took her a while, but eventually she’d saved up enough money to purchase a secondhand guitar, which Dani taught herself to play using online tutorials and the help of friends. It became the second instrument that Dani could play by ear, and allowed her to spread her wings as far as her own, original music. It was also during her high school years that Dani begun to explore her sexuality, realizing pretty quickly that she was one hundred percent gay. For such a close minded community, the minds of Dani’s friend group were pretty wide open, so when she confessed to her attraction towards the same sex, most were understanding and accepting. Some started to distance from her a little bit, but if that was how they felt about something as natural as sexuality, then that was fine by her, she didn’t need them.

Despite her bold, fierce personality and matching look, one thing Dani did not dare to do was to tell her parents about her lack of interest in the opposite sex, and the secret remained tucked away for the next few years. It’s strange, really, since Dani was always so open about everything else in her life. For some reason, though, maybe because despite their strange views and warped ideas of life and humanity, they were her parents, Dani didn’t want to lose them. She didn’t want to completely disappoint them, so she was happy with keeping that one part of her life a secret. Just that one thing, though. She refused to remain silent about her music, or her love for art, two paths that Dani would go on to follow in spite of her parents distaste for both.

The fact that they kept trying to force various college choices on her that so did not suit her style was laughable, but not surprising. It was clear that the Harper’s had never really known their daughter, and still had a slight glimmer of hope that she’d turn around one day and tell them her whole life until this point had been a big joke, and she was finally ready to obey their wishes. Of course, that didn’t happen, and amidst applications to the colleges she actually wanted, and the constant push from her parents to do and be something entirely different, Dani snapped. She’d never had a terrible temper, but could definitely stand up for herself if needed. The thing was, she just never bothered when it came to her parents. It seemed she’d spent much too long bottling everything up, though, and it was time for her explosion.

Along with telling them just how bad their parenting skills were, and how unfair it was that they’d never really gotten to know her as her own person and not just the unrealistic idea they’d always had for her, Dani also shrugged off her jacket to show them a tattoo she’d gotten inked on her arm behind their back, and then came the big one: “I’m also pretty fucking gay!” The tattoo unveiling had earned a dramatic gasp from her mother and a disappointed head shake from her father, but the loud and proud statement about her sexuality stunned all three of them to silence. It became very, very clear that Dani had just majorly screwed up, but as she packed her belongings, guitar strap over her shoulder and stormed out of the front door, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Homophobic slurs followed her out the door, which earned a raised middle finger from Dani in response, and after a little couch surfing in the homes of her closest friends, Dani was making her way to New York to begin her freshman year at Barnard College, where she would major in Art and minor in Music.

See, a big focus was always put on Dani’s music, but from the very moment she’d stepped foot into Dallas’ small tattoo studio, Got Ink?, she’d been bitten by the bug, and Dani knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She would continue to write and play music, and maybe she’d even try to make it big still, but Dani’s passion was in body art, and in making people feel as great about theirs as she did about hers. Without the worry of her parents finding out, and the fact that she honestly didn’t give a crap if they did, Dani got to work on racking up many a piece of body art once her new life in the city had begun, even landing herself a position as a junior artist at what quickly became her go-to studio, Tattoo Envy. Alongside her classes, Dani learned tattoo artistry from the pros, and was soon inking her very first grapefruit. That was a moment to be proud of.

Of course, out of state college tuition fees, and the fact that the end of her freshman year meant she wouldn’t be living in the college dorms anymore all equated to Dani’s need to find another job. For a junior position, Tattoo Envy actually paid pretty darn well, but Dani needed something more, which is where A Cup-pella came in. She’d worked a diner job before, so knew a position as a barista would be just fine, and she’d been right. Surpassing the kind of tips she’d made back in the diner in Dallas, Dani was able to use the money she made from her two jobs to rent a small apartment, with roommates of course, and even managed to find the time to work on her music, which she would showcase at various open mic nights throughout the city whenever the opportunity to do so arose.

By graduation, Dani truly was thriving. Despite the very thick Texas accent that would always remain, Dani’s life in Dallas was practically forgotten. New York was clearly the place for her. She made new friends, had the chance to express not only her sexuality but also herself and her style, and even joined a band. Remaining loyal to Tattoo Envy, Dani begun to climb the ladder until she was becoming one of their most sought after tattoo artists, despite her young age. With the funds to do so, she even adopted herself a puppy. He’s a total handful, but he’s so freaking worth it. Dani’s life feels like it’s finally what it should be, like everything is finally on track for her. Love isn’t a huge deal to her, but it’s something she quietly would take pleasure in finding. Though her music and beloved tattoo art are keeping her pretty dang busy for now.

Pets: Dani recently rescued a puppy, who she decided to name Drummer, from the local shelter. Drummer is a Yorkshire Terrier bred with a Miniature Poodle, so you can imagine just how tiny he is. Since Drummer is still only a baby, Dani is still working on potty training him, but he’s surprisingly well behaved and, unsurprisingly, very playful. Drummer’s fur is completely black, and he has big dark eyes that he has, of course, already learned how to use for begging. The pup gets along well with people and other animals, and totally has Dani wrapped around his little paw.

EXTRA INFO

[ This is for the masterlist, but also a fun little way to get to know your character! ]

Dani 😎🎸/@inkbydani/description: Singer, songwriter, self taught guitar player, tattoo artist, badass lady-loving sapphic goddess.

Five latest tweets:

@inkbydani: Okay but hear me out… For such a prestigious school, WHY did Horace Green not have ID cards?? #SchoolOfWRONG @inkbydani: Speaking of which, Jack Black is kind of creepy, but I would’ve totally been down for Dewey Finn as a sub. @inkbydani: SOS my dog just tried to eat his potty pad, how does that taste good?? @inkbydani: Songwriting is a total soul soother. #NewSongComingSoon @inkbydani: Imagine being one of those people who has self-control… #YourGirlGotNewInk

#accepted

1 note · View note

stressa-bessa · 6 years

Text

Tonight, all is silence in the world

While this is much overdue, this is a prompt submitted by @notsogracefulgrace for my 100-follower celebration! Thank you for your patience! I am so sorry this took so long, I have been stuck with midterms and finals at school, but I hope to get back into the swing of things soon!

Prompt #29 – “I didn’t know you could sing!” “I can’t.”

Spider!Son x Iron!Dad

Word count: 2366

It was a quiet afternoon in the tower. The avengers had spent the entire week away fighting HEXE, cooperatives from HYDRA, in Russia, and Tony was relieved to finally be home. Peter was staying with the Stark’s as Aunt May had to go out of town for a business meeting. Other than the young avenger, the rest of the team had decided to go to their respective homes for a much-needed break.

Tony enjoyed having Peter stay with him and Pepper at the tower. He felt that he was able to live his secret dream of being a father, getting to share the moments and experiences that he missed out on with his own father. Peter was such a good kid, Tony was honoured that this bright eyed, inspiring young boy would chose him to be his mentor. If anything, Tony looked up to Peter. His resilience and ability to be positive when things get tough, the kid is made of steel.

In those moments where Peter wasn’t in the tower, it felt empty. Those quiet hours sparked many conversations about children and marriage between Tony and Pepper, usually initiated by Tony. He wanted the chance to be like his mom.

Tony was the apple of Maria’s eye, she always wanted the best for his son. She knew that her husband was absent as a parent and she made sure to make it up to the boy as much as she could. Tony remembered how his mother would attend every little league game, cheering loudly from the stands with slices of watermelon sitting on her lap for the boys to enjoy after their game, or how she would secretly teach Tony how to play the piano and read him Shakespeare when Howard was away. Tony also remembered all the times that she would stand in front of him and absorb the verbal and physical abuse from Howard, in an attempt to salvage whatever pieces remained of Tony’s childhood.

Tony wanted the chance to take away all of Peter’s pain, the way his mother had done so for him. He knew that Aunt May was more than capable of taking care of Peter, however, Tony knew firsthand what it was like to grow up without a father figure. At the very least, he wanted Peter to have that positive male presence in his life. Tony always worried about stepping on Aunt May’s toes as he never wanted to make her feel that he was trying to replace Ben. That was the last thing Tony wanted, Ben was Peter’s ‘father’ and there was no way Tony could ever be as pure and good as Ben. It wasn’t fair to Peter as circumstances ripped away not one, but two fathers from him before their time. It wasn’t a horrible situation like the one Tony grew up in, Peter had had a loving and nurturing father figure in his life.

“Tony, I’m stepping out for a while. I believe Peter is in his room doing school work.” Pepper interrupts Tony’s thought, leaning down to press a kiss on his cheek. “Maybe we could make pizza tonight, as a family?” She adds, a smile growing on her face. Pepper loved Peter, but what she loved more was the smile that grew on Tony’s face whenever the boy would run in and show him the A he got on a science project or ask about girls. Pepper wished she could grant Tony’s wish to be a father. They had been trying for a while, but the doctors had said that due to their age, it will be difficult to conceive.

“I think that sounds great, Pep.” Tony replies, looking up into his fiancée’s eyes.

“I’ll get everything we need, including gluten-free crust!”

“Really?...Do we have to have gluten-free crust? It’s pizza for god’s sake-“

“Anthony, what did the doctor say! Low-carb helps with insulin resistance, which regulates hormones-“

“Which helps with making babies. Fine, fine, fine.” Tony chuckles, pressing another kiss onto Pepper’s lips before she walks out of the lab and into the elevator.

The silence of the tower drove Tony mad. With all the thoughts roaming through his mind and lack of work to do, he found himself walking by his piano.

This beautiful Steinway, that was once his mother’s, sat in his parlor growing dusty over the years. Tony couldn’t remember the last time when he had the chance to play. The last few years had been a whirlwind, but perhaps falling in love with music again was the relief that he needed. Now that the arc reactor was gone, and he had his health again, he needed to find ways to relax and be at peace. The earth was once again whole after the defeat of Thanos and Tony’s therapist had suggested that he find a hobby that doesn’t involve mechanics and science. Something relaxing, creative and something that would open him up emotionally. Tony’s therapist had labelled him “emotionally constipated” in their last session, scoring a laugh from both Tony and Pepper as the therapist had hit the nail on the head.

Tony lifted the heavy, quilted cover off the piano and dusted off the cover, the shiny black hue of the piano starting to regain its beauty. Tony’s worn hands gently lifted the keyboard cover before he softly blew the remaining dust off the ivory keys.

He sat at the piano, hands hovering over the keys, unsure as to what to play, unsure as to what they remembered how to play. Tony gently pressed the keys, leaning into the stiff ivory. He couldn’t remember what the name of this melody was or who wrote it, but his hands had remembered as if it were an old friend.

“Mozart.” Tony breathes softly, a smile spreading on his cheeks as he remembers the piece his mother taught him as a child. The adrenaline rush that Tony used to gain from playing had start to return, he kept asking himself why he had stopped playing all those years ago.

After reacquainting his hands to the keys, he started to play a classic favourite of his. Unlike his usual rock and roll, his hand started to play Jungleland by Bruce Springsteen. A song that brought Tony back to his wild, teenage years running through the streets of New York. Carefree, responsibility and adulthood on the horizon, full of young love, lust and rebellion.

His rough voice slowly joined his hands, and before Tony knew it he was captivated by the song. It felt as if he was on stage with the Boss himself, reliving the glory days before his world turned upside down. A world where all these horrible things hadn’t happened, a world where he was young and free, and his mom still had his back. A world where his mother was still alive and able to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

“I didn’t know you could sing!” a quiet voice mutters in shock, pulling Tony away from his daydream. His hands abruptly stop, banging on the keys to provoke a clashing sound.

“I can’t.” Tony looks over his shoulder to see Peter standing there with a pencil behind his ear and a science book in his hand. “What do you need, Pete?” Tony asks, his tone changing once he realized that it was the curious boy who had snuck up on him. “Remind me to bubble wrap the place that way you don’t sneak up on me!” Tony chuckles.

“Uh, I had a couple of questions I could use a second opinion on…plus I heard you playing and wanted to see if it was a recording or…”

“Oh, uh that was nothing. Just trying to listen to my therapist.” Tony brushes off the boy, “how about those questions?”

The two were sat at the kitchen table talking about chemistry, Tony working his way through a problem to show Peter that you can sometimes skip steps in the process.

“Uh, Mr. Stark? What was that song you were playing?”

“Kid, drop it. It was nothing.” Tony mutters, embarrassed that he had been caught by the boy.

“It just sounded super familiar, like I’ve heard it before.” Peter add quietly, his hand reaching to rub the back of his neck.

“Jungleland. Bruce Springsteen.” Tony sighs as he looks up at the boy. He could see something flash before Peter’s brown eyes before the boy looked back down at his homework, shaking his head in the process.

“Uncle Ben used to love Bruce Springsteen. He’d play this one album over and over again in the car. That’s probably where I heard it.” Peter half smiles while looking at Tony.

Tony felt bad for being so short with him. Peter was truly just being inquisitive, trying to get to know Tony and he had refused to let the boy in. The absolute opposite of what his therapist had suggested, even worse, it was something his father used to do to him.

“Yeah? Do you know what his favourite song was?” Tony smiles, closing the textbook that was on the table.

“Uh, I think it was Rosalita. He said it reminded him of Aunt May.” Peter chirps, a grin pulling at his cheeks at the mention of his aunt.

“That’s a good one. Why don’t I show you my music collection? I have a feeling you might like it.”

Peter’s face lit up like Christmas morning. Tony felt good for once, he felt that he had done something right. As the two boys walked to Tony’s study, Peter had started rambling about the story of how May and Ben met and why Rosalita was important. Peter’s enthusiasm brought a smile to Tony’s face, hoping that the boy would continue to open up and tell him about his life before the Avengers.

“Pizza time!” Pepper hollers from the kitchen, finely chopping vegetables on the marble countertop. She had returned from her afternoon of appointments and errands and had started prepping the toppings immediately, as she figured that Peter would probably be starving.

Peter’s head slowly peeked around the corner, looking into the kitchen where Pepper was chopping. Tony waltzed up behind the boy and pushed him gently into the kitchen.

The three had a blast making their own pizza’s, creating different silly faces out of toppings.

Once they were cooked, Tony and Peter set the table and they all sat down for the meal together.

“How was your afternoon, Pepper?” Peter asks softly, taking a much anticipated bite of his pizza.

“Oh, it was lovely. Got to see an old friend for coffee, stopped in at the doctors, got groceries-“

“You went to the doctor?” Tony asked in a concerned tone, slowly sipping at his drink, refusing to break his gaze on Pepper.

“Yes, I did. I have good news.” She smiles, pulling a paper out from her back pocket. “He said we can start hormones next week. We have to go pick up all the medication tomorrow.”

“What does that mean?” Tony replies, staring into Pepper’s soul, his gaze sending a flutter in her chest.

“Uhm, yeah…What does that mean?” Peter adds quietly, slouching in his seat trying to conceal his embarrassment.

“It means that we are good to go for our first round of IVF. We can start the process, Tony!”

“Wait- What!? Does this-“

“Yes! Tony, this time next year we could have a baby in our arm!” Pepper mentions calmly, a smile growing on her face. Tony looked at her, eyes wide and in complete awe. Peter bounced between looking at Tony’s aghast face and Pepper’s sly smile.

“Wow, congrats you two!” Peter peps, interrupting the pregnant silence at the table. A grin forms on Tony’s lips as he starts to laugh in absolute disbelief. His dream was finally going to come true if everything went well with this round of IVF. Pepper stood up and squeezed Tony on his shoulders, pressing her lips to his cheek. Before walking into the kitchen, she ruffles Peter’s hair.

“You know, Pete. If you hadn’t come into our lives, we never would have wanted kids.” Pepper mentions from the kitchen, emerging with a salad that she had forgotten to place on the table.

“Really?” “Of course, Pete. We consider you to be family.” Tony smiles, a big bite of pizza filling his mouth.

“Well, I consider you two to be like parents. Of course, Aunt May is number one, but you’re like the cool step parents that my friends have. The ones who go to all their soccer games and happily co-parent without bickering about legalities and-“

“You’re adorable, Peter.” Pepper smiles, sitting between the two boys. “I’d come to your soccer games any day.”

“But I don’t play soccer.” Peter says in a confused tone, his mouth hovering over a bite of pizza.

“Pete, it was a metaphor. We know you don’t play soccer.” Tony sighs, staring at the confused boy.

“Oh.” The boy breathes, a blush growing on his cheeks as he slowly understands the joke.

“How about you go pick a movie after dinner for all of us to watch?” Pepper states, passing the salad across the table to Tony.

“Sure!”

Tony looked endearingly at his wife. How could he be so lucky to have Pepper in his life, supporting him in all his shenanigans. Tony was so grateful for Peter, as well. As much as the boy could irritate him and make him crazy, he loved the kid. Tony couldn’t picture life without Peter these days. It was because of him, that Tony felt whole again. Tony felt that life was finally starting to settle and he was finally becoming the man his mother had always hoped he’d become.

taglist: @loki-in-hogwarts @spiderlingsweb

11 notes · View notes