#but also duncan mckinnon

[fazcinatingblog]

the 8th netball team is apparently going to be based in south east melbourne, awesome!!!! i know a great place they can play home games ((((dales park))))

[birlwrites]

can i ask which families are in the sacred 28? and if they're light/dark and what their specialties are? and also their lords and ladies' names (if you've come up w them) because you've been breaking out names i have never heard before

i don't have them for everyone as that would be a lot of names and i've devoted most of that energy to making up hogwarts students, but i have. far more of them than would ever be necessary for this story! bolded the given names i know i made up, entirely possible some of the other ones are fanon. also bolded the dark families. 'light' families aren't really a thing, as there's no such thing as light magic in atfhv - only dark

also this list of the sacred 28 is from my brain and i know for a fact it's not consistent with canon, we're vibing

list of specialties

ok families. hoo boy here goes

MOSTE ANCIENTE

BLACK: lord orion black, lady walburga black

ANCIENTE

BULSTRODE: lord [maeve's dad] bulstrode, lady [maeve's mom] bulstrode

MALFOY: lord abraxas malfoy, lady sabine malfoy

ZABINI: lord valentio zabini, lady ortensia zabini

PARKINSON: lord peregrine parkinson, lady lavinia parkinson

WEASLEY: don't even claim their wizengamot seat smh :// how dare they not be part of the idle leisure class

ROSIER: lord william rosier, lady aurelia rosier

BROWN: lord hawthorn brown, lady eleanor brown

NOTT: lord [theophania's dad] nott, lady [theophania's mom] nott

GREENGRASS: lord [???] greengrass, lady [???] greengrass

LESTRANGE: lord [bellatrix's father-in-law] lestrange, lady [bellatrix's mother-in-law] lestrange

NOBLE

OLLIVANDER: ?????

POTTER: fleamont and euphemia baybeeeeeeeeee

YAXLEY: lord [charlotte's grandfather] yaxley, lady [charlotte's grandmother] yaxley

MACMILLAN: lord [arnold's father] macmillan, lady [arnold's mother] macmillan

SMITH: ?????

SHAFIQ: ?????

SELWYN: lord [larissa selwyn who was mentioned like one time's grandfather] selwyn, lady [larissa selwyn's grandmother] selwyn

VANITY: lord jacob vanity, no lady vanity, emma's mom basically has that role, she does not have a given name

MCKINNON: lord martin mckinnon, lady benceline mckinnon

PRINCE: died out

CARROW: ?????

LONGBOTTOM: ?????

GOYLE: ?????

SHACKLEBOLT: ?????

MARCHBANKS: lord [pandora's father] marchbanks, lady [pandora's mother] marchbanks

CRABBE: ?????

PREWETT: lord ignatius prewett, lady lucretia prewett

the other dark families are duncan, avery, flint, goodwin, young, lovett, hooper, and archer

[goosemixtapes]

max's october 2023 reads

weird reading month. lots of shortform articles/comics; lots of early modern english literature. also still experimenting with my format for these, so have a listening tab.

fiction

Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, books 3-4

the latter two episodes of What Happens Next comic

Epistolary by Sacha Lamb (again, for reasons of Got Sad)

Fresh Meat comic (cw for suicide and psychiatric hospitalization)

Something's Not Right by yves. @yvesdot (review + promo)

Edmund Spenser's Amoretti & Epithalamion (review)

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins (review)

Blankets by Craig Thompson (review)

Shakespeare's Coriolanus (again, + Janet Adelman's lecture "Anger's My Meat")

the first half of Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

nonfiction

The Way We Weren't by Jules Gill-Peterson (↳ on hypervisibility and the history of passing)

Fiona: The Caged Bird Sings by Chris Heath (↳ fiona apple is the only celebrity i actually read about)

Can ChatGPT Do My Job? by yves @yvesdot (↳ on AI, book reviews, copyright, and capitalism)

Picture Limitless Creativity at Your Fingertips by Kevin Kelly (↳ linked in the former--on the potential of AI image generation)

The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism by Jonathan Lethem (↳ also linked in the former--on plagiarism, and one of the coolest things i've ever read)

Allies Behaving Badly: Gaslighting as epistemic injustice by Rachel McKinnon (↳ on allyship and 'allies' who refuse to believe you)

Debunking "Trans Women Are Not Women" Arguments by Julia Serano (↳ i knew a lot of this, but it's still a really good breakdown and a good link to have on hand)

the first half of Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price (the book, but i also recommend the article)

the first fourth of Down Girl by Kate Manne (rapidly becoming one of my favorite reads of the year)

The Spectre of Orientalism in Craig Thompson's Habibi by Nadim Damluji (↳ i haven't even read habibi but this was fantastic anyway)

"Half-Envying," from Reading and Not Reading the Faerie Queene by Catherine Nicholson (↳ delicious supplemental reading for class)

The Gaza Diaries via the Guardian (↳ not sure what to say about this one. very harrowing but very important)

The Landlord, the Tenant, and a House Fire in Milwaukee via ProPublica (↳ cws for child abuse and child death. extremely powerful piece of reporting that quite genuinely ruined my night)

listening

Mike Duncan's History of Rome, episodes 14-19

WordofGodcast, episode 2

Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

Dorian Electra's Fanfare

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish folk singer and TV presenter, Archer Fisher.

Born in Glasgow,  into a large singing family in 1939, as  Archie Macdonald Fisher, Archie is a legendary figure in the Scottish folk music world, often cited as  “everybody’s favourite singer” Fisher is an enormously influential presence both musically and philosophically – he has remained largely unknown to the greater pop music mainstream. While the mainstream’s a poorer place for that, I get the idea the man himself is pretty cool with it that way.

His father’s appreciation of many musical styles (opera, vaudeville, traditional ballads) proved to be a heavy influence on Archie’s music while his mother, a native Gaelic speaker from the Outer Hebrides, influenced the lyrical quality of his song writing, two of his sisters,  Cilla and Ray. Cilla was well known as part of  The Singing Kettle, whilst Ray was a successful singer in her own right and with Archie, bother recorded two albums with Archie in the mid 60′s as The  Fisher Family.

Archie first became interested in folk music during the Skiffle era of the late 1950’s and such performers as Lonnie Donegan and Johnny Duncan.  During the TV folk boom of the 1960’s and 70’s he appeared regularly with his younger sister Ray on magazine programs and the BBC Hootenanny series, Archie also wrote original songs for BBC documentaries on subjects like rural island communities in the Hebrides, and also appeared on radio and television music programs with regularity.

He was based in Edinburgh and running the folk club  The Crown at the time in the contemporary company of musicians and singers such as Barbara Dickson,  Robin Williamson and Mike Heron of The Incredible String Band fame and was an early guitar colleague of the late great Bert Jansch.

Archie made two albums with Barbara Dickson, the pick of them, for me being The Fate O’ Charlie, Songs Of The Jacobite Rebellions

Archie’s first self-titled album was recorded in 1968 with the fiddle and mandolin of John McKinnon and whistle player John Doonan. During the mid 1970’s he formed a long-term partnership with Dundee musician Allan Barty.

Archie also got involved in record production with the dynamic Scottish band Silly Wizard. During the 1980’s he turned his attention to freelance radio work and originated several series of documentary programs with his local station Radio Tweed.  He then returned to the recording studio during what he describes as one of his most creative song writing periods. With Canadian  he toured throughout North America together, and Garnet produced two Fisher albums including the highly acclaimed Sunsets I’ve Galloped into... During the 80’s Archie had his own Radio Show Traveling Folk, which he inherited from another folk legend Robin Hall on his local station Radio Tweed.

Following the success of that release, Archie toured throughout North America, playing with English guitarist and songwriter John Renbourn and Bert Jansch.  In 2008 Fisher released Windward Away, a collection of introspective ballads that evoke the wild and rough beauty of the Scottish Border country.  

A Silent Song, his last album came out in 2015, but Archie has by no means hung up his guitar, and was still touring, well he was up until the covid pandemic, I can see some live streams for him, but no tour.

Archie has also recorded, and toured extensively with Canadian folk musician, singer,  Garnet Rogers and helped write the song  The Work with Scottish Borders  indie rock band Frightened Rabbit. Released in 2011 as  A Frightened Rabbit EP .  The EP's final track is a duet between Archie and the late Scott Hutchison, and as wee remembrance to Scott I have chosen the song to post today, the lyrics are below.

Do the years add up To the suck and the blow Of a breath and a beating heart There must be more You can wash your face With a sunset song The lines will still remain They'll never be gone Will you bully your land With a furrowed brow But King Harvest leaves With a thinning crown You may bow your head As the hair recedes But it's filled with years That no one can steal When the work stops working What was light becomes a weight When the work stops working Shall we pack it all in When the work stops working And the weight becomes an ache When the work stops working Shall we pack it all in Or start again Ah, the search for answers Is an idiot's task I'm not halfway there But don't want to ask The search gives a glint To the older eye And I'll keep on looking Till the day I die Is the work half-worth When your hands grow raw When your knees keep creaking Like an old barn door The gloves of love Become an old man's friend And you'll learn to make a stand Not to stoop and bend When the work stops working What was light becomes a weight When the work stops working Shall we pack it all in When the work stops working And the weight becomes an ache When the work stops working Shall we pack it all in Or start again The lines remain And they will never be gone All life is filled with years No one can steal I'll keep on looking Till the day I die I'll learn to make a stand Not stoop and bend When the work stops working What was light becomes a weight When the work stops working Shall we pack it all in When the work stops working And the weight becomes an ache When the work stops working Shall we pack it all in Or start again

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Riot Hearing Proceeds at Dorchester,” Moncton Daily Times. --- Seven More Witnesses Testify in Case Against Four Alleged Rioting Convicts, Carvery, Walker, Johnson and Izzard  ---- FURTHER CHARGES ---- Laid Against Second Quartette of Alleged Prison Mutineers and Their Preliminary Hearing Begun - Continues Today ---- (Special to The Times) Dorchester, N. B., March 8 - Seven witnesses gave evidence at this morning's sitting of the preliminary hearing being held at the penitentiary before Magistrate C.G.M. Chapman, in the case of Alex. Carvery, George Walker, Charles Jack- son and James Izzard, who are charged with rioting at the prison on January 7th last, the information being laid by Warden G. T. Goad. Col. E. C. Weyman, of Saint John, is appearing in the interests of the Attorney General's Department, and the accused men are not represented by counsel. 

Ernest T. Partridge, temporary guard at the prison and a member of the rifle squad which confronted the rioters inside the prison yard, was the first witness heard this morning. He told of recognizing Jackson, Izzard and other inmates named Hopkins Babcock, Ferguson and McKinnon. He also told of seeing a mob congregated near the schoolroom door and of firing two shots over their heads. and of then moving to another locality and firing two more shots over the heads of rioters on C-5 landing. 

Robert S. Sinclair, farm instructor and also a member of the armed squad, also told a story very much like that of the previous witnesses, describing the riot and telling of seeing the accused men. 

David W. Adshade. temporary guard, told of being in charge of a gang at the rear of the boiler room tearing down a wall. He said he had 20 prisoners under him and took them to the cracking shed at 4 p.m. He went on to say that Jackson, Cormier, Duncan, Gaudet, Roberts and Beck of his gang joined that which emerged from the cutting shed. He continued that he recognized Carvery and Izzard, Murphy, Gaudet. Jackson, Walker, among the rioters. 

Carvery asked witness "What time was it you saw me with the gang of men," to which witness replied. "at 4.10 p.m. or thereabouts." Answering further question if he was positive Carvery was in the gang, witness said he was. 

R. T. LeBlanc, temporary guard on duty this day of the riot, in the dome, said he was armed with a rifle. revolver and tear gas bomb. in the afternoon. He said he was one of the rifle squad; came out of main entrance, then to the main gate. He was stationed on B-3 landing of north wing, when the men came out of the shops. His story was the same as told by the previous witnesses.. 

Keeper Ward N. P. Ward, keeper, on duty this. day, was in charge of a gang taking down telephone poles. There were eight in the gang. Later in the afternoon they were left in charge of another officer. and he returned to the prison and became. one of the rifle squad. His evidence was same as former witnesses. 

C. C. Young, guard, told of having a party of 12 men in his charge, repairing mail bags. The first thing he saw unusual was when a gang came out of the carpenter shop. ahead of his gang. Then he came out to shop dome door, looked out, and rushed back again. He saw the deputy warden stationed on boiler room. He with Mr. Emery brought some of the prisoners in A-2 north landing and began turning bolts on the men in their cells. After this he went to D-2 south wing. He said he recognized Izzard throw his supper tray over the landing, also a box of rubbish and cupboards. He said he saw Beauchamp, an inmate, putting ink wells in his pockets in the library. He was locked up in a cell, and finally assisted in locking up all the inmates. 

Sinclair MacDougall, chief keeper, told on January seventh last and was around the dome near 4 o'clock, there being a terrible noise going on, hollering and yelling, and things were being thrown from the landings. He saw inmate Izzard. standing near the kitchen door and was ordered to the landing. He saw him throw stuff from there He saw inmate Alexander pull a standard from the wall, also recognized inmate Webber throwing things. He saw Beauchamp and Flynn running up and down the landings in the vicinity of the library. He was on duty all afternoon until they were all finally put in their cells. 

This hearing was adjourned until Thursday afternoon at two o'clock. 

Others Charged With Rioting The preliminary hearing of in- mates James Weatherbee, Martelle Silver, Edward Roberts, and John MacDonald, was begun before Magistrate C.G.M. Chapman this after- noon at 2 o'clock at the penitentiary. These inmates are also charged with rioting at the institution on the seventh of January last, on information laid by Warden G. T. Goad. Col. E. C. Weyman, of Saint John. appeared for the prosecution and the inmates are not represented by counsel. Nine witnesses were called and their evidence was similar to that given on the previous hearings and were as follows: Deputy Warden E H. Cummings, William DeVarenne, H. N Robinson. Fernley A. Lyne. John H. Field, Edgar Cook. Edward K. Ewing. R. S. Sinclair, farm instructor, and F. C. Bowes, keeper. 

This hearing was adjourned until ten o'clock Thursday morning.

[jetelaisseraidesmots-toujours]

Masterlist

=*^*=

~Angst

~Fluff

~Unsure about smut

=*^*=

(Character x Character and Character x Reader)

Shows-

•Squid Game

-Seong Gi-Hun

-Cho Sang-Woo

-Ali Abdul

-Hwang Jun-Ho

-Kang Sae-Byeok

-Ji-Yeong

-Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Derry Girls

-Erin Quinn

-James Maguire

-Clare Devlin

-Orla McCool

-Michelle Mallon

-Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Total Drama

-Gwen

-Leshawna

-Chris McLean

-Bridgette

-Courtney

-Alejandro

-Heather

-Cody

-Duncan

-Noah

Etc and Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Outer Banks

-JJ

-John B

-Sarah

-Kiarra

-Pope

-Topper

Open to more~ (I won’t write for Rafe though. Sorry!)

——————————————————————————

•Miraculous Ladybug

-Adrien/Chat Noir

-Marinette/Ladybug

-Alya Césaire/Rena Rouge

-Chloé Bourgeois/Queen Bee

-Nino Lahiffe/Carapace

-Luka Couffaine/Viperion

Etc and Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Stranger Things

-Mike Wheeler

-Will Byers

-Eleven

-Lucas Sinclair

-Dustin Henderson

-Max Mayfield

-Steve Harrington

-Nancy Wheeler

-Eddie Munson

-Jonathan Byers

-Robin Buckley

-Billy Hargrove

Etc and Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Victorious

-Jade West

-Beck Oliver

-Cat Valentine

-Trina Vega

-Andre Harris

-Tori Vega

-Robbie Shapiro

Open to More~

More to come~

Movies-

•Harry Potter

-Harry Potter

-Ron Weasley

-Hermione Granger

-Luna Lovegood

-Neville Longbottom

-George/Fred Weasley

-Bill Weasley

-Percy Weasley

-Charlie Weasley

-Ginny Weasley

-Sirius Black

-James Potter

-Remus Lupin

-Marlene McKinnon

-Nymphadora Tonks

-Regulus Black

Etc and Open to WAY more~

——————————————————————————

•Marvel

-Tony Stark

-Steve Rogers

-Bruce Banner

-Thor Odinson

-Natasha Romanoff

-Clint Barton

-Loki Friggason

-Peter Parker (Tobey, Andrew, or Tom)

-T'Challa (Black Panther)

-Wanda Maximoff

-Pietro Maximoff

-Stephen Strange

-Carol Danvers

-Vision

-The Guardians

-Brunnhilde (Valkyrie)

-Druig

-Thena

-Sersi

-Makkari

-Gilgamesh

-Kingo

-Ajak

Etc and Open to WAY more~

——————————————————————————

•X-Men

-Charles Xavier

-Erik Lehnsherr

-Alex Summers

-Scott Summers

-Jean Grey

-Peter Maximoff

-Kurt Wagner

-Jubilee

-Logan Howlett

-Mystique/Raven

-Storm

And so many more! Just ask for a character!~

——————————————————————————

•Encanto

-Bruno

-Julieta

-Pepa

-Dolores

-Isabela

-Luisa

-Camilo

-Mirabel

-Antonio (PLATONIC ONLY!)

-Félix

-Agustín

Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Narnia

-Edmund Pevensie

-Peter Pevensie

-Susan Pevensie

-Lucy Pevensie

-Caspian X

-Eustace Pevensie

Open to more~

More to come~

Celebrities-

•Aaron Taylor-Johnson

•Andrew Garfield

•Angelina Jolie

•Anya Taylor-Joy

•Ben Barnes

•Ben Hardy

•Blake Lively

•Brie Larson

•Chris Hemsworth

•Caleb McLaughlin

•Doja Cat

•Emma Watson

•Finn Wolfhard

•Florence Pugh

•Harry Styles

•James McAvoy

•Joe Keery

•Jung Ho-Yeon (HoYeon Jung)

•Lee Yoo-Mi

•Lee Jung-Jae

•Leonardo DiCaprio

•Liam Payne

•Louis Tomlinson

•Maya Hawke

•Melanie Martinez

•Millie Bobby Brown

•Natalia Dyer

•Niall Horan

•Sadie Sink

•Timothée Chalamet

•Tom Hiddleston

•Tom Holland

•Zendaya

More to come~

I am aware these aren’t much, but just ask for a movie and if I’ve seen it, I can do it. I just can’t think of some tv shows or movies or people to list rn lol

ALSO WHEN REQUESTING, PLEASE STATE SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU WANT THE FIC TO ENTAIL. (Ex: Squid Game Angst with a happy ending, Harry Potter fluff with a day out in Hogsmeade, etc)

[ginandoldlace]

110 years ago Duncan McKinnon was getting ready to row in the Oxford boat in search of his third Boat Race victory. Duncan Mackinnon (29 September 1887 – 9 October 1917) rowed for Rugby School and Magdalen College, Oxford. With the Magdalen coxless four he won the Stewards' Challenge Cup and the Visitors' Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 1907 and 1908, and was with the gold medal winning coxless fours in the 1908 Summer Olympics. Subsequently, Mackinnon rowed for the winning Oxford crews in the Boat Race in 1909, 1910 and 1911. He was also in the winning boat in the Grand Challenge Cup twice and in the Wyfold Challenge Cup once, losing only two races in all his Henley appearances. He joined the Scots Guards and was killed in action at Ypres in the Battle of Passchendaele, aged 30.

[smittenhearts-a]

i’ve finally edited my muse page. added quite a few, but also taken a few away, too. ( if we have plots with them & you still want them, tell me & i’ll reserve them specifically. )

ADDED.

max bakker ( colin ford / hunter parrish )

fleur bakker  ( olivia dejonge / melissa benoist )

seth riggin ( dominic harrison )

bryson baxter ( toby wallace )

juliet duncan ( kate mckinnon / jenny boyd )

octavia duncan ( jamie clayton / hunter schafer )

marco bernardo ( alberto rosende )

louis moreau ( penn badgley )

amélie moreau ( emma watson )

raphael moreau ( kit harington )

wilder garcia ( oscar isaac )

DELETED.

chastity clarke ( amanda seyfried )

liam elliot ( chris pine )

celine friedman ( hailee steinfeld )

griffin holmes ( george shelley )

lorelai katira ( naomi scott )

thalia lockheart ( maya hawke )

ziggy morrison ( finn wittrock )

marissa richardson ( lyndsy fonseca )

olivia robinson ( vanessa morgan )

andrei romano ( andy samberg )

lacey riley ( kiernan shipka )

jett scott ( niall horan )

joey sutton ( charles melton )

charlie walker ( joel kinnaman )

[kikiskeysgame]

History of Chicago Blackhawks' trade picks: 1920s

Hello, Blackhawks fans!

Today’s post will be about the history of Chicago Blackhawks trades based on the information I’ve obtained from the NHL Trader Tracker website (http://www.nhltradetracker.com/home) which lists past trades from all NHL teams.

I will be posting trades for each decade, starting from the 1920s.

______________________________________________________________

October 18, 1926: the Blackhawks acquired forward Babe Dye from the Toronto St. Patricks in exchange for $15K cash.

They also acquired defenseman Gord Fraser & forward Art Gagne from the Detroit Cougars in exchange for the rights to Art Duncan; on that same day, Gagne would later be traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for cash.

January 31, 1927: The Blackhawks acquired cash from the Detroit Cougars in exchange for Jim Riley.

April 11, 1927: The Blackhawks acquired $15.K cash from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward George Hay & defenseman Percy Traub.

December 16, 1927: The Blackhawks acquired forward Duke Keats from the Detroit Cougars in exchange for defenseman Gord Fraser and $5K cash.

December 30, 1927: The Blackhawks acquired the loan of Leo Lafrance from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for cash.

August 27, 1928: The Blackhawks acquired the loan of Herb Gardiner from the Montreal Canadiens; it's unknown what the Canadiens got in exchange.

October 15, 1928: The Blackhawks acquired Alex McKinnon from the New York Americans in exchange for forward Charley McVeigh.

October 17, 1928: The Blackhawks acquired $15K cash from the New York Americans in exchange for forward Babe Dye.

October 18, 1928: The Blackhawks acquired Clement Loughlin from the Detroit Cougars in exchange for cash.

January 9, 1929: The Blackhawks acquired the loan of Art Lesieur for the rest of the 1928-29 NHL season from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for the loan of Herb Gardiner.

[ihearyourvoicecrying]

McKinnon visits recap

My four-day trip to the McKinnon Hotel has officially finished. It was four days of adventure, dream and fantasies. Also, it effectively prevents me from keeping on missing the McKittrick.

Are the two versions alike? Yes. But there exist some obvious differences as well. If you’re already a fan of McKittrick, McKinnon is the place you don’t wanna miss when you visit Shanghai.

I watched the show four days in a row, and still there are so many strange moments (to me) that I failed to catch up with. I’ll try my best to describe what I felt, but in a spoiler-free way. So don’t be afraid of spoilers in this post.

Warning: Recap is a very personal thing, so don’t feel astonished when you find out that I understand the show differently from you do. I also welcome friendly discussions

The Scenes & Settings

McKinnon is definitely much larger than the McKittrick, I felt that the moment I stepped into the dark hallway. It took me a century to finally get to the end. Then it’s the Manderley Bar, which is, still, bigger than that in the McKittrick. There are more seats for audience members, but unfortunately not enough space for MIB and WIB to dance (which is one of my favorite in-bar moments), so you probably won’t see bar characters dancing in McKinnon.

After getting out of the elevator, I immediately realized that the inner world was broader than I imagined. I spent four days exploring the scenes but still got lost sometimes. The McKinnon gave me a strong sense of being lost in a good way. I really enjoyed the feeling of seeing some familiar settings but still not knowing where I was exactly.

Despite the large inner world, the ballroom is somehow smaller than that in the McKittrick. Also, the ceiling was lower, which made me a little upset while watching the ball and the finale because of the comparatively less space.

In general, I believe that the overall space in the McKinnon was larger

The Audience

I don’t know if it’s just the week I visited or it’s the normality, but I got the feeling that SNM Shanghai is an easily sold out show. Plus, larger setting allows larger audience size, which made it much more crowded inside the hotel. I’ve met someone in the McKittrick who’s been annoying during the whole show by doing nearly everything not permitted. However, in the McKinnon, a single audience member bahaved better, but when everyone’s got some of my pet peeve, it could be an issue. I was glad to see few (or even no) phone players (probably because of the phone locking policy) and mask off-ers, but there were certainly more hand holding, murmuring and pushing. Families, friends, and lovers, people always don’t want to be separated from each other, so they choose to stick together all the time. And people became really aggressive sometimes when they wanna be in the first line of get some interaction. I’ve also heard enough of discussion about the story while the show was still going on, like they will leave each other forever after the show so they have to tell what was on their mind at once.

The Plot

I would like to describe the McKittrick’s Sleep No More as a story book with many blank pages. The show itself finished most of the pages for us, but we are always encouraged to imagine and complete the missing parts of the story. The McKinnon, on the other hand, somehow leaves less blank space in the storybook. It is very interesting that details in the story may change according to different performers’ interpretation and performance. I can’t say which version is better, because I enjoy creating my own speculations of the show, but I’m also dying to see how others, especially performers, understand it. It doesn’t matter whether their stories are like mine. I’m always amazed while someone led me view the story from another angle.

The Scent

McKinnon did an excellent job in leading its guests with scent: each place had its own unique scent that silently indicated people where they were. I’m not very good at describing smells but, when I enter a room the second time and smell something familiar, I would know that I’m in the place even if I didn’t remember how the room looked like.

The scent also effectively put each setting apart. Even when two totally unrelated places are just separated by a door, visitors could still have the feeling of entering a totally different world. It was like the story really took place in a forest, in a hospital, in a bar, or any other magical place somewhere in the world.

The Characters

Some relatively not-so-busy characters in the NY version definitely did more in SH! Also, the brand new characters added based on a traditional Chinese tale attracted me a lo! I spent most of my time following the new male character, and fell in love with his story. It was an attractive one.

The bar characters are very interesting to talk to. They are really sensitive to the time they’re in. I tried to talk about some modern things (like the phone) and they all looked confused. Of course, there are much more to explore. Like I said, it was so much fun talking to them. Also, I believe they are somehow part of the story, the story with witchcraft, schemes and violence.

The Choreography

Not too many things are changed, but some dancing movements may be slightly adjusted because of different settings. In my opinion, some of the changed were a little strange, but maybe I was just used to the McKittrick choreography. The overall choreography was as wonderful as the NY version.

And I have to mention: the newly added characters made amazing dancing scenes! I couldn’t get my eyes off them at all. The newly created choreography movements surprised me all the time.

The Costume

McKittrick familiars wouldn’t find it difficult to recognize characters, but their costumes are not exactly the same as those in NY. For example, Lady M’s ballgown had some elements of the Chinese traditional Qipao. Duncan and Malcolm’s suits killed me every time I saw them, they were fabulous.

The Residents

Just wanna cry out for the excellent performers! Also, I met some former residents of the McKittrick Hotel, and even former cast of The Drowned Man. It was like people who lived only in others’ description suddenly became alive in front of me. It was a dream coming true, and the dream was-with no doubt-a wonderful one.

(Steven Apicello and James Finnemore were perfect OMG!)

(Too bad that I didn’t get the chance to see Olly Hornsby-Sayer. I’ve always wanted to see him)

Oh, have I mentioned that McKinnon recently changed its outdoor decoration? Here are some pictures I took

And their posters

And my “I went to the McKinnon!” pictures

(Yes I was allowed to drink in China lol)

My McKinnon trip this year has ended but it’s never an end. I would like to visit it again whenever I have the chance, and I want to tell everyone who hasn’t seen SNM Shanghai: Go see it!

[onlytheduke]

First McKinnon experience

I just watched snm in shanghai for the first time! Probably the last because it was a pushing nightmare.

The interior in McKinnon is much newer and fancier than that of McKittrick. Everything looks new (but kind of compromised the vintage feeling too) and delicate. Macbeth’s bedroom is well furnished (so is everywhere else) and the bedsheets have beautiful colours and patterns. Now I think about the plain white sheet in McKittck... Duncan’s bed has a very calming and classy blue theme, with embroidery - and four pillows. Even the sanitorium beds looks much newer and more comfortable. I also found some interesting objects in McKinnon. Oh well...

The costumes were a surprise. Lady Macbeth wears a black dress that looks like a hybrid of the black sequin dress and a cheongsam. It was gorgeous. Her cloak also has Chinese themed patterns sewn at the foot, and her bath robe looks much thicker and expensive lol. Bald also wears a cheongsam inspired dress which is really elegant. With patterns that are only visible under brighter lighting. Duncan and Malcolm wears white blazers which made it easier to recognise them! Agnes wears a light blue / grey suit that looks like linen, and wears a beret with a pin. Really pretty. Im starting to wonder if its due to lower costs in China? Lol.

The layout is pretty interesting too. Unlike McKittrick which divides the space by rooms, McKinnon has a lot of big open space separated by petition such as doors and walls.

Okay here comes the rant. I thought the big space would allow a better viewing experience. I was so wrong. Everyone keeps pushing to get to the front, and if you dont stand super close someone will cut in front of you and block everything. My friend got pushed on the back and even elbowed multiple times. Loving boyfriends shoved each other to get a viewing spot for their girlfriends.

Im also used to the high ceiling in the ballroom in McKittrick and felt suffocated in the McKinnon ballroom. Due to the low height the table is not elevated enough, which means if you stand in the second row you cant see anything. And the people standing in the first row is literally leaning against the stage. I thought my visits to the McKittrick would at least let me be able to follow some characters with ease but I lost the actors multiple times. And didnt get any 1:1 (sort of stopped trying too).

I dont think I’ll visit McKinnon again simply because the crowd was unbearable for me. I spent one hour exploring the layout and the props so i think i��m done.

[televinita]

Library Triage

In the spirit of my brain having a “Li-brary! Li-brary! Li-brary!” / “We have books at home” faceoff -- library books at home, even -- it’s time to take stock of all m’ checkouts. Two dozen of them or more, in fact, if we count all media formats.

DVDs: 5 (all start with Jurassic -- one is a compilation of the original trilogy -- and they’re being watched on semi-loop, except Jungle Cruise, which I’m gonna watch w/ husband soon)

CDs: 1 (Red, Taylor’s Version -- just checked out for the first time)

Books, Ready To Return: 2

Cookbooks Checked Out To Browse: 3

Books, Read But Keeping Until I Finish Goodreads Reviews: 5

Books I Am In The Middle Of: 4

1. Thief of Hearts - Tess Gerritsen: audiobook; it’s one of her 90s Harlequin Suspense reads so it’s not particularly good, but it’s a quick listen and an enjoyable enough one. The cat-burglar + Upstanding Gentleman aspect is giving me at least a teensy hit of the Blood & Treasure vibe I came for, although their nationalities are reversed and the female lead is nowhere near as capable or awesome as Lexi.

2. Maisie Lockwood Adventures #1: Off the Grid - Tess Sharpe: ebook because even though I hate hate hate reading on my phone, it was available and I could not wait one more minute for the audiobook to come in. My feelings so far are PURE SQUEE. It’s not gonna fit totally into canon but I’m okay with that; it works as a speculative fanfic before movie 3′s release. And while there’s a lot of the expected kids’ book content of Maisie Having Adventures With Other Kids, there is also SO MUCH FAMILY CONTENT and Claire & Owen’s voices are both perfect and perfectly filtered through a kid’s POV. Fanfic can get me the former, but the latter is a skillset and a rarely used one at that; I love it.

3. The Dead House: Naida - Dawn Kurtagich: in for an ebook penny, in for an ebook pound -- mostly because this apparently only exists digitally, and it’s only like 100 pages and not all of its’ straightforward text, so as long as it’s on Libby and easy enough to skim through... I would really like a cap to The Dead House. Still can’t finish this format in one sitting, though. 

4. What You Wish For - Katherine Center: Actual physical book! After a 24-day break because I wanted to murder Duncan so bad, I have now made it up to the halfway point...and I want to start murdering him even harder. I still feel like somehow this book is gonna give me worthwhile hurt/comfort I need full context to appreciate, but beginning to lose hope.

Books, Still To Be Read (maybe): 5

1. The Map That Leads To You - Joseph Monniger: I found this for someone on Reddit who said the book stuck with them because of its really beautiful writing, so I checked it out next time I was at the library, but then infinity book cravings muscled their way in front. I would like to read this at some point, but it’s more literary than everything else and I’ll need to be in the right mood to adjust for that.

2. The Lake Season - Hannah Roberts McKinnon: This and the next are both fairly similar in terms of overall style & vibe -- women coming back for the first time in a while to family lake homes, with a possible side of new romance -- so I feel like maybe I shouldn’t read them back to back, but IDK which one I want more, so maybe I will! I do know they absolutely must be read in summer, and I’m already in the back half of the season.

3. The Summer List - Amy Mason Doan: what’s luring me in with this one is the promise of best friends reuniting after 17 years to complete a scavenger hunt, whereas the central female relationship in Lake Season is between sisters.

4. Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes: I still at some point want to read this novel about two straight female best friends moving in together, but this is one of my oldest checkouts so I’m not sure if the time to read it is precisely right now.

5. Hold Still - Nina LaCour: how many times I have I checked this out intending to reread, I’ve lost count. I WANT to! I WILL! I just...can the audiobook and the physical book checkouts line up for ONCE so I can choose the format that suits my mood at any given moment. (8/12 edit: ha-HAH! I found a copy for $2.25 at the Barnes & Noble that sells used books, so now it is mine forever) (edit: and the very next morning the audiobook became available! WILD)

[scotianostra]

Happy 82nd  Birthday Scottish Folk singer Archie Fisher born October 23rd 1939.

Archie is a legendary figure in the Scottish folk music world – everybody’s favourite singer and an enormously influential presence both musically and philosophically – he has remained largely unknown to the greater pop music mainstream. While the mainstream’s a poorer place for that, I get the idea the man himself is pretty cool with it that way.

Archie was born in Glasgow into a large singing family, which yielded three professional singers—Archie and his sisters Ray and Cilla Fisher.  His father’s appreciation of many musical styles (opera, vaudeville, traditional ballads) proved to be a heavy influence on Archie’s music while his mother, a native Gaelic speaker from the Outer Hebrides, influenced the lyrical quality of his song writing.

Archie first became interested in folk music during the Skiffle era of the late 1950’s and such performers as Lonnie Donegan and Johnny Duncan.  During the TV folk boom of the 1960’s and 70’s he appeared regularly with his younger sister Ray on magazine programs and the BBC Hootenanny series, Archie also wrote original songs for BBC documentaries on subjects like rural island communities in the Hebrides, and also appeared on radio and television music programs with regularity.

He was based in Edinburgh and running the folk club  The Crown at the time in the contemporary company of musicians and singers such as Barbara Dickson,  Robin Williamson and Mike Heron of The Incredible String Band fame and was an early guitar colleague of the late great Bert Jansch.

Archie made two albums with Barbara Dickson, the pick of them, for me being The Fate O’ Charlie, Songs Of The Jacobite Rebellions

Archie’s first self-titled album was recorded in 1968 with the fiddle and mandolin of John McKinnon and whistle player John Doonan. During the mid 1970’s he formed a long-term partnership with Dundee musician Allan Barty.

Archie also got involved in record production with the dynamic Scottish band Silly Wizard. During the 1980’s he turned his attention to freelance radio work and originated several series of documentary programs with his local station Radio Tweed.  He then returned to the recording studio during what he describes as one of his most creative song writing periods. With Canadian  he toured throughout North America together, and Garnet produced two Fisher albums including the highly acclaimed Sunsets I’ve Galloped Into.. During the 80’s Archie had his own Radio Show Traveling Folk, which he inherited from another folk legend Robin Hall on his local station Radio Tweed.

Following the success of that release, Archie toured throughout North America, playing with English guitarist and songwriter John Renbourn and Bert Jansch.  In 2008 Fisher released Windward Away, a collection of introspective ballads that evoke the wild and rough beauty of the Scottish Border country.  

A Silent Song, his last album came out in 2015, but Archie has by no means hung up his guitar, and is still touring, well he was up until the covid pandemic,

Archie Fisher is still touring, although gigs had to be cancelled last year due to the pandemic he was up at Portsoy  folk festival last month. 

To mark his birthday this year I have chosen the Rabbie Burns song  Rattlin' Roarin' Willie

[cherrybomb-witch]

THE MCKINNON ELDERS can be described as a retired power couple who are currently enjoying the rewarding aftermath of their success, taking the most pride in the family of capable, but also compassionate individuals that they have created throughout the years.

Duncan McKinnon Sr. [ Jeff Bridges ] is the family patriarch. He has always been a man of presence, with a loud, booming voice and a witty sense of humor. He is the typical man who worked hard and invested wisely on everything he did. He believes in effort. Even though he was born into wealth, he worked hard to add his own contribution to the family record. He worked for many years as a wizard lawyer, becoming one of the most prominent heads at the Wizengamot during his time. Now that he is retired, he has become quite self-indulgent, not only with himself, but especially with his grandchildren, whom he has no guilt in spoiling. Duncan is dedicated to enjoying the rewards of his hard work from the family castle in the Isle of Skye, where he spends his time working with horses, Scottish Wolfhounds and his skills in avoiding his wife’s iron grip.

Eleanor McKinnon [ Meryl Streep ] was considered a pureblood princess at the time, but she was never much of a mold kind of girl. No, Eleanor imposed her superiority by walking to her own rhythm (a trait that Marlene has inherited). High society, well educated, refined, beautiful and intelligent, the woman would have no one tell her what or how to do things. She is the perfect combination of traditional etiquette and personal quirkiness. She cares little about what others think of her as she knows the crown she metaphorically wears on her head has been well earned. Opposed to her more relaxed husband, Eleanor is the voice of reason and practicality. She runs the castle with an iron fist, as well as her family in her unquestionable role as matriarch. Not to be confused, though she is a woman of luxury and prestige, her most important values will always be affection, acceptance and honesty. 

Marlene’s relationship with her grandparents is warm and comfortable. Every once in a while she grabs her car and drives up to Scotland to spend a weekend of spoiling with them. While she was taught how to ride by her maternal grandfather, she and Duncan Sr. also bond over horses. Though she sometimes might fight with her grandmother, Marlene being unruly and wild and constantly running from her pureblood lady title, they remain very close, and Eleanor is one of the very few people Marlene openly confides in, as she is the least judging person in the world...only with her family members.

[anightingalesang]

Oct 30, Nov 4-5, Nov 10

Some lost gems I should mention to make up for my delay to write recaps.

So SNM Shanghai had its first Halloween week. I was in for one night only as my time was really limited. The “party” performance was fun and something new to enjoy for the local crowd, the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful. I didn’t enjoy it as much as many people do but it was a nice start, I guess.

And the weekend after (Nov 4-5) was also special to our little friend circle because it was a birthday celebration weekend - myself on 4th and Lindsey on 5th, and it was the first weekend to have double double-shows here in the McKinnon. I still cannot believe I attended all 4 shows but was blessed with some really interesting cast combination and performance. My dear friends spoiled me with show-related gifts, one even prepared me a mail directly from the McKittrick (!) which might be the coolest thing I’ve ever received.

Notes:

Paul Z’s Porter. I hadn’t been really into following Porter since someone left so it was nice to catch up the loop by a performer that can invest deep content and emotion into the character. I love how he genuinely care about everything around, delivered his sadness gracefully without naive self-pity. 

Then Conor’s Porter - I had never seen anyone act out the BW/Porter story like *that*. Just see it once and you will remember it forever: Conor’s Moonlight.

Tingting made her Bald Witch debut! Right on my birthday night, I went into the ballroom and this happened, such a surreal surprise from the hotel. Her dancing style suits this role so much. I really hope she gets to do the role more, as amazing content can be developed from this character. 

(I had been watching Bald Witches a lot recently - Fania, Omag and Yuli, I love them all.)

Emily’s Hecate had the capacity to steal my full attention in the rave.

New casts started to popping up on roles. Another new era awaits, and I hope it can be an exciting one.

Also, Yuli’s and Ingrid’s Danvers were divine from the major dancing scenes to the details like blowing feathers. One day Yuli played tricks with Duncan’s feather making me think for one moment that she had magic.

[theconfessionofawhitemask-blog]

Since I still lives in NY Time Zone...

Those who know me knows I went back to Mckittrick in August. It is my first time going back after so many visits in McKinnon. This gives me new perspective of McKittrick and it was nothing like my first visit there. Since I don’t think I have seen the New York show enough to judge on the characters’ performance (I started my public McKinnon recap after the cast change), I am just going to mention a bit my impression on the nyc show and the difference before I forget.

Favorite character In Mckittrick: Nurse!?! Yes, I was not expecting that at all considering I always feel Nurse in Shanghai just got too many 1-1s for me to follow. But OMG, the nurse in New York and its beautiful solos!!! Granted for my first show I saw Austin’s nurse and it was a bit ”empty” in his loop (I understood why afterwards, but I still loves his limbo and window), I saw Jenna’s nurse afterwards. Her bed solo is mind-blowing. It is those scenes you have to see to believe. It is just OMG! It is so so so beautiful.

Preferred Character In Mckittrick: Boy Witch. I always feel the boy witch in Shanghai lacks certain things, and somehow it is used more as a tool than a character. It should have a clearer storyline, and the relationship between porter and himself needs to be developed. This is the reason why I love Garth Johnson’s boy witch as he always goes out of his way to make connection with porter (giving porter the coat, jump on the table to demand porter’s notice, etc). Anyway, the story line in Mckittrick is much better. I enjoyed following steven’s boy witch. He has the most beautiful reset solo and pool table solo I have seen during this visit ( I didn’t see Tylor :’( )

Preferred Character In Mckittrick: Danvers. Same as boy witch, the story line for Danvers is not well developed in McKinnon. I love her duet with Duncan as it is one of the most beautiful scene I have seen and I am so sorry it got cut in McKinnon, though I am not sorry for what we got instead.

Preferred Character In Mckittrick: Man in Bar. I was used to being neglected, laughed at and criticized by Calloway in Mckinnon to a degree I can on longer stay in the bar, so imagine my shock to see a welcoming man in bar in Mckittrick. I love Maximilian and Mr. Valentine and for once in a long time, I am once again welcomed, both in and out of the elevator. They made you feel at home, and made you feel you have to be a well behaved man in order to deserve staying in McKittrick. The man in bar and woman in bar are truly the souls in the hotel. Yet, after my 6th visits, I have to go back to Mckinnon, a place where Calloway will not greet people and woman in bar will most likely only show up for the elevator speech behind the curtain.

Preferred scene In Mckittrick: Rave. I don’t think I need to say more about that...

Preferred scene in Mckittrick: Interrogation. The room is smaller, the people is less and the feeling is more intimidating.

Preferred Character in McKinnon: Duncan. Though I absolutely love Ben and Gino’s Duncan, I feel I love them mostly for their interpretations.

Preferred Character in McKinnon: Speakeasy. I followed Tylor’s speakeasy and as much as I like those details he does, I was bored with his constant disappearance. It is mostly my fault I guess.

Me and My cunning: I don’t dislike Cunning storyline in Mckittrick as it is so different from the one in McKinnon. By following cunning in Mckittrick I can somehow appreciate all those inappropriate things and all the confusion. They need to change Cunning’s name as it is a new character, period.

Preferred factors in McKinnon: I love the lighting here as it allows me to see all those micro facial expression. I can’t see Austin Porter’s expression in Mckittrick and it is disappointing. I also love the maze in Mckinnon, especially  when it was darker.

I also loves Adam’s Malcolm as it is just SOOOO good. I guess he is my favorite Malcolm of all time, Mckittrick and Mckinnon combined.

I considering myself extremely lucky with porters as I saw Austin and Paul Z’s porter in Mckittrick and Conor’s porter once I got back, yet I still do not have a favorite porter.