#e rawlins

[esthercore]

Mean tops who drags you into an alleyway and rail you hard against the wall whenever they're in the mood and spot you in public or see you cozying up to someone else.

Mean tops who like stripping you almost entirely during the action while they are almost entirely covered up (except their dick duh), loving the way your skin flush up, and the tiny whines of fear of someone walking in (most of them don't care).

Mean tops who let out a laugh as you ask them to pull out before they climax, hah as if they ever will, silly you, you should know by now they won't be listening. Tho they looooove seeing you beg.

Mean tops who send you back home with a final spank on butt, as you redress, their cum still filled up inside you, dampening your underwear as you walk, while they merely go on about their way. If they are feeling extra and/or have time they might escort you back themself, a smug look plastered on their face as you squirm when a bit of their cum drip down your thighs.

Mean tops who later bring you your favorite desert or take out and give you cuddles at night cause despite being a meanie in bed they still care for you a lot.

(HSR) Jing Yuan, Bladie, Sampo, Dr ratio; (GI) Kaeya, Dottore, Wriothesley; (WUWA) Scar; (DOL) Whitney, Avery; (SW) Alex (ROW by @rotting-ink) Emil Rawllin, Simeone Della Rovere, Saleos

[rotting-ink]

ANYWAY, GUESS WHOSE GAME IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO BEING FINISHED THAT THEY HAVE AN ITCHIO PAGE?

THATS RIGHT! HOPEFULLY SOMETIME THIS MONTH IT WILL BE FINALLY FINISHED! THE DEMO IS OUT! SO ENJOY THE TINY SNIPPET SO FAR!

[angrelysimpping]

Shapes

Written June 9, 2024

Shout out to the talented, sweet, n hampsom 💜@inkyquince 💜 for the amazing vtm game and who made Tekli and Luka

Elda belongs to Tea

Emil belongs to @rotting-ink

Caz belongs to Merman

Matt belongs to Necro

Contents: mushy as hell; memory problems; memory loss; more nightmares, rip

Words: 879

He’s far too tired to open his eyes. Laying here was so nice, face pressed into soft pillows, torso bare with a cool breeze keeping him at just the right temperature. What were these sheets made out of? He can’t remember. He’s sure he’s been told before, but it wasn’t important information. He hadn’t even tried to hold onto the knowledge, letting it slip from his mind. It was just that this fabric held her scent so well, the heady, spice of patchouli mixed with soft lavender. Just a hint of the incense she burned. Intoxicating, truely. He could stay like that forever, pressed into her bed, drifting on the edge of consciousness. A blissful existence. 

Yet, Andrzej should get up. The night has only just started, the moon cresting over the horizon. That’s his signal to get up, make sure his Tekli was taken care of.

He stays in bed. It helps that Tekli is right there in bed with him, curled up as she reads. He can hear the soft turn of a page every now and then, her low sigh as she skims the pages. 

“Rzej?”

Andrzej groans, deep in the back of his throat as he shifts, pressing his face against her cool thigh. He still can’t bring himself to open his eyes, utterly content in this moment as she lets out a light laugh.

“Sleepy, my mousy?”

His lips twitch into a small smile, arms coming up to wrap around her leg and palms splayed against her skin.   

Another laugh, melodic and bell like, soaking through his sink, his bones. Right into his blood, marrow, and soul. 

The chill tips of thin fingers kiss the warm skin of his back, and he’s too at peace to even flinch as they skate down his spine. Instead, he presses a kiss into Tekli’s skin, pleased as another low laugh leaves her. 

Her fingers loop across his skin, and he tries to keep pace. She’s tracing letters, shapes. His name, the word “sweet,” a star, a heart. Then, her nails dip into the scars along his back. Each one a testament to how he’d survived, how he’s kept the ones he loved safe. It’s not long before his brain can’t keep up anymore, though. Andrzej can’t tell if it’s how he’s teetering just on the edge of unconsciousness, or if the patterns she’s making are steadily becoming more and more complex.  

And, he doesn’t really care which it is, as long as he can stay here like this. 

Strange shapes and symbols against him, only marked by the contrast of their body heat. Her cool fingers against his warm back, the pleasant tingle where they met. 

Then, she starts to speak. Her voice is low, as soft as always, but her words are muffled. Andrzej struggles to understand a single sound, strains his ears, yet everything remains unintelligible to him. Panic swells inside him as her voice seems to become fainter, chest constricting as the touch of her fingers becomes lighter. Even the leg he’s wrapped his arms around, nuzzled into, seems to be fading from his grasp.

Leaving him? Being taken away? 

Where once he’d been relaxed, nearly a puddle in her bed, now his body feels leden. Everything in him screams for him to move, to open his eyes. Something, anything. 

He can’t. His limbs remain heavy, unresponsive as Tekli seems to become more and more distant. A scream builds in his throat, bruins inside him. 

Andrzej still feels as if he’s burning as he jerks awake, sudden action making the small life boat he was sharing rock dangerously. Luka is up next to him instantly, muttering in Italian as he tries to get his bearings. 

They’re still in the boats, still rowing to shore. Andrzej and Luka had taken a break. Just a short one. It seemed that they’d both drifted off, but not for long. Elda was still fussing over  Emil, tending to the necrotic wound across his torso, just as she had been before he’d stretched out, tugging Luka against him in the cramped quarters of their boat. He can still hear Cazamir explaining the difference between different canine species to Matt, the same thing he’d fallen asleep to while he’d pressed into Luka’s side. 

No, not long at all. Such a short span of time, no one seems to notice that anything has changed in the middle lifeboat. 

No one but Luka. 

“Lupo?”

Andrzej shakes his head even as he pulls the smaller man close, a few stray tears escaping the corners of his eyes as he tries to hold onto the dream. Even as it starts to slip away, he knows it was about Tekli. She haunted his every moment, both waking and asleep. He was used to it by now, but there was something different, this time. There’s no bitterness curling at the back of his mouth, squeezing his heart. 

For once, his tears upon waking from his Tekli infused dreams were also over her. About and for her. For what she was to him, for what she still could be. 

“Sorry for waking you, Lukasha,” he murmurs, pressing a tender kiss to the man’s temple. 

Luka hums in return, smiling before pressing a quick kiss to Andrzej’s jaw.

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Group E Round 1

[image ID: the first image is of the book cover of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. it depicts a stone archway, leading to a view of the ocean at night. a large sailboat rocks on the water. the second image is of Dash X, a boy with gray hair, wearing a gray jacket and black shirt, possibly a turtleneck. he appears to be speaking into an electric device with an antenna. end ID]

Zachary Ezra Rawlins

He's this college student going for a degree in the arts (Emerging Media) who finds a book called Sweet Sorrows, detailing bits of his life and his past couple moments before picking it up. Obviously, thats pretty spooky so he looks into it more. This eventually leads him to discover the Starless Sea which is kind of hard to explain since the line between allegory and actually place is very blurry...But! The book heavily leans on themes about the nature of stories and, tying into that, fate and free will in a book already predetermined by an author. Zachary is broken into a dichotomy "book Zachary" and "real Zachary" his journey in the Starless Sea is predetermined by Sweet Sorrows but is not written until he accomplishes the steps of the (heroes) journey. The end of the novel descends into flowery prose and metaphor but it gives chills all the same. He's quick thinking, witty, and rather quiet unless around people who know him well. Hey! He may be doomed by the narrative but he gets a kickass boyfriend along the way.

Dash X

This obscure citizen of Eerie, Indiana appeared mysteriously one day with no memory of his past or his real name. He’s a homeless teenager who wears all black, scams people out of their money, and will both backstab and save the protagonist. He often serves as both an antagonist and an unlikely ally.

[itgetsbetterproject]

Some tangible Black queer history for you!

In case you needed any more proof that we've always been here - this amazing collection is courtesy of the Stonewall National Musuem and Archive!

Rafiki: The Journal of the Association of Black Gays, Vol. 1 #1 (Fall 1976)

"Rafiki was a quarterly publication from the Association of Black Gays (ABG), a Los Angeles, California gay activist group that organized through education, political engagement, and grassroots activism to improve the conditions for Los Angeles’s Black gays and lesbians.

According to the journal, the title Rafiki was chosen because it means “friend” in Swahili and “that’s what [ABG] hope to be for you.” This first issue includes an article on the history of ABG and the fact that Black gays and lesbians have been largely excluded from the political, social, and economic advances of the gay community.

Included in this issue are articles such as “Homosexuality in Tribal Africa” and “Disco Discontent” (an open letter to the owner of Studio One, Scott Forbes), as well as poetry by Steven Corbin and Frances Andrews, and book reviews. It even contains an ad for the famous Catch One Club owned by Jewel Williams, which is still operating today!"

I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing Across Sexualities by Audre Lorde (Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, 1985; from the Freedom Organizing Series)

You can read this one here!

"This small twelve-page publication derives from a speech Audre Lorde gave at the Women’s Center of Medgar Evers College in New York City regarding the exclusion of Lesbians in the feminist movement and how Lorde’s identity as both a Black woman and lesbian are inextricably linked.

Primarily, heterosexism and homophobia are major issues Lorde states are “two grave barriers to organizing among Black women.” Lorde ends the essay with the statement: “I am a Black Lesbian, and I am your sister.”

Her emphasis on the duality of this identity stems from a 1960s poster that said “He’s not black, he’s my brother!,” which Lorde states infuriated her because “it implied that the two were mutually exclusive.”

Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press was founded by Barbara Smith—another Black Lesbian feminist—and Audre Lorde in 1980 to create a publishing apparatus for women of color who at the time did not have control over how they were published except through the white-dominated outlets."

Flawless! The Life & Times of T.B.D.J. AKA Tiffani Inc. AKA Mrs. … (Manuscript) by Tiffany Bowerman (July 2007, A&E Publishers)

This autobiographical manuscript traces the life of Tiffany Bowerman aka Tiffany B.D. Johnson (b. 1959), who states that she “was the first African-American Transsexual to have state issued birth certificate reissued [1990]… was the first to legally marry three different active duty military men… [and] first… to found their own Christian Denomination… The Agape-Ecumenical Christian Denomination.”

Further, she states “I have tried to put together something striking and original[,] a journey from childhood to self aware adult. A life that was and is with all regrets included.”

This manuscript is a preliminary copy of a rough draft, and contains various memoirs, photographs, legal documents, and ephemera.

Out in Black and White: A Directory of Publications By, About, For People of Afrikan Descent In-The-Life by the Broward County Library Outreach Services Department Exhibit/Programming Services with direction by Eric Jon Rawlins (January, 1996)

Out in Black and White is a directory of various serial publications (magazines, newsletters, journals, etc.) throughout the United States that are focused on the Black LGBTQ experience. According to the directory, “[t]his project was inspired by the atmosphere of strength, oneness and productivity created by the Million Man March [on October 16,] 1995.”

The Million Man March was a political demonstration that took place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. with the purpose of encouraging involvement in the improvement of the conditions of African Americans. Eric Jon Rawlins was a Broward County, Florida librarian who at one time was also the second vice president of the NAACP Fort Lauderdale branch in the late 1980s.

Currently, the Eric Jon Rawlins Collection consisting of personal and professional papers, as well as his 6,000 vinyl record album collection, are housed at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center Special Collections in Broward County, FL.

[k-marzolf]

+Natural

&&Warnings; canon typical violence, blood, canonish Billy, character death, abandonment, a little sentiment, f!reader.

&&Summary; Billy thinks about his survival instincts over his desire for your love and affection.

&&Words; 503.

&&Tagging; @e-dubbc11 @kayhi808 @terry2227 @aoi-targaryen @firexfate @snowkestrel @danzer8705 @vaguekayla

Leave behind your heart, and cast it away.

Billy’s blade plunged into Morty, over and over, blood spraying as he gasped, in the middle of reaching for his gun. And Billy dropped him, grabbing the gun, a beating heart of stone.

Morty crawled away, trailing blood across the floor.

Billy could hear him grunting and gasping behind him, as he wiped his blade clean, an apathy taking over. He’d tempered it since childhood after his mother left him crying at the fire station.

“Where’s ma?” Billy’s lip had trembled as his throat ached.

“Your ma ain’t comin’ back, son. Best toughen up.”

No one was going to comfort him, he realized. No one was going to love him. and only he could count on himself. A sort of survival instinct taking over that never left him. He didn’t care who he had to destroy to keep himself intact. In the end, he was just an asshole, trying to have the good things in life.

And then he met you. You’d written to him when he was overseas, chattering about you loved candy, but it wasn’t good for your diabetes, and did he like candy? You’d stopped writing at one point, and he’d grown bitter. Until he found out you ended up in the hospital with high blood sugars. “Too much candy again, sweetheart?” He teased you, relieved that you still wanted to write.

And then berating himself for his growing attachment. He told you he’d be away on a mission, but didn’t know when he’d be able to write again.

“Be safe, here’s a piece of me.” You sent him a lemon drop, and a tiny stuffed bear. White, fluffy with a red ribbon around its neck, and could fit in his pocket.

Even years later he still carried both in his pocket, like a coveted treasure. A reminder of deserts, moonshine, and the smell of your perfume.

He sheathed his blade, touching his pocket instinctively. You were still there, you were a reminder of the heart he thought he’d cast aside.

Morty reached for the phone on the nightstand, and Billy moved over, his boots thudding on the floor, and ripping it from the wall, looking down at him for a moment, before he carried it to the bed and sat down to watch him die. “You know, since we’re bein’ honest. I never much cared for you, either, Morty.” Billy said with dark humor and irony coating his voice, the cloth hanging in his hand.

Morty took his last breath, and Billy felt nothing. But he wondered briefly if he was going to be caught, but soothed himself. Rawlins would cover his tracks. The boy at the fire station had been cast off years ago, but in some sense he remained, ever afraid and uncertain. Lost among the waves, with no life preserver in sight.

And sometimes, he touched the lemon drop and plush bear, and he allowed himself to want you, even as he sat there, watching a man die.

[madamlaydebug]

Happy 61nd Birthday to Glenn E. Plummer.

Born August 18, 1961, He is a film and television actor best known as Timmy Rawlins in ER (1994-2007), and Vic Trammel in Sons of Anarchy (2008-2009).

Plummer has appeared in numerous films and television series, primarily in supporting roles, such as High Top in Colors.

His prominent roles came in the films Menace II Society, Speed, Bones, Showgirls, South Central, The Day After Tomorrow, The Salton Sea and Saw II. In 2014, he produced and was a collaborating writer of the horror thriller film Teeth and Blood.

[ginandoldlace]

King Charles l. Swipe for a vest, read on to judge for yourself if it was worn by him during his execution…

Gifted to the Museum of London by a Mr and Mrs E S Makower in 1924, the ‘Sky-colour Satten Wastecoat’ certainly seems to be of the correct date and quality to have been owned by the King.  

The only British monarch to have been publicly tried and executed for treason, Charles I was beheaded outside Banqueting House, Whitehall on a cold January morning in 1649. 

Charles requested two shirts, lest the observing crowd mistake his shivering for fear. As Thomas Herbert, the King’s attendant during his last two years, describes in his memoir of 1678, his master said: 

‘Let me have a Shirt on more than ordinary… by reason the season is so sharp as probably may make me shake, which some Observers will imagine proceeds from fear. I would have no such Imputation. I fear not Death!’ 

The challenge of verifying the garment’s authenticity has proved to be complex. None of the depictions of the executions created at the time are thought to be by eyewitnesses, and have been proven to contain inaccuracies. A clear image of the King on the scaffold has yet to be found. 

However, the vest came with a note of authentication attached. It read: ‘This Waistcoat was worn by King Charles the First on the day he was Beheaded and from the Scaffold came into the Hands of Doctor Hobbs his Physician who attended him on that Occasion, The Doctor preserved this Relic of his Royal Master, and from him it Came into the Possession of Susannah Hobbs his Daughter, who married Temple Stanger [Stanyan] of Rawlins in the County of Oxfordshire.’ 

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

BUD POWELL, LA DESCENTE AUX ENFERS D’UN GÉNIE DU JAZZ ‘’I think he was a genius. When I was coming up, our prophet was Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker was the guy. But Bud Powell, his improvisations were definitely on a par with Charlie Parker. If you’re thinking of the bebop style, Bud Powell was supreme. In fact, some people put him above Charlie Parker.”

- Sonny Rollins

Né le 27 septembre 1924 à Harlem, Earl Rudolph ‘’Bud’’ Powell était le fils de William Powell Sr., un pianiste de stride, trompettiste et joueur de trombone, et de Pearl Young, une violoniste. Powell avait deux frères, William (né le 15 mars 1923) et Richard Bertram (né le 5 septembre 1931).

Powell était issu d’une famille musicale. e frère aîné de Powell, William, jouait de la trompette et du violon. Le plus jeune frère de Powell, Richie, était aussi un pianiste de bop réputé.

Powell, qui avait seulement cinq ans au moment de la mort de son père, avait été élevé par sa mère avec ses frères.

À l’âge de cinq ans, Bud avait commencé à apprendre le piano d’un professeur indien appelé Rawlins. Deux ans plus tard, il avait été initié à la musique classique en jouant à l’église et dans les chorales de son école.

Bud avait fait sa première apparition publique dans un party où il avait imité le pianiste Fats Waller. La première pièce de jazz que Powell avait interprétée était ‘’Carolina Stout’’ de James P. Johnson.

Au printemps 1940, à l’âge de quinze ans, Powell s’était joint au groupe de son frère, les Skeets Powell and Hill Jolly Swingers. C’est probablement à cette époque que Powell s’était lié d’amitié avec un autre pianiste, Allen Tinney. Entre 1940 et 1942, avec Tinney et un autre pianiste, Gerald Wiggins, Powell avait commencé à fréquenter les clubs de Harlem, où il avait lancé des défis à d’autres pianistes.

D’abord influencé par la musique classique, Powell avait commencé à étudier le jazz à l’âge de douze ans. Ses premières influences en jazz avaient été les pianistes Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk et Art Tatum.

Après avoir entendu Art Tatum à la radio, Powell avait tenté d’imiter sa technique.

Après avoir étudié à la Wendell Phillips Academy, où il avait pris des leçons avec le docteur John DeMarco, Powell avait fréquenté le Conservatoire de Musique de Chicago. En 1935, alors qu’il avait treize ans, la mère de Bud lui avait offert un piano. À l’époque, Bud étudiait la musique classique au New York Conservatory of Music.

En 1938, à l’âge de seulement quinze ans, Powell était entré à la Juilliard School of Music, où il avait étudié la composition, l’harmonie, le contrepoint et l’orchestration sous la direction de Lennie Tristano.

Après avoir décroché son diplôme, Powell avait continué d’étudier avec Tristano durant sept ans. CARRIÈRE PROFESSIONNELLE Dans sa jeunesse, Powell avait assisté à des concerts à l’Uptown House, un club situé près de chez de lui, où il allait souvent voir jouer Charlie Parker et Thelonious Monk.

Powell avait amorcé sa carrière professionnelle comme membre de l’orchestre d’Artie Shaw en 1940. C’est là qu’il avait rencontré Charlie Parker qui était rapidement devenu son mentor et l’avait invité à venir jouer avec son groupe. Powell était demeuré trois ans avec Parker avant de se joindre aux Jazz Messengers d’Art Blakey en 1941. Lorsque Monk avait rencontré Powell pour la première fois à l’automne 1942, il avait été tellement impressionné par le jeune pianiste qu’il avait décidé de le présenter à ses musiciens du Minton’s Playhouse. Monk, qui avait vite pris Powell sous son aile, avait d’ailleurs composé une pièce en son honneur intitulée ‘’In Walked Bud.’’ Mais si Monk avait tendance à se servir du piano comme instrument de percussion, Powell se servait plutôt du piano comme un instrument à vent et tentait d’imiter les saxophonistes et les trompettistes qu’il admirait. Son style était une combinaison de musique classique et d’improvisation.

Au printemps 1943, le contrebassiste Jimmy Butts avait proposé la candidature de Powell pour jouer dans le Sunset Royals Orchestra, un groupe de danse dirigé par Doc Wheeler. Powell s’était rapidement lié d’amitié avec un des trompettistes de l’orchestre, George Treadwell.

Entre l’été et l’automne de 1943, Treadwell, qui était conscient que le talent de Powell était sous-exploité, avait décidé de quitter les Sunset Royals pour former son propre groupe avec Powell. Le trompettiste Cootie Williams, qui dirigeait son propre orchestre de danse, avait vu le groupe de Treadwell à l’oeuvre, et avait décidé par la suite d’engager plusieurs de ses musiciens, dont Powell.

À la fin de l’année 1943, on avait proposé à Powell de jouer avec le quintet d’Oscar Pettiford et de Dizzy Gillespie, mais, comme le groupe se produisait dans un club de nuit, la mère de Bud avait décidé qu’il était préférable que son fils continue d’occuper un emploi plus stable dans l’orchestre de Williams.

La décision de la mère de Powell était tout à fait pertinente car l’année suivante, Powell avait participé à quelques sessions d’enregistrement avec Williams. L’une d’entre elles comprenait le premier enregistrement de l’histoire de la pièce ‘’Round Midnight’’ de Monk. Le contrat de Powell avec Williams avait pris fin à Philadelphie en janvier 1945. Après le concert, Powell se trouvait près de Broad Street Station lorsqu’il avait été arrêté dans un état d’intoxication avancé par la police du chemin de fer. Un des policiers l’avait d’ailleurs frappé durement à la tête après qu’il ait résisté à son arrestation. Remis aux constables de la ville, Powell avait été brièvement incarcéré.

Dix jours après sa libération, comme ses maux de tête ne démontraient aucun signe de ralentissement, Powell avait été admis à l’Hôpital Bellevue, avant d’être envoyé à l’hôpital psychiatrique de Pilgrim State situé à une soixantaine de milles plus loin, où il était demeuré durant deux mois et demi. Il est très probable que les coups que Powell avaient reçus à la tête avaient provoqué une commotion cérébrale et avaient été la cause de ses fréquents maux de tête et de ses problèmes de comportement au cours des années suivantes.

Après sa libération en avril 1945, Powell était aller jouer à Manhattan avec le batteur Sid Catlett et le saxophoniste ténor Don Byas. C’est alors qu’il avait été recruté par le contrebassiste John Kirby afin de prendre la place du pianiste Billy Kyle avec son groupe.

En 1945-46, Powell avait enregistré avec Frank Sololow, Sarah Vaughan, Dexter Gordon, J.J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt, Fats Navarro et Kenny Clarke. Le 6 mars 1947, Powell avait dirigé ce qui avait sans doute été son premier concert sous son nom à Harlem.

Powell étant reconnu pour son habileté à lire la musique et à exécuter des pièces au tempo rapide, Charlie Parker l’avait choisi comme pianiste en vue d’une session d’enregistrement qui devait avoir lieu le 8 mai 1947 avec un quintet composé de Miles Davis, Tommy Potter et Max Roach. C’était la seule fois de l’histoire où Powell et Parker participaient à la même session d’enregistrement.

La seule autre session d’enregistrement à laquelle Powell avait participé en 1947 avait eu lieu le 10 janvier dans le cadre d’un enregistrement avec son trio formé de Curly Russell et Max Roach. UNE SANTÉ MENTALE PRÉCAIRE Le 14 novembre 1947, Powell avait eu une altercation avec un client dans un bar de Harlem. Au cours de la bagarre, Powell avait été frappé par une bouteille au-dessus de l’oeil. Lorsque les employés de l’hôpital de Harlem avaient examiné Powell, ils l’avaient trouvé incohérent et turbulent. Ils l’avaient donc fait admettre à l’Hôpital Bellevue, où il avait déjà été soigné précédemment. À leur tour, les employés de l’Hôpital Bellevue n’avaient pas su quoi faire de Powell et l’avaient envoyé au Creedmoor State Hospital, où il avait été gardé durant onze mois.

Powell s’était assez bien adapté à son séjour à l’hôpital, même si lors d’examens psychiatriques il s’était plaint d’avoir été persécuté en raison de sa couleur. De février à avril 1948, Powell avait été soumis à une thérapie par électro-chocs après avoir appris que sa petite amie Mary Frances Barnes était enceinte. La thérapie n’ayant pas produit les résultats souhaités, les médecins de Powell lui avaient administré une seconde série de traitements en mai. Powell avait finalement été libéré en mai 1948. Le 1er juin, l’amie de coeur de Powell, Mary Frances, avait donné naissance à son seul enfant, une fille qui avait été baptisée sous le nom de Cecelia June Powell.

Après avoir été brièvement hospitalisé au début de l’année 1949 après avoir enfreint les conditions de sa libération, Powell avait fait quelques enregistrements durant les deux ou trois années suivantes (notamment avec Sonny Rollins et Fats Navarro), principalement sous étiquette Blue Note, Mercury, Norgran et Clef. Powell avait également enregistré pendant l’été pour le compte de deux producteurs indépendants avec son trio habituel composé de Max Roach et Curly Russell. Les huit ‘’masters’’ qui avaient résulté de ces enregistrements n’avaient été publiés qu’en 1950, après que les disques Roost aient racheté les ‘’masters’’ et les aient publiés sous forme de 78-tours. Le musicologue Guthrie Ramsey avait écrit qu’avec cette session "Powell proves himself the equal of any of the other beboppers in technique, versatility, and feeling."

Le 17 septembre 1949, Powell avait signé le premier contrat de sa carrière avec le producteur Norman Granz. Powell avait fait ses débuts à Carnegie Hall le soir de Noël de 1949 avec son trio. Participaient également au concert le saxophoniste ténor Stan Getz, la chanteuse Sarah Vaughan, le pianiste Lennie Tristano et Charlie Parker.

Parmi les musiciens qui avaient participé à la session d’août 1949 pour Blue Note, on remarquait Fats Navarro, Sonny Rollins, Tommy Potter et Roy Haynes. Au nombre des pièces interprétées par le groupe, on remarquait ‘’Bouncing with Bud’’ et ‘’Dance of the Infidels.’’ La session de 1951 mettait en vedette le trio de Powell avec ses acolytes Curley Russell et Max Roach. Parmi les pièces enregistrées, on relevait ‘’Parisian Thoroughtfare’’ et ’’Un Poco Loco’’ Cette dernière pièce avait été sélectionnée plus tard par le critique littéraire Harold Bloom dans sa liste des plus grandes oeuvres américaines du 20e siècle. Les musiciens Ray Brown, George Duvivier, Percy Heath, Max Roach, Curly Russell, Lloyd Trotman, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Osie Johnson, Buddy Rich et Art Taylor avaient participé aux sessions organisées par Norman Granz.

La rivalité de Powell avec Charlie Parker avait éventuellement semé la zizanie parmi les musiciens. La détérioration de la santé mentale et physique de Powell n’avait d’ailleurs guère contribué à alléger l’atmosphère.

Au cours des années 1950, Powell avait fait d’autres enregistrements pour Blue Note et Norman Granz, mais ceux-ci avaient dû être interrompus par un nouveau séjour en hôpital psychiatrique entre la fin de 1951 et le début de l’année 1953, après que le pianiste ait été arrêté pour possession d’héroïne en compagnie de Monk et de deux autres musiciens. Les quatre compères avaient été enfermés aux Tombs, un célèbre centre de détention. Powell avait d’ailleurs été de nouveau battu dans le cadre de son incarcération. Après avoir plaidé non coupable, Monk avait été condamné à soixante jours de prison. Quant à Powell, il avait été renvoyé à l’hôpital Bellevue, puis à Pilgrim, où il avait été déclaré mentalement inapte. Après une détention d’un mois, le directeur de Pilgrim avait recommandé que Powell soit gardé indéfiniment. Durant onze jours, Powell avait été soumis à une nouvelle thérapie par électro-chocs avant d’être finalement transféré à Creedmoor en août 1952.

Jugé incapable de gérer ses propres finances, Powell avait été placé sous la garde d’Oscar Goodstein, le propriétaire du Birdland, avec qui il avait signé un contrat de vingt semaines. Lorsque Powell ne jouait pas au Birdland, il avait des engagements à Philadelphie, à Washington ou à St. Louis. Jamais Powell n’avait été aussi occupé.

Le 9 mars 1953, Powell avait épousé Audrey Hill, une Californienne. Le mariage avait été arrangé par Goodstein, qui croyait sans doute que le fait d’être marié permettrait de rendre Powell plus stable et prévisible. Le couple ne s’était pas revu depuis que Powell avait été obtenu son congé de l’hôpital. Le mariage avait finalement été annulé en juillet.

En 1953, Powell avait enregistré pour Blue Note dans le cadre d’un trio avec George Duvivier et Art Taylor. La session comprenait l’enregistrement d’une composition de Powell intitulée ‘’Glass Enclosure’’, dont le titre était possiblement inspiré de son quasi-emprisonnement dans l’appartement de Goodstein. Le 15 mai de la même année, Powell avait participé au concert historique de Massey Hall à Toronto avec un quintet formé de Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus et Max Roach. Le concert avait été enregistré par Mingus qui l’avats mis en marché grâce à sa propre maison d’enregistrement, Debut Records, sous le titre de ‘’Jazz at Massey Hall.’’

De nouveau été arrêté le 14 juin 1954, Powell avait été accusé de possession d’héroïne. Le procès avait finalement eu lieu au début de 1955.

Bien que Powell ait obtenu son congé de l’hôpital, la qualité de son jeu avait été affectée par l’ingestion de Largactil, un médicament qu’il prenait pour soigner sa schizophrénie. Le 26 juin 1956, la vie de Powell avait été encore plus assombrie lorsque son frère Richie et le trompettiste Clifford Brown avaient été tués dans un accident automobile. Après avoir passé plusieurs mois à l’hôpital, Powell s’était installé à Paris en 1959 avec sa nouvelle compagne Altevia ‘’Buttercup’’ Edwards et son fils John. Powell avait rencontré Edwards, une femme mariée, après son emprisonnement en 1954. Le couple s’était installé avec l’enfant à l’Hôtel La Louisiane. C’est Altevia qui gérait les finances de Powell et s’assurait qu’il prenne ses médicaments. C’est donc en grande partie grâce à elle que Powell avait pu continuer de jouer et d’enregistrer.

En juin 1960, Powell avait été l’invité de Charles Mingus au Festival de jazz de Juan-les-Pins. En avril 1961, Powell avait participé à une brève tournée en Europe avec Thelonious Monk, notamment à Marseille, Milan, Bologne et Rome. Powell, qui n’avait pas encore enregistré pour une compagnie de disques européenne, avait collaboré avec le saxophoniste Cannonball Adderley pour une série de deux albums en décembre 1961. En février 1962, Powell avait décroché un contrat au Café Montmartre de Paris, qui venait de réouvrir ses portes. Prévu initialement pour deux semaines, le contrat de Powell avait été prolongé de cinq semaines supplémentaires à la demande du pianiste.  

En avril 1962, Powell, qui était de retour à Copenhague, avait reçu une offre d’une compagnie danoise qui lui avait fait enregistrer des classiques qu’il avait rarement joué en studio, notamment ‘’Straight No Chaser’’de Monk et ‘’Hot House’’, une pièce traditionnellement associée à Charlie Parker.

En décembre 1962, Powell, qui avait trop bu, avait été retrouvé complètement saoul dans les rues de Paris et avait été admis dans un hôpital local. Powell avait finalement été transféré dans l’aile psychiatrique de l’hôpital, avant d’être libéré grâce à l’intervention de son ami Francis Paudras.

En quatre mois, de février à juin 1963, Powell avait participé à plus de sessions d’enregistrements qu’il n’en avait fait en quatre ans. Powell avait fait des apparitions comme artiste invité dans deux de ces sessions. La première était dirigée par Dexter Gordon et la seconde par Dizzy Gillespie. DERNIÈRES ANNÉES En 1963, après avoir contracté la tuberculose, Powell avait été admis à l’hôpital de Paris. Powell ayant obtenu un contrat pour jouer au Birdland, il était de retour à New York le 16 août 1964. Neuf jours plus tard, il avait partagé la scène avec Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus et Thelonious Monk.

À l’époque, la qualité du jeu de Powell avait nettement décliné en raison de son alcoolisme. Lorsque Powell avait négligé de ses présenter le 11 octobre à un de ses concerts au Birdland, Goodstein avait décidé de le congédier.

Après des mois de découragement et de comportement erratique, Bud Powell avait été hospitalisé à New York à la suite de complications pulmonaires. Powell avait présenté son dernier concert le 1er mai 1965. Il avait été admis dans un hôpital psychiatrique à l’automne suivant.

Bud Powell est décédé le 31 mars 1966. Sa mort avait été attribuée aux effets conjugués de la tuberculose, de la malnutrition et de l’alcoolisme.

Plusieurs musiciens de jazz avaient rendu hommage à Powell. Dans son autobiographie, le trompettiste Miles Davis, qui avait un jour dit de Powell qu’il ne l’engagerait jamais dans son groupe parce qu’il était encore plus cinglé que lui, avait déclaré: "[He] was one of the few musicians I knew who could play, write, and read all kinds of music. Bud was a genius piano player – the best there was of all the bebop piano players." Le pianiste Bill Evans, qui avait toujours considéré Powell comme sa principale influence, lui avait rendu hommage en 1979 en déclarant: "If I had to choose one single musician for his artistic integrity, for the incomparable originality of his creation and the grandeur of his work, it would be Bud Powell. He was in a class by himself". De son côté, Herbie Hancock avait affirmé dans une entrevue au magazine DownBeat en 1966: "He was the foundation out of which stemmed the whole edifice of modern jazz piano". Le saxophoniste ténor Sonny Rollins avait également eu de bons mots pour Powell et avait commenté: ‘’I think he was a genius. When I was coming up, our prophet was Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker was the guy. But Bud Powell, his improvisations were definitely on a par with Charlie Parker. If you’re thinking of the bebop style, Bud Powell was supreme. In fact, some people put him above Charlie Parker.” Quant au pianiste Bill Cunliffe, il considérait Powell comme "the first pianist to take Charlie Parker's language and adapt it successfully to the piano."

En 1986, l’artiste Francis Paudras avait écrit un livre à propos de son amitié avec Powell. L’ouvrage a été traduit en 1997 sous le titre de ‘’Dance of the Infidels: A Portrait of Bud Powell.’’ Les souvenirs de Paudras avaient servi de base au film de Bertrand Tavernier, ‘’Round Midnight’’, qui était inspiré de la carrière de Powell et de Lester Young, et dans lequel le saxophoniste Dexter Gordon jouait le rôle d’un musicien en exil à Paris.

Bud Powell a influencé plusieurs jeunes pianistes au cours de sa carrière, plus particulièrement Horace Silver, Wynton Kelly, Andre Previn, McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton et Chick Corea. Ce dernier avait d’ailleurs enregistré en 1997 un album entier consacré à Powell intitulé ‘’Remembering Bud Powell.’’ Grand innovateur, Powell avait été le premier pianiste à jouer des parties qui étaient initialement conçues pour des cuivres. Powell avait été mis en nomination à sept reprises pour un prix Grammy dans la catégorie de la meilleure performance instrumentale en solo. c-2023-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique.

[greatbritishsimchallenge]

“Oh, er - Harold - can I help you?”

“Nah, don’t mind me, Mr Rawlins. I was jus’ waitin’ for Will.”

“Ah, fine. Well, good evening to you both.”

“Yeah, good evenin’ Mr Rawlins. Do pass on my good evenin’ to Mrs Rawlins too, won’t you?”

Rawlins nodded uncomfortably and left.

William nudged Harold in the ribs and said quietly, “Oi - leave ‘im be.”

“What did ‘e want? Or would it be too indelicate of you to tell me?” Harold replied, watching Rawlins go.

“He’s offered me McKinley’s old plot.”

“Bloody ‘ell. Who’d’ve thought shaggin’ the boss would turn out to be a good idea...”

“C’mon - let’s go get the others. I want t’hit the pub n’celebrate.”

Start (Iron Age) | Start (Roman Britain) | Start (Anglo Saxon) | Start (Medieval)

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[katnisshawkeye]

Il Mare Senza Stelle

Scheda informativa

Titolo originale: The Starless Sea Autore: Erin Morgenstern Editore: Fazi Editore Prima edizione: luglio 2020 Pagine: 615 Prezzo: € 18,50

Trama

Zachary Ezra Rawlins è uno studente del Vermont che un giorno trova un libro misterioso nascosto fra gli scaffali della biblioteca universitaria. Mentre lo sfoglia, affascinato da racconti di prigionieri disperati, collezionisti di chiavi e adepti senza nome, legge qualcosa di strano: fra quelle pagine è custodito un episodio della sua infanzia. È soltanto il primo di una lunga catena di enigmi. Una serie di indizi disseminati lungo il suo cammino — un'ape, una chiave, una spada — lo conduce a una festa in maschera a New York, poi in un club segreto e infine in un'antica libreria sotterranea. Là sotto trova ben più di un nascondiglio per i libri: ci sono città disperse e mari sterminati, amanti che fanno scivolare messaggi sotto le porte e attraverso il tempo, storie bisbigliate da ombre. C'è chi ha sacrificato tutto per proteggere questo regno ormai dimenticato, trattenendo sguardi e parole per proteggere questo regno ormai dimenticato, trattenendo sguardi e parole per preservare questo prezioso archivio, e chi invece mira alla sua distruzione. Insieme a Mirabel, un'impetuosa pittrice dai capelli rosa, e Dorian, un ragazzo attraente e raffinato, Zachary compie un viaggio in questo mondo magico, attraverso miti, favole e leggende, alla ricerca della verità sul misterioso libro. Ma scoprirà molto di più.

Recensione

[...] I libri sono più belli quando vengono letti, invece che spiegati. [...]

Il Mare Senza Stelle è il secondo romanzo di Erin Morgenstern, ed è un libro che parla di libri e di vite di personaggi di libri che in realtà sono persone in carne e ossa (o, al contrario, di persone in carne e ossa che, in realtà, sono personaggi di libri).

[...] sono tutte diverse. Però hanno degli elementi simili. Tutte le storie li hanno, a prescindere dalla forma che assumono. Prima c'era qualcosa, poi qualcosa è cambiato. Dopo tutto, il cambiamento è l'essenza di una storia. [...]

È un libro che parla di storie e di destini, i quali possono variare a seconda che il personaggio decida di diventarne il protagonista o meno. Dell'impossibile che è possibile, proprio perché “I'm possible”.

[...] Un corso specializzato in Lettura, ecco che cosa ci vuole. Niente compiti scritti, niente esami, nessuna analisi, soltato lettura. [...] È strano, non è vero? Amare un libro. Quando le parole sulle pagine diventano così preziose che ti sembrano parte della tua stessa storia perché lo sono. È bello avere qualcuno che finalmente ha letto le storie che io conosco così intimamente. [...]

Ed è un libro che parla di lettori, che non possono fare a meno di amare i libri, di immaginarsi nella storia, di voler essere parte della storia, facendoti inoltre riflettere su cosa faresti e su cosa provano anche gli altri. Perché leggere, e parlare di ciò che si è letto, è condividere non solo emozioni, ma anche storie. Ma l'Amore ne Il Mare Senza Stelle non si limita a essere quello per i libri. E, da questo punto di vista, è molto contemporaneo e aperto, dal momento che inserisce, naturale come dev'essere, non solo l'amore tra un uomo e una donna, ma anche quello tra due uomini e due donne. La narrazione è scorrevole e diretta, facendo entrare il lettore nella storia anche se la sua storia non è tra quelle raccontate.

Valutazione

★★★★★ 5/5

Della stessa autrice

Il Circo della Notte, Fazi Editore, 2021

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[esthercore]

Been thinking of 'E Rawlins peeping in the Witch getting railed by their lover, Luther,' a lot recently. E pathetically touching themself, with a hand covering their mouth to hide their moans and grunts. God how they despise Luther so much for stealing away their crush. Getting so jealous as they try not whimper, but the noises that you make, so unholy, so so tempting, making them love you even more.

And the fact all the sweet melody is not for him but someone else? Blasphemous! Their brother isn't good in sex! They doubt the old man can even make you orgasm the way you deserve to.

Poor little Witch, don't know what's best for them, but it's alright, E will make sure you learn which brother can fuck you better, and teach you how you're meant to be theirs. All theirs, spirit, body and mind, together forever.

But till then they stick to fighting for your approval and attention at day time and stealing your clothes to sniff at while masterbating.

character credits to @rotting-ink

[rotting-ink]

*giggles and twirls my finger through my hair* Sooo, do our lovely LI have any kinks and what are they?

oh lots but we gotta keep it short and snappy, dont we?

Book 1:

L Rawlins- It's a secret, but Primal Play. They act like they're too in control and good to want to resort to animalistic ways but god, they're so repressed and would love to fuck the MC in werewolf form.

Seir- Worshiping but in a humiliating/degrading way. Cooing at their master for their lovely hole, their pretty chest, perfect for being used, all the while dragging their claws over their sides.

V De Winters- Big part is knifeplay. They enjoy watching you squirm as they press the cold blade against your skin, but wouldn't want to hurt you. Also loves watching you squirm against restraints.

Z Chambers- They adore sensory play. They're also a switch, so if you want to take turns being blindfolded, they're ALL for it. Also gags, bondage, anything that adds to the experience.

S Della Rovere- Public sex. If they're not allowed to tuck their hand into your undergarments in the corner of a bar, then what's the point? They love risky sex.

Book 2:

Saleos- Petplay. They want to be the one in charge of taking care of you, they want to become the master and you their familiar. They want you in a collar at all times, even a subtle one.

Starling Knight- Clothed sex, usually semi public that's rushed. They're busy but god, they could kiss you if you come visit them and you two can have a quickie.

A. Lancaster- Predator and Prey. Look, they help hunt down the Witch. What makes them think that A doesn't want to do the same in a relationship? You get an hour to escape into the forest or the town. And no matter what, they'll truss you up and have their way with you. Safeword and tap system in hand though.

Book 3:

Quincy Beaumont: God, what AREN'T they into? They're the kinkiest. They love toys, they love public sex, they love all pleasure. But most of all, they love marking. They need you covered in hickeys and bites at all times.

D. Woolf: Slow, intimate sex. They're not that kinky, and in fact, the most submissive of the group. Just use them. Use them however you want. Fuck them, sit on their face, ruin them. Please.

E. Rawlins: They love taking you to extremes. Edging to overstimulating. Scenting you by rubbing their cum into your skin. Biting and making sure to ruin you for anyone else.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Wed[nesday] 12 October 1836

7 55/..

11 40/..

NN

N

N

N

V

N

No kiss ver[y] fine morn[in]g F[ahrenheit] 58 1/2° and sun shin[in]g at 8 50/.. wr[ote] and cop[ie]d no[te]s to ‘the editor of the

H[alifa]x Guardian, Halifax’ and to ‘the editor of the Halifax Express newspaper

Halifax’ and to ‘Mr. L. Duncan, tailor etc Halifax’ in ans[we]r to

his no[te] last night ask[in]g if I w[oul]d ha[ve] leggings for the men as I object[e]d to leggings last

week - (I nev[e]r nam[e]d them last w[ee]k) – ha[ve] ord[ere]d trousers for the gard[ene]r and beeches and

leggings for John and Frank as bef[ore] – br[eak]f[a]st at 9 25/.. - A- [Ann] r[ea]d Fr[en]ch – ca[me] upst[ai]rs

at 10 1/4 – wr[ote] no[te] to ‘Mr. Mackean Yorksh[ire] Dist[ric]t Bank, H[alifa]x’ enclos[in]g check

for £100 - and wr[ote] lit[tle] no[te] to ‘Mr. Booth Bookseller etc Halfiax’ for

a quire of br[oa]d bl[a]ck edg[e]d no[te] pap[e]r and 1/2 sh[ee]t of bl[a]ck seal[in]g wax and 2 bot[tle]s of ink –

A-  [Ann] wr[ote] in my na[me] for Miss Hebden to s[e]nd to measure 2 of the serv[an]ts for mourn[in]g -

s[e]nt off John Booth w[i]th all the ab[ov]e notes aft[e]r his din[ner]   H[a]d just writ[ten] the ab[ov]e

of today at 10 50/.. and w[e]nt out - Mr. Duncan s[e]nt up ab[ou]t 11 for an ans[we]r and his messeng[e]r

took b[a]ck the no[te] John Booth w[oul]d oth[e]rwise ha[ve] tak[e]n – Rob[er]t Mann + 3 at the dry

wall arch[in]g help[in]g Ingh[a]m and his man and boy – walk[e]d 20 min[ute]s w[i]th A- [Ann] on the flags till ab[ou]t

12 – w[e]nt d[o]wn to the meer - Mr. Harper h[a]d lunch[eo]n soon aft[e]r 1 and dur[in]g this ti[me] I sat w[i]th A- [Ann]

aft[er]w[ar]ds w[i]th Mr. Harper – pull[e]d d[o]wn a gr[ea]t deal of plast[e]r fr[om] the front of the h[ou]se next to the kitchen

to shew the stooth[in]g - then w[e]nt w[i]th Mr. Harper to the meer – expl[aine]d my ideas ab[ou]t the bywash

at the low end - he saw no object[io]n - then saunt[ere]d up to the Lodge r[oa]d where the gard[ene]r and Hemingway

the Wyke gard[ene]r were sodd[in]g up the bank – m[u]ch too snod and gardener-like - stood by w[i]th Messrs.

Harper and Husb[an]d wh[ile] the form[e]r drew a lit[tle] sketch, and shew[e]d Rawlins[o]n (ver[y] quick and intellig[en]t

ab[ou]t it) how to unformalize his work - A- [Ann] s[e]nt for me to see Miss Hebden, co[me] to measure

Cookson and Oddy for mourn[in]g – want[e]d to sp[ea]k to Miss Hebden ab[ou]t Charlotte Booth - A-  [Ann] wafer[e]d

direct[e]d to me and unopened let[ter] h[a]d lain on A-‘s [Ann] tab[le] 2 or 3 days - she s[ai]d it w[a]s a print[e]d let[ter] I nev[e]r op[ened] it - she happ[ene]d

  235

1836

Oct[obe]r

L

L

to look at it this aft[ernoo]n, and f[oun]d it w[a]s fr[om] Charlotte Booth say[in]g Miss Hebden advis[e]d her to

ta[ke] a l[ad]y m[ai]d’s place, and ask[in]g me to be so good as look out for one for her – expl[aine]d to

Miss Hebden who it seems nev[e]r told Charlotte she w[oul]d ha[ve] to sit up late in a lady m[ai]d’s

pl[ac]e - I told Miss H- [Hebden] I th[oug]ht the girls’ inclinat[io]n w[a]s n[o]t for serv[i]ce - she h[a]d ment[ione]d being in bus[ine]ss in an

und[e]r way – s[ai]d, I h[a]d told h[e]r, that I c[oul]d do noth[in]g for her in bus[ine]ss, and I therefo[re] ga[ve] her

2 sov[erei]gns (hav[in]g giv[e]n her one bef[ore]) and s[ai]d she must do for hers[elf] in fut[ure] - that Miss Hebden

w[oul]d und[er]st[a]nd that I d[i]d n[o]t feel at lib[ert]y to control the girls’ inclinat[io]n as to the man[ner] she preferr[e]d

of gett[in]g h[e]r br[ea]d, b[u]t that, if she d[i]d set up for hers[elf], she w[oul]d ha[ve] no work fr[om] me or fr[om] anybod[y]

in the h[ou]se – s[ai]d I w[oul]d reset ab[ou]t look[in]g out for a place for her, and get her one if I c[oul]d, b[u]t hav[in]g

giv[e]n up all charge of her, this I w[oul]d n[o]t ta[ke] b[a]ck ag[ai]n – h[e]r sist[e]r then her broth[e]r h[a]d disapp[ointe]d

me (expl[aine]d) and I w[a]s mo[re] diffid[en]t now of hope of Charlotte - I fear[e]d it w[a]s imposs[ible] to lift

her up bey[on]d or ab[ove] her own nat[ura]l turn of mind - Miss H- [Hebden] says her 2 old[e]st workwom[e]n ha[ve]

salaries, and she can[no]t gi[ve] a salary to anymo[re] than 2 - no chance for Charlotte - can do

noth[in]g for her aft[e]r Xmas - I s[ai]d the girl c[oul]d n[o]t now co[me] here - and c[oul]d n[o]t when I w[a]s away

m[u]st therefo[re] go ho[me] if I c[oul]d n[o]t get a place - she m[u]st at any rate n[o]t be nice ab[ou]t a place

and ta[ke] wh[a]t wages she c[oul]d get - I th[ou]ght £10 ample at pres[en]t - out 10 min[ute]s at the dry arch[in]g

the centres put on this morn[in]g, and a good deal done - the 2 necess[arie]s beg[a]n to be pull[e]d d[o]wn this aft[ernoo]n

the st[one] tak[e]n for arch[in]g w[i]th – Din[ner] at 6 55/.. – coff[ee] upst[ai]rs - A- [Ann] r[ea]d Fr[en]ch - till 9 50/.. wr[ote] all b[u]t

the 1st nine lines of today – Let[ter] tonight 1 1/2 p[age] fr[om] Mar[ia]n M[arke]t Weight[o]n - hopes to hear

fr[om] me ag[ai]n aft[e]r next Mon[day] on w[hi]ch day she concludes the fun[era]l will be - the ment[io]n

of my a[un]t becom[ingl]y sm[all] consid[erin]g Mar[ia]n’s oft[e]n avow[e]d dislike - ‘Weight[o]n Tues[day] 11 Oct[obe]r 1836. my d[ea]r Anne I rec[eive]d your let[ter] this morn[in]g

‘w[hi]ch convey[e]d to me the melanch[ol]y intellig[en]ce I ha[ve] been daily expect[in]g s[in]ce I last heard fr[om] you –

‘I can now on[l]y trust that yours[elf] and Miss Walk[e]r may contin[ue] well, and when the harass of the pres[en]t

‘is ov[e]r, you may enjoy peace and comf[or]t, and that your alterat[io]ns at Shibd[e]n, and your man[y] concerns

‘may all realize your m[o]st sanguine expectat[io]ns – Perh[aps] you will wr[ite] ag[ai]n so[me]ti[me] next

‘week, for I shall ta[ke] it for grant[e]d the Fun[era]l will be on Mon[day], b[u]t I feel wishful to hear

‘ag[ai]n fr[om] you when you feel a lit[tle] mo[re] settl[e]d - Miss Inm[a]n begs her rem[em]b[ran]ces to yours[elf] and Miss Walk[e]r

‘and w[i]th my love to both bel[ieve] me, my d[ea]r Anne, very affect[ionatel]y yours Marian List[e]r’ – n[o]t a word

on my advice - or rath[e]r on my obs[ervation] that were I in her pl[a]ce I th[ou]ght and felt I sh[oul]d n[o]t co[me] –

b[u]t her let[ter] is ver[y] well done - no humbug ab[ou]t my poor a[un]t wh[o]m she dislike[e]d, und[er]val[ue]d,

and whose loss she c[ou]ld n[o]t consist[entl]y pretend to deplore – Ver[y] civ[i]l let[ter] fr[om] Mrs. Musgrave tonight say[in]g

she h[a]d op[ene]d my let[ter] to Mr. Musgrave - at Scarbro’, w[oul]d n[o]t ret[ur]n till Sat[urday] b[u]t h[a]d forward[e]d my

let[ter] w[hi]ch he w[oul]d ans[we]r hims[elf] and she w[a]s sure he w[oul]d co[me] ov[e]r, and perform ‘the last offices for Mrs. Lister’

all this is ver[y] civil, and ver[y] comf[orta]ble and proper - and my a[un]t w[oul]d ha[ve] been pleas[e]d c[oul]d she ha[ve] been

consc[iou]s of the th[in]g - fine day - high wind now at 10 5/.. p.m. at w[hi]ch h[ou]r F[ahrenheit] 47 1/2°

[puutterings]

all the valves out, something on impulse; a more engaging occupation

        The Wreck had never driven the like of it, although he was confident of his ability, as always. But Timothy had all the valves out, and with a prospect of idle weeks ahead of him, was puttering over the grinding job, in no hurry to complete it. ₁

      Later, he had a perfunctory session with one of the books; but he found that puttering around the cars was a more engaging occupation, because it gave him free rein to think. He had discovered that he could easily spend hours thinking about the Kilbourne family, himself, and the situation that had been created by his coming to Kilbourne Heights.       Rawlins was not habitually introspective, but there were angles of the matter that needed thinking about. He did not yet clearly see his way through to the end, nor did he discern any necessity for haste; but it was not in human nature — certainly not in his own — to put his mind in charge of a writer of books when there was something else that challenged it in a more personal and portentous way. ₂

      She stood in the doorway until he had driven out of sight. An odd feeling of serenity enveloped her. At last, right in the heart of the East, she had done something on impulse. Perhaps she had smashed the hoodoo. She felt her pulse and it seemed to her that it was certainly beating faster than sixty-five. Things were looking up; she did not know why, but she divined it.       Charley was puttering at something under the hood of the Carvel, and she called to him.       “Do you remember what you said you would do if you had my money, Charley?”       He thought for a few seconds.       “It was what I’d do if I had your money and what you know about cars, too,” he said, carefully.       “All right. What was it?”       I said I’d buy the place.”       “Well, I’ve taken your tip, Charley.”       “Ma’am?”       “I’ve bought it.” ₃

      “Yeah?” drawled Franz. “More psychology? Going to wish a win on him and then tell him it’s you done it?”       “I’m going to hold up that baby when he comes puttering around here to-morrow and tell him we can make him win if he wants to, if I have to tie him to a string piece and set on him to make him listen.”       Sandy did not have to do that. Luck was with him. He found the millionaire Burton just after he had discharged every man who was working on the boat he hoped would win his race.       It was Sandy’s psychological moment. ₄  

sources, all E. J. Rath

1 The Nervous Wreck by E. J. Rath, author of Too Much Efficiency, Etc. / “Illustrated with scenes from the play” (Grosset & Dunlap; copyright G. Howard Watt, 1923) : 194 : link same (via hathitrust) : link (both University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but better reproduction of photos in hathitrust version) 2 The Dark Chapter : A Comedy of Class Distinctions by E. J. Rath, author of The Nervous Wreck, Etc. / (1921, 1922; Copywright G. Howard Watt, 1924) : 93 : link same (via hathitrust) : link (both Ohio State University copy (3rd edn); hathitrust shows title page) from front dj flap :       Kilbourne Height was a paradise for tramps. The generous wife of its rich owner had on frequent occasions manifested a fine sympathy for the gentry of restless feet.       Wade Rawlings heard of this good Samaritan. Presto. He appears at the door of the sactuary to all intents and purposes “down and out.”       This is the Dark Chapter in the life of the leading character who straighway began a most hilarious existence as an adjunct in that most extraordinary family in the rare atmosphere of the Heiths. The warp and woof of his intricate entanglements, his social conquests and numerous other dark chapters of which he became a part, serve to bring about a grand finale which threatens to collapse and detroy forever the masquerading Rawlin’s partnership with a certain bewildered Marian, and his alliance with the beautiful “Queen of Sheba.”       No more riotously scintillating comedy has thus far appeared from the pen of E. J. Rath. It is a twin triumph with “The Nervous Wreck.” 3 Gas---Drive in : A High-powered Comedy-romance that Hits on every cylinder, by E. J. Rath, author of The Nervous Wreck, The Dark Chapter, etc. (Grosset & Dunlap, 1921; copyright G. Howard Watt, 1925) : link same (Ohio State University copy) via hathitrust : link from front dj flap :       Vivian Norwood loves her automobile. And yet when the car is stolen in the first chapter of this amazing romance-comedy, it isn’t the car that she mourns so much, it’s the loss of a letter marked Personal and Confidental that she had left in a secret pocket.       Vivian discovers some information that puts her on the trail of the thieves. And then she buys and begins to operate a garage in the vicinity where the repainted racing car is being run by its mysterious possessor. Regaining that letter becomes the most important thing in Vivian’s life. She meets Richard Hunter, the car’s present master. And she discovers to her horror that she has lost the key to the secret compartment. Where is it? 4 Let’s Go, by E. J. Rath, author of The Nervous Wreck, Etc. (Copyright by G. Howard Watt, 1930) : 22 : link (Ohio State University copy, via hathitrust)  

discussion

E.J. Rath is the pseudonym of Edith Rathbone Jacobs Brainerd (1885-1922) and her husband Chauncey Corey Brainerd (1874-1922) wikipedia : link Both were writing independently before their partnership (and marriage), he as a journalist. Several of their stories were made into films.

Both died in 1922 (when the roof of a theater collapsed under heavy snow). And yet numerous titles appeared thereafter, all published — or issued under the copyright held — by G. Howard Watt (?-1940).

William Lampkin (at the Pulp.net) has done some research on the pair, see his “A Fateful Blizzard for two Fictioneers” at ThePulp.Net (January 27, 2023) : link

Some further information at their respective find-a-grave pages : link for Edith, and link for Chauncey. The latter source quotes a Louisville Times tribute, which characterizes their working method as : “she the diviser of the plot and property man, he the literary spinner.” Impossible to know. Am reminded of the Viña / Eugene Delmar partnership.

—

E. J. Rath at the Online Books Page : link

23 titles are listed at LC (some of them adaptations by others) : link. The earliest of these is The sixth speed (frontispiece by C. Weber-Ditzler; Moffat, Yard & Company, 1908) This was followed by several published by W. J. Watt : wikipedia : link. Sam (illustrations by Will Grefe; 1915). “Mister 44” (illustrations by George W. Gage; 1916) Too Much Efficiency (frontispiece by Will Foster; 1917) Too Many Crooks (frontispiece by Paul Stahr; 1918) Mantle of silence (frontispiece by George W. Gage; 1920) Good References ((wonderful) frontispiece by Paul Stahr; 1921)

Thereafter, the (posthumous) books are Grosset & Dunlap or G. H. Watt (son of W. J. Watt?).

I would like to know of W. J. and G. Howard Watt, the latter having published (in addition to popular fiction, westerns, mysteries, books about dogs, &c., &c., these huge undetakings in particular —

Karl Köhler, A History of Costume Edited and augmented by Emma von Sichart translated by Alexander K. Dallas M. A. with sixteen plates in colour and about 600 other illustrations and patterns. New York : G. Howard Watt (copyright 1928, published 1930) Wellesley College copy, via archive.org : link

and

Corey Lewis (Louis C. Fraina), his The house of Morgan; a social biography of the masters of money (1930) borrowable at archive.org : link

what a tangled thread, Corey Lewis was Louis C. Fraina (1892-1953), autodidact, brilliant writer, founding member of the Communist Part of the USA, organizer... wikipedia : link

This post has metastasized beyond all sense of order, and will likely be separated out into two entries at the html archive — in due course.  

[lboogie1906]

Glenn E. Plummer (born August 18, 1961) is a film and television actor. He was featured as “OG” Bobby Johnson in South Central, James Smith in Showgirls, Russ Stanhope in Nasty Boys, and Vic Trammel in Sons of Anarchy, among others.

He was born in Richmond, California.

He attended Contra Costa Community College and San Francisco State University.

He appeared in numerous films and television series. He portrayed the role “High Top” in Colors, and Timmy Rawlins partially in ER. He headlined Black Lies.

His prominent roles came in Menace II Society (as Pernell), Speed (as Jaguar Owner), Bones (as Harold Overmeyer), Showgirls, South Central, Roland Emmerichs’ The Day After Tomorrow (as Luther), The Salton Sea (as Bobby), and Saw II (as Jonas).

He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his 1991 performance in Pastime.

He produced and became a collaborating writer for the horror thriller film Teeth and Blood. He starred in Bikers vs. Werewolves.

He married DeMonica Santiago (2000-14). He has two children. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence