#jemima bang

[straykidsftw]

Daddy Daycare | dad!bang chan

genre: fluff

summary: chan looking after his kids for the first time as 4

ages: joey = 8 / leo & dan = 6 / jemima = 2 months

warnings: none (purposeful use of lower case cause i cant be bothered with capitalisation anymore)

______________

“are you sure you’re going to be okay?” you asked, cupping chan’s face in your hand, his sleepy eyes blinking back at you; the time on the clock too early for him to properly register the words you were saying.

you were leaving for a weekend away with the other skz wives, all flying over to jeju island, as paid for by your husbands. and that meant leaving early to make it to the airport (so you could make the most of your time).

chan swatted your hand away, making a ‘pshh’ noise, “it’s fine, y/n. i’ve been a dad for 6 years, i think i know what it takes.”

“yes but you’ve never looked after four kids, chan. i’m telling you, it’s a level up,” you pleaded with him.

chan rubbed his eyes before getting out of bed, placing his hands on your shoulders and walking you to the door of your shared bedroom. “y/n, please. i know what i’m signing up for, i know our kids. now go, have fun, and stop worrying.”

you smiled, turning round and hooking your arms around his neck, chan’s hands holding onto your waist firmly as you pressed a kiss to his lips.

“okay, go,” he mumbled into the kiss, “you’re gonna be late.”

“okay,” you smiled, getting your bag and beginning to walk down the stairs, waving to chan as you went, “bye kids!”

the kids, who chan hadn’t known were awake, all responded with choruses of goodbyes from their respective rooms, chan’s eyes widening at all four of his kids being awake at 5:30.

“oh god,” he grumbled, hearing jemima’s cries start up as the front door slammed behind you.

he walked into the nursery, now forever jemima’s room, to see his little girl stood up in her crib, gripping at the bars and bouncing up and down slightly, laughing happily now that she’d gained someone’s attention.

“hello princess!” chan cooed, running over and pulling her out of the crib, cradling her in his arms, pressing kisses all over her face, “oh my little girl, how did you sleep? hmm?! hmm?!”

jemima’s screaming laughter bounced off the walls, chan chuckling alongside her as he got her out of her pyjamas and put her on the potty. potty training was almost done, but jemima still had to be put on the toilet routinely, in case she forgot to ask.

“good morning dad!” joey yelled, chan barely seeing a flash as he ran out of his room and down the stairs.

“woah! woah! woah!” chan called after him, trying to keep an eye on jemima at the same time. he could hear banging and crashing happening downstairs, wincing every time another loud noise echoed.

“i done daddy!” jemima smiled up at him, chan grinning and bringing her off the potty, cleaning her up and putting her in a fresh set of clothes, before carrying her downstairs. “i don’t need carry, daddy! i walk!”

“okay, okay,” chan laughed, placing her on the ground, jemima immediately starting to run to her older brother, who was still zipping around the kitchen. “woah, woah. joey, bud, please. what’s happening?”

“i’m making something!” joey exclaimed, gathering bits from all over the kitchen up into his arms before beginning to make his way back upstairs, chan catching him before he could.

“hey, hey. i could really do with your help today, buddy. do you think you could continue this project at the dinner table? then we can both keep an eye on your sister as i make breakfast, hmm?”

joey smiled with the big brother responsibilities, nodding firmly, “i just– i– i need a few bits from upstairs, okay?! i’m coming back!”

“okay,” chan laughed, peering into the living room to find jemima perched happily on the sofa, her mop of curls a mess atop her head. “mima, do you want some milk?”

jemima looked at him and nodded with sharp motions of her head. chan smiled, nodding back before heading to the kitchen to prepare some formula in a bottle. as he stood against the counter, stirring the bottle sleepily, he suddenly felt a rush of air as someone ran past him again.

“joey!” chan stopped, looking at his twins running round the back garden. “huh, not joey.”

“i’m here dad!” joey exclaimed, his grin displaying a couple of lost teeth, as he sat at the dining table and continued his arts and crafts project.

“yo! leo! dan! come here,” chan called, standing at the back door, “what’s happening here?”

“we’re pirates, dad!” leo yelled, shoving his pretend sword up at his dad, “argh!”

chan played along, pretending to be afraid as he backed off, going back to jemima’s formula. the little girl in question now stood by the dining table, watching her brother in curiosity.

“do you want to sit in your high chair, mima?” chan asked, beckoning the little girl over as he put her milk on the tray. he lifted her up with a fun noise, sitting her in there as she happily drank her milk and watched her brother. “what do you guys want for breakfast this morning?”

chan was mindlessly asking as he looked through the fridge at all the banchan and regular ingredients stacked up. he gasped, “wow, mum left us some beef from last night! and some kimchi jeon, do you guys want that with some banchan?”

joey nodded, jemima staring at her dad with an amused look. chan pulled a face so she started giggling, her feet swinging back and forth.

“joey what this?” she asked, her attention going back to her older brother.

“its for mummy,” he smiled, whispering the words as he glanced to his dad, chan too pre-occupied with cooking to hear him, “she’s away for two days so i’m making her a sign for when she gets back.”

“mummy gone?!” jemima exclaimed dramatically.

“hmm?” chan called, absentmindedly, “yeah mummy’s away for the weekend, mima. but we’re gonna have fun, aren’t we?! yay!”

“what are we doing today, dad?” joey asked, his colouring pencils scribbling against the page.

“um, i thought we could meet up jiyoung and haein today,” chan said, “me and your uncles have a little bit to do but we don’t have to go to the stud—”

“oh please can we go to the studio?!” joey begged, looking up at his dad with a pleading look in his eye.

chan laughed, shocked, “yeah, of course we can, bud! wasn’t expecting you to want to, but of course!”

“just more to do there, you know,” joey shrugged.

chan nodded, “yeah, i’m sorry you don’t have any cousins your age, joe.”

“it’s okay,” he hummed, “it’ll be fun when we’re older.”

chan smiled at his son’s maturity, plating up the food, “yeah, it will. and at least you know they all look up to you, right?”

joey smiled bashfully, not looking up from his work. chan placed a plate down in front of him, as well as two more for the twins, placing a plate of extra banchan in the middle of the table. he pulled up a chair beside jemima, starting on his own food while keeping an eye on the littlest member of the family.

“twins! food’s on the table!”

the boys, still in pirate mode, ran into the kitchen, crashing into the table as they started eating.

“thank you for the food,” joey said, before tucking in, the rest of his siblings following, despite the food already bulging in their cheeks.

“you’re welcome, babies,” chan cooed, playing with dan’s hair gently, “see? we don’t need mummy, daddy’s got everything covered.”

[houseofcatwic]

1969 Truly Scrumptious Liddle Kiddle "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" dolls source Liddle Kiddles Identification & Value Guide by Paris Langford photos by Kent Hardouin

[carolinanadeau]

[cryptidvoidwritings]

Sillabub, Wichita 2023

[jessiwiththeheadphones]

Guess who made a silly little Edit based off of a Silly Little Headcannon for a movie with a Silly Little Car in it?

Me.

[emmikay]

(Bombalurina and Rum Tum Tugger are babysitting Jemima)

Bombalurina: Damn, she’s sneaky.

Rum Tum Tugger: Yeah, but she’s little, so it’s adorable.

[rice-pudding-slaps]

CATS SANTIAGO 2024: My review and experience

On July 12th I saw CATS Santiago on opening night. And I had the best night of my life

I'm sorry for the very late thoughts, but life has been a bit hectic and I have a lot of stuff to say.

If you have any other questions please do send an ask about it because I'm very excited to talk about this production

Also excuse my grammar as english is very much not my first language

TLDR: I absolutely loved it. I cried tears of joy

The General Stuff:

The stage was very tiny. But they made up by using a staging and set very similar to the Warsaw one with big climbable structures so the cats had a lot of places to go

The costumes were changed from the press releases. If you've been following along the ride, then you'd probably seen more or less how the characters are supposed to look. Sadly not all of the changes were to my liking, but none of them I outright disliked.

Bomba and Tanto lose their long wavy hair. Bomba had a wig more similar to the classic cat shape, and Tanto just had a short bob-ish hair

Exótica changed her full white face make up for one that showed her natural skin tone and it was a much appreciated change. She looked beautiful.

Misto's wig also got changed from the classic shape to a sleek silhouette with two horn-ear thingies that were buns on his head

Also Vic lost her bangs and changed to some buns on her head

Jemima's wig also changed from being very short and spiky for a very fluffy and kinda cat shaped hair. I liked it!

Jellylorum made an appearance cuz sadly I didn't have her portrait and she had long straight hair and a knitted shawl which was adorable

Also another ensemble character played by Alexis Sepúlveda, whom I had no idea was in this musical. My guess is that he came along because Andrés Zará, the first Tugger, is leaving after the Santiago shows and won't be joining the tour.

Another important change is that a lot of the characters are plainly different, as it often happens with non replicas

First off, the Alonzo debacle. In this case, Alonso (With an s, as is more often written here in Chile) is a kitten that is following Munkustrap all the time. He is very much a "protector in training" kind of type. Very childish and moving a lot with the other kittens, even if he's supposed to be a second in command. Very similar to Plato in 98 or other replicas

Then it's Pouncival, that Fernando Vargas, who plays him, defined as "A cat in transition from childhood to adulthood. He admires and respects everyone who are his guides and protectors. Athletical and energetic". He is very often during the play in the forefront, and is the cat who is always on alert and besides Munkustrap too.

Coricopat also had a bit of a change in his usual place as the mysterious part of a duo, since he was very often close to Victoria and was who did most of the lifts with her. He would often "split" himself between Tantomille and Vicky, and honestly it was eyecatching everytime. They stole the stage.

Sadly is not customary to give playbills or similar to attendees, so I couldn't get any. However, I do have a very special memento that I'll share later.

Now, song for song, I will give my thoughts

THE OVERTURE:

There wasn't the usual yellow eyes nor cats coming from the audience. It was only the orchestra giving it their all and that's more than enough for me.

Needless to say, I was already crying when the overture started. It was starting to hit that I was watching CATS.

Everyone jumped when the starting chords hit and I didn't flinch because I am a bit used to it and was just awaiting for it to start. I was already into overdrive

JELLICLE SONGS FOR JELLICLE CATS:

First big difference is that it wasn't Demeter the one who appeared first, but Exótica! Not a major change, but one that I noticed

Needless to say, the second Munkustrap started singing I was bawling. My deepest apologies to the cast that only saw me cry that day oh my god.

The translation was a bit of a mix and I don't mean in quality, it was a literal mix of the spanish translation from 04 and the mexican translastion. I didn't notice at first, but after rewatching Madrid 04 for insanity reasons, some phrases that were not direct translations but artistic choices started to come up. It's honestly a shame, since the 2014 version did have an original translation done by Andrés Sáez, who also did this one. I don't really know why or how the process was made. But it didn't sound clunky nor unpleasant. Unless you're a bit insane like me and like to compare spanish versions of CATS for a hobby, you wouldn't even notice lol

Since moment one all the character's personalities were noticeable. And since I was on the first row, middle seat, I was always looking directly at Munkustrap at all times. This ended up being my favorite part of the show

Back to the song, the choreo was completely original with few traces of Gylliann Lynne's. Which is understandable because the stage was *far* smaller than the ones in the UK. Third world things! It stil worked amazingly well and all the actors had their time to shine.

There were a few audio troubles but nothing I cannot forgive for being opening night.

Also -Misto doing some conjuring turns ln the middle of dancing cats is gonna live in my mind rent free

NAMING OF CATS

For starters, it wasn't done in a "pyramid" position, but all the cats were around the stage doing their thing. Mostly crawling around and doing kitty motions.

Thank GOD it was all clear and I could understand everything lol

Good things, the Cats that were named actually gestured at their names being called. So, Alonso, Demeter, Bombalurina, Munkustrap, Coricopat and Jellylroum did a little paw thing when called or beamed with pride.

Munkustrap's voice was the one you could hear more clearly and it was very much hypnotic.

It has some choreo and some kitty acting and it was amazing.

They did end up in a "pyramid" which was hypnotizing and yes I teared up too because I'm pathetic like that

VICTORIA'S SOLO

What can I say? Rosario Muñoz hit it out of the park, she was absolutely gorgeous and did wonderfully. I could tell she was a bit nervous but again I was like. a couple meters away. She did amazing

It was Eduardo Yedro's choreo, which is more about equilibrium and stretching. I would've preferred the original but it was absolutely gorgeous nonetheless

INVITATION TO THE JELLICLE BALL

Misto entered and they danced a bit (Even with a lift!!!) and it was really cute 🥹. Afterwards Asparagus sang the invitation!! His voice was really nice

José Miguel Callejas' Munk can ruin me uh yeah

But on his performance? Absolutely perfect. One of my favorite parts. His voice was very soft and he looked so excited. If Gruber is your dad and Rebaldi is your cracked uncle, Callejas is like your older brother that knows what he's doing but go to you when you're in trouble and won't tell your parents.

Jesus, back to the Invitation. Victoria and Coricopat danced in the background and it was mesmerizing.

THE OLD GUMBIE CAT

Again, Munk's performance was lovely. He was very excited to be there for sure.

There wasn't a car in the set. Jenny entered being wheeled in by Alonso and Asparagus in a big speaker that was revealed to have Jenny inside. Her coat was lovelyyyyyy it was very fluffy and looked really soft

The Gumbie trio was angelical, truly. They did so good and they all danced and sang like they MEANT it. Piamaría Silva was such a highlight for me, her voice was the one I could hear more clearly and also the highest pitched one, and she had a giant smile all the time.

Alonso was very munch cuddly with Jenny, very much a spoiled kid lol

The cockroaches were adorable!!! They only had antennae but they were very much visible. And the choreo was super fun with the usual tap dancing but also some elements of "rondas" in there. Also Munk followed Jenny around trying to keep things in order and it was really cute.

Important!! During the dance they paired up for a second to dance and Munk paired with Jenny and it was ADORABLE

JENNY'S DRESS WAS LIKE A 20S FLAPPER I FELL IN LOVE 😭

And at the end Munk had to fan some air into Jenny until he got distracted with Tugger LMAO

RUM TUM TUGGER

Andrés Zará was absolutely amazing oh my god. He was the right amount of sexy and funny. He was very much sold on being a rockstar on stage with hip thrusting included! Not a surprise, since is his second time playing the curious cat, but always needed to praise him for his talent. Sadly he's only staying for the Santiago shows and not the rest of the tour.

All the kittens were absolutely adoring Tuger, both toms and queens. Munkustrap looked to be absolutely on board with his shenanigans, too! Everyone had a great time, seemingly, except Skimbleshanks and Asparagus lol. They ended up joining on the fun too from the back of the stage tho!.

Is very important for me to mention that he came on the stage with a giant baseball bat and hit a "home run" in the middle of the song lol. Fun addition of the original choreo!

Etcétera was absolutely on point too lol big props to Teresita Rojas for making herself noticeable (Even if for the first half of the first act she didn't have her blue jacket)

GRIZABELLA THE GLAMOUR CAT:

Well, first things first, absolute props to Carolina Soto for her interpretation of Griz. She was absolutely on point.

Onto acting stuff. Demeter got close to Griz as usual, but was taken away in a swift motion by her waist from Munkustrap. This lives in my mind rent free and will not let me sleep. Alonso actually attacked Griz point blank lol. And it was Exótica who did the dancing around Griz similar to Cassandra on 98. Victoria actually tried to touch her but backed down.

Back to vocal performances, I have to say I am in actual love with Andrea Rodriguez's Demeter. She sounded so pained to see Griz in that state. And also her pronunciation of english places was incredible oh my god, I did not expect that at all. Montserrat Bernal's Bombalurina has the sweetest most pretty voice ever, and it works surprinsing well for her interpretation of the character.

After Griz leaves, Bomba comforts Deme in a kinda "okay, let's breathe together" kind of way. It was really cute and also very much lovers coded I am in actual love

BUSTOPHER JONES THE CAT ABOUT TOWN

He entered from the audience, and it was so fun!!! I was smiling more than ever in my life. And not to talk about his vocals because they were absolutely breath taking

Pouncival and Misto were looking together very excited when Bustopher came and it was really cute. Alonso was at his feet dancing at it was so adorable

Munkustrao was nodding over Bustopher's choices in food so we can absolutely say he agrees lol.

They pantomimed a table and giving Bustopher food. And in the background Alonso and emima were laughing and stealing some bites until Munk caught them, it was so cute!!

MUNGOJERRIE AND RUMPLETEAZER

Jerrie and Teazer appeared with their little robber shirts and it was so adorable I swear they made amazing choices of character.

It was less acrobatic than normal, but way more mimed and acted. Every verse had some acting with it and they were super expressive. They also had some acrobatics tho!!! Especially when they said they were "acrobats and jugglers" Rumple got on Mungo's leg like cheerleaders. It's weird to explain lol

Also they characterized themselves as unemployed lazy asses which I think is very funny lmao

There was no double cartwheel, but there was an attempt!!

Also also, Isabella Burotto (Rumpleteazer) clarified in a short interview that they were playing them as siblings and it absolutely showed with the whole "pushing each other around without care for their well being" lmao

OLD DEUTERONOMY

Misto's line was cut here, as were all of his lines. I think this was a decision by the actor.

All the cats were stretching and cuddling together as usual. And Munkustrap in the middle did his singing very nicely :) When Tugger came on and praised his "numerous proginy", Munk was very mmuch like "aw shucks" and embarrased. It was adorable and very much a win for Deuteronomy brothers enjoyers

Deuteronomy entered and everyone went to hug him :)) it was really cute and aalso I got some tears out lol

Roberto Díaz absolutely had all the vibes of a leader btw. He was incredible from the first second. His voice was, oh my god. It filled the theatre.

THE JELLICLE BALL

Once again we get very excited Munk, which is always a treat. But when Macavity gets called he inmediately goes into aggro form and yes I want him to make me worse.

They used the revival verse about Macabity, which I actually enjoy alot. The protectors here were Munkustrap, Asparagus and Pouncival and it showed with how they got.

Victoria and Jemima were adorable together and I love them

Alonso sang his lines, less in the proud tone of 09, more in a playing way. Pouncival actually took his side besides Munk to say "Jellicle cats never grow" in place of "Jellicle cats develop slowly", which again, did that not happen in Warsaw with Alonzo? Lol if it wasn't that, it was the exact same positioning as their line. Tugger made fun of Pounce and called him a little thing. Bit funny lol

The ball was absolutely hypnotic. There was a bit of influence from the revival that i can see, with breaking into groups. Also- again- a bit of Warsaw influence? I swear @per-the-jellicle-magician Warsaw pilled me because I see it everywhere lol. A lot of couple dances. It had little to nothingsimilar to the og choreo, which wasn't a surprise but it was actually really fun!!

Tugger stayed mostly in the back but everytime he came to the front of the stage he bowed to Old D and also swayed a lot lol- Again Coricopat, Tantomille and Victoria were a highlight for me, just because they did an aazing job at making themselves noticeable

Misto had his little solo, and it was just as mesmerizing as ever. Mugojerrie actually followed him and some other cats in the background too.

There wasn't a pas de deux, but a little round where all the acts lifted the firls, and then they all lifted Victoria up. She also had a litttle solo afterwards before they all went to "sleep" in separate places.

Pouncival as a protector was even more prominent during the little scare and honestly I'm living for it.

The ball later had a girls section and a little conjuring turn from Misto. Then it devolved into all the cats dancing and it was really pretty as usual. Again lots of lifts and circles, aI think to make use of the small stage

The last bit of the ball was again a bit of a round with everyone tgether that devolved into more "classic" cats choreo. And Coricopat did one more lift with Victoria that later also included Munk.

It was gorgeous and I REALLY enjoyed it

MEMORY

Munk Inmediately went into aggro with Griz and when Deme tried to hug her, stopped her very fast. Almost a bit mean about it. Again Alonso attacked, too

The twins approached with their heads down and most of the cats started to go to the background and turn their backs to Grizabella.

Okay, now real talk, Carolina Soto absolutely and utterly knocked it out of the fucking park. It was gorgeous and this is my new favourite Memory.

Everyone stayed while she sang, just turning their backs to her. Very much a "if I don't look she doesn't exist" vibe. With Old D looking directly at her.

At the last moment Munk actually did face her, while leaving like most of the cast. With Old D trying to touch her but failing exactly like in 98

MOMENTS OF HAPPINESS

Have I already praised Roberto Díaz as Old D? Cuz I'd like to do it again. Old D actors don't get enough praise and oh my god I adore him. Also praising ahead for Antonia Ascui (Jemima) because she was angelical.

Everyone was very attentive to what Old d was singing, and the light was shining to Jem since she started. She actually started crawling around the first verse and by "Generations" she was front and center. I actually liked that little detail! Her singing didn't come from the psychic twins, tho, weirdly enough. But it had the exact same effect. And she was gorgeous while doing it

It was actually Misto who took her out of the "trance" by starting to play with her! Which, again, was so adorable. Misto is much more of a kitten

Also Old D helping Gus come in is the cutest tihng ever, especially since Munkustrap inmediately took in. Something something like father, like son. Munk was the most invested in Jelly's singing for sure.

Jenny was crawling to Gus, which also was so adorable. Asparagus was on the background standing too and again, so cute.

Have I praised Piamaría Silva (Jellylorum) yet? Because she was such a highlight for me. She was so sweet and now my favourite Jellylorum. She was so into it too. Some true loving.

As a little detail, when Jelly mentioned he got "7 standing ovations", everyone did a little bow, which again, really cute!!!

Everyone got closer for Gus' verse, and they were so into it. Especially Munk and Exótica. POunce took the time to fool around with Cassandra and Femeter which was again, so cute. And they all followed Gus' gaze when he mentioned being "Up in Juliet's balcony with Romeo" and Fireforfiddle.

When Jelly came back on Pounce and Cassandra swayed with the rythm and once again, cute! Munk agreed silently on the background when he talked about kittens, too. The whole number was really cute

Also massive prpos to Andrés Sáez, who was Bustopher and Gus. And also made the wigs for the production!

PEKES AND POLLICLES

Yeah, it was revival pekes. Which I have thoughts about, but that's for the revival.

In this case, once again, really cute! MASSIVE props to Andrés Sáez for sounding both old and young at the same time, somehow.

The whole vibe of Munk and Gus was "Student who is absolutely PUMPED of acting with his prof" and it was, once again, adorable

Also, the lyrics were not racist! Hooray!

Munk did the orchestra director silence thing of closing his hand while shushing the crowd. Which was visible practically only to the first row, but is such a tiny detail that I think Munk absolutely does lol He's such a theatre kid and this younger, enthusiastic Munk is usually not my brand but one I definetly welcome.

Also I was next to people who had never seen Cats, apparently! Cuz they were laughing a lot and very surprised by everything. They were friends of José Callejas (Munkustrap) and their laughs and gasps were very fun for me, as someone who has seen the musical one too many times.

It's still so weird to hear Growltiger's song with Pekes lyrics lol. But it was absolutely well executed and well done. I'm just a bit insane

SKIMBLESHANKS THE RAILWAY CAT

Fun fact, this is my favourite number of the original Cats! So I was so pumped when Rumple ran to Old D as the song started

I haven't praised enough the absolutely gorgeous lighting, and I absolutely should because they were working with few lights and it looked absolutely beautiful, btw.

The song started with everyone looking around with the music rythm, it was adorable. They also mimed some and started looking for Skimble which, ADORABLE

Everyone made room for Skimble (Daniel Donoso) to come in a line , and it was SO cute. This whole number was adoring Skimble times. His voice was very much an uncle voice and it was adorable. He did amazingly!!!

Also the train motions in the dance??? Adorable. The whole choreo was so cute.

At some point Jerrie and Teazer started miming to rob Misto and Skimble took them both by their shirts and got them out the "train" lol.

As another little bit, Tugger was dancing and JAMMING all the times

They also pantomimed the waving passengers on the train, the bed, and some other stuff Skimble said. There was way more miming that anything else.

OH important bit, Skimble had a pocket watch he was constantly looking at. Another Warsaw parallel! D. did they watch Warsaw? It seems so

Then they did the train omg I was so happy!!! It was mimed with frames for the windows and Munk and Tugger were fighting to drive it.

Skimble was so happy and honored at the end of his song, like he felt truly appreciated and I was visibly shaking.

MACAVITY THE MYSTERY CAT

For starters, it was aggro Munk protecting Old D again, but with the whole tribe behind who were slowly getting out. Last minute hooded figures got to Old D WAY more violent than usually lol

Also Mac was Coricopat with a red vest and a slightly different wig. Uh. Yeah, it was a bit shitty

NOW to the important stuff

I want to personally kiss Demeter on the lips uh yeah Also Bomba and her were quite handsy with each other. Like- a lesbian amount. And so good for them, Santiago said lesbian rights.

I have already praised them, but their interpretations were absolutely perfect.

Oh!! Also all the girlies were dancing on the background since the start, and then Jerrie, Asparagus and Alonso joined too

The whole tone of the song was very mocking and more like "get a load of this guy" kinda stuff. I loved it. I was in absolute love. And Bomba and Deme were having the time of their LIVES like. Pure fun.

Also Jerrie came to his mention lol

The whole dancing was so fun and yeah extremely gay like I'm not exaggerating. They only needed to make out lmao

FIGHT WITH MACAVITY

Macavity entered and Demeter started to get anxious, so Alonso fucking ran to protect her and it was him who took the cloak out. Not my favorite interpretation, but sure

When it was time to fight, Mungo, Alonso and Misto tried and got YEETED. I am not kidding Misto literally flew in the air.

Then it was Munku time. They all circled them while they fought, hissing and showing claws. Once again it was way more mimed and acted, but also more acrobatic than usual. And it was Exótica who he tried to leave with, and she beat the shit out of him lmao.

I have. My issues. With the storytelling. But the fight was actually really really fun!! It's the part I usually skip, but this time I had a great one

MAGICAL MISTER MISTOFFELEES

Oh boy

First off. Tugger entered doing his monologue but with swag lmao. And the kittens absolutely fawned over him. Again, the voices were amazing! And everyone was miming and dancing with the first part of only Tugger

When Misto appeared he was the inmediate focus point! Jean Paul Bauer did an amazing entrance and the crowd loved it! Tugger inmediately started screaming in the background too lol

The solo was very different to the replica one. Less ballet heavy and, again, more miming. And the magic Misto had was more of the mind control variety, making all the cats around him dance to his liking! Even Munk, Tugger, Skimble and Jenny! (Again, did they watch Warsaw or smtn?)

And there was some being gay with Tugger too, as a treat

Of course Jean Paul Bauer was a star. And Andrés Zará knew how to make his voice go just as hard without ofuscating him.

When it was time for the trick everything went silent and Tugger did a bit of a small monologue. And also they were a bit gay too, as a treat. But the best part was that he made the public actually clap and told us to not laugh or move for the trick to work. The trick was made with a disappearing box instead of a cloth, and Tugger gave the biggest hug to Old D :')

Everyone then also hugged Old D and they all danced behind Misto, who then did more dancing with Tugger flexing his voice behind (And Skimble clapping!)

To finish the number, Misto also disappeared!

MEMORY (REPRISE)

Okay, serious time now guys!! Jemima did Daylight in the climbable part. And again, she was perfect for the role, absolutely angelical. The silence in the room was absolute just to hear her.

Munkustrap was SO excited. I loved him, if you couldn't tell

Then Griz shows up, and everyone makes way. Munkustrap stands there confronting her all through her song. It was actually an interesting choice I'm not against

Carolina Soto, oh my god, she was gorgeous and her voice was perfect. She had the tone and also the emotion completely perfect. When I thought she couldn't get better, she did. I rarely care for Memory, but this one was so gorgeous. The translation was more close to the spanish one than the mexican one, which is a shame specifically for me because I think the mexican one is superior

Back to this version. When Griz fell everyone made a half step ahead, as to try and help her. But no one did except, well...

Okay. This is my one big thing with this version. They changed the ending. Jemima comes and helps her up, by holding her hand while singing her verse. It was beautiful! But. it kind of. fucked up the foreshadowing they had done by spotlighting Victoria so much. And they also changed the lyrics a bit weirdly by saying "just leave me alone" which is- the contrary of the thing she supposedly wants. And afterwards everyone kind of stands around until Old D comes and touches her hand, which props to the rest of the tried gasping and starting to come forward. Like. Come on, guys. You were so close.

But anyways

Jenny actually grabs Griz and parades her around

JOURNEY TO THE HEAVYSIDE LAYER

She gets paraded around and everyone gives her a greeting (Tugger gives her a sassy greeting and Munk an apologetic one)

To my surprise, there was a plataform that went up and let her go on the heavyside layer. It was really nice. I didn't expect it, to be honest! And the "wow" from the audience really made me realize why Cats is as big as it is. Like, not to exagerate a bit, but there's a reason why musical theatre gets revived everytime Cats goes somehwere

ADDRESING OF CATS

The cats started on the ground looking at Old D, as usual. And slowly took their positions standing (I was still in front of Munk, and just to his right was Tugger! Fan favorite spot. To his left was Skimble and just behind him Jenny)

Roberto Díaz killed it. I was bawling. Full on bawlilng.

And they said my favorite line!! "First you must know that barking is not the same as meowing". I want it on a shirt lol

Every cat stood and showed their personality. As it's usual. Pretty part for the chorus. But I was bawling my eyes out. I couldn't believe I just saw the musical that had consumed my thoughts for years

Personal thoughts (that you can fully skip if you don't care)

I've said it multiple times. I never thought I would see Cats. I never thought I would see Cats in Chile, my country. I never thought I would see a good Cats. I thought that my experience was going to be a school play with just 3 songs, hald a cast and shitty costumes. But I got something so different. I got to see an amazing Cats non replica with unique costumes, absolutely amazing performers and so much love put into it. And not only that.

On July 12th, I saw Cats on opening night. I have been following this produciton since last year and making posts about it on instagram, because I wanted to. I was so excited and I needed to follow everyone and document everything. So I made an account to get all the chilean cats fans in one place and we could talk.

On opening night, I had a bunch of pictures printed because I wanted some of them signed, whichever I could get. Just to get a memento in case there was no playbill-esque thing. There wasn't. I asked José Callejas if this could be done on Instagram and he said yes, to ask the staff. When I did, the staff recognized me from my Instagram and told the cast.

The cast asked to meet me. So I went backstage. And they were all so excited to see me. They all wanted to thank me for bringing light to the production and being the biggest fan possible. They all hugged me and thanked me. Even thought I was just a guy who really fucking liked Cats the musical, and they just made my dream a reality. They signed my pictures, they told me I was awesome. I could just cry and keep hugging people and thanking them for everything, every single thing. I don't have enough words to describe how amazing it was.

Thanks for reading this, even thought is several pages long. And thank you for caring about this non replica, as it means everything to me.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

12.16.1968

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", the British musical film loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel "The Magical Car" was released. Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay with Ken Hughes. In England, circa 1910, eccentric Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) works as an inventor, a job which barely supports himself, his even more eccentric father, and his two children, Jeremy and Jemima; but, they're all happy. When the children beg their father to buy for them their favorite plaything, a broken down jalopy of a car sitting at a local junkyard, Caractacus does whatever he can to make some money to buy it. Applying his inventing skills, Caractacus transforms the piece of junk into a beautiful working machine, which they name Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the noise its engine makes. At a seaside picnic with his children and Truly, Caractacus spins a fanciful tale of an eccentric inventor, his pretty girlfriend, his two children, and a magical car named Chitty, all involved in the faraway land of Vulgaria. The child-like ruler Baron Bomburst, ruler of Vulgaria, will do whatever he can to get his hands on their magical car; but, because of Baroness Bomburst's dislike of children, youngsters are outlawed, even the unsuspecting offspring of foreign inventors of magical cars. The film was directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli (co-producer of the James Bond series of films, also based on Fleming's novels). Fleming took his inspiration for the subject from a series of aero-engined racing cars called "Chitty Bang Bang", built by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s at Higham Park. This photo of the movie car was taken at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in England during a 2022 visit.

[pommedepersephone]

We finished reading Chitty Chitty Bang Bang today. The boychild's assessment?

"LOVELY! It was exciting. I loved that they defeated the gangsters! Can we read it again?"

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is definitely an Ian Fleming book. It does not have the sex and violence of Bond, but the snappy writing, love of cars and gadgets and FOOD is all there. And while the avuncular tone (noted by many of his contemporaries both as praise and criticism) sometimes feels a little simplistic, it overall was a fun read.

An important point as a parent reading this to my kids was that the whole family was part of the adventure. Commander Caractacus Pott, his wife Mimsie Pott and their twins Jeremy and Jemima were all active participants. Mimsie is the least developed character, but I really appreciated that when the twins were kidnapped and plotting how to escape, they worked together and Jemima proved to be just as brave and smart as her brother.

Also, the original illustrations by John Burningham are quite fun.

NOTE: If you have seen the movie, be prepared that the screen version is a VERY loose adaptation. The screenplay was written by Roald Dahl and the director. Dahl also wrote the screenplay for You Only Live Twice, which likewise is a rather loose adaptation of the book by the same name. The musical was produced by Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli, who had made five James Bond films to that point, and it does feature both

Desmond Llewelyn (Major Boothroyd "Q") as 'Bill' Coggins and Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger) as Baron Bomburst. That was a bit of fun for my kids.

Overall, our family recommends this book!

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

Got the vibes to draw and did a quick little Jemima sketch

Yes I am slightly questioning the bangs situation I gave her XD

[ratherchaseamouse]

Rating (some of) the Il Sistina costumes!

1: Jerrie and Teazer

I’m a sucker for when M+R are absolutely identical so I love these! Teazer’s (left) wig looks a little off but other than that they look fantastic! 9/10 gender

2: Macavity

Not to be a 2019 hater but this is everything that Idris Elba Macavity tried to be. The drama, the camp, the mustache! it’s simultaneously very stupid looking and the coolest thing ever. T boy swag to the maxx 15/10

PS I’m in love with how there’s lights underneath his hat brim so you can see his face it’s genius

3: Jemima or Sillabub? I admit I don’t know which name is being used— both are on the wiki

She’s adorable! I love that they kept the magenta and black and white color scheme but completely reinvented the pattern. She looks like a little clown (that’s a compliment I like clowns), and the bangs on the wig are especially kitten-y. 12/10

4: Skimbleshanks

I think his song costume is absolutely flawless!! Love that they took inspiration from 2019 with the tapping. I think the wig looks a little out of proportion without the muttonchops and hat, but overall his chorus costume gives the effect of an awkward teenage Skimbleshanks IMO. Song costume gets a 2000/10 chorus gets 8/10

5: Gus and Jelly

The best pictures of them were together <3. Anyway I love how fluffy jelly is, she’s just all-around adorable. Best friend energy. Gus reminds me of my old cat Pepino who sadly passed away but was also a crotchety drama queen. The fabric on his coat and everything just makes him look so huggable. Both of them 12/10. As a matched set they are priceless.

6: mistoffelees

I LITERALLY CANNOT SAY A SINGLE NEGATIVE THING ABOUT HIM. THE MAKEUP THE BOWTIE THE FLUFFIES again sorry for hating on 2019 but he’s doing the tuxedo and top hat correctly. ♾/10 can’t be beat

I’ve got some more but my phone is begging me not to add any more images. I’ll put them in a reblog of this 👍

[pigeonwhumps]

Homecoming

Immortal Cannon Fodder masterlist

Taglist: @painful-pooch @i-eat-worlds @a-funeral-romance @extrabitterbrain @wolfeyedwitch @whumpinggrounds

At the age of eleven, Gemma was forced to attend a boarding school for powered children due to the potentially dangerous nature of her powers. Now she's eighteen and finished school, she's coming home.

2.1k

CWs: referenced minor whump, past abuse, difficulty coping, fear of abandonment, mentioned abandonment, touch-starved, mentioned public punishment, past isolation, fear of punishment, very brief flashback

Gemma steps down from the coach, blinking rapidly as her eyes attempt to adjust to the harsh sunlight. It's July, the end of the school term, and she's finally leaving Meadows Ridge for good.

There's few people around at the drop-off point at the edge of the city. A gaggle of nosy onlookers, curious to see what the notorious 'school for heroes' has produced this year, and a few family groups. Not enough for everyone being dropped off though. A lot of families... don't want their powered child back.

And there'll be provision for those who have nowhere to go, for appearances sake, but she's sure it won't be nice.

She hopes her parents are here. Please, please let them be coming. They said they would, she wrote them a letter and they promised, but they could be lying, it doesn't matter how well they treat anyone else because she has powers and so they can treat her how they like and no-one will care. They never care.

Gemma clutches her parents' response tight in one hand and Sophie the stegosaurus in the other. They said they'd come. She has to believe that.

It's been seven years. Will she even recognise them? Will they recognise her? Will they just... not know it's her and go home and abandon her to even more of Meadows Ridge's care?

She swallows a sob. No. No, they can't do that, please, she can't spend another day there. They have a photo, right? Right?

But nobody calls her name. The coach drives off, leaving one of the teachers behind to collect stragglers, and still nobody calls.

She's distracted by an old, brown car sputtering up the hill. It's polished to a shine but it's not moving very well. She wonders if they'll have to get out and push.

They don't, the car eventually jerking to a stop in the car park, but it's close.

Both front doors open at once and a man and a woman exit, arguing. Their conversation drifts up to Gemma as they head for the payment machine.

"This is why we divorced! If that rusty, banged-up old box made us miss our daughter's homecoming I'll kill you!"

"You say everything was why we divorced, Jemima. Just let me finish paying for parking so we don't get a ticket."

"Screw ticketing, it's been seven years, I need to see my daughter."

Gemma covers her mouth with her hand. Jemima. That's her mum's name, she knows it is. And the car...

They went to ballet practice in it, once, and it broke down halfway. How is it still functional?

"Mum?" she croaks. "Dad?"

She thought she was quiet, but the man turns and– is it? Is it him, is it, is it?

He swallows. So does she. She's rooted to the spot, she can't move, stuck like she's in class and someone's power is holding her there. She can only watch as he drops his wallet and starts to run.

He almost collides with her, stopping at the last minute and placing his hands on her shoulders instead. She flinches, and he starts to withdraw but–

"Don't. Don't let go, please."

She barely recognises her own voice, it's been a long time since she's tried making a request to anyone her senior, but her dad listens. His hands are big and warm and she moves closer, letting him envelope her.

It's hard to keep herself from tensing, flinching, she can't see what he's doing but– it's her dad. And she sinks into his arms, trying to hold back tears.

It's been a year since Aisling left Meadows Ridge, longer since Ethan. And although she's happy for them, she hasn't had a hug since. They're the only two people in that place who ever touched her with affection, with something not carefully calculated to hurt in the worst ways.

"My little gemstone. Oh, I'm so sorry we sent you there."

Gemma shakes her head and cries. She shouldn't be crying, she's an adult now, she should be in control, she doesn't want to get into trouble, but there's absolutely nothing she can do to stop it now.

She was going to be strong for her parents. She was going to pretend that nothing's wrong, nothing happened to her, she's fine. But all that's out the window now.

Another hand touches her shoulder-blade, above her rucksack, and she jumps three feet in the air before remembering who's there. Her heart pounds.

"Sorry. Sorry."

"It's okay, baby girl," her mum murmurs. "I didn't mean to startle you. Shall we go home?" Gemma nods. "Do you have any more luggage?"

She shakes her head. This small rucksack is everything. She wasn't going to bring her school uniforms, aside from the one she's been forced to wear today, and she's not a fan of the regulation pyjamas or free day clothes either (not that she ever got many free days). There's a box with letters and homemade presents from Aisling and Ethan, and messages from her parents, and a copy of the contract she signed this morning, but that's it. She's carrying Sophie.

What would be the point in bringing home things she hates? It's not like she needs a notebook filled with school rules, painstakingly copied out in an empty white room with an ache inside her and heavy metal on her wrists.

She clings to her parents as they make their way to the car. She's an adult now, but right now she doesn't feel it, and she doesn't want to be taken away from them again.

The car is familiar, with that lingering old-smoke smell that still hasn't faded and the seats that are so soft but she knows have zero suspension. She climbs in the back and kicks off her shoes and socks immediately, the hated things, the itchy and scratchy blazer going next.

She's never wearing socks again.

Then she curls up against her mum's side, stroking Sophie. The stegosaurus is old and worn and very, very well-loved after all the years, the side she's currently stroking almost worn through with the constant nervous movement.

"Some of the family were planning to come for tea later, to celebrate your return, but we can postpone it," says her mum gently. "If you're not up to it, they can wait."

"It's okay. They can come." She can't refuse anything. She knows the consequences, even if they're not likely anymore. But anyway. She can handle it. It's only her family. It's not like a public punishment or anything. Just a few hours of eating and talking and whatever else.

It will be fine.

_

It turns out that it is not, in fact, fine.

Every laugh sounds like they're laughing at her. Every time someone raises their voice she thinks they're shouting at her. Every time the dishes clink too loudly, when someone drops a fork, she thinks someone's made a mistake, they're going to be punished, publicly, or she'll be punished in their stead if she speaks out. She tenses every time someone says her name, not used to it being called neutrally. The food is too rich, it has flavour, it's no longer beige, and she feels sick.

Someone proposes a toast to her, and she doesn't know what to do. She doesn't know what's expected of her. All eyes are on her, and she tries not to cringe away, to flinch from the chorus of voices. At least she manages not to break into a flood of apologies and pleas.

She can't even fetch a plate for herself, too worried about doing it wrong and being punished to try. Someone else has to do it for her, and she murmurs a thanks but doesn't really notice who it is. She can't speak loud enough to be heard either, not after seven years of being punished for it. Not that she's sure she wants to be heard. She mimics the facial expressions of those around her, hoping to convince them that she's doing fine, she doesn't need any help, they can stop looking at her weirdly now. No need to be hostile. No need to hurt her.

The tension thrums through her as she tries to cope. She's got to cope. Why is it so hard?

And this is only a buffet, in front of people she knows (thinks) (hopes) mean her well. How can she ever get used to being around people again?

She can't. She can't. She knows people will be disappointed (of course they will be, they always are, for someone like her disappointing people is the best she can hope for because at least it's not anger), but she slips away, up to what used to be her bedroom, what her parents say is again. The bed's too soft but the dark blue walls with the dinosaurs are nice and calming and she nests instead, climbing into the centre of the pile of blankets her dad helped her make earlier (when it was so desperately obvious what she wanted but she couldn't move to do it herself, she couldn't, the rules in her head wouldn't let her). She curls around a mound of dinosaurs and sobs.

She should've shut the door, but she couldn't bring herself to, that level of privacy isn't allowed, and she can hear the sounds of people still celebrating downstairs. Doesn't seem to matter whether she's there or not then.

There's footsteps on the stairs and she freezes. Step-clunk. Step-clunk. That's the sound of the dorm manager coming to get someone, a cane always on him. She wonders who it'll be and hopes, guiltily, that it's not her.

Someone knocks on her door. She doesn't respond. She doesn't really remember how. She's not sure it actually matters. Nobody ever knocks on the door of someone like her.

The knock sounds again.

"I'll leave you alone if you like, gemstone, but not unless you tell me that," comes a gruff voice. "Those schools don't teach autonomy."

Gemma jolts. She's not there anymore, is she?

"Granda?"

"It's me. No company."

She scrambles to sit up, wiping the worst mess off her face. "Come in."

Her granda limps into the room and sits down on the edge of the bed with a groan. "After my son was forced to send you to that place, I had hoped they'd improved since my time. But your friends, and your face, suggest not." He eyes her critically. "You look terrible."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise, my girl. There's nothing wrong with actually looking traumatised."

Gemma doesn't say anything. She can't object, but she knows it's not true. Instead, she changes the subject.

"My friends? You've met them?"

"Met them? Gemstone, Aisling stays with us when she's not off learning to be a doctor. We haven't heard from Ethan for a couple of years though, of his own choosing. Your dad's gone to pick Aisling up from school so I don't know how long they'll be."

Gemma swallows. Ethan... she hopes he's alright.

"And– and you? You said you..."

"Aye. First generation to do so. Powers must've skipped a generation. If your parents had asked my advice I'd have told them not to get the prenatal power tests done, but alas." He sighs heavily. "At least we have you back now."

Gemma isn't entirely sure what he's talking about, and he doesn't seem to have realised. "Can I ask you something? Please? I don't want to, to annoy you or anything, sorry, I–"

"Go ahead."

"How did you recover? How do you cope? I can't even have dinner with normal people. Maybe I should've just stayed there, because I don't know... how do you not fall apart?"

He smiles, a little bitterly she thinks. "I do fall apart. Life is hard. But if you want advice from an old codger like me, take it slow. One step at a time. One day at a time. Get whatever help you need and don't be ashamed of that. Don't drown yourself in regret, it won't help, believe me. Don't be scared to do what you need to do, don't give up if you slip back sometimes, and never be ashamed of who you are."

Gemma's not much of a person to be proud of, by herself or anyone else, but she thinks that maybe she can manage not to give up just yet.

[unusual-ly]

Ly’s Six Idiots/ThemThere Fanworks Masterpost

Fanfiction

Never Did Run Smooth - Bill (2015)

~ The first Gabrian fanfiction ~ Ian is finally free of the Earl of Croydon. A chance encounter with Bill lands him in a new home, with a new job, and new friends, including Gabriel. Both are running from their past. Both have blood on their hands. The course of true love never did run smooth... [#never did run smooth fic]

Such Sweet Sorrow - Bill (2015)

~ The Ian backstory fic ~ Ian was always a rambunctious child, no different than any other boy in Croydon. When he is hired as the earl's new servant, all he thinks will come of it is money for his struggling family. What he gets, however, is broken [#such sweet sorrow fic]

Prompt Drabbles - Bill (2015)

Drabbles based on prompts I receive on Tumblr, canon/NDRS verse and uni!AU

You Find New Family - BBC Ghosts

One-shot collection. Humphrey befriends Jemima, the plague girl who hides in the pantry of the unused second kitchen, and eventually adopts her as his daughter. Slowly, he brings her out of her shell and she gets to know the other residents of Button House [#you find new family fic]

Thanktival Bang! - Bill (2015), BBC Ghosts, Horrible Histories

Holiday prompt event 2021. Mainly Gabrian and Jemima Bone

12 Days of Thanktival - Bill (2015), BBC Ghosts

Holiday prompt event 2022. Mainly Gabrian, Shakeaway and Jemima Bone

Musical Rewrites

Rewriting lyrics of songs from musicals to fit Six Idiots characters

Castle On A Cloud - BBC Ghosts, Jemima

On The Steps Of The Palace - Bill (2015), Gabriel

Still Holding My Hand - BBC Ghosts, Jemima and Humphrey

This Is Not Love - BBC Ghosts, Kitty

Jonny Don’t Go - BBC Ghosts, Isabelle

Playlists

Gabrian

Jemima Bone

Other

The Autistic Ghosts in Button House - BBC Ghosts

A list of autistic traits shown by the ghosts throughout the series

Memes - BBC Ghosts, Bill (2015), Horrible Histories, Yonderland

Arospec Headcanons - BBC Ghosts

Robin (aromantic) / Thomas (aromantic) / Kitty (lithromantic) /

University AU - Bill (2015)

Tag for a modern uni!AU with the Bill cast

v Tags v

#moonah stona (Robin, BBC Ghosts)

#oh its numbers (Mary, BBC Ghosts)

#left a bit (Humphrey, BBC Ghosts)

#and a r a i n b o w (Kitty, BBC Ghosts)

#damn your eyes (Thomas, BBC Ghosts)

#andimettheking (Mick, BBC Ghosts)

#do you want a glass of milk (Nigel, BBC Ghosts)

#Jemima Bone (BBC Ghosts)

#don’t stab the messenger (Ian, Bill (2015))

#crazy in the coconut (Gabriel, Bill (2015))

#Gabrian (Bill (2015))

#Shakeaway (Bill (2015))

#me or ruth (Elf, Yonderland)

#all i need is a quill (Scribe Elder Ho-Tan, Yonderland)

#achieving enlightenment (Geoff the demon, Yonderland)

#solar powered paperclips (Detective Mountebank AKA Leslie John Leslie, Yonderland)

#the burden of beauty (the Crone, Yonderland)

#buns and or cakesandpies (Edith, Yonderland)

#cake bake by the lake (Cake Bake Ladies, Yonderland)

#the wisp (Boo the Clown, Yonderland)

#thanktival bang 2021

#12 days of thanktival

[oh-great-authoress]

Nadia. I need to know—have you seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

And as a trained singer who is brilliantly skilled with the gift of music, I would like your thoughts. 🤟😘🫶❤️‍🔥

Yes, I have!

In all honesty, I haven’t seen it in many, many years, but this was a childhood favorite musical of mine, along with Phantom of the Opera and Evita!

I had to watch some clips from YouTube to refresh my memory of the singing, and I have to say that of the main cast, the one with the best voice was Sally Ann Howes, who played Truly Scrumptious.

She sang with an old-fashioned musical theater style, that lofted semi-classical music approach, and a Trans-Atlantic accent, without being heavy and overdone, and it was just beautiful.

The children, Jeremy and Jemima, played by Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley, respectively, sang with beautiful, clear, children’s voices.

It walked that fine line between vocally over-trained and trained enough.

You see, training children to sing, is a very, very delicate task.

Because children have many, many physiological limitations to what they can do safely.

Because, if you make the mistake of overly training a young voice, you run the risk of them never being able to sing again when they’re older.

However, there are some rare exceptions, the one percent you can take just that much further (full disclosure, I was part of that one percent, so I know), but this takes very detailed knowledge of the overall limitations of a child’s voice, and the limitations of your particular student.

The best thing you can do for a child student is to let their voice be that of a child’s; more technique can come later.

Now, as for Dick Van Dyke…

…yes, he can sing, but his voice is not the most melodic voice in the world.

His singing somewhat belongs to the, as I and my family call it, Rex Harrison school of singing—ergo, speaking on pitch.

The main example of this is in the song, “Hushabye Mountain”, which is one of my favorites in the whole movie.

Compare the way Dick Van Dyke sings it to the way one of my favorite Broadway performers, Raul Esparza, sings it.

If he looks familiar, it’s because he played Rafael Barba on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

(You have to listen to his rendition of Sondheim’s “Being Alive” from Company, it’s ART)

There is a vast and marked difference in the way it’s sung.

Yes, he sings it in a more contemporary musical theater style, but the melodic line is more fluid and musical.

There is absolutely no doubt that Dick Van Dyke can sing and dance, and he’s a darned Legend, capital L, but I am very sorry to say; I think that vocally, Raul Esparza did a better job.

I know it might be controversial, and a great deal of people may come at me, but my honest opinion was asked, and this is it.

I’m so sorry!!

*runs off to hide under a rock*

[carbondated]

❝ Boredom can be a problem, but I’ve taken it as an opportunity rather than a drawback, and thrown myself into archaeological research. Long distance, of course, but with even with the obsolete holographic technology they have at Stormcage (so archaic it almost counts as an archaeological project in its own right) it’s honestly almost like being on site watching the work being done. ❞ ( PROSE: River of Time )

While Mels Zucker had had a deep appreciation for History ( though not for her history teacher ) it wasn´t until her third regeneration into River Song that she considered a career in Archaeology. It appealed to her for many reasons, she had a natural instinct to investigate, but in a more symbolic way she also felt that in her heart that she was lacking roots, history of her own.

Once she left the sister´s of the infinite schism ( TV: LKH ) River sought out the prestigious Luna University and despite not meeting the entry requirements she managed to impress the head of the Classics & Antiquities Department into allowing her to study. Though initially very fond of her, Professor Artrem Candy would soon come to regret taking her under his wing. Candy, who had previously worked alongside Professor Bernice Summerfield, harboured a very negative attitude towards the Doctor, something that came up frequently in his lectures. As a result he & River frequently clashed over this. She also had a very well balanced social and academic life at Luna, something that irked her fellow student Jemima Still. ( AUDIO: Time in a Bottle ) Jemima was incredibly jealous of River´s popularity amongst peers and lecturers alike and often quarrelled with her. Despite these obstacles, River excelled at her studies in all other aspects.

By the time she had completed her undergraduate she had developed an interest in a relatively new branch of study, Primordial Archaeology, the study of societies that began before time, or just after the big bang. To her annoyance, her rival, Jemima Still also chose to pursue higher studies in the same subject. Both River and Jemima got along fairly well with their Professor Kuyili Acharya, who would pass away while on an expedition approximately 8 years after they both graduated.

During this time, River had been kidnapped once more by the silence, ´murdered´ the Doctor and been incarcerated in the StormCage Containment Facility after a very quick, very private trial. She published several hundred papers during this time and a handful of books, and though Storm Cage would later deny it, attended several digs and headed expeditions during this time. In a career where some took their entire life to accomplish what she had, River was the natural choice to succeed her old Professor and had in fact given several guest lectures at Luna through the years. But Artrem Candy remained the head of the department, and his opinions of her had not swayed over. To River´s utter disappointment, her old rival Jemima Still was offered the position instead, though upon meeting up with Jemima again later, she would feign indifference to the appointment.

All was not lost, she would soon have tenure at the Sorbonne in the 31st Century instead, where she stayed for many years in many different timelines. ( AUDIO: The Sonomancer. ) Her tenure here is one marked with controversy, while her work on the ruins of Razbahan ( TV: TOA ) was largely applauded, citing the rapid expansion of Razbahan from several small chieftains to a vast city state in under 20 years and it´s subsequent brutal fall, as the work of the weeping Angels, her theories on the Liperian system and the involvement of the Discordia ( AUDIO: TDORS VOL 4 ) was met with immense scrutiny. Particularly so because both her old rival Jemima and Jemima´s husband Melak mysteriously vanished during an expedition that she was known to be part of. Whispers followed her, questioning her mysterious murder trial. Some were convinced she´d murdered the Stills as well. Despite this, she was finally offered Jemima´s old position at Luna, though she would later find out the appointment had been ´gently suggested´ by the college board as her presence generated unusually high interest for the department. Unbeknown to many, the adventure with the Discordia had left her deeply scarred, she refused to take on research assistants that weren´t robots for a very long time afterwards.

The faculty on the other hand, she took less than no time to befriend and work closely alongside. she was particularly fond of Maritime Archaeology expert Dr Michael Themba and Paleoethnobotanist Annie-Lee Belrose with whom she worked closely with on a shared expedition into the sunken remains of a primordial alien spacecraft that had crashed in Kilwa, Earth in the 9th Century.

Occasionally she was known to branch out of her own discipline, if the circumstances called for it ( the Ruby´s Curse, Anteria XVI Cordobane, ect )

After a time the rumours that had plagued her before died down. When Artrem Candy ( or his clone? there were rumours ) passed away, she was thoroughly surprised to find that she had been his choice to succeed him as the head of the department.

Under her direction the Department of Classics & Antiquities flourished, at least up until Manhattan happened. The loss of her parents took more or a toll on her than she let and her grief began to effect her work, she became increasingly erratic, frequently didn´t turn up to her own lectures, clashed with the board and other lecturers on campus. Eventually, she realised she needed time away and left on sabbatical, roaming the universe for a time aimlessly before settling in early 20th Century Earth to write.

Unfortunately, she ended up entangled with the self proclaimed rulers of the universe ( AUDIO: TDORS VOL 1. ) She emerged, shaken further by the events of that adventure, but her published work on the Sporeships would be all anyone could talk about. Always one to bounce back from an ordeal, River quickly took advantage of her fame, she would head a large number of expeditions in the following years. Unfortunately, the last one to the Library would cost her her life.

But not everything ends. Not always.As River Allegro, she only further cemented her place as one of the greatest Archaeological minds the universe had seen, her reign as the Head of department saw the development of new surveying and dig technology using nanobots, which she introduced into the early 25th century. Her book on the interconnections between Primordial Civilisations also proved to be a hit, though controversial amongst some of older colleagues who were loathe to such a fresh take. She stayed at Luna for some time, but sadly that too started to take it´s toll, her colleagues did not have the same augmented lifespan as she and one by one they passed away around her. She would eventually give up her place and leave Luna, working as a guest lecturer in between digs instead.

[psyduc]

HELLO update from someone who just finished jamaica inn: it's an enjoyable show! i recommend! michael mcnulty stunning in his silly hat, and his girlboyfriend has a crossdressing moment (which is why i argue they are a t4t couple, with mcnulty's character being named jem, which is obviously short for jemima) . just a fair warning: they mumble a lot <///3 this has been show recs with wllipt uvu

HEHE OH BLESS 💛

we do love a good crossdressing moment on this blog tbh i've only seen gifs but i see and understand and embrace the t4t couple vision. it makes sense

maybe this weekend i'll bang the whole thing out huehuehue thank u my dear