half-alligator & i ride tornaders

"Now I've shot so many Nazis, Daddy will have to buy me a sable coat." (From his Wikipedia article).

Neil Munro "Bunny" Roger

June 9, 1911-April 27, 1997.

Bunny Roger killed a bunch of Nazis and then invented Capri pants.

He was expelled from Oxford for his indiscrete gayness (discrete gayness being perfectly fine at Oxford and part of the curriculum until...today probably, at least like 1992?). Then, having been sent down to London, he started his own fashion business, and his first client was Vivien Leigh.

Bunny served in WWII, killing fascists in North Africa and Italy, and often wearing a mauve scarf in the field. Roger claimed that he had gone into a battle brandishing a rolled-up copy of VOGUE and commanding: "When in doubt, powder heavily!"

Roger was known in high society for his themed soirées; Diamond, Amethyst, and Flame Balls were held to celebrate his 60th, 70th, and 80th birthdays. He wore a curious plum colored catsuit with a feathered headdress at his 70th birthday ball in 1981. At his 80th, he made his entrance in a catsuit of scarlet sequins with a cape of orange organza, greeting his guests from behind a wall of fire. His parties were covered by the newspapers, including a New Year's Eve Fetish Ball where the proper upper class mixed with young guests in rubber S/M gear.

From an obituary: "Beneath his mauve mannerisms, Bunny was stalwart, frank, dependable and undeceived; to onlookers a passing peacock, to intimates, a life enhancer and exemplary friend."

From another obituary:

And this in-memoriam piece.

- they’re Opawz pet specific dyes. Non toxic made specifically for dogs. Once they’re set and rinsed they can groom themselves normally, they pose no danger to her in any way, no fumes, there’s no bleach involved

- my dog is trained with cooperative care skills, the process is not stressful for her, she gets paid heavily for her cooperation and looks forwards to the opportunity to earn extra snacks with the grooming

My friend, my companion, my dear member of the Lucky Ten Thousand:

What Are The Mechanisms?

The Mechanisms were a queer storytelling concept album cabaret band, or in short, a folk band that made 4 concept album.

They preformed from the years 2010 - 2020 in character as immortal space pirates aboard the infamous starfaring vessel, The Starship Aurora, a warship stolen in a rigged game of russian roulette from the now-deleted empire of Cyberia.

As they traveled, they spread stories they picked up in asteroid bars, ditties of the wars they fought in (and sometimes orchestrated) and importantly - violence, violence, and more violence.

Unfortunately, over the last 300 years in the future ago, all members of the infamous band of pirates have shown up dead, following a two-day showing in January of 2020 called Death To The Mechanisms

That is to say, they broke in up in 2020, and their personas all had silly endings. Such as being eaten by 300 octokittens.

or in short: The Mechanisms were founded by a very talented woman named Maki Yamazaki, and included talent such as Jonny Sims (you may know him from The Magnus Archives, or Slay The Princess), Morgan Wilkinson, Frank Voss, Ben Below, Jessica Law, Kofi Young, Rachel L Hughes, and several more anonymous members over the years.

Over the course of a decade, they completed 4 concept albums such as Once Upon A Time In Space, Ulysses Dies At Dawn, High Noon Over Camelot, and The Bifrost incident - four space operas following high stakes stories, from Snow White and her bloody rebellion against the immortal King Cole, to Lyfrassir Edda, an inspector investigating the vanishing of the ratatosk express - and the disappearance of the entire Asgardian Goverment with it.

They have two additonal album of one off-songs, as well!

They are a queer band telling queer stories! if you like weird transgender concept albums listen to this band!

What Is Pump Shanty?

Pump Shanty is the 6th track off The Mechanisms first album - Once Upon A Time In Space! The version linked is the studio version, but I personally prefer this live version of the song. It's from a future recording they did for a radio show, and has all the proper vocalists as they added to their talent over the years!

Pump Shanty as a song follows Snow White after her attempted assassination by King Cole, after the king bombed her sisters wedding to Princess Cinders - Cinderella, and is the turning point in her character to becoming The General of the resistance.

As a song, Pump Shanty - as with many of The Mechanisms Songs (and as is typical with the genre of filk*) borrow melodies and tunes from folk songs with similar names! Here are some examples of Pump Shanty as sung in its more traditional folk versions:

Pump Shanty - The Sheringham Shantymen (this version is the closest stylistically to the one the mechanisms play)

Pump Shanty - Rub and Shrub Shantymen

Pump Shanty - Storm Seeker

How do I get into The Mechanisms?

Fear not, by virtue of reading this post, you have already found the most comprehensive resource on how to Get Into This Band

This blog, The Mechanisms Lore Archive, is a fan-run archive blog to provide access and answer questions about the band. We have collected a google drive with all live shows, photos, merch records, relevant in-character posts across various social media.

But if you want a cursory, surface level grasp as this band,

You can find their albums on youtube, spotify, apple music, and most importantly, bandcamp! (and other places im sure, but these seem the most commonly used)

For live shows, to find them all in one place, i recommend the videos folder in the archive, but there also exist playlists on youtube

The optimal listening order is as the albums were released. And remember - these are concept albums, listening on shuffle will get you entirely lost very quickly!

*What is Filk?

wikipedia article

Filk is a genre of music that emerged in the 1950s and primarily gained its conventions through Sci-fi and fantasy conventions. It refers to songs with a heavy emphasis on sci-fi or fantasy elements!

Filk songs are, very typically, paradies or retellings of common folk songs or popular music. If you are looking for fun sci-fi music. filk is a great place to start! The mechanisms are a Filk band.

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consistent practice opens up whole worlds of skill that you couldn't imagine

making mistakes in the process of learning is not only natural, it is also essential

activities that you enjoy can give you more energy back than you spent on them

"A consummation greatly desired," Jeeves agreed.

"The forces of darkness vanquished, the rightful king upon his throne, and all that. And, even more importantly, Tuppy Glossop disengaged from that horsy female and returned to the bosom of my cousin Angela."

"Indeed, sir."

"Rather a shock running into the Reverend Aubry Upjohn riding that fell beast, what?"

"I though you displayed great alacrity in relocating to that ditch in the nick of time, sir."

Far below us, the molten lava did a rather spirited impersonation of boiling soup. I mopped the p. off the b. with a handkerchief I'd improvised from an orc loincloth. I had been to some deuced uncomfortable country estates in my time, don't you know, but at least there one had been able to toddle downstairs and pour oneself a quick W. and S. as needed to stiffen the sinews. Galadriel's Buck-U-Uppo was excellent at vitalizing the limbs to forge on the last dreadful mile and all that, but it lacked the comfort that speaks to the soul.

I contemplated the glowing river. "Redirecting the army of Aunts to that Isengard place was a stroke of brilliance, I thought."

"You are too kind, sir."

"Still, all things must end, as they say. Travel is broadening to the mind and all, but it is past time to attend the call of heart and home. Among other considerations, I think something took residence inside this mithril shirt somewhere around the Morgul Vale and has been wandering about biting hither and thither ever since, and I am filled with the desire to strip it off and do battle with the blighted thing."

"Understandable, sir."

"I heard rather a good one the other day: Sing hey! for the bath at close of day that washes the weary mud away! -and by Jove if I don't think they were on to something, Jeeves."

"It is undeniably felicitous to be surrounded by the comforts of home," he assented, and yet I couldn't escape a certain sense of firmness about his gaze.

I sighed, for I knew what he wanted. Well, I mean, I'm all for taking a firm stance and not being trodden on in one's own home and all, but as far as rallying around to save the young master goes, none could have rallied more greatly than Jeeves. If a little firmness was the price I had to pay, well, so be it.

Slowly I undid the old school tie from around my neck. It was harder work than one would have thought; as if it could hear what was rattling around in the old brain, the ring that was threaded on it put in a last surge of effort in the gleaming and enticement department, filling my mind with heady visions: Freddie Widgeon gnashing his teeth as I sank yet another dart into the bullseye, Aunt Agatha wreathed in tears and begging my forgiveness for ever having misjudged me, Jeeves gazing admiringly as I displayed my newest waistcoat for his edification…

It was the last that broke the spell. Cursed objects of all-consuming power were all well and good in their sphere, but there were limits, don't you know? And yet I hesitated. "You don't think I could slip it on and just have a quick total domination of the world before I toddle around to the Drones for a stiff one?"

Jeeves gave a gentle cough of reproof. "I think you will find it for the best, sir."

It was a wrench, but one could not deny the man had earned it. With a heavy hand, I held the ring out to him. "Take it, then. You will know what do with it, I'm sure."

He took it from me with the sort of shimmer that showed he was exceptionally gratified. "Thank you, sir."

I watched as the ring fell from his hand into the depths below. It hit the lava and rested there for a moment before slowly sinking beneath the glowing surface, and as they caught fire I almost felt that the Old Etonian colors glowed brighter in approval. That Wooster, they seemed to say: not much in the brains department, but he gets the job done.

Outside, there came a hideous wailing as of something ages old abruptly losing the power which bound it to this mortal plain and all that, which I took as our signal to leg it down the nearest drainpipe before things got sticky. The road goes ever on and on, what? Yet I paused there, at the end of all things, because some things have to be said.