Samuel Stratford

Character art by Jackie Franco

**Samuel Stratford** is a character in Pulp Musicals. He is a former reporter for The New York Sun and is the twin brother of Rose Stratford. He features in The Great Moon Hoax, The Brick Satellite and The Ghosts of Antikythera. He is played by James Tolbert.

## Background

Samuel and Rose immigrated to the United States when they were young. Their parents passed away, leaving Samuel and Rose to run the Stratford Family Paper Stand in New York's Printing House Square.

Samuel met his friend-turned-enemy Benjamin when Benjamin would pass the Stratford Family Paper Stand every day on the way to his job at *The Sun*, where he was the editor. It was with Benjamin's assistance and support that Samuel ended up getting a job at *The* *Sun.*

## The Great Moon Hoax

Samuel, one of the main protagonists of *The Great Moon Hoax*, is introduced as he attempts to convince his best friend Benjamin Park to assist him in showing a story written to their boss, Chester Thomas. Thomas, however, is not amused, and fires Samuel from *The* *Sun* after tearing his notebook in half.

Samuel leaves *The* *Sun* and goes to the Stratford Family Paper Stand where he finds Rose. The two wonder if there is more to life than what they are living, "More Than This", and after Benjamin arrives with the pages of Samuel's torn notebook, the plan for The Sun's rise begins. Benjamin leaves with the notebook in his hand, and Samuel and Rose finally know for certain that they're not alone.

On August 25th, 1835, Samuel returns to *The* *Sun* upon learning that the first article has been printed. The *Sun* is abuzz with excitement over the article, but Chester Thomas calls Samuel into his office, declaring that he knows the "journal entry" is a hoax. However, he realizes that the article will finally make *The* *Sun* successful, and re-hires Samuel, giving him a raise and a chance at a future with *The* *Sun*.

Samuel goes to his office, where he meets Margaret Cavendish for the first time. She asks to see the journal, but Samuel declines, telling her that the Sun will have exclusive rights to the stories. However, Margaret tells him how the journals made her believe in something again, a turning point for Samuel and his thoughts regarding the journals.

After their house is broken into, the Stratfords are offered a place to live with Margaret in the Westchester Hotel, where the three begin to bond. Margaret shows Samuel the roof, and Samuel begins to question whether what he's doing is right. He explains that he never wanted the articles to become such a controversy -- rather, they were an escape for him and Rose.

He sees John Herschel for the first time in Benjamin's apartment, knocked out by Rose. Also in Benjamin's apartment are Benjamin, a reporter from the New York Sentinel, and Margaret, who has learned about the deceit. As the reporter leaves, Margaret starts to cry, and after a moment, she starts to glow. The Radiance sends the Stratfords flying, knocking them out.

Samuel learns of Benjamin's betrayal and goes to *The* *Sun* to stop him, but it's too late. However, John Herschel takes the side of the Stratfords, confirming their story. After Rose knocks Benjamin out with a printing press plate, Samuel leaves and finds Margaret on the roof of her apartment, crying once more. She admits that she doesn't believe she can trust the Stratfords again, and Samuel apologizes.

On the roof, however, Herschel and Rose find the pair, where Herschel offers a proposition -- an expedition to find something incredible, spurred by the unbelievable radiance that he experienced with Margaret. He invites Samuel and Margaret, who accept, and the four embark on the expedition.

## The Brick Satellite

Samuel first appears in The Brick Satellite sailing on board a boat for British Guiana alongside John Herschel, Margaret Cavendish his sister Rose. One evening, as Margaret sits by a window looking out across the ocean as she practices using her radiance powers Samuel approaches her and attempts to talk to her but she sends him away. After weeks of travelling, the group arrive in Township Number Nine as Samuel documents their entire journey into the township in his notebook. The group are excitedly greeted by Anna Hanover and Herschel and Anna tell the rest of the group their plans for building the Brick Satellite. Rose, Samuel and Margaret are then agree to help him build it.

Months pass as the group work at building the satellite. However, there is a problem with the clay the bricks are made from: it has too much lime in it which causes the brick to crumble. One day while checking the inside of the satellite with Samuel, John and Samuel talk about their relationships with their fathers and what they want in life. John then promises Samuel to support him on his journey towards redemption with Margaret.

After months of work, the satellite is finally finished and the township celebrates with a party. While there, Anna gives a speech thanking everyone for their help. The next day, Margaret joins Samuel on top of the satellite as he works to make final observations. Samuel reiterates to Margaret how he wants them to be okay again and Margaret explains to him how he hurt her and how she doesn't know where their relationship will move forward. However, their conversation is interrupted when Margaret spots a boat approaching the township.

The boat brings people who begin attacking the township. Margaret and Samuel call for Anna, Rose and John to climb up the satellite and the group congregate inside. While trapped in the dark, Margaret begins to glow and makes the sphere shake, causing it to roll down the ramp and be launched into the air.

The satellite launches successfully and takes the group into orbit. The group eventually makes it to the room within the satellite that contains the window and get their first glimpse at Earth from outer space. As the group recover from the shock of the launch, they begin to realize that they are trapped in the satellite and will likely die there. As they spend their final moments together, Rose and Samuel look out across the world teasing and joking with one another until they are approached by Herschel which prompts Samuel to leave to check on Margaret. As he sits at Margaret's side, Samuel thinks about how he will do whatever it takes to rebuild Margaret's trust in him and promises to help her learn more about her powers. Margaret awakens to find Samuel sitting next to her in the satellite. He reassures her that they're okay and goes to leave but Margaret asks him to stay before falling asleep again.

As time passes, the air in the satellite becomes thin and the group passes out. When they come to, they find the Sagitta completely covered in vines and other plants. They move through the satellite and find Margaret speaking with a woman known as The Traveler. The Traveler's magic gives the group the opportunity to return to Earth and Rose goes to gather her things before the group is transported back to Earth. Upon returning to Earth the group find themselves in an unfamiliar town. After asking Morgan Reese where they are they find themselves in the town of Hanover. They then find a monument commemorating the launch of the Sagitta which was constructed in 1865. The group are astonished and confused as they realize they have traveled through time.

## Personality and Traits

Samuel is a very imaginative and fanciful person, he appears to have a very "head in the clouds" attitude to life and occasionally has to be brought back down to earth. He cares a lot about those around him and doesn't want to hurt them and feels a large amount of guilt when he does. Samuel is very earnest and has a lot of passion for his work, despite this he has a tendency to become anxious and this can sometimes act as a drawback in him attempting to achieve his dreams.

## Skills

* **Writing-** Samuel is a highly proficient writer and it is his way of expressing himself to the world.
* **Imagination-** Samuel has a very active imagination which he uses often.
* **Scientific Knowledge-** Much like his sister Rose, Samuel is very intelligent and has a vast knowledge of the sciences.

## Relationships

### Rose Stratford

Rose Stratford is Rose's twin sister. The two are very close, being the only family either one of them has. They share many of the same philosophies and passions such as writing and the sciences. Rose and Samuel share their thirst for adventure and want to be something more than they are. Samuel believes that his sister is incredible and is always happy to listen to her as she tells him about what she's read that day. Samuel sometimes teases Rose about things such as her crush on Herschel but it is always done in a friendly and affectionate way.

### Margaret Cavendish

Margaret Cavendish is Samuel's friend and love interest. Margaret previously had a great amount of trust and respect for Samuel and was willing to share her thoughts and feelings with him. However, upon the exposure of the hoax, Margaret lost of lot of trust for both Samuel and his sister Rose and was unsure if she'd ever be able to trust them in that way again. Despite this, Margaret still cares about Samuel and is willing to venture to South America with him.

While working in South America, Margaret and Samuel's relationship is very strained. While Samuel spends much of his time reaching out to Margaret and hoping to make amends, Margaret is hesitant to trust Samuel again and keeps him at a distance as she's scared of being hurt again. However, upon the launch of the satellite, Margaret realizes that Samuel does genuinely care for her and begins to view him as part of her new family.

### John Herschel

John Herschel is Samuel's friend. The two share many beliefs especially that of both science and the power of imagination. They have a deep understanding of each other in their dreams for their lives and their relationship with others. They both also share the drive to want to succeed in order to impress their parents. As a result of this, the two have a lot of trust in the other and will actively work to support and uplift each other.

### Benjamin Park

Benjamin Park is Samuel's former best friend. The two met when Benjamin visited the Stratford Family Paper Stand before going to work at The New York Sun. He helped Samuel to get his job at The Sun. Samuel cares for Benjamin and has a lot of trust for him and Benjamin often acts as a voice of reason for Samuel, combating his "head in the clouds" attitude. However, Benjamin also became very jealous of Samuel's success following the publishing of the Great Astronomical Discoveries articles, which eventually resulted in him betraying his loyalty to Samuel.

### Chester Thomas

Chester Thomas is Samuel's former boss at The New York Sun. Samuel dislikes Chester and finds him obnoxious, arrogant and hypocritical. Samuel knows that Chester doesn't really care for him and only enjoys the money Samuel brings in with his stories.

## Trivia

* Samuel is the younger twin.
* Both Stratfords are born on November 10, 1807, making them 27 years old at the time of The Great Moon Hoax.
	+ This choice was made due to Matt Dahan's aunt, Rose, for whom Rose Stratford was named, having a birthday on November 10th.
	+ They're both Scorpios!