#yknow conflict intrigue all that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

unproduciblesmackdown · 9 months

Text

more info, via a couple of reviews:

"Is this the best, most exhilarating, most close-to-perpetual dancing ever to grace the Goodspeed Opera House stage?

It certainly could be.

The new stage adaptation of “Summer Stock” at the East Haddam theater has plenty to recommend it in terms of the canny script and the hummable songs. But it’s the dancing that leaves the biggest impression.

The show is jam-packed with choreography from Donna Feore, who also directs, that is thrillingly executed by the cast.

We’re talking: Gravity-defying kicks. Head-spinning turns. Male dancers lifting and tossing and catching the female ones. It runs the gamut from Cossack-dance athleticism to soft shoe grace, tap precision to Lindy hop energy.

How the cast manages to sing after executing these (literally) breathtaking numbers, I have no idea.

And how do they make it through two performances on some days? Amazing.

Also amazing: the fact that they do all this on Goodspeed’s small stage without making the space feel cramped.

So, yes, the dancing is phenomenal. But there’s more to the show than that.

This stage version of “Summer Stock” — which is enjoying its world premiere at Goodspeed — is inspired by the 1950 MGM movie starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. Writer Cheri Steinkellner, though, has reimagined the piece in many ways, making it better, stronger and propelled by a more modern sensibility. (Steinkellner’s writing credits range from “Cheers” to the Broadway adaptation of “Sister Act.”)

The foundational story, though, remains the same: A no-nonsense young woman named Jane is trying to save her family farm. Her actress sister (named Gloria in the version at Goodspeed) brings her compatriots to the farm to rehearse a show. Jane first spars with and then starts falling for Gloria’s beau Joe, the production’s director.

Steinkellner has also changed up the score, to great effect. While some tunes from the movie remain, she has pulled others that are in the public domain (such as “Accentuate the Positive,” “Paper Moon” and “It Had to Be You”), and she has woven them perfectly into various plot points and important emotional moments.

As director, Feore makes sure the whole enterprise has a dynamic spirit. It’s a story and a production that brims with optimism and cheerfulness.

Leading the cast is Corbin Bleu, who became famous with his work in “High School Musical” and has gone on to star in several Broadway shows, as Joe. Bleu is a true, and truly talented, triple-threat. He has a warm, welcoming presence as an actor; he also brings an authority to Joe so you believe he’s someone the actors respect and will follow. Bleu’s singing is strong and lustrous, and his dancing — particularly his tremendous tap ability — is … wow.

Arguably the biggest scene-stealer here is Veanne Cox, as the wealthy, snooty owner of huge property surrounding Jane’s. The way she trills dialogue can turn anything into a punchline. She can wave her arms about as her character repeats “l’amour” and generate audience laughs. When her character falls for the egoistic actor Montgomery Leach (played by J. Anthony Crane with Barrymore flair), Cox burbles with girlish romantic giddiness.

Danielle Wade does her own take on the Judy Garland role. She gives Jane a swagger and a tough façade that reveals a more human self during the course of the story. Wade’s most important feature is her voice, which is potent whether she’s finessing a ballad or powering through a big number. While she can’t compete with Garland’s renowned version of “Get Happy” (who could?), Wade does a good job in the number — choreographed and costumed in an homage to the original — that serves as the culmination of the production.

Arianna Rosario gets to play an interesting arc at Gloria. At first, Gloria seems to be a blithe, self-centered actress, but she later shows that she is quite the problem-solving producer. Rosario makes the transformation believable, as if Gloria is finally letting her real self come through.

The scenic design by Wilson Chin suggests the various elements of a Connecticut River Valley farm in the 1950s while still allowing room for the cast to burst into all of those big dance numbers. And the costume design by Tina McCartney provides a fun and functional take on country clothing of the era.

I will say that the second act could be tightened up (we don’t need to see so many beats of the rehearsal process), but, in total, this “Summer Stock” is sensational." [source]

(hooray for most directly explaining gloria's overall arc)

and the next review:

"A throwback to the golden age of Broadway and movie musicals, "Summer Stock" is a timeless, inspiring song-and-dance tale of good deeds, fairy tale showbiz, classic romance and backstage intrigue played out to such dazzling effect, you want to freeze frame it, take it home with you and watch it over and over again for pure fun and a let's-put-a-smile-on-your-face endorsement. This is Goodspeed Musicals at its best - old-fashioned musical entertainment designed to deliver by the bucket's load, stir the senses, rhythmically intoxicate you and dance up a continual storm of good cheer that's guaranteed to leave you breathless.

Animated. Airborne. Magical. Sweet-natured. Fresh-faced. Dance happy. It's all here, wrapped up in shiny gold ribbons and signature colors that complement and complete the picture with a technicolor flourish, a big bang and an internal logic that flows with appropriate style, stamina, full command and intent.

Adapted to the stage by Cheri Steinkellner, "Summer Stock" replays that popular let's- put-on-a-show conceit where everything rests of the big opening night, the box-office intake, the big kiss between the leading man and the leading lady and how a complete unknown saves the day right before the final fadeout. Here, struggling Connecticut farmer Jane Falbury decides to let her actress sister Abigail and her actor friends from New York use the family barn as a rehearsal space for their brand-new Broadway bound musical in exchange for doing the daily farm chores to raise enough money to keep the business from going completely under. One slight problem. During rehearsals, Jane finds herself falling for the show's handsome director, Joe Ross, who, happens to be engaged to the show's leading lady - her sister Abigail.

Staging "Summer Stock," director Donna Feore ("Chicago," "Billy Elliot," "A Chorus Line"), who doubles as choreographer, creates a loveable, intoxicating show that reels you in, grabs hold of you until the final curtain and lets you fall in love with every little detail, surprise, plot twist, joke, visual gag, one-liner and tilt of her jolly agenda while she articulates every element of this musical story with thrust, warmth, spin and splendid articulation. Directorially, she pulls it off spectacularly. No wrong moves here as "Summer Stock" catches fire with a spark, a gusto, a shine and a 1950s mentality infused with plenty of imagination, originality, style and flair. More importantly, the production never loses sight of its origins, its functional plotting and its love of musicals of yesteryear despite well-intentioned doses of kitsch, takeaway humor, giddy backchat and story arcs right out of the MGM library of backlot moviemaking. Feore, free spirit that she is, fuels the musical with a sharpened wit and sentiment that works especially well as does her decision to let "Summer Stock" remain rooted in the period from whence it came in terms of staging, development, expression and interaction.

Moving from screen to stage," "Summer Stock" retains only four songs from the 1950 MGM musical. The addition of several new songs to the original version of the score turns the two-act musical into more of a showstopping event and adds clarity, luster and vintage spin to its already proven material, its let's launch into another song and dance routine blueprint and its firm grasp on characterization, story evolution and its happily ever after conclusion. At Goodspeed, there are 28 important, recognizable, smartly placed musical numbers. They are: "Get Happy," "Happy Days Are Here Again/I Want to Be Happy," "Accentuate the Positive," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," "Always," "Always (reprise)," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "The Best Things in Life Are Free," "Dig for Your Dinner," "Me and My Shadow," "Howdy Neighbor, Happy Harvest," "Red Hot Mama," " 'Til We Meet Again," "You Wonderful You," "June Night," "Some of These Days," "Joe's Dance," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (reprise)," "It All Depends on You," "Always (reprise)," "Everybody Step," "Lucky Day," "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm," "Hinky-Dinky Parlez Vouz," "It Had to Be You," "Get Happy (reprise)" and "You Wonderful You (Finale)."

Musical director Adam Souza ("42nd Street," "Cabaret," "Next to Normal," "A Grand Night for Singing," "Because of Winn Dixie," "Rags") grabs hold of the "Summer Stock" score and allows it to breathe, gesticulate, excite, envelop and rhapsodize with the golden age sentimentality of MGM movie musicals and the timeless, larger-than-life spirit of old Broadway. Here, every song matters. Every song is important. Every song travels down memory lane. Every song is tuned to the max with sweet, centered, warm-heartedness. Every song fulfills its intended purpose. All of this is complemented by the strong, flavorful sound of Souza's orchestral team, all of whom share his tremendous sense of theatricality, musical interlude, impassioned communication and delight of the actual musical itself. They are: David Uhl (bass), Sal Ranniello (percussion), Liz Baker Smith (reed 1), Andrew Studenski (reed II), Travis Higgins III (trumpet) and Matthew Russo (trombone). As with other Goodspeed musicals, Souza doubles as conductor and keyboardist. As "Summer Stock" zings and pops, pretty music every song unfolds with a contagious orchestral musical glow, matched by the splendid musicality of the entire cast who address the catchy, homespun music and lyrics with perfect harmony, rhythm, phrasing and nostalgic commitment. These elements heighten the on-stage mode of the production, its progression from Act I to Act II, its send offs, its pastiche and its electrifying, barn-raising influence and thwack.

As with any big stage musical, choreography is key to a production's success, its fluidity of form, its artistic expression and its accompanying dance routines. Here, Feore, as choreographer, gives "Summer Stock" a highly personal touch of invigoration and speedy excitement that is tipped and generated with wonderfully elongated inspiration, stamina and determination. This is star quality choreography that peaks, shines and tilts with clever build ups, catchy dance steps and bold, concentrated rhythms, moves and beats that joyfully celebrate 1950's musicals in all their technicolor glory. As storyteller and dance interpreter, she brings great dimension and scope to the piece using techniques, styles, descriptions and an enriched canvas of thoughts and ideas that make their mark most engagingly. Everything that happens on the Goodspeed Musicals stage has been beautifully blocked, rehearsed and staged with such thrust and individuality, no two dance numbers are alike. In fact, once "Summer Stock" catches fire, there's no stopping it. Creating a freshly minted fusion of moods, tableaus, lifts, twirls and swirls, Feore pays homage to the actual vintage look and mindset of the musical, its dance-friendly art form and its free-flowing feel of excitement and exhilaration. Hands pop. Arms move heavenward. Dancers smile and glisten as they passionately ignite into joyful visions of sweetness, passion, frenzy and syncopation. Everyone is lost in the moment illustrating the traditions, the conscience and the power of musical theatre, giving and getting the most out of Feore's phenomenal, ovation-worthy choreography. Trained, drilled and confident, they each get a chance to shine - and shine they do - all making strong impressions that will live long in memory.

Making his Goodspeed Musicals debut, Corbin Bleu, as Joe Ross, a character originated by Gene Kelly in the 1950 film version, creates a "Wow!" song-and-dance-man factor chock full of charm, personality, self-confidence and full-beam, champagne delightness that astounds, cajoles and sparkles with leading man gait and luxury like no other. No matter what he does, he's a proverbial triple-threat (i.e., a player who excels at acting, singing and dancing) who makes everything that happens on stage feel fresh, spontaneous, real, raw and very much in the moment. It's in his eyes. It's in his moves. It's in his expressions. Exhibiting a sweet, contagious rapport that extends far beyond the footlights, it's the performance of the year and one that Bleu exudes with a Gene Kelly/Fred Astaire aura of showbiz savvy, knockabout whimsy, graceful athleticism and sterling encapsulation. "Joe's Dance," a solo dance number in Act II performed by Bleu only furthers that notion.

In the role of Jane Falbury, a role made famous by Judy Garland in the original "Summer Stock" MGM musical, Danielle Wade lights up the Goodspeed Musicals stage with a breezy, intuitive musical comedy performance of real warmth and spirit that is a constant joy to watch. Veanne Cox, cast in the role of the wickedly devious Connecticut farming magnate Margaret Wingate, is jaw-dropping brilliant, using humor, music, dance and melodrama in divinely daft and glorious ways that prompt applause and laughter whenever she's in the limelight. It's a scene-stealing performance so seamlessly entrenched in glee and fiery abandon, Cox, would be the ideal choice to play narcissistic Broadway diva Dee Dee Allen in the 2024 summer presentation of "The Prom" at Playhouse in Park in West Hartford. I'll personally deliver the contract. Other memorable performances are delivered by Arianna Rosario (Gloria Falbury), Stephen Lee Anderson (Henry "Pop" Falbury), Gilbert L. Bailey II (Phil Filmore), Will Roland (Orville Wingate) and J. Anthony Crane (Montgomery Leach). A musical escape brimming with delightful songs, engaging performances and full-beam dance numbers, "Summer Stock" is not only a bubbly tonic for theatergoers of all ages, but one that kicks nostalgia into high gear with uncomplicated bliss, fizz and vintage sparkle. It sings. It dances. It pops. It dazzles. Like "42nd Street" which played Goodspeed Musicals last season, it overflows with Kelly/Astaire lightness, punch and precision, sunny vibes and well-played exactitude. The energy displayed here is fast and furious with first-night exhilaration and thrill paired especially well with Corbin Bleu's charming star turn, Danielle Wade's joyous "Get Happy" abandon and Veanne Cox's well-prepped, icy cool villain. This is musical theatre of the highest order - infectious, irresistible, glorious. Its leave-your-troubles-at-the-door/Let's-put-on-a-show mentality accelerates with sparkle and cherry pie goodness. And boy, do we need it now!" [source]

(the reference to jane's sister abigail uses the film's names: abigail becomes gloria in this production, which is the name of abigail's actor in the film, which also mirrors how the role of herb is now phil, also the name of herb's actor in the film)

(also shoutout to providing A Full, Chronological List Of Songs. noting that according to another interview, intermission would be between "you wonderful you" and "june night")

#summer stock #dearth of peak relevant info for our purposes otherwise lol but hey #pressing f for danielle wade's performance Tending to be juxtaposed w/either corbin bleu's or judy garland's #which in fact doesn't always mean their going ''eh comes up short Relative to that comparison but good enough'' but yknow #also that role just isn't gonna be designed to be the most thrilling lol...let's get those character(tm) parts babeyyy #further photos of that preview performance do suggest there's more like midshow conflict b/w jane & gloria vs Only getting along great....#and intrigued here if it's like yeah gloria can be written to have Flaws kiiinda like the film dunking on her though not as much as it #(though not as much as it might've; parallel to orville; relevant to their compatibility lol though in this show it indeed just might not #go for ''conveniently gloria's also always already liked him & orville's just glad someone's being nice to him'' lmao. & in fact yes the #material already in the film was like hm sure could be the queer readings in these ''so you're doing cishettery wrong'' roles here #and going aw man wrt the comedy boys herb/phil & orville/orville not getting to interact more #herb getting to make One reference to kinda being the outsider/misfit even amongst the troupe like hey more abt that? what's your job also #meanwhile yeah you can do something like ''oh gloria has this idea re: being The Star but isn't actually as interested in that Process''#but that then instead of that Just being her at odds w/jane & her coming up short she can have her own arc still #finding out what behind the scenes work she Does want to do; jane & gloria of course ending up being mutually supportive one imagines #rather than jane Just being freer from Dealing With her lesser sister or what have you; whom can graciously enough accept this #and ofc we don't Need the partner swaps for everyone's guaranteed happiness communicated through ''they're not single''#whilest the lack of [oh this backup relationship was here the whole time kind of] does make your potential love triangle trickier then lol #hence perhaps some more significant conflict if you're like kissing your sister's date or what have you & she can't Just(tm) have yours #but then being The Lead can't be the ultimate of All [doing theatre]; having kissing status w/a guy isn't the ultimate of all Arcs/Life #(though noting tim wasn't Relieved if another ostensibly straight romance; a cliche in the modern musical; wasn't shoehorned in there...)#(also the awkward notes about Male Dancers and The Female Ones like alright? supposed relevance Where?)#long post ///

5 notes · View notes

cloudmancy · 11 months

Note

i don't want to be mean or anything but like. the cr/t/cal r/le girlies in the dimension 20 tag are just sending me like, i just Knew these people be just all over this season and diving in and dissecting every little detail and speculating for the larger picture (of six episodes) (plus a season that's already been out for a year) as though people like. haven't been having to Sit with the Very, Very unfinished/untold part of the world of this campaign setting for Years already? (the Widely Established Fanlore of it all XD) although that's also been also been folding in the face of. all the colin posts (like Specifically colin too past even colin+raphaniel or colin+deli). like they fell for the cr bait so hard- group of fans starved for mlm content based on their typical cr diet, see a guy (Just Some Guy) looking the way he was, see his mysterious past and divorce and arc and glowup and post-divorce talks and. yknow. whaddya gonna do. that's all they're gonna talk about when the EXPLICITLY mlm radish priest who's been grooming that VERY SAME cheese guy for five years is right there.

anyways i'm going to write all that off anon and pretend i'm not deathly scared of invoking the wrath of cr fans after that thing on twitter

IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY FUNNY YEAH. gonna address the colin part first then talk about my problems with the season under a spoiler. listen I think deli & colin are very real in that deli wants him SO bad but it's crazy that people are dancing around colin's whole thing with raphaniel. like what do you guys think was going on there 😭 'he's his babysitter' SAY IT OUT LOUD! he was fucking that radish

now for my thoughts about the plot and pacing of ravening war

I do not like that this season (that was supposed to be about a war covering 7+ years of intense political conflict and full-scale warfare involving every country in the continent) got boiled down to 2 massive timeskips & 3 battle episodes of five guys fucking around in a cave because the entire war was actually started by a secret cult. there were no battles involving the actual war + 1 skill check for entire 5 years at a time + almost nothing politics wise + they missed the ENTIRE climatic final push for the end of the war because they were underground. it's so poorly paced, I really don't know what to say. am I the crazy one here for wanting a season about the ravening war to be about the war? it just doesn't feel like the characters had any impact on the plot past episode 3 and they ONLY because they kill the queen of candia because a cult told them to. because we get alliances forged and broken and conflicts ended and rulers crowned within the span of a single sentence from the DM before we chug back off to the mycelium hivemind main plot. hot take but every season does not in fact need a plot twist big bad to fight

all of the characters in the season are genuinely the most interesting characters I've seen in YEARS. it's a goddamn shame we didn't get to spend more time with them. it sucks that each of them brought so much intrigue and backstory to the war, but every single one of them ended up contributing not much at all to the scale of the campaign because, again, the final boss turned out to be a cult within the top secret cult of mushrooms that was ALREADY a secret but there is also ANOTHER, more powerful deity to fight in the very last episode. we needed more episodes, or less time spent on battles. we needed to not bring on a DM known for having all the time in the world to wrap up years-long campaigns in 5 hour chunks at a time, for a 6 ep miniseason. we did not need two more powerscaled deities for no reason to a war that should have been about the people and not... random alien eldritch forces. we needed closure on amangeaux's child, we needed to know WHY raphaniel was poisoning the king and starting a war in the first place. aabria wrote a whole essay about karna's backstory that I would've loved to see in the show itself, but... we didn't get to see it! there were almost no politics. we did get 4 separate secret underground mushroom fights though. in a campaign about a war.

"real life is messy! not everything gets wrapped up neatly! it reflects real wars!" this is a dnd show sir and when you spend 20 minutes out of 12 hours of content actually talking politics and the rest of the time fucking around with mushrooms in a cave, it starts to look less like a deliberate artistic choice and more like poorly paced plot threads that didn't get a chance to finish.

#and do not get me started on how dirty the rocks sisters were done.#asks #i-can-do-tricks #ravening war

68 notes · View notes

hatosaur · 8 months

Note

How exactly did you come to love TLOU? I have my own special interests that just happened upon me, so I want to know about how it was for others. also, any other games that you like?

you've asked the golden question so strap in because this is gonna be LONG:

i first got into tlou through part 2! admittedly i didn't play the og first. i did own it at the time because it seemed like one of those games you just gotta play (and i was right) and yknow ellie's gay and i dug that, but at that point i hadn't played it but knew the plot through a cinematic compilation video.

i was intrigued by part 2, specifically because of the teaser at e3 where ellie and dina dance and kiss. though i didn't have a BURNING desire to have the game, me being down for anything gay pretty much what sealed my fate. so i bought the game and played it on my older brother's ps4.

and MAN, was i obsessed pretty much immediately. looking back, it was a fever dream, just me playing the game from the moment i woke up to the moment i went to bed, nonstop...until i reached the point where ellie leaves and i stopped playing, completely distraught, and ended up watching the ending on youtube.

i was pissed, conflicted, legit fell into a deep depression after knowing how the game ends. after that point, because as we all know the shitstorm over the game was not pretty, i lingered on both sides of the fanbase for a while. because as someone who went in for the gay and had to witness the gay be destroyed, i was hurt -- but i realized after seeing anti-tlou2 people talk about their (weird and irrational) reasons for hating the game that i didn't hate the game, i was just that. hurt.

but the game is meant to hurt. there's a reason for the hurt.

and once i looked past the hurt that i felt, i analyzed hardcore, discussed with people (this is the nicest environment to do so), ate up every single detail discovered, replayed, and then i was making art, obsessively so, writing fanfiction, and now it's been 3 years and those fictional fuckers still live in my brain to this day.

and of course, i dove into the og! i remember playing the game while my online lectures (because covid lol) played in the background.

tlou is fully my biggest hyperfixation/special interest to date. i went into how but here's more of the reasons behind it:

i've talked about this a ton before but i love that though tlou has a reputation of being a dark game and people tend to read it as being about "the darkness of humanity", it's really not about that, but love and what people will do for it, as well as seeking and obtaining a purpose, even in the world's darkest conditions.

i love that it's about found family, that joel can't help but love ellie, because at the end of the day, he's not really supposed to be the heartless person he wants to pretend he is, but he's supposed to be a DAD. i love that ellie, despite never knowing the feeling of a parent, loves joel right back. i love that despite disliking him at first, she warms to him so quickly and she wears him down with her stupid jokes and her endearing weirdness.

i love that the themes of love persist through the second game even as it drags the franchise to darker places. that these are the lengths that ellie will go to not to get abby, but for joel. i love that part 2 says, "hey these bitches unhealthy" and that despite love being their motivation (abby for her dad, ellie & tommy for joel, dina for ellie, lev for his mother), it shouldn't be driving them to those ends!!!!

.....anyway for your second question, i'm picky about games but some recurring favs are apex legends, minecraft, breath of the wild, stardew valley, life is strange (watched the playthru only but loved the story sm), tell me why, and i just started horizon zero dawn! the way things are going, i think i'll like it a lot :)

#asks #talkies #not as long as i thought lol i've learned how to not go on and on about tlou unlike in 2020

38 notes · View notes

monstersinthecosmos · 8 months

Note

KACY

I know we've talked about it before but never in depth really so I wanna know -- I think at least for me there's THOSE TWO BIG MOMENTS right:

the one where we instantly and impossibly imprinted on our VC faves like lost little ducklings

and then whatever followed that cemented that love for all eternity like- "oh yeah this is it, I don't even need to see or talk to anyone else, we're good"

so what were your Marius Moments? 🥹

!!!!! oh wow what a question!

I know for sure without a doubt that when Marius DEBUTS in TVL is when I was DONE FOR. Like the slow burn leading up to it with Lestat trying to find him and then when he finally shows up he's this like nurturing, comforting force that is so gentle with him!!!!!!!!

Like idk how everyone else feels but my first time reading VC I was just going in cold, like there was fandom on LJ and stuff but I wasn't really lurking (bc spoilers lol) so I was just going into each book completely fresh and ready for an adventure, so I remember feeling like TVL was this MYSTERY to me the first time and I was just so excited to even see what it was about. But TVL (even to this day) really takes off for me when Armand shows up and then like, Armand already intrigued me so much and I was like WHAT WHO * MADE * THIS GUY OH MY GOD and I was just mega excited to meet him.

And as for the second question, I'm not sure I really have an answer! Coming out of TVL he was my favorite character so any time he showed up I was so excited to see him. Again, to this day I think I kinda rank my enjoyment of the VCs depending how much Marius is in them. 😂 But when I first read VC, Merrick was the most current book and it took me a couple years to read and catch up (with the Mayfair detour bc Merrick was supposed to be a crossover lol) so B&G was my first VC that I got to like go out and buy when it came out and it was like THE NEW BOOK MORE VAMPIRES! And just wow like how exciting that I caught up in time for a WHOLE BOOK about my fav. 🥹🥹🥹

But reading B&G maybe cemented it? tbh it was such a long time ago it's hard to say. It's just kinda always been there. Like this all happened when I was 12-13 and it was my first like deep dive into adult books and like coming from reading kids's series and YA it was so weighty to me and gave me so much to think about. But like I vivdly remember the first time I read B&G I was in my room and I kept putting it down to cry because it made me so emotional. Like getting to really get that deep dive into his POV and understand how lonely he was and how conflicted he was about his beliefs.

As a 13 year old I think I connected to it with my own point of reference that's evolved over the years; I revisit the entire series every few years and get different things out of it each time, not just from getting older but also just being more educated as time goes on. And sometimes I wonder if he'd be my fav if I read it for the first time at 25, or even if I'd been born at a different time; like would I have felt the same way if I was 13 but it was 2017 and Tumblr was in full swing with radfem rheotric poisoning the well? idk. But I do know that every time I feel the same way, I still love him just as much, even when I pick apart more flaws I just appreciate this character so deeply.

Like yknow to read VC as a 13 year old who is severely bullied you connect with it as being about "outsiders". The year B&G came out a bully put me in the hospital by bashing my head open on a locker. Teachers at my school thought I was going to be a school shooter because I was goth and I liked horror films. So it's comforting to see someone who is an outsider and struggles with Christofascism but who is surviving. And reading B&G and hearing how much he struggled was so like grounding for me. I'm not sure I can explain it now without it sounding trite (and maybe it was trite bc I was 13). And like him being a savior & mentor to Lestat was so comforting to me like I think at that age my biggest fantasy was that a vampire could come steal me away from my difficult life LOL. I wanted someone to come save me!!!!!!!!!

And then you know, growing up, being in an abusive relationship, having people around me die, trying to understand how I identify as queer, how I navigate my relationship to my own creativity and what it means to me, growing as a person and trying to be the most mindful and empathetic version of myself that I can be; all of this stuff is all over VC and in that book in particular.

It just means a lot to me man!

And I love that VC asks us to empathize with bad people, it asks us to forgive people, it asks us if we're are only our worst deed and if we deserve love even when we've fucked up. Lestat and Marius have so much in common so I think these themes just permeate both of their stories so much in every book, but. Idk for whatever reason Marius is the one that stuck out to me and I've never been able to shake it!!!!!

18 notes · View notes

beemers-hell · 10 months

Note

How did Shank and Bank meet and how did Hank n the others initially react when they got together? ((Seen that comic of Hank warning Shank n telling him about how Bank was hurt in the past, got pretty intrigued))

-Gremlin Anon

So, firstly

So! When Shank was finally allowed to get in on Bank's little secret, the boys were pretty alright about it!

Deimos would pretend to be a real stern hard ass "you break her heart and ill break your neck" type of uncle when first meeting him but it was all a joke, he was very welcoming n supportive of his lil niece getting a boy toy. Sanford was firm about how he expected him to be good to her, but was also rather friendly and supportive, as he is by default anyway!

Doc drilled it into Shank that absolutely no one else could know about Hank and Bank's connection, but otherwise he was also chill about it. He was on the more serious side, where he would be a bit stern towards Shank over how he was interacting with Bank, but it was a small annoyance in the grand scheme of things.

Now, Hank, wasn't an asshole or anything, but you could definitely tell he was fighting some conflict about how he felt about his daughter getting a partner. Cause like, shes grown, he knows that, he can't keep her locked up forever because he's afraid of losing her, and he knew she needed to be able to experience social relationships and the world at large, so he couldn't just be like "absolutely no dating" or whatever. But also, its hard to watch your baby spread her wings and leave the nest, yknow? And even though she wasn't leaving the nest, she was leaving the bubble that was him. Bank wasn't his little buddy that he'd loved and cherished and put all of his hope in the world into anymore, she was now a grown woman and though she loves her dad and didn't have any plans on leaving him, she wanted more than just the unconditional love of her family. It was a hard adjustment to see his little bundle of joy be this person completley independent from him, and obviously Shank bore the brunt of that difficulty since he was the catalyst for that shift in dynamics.

So, Hank wasn't a fucking asshole towards Shank or anything, but he was very distant and kind of cold, a little stern at times, though he tried to mask it for Bank's sake. It took him some time to adjust to the change and be able to tolerate Shank and trust he wouldn't hurt Bank, but he got there!

#beemer asks #beemers lore #beemers ocs #s0uless ocs #dad au

39 notes · View notes

vacantgodling · 6 months

Note

Hi! Just wanted to say Broken Clouds intrigues me to no end, you have no idea (I love how insane it sounds). So anyway, what's up with Green?

sorry i’m just getting to this but thank you 😭 they’re all dumb and i love them.

also a lot of this worldbuilding is gonna be on the fly cuz why not! :D

SO green is an android… basically. he was created by the powers that be (i think their world is made up of several authoritarian military regimes versus like actual “government” that cares about the rights of the people or whatever) to serve in the armed forces as a suicide droid (or a SUDRO is what they’re called) who’s entire purpose is to yknow. kill as many enemies as possible without stopping until he inevitably self destructs. sudro’s we’re really popular in a several year long conflict called the “back wars” where basically those powers at be struggled against each other for power and shit. this is also the same time period where utah & slug’s mother disappeared, though disappearances from the back wars is like. not uncommon.

he can mod his body on the fly (mainly his arms) into different sorts of guns and weaponry.

before he was officially drafted as a soldier, sudro’s like himself are taken to a testing room to have them kill like a goat or smthn to show their lack of programmed empathy, green pulls a finn (the only good part that was MASSACRED in the new movies but, don’t get me started) and is basically unable to do it. he refuses to kill the goat and befriends it instead, which deems him as a failure to the regime and he’s scheduled for reprogramming. however, before this happens, the factory where sudro’s are manufactured is hit in a drone strike and in the chaos green is able to escape with the goat.

green is surprisingly extremely empathetic. he cries oil (a la tin man) when he’s sad or when things die, which is exactly what happens when, in trying to flee, his goat is killed. he cries so hard he rusts, but is far enough away from his birthplace that no one looks for him. he stays there for several years, and the back wars come and go.

utah, slug, gator & risk end up stumbling upon him during their travels and utah being a fucking nerd recognizes him as a sudro. they spend several days camping in the area as utah removes all the rust, and hook him up to some of gator’s equipment to deprogram him if he wakes up and is aggro. however, obviously since green is a lover, when he wakes up he’s overjoyed to be alive again, and slug quickly becomes attached to him so he gets dragged along the ride.

(this is before they meet agent oogma as well)

there’s a bit of a conflict of organic and inorganic going on in this story. it’s high and low tech at the same time. there’s weird biological nonsense like whatever’s happening with slug and risk, but then there’s androids like green lmao that exist, or used to. utah definitely views green as more of a “thing” at least for a long time and gator as well (but can be swayed more easily to accept green’s personhood) whereas i’m not sure risk cares? however, slug recognizes green as a person and the two of them become besties. slug is usually riding around on his shoulders!

i used to have oooooold art of him somewhere buuuut it’s in a sketchbook at home 💀 he’s also nonviolent for the most part but he learns that it’s okay to fight to protect your friends. he still does have the programming for it after all. but i think whenever the first time he actually uses it it awakens that long dormant kill program so they’ll have to uh. deal with that when it comes lol.

but yeah!! that’s about green! he’s sweet, airheaded and extremely curious and also a Babie :)

#s: broken clouds #worldbuilding

10 notes · View notes

fetabathwater · 7 months

Note

9 General 17 Story Specific and 9 in Romance for Amma!

prompts here!

General

9. Does your Tav have any escalating conflicts with one of the other companions, like Lae’zel and Shadowheart’s knife-fight?

Whilst there probably would be some funny, snarky back and forth with Gale about sorcery vs wizardry (jocks vs nerds), but it would actually be a gradual escalation following the confrontation with Ketheric... with Karlach. Especially with the revelations of Amma's once previous budding enterprising of world domination and questionable relationship with Gortash, a lot of Karlach's complex feelings about the last ten years definitely come rushing to the forefront. What would start off as a verbal confrontation, could escalate very quickly to some shoving before you are witnessing Amma tackle Karlach around the middle, headfirst, throwing her to the ground. Hopefully you got the upgrades to Karlach's engine, because Amma will insist on fighting through the fire regardless! Karlach is more likely to get the upper hand in the fight, especially if you can imagine her hauling Amma up and then slamming her back into the ground. Somehow, they're still arguing through it all as well.

You'd be best to try to get intervening as soon as you can ! Otherwise they'd wake the next day with a broken jaw (Amma), possible burns (Amma), cracked ribs (Karlach), assuming of course you let the fight run a bit. Any more than that and Karlach would succeed in likely managing to knock Amma out. In the slim chance Amma comes out on top, she stops shy of taking a knife to Karlach's engine. Regardless, it would take a couple of long rests before there's a way to break the tension.

Story

17. If romanced, how do they react to the Dark Urge trying to kill them in Act 2?

Amma:

If this is how she finds out that the player is also a Dark Urge. Hm.

Romance

9. How do they react if the PC has sex with Mizora? The Emperor? Haarlep?

Amma would honestly be quite intrigued with sex with Mizora, and makes you promise to tell her all about it later. You would stink of the hells, and whatever layers you had decided to wander into. Also, choosing Cania would also flag some dialogue with her, especially post the closure of her own companion quest, and she may reminisce on Mephistar and breaking into the vault. But she would definitely want to know. Please tell her. She's begging. She would've nominated herself in your place.

Having sex with the Emperor would... interest her? But in kind of a sick fascination way where she's honestly not all that keen on the idea, anyway. Especially with the combined reveals, and her general aversion to mind flayers as it is, plus yknow. Worming. However it's more like she would like you to describe the tentacles (lmao).

As for Harleep, considering what can happen, what with keeping your soul but handing over your body, engaging anyway, etc etc... honestly she's entranced by the power of incubi, never mind one who has been bound to Raphael for countless years. Equal parts she wants to know what it was like to waver like that, having your soul pulled, just as much pain and pleasure as it may be with another fiend or devil (like Mizora), but she's interested in what hold can be found over Raphael. That, and she figures that is one of the only ways to bed Raphael so, she's into that as well.

#uldren-s0v #replies #oc: amma

3 notes · View notes

chaifootsteps · 2 years

Note

Yknow, with all that’s been revealed about Stella rn am I the only one just kinda stumped what they’re gonna do with Via now? Like, the girl stated in Ep. 2 “back when (her parents) didn’t hate each other” and was clear to say *Stolas* was the one who ruined the family to his face… but now that Stella’s revealed to have been a spiteful bitch to Stolas from the getco what’s this supposed to mean for Via’s conflict with her dad?? I reaaaally really don’t wanna imagine the writers would spin this to turn Via to the villainous side alongside her mom but….. with her spending all these weekends with Stella and not really mentioning much of a beef against *her* personally (compared to her dad anyway), I can’t help but wonder if the writers’ bias for Stolas sympathy is gonna rear it’s ugly head at the cost of poor Via-😬😬

Oh, I totally feel like they're going to turn Via into just one more source of precious sad baby man pain for Stolas.

It's frustrating as hell because it was such a major source of intrigue and conflict in this show, this elephant in the room that Stolas did cheat on his wife and that she was upset about it and that she clearly wasn't the nicest person in the world, but she wasn't wrong to be upset about it. It kept Stella interesting, kept her from being just a one note bitch. For them to essentially have Stolas say flat out "I'd be sorry if I hurt you but I didn't so I'm not" and for Stella to be the walking embodiment of the "time for your dick flattening" meme, but played with total seriousness...

God, this show's such a fucking mess. A fucking mess with beautiful wrapping, wrapped up by abused animators.

#Anonymous #Helluva Boss #Stolas #Helluva Stella #helluva Octavia #Vivziepop critical #actual blog post

48 notes · View notes

cjoatprehn · 6 months

Text

Yknow…Last reblog had me looking through my posts…and I rediscovered an old written discontinued lil thing I wrote in 2019.

BaxTale… Reading through it, I liked what I put together back then…well almost all of it. It used to be driven by my dreams of wanting to be a good fanfiction writer.

But it was written during a time I was still being…well, abused. Unfortunately, 2019 me seemed to still struggle with the fact they deal with their internalized fatphobia from constantly being bullied and teased and jabbed about it how their own body is. God forbid they eat properly their body adjusts healthily but it’s too big for everyone.

Anyway, there’s a few body shaming comments directed at Bax. But thankfully 2019 me did have characters address the fact it was fucked. At least attempt to.

…*sighs* Fortunately, I know better now. As I’ve processed a lot of that, my body dysmorphia is a mix of gender dysphoria, unspecified ED, genetics and well… trauma.

Baxtale has potential. Bax is due for a touch up. I like her design, past me did the best they could learning digital art with what they had at the time. But I have learned since. So I’ve taken her off the ko-fi shop.

Maybe that’s why so many of my Ko-Fi shop stuff never sold, including Graffonti and Bax. Because I’d find myself picking up at least a few of them again.

Ah well. Yknow what? Poll. 1 day would try 3 days but don’t hit the option for that. Reblog for sample size.

I’ll be surprised if anyone was interested.

Also I’ve never used AO3. I’ve used Wattpad (but would rather not revive the corpse of my old Wattpad account on that). It will stay in the grave where it belongs.

So I met end up writing it on AO3. Try to make something there. Or…something.

Gonna post now I’m just rambling.

#tumblr polls #undertale #Baxtale #writing

1 note · View note

gaysonlyocean · 1 year

Note

go on talk abt how your turtles got mutated you autistic rat

your cruel and mean to me pointing out my autism

so bishop is having a HUGE role in my interp cause 1. i think exploring him being the main villain and source of conflict instead of the shredder is fun and 2. i love 2003 and hes like my favourite villain in there

circa like 1989, the EPF gets their hands on some mutagen and at the time they only know that its alien in origin so theyre trying to run tests on it

but ohno!! things go wrong and the people in the lab get exposed and yknow mutate which isnt good

this obviously isnt ideal so Officially its declared that the mutagen is too dangerous to continue experiments so the EPF is SUPPOSED to seal all samples up and store them somewhere safely

EXCEPT bishop exists and hes very intrigued by its properties and wants to learn more

so behind everyones back he takes the remaining samples and a handful of scientists and pays them off to do this and stay quiet about it and starts running his own experiments

at first he started purchasing animals for his secret experiments but people started going "why are you buying so many animals" so he ended up paying other people to bring him animals in other ways

aka steal them

this led to the turtles being stolen from a university where they were supposed to be involved in a study

they got injected with the ooze alongside the rat that would become splinter and they escaped into the sewers shortly after by accident cause suddenly one of the other experiments tried to break out himself :)

#thank youuuuuuuuuuuu #UPDATE!!!#TMNT: shell patrol

2 notes · View notes

atherix0 · 2 years

Note

hullo, greenhouse anon again, i’ve reread midnight dreams as a whole and wish to say more! :3

i don’t think i’ve properly described how the three of them sharing a bed has affected me. they’re domesticated, laying in each other’s space when they’re the most vulnerable yet feel the safest. they’re finally all together and don’t have to worry about one another because they’re finally in one bed.

it’s such a large dose of serotonin in a little scene that i doubt we’ll experience often (given scar’s sleeping schedule), but the moment has finally arrived. unfortunate that it had to come from grian’s expense but i can’t deny how much more it adds when mumbo and scar aren’t far or hesitant to stay <3

i never considered how difficult it would’ve first been for mumbo to share a bed with someone again and to think at how it brings him protective joy that scar lays alongside grian—

they all aid each other unintentionally through every struggle, traumatic past, or sacrificial thought by simply loving one another, i can’t. loving someone can be a vulnerability yet they’re all such strong individuals alone, survivors, and it gives them something to fight for ahhhhhhh

also also he called them both his mates!!! yess, they are yours and you are theirs, the acceptance and free use of the official title from mumbo’s vampire instincts and nature gives me life.

(lowkey though, i don’t think we’ve addressed enough how traumatized mumbo must be from grian’s multiple kidnappings. both have happened when he’s asleep and the fact that his late wife was murdered in bed before he was forced turned and pushed into hundreds of years of solitude— my guy has some serious trauma from waking to horrendous events involving his lovers, no wonder he’s such a light sleeper. i’m surprised he’s not even more reluctant to sleep given that he can’t be with his lovers when they’re active and alone without him watching [ik they don’t need his constant protection but instinct wise, yknow?]. i think it genuinely just adds to scar sleeping in their bed for the first time too)

the pain in knowing that they’re closer than they’ve ever been before and that shines light onto scar’s constant struggle is bittersweet. mumbo and grian finally know how bad it can/it’s getting to be; they can be there to comfort but they can’t take his pain away (at least not now, i hope).

the even bigger pain that grian has begun to think of what will happen if/when they all potentially pass because of his nightmare. they deserve peace and happiness after all the fighting and running each of them has done from their past, yet i assume it’ll be a bit before then (not that i’m complaining, i love angst and even more when it’s your writing).

to think that grian would be physically alone in the natural world if mumbo and scar passed is so cruel yet tragically intriguing. that through all the struggles they’ve faced alone and together, they would never get to rest in peace alongside each other after conflict or mortal ties. i refuse to believe that will be the case, however, given how powerful grian has been hinted to be beyond looks (now when will they all realize is the real question).

they’ve finally realized how in love they all are with each other after +140k words, i wonder how long it’ll take for them to realize how op they are power and ally wise (they’re beautiful, but they’re still men, afterall)

anyway, it’s 2 am and i have to wake early, ty for feeding me content <33

Hello hello again >:3 I love to see it~~

I love love love domestic moments jkfgdklfk them just lying together sleeping in bed and just being there im hjkfdsjkf

Scar doesn't sleep often but he will totally just lie in bed with them for a while and enjoy the peace <3 kjhgfdkjgfd Grian may have had the worst night of his life in the last three or so years but at least he got to cuddle with his favorite men jhfdsk <3 These two will do ANYTHING for their lovely birdman <3 If he needs them they'll be there jkfdjksk <3<3

jkgfdklgfdjk after decades/centuries of sleeping alone it's definitely quite a difference sleeping with someone next to you. But he's definitely not complaining, getting to see them there, in his bed, where he can see them and protect them and just hjfjkdsjk <3

YESSSS that is my favorite thing with relationships, how simply LOVING someone can be so powerful <3 of course relationships need more than simply love or attraction, it still takes work, but it comes so naturally for them <3 ghhghjgf-

YES he's finally begun to embrace his more Vampiric instincts <3 It probably helps with how subtly encouraging both Grian and Scar are, small assurances that his instincts are not bad as long as he doesn't take them to extremes and they're part of who he is hflds <3

(hahahahahahahahahaha :) :) Yeah bad shit happens while Mumbo sleeps jkfdksjfg it definitely makes him anxious, I'm sure the fact that Scar sleeping occasionally has the side effect of a painful core restabilization, of which the aftermath would show itself after Mumbo has gone to bed, won't add to this anxiety- BUT YEAH everything would be solved (not really but you know) if they all had the same sleeping schedule haha :) )

jhgfkhgfjkd YEAH <3 </3 They can be there for him now that they know, because he's been dealing with this alone for YEARS and honestly over the last few years has probably only been holding on for Tubbo's sake </3 But now he has Grian and Mumbo who will be there for him through it and they all know the truth now and he doesn't have to act so strong all the time and just hjfkdskfd-

Hahaha if I can make people a little more heartbroken I will <3 (Hmmmm when and how they realize it... :) )

LMAO when I said it was slowburn I meant it <3 But yes, when will they realize how absolutely powerful they are... the ultimate power throuple in the most literal of ways hjfdslkk (HGJFSHKFHSK)

You are welcome and I hope you slept well~! <3 Thank you for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts~! <3

#ask #midnight series #hermitshipping #Mumscarian #I have to leave for work in 30 minutes and it is tragic

15 notes · View notes

ot3 · 2 years

Note

oh my god youre reading worm? please i need to know what you think about it

I'm actually most of the way through it at this point! i've been enjoying it overall although i definitely enjoyed the earlier game more than the endgame i think

i really enjoy taylor as a main character i think a character being cripplingly aware of everything at all times while also completely lacking any self awareness is always extremely fun. watching her go from wannabe hero to literally a domestic terrorist over a very slow and deliberate ramp-up of stakes and concessions she's willing to make in pursuit of her goals was super fun and super well done. i'm just now a little bit past the point where she admits she regrets it all and would have done things much differently. she's also reached the Hang On... Is Having Feelings... Normal? stage of development which I love for her. Just a genuinely interesting and well done character imo. Lisa and Rachel are also absolutely excellent.

Overall I've been really impressed by how cleanly each arc has lead into the next. There's always been adequate setup that they can cleanly slide into the next conflict without it pushing the suspension of disbelief or feeling oddly paced, except for the big timeskip which was I think the weakest arc so far by a significant margin. But this thing is an absolute beast and more than that, the sheer pace it was written at is staggering so I'm more than willing to forgive one area being structurally weak. It really seem like the author just didn't know how to handle that point in time gracefully without writing several hundred thousand words in the middle and I can't blame them for not wanting to do that.

i'm reaaally not a superhero person for the most part so i enjoyed how atypical the stuff at the beginning was from my mainstream conceptualization of superhero tropes. like the very much political intrigue angle of most of it and the territorial faction warring was so much more interesting to me than anymore straightforward conflicts where someone's clearly in the right. It was a type of superhero gray morality I haven't seen so much. The endbringer fights were also pretty cool mostly because they made me think about pacific rim but overall I found them much less interesting.

I think so far the stuff that's been the least interesting to me has been these past two arcs, with defeating Jack and then going against scion. The #lifehack methods they were using to fight the s9 the second time around were super fun but for the most part it just felt like some shonen anime power scaling nonsense to me where it's like... okay going from one life or death fight to the next where the stakes are just 'win or evil thing happens' and theres this super huge cast of satellite characters who like yeah we Know them but we don't have a ton of emotional investment in them so its like. like i get taylor spent two years with tecton and grace and cuff and everyone else there but its like. yknow those aren't the character relationships that have had hundreds of thousands of words dedicated to them, so it's hard to care and harder to tell if i'm even supposed to care

i have been really liking the reveals of the greater worldbuilding that have been happening in these arcs, though. very fun to start to see all that come together.

i'm not sure if the way this thing comes together in the end will retroactively negate my problems with these later arcs, but even if it doesnt and it continues trending in a direction i don't find as interesting to read, its still overall a really impressive and fun work.

12 notes · View notes

kazumahashimoto · 2 years

Text

yknow i gotta say i am waiting for the most opportune moment to watch the cheer danshi movie but i am literally so excited to see what they do with kazu. like from what i can tell i think it's based around just the first volume of the original manga since i've only ever seen promo material for the main seven which makes me think they're really either gonna ham up the conflict with haruko OR they're really gonna ham up the SPORTS aspect. kazu's situation definitely gets a few hints in the first volume but i can't see how they'd be able to take that anywhere 1 within the time frame of a movie that isn't about him and 2 without the weight of all the others resting on his shoulders + saku's contributions to getting kazu help. which makes me very intrigued. a telling of cheer danshi without any acknowledgment of what's going on with kazu sounds SO boring and i can't wait to see what they've done with my boy<3

#i'm excited really truly i'm going in with an open heart and open mind i understand it's hard to balance the two plots #i'm also pretty excited to give my doc a fourth section :3 #cheer danshi

0 notes

transsexualhamlet · 2 years

Text