#makes sense to tell the plot of the show they're performing first

[romeowho]

if i had written the goosebumps musical, story of the phantom would've been like the second song, and the story of the play would've happened around when story of the phantom is now and would be a reprise of story of the phantom

[no-charity-case]

Why I'm annoyed Jack and Davey don't dance more in livesies, and why I actually like the dance routine in 1992sies Santa Fe.

This post was inspired by Christian Bale's dance break in the 1992sies Santa Fe and by comments I see online about Jeremy Jordan and Ben Fankhauser running from dance numbers. I promise, the sentiments are connected, and I'll discuss them together in the conclusion. If you are only interested in one (just the musical or just the movie), feel free to only read those parts and ignore the overall conclusion.

Buckle up, as this is quite long... mostly because of the gifs.

Let's start with Jeremy and Ben because, although these comments don't inherently annoy me, these comments do confuse me.

I see a lot of jokes online about Jeremy Jordan running from dance routines, the joke being that he can't dance, of course. Here's one of my favourites: (it's a YouTube comment on the 2012 Tony Awards Seize the Day performance)

No one works harder than Jeremy running away from those dance numbers

And there is this image from a Reddit post from r/Broadway:

And there's a comment under it which sums up the Ben Fankhauser point I'm arguing against:

Not to be a Jeremy Jordan apologist or anything but Ben Fankhauser ALSO runs hard from the Seize the Day dance breaks. Sure you can argue he did tap a little in King of New York but homeboi was stuck in the back and he was only in the number because he had to be. Chris Gattelli would’ve yeeted him off the stage if the plot allowed it.

Here's another comment on this Reddit post that I will discuss later:

Is Jeremy's defense, Jack really didn't have to dance because the rest of the Newsies danced. The majority of the Newsies were "dancer dancers" as Ben Fankhauser would call them, Fank is a self-proclaimed "actor dancer" and Jeremy is an "actor actor". This is, however, my favorite joke to make and see posted places.

Okay, now that's out of the way, let's watch Jeremy and Ben dance. And yes, even though these comments mostly tell you otherwise, they can dance.

As we can see here, Jeremy and Ben dance in the 2012 Tony Awards and they don't do a bad job whatsoever. In fact, I think they did well.

Jeremy does immediately run off after the papers are thrown, but Ben stays and only leaves when they begin doing split leaps. So, what I'm saying is, Jeremy is capable of dancing, and Ben is more capable (not that I care to compare their dancing, but I need to emphasise Ben's dancing ability so I can disprove the comment saying that Ben equally runs from dance breaks).

In the 2017 live Newsies, Jeremy and Ben both run off to either side and don't come back to dance. As we've already seen, they can dance, so that isn't the reason they didn't dance in this version.

Livesies had a larger ensemble than other Newsies productions which came before, as there were dancers from the original Broadway cast and the North American Tour. Here is an extract from the IMDb 2017 Newsies 'Storyline'.

Filmed live on stage at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California, this not-to-be-missed high-energy show stars original Broadway cast members Jeremy Jordan as "Jack Kelly," Kara Lindsay as "Katherine," Ben Fankhauser as "Davey," and Andrew Keenan-Bolger as "Crutchie". They're joined by North American Tour stars Steve Blanchard as "Joseph Pulitzer," Aisha de Haas as "Medda Larkin," and Ethan Steiner as "Les" along with members of both the Broadway and North American Tour ensembles, filling the stage with more "newsies" and more dancing than ever before.

With this in mind, it makes sense that characters such as Jack and Davey were cut from dance scenes that they were not needed in.

Here are two pictures of Davey hiding instead of dancing (even though he used to dance that part). Then there's an image of Jack, David, and Les all avoiding dancing.

Jeremy isn't in the first two because (as we've seen) he runs to the opposite side of the stage and is waiting to come on, throw his paper, and fight the Delancey brothers.

They run back on to throw the papers (not that it matters, and I didn't really need to include a video... just thought you might want to see it with your own eyes).

In 2012, both did actually dance in Seize the Day, and Ben Fankhauser was not shoved to the back (I know the Reddit comment was about King of New York, but I felt the need to point out that he is at the front). But I'd like to add that the ensemble cast of Newsies are all talented, strong dancers, and we wouldn't say that any other dancer was 'stuck in the back' because of their ability. The reason people are at the back is for formation purposes only.

Jeremy is definitely the stiffest and least confident dancer there. So, it could be argued that he is put in the back for 'not being so good'. But I don't think he draws our eyes in an "oh my goodness, he's terrible" kind of way. In fact, I think he does quite well.

Again, I do not care to compare for comparison's sake (especially since I don't think he'd fully learnt the choreography yet in terms of confidence), but Corey Cott looked far more stiff, uncomfortable and unsure in this clip than Jeremy Jordan, who supposedly "can't dance".

In case you need more evidence, here is Ben dancing a bit more in Seize the Day (it's the same section of dance from the Tony Awards, but we can see him the whole time because the camera isn't focused elsewhere).

Just watch how Jeremy and Ben run off in the 2017 live recording. Jeremy jumps away, which is hilarious, and Ben kind of hurries off (you can spot him inside the scaffolding set). To be fair, it's hard not to notice they (especially Jeremy) rush away from dance numbers when it makes them look so out of place.

However, let's remind ourselves that they both danced in the OBC version, but didn't dance in the 2017 version due to the enlarged ensemble (and not because they are incapable!).

Let's now explore the comment about Jeremy not having to dance because everyone else did. He does dance in the OBC performances, but he is never the main focus or put to the front like Kara Lindsay (centre in King of New York) and Ben Fankhauser (is in focus multiple times during King of New York and dances in the front line for the Seize the Day number) are. Jeremy, to an extent, seems to be hidden in dance numbers (although I'll discuss how he is smack bang in the middle for the finale later in the post), which does support that Jeremy is an “actor actor” and Ben is an “actor dancer.”

Okay, it's time to fully address the comment about Ben Fankhauser being "stuck in the back" for King of New York "because he had to be," and "if the plot allowed it", he'd be "yeeted off the stage"

Above, you can see two gifs of Ben dancing the 'spoons' part in the 2012 run. He looks good. In no way does he stand out or draw negative attention for 'poor dancing', and that's because he does a great job.

In fact, he is more visible in the livesies version, as he is centre during the spoon dance.

This is very off topic, but I figured I'd put it here before moving on to the next clips: Davey is adorable during King of New York. Like, I didn't realise the full extent of how happy he was until I recorded the clips for this post. I'd love to make an in-depth post another time just on King of New York (I am briefly discussing it in another post I'm working on, but not to the extent I'd like to).

Right, back on topic. Here are two more clips of Ben tapping on one of the tables. If the choreographer wanted to hide Ben's dancing, another cast member would be doing this, and Davey would be sitting with Katherine or standing with Les.

For anyone curious, he does stand around in the proshot looking confused but happy to be there nonetheless. So, I do see where the commenter got the notion that the choreographer avoided making Ben dance.

However, as we've discussed, it's because of the extended cast rather than Ben's 'lack of dancing ability' (plus, we've seen that he can actually dance quite well, and he is in the centre for the proshot 'spoon section' so I don't see why people assume he can't dance).

Oh yeah, he does go and sit with Katherine and Les after the gif above, and they seem to be having a great conversation:

Here he is doing the big tap dancing moment of the number. I think Ben looks great doing it, especially in the gif to the right. So I think we've established that Ben Fankhauser can dance.

In the 2017 proshot, Ben is put behind Kara Lindsay, so we can't really see him dancing this part. But, this is one of Katherine's big moments in the show, and I do appreciate that she is the only bright 'pop' of colour we see (as Davey wears bold blue squares whereas the ensemble wears muted colours).

I couldn't insert a clip of the 2017 ending of King of New York (Tumblr kept saying the file was too big, and not even a compressor could save it).

So here's a 2012 clip where we can see Ben is dancing well and is not hidden at the very end of King of New York (his position remains the same in the proshot).

Here's a link to another 2012 and King of New York for reference. You can kind of see Ben's dancing at the end, but it's best to watch the 2017 version if you can, because things did change (like how he got to the position you see in the gif above), and it's great to watch him jumping between tables. Plus, for those of you who care about Davey and Mush's friendship, you can see them interact at the end of King of New York (when I make a full King of New York post, I'll make sure to include it).

Funnily enough in the Macey's Day Parade performance, Ben is placed at the front for the big tap dancing moment and there's another minor difference because of this, resulting in him dancing the "flashpots are shooting bright as a sun" part at the front instead of on the chairs, but I'll look at that in my King of New York post as I can only use so many gifs/images and it is off topic (although, this performance was from 2011, or Paper Mill Playhouse pre-Broadway days, so that could also explain the changes).

Here we see Jeremy and Ben dancing at the very end of livesies. Jeremy is visibly less confident than those around him, but he's still doing a great job (in my opinion).

Plus, Jeremy is in the centre and isn't hidden whatsoever. He's at the front because he plays Jack Kelly, and we need to be careful when assuming dancers are placed in the back because they aren't talented. They can all dance well, and who is placed where just depends on who needs to be in focus. If they couldn't dance it well, they wouldn't be dancing at all, as seen in Jeremy never dancing that one section in Seize the Day.

So, if you still remember the title after reading all that (if not, don't worry as I'm revisiting it now), the reason I'm annoyed that Jack and Davey don't dance more in livesies is because it causes many viewers to believe Jeremy and Ben can't dance, which (as seen in 2012 and livesies footage) is untrue. As we've seen today, they both can dance quite well.

Okay, now let's move on to the next topic: why I actually like the dance routine in 1992sies Santa Fe.

I've uploaded it as a video because I felt like I'd be doing Christian dirty by making us watch it in silence.

Well, many people also think that Christian is a bad dancer. Remember the Reddit post I mentioned at the beginning? Well, here's another comment it has:

That’s okay Jeremy. Christian Bale couldn’t dance in the movie either

Now, it is a funny comment, and it did make me chuckle, but why do people think he can't dance?

Unfortunately, I've reached my limit of attachments (and thank goodness for that, as I'm also somewhat reaching my limit for analysis), so I cannot show clips of him dancing elsewhere in the movie.

Instead of exploring why he can dance like I did with Jeremy Jordan and Ben Fankhauser, let's discuss why the Santa Fe dance break is fitting for Jack as a character.

Firstly, he's just a boy. Dancing and music largely set the children apart from the adults in the movie (adult friends of the newsies like Medda and Denton do dance, but it isn't the same ballet-street mix the newsies have going on). Therefore, Jack seems more youthful and juvenile in this section of the song as he dances with the same passion and spirit associated with the newsies.

With this in mind, it upsets me greatly that Jack doesn't break into a dance routine in livesies. The movie, in my opinion, does a better job at portraying Jack as a boy instead of a man (not that the musical does a bad job, it's just that the movie utilises the youthful aspect of his character more).

I understand that the musical's Santa Fe is more gloomy than the movie's. However, why couldn't Jack burst out into a dance break, as dance is shown as an outlet for the newsies' emotions?

In fact, I find the placement of both Santa Fe numbers interesting. They both serve the same purpose (to show that Jack isn't the brave leader of the newsies he shows himself to be), but they relate to different scenes. In the movie, he dines with the Jacobs family and is reminded of how much he longs for a family of his own, so he thinks about this made-up life he's convinced others (and maybe himself to an extent) is real. But, in the musical, his best friend has just been beaten and taken to the Refuge, and Jack is so distraught and believes it's his fault, so he thinks about running away from his responsibilities. And that's the main difference, movie Jack longs to gain a sense of belonging and being wanted, whereas musical Jack longs to lose the stress and guilt he feels (of course, these different feelings are purely contextual to when the song is).

I also see criticisms of Christian's singing, but I actually like that too. Jack's singing and dancing make him look like the teenager he is, and it helps cultivate empathy for the loneliness he feels in New York.

Now's the time for the overall conclusion. Jeremy Jordan and Ben Fankhauser can dance, and they can dance well, so it's a shame their talents were not utilised more, as it causes watchers to believe they can't dance at all. Christian dances in a way that looks very in the moment, emotively driven, and youthful, and it reminds us that Jack is not yet a man - a theme which the movie covers very well. Jack should have danced a similar solo number in the musical at some point, because why shouldn't he? Jeremy can dance, and he wouldn't need to look so professional to capture that angsty teenager spirit.

[spirantization]

"Wild Blue Yonder" dealt with some of the emotional fallout of the Flux, so I want to rewind a bit and look at what that means for the Doctor.

I know that the Timeless Child and the Flux are contentious topics. I'm not here to argue either way. But now those storylines have decisively not been retconned, and with both of these fresh in my memory, I feel the need to offer some context for anyone who may not have seen it, and to recontextualize it for myself and anyone who has.

NotDonna: You don't know where you're from. The Doctor: How do you know that? How does anyone know? How does Donna know?

In "The Timeless Children", we find out that the Doctor was discovered as a child alone under a wormhole, and adopted by a woman named Tecteun. There was an accident where the Doctor fell from a cliff and regenerated, and subsequently Tecteun performed "experiments" on them to try to understand regeneration. The show minces words about this but she killed a child a whole bunch of times is what happened. Her experiments created the Time Lords and allow them to engineer their regeneration properties. The Doctor has no memory of any of this, and only finds out via the Master and information stored in the Time Lord Matrix.

The Doctor, predictably, doesn't tell anyone about this revelation. She makes a speech to the Master about how this makes her more, we get a single shot of her looking a bit tired in the TARDIS, then she immediately gets thrown in prison.

Ultimately, the Doctor doesn't know where they're from or who their parents are. And the very fact that they're not from Gallifrey is information that no one in the universe should have. Everyone who knew is now dead.

NotDonna: I saw it in your head. The Flux. The Doctor: It destroyed half the universe because of me. We stand here now, on the edge of creation, a creation which I devastated, so yes I keep running, of course I do! How am I supposed to look back on that? NotDonna: It wasn't your fault! The Doctor: I know!

A fun fact about the Flux is that the Doctor did not cause it. So why does he blame himself? Because the person who caused the Flux was Tecteun.

The reason why Tecteun wanted to destroy the universe is because the Doctor interfered with things too much. Too much morality. Too inspirational to people. She calls them a virus. So her solution to the problem of the Doctor is to destroy the universe, with the Doctor inside, and take her ship to a different universe to start fresh. She also was the one to steal all the Doctor's memories of previous lives in the first place. She's dismissive and patronizing and clearly does not care about the Doctor on an emotional level at all. Tecteun is a piece of work, and the implications of her actions and how they've shaped the Doctor have the potential to go deep.

Thirteen doesn't get too much of a chance to react to any of this, because there is plot going on. And shortly after they reunite, Tecteun gets killed by a different villain. So there was no emotional closure in the moment, and there's now no possibility for the Doctor to make sense of her actions. The Doctor does not tell any of her friends about any of these events. She keeps promising to tell Yaz but does not.

"Wild Blue Yonder" is the first time we, as the audience, hear the Doctor discuss the Flux. And their perception of events is skewed at best. The Flux wasn't caused because the Doctor made a mistake and a lot of people were killed, which is what you can argue for many other situations. The Flux and the devastation of the universe was caused by their mother, who promptly turned around and told them it was their fault for being such an interfering nuisance. We know that the Doctor is often an unreliable narrator, but this is beyond that. These are the words of an abused child who has internalized the narrative that the abuse was their fault.

So the Doctor being able to talk about this with Donna, who has seen what happened, who knows him, and tells him that it's not his fault — it means so much to him. He wants it to be her so badly. And then NotDonna laughs in his face. You can see the devastation. He thinks for one moment that he can finally talk about this with his best friend, and it's snatched away from him. He gives himself a moment to break down in the corridor, and then you can see the walls rebuilding as he suppresses it all again.

At the very end of the episode, back in the TARDIS, he's trying very very hard to be nonchalant. I'm curious. The NotDonna could remember all these things that happened to me while we were apart. Can you? Just wondering. Things happened, but I'll be fine. In a million years. It's not a joke.

He wants so badly to be able to talk about this. You can see it in all the lines of his body language. He's keeping himself together but is prepared to fall apart in an instant. He doesn't want to actually tell anyone, but if Donna just magically knew already, and could tell him it wasn't his fault — well, that would make the world of difference. But she doesn't know, and he can't bring himself to tell her. And so the cycle continues.

[lesbicosmos]

happy one year of dead boy detectives!! ❤️🔎💙

incoming very long very sappy ramble about it:

it's always the shows you find while you're ill at home and just looking for something to make time go faster, huh?

see: me last june, suffering in bed because of a really bad chest infection and stumbling on a few tumblr posts about this silly ghost show, then deciding to watch it because i had nothing better to do, and needed something to distract me from feeling like shit.

i knew ten minutes into watching episode one that this show would become a fixation - and a big one. but even that is such an understatement of how much i love this show and how much it means to me.

i've been in many fandoms over the years, gone through many phases of a movie or a tv show taking over my life and personality for weeks or months at a time but i don't think any of them have stuck with me as much as dead boy detectives. sure if you mention any of my past interests i'll get really excited and mentally dust them off, but this one hasn't had the time to gather the dust in the first place. i'm also always desperate for everyone i know to watch whatever it is my brain is fixated on at any time, but i fear i annoyed my friends and family more than ever with this one, i'll still bring it up in conversation whenever i can

i've always been more of a character-oriented person than a plot person - even if a piece of media has a plot that barely makes sense, i will obsess over it if it has good characters. and this show has SUCH good characters. they're all so unique and every one is relatable in some strange way. and, of course, the queer representation is everything to me. it's SO queer without feeling performative about it. so many of the characters are queer and that aspect of their character is an intrinsic part of who they are as a person without it being their only trait. i only hope future shows take notes. no show has ever really had characters that resonated with me as much as these ones, especially the core four. and bonus! it has brilliant plot writing, too!!

and of course the cast and crew are all just as brilliant. i love when you can just tell the people involved in a show had a genuine passion and genuinely loved working on it. that's evident in every part of dead boy detectives, and the cast interactions that still happen even a year later.

this fandom is hands down one of the kindest most welcoming ones i've ever been in: the fandom events (i ran one myself and co-ran another!! i've never been that involved with a fandom before and it was so much fun), the meta commentary, the fics, the fanart - and the people. i only joined the dbda haunt discord a couple months ago but it's already one of my favourite online places to be and the people i've met on there are all absolutely wonderful, i love you all sm <3

the inspiration this show has given me to write fanfic has been INSANE. i've written before, but i've never had this many ideas i'm so desperate to write down. i still have so many that haven't been written yet!!

okay this post is long and i'm rambling but i just love this show so much and even though we've now had twice as much time since the cancellation as there was before it, i'm in awe of how much the fandom has arguably grown since then. i'll never stop fighting to get this show back, but even if we don't, i'm forever grateful for what we've got and the people i've met and become mutuals with because of it, and i truly believe no one will ever be able to stop us keeping this show alive - no pun intended

happy one year dead boy detectives, can't wait to see what the fandom brings over the next one <33

[smahell]

What's ur favorite OBM audiodrama 😈

you have opened a CAN of worms because I LOVE the audio dramas (incl live at the house of lamentation! I count them as audio dramas cause they're pretty much live audio drama readings. but excluding the premium audio dramas you get when paying for VIP and the obey me asmrs. haven't managed to get around to those yet.)

Cooking's So Hard! - i think this is one i managed to rewatch the most and the plot still sticks in my mind. kyohei's voice for beel is a lot higher pitched here, and i think the dynamic between a slightly worried lucifer and a somewhat careless beelzebub is really funny here!! beel over indulging himself with the sauce, and lucifer saying "congratulations on figuring out the flavour" after hes finished just fucking kills me..

and the innocence behind his request that everyone has the "best meal ever" and the repetition of the basic ingredients… lucifer is tired!! he is growing grey hairs at this man!! i don't really like eating noises but honestly this drama was so comedic that i didn't really mind. yes i will taste test your taste test…. hajimimi….hajimimimi… hajimimimimi… is stuck in my head.

Asmodeus's New Hobby - my two fav characters are featured here, so i'm not sure what's not to like! the dynamics and asmo's vanity is sooo humorous here i just couldn't not laugh. "it's so pretty" ".. its too pretty.." "i think i'm in love." miura ayme you will LIVE FOREVER because i love this performance. this entire plot about robot legs and sumo sweat is so convoluted and funny. they're such opposites that asmo dwelling in such an otaku sort of interest in his own way is just hilarious.

Simeon's Tech Troubles - this audio drama is one i've come back to listen to time and time again. it starts out a little understanding and calming, but satan's anger quickly builds with simeon's naivety towards technology… it's so humorous here. hirata yu's performance here is absolutely lovely here - i've loved his voicework for a while but seeing him appear in this drama makes me feel a little lighter, if that makes sense. also some of the noises simeon makes here are…. questionable. but its fine.

the process of simply turning on the computer and the consecutive insults just adds to the layers of humor.. sumi shinya you will also live forever because i can picture satan's eyebrow twitching at simeon's attitude and fear at pressing a simple button. "there's nothing "whoa" about it". even though simeon acts like an overtired child at opening a computer( which i find quite weird now that i dwell more on it) i still feel like it was still shown in a more comedic and silly fashion rather than trying to infantilize his character. "satan, thats enough today" oh my god 😭..

Solomon Quiz - miura ayme's voice acting is such a treat here.. i love it, he's so hyperactive, and the little "heh.. heeeeh??" he does at solomon's answer is sooo humorous.

i have a feeling that koba wasn't actually able to make the recording for this, which is why he's present as a phone call, but i still feel the energy from just solomon and asmo interacting in themselves. i know this is seperate from the audio drama, but i really like the soundtrack in the background for this!

it's obvious asmo is a little bit.. daft: he doesn't know classical is a genre of music, he doesnt really know solomon "that" well, or doesn't care for him that much, but the passion and happiness he shows around him is still authentic. at first you can definitely tell that solomon finds the idea of doing a quiz about himself as "weird," but at the end kawata really embodies this happiness of being a quiz game host because he's so into this competition.

House Of Lamentation Lives

the confidence that asmo says "I have absolutely no idea!" is so humorous!! hhh its stuck in my head! "solomon question three solomon question three!!" rotates round my head like a baguette in a microwave because this entire audio drama is memorable…

Leviathan-Sensei's Otaku FM ep 5: A Living Landmine: now this episode i have TOO much to talk about. it already starts in media res and tension's already established at the beginning with sumi's spine-chilling delivery of "what did you say?". i love how the sound effects in the background just merge so well because it just paints this vivid picture within my mind and gets me so excited. and when the sound effects do cut off, its when a scared and somewhat awkward levi butts in trying his best to calm satan down, albeit it not working very well.

"we've got more trash lying around here than Lucifer and I have things in common." ouh!! harsh satan!!

sumi's performance and the chemistry both of the voice actors have creates this naturally flowing dialogue between the two of them and it just gets me again.. hyped the fuck up!! "KONO ORENO!! DOKUKANITERUTEI???" that line is STUCK INSIDE MY HEAD and i feel like after this sumi needs a nice cold glass of ice water because you then realize that sumi shinya has been screaming into his microphone for about 4 minutes.

"stuck-up, arrogant and scary looking is literally you though! hahaha-" oh leviathan… you poor sweet summer's child. and satan's "huh?" right after?? yeah i just know we're cooked but i'm laughing with them!! this is also a voice drama that includes mc somewhat, but at the same time it just includes mc really excellently within the drama because holy shit.. if that was me.. i'd burst out laughing like levi too…

"..uh oh" YEAH HE KNOWS WE'RE COOKED??? and the way satan responds so sadistically afterwards "hmm, how about you tell me more Leviathan". every syllable punctuated, the bgm rising to tense heights that nobody has ever seen before, i can FEEL the FLAMES of satan's anger through my cheap airbuds!! even the panic that fills leviathan as mc calls satan "sadistic and scary" when he's angry just like lucifer!! AND THEN THE LOUD "BAKA" AS LEVI SEEMS TERIFFIED AS IF HE'S BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH AS WE'VE ALLEGEDLY "ADDED FUEL TO THE FIRE"??? CRAZY!! AND THEN SATAN'S SADISTIC LAUGHTER AFTERWARDS AND LEVI TRYING TO SCRAMBLE WITH COMPLIMENTS??

and then the "super similar to lucifer" part. i've literally recited this part with friends because of how tense yet hilarious this moment is because satan is on the VERGE of crashing out, and we are nothing but PEDESTRIANS to the violent verbal onslaught we will hear next.

and then the pause in dramatic music "y-yeah in the best possible way" levi-chan. you've killed us. satan's taken the knife from it and stabed it into my abdomen and you have not only TWISTED it deeper by saying that, but you also let it push through the other side and left me dying in an alleyway. you motherfucker. "Oh no…".

sumi's performance here just screaming into his microphone.. with the bleeps and everything.. i wish we had an uncensored version but oh my godness the performance here is absolutely amazing… "this is your last chance leviathan. tell me the right answer." it's the desperation and fear in kada's voice as he's pretty much PLEADING FOR HIS LIFE and spluttering is PALPABLE. and the way the tension manages to go from BOILING to gentle simmering is just. amazing. "levi, and you do.. be careful next time." BE CAREFUL OF WHAT?? YOU WERE THE PROBLEM KING CRASH OUT??

i'm really glad that in this audio drama they said that they had fun, especially sumi. kada even comments on his energy and how he looked like he was having a blast acting. it's actually wonderful to know that there was passion absolutely dripping from every orifice from this House of Lamentation Live segment because it was an absolute pleasure to listen to!!

(so many audio dramas feature levi turning into a child.. not that i mind kada's impression anyways. he sounds very cute, especially when he's begging for lucifer to just spend time with him. i like to think that it's levi's internal dialogue since he finds himself alone a lot, but its very very adoraable..)

Otaku FM Anime and Chill Season 1 ep 7: Lucifer, One More Time!

it's popular for a reason, its basically Lucifer and the Factory Tour (which i WILL talk about later) with more humor and it gets real sweet near the end… but i really love the voice acting here as well. regardless i love the younger brother & older brother dynamic established here; levi being super grateful about his new earbuds, then all of a sudden forgetting about the forbidden properties of the book and turning into a three year old.

it's so RARE that you see a lucifer this desperate within an audio drama "Look, look. Peekaboo! Peekaboo!" this man is pulling out tricks from the celestial realm and levi is still crying. kada's crying actually improves the further you go into the audio drama.. it's still adorable.. and the "Hana Ruri Flash"… AHHH THIS AUDIO DRAMA IS JUST AMAZING!! AND THE HIGH PITCHED VOICE LUCIFER HAS?? HHH <33 yama-san's performance is just so amazing here and kada's baby "Hana Ruri Flaaachu", and the little "hey hey"'s for attention.. i'd love to see their expressions acting this out because this is soo adorable i love father and son dynamics i love baby levi i love thiss i love levi just being so needy as a baby because this audio drama is so amazing plot wise and acting wise.

"Earf looks yummy!" hes so. my baby. hes my little china doll. i need to wrap in bubble wrap and plastic tarp to keep him save in my arms. and the admission of him wanting lucifer to stay with him… and lucifer finding him adorable….so adorable… "I just wamted to pway wif you."

and the fact that lucifer cancels all his plans just so he can have time to play with him is just sooo heartwarming. whoever said "lucifer abuses his siblings" is a LIAR and a FRAUD because HE LOVES THEM SO FREAKING MUCH.

"Now you can play with your big brother until your heart's content. " hes so.. lucifer's so cute…wah…AND WHEN LEVI TURNS BACK THE NOISE LUCIFER MAKES IS LIKE A QUACK. "Huh?" and its so perfectly timed because he's done all that and now his brothers an adult recluse again…. part of me thinks that levi remembers the encounter, but is too embarassed but.. damn. one whole audio drama of baby levi and big brother lucifer please!!!

leviathan going first was a bad omen.. once he had his flub at the beginning it was like a non-stop train of flubs. he flubs like three times.. while ayme only flubs once which is like. wow. professional actor vs random gay musician. hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby but the coughing baby won.

Otaku FM Anime and Chill Season 1 ep 9: Give It to Me, Asmo!

i just liked the competition portion. i knew kada would lose because of the sheer hatred the producers have against him /j.

it sets up this basis that they're doing the impossible.

i feel like they were sort of half-acting half-unserious because i know for a fact kada was half DEVESTATED at the difference between times.

"i'm such a naughty demon" asmo you can do things to me… "all is fair in love and war" and im HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO HIM!11!.

and the complaining the drama: "I don't wanna do this anymore" WELL IT'S TOO DAMN BAD. THAT WAS REALLY REALLY GOOD AND YOU BOTH TRIED YOUR BEST. even though miura won by 12 seconds, kada won by emotion and my heart, so they both did amazing <333

Otaku FM Anime and Chill Season 2 ep 1: Diavolo's Training Day.

again the dynamic between vas just elevates this performance even further!! (also i love dialevi..but thats besides the point) this idea of diavolo trying to give back to one of his role models is soo just.. its such a tangible idea yknow?? it just makes sense, and the humorous way that diavolo tries to read minds with this sort of PHYSICAL effort is so humourous. especially this explaination of barbatos's sort of "mythical" powers when it comes to telling what he wants (even though it is SOMEWHAT explained in another audio drama (Barbatos's Unepected Replacement)).

the fact that diavolo blatantly gives up, saying "I have no idea" and the way levi says the answer as if all-knowing.. very very humorous. even yamamoto conveys diavolo's sheepishness to levi's otaku ways quite perfectly here too.

HOWEVER. what's so amazing about this audio drama is the fact that they purposefully give him convoluted and crazy words and tongue twisters to work with.. which is probably why he audibly struggles here "Ono.. onono.." and then he SIGHS like he's being given 100kg whilst voice acting at the same time and his voice WAVERS and oh my GOD it just brings this realization that we're all HUMANS and i found his flub really really funny but KADA SATOSHI IS TRYING HIS BEST OKAY??? AND HE'S REALLY ADORABLE HERE

"Ah… No…" HES TRYING TO SAY LONELONE-CHAN AND MIMOMIMO-CHAN AND GYARIGYARI-CHAN!! LET HIM COOK.. and even though it isn't part of the drama, kada's deflated persona at the end of the audio drama just is a chef's kiss. acting as if takuhei-san planted those tongue-twisters in the script.. "Can you explain yourself?" i started laughing too, the writers for these are really really funny….

Leviathan-Sensei's Otaku FM ep 2: Mammon's Sixth Sense - i just think the "levi-chawn" at the beginning is neat.

Otaku FM Anime and Chill - Season 2 ep 2: Lucifer and the Factory Tour.

i don't like lucifer that much as a character but this entire audio drama felt so heartwarming. i really don't have that much to say about it but i feel like it's so interesting learning more about the interpersonal relationships between characters especially on Otaku FM.. this one just felt so much more authentic and fluffy, like genuine siblings have a good heart to heart. even though i don't have much to day, this audio drama still evokes lots of feelings that i never expected to feel..

honorable mentions list:

Otaku FM Anime and Chill Season 2 ep 3: Barbatos the Exterminator - the entire audio drama is like if someone from the anime writing team snorted even MORE crack and then started writing. /pos

Otaku FM Anime and Chill Season 2 ep 8: Luke and the Old Maid - it's the random giggling fit just before the drama as well as the dramatization of a literal card game for; luke is a LETHAL WEAPON.

anyways this was SUPER DUPER LONG, thank you so much for asking!!

[aihoshiino]

You said that you have problems with how the LA characterized Ai, could you pls elaborate on that?

Note I haven't actually finished the LA myself. (I'm getting to it, eventually)

I'm working on a longer post about it as I chew my way through the LA series and the movie but my main issue thus far is a mixture of the show cutting some of her most important character moments and not making up for their absence with new or reworked material and making lots of small changes to her as a character that don't change a lot in the moment but really add up when they're all stacked on top of each other. The biggest problem is just that it comes off really obvious to me that Ai was just... not remotely a priority for the LA team and they either didn't care about or didn't understand her character as written in the original manga.

I get that's an extremely bold claim to make but it's really hard not to feel it, even just coming off episode 1. Like the anime, it adapts the first volume but pretty much guts it - it seems to be an exercise in cutting as much as possible while technically retaining the plot of the volume. And to be clear, this is because the LA episodes are only 35 mins and some change long, so that's a whole lot less time than the anime has to adapt the same amount of content. But the LA team's priorities in choosing what to cut and what to retain is fucking bizarre. Like... let me walk you through the episode in terms of how the material is adapted. Chapter 1 is pretty much entirely gone - the episode opens with about three minutes of a B-Komachi performance then some chopped up snippets of chapter 2 and Literally Two Entire Lines from chapter 1 before there's a bit of original material to bridge the gap for the MASSIVE jump the story takes when it jumps ahead to a mashup of chapters 5 and 6 that barely features Ai at all. From there, we move right to a bizarrely chopped up version of her "I'm a liar" joker monologue/flashback in chapter 8 and continue from there to the end of volume 1 with no other major cuts. It takes all of twenty five minutes for us to reach Ai's death and to make matters worse, the LA series retains the interview segments from the manga - so those twenty five minutes aren't even really about her. Being as generous as I can, I would say we don't even have twenty minutes to get to know Ai before the story then spends ten minutes gleefully oogling at its comparatively much more lurid and sensational take on her death, down to closeups of the knife in her body and having the child actors scream and cry and wail about it.

If you're looking at that summary and thinking "uh, well what about chapter 4? chapter 7??? CHAPTER 1?????" then it's my great the-opposite-of-delight to tell you that they're entirely cut with no efforts to incorporate the characterization into the remaining and original material. Everything those chapters tell us about Ai's self hatred, her sense of isolation and inferiority and the way her relationship with the twins helps her to become a better person is just... gone. Poof. Even when the LA series adds original material or even tries to do flashbacks later down the line, it's too little too late. The result is that not only is Ai a much less well realized character in the LA series but that the audience has way less time to give a shit about her and way fewer tools to understand her.

And as for the Ai POV/flashback stuff in The Last Act.................... god i don't have the strength to talk about that right now. I'll just say.... remember how highly I've spoken about how OnK handles the topic of abuse before? That for all his other fumbles, Aka Akasaka is a writer with an extremely good understanding of the pathology of abuse and that despite being despicable people, Ayumi Hoshino and Airi Himekawa are both fantastically well-realized characters, deeply human and that Akasaka both understand and expresses their pathology, their methods of abuse and the impact it has on their victims phenomenally well?

well, um. unfortunately, TLA does. the opposite of that.

[tobiasdrake]

Not saying that it's doomed to fail or anything, but if Brave New World ends up being a bust box-office wise, do you fear Disney will blame DEI and start making moves to replace Sam as Captain America? Normally I wouldn't be nervous about stuff like this, but given the political climate right now it's a genuine worry to have...

No, I feel ya. I'm nervous too. The return of RDJ is already a clear indicator that they're becoming desperate to recapture past glory.

Unfortunately, Disney is a corporation. Their ideology is to follow culture to wherever the profits seem to be. For a time, LGBT representation was improving because of cultural shift. Art both reflects culture and reinforces culture.

This is why Disney's always flipflopped on exactly how much to support LGBT rights. Because the answer is, "The exact amount of support that will sell tickets to LGBT people but without alienating the customers who hate them." And everything Disney does is an exercise in negotiating where exactly that line is.

The main problem Marvel's having right now is that the Multiverse Saga just isn't any good. The multiverse can be interesting as a mechanism for telling individual stories. Everything Everywhere All At Once certainly proved that.

But as a substitute for the Infinity Gauntlet storyline? It sucks. There aren't any interesting moving parts to it. There's no sense of progression the way there were with each time a new Gem was established or we learned a bit more about them and Thanos. The only thing the multiverse can do is exist, so every time it comes up, it's just characters pointing at the multiverse and going "LOOK. An interesting movie's going to come out of that some day!"

Worse than that, they made the boneheaded decision to break up their universe into more isolated and disconnected stories in Phase Four, which completely destroyed the ongoing audience investment in their universe as a whole.

And then there is the box office poison that is the shadow of Disney Plus looming over their enterprise. A lot of people around the world subscribe to Disney Plus. But a lot of people don't. And they don't want to watch a movie that they think they need to have done homework in a separate medium for first.

I get that. I dropped Kingdom Hearts when they came out with two gacha games for mobile phones that are plot-critical to understanding future games. I did not get into this series to play gacha games on my phone. I could forgive the occasional genre shift on a handheld video game platform but that was a bridge too far.

If you told me that the next Captain America movie is going to be connected to the video game Captain America: Super Soldier for the Xbox 360, that would adversely affect my willingness to pay ticket prices. Marvel was insane to think that every filmgoer would be comfortable crisscrossing platforms between the theatrical films they're comfortable in and a paywalled set of television miniseries.

This is why Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Netflix shows originally had an exclusively one-sided relationship with film canon. Where the movies are canon for them, but they aren't canon to the movies. Where Sif might show up for an episode of Agents, but you will not see Agents Fitzsimmons popping in to Thor: Ragnarok to pitch in and fight Hela.

It was to avoid exactly this.

There's a lot of things going wrong for Marvel these days.

But. When a minority led movie does badly, the minorities are the first on the chopping block. Even when other minority-led movies did spectacularly. So. Yeah. I do worry about what lessons Marvel's executive team will learn from the recent performance of their films.

[randomthefox]

Thoughts on Movie Shadow's backstory , where he was treated as just a lab rat/power supply slave aboard the ark? For extra angst it's implied that he apparently spent 50 years reliving Maria's death in a psychological hell while he was in stasis too.

I don't think any of that is even true lol

First of all there's no ARK in the movie.

We never see him being mistreated at any point. The worst thing we ever witness is Shadow looking very board while his vital signs are being monitored.

As someone who had very similar procedures done on me when I was a kid, I can assure you they are not painful they are just incredibly tedious.

Shadow very clearly had free reign of the entire facility since we see him playing with Maria in her room including having movie nights and being given rooftop access (which is fucking insane, considering one of the biggest paranoia talking points during the cold war was the fear that Russian satellites were able to take surveillance on America from space, it's like all anyone could talk about after the Sputnik launch. So the fact that they're just letting the fucking alien go out into public view like that during the 70s is ludicrous) and roller skating around the hallways with her.

Nobody even cares.

Shadow can clearly do whatever he wants and is only sticking around because he doesn't have anywhere else better to be. And the fact he can teleport at will means he could freely leave at any time if he so desired. Which is a whole fucking plot hole in and of itself.

If I were to be undeservedly generous towards the movie, I would say that it is implied that Shadow allowed himself to be taken in by the scientists at the facility to perform any tests on him that they wanted because Shadow had amnesia or something and didn't know who he was or his purpose in life, so he hoped he'd benefit from their research findings just as much as they would. If they could determine the source and applicability of his powers, it might help him discover himself. (Of course the truth is the writers didn't even think about WHY Shadow would be compliant with the research being done on him, they just didn't bother thinking about how changing Shadow's backstory completely alters and invalidates any explanation for why he was under Gerald's ward whatsoever).

He didn't seem to experience any mistreatment whatsoever that was shown to us. And we have no information at all about the nature of the reason Gerald said they all had to flee the facility. For all we know Gerald was simply being ousted from the project and he made a huge scene and didn't tell Maria and Shadow the whole truth. For all we know the only reason Maria died was because Gerald was doing dirty dealings, and if the two of them had simply stayed in their room nothing bad would have happened to either of them. But, again, that is giving the movie far more credit than it deserves.

In the games, Shadow is implied to have been mentally programmed to be forced to obsessively remember an incomplete version of Maria's final moments to spur him onto fulfilling Gerald's final revenge. We see it in the intro scene of his first level where the flashing police sirens triggers his traumatic flashback. The pain and conflict of Shadow's memories is portrayed with class and subtly in the games by showing him remembering a handful of scenes with Maria during moments where it makes sense for him to be thinking of her, when those memories are TRIGGERED by external stimulation and yet the revelations of the ending make it apparent that those memories cannot be entirely trustworthy. They are manipulated to keep him from questioning his purpose in bringing the colony drop about. The pain Shadow feels over Maria's loss is understated and leaves much to the imagination - one could even interpret that Shadow feels guilty about his role in destroying the world, but feels obligated to it because he believes it to be Maria's final wish.

MEANWHILE IN THE MOVIE Shadow BLUNTLY spoonfeeds to the audience "I HAD TO RELIVE THE PAIN OF MARIA'S DEATH OVER AND OVER FOR FIFTY YEARS D=< " because the creators of this piece of shit movie think that's what good writing is

That doesn't even MAKE SENSE. The instruments monitoring Shadow while he was in stasis only started showing brainwave activity AFTER he was woken back up by Gerald.

The cinematic language of the movie presents it that Shadow only just started getting in-stasis memories of Maria BECAUSE of Gerald hacking the system to wake Shadow up.

So Shadow literally COULDN'T have been reliving Maria's death for 50 years, because he was a braindead pickle for all that time.

Literally NOTHING in this movie makes even the smallest amount of sense if you actually stop and think about it for more than a single second i swear to god

[snekatiemainy]

I ame also curious about Don and Nora's relationship if you would care to go into it.....

First, some important context on nora lol:

Nora got the perk 'voyage of self discovery' which I think is a very neat one, but also one that's quite interesting to someone like him who, at a glance, seems very lighthearded and unconcerned.

Nora goes into the game sort of aimless. They've spent their whole life bouncing between things unsure of what to do. They went to college and majored in accounting or similar, but got sick of it fast and dropped out. They tried a few more things since then, but nothing ever seemed to stick. An important note about Nora is while the PC is canonically 25, Nora's about 30, and so has been struggling with this longer.

The last few years prior to the game has been a cycle of performing, partying, and repeat. Not necessarily a bad thing (nora does genuinely love performing, partying and sleeping around) but the same thing nonstop without actually having any real friends in his corner was just killing them slowly. He knew a lot of people, and is very social, but couldn't connect with anyone.

Now for don time:

Obviously the events of the game were a major turning point for Nora. Main plot aside, he met his two new besties: Obie and Don. They're the first real friends Nora has had in a WHILE.

He's p good at brushing aside weird things, so Don climbing in through his window did not affect him all that much. He took a liking instantly. He's captivated by Don's funny words and the silliness he sees behind that tough mob guy exterior.

So he ends up spending soo long on the phone with Don just yapping bc it feels so nice to have someone to chat with. (Which definitely does not help the telephone issue lol). Every time a mob goon shows up to help out, Nora talks nonstop about Don, always asking how he's doing and to tell him he said hi.. It definitely gives everyone an interesting impression of their relationship. Honestly, the first to sense there was something going on between them was not Nora and Don but instead everyone around them watching them talk to and about each other.

Don and Obie just get Nora to the end of the adventure alive. This week has been the best they've had in their life, but also the most exhausting. On top of their yap sessions, Don gives some consistency and certainty in a week where nothing is certain at all. Nora loves Obie, but Don provides some momentary distance from the chaos that Obie can't give. He's something separate from the ever-increasing existential horror.

Nora was anticipating having to return home after their adventure, and dreading it majorly. It somehow just did not cross his mind that he could stay in Ocean City. After a talk with Obie that made him realize he didn't want to leave his pals behind, he decided to stay. It's not like he has anyone at home waiting for him.

Post game Nora juggles mob work, and being officially employed under Murray. He still doesn't know what he wants to do permanently, but he's pretty happy where he is now.

Nora and Don work together very closely. In fact, they're pretty much always seen together on the job (which. further influences the rumors flying about them). No longer regulated to a lackey, Nora takes the opportunity to finally hang around with Don in person. While they already got very close in the first week they knew each other, this is the span of time where they start especially connecting. It turns out they work very well together. Nora forces Don to take things less seriously and provide new creative angles he wouldn't have considered, Don keeps Nora grounded like he has been the whole time. and ofc Nora's the only guy on earth who will listen to Don talk forever lol.

On top of that, Nora finds himself sort of displaced after Murray returns and needs his room back. He stays at Ms. Brewster's as a temporary placement, but her goodwill doesn't last too long and in a moment of maybe slightly impulsive decision making, he breaks into Don's house through the window to ask him if he can stay with him. Y'know, like a normal person. Don is obviously completely befuddled, but he agrees. So. Another mark for something weird going on.

i dont actually know how/when/why they get together post-game. What I do know is that everybody else sees it before they do, for very obvious reasons. I get the impression neither of them are not all that great with emotions, especially voicing those emotions. If/when Nora realizes he's absolutely smitten though it's a complete disaster that poor Obie probably has to help navigate lmao. Meanwhile I think Don just kind of shoves it all deep down to focus on more important things.

[milliondollarnooboo]

Housekeeping 🧹

Here's more context and characterisation notes to address potential plot holes or uncharacteristic behaviours in the story thus far. Ngl some of these got more thought than others.

At the moment I'm telling the story from the Pleasants' POV because they're the ones I identify with more, but as I get to know the others my writing will reflect that. May do another housekeeping post later on when I develop more of the plot.

Anyway,

Pleasant Family Dynamics:

The girls don't hate each other in this universe. Given that they're about 23/24 (about 1 year post university) now, they've likely outgrown their petty teenage rivalry and put aside their differences. They're not flowery besties but they do have a solid bond as sisters and no inherent malice towards each other. Growing up with a politically ambitious mother like Mary Sue and a passive, emotionally absent father like Daniel leaves you with few other allies. And in this story, you need allies to survive.

Daniel and Mary Sue's relationship is a shell of what it could be. As Mary Sue grew in her career, she lost the ability to truly connect with Daniel. So used to performing that when they interact he feels like she's putting on a show. She doesn't mean to be this way - she genuinely thinks everything is okay between them. She does love him in her own way. Daniel is emotionally checked out because he feels like a failure next to his wife, and the emotional dissonance doesn't help. He's seeking love elsewhere - currently from a woman who seems to think of him as the hero that he's not. He spent so much time dissociating from his home life that he forgot to have a relationship with his daughters and now he has no idea who they are. Angela politely tolerates him and Lilith ignores him. He can see that they don't think of him as their parent.

Mary Sue loves her girls and wants to set up the best futures for them. Subconsciously she associates this meticulous planning with expressing maternal affection. Think: Bree Van Der Kamp. But with the edge and flourish of a political beast. Angela appreciates their mother's efforts and feels obligated to respond with compliance. She doesn't feel stifled *most* of the time since she's been trained for this sort of life. Lilith has a more strained relationship with Mary Sue, and would rather *not* be controlled so much. But she values stability, so she will rebel in a calculated way. Does not actually like her mother but doesn't hate her. Cannot be bothered to fight her all the time so she prefers to ignore her or make herself scarce to avoid confrontation.

Motivations for Agreeing to the Alliance:

Malcom Landgraab:

Business is changing in Pleasantview (and Bluewater Village, by extension). Malcom is losing his edge against competitors because they're all starting to catch up. He needs some way of elevating his public image, and for the first time he considers an emotionally charged approach - after all, who doesn't want to keep supporting the rich CEO with Pleasantview's Sweetheart for a wife? That's why Angela is the perfect public match.

Malcolm says yes simply because it makes sense from a business standpoint. He'll worry about the emotions later, if at all.

Alexander Goth:

Alexander carries the weight of Mortimer’s shadow. He wants to revolutionise the legacy handed down to him without unravelling the centuries of work put into it by the ones before him.

Though utterly repulsed by the *idea* of an arranged marriage, he does see some merit to it. In all honesty he's not completely sold on the idea yet. There's still room to back out. But he wants to see where this goes.

Mary Sue presents Lilith as someone who doesn't *need him*, and this intrigues him. Having seen the disaster that was Dina Caliente and how she nearly ran their family to the ground, Alexander wants an ally not a household enemy. He's preparing to step out of Mortimer’s looming shadow, and Lilith might be the type of partner who won’t interfere with his autonomy.

The reality is that the Goth family, though respected, is on the edge of becoming “ancient news.” Though Alexander doesn't personally care what the public thinks, he feels a greater sense of duty as the heir to do what it takes to sustain their family name. This marriage positions them as forward-facing again.

He agrees, not because he’s convinced of love or out of obedience, but because he senses this could be a turning point. A way to step into his own era.

Angela Pleasant:

Following years after her first real heartbreak, the decision is a shift from romantic idealism to strategic realism. Her motivation is multifaceted and shaped by personal experience, family expectation, and emotional evolution.

It's not that she doesn't see what's happening. Angela has always been close to Mary Sue’s ambition, even if she doesn’t always agree with it. As Pleasantview's Sweetheart, she understands what this marriage does for her family’s legacy and her own future.

When Dustin left for the army, Angela realised that she preferred to be on equal standing with her partner. At least that way he'd be less likely to get intimidated and abandon her. In some ways she felt that's what happened to her parents marriage.

Malcolm Landgraab doesn’t need saving. He’s already everything she was trying to help Dustin become.

She may not *love* Malcolm, but she likes what he represents - control, prestige, certainty. That alone makes this arrangement bearable, maybe even promising.

Lilith Pleasant

There's an underlying desire to break free. Though this arrangement comes as yet another one of their mother's controlling whims, Lilith is choosing to reclaim her sense of agency by viewing it as trading one form of control for the *appearance* of another. She knows Alexander Goth could never, and would not dare to control her.

He offers a kind of neutral zone that lets her explore what she actually wants.

Dirk still lingers like smoke after a fire, clinging to her even when she thinks she’s scrubbed it all clean. She doesn’t think marrying Alexander will erase that. But maybe he'll finally get the message and leave her alone. Deep down, Lilith may still not believe she deserves better.

She agrees not out of submission, but from a hunger to build something of her own in a world that’s already tried to define her.

[spritelysprites]

now that I've had some time to think about the wicked movie, I'm even more confused about the plot and the magic system than I was at first.

so elphaba is the best at magic and she gets to go meet the wizard. how do we know she's good at magic? what are we comparing her to? the teacher didn't do any magic and neither did glinda. obviously neither did the wizard.

(that's leaving aside some other major questions: what makes someone like this teacher able to tell a person's potential for magic? if she's able to tell these things, why did she say no to glinda and why does she serve the wizard? what exactly is she teaching elphaba in these magic lessons? what is it to "make good"?)

I don't know what the rules or limitations of magic are and whether she is working inside or outside those limits. we have no way to know she's good at magic except that the story tells us so. we know she's got a lot of force behind her magic, but I as the viewer have no idea whether that's a good thing or what good/bad magic look like.

and I don't understand what the school is for. is it a magic school? if they're all learning magic, what are elphaba's lessons for and why is glinda so eager to get in? if they're not learning magic, what are they even learning? if shiz is an exclusive private school, sure, it makes sense that people would be eager to get in, but it doesn't make sense that our main characters get to wear totally different things from everyone else's uniform. (for those who say it's to make them stand out: see derry girls, lady bird, heartstopper. we don't have any difficulty making out who we're supposed to be looking at there, and they all include scenes with multiple characters in school uniforms.) if it's because they're so rich and influential they get to disregard the uniform rules, wouldn't everyone at this exclusive private school be doing that?

coming back to the story, elphaba getting to meet the wizard doesn't actually make any narrative sense. she doesn't get the chance to improve at all with her magic by this point. we're told she gets to meet him if she "makes good," but we don't even know what that means, let alone how or when she supposedly did it. I understand that the plot needs it to happen then or else it's less of a wizard of oz prequel and more of a boarding school au fanfiction, but nothing the characters do seems to influence what comes their way (with the exception of glinda's prank with the hat, which makes glinda feel bad and step forward to help elphaba and so they become friends), and the timing of this summons makes no sense. she doesn't get the chance to earn this meeting, she just lucks into it.

that's why the ending didn't have any punch for me. first of all, we all knew the wizard was a fake and elphaba was being set up for disappointment. but mostly, it's because that moment where the rug gets pulled out from under her doesn't actually have any impact. this isn't something she's worked for, and the average viewer doesn't cheer for a protag who takes her first real action at the very end.

(and nobody in the notes had better mention casablanca, because that's a very different situation. the protag is actively choosing non-engagement in the larger crisis of the war and in his personal crises every chance he gets, and so his actions at the end are actually a different kind of choice that show a change in how he views and deals with his problems. elphaba is just kind of standing there through most of the movie. sure, she wants things, but she's not doing anything about it, and she's not even improving at the one thing (magic) which we're told is her strength.)

the only thing that felt earned through the whole movie was the beginning of glinda and elphaba's friendship. but elphaba attending shiz, rooming with glinda, getting magic lessons, meeting fiyero, and getting to meet the wizard all just kind of fell into her lap without her having to take a single action. cynthia erivo gave a good performance, but the writing really let her down there.

I don't know. I can usually ignore a bad plot if it has consistent worldbuilding, or interesting characters, or is just fun to look at visually, but the wicked movie didn't have any of that for me.

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

Moriarty (TNG) as good AI Art

I got to Star Trek The Next Generation season 2's Elementary, Dear Data in my rewatch and I couldn't help but notice how the holodeck actually nicely represents the current state of AI art in its process to create Moriarty.

At first, Data and Geordi ask for a "Sherlock Holmes mystery", so the holodeck simply provides one, verbatim -- Data has obviously already read it, and so he immediately solves it. Geordi is furious and leaves immediately, because Geordi doesn't have great characterization in the show proper, and lives in our heads as a better character.

But the point Geordi tries to make eventually is that this isn't a "real" mystery if Data already knows it, and it goes kind of unspoken that the Holodeck didn't create anything new, it just regurgitated what it has without any remixing or any real reason to go through it again.

Then Pulaski gets involved and tries to prove Data can't really do anything novel -- they ask the Holodeck for an original mystery "in the Holmesian style", and what does it do? It just copies and pastes different portions of Sherlock Holmes novels into the same document, and makes it a "new mystery", while still clearly being just a hackjob made in a hurry with no sense of aesthetics or direction.

While it might have been enough for Geordi or Pulaski, Data is a machine that can recognize patterns much better, and he immediately understands that this is just a combination of patterns he already knows, and once again he immediately solves it because he knows the original mysteries. But this time, Pulaski points out: this is a fraud! This is not what a real story is like! Holmes would never do this, he would actually think about the novel stimuli reaching his brain!

And I think it's really interesting how Data, a fellow machine, cannot immediately tell what Pulaski is saying. Because for Data, aesthetic don't actually make that much sense, at least not in season 2. He can't tell a good story from a bad one made out of different pages of different stories, because for him, it's all about patterns. Just like the Holodeck, Data does think this is good enough, and confronts her about it. I mean, what else is the Holodeck supposed to do other than recombine what already exists?

It's not until Geordi stops asking the computer to make a story and instead asks for the computer to make a character that the plot actually moves forward, because at that point they're dealing with emerging narratives that arise from the fact that Moriarty is now a hyper-intelligent AI that is free to do its own plans, regardless of what Sherlock Holmes story he's from. While Moriarty may be a repetitive character, his new reactions are not, and that's good enough that it becomes a massive problem that threatens the safety of the ship.

Before, when it was being asked to make derivative art, the Holodeck performed exactly to task -- but the result only really worked on people who either 1) did not understand art at a deeper level than the superficial, and 2) did not know the original art that well. The art that it spat out was valid, it was working, it was logically sound and fit together more or less well enough.

Pulaski, however, immediately understood that this result was inferior to the sum of its parts. She respects the character of Sherlock Holmes; she goes on a little explanation about the character's relationship to the human soul and how that's the actual point of the books, as opposed to just the simple puzzle boxes that Data (and, to some extent, the Holodeck) seems to believe they are.

And I just think that's just a poignant take that easily translates to the current state of art and artificial intelligence -- there is actually no value in derivative AI art that simply copies and pastes parts of other pieces of art into one straight line, regardless if it's an image or a story or anything like that. Yes, you can get some praise from people who either don't care or aren't familiar with the originals, but people who are actually into the art form -- the ones who have proven they are invested and are ostensibly the ones you're trying to catch as a steady audience -- will recognize and be bored by the result. There's no rhyme or reason to how a machine adapts a story into another, there's no aesthetic sense that makes it interesting to the human psyche. It's just a fast food version of art that doesn't really do anything for you, and you'll forget it in five minutes. Pulaski is not offended by the attempt, she's positively amused that an AI tried its hardest to make a Sherlock Holmes story, one of the most by-the-books and predictable mystery formats known to British literature, and the best it could do was just copy what's already there.

But when it's just a collection of ideas and vague directions that then go forward on their own, that's different. Moriarty is not an AI creation of the Holodeck -- he was given a push and then allowed to go wherever he wanted. He was not even a proper villain by the end of it; the combination of things Moriarty was resulted in a curious, driven, machiavelic yet ultimately sympathetic man, who just wanted to continue living and creating his own, original story, not based on anyone else's. The Holodeck's greatest achievement wasn't making an original story, it was making someone capable of doing that on their own, without having to refer to anything else.

There are entire Youtube channels right now that make a lot of bank by using these emerging language models to help them tell a story -- DougDoug has dozens of videos of him and his chat going on wild adventures aided by text AI that doesn't actually write a story for them, but instead simply provides direction for them to make their own decisions and their own stories. It's a genuine way to improvise and give the onus of planning to something else, especially when the story isn't the point, but the experience is -- just like the Holodeck!

I'm not saying AI art is eventually going to reach that point by itself, but I do think there's something to be said about just hitting random on a trope generator that gives you, the author, different ideas so you can write a story yourself; or even just rolling the die to see what happens to your characters as opposed to painstakingly arranging your story like a hand-made garden.

Star Trek constantly showcases characters like Data, Moriarty, The Doctor or Zora as more than the sum of their parts, and it's always because they are able to be more than simple reorganization of previously experienced stimuli. They are able to make choices that don't have to happen, but that they want to happen.

Don't get me wrong -- AI Art, as an institution, is corrosive acid and will kill entire industries. But the fact we skipped straight into the hellish capitalist version of that means we never got to fucking play with it. We never got to just use it as a stepping stone or something to unclog the sink when you have writer's block. Instead of going in random adventures with a Moriarty who can actually react and develop something akin to a character, we're getting a thousand offers to buy books that are just combinations of different novels on Amazon, with no way to really filter them out other than our own eyes.

I just wanted to hang out with Moriarty.

[clochanam-archive]

lights, cameras, action! (i'm soooooo curious ; 0 ; )

u should send in "lights, cameras, action!" so i can tell you how ur muse would be introduced in their debut scene in aisling's tv show/movie series (i.e. the build-up, the hints, the music, the little easter eggs) ( ACCEPTING! )

so hope gets properly seen in S1 E13, but we have thirteen episodes of pure easter eggs to set the tone! namely that the bakery is nearby the diner, so they use a lot of their products in terms of bread, croissants, breakfast pastries, like there's a partnership here, yk? in the backgrounds of many diner-focused scenes, people are overheard discussing the bakery, "the owners are absolute sweethearts! what are their names again? christine and faith?" "no, it's crystal and joy." like that kind of thing to get the audience curious, yk? the kids frequently visit the bakery to hang out with friends and enjoy the new delicacies, and tim often expresses a keen interest in applying for a summer job there to learn from hope personally.

however, amidst this lovely idyllic community vibe, there are also frequent news articles and reports on missing people. missing fliers, frequent visits from the police, speculations among the public as to what's going on, always in the background at first, but by around episode 7-11, there's a frequent tone of "be careful", "don't go alone", "text me when you get there", a more firm urgency in the diner and the apartment that implies it's become a priority. in this time, a few implications are made that several people were saved from being abducted by a figure robed in pure light. however, aisling reminds her kids that they can't abandon good sense in the hopes that there'll always be a hero to save them.

by the end of episode thirteen, amidst a mounting plot where the company of v are making it clear that they're not nearly as innocent as they'd claimed, aisling is backed into a corner. this entire time, she's never been seen with hope onscreen, stanley often pleading with her to involve hope in some of the challenges they're facing, but aisling has refused up to now because "hasn't she been through enough?"

but now, she's facing the facts that she can't do it alone. so reluctantly, she sends out word that she's looking to talk to the stellar jay at the start of the episode, and by the end of the episode, she receives a phone call, says absolutely nothing, hangs up the phone, and proceeds to take her jacket and walk to a tiny coffee shop on the outskirts of the city, where she goes upstairs and onto the rooftop to find a hooded figure waiting for her. the camera stays still over aisling's shoulder, and we can hear her talking, apologizing for the urgency, explaining that she has no choice, and that in an ideal world, she wouldn't have been bothering them whatsoever; but things have changed, and she really can't see any other way around this without asking for help that she knows she doesn't have any right to ask for. the camera closes in on the hooded figure, and she turns her head, a small smile curving her lips. a glowing hand lifts to push back her hood, revealing hope's face for the first time in the series.

"you can always ask, ais."

episode fourteen is entirely about how hope became the stellar jay, and it opens with her performing a voiceover: "this is how heroes are made. the hard way."

[boltlightning]

What things have you watched for more Davenport stuff, and what did you think about it?

I'm considering buying a DVD set of Smash, and see if I can watch 10 percent, The Wedding Date and Next of Kin online.

I've already seen Kingsman (not just for him), The Journey of Mary Bryant but have yet to watch The Talented Mr. Ripley.

lmao. the amount of time i have spent on this dude...i'm gonna put this below a cut on the off-chance this won't show up in the tags, but here, in an orderly categorized list, is what i've watched for this dude

i would recommend:

p.irates of the caribbean — lmao

the t.alented mr ripley — this movie is not scary but it is haunting. it will stick with you like carrion to bones. highly recommend

why w.omen kill — he and lucy liu steal the show in season 1, which is very good, and he's the narrator in season 2, which is less good, but still entertaining. this show is so so good. please watch it

the incredible journey of m.ary bryant — it's probably a whole hour longer than it needs to be but everyone is putting their whole hearts into their performances

haven't we met before? this extremely cute commercial with f.elicity jones — it's five minutes long. it's adorable. it's even a little saucy. he's got the smash-era hair without being in smash. very good.

the m.oth 1997 — this was very early in his career and you can really tell, but he is adorable, and the writing itself perfectly embodies that hokey, melodramatic period drama bullshit that i so love

e.roica 2003 — 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 THE 19TH CENTURY FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

i wouldn't recommend, and he's not in them very much, but they're alright:

the m.orning show — check for triggers. he's only in the first season but he's great. and it turns into a soap opera in the second season on and not in a good way

k.ingsmen — justice for my guy. RIP

p.irate radio — b.ill nighy is great in this! jdav is in a gorgeous longcoat. but then there is the misogyny

a u.nited kingdom — gorgeous film, killer cast, oversimplification of history but very good for what it is. jdav leans into the sneering brit archetype so hard it makes you realize he definitely could sound more sinister than he already does, he just rarely drops his voice to the bottom of his register

i wouldn't recommend, but you may like them if you go in with more information:

s.mash — given all the talent on this show, it is baffling that it's so bad. jdav plays a genuinely awful man who is by far the most interesting character in the show, which means every conflict centers around him, and not always in a good way. watch this show to see jdav handsomely draped across furniture serving cunt alongside c.hristian borle and a.njelica houston and m.egan hilty and enjoy some of the the greatest musical performances ever conceived. ignore everything else. it is not worth your brain cells

the w.edding date — maybe the worst romcom i've ever seen? jdav is adorable and playing an atypical idiot. he has more chemistry with the romantic interest then the actual lead, to the point where i thought they'd end up together

f.lashforward — i enjoyed this show and will be thinking about it for a long time. it's a nostalgic 2000s 24-alike, but it won't be for everyone. his character is very sweet, which is a rarity and a boon.

g.uernica — i would rate this movie a c- but jdav's accent in this needs to be heard to be believed. also burn gorman is there. burn my beloved

w.yvern mystery—this one is bad and it doesn't make sense! but he is on a horse for 0.3 seconds :)

you should not watch:

he was in a netflix western set in australia that was so bad i'm not going to bother looking up the name. it is GORGEOUS but you should watch this movie muted and with the captions off and you will inevitably come up with a better plot. listen to a little bit of his accent though.

don't watch smash. please god. don't do it. i know what category i put it in but don't do it. listen to me. i'm begging you.

i have heard good things about w.hy women kill and g.uernica though! and i've been trying to track down the m.oth, they've been on my list forever. definitely let me know about 10 percent, i have no way of finding that as an american lol

july 2024 edit: list has been updated. still haven't tracked down 10 percent <3

[recklessracoon]

I thought I'd share my Saiki K playlist. It's just a bunch of songs I like that I think fit him roughly arranged by where I feel like they fall on his character arc. Justifications for my selections under the cut.

I Am a Rock by Simon & Garfunkel: This song really strikes me as affirmations of a deeply lonely person trying to convince themselves that they're better off this way. A good fit for Saiki at the start of the series when he's closed himself off from other people.

The Beast by Spectacle-P: It's about a someone who's been lonely for so long that they've forgotten how lonely they are being offered love but being too proud and full of fear to accept it. I'd quote some of the translated lyrics but I'd just end up putting most of the song here I think. Please watch the subtitled video on youtube and tell me if don't think this isn't a good fit for Saiki.

Nothing at All: Reminds me of early series Saiki's tirades about how much being a psychic sucks where he just describes the symptoms of depression.

Loveless by Steampianist: Honestly I don't remember why I put this on here. Probably because of the feelings of alienation it conveys and how it seems to be about the ace experience of not being able to experience love in the way that society tells you should.

Are You Satisfied by Marina: I think this ones pretty self-explanatory. If I was better at drawing I'd like to make an animatic about the Saiki brothers using this song.

Star of Show: I'll admit this ones a bit more of a stretch and honestly it's mostly on here because I like listening to it when plotting out my fanfic but also "I'm not a freak/I'm not an act/I'm not a deity's performance!" kind of fits with his issues about how his powers affect people's perception of him.

404 by Pinocchio-P: It's about feeling unable to connect to people and like your true-self will be rejected. I also think the little alien guy in the music video for it looks a lot like Kusuo. I actually forgot how good a fit this was until I went and looked at the lyrics again and yup past me was correct in putting it on this playlist.

A Hundred Years Unresolved: It's lonely sounding and I came to associate it with Saiki because like listening to it when I play the Regentquest segment of See You in the Dark. No deeper reason then that.

Oh No! by Marina: Kusuo is the sort of guy to go "I know exactly what I want and who I want to be." You know, like a liar.

The Chattering Lack of Common Sense: I'm not sure how to explain it but I feel like the theme of falseness that runs through the song fits him. It's also worth mentioning that this song is also on my Kuusuke playlist that I'm not sharing here because it isn't as good and frankly it's kind of shameful that I even have a playlist for that guy.

I Am Not a Robot by Marina: Kusuo is vulnerable and lovable even if he doesn't believe that about himself.

God-ish by Pinocchio-P: I'm not sure how well this one fits because frankly this is one of the Pinocchio-P songs I don't feel like I have as solid a handle on the meaning of. I mostly chose it because of the name and because it seems to be a pretty cynical song.

Fear and Loathing by Marina: "Now I see, I see it for the first time / There is no crime in being kind / Not everyone is out to screw you over / Maybe, yeah just maybe, they just want to get to know you" I feel like this is fairly self-explanatory

arms by Christina Perri: I listened to my Pandora stations for the first time in ages recently (well back in August, apparently), heard this and thought "Kubosai song?!" though frankly it would also work well for Nensai or other Saiki ships or even platonically if you ignore some the more romantic lyrics. Though I think it's best suited to the first two listed. Anyway I think this fits Saiki's relationship issues pretty well.

Soap by The Oh Hellos: It's a very hopeful song about how people need other people and you are not unlovable. So I think you can imagine why I thought it was a good song to end the playlist with.

[babulejka]

⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ matchup trade with @tillichan ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒

your match: Isagi Yoichi ꒰✿´ ꒳ ` ꒱♡

gleamy-eyed glances of admiration. the dumbest jokes ever to be told and silly little giggles. watching studio ghibli movies together. sharing food. softly hummed melodies. wide smiles and shameless, heartfelt laughs. puzzles. accidental touching hands. blushing cheeks and red ears. comfortable silence. daydreaming. forget-me-nots. hugs so tight and warm they make everything feel alright. admiring the view. buzzing excitement after the first kiss. bouquets of wild flowers tied with a ribbon. long walks and holding pinkies. watching sunset after long, but happy day. cool matching outfits. the most beloved plushie. eskimo kisses. the best part of a song. giving the other person scarf when it's cold. memory boxes filled with trinkets. learning flower language.

ah, yes, the protagonist. the heart of gold, the idealist, the shining azurite. the one whom heart you captured so lightly, so easily. his deep blue eyes sparkle with admiration whenever he looks at you.

yoichi will give you a love as sweet and delicate as cotton candy, but also constant and unchanging. he treasures you and wants to give you the world, to prove he's worth you. isagi never was popular with girls, you see. never receiving love confessions nor any chocolates on valentine's day. he tried to pay no mind to it, hoping that one day, when the fame and fortune will come, love will accompany them. and then he met you and everything changed.

his parents adore you. they're friendly and accepting; taking you into the family. there is always nice and homely atmosphere whenever you visit isagi household. all four of you sharing stories over delicious food you've prepared toghether is quite common sight. they are very proud of yoichi that he found himself such good and sweet girlfriend. and of course they love showing you photos of little yoichi or telling you embarassing stories from his childhood. teasing him about your relationship is like a hobby for them, they cannot help it. you're such a classy and smart beauty, you sure you want to date their goofball of a son?

isagi lives for your laugh. the pure joy that fills your sweet voice. it's like sonorous tinkling of wind chimes; the giggle of a fairy. he will do anything to hear it as often as possible. his sense of humour may be a bit silly, though yoichi never fails to bring a smile to your pretty face.

yoichi is similar to you in the plethora of ways; he enjoys going on hours long walks with you, spending time together equals to fun experiences. your relationships brims with child-like joy. he is a romantic at heart, will take you on old fashioned dates, like the ones he'd seen in movies. buying your favourite flavour of ice cream. stroll at the park, shyly holding hands and listening to birds chirping. going to the cinema and the classic yawn and reach trick, wraping his arm around you. talking about your passions for hours and joking around. walking you to your door in the evening hoping for a kiss.

he also like casual spending time together and sharing his hobbies with you! from calm things, like reading manga together, exchanging titles and thoughts about characters and plot, to more dynamic, like trying to teach you how to play soccer. he'd also really like to play with you his favourite football video games! yoichi often draws, although he's not very good at it. he has a lot of little sketches and doodles of you; cartoonish, anime-like, or his poor attempts to realism, always surrounded by little hearts. his perfect weekend is just you and him, doing puzzles or drawing each other and cuddling.

before you came into his life, he used to perform only one ritual to ensure him luck. now with you on his side, his ritual extended. two kisses on each cheek, to "greet luck and victory". yoichi usually convinces you to give him more of them, too much of good luck won't hurt, you know? then shaping his soft dark blue hair on the crown of his head into a nice V. something that used to be the whole ritual now is reduced to being just a part of something bigger, only because he lives for your kisses. finally one peck on the tip of his nose, this one is the quickest because he have to go and win a match.

yoichi is very gentle with you, treating you like you're made of porcelain. every of his touches is delicate. brushing his thumb on your palm. planting little kisses on your knuckles. he finds himself calmed down while holding hands with you. whenever he feels a bit anxious, he subconsciously reaches for your hand, intertwining his fingers with your cold ones. yoichi seems a bit concerned about their low temperature, so he will often take your small hands in his and try to warm them.

he's head over heels for you♡