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augustjoy · 4 days ago

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You’re a star.

Based on the following ask: I was actually thinking of a reader who was training to become an actress and she worked part time at a dinner theatre as a waitress and would fill in for the actors sometimes but Hotch only knows that she's a waitress there and not that she's an understudy bc she forgot to tell him for whatever reason. So one day the team decides to go to the venue for some kind of bonding event and Hotch expects to see the reader as a waitress there but instead gets a surprise when she comes out onto the stage all dressed up in her costume and starts singing. Okie so when researching for this fic I saw that a popular dinner theater is currently showing Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (which was made into a movie in 1957, later redone with Brandy!) …and the music in it is BEAUTIFUL, so I ran with it…that is the show that our lovely reader will be standing in for.

Aaron Hotchner x Aspiring Actress! Fem Reader Fluff Word count: 2122

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED - not edited - please be kind. Requests are open and feedback is welcome if it's constructive!

Warnings: My blog is 18+, minors DNI, unspecified age gap, explicit language, Hotch is in awe of you, proud Hotch, FBI Team bonding, aspiring actress reader, fem reader, singer reader, waitress reader, probably some theater inaccuracies (I was a choir kid y’all, sorry), tooth rotting fluff, BAU team speechless, reader wears makeup, has hair long enough to put up, and wears dresses for the show, reader is described to have a feminine voice, let me know if I missed anything! You are responsible for your own media consumption - if these warnings are triggering or potentially harmful, DO NOT READ.

I do not consent to having my work translated or reposted to any other site. That being said I do not own the characters portrayed in this story.

Broadway had been your dream since you were a little girl. You’d gone to see Wicked, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, and more recently Hamilton and Aladdin. Every time you sat in one of those theater chairs, you vibrated with excitement, you shined with a childlike wonder then, and even still now. You’d begged your mom to put you in singing lessons after seeing your first musical at just 8 years old.

You’d been in choir all through school and theater both in and out of school. Your mom was your biggest cheerleader, always backing you. So, when you told her you were planning on going to college in New York City, she hadn’t been even the slightest bit surprised. She helped you film audition tapes and sent them into every performing arts school you could think of. You’d sent in applications and auditions to Carnegie Mellon, Ithaca, NYU, and Julliard. Any of which would have made you happy, but when your acceptance letters came from Ithaca and NYU, you’d had to make a choice.

NYU had been incredible, you’d met tons of incredible people, had opportunities to do some off-Broadway shows, but you’d yet to have your big break.

Which brings you to now, you recently finished your master’s program, and you were working at a dinner theater. It wasn’t ideal, but this was a place that many people had been found. Even last week your coworker James got offered a role in a Broadway show. They’d told him an audition tape wasn’t needed, that they had seen all they needed to right here.

This job was great, you may be a waitress but getting to sing and perform in front of a crown, to bring them joy, it was everything you’d wanted. The theater had done Newsies last month, which meant not a ton of female cast members were needed, but this month, they’d decided on Cinderella. You had been over the moon, you wanted nothing more than to get a decent role, more than the ensemble, so when you were cast as the fairy godmother you were thrilled…but then you’d noticed you’d also been listed as Cinderella’s understudy.

You couldn’t believe it. Both were great parts, and understudy meant opportunity.

Here’s the thing about being a twenty-something year old living in/near New York City, everyone thinks you’re either some uppity content creator, or they think you are a naive aspiring actor/artist. You’d been a cliché the moment you’d stepped foot into this city, so when you met Aaron, you may have bent the truth just a little.

He knew you went to NYU, and he knew you were a waitress and where you worked…he’d even heard you sing a few times here and there (in the shower mostly). But you may have neglected to tell him about wanting to pursue a career on Broadway. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust him, you just didn’t want to be that girl. You didn’t want to come across as the young dumb girl, broke in New York. Not when you had been asked out by the handsome older man who had a highly successful career.

You and Aaron had been seeing one another for about six months now. You hadn’t gotten to spend that much time together, given that he had to travel so much for work, but that was okay. You knew his work was important, and it didn’t bother you. He’d always made sure you felt loved and like you were the only girl in the world.

It had been about two weeks into the new show, people had been singing your praises as the fairy godmother, telling you how wonderful you were. You were riding on a high, and while you finally wanted to share that with Aaron, they’d been called away on back-to-back cases, and you didn’t think it was an appropriate conversation to have while he was actively hunting serial killers.

So, you’d kept it to yourself…and when Kiera, the girl playing Cinderella got a case of tonsillitis, resulting in her needing a tonsillectomy, you were asked to step in.

“Well, Kiera is out…so looks like you are no longer the understudy. Are you good to go on tomorrow?” The director asked.

“Me?” You pointed at yourself. “I mean, yes. I-I’m ready!”

“Good! Now, go see Sheryl for a costume fitting.”

“Thank you!”

Aaron had been home yesterday when you’d got off work. He texted you telling you they’d caught the guy and were home safe. He’d even called you to talk about your week and how things had been going.

You could tell he was stressed, and you didn’t want to add to that, so you’d let him know work had been busy and that a coworker had called in sick, so you’d been picking up some extra shifts…not a total lie. You would tell him, soon.

You’d been practicing all day, your lines, the songs, with and without your costars. You wanted to be perfect, going out there as the lead. It had kept you so distracted, you’d forgotten to check your phone.

Aaron: Hey sweetheart I hope you are having a great day. I miss you, come over tonight?

Aaron: They are forcing us to have a team outing tonight, the BAU and Cyber Crimes together.

Aaron: Something about team building. It is however at the theater…so hopefully I will see you!

Aaron: I could drive you home tonight, so we can spend some time together. Text me back when you can honey.

He was a little nervous, you were typically good about replying to him, especially around your break…which was typically right about now. Aaron tried to shake the worry from his thoughts, he’d likely see you soon.

“Why do we have to go to this thing?” Emily huffed.

“Team building, I guess.” JJ replied.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad!” Penelope attempted to lighten the mood. “I heard they’re showing Cinderella, so at least it is something we all know!”

The rest of the team joined in the conversation as they entered the theater, waiting to be seated at a table. Aaron was scanning the floor for you, surely you’d be around serving guests…

“Which one is she?” Dave questioned.

“She’s not-I don’t see her.” Aaron whispered back.

“Is she in the show?” Dave asked.

“I don’t think so, she never mentioned being in the shows, only serving.” Aaron shrugged.

The teams were seated, each person handed a menu as well as a program for the show. While they looked over their menus a petite woman walked out onto the stage to provide instructions and expectations for when the show began.

“Please ensure all cellular devices are either off or on silent. When your servers arrive, they will take the entirety of your order now, as well as provide paper and pens for if you are to need additional food or drinks throughout the evening, this is to minimize talking. We will have a fifteen-minute intermission, which you can utilize to check your devices, use the restroom, and place additional orders. The program provided to you withholds the individuals performing in tonight’s show. Please note that our Cinderella has fallen ill, but no need to worry, her amazing understudy has stepped in. Last thing, please enjoy the show!”

Aaron’s gaze scanned over the program, immediately finding your name listed next to Fairy Godmother, shock took over his expression and Dave was quick to notice.

“She’s the fairy godmother.” Aaron said quietly.

“Wait! She’s in the show?” Penelope squealed.

“Did you say she’s the fairy godmother?" Spencer questioned, and when Aaron nodded, he added “Um, she’s listed as Cinderella’s understudy.”

Aaron’s jaw hit the floor. He couldn’t believe that you were the lead. He had heard you sing before and he knew how wonderful your voice was…he also knew that you’d gone to NYU for musical theater, thanks to Penelope. He just wasn’t sure why you hadn’t told him. Work had been keeping him especially busy lately, so maybe he just missed it.

The lights dimmed and places were taken. You’d felt nervous initially, but ultimately you were so excited to be doing this. The cast had begun with the prologue off stage; your first song would be In My Own Little Corner.

Aaron and the team watched in awe. Everything about this production had been incredible, the costumes, the sets, but most notably you and your singing. So far he’d see the maid costume, but truthfully, he was most excited to see you dressed up in the ball gown, he knew you’d look like a vision.

And when transformations began, he was proved right. There on stage you had gone from the milkmaid to a princess, and he was speechless. You looked so beautiful and then when you began singing It’s Possible as your character was making her way to the ball.

The show went on a bit longer before intermission, your character transformed back into the milkmaid, poorly treated by her stepsisters and stepmother.

During intermission you finally checked your phone, you wanted to see if your eyes had deceived you, or if Aaron and his entire team were really here tonight, watching you perform for the first time.

4 New Messages

Aaron: Hey sweetheart I hope you are having a great day. I miss you, come over tonight?

Aaron: They are forcing us to have a team outing tonight, the BAU and Cyber Crimes together.

Aaron: Something about team building. It is however at the theater…so hopefully I will see you!

Aaron: I could drive you home tonight, so we can spend some time together. Text me back when you can honey.

As you read them, another message came in.

Aaron: You are absolutely breathtaking, had I known you were in the show I would’ve brought flowers. I love you, break a leg sweetheart.

You: I’ll explain everything after the show! I love you so much Aar.

People were scrambling, times were being called out, signaling that it was time to take your places. Upon reentry, the first song was your own, one where Cinderella would reminisce on her time spent with the prince.

The song entitled He Was Tall, and while you sang it, Aaron fell in love with you all over again. He could see his teammates glancing over at him throughout the evening all with warmth and understanding of the love he was exuding due to your performance. He just couldn’t help his amazement; you’d had such poise and grace as you floated around the stage. Your voice was that of a princess, there was no other way to describe it, this part had been made for you.

Looking around he could see the way you’d captured the hearts of every patron in the theater. They were all hooked on every word that escaped your lips, completely enraptured. The show continued on through the prince’s pursuit of his lost princess, he’d gone around with the glass slipper and when he found it fit you and only you, the proposal scene began, quickly slipping into the wedding and then the exit.

By the end, Aaron’s eyes were misty, and the room had erupted in cheers, most people had been standing, giving you and the rest of the company a well-deserved round of applause. When it came time for bows, you and the prince had been nudged forward to bow together and the whole room ignited, they had gone wild for your talents…and Aaron couldn’t be more proud.

Finally, the stage cleared, and people sat to finish any remaining food or drinks, but Aaron stood in wait. Hoping you’d come out soon to see him. When he was just about to give up, Dave nodded behind him, signaling someone was there.

Aaron turned to see you, still in your wedding costume, he was stunned.

“Hey Aar.” You smiled.

“Hi sweetheart.” He said, quickly pressing his lips to yours and pulling you into a hug. “You were incredible honey! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You’ve been so busy with work, I just didn’t want to add anything to your plate.” You shrugged.

“This, you, sweetheart, you can tell me these things. This is the stuff I want to know. This is the kind of thing that makes my days better. Have you always been in the shows here?” He asked.

“Not always, mostly ensemble work. This was my first big one.” You began, “I didn’t tell you about the acting because I didn’t want to be another cliché girl in her twenties, moving to New York to pursue acting.”

“You aren’t a cliché honey. You’re a star.”

Hotch Taglist: @bernelflo @pastelpinkflowerlife @just-moondust @khxna @crimesthatnooneaskedfor @juninnyxriddle

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willowpains · 9 months ago

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introducing…

latina actress reader!

mexican to be exact, born and raised. sings and dances, but has decided to focus all her efforts into acting and breaking through Hollywood, fighting closed doors due to her nationality, always with a good attitude and ready to work her ass off to achieve her dreams to be the next it girl and big thing around the world.

she’s…

big hearted. soft. sensitive. hardworking. multilingual. singer. dancer. warm. family girl. fangirl. super friendly. the one that makes everyone feel included. a listener and big yapper around the people she trusts. a bit shy at first. loves a good party. cinephile. tequila lover.

loves…

going out with her friends and fellow costars. traveling back home whenever she can. the beach. taking photos of everyone and everything. speaking spanish in front of people that don’t understand. doing karaoke. her dog. reggaeton. doing tiktok dances. reading romance and fantasy. going to the movies at night. posting photo dumps on instagram. doing pranks. her mexican food. makeup. her alone time.

can’t stand…

horror movies. people that don’t love animals. over bearing and noisy paparazzi and press. liars. smoking and cigarettes. loud chewing. small spaces. rats. not wearing perfume. losing her favorite lip gloss. online spoilers. missing out on stuff. people talking on the movie theater.

wikipedia…

-her first big role outside of her country was as a pogue, with a trope of slow burn enemies to lovers with Drew Starkey’s character, and member of the main friend group in the highly acclaimed Netflix series Outer Banks, still ongoing now with a just released season 4.

-she was casted and is part of the wrapped up and upcoming movie: Wake Up Dead Man, sequel to the famous murder mystery movie Knives Out.

-uploads covers and snippets of originals songs on her YouTube channel, as well as see social media accounts such as TikTok and Instagram.

-had a big role besides actor Jacob Elordi in last years hit project Saltburn, making it one of her biggest movies in her repertoire to this day.

-she was seen attending a Niall Horan concert previously in the year, and was brought up on stage by the artist to sing a duet, as she claimed one of her favorite songs, “You could start a cult” during the show.

-she is rumored to take part in the role of Susan Pevensie in upcoming Narnia Series directed by Greta Gerwig, nothing has been confirmed yet but both the actress and the director have been hinting at it in different interviews and events.

loading more…🎥🎞️🎬🍿

***

I am so freaking excited about this concept that I came up with! I had been wanting to continue writing for drew and this idea just landed on my lap didn’t it? *wink wink*

I have so many plans for this universe with mexican/latina actress reader, from moodboards, blurbs, headcanons, specific scenarios, sooooo so much! if you have any questions, things you wanna request or know about reader please feel free to ask or let me know, you’ll be feeding into my motivation to write more about her and drew and the rest of the obx cast<3

credits and inspiration to all the writers out here that come up with these concepts of ___ reader! if ate up most of them and I think they’re creative and amazing af

about time my writer personality came back, and as always, English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance for any grammar or writing errors there may be!

stay tuned👀

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suplicyy · 1 year ago

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Hii, i saw your requests are open, so i'd like to make one, headcannons. Tsukishima, kuroo and lev timeskip x male reader, it can be gn reader too, where they're dating very famous actor or singer reader, they don't have problem of their partner being famous, but they get jealous some times.

Sorry if i'd made a mistake on my writting, english is not my firts lenguage.

All Eyes On Me

Timeskip!Haikyuu boys x Famous!Reader

— Summary: They date a very well-known actor/singer, who has recently been very successful and consequently receiving more fans, which makes them a little jealous.

— Characters (timeskip!): Tsukishima, Kuroo, Lev.

— Fluff | Male!Reader

Tsukishima Kei

You were the lead singer of a band, but when it split up you decided to pursue a solo career. And sometimes it even seemed to be more famous than when you were in the group, to be honest.

To put it in context, Tsukishima started dating you at the end of your old band, so he was able to see your entire solo career process up close.

During this period you were depressed, because the band members had gone their separate ways due to conflicts between them, so he was the one who supported you and gave you the strength to continue your dream at this moment.

And you are so grateful for all his support at this time, that you even wrote and sang a song especially for him. Every letter, every verse, was all dedicated to him.

And coincidentally this became one of your most famous songs, so much so that it started to go viral again on all social networks. And that was also how people started looking for who had made this divine melody, and came across your ig.

Not only were you a great songwriter, but in addition to having a mesmerizing voice, you were also, in fact, very beautiful. This resulted in a lot of success and, of course, many passionate fans.

With the two of you choosing to reveal your relationship only to those closest to you, most people didn't know you were dating. But Tsukishima was starting to regret not telling the whole world that you were his.

The last straw was when you received flowers from a secret admirer in your studio; and you had even assumed that it was Kei who gave you the gift, but you dismissed your doubts when you asked him about it.

He was very jealous. Of course he didn't admit that to you, but his attitude said completely otherwise. And this was confirmed the day after you received those flowers.

Tsukishima and you generally didn't like to have dates in busy places, due to the fact that you were both introverted and preferred the tranquility of your home, in addition to the fact that you always had fans who recognized you.

Of course you adored all of your fans, but the constant interactions could get tiring from time to time.

Returning to the subject... you went for a walk on a pleasant afternoon to a coffee shop that had recently opened.

What you didn't realize was that a paparazzo had sneaked into the place, sitting at a table further away from the two of you, but still keeping an eye on your actions, waiting for the perfect moment to take an exclusive photo of you on a date with a "stranger".

Perceptive as always, of course Tsukishima noticed the person's presence, but he didn't talk about it with you.

He saw this as the perfect opportunity to give you a sweet but lingering kiss on your lips.

Which gave the photographer images that would yield an entire week of the most talked about topics on social media.

Kuroo Tetsurou

With the release of a new album after 3 years on hiatus, the group you are part of has become one of the most popular today.

And with the emergence of new songs, you were one of the members who gained many fans in the process.

During the period when the group was inactive, you met Kuroo through mutual friends, and it was almost like love at first sight.

In less than a month you were already dating, but you only revealed it to your social circle, which means the rest of the world had no idea you were in a relationship.

So of course Kuroo would be jealous to see so many fans talking about how attractive you are, or how a TV presenter blatantly hit on you in the middle of the recording.

But of course you never paid attention to that, you only have eyes for your only love (which is clearly him), and you made a point of making that clear to him every day.

Even though you assured him that everything was fine, he still felt slightly jealous.

But he promised himself that one day the entire Galaxy would know that you were his, and of course, that he was all yours.

One day, you and your group were invited to participate in an exclusive interview with a renowned reporter.

She was well known for liking to talk about her interviewee's personal life, so of course you wouldn't be able to escape all the questions she would give you.

But you weren't worried at all, it seemed more like you were confident.

"So [Name]... a lot of your fans always wonder if you're in a relationship since you're pretty private, so it seems like they're curious about it!" "Oh yes, I don't really like exposing my personal life, you know, I've always been known for being the more closed type." you say in a polite tone, which makes the reporter laugh slightly at your response.

"Well... so does that mean you're already committed? Or maybe you're looking for romance?" you laugh a little embarrassed at his question, but soon compose yourself with a proud expression on your face.

"Actually..."

You show your hand to the reporter, then point to the golden wedding ring lightly hugging your ring finger.

At that moment, everyone knew that you were already committed, but many didn't know that your beloved was none other than Kuroo Tetsurou.

Lev Haiba

You are an actor who recently completed a triology of a very famous action film.

Your great acting mixed with your appearance worthy of a Renaissance painting helped you to win the role of antagonist in the movie.

Furthermore, it was in this environment that you managed to meet Lev, the love of your life who has been with you for 2 happy years.

You were once asked to participate in a photo shoot along with several famous actors and models, which included Lev and his sister.

That day you struck up a conversation and discovered many things in common, and in the end, Alisa encouraged the tallest one to ask for your number, which you immediately agreed to.

Everyone was already aware about your relationship, as Lev once accidentally told about you in an interview.

But it's not like you were worried about what would happen due to the revelation, you loved him too much and would do anything to stay by his side, and he thinks the same.

Even though everyone respects your relationship and the two of you live a peaceful life together, Lev still can't contain his jealousy, especially given the current situation.

Due to your angelic appearance, you were called to be a protagonist of a romance film. The actress who would be your romantic pair in the movie was also very handsome, and some people on the internet who were oblivious about your relationship with Lev assumed that the two of you were attracted to each other.

You really wanted to deny the rumors, because you were completely faithful to your loved one, but the film's management told you to wait until the recordings were finished, so as not to cause a scandal.

He knew you loved him, but seeing other people say things they didn't know about you made him sulk all day.

But then he had an idea.

You were called at the last minute to take part in a photo shoot for a men's fashion magazine.

You were aware that you would have to take photos with someone else, but at no point was it revealed to you who that person would be. But when you saw a familiar silver hair peeking out over the curtain that clearly couldn't hide his bizarre height, you knew exactly who it was.

Even after doing the photo shoot and it was coincidentally released a week after that rumor that you were dating the other actress, he still confesses with a straight face that he begged the magazine to allow you to participate in the photo shoot with him.

And he also shamelessly asked for a photo of the two of you to be placed on the cover of the magazine.

— A/N: Apologies again for the delay!!! Some urgent things happened here at home and I needed to reserve most of my time to resolve them, so I ran out of time to finish writing this😓

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu oneshot #hq x reader #hq #hq fluff #haikyuu x male reader #tsukishima kei x reader #tsukishima x reader #tsukishima kei #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo tetsurou x reader #kuroo x reader #lev haiba x reader #lev haiba #lev x reader

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steppingonyourshadow · 6 days ago

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Lee watches Legend of Zang Hai: Episodes 1-10

Decided to clean up and post my commentary thread here for easier reading.

Plot, language, culture, history, Chinese TV and novel tropes, and general commentary.

Episode 1

Man, I kind of can't believe it's actually here? And it looks so good?

You can tell by the mode of dress etc that this is an alternate history Ming dynasty.

The Ming dynasty ruled from 1368 to 1644 (Elizabeth I died in 1603, if that helps you situate yourself). It was a time of great flourishing of the arts and literature but fewer advancements in science.

The nation of Dong Xia/冬夏 is an invention of the Lost Tomb franchise. There was a real East (also Dong) Xia but it was destroyed by the Mongols long before the Ming dynasty.

On a less scholarly note the child actors are all absolutely adorable.

Kuai Duo's job is 钦天监监正 - basically, the imperial astronomer. It was an important, extremely politically sensitive role (and we'll talk about why later) but not a super highly ranked one.

Think of it as architect, astrologer and astronomer all in one.

Our protagonist says his dad Kuai Duo is an expert at 堪舆 (kanyu), a term we're gonna come across a lot.

Kanyu (Chinese geomancy) is the proper term for what is now popularly called fengshui - a combination of philosophy, astrology, geography and anthropology.

So funny to me that baby Zhi Nu (Nu is a suffix for child names, which is why both kids' names have it) is already digging tunnels what with his character being based on a Lost Tomb legend who would go on to make a lot of them.

Zhi Nu/Zang Hai's parents are played brilliantly by a duo who really look like they could be Xiao Zhan's parents, the Hong Kong actor and singer Wallace Chung and the Taiwanese actress and singer Michelle Chen.

Michelle previously encountered Xiao Zhan during his survival show days.

In an episode full of horrifying, tragic moments I think I was most struck by Gou Li's decision to impersonate Zhi Nu (and therefore die for him).

What a well-shot, well-made, amazingly acted episode.

Episode 2

The selection that the masked man recites to Zhi Nu is from the poem 即事 by the Song dynasty poet and philosopher 王安石. It's about how small our lives are in the grand scheme of creation.

1) Masked Man is so sus. He's so clearly pushing Zhi Nu along this path for his own reasons.

2) The cosmetic surgery scene depicts real techniques and tools from traditional Chinese medicine.

Oh before I go on, I should say that if you came into this expecting straightforward good and evil instead of complex people, you're watching the wrong show.

Everyone in China knows Zheng Xiaolong, he's made so many classic shows and he's known for portraying complex humanity.

Kuai Duo was (and Zhi Nu is) an expert in building with 榫卯 (Mortise-and-tenon), a construction technique first used in China during the Neolithic period, in which wood components were made to interlock with perfect fit, without using screws or glue.

The death puzzle is solved by Zhi Nu using a poem by a 易学 (literally the study of changes) scholar.

易学 derives from I Ching (the Book of Changes) and is the study of philosophy, science, divination and meteorology from a Chinese worldview.

We talked about kanyu before and how it's geography and architecture and astronomy.

Not sure how they're translating the other thing Zhi Nu is learning but it's basically how to win friends and influence people (con artistry, except sometimes you're not lying).

The scene with Liu Chu is really interesting because (spoilers) it turns out Zang Hai is a natural at manipulating others' feelings, as she says.

But he's also inherently a little impulsive, as she also points out.

The puzzle scene is incredible. Our boy is so fucked up. The fact that he recites the massacre of his family so calmly and with a smile just makes it even more fucked up.

Zang Hai's making a murder list, he's checking it twice, he already knows they're all terrible motherfuckers.

Episode 3

One thing I have to commend this show for is that all the actors feel like they belong in this era. No one has overly modern posture/affect/speech (a very common problem with idol dramas that always takes me out).

Xing Dou quotes from the Song dynasty poem 晏殊: "觥船一棹百分空。何处不相逢" - no need to be sorrowful at parting, we could always meet again elsewhere.

Which is certainly interesting in context.

The fireworks are 药发木偶, an art form originating in the Song dynasty in which artisans made puppets of popular characters and installed fireworks to make them dance. They were used for celebrations.

The beautiful screen here is actually a hand-carved lantern - another traditional art form.

I love how much Zang Hai has going on behind his eyes at all times.

Let's be real, Xiang Antu is letting him off easy not only because she wants to fuck with him but also because she thinks he's cute.

Shadow plays have their own English wiki entry.

The use of instruments to change one's voice to suit the role like Ba-gongzi does here is a part of the tradition.

The play is a convenient recap of the political situation - a heir-less emperor, and two of the political powers (the Marquis and Cao-gonggong with his secret police).

Eunuchs could be very powerful during the Ming dynasty.

The Emperor is the child of the Dowager Noble Consort and of course he wants his mother to remain buried with the previous emperor rather than have her dug up and the Dowager Empress put in to replace her as tradition demands (because the Dowager Empress was the wife).

See, what was Liu Chu saying last ep about not being taken in by a friendly face?

I love that Zang Hai can't fight and is even a little clumsy. Pure guile protag (I was going to say hero but that word is so loaded in English).

From this ep you may have seen that kanyu fengshui is not just decisions about buildings. It's actually mostly politics.

We're going to return to this idea.

Three things about Zang Hai:

1) man loves to smile humbly head bowed at someone he wants to murder

2) he's learned the best way to avoid being fooled is to fool everyone else

3) that self-destructive, reckless streak is a mile wide.

Zang Hai figures out that the solution to the tomb is contained in phrases from 滴天髓, a famous divination text

Two things about the Marquis (fandom calls him by his title Lord/Duke Pingjin):

- clearly very sensitive to any implication that he's past it, that retainer was very silly

- note him saying his residence would burn down if he left it to Chu-daren.

Episode 4

Did you see how he gave himself barely a second to grieve and rage?

(Insert kitten thinks only of murder meme here.)

Zang Hai only had a second to feel emotions because he then immediately had to put on his most harmless smol bean facade, down to bowing his back like a peasant awed to be surrounded by power and wealth. Someone who knows his place.

This first meeting is electric, my god.

I said before that kanyu is politics. The issue here is that none of the other fengshui masters managed to 1) come up with the correct political solution that suited the Emperor and 2) give a convincing explanation for it that suited tradition and the rules.

Zang Hai saw that he needed to offer a story and a solution that would accomplish two things:

1) allow the burial to proceed (so appeasing broadly held values) in a way that doesn't degrade the Emperor's own mother

2) kept powerful regional lords from coming to the capital.

The spirits stuff is all politics and everyone knows it's politics but it needs to have a justification that makes it sound like it's from on high.

This is the kind of ambiguity that you have to get very comfortable with in traditional and modern Chinese culture.

This scene is so tense I barely breathed. Masterful direction and performances all around.

One thing folks keep commenting on is how unique Zang Hai is as a protagonist - and one of those traits is his willingness to be totally shamelessly obsequious when it helps him.

Did you notice the big clock outside during the scene where they're waiting for noon?

Sundials have been in use in China for telling time since the Han dynasty.

Zang Hai references my OG historical blorbo Zhuge Liang's famous "with deference and prudence, to the state of one's depletion, until one's death" (鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已) in trying to pledge himself to the Marquis.

Except of course he's on his knees begging his enemy to take him on.

Zang Hai is also unique as a protag in this genre because as netizens say he's "绿茶" and "毒蛇" (green tea bitch and venomous snake).

Green tea (bitch can be omitted) means to act harmless and sweet in order to manipulate people, which is what he's doing here with the Marquis.

His fundamental sense of justice can be seen in how he saved the child and tried to get his fellow tomb sufferers a burial.

But he's not your conventional heroic morally pure protagonist in the Western sense.

The production actually built the Marquis' residence using period appropriate construction techniques. It took six months. The design was in part based on the Song dynasty painting 七夕乞巧图.

Zang Hai has managed to get himself a role as a 幕僚 to the Marquis, but what is that? The modern equivalent is basically a military general's staff, in ancient terms a strategist, advisor or aide.

Zang Hai was able to pull off his performance at the tomb because he noticed that the Imperial Observatory (responsible for burials) had become so corrupt that they'd dared to use substandard construction and materials on the Emperor's tomb, leading to it not being watertight.

The way the Three Stooges discuss Zang Hai is so slimy, full of insinuation about his youth. The truth is that they're incredibly bothered and threatened by his mere existence, as they ought to be.

(Two of them are playing Chinese chess.)

Zang Hai things:

1) He looks so good in that retainer's uniform.

2) Thank god he's so wily and such a good actor. Having to deal with the petty jealousy and bullying of Yang Zhen must be infuriating.

3) You can kind of see him plotting murder behind those eyes, can't you.

Episode 5

Oh god what a tense episode.

A note about forms of address. Before Zang Hai's employment by the Marquis, he uses 草民 to refer to himself in front of the powerful, basically "this peasant".

Once he's employed, he switches to 小的 or 小人 ("this insignificant one").

The secret basement room has a super special lock (see the 士 character on it? That means it's an anti-theft lock with a very specialised key).

This is a hilarious second meet cute between Zang Hai and Zhuang Zhixing, two sneaks sneaking around, one of them much better at it than the other.

Zang Hai cannot resist giving Zhuang Zhixing attitude even while keeping his humble obsequious smol bean act up, hahaha.

Zang Hai's enormously clever long distance romancing of the Marquis works because no man, no matter how powerful or cruel, can resist the allure of someone who knows them.

And of course Zang Hai knows him entirely, he's spent years studying him in order to kill him.

The Three Stooges know that Zang Hai's smol bean act is just an act, but that's fine - they're meant to To them, he's cosplaying a clever boy desperate for advancement and willing to abase himself for it.

What they don't know is how far he's willing to go.

This conversation between Zhuang Zhixing and Antu about the Marquis' spoils of war from Dong Xia is a heavy hint as to her secret identity.

Dying that Zhuang Zhixing has been taking dad's spoils to fund his lifestyle and owes like 300x Zang Hai's monthly salary to Pillow Pavilion.

The worst party of all time:

1) the way this show builds tension is incredible.

2) Zang Hai is playing smol bean and thinking about murder again

3) lord this show is brutal. Thank god for Antu.

One of the common themes in the work of Zheng Xiaolong is the fundamental injustice of feudal society. Look how cheap the lives of common people are to those with even a little power like the Three Stooges.

Zang Hai is himself one of the common people, of course. That's why his situation is so precarious. He doesn't have any kind of protagonist halo keeping him out of the clutches of the powerful.

And again we see his compassion and sense of justice come to the fore.

Another thing that sets him apart:

He spends about 2 seconds raging about the injustice and then gets down to solving the immediate problem. Plotting murder is for the long term.

The retainers trying to get face time in front of the Marquis despite Yang Zhen's obstruction reminds me strongly of an Emperor's harem vying for any scrap of his attention (which is of course the subject of director Zheng Xiaolong's most famous work, Legend of Zhen Huan).

One more thing aboth the terrible party - we all get why Zang Hai said no to the girl right? Not because he has some kind of sexual purity thing going on, or a need to maintain a reputation, but because he can't let himself be owned by Yang Zhen.

Love this bath scene, so much to unpack:

- Zang Hai going from obsequious smile to looking at Zhuang Zhixing like he's a dumbass as soon as his back is turned

- how incredibly sinister Zang Hai seems particularly toward the end - that smile!

Zhuang Zhixing asking Zang Hai to bathe with him might have the air of a rich frivolous gongzi flirting with a cute servant if not for Zang Hai's scary scheming face (especially with that "why do you keep asking about my father" exchange)

Zhuang Zhixing with a "let them eat cake" moment - as Zang Hai says, of course Zhuang Zhixing can afford to look down on those who need to spend their days eking out a living. He doesn't have to worry about any of that.

A final note about the poor singing girl. Her song is in a folk style called 挂枝儿 and the song is called 蜻蜓 (Dragonfly).

The lyrics are flirty (appropriate for a sexy party), common (because the Three Stooges have common taste) and a warning to Zang Hai that he can't escape.

Episode 6

Yang Zhen's idea isn't that bad except for the part where it's a trap to kill Zang Hai.

The idea of one's 八字 came up a lot in this episode.

Your 八字 is determined by your birth year, month, day and hour. Chinese folks believed it could tell you whether two people were compatible, and what someone was best suited for.

Zang Hai very calmly telling Gao Ming that the Three Stooges definitely plan to make him a human sacrifice and sounding amused about it is pretty fucked up.

Also fucked up to be building your own burial chamber.

We're gonna return to this idea many times so I'll just flag it for now - Zang Hai pretends that he fears death when he wants someone to think so but he really doesn't.

Because in his head, he's already dead. He's a vengeful ghost come to claim his due.

One of my favourite Zang Hais is when he's Just Asking Questions, all innocent (knowing that what he's asking is a deadly secret).

Xiao Zhan is so good at playing very smart people.

The device in the flashback is an armillary sphere - an astronomical device invented in 4th century BC.

This one in particular is a copy of a sphere invented in the Yuan dynasty which was, fun fact, melted down for scraps by a German missionary in the Qing dynasty.

Really enjoyed Zang Hai's guide to proper tomb construction (again, linking to something fans of the Tomb franchise would know about the original character of Wang Zanghai).

They're making 三合土 (tabia) - a real ancient Chinese construction material made from clay, lime and sand.

Zhuang Zhifu is your classic fuerdai - dad got him his cushy job and he can't even do it without doing a corruption and getting in trouble.

Even as thick as he is, he still managed to recognise that his dad is already a bit fond of Zang Hai.

Poor Zang Hai having to pretend he doesn't know who his own father is.

Loved "I'm not working for him, I'm working for me".

Using sticks to tell fortune in China dates back to the Jin dynasty and is still practiced in temples today.

Gao Ming quotes from the classic divination text the Book of Changes.

(You can tell Gao Ming taught Zang Hai how to lie, he's great at this.)

One thing that really sets this show apart is that not only is Zang Hai starting from a position of total powerlessness, his enemies are extremely powerful *and* pretty clever. So his plotting needs to be even more intricate to fool them.

These poor folks "volunteering" to be buried as a human sacrifice so they can save their families.

And then Zang Hai just smiling a little like he's thinking "these lowlifes are so predictable".

Episode 7

We start with some classic bullshitting about the will of heaven from Chu-daren.

Everyone knows what he's actually happening but there's nothing to be gained from pointing it out. Same with the "volunteers" for human sacrifice.

Corruption is so rife in Great Yong that officials take a cut from even the money used to compensate the families of the human sacrifices.

Here Zang Hai refers to himself as 卑职 (this humble official), a form of address used by those of lower rank toward those of higher rank.

Chu-daren is his boss. Zang Hai's path to advancement is through murdering all his immediate superiors.

Fans have been posting about how this show really exposes the fantasy of transmigrating to the past and being able to do well with "modern smarts" as just that - a fantasy out of step with the harshness and unfairness of feudal society.

There's a colloquial Chinese phrase which is roughly "if you want to look pretty, wear mourning colours" (wearing very plain colours complements and elevates true beauty).

Imperial Chinese government officials were classified into a 9 rank system. Every single thing about their treatment was strictly in accordance with their rank.

The Marquis is the first ranked military official in the country.

Loved Zang Hai's speech about how we can't wait for posterity to improve the world, we have to do it ourselves.

These men are all going to die anyway but they still have something to fear - the worst crimes were punished with death of one's entire clan.

Zang Hai came prepared, of course, but his enemies have done the same.

I genuinely gasped when the trap mechanism activated.

"Get up, we're going home" really got me.

Zang Hai definitely should murder every single one of these scumbags.

God the scene with Ji-bobo (Uncle Ji) is so moving and well acted.

Lovely to tell him to live well but how can he when he's living on knives and murderous intent?

The shot of Zang Hai wiping blood onto his face ("sealing tears with blood") is incredible. Such a great idea.

Having Gao Ming make the Marquis think that Zang Hai is his lucky totem is so smart, I love it.

They're all so scared when he walks out of the royal tomb, like he's a ghost. And he is.

I love that Zang Hai not only plotted to come out of this alive but also to take down Yang Zhen at the same time, and he's clearly been planning all this ever since the birthday party from hell. Incredible.

Zang Hai uses the will of heaven and the well established rules governing imperial burials to apply pressure to not just the Marquis but the entire body of governing officials masterfully.

The Marquis correctly perceives that Zang Hai isn't afraid to die.

The Marquis immediately abandoning Yang Zhen and even tricking him into walking into the tomb is very funny and in character. Of course he's going to trade you in for a younger model, dude.

Love Zang Hai's facial expressions throughout this scene. Xiao Zhan has never looked better.

Xiao Zhan said that when he first read the script he was already picturing how he'd play this scene and you can really see why. It's amazing and he does an amazing job with it.

Episode 8

The one with the famous carriage scene.

The thing is this is kind of a rigged game. If the Marquis had really made up his mind to kill Zang Hai, he would not be in this carriage. He's in the carriage because the Marquis finds him amusing and wants to give him a chance.

Zang Hai's performance (not Xiao Zhan's, the character's) here is very interesting. He has the Marquis' number and has calibrated this persona to appeal to him.

Let's call this persona smol bean white lotus Zang Hai - a docile, clever boy with nothing to his name, eager to advance.

I almost choked at Zang Hai's line about wanting to serve the Marquis with an unsullied/pure name.

Along with Zang Hai's delivery and the way the scene is shot, the subtext here is uh, rich. And will only get more so as the episode goes on.

The other thing Zang Hai is counting on is that the Marquis knows his underlings are a problem.

Zang Hai isn't just trying to save his own life, he's laying the groundwork for murder number two by making a paranoid man question his underling's loyalty.

Huang Jue's performance here is also really interesting because although his words are severe, it's crystal clear from body language and his face that he likes what Zang Hai has to say (especially the seemingly sincere praise for his abilities and achievements).

"My life is in the Marquis' hands" is such a clever thing to say in this moment.

The Marquis does enjoy resting his sword on Zang Hai's neck, doesn't he.

Qu Jiao, dude, don't you know questioning the Marquis' ability to command Zang Hai is like questioning his masculinity. Doing it in front of Zang Hai is even worse.

(More seriously this is Zang Hai's scheme of turning the Marquis against Qu Jiao working.)

I spent a lot of text on this scene but you gotta understand it was so viral and resulted in so many memes.

This one compares Zang Hai's poor little meow meow act to a famous scene from a Korean show.

Also I laugh at the green tea way Zang Hai looks at Qu Jiao here every time.

Nepo baby dummy Zhuang Zhifu isn't smart enough to perceive that his father wants Zang Hai around but his smartest moment might be perceiving the danger.

Again I almost choked laughing at his suggestion of marking up Zang Hai's face, like we're in a palace intrigue drama.

At this point there's really no suspense to the decision to kill Qu Jiao, at least once you've seen the look on the Marquis' face at Zhuang Zhifu's suggestion. Zang Hai isn't surprised either.

Notice how he doesn't sleep though :(

This next sequence can be read on a few levels if you're familiar with palace/household intrigue tropes (like the Chinese audience would be).

Consider what we're shown of Zang Hai's sudden elevation:

1) the Marquis has given him rooms next to his own, in the inner courtyard.

2) all the gifts.

3) the retainer pointing out that even when Yang Zhen was in favour, he never got this treatment.

4) getting to eat with the Marquis' family.

5) the Marquis offering to let all the other aides go and only use Zang Hai.

The text layer is that he's being treated as a very favoured courier.

The subtext layer is how this feels like the entry of a new, highly favoured wife into a household/palace.

(Reminder that the director of this show directed the most famous palace intrigue drama of them all.

Folks see parallels between the relationship of the Emperor and Zhen Huan in Legend of Zhen Huan vs Zang Hai and the Marquis.)

Of course, the warlord/favoured strategist relationship is also traditionally very charged and intimate. See Sun Ce/Zhou Yu, Liu Bei/Zhuge Liang.

Zang Hai gets into character immediately, promising undying dedication and service and saying he's the Marquis' man (can also be translated as "this insignificant one belongs to the Marquis").

To which I can only quote this genius RedNote post:

"Marquis, when a perfectly suited person appears who shares all your interests, gives extremely strong emotional support and meets your every need, don't doubt, it's just a pig slaughtering scam designed specifically for you."

This wordless scene with Chu Huaiming is so good. Next on the murder list and I think he knows it, now that the other two Stooges are gone.

The Marquis knows that Zang Hai is ambitious and even dangerous but he's confident that he can handle it, that Zang Hai can be tamed for his use and his family's use.

The way Antu forces Zang Hai into this meeting is so funny. I love their scenes together. Zang Hai clearly enjoys fucking with her and she's into it too.

The way his posture changes when he decides to drop the act.

Some culture stuff:

The drawings are 界画 (boundary drawings), a form of traditional Chinese art featuring detailed renderings of architecture.

The painting in the background of Zang Hai's quarters is Hundred Cranes from Lu Ji, from the Ming dynasty.

The quarters chosen by the Marquis for Zang Hai are called 飞鸿印雪, from a poem by the great Song dynasty poet, writer and early food blogger Su Dongpo.

It depicts the faint, temporary marks left by the feet of waterfowl in snow. Zang Hai shows as much of himself as those steps.

Episode 9

AKA "in Great Yong all the domineering CEOs want me"

Antu really is bringing the domineering CEO energy - saying the Marquis sure is lucky to have Zang Hai and that anything the Marquis could give Zang Hai, she could too.

Antu to Zang Hai:

(Meme explanation.)

Antu is only saying out loud what everyone else is wondering - how has this very young man who came from nothing managed to rise so quickly? What kind of methods might he have employed?

(The actual answer is murder, of course.)

Zang Hai puts on a different act for Antu - an ambitious striver dazzled by the prospect of power and making a name for himself.

Antu's agenda is pretty obvious too. She doesn't want the Marquis to regain military power and threaten Great Yong's neighbours again.

It's not easy to be the man closest to the one in power. There's an idiom 伴君如伴虎 (to accompany the king is like living with a tiger). Keeping the favour of a tyrannical, mercurial man isn't easy, particularly with so many gunning for you or trying to get something from you.

All sorts of people will be trying to butter him up for access to the Marquis because it's clear that he's the flavour of the month and may well have influence over the Marquis. But there's no such thing as a free lunch.

This show portrays the complexity of corruption and bribery and how it can become formalised.

Zang Hai brilliantly turns the potential massive liability into another way to score points with the Marquis, by helping improve his reputation.

Zang Hai apologises for acting without prior authority but he knows the Marquis will be happy and you only have to look at the Marquis' face to see he's right.

Again he emphasises his awareness that he's the Marquis' man and his actions reflect on his master.

Again: everyone likes an underling who anticipates their every need and constantly thinks of the best thing for them.

The Marquis' affection toward Zang Hai is that of the powerful toward something in their power that they can give treats to for good behaviour. Like a pet. But free access to his private sanctum is a pretty big gift.

Zang Hai's clothing and guan have gotten much nicer too.

Aw, Antu and Ba-gongzi are cute.

The use of children's rhymes to spend rumours or influence the discourse was very common back in the day.

In this case the rhyme is even correct.

(In the original script Wang Zanghai was plagued by rumours of having obtained his position by seduction. Not a joke.)

Zang Hai's face at the concept of apologising to Antu, haha.

Have you noticed that his actual personality isn't deferential at all, it's actually impatient, kind of bratty and even mean at times (while being fundamentally sentimental and moral)?

Oh now this is a dilemma, the poison is an obvious trap but...

Christ, this trauma train. He was having a decent run pretending to be a living person and now the vengeful ghost is back in charge. And he can't even do proper rites for his parents yet.

Oh right, *this* scene.

Look, I'm sure that's not the first person to want to wear that face.

Zang Hai getting them to take his shirt off by saying "actually you need more than my face" is very funny also.

Zang Hai's physical attempts to get out of danger are always so action movie female lead coded - he's allowed to do smart things like cut the rope but he's very easily overpowered and can never get out of danger by himself without using guile.

Oh wow, it's the other aide. I forgot about him. I also forgot Guan Feng got told to go into the hills!

This is so lovely for Zang Hai. He's no longer alone. There's someone else on this path with him.

Episode 10

AKA the one with ethical archaeology and such a tense scene I almost couldn't watch

(Also, big fan of these robes.)

Kuai Duo teaching his son to preserve tombs and respect the dead and also murder tomb raiders is also a fun reference to Lost Tomb Wang Zanghai making all those tombs with extensive defences.

Pay attention to the story of Liu Xian and his shifu. I suspect it's going to be very relevant to Zang Hai's own story, quite aside to the tomb's plot relevance.

衡 is an interesting character to use to encompass the virtues of the ideal Confucian - it means balance.

There's a sort of unreality to Zang Hai saying they'll succeed and all run away to somewhere nice where no one knows them. He doesn't even really believe it himself.

Zang Hai being in charge of rites for the Marquis' parents must make him even more furious - the Marquis' parents get to enjoy worship and offerings from their descendants, while his own parents had their bodies desecrated and don't even have their proper resting place.

His father didn't want his craft to be used to kill. But his father is dead. Zang Hai cannot be the ideal gentleman his father wanted him to be.

I don't think I breathed during this scene with Zang Hai's doctored incense.

But as netizens say, the moment Zang Hai starts begging for mercy with wet eyes you know he's gonna be fine.

The thing about men like the Marquis is that them liking you doesn't mean they trust you. In fact if they feel especially drawn to someone, that'll just make them more suspicious, particularly if that person is very clever. They'll also turn on a dime at any moment.

So the Marquis' feelings are genuine - like Huang Jue said, he probably wishes someone so good looking, capable and talented was part of his family.

And his treatment of Zang Hai is genuine. But that doesn't mean Zang Hai is ever out of danger.

By the time he goes to see the Marquis, Zang Hai has fully recalibrated and is thinking rationally again.

Being a frightened little flower in need of protection works for the Marquis. Like Huang Jue said, the Marquis is into the green tea routine but only if it's from Zang Hai.

What kind of flex is "uncountable number of people want to kill me", Zhuang Luyin?

He calls Zang Hai his 心腹 - confidant (literally "vital organs").

The Ming dynasty was plagued by powerful eunuchs who were effectively rulers. The character of Cao Jingxian was probably based on Ming dynasty eunuch Wei Zhongxian, the most infamous eunuch in Chinese history, whose power rivalled that of the Emperor.

Every time we see a glimpse of Zang Hai under his masks it's just knives and rage and screaming.

The only thing keeping him tethered to life is revenge and that's a pretty horrible state to be in.

#legend of zang hai #xiao zhan #lee watches zhz

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liberalk1tsch · 3 months ago

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mom come pick me up there’s racists in my comment section

so actually i DONT have a problem with black representation in media cos im not a raging racist (and blackwashing is such a disgusting and inaccurate term).

i’ll admit — i’m like the least qualified person to be discussing racial injustices. i’m a scandinavian white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. but that’s exactly why i can speak to the fact that i don’t need anymore representation in media.

i’m privileged.

from the time i was a kid, i’ve seen myself everywhere. from the books i read, to the series and films i watched, to the toys i played with, i see my demographic in everything.

annabeth chase (prior to disney’s adaptation). luna lovegood*. madge undersee. tris prior. feyre archeron. y/n in every 2014 fanfic. britney. gaga. kesha. avril. hannah montana (and lily). jo harvelle. sam puckett. aurora. rapunzel. elsa. barbie. polly pockets. groovy girls. to name a few.

i never struggled to find someone or something that looked like me.

but i have dear friends who did.

i wont pretend to know their experience, because i know i never will, but to act like i’m losing something by uplifting others who haven’t had the same privileges as me is utterly ridiculous. i have more than enough. wanting the same representation for poc isn’t «blackwashing», it’s wanting people who look differently from me to have beloved characters and singers and toys who look like them too. where they can see someone who looks like them as the heroic mc, not just the one dimensional side character who gets killed off first. where the media is representative of real world diversity as opposed to conceding to one «token» poc in an attempt to appease their audience whilst still catering to the whiteness of people like me.

the identity of every single one of those characters i mentioned would not be diminished by making them poc; if anything, it would be only add to it. the opposite isn’t true, and that’s the big difference — white people stealing poc representation actively diminishes the nuances of that particular character’s identity and erases the dynamics that have shaped their lives.

in this particular case, having a white haymitch erases the racial divide in thg. the actor has merchant class characteristics to play a working class impoverished brown kid, and while this is nothing against the actor or his appearance, it is taking away representation from some poc kid out there who saw themselves in the books, only for a casting director to decide it’s easier to double down on film continuity rather than accurate representation.

because white people are so lacking of representation, obviously. 🙄

i’m gonna shut up now cos i know this is about as far as i can go without sounding like im trying to speak over poc voices, but. yeah. this really pmo and if you think «blackwashing» is a genuine problem, please block me. and if you’re poc and i got smth wrong/phrased weird, pls lmk. i want to be corrected.

*obviously i hate jkr and think she’s a god awful bigot who deserves to burn in hell, but i did grow up on hp. luna was also one of the only characters not dripping in racial stereotypes, but that’s a whole other story😖

#sunrise on the reaping #sotr #haymitch abernathy #the hunger games #thg #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #everlark

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hitoshi-yuuto · 11 months ago

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Haikyuu rich kids AU

AU where some of the characters are rich kids

They have known each other since their childhood, because they hung out in the same social circle (Rich kids)

Hinata Shouyou

- Son of the richest man in the world, makes him the second richest person in the world.

-Spoiled kid born with a diamond spoon in his mouth, Tends to spend money as if he had it infinitely (which is the case)

-He didn't have any friends when he was younger because everyone was after he's money, he created a false identity in high school and was able to have his first real friends (Karasuno)

-His language of love is giving gifts, he doesn't know how to show his love otherwise.

-He bought the Karasuno High School to donate more funds to the volleyball clubs

- Is better at volleyball than in the canon since he has been playing since he was a kid with his friends, and he pays volleyball players to teach him.

-He fell in love with Kageyama when Karasuno learned that he was rich and that Kageyama's only reaction was: All I care about are your volleyball skills.

Sakusa Kiyoomi

- Coming from a family of famous doctors/hospital directors and son of the CEO of most of the greatest pharmaceutical companies and laboratories around the world.

-He and Sachirō support each other as people who don't want to follow in their family's footsteps.

-Even if he doesn't want to become a doctor, it runs through his veins and he's very good at it.

-He and Shouyou were best friends until they were 13 years old, since then they say they hate each other but we all know it's a lie.

-When he fell in love he thought he was sick, it put all the hospitals on alert.

Komori Motoya

-Son of the mania of the restaurant and food industry in the world.

-Loves to take friends to great restaurants

-Is a fine cook

-Spend his time inviting Kiyoomi and Atsumu to great romantic restaurants.

-He is the sponsor of Onigiri miya

Semi Eita

- Son of the Emperor of Japan, his family is everywhere in Japanese politics, his father is also the owner of seven of the biggest car brands.

-One day someone annoyed him, and he got him kicked out of the country, don't annoy the next emperor.

-Surprisingly his family supports his dream of being a singer, his aunt says that it will make a great image of him when he becomes emperor.

-Spend his time mocking Shirabu saying that he is going to become his empress.

Lev Haiba

- Son and heir of the most powerful mafia in the world

- As kill someone for the first time when he was eight years old.

- When they are old enough, he and Alisa will share the mafia as co-leaders

-He lived in Russia for the first 10 years of his life, before moving to Japan to be protected from a war, then decided to stay in Japan until he was 18 years old because he liked it so much. (Help Alisa manage the Japanese branch)

- Having grown up in the mafia world his standards are very different, he will be able to talk seriously about torturing someone while smiling.

-Also better at volleyball for the same reason as Hinata

-He confessed to Yaku at graduation, he expected a rejection and then panicked when Yaku told him yes, "you had to say no I'm a mobster I've killed people!" Yaku still said yes and if seven years later he finds himself killing someone to protect Lev it's between Lev and him alone. (Lev was devastated to have let Yaku dirty hands)

Hirugami Sachirō

- Son of the most famous volleyball player, his family is filled with super famous celebrities.(Lots of actors)

- One word from him and your reputation is ruined

- He has seen, heard, and done too many things, even if the end of the world comes tomorrow, he won't blink twice.

-He has a LOT of followers on his social media

-He's the reason Hoshiumi is the most followed volleyball player on the internet.

Yahaba Shigeru

-His parents run a really popular clothing chain in Japan.

-He was not born rich, his parents became rich when he was like twelve, He was then thrown into the lion's cage that are the rich children, and he was adopted by the group of weirdos above

-Being the only one who didn't grow up from this background, he is the only one with a real conscience, if you ask him he'll say that he is a babysitter.

-Aoba johsai seriously wonder how he manages Kyoutani, Yahaba will answer that compared to the six psychopaths he is simple.

When they met

Shouyo Kiyoomi & Motoya 4/5 years old

Eita & Sachirō 8/7/6 years old

Lev 10/11/12

Shigeru 12/11/13

Sorry for the mistakes, English is not my first language 😅

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slut4nic · 2 months ago

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Who else is old enough to remember when Perez Hilton bullied Lance Bass into coming out before he was ready?

Because I do.

I remember the blog posts. The tone that was always half-joke, half-accusation. I remember the endless commentary about who Lance was with, how he looked, and why he was being “secretive.” And I remember the moment Perez gave him an ultimatum.

Either come out, or I will force you out.

Perez framed it as tough love. Said he was helping. Said he was forcing Lance to be honest. But a lot of us — especially people in the LGBTQ+ community — didn’t see it that way. We saw it for what it was.

A power play to gain attention and viewership.

And a complete lack of empathy and respect.

A violation.

Because even if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, you still don’t get to speak over someone else’s truth.

You don’t get to demand someone’s coming out on your timeline.

And you don’t get to make them perform their identity for your comfort.

Now here we are in 2025.

And I’m watching the same thing happen all over again — only this time it’s happening to Jake Dunn.

A man who is openly dating a woman.

A man who has never publicly stated his sexuality.

And somehow, that silence has made people feel entitled to decide for him.

They dissect his photos, his voice, his body language. They say things like “it’s obvious” or “he’s not fooling anyone.”

They talk about his gay friends like they’re evidence.

They point to the way he dances or stands or who he hugs as if that’s all the proof they need.

And no one’s saying it out loud, but it’s the same pressure.

Come out or we’ll force you out. Come out or we’ll assume the worst.

And I know some people will scoff at that comparison.

They’ll say, “It’s not the same.”

But it is.

Just because someone MIGHT be queer doesn’t mean you get to drag them out of the closet.

Just because you THINK someone dated men in the past doesn’t mean their current relationship is any less real.

Just because someone has played gay or bisexual characters doesn’t mean you’re entitled to personal answers.

Plenty of actors have taken on queer roles without being expected to explain their personal lives. Daniel Craig recently starred in Queer, playing a gay man, while continuing to live a private life with a longtime female partner. Timothée Chalamet earned critical acclaim for his role in Call Me by Your Name and has publicly dated women. Paul Mescal, who portrayed a man in a queer relationship in Strangers, has also only been linked to women off-screen. These performances were respected for what they were — portrayals of human emotion and complexity. No one demanded a statement. No one tried to rewrite their personal lives. But when it comes to Jake Dunn, that grace and nuance suddenly disappears.

Some people are going to ignore all of this.

They don’t want to hear it.

They’re too committed to the fantasy they’ve built and too bitter that it isn’t playing out the way they wanted.

So they keep twisting things. They pretend it’s advocacy when really it’s just control, bullying, and cruelty.

#lukola #jake dunn #jakola

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theartkid15 · 3 months ago

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I just want to say that I love your ramshackle headcannons and content. ✨️ You seem like a very cool and whimsy person

If you take requests can you maybe do "actor au" headcannons or monstershackle (halloween au where they are really monsters). Or both, but only if you have the time and want to. I have no idea how long it takes you to make such amazing and accurate hc and in my opinion you are really underrated.

Oh my gosh YOU ARE SO SWEET !!!!!!!! It makes me so happy that people like the content that I make even though it’s silly or out of pocket.

I’ll more than happy to do requests, and trust imma do both 😼 just I’m gonna make the monster AU a separate post so this one isn’t giant.

Soooooooooooo ACTOR AU HC ‼️‼️‼️‼️ 🎭📸🎤✨

( for starters our director is Zeddyzi and all family relations are cannon in this AU so Stone and Avrille are still siblings, Cen and Rigel are still twins, Maroon and Skipp and still cousins.)

How did the cast end up in the Ramshackle production and what were they doing before?

Vinnie: I have two ideas for her. Either she was a kinda free lance actor or VA and was looking for a big break. So when she saw the casting call she decided fûck it and went in for an audition. She thought she didn’t have much to lose and after a few days though she didn’t get the role until she got a call back a few days later. The second idea was that she is the daughter of a very popular metal singer/ rockstar, and was starting to get into the metal band scene as well. Zeddyzi saw a performance and went to a concert of hers and decided that was who they wanted to character Vinnie to be. Vinnie just had the aura around her to play the role perfectly.

Stone:so he is from a very successful wealthy family that was heavily involved in acting and just Hollywood in general. He wanted to just do his own thing and not be in his family’s shadow the entire time. So he wrote different books and poetry for awhile. Until he got a call that he was recommended to play the role of Stone in the Ramshackle production. He was bitter about the whole thing for a bit since he didn’t want to be in any kind of limelight. But he found himself drawn into the character of Stone and saw himself in the character.

Skipp:our lovely boy was a new indie folklore music artist. He was relatively new in the music industry but he was very popular. Zeddyzi originally commissioned him to send in samples of the opening song for Ramshackle along with the song Dirt. They heard his skills and his talent and knew that they needed him to play the role of Skipp. Skipp hadn’t given acting much thought but he was up for anything and accepted the role of Skipp.

Cen and Rigel: okay,so originally Cen is our artist out of the two twins. So Cen was hired on the Ramshackle production as a set and prop designer. Since Cen just wanted some cash and thought it would be cool. But one day Rigel walks in on set bc Cen is a dummy and forgot something like extra paints and brushes, and texted Rigel begging him to deliver it to him. So Rigel and Cen were bickering over it the entire time Rigel was delivering the materials to him. Our director saw the natural sibling chemistry they had and would perfectly fit the role of Cen and Rigel, especially since the roles were written for identical twins. So it was perfect and the actors for Cen and Rigel were offered to them and they accepted after seeing how much they would be paid.

Ivan Franzick: he was originally hired onto the production as the head of costume design bc, fashion is his passion. He was also a very popular fashion designer as well. Zeddyzi saw his charisma and attitude in his personality and decided, yes, that is Ivan right there. Ivan was originally going to refuse but saw the character had the same interests as well, also the missing eye in his character design was cool. So in the end he accepted the role.

Tre: a very popular rising star in the musical theatre scene. A very high profile singer/actor in the industry. He got in through recommendation by his parents who were also very influential celebrities. Tre accepted the role and thought it would be a nice change from the dramatics and drama of musical theatre. And he wanted to take a back seat and play a more background character rather than a leading role.

Maroon:two ideas yet again. Now she was either actually Tre’s bodyguard outside of production since Tre in this AU is very high profile. Or Maroon was a model for a company that sold suits for women or more empowering clothing for women. Either way she got in the same way. She had the aura and personality and intimidating factor to her to play out the role Maroon perfectly. So she was given a call and accepted the role quickly since she thought it would be a nice change of pace from her previous endeavors.

Avrille: now she was following in her parents footsteps. She was in the limelight no matter what. She was an actress who starred in many films, mainly horror because she loves anything spooky or supernatural. So a very beloved scream queen. She was recommended to the Ramshackle production by parents. She was trying to originally was trying to get the role of Vinnie since that type of character was more her speed. But she was casted as Avrille instead. And she felt in love with the character since it was new and exciting, she never got to play an antagonist or villain before.

Ditch: okay, Vinnie was complaining one day about one of her guy friend or like a frenemies, and that just so happened to be Ditch. She was showing his picture to the cast until eventually Vinnie showed Zeddyzi his picture. And basically the interaction was:

Vinnie- he looks like an a$$hole right?

Zeddyzi- yeah he does. He’s perfect.

And that’s how Ditch got casted into Ramshackle as Ditch. Before that he had a well established punk band that was decently popular.

Dante: bc why not. Dante’s actor was a very popular celebrity that retired a long time ago. Zeddy just gave him a call as a joke to see if he could play a role thinking it wasn’t gonna happen. Until he accepted that role and showed up on set bc the production of Ramshackle has potential in his eyes.

Anyway, I’m definitely making a part two of the Actor AU head cannons of on set shenanigans and working on the Monster AU head cannons in the background. But this was really fun thinking about this AU.

Anyway see ya very soon- 💜✨🔮🪐💫⭐️🌙🪻☀️💫✨

#ramshackle #ramshackle au #ramshackle stone #tre ramshackle #ramshackle cen #ramshackle skipp #ramshackle maroon #ramshackle avrille #ramshackle rigel #ramshackle ditch #ramshackle Dante #ramshackle ivan franzwick

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romanticizing-writing · 3 months ago

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—Meet the Cast!—

(Part Three: Representatives of the South)

Hadron:

Hadron is a popular country singer known for his genuine, southern charm. His signature instrument is the banjo, which can be heard playing in the background of most of his music. Raised in the South, he developed fond memories of the countryside and decided to share its beauty with the world through his songs. He's been ridiculed by numerous people for his accent, background, and style, but is determined not to allow them to break his spirit. He's proud of where he's from and isn't willing to change that, no matter what the haters may say.

Hadron is the actor of the character "Fiddleford McGucket" and was chosen for the role due to being a southern icon. Through his acting, he gave Fiddleford some country charm that ended up well-received by the audience. It wasn't limited to just on set either, since he would spend time in-between shoots and breaks playing his banjo; filling the room with austral tunes.

"Sometimes, when everything is bor-ing, he'll just grab that...guitar-thing...and play it. Some people will suddenly stop talking just to listen, and soak it in. I... I like it when he plays it. The music is nice, and he's not as lame as people say. Don't make a big deal out of that, though," Patricia (actor of "Pacifica Northwest") noted about the brunette singer.

A side gig he has is teaching students on how to play the banjo after much interest being expressed in the instrument once his songs became popular. Patricia, in particular, decided to join his courses, intrigued by the melodies he made. He is said to be a very calm and patient teacher, though prone to sarcasm and bitterness.

He's been viewed to be closest with Patricia, Stan, and Ford out of the entire cast. The young blonde talks to him often, asking for advice and requesting his opinions on things. She'd never say this, but it's clear that she looks up to him. (Possibly seeing him as a father figure in light of her parent's neglect.) Stan has a tendency to flirt with him and occasionally Hadron will reciprocate the acts, usually leading to the former person turning red (Ford is oblivious to this behavior). Whether this is just friendly banter and play, or something more is left to be seen. He also quickly became friends with Ford, due to their similar introverted natures and nerdiness.

Deon:

Deon was cast with the role of "Gideon Gleeful" for the series. He has a history of acting in several action and historical films, but he usually played a background character in those. Gideon is his first major role and because of that he was eager to give his greatest performance.

"He was always so bubbly! Like, I could just pop him! Haha. But, seriously, he tried really hard to do his best. And I think that deserves a sticker," Mabel energetically insisted when talking about her fellow cast member.

He, too, was raised in the South. However, he ended up moving up North when he was young, since his parents desired to give their son the best opportunities possible and wanted to go where potential was bustling as a result. And they sure did take advantage of the fresh start! When Deon had begun to display both enthusiasm and promise in acting, they were discovered by a talent scout, who offered jobs within the realm. Once Deon was firmly sure this was what he wanted, his acting career took a start.

Deon tends to himself, typically sticking to the corner unless it's his scene, and doesn't socialize much. However, when he does, most of the time it's with Mabel. He finds her optimism and confidence to be infectious (in the best way) and admirable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Part

Previous Part

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toestychonk · 2 months ago

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I feel this blog could use some positivity. Fuck it. Here's some cringy gushing about an old ass cartoon that isn't Hellaverse related. Think of it as a pallet cleanser.

Been having Popeye on the brain for the past week since watching the movie for the first time (which I love. It's my new fave movie). The casting was great and the songs are catchy af. I like that the actors chosen aren't that great of singers cuz it makes the character's more endearing to me. Like two people that aren't perfect, but their love is what matters. I love couples like that.

Decided to draw Olive Oyl inspired by the He needs Me song sequence (video below) since it's one of my favorite songs from the film. I could go on and on, but i'll stop cuz I got to go to sleep.

My point is just go watch Popeye (1980). It's a super fun movie to relax to and it made me remember what I loved about old cartoons as a kid.

youtube

#popeye #fanart #my fanart #olive oyl #Youtube #vivziepop critical #hellaverse critical #helluva boss critical #hazbin hotel critical

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d-criss-news · 8 months ago

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Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen Talk Finding Their ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ on Broadway: ‘It’s a Really Charming, Kind Little World’

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It’s best to let Darren Criss describe the simply complex story of Maybe Happy Ending, the new musical he co-stars in with Broadway newcomer Helen J. Shen. “There’s what the story is and then there’s what the show is about,” the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning singer/actor/songwriter tells Billboard in an interview you can watch above.

“Those aren’t necessarily the same things,” he notes about the musical love story from Will Aronson and Hue Park, in which the former Glee star and Shen appear as obsolete Helperbot robots who meet cute and fall in love. “Thematically, it’s about two elderly people in hospice who decide to break out of the situation to go connect with their family,” says Criss about what sounds like a potentially dark theme.

And while that “grim, depressing construct for a show” doesn’t sound like the stuff of uplifting Broadway magic, Criss promises that the musical’s creators have somehow morphed that idea about the chilly march of time and hard lessons about love and life into a “really charming, kind little world” filled with Helper robots who are living embodiments of our iPhones and other digital assistants.

Because many of us imbue our inanimate digital devices with human-like qualities, sometimes holding on to them well past their best-by use date, Criss says the musical asks what happens when those objects become more like us?

Shen makes her Broadway debut in the play alongside theater/TV/movie veteran Criss, 37, after turning heads last year in the ensemble of the Off Broadway musical Teeth. She says one of the most exciting parts of performing in the show is the chance to take the lead in a completely new piece of theater not based on any existing intellectual property or a reboot/revival, but something that theatergoers have never seen before.

“It’s super overwhelming. The idea of it has been something that I’ve dreamed about my whole life,” says Shen, 24 of originating a character on Broadway. “And to have it come to fruition with this particular story, with this particular group of people I just feel… abundance. I feel so lucky and grateful.”

Both say they feel really blessed to be part of the show, with Criss noting that he has typically starred in “iconic” roles in his previous Broadway runs, including as Harry Potter in A Very Potter Musical, J. Pierrpont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors and Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, among others. “These are things people know and love,” he says of those classics.

“[Which] were great, with or without me. I now go in there trying to do my own thing and make it my own and there’s the excitement of the challenge, but also the pressure of living up to a certain thing and wanting to do your own thing,” he adds about trying to find something of yourself in a well-known role people may have seen many other times with other performers. “Whereas this, it’s an open canvas, not only for us, but for the audience. They don’t have any preconceived notions. That’s the best thing about this.”

Because it is a new experience, audiences don’t know what to expect, which both actors say makes attendees really listen and sit up in their seats to take in all the nuance of the show that also heralds the Broadway debuts for creators Aronson and Park; it began its life on stage in Seoul, South Korea in 2016 and was later produced in Japan and China as well.

Maybe Happy Ending, directed by Michael Arden (Parade), is open now at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway.

#darren criss #helen j shen #billboard #maybe happy ending #maybe happy ending bway #instagram #press #youtube #video #nov 2024

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alexaloraetheris · 3 months ago

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Alrighty, I was going to stay away from it but since that post about the worst rated movies blew up, and everyone and their dog was insisting it was being review bombed for this or that reason, I decided to put on my clown shoes and figure out what the problem was. Other than, you know... The movie itself.

*honk honk*

1. Racial backlash against Rachel Zegler

I can already confirm this is definitely a yes. One of the first links I found was none other than Joe Rogan complaining about Snow White being 'woke' now. Zegler is a Latina, which does make sense if you're trying to reach Spanish-speaking audiences, where Blanca Nieve is apparently pretty popular, but right-wingers are losing their minds, seemingly even more so than The Little Mermaid being Black. White supremacists are very likely behind some of the review bombing.

(Side note: I first heard about this movie being blasted for hiring Gal Gadot at all, because she's Israeli. I hadn't heard who was playing Snow White, but I read she was a POC too, and was 100% sure they hired a K-Pop singer. I mean, if you're looking for an actress with 'skin white as snow, hair as black as a raven's wing' who can also sing notes so high only dogs can hear them, it seemed obvious to me. But I can only imagine how much the conservatives would have been freaking out about THAT.)

2. Gal Gadot being Israeli

This one everyone knew, and yes it's part of the review bombing problem. People outright admitted that. The rightwingers hate Zegler for not being white, the lefties hate Gadot for being Israeli. It didn't seem to occur to anyone complaining that casting a Jewish woman into the role of an antisemitic trope is not as 'woke' as these people seem to think, but these guys would have been pissed if she had been hired as a background character. As a primary antagonist? Definitely review bombing.

3. Peter Dinklage being blamed for the CGI dwarves

This one is a bit misinterpreted. Dinklage pointed out in an interview that the OG Snow White dwarves were rife with harmful stereotypes, and if Disney was going to aim for progressiveness [by hiring a Latina actress] they are not doing a good job if they portray the dwarves as 'living in the caves'. He was obviously campaigning for a better portrayal of the seven dwarves, but of course, Disney being Disney, they decided to keep the dwarves as is but instead of hiring little actors they just used horrible CGI and call them 'magical creatures' a decision everybody was universally unhappy with.

Personally, I think they could have kept the setting as it was in the OG but if they were going for a more 'politically conscious' narrative, they could have included a backstory as to WHY the dwarves are living in the middle of the woods (prejudice and discrimination within the kingdom) and make Snow White sympathise with them, promise that when she was queen she would make her kingdom a better place for dwarves, something like that. Gives them motivation to help her and her to return back to face her evil stepmother. Very tropey and very Disney. Even Snow White and The Huntsman managed that much but not Disney apparently. Alas.

4. Rachel Zegler's 'Free Palestine' tweet

If I learned one thing about Zegler on this research, is that this girl has NO self-preservation instinct. None. Please get her a better agent before she's eaten alive.

In one of her contractually-obligated promo tweets, she tacked on a 'Always remember, Free Palestine' which is a very 'celebrity performing activism' kind of tweet, but she got shredded by Disney's management for it and made her co-star need round the clock protection because she was recieving death threats. She refused to take it down and has shown no sympathy or care for her co-star's safety, which is also not a good look for her. The internet, of course, lauded her for being brave (even if I wouldn't call it that), but she definitely pissed off some more people and I wouldn't be surprised if the movie is being blasted for it.

5. Rachel Zegler's posts against Donald Trump

Remember when I said this girl has no self-preservation instinct? Celebrities are usually a bit more careful (or better managed) to keep their political opinions milquetoast so they don't get put through the social media wringer any more than they already are. No one told her that. She slammed Trump voters pre election and then expressed a lot of genuine horror when he was elected. She got put on full blast for this, and I'm guessing that's the point Joe Rogan got involved. One of the Disney execs flew across the Atlantic to yell at her and hired her a social media manager. Rather telling they only thought to do that AFTER leaving her out to dry for the whole movie production.

Honestly, I read that instagram post, and she was right about that one and her concerns were all in place, but AGAIN. No self-preservation instinct. She posted an apology for THAT one tho, but I doubt she's the one who actually wrote it. Anyway, if the movie hadn't been review bombed before, it definitely was now.

6. Rachel Zegler's comments about the movie itself

Sigh. Seriously girl. Fire your agent, manager, whatever and get a PR coach.

It's worth noting on this one that Zegler is 23, very much Gen Z, and she considers Snow White the OG (rightfully) old fashioned in some aspects. But her ideas how to fix it are... Not very mature, honestly.

She has, among other things, derided the original message of seeking love, said Snow White would be more 'empowered', and that romance with the Prince who 'stalks her' has been cut out. Which is a stark show of not getting what the OG was about, and it gives the impression that Zegler doesn't even like the original cartoon and is basically deriding anyone who DOES like the romantic elements. And since Snow White the Regurgitation primarily and even solely depends on the core audience that likes the OG movie (and NOT the 'Snow White but better' narrative she's trying to portray) this was the PR equivalent of shooting your movie in the foot.

To be fair to her, she's hardly to blame for the movie themes being shitty. From what I've seen she DID do her best in the actual film. Everything Zegler criticised could have been adressed in a better way, but Disney handled that as well as they handled the CGI dwarves. In the OG, Snow White was 14. They could have kept her 14, and made the Prince an uncle or a cousin who got concerned when his only living family stopped sending letters and he hauled ass back from the war front to save her from his shady sister-in-law. Change the kiss to a forehead kiss a la Maleficent. It would have still been about love, and that there is no shame about accepting help when you're in over your head, which was one of the core messages of the OG movie, but adjusted for more 'modern' sensibilities. And this is just me spitballing. I don't know what kind of conditions those poor writers were working in that they handed in a script THIS BAD.

TL:DR Yeah, the movie is getting review bombed from both left and right sources. But to be clear, even though Zegler dominates these points, she's the least of this movie's problems. She's just a 20-something with a big platform who hasn't been properly coached on PR management. The only thing she ruined was her own prospects. The movie was a goner from the casting couch in this political climate, honestly, because the Trumpers lost their minds about her being Latina and the Pro-Palestinian crowd lost their mind about Gadot being Jewish. Even if Zegler had been more conscientious about her social media and Peter Dinklage got his way, there is no saving a bad movie from itself.

If none of the above happened? Snow White might have gotten as high as 3⭐ instead of 1.5⭐ it currently has. But that's all.

#snow white reboot #live action snow white #snow white

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the-gayest-show · 1 year ago

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Operation Birthday Takeover Review/Analysis

I wanted to include this in the review bomb but decided against it because the episode would take too much yap compared to the others to summarize properly, let's go!

(sorry if these screenshots have the player on them I couldn't find a better way bare with me this is better than the easier route i'd have taken)

HAHAHAHAHAHA SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT HERE!

First of all, PERI! YOU'RE BACK BABY HBUIEBRBFEIBFWiuB

Second of all and most important, this was a MAJOR Dev episode. Well, obviously, since it's his birthday, but we got to see more of him being nice while it lasted anyways, and we also got to see more of Dale's neglect and it's affects on Dev.

You can see he's clearly disappointed about his dad paying no attention to Dev at all, preferring to work on "Project H" instead of his own son. Will throw hands on this man fr.

Throughout the episode we see more hints of this disappointment, like when Vicky gets invited to the party (Dev doesn't even like princesses! DUDE!)

Now that I'm really rewatching as I go, Hazel seems to be very aware of it and very empathetic towards Dev, I like that about her. She's looking out for her friend! Good on her!

On the other hand (to move the plot forward and thus this review), I love seeing the fairy family back in action again!

I love their dynamic even more! Also I swear to God half of the iconic lines come from these interactions I swear to God.

"Time to see what's so secret about this room!....... On second thought never mind" SOBBING LAUGHING

Having the three of them slowly find out that project H is actually Project Hazel is so wild. THEY LITERALLY WROTE DOWN IMPORTANT INFO ON THE BOARD LIKE THE FAIRIES THING. COSMO! WANDA! WHYYYYYYYYY

The sad part of the matter is, Dale was fixated on Dev's friend of all people simply because she was... content? With fairy godparents? It's so sad actually for Dev... he REALLY needs someone to care about him

I wanna get into Vicky though now, and the surprising amounts of references to the OG series that were made in less than 2 minutes apart from each other? Crazy!

First of all, she's back! An interesting character to return for sure, considering she mostly acted as Timmy's babysitter in the OG series, but the continuity of this show never ceases to surprise me!

She's somehow similar looking? Like, correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't she be older now? Significant enough to be changed visually for sure. AJ was 10 in the original series and now he's like 30 something. By that logic shouldn't Vicky be closer to her 40s? Does that age a person significantly from 16? That's what I thought anyways... She's still into the "conning little children for money" thing. She's literally 30+ at least, did she not try to up her game somehow? IMHO she totally could have extreme power like that over adults if she got gullible enough ones, could've been worse, but I guess people of Vicky's personality don't truly change unless there's a major life breakthrough that happens. You know what they say about peaking in high school...

Icky Vicky the song (and thus the episode it was in) is canon to the FOP A New Wish universe. I could swear the song sounded slightly different than it did when it was sung in this episode, but I'll blame that on the song coming out 10+ years ago and voice actors being too specific to nail down (I think the guy from one direction played the Icky Vicky singer? No wonder they couldn't invite him back). The song being referred to as "old" got me cringing a bit. I didn't grow up with the show but I get the feeling people who did felt themselves aging in real time with Jasmine's comment...

TIMMY MENTION! TIMMY HAS BEEN MENTIONED BY NAME IN THE A NEW WISH UNIVERSE AGAIN!

Poor fairy trio though, they're all traumatized by Vicky, even Peri (who thought she was some weird ass dream, dawg I wish 😭) and immediately they're cowering with fear at the sound of her name. They got PTSD or something from all those years in original FOP...

What's funnier is them being able to stand up to Vicky by just. transforming into humans, which works bc that's always worked in FOP canon (when parental figures showed up in the OG), but somehow Wanda and Cosmo didn't fucking know that? Truly, Wanda, it would've been nice for y'all to know that some decades ago.

"That's Vicky for ya! Making Kids Miserable Since 2001!"

Actually it would be 1998 if we count the Oh Yeah Cartoon Pilot and subsequent episodes, but I guess we're only counting actual FOP as canon 😔

I wanna really talk about the last scene though, where Dev finds out that Project H was Project Hazel. It REALLY tears him up inside to see just HOW bad his father doesn't give a shit about him.

LOOK. LOOK AT THAT FACE AND TELL ME THAT ISN'T DEVASTATION! Even as he's recounting all the times that his father talked about Project H

The emotional neglect really runs deep with this one.

He lashes out at both Peri and Hazel (her especially since he's under the impression that she faked being his friend or something) and even wishes for Peri to leave him alone. So basically he's closing himself off from the 2 people who cared about him the most, likely as an emotional response. And then he goes and crosses off everything on the board in anger and leaves.

I've noticed Peri's behaviour towards Dev has changed a bit again since the Dimmsonian episode. I think in that episode initially he seemed more tired, and he's probably still tired, but if he is, it's not shown as much here. I think personally Peri seeing more of Dev's life might've changed his attitude towards the child, but he still remains semi optimistic. He cares about this kid. It's shown even in just those few seconds of hesitation before he leaves that Peri was kind of heartbroken/sad at the request to leave Dev's side, but was willing to do so since he asked/wished. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I really do enjoy their dynamic and really wish to see more of it, especially after this.

This is all 100% driven from his dad's actions affecting his emotional state, and I think this is actually a perfect setup for the episode where Dev and Irep take over Fairy World. Especially if Irep finds Dev like not even seconds after this scene, he's more vulnerable now than he's been throughout the whole series thus far, so a manipulator like Irep (if he is a good one, but heck even if he was dogshit at it) could defo make him change his thoughts on things.

Overall this episode was great and there's lots to love about it!

#posts #fop a new wish #my reviews #I might make more focused posts later because I go on autistic tangents abt details and I feel like I lose the thread of stuff #with longer eps like these that is #have this for now #I guess this is why I'm more hesitant to post reviews bc I tend to go off in 5 directions lol

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