#I love the a capella ending of the live version

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

ATW10MV just has almost everything I love about music in one song, sound-wise. I love the subtle nod to her country-rock roots with the slide guitar intro and how the electric guitars kind of lilt throughout in the production. I am SUCH a sucker for string instruments (especially cello, which is my favourite instrument, and violin) and I love how the string section sweeps in almost like it’s orchestral before the first bridge (assuming it’s synth and not real but still) and then the trumpet follows. I love the subtle synth in the background as a nod to her later work in 1989 and later. I love how the percussion and synths definitely lean more into the 80s sound for the final section from “did the love affair maim you too” on and the breathiness of the harmonies, and how the orchestral bits come in to fade the song out in such a grand fashion. It’s just so… cinematic, for lack of better word.

I LOVE THIS SONG!

[rathologic]

I think I've seen you mention that the original, poorly translated version of patho classic had some lines that where better for being stranger or something like that. Can you give an example or two? Genuinely curious because I don't think I've seen anyone play the original english translation before and only know about it from word of mouth.

there's a Ton... in general I find that 2005 has stronger assertions and more interesting imagery, while Classic HD renders character speech more uniquely at the cost of making the concepts discussed a bit generic and ambiguous. here's four comparisons from scraping my screenshots folder:

from the Grave-digger npc: illustrates the character voice part

2005: The keeper's been feeding worms for five years now. Got grass all over him. The sun makes him happy now. I have yet more sorrow to suffer here.

2015: The caretaker's been pushing up the daisies for, lemmethink, five years now. Turned to grass already, all excited to bask in the sun. Me, I'll have to endure them hardships for a long time still.

katerina's explanation of the pain mechanic: conversely, this is a good show of the stronger language in 2005: "tearing away", "can even" versus "may even help"

2005: It isn't worth tearing away from the living to give to the dead, however, you can tear something away from yourself and will be rendered for that. Whoever helps a dying man leave this world will save it a lot of suffering. Such things are valued especially here. Such care can even atone for murder.

2015: It's not a good idea to try to take away from the living for the sake of the dead—but perhaps you should share a part of yourself with them. It will pay back in spades. He who helps the dying pass on painlessly is sparing the world unnecessary suffering. We respect that here. Being considerate may even help you atone for murder.

the Bachelor's letter: I love the sense of hopelessness in the original... he's already lost and accepted that he's lost and there's only a small chance to salvage anything...

2005: Tomorrow the militarians will be here. They arrive to burn down and destroy. No way to stay aside - it depends on us, whether it would be possible to save here at least something. I have made my choice.

I rise under the banners of dream which has lost the battle with the history. Henceforth all my forces will be devoted to the rescue of the doomed and their affairs - which are also sentenced to death by the logic of evolution. I speak about so-called "Utopians". Four Kains, brothers-architects, my good Eve and, as I hope, Younger Vlad.

If these people survive, probably, I shall manage to rescue one of the most surprising monuments of this world. I do not hope that you will help me - but just do not interfere! Woe are you if even one of my "Utopians" is lost by your fault. I shall fight up to the end for my doomed banner.

2015: The military will be here tomorrow. They come to raze and demolish. Due to this, we can't avoid making the important choice, for it depends on us whether anything here may be saved. My choice has already been made.

I am going to champion the dream that is doomed to lose its battle with history. From now on, I will use whatever agency I have left to save the condemned creators and their creation, whose sentence was spelled out by evolution itself. I am speaking of the so-styled "Utopians." The four Kains, the architect twins, my good Eva, and, hopefully, Vlad the Younger.

If these people survive, I may be able to preserve one of the most fascinating miracles of this world. I don't have much hope for your assistance, but I urge you not to obstruct me! Beware my wrath if any one of my utopians dies! I am going to fight fiercely for my doomed sovereign.

capella to the haruspex: just more fun imagery in the first one!

2005: But you need your victory. Or don't you? Or don't you feel this cage of obligations, this trap that inevitability caught you in? [...] Let us be honourable and kind.

2015: But you need to win. Or don't you? Don't you feel obligated, clenched, trapped by fate? [...] Let us be noble and generous.

the parts where 2005 is Really Bad are also great, such as the little boy npc talking about "the scientist who blasted the world", capella asking "are you bamming me?", and the 11 times that people exclaim "Wao!".

also, I stream playthroughs of the 2005 translation fairly often (including right now: bachelor route at 1pm EST on saturdays), so my twitch channel may have clips illustrating the effect it all has when read out loud :-)

[theinvulnerabletide]

✨when u get this, put 5 songs u actually listen to, publish. then, if you're comfortable, send this ask/tag 10 of your followers 🎶✨

Oh gosh it has been so long since I've done one of these. xD

but ty @svartalfhild for the tag~

Here's a cross section of songs that have been weaving through my head lately:

T.M.I by Meet Me @ The Altar - this has been stuck in my head on and off for weeks and the chorus gives me so much serotonin. It's made its way on to at least a few character playlists.

Fake Out by Fall Out Boy - I have been listening to this whole album nonstop since it came out but I will resist just putting the entire album on this list. This is the one that has cemented itself inside of me right now: "Love is in the air/ I just gotta figure out a window to break out" hits my brain just right.

Skipping Stones by Mutual Benefit - I heard this song played during one of the plays in Infinite Wrench on Friday and I was so enamored I memorized two lines so I could find it later. "I'm so afraid to fall in love again/ I know how it ends."

Hymn of Acxiom by Vienna Teng - I refound this song recently and suddenly found myself down a rabbit hole of a capella versions. It is so gorgeous and haunting and I know it's basically about corporations compliling and selling your data but that makes me love it even more.

Rattlin Bog (Traditional, this one is by the Irish Rovers - so a few weeks ago I ended up talking about this song and songs we learned in elementary school for a while with some friends and then my brain decided the serotonin was stored in this song for like a week straight. And it keeps popping up. So here see if your brain will do the same.

And I'm tagging all you nerds. Do it if you want, I'm not your parent/guardian:

@islanderscaper , @godsgamefreak @living-deciduously , @thechaoticsuper , @saintguard , @ohhcaptainn , @mechanoelle, @thechavanator, @muchalu4ever, @crimsonblackrose . <3

[minieggukie]

You don't have to post this (I know it'll be controversial, but Letter is beautiful and I just need to share this with someone 😭) but Jimin also sings in Still With You. If you listen to the very last part of the song (the second phone call part) that's actually Jimin singing. You can really tell if you loop the song.

I discovered this back in 2020 completely by accident and have been waiting for someone, anyone online to pick up on this but nothing. I even tried to clue a few bloggers in, but the few I tried to talk to were hesitant to believe it because JM isn't credited and it's "for ARMY." But they've been sending love to each other through "ARMY" for years, and it's really not uncommon for artists appearing on other people's songs to go uncredited for any number of reasons. Like, for example, say the artist is singing a small part on a song his boyfriend wrote for him about a fight they had on a rainy day and he wants to pass it off as a song for their fans so they can release it. Just off the top of my head.

Anyway, when JK put an a capella version on Proof I thought for sure someone would realize Jimin was singing at the end!! Once all the music and most of the production is stripped away, it's very clearly Jimin's voice! But still, nothing.

Anyway, I saw your post about Still With You and Letter and I just had to tell you that I really believe they're companion songs, especially since jikook sing on both of them.

But listen to Still With You! I recommend wearing headphones and looping the song. Hearing Jimin sing at the end and then Jungkook sing at the beginning immediately afterwards really helps.

I listen to Still With You A LOT with earphones on at max volume and I have never heard Jimin's voice in there... I just listened to it just now and maybe it's the echo-y effect (idk the technical term lmao) that made it sound like Jimin. Idk, we'll never know unless they tell us but I've only ever associated Still With You with Jungkook. Any connection to Jikook because of the rain sound is my own speculation and wishful thinking lmao

If Jungkook says the song is for ARMY, then it's for ARMY. Trying to assign new meaning to the song can be disrespectful to the song's original msg and intention

I mean I totally get it because I thought I heard Jimin's voice in Stay Alive and there's the whole debate with the Euphoria live perf.. maybe someday we'll get our answers but for now I'm putting this in the 'maybe/unconfirmed' pile haha

[send-noodles-not-nudes]

Ok but can we actually talk about a few of the things that I really love about the Krampus movie?

For starters, they actually hired a native German speaker to play German-speaking grandma. Idk why that makes me happy but it does

They also show a bunch of little bonding moments between the family members that are so pure and beautiful and I appreciate them more with every rewatch bc they're so easy to miss. Especially between the sisters, they really nailed the dynamic there

Also the fact that Omi speaks English, just prefers German bc that's her native language. I feel like so many Americans don't understand that so it's nice to see it happen in a movie like that. America is always pictured as this big cultural melting pot, but I personally view it as where culture comes to die. I'm a third generation American and I know nothing about my heritage bc my family was embarrassed about their culture bc they moved to America.

Anyway

I also love the blending of families since you have the dad and his mom, then the mom and her family. Some of the interactions between Omi and Aunt Dorothy are really interesting and show the cultural differences really well. I also love the interactions between brother and brother in-law and I feel like they were very well-written. Idk how to explain why but I just appreciate the writing for them.

And ofc I have to mention "Jesus was born in a barn!" bc I love it and it's lore accurate.

Casting Adam Scott as a dad bc it's just so perfect

Toni Colette in general bc she is AMAZING. I wanna watch Hereditary again but I don't have access to it on any of my streaming platforms :(( hopefully it comes back to one of them soon

Ofc I have to mention the overall design for the movie bc it's so well done. I LOVE horror movies that turn innocent things (gingerbread men, presents, snowmen, etc) into terrifying things. Best trope in horror. The sound design is also really neat and eerie, and I love that we never really get to clearly see Krampus' face for most of the movie until near the end. I love the quick, out-of-the-corner-of-your-eye appearances and they add to the creep factor of Krampus.

The animation they did for Omi's story is absolutely gorgeous, too!! They kept it relatively simple probably for budget and time concerns, but not so simple that it's not still beautiful and attention-grabbing.

Using Carol of the Bells in the soundtrack because it's such a perfect song for a Christmas horror movie, though I will say I think an a capella version would be creepier (it just doesn't fit with the soundtrack, so I get why they used instrumental) and having it in a German vocal would be badass

The dad's response to a giant child-eating jack in the box just being "oh, come on" and the uncle's response to bloodthirsty gingerbread men with a nail gun just being "we should have gone to my brother's" bc it's just so good. Also "bear!" "What?" "BEAR!!" *gets attacked by a giant living teddy bear*

The dog catching a murderous gingerbread man mid-air for a snack is absolutely something my dog would do and I love it

The overall vibe that this is like Nightmare Before Christmas but aimed at adults

The heartbreaking goodbyes and last words of each family member as they're picked off. They fight and hate that they have to see each other, but they still love each other at the end of the day and care about each other

Max's letter to Santa. This child is so pure.

It would have been so easy for them to end it with Max picking up the ripped letter and the bell but they didn't, and that makes me so happy. They would have totally wrecked his character if they ended it there so I'm glad they wrote more for it

THE FACT THAT KRAMPUS HAS GOAT EYES I've never noticed that before and I fucking love it

The costume design for Krampus and his minions is so good tho. Like it's pretty simple since it's largely just masks, horns, chains, and tattered clothes, but it's so effective

The ending is so perfect too bc initially it seems like no one but Max remembers the dream, until he unwraps the bell. No one says anything but they way they all look at each other,,, such good acting smh

[dojae-huh]

For me doyoung’s voice is not the flashy type. What i mean by non-flashy is when i visualize his voice in nct his voice doesn’t cut through the loud instrumental. A lot of the time it blends with them. Some members i can clearly see them cutting through it. Sorry i just don’t know how to describe it. Bear with me. And that’s why i really really like it when he does a Capella, acoustic, ballad, or just listening to his behind recording scenes. I like when a singer’s voice gets to shine or stands out from the instrument in the background. Sometimes i find instrument of certain songs overpower or blend with his voice. Like his voice is battling against the loud instrument and that confuses my brain. Idk if that’s unfavourable in music production but to my preference yeah it’s unfavourable. That’s also why i really like him opening nct song. It’s like the calm before the storm. I can hear him talking all day too. I really really like his voice as is. And recently as he gets to show more of his vocals i think i hear less of this ‘blend’ with instrument. And that’s a win for me hihu. I still can’t come to conclusion if that’s just his technique to purposely blend with instrument or vocal tone or maybe sth else. But i think band music in his music in his album, two of em are loud for me. Little light and from little wave. But there’s also the case that a good song is when the instrumental shines. I can’t deny those two has really good instrumental. Then, i guess it’s just my preference in songs? What the composer intended to shine better? Vocal or instrumental. Hmm maybe that’s why.

I know I don’t make any sense but I just love his voice as is. He, for me, sounds a hundred times better without accompaniment. It’s almost like I don’t want any sound to interrupt his voice. I guess that’s one way to appreciate his voice. Anyway warmth has climbed my ranking now because of his really really good behind recording. I’m still in awe. Oh, and maniac concert version is crazy mannnn

Someone (was it a neo or a producer, I don't remember) said that neos' voices are used as instruments. Doyoung often stands out to me, but he is often blended in as well. That's intentional. (Also, in some NCT songs the instrumental part is just too loud, SM isn't good with mixing).

Yes, in comparison to Mark and Taeil, Doyoung's voice is less recogniseable, less "heavy and grounded", I get what you are trying to say. Plus he sings airy for many NCT songs. He needs to play a different part/instrument from Taeil. Doyoung is good at changing his voice though, and doing harmonisation. It's his strength though, it allows him to be a chameleon, to sing in many genres.

Do's voice has a piercing quality to it, it's why he is good in the beginning of songs and as accompaniment to rapping (Yestorday, Light bulb).

Doyoung carries the generic sound of Little light, so I can't agree he doesn't stand there (with the exception of a some live performances). From little wave is one of my faves on the album, I think it's a good blend of powerful instrumental and a powerful (in energy) voice.

I think comparing Do's voice to a watercolour is fitting. He is not a powerhouse to take with brute force, he doesn't have a specific rasp or unique warmth that just makes a voice pleasant to listen to without much of additional training, he is more about the colour and nuances, transitions.

I always found one thing perculiar, neos are always boastful about having Taeil, but they talk more about Doyoung's voice. And people who listen to him live, work with him get impressed as well. It seems he is impressive live. Maybe it's the cleanliness, lightness. Something that gets lost in recording or covered by instruments during mixing of songs.

Do probably just wanted to give more to his fans of himself, so his recording sessions were so long. However, in the end it was a smart move. We finally could see his current level. And the sound in the videos is very good, as well.

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

I took time to watch the first season of “Narrative Telephone”

What a good idea. What a simple yet good idea. What a wonderful execution. Do we deserve Creative Director Marisha Ray ? I'm pretty sure we don't ; and yet, she has graced the world with amazing things like Narrative Telephone.

Under the cut is a summary of each episode. But really all you need to know is that every second in pure serotonin injected in your veins.

Episode 1, aka "The Wolf Had A Beak" : Ashley is SO BAD at this game. Like, so, SO BAD. But it does not matter, because at the same time she is EXCELLENT at making me laugh. Every time it was her turn in each episode, I was laughing for 5 minutes straight. Sam is chaos, but we knew that already, also he was drinking Martini so that explains it. Travis is just facts straight, and efficiency. I was wondering if maybe initially, they just wanted to see together the original story and the final story, in the "Show & Tell" segment. But if so, the allure of rewatching every recounting was too good, and I'm glad they extended the format.

Episode 2, aka "Way Too Many Details About Directions And SINGING ??" : Liam's Jester's accent was pretty good at the beginning but derailed greatly. The story went longer and longer, and I think at the end it was 4 times longer than the way Laura told it. Marisha was trying to make sense of the story live, but only managed to confuse it MORE. Ashley just abandoned the accent. I love how Laura just accused Sam to "add shit up", and he took this indignant look, like she was NOT saying the truth. Liam : "She's doing War and Peace in two minutes !!". Sam the a capella lover realizing live HE FORGOT THE SONG. Matt was fighting with himself with the geography of Wildemount. Marisha didn't know what "shtuping" meant because surprisingly there's not a lot of Yiddish in Kentucky.

Episode 3, aka "Sam Gets Revenge For The Song He Forgot Last Episode" : Travis started translating the story with a 21th century narration, and Ashley finished the job. Liam was thinking about Paula Abdul (which, fair). Laura added a threesome, which is... in character for her. Marisha added a whole 'nother song. The cast takes 2 minutes to roast Sam on his lockdown look ("is this your mugshot ?", "were you in Requiem for a Dream ?"). Ashley : "You play guitar ???" Sam, who did 2 false starts : "Clearly, No." Everyone does NOT know what a pince-nez is (except Sam). True love is a threesome that lasts for years.

Episode 4, aka "nom nom nom" : Marisha did her famous not-at-all-German accent. "Oh God, I'm Ashley-ing this so hard !" (I love a good Community reference). No joke though, the original story was pretty good, it resembled the true version of the European fairy tales we grew up with (you know the versions with death and pain and misery). Travis was so taken by how cute his wife looked that he forgot part of the story. Matt was very critical of how the 3 children just waited for their fate. Laura's excited that her hair is long enough that she can do the Ring girl, and demonstrates live, while her husband hides his face. Later, Sam's wife does amazing puppetry of the Ring girl behind him just to get Travis, and it works so well ! Matt just knows Liam well enough that he brought back some spooky elements the other forgot. We learn that Marisha learned German in high-school from a teacher that was Spanish... That explains SO MUCH about her accent.

Episode 5, aka "Ashley Incites The Cast To Turn on Each Other" : Marisha wore a nice orange top with little green monsters on it and I want it. When it's Ashley telling the initial story, it goes pretty well !... no, never mind, Laura added way too much at the end. I love that at first it was just a thing Ashley put at the end of her story, and then it got to "Matt said that Travis forgot something", and "There was a miscommunication about food between Matt and Marisha", and "It was obviously Sam's fault since he's an agent of chaos". Sam apparently thinks that Pike is a Valley girl doing a Periscope. It's A JOY to see everyone in the cast just fall back in love with Ashley Johnson as Pike for 2 minutes. Ashley : "We're just getting better !" The rest of the cast : *doubt*. Sam, looking at how LONG Laura's video is "Is there an intermission in this ??" then everyone takes a turn roasting every aspect of Sam's video. Marisha and apparently everyone, when they see Ashley looking cute as a button as Pike : "This is what I want to see when I die."

Episode 6, aka "BOUNDARIES" : Matt, who was after Taliesin, closed his eyes just like he did, and just told the rest of the story like that : MIND PALACE. Love that Marisha wore her rainbow suspenders for the Show & Tell, bringing back Beau's spirit. Sam summarizing Narrative Telephone : "Listen, this show is about blame." I love how everyone compliments Ashley on how beautiful she looks, and as soon as she starts talking as her version of Beau, everyone's like "oh no, this is Pool Hall Ashley". Everyone was just liberating their inner frat boys for this one.

Episode 7, aka "Everybody Hates Taliesin" : when panicking, Laura elongates time, except when she just bails and accelerates. I feel like this story was the hardest, and Laura and Liam's nervous energies made it worse. But Sam and Travis did an impressive job of reeling it back in. And then Marisha and Ashley re-made it worse. And then Matt reeled it back in but at this point it was too late. The point of this story ? "It's about higher consciousness and apparently fucking ditching your siblings in the middle of the forest". During the Show & Tell, I love Matt just doing the wild Kermit flailing his arms up in the background. At one point Sam's daughter comes in his room and says goodnight to the dog that is on Sam's lap and it's SO CUTE. Sam, commenting on Marisha's looks : "You're fucking... Stunner ! How do you do that ???" Marisha, uncomfortable with compliments : "... Stop it." Travis, immediately supportive : "You look like shit." Marisha, earnest : "Thank you !"

Episode 8, aka "The Cameo Of Macaroni Samsonite My Beloved" : I feel like Marisha following Travis was the best choice ever, because of the BrJeaus. I appreciate seeing in Taliesin's background the puppet of Bast'Alar, aka The Ascended One, aka Mittens McFluffyfloof. ASHLEY ?? GROG STONEJAW ??? Laura just bailing out of the end is so good for the season finale. Travis just messing with the rest of the cast who expects an elaborate story with complicated words, but no !! He improvised everything live, and just did a silly voice. The others : "There was a story ?? There was a concept ?????" Poor Marisha, she has a naturally low voice (which I'm NOT complaining about) and she can't do the Macaroni Samsonite voice. Sam had a bugger up his nose and it was all everyone could see, including him. Taliesin accidentally recorded himself in slow-mo and they put it after the end credits. I think this one was the hardest I laughed.

[queenlucythevaliant]

💕✨create the illusion of hanging out with your mutuals tag game✨💕

Tagged by @nothinggold13 and @awfullybigwardrobe44!

are you a morning person?  This is highly context-dependent, I think. Punctuality is important to me, so I’m often up earlier than family members or friends if we have places to be. On vacations I’m all for getting up at 5am to watch the sunrise or read alone on the porch. However, during the normal day-to-day grind, I tend to sleep in as much as possible.

ideal breakfast?  Homemade waffles (soft waffles, NOT Belgian) with real maple syrup, sausage patties, chocolate milk, strawberries.   

favorite warm drink, and how do you take it? I’m all about the seasonal beverages. Hot apple cider with spices in the fall, stovetop hot cocoa in the winter.

sit in the sunshine or the shade?  In the shade. I don’t like to feel like I’m being baked alive.

favorite baked good? Mmm, so many options! Ultimately, though, there are these butterscotch brownies with this dense fudge frosting that my mom makes and brought to like a million church events when I was little. Delicious, rich, chocolatey, and tastes like home.

a song or album that makes you feel at peace?  I do so little album listening these days, I’m going to cheat and list a handful of songs: Tchaikovsky’s “Hymn of the Cherubim,” “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady, “Gold (A Capella)” from Once, “Moon River” by Audrey Hepburn, “Tundra” by Ola Gjeilo, and any decent version of “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

take a walk with your friends or read a book next to a friend on the sofa? Walk with a friend. As a rule, reading is better curled up alone and walks are better with company :)

what tasks do you gravitate to when making a meal with others?  It varies. A lot of times I end up stirring or sautéing things on the stove.

a chore that if someone completed it for you you’d love them forever? Cleaning the bathroom. I have a sensitivity to bleach, plus it’s just gross.  

favorite board/card game to play with friends?  Telestrations! Puno (power-Uno, which I’ve also heard called Spicy Uno) and Exploding Kittens are up there too.

what kind of snacks/candy do you want at a movie theater? I really like those little cookie dough bites! 

bar with live music or bar with a pool table?  I’ve hung out at bars exactly twice, once for a trivia night and once for a colleague’s birthday (everyone else got margaritas and I got a lava cake! I was past drinking age, I just wanted lava cake). That said, music and dancing sounds like fun :)

go-to wine/cider/beer/cocktail?  I’m slowly trying to cultivate a palate for wine at social gatherings, but so far unsuccessful. I do enjoy a little Godiva chocolate liqueur in my hot cocoa sometimes, though!

go-to bar food?  Chili-cheese fries, as long as the cheese is shredded and not that gross liquid stuff. Otherwise, just chili fries.

are you tending the fire, looking at the stars, or singing campfire/folk songs?  All of the above? I’m not really sure how to answer this one. I adore all of those things. Actually, one of my hallmarks among both family and friends is that I can roast the perfect marshmallow!

a favorite Scripture verse or prayer?  “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Truly, I have a beautiful inheritance.” From Psalm 16.

are you the person begging to go to just one more bar/sing one more song, the person staying up late talking about love and the universe, or the person who fell asleep hours before anyone else? With family and really close friends, stay up late talking all the way! With people I know less well, I’m usually one of the first asleep. I’m trying to break myself of that habit, though!

No pressure tags: @laurelin-of-valinor @holbytlanna @raspberryzingaaa @accidental-spice @saxifrage-wreath @citrussunrises and anyone else who's interested or that I missed!

[cycwrites]

WIP Things aka Unofficial Fic Tease

In order to remind myself that I’ve left all of you hanging for the rest of my trilogy rewrite, I thought I would post my unbeta’d, unedited, good with the bad chapter 1 for the second movie. I also have hope that it will make me feel guilty for taking so damn long and get back to it. Especially since I’ve basically closed myself off from writing (and the muses) and I’m trying to pry the doors back open because I really do miss sharing my stories with you guys.

I wrote this well over a year ago, along with a 2nd chapter that deals with the Dean’s office, and really just hope you like it. 

--------

About Damn Time 

Chapter One: So That Happened

Word Count: 2600 -------- ~B~

At the end of Beca’s junior year, two things of note happened.

First: Chloe, once again, made the decision to stay with Beca and the Bellas and failed Russian Lit for the third time.  Beca had tried to talk her out of it, torn between wanting Chloe to move forward in her life beyond Barden and guilt that she was relieved they wouldn’t have to figure out how to work a long distance relationship. She wasn’t ready to try that and couldn’t imagine leading the group without her.  But Chloe had insisted this was where she’d wanted to be and she didn’t feel like she was missing out on anything.

Second: The Bellas were asked to perform at President Obama’s 50th birthday celebration at the Kennedy Center on August 8th.

Beca had laughed when the call had come through the never used landline at the Bella house.

“Good afternoon, this is Mack Johnson and I’m calling on behalf of the White House…”

“Yeah right. Nice try, Jesse.” She hung up and pulled out her cell phone as she walked into the kitchen. Pausing by the counter she typed out a quick message to him.

Beca: I’ve gotta give you points for originality though. You almost sounded like an actual adult.

She poured herself a glass of lemonade before he answered.

Jesse: I’m going to take that as a compliment and ignore the wound to my manly pride, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Beca: Whatever you say, ‘Mack.’ If you’d said you were calling from anywhere but the White House I might’ve let you keep talking.

Instead of answering via text, Jesse called her.

“Are you day drinking, Mitchell?” Jesse clucked his tongue. “Without your lesbro? I’m hurt, Becaw.”

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Beca lifted her glass and took a sip. “What inspired your call today?”

“Uh, your cryptic and confusing texts to me, of course.” Jesse chuckled. “Want to clue me in?”

Beca sighed. “Man you’re committed to this.”

“To what?”

Beca set her glass on the counter. “Fine – you just called me and –” She jumped as the phone in the living room rang for only the second time in her years at Barden. “Pretended… to be… from the White House.”

“I thought you said you weren’t drinking?” Jesse laughed but it sounded distant as Beca watched Chloe answer the phone.

Her girlfriend’s blue eyes went wide and locked on Beca’s as she said, “I’m sorry, did you say you’re calling from the White House?”

“Jesse?” Beca said absently.

“Yes, Beca?” His voice took on an echo as all the blood drained from her face.

“I gotta go pass out now.” She swallowed dryly. “I’ll call you later.”

“Beca wa-”

Beca had remained frozen in the kitchen while Chloe became more and more animated, frantically scribbling down notes on the notepad sitting beside the phone, though her voice was carefully calm and collected. Then she’d run into the kitchen, screaming and jumping in excitement and talking faster than Beca’s shocked mind could process. Drawn by the commotion like a frat boy to a kegger, the rest of the girls soon joined the chaos while Beca still stood frozen by the counter as they swirled around her.

The school had allowed them to stay on campus through the summer so they could discuss songs and choreography. The time had been a whirlwind of security checks and practice and everything they planned needed to be vetted by the performance organizers. Of course, since they’d come to the Bellas after their third ICCA win in a row, there weren’t any real problems.

Until the night of the performance when one set of tangled silks and a desire for no panty lines wrecked everything.

No pun intended.

~B~ Sunday, August 24th, 2014

Beca lay on their bed and stared at the ceiling, listening to Chloe pace beside her.

“I’ve ruined everything.” Pace to the head of the bed. “Destroyed our reputation.” Pace back to the foot. “Made the Bellas a joke.”

Beca sighed and pushed herself up on her elbows. “Chloe. It’s a capella. It’s already a jo-” She stopped as Chloe spun to face her, outraged. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Beca tried a smile. “I was just trying to lighten the mood.” She let it slip when Chloe just stared at her and Beca dropped back down to gaze at the ceiling. “Won’t make that mistake again.”

“I’m the one who gave Amy the green-light to do ‘Wrecking Ball.’” Chloe resumed pacing.

“Because, despite most of her claims, she actually had done some training on the silks before coming to the states.” Beca countered, as she had for the past three weeks. “She was good on them and never once in our rehearsals did she get tangled up.”

“But-”

“No.” Beca cut her off and sat up, pulling her legs up to sit cross legged and face her. “We all agreed to let her do it. It was a group vote.” She softened her voice and held out her hand. “This isn’t all on you, Chlo.”

With a sigh, Chloe took her hand and let herself be tugged onto the bed. Beca stretched back out and Chloe settled against her side. “It feels like it.”

“That’s because you’re the one who looks out for us.” Beca gently rubbed her back. “No one could’ve predicted this, love.”

“No…” Chloe said grudgingly. “But…”

Beca cut her off again. “There’s no buts.”

“Except Amy’s.” Chloe huffed, tension that had begun to fade making her stiffen up again in Beca’s arms. “All over the news.” She groaned. “Why didn’t I just use the cloth I was freaking holding to cover her up?”

“Same reason I didn’t,” Beca said reasonably, having heard a version of this several times before. “My mind went blank and I couldn’t move. I just… kept waiting to wake up.”

“Same.” Chloe pressed her nose to Beca’s shoulder. “I still am. This is such a nightmare.”

“She feels bad.” Beca offered. “It was her idea to do that press conference.” She winced as Chloe snorted.

“Yeah, where she then tried to show her ‘silk burn’ to the entire world.” Chloe sat up and pushed herself off the bed. “Again.” She resumed pacing and Beca’s mind hunted around for anything she could say to defuse things.

“At least we saved Aubrey’s college legacy from Pukegate?” Even as the words were out of her mouth Beca knew they were stupid and wrong.

“And ruined ours with Muffgate.” Chloe snarled.

“I wish I could find the asshole that came up with that. Bet it was those podcast people and of course everyone else jumped on it.” Beca made a face. “It was an accident and eventually there will be another crisis for them to focus on.” She slid over to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over. “It won’t be forever, Chlo.”

Pace, turn. “But tomorrow we go see the Dean.” Pace, turn. “With those podcast people who are apparently actually part of the Collegiate A Cappella Association.”

“They’re still weird and he’s an ass.” Beca stood up and stretched as she heard the door open at the bottom of the stairs. “Think you’ll be able to enjoy yourself at dinner tonight?”

Chloe stopped by the small table they inherited from Aubrey and took a deep breath. “Of course. It’s Amy’s birthday. I’m not going to ruin it for her.” She flashed Beca a small grin, the first in an hour. “Why do you think I’m up here instead of downstairs?”

“Speaking of,” a new voice said from the stairs. “There’s maybe… A situation.” Jessica smiled apologetically when they both looked at her as she reached the top.

Beca sighed. “Of course there is.”

“Do I even want to know?” Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Probably not, but Stacie sent me to get you.”

“Coward,” Beca muttered. “She knows I can’t hit you because you’re too nice.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, quick like ripping off a band-aid.”

“Amy’s sitting on the couch. With a towel on her lap.” Jessica hesitated.

“That’s… Why is that a big deal?” Chloe asked, confused.

“She’s… commando. Because of her silk burn.” The blonde’s shoulders bounced once but she didn’t say anything else.

“I swear to fucking god I’m going to glue underwear on her,” Chloe muttered under her breath.

Beca was struck by a horrible thought. “Is she sitting on another towel?”

“We were afraid she’d show us if we asked.” Jessica looked at Beca. “That’s when Stacie sent me to get you.”

“Why do I have to do it?” Beca knew she was whining but couldn’t help it.

“Because you’re the captain.” Jessica shrugged again. “You can threaten her with cardio if she tries to flash us again.”

“Yeah but Amy doesn’t always listen to me and I don’t want to have flashbacks.” Beca reluctantly headed for the stairs as Jessica started back down.

“Birthday or not…” Chloe muttered as she followed.

“I’m sure Lilly has a hot glue gun you can use,” Beca mused, not surprised to find Ashley hanging out in the hallway when they left the attic.

“Don’t tempt me.” Chloe didn’t say anything else the entire trip down the stairs.

Beca rounded the corner, passing Jessica and Ashley who had stopped in the entry and came to a halt herself, Chloe running into her back.

All she could see was the back of Amy’s head but she appeared to be looking straight at Lilly who sat cross-legged on the ottoman and staring back.

“Do I even want to know?” Beca turned her head toward Jessica but didn’t take her eyes off the scene.

“I didn’t ask that either,” came the whispered reply.

Beca took a bracing breath then walked into the living room. Despite the reassurance that the covering towel existed, Beca didn’t relax until she saw it for herself. It was nothing personal against Amy, but Beca just didn’t want to see any of the Bellas naked, Chloe being the obvious exception. You never knew when the visual would pop back in your head and Amy had already shown up enough in the past few weeks to last a lifetime.

“Amy.” Beca looked up at a sound from the kitchen and saw Stacie leaning in the doorway with Cynthia Rose and Flo sitting at the center island.

“Captain.” Amy didn’t turn her head or avert her gaze.

“Are you guys in a staring contest?” Beca frowned, looking between the two women. “And if so why?”

“I don’t know,” Amy lifted one shoulder. “All I know is she hasn’t blinked since she sat down and why take the risk of losing.”

Beca felt her eyes twitch at the thought. “Jesus, please cut it out before my eyes start watering.” She stepped between them and Amy closed her eyes in relief.

“Thanks, Shawshank. That was starting to burn.” She started to lift one corner of the towel to wipe her eyes and Beca threw out her hand.

“Nope. That stays there.” Chloe said it before Beca could.

“Please tell me you’re sitting on another towel.” Beca sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

“Of course I am!” Amy actually looked indignant. “I’m not a heathen, Beca.” She rolled her eyes. “The pants I want to wear to dinner are tight, so I’m giving my bits time to breathe first.”

“Now that’s in my head.” Cynthia Rose muttered from the kitchen.

“That’s in all our heads,” Ashley said from the doorway behind them.

“You could always wear that blue skirt,” Chloe offered diplomatically. “That way you’re not uncomfortable for your birthday dinner.”

“I do look hot in that.” Amy thought about it while the rest of them made sounds of agreement. “Alright, you’ve swayed me. And as it’s almost that time, guess I’ll go upstairs and change.” She started to stand as Beca moved back then paused. “If you’d all turn around and give me some privacy while I wrap?”

Beca rolled her eyes as she turned to face the front window that, thankfully, had the curtains drawn. “That’s what you get for being half naked in the public areas of the house.”

“I got bored in my room.” Beca heard Amy stand up and the rustle of fabric. “Alright, I’m decent.”

“Hey!”

Beca jumped at the unexpected shout and looked over her shoulder. Stacie had come out of the kitchen and was pointing at the couch.

“That’s my favorite towel!” Outage filled her face. “I was looking for that for over a week!”

“It’s also the softest towel in the house.” Amy said as she picked it up, tucking the other firmly around her waist. “It’s the only thing that doesn’t hurt when I’m sitting.”

A choked sound from behind her brought Beca’s eyes back around to Chloe, who was biting the inside of her cheek and trying not to giggle. “I’m sure she’ll wash it before she gives it back.”

Beca tried to choke back her laugh and ended up sounding like a pug with a cold as she snickered into her hand.

“I think…” Stacie sighed. “Happy Birthday, Amy. It’s all yours.”

“You sure, Stretch?” Amy threw the towel in question over her shoulder. “I don’t think I’ll need it for much longer.”

“Yup.” Stacie nodded emphatically. “I’ll go get another one this weekend.”

“Thanks, Stacie.” Amy smiled at her before her lips twisted slightly. “Sorry I didn’t ask first.”

“’S okay.” Stacie shrugged. “Now go get changed so we can celebrate your day.”

“Are you allowed to give me orders on my birthday?” Amy mused as she headed for the stairs.

“Probably not,” Beca said. “But I’ll probably do it anyway.”

“Bossy.” Chloe whispered behind her and Beca flashed her a grin.

“Alright.” Beca clapped her hands once. “Show’s over, let’s go get our party outfits on and get some grub. We’ve got a Bella to celebrate.”

Stacie walked past her, shaking her head. “Bossy.”

Beca let her head fall back as she stared at the ceiling. “I can’t with you two.”

“What?” Stacie paused in the door to the entry. “Did we do the thing again?”

“Yup.” Chloe pushed Beca toward the stairs. “I called her that thirty seconds ago.” She high fived Stacie over Beca’s shoulder when the tall woman grinned and held out her hand.

“Score one for us.” Stacie laughed and started up the stairs.

“I hate you guys.” Beca said weakly as she followed.

“Liar,” Chloe laughed and ran her hand down Beca’s back.

“Maybe.” Beca let Chloe go before her.

“Definitely.”

“Yeah yeah,” Beca waved her up the stairs, unable to help admiring the way Chloe’s muscles flexed as she moved. “But seriously, my stomach just woke up and if I don’t feed it soon it’s going to take over the world.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” Stacie saluted as she stepped into her room.

“Smartass,” Beca threw back.

“And you love it.” Stacie closed the door with a laugh.

“Stop flirting with Stacie and let’s go change before you get hangry.” Chloe took her hand and tugged on it.

“She wishes,” Beca muttered but followed Chloe up to their room, ignoring the ‘Often’ that came from Stacie’s room behind them.

‘She’s got bat hearing, I swear.’ Beca thought to herself as she went to the closet to get her outfit for the night.

Tomorrow was still looming over them, but Beca pushed it all away, determined to think about Amy and the Bellas for the rest of the night.

It was one mistake and they’d just won three years in a row. Surely they weren’t in that much trouble.

Right?

[ninakaina]

why do you like maria kaina so much? ì'm just really curious.

this is the most exciting question i’ve ever gotten in my life

[image id: a screencap from the pathologic wiki, which says “personality: femme fatale.”] 

EDIT: im gonna make this into a video essay sooooooo read it if you want or stay tuned for a video in like a week and a half

first of all, i’m a lesbian and she’s a goth girl. secondly, she combines many of the tropes that i adore in female characters, and i’ll try to get into some of it as concisely as i can. in short: femme fatale, magic woman, scary woman, cassandra, sublime. i’m going to draw some concepts from the essay “the woman in the red dress: sexuality, femmes fatales, the gaze and ada wong” by jenny platz in the beginning here.

in the scope of their function as femmes fatales and the ways they transcend the typical boundaries placed on femmes fatales, ada wong resident evil and maria have a lot of similarities beyond obvious similarities in design (you can see patterns forming in my interests but also if you don’t know anything about ada this should still all make sense). so we’re all on the same page, a femme fatale is a woman of dubious morals and unknown or false motives who uses her sexuality and wit to get what she wants from men. the femme fatale has a long, uncertain, and pervasive history, and a love-hate relationship with the misogynistic writers/audiences/societies that create her, but ada and maria break free of many of the tropes that allow the femme fatale to be part of a misogynist power fantasy. together they have functionally very similar relationships to their male protagonists, although i wouldn’t say maria cares about daniil half as much as ada cares about leon if at all, in which they’re more than willing to lie to the men and put them in harm’s way to achieve their own unclear ends, while serving an essential function in keeping them alive, often without their knowledge (in the changeling route, maria sends daily letters to clara to keep daniil from getting murdered by artemy).  they add an element of unease verging on horror to their games through their sheer power - which stems from a weaponized womanhood, the player’s unfolding understanding of the vastness and nature of their power, and the fact that you have no idea what they’re going to do with it. the weaponized womanhood is relevant here because in theory, to a male audience, it adds its own level of horror, but to me it adds a level of love.

like ada too, and unlike the typical femme fatale of books and movies even in the modern era, maria is never purified or punished; in fact, she only becomes more powerful over the course of the game. her death can only come via the plague; there are no plotlines where she may die. even when she’s caught red-handed by artemy in patho 2, he has two options: to tell her father, who is unlikely to stop her and even less likely to punish her, or to note that this is maria’s world and we’re all just living in it and move on. in classic she can get married at the end, but not for love and it’s made explicitly clear that her husband’s role is to serve her, like victor served nina; instead of finally conforming to a patriarchal mold like the archetype would predict, she again uses a man to advance her agenda. (she still deserves better though. killallvlads2020)

another similarity between maria and ada that’s also the biggest way they diverge, is their expanded power of body over the typical femme fatale. where typically the femme fatale is just a wickedly smart, sexy woman (good for her), she has little power beyond the sexualization of her body, and little recourse when she’s in danger besides getting a man to help her out of it. the way this is subverted is the most obvious in ada, so it’s a good lead-in; her power of body also translates into fighting skills greater than that of most of her peers-- she uses acrobatics and melee attacks more often than other characters, making her distinctly equipped to survive without anyone’s help and destroy her opposition. maria, obviously, is not a fighter, and she’d die immediately if she was locked in a police station with zombies, so at first glance she seems to fall more into the wicked damsel aspect of the trope. but thematically and functionally, pathologic is not a game about physical fighting or even physical power. in a game world where guns and bullets are exceedingly rare while information (as well as picking truth out of lies) is the form of power that gets characters to the end alive, maria has, in herself, the access to more information than any male character. aside from mark’s (and grief’s) special role as the fool, clairvoyance and particularly mistresshood are specific to women, and come to maria from the steppe. she’s also “sensitive to lies and deceptions” and “can instantly see one’s true colors”. she is shown barefoot in pathologic 2, which symbolizes her personal and physical connection to the wild earth, a power of body in itself. maria and ada are both apex predators, perfectly suited to their particular environments and narratives- on that note, maria is never endangered at all, aside from typical plague mechanics and distress in her issues with aglaya.

okay, enough about ada wong. beyond her connection to the femme fatale trope, maria’s narrative in itself also draws on a really compelling archetype. i mentioned that maria is never purified or punished, nor really endangered, but  that doesn’t mean her story is without tragedy. instead, her tragedy is more personal and psychological, as she’s one of several characters who deal in the theme of lost childhood, and maria’s particular refrain has a hint of lost humanity. these are characters who are forced to grow up, often too fast, and for whom growing up carries an inherent trauma where some aspect of who they were or who they could have been is ripped away from them. i would also call maria and capella’s stories lost girlhood, since there’s a lot of... you know, it feels like stuff that mitski would sing about. i could talk for ages about “i can hear [your mother’s] voice [in you]” and how effectively it’s played for a bittersweet horror. in classic we are very clearly shown maria changing from who she is at the beginning, acting completely differently, and it’s left unclear as to whether this is simply the new maria or her mother’s spirit is literally possessing her (again, some obvious metaphor here). in pathologic 2, they make a change that i really love. maria has already taken up the mantle of mistress or at least claims she has and is in the process of change-- “a mistress in the making”, but it’s mentioned that artemy remembers her from before he left the town. 

he says “i remember when you were just a kid. who would have thought you’d grow into-- this?” if you read my writing, you may have picked up that i seriously fixate on this piece of her narrative. from when she was a girl (16 at the oldest) to when she’s 21, she’s changed so much as to be almost unrecognizable, and more than unrecognizable, she’s become a complete mystery, a nightmare. this is a tragic horror, in the sense that tragedy is horror that’s already happened. from the uncanny valley of the familiar turned unfamiliar, the creature-that-was-once-maria, the not-quite-nina, to that same sense of loss as someone who was once just a girl is forced to be more grown than she is and more grown than any person should be expected to be. as anna angel wears willow’s hair, maria wears her own. that one haruspex line asks a thousand, unsettling questions to which we can expect no answer. who was she before? who is she now? what happened to her? when did she change? what has she lost? what has she gained? is this who she wants to be? did pressure from her mother shape her, or grief over her mother’s death, or something else entirely? is this who she was always going to become, or could she have been something else? all of these and more lead into the central questions that define both the dark/scarlet mistress and monster movies: what is it?, what is it capable of?, and what does it want? these questions are, naturally, never answered, although it’s likely we’ll get a little more insight into her motives in the bachelor route of patho 2. 

stepping back from the specifics of mistresses, this again carries strong themes of coming of age and lost childhood/girlhood; the idea that in order to ascend so to speak and to take on role greater than you are, you have to either destroy yourself or be yourself destroyed. maria’s version of this story is, again, a tragedy. she is plagued by the stress of her destiny, haunted by nightmarish prophetic visions (which fucking DANKOVSKY doesn’t even BELIEVE), and completely alone, so much so that to express her love physically would destroy the object of her love, and yet she is still the incredible femme fatale i was talking about before. this is where i end up with the quote i captioned my painting of maria with: “a girl burns, and the sublime blossoms.”

i used the word sublime to describe maria twice in my writing, in that quote and in “her eyes are fierce, dark, sublime.” this is literally the best word i can come up with to describe the scarlet mistress, and the sublime is a big concept in aesthetic theory, but one which is hard to describe in itself. i try to portray elements of the sublime whenever i write or draw her although i’m not THAT good yet lol. it doesn’t have any physical or functional criteria except the feeling it causes (for a good example i think of the earthrise photo). this quote on the sublime, by edmund burke, feels very reminiscent of the way nina is described in game: “the passion caused by the great and sublime in nature, when those causes operate most powerfully, is astonishment, and astonishment is that state of the soul in which all its motions are suspended, with some degree of horror.” it’s awe-inspiring, it’s scary, it’s a force of nature, both refined and wild and personally impersonal, and it’s pretty much the only word i have for the iconic maria quote.... you know the one. “and you know, mother, that forge is me. sometimes i wake up with a burning in my chest, and the sky becomes crimson. in that very moment, if i kiss someone, they can see it too. it’s true.” 

one last thing i LOVE about maria is the power of self and autonomy she retains, especially in 2. in the diurnal ending as the utopians are planning to cross the river (which was her plan in classic), maria says she doesn’t want to; she wants to stay and create, not art or buildings but people, to bring them into the sublime. her cruelty is how she nurtures those around her, as opposed to capella whose nurturing is in many ways cruel. and it’s in the diurnal ending that we first hear the title “crimson mistress”; where in classic, nina was the scarlet mistress and maria became the scarlet mistress, in 2 nina was the dark mistress and maria becomes crimson. there is no question that she’s not her mother. after all she’s endured, she forges herself into something new, not necessarily brighter but more visceral, takes her mother’s legacy and makes it her own.

so i guess tldr: what’s not to like about maria kaina?

[fandomshatelgbtqpeople]

mod a’s lgbt musicals

Hi there! I’m a big theatre kid so I thought for pride month I’d put together a list of LGBTQ musicals. Despite its association with queer people, musical theatre is not known for its amazing representation. I’ve put together a list here of musicals I know of with queer characters. I’ve tried to avoid those where the queer characters are incredibly minor roles or those where the representation is just not good enough to be salvageable (*side eyes Legally Blonde*) I know there are many musicals I will have missed out but these are the ones I am most aware of. Feel free to add more! So without further ado, here it is.

Fun Home

The big Tony winner of 2015! Based on Alison Bechdel, a butch lesbian cartoonist. At the age of 43, she looks for new material by trying to explore her past and her relationship with her closeted gay dad. Looks back at a version of herself when she was 10 and a “tomboy” and at 19 when she came out and got her first girlfriend. Has very cute lighthearted moments as well as very sad moments. Has a beautiful song where small Alison sees a butch deliverywoman. Problems in that since the original broadway cast, Alison’s costume has got less butch. Content warning for suicide.

Here’s their Tony performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAuesRJm1E

The Color Purple

Based on Alice Walker’s novel about black women in the 1930s. Follows Celie who has been abused by men her whole life who discovers she is a lesbian but also makes a journey of self discovery and learns to love herself. Her love interest is a bisexual woman. Won best revival at the Tonys in 2016. Content warning for discussion/implied sexual abuse.

Here’s their Tony performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k2xzQyT2bk

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

A teenage gay boy in Sheffield wants to be a drag queen and go to prom in a dress.Also a nice touch that is does not focus on him having a relationship (since he is sixteen) and him having to come out as he is already out. Focuses on his close relationship with his supportive mother. Has a diverse cast. Jamie is currently played by a black actor and his best friend wears a hijab and has a very diverse ensemble as well. Unfortunately has a part where Jamie responds to a homophobic bully by calling him a bunch of ableist and classist slurs.

Here’s a clip of the most popular song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7C3FuFWDdw

The Prom

Emma is a lesbian teenager in Indiana whose prom is cancelled by the PTA after she requests to bring her girlfriend to it. A group of Broadway actors come down to help her campaign to be allowed to attend prom, as well as styling her, helping her work on her confidence and educating the town’s people. What ensues is basically a two hour musical episode of Queer Eye. Cheesy and fun with so many musical theatre references crammed in. My one issue is that the show is rather harsh on people who are closeted since Emma has conflicted with her girlfriend Alyssa because she is not ready to come out.

Here’s a clip of their Tony performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcG_r5xv3E

Rent

Probably the most well known on this list. Artists in New York during the AIDS crisis. Two of the main couples featured are queer: Maureen is bisexual and in a relationship with Joanne who is a lesbian, and Angel is a transgender woman of color in a relationship with Collins, a presumably bisexual man. However, she tends to be played bi cis men and there are instances of her being misgendered by the main characters uncritically. In Rent Live (2019), all instances of her being misgendered were removed and her gender identity was confirmed. She was played in this by Valentina, an nb drag queen and has also been played by Pose’s MJ Rodriguez, a trans woman. Very diverse with Jewish characters and people of colour and in the live show, only 1 of the 8 main characters was white. Has been criticised over the years, mainly for its biphobic portrayal of Maureen who is promiscuous and implied to cheat, but in the 90s did a lot for the LGBTQ community and is more progressive than a lot of media even now.

Here’s a clip of Maureen and Joanne from Rent Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06oCfKYYPTY

And here’s some Angel and Collins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hl-M94o_x8

Falsettos

Marvin comes out as gay in the late 70s but decides to move his ex wife and son in with his boyfriend. Addresses AIDS crisis in Act 2. Has “lesbians from next door” in act 2. F Revived on Broadway in 2016. All of the characters are Jewish. Unfortunately, in revival casts, very few actors tend to be Jewish.

Here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjnAHOdMQVk

Come From Away

In the aftermath of 9/11, 38 planes are diverted to a small town in Canada called Gander. Shows people of different races and nationalities bonding in a scary time. Addresses Islamophobia. Has one song called Prayer where prayers from different religions overlap. Has an interracial gay couple called Kevin and Kevin. They break up in the end but are very important characters. Won best direction of a musical in 2017. The Broadway production starred Jenn Colella who has referred to herself as ‘mostly gay’.

Here’s a clip of Jenn Colella singing a song from the musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8ukgH6U-d0

Head Over Heels

Honestly I don’t quite know what this musical is about, even by reading the plot summary and listening to the soundtrack. I know it’s set in a Tudor fantasy world and that there are wlw couples as well as an explicitly non binary character, played by Peppermint, a trans woman, and that there are interracial couples and plus sized actors. It is a jukebox musical using songs by the Go-Gos and yes the wlw anthem that is Heaven is a Place on Earth is one of them. The soundtrack is fantastic even if you can’t follow what is going on.

Here are some show clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx2qQ7QAPm0

Spring Awakening

German school kids in the 19th century discovering their sexuality. Two of the schoolboy supporting characters, Ernst and Hänschen, have a romance when they have a reprise of an earlier song in Act 2.  A BIG content warning as it has graphic discussions of rape and songs about it and a sex scene with very dubious consent. However there was a very wonderful 2016 revival using deaf actors and sign language.

This is another one you can very easily find the full show of on YouTube which I won’t link. However here’s the Tony performance for the revival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSagsMcak4Q

If/Then

A woman named Elizabeth (originally played by Idina Menzel) moves to New York after a divorce and contemplated how different her life would be if she took two different paths. Four supporting queer characters. Her ex-boyfriend is bisexual and played by Anthony Rapp (who is bisexual in real life) and he gets a boyfriend in one timeline. Another of her friends is a lesbian called Kate who marries her girlfriend in the musical. Problems occur as in both timelines, cheating goes on in the lesbian relationship although they stay together in one. Elizabeth also says she doesn’t believe in bisexuals, a view no one ever challenges her on, however Lucas is very clearly bisexual which is some proof for the audience that she is wrong.

I’m not going to link it here but there are many very high quality bootlegs on it on YouTube if you want to watch,

Ghost Quartet

A bit of a weird one. This is more of a concept album. There are four performers who each play instruments and they tell the stories of many interconnected timelines. It is very hard to explain but there are souls travelling through time who keep being reincarnated as different people with different relationships to each other which usually end with one woman killing the other. In the song Soldier & Rose, the ghosts Rose and Pearl are lovers as Rose seduces the soldier for her honey.  In the song Four Friends, for one chorus the men sing “I like to put my hand on a pretty girls’s knee” and the women sing “pretty boy’s knee” and then they switch for the next chorus so they’re all bisexual. In general, a lot of fun if you like weird musicals and I mean really weird.

The full show is online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJSaEJm8pCE

Mean Girls

Yes there’s a musical of it. I was not looking forward to it when it was announced but have actually grown to quite like it. It’s hardly lyrical genius but the songs are fun and a lot of the problematic aspects of the film have been fixed. Damian is more explicitly gay in the musical and sings about an ex boyfriend in one song. Janis is heavily implied to be a lesbian (confirmed by actress offstage) and she doesn’t end up with Kevin Gnapoor. She is played by a queer actress in the tour cast. Both queer characters are much bigger roles than in the movie and get several songs each. I’d consider the musical to be quite white feminist but it does address issues such as the sexualisation of teenage girls and the notion that to be ‘sexy’ is ‘empowering’.

Here’s a clip of one of Damian’s songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-zM6QKkxEQ

& Juliet

An English jukebox musical about what might have happened to Juliet in Romeo and Juliet if she had not died at the end. I haven’t seen it but I’ve listened to the soundtrack and it is mainly comprised of 21st century songs by women. One of Juliet’s best friends is non binary although is played by a cis man as far as we know. Also I went to the same school as one of the actors which is a bonus for me. Very diverse cast.

Here’s a trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm2k9nS3o20

In Transit

A capella musical about several people’s adventures on New York public transport. Two of the main characters in this ensemble cast are an interracial gay couple where both are pocs. They are engaged but one of them is having trouble coming out to his mother. I found it refreshing in that his fiance for the most part was not upset with him at his struggles in coming out and they were both able to live fulfilling lives despite this. I am always astonished by the talent of a cappella singers.

Here’s a trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhvik6qoass  Another one where the bootleg can be found very easily on YouTube

Firebringer

Remember A Very Potter Musical? Well, the company that did that are still putting out new pieces of theatre on their YouTube channel. In 2016, they put out their ridiculous comedy musical Firebringer, about a group of bisexual cavewomen. I won’t spoil the ending but trust me, it’s great. You may know it from the viral clip of one of the main characters singing ‘I don’t really wanna do the work today.’

You can watch the full musical here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmVuNlu0LCk

Special Mentions

Company

Musical by Stephen Sondheim about a man unable to commit to a relationship, surrounded by his friends who are all in couples. However, the award-winning 2018 West End revival chose to change the genders of some of the characters. The main character Robert became ‘Bobbie’ (although all of her love interests were gender-swapped as well). One of the originally M/F couples became an M/M couple. It opened on Broadway for about a week before the Covid outbreak so that will be one to look out for.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtDK03y4gT0

In the Heights

A musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda about the Latin American community living in Washington Heights in New York. The original theatre production has no explicitly queer characters. However, in the upcoming movie version (that was meant to be released this summer but has been pushed back to next summer) it has been confirmed that the characters of Daniela and Carla (Daphne Rubin-Vega and Stephanie Beatriz) will be explicitly a couple.

I absolutely love this musical and the trailer for the movie looks beautiful check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0CL-ZSuCrQ

[not-a-christmas-tree]

i just watched the dallas theatre company les mis here are my observations

IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THIS PRODUCTION I SUGGEST YOU DO! DON’T READ THIS IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS THOUGH!

so, in case you didn’t know: in 2014, Dallas Theatre Company did a modern interpretation of les mis. i just watched it on youtube (i will link it later, i promise) and took SO MANY GODDAMN NOTES so here they are!

ACT ONE 

(Look Down-WHID)

starting out strong! we got some HARSH TRUTHS ABOUT THE JAIL SYSTEM!! blatant police brutality happening BASICALLY the entire first part of the song. it hurts me. 

note on the cops costumes: they legitimately terrify me and they are dressed in like. full riot gear.

okay so,,,valjean wraps the rope from his bag around his neck at the end of WHID. this is interesting bc, a) he’s trying to find a solution as to what he should do after the Bishop and that’s a direction I’ve surprisingly seen no one take, but b) this part has the same melody as javert’s suicide, when javert is ALSO trying to figure out what he should do after his perception on life is altered. for a moment there, they both are on the same page, the page being suicide. however, only one of them takes that choice.

the above makes the lines (in both songs) “i’ll escape now from that world / from the world of valjean” ESPECIALLY interesting because. in two different ways, they did escape, but they ALMOST had the same conclusion for a brief second.

(At The End Of The Day)

in ATEOTD fantine ends up being the last one working, causing everyone to look at her with varying degrees of annoyance or frustration. She do be hardworking doe

OH SHIT KIDS IN THE FACTORY!! three little kids run up to the foreman when he’s giving daily stipends to the ladies!! (they’re also the last to be paid, giving significant sass to foreman who also sasses back)

Girl #5 mockingly calling fantine “innocent sister” when 5 is white and fantine is a WOC...that’s kind of interesting given that that can be read as SERIOUS racial profiling on 5’s part

foreman looks like bob’s boss in the incredibles but like. tall lmao

(I Dreamed A Dream)

her look of like,,shock-but-not when everyone from the factory exits and she takes off her bandana,,,that. that is good acting

her transitions from chest to head voice are so good

i’m kinda sad she isn’t younger?? or just. doesn’t look super young bc fantine is supposed to be like. early twenties. she’s not 45 and had a decently long life before she died, no, she’s young. she was taken advantage of. that’s the whole point. but that’s sUPER little like this lady is way too good

she has the perfect mix of sadness and regret plus anger and shameless hope. like. kudos to you allison blackwell you’re a dope fantine 

the cry on “killed the dream i dreamed” brb sobbing

(The Dock Scenes)

MALE PROSTITUTES I REPEAT!! MALE PROSTITUTES!! (no idea what wig he’s wearing tho. he was done dirty in the wig department) 

oh male prostitute is prostitute #1! 

oh damn there is. lady def on some bad drugs with her kid passing behind fantine on the bench. ouch.

hoo okay they did n o t censor lovely ladies!! (mini note: camera person has the camera down an AWFUL LOT on these docks scenes lmao)

there are cops on the docks. gross.

(Who Am I-Confrontation)

OH SHIT THEY HAVE A FALSE JVJ IN THE BACKGROUND OF WHO AM I 

jvj comforts not-jvj for a second!! (money note was FANTASTIC btw)

fantine being WOC and DYING in a modern hospital also is,,yeesh because. you know. racist doctors. 

jvj cries after fantine dies JUST STAB ME NOW OKAY—

confrontation is really funny when u see that javert has a GUN and jvj has A CHAIR

JVJ DID THE LIL RUN ON “live within my care” YAAAAY

(COAC-Master Of The House)

oh boy baby cosette,,so small,,so pure plus classic baby head shake when she sings I STAN

MADAME T LOOKS—OH GOOD GOD

DID SHE SPIT ON MY BABY--

cosette: “please do not send me out alone—“ madame t: “oooooh my gOOOOOD” omg 

what the fuck is thenardiers hair i—

WHAT THE FUCK IS THENARDIER IN G E N E R A L

random idea regarding thenardier’s prison tattoo: he has the same number on his chest that jvj has. Meaning he was in jail too. so why isn’t he as messed up as jvj? i wanna say maybe he was in for less time, but like. I doubt it. However, he has a whole ass gang. did the thenardier gang break their boss out of jail? please say yes 

him listing things for baby éponine to charge i love it

OH MY GOD THENARDIER FLAUNTS HIS NUMBER WHILE JVJ DOESNT!! jvj hides his past because he believes it will get him into better places (it does, he becomes mayor for god’s sake) while thenardier shows off his past with stubborn pride. while thenardier cheats his way to success, jvj lives an almost honest life where he ultimately suffers due to the stress all the hiding he does gives him

i love that éponine looks like neither of her parents,,,madame t got around huh? 

(The Bargain)

I JUST REALIZED THE STAGE HAS A CATWALK DOWN THE CENTER INTO THE AUDIENCE THAT IS THE COOLEST OMG

Instead of madame correcting thenardier on cosette’s name he asks cosette herself which prompts the CUTEST ANGRY YELL OF “it’s cosette!” I HAVE EVER SEEN

also thenardier fuckin MANHANDLING cosette i’m DYING

JVJ LOVES HER SM I AM SOFTTT

(The Beggars)

omg marius is so ADORABLE i love him

gavroche is a style icon

kid holding sign saying “my mom got laid off” POOR BB

i love éponine

that’s it that’s the note

wait a sec was that montparnasse with the prostitute earlier in beggars??

ALSO I SEE AZELMA AND OTHER THENARDIER KIDS PRESENT FOR “turn on the tears!!” THANK YOU FOR UTILIZING THAT LINE PROPERLY

why does enj have a bat?? If it;s not a bat then,,,what is it? someone please help me

marius saves cosette from bad guy gang!! 🥰🥰

bruh javert misses jvj running by like,,,MAYBE two seconds that is hilarious 

jav looks so done when thenardier is trying to get out of this lmao i love it

javert looks so cop-like it scares me

(Stars)

the line “safe behind bars” in stars kind of kills me here because as the audience you SEE the cruelty that the convicts face. you see the guy on the ground getting beaten you SEE the chains around their throats and yet. yet javert still somehow thinks that putting jvj in jail is safe? i think the thing to focus on here is not whether it’s safe, because it obviously isn’t. the focus is who it’s safer for, jean valjean or javert?

has it always been “your father” rather than “her father” when marius asks éponine to find where cosette lives?? if they changed it that is SMART because yk. jvj would be ALARMED if he found out he’d been found by éponine but he wouldn’t hurt her. he’s not the guy she has to worry about, it’s her own father. thenardier gave her a job and she’s straying from it, he’s what would endanger her.

THE PLAYFUL BOOP AND SHOVE FROM MARIUS 🥺🥺🥺

(The ABC Café)

“note-ruh daym”

hee hee pretty enjolras

pretty enjolras in skinny jeans even better

OOH we have,,,angry enjolras in this version o k a y

grantaire raises his hand before agog/aghast part omg

“i’ve never heard him ooOOOOh and aAAAAh *excited squeal*

“dan joo-wan” i love texas

bossuet spotted :)

longing gay looks NOT spotted :(

i love enjolras okay but this one is just,,,a little too aggressive. enjolras isn’t just angry all the time, he’s not that one dimensional. of course, there is more of the show to see and i hope he changes a little bit, but so far red and black isn’t doing much for me. enjolras is hopeful, not just angry.

A CAPELLA SECTION IN RED AND BLACK?? I think YES

the amis finding out lamarque is dead has “fuck trump just won the election” energy

okay i was hoping that enj would change his aggression thing when they find out lamarque is dead (bc that’s when most enjolrai figure out what may happen and kinda sober up yk) but. it doesn’t look like he did. there is hope for barricade scenes

OMG LIL NOTE ON COMBEFERRE GIVING OUT FLYERS TO AUDIENCE MEMBERS: that is fucking pERFECT and yk why?? because it’s a call to action!! it’s less obvious in DYHTPS because they’re mostly singing to each other but later in epilogue when the words and melody is repeated, it’s meant as a call to action! “will you join in our crusade, who will be strong and stand with me?” is a cALL TO ACTION AND THEY ARE HANDING FLYERS TO AUDIENCE MEMBERS—that’s officially the only way to break the fourth wall THANK YOU 

hey fantine doubles as a student i think!!

HARMONIES ARE C L E A N OOOOH

(In My Life-Heart Full Of Love)

okay yes i already love cosette because she plays awkward-teen-in-love-for-the-first-time PERFECTLY. 

book-ish cosette hell yes a cutie

father-daughter forehead kisses 🥺

awkward mARIUS TIMEEEEE

placing marius, éponine, and cosette in a triangle is a MARVELOUS decision thank u for that symbolism

marius checking if he looks good and ép giving him a thumbs up omg

*aggressively tries to sit normally* same cosette

*awkward curtsy* also same cosette 

(Attack On Rue Plumet)

robbery time let’s see how they do this

ooh marius and cosette run off but i can’t tell if they notice gang before running

thenardier fuckin SLICES éponine after her scream

NOOOO HER LIL WHIMPER AFTER BEING THREATENED AGAIN

(One Day More)

this lil part between robbery and one day more is interesting bc i legit have NO idea what jvj is thinking here. he keeps looking between his watch (i think it’s a watch idk) and cosette after she runs off to pack so like. what. is he doing here bc he looks like he’s choosing between two things but i don’t,,know,,what things

red berets on the amis are dope btw

i think marius is discussing what to do with éponine here, which is FUN because we all know why she goes to the barricade in the brick :’) éponine might be convincing marius to go to the barricade knowing this is her chance to die with him like in the book

omg

OMG

OMG

that stomp bit with the students was the coolest fucking thing i’ve ever seen

END OF ACT ONE

act two will be posted shortly :D

[the-lunar-thief]

My thoughts on the various instalments in the Carmen Sandiego franchise

(Not sure if anyone else will care but I really love Carmen Sandiego so I want to talk about this 😊)

(Please note that these are just my opinions, it’s okay if you liked/disliked some things I disliked/liked)

The video games

Cons

-Very old so there’s little appeal in playing them now (unless you happen to enjoy 80s/90s computer games. There are a couple newer ones too but from what I can tell they’re not too different from the originals)

-Kind of meh but without them there would be no Carmen Sandiego, so they get bonus points for that

Pros

-In basically all of them Carmen founded and runs VILE, and you’re an ACME detective who tracks down and arrests her underlings before arresting Carmen herself, so that’s neat

-Intelligent, strong Latina character created in 1985 (there were some problematic elements, but still, a legend was born)

-Google earth recently made a couple games that are really similar to the originals but look better and use the newest characters, so that’s neat too

The games as a whole? 5/10

This version of Carmen herself? 6/10

The game shows

Cons

-Pretty standard 90s game shows for children. Nothing wrong with that, just a little too dated to hold much appeal now (again, unless you’re into older media)

-Carmen was barely in it

Pros

-That a capella song really slaps

-It was a bunch of kids pretending to be ACME agents and winning prizes for knowing geography (wholesome)

-The Chief was as delightful as ever

The shows? 6/10

Carmen? 6/10

The 90s animated show (Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?)

Cons

-It’s an American tv show about geography and culture from the 90s. I’m sure you can imagine the casual racism

-The animation wasn’t very good, especially for the fight scenes (I don’t watch much from the 90s though so idk if the animation was good for the time)

-Written before the age of bingeing so minimal overarching plot and fairly repetitive. Also, they would infodump essentially a bunch of geography fun facts a lot, which was kind of boring to watch (this coming from someone who likes geography)

-Player is a random live action kid, implying that the entire show takes place within one of the original video games (an interesting nod to the show’s roots, but it feels a little too it-was-all-just-a-dream for me). The kid playing Player also changes a couple times, to drive that idea home

-Where on earth is the Chief and who the heck is this annoying white guy? (To be fair, there were some white male chiefs in some of the video games that preceded the game shows, but that doesn’t change the fact that this guy was a little annoying)

Pros

-This version of Carmen is EVERYTHING. In this version, she used to be ACME’s best detective, but she found catching criminals too easy so she became a superthief literally just for the challenge 😂👌🙌 (She also created and runs VILE in this version too) (Also, the way she tips her fedora is fantastic. Carmen Sandiego is the only person on earth who can look cool while tipping a fedora)

-Plus, the only good thing about this version of the Chief was that you could tell how hurt he still was by Carmen leaving ACME to become a thief, and how much he wanted her to come back.

-Zack and Ivy are the main characters (they’re ACME detectives) and they’re only able to (just barely) keep up with Carmen because they can literally teleport, have all of ACME’s resources at their disposal, and CARMEN LEAVES THEM CLUES. You know how in the 2019 show Gray said she was “in a league of her own”? Well this show had that on a whole ‘nother level! Seriously, ACME’s best and brightest can only just keep up with her because she HELPS THEM just to make it more challenging for herself!

-Also, she’s not evil (I’d say she’s Chaotic Neutral). It’s kind of like she’s taken it upon herself to mentor Zack and Ivy (she’s older in this series) by teaching them on the job. She literally only steals things to prove that she can, then she lets Zack and Ivy get it back from her (it’s so funny, at the end of every episode they always say something like “Oh no, Carmen got away! But at least we got the stolen artefact back” like honey I’m sorry but Carmen doesn’t care one bit about the stuff, she’s not doing this with the intention of keeping any of it). It’s like they think of Carmen as their nemesis who they have to beat, meanwhile she just thinks of them as ‘Those adorable kids I have to keep from accidentally hurting themselves’

The show? 7/10

Carmen? 100/10

The 2019 Netflix show (Carmen Sandiego)

Cons

-Sometimes they misrepresent places/cultures, but at least you can tell how much they do their research and sincerely try to be sensitive and accurate

-So far there’s only 20 episodes, which is frankly rude

Pros

-I love Carmen so much

-This is the version of the franchise that I saw first so I wouldn’t even know about it if it weren’t for this

-In my opinion, this one is the most entertaining instalment. The story is great, the characters are fun, the animation is fantastic, and the geography fun facts are actually relevant to the broader context of the episode so they’re interesting and you remember them

-Carmen is perfect in every way

-Of their two main options they chose to model their Chief after the infinitely superior one

-It was such a cool idea to do a reboot of the franchise where VILE existed before Carmen was even born, and she’s a Chaotic Good character who doesn’t work for either side and yet both sides still think she’s working for the other

-In fact they gave glow-ups to a lot of the characters from Earth (Player’s was the best, since he’s an actual in-universe character with a personality now)

-COOKIE BOOKER IS VOICED BY THE SAME WOMAN WHO VOICED CARMEN IN EARTH, SO CARMEN GETTING THE COAT AND FEDORA FROM HER IS SYMBOLIC OF THE FRANCHISE BEING PASSED DOWN TO THE NEXT GENERATION OKAY (also, the theme song from Earth plays when they’re in the elevator together)

-Red crackle and carulia are cute af

-I loved Carmen so much that I spent hours of my life on the rest of the franchise just for more of her

The show? 9/10

Carmen? Infinity/10

[reaper-royalty]

Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani)

The entrance is in Viale Vaticano near Piazza Risorgimento. There is also a regular free bus service from Piazza S.Pietro (on the left of Bernini's Colonnades as you face the Basilica). 

The Vatican houses one of the world's great art collections. Its 7km of exhibits will daunt even the most energetic tourist. So if you only have limited time plan to take in what interests you most - and hurry past the rest. 

A oneway system operates for security reasons, so work out in advance what you wish to miss - you cannot go back for example to the Stanze di Rafaello after visiting the Capella Sistina (Sistine Chapel). Remember also that the Sistine chapel is a long walk - about 400m from the entrance along many corridors and staircases.

Popes have been collecting antique art for at least 500 years and today the Vatican contains the largest number of Greek and Roman statues, reliefs, mosaics and inscriptions of any museum in the world. 

The Museo Pio Clementino takes its name from two 18th-century Popes who tried to put some order among the large number of pieces of classical statuary littering the Vatican gardens and palaces.

Note the splendid 4th-century porphyry sarcophagi in the Sala a Croce Greca (hall in the shape of a Greek cross), also a sculpted head (no. 567) that is most likely a portrait of Cleopatra.

In the octagonal courtyard of the Belvedere Palace, which was the creation of one of the main founders of the Vatican collection, Pope Julius II, you can see one of the most famous sculptures of ancient Greece, the Laocoon, a marble group of the 2nd century bc dug up on the Esquiline hill in 1506 (from Domus Aurea). Laocoon, a priest of Apollo, and his sons were suffocated by serpents as a punishment by the gods. Opposite is the Apollo del Belvedere a fine Roman copy of a famous 4th-century bc Greek bronze.

Nearby in the Atrio del Torso is the famous Torso del Belvedere a fragment of a naked figure seated on the skin of a wild animal. The hidden power in this much damaged piece of marble is reputed to have impressed even Michelangelo.

The Braccio Nuovo (New Wing) a 19th-century addition, contains a telling portrait of Augustus (No. 14) at about the age of 40, and a colossal statue of the Nile river god surrounded by sphinxes and crocodiles.

You now penetrate into part of the Vatican Library. In the Sala Sistina is a strange wooden device which was used to fix the Papal seal or 'bollo' on important Papal documents or 'Bulls' as they were called in English. The central reading room is laid out with various valuable codices, or handwritten versions of the Bible, some written on papyrus. 

The Library contains over 70,000 codices, manuscripts and early printed books. On display are a set of love letters from King Henry VIII to Ann Boleyn (evidence used against the sovereign in excommunication proceedings), an illustrated book on falconry by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and autograph letters of Michelangelo and Raphael.

The Capella Sistina (now undergoing its first major cleaning and restoration) is perhaps the most famous and overwhelming of all Rome's art treasures. The chapel, built by Pope Sixtus IV at the end of the 15th century, was decorated by some of the greatest artists of the day, including Botticelli, Signorelli, and Pinturicchio. But it was Michelangelo's painting of the huge ceiling between 1508 and 1512 and his masterpiece, the LastJudgement painted on the main altar wall 23 years later that set the seal of greatness on the building. 

Michelangelo was at first reluctant to carry out Pope Julius I’s commission to paint the events of the Creation, and had great difficulty in getting paid for his tour deforce. Refusing all assistance, he locked himself away for years, lying on his back suspended from scaffolding in order to paint over 3000sq m 10,000sq ft of ceiling. It is a feat that still takes away the breath of the visitors who pass through the chapel every day.

If the Creation breathes the very spirit of the Renaissance at its height, the Last Judgement is in very different mood. Terribilitd (terribleness) was the quality in Michelangelo's art that most impressed his contemporaries, and here with Christ standing in final judgement over humanity (including many actual portrait's of the artist's friends and enemies), you feel Michelangelo is making his final statement on life and death, honour and ambition, love and hate. 

The Last Judgement did not meet with universal approval. Prudish Popes ordered trousers or loin cloths to be painted on some of the nudes. (They were later removed.) The Sistine Chapel is today used for the election of a new Pope on the death of the Roman Pontiff, and for solemn assemblies of the College of Cardinals.

While Michelangelo was labouring alone on his great ceiling, his rival and fellow artist Raphael was working (with plenty of assistants) on the decoration of the nearby Stanze di Rafaello. (Raphael Rooms). This was the private apartment of Pope Julius II who did not want to live in the Borgia Apartment below, because of its unpleasant historical associations. Two of the rooms, the Stanza della Segnatura, the Pope's study and library, and the Stanza di Eliodoro, his bedroom, are mostly by Raphael's own hand. 

Truth, beauty and goodness are the subjects of the frescoes in the first room. The Disputation of the Sacrament and the School of Athens represent respectively religious and philosophical truth, while Apollo and the Muses on Mount Parnassus represent beauty. Goodness is portrayed by the cardinal virtues, prudence, temperance and strength. The second room contains three superb frescoes; the Expulsion of Heliodorusfrom the Temple in Jerusalem, Pope Leo Stopping the Invasion of Attila the Hun, and the Miracle of Bolsena.

The Museo Gregoriano Etrusco should not be missed as it -contains the Etruscan treasure discovered in 1837 in a tomb at Cerveteri (then part of the Pope's earthly domain).

 The three occupants of the tomb were buried with gold, silver, jewels, and richly decorated table ware. The Museo Profano and the Museo Cristiano (Profane and Christian Museums) used to be housed in the Lateran Palace and were transferred here into a new building in 1970. 

They contain Roman sculpture, inscriptions and sarcophagi dating from the lst-4th centuries ad. The 4th-century statue of the Good Shepherd is an excellent example of the continuity of Mediterranean art forms - the inspiration is clearly pagan and ancient Greek.

If you are not too exhausted, the Pinacoteca or Vatican Picture Gallery contains further riches. It is particularly well endowed with Primitives and 15th century Italian artists.

 The Giotto polyptych in Room II and the Melozzo da Forli Angels in Room IV are worth more than a passing glance. In Room VIII there is a Raphael feast. The Transfiguration, Raphael's last work (it was hung above his bier as he lay in state) has been cleaned recently, revealing unexpected new details. Also on view is a set of tapestries woven from Raphael's cartoons for the Capella Sistina, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The Coronation of the Virgin was the first work of Raphael's maturity - he was 20 years old when he painted it.

[mag-milk-millennium]

Livestream, Hour 1

A summary of the English half of Mili’s livestream. This post covers the first hour or so of the stream; three more to follow.

Cassie made a valiant effort to answer questions in both Japanese and English, translating both for the viewers and for Yamato, but yknow - stuff gets lost. This isn’t everything ~

In this first segment, we learn a bit about Cassie and Yamato’s backgrounds, how Mili came to be, favorite songs, and future releases.

Cassie speaks Chinese, Japanese, and English. She says that since she was born in China, Chinese is technically her “mother tongue,” but she spent most of her life speaking English as she lived in Canada, and now mostly speaks Japanese. “Who am I gonna talk to, him, right,” she says, gesturing to Yamato. She also said she’s thinking of learning Korean so she can know what Mili’s Korean fans are talking about.

Cassie doesn’t want people to look for the “right” answer when it comes to the meaning of Mili’s songs; while she does have meanings in mind, she says it’s more about the listeners interpreting the stories for themselves. She also said they won’t say which songs are “linked,” but that if two songs seem linked, they probably are.

The made-up language that turns up in various Mili songs is “half-gibberish, half borrowed from other languages” according to the kinds of sounds Cassie wants to have in the song. Where real language lacks a specific sound, she just adds one.

On Mili’s growing popularity, Cassie says they don’t feel any different about making music, and that they don’t feel popular (Yamato nods in agreement.) She says they still make the music the same way as they did before, so nothing’s really changed for them as more people have started listening. The “Mili feel,” as she puts it, hasn’t changed. Financially they are doing better, though, she adds.

Apple butter chips?

Chocological is the very first Mili song!

Mili initially didn’t know they were going to create the opening theme for Library of Ruina; Project Moon approached them about making background music for the game, and was surprised that Mili accepted. Eventually it was decided they would make the opening theme, and also other background songs.

Yamato reads an English-language question about touring. His English is better than my Japanese. Leaps and bounds

Cassie said they would love to tour around the world, but that it’s harder since they’re independent. Because they aren’t part of a major label, it’s difficult for them to organize those sorts of things. “But if anybody has ideas, let us know,” Cassie says. She seems to have a real interest in making that happen one day.

Mili will probably do more songs like Sacramentum:Unaccompanied and Gertrauda, because Cassie loves the a capella sound and writing in her gibberish language.

Mili was technically formed on Twitter, Cassie says with a laugh. Yamato used to be a Vocaloid producer, and Cassie was a big fan. She covered one of his songs, he found it, and liked it. “Dope,” she says. He messaged her on Twitter a few months later and asked if she wanted to be the vocalist of a project he was starting. She accepted, and they soon began work on Chocological. Yamato has been making music since he was a teenager, and has known Shoto and Yukihito for ten or fifteen years, which is how they joined Mili.

Cassie counts “UFO (Unidentified Flavorful Object)” as her favorite song Mili has ever written. They started writing it after Cassie visited Japan the first time - which was apparently the first time she and Yamato ever spoke. The song celebrated the good time she had in Japan, and particularly the food. She says she was surprised by sushi, which is apparently not as good in Canada. She goes into a lot of detail about the sushi.

Ticket, Cassie’s cat, is carried into the room by Yamato, shown to the camera to much cooing from Cassie, and carried back out. Cats are not allowed in the studio.

Yamato's favorite song is “Lemonade,” not for any particular reason. He really likes playing it live. Cassie says it sounds very different live.

The full version of “sustain++;” is very different from the TV-size. “You’ll be amazed,” Cassie says.

When asked about unreleased songs, Cassie says that they wrote two more songs for Ghost in the Shell which will be included in the EP, and that there is also the full version of “Ame to Taieki to Nioi,” the Gleipnir ending theme, and the opening theme for Library of Ruina, which she does not name.

She also mentions a personal project of hers called “Donut.” She says she’s not sure what that will turn into, but that it exists.

There is a developing game they are writing background music for, but they can’t say what it is. Counting all the games and projects they are working on, they are making “40-something” tracks at the moment.

[theawkwardterrier]

3, 4, 5, 8?

3. Do you write fics from start or finish, or jump around?

I almost always go very linearly: start writing from the beginning and keep going until the end. Very occasionally, if I have some wording really perfect and I’m afraid of forgetting, or if I’m stuck writing a particular scene and have a later scene laid out really well in my mind, I’ll skip ahead.

4. Do you outline before you start writing? If so, how far do you stray from that outline?

I typically do outline, but usually extremely roughly - a word or a fragment to remind myself what I want to happen at various points. Because of the way my brain works on fic, I tend to end up having the entire outline included in the finished story, but additional scenes are not out of the question. That’s especially true in longer stories when I’m having characters fall in love or reach some kind of catharsis: sometimes I’ll read through what I have or I’m getting ready to write another piece and I realize that it feels too rushed and needs another scene/moment to smooth things over.

5. What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

I can read almost anywhere and I can write almost anywhere too: at home, at the office, on public transit, outside, on my phone, on my laptop, by hand, with music, no music, white noise, etc. Usually it’s a state of mind thing rather than the setting for me. I do tell myself that the best setup for me is at night, on my bed, with something folky and familiar playing on repeat in the background. But the reality is that I think the most productive I’ve actually been in the recent past has been on Tuesday nights, when I would eat dinner in my living room while watching my Tuesday night TV shows (remember, this is in the before-time) and then be too comfy and lazy to get up and wash my dishes and get ready for bed, so I’d procrastinate get some work done on my fic instead.

8. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, share a song that’s been inspiring you lately.

I don’t need music, but sometimes if I have too much stuff going on in my head, I’ll put something on for background. But the music I listen to is rarely actually related to the fic, although there are some exceptions like when I listened to the Mamma Mia soundtrack while writing a tropey Buffy/Angel rom-com. In general, though, I have a bunch of songs that I find pleasant but which my brain is familiar enough with not to get distracted, so I usually just put on one of those and listen on repeat for as long as a writing session lasts. Examples:

Jesus Was a Crossmaker - Judee Sill

I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger (a capella) - Jos Slovick

Empire Builder - Laura Gibson

Both Sides Now (1969) - Joni Mitchell

June Hymn - The Decemberists

Want You Back - Haim

There’s a Rugged Road - Judee Sill

Urge for Going (frustratingly can’t figure out which version I use, but I’d hazard it’s mid- or late-sixties and possibly live/live to tape) - Joni Mitchell 

Allllll you ever wanted to know about my fic writing habits