#I try to view them as seperate characters with similar names lol

[cookie-waffle]

Ngl, as someone who is actually native and has native family, I can’t really bring myself to hate Disney’s Pochahontis, even though I can totally see how it’s the least well-aged of the ren films.

I saw this movie on repeat when I was very little in the hospital. And my Dad, who has much more native blood than I do, enjoyed putting it on and watching it with me. And the chief character, although I didn’t realize why I liked him as a kid, kinda reminded me of my dad. They have similar facial features and manner of speaking.

Ntm, as a lover of animation, I can’t deny that this is an objectively gorgeous-looking movie, despite all it’s faults.

[skimblyshanks]

Ok, my thoughts on first viewing:

First, this is something that I always have to remember when watching his videos: A singer/Dancer/actor he is not. While he will vouch for performers against poor direction, he is acquainted with the orchestral side of things first and foremost. This is a glaring flaw in Part V which is probably the most muddled part of the video. While I’ve yet to see him full-on go after an actor alone, he got close this time w/ Corden and Sir Ian, though this was mixed with his general issues about how orchestration was run, I wasn’t a fan of that aspect of this.

I have comments on Part V toward the end of this post.

It might feel like a “Not 1998, so movie bad” argument, but this is based on the score and decisions in music direction

that said, 98 was clearly his primary reference. He didn’t really look at M+R for this reason which I feel was a bit of wasted potential bc if he looked a bit more into the OLC’s score it would highlight how much they screwed Danny over

He used the CATS wiki during his research for this

A lot of small jabs aat the show, but they’re small, scattered, and he doesn’t let his own personal distaste for the show taint his analysis of the score

Very hostile to the film’s musical direction, and calls the vocal performances p bad, but he isn’t knocking the actors on that so much as hooper’s continued decision to put the actors’ performances in control of the orchestra’s tempo to the point they had to set up a 5 track audio system during shoots

I’m forever going to be aware now of the orchestra in Memory and the off-beat cockroaches

related to the above, There is a claim made that most of the singers didn’t properly know the music, due to the level of score mismanagement, and says that the two cleanest numbers tempo-wise, Tugger and Skimbleshanks, are likely so because they are carried by ppl very actively dancing/moving for the most part to the beat of the original piece. He isn’t 100% on that claim, but it’s still one that I wouldn’t give all the weight in the world to.

Personally, I’d say it was more likely that ensemble dance-heavier numbers got away mostly unscathed bc the cast rehearsed those at tempo and came in for shoots knowing them at tempo. He says this himself, bc he talks abt how awkward some of the numbers are for dancing in this portion of the video. so yes, there is still room for his argument, and he was also mostly directing it towards Corden, Wilson, and Sir Ian than all the numbers, but I think it’s worth considering how much of that is also just. You can know a piece, and know it at tempo, but when you’re thrust into a situation where the accompaniment follows you and the click track isn’t the first and p much only line of action while performing this live and seperate from the orchestra like how Hooper does it, the first instinct is to drag, speaking from similar experience.

Still very mad at Hooper

Inadvertently and absolutely unintentionally gave me music-theory tuggershanks justifications

All in all:

Parts I-IV were pure catharsis. He managed to break down and analyze the narrative outline of CATS superbly, and provided it in a way so the unexperienced could understand it beyond “Lol cat ppl cult try to die” and even if he doesn’t care for the show, he clearly understands the story beats and the strengths of the score. I can sit through his negative tone for that. He attacks the writing of Victoria as protagonist, but not because there could never possibly be a protagonist, rather because in introducing her as the protagonist they undermined Jemima’s role in the original story, and saw Victoria touching Grizabella as special because it was Victoria, and not bc for the first time, no one stopped her (All of the younger cats tried to get close to Griz in act I, Vic included, and were stopped. While she is the most visually striking choice, he argues that the impact is meant to be in the fact that this time, she’s allowed freely. Her acceptance is facilitated by the tribe’s acceptance at large). There’s also discussion on Beautiful Ghosts’ placement making her seem unsympathetic, and her generally confused character writing. He addresses how multiple instances of blocking and choreo are directly in opposition to proper breath support. He does a mahor takedown on the way Hooper runs his audio for his movies; having the orchestra follow actor, always.

Part V is the weakest section of the video, bc he ends up spending time arguing that the actors didn’t know the music even when explaining that Having the orchestra submit to the actor was detrimental to all parties back in Part IV. Part V is named dance rehearsal, and you’d think then that he would adress the number of dance rehearsals vs the number of vocal rehearsals, which is where I thought the part was going, but it wasn’t. Good points were raised thru Tugger and Skimble’s numbers; both being fast-paced, dance-intensive, and dancer-led all likely contributed to their objective musical quality being maintained, but there really is a lot to examine in the way of vocal rehearsals, bc for all we know solo actors could have been told to learn their songs at their own pace and not fret the tempo so much, in which case it is ultimately a failing moreso on the director than them.

Part V really highlights Sideways’ distance from the performers’ side of things. While it’s true that when Orchestra enters rehearsal, you should already know the score by that point, this is where an examination of the rehearsal process for this movie would have been most needed, bc for actors there are vocal rehearsals before orchestra is introduced, and if Hooper didn’t have them rehearsing with set click tracks, if he or the vocal director weren’t advising them to practice at tempo, there’s only so much blame to be laid at the actors’ feet. After establishing in Part IV how very muddled the audio system was during shoots, it might also have been good to mention the utter crunch everyone involved in the movie was under, including actors. He ignores that the cast is largely made up of dancers, and in doing so implies that Francesca was unprofessional and didn’t properly learn her song when she had almost no time to learn it. It was a section of wasted potential, basically. He talked in the Les Mis video abt the danger Hooper put his cast in with his directorial practices, but we don’t get a condemnation of the utter lack of proper prep time actors were given before being sent to shoot with a piano and orchestra that weren’t allowed to follow the set tempo.

A reminder that p much all active production for this movie, including dance and vocal rehearsal was done within the year. Times where that works: the 1998 film, where the cast was made of alumni and current cast members, working with largely universal choreography by Gillian Lynne, and all having prior stage experience.

Times that doesn’t really work: When you have a cast with several new ppl, alumni from various casts who learned different choreography, and an entirely new set of choreography to be learned on top of that, along with not casting any alumni in parts that carry large numbers, save for Dame Judi Dench, who instead of playing the role she was once slated for, instead had to manage a role usually played by an operatic Baritone. Francesca and Steven both learned to sing FOR this movie. a good handful of the performers have not been in stage productions before. With the production schedule of this movie, and the convoluted setup for live performances while shooting, it wasn’t fair of Sideways to position it like the actors ought to have known better and shown up with the songs all at tempo, especially when he himself established earlier on and in his Les Mis video that Hooper assumes his actors know what they’re doing and won’t step in.

[kishimoto-did-us-dirty]

Aaa, I'm not sure if the prompt list is still open, but if it is, could I ask “When I’m with you, I’m home.” for Gaara and his s/o? Which of the two says it is up to you, anything would be cute! Thank you in advance

Ofc~ Enjoy!!!

The resolution is a bit of an oof (just to me as an author), but I still do like this piece, although admittedly it’s not my best. It’s still rather okay at some points though lol

Also, to anyone who is requesting from the prompt list, please specify who says the lines. I will automatically default to the actual character speaking them, but it makes my life 1000x easier when writing these scenarios to not try and figure out clever ways in which a character can say all the requested lines. I will do it if not specified and if wanted, but if it is flexible, please tell me.

Apologies for any spelling mistakes!!!

Querencia

“When I’m with you, I’m home”

Those of whom are averse to the fact that individuals may be willingly apparent to change, due to their inherent abilities or lack thereof afforded by society, betray the notion that they will forever be stuck in their own senseless limbo as they simply await for things to happen to them. Why? Because of their inherent abilities or lack thereof afforded to them by society.

This was something of which your significant other, Gaara, had realized long before he had decided to rise up above what it was that he had been afforded by society, and take the highest heirarchical military position available in his counrty: Kazekage.

You see, while we all know you’re aware, dear reader, we must address those who aren’t; Gaara, our now Kazekage, has a complicated past.

Usually I would skip over the specifics, but everybody came from somebody, and every somebody came from somewhere. These people and places may not be relevant to all when telling their stories, but it is relevant for this one. Allow me to explain.

They say that everyone is someone’s everything, and that home is where the heart is - this did not reign true for Gaara. The reason being? He was born as what we all refer to as a Jinchuuriki. To all those who don’t know, a Jinchuuriki is a special term for a special type of host. Jinchuuriki had the job, whether they had interviewed for it or not, to host and keep wild beasts within them. These beasts were known for their tails. These beasts were known for their power. And these beasts were known for their danger. And within Gaara, did one of them lay.

It was a tanuki, and it held grave power within its one tail. People shuddered at the name: Shukaku.

The tanuki had once went wild in the midst of Gaara’s country, Suna, and in its rage, killed hundreds of innocents. Men, women, children, babes, elderly, and mostly, shinobi (the leading militia force).

And so when the beast had been tamed that same night it went rampant, and placed inside the body of an unborn babe, fate had seemingly sealed itself, and placed a lid on the container; the babe, Gaara, was to lead a life of hardship and sorrow. One led by the pains of others as they looked upon his being, and saw another that caused the deaths of those they had loved. Gaara was to lead a life in which he was ostrascized; one of which he was completely, and utterly alone. And he did.

I won’t go into detail, but for a long time, Gaara felt that he was not everyone, and no one viewed him as their anything. And if he had no one to give his heart to, then he had nowhere to go for home. Simply a house.

This is where you came in, dear reader. You had watched from afar at first, as Gaara struggled to cope with his sense of self, never really thinking too much. You had seen, as he rose from a troubled boy to a quietly determined teenager. Until eventually, you stood before him in his office, and viewed him as a man.

It had started slow at first, with you obligingly taking orders from your leader, being a shinobi and privy to his orders. Until little happenings began to take place, from bumping into him around his office’s building, to seeing him around the village and having small talk. Eventually, it went from “Y/n” and “Gaara,” to “Y/n and Gaara.”

You, having seen his struggle to become who he is today, and fight the voices who believed him to be a monster, knew that he had changed from before, when he was unstable and raw. You had watched him, and you knew quite honestly that no man who regarded his cacti collection with such delicacy could ever be the monster others once claimed he was. No man who brought you cacti flowers and trinkets from his travels, and protected you after he had gotten so used to only protecting himself could ever be that monster. Most would agree with you.

Most.

There were still some, even after Gaara had taken up the Kazekage position, who held onto the belief that Gaara was not human, and was to be hated vehemently. They believed him to be the monster within, rather than the human host.

Gaara payed no mind, however.

“y/n, I don’t mind it, I swear.” A small smile placed itself upon his lips, the fullest it would get for your boyfriend.

Sitting on his office desk, you lightly trailed the grains of the old, hardended wood under your fingers, absently swinging your legs as you gazed up at the ceiling, a frown on your face.

You gave a light sigh. “I know, but I do. They don’t even know anything about you.” Turning your head, you gazed down at your boyfriend sitting at his desk, an amused smile playing at his lips as he finalized the contents of his recent documents. “I just wish they saw you the way I do.” 

Gaara set down the documents and turned toward you, his smile growing as he looked into your eyes. “What? You want the whole village to view me romantically?”

Your legs stopped swinging as you felt heat raise to your cheeks, turning your body to face Gaara more so than it had previously been. “Well no, but it’d be better than having some of them hate you. They don’t know how to seperate you from the tanuki – they blind if they can’t see that you’ve changed.” You gave a little huff as your gaze travelled from coral green eyes to large window panes overlooking the village.

Now Gaara was really never quite the happy one, no matter how the recent years of his life had turned out. However, when he was with you, things turned a little lighter, and even I, the detailer of this tale, may have been fooled into forgetting his past. But perhaps there was no fooling to be done; people can forget even the prescence of gravity when they are in love.

Smile never fading, Gaara regarded you with yet another gaze. “I do not care, y/n. I overcame most of those people, and I have achieved enough acceptance in my life to be happy.” He stood up from his chair and circled to desk until he stood in front of you. “I can’t expect everyone to accept me for what and who I am.” By now he had grabbed your waist, and your gaze had long since returned to the coral green eyes in front of you. Heat raised to your cheeks once more. “And above those achievements, I achieved you.” 

Whew, I wasn’t even there and yet I can still practically feel the heat on your face, dear reader.

Gaara continued to speak, his fingers tracing lights circles into your skin. “I view you as the one thing I never had: everything.”

Momentarily closed eyes, and a short but sweet pressing of both of your lips passed, and Gaara looked toward you once again, the heat of his forehead burning against your own as he pressed his to yours.

“I am still Kazekage, am I not? They cannot do anything but simply wait until the hat has been passed onto another.”

Pulling away from you, Gaara’s eyes gave you a look with a teasing light prancing about within them as his hands grasped your waist firmer than before. “All that matters is that I am with you here and now, and that you see me as who I am. It is how you see me that I care about.”

By now, a smile had grown on your face, and the blush encompassing it had faded to a pleasant pink as you stared up at him. Hands now on his biceps, you tugged your boyfriend toward you for another kiss.

“You know my heart will always be with you, right?” You asked. “No matter what others may say.”

Gaara gave a light chuckle, and gave his affirmations of “of course he knew that,” but it didn’t stop you from smiling any wider.

You gave a light chuckle. “There is something that others say that I agree with, though.” Gaara made a small sound of curiosity as he looked down at you, fingers once again tracing vacantly into your skin. “’Home is where the heart is.’ You know, if that’s true,” your face turned pink once more before you continued, Gaara’s own beginning to take on a similar hue. “Then when I’m with you, I’m home.”

And for someone who had, for a long time, never had a home, the moment meant all the more when he replied with “Likewise.”

[worstfruit]

BEASTMASTER

playing with names. zh'ang, bastardization of the romanization OF a translation meaning warsong, but i was just trying to find something that could sound gith so that doesnt really matter! he never goes by this tho, as his subordinates just call him master, sir, or boss. i think he would be very private about his life before joining a company (one i havent plotted out yet, though i like the idea of whatever mercenary crew he’s apart of following the idea of using assigned nicknames or titles in place of true names, even amongst the non-magic users, just for their safety or rather the integrity of the company so that their private information can’t easily be used against them).

yiz'shi, same bastard deal, this time im thinking beastmaster could be something he gained before joining a company and he just translated it to common. im not sure if the gith would have a need of surnames. i assume they’d be like uh ‘conan the brave’ or whatever, a sort of similar idea i’ve establish for my goblins where their surnames are based on trade and can changed based off merit, and their first names are given after a personality begins to appear. i think gith may be given names, then a ‘the brave’ or ‘unholy’ may follow depending on how they choose to live their life. 

zizshangi --> yizshangi --> some sort of mix between warsong/beastmaster. perhaps his true name is obscured and not even his minions know it!

im thinking he will be a shadow monk who uses his telepathy to rise in the ranks! i dont like multiclassing but i also really want to incorporate aspects of a whisper bard into this character or at least one of his underlings. i think after coming out of slavery under some mindflayers, he joins the company that frees him and starts using his monk training from the astral plane to...not convert, but to translate into the way of shadows. he would recruit the help of those who others overlook, such as kenku, kobolds, gnolls, and goblins. he’s very quiet, very observant, wears a mask often and even when he doesn’t he pretty much as a complete poker face. He chooses his words carefully but does relax around those he knows/trusts, and has a sort of dry sense of humor. Despite his psionic abiliities he’s sort of like, an idiot socially and can’t actually read people all that well. he relies on his extrasensory input and Maud (explained below) to navigate relations mostly. I’m not too sure what he looks like yet! I do want him to have the sort of vaguely asianic features a lot of githzerai have however, and i have a monk outfit in mind based off some Absolver outfits. He’s worked his way up in company rank enough to become a sort of espionage expert within the troops! This has earned the ire of some other company members, but for the most part i think this mercenary group would be pretty civil and view each other as respected associates and comrades. 

His main crew consists of two kenu, two goblins, and a tabaxi. He’s known the tabaxi longest-- im thinking she was also an underling in the company who helped him get back on his feet when they picked him up. She was a teen looking to hone her skills as a rogue and he helped her learn the art of stepping lightly and always keeping an ear to the ground. Looking at tabaxi names I’m thinking she probably has some dumbass one like ‘quick of paw’ but they just started calling her Maraud, which turned into Maud LOL. She’s all black and has short, sleek, shiny fur, brownish/maroon irises, pointed ears and big paws with her claws usually unsheathed. She’s become a mastermind rogue who trains two (also totally black, yellow eyed) kenku twins as a thief and scout under Beastmaster’s tutelage. She’s very streetsmart and has a gravelly sort of raspy voice from years of working as a slave (able to rise as a slavemaster who was tasked with yelling orders to the other slaves and cracking the whip). She’s a bit matronly, very wry and slinky and coy, and very good with people. Typical scorpio but with a flair of aires determination and single mindedness. She’s very driven, but has the life experience to keep herself grounded and logical. She’s beastmaster’s most trusted associate and essentially the brains behind his crew, at least second to him. She’s the boss when he’s not around, but while strict, she has a HUGE softspot for her sort of adopted siblings. She gets along well enough with the rest of the company.

The two kenkus are fraternal twins, a bit younger than Maud, named Lasher (girl) and Bowstring. Lasher is the thief and Bow is the scout. They were orphaned and picked up by the company shortly before absorbing the refugees from the Mindflayer slaveship so they never really had birthnames afa the company was concerned. They speak through sign language, body language and gesture, facial expressions, and a sort of quick-hand morse code they’ve developed from both thieves cant as well as the company cant. They can’t easily speak to people outside the company, and even within the ranks they have trouble communicating without parroting, which they don’t seem to like doing unless it’s to mock someone. Their inability to speak, however, lends to their spy nature as people often underestimate their intelligence and perception. Though they can’t fly, they’re quick when racing across building tops and through tree canopy and prefer high vantage points to preform their work. Beastmaster is a very silent person who gets along well with these two, using his telepathy and patience to forge a mentor relationship with them and cultivate their infiltration and investigative skills. Lasher loves to read anything she can get her feather little fingers on, and often steals what she can’t buy. She’s not too girly but does enjoy fantasizing about the high life noble ladies lead and likes to collect trinkets she thinks represent this such as bows, perfume bottles, bits of mirror and buttons. Bowstring likes to help his sister with her plights but is much more grounded and serious. he’s dry and sardonic and takes himself a little too seriously. even for a mute, he’s very silent and a little shy and prefers to hide behind Maud or beastmaster or even Lasher. He get’s his name for his skills as a ranger, whereas lasher gets hers from her talons and tendency to use them when people get too close to her or her brother. she gets along better with the rest of the company however, and likes to be seen as cute even if she feels she’s being condescended on. she and her brother work spectacularly together, along with beastmaster and maud, and don’t mind being separated for missions or otherwise.

The two goblin (identical!) twins’ names are Fritz and Racket and they are, respectively, a storm sorcerer and a storm barbarian! obviously they’re not as subtle as the rest of the gang despite being gobs, in fact they get their nicknames from their quirks of being loud, aggressive, and favoring a sort of berserker approach to confrontation. Fritz is the caster, Racket is the muscle, and both feed off each’s other whole uh, storm bullshit. they both worship an elemental goblin deity but very very casually, it’s more of hero worship, and beastmaster sorta thinks they might have a touch of wild magic and a fixation on LOUD and FLASHY shit hence the storm kick. they’re very loyal, very brave, and only a little stupid. they both have tempers and don’t like comments about their height. very easy to bait into confrontation especially if they’re together. they’re not the kinda twins who walk together in unison and finish each other’s sentences (like the kenku twins, who similarly work off each other’s energies for their work), but they are usually together and look almost exactly alike. Fritz is a bit slimmer and taller, a bit pointier and a bit more spastic and shrill. He’s weaker than his brother but is smarter. He also has a worse temper and despite not being a melee fighter, will not hesitate to tackle anyone and just use his claws and teeth. Racket is a bit calmer but dumber, more gullible, and a lot stronger. He’s only a tad quieter than his brother but is also more physically aggressive and tends to stomp and throw shit around, hence his name. he usually follow’s frtiz’s lead if beastmaster isn’t around, but the both defer to Maud for instruction. They’re technically younger than the kenku twins if you account for the fact that goblins age quicker than kenku, they’re only slightly older! they’re more immature, however, and usually need more corralling than anyone else. unlike lasher and bow, fritz and racket dont like being seperated, but usually dont have to be since they don’t do much espionage. if they are dispatched for such tasks, it’s usually a matter of blending into busy, or sketchy environments rather than being silent and shadowy. they’re useful for intimidation, distraction, firepower, and muscle.

the last notable character i’ve cooked up is a kobold, the youngest (but again due to kobold age, its not like hes a baby technically) named Rak! he’s not very skilled in anything but he considers himself an inventor and makes really pathetic little stick contraptions that use like. shitty venoumous bugs and stink bombs LOL. i dont even know what class he’d be. no magic skills, too dumb and loud for espionage. he’s sort of a little mascot for the company and everyone treats him like a pet, but beastmaster took pity on him and lets him tag along with them. fritz and racket think hes funny and usually just throw him in a bag or like, if they have to fight, put him in a pocket till theyre done. he doesn’t get in the way too much and every now and again is a bit useful to get into super small places or to do errands like deliveries or shopping or cleaning. he got his name bc he makes a sorta RAK sound a lot when scared or startled or hurt or excited or mad. like a mouse goes EEK but he’s a stupid lizard guy so he goes RAK!