#With a great ensemble cast of actors

[elias-the-character]

“I would cast any of you as a lead” YOU PROMISE???? BOSS YOU PROMISE?????

[three--rings]

One thing I haven't seen a lot of talk about in the fandom so far is about the financials of this season.

It took us two whole months to get a confirmation of renewal from Max, and I talked at the time that I think there was probably a lot of heated negotiations going on at the time with contracts and that's why it took as long as it did.

I think we see a huge number of indications of the compromises that were made in order for S2 to be made. One obvious one that has been talked about is being making in in NZ instead of LA, to save $.

But there's also the eight episodes instead of ten. And then the cast aspect. One downside of moving overseas was having to fly out and house the cast, not just pay day wages.

We knew immediately about Guz Khan not coming back, losing Ivan as a character. At the time I was sad but I thought it had the air of a pretty harshly practical call. If you went through the main recurring cast and said okay which character will affect the fewest things, has the least character interactions of anyone? It would be Ivan. (With the only competition being The Swede IMO, but he's Stede's crew and therefore a little more central.)

And then this season started and we got first The Swede sidelined and taken out of major scenes. And then I noticed that different members of the crew were simply absent for long stretches, like Wee John isn't around for ep 5 at all. And then Buttons takes flight.

Lucius and Pete aren't at the party for most of it. Fang isn't in the torture scene. Roach and Fang aren't in the bar. Etc. SCHEDULING IS HAPPENING.

The new characters are almost entirely played by NZ local actors, which is great, but also...cheaper.

In other words there are big signs that they did everything possible to give us a giant cast of almost everyone we love from S1, and cool new characters, in the most economical way possible.

And I'm grateful for it. I'm grateful we got S2, and it looks great, and it's well written, I'm having a blast, and we get to spend more time with this awesome cast.

But I also kinda think it needs to be said that the cost-cutting shows. That it shouldn't have been only 8 episodes, the pacing is off. That we miss every time someone from the ensemble isn't on screen.

That despite what they've put on screen looking very good, there's far less costuming budget, there's less elaborate sets, and it's a little disappointing. And it's clear it's not a lack of will or talent or vision but blatantly lack of money.

Look, streaming networks want brilliant shows that people love (that will get them to subscribe) but they very don't want to pay anyone to make them. That's like, the whole moment we're having right now.

Max puts out promos about how great it is to not have unions messing shit up in NZ. Well I have friends who are union costumers in LA and guess what union costumers did amazing last season. This season, well, I guess Stede got three whole shirts, so that's cool.

So I dunno. It's just stuff I think about. I'm not trying to be negative about the show in any way. I'm extremely happy with this season; I love it more than well, possibly any show I've ever been in fandom for.

But I see you, Max. You're cheap. You weren't that cheap when you were called HBO.

[rosalyn51]

“I’ve got great stories from those [Downton] sets. We actually gave Maggie Smith one of the greatest days of her life, she said.” -Matthew GoodE

From Deadline June 7, 2025

DEADLINE: I know why you are not doing the third Downton Abbey film. You had knee surgery and you’ve explained all that, but —

GOODE: It was a half-a-page scene.

DEADLINE: Were they going to kill you off?

GOODE: I spoke to Michelle [Dockery] at length about what we could possibly… I think we were going to try and ask for a slight rewrite or something or other. And then eventually it was just that they were moving ahead. It was a big racecourse day, so the thing was booked, and I was never going to be able to do it, which was a shame because I love that cast. To be on a set with Hugh [Bonneville] and Allen [Leech]. I’ve got great stories from those sets. We actually gave Maggie Smith one of the greatest days of her life, she said. She came off [set], and she said, “I think that might’ve been my favorite day on a set ever.”

DEADLINE: What did you do?

GOODE: It was the wedding of our characters, and we shot it out very secretively somewhere out in the countryside. I think in Oxford somewhere. And our green room for 20 actors was the garden of an ex-Concorde pilot. This is going to sound jolly unprofessional, and it is a bit unprofessional, but it’s f*cking funny. He came out with a bottle of rosé and just put it on the table, a bottle of Minuty, which was a nice Aix-en-Province rosé. And obviously all the other actors, they looked at it and they’re like, “No. Well, obviously we can’t do that.” I’m just a bit naughty. I don’t know if it’s coming across or not. And it was really hot, and it was looking at me and the perspiration was rolling down the bottle and I said, “I’ll have a glass, thank you so much.” And I sat and I quaffed it bloody quickly. And I said, “Is it OK if I have another one?” And then you started to see all the other actors, particularly the ones that didn’t have any lines that day, just a big ensemble piece, none of us had that much to do, really. So we all started drinking. We went through 22 bottles of rosé. No one was drunk. But my god, were we merry. And if you’ve made Maggie Smith happy, then it can’t be wrong. He was a gentleman and it was a gorgeous house and gorgeous garden as well. And also we gave them good stories because then suddenly they’ve got a ton of half-cut, quite famous people in their garden having great fun. So, they’ve got anecdotes for the rest of their life. I wouldn’t do it again though for any future producers listening.

DEADLINE: No, of course not. I know this is the final Downton film, but if there was a spinoff, would you ever do it?

GOODE: Ultimately, it’s a very difficult thing to balance. And if you think about Mary [Dockery] I was sad I wasn’t going to go and do it because it would’ve been a giggle. But when you think about it in the terms of she’s a modern feminist, a feminist icon, Lady Mary. Wouldn’t it be great if something surprising happened to her? I don’t know, I didn’t read the script. I only had the page that they sent me. So, let’s hope that someone from her past, the people who Downtonites adore, like a Charles Blake or someone like that. There are a lot of people that loved Charles Blake for her. If he comes back and scoops her up. Or, she doesn’t need a man. You know what I mean? Why does she need a man? Why can’t she just be Lady Mary? And why can’t she keep a harem of men? Use them for sex and then get back on the tractor?

DEADLINE: Right? That was who she was when we met her. She didn’t need a man.

GOODE: Yeah. She was killing men when we first met her.

[o-uncle-newt]

OK I've talked here, I think, about my strong belief that we need a Miss Climpson's Cattery TV show to jump on the mystery period drama bandwagon- and I've been thinking about what it might look like and have some ideas

Please feel free to add some in comments or reblogs!

The overall cast structure is basically like Call the Midwife S1 (or, more accurately, S2-3)- we have a POV "new to the crew" character who is purportedly the main character (but significantly lower-drama than Jenny lol) but it's functionally an ensemble. Miss Climpson is the Sister Julienne character, aka the on-the-ground boss, and then there are a bunch of other operatives, who all show up at SOME point in most episodes but only a few of them take center stage each episode in a particular case or two. There are also the support staff/actual typists, who are fun side characters.

Wimsey is a side character, and is played by a non-super-famous actor. He only appears in a few episodes at most in each season, usually as someone who is giving work to the operatives. While he can bring in operatives to help him on his cases, he is never allowed to solve any agency cases.

Harriet is a one or two episode max character. She meets Miss Climpson and possibly Miss Murchison but nobody else (as discussed in Gaudy Night). Honestly, if they don't show her that's fine too. At most she's brought in to provide help/insight on a literary world case.

The show starts right after the events of Strong Poison, and it's discussed as a recent case among the team. That said, unless it can be fit canonically into a Sayers story without undue bother, the episodes do NOT circle around existing Sayers plots.

Miss Murchison is a significant character, and has a love interest to whom she gets married sometime toward the third/fourth year of show canon (as we know that canonically she gets married sometime before the events of Gaudy Night). It is a cute older-nerd romance and everyone ships it. There is no "drama," just sweetness.

This is optional, but it is POSSIBLE that Wimsey brings Miss Meteyard into the firm, likely not permanently but possibly on a one-case basis for her advertising world expertise. She is initially snobbish about it but soon grows out of it.

As I've alluded to above, the main rule is- Sayers canon can never be violated. There is SO much space for great story and characterization that falls totally in line.

Everything else... is totally up to whoever! And I'm absolutely up for other ideas! These are just the main things I've thought of and I may come back and make additions/edits but here we go for now.

Though... casting idea- I'm not usually very good at this but I really feel like, speaking of Call the Midwife, Georgie Glen (Miss Higgins) could be an interesting Miss Climpson. Quite different than the excellent one in the Petherbridge/Walter adaptation of Strong Poison, but still good. I'm completely open to other suggestions though, as well as casting suggestions for other characters (including just actors who you think would be good for random currently-nonexistent/hypothesized ones- it's just so open ended, there are so many choices!).

[ascendance-bookworm]

Ascendance of a Bookworm Musical

Musical Ascendance of a Bookworm

本好きの下剋上 ～司���になるためには手段を選んでいられません～

The live-action stage musical at Tokyo and Osaka in Fall 2024.

Ascendance of a Bookworm Wiki

Ascendance of a Bookworm Musical Official Website

There were two versions, an A Team and B Team for the double roles for the kids in the play.

Adult Cast is the same for both versions.

Urano Motosu / Myne's inner voice (seiyuu): Yuka Iguchi

Gunther: Yuhi Tanaka, Effa: Yuka Ishibashi, Benno: Tōma Yano, Otto: Yusuke Anazawa

Bezewanst: Koichi Miura, Ferdinand: Kento Tsuji

Ensemble

Sora Fuji, Daiki Saitō, Dai Satō, Kento Tachibana, Chiaki Watanabe, Kana Sakurai, Sakura Nishio, Maisaki Ōkubo, Otowa Koyasu, Yuki Asano, Maho Takemura, Yuhei Iriuchijima

Children

Team A: Aoi Ikemura (Age 8) Matinée Show

Myne: Aoi Ikemura, Lutz: Ayumi Misaki, Tuuli: Sakura Mikami, Freida: Yurika Matsui

Ensemble (children): Otowa Koyasu, Yuki Asano, Mayuka Motoki, Hana Edamura

Team B: Akari Miura (Age 12) Soirée Show

Myne: Akari Miura, Lutz: Seiran Ina, Tuuli: Shimoriha Ikuta, Freida: Seizora Kusumi

Ensemble (children): Maho Takemura, Yuhei Iriuchijima, Kanano Isogawa, Mizuki Konishi

I finally watched both versions of the musical and I thought I would give a little mini-review of my thoughts on both performances. I downloaded the musicals from nyaa.si and I would recommend them to anyone interested, but take note that they clock in at about 3 hours and 15 minutes each, there are about 30 minutes before each play starts and a 15-20 minute intermission in the middle that are simple title markers (this was streamed online and I think that is where the copies were made), but still it is a long watch - and there are two of them! I do recommend both as the different performers brought something a little different to the roles and I think both teams did a great job.

The musical covers part one of the light novels, and the songs and voice overs are often used to speed thru the material and cover large segments of the story. There were no subtitles, but if you know the story it really isn't difficult to follow along, at least it wasn't for me. It was clearly made for kids and families, so the language is simple. I was actually pleased at how much of the story it covered, not all the characters get as much focus, but all the basics are covered pretty well.

This is typical of the anime to Japanese live-action musicals I've seen before, these are not big productions like a broadway show, they tend to stick to the story and try and adapt it pretty closely, but are definitely done on a budget ^_^

The play is structured with Ferdinand learning about Myne's life thru the mind-reading device as she (Adult Urano) tells him the story of her life as a commoner. I can't help but think that if this was the real Ferdinand, Urano choosing to tell her story thru song would be most annoying to him, lol

Yuka Iguchi, the voice actress for Myne in the anime, does the voice over work. I really like how they captured the various moments, and the voice over aspect really worked well, as so much of the time we are in Myne's head, so including it was a smart choice as her original self's feeling and thoughts are a major part of Urano/Myne's story. I also liked how they displayed the mana powers throughout the show.

Gunther and Effa were just as you would imagine, both well performed. I really liked Effa's voice, and Gunther fits the bold and brash Gunther to a tee.

Benno was fun, I think he was captured pretty well, his song is funny. Mark was appropriately Mark, I like how the actor committed to his closed eye look, lol. Otto was is his cheeky self, I missed Corrina though.

Gustav / Bezewanst is played by the same actor, and he really hammed it up, lol. I kinda like how they go all out on his less than scrupulous 'tastes' as the High Bishop, the actor clearly had fun with his dual roles and Ferdinand's frustration with him is funny.

Ferdinand was appropriately stern, didn't like the wig on him though, felt unflattering to the actor, I don't know the wig was a miss, maybe it was the hair behind the ears. The actor did fine, not much for Ferdinand to do in part one. He is basically used as a frame work to ask questions and receive exposition when needed. He has a few numbers at the end that were fine, but well he is Ferdinand, too subtle to be 'entertaining' at least in this part of the series.

The main difference between the two versions are of course the kid performers: Myne, Lutz, Tulli, and Frieda - everyone else is the same. I don't want to compare the kids too much, but I thought it I should give a few thoughts.

Team A was essentially the Matinée Show, or the one with the younger, less experienced kids. Team B was the Soirée Show, which would be the main show, all the kids in the Soirée show are lightly older and give more 'mature' performances. I feel both have their charms, the younger kids feel more like kids, and the older kids feel more seasoned and professional in their performances, definitely stronger, more confident singers all around too. If the quality of the singing is important to you, then you will prefer the Soirée for the singing.

The main character Myne is played by Aoi Ikemura (Team A, Age 8, perhaps 7 when it was filmed) and she is a real cutie! Honestly, she made for a perfect Myne in age and size, she is so tiny and yet full of gremlin energy that she captures Myne really well in her on stage performance. She did a really good job with the dramatic moments too, you could hear the emotion in her voice. I was really moved by her performance overall, she is obviously so happy to be there (on stage, probably her first lead performance) that it rubs off on you. She is very likable.

Aoi Ikemura feels more raw and natural in her performance, especially as a singer - she goes in and out of tune often, doesn't sound bad, but it is noticeable in that it sounds like a regular kid who hasn't mastered their singing voice. I don't mind her singing, but then again I don't mind a raw singer, especially if it fits the characterization, but if you prefer a more professional sound, Akari's voice is much stronger.

Akari Miura (Team B, Age 12) is also very good, she is a better, more consistent performer, and is the far better singer. She is older and it shows in her more seasoned performance overall. If they were to make a recording of this, her voice work and singing is already record quality. It feels like a CD worthy performance, imho. Honestly the only negative I can come up with is that she feels too old by comparison, but that is not really a knock on her or her performance, but just the reality of any child roles. I liked her performance, but I think I liked Aoi's Myne slightly better, simply because she fit my image of the role so perfectly (I also watched it first, so perhaps that's influenced me too). But hands down, Akari is the stronger performer, she never missed a note and is also likable in the role.

Of course Myne has to carry the entire show, there are few moments where she isn't on stage, but Lutz also plays a pretty big secondary role. Ayumi Misak (Team A) plays Lutz more like how I think of him, a kinda quiet, serious kid. Seira Ina (Team B) has a lot of charisma, the boy can't help letting his charming self shine through, he is a little too smilie, lol (Is that too harsh? he always has a smile on his face :) They both give good performances and handle the emotional parts well.

Tulli didn't get much to do, she didn't even get a solo song, or anything. She is mostly included in the group or family numbers. Both actresses are cute and perform their roles well.

Frieda gets a couple of song and scene highlights, I like the outfit they give her, and both actresses do a fine job.

Overall I really enjoyed watching the musical, even if it was a tad long, lol wish it was subtitled, but I know the story so well that I really didn't have any problems following along with the story. Will there be musicals for any of the other parts? I really can't see how they could pull off the other parts, part one is short and a simple and the easiest to adapt in this format.

It does make me wonder if we will ever get a live-action drama for AoB, would it work or would it eventually need too big a budget to pull off, at least for the later parts? Asking too much?

Anyone else watch these?

[schmergo]

My controversial opinions about the current trend of highly minimalist Shakespeare:

I like a minimalist approach to the Bard, but I think it has to be done within certain parameters.

Too many theatres seem to think that either everybody already knows the play and they don’t need to worry about the audience understanding everything OR they assume that nobody cares about Shakespeare and massively cut down everything except the celebrity leading actors’ lines. But if you play your cards right, audiences might actually enjoy other aspects of the play besides the stars!

1. A smaller cast is fine, great even. I’ve heard the estimate that Shakespeare’s plays might have been originally performed by about 15 people. A cast of 11-15 tends to work well in most spaces.

You can do an enjoyable Shakespeare play with 8-10 people (with significant cuts and doubling), but it doesn’t do anything to IMPROVE the theatergoing experience. And under 8 actors? It better be done for comedic effect or highly avant- garde, or it will be incomprehensible to most.

2. If you’re using a lot of doubling/tripling/quadrupling, you need to differentiate characters with costumes. Having everyone wear plain black minimalistic outfits or military uniforms only works if half the actors aren’t playing 5 different people.

As originally staged, Shakespeare’s plays didn’t have much in the way of sets, but costumes did a lot of storytelling. Even if yours are simple and modern, they should tell us something about the characters. The humble Friar Lawrence and the powerful Prince Escalus probably wouldn’t dress the same.

3. Similarly, if you’re doubling, tripling, etc. and significantly abridging the script, do not cut dialogue like “I have disguised myself as a monk!” or “They will never know that I’m secretly Bob!” Otherwise, they might think this is a whole new character they need to keep track of if clothes/accessories are the only signifier for that!

4. Also, try not to cut too many lines that establish a sense of place if you don’t have actual sets. Lines like, “Here we are in the forest” or “We’ve finally reached France!” are Shakespeare’s audience lifelines!

5. If you’re combining small roles to create composite characters, pay attention to those characters’ arcs. For instance, if combining all the minor lords in Macbeth into Ross and Lennox, maybe one starts more naive and the other more jaded, maybe one turns against MacB long before the other.

Don’t assign them lines that don’t make sense for their role, like if Lennox teleports between Scotland and England from scene to scene or if someone reacts with shock to news they already witnessed firsthand in an earlier scene. In general, treat your supporting characters like characters, not just vehicles to move the plot forward for the lead actor’s star turn, even if the lead is played by a celebrity!

6. Relying on voice and facial expressions only to tell the story, absent of sets, costumes, props, ensemble characters, or action scenes only works in a suitably intimate space. I don’t want to sit in the nosebleed seats in a 2,000 seat theatre and see a huge bare stage with only 9 people sitting or standing, emoting to only the first few rows.

Sitting through a play without following the story at all will make lots of people hate Shakespeare who may have otherwise fallen in love with his work after attending your play. “Stripping Shakespeare down to its bare essentials” can be raw and invigorating, just be careful not to remove binding ingredients or the whole recipe falls apart. The text can be tricky enough to comprehend, let alone with next to no visual signifiers to guide them. Work with the text, not against it! So many helpful tools are built into it!

[darth-noona]

All-time Favourite Dramas 10/10 🌟

Here's all my absolute 10/10 dramas, both korean and chinese with ratings, tags, and my thoughts in general.

Lovely Runner - 10/10 Finished 2024-05

Truly a masterpiece from start to finish. Some incredible twists at the beginning that take the plot to somewhere completely new. The fantasy is handled so well in developing the love story and tension. SML borders on second lead syndrome, but they are the only drama to handle that role properly imo. Honestly perfect. Not a single episode or plot point I didn’t like. 

Favourite quote: “It will rain tomorrow. Then as you wait for the rain to stop, live another day. If you keep this up, there might a come a day when life doesn’t seem so miserable.” Tags: time travel, love triangle, idol drama, rom com, serial killer villain, mental health and disability themes

Twenty Five, Twenty On - 10/10 Finished 2023-08

I will never recover from this drama. I cried and laughed and fell so in love with the entire cast. The friendship between the two female leads is beautiful. Nam Joo-hyuk the actor that you are. That ending will be permanently etched on my heart. Another incredible display of how talented female writers are in kdramas.

Favourite line: “It’s love. I love you, Hee-do. I don’t need a rainbow.”  Tags: melodrama, sports, friends to lovers

Hospital Playlist 1 & 2- 10/10

If you like Grey's Anatomy for the relationships and friendship however, this is the show for you. Medical stuff is sometimes boring in this one, but the found family and ships 100% make up for it. Also there's like 100 episodes of behind the scenes to watch and the cast is too cute. 

Season 2 is honestly even cuter than season 1. I love this show so much. I dunno why people didn't like this season as much, I loved finally getting to see the couples get together and I think the medical stuff is slightly more interesting in this season.

Favourite line: "I don't want to waste time. My time is too precious for that. I want to live doing the things that I like and the things that I want to do now." Tags: friends to lovers, slow burn romance, medical drama, found family, ensemble cast, music 

Doom at Your Service - 10/10 Finished 2023-07

Cried my eyes out. Park Bo Young is too cute. The whole premise is so good and they do such a good job pacing it and throwing in twists to keep it interesting. Also has made me a huge Seo In Guk stan, the man is crazy talented at playing a villain with a heart of gold.

Favourite line: "Love me to the point that you will want to destroy the world for me."  Tags: fantasy, melodrama, enemies to lovers

Reborn Rich - 10/10 Finished 2023-09

There has never been a better revenge drama. Succession meets time travel fantasy meets enemies to lovers romcom meets 90s period piece. Song Joong Ki absolutely nails it once again.

Favourite line: "There are 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. They say time is fair to everyone. However, time isn’t fair. Just like everything else in this world."  Tags: revenge, enemies to lovers, time travel, 90s

My Name - 10/10 Finished 2023-07 

Despite being traumatized by the ending, this is still one of my fave dramas. The acting. The fight choreography. The romance. 10000/10. Pil-do might be one of my favourite male leads ever. I love me a soft boy who would do anything to protect his strong, independent woman.

Favourite line: "Is life supposed to be fun?"  Tags: revenge, action, enemies to lovers, gangs vs cops

Romance is a Bonus Book - 10/10 Finished 2023 -07 

So rewatchable. Truly the coziest kdrama out there. A great start into noona romances too. Also the line where she talks about how it was so nice to be called by her name, instead of “mom”, “honey”, “you” really stays in my heart. Also started my obsession with Jong-Suk.

Favourite line: "Instead of 'I love you,' soseki natsume said, 'the moon is beautiful."  Tags: friends to lovers, noona romance, workplace romance, romcom, love triangle

Extraordinary Attorney Woo - 10/10 Finished 2023-08 

Absolute perfection. Jun Ho is the new standard. Deals with autism in a surprisingly modern way. Some interesting episodes on feminism in the workplace too.

Favourite line: "All my thoughts tend to center around me, so I make people close to me lonely. I don’t know when or why I do that. And I don’t know what I can do to stop it."  Tags: legal drama, autism, workplace romance

Flower of Evil - 10/10 Finished 2024-05 

So good that I had to stop and take a break at ep. 14 because I didn't want it to end. The closest I've ever seen to a truly romance thriller genre. The romance between this married couple - despite one of them potentially being a psychopath murderer lol - is literally one of the most adorable and authentic in any drama I've seen. This drama has definitely given me an unhealthy bias for Lee Jong Gi soooo...

Favourite line: "He is the father of my child. He is my family. He is my person. He has a wife who will stand by his side no matter what happens."  Tags: married couple, serial killer thriller, detective drama

Nevertheless - 10/10 Finished 2023-06 

Female gaze times a million. And the supporting cast is one of my faves (except for the TAs, they were boring as all hell). It’s also one of the few kdramas that tackle a relationship that’s kind of “friends with benefits” and you can very much tell it was written by a woman.

I get why some people really don’t like this one, but I’m a big believer in not needing the main characters to be good people for it to be a good piece of art. Everyone is very flawed in this (nearing on toxic), but it tells a lot of important stories that I really connected with.

Favourite line: "I know it will cause me pain again. Nevertheless..."  Tags: friends with benefits, college drama, red flag ml, love triangle

Hot Stove League - 10/10 Finished 2024-03 

Baseball is life. Definitely the best sports drama out there, although it’s a close race with Love All Play. This drama has no romance, so I was really surprised that it hooked me so much. But the drama is amazing. The villains are so good. And mostly I just love this goddamn sport man. Even if you don’t like sport, I think you’ll enjoy the twists and turns and found family dynamics of this one. Also Park Eun Bin never misses. 

Favourite quote: "Everyone's situation is different, we all fight with the resources that are available to us. If we start listing excuses, we'll lose again in the same situation."  Tags: sport drama, found family, no romance

It's Okay Not to be Okay - 10/10 Finished 2023-07 

This was a slow start for me because I found the main female lead so annoying at first. But trust me she grows on you. Literally one of my fave dramas now. The emotions are SO real, I was crying constantly. Very attached to this little trio now. And the parallels of the beginning and ending are soooo good. All the characters have so much character growth, some of the best writing I’ve seen in a kdrama.

Favourite line: "Your body is honest. When you're in physical pain, you cry. But the heart is a liar. It stays quiet even when it's hurting."  Tags: enemies to lovers, autism, mental health

Alchemy of Souls - 10/10 Finished 2023-10 

Absolutely binged this. Such a fun watch. The lore is really cool too. My only thing is I LOVED the female lead from S1 and it felt weird not to have her in the second season. Also second season felt a bit rushed on the ending. Otherwise perfection.

Favourite line: "If you stabe me, then I wil die as the one who released the assassin. If you withdraw your sword, I will make you another promise."  Tags: fantasy, enemies to allies to lovers, magic, love triangle

Love to Hate You - 10/10 Finished 2024-04 

Incredible binge watch. Only 10 episodes, and all about 40 min or less. They don't get distracted by any unnecessary side stories and really just focus on the characters. Both the ML and FL are incredible, and the secondary couple is just as cute. I will forever remember the look that he gives her when she finally says I love you back. A great mix of comedy and swoony romance.

Favourite line: "I can stand other people hating me, but I can’t live with hating myself."  Tags: enemies to lovers, idol drama, fake dating, badass FL x soft boi ML

Hidden Love - 10/10

Incredible coming of age story. I rewatch it constantly. I put off watching it at first because of the description of the age gap. But honestly they handle it so well and their relationship becomes so beautiful and healthy. Definitely one of the healthiest relationship I've ever seen portrayed in a drama.

Favourite quote: "Am I really getting old now? Why are my parents no longer here?" Tags: age gap, fl falls first, highschool crush to lovers, high school to college years

When I Fly Towards You - 10/10

The most beautiful little love story. No angst, no tension. Just blissful first love with a happy ending. Super slow burn so keeps you invested. Love the male lead's character development, from shy and quiet to confident and smiling all because of her. The friends are also so cute and amazing. Second romance is perfect. It's essentially 2521 with a happy ending.

Favourite quote: "The charm of youth is never about getting what you want, but about every unexpected tomorrow and every person you meet by chance." Tags: friends to lovers, shy ml/quirky fl, high school to college years, fluff no angst

See my other reviews here.

[blacklegsanjienthusiast]

One of the things I love about Taz’s portrayal of Sanji in the Live Action is how natural his acting was. It never felt force or awkward. His dialogue delivery and facial expressions was so in character, so natural and so convincing that I sometimes forget that he’s acting. After rewatching the Live Action again a few weeks ago, I really believe that TazSanji was the best in terms of acting, together with EmilyNami but there were times that Emily’s line delivery were a bit forced or monotone but still great overall. But TazSanji was just so natural, which was such a revelation to me personally because I did not know much or have not seen any tv show or film of Taz. I think I was the most unsure on the acting with Taz, Inaki and Jacob before the Live Action, but the casting department were really cooking with their casting choices. Inaki is literally perfect as Luffy. I don’t think I can think of any other actor who can do Luffy.

Even now, the casting for Season 2 have been so perfect. I feel like the casting team deserves a raise or an award because opla probably has best ensemble cast as they not only physically look like their characters but they truly seem to embody them. I saw some people not-so-seriously theorize that Oda made plans and grew these actors in a lab or something lmao. I still rewatch that video of Inaki meeting Oda and just tearing up because Oda seem so happy to see Inaki and was like “I was watching various audition tapes and when I saw you, I kind of started laughing. You are just like the character I draw in the manga. I intuitively thought ‘That’s Luffy!’” or “I can’t imagine anyone playing this role.” or “I’m so grateful that you were born to be just like Luffy” 😭😭😭 sorry for rambling

i always get the impression that taz is very similar to sanji in a lot of ways just general demeanour wise and so when it comes to sanji’s flirting or the more laid back scenes it comes very naturally to him and you can tell which is a good thing because, as you said, it almost doesn’t feel like he’s acting a lot of the time. i think it’s also because he just really loves sanji and he really gets him, and he put so much time and effort into creating his version of him. i have only see taz act in one other thing (agatha raisin, a detective show i watched 2 episodes of because he was a side character in them) and natural is the first thought i had when it came to describing how he played that character. there was one line in particular in his first scene where it genuinely did not feel like he was a acting at all, it just sound and looked so smooth and natural, so yeah it’s definitely something he’s good at.

every single casting in season 1 was perfect and season 2 absolutely continued that streak. all of the straw hats are perfect, especially iñaki that boy was born to play luffy. i really cannot fault any casting, especially not the baroque works members for season 2, every one of them is spot on. i was nervous about robins casting for example because i’m obsessed with her but lera is more than perfect and i’m so excited to see her on screen.

[absolutebl]

What to watch after Pit Babe? Thai BL Actor Guide

So you loved Pit Babe and you wanna see your favorite BL boy in his old series? But should you?

Here's a guide...

Babe AKA Pavel - 2 Moons 2

Pavel is one of my favorite actors in BL (he's this blog's icon for a reason) and actually 2 Moons 2 is pretty good, primarily because of his character, Forth. Who has an actual character evolution and growth arc... in a BL!

Amazing.

Don't be fooled 2 Moons 2 is a reboot and extension of 2 Moons, not a spin off. So you don't have to have watched the first iteration, in fact I recommend against it.

Anygay, the main couple of 2M2 is naff, but Forth is great and Pavel is great as that character. He has good chemistry with his pairing, and as a BL fan it's not a bad idea to know your 2 Moon's roots. 2 Moons is one of the most popular Y-novels ever written, one of the most popular shows of it's time, and the perpetuator of many Thai BL tropes.

Pavel's second BL, Coffee Melody, is not worth watching.

If Babe was your favorite character, and Babe & Charlie a pairing you enjoy, I would suggest Big Dragon as your next BL. Same vibes, high heat, chaotic. Another possibility is the slightly lower heat but stil unhinged Laws of Attraction.

You also might like some stuff out of Taiwan. They tend to have the angst + high heat + sappy softness that characterized Charlie + Babe.

Way AKA Nut - Oxygen

Nut is way different in his previous rolls, as the lead in both Oxygen, and Something in My Room. Same gorgeous voice and soulful eyes and Nut tends to play sensitive torn characters but the similarities end there.

In Oxygen, his acting is stiff. In fact, Oxygen as a whole is pretty stiff. I like it very much and it is a big comfort watch for me because of it's smooth peaceful softness, but it's flawed, slow and awkward. I did an episode by episode thing for that show (my first watch along).

In his second BL, Something in My Room, Nut demonstrates improved acting and chemistry, but I don't recommend it. It's a touch of horror, built on the "my ghost boyfriend" trope, and it's quite sad.

So try Oxygen but if what you're after is more BL with a Way-like main character then I would recommend Moonlight Chicken or The Eclipse chewy BL with sensitive boys and some grey morality.

Jeff AKA Pon - Starhunter Talent

Pon was with Starhunter before this and so has appearances in several of their BLs. He's demonstrated great natural acting talent, charisma, and good chemistry with all his pairs but because he often appeared in chaotic ensemble pieces has been easily forgotten (including by me). Starhunter chronically underused him but also utterly miss-applied him.

Gen Y 2 is actually a master class in flawed casting. They put Pon into a triangle, where he plays a fated mate pining uke against a very stiff lead pair - but they expected us not to want him to be end game. Big mistake. Watch this mess if you just want to see how a good actor can eat up all the air of a bad pair, winning hearts and influencing fans.

Otherwise the Gen Y series is a bloated mess, and I can't recommend them. I trashed watched so you don't have too. While Pon demonstrates skills against a backdrop of ranging tallent, oddball story, and chaotic outcomes I wouldn't have bothered if not for the dumpster fire.

Pon's first BL is The Moment, and he's good in it, but it's a terrible show. Boring and plotless.

He's fantastic in Make A Wish but only a side part (despite what is said in MDL) and his arc is VERY sad. Still it's a GREAT under appreciated BL, I recommend it as the one to watch if you have to see Pon in something else. It's nothing like Pit Babe though.

Yeah our pathway for Pon ends here, so lets look, instead, at

Alan & Jeff - Bed Friend

This was Sailub's first BL role, and I speak for all of us when I say... more please.

So instead of a watching a pathway for him, I'm gonna give you a few BL suggestions based on the assumption that this side couple was your favorite from this series (as it was mine).

What we had with this pairing was

older sensitive sweetheart sunshine seme + tortured dark scared tsundere uke.

FUN dynamic! Here are some options where this style took center stage:

Bed Friend

Between Us

Love By Chance (AePete only)

Triage

Tokyo in April is

I Became the Main Role of a BL

Pete & Kenta - Word of Honor

Ah you like your boys troubled with money, questionable morals, and the slight inclination to pick at their fingernails with a knife?

Neither Garfield nor Ping have done other BLs but here are my picks for BLs that feature this kind of character and dynamic, and we are leaving Thailand for these (since it's darker territory than Thailand usually handles... well).

HIStory 3: Trapped 

Long Time No See 

Irresistible Love

Word of Honor

Where Your Eyes Linger

Other familiar faces

NORTH AKA Michael

North played by Michael was our big comedy insert for this show.

But all his roles prior to this were very serious. Till the World Ends and Call It What You Want are practically depressing, even his role in Oxygen is pretty dark. He actually has been in BL a very long time, he was one of Noh's friends in Love Sick at just 18. Frankly, that'd waht you should watch if you are gonna watch any of his back catelogue, but it's NOTHING like Pit Babe or his role in it, still it's the beginning of Thai BL and Noh is a little sunshine of chaos, and it's great so...

Where was I?

If you really want a comedic himbo lead character there are are quite a few out there, and it's a crazy playing field because Japan is in it to win it.

Leaving aside high school stuff, here are some options:

Cherry Magic (Japan)

Ossan’s Love 

Mr Unlucky Can Only Kiss

Love Tractor

Bad Buddy

Love Stage!!

My Day

History 4: Close to You

KIM AKA Benz

Benz who played Kim has also done BL before, En of Love: This Is Love Story, but it is not good and not worth watching.

While I want the queer Falling Into Your Smile or Love O2O or Appledog more than anything, that doesn't exist. We have yet to have a true gaymer BL. (I mean come on, nerdy queer is practically a stereotype at this point, where is it?)

All of which is to say if Kim was your favorite... I don't know. Our Dating Sim maybe Semantic Error?

WINNER AKA Pop

Pop has lead out a BL, it's a very slow, very queer, very unwatched piece called La Cuisine.

@heretherebedork and I loved it, but it's hard to imagine anyone else enjoying it. You have to be a hard BL stan to tolerate the pace and pulp quality of that one. He's a completely different character but if you really like the actor try him in La Cuisine, I think he was better cast for that than Pit Babe.

I just enjoyed the show in general, what's next?

In general, if you really enjoyed Pit Babe itself as a series (and it's multiple couples and chaotic noise and erratic concept) you're in the KinnPorsche camp of Thai BL. I actually made a "watch next" pathways and rating guide for that show, which might work for you.

Specifically I would say Manner of Death. It's a little more focused in character and plot but still a wild ride. And MaxTul are the Kings for a reason.

You might also try Not Me, Never Let Me Go, and 3 Will Be Free although all of these, coming from GMMTV, are lower heat levels than Pit Babe.

Finally, seriously, try The Sign. I know it was airing "in competition" but there is room in your heart for both shows. I promise. They have the same wild sexy energy, and are loads of fun.

(source)

[faggotmox]

I've seen the light, I'm absolutely obsessed with the pitt and I'm feral for Noah Wyle. Explain him to me. I need to know more.

(oh my god this got so long im sorry slap my hand slipped)

noah, my boy my babe my little whump whump, got his break out role in er as john carter. carter ended up being the focus of the first 11 seasons out of 15, returning to finish the series in season 15. i know after er noah got a main role in falling skies, & the librarian franchise. sadly his career never got much bigger BUT he is a really good actor & the roles he does choose he really crushes.

now...john carter :) if you enjoyed him in the pitt i urge you to run a train on er. carter is a great character, he starts out as a surgical intern in season one before realizing he isn't cut out (pun!) for surgery & his real love is in the emergency department. its so fun going over everything that happened to carter in my head. he's such a dynamic character that changes a lot, even just episode to episode.

like how to summarize john carter? the song africa by toto is actually his theme song lmao. like season 9-12 carter storyline is like verse for verse africa by toto which sounds like an indictment but isn't. the sad little rich white boy goes through a personal tragedy & then flies to the fucking congo with tv brand doctors without boarders to figure out his priorities & then decides to use his families INSANE (theyre the richest family in chicago from like exploiting coal or something in the early 1990s & he feels white guilty abt it) fortune to cure aids in africa. which sounds like it'd be terrible but...but i promise isn't.

also he's kinda bisexual king if im honest. like fr fr he & peter (his mentor in season one, & friend after) have wild sexual chemistry & when carter becomes addicted to narcotics (he got stabbed in the er by a patient with a giant cake cutting knife! bc he must suffer) peter is the only person he trusts & takes him to a treatment center. then when luka (a croatian er doc that convinces him to go to africa) is thought to be dead in africa carter goes back & is determined to find his body. like carter, is it gay to fly across the world to recover your ex girlfriend's ex boyfriend???? i think it is. he, luka, & abby have the most dysfunctional chemistry in er history im sorry.

like carter is just some rich guy who lost his brother to cancer & wanted to become a doctor to help people. he's also super cute when he cries or flips out :)

is this what you wanted to know slap? lmao also if you've seen the pitt watching er would be fun imo bc you will clearly be able to draw lines between the two shows & characters. to be robby is clearly a current day carter that has finally grown into mark greene's shoes as mark always thought he would. i think doctor robby is a nice nod to a more modernized version of mark's character while still being carter too. also if you like the political side of the pitt then er was the show that set the tone for that. its not a medical romance. er makes a point to highlight how the healthcare system fails & the systemic issues within medicine (which is personified in the 'big bad' of the first 10 seasons, dr. robert romano).

my only criticism of er thats popping out on my current rewatch is that somewhere in like maybe season 9, but i think season 10 & on, is that sometimes they kinda write medical problems/illness as a moral failing & that aways rubs me the wrong way a bit. maybe im just rose colored goggles over the first 8 or so seasons, but i really feel like they dont often fall into that.

but i'll point out something that i think is a really good thing about er. it's an ensemble cast that gets fully developed (for the most part, minus a few) & storylines are allowed to arc over seasons. you get good slow burn, well-developed stories that weave in & out over large chunks of episodes. most characters get a decent amount of screen time, even secondary/background characters (shout out nurses chuny & helah & yosh). i dont think a lot of shows achieve that. also so many of the characters are multifaceted, theres things you like or dont like about them, things they do that are upsetting or bad but also good.

OH! also there's a character named dr. weaver. she's a disabled lesbian who kicks ass & is a great doctor, but she's also a hard ass. kerry is such an interesting character, i adore her. plus they actually write over many season kerry realizing she's a lesbian to becoming comfortable to living a gay little life & it's pretty good.

thanks for coming to my ted talk--

hey this gif works perfect for my case!

[roadtohell]

finally saw the lotr musical!! thoughts under the cut

my expectations were to have fun and enjoy the music. frankly i was thinking the book was going to be a total hot mess from a theatrical point of view. it was, in fact, perfectly serviceable! pacing-wise it felt just a little rushed especially in the final push towards mount doom - the actual destruction of the ring in particular really needed more gravitas. but overall issues were nowhere near as much as i feared. while plot points were very condensed the only thing i felt was super handwaved was gandalf reappearing just fine after being trapped by saruman.

i loved the music, i knew i would ever since i got obsessed with lothlorien a decade ago. but i was really impressed with the quality of arrangements and playing. onstage bands with actors playing seems to be increasingly common but this is the first musical i've seen that tries (and succeeds) to evoke a full orchestra at points. the brass in particular adds such an important richness to the score. and i loved the fact that it was completely unapologetic about things like gimli whipping out a guitar in the mines of moria (and not one that could be considered an axe). it truly added to the sense of collective storytelling. also, bilbo playing the harmonica is perfect. also also, ent boomwhackers.

costumes were somewhat hit-and-miss for me, boromir's being by far my least favourite. why was that breastplate so loose! i didn't mind the gas mask orcs though. and i really dug the colour-coded kurta-like elf costumes, as well as gimli's design (distinctly earthy and dwarvish despite the actor being one of the taller members of the fellowship from what i could tell).

i liked the stage design, particularly the wood knot at the back doubling as a door, projector screen and eye of sauron. special effects, like the script, did the job and not a lot more. which i understand given the scope of the production. the introduction of shelob was really sick though. and sometimes one moment like that is all you need.

the cast was overall a very solid ensemble cast. of note, on this night stefanie caccamo was on for galadriel and ruby clark on for arwen. they both had a lot of presence and sounded phenomenal. i'd always kind of wondered why those two characters had such prominent songs in the musical but i get it now.

gollum was perfect, 10/10, no notes. while i think the audience took him a bit more comedically at certain points than they should have, imo it was really more down to the script than him.

frodo and sam were excellent and had great chemistry. no notes for them either, though i suppose they could have upped the homoeroticism lol

i really enjoyed gandalf and bilbo, both nailing their respective brands of old man humour.

i was kind of lukewarm on strider and boromir, however rob mallett did sell me on his kingly speeches. i think rohan campbell felt like the weakest link acting-wise - boromir came across as more boyish and inexperienced than strongwilled and proud to me.

idk if there's a better way to sheath daggers but poor legolas always seemed to take a while to do it properly. but maybe it's just a practice thing. otherwise there's no way you'd realise it was his first performance (afaik) compared against anyone else, standing up well to gimli who was great.

all in all this show exceeded my expectations! i had a blast and i would definitely recommend it to both lotr fans and people who enjoy somewhat novel musical experiences.

---

cast (this list maaaay not be completely accurate as i didn't see the At This Performance tv. but i was second row so i got a pretty decent look)

frodo - rarmian newton sam - wern mak merry - cameron davey pippin - hannah buckley gandalf - terence crawford gimli - connor morel legolas - hanlon innocent strider - rob mallett boromir - rohan campbell gollum - laurence boxhall saruman - ian stenlake bilbo - laurence coy galadriel - stefanie caccamo arwen - ruby clark elrond - andrew broadbent

[docgold13]

Cartoon Heroes Paper Cut-Outs

Marshall Cuso (Common Side Effects)

Created by Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block, Common Side Effects is an animated thriller centering on a rare type of mushroom with seemingly unlimited health-inducing benefits.   Animation for the series was produced by Green Street Pictures (the same team that produced the mind-bending Scavengers Reign).  

Having discovered the fabled ‘Blue Angel Mushroom’ in a remote valley in the Peruvian Highlands, Marshall Cuso realizes that the fungus can heal any illness, repair any wound and even bring the recently deceased back to life.  He soon finds himself on the run from shadowy figures, fellow mycologists, agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency and mercenaries paid in the employ of the pharmaceutical industry... all of whom wish to possess or destroy the mushroom, cognizant of the seismic changes it could bring about.  

Marshal encounters Frances Applewhite, an old friend from high school.  Although initially hesitant about the Blue Angel, Frances eventually sees the monetary value in the mushrooms and is motivated to help Marshal in the hopes that the mushroom might cure her mother who is suffering from severe, rapid onset dementia. The two embark on a harrowing journey to stay a step ahead of their pursuers and discover a means of regrowing the Blue Angel.  

The ensemble cast of voice actors include Dave King and Emily Pendergast as Marshal and Frances, along with Mike Judge, Martha Kelly, Joseph Lee Anderson and Danny Huston.  Common Side Effects premiered in February of 2025.  

I've nothing but good things to say about this show. It's exciting, funny, great animation, and smart. Highly recommended!

[pleasereadmeok]

I might be a little biased towards Matthew Goode in Dept. Q (just a tiny tad) but the rest of the cast are 👌

Info' from Tedum/Netflix -

Who’s in the cast of Dept. Q? The cast of Dept. Q includes:  Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey, Stoker) as Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck Chloe Pirrie (The Game, An Inspector Calls) as Merritt Lingard Jamie Sives (Annika, Guilt) as Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy Mark Bonnar (Operation Mincemeat, Unforgotten) as Stephen Burns Alexej Manvelov (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Chernobyl) as Akram Salim Leah Byrne (Nightsleeper, The Last Bus) as Detective Constable Rose Dickson Kate Dickie (The Witch, Game of Thrones) as Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson Shirley Henderson (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) as Claire Marsh Kelly Macdonald (No Country for Old Men, Gosford Park) as Dr. Rachel Irving Tom Bulpett (Father Brown, Casualty) as William Lingard Goode has nothing but good(e) things to say about his castmates. “[Scott] assembled one of the finest casts I’ve ever gotten to work with,” he tells us. “It’s just an incredible playpen for an actor.” He’s especially effusive about his three counterparts in the titular Department Q. “Leah Byrne is a stone-cold star,” he adds. “I felt like I've known Jamie [Sives] for a long time, we just get on so well… Alexej [Manvelov] is joy, pure joy, capital J.” Dept. Q is a procedural mystery, but above all, it’s about a group of unlikely colleagues bouncing off of one another. “If you watch a show like Cheers, you’re not watching it because you’re interested in a bar in Boston,” Frank says. “It’s not the situation that makes you watch it, or the comedy. It’s these people.” 

This is a great ensemble cast. A tight group of talented actors who I can't wait to watch in Dept. Q. ....

... if I can take my eyes of Matthew. 🤦‍♀️ Yep - still swimming in the shallow end and not sorry.

📷 Jamie Simpson/Justin Downing for Netflix - just shoved into a collage by me.

[seeingivy]

the ensemble cast

actor!eren x f!reader

**part of my method acting fic, masterlist here

content: eren being possessive for no reason, cherry + coke slushies, reader gets criticized online, good old teasing, reader mentions feeling anxious/having anxiety

an: lalalalalallalala lights camera action babes pls enjoy :D

previous part linked here

--

The set that Attack on Titan is filming on was originally from a previously scrapped project. Three weeks ago, when you and Eren first moved in, the two of you had pilfered from the leftover set dressings and props to see what you could find. 

That’s where you find the tandem bike. The breaks don’t work that well, and the seat in the back is really uncomfortable, but it works well for you and Eren’s purposes, which is running away from set on lunch breaks to get slushies at the convenience store two blocks down. 

As Hange said, you and Eren wouldn’t really have to do any method acting to become best friends. He’s literally the only other person on set besides Levi and Hange, who are usually too busy workshopping the set and the scripts to talk to you.

You guys eat breakfast together, go to class, and spend hours talking at night when you’re both too bored to do anything else. 

You’re both leaning against the bike, two straws poked into the extra large slushie that you and Eren got. The cashier, Michael, gives you guys the slushie for free, but only one since he’s “not made of money.” 

Hence, sharing. You guys always split the slushie in half - the right side is Coke for you, and the left is Cherry for Eren. It always swirls together halfway through when it starts melting, which is when you and Eren start playing with the straws - smacking yours into Eren’s and vice versa. 

“Do you think it’ll be weird when everyone comes tomorrow, Eren?” 

“Maybe a little bit. There’s a lot of them coming. And we’re used to having the place to ourselves.” 

Tomorrow is the first official day of filming. 

You and Eren have been filming scenes for the past three weeks. But tomorrow, the rest of the ensemble cast arrives, and you start really filming. And you can’t even lie - some part of the entire ordeal fills you up with anxiety. 

Because the rest of the cast knows know each other already. Because they’re better actors than you. Because you’re kind of a fraud. 

Eren mentioned that most of the people on the ensemble cast were great people because they were part of his class when he went to the SHWA. Meaning he already knew them. Meaning they all knew each other - that they had spent two years going to boarding school together and socializing within the same cohort. 

Eren has already co-starred with Mikasa, and he and Jean used to do cameos on a different show together. He used to room with Reiner when he lived at the SHWA, and they’re all still really close. 

Eren said it was kind of like a cult at times, how the industry seemed to function in that way. You just think he’s trying to make you feel better for being the sore thumb of the group. 

But even beyond just meeting the cast, this entire week is a big deal. The ensemble cast is supposed to attend a panel that WIT hosts every year to answer questions and play the teaser trailer. Hange and Levi are panicking because first impressions can mean everything to a start-up show like this. 

Eren tells you that there’s really big advertising company called the Elms that posts reviews of shows before they come out. They have no connections in the fields since they’re advertisers, but their opinions and reviews are basically written law once posted. 

They’re the industry equivalent of a Michelin Star.

That’s why the pressure is on for this week - for the cast to get along, for us to finish filming and taking pictures for the promo, and to do great at the panel at the end of the week. 

There’s so much to mess up you can’t even fixate on what to worry abo-

“Y/N. Stop it.” 

You look over to find Eren glaring at you, shuffling his straw through the bottom of the ice at the cup. His lips and tongue are tinted pink from the drink, his expression annoyed. 

“Stop what?” 

“Thinking so hard. They’ll all like you, even if you didn’t go to SHWA.” 

“I don’t know. I feel like you’ll all have inside jokes without me or something and leave me out. I don’t want to feel like a loser.” 

He takes the cup from your hand, now empty, and swishes it into the trash can a few feet away from you. And then his ice-cold hand is in yours, squeezing. 

You learn quickly that Eren isn’t the best with his words, but he’s always touching you in some way when a situation like this arises. He squeezed your shoulder when you forgot to bring your harness to set, delaying the entire crew for twenty minutes. And when you didn’t do so well on the French test you had last week, he put his hand in your hair but didn’t really say anything. 

If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t work. But it’s Eren, and for some reason, it just does. It’s almost comforting now that you can rely on his hands to be on yours whenever you feel awkward. 

“You’re not a loser, Y/N. And if someone thinks you’re a loser, I’ll just tell them they’re wrong about you.” 

“Okay.” 

“Plus. When they see us act, they’ll change their minds. You’re electric on the screen.” 

Eren yanks the tandem bike off of the stand and pulls you up by the hand, the two of you lazily biking back to set. You try to ignore Eren’s comment and how it makes your entire body buzz. 

- 

You and Eren make ramen every morning. Because Levi said that the first time he did, it was a one-time occurrence, and he can’t feed you guys daily. He leaves out all the stuff for you, even going as far as cutting up all the vegetables that you like to put in your bowl. 

“Eren.”

“Hm.” 

“Try to catch the extra carrots in your mouth.” 

You’re both playing the game a little bit too competitively as you start racing around the kitchen, trying to throw them so far that you both have to chase after them. And when Eren throws it all the way into the foyer, you go running. 

That’s when you bump into him. 

There’s a guy in the walkway who you accidentally knock into the ground from running so fast. He has short brown hair, the strands closer to his hair darker. And now that you’ve fallen on top of him, his hands are secured around your waist, both of your cheeks burning red. 

You quickly scramble off, awkwardly running your hands through your hair. 

“S-sorry. Me and Eren were playing a game.” 

“No problem. I’m Jean.” 

“Y/N.” 

He smiles, his eyes glinting at you. 

“Jean.” 

“You said that already,” Eren grumbles from the kitchen. 

You can see Jean’s cheeks burning red as the rest of them pile into the room, the quiet house suddenly bustling loud. You can’t help but get overstimulated by everyone you’re meeting, trying your best to remember names - Armin, Sasha, Bertholdt, Annie, Connie, Reiner - as they all start milling around the kitchen, sitting at the table. 

“So, when are we eating?” 

“Sasha shut the fuck up. All you’re worried about is eating.” Connie responds, smacking her across the forehead. 

You walk over to the side of the table, tapping Sasha on the shoulder. 

“They’re catering since you all flew in. They should be here in twenty minutes.” 

She gives you a gleaming smile, returning to arguing with Connie. You can feel a hand tugging on your wrist, the guy from earlier yanking on your arm. 

“So if they’re catering, why are you making ramen?” he asks, his cheeks pressed in his palms.

“Ah. Eren and I are kind of in the habit of making it. We kind of forgot they were supposed to cater today.” 

“Well, it smells really good.” 

“Did you want it, Jean? I don’t mind because Eren and I kind of ate before.” 

“Oh, no. I couldn’t-” 

You march over to the kitchen, where your steaming bowl of food is, much to Eren’s dismay, and return to place it in front of Jean. And when you return to the kitchen, you watch chaos ensue.

Connie and Sasha claim that Jean should share because they’re best friends. Jean says that Sasha’s asking for too much. Then Ymir says that Jean’s face is asking for too much, and now everyone’s arguing with each other. 

You lean over, whispering in Eren’s ear as you talk. 

“Are they always like this, Eren?” 

“Unfortunately.” 

He pushes his own bowl of ramen to your side, placing the chopsticks in your hand. 

“Oh. It’s okay. I was the one who willingly gave my breakfast away and started World War Three, so.” 

“Don’t be stupid, Y/N. Let’s just share.” 

You and Eren shuffle the chopsticks in between your hands, taking turns eating from the bowl.  And you’re so distracted because Eren’s asking you about Falco and Colt that you don’t realize it when it happens. 

Connie taking a picture of you two. 

And suddenly, they all stopped arguing with each other and started teasing Eren. 

“So this is why you didn’t tell us anything about her? Trying to keep her all for yourself, huh?” Connie says first, smirking at Eren. 

You can see the tips of Eren’s ears turn red as he denies it vehemently, only goading the rest of them on more. 

“Eren. Do you think Y/N is pretty? Do you love her?” Ymir asks, swinging her arm around your shoulder. 

“Where do you get off, you little bitch? Why would you even ask me that? Do you think Historia is pretty?” 

“Yes. I do think Historia is pretty.” 

You crane your neck over to Historia, whose sitting at the table, her cheeks glowing pink in her hands. Mikasa and Armin are sitting right next to her, focused on typing away on their phones, but you can see the smile pressed on both of their faces. 

“You didn’t answer, Eren. Do you think Y/N is pretty? Do you guys kiss each other goodnight? ” asks Reiner, this time leaning even more forward. They’ve backed you and Eren into a corner, the six of them smiling bloody murder at Eren. 

Eren hates being put into a corner like this. But he hates it even more when you’re looking over at him, your eyes boring into his, expectantly waiting for an answer.  

“Yes. I think Y/N is pretty. No, we don’t kiss each other goodnight.” he murmurs, his cheeks burning red. 

You can feel your own cheeks heating up as Levi comes by, dragging the rest of the new people to set with the promise of food. Sasha’s the first one to leave.

Leaving you and Eren alone in the kitchen again, the half-finished bowl of ramen between you. 

“Eren.” 

“They’re always like that. It’s so embarrassing. Now I’m never going to hear the end of it. Especially from Connie and Reiner, they’re so fucking annoying sometimes it’s-” 

You place your hand on Eren’s shoulder, stopping his rant in his tracks. 

“I think you’re cute.” 

“Huh? What?” 

“You told me that you think I’m pretty. Just thought you should know I think you’re cute,” you say, shrugging your hand off and grabbing your harness from the ground as you walk off to the set. 

Eren joins twenty minutes later. 

He needed the extra time to get his heart to stop violently thumping in his chest. 

- 

Armin is the only one brave enough to ask. He leans over, straight into Levi’s headspace, and asks. 

“Levi. What are they doing?” 

The eleven of them have been watching you and Eren do this for the past few minutes. You’re both…standing there, staring at each other. You’re not exactly talking, though you do whisper something to each other a few times. You’re just kind of…standing there together. 

“They do this before they shoot scenes. Y/N said it’s not really a thing for her, but Eren says he needs to feel some… tingle before he can shoot.” Levi responds, yanking his headphones partially off. 

“Tingle?” Armin repeats. 

“Tingle.” 

“That’s not a tingle. He’s just excited to see Y/N.” Reiner responds, the rest of them chuckling. 

You’ve asked Eren to explain it to you maybe a hundred times. And he always says the same thing. That he needs a second before he can shoot to stop being him, Eren, and being the character, Eren. And he knows he’s thought about it hard enough when he can feel this… writhing in his chest. 

Most of the time, it’s not bad. He usually just stands there for a few seconds, looking at the ground or the set, and he’s ready. But today, the entire thing is making your cheeks burn. Because not only are the rest of them watching you, but he’s staring at you - green eyes, all soft and warm. He never really looks at you like that, straight on. 

“Are you nervous, Y/N?” 

“A little bit. They’re all watching, and it’s kind of a hard scene.” 

“You’ll be fine.” 

“Why are you taking so long today? You’re literally just supposed to look all passed out in my arms.” 

“For you. You’re like nervously twitching and have to stop before we can start.” 

The scene isn’t too bad. You’re just supposed to get suspended in the air and then grab Eren when he comes out of his titan. Levi and Hange said it was preferable if you could try to cry, which Eren has been trying to coach you on for the past few days. 

It’s supposed to be an emotional scene. You’re supposed to think Eren’s dead and that he’s returned to life. That your best friend, the only person whose been with you since you were little, will still get to be by your side.

(Hange’s really dramatic when they explain scenes). 

And when you do it, you can feel your hands shaking. They’re blowing a lot of steam onto the set as you and Eren stick out of the prop titan, making your hair stick to your forehead and your skin sizzle under the lights.

You’re sure Eren feels the same way. You place your hands around Eren’s face as he starts wobbling in the air in your hold. 

You’re not supposed to say anything. You’re just supposed to feel it. 

That’s what Hange wrote on your script, next to the blocking for this scene. You place your hands around Eren’s face and take the sight in. The red marks streaking down the side of his face, the way his eyes are closed, and you’re not sure what makes it happen, but you really want to hug him. 

Because if this were really true, if you really did think Eren was gone, you would want to hug him. You would want to hold him in your arms, press yourself into his skin to make sure that you can feel him, so that you knew he was really there. 

So you do. It wasn’t in the script or what Hange and Levi wanted you to do, but it just felt right. To hold him like this. Some part of your stomach is burning because Eren isn’t really wearing a shirt and even Eren awkwardly shuffles when you do it. You whisper down into his ear. 

“Sorry. Felt right.” 

And when Levi yells cut and they pull you and Eren down, Annie is the first one to say something. 

“I get it now.” 

“Get what, Annie?” Eren asks, yanking his own harnesses off. 

“You’re not a good actor, Eren. I was really confused when they picked you as the lead. But I get it now. You guys have really good chemistry.” she replies, milling off. 

You apologize to Levi for not following the script. He, in turn, tells you to do it more often. 

-  

After four days of filming, Eren’s more pissed than ever. Because he figured that his jealousy or possessiveness would wear off by now, that it was just because he was used to it being just him and you for the past three weeks. 

And he gets why everyone wants to talk to you because they’ve all known each other for years, and you’re the shiny new toy, but do they really have to talk to you all the time? 

He can’t eat ramen with you in the mornings because Sasha always begs you to make her some too. Then she’s milling around in the kitchen, asking you mindless questions while you make some for her. 

He can’t do homework with you in your room because Reiner always joins - and he gets that Reiner is really bad at French, but does he always have to ask for your help with the assignments? 

And he can’t even talk to you at night when he’s bored anymore. Because Mikasa’s always there too - teaching you how to braid your hair, the two of you giggle about things he doesn’t understand. 

He loathes it, which is why he has the outburst that he does. 

He invited you to go for slushies with him on Friday before you fly out to Cannes for the panel. But when he yanks out the tandem bike and Jean asks to go along, he can’t help but get irritated at him. So he yells at him . Like bloody murder yells at him. Which is why you and Eren quietly bike, awkwardly sharing the slushie on the bench. 

“So.” 

“I wasn’t going to let him come, you know? Slushies are our thing, Eren.” you respond, swirling the brown and red ice together. 

“Oh. Really?” 

“Well, yeah. Some things should be just ours. And I can’t help it for other things - like when Sasha asks for food, or Annie wants help with the props - but I can for this.” 

Relief floods through Eren’s chest, and he smiles for the first time in five days. Thank god. 

“Okay. Good.” 

“Were you feeling… bad about it or something? Like I wasn’t really talking to you?” you ask, Eren not meeting your gaze and instead focusing on the geese walking across the street. 

“I know you’re not like supposed to talk to me or whatever, but like. I just kind of missed you, that’s all.” 

You smile, leaning your head against Eren’s shoulder. 

“I missed you too, Eren.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

You and Eren bike back, matching pink lips, which is just asking to get teased at this point. Ymir asks how long you and Eren were sucking your face to get lips that pink, which just pisses Eren off to no extent. Levi makes them both sit on separate sides of the plane. 

“Each person answers the panel questions in sets of two or three. There are three panels, so ensure you’re with the right person for each part.” 

Your first panel is with Ymir, which you lucked out on. Because the second they start asking questions, your face is burning, your throat is itching, and you can’t answer even a single one they ask you. 

You’ve never really been the anxious type. You’ve acted in school plays before and performed for big crowds. But that was always low stakes in your mind. The only people in the audience were people that you grew up with, their older sisters that always compliment you on their hair, and their parents that love to take pictures with you. 

This crowd is something different altogether. They’re all wildly unfamiliar, with big cameras and notepads in their hands as they scribble down every little detail they can. Before you and Ymir could even introduce yourselves, even give them something to write down or take a picture of, they were already going hard. 

That’s why you feel petrified on the stage. One of the questions is literally what your name is, but for some reason, this crowd of adults with shiny cameras and notepads makes you choke. Ymir saves the day. She’s charming enough to woo them all on her own, with a few comments from you here and there throughout the panel. Every word out of your mouth feels like balmy chalk running down your throat. 

Your second panel is with Mikasa and Connie, who are surprisingly a really comedic duo. They’re both so different that they complement each other really well, providing funny anecdotes from set and talking about what it’s been like to film.

Connie, much to your dismay, tells the audience that you and Eren are inseparable - so much so that he’s caught you cuddling together on set before. 

That was an accident. You were just tired from shooting on set for eleven hours. You can sneak by with another comment here and there for this panel too. 

But the third panel is just you and Eren. And you know you can’t choke here because you and Eren are the leads. And granted, you haven’t really been acting like a lead this entire time by squeaking once like a mouse, but it’s infinitely worse to do it now. 

“What’s wrong?” 

You can feel the tears welling in your eyes as Eren looks over, concern washing over his face. 

“I-I can’t do this.” 

“What? Why not?” 

“I don’t know. I already messed it up. My entire panels I- I didn’t even say anything because I felt so weird and like- I don’t know, I just can’t be a lead role. I’m not cut out to-” 

He shakes his head, yanking you forward to push you into his embrace, his arms warm. His mouth is hovering by your ear, his voice so soft that it sends shivers down your spine. 

“You’re going to be fine. You’re literally everyone’s favorite person on set because you’re just the best to be around. And it’s the same thing out there, just with people you don’t know.” 

“You guys…you guys have to like me. And it’s hard when they’re all looking at me.” 

“Don’t look at them. Just look at me. Just pretend you and I are sitting there, and the person asking the question is me, not them.” 

You shake your head, burying it deeper into his shoulder. You can feel your panic subsiding, but there’s still a bubble of anxiety right in your throat.

You and Eren walk out, Eren’s hand pressed in yours, as you sit at the table, your hands still locked together under the fabric. 

He squeezes three times before starting, introducing the two of you. The first question is for you. 

“Who is your favorite person on set?” asks the lady in the front.  

“Um. Maybe Hange. I’ve always looked up to them for a really long time, and getting to work with them has been re-really cool.” you mumble straight into the microphone. 

You look over at Eren, who feigns shock as he talks into his. 

“I’m offended, Y/N. My favorite person on set is you but your favorite person on set isn’t me?” he says, the crowd laughing. 

“What? You’re so full of it, Eren. If they asked you, you probably would have said Levi because he did your laundry once.”

The crowd laughs again, and Eren smiles, his eyes warm as he looks into yours. 

“You’re annoying, Y/N. I’ve literally said you’re my favorite person on set on every panel. You think you’re special to someone and find out they don’t even like you that much.” 

“Oh, be quiet Eren. You’re so irritating. You know I like you.” 

“What was that? Say it louder for me, I didn’t really hear you.” 

“I like you.” 

“One more time, Y/N. Use your big girl voice.” 

“I hate you, Eren. You’re not funny and you’re not cool.” 

The entire crowd laughs, Eren squeezing your hand under the table as they ask him questions next. You’re doing it. 

And for some reason, you’re really in awe of this side of Eren. You never figured that he was the type of guy to be really good at press since he seems so awkward and stumbly when he’s around you, but he’s…really charming when it comes to this. He’s cracking jokes, poking fun at you while answering all the questions. 

“Last question. For Eren. What was your favorite scene to film?” 

“There’s this scene that we filmed a few weeks ago. Y/N did some really good improv in it, and when Hange and Levi showed it to us for the first time, we were just so excited for the show to start airing. Basically, you think my character is dead, but-” 

You feel your eyes widen as you clamp your hand over Eren’s mouth, stopping him from spoiling the show before it airs. And you forget that you’re on the microphone because you accidentally start berating him into the speakers. 

“Eren. You’re so full of shit. Stop spoiling the show before it can even come out.” 

For some reason, the entire cast finds the entire ordeal so funny that they’re clapping bloody murder for you and Eren as you deck out.

And when you get to the back of the stage, Hange’s applauding you both for doing so well and Levi’s threatening Eren with promises of masking tape on his mouth the next time he tries spoiling the show.  

You’re just thankful Eren held your hand through the entire thing. You wouldn’t have been able to stomach it if he wasn’t. 

- 

The review comes out early the next day. The eleven of you huddle around the computer, you and Eren sharing a chair as you wait for Hange and Levi to return with Erwin from the airport. The man of the hour himself has finally arrived to set, meaning you can watch the review. 

It’s two girls with short blonde hair on both of them as they dissect the teaser trailer Hange and Levi produced for the panels, and the individual speaks themselves. 

They introduce each actor and their character, commenting on past roles, character dynamics, and how they feel about the character overall. Almost everyone gets a glowing commendation except for Armin, who they feel doesn’t look the part. 

You can tell from the way Armin shifts uncomfortably in the seat that he’s a bit put off by the comment, but Jean and Marco are already coming to his defense, whispering reassurance in his ear. 

“Now, onto the leads.” 

You instinctively grab Eren’s hand under the table, the two of you leaning closer to the computer to listen. 

“The male and female leads for Attack on Titan are Eren Jaeger and F/N L/N. Eren Jeager was in the fourteenth SHWA cohort and already has a nice plethora of credits behind him - even going as far as to have already co-starred with major parts of the ensemble. We’re sure he will be a great lead for the show, a career-defining role if he does it right.” 

You squeeze Eren’s hand three times under the table, everyone patting him on the back and squeezing his shoulders in congratulations. 

“We’re unsure if the same can be said for female lead F/N L/N. Upon closer inspection, head casters Hange Zoe and Levi Ackerman have chosen something a bit untraditional by not picking an SHWA-affiliated actor. We’re unsure if she can hold her own on a show with big chops like this one since she could barely handle the panels themselves. Sure, everyone has been gushing over how cute the two leads are together, but Eren can’t really carry that part of the charm for her on screen. We’re unsure how it’ll play out, but it’s feeling pretty bleak for now.” 

Eren squeezes your hand under the table, but you let go altogether. And when you look back, they’re all awkwardly staring at you, Hange and Levi pinching the bridges of their nose. 

“Um. I’m not in the next few scenes, actually. So I’m just going to go eat dinner if that’s okay.” 

“We’ll come with you,” Mikasa responds, yanking Sasha up from her chair. 

“Oh, you guys have to stay on track with filming. You shouldn’t backlog the schedule. It’s okay.” 

Eren watches you walk off set alone, Hange and Levi already doing damage control on their side. Levi’s already screaming bloody murder that they have no right to say that when they have no experience in the field, and Hange’s getting ready to run off and comfort you. 

“Hange. Let me come, please.” 

Eren watches Hange's features contort as they shoot him down. 

“Sorry, Eren. I don’t think she really wants to talk to anyone right now. And I’m just going there to sit with her till she’s ready to talk.” 

“She’ll talk to me. I can sit with her, I do it all the time. We’re best friends. And I just want to come. Please, please let me go.”  

“Eren. These are all your scenes. You need to stay here. I’ll let you come check on her after, okay?” 

Eren watches Hange run off and angrily acts through the next seven scenes. 

- 

When he’s done on set, he basically all but sprints to your room, snatching the video camera from Levi and Hange’s office, and knocks on the door lightly. And when he sees it, he can’t tell which emotion he feels most strongly. Never mind, he’s almost positive it’s anger. 

You’re lying flat under your soft blanket, Hange’s hand in your hair. He can tell that you’ve probably been crying for a better part of the day, your eyes were all swollen and pink and your nose all runny. 

Eren climbs under the blanket with you, hand locking with yours under the sheets. He squeezes your hand three times, which you return as you wipe the excess liquid from your face. 

“Y/N.” 

“What, Hange?” 

“I’m going to call your mom and tell her that you have a boy in your bed.”

You and Eren laugh, rolling your eyes at Hange as you reach up to pull on their hair. Hange hops off the bed, retreating downstairs to get make the ramen that you asked for, as you and Eren shuffle under the blanket. 

“Y/N. You okay?” 

And at the sound of the question, you immediately start crying again, eyes burning as you lean your head into Eren’s shoulder. 

The entire thing - it’s just so fucking embarrassing above anything else. It’s already humiliating enough to get called out as one of the only bad actors in the cast. Sure, they really dug on Armin too but it wasn’t to the extent that they did it to you. And Hange said that was because you were a girl, and they’re always going to be more critical of you than him, but it sure doesn’t feel that way. 

You can’t act. You can’t do press. And for some goddamn reason, you’re the one leading the show with Eren instead of someone else. Maybe it should have been Mikasa or Historia or something, they’d surely be doing a better job at this than you. 

“Nothing you say is going to make me feel better, Eren. Hange’s been trying for the past few hours, but you’re all just lying to make me come back to set.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You guys just feel bad that they said that about me, even if it’s true. And now that you’re stuck with me, you have to make me do it. I’ve been telling Hange - I don’t know what they saw in me even to pick me in the first place. They clearly made a mistake.” 

“Hange and Levi didn’t pick you.”

“What?” 

“Well, they did. But, I picked you too.” 

He reaches over, grabbing the shiny black recording camera from your nightstand. He pulls his arm around yours, holding the camera a few feet away from your face as he holds the looks for the video. And when he plays it, you recognize the same soulless room you did your chemistry screening in, Eren sitting in the chair. 

“So Eren. We’re picking through the last few candidates for the lead. Is there anyone you want it to be in particular?” 

You can recognize Levi’s voice over the video, and you’re sure Hange has to be the one recording from how the videos wobble around so much. 

“You’re going to let me pick, Levi?” Eren from the video asks, eyes wide from shock. 

“We’re in between three and we can’t pick one. And this person is your co-star, you’re probably going to spend a better part of the next five to six years with them if things go well. Should be someone you like.” 

“Y/N.” 

Hange comes into the frame on the video, pinching Eren’s cheeks as they ask. 

“That was fast. Any particular reason?” 

“I don’t even remember the names of the other ones. That’s how lame they were in comparison.” 

“You sure, Eren? You really want it to be her?” 

“Positive. I’d even bet on it.” Eren responds, looking over to Hange. 

Hange smiles, circling a name on the clipboard, turning to the camera as they speak. 

“F/N L/N it is.” 

The video ends, the white screen glowing back on you and Eren’s faces. 

“You… you picked me?” 

“Yeah. And I’m not lying to you when I’m trying to make you feel better or tell you that you’re great. Maybe Hange and Levi are, but I’m not. I’ve always thought you were great.”

You and Eren lean back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His hand is still in yours under the blanket, warm and sweaty, but you don’t really want to let go. Eren doesn’t say much after that, but when Hange comes with dinner and he has to go back, he says one thing which such confidence that you can’t help but believe him too. That you want it to be true. 

“You’re going to prove them wrong, Y/N."

--

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[artsyfartsypaige]

Guess who saw the A.R.T production of Gatsby the other night?!?!?! It was truly an amazing show (I legit cried during it) and I would love to bring up some of the highlights. In a few scenes, my only thought was “the tumblr is gonna love this”. It was a phone free show so I don’t have photos of the stage or actors but I’m happy with discuss.

1) The stage was made of metal car parts, glittery string curtain and two black marble staircases. It was kinda split between Gatsby’s world and the Valley of Ashes.

2) The actor for Nick, Ben Levi Ross, was probably the funniest actor in the show. He had great line delivery. He was also super short and literally everyone towered over him.

3) on everyone’s costumes, there was a coating of dirt/rust at the bottom. It was such a cool little detail.

4) Nick has a small panic attack when fireworks go off at the party and this is how him and Gatsby meet. They sit together on the bottom of the stairs and it legit felt like a rom com meet cute.

5) yes, Nick makes out with McKee. He spends every party scene from that point on flirting with some guy or making out with a member of the ensemble.

6) I’m not totally sure if Gatsby is still a bootlegger in this version but they show him killing a man so he’s definitely involved in some sketchy business.

7) Wolfsheim signs a song called “Look like heaven but feel like hell” which was my favorite. It’s him explaining Gatsby’s fake origins to Nick. Gatsby gets to do a full dance number and quick change into his pink suit.

8) They added some backstory to Myrtle and Wilson that they lost a daughter in the Spanish flu. It was a sad but sweet detail as to why they’re the way they are.

9) In the tea party scene, Nick pushes Gatsby back onto stage after he runs out in a panic.

10) Gatsby doesn’t die in the pool, Wilson shoots him on the staircase.

11) Gatsby’s father is indigenous which is LOVED! I’ve always imagined Gatsby to be indigenous and so seeing that others had the interpretation was amazing.

12) overall beautiful music. A lot of raw emotion and a wide range. Wolfsheim’s song and “The Damage you do” by Tom and Daisy were my favorites.

Let me know if have any questions about anything!!! I really want to discuss the show!! Here’s the book I brought signed by the cast!!!

[911lsbts]

Rob, you recently wrapped production on the fifth — and potentially final — season of “9-1-1: Lone Star,” which will kick off with a three-episode train derailment. What else can we expect from the new season?

Rob: We all went into it pretty much knowing that it was going to be the last season, so that affected everything we did. We wanted to really show everybody what is still possible in network television if people have the appetite to do it. It feels like it’s probably the end of an era of a certain type — well, it doesn’t feel like it. It is the end of an era of a certain type of show we once had an opportunity to make, and I think they’re great. We wanted to go out making our case for the value of shows like that, and I think we did a really good job. The stories that we were able to tell on a weekly basis in terms of the scope and scale — that’s probably the thing I’m the most proud of. They were truly like mini-movies every week.

One of the most common critiques of “Lone Star,” since its premiere in 2020, has been the way that the show has consistently underused minority characters in order to center your character, Owen. Rob, you’re an executive producer in addition to the star. John Owen, you were a writer for the first three seasons. How would you both respond to that criticism? Was that ever a concern when you were writing or producing the show?

John Owen: [Deadpans] I can tell you confidently, it was never a concern of Rob’s.

But no, I think, look, everyone’s always going to have a take on what it must be like internally, creatively, and usually, it’s not 100% percent accurate. And in this case, it’s not accurate at all. I was there when we were blue-skying Season 1 — and I want to preface this by saying I was starting out as a very green, new writer and learned from some of the best. It was such a fun experience for me. Owen was always the central piece of the show. He was one of the mediums through which we got to tell stories about the other characters and built them out into such lovable characters that people got frustrated, maybe, when they didn’t have as much screen time.

I remember my first episode that I wrote, being so excited to tell the first story that really featured Mateo [played by Julian Works]. He and Marjan [Natacha Karam] have this beautiful storyline where she’s helping him study, and I think that was one of the first times we learned Julian was a throwdown actor. And then we were like, “Great, let’s write to him.” So I know, at least from the room’s perspective, we were learning strengths and then started leaning into them. I think in any case where a show has a strong ensemble, people always are going to be frustrated with maybe not seeing as much of their favorite characters as they’d like — and I think that’s a good thing. You always want to leave people wanting more.

Rob: I think when [creators] Ryan [Murphy], [Brad] Falchuk and Tim Minear came to me, they were very clear about what they wanted to accomplish with the show. They imagined a show centered around the only survivor of a terrible tragedy in 9/11 and him rebuilding a firehouse, but also rebuilding his family. And in terms of playing time, I think that they did a really good job.

I don’t think there is another show on television with as diverse a cast as we had, telling the kind of diverse stories that we did. Owen was there as a way to tell those kinds of stories and I’m really proud of how we were able to do it.