#cassidy's nerdisms

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I am laughing so hard knowing how Roger Waters respects Andrew Lloyd Webber

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Fun fact, you can also use the word for "partner" for bisexual!

(Alternate tapping fingers two or three times!)

Nyle DiMarco & Chella Man Teach Us Queer Sign Language 

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Names in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 and how many times they're said

Natasha (slash Natalie slash Natalia): 97 Anatole: 54 Pierre: 39 Balaga: 37 Andre: 36 Sonya: 24 Marya: 14 Dolokhov: 14 Helene: 7 Mary: 6 Bolkonsky: 6

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One of my essay questions for a theatre program is asking me about a "profound experience while in the audience" and now I have seven hundred words of me gushing over Pippin

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when you’re too punk rock for mainstream christmas music

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This is my favorite book I have ever read so hearing that they were making it a movie scared me - what if they don't do it justice? The writing style is absolutely beautiful and the voices of the characters so distinct and the story told in such an amazing way. It takes a lot for me to cry over a book, but I was sobbing over this for hours after finishing it. It is a masterpiece. Please read the book and then support this movie; I can tell it's going to be very well done.

OFFICIAL LOVE, SIMON (2018) TRAILER

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PLEASE READ THIS PLAY

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@burntpartboyz spot the difference

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Night in the Woods!!

I just finished this beautiful video game called Night in the Woods that I am now absolutely in love with and here is why: 

Casual LGBT representation - the protagonist is canonically bisexual (maybe pan!) and is best friends with a gay couple that have very lifelike relationship problems (that have nothing to do with being gay), and the protagonist continually refers to God as “they.” I’m a fan of the ship Maebea, but it’s not openly canon.

Deep talks that are accurate to life - emotions, relationships, beliefs, abuse, mental health, it’s all there and it’s all important.

The CHARACTERS. They are so unbelievably loveable and iconic, and have such a range of emotions and specific reactions to the events in the game that make them all very real as well. They are also all cartoon animals (the protagonist is a cat, and her friends are alligators, bears, and foxes, and her neighborhood includes penguins and raccoons).  There’s a character that just tells you a weak poem every day and has no other real significance but to tell you this poem. 

The plot is simultaneously about a cult of ghosts and a dissociative disorder, but more on this later

Good comedy at no one’s expense 

Lots and lots of fantastic one-liners

Fantastic graphics, fantastic game mechanics (platforming!! It’s so much fun because there really are no limits. You can walk on the sidewalk or on top of cars or along a powerline, whatever you want) 

A+ art style - it utilizes color to set mood and determine setting (or state of consciousness, considering the playable dream sequences left up to interpretation) and even converts to sihlouettes in some places where it’s most chilling to do so. They use the eyes of the characters to show most of the emotions. The music that was chosen for this game is absolutely perfectly placed to get the most out of the storyline. 

A+ suspense - the writing is beautiful and compelling. The comic relief is timed perfectly, but I still teared up in multiple chapters of the game. The game starts out where our protagonist just dropped out of college to go back home, and is hanging out with her old friends, but takes a lot of sharp turns to get into a much deeper plot over the little subplots we started. Part of me wonders if the game would change very much if I chose different dialogue options so I may find some playthroughs later, but for now I’d just like to appreciate how smoothly the plot progresses despite how quickly it descends into very deep topics.

It is a long game with a lot of story, but that’s part of what I love. It’s just long enough to be satisfying and I’m still sad I finished it already. Despite complications in the plot as the story continues, it’s very easy to follow. Anything that doesn’t make sense is intentionally confusing to highlight the mindset of the character you’re playing as, and I think that’s the best way to do it. 

There is also a lot that they don’t explain, a lot to reveal through theorizing only. I could think about this forever and not come up with every theory to be pulled from this. 

One of the topics they keep coming back to is the assumed mental illnesses of the different characters, even the protagonist (I only say “assumed” because they never directly say that the characters have any mental health issues, but the way they talk about their fears and the way they view reality points toward very well-portrayed and lifelike mental illnesses, mainly dissociative and anxiety disorders.)

Nihilistic existential dread (part of what I love about it, but could trigger some dissociation in people who are more sensitive to that kind of thing. Subtly breaks the fourth wall once to talk about how video games are just shapes and will never exist) 

P A R A L L E L S

Solid “moral” to take from the story, not even eye-roll-corny

What a beautiful ending

The game is about $20 on steam, but if you can’t afford it or prefer to watch games rather than play them, jacksepticeye has flawless voices for all of the characters and some good theories going so that’s the one I recommend

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And the whole message is about the issues with censorship and how important education is to high schoolers. Very well executed. 10/10

Yes, hi, I love Rise and it’s very underrated! I really want it to be renewed and I think more people should watch it!

Heres why:

Auli'i Cravalho (the voice of Moana) is in it and she is fantastic

Ellie Desautels is a non binary actor who plays a trans guy on prime time tv

Shannon Purser (yes, Barb from Stranger Things) is on the show

My actual queen Stephanie J. Block plays my boy Simon’s Catholic mother

There is a trans character, gay characters, a foster kid, and PoC characters in the main cast

One of the main characters has a sister with Down’s Syndrome

There are so many instances of fantastic representation

They put up short episodes about the characters with less time on the show onto YouTube so you can love them too

The straight couples aren’t annoying

The main teen couple is mixed race

Spring Awakening

It might be one of those shows that takes a couple episodes to get into for some people but I promise it’s worth it. It is an important show with an amazing cast that needs renewed.

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Just watched the first episode of The Bold Type and it blew me away - highkey recommend if you're into feminism, writing and journalism, epic film angles and editing to incorporate social media into the story, strong romantic tension between a proud lesbian muslim and a lesbian in denial, and screaming at trains to release anger You can watch it legally on freeform.com What a miracle

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Continuity error in Brooklyn Nine-Nine: season 1 episode 21, Jake says he can solve an unsolvable case because “we’re better cops, computers are faster, and there’s no more blockbuster!” But season 3 in one of the opening clips he wins a bunch of shares in Blockbuster and everyone is like “aww” and he just yells “what happened to blockbuster??” But he KNOWS

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Every time I finish an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine I think to myself “that was definitely my favorite episode” and then I watch another one and think to myself “that was definitely my favorite episode” and then I watch another one and think to myself “that was definitely my favorite episode” and th

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CURSED CHILD!!

One of the biggest queerbaits of 2016, but still a high-quality story before the Scene Which Must Not Be Named. This was honestly one of the best experiences of my life and I have to tell you guys about it, or at least type it all out before I forget the details (I mean, it took all day to see.)

Naturally, this will contain MAJOR spoilers for both the live show and the script (as well as the seven-book series), so read at your own risk! (I really can’t do this thing justice by writing it all out, either, so if you’re willing to die for a ticket, trust me, it’s worth it). There were signs everywhere around the theatre telling me to #keepthesecrets, but it was hard to be vague in some places. Trying my best not to be Wormtail. If you haven’t seen it, just don’t read this. :)

First things first, the LIGHTING. I am a slut for good lighting effects and this was no disappointment. Smoke machines to reveal beams of light, dry ice for the dream sequences, projections and colors and perfectly-placed spots, this show had everything. That, of course, paired with the fantastic backdrop, and it was breathtaking. The set consisted mainly of old-fashioned suitcases – doubling as gravestones, the top of the train, chairs, tables, columns, and more – and were so fun to see be taken offstage in unison.

The scene changes were choreographed! Along with the score that fit perfectly with the story (and wasn’t at all your classic, whimsical Harry Potter theme music, I might add, but much deeper and more intimidating), actors would swoosh their capes over the set piece they were about to take off IN TIME TO THE BEAT OF THE UNDERSCORE. And it was like a movie – music going in and out unnoticeably. Sadly there was no live orchestra, but the music cues were all exact. As for the choreography, anytime they wanted to either buy time or add intensity, the ensemble members came onstage with their cloaks to do twirls and jumps and bring the props in and out of the center all symmetrically, then the lights would snap on and everyone would snap to position almost as if it were a jumpcut in a movie. It was astounding.

Now, the effects. I have no idea how they did most of them! They held the time-turner between their hands – suspended in the air – but I’m pretty sure there were no strings, with the way they were tossing it around. Going into the Ministry of Magic, the actors turned around, walked into the telephone booth, and the thing SUCKED THEM INTO THE PHONE. I DON’T KNOW HOW. Despite watching for a trapdoor opening or SOMETHING, there may as well have been actual witches on that stage. Similarly, the polyjuice potion. Sure, they’d stick their head under their cloak and another head would come out, so it’s easy to assume that the second actor was under the cloak. But here’s the weird part – Delphi, for example, transformed into Hermione, then, once transformed, flung her cape over her shoulder and walked to the other side of the stage. No lump of another person. But the one where I actually muttered “no way” out loud to was when she and Scorpius-turned-Harry ran through a door stage right to escape from the voices of the real Harry and Hermione growing closer and closer, then the moment the door closed behind them, Harry and Hermione entered stage LEFT. This, my friends, is not possible. Either they both have identical twins, or there was actual teleportation happening on that stage. There was not enough time at all for them to slide through a trapdoor and take off their cloaks and return to the other side of the stage. I can’t stop thinking about that. And the DEMENTORS! I can’t believe how good they looked. Whatever material they used was perfectly flowey, and when they first came out at the end of Part I, one of them flew out into the audience and directly in front of where I was sitting. Chills, dude!

The invisibility cloak bit was cool – Albus and Scorpius duck under it and hide behind a bookshelf in the library, then McGonagall enters, trying to catch them. She looks around for a moment, and a chair shifts in front of her. Then another chair. Then a stack of books topples over. She pretends she doesn’t see anything (love her), and then Scorbus appears behind a different bookshelf. I’m literally so impressed.

The swimming during the second task reminded me of how The Little Mermaid did some of their swimming effects when travelling Broadway brought it a few months ago.

Every time someone used a time turner and landed at their destination, there was this ripple effect that effected the entire stage that I can’t describe in words. The whole audience went “whoaa” the first time it happened; we were all so convinced that the solid walls were wavering. Maybe it was lighting or something, but if it was, even staring at one stationary beam on the fly didn’t get me to see it. The illusion worked so well as an indication of time travel, especially with the underscore!

Now, it’s been a while since I read the screenplay, but as an actor I know that no one sticks exactly to the script when performing live. It’s hard to say how many of the added lines, directions, expressions, and pauses were character choices versus improvised today, but they all worked great. Specifically in Part II, when Scorpius comes back into reality from the hell dimension. He sings a few of his lines, and shouts a lot more lines than necessary, which leads me to…

When Scorpius doesn’t know what to do, he just screams. Some notable examples –

Scorpius is on the train alone, and Albus decides to sit with him. He offers him sweets. He screams.

Albus and Scorpius are trapped in Godric’s Hollow, 1981. Their parents travel back to find them. As soon as Albus sees his parents, he runs to them and hugs his father. Scorpius runs to his dad and then stops. He screams. (“We can hug too, if you like,” Draco says.)

Scorpius is getting emotional trying to explain to Delphi how much they’ve screwed up time. He screams. Then he quickly mutters “sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry.”

That’s the thing, too. He’s so unbelievably human. This actor has such a way of getting into this character’s head and making him three-dimensional that it’s brilliant. Not only does he quickly back off as soon as he finds himself shouting, he is jumpy and self-conscious and always unsure what to do with himself, trying so hard to win everyone’s approval. His hand gestures – especially in Part I – are awkward and fidgety, but as he gets to know Albus better and better, he relaxes around him and doesn’t shout so much. That might be what made the montage so sad, when they were forbidden to see each other. You watch Scorpius’s walls go back up. You watch him recede into his old, outcasted, eleven-year-old self. Hence my tearing up when Albus told him that he never believed the rumors about Scorpius being Voldemort’s child since he was so kindhearted. When Scorpius teared up (probably the first time he had gotten a genuine compliment like that), I did, too.

For some reason, Scorpius is oddly obsessed with Bathilda Bagshot. When they go to Godric’s Hollow, he sees her door there and exclaims that he recognizes it. She opens the door and walks past, where Scorpius then jumps up and down in excitement. “My geekiness is a-quivering!” Later, they need an ingredient from her house and he knows that she notoriously left her house unlocked. He tries the door. It opens. He quietly screams.

And the characters. Scorpius was of course my absolute favorite thanks to the brilliantly talented actor’s – Anthony Boyle’s – take on him, but Ron was the perfect comic relief. Young Harry was adorable and just how I imagined him in the books. Ginny was just like her mother, and Draco just like himself. Also the Sorting Hat was a fedora. I personally felt like Delphi was too flat of a character and therefore we do see her big plot twist coming a little bit, and I didn’t like that Harry shouted so much (sometimes it’s more fun to see an actor trying to fight an intense outbreak than exploding into one), but otherwise this was a very well-cast show. My favorite part of Ron’s character was his lack of a filter, in a sense. Whatever he was thinking, he said. While standing up and removing his coat, “I’d like to volunteer to be transfigured into Voldemort. I don’t know why I’m taking my coat off.”

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, my analysis on how gay this particular performance was! As we all know, the lines in themselves are very cute (“Hi, Scorpius. No, I mean I’m Scorpius. You’re Albus. Scorpius.” “If I had to choose a companion to watch the return of eternal darkness with, I’d choose you.” “Always.”), but there were little things, too. Like Amos pointing his wand at Albus to threaten him, and Scorpius instinctively putting his arm in the line of fire should he try to curse him. All of the hugs were balancing the line between awkward and sentimental. There was even a little nose boop during the Scene Which Must Not Be Named. The flirtiest part, though, was definitely in the bathroom with Moaning Myrtle. “Engorgio,” Albus commands a piece of soap, which then magically grows. “Consider me engorg-impressed,” says Scorpius before turning around and walking out, covering his face with his hands. Tell me that’s not a really bad pickup line he’s embarrassed that he actually said.

It’s just odd how much of the show is read differently than it was performed. I read Scorpius to be this shy, insecure kid, but Anthony Boyle played him to be constantly embarrassed by himself and shouting nearly everything he says, then regretting it. The scene I sobbed the most at while reading – Hagrid finding baby Harry – was played comically live. The scene I found the most hard to read – Harry seeing his parents die (and every other character’s reaction) – was the most heartbreaking live. I am literally blessed to have been able to see the difference between stage and script (and meet the actors at the stage door!!) and it was worth every pound.

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Sometimes I forget how horribly heartbreaking Those You’ve Known is in context until I listen to the soundtrack all the way through and now there are literally tears streaming down my face this score is beautiful and the parallels and the lyrics and Jonathan Groff

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We're going to start studying Hamlet tomorrow I'm sO EXCITED