#i mean it definitely would not have been as popular as it was in 2012 but it's def see more dmmd x Sanrio fanart

[alienscumbag]

If dmmd came out last year instead of 2012 I feel like there would be a lot of clear and cinnamoroll fanart

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Why is everyone so biased toward One Piece? Literally every character from One Piece I see is the ugliest creature I've ever had the discourtesy to lay eyes on and they're winning by a landslide against genuinely attractive characters.

Oh boy, we've gone over this a couple times but it's been probably a month or two. It's not so much biased as it is a large and organized fandom. Plus good writing can make anyone hot even though the art style can take some getting used to.

Let me explain some fandoms have dedicated blogs that do nothing but reblog polls so that fandom can vote in random fandom related polls all in one place. Now in tournaments it is very unfair sometimes because they can organize themselves and rally to sway a vote quickly. Now I know one piece and bleach do have dedicated blogs when it comes to anime fandoms. Other non-anime fandoms that I know have blogs are Star Trek, Star Wars and Ninjago. I only know this because I used to be really big into voting in tournaments poll.

Plus I do normally share the Fandom overall week in review list and the anime and manga list. This shows the most popular Fandom related trends of the past week by Tumblr's own data. And as someone who's been following that page just for fun since probably 2012, one piece frequently is in the top 20 on the overall chart and I don't think I've ever seen it not in the top five on the anime and manga chart. The fandom is just that large and active. I mean one piece frequently trends when a new chapter or episode drops. It's just how it is.

And as someone who used to despise one piece, I did give it a shot after I watched and enjoyed the live action. Now it's actually one of my favorite animes. However, the manga is so much better due to the less than stellar pacing of the anime. The only reason I'm looking forward to the remake so much is for fixed pacing then maybe more people would give one piece of chance. Because the story and the writing is so good. However, the art style is not everyone's cup of tea and I do understand that and that is probably the number one complaint.

Fun fact, at one point there was a group of you campaigning to get one piece characters banned from my polls because the art style was misogynistic. Luckily that was short-lived because I was about to start blocking people. So let's not start that up again.

Now I will concede that the one piece fandom does like to do cursed polls And definitely request ugly characters on occasion just to watch the world burn. You know who you are. But we're talking about a show that has furries and fish people and characters that can turn into dragons and snake hybrids and dinosaur people. So there's a lot of variety in your humanoids not all of them are hot

I know it bothers a lot of people that one piece wins so many polls but I see this as a case of don't hate the player. Hate the game. So if you can't beat them, join them. So I would recommend if this really pisses you off so much start your own blog dedicated to reblogging polls for whatever fandom you think needs one. So you can start rallying and organizing your fandom against the one piece fandom so you can try to take them down. Don't know if it'll work but it's a start. Again, learn from them and use their tactics against them

[sacchiri]

[Hellsing] Female Fans' Round-Table Discussion

A 6-page interview from the 2012 Hellsing Official Guidebook, featuring five grown-ass women chatting about Hellsing in a casual discussion format and translated into English for the first time ever by yours truly.

Honestly this was way more entertaining to read than I thought it would be. It���s also really funny seeing this super-casual discussion printed in the book right alongside Hirano's—-oh who am i kidding, this is 10x more professional and less deranged than whatever goes on in Hirano’s interviews.

Anyway, without further ado...

Does Hellsing have little to no female fans? Nay! Assembled before you are five women with an undying love for the series. Let’s see their passion for this work show itself as they butt heads!

Is the female fanbase just hiding itself or what?

Moderator: Now then, everyone, let’s start off with introductions.

Ms. T: I am Ms. T. I’ve been walking the path of an otaku since middle school, and it’s already been ● years since then. How do I put this, all of you seem like fairly normal people…

Everyone: Oh no—rest assured we are all otaku as well. (laughter)

Ms T: Oh, really? (laughs) Anyway, I’ve continued to love manga for all this time. Thank you for having me.

Ms J: I’m Ms J. I was already at a decent age when Hellsing began serialization, but to create something so enticing—as expected of Hirano-sensei! (laughs). This is the kind of manga I’d better buy and collect, I thought.

Ms A: Out of today’s gathering, I’m probably the one who became an otaku at the oldest age. (laughs) My friend told me, “Hellsing is a manga that really crazy people read”, so at first I couldn’t get around to starting it. But around the time volume 8 came out, I binge-read it, and it was so interesting that I couldn’t help but get obsessed.

Ms R: I’m probably the youngster in this group. By the time Hellsing started serialization, I was just entering middle school. [T/N: That makes her 27 at the time of this interview.]

Of course we didn’t really have the term "edgy-teen syndrome" back then, but around me the manga was definitely gaining popularity in that edgy teen fashion. One of my best friends was obsessed with Hellsing and I’d borrow it after they finished reading it, and I got addicted too.

Moderator: I’m under the impression that the female readership for Hellsing is overwhelmingly small, but…

Ms J: Nah, I think they’re just hiding. I mean, it’s not like you’d talk about Hellsing to someone in passing. You wouldn’t suddenly say, “Y’know, Alucard is…”

Everyone: True. (laughs)

Ms J: There isn’t much opportunity to bring it up, or perhaps you could say it’s a hard topic to bring up to the general public.

Ms A: Like how you can’t have a pork-and-rice bowl first thing in the morning or something.

Ms J: Yeah, like that. Actually, among my circle of female otaku friends, everyone has read Hellsing.

Ms T: Among manga fans, Kouta Hirano is well-understood.

Ms J: Any fan of manga who doesn’t know Kouta Hirano is a faker!

Ms T: Disregarding whether you’ve properly sat down and read his works or not, I feel like it’s impossible for a manga enthusiast to not have at least heard of Hirano-sensei. But we are talking about manga fans in general, and the range of tastes is so broad. If someone were to say to me “I’m a fan of Kouta Hirano”, only then would I be like, “Oh, so I can talk comfortably with this person”.

Moderator: It’s a good litmus test to use. (laughs)

Ms A: It’s only when you broach the topic of Kouta Hirano that you can finally talk about Hellsing. You can’t go straight from “So I hear you like manga” to “So, about Hellsing…”, lol.

Ms J: If you met someone for the first time and you go “So I heard you like manga? What about Hellsing?” that’s like coming straight for their throat with a knife. (laughs)

Moderator: Even as a gauge to see how much of an otaku your opponent is, it’s a bit too much to try and break the ice with Hellsing.

The wonders of dialogue

Ms J: Speaking of the good points of Hellsing, I think it’s that it doesn’t get overly preachy. You can see this starting from Cross Fire, but you really get the sense that everyone’s equally crazy here.

Ms A: I can see that. No one is on the side of justice. Like the Major, he’s a nasty little guy. The type of guy who would casually twist off an ant’s legs or something like that.

Ms J: That Major, his beta male levels are literally off the charts.

Everyone: (bursts into laughter)

Ms J: Actually, something that caught my interest about the setting is that only virgins can become vampires. In the first place, I don’t think European vampire lore makes that kind of distinction.

Ms T: Father Anderson is probably a virgin, since he has religious reasons for celibacy. Though it might depend on religious sect. I wonder if there’s a meaning behind this concept of chastity?

Ms J: The idea of chastity is valued in the Hellsing universe as well.

Ms A: Right, since if you aren’t a virgin you become a ghoul, and then it’s game over and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Ms R: Speaking of which, Integra’s a virgin, too.

Ms T: Integra being a virgin is an important part of the story.

Ms J: In my personal opinion, the best couple is definitely Alucard and Integra.

Ms R and Ms A: I was going to say the same!

Ms T: Integra and Alucard call each other “Count”, don’t they? You know, in a previous life it’s possible that Integra was a man. Perhaps Alucard is seeing the Count Hellsing of the past through Integra. Thinking about that possibility makes a girl’s heart flutter. Not to mention Integra’s appearance leans towards that of a man— Ah, it’s just so peak! [T/N: I'm not being facetious, 盛り literally means peak]

Ms A: Those who want to read a male/female romance can enjoy doing so, and for people who like BL, there are plenty of elements that can be enjoyed as BL also. I feel like the reason you can enjoy both things is because the relationships that are depicted are not constrained purely to sexual love.

Ms J: For those who like to read into the BL aspect, there are lots of fight scenes that can’t be ignored, can they? Particularly in the endgame. Like Girlycard and Young Walter, that was...really something.

Moderator: That part was just unfair! I mean, after getting captured by Millennium and going M.I.A., all that anticipation was building and building, and for Walter to be reintroduced like that!

Ms J: When I got to that part I was like, “Man, Hirano-sensei really did his best to keep all that stuff pent-up for so long". For both Walter and Girlycard, I mean.

Moderator: Speaking of Girlycard, I get the feeling that the idea for her was in place since the early stages of story development.

Ms J: I wonder about that… on the other hand it seems like it was a very spontaneous decision. (laughs)

Ms A: Even if the story developments feel spontaneous, I feel like the characters' settings are polished to a high degree from the beginning. Even though a new character suddenly appears out of nowhere, you end up following along without feeling a sense of discomfort. In Hirano-sensei's mind, I'm sure that each character is cultivated with an equal amount of attention. After that it's just a matter of deciding what situations the character will appear in.

Ms J: Each character is excellently molded to their place in the story. Even though normally it should be very challenging to create characters that would fit in this sort of world. (laughs) From the moment of their introduction, they are already dyed in Hirano's unique brand, and you can tell that Hirano understands them well.

Ms R: After all, characters from his past works before Hellsing make appearances in the manga, so you get the feeling that these are ideas that have been stewing in his head for a long time.

Moderator: And within Hellsing too, these characters grow and develop. Like Maxwell—he started out as a mere brat, but then he went full tryhard mode and developed that cunning and pretentious side to him.

Everyone: (leans forward) Yeah, that's right!!

Ms J: —And he had that past with Anderson, didn't he? I was like "Hold on a sec, a flashback scene now, are you kidding me"? Even though I knew that a flashback is basically a death flag, I couldn't help but love it. (laughs)

Ms A: At the final moment, Maxwell called Anderson "Sensei", a reversal of their dynamic thus far. Up until then there were hints of foreshadowing, but nothing definite. But with that single word you could feel the adoration Maxwell had felt for Anderson when he was a child... It's amazing how potent that line was. The timing of delivery was excellent, too.

Ms R: Up until that point Maxwell was portrayed as nothing more than a snob, but the truth is there were reasons why he became that way.

Ms T: Hirano-sensei is very skilled at depicting relationships between men.

The beauty of composition

Ms A: In Hellsing, there aren't any characters that go too far beyond the range of normal anatomy.

Even with regards to enemies and such, there aren't any massively gargantuan or bulky characters. Everyone is more or less normal. And yet, there is so much impact in the poses that it leaves you with a strong impression. Those standout panels just radiate style—so much so that anyone with an eye for art will be impressed by them, I think.

Ms T: The paneling is relatively simple, but the composition sense of each panel is amazing.

Ms R: I love the stuff like Rip Van's silhouette. The balance between her and the musket is super cool. Even though something that size in real life would be impractical to shoot, it looks so cool that it's like, "Who cares!"

Ms A: Fight scenes that should have a lot of movement are instead surprisingly depicted with still frame shots, and they have a beauty to them reminiscent of paintings. It makes me want to stare at the same handful of panels for a long time. Calling it aesthetic beauty might be a bit of an exaggeration, but...

Ms T: Not an exaggeration at all, I think there is a lot of aesthetic beauty. For me, when I look at Hirano-sensei's artwork, I'm reminded of ukiyo-e paintings. And in the movement, I sense a bit of kabuki theater.

Moderator: Each panel is created with beauty in every nook and cranny, so as to work as a standalone illustration.

Ms R: The way shadow and blood is depicted is so good, isn't it? It really makes full use of the monochrome medium.

Ms A: When I was reading the scene in volume 8 when Cromwell Level 0 is released and soldiers are unleashed in hordes, it reminded me of a medieval copperplate engraving. The plot developments in that moment were so interesting, and the density of the illustrations so rich, that simply staring at them was enjoyable.

Ms T: It really draws you in, doesn't it? In other manga that have very detailed art styles, the realism makes it feel similar to a liveaction movie. But Hirano's works are 100% "manga", I would say. In that sense, none of it is realistic at all. But that's why it's possible to achieve poses and compositions that are impossible with photography, and that's why he can portray things I didn't even know I would want to see.

The position of women in Hellsing

Moderator: To all of you, was there a scene where you were like, "This scene right here is where I became obsessed"?

Ms J: So this is my personal taste, but I liked the setup of the handsome lady Master and the handsome male Servant. I like butlers, too. So once those three conditions were satisfied, I was like, "This is a good manga". The part where I was like "This is a really good manga" was when Anderson was introduced. At first, I was thinking this would be a story where Alucard dotes upon Seras and raises her up as a vampire, but then we were introduced to a Catholic priest from the same religion, yet who aims to defeat the protagonists...

Ms A: You can't deny the impact of Anderson. The only thing he wants to do is "exterminate vampires". While characters in Hellsing may undergo sudden changes, they never waver. They race from their introduction to their final chapter with just as much momentum as when they were first introduced. Not only is it satisfying to read, you won't be disappointed. As long as your favorite character appears, you can focus all your attentions on them, and before you know it you'll have binge-read to the last chapter. (laughs)

Ms T: For me, the scene when Integra discovers Alucard in the basement, and Alucard was revived with her blood is when I became hooked. While it is an expected development for vampire stories, that part of the story was very beautiful. And afterwards, I loved the tender portrayal of Seras's growth. Among ero-guro media, there are many works that portray women in a demeaning manner, but Hellsing is not one of them.

Ms A: In Hellsing, there is no distinction in the roles that are assigned to men and women.

Ms J: Indeed, women fight and stand on the front lines. And it feels natural.

Ms R: To tell the truth, when I first started reading Hellsing, I thought Integra was a man. And, for some reason it felt overly pandering [T/N: I assume she means pandering to fujoshi] and I just couldn't get into it. But then I realized Integra was a woman, and I was like "Oh, so it's a female/male master-servant relationship! I'm sorry for making such a weird assumption!" (laughs) I feel like it's important that Integra is a woman.

Ms T: In volume 1 there were moments where Integra was told incredulously, "You're a woman?", but in those moments I always felt that, ironically, being called a "woman" was what made her so much more cool. In Hellsing, you get the feeling that all characters are loved by the creator regardless of being male or female, enemy or ally. There are many standout characters among the villains, for example.

Ms J: Each character showcases their individuality in their fighting style as well.

Ms A: I love that Rip Van is this scrawny girl with long limbs, who wields an old-fashioned musket—it gives off a really fantastic impression. The fact that a girl is given that kind of position, without it feeling offensive. When men draw female characters there tends to be a bit of double standards going on, or it can feel cloying or annoying depending on the scenario, but I don't feel that in Hellsing.

Ms J: Far from being annoying, the depictions of women feel unique and cool in their own way.

Ms A: You're right. Traditionally, female characters are accompaniments to the hero, aren't they? But Integra takes the lead, and while Seras is supported by those around her, she moves according to her own choices. Even among the female villains, they are given important roles that they carry out to the end, so you can read while feeling a sense of satisfaction.

Points you would recommend to other women

Ms T: Doesn't the series in general have a sort of sensuality?

Ms J: It does. As it gets nearer and nearer to the endgame, even the fight scenes show more tenderness. It's like a "They love each other, therefore they trade blows" vibe that feels erotic.

Ms R: When Alucard returned to London in volume 8, it felt pretty romantic.

Ms T: On the other hand, the explanations about weapon specs that pop up everywhere seem very male-oriented. I guess this is what you call the author's hobby.

Ms J: Speaking of the author's hobby, I feel like the fact that Walter is an old man is one of them. If you think about it purely in terms of reader appeal, there should have been no problem if Walter was young from the beginning. I get the impression that he was like, "If you're going to add a butler, it better be an old geezer". Ahh—the more I reread, the more I feel like I discover new things.

Moderator: There is plenty more we weren't able to talk about, but to close us off, please appeal to the women who haven't read Hellsing yet as to why they should read the series.

Ms A: The female characters are so full of life, so why not give it a try mainly for the female characters?

Ms T: You can read it together with your boyfriend! There are lots of battles and weapons that guys would like, and there's no nasty relationship drama, so it might actually be a big hit among couples.

Ms J: "Look at Integra and Alucard, honey, they're just like us!" or something? (laughs)

Ms R: When you think of vampire media, you might be inclined to imagine something campy and whimsical. But even though there's a lot of absurdism at play, the world is based on real historical facts. So I want to recommend it broadly, even to those that don't normally enjoy fantasy.

Ms T: I feel like Hellsing is like a very strong liquor. At first you might feel that the taste is overwhelming, but once you get used to it, it becomes delicious.

Ms J: Please go in with zero expectations and give it a read.

Moderator: Thank you all for your time today!

--------------------------------------------------------

Link to the raw scans (which are not mine). Feel free to spread and repost my translation to other sites.

[imnotavamp1r3]

♡ My indirect opinions on different bands! ♡

I've seen people do this kind of thing on sites like Quora where they'll say their opinions on something and you have to guess what person they're talking about, so I thought I'd try it.

🎀 Band #1:

Best pop punk band ever. Not only do they have one of the best vocalists in the genre, but their music is so timeless. I've listened to my favourite song of theirs hundreds of times over the years and I still get excited every time it comes on. There's a reason why their music is still so critically acclaimed to this day.

🎀 Band #2:

I'm sorry but this band has some of the most delusional fans ever. You guys really interpret everything as a sign that they're recording music together. I know most of it is jokes but just because the bassist posts a photo of his bass, that doesn't mean the band is recording together. He could literally just be playing for fun. I mean I'm dying for new music from them too, but come on.

🎀 Band #3:

This is a soloist, but I still wanted to include her. This person's second album is her best one and is way underappreciated. One of her most popular songs is from this album, but I think there are songs on that album that are far better. The opening track is especially great and I wish she had more songs that were that heavy. I love her pop punk stuff, but I still wish she made more post-grunge albums.

🎀 Band #4:

I really wish this band got more attention. I feel like people used to talk about them a lot during like 2012-2014, but now they've been kind of forgotten. It's really a shame because I love their music. It makes me really sad that a lot of the female-fronted emo and scene bands besides Paramore have been almost forgotten.

🎀 Band #5:

I think this band is an example of a side project that's better than the band that it's derivative of. Their vocalist's original band is also good and I have a few songs from them that I really like, but with this band, I just think their music is a lot more enjoyable. Their first album is probably my favourite dance rock album and I'm really glad that they've reunited.

🎀 Band #6:

I wish other songs by this band were as popular as their biggest one. I understand why it's their biggest, because it is very good, but their other songs are great too and they're still making good stuff to this day.

🎀 Band #7:

I honestly think this person's music is really good and really didn't deserve all of the hate it got when it was released. Everyone said that she was ripping off Avril Lavigne, and while there are definite similarities between their music, I think her music is pretty solid. Her first album is especially good. All of the songs are really catchy and I would love to see more music from her.

🎀 Band #8:

This band is so over hated. People hate on their vocalist for things that he did when he was a teenager, which I always thought made no sense. A lot of people also seem to hate this band because their most recent albums have been generic pop albums, which also doesn't make sense to me. There are people doing way worse stuff, plus you could also just listen to something else. Like the way people talk about their music makes it sound like they're being forced to listen to it, when they're not.

🎀 Band #9:

I think I like this band more as people than actual musicians. I do like their music, but I don't think it's anything that special and I can kind of seen why some people call it generic. Their lead singer is one of the most genuine people I've seen in rock and I loved watching the band's Bryan Stars interviews when I was a new fan. I don't agree with people who say their music is bad (their first album is way over hated btw), but I can see why some people might not like their music that much.

🎀 Band #10:

I seriously do not understand how people listen to this band. I know a lot of people stopped listening to them after the allegations, but their lyrics are still so gross and icky. And the fact that there are people who still listen to this band and post stuff about their lead singer like 'They don't make guys like him anymore' is so gross because most of their lyrical content is about literal grooming and paedophilia. Also, there are most definitely still guys like him out there, the only difference is they aren't hiding behind a scene boy façade.

That's it, byeeeee!! ˚｡⋆୨୧˚♡

[sleeby-bo-beebie]

Attention all gravity falls fans, esp newer ones just getting into everything!!

There is NOT going to be a season three. It’s just not going to happen, it’s been confirmed to not be a thing.

I know I sound negative and mean but fr it’s just not happening! Stop saying it!!

And honestly? It’s probably a good thing.

The fun of it all now is the extra supplemental content! With all that went down for the making of the show, Alex is definitely pushing hard to get this more “adult” style stuff out there. It’s amazing for a show to have ended almost a decade ago and for us to still be getting content. And wonderful, well made, creator-clearly-listened-to-his-fanbase content! And all this content aligns with where the show left off. This in a way, is season 3, or at least a very intense epilogue. Not fully killing bill isn’t a way to make more episodes, it’s a way to keep making character-based content, because bill is fun! He ends up gluing all the characters together- a common enemy, past history, even aesthetic of the show. If you made a gravity falls themed thing, it’d probably have bill on it somewhere, right?

Back to it being a good thing- sure, sure, older shows getting rebooted are a dime a dozen right now, but how many of those are done as high quality homages and actual continuations of the original? Like, any? We are getting really high quality stuff right now and shouldn’t take that for granted! I also doubt that Alex would even want to go back to Disney to create a season 3. It’s also worth noting that the show is dated. Not in a bad way, but having been only a bit older than the kids myself in 2012, I can say there is a heavy influence on the jokes, styles, meme references, and side media (I’m looking at you, fixin it with soos) that while hasn’t gone bad, it wouldn’t necessarily work the same.

While no one wants less gravity falls content, we got what we got, and it’s amazing we’re getting more! Sure, if season 3 came out I wouldn’t not watch it or anything like that, but I’d be really concerned about the fate of the story and it essentially getting ruined by an overcapitalization on pumping out GF content because it’s ‘popular again’ we’ve avoided that so far and ended up with the amazing TBOB!

Ok rant time over lmao

[yellowhollyhock]

spoilers

mm angel!

(I'm sorry they're the mm turtles I'll use the popular tag for spoilers but after that it's back to mm tmnt. 2012 show was already called tales and tottmnt looks too much like rottmnt. Besides that I'd already been using mm tmnt when we even learned the show would be a thing. I'm sorry for being stubborn about this but I gotta be able to remember and navigate my own tags. they are the mutant mayhem movie universe. forever)

Anyways. Angel!!

Okay so I'm a little scared, because the first impression we get is very much her being just mean, felt a lot more like Kendra than Angel. I know I'll enjoy her more if I don't go in expecting 03 Angel and I'm trying buuuut it's difficult. I'm also hopeful though because the Purple Dragons as a group seem like vulnerable kids making some bad choices in a dangerous and difficult situation. Which is really at the heart of the role Angel usually plays in the story.

And they are all! So much fun! Chainsaw guy is not a character I expected to like so much! And I love this Hun!! I kinda feel like the only reason for him being named Hun was to set certain expectations for us so they could subvert them, but honestly I'm here for it. I enjoy being surprised by a character being way nicer than I expected.

Are the Purple Dragons teens or adults though? It doesn't matter a super lot but I do want to be able to tell, especially since Casey is likely connected with them. Is Casey still an older role model for Angel? Usually Caseys are April's age but nothing in tmnt is ever set in stone. Casey's age is also gonna effect his/her dynamic with the turtles and I reallllly hope we do get Casey being close with them. I know rise Cassandra could've had a great dynamic with them if there'd been more seasons but if we have to make up Casey's friendship with them ourselves again I will be rather sad

If the Purple Dragons are teens close to the turtles age (which is the impression I got but I'm not confident in it), I would love to see their friendships develop with all the turtles, and (because I post about this all the time, I'm sure it's a question someone is asking,) I don't think I'd ship this Angel with any turtles regardless. That could change, I don't know her or them super well yet, but so far I don't see it. I might ship Raph with Hun though, which is not a sentence I ever thought I'd type ever in a million years

Anyways most of all I'm extremely super excited because!! Being the leader of the PDs and the dynamic they gave her with Hun I think we're gonna see a lot more of this Angel than we ever did for 03! Raph stole her bike so are definitely seeing her again XD (also didn't catch the new lady's name in spite of how many times they said it but Short Rich Lady using a teenage gang because the one thing she doesn't have is muscle is defs a villain I want to see more of, and I hope specifically her vs Raph)

And I was a little skeptical when she came in as The Boss who yells at her team, but she also does clearly want to protect them and I'm interested to learn more about her. I wonder if we'll get their backstory? Very big sister vibes which is so fun because Angel is usually very little sister vibes. I wonder if she'll have any fun parallels with Leo the way Hun did with Raph

Okay I need to actually watch more episodes before I say more which probably won't be till this evening but I had to say something about Angel I'm so excited I love her so much

[omgitsaime]

Movies I'll Probably Never Make: Open for Business

Three quirky best friends go against their principal's wishes and open up an anonymous advice column in their high school's dying newspaper.

Written: 2015-2016 (I was 14 and 15, y'all!)

If you liked these, you'll probably like this: Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Sixteen Candles (1984), To all the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy (the books especially, given the time this script was written), Paper Towns (2015), Pitch Perfect (2012), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Characters: Allie (14, Not Like Other Girls, always knows the right thing to say, aimlessly in love with Brad, clueless about Peter's feelings for her)

Peter (14, video game enthusiast and definitely smarter than you, fiercely loyal, always coming up with new ideas, has a crush on Allie)

Trevor (14, class clown, golden retriever boyfriend, the only things in life he takes seriously are Brianna, the advice column, and his friends)

Brianna (14, rich girl cheerleader with a heart of gold, fashion forward, always trendy, Allie's soon to be step sister, Trevor's girlfriend by the end)

Brad (15, popular football player of the junior varsity team struggling to find himself, well meaning but easily influenced, big heart, Not Like Other Jocks, redeems himself by the end)

Callie (16, lead writer of school newspaper, book smart, but not all that street smart, determined and not afraid to break a few rules to get what she wants)

Ben (17, editor in chief of school newspaper, quiet, reserved, a little more reluctant to break the rules, but will do anything to get into a good college)

Principal Cochran (late 40s, principal of the school (guys, it's been almost a decade, I don't remember the name of the school lol), stuck in his ways, overly strict, money obsessed, think Principal Rooney)

Why I stopped writing: I literally lost the script. I know I sent a draft to an old friend of mine, but that email has been lost to time, and now that I don't have the base, I can't remember which direction I was going in with the story before I stopped writing.

Themes from this story that appear in my other stories: Found family, platonic love, individuality, fighting manmade systems, lots and lots of 80s pop.

One interesting plot thread/character arc is that almost a full decade before the likes of Andrew Tate came onto the scene, telling young boys to be "alphas" and that they need to discard "low value women," Brad's plot was that he felt guilt over the prank he pulled on Allie to secure a spot on the varsity team, and over the course of the film, decides that being a man lies not in who he hurts, but who he helps. I was literally a fourteen year old girl writing this. I don't know what prophecy came to me in my sleep, but...holy shit.

Would I revive this story: Hell yeah! This is such a cute and solid story, with 80s influence, sweet moments, and honestly, the kids need a fun high school romp that is just about enjoying life and being 14. @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog, I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry for the abuse we put you through back in the day. We really took you for granted.

Fun Fact: The one and only surviving artifact of this film is the Spotify playlist. It is peak mid 2010s quirky teen comedy, and if you're old like me, this'll take you straight back to high school. I think you guys will love it.

Let me know if y'all think I should make this a series! I have a lot of scrapped scripts that I lowkey still think about lol

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Michael de Adder

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 23, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

FEB 24, 2024

Two years ago today, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky made a passionate plea to the people of Russia, begging them to avoid war. He gave the speech in Russian, his own primary language, and, reminding Russians of their shared border and history, told them to “listen to the voice of reason���: Ukrainians want peace.  

“You’ve been told I'm going to bomb Donbass,” he said. “Bomb what? The Donetsk stadium where the locals and I cheered for our team at Euro 2012? The bar where we drank when they lost? Luhansk, where my best friend's mom lives?” Zelensky tried to make the human cost of this conflict clear. Observers lauded the speech and contrasted its statesmanship with the ramblings in which Putin had recently engaged.

And yet Zelensky’s speech stood only as a marker. Early the next day, Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” involving dozens of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities before dawn. He claimed in a statement that was transparently false that he needed to defend the people in the “new republics” within Ukraine that he had recognized two days before from “persecution and genocide by the Kyiv regime.” He called for “demilitarization” of Ukraine, demanding that soldiers lay down their weapons and saying that any bloodshed would be on their hands. 

Putin called for the murder of Ukrainian leaders in the executive branch and parliament and intended to seize or kill those involved in the 2014 Maidan Revolution, which sought to turn the country away from Russia and toward a democratic government within Europe, and which itself prompted a Russian invasion. He planned for his troops to seize Ukraine’s electric, heating, and financial systems so the people would have to do as he wished. The operation was intended to be lightning fast.

But rather than collapsing, Ukrainians held firm. The day after Russia invaded, Zelensky and his cabinet recorded a video in Kyiv. “We are all here,” he said. “Our  soldiers are here. The citizens are here, and we are here. We will defend our independence…. Glory to Ukraine!” When the United States offered the next day to transport Zelensky outside the country, where he could lead a government in exile, he responded:

“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

That statement echoes powerfully two years later as Ukraine continues to stand against Russia’s invasion but now quite literally needs ammunition, as MAGA Republicans in Congress are refusing to take up a $95 billion national security supplemental measure that would provide aid to Ukraine. 

Instead, Republicans spent the day insisting that they do not oppose in vitro fertilization, the popular reproductive healthcare measure that the Alabama Supreme Court last Friday endangered by deciding that a fertilized human egg was a child—what they called an “extrauterine” child—and that people can be held legally responsible for destroying them. Since the decision, Alabama healthcare centers have halted their IVF programs out of fear of prosecution for their handling of embryos. 

Republicans who oppose abortion have embraced the idea that life begins at conception, an argument that leads naturally to the definition of IVF embryos as children. But this presents an enormous problem for Republicans, whose antiabortion stance is already creating warning signs for 2024. Today a memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) noted that 86% of the people they polled support increased, not reduced, access to IVF procedures.

The good news for the Republicans is that their frantic defense of IVF means that the media has largely stopped talking about the news of just two days ago, the fact that the man whose testimony congressional Republicans relied on to launch an impeachment process against President Joe Biden turned out to be working with Russian operatives. House leaders have quietly deleted from their House Impeachment website the Russian disinformation that previously was central to their case against Biden. 

But today, as Republican House members remain on vacation, President Biden announced new sanctions against Russia, and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was in Ukraine, where he challenged House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to pass the national security supplemental bill. “The weight of history is on his shoulders,” Schumer told reporters in Lviv. “If he turns his back on history, he will regret it in future years.”

“Two years,” Ukraine president Zelensky wrote today. “We are all here…. Together with representatives of Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Egypt, Estonia, the EU, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, the Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Türkiye, the UAE, the United Kingdom, the USA, Viet Nam, as well as international organisations….”

Slava Ukraini.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[daily-ghostly-goobs]

I don't know shit about CeVio to dump admittedly so we're skipping it, so UTAU is a free engine with user made voices. It's also abandonware since 2012 and is the sort of program where you need a lot of QoL plugins unless you want to have a miserable time with it. And while I could get into it far more than the following will it would sound unnecessarily mean and to anyone who works with it I love you, but yes it's that bad. If the programs old enough you have to change your computer local just for it to run properly on an english computer and you can't have more than one track at a time, it's that bad.

(There is a program called OpenUTAU that aims to be able to use a lot of the stylistic legacy plugins of UTAU while having a lot of QoL stuff be default but I've heard a variety of complaints some I don't understand and some I do. I respect the issues with messing with old plugins to get them to work, but I've also heard about how the envelopes of the tracks save being awful is one of the big complaints? Straight up not I'm techy enough to know what that means or why its bad)

Kasane Teto is the flagship, but she actually got an official high quality bank with SynthV. Apart from her it's probably Defoko or Utane Uta- but there's literally hundred of banks made by people out there.

Though speaking of synthV lot of things have partnered with synthV actually :)

Like, you'd be impressed! GUMI also has a synthV, she isn't exclusive to vocaloid! Stardust used to be but isn't now, and is also a synthV! Rosa was a Cevio only I think, and now isn't. Kafu is suspended indefinitely for synthV bank but they were *gonna*, Moca's come over just last week from VOICEPEAK, and in future Miki and Hiyama Kiyoteru are coming over from vocaloid :)

(it's not even unique for utau, Yamine Renri is also a synthv and has been for quite some time)

This turned out to be about synthV again. It wasn't supposed to be. here is a UTAU bank song with Kasane Teto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4llHpe3WlFw and SynthV Teto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGS6_rFsAe4

Neither of them are really "popular" songs but this is my rant and I can link what I want to. This also concludes this ask chain, because from here everything gets significantly more obscure and tbh if you wanna know you'll fine 'em eventually.

DAY 253 - ‘GOLDENGATE’/‘BURN IT DOWN’ (Click for better quality)

Well, this chain of explanations definitely was informative! It’s really clear that you are quite knowledgeable on this type of stuff, it was fun reading through these asks. :p

[exoluxionlove]

230622 Seoul Subway & Travels As Seen Through the Eyes of SUHO

Many cities around the world have their own metro systems, but the one in Seoul is exceptional. The subway system in Seoul is the most tourist-friendly means of transportation. The Seoul Metropolitan Subway system, which helps tourists save time and energy, will be explored in the company of SUHO, the leader of boy band favorite, EXO.

SUHO, known for his meticulous planning, has curated a special travel course called the SUHO Line for those exploring Seoul. The SUHO Line encompasses various popular destinations in Seoul that SUHO frequents or aspires to visit, all easily accessible via the subway system. Before revealing the SUHO Line, let’s learn more about his typical day in Seoul and what he loves to do in this city.

Q. Where have you traveled to lately?

A. I went to the States for work a few days last year. I was there for about five days after shooting a TV show. I also went to Australia to shoot Besties in Wonderland.

* SUHO gave a presentation at the Korean Studies conference at Stanford University.

Q. Before we get started, what’s your MBTI personality type?

A. I'm ENFJ. I'm extroverted, and I like meeting people. And I love planning (laughter). I like talking to strangers, too. I’m a typical ENFJ.

Q. What are your latest hobbies or interests?

A. I really got into wines about two years ago. I don’t drink wine to get drunk. I guess I'm more of an avid learner. I try to write tasting notes whenever I drink wine, and I like to find new wines that I have never tried before. I'm still learning a lot about wines and enjoy drinking at places with a great atmosphere.

Q. It seems you like to experience new things.

A. I love discovering and learning new things. That’s why I got into wine. Oh, the weather has warmed up now. So, I promised Kai I’d go on a bike ride at Hangang Park soon.

Q. Do you like being active?

A. Yes, I like to stay active. But I'm not really into vigorous sports. I like roaming around to experience things myself.

Q. If you’re into wine, do you sometimes drink alone?

A. I rarely drink by myself. Instead, I watch YouTube videos on wine. Sometimes, I find some wines that look interesting in some of the videos. Then, I try to find places where I can taste those wines. I don’t tend to drink alone, so I call my friends to come and drink with me.

Q. You’re particularly known for the "J" of your MBTI type. To what extent do you plan ahead?

A. I mostly use Instagram to communicate with my fans and post images to become my photo diary later. I pick a few places I’d like to visit whenever I travel. Then, I search hashtags related to those places and see so many pictures uploaded by others. I capture some images that I think have good composition, and I pick the outfit I will wear when I go there. That’s how much I plan ahead (laughter).

Q. Is there a favorite shop of yours?

A. I usually shop online, or I go to select shops in Cheongdam-dong. I want to try out some of the vintage shops as well. I want to visit the vintage shop, Opal, that Chan-hyuk visited on the show, I Live Alone. I’ll pay a visit one day.

Q. Which one do you prefer more, dining or street bar?

A. It depends on my mood, but I prefer street bars when I’m in Korea.

Q. Would you visit street bars when you’re traveling?

A. Definitely. But it isn’t easy to be in public when I’m in Korea.

Q. You will be in public with us though (laughter).

A. It’s certainly easier if I’m shooting.

Q. When was the last time you took the subway?

A. I ride buses sometimes, but the last time I took the subway was three or four years ago in Japan. In Korea, the winter of 2012 was the last time I took the subway.

Q. Is there a part of Seoul you visit often or particularly like?

A. I often go to Cheongdam-dong or Sinsa-dong. I’ve been going to Seongsu-dong a lot lately. Samcheong-dong is a place I’d go for exhibitions and cafes.

Q. What is your favorite food?

A. Burgers. Specially handcrafted burgers. A burger can actually be a healthy food. There are carbs, protein, and veggies. You can ask them to custom make your burger to be less salty and whatnot. I really like this place called Zesty Saloon in Seongsu-dong.

Q. Do you enjoy taking pictures?

A. I can guarantee I’ll take the best picture of someone in less than a minute. Some people take good pictures of you without you actually posing or noticing. And I'm certainly that person. I wish my friends would take good pictures of me when I'm sitting at a bus stop or something, but they don’t (laughter). I have to ask them to take pictures for me, and I pretend I don’t notice them. When I share the pictures I took with my friends, most of them get surprised because they like how they look.

Q. How about you taking pictures of other tourists this time?

A. That’s actually a good idea. I really do take good pictures. I took pictures of Jiyeon Lim when we were in Australia shooting Besties in Wonderland, and she loved them. She posted a lot of them on her social media. Everyone likes pictures where they look good in them (laughter). I can quickly fill anyone’s Instagram feed with my pictures.

Q. Are there any parts of Seoul you’d like to discover?

A. Oh! I was always curious about those people who ride skateboards at Hangang Park. It looks really interesting. I'm quite good at inline skating, but I’ve never tried skateboarding. I want to try those outdoor rock-climbing walls, too.

Q. So, the keywords of SUHO Line will be “pictures, Hangang, shopping, and must-eat places.”

A. I guess so. I can’t wait to find out (laughter).

Everyone has different tastes when traveling, but we all like encountering something new. Starting from June 22 until July 13, the Seoul Tourism Organization's official YouTube channel, VisitSeoul TV. will release a new episode every Thursday of the SUHO Line series that features a special travel course curated by SUHO, with the theme focused on unveiling hidden gems. Spot the undiscovered charms of Seoul through the SUHO Line series.

[virtual-winter]

Frozen memories #001

My Frozen story - Part 1

It's the end of October which means it's time for me to reminisce about another year of experiences with the Frozen franchise. What's extra special this time though is of course the upcoming Frozen 10th anniversary as well as an opportunity to share it with more than just a few close friends 🙂

I never saw the original Frozen in theatres. Back then in late 2013, I was relatively fresh out of school, unemployed and didn’t have much time or interest to engage in media fandoms of any kind. Things got better the following year as I attended university, beginning my studies in structural engineering and urban planning. Despite having to travel a lot every day and trying to keep up with my studies, life was relatively simple. You did the same thing every day. I was not the most sociable person but I was making good progress getting to know and working together with my fellow peers. Most of them were fresh from high school while I had been studying a bit before applying for uni so I was a little bit older than most of them.

Being in my early twenties, animation or Disney wasn't exactly anything I was paying attention to. I couldn't remember the last time I watched a Disney movie and I think I was feeling a bit out of touch with fandom culture in general.

Entering October, I happened to notice that ABC's fantasy TV-series Once upon a time was coming back for a fourth season. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and I had actually never watched the show before (only briefly in an ad and I remember the CGI looked really bad 🤣) but thanks to my local newspaper, I learned that actor Georgina Haig was gonna play a new role in the show. I was very fond of this Aussie gal since her small role as Henrietta in the sci-fi series Fringe 2012-2013 so I was very excited to see what her new character was about.

With hindsight, I know for sure that without Georgina’s involvement, the show would have never caught my attention. And my goodness, did this change my life 😃

Oh, and that newspaper highlight? I rediscovered it a couple of years ago👇

For those of you who (shockingly) can't read Swedish, here's what it said:

Ask about TV Elsa, queen of ice, shows up and it gets cold in Storybrooke.

Will there be new episodes of the fairy tale series? In "Once upon a time" we got to know several fairy tale characters. In the last season, Emma and Hook travelled through time which messed things up for Snow White and the Prince, and Robin Hood and Lady Marion were reunited. When the series is back in Channel 11 on October 20th, a recap episode will be broadcasted at 7PM before the saga continues at 8PM. Queen Elsa of Arendelle (Georgina Haig) shows up.

I obviously had no idea who Queen Elsa of Arendelle was (I barely even knew what story she was from). I was aware that the movie Frozen was a thing and I had seen the teaser with Olaf and Sven around Christmas 2013 but it had left no impression on me whatsoever. I had a vague idea that the song Let it go had become very popular but I didn't understand the fuss behind it. Yet.

October 20th, 2014. My first introduction to the Arendelle sisters👇

It’s hard to describe exactly what my initial reaction to watching the first few episodes was. In general (since I had no experience with the show) I was of course confused about what was going on but the consistency of the Frozen-story definitely helped. Much later on, having seen the entire series, I understood much better how the characters and their story tied into the main plot and especially Emma Swan’s character development. But at the time, it was just cool to take part of some new and (to me) pretty unique fantasy storytelling in a modern setting. For any true Oncers out there, regardless of the quality of the show as a whole, I'm sure you would agree that it was a heck of a fun ride while it lasted!

I knew for sure that I had found something that I truly loved and that was pretty rare for me. Several years back I had been pretty passionate about other franchises like Star Wars, Stargate, Fringe and Hannibal but this modern fairy-tale world was truly something different. And I know a lot of that can be said to be thanks to the Frozen-story. No offence to the main cast, but I would be lying if I didn't credit Georgina, Elizabeth Lail (Anna), Scott Michael Foster (Kristoff) and Elizabeth Mitchell (Ingrid) as the true stars of the fourth season for me! They truly helped bring their characters to life and I still can’t picture anyone else playing them outside of animation (looking at you, Frozen live action-rumours). It should also be said that compared to the rest of the show’s characters, the Frozen characters did have a very strong presence on screen, a look and a feel that was carried over beautifully to the small live-action screen. I may not have known it at the time, but it would be equally true for the original movie.

About four weeks into the season, I knew for sure that I had found something that truly resonated with med and I knew I had to watch the "source material". But that will be a thing to cover in Part 2. 😉

See ya soon!

[crtter]

do you think if we leave the bots following us, they will eventually stop making them? or do you think they will continue to come until the end of time no matter what?

Honestly, I think the only things that can truly put a stop to them are:

The people (plural because there are clearly different kinds of bots here and this kind that follows people nonstop is just one of them) who make them deciding to stop for whatever reason.

Tumblr finding a way to get rid of them, which I bet can be implemented but it’ll take a little while for them to come up with something.

Tumblr dropping in popularity as a platform.

Speaking as someone who has been in this website since 2012, the bots we’ve had to deal with this year and last year are a complete anomaly. We’ve had waves of bots in the past but they never lasted too long before Tumblr managed to crack down on them, and we definitely didn’t see multiple waves come and go in such a short period of time. This is a direct result of Twitter going through all those negative changes under Elon Musk and people suddenly paying more attention to this website again, which includes scammers. We’ve gone straight up years without any bots before!

The good news is that Tumblr HAS managed to put a stop to them every time they show up! You’ve probably noticed that this last wave of bots are slightly different every time they come back. First they had actual people names followed by a string of numbers and “OnlyFans” links in their bios, then they started trying to customize their blogs a little bit, and this third wave are completely blank with gibberish usernames. So, while I think Tumblr has to implement some new safety measures to ward off bots in a more permanent way, (new blogs having to answer captchas to follow people for a couple of days before being recognized as actual people would be a good one), the current torment we’re under is probably only going to last as long as the previous ones did, which is to mean… as long as Tumblr stops it like it did before. So… about a few weeks. Maybe a month or so.

I definitely recommend reporting them as spam and blocking them on sight, though! Not only it decreases the chances of you accidentally following one and being messaged their malware/scam links, it also helps Tumblr identify and delete them.

[princeescaluswords]

I’ve found that the most telling evidence that Something Else is amiss in the broad dislike of Scott is the lack of enthusiasm for Sciles. Compare it to Supernatural, which was also big at that time: 2 young attractive male leads (DOB being 3rd billed aside), good chemistry (both on-screen and IRL as friends), comedic dynamic, unbreakable bond, occasional flirting, etc. Sciles should have been THE pairing by almost any metric. Sterek had the antagonistic dynamic to set it apart, but given how much people water it down to fun banter or erase it altogether in fic, that canonical difference clearly wasn’t all that essential to shippers’ enjoyment. Allison comes up ALL the time as a complaint but other fandoms seem to be able to demonize and/or erase canon girlfriends without much of an issue. It leaves very, very few explanations when you look at it from that POV.

When I first entered fandom, I wasn't very interested in relationships; I focused more on character development in relation to plot. When I wrote, it was primarily gen fiction. As time passed, positive interactions with the fandom (there can be some!) led me to consider relationships as an important part of the greater whole. But one thing I never quite understood is the hostility to both Scott and Stiles's friendship and Scott and Allison's relationship. Unlike some people, I don't think that a non-canon relationship like romantic Stiles and Derek or Stiles and Peter simply can't work. I've written Sterek myself. It's always confused me how fandom seemed to seek validation for those ships by tearing down both of Scott's primary canonical relationships, which are completely unrelated.

Now, you know, I eventually came to several conclusions about why this happens, which I have talked about a great deal and will continue to talk about. But it's always key to me when actually grappling with an issue is an attempt to understand the other side. So I asked myself, for instance, why was Scott and Allison's canon romantic relationship so unpopular? It seems to me that those opposed to it have four major complaints which I have seen expressed in print.

It was heterosexual, and that is somehow bad.

It was stupid and dangerous: a newly bitten teenage werewolf falling in love with the teenage daughter of werewolf hunters was a recipe for disaster.

It distracted the lead protagonist (Scott) from the issues he should be addressing and the people to which he should be listening.

As the primary canon relationship of the first two seasons, parts of the audience felt it was being forced on them.

With the exception of the first one, which still mystifies me to this day, these others could have some value. I mean, the Romeo-and-Juliet trope is an old one, and people may be tired, in this modern age, of seeing it being re-enacted again. So, why don't you take an amble with me over to AO3? If these are legitimate fandom concerns, then it should hold up when we examine Teen Wolf's peer group of supernatural adventure shows.

Let's look at the famous Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003); it seems that the top two ships represented on AO3 are ...

#1 Spike and Buffy Summers

#2 Angel and Buffy Summers

Strange that the heterosexual canon ships of a vampire slayer and a vampire remain two most popular subjects. But that's an old show. We've changed. Let's look at something with more direct relevance. Tyler Posey was up for the role of Jacob in the Twilight film series (2008-2012). What ships are most popular there?

#1 Edward Cullen and Bella Swan

#2 Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale

Okay, interesting but there are still differences. There is less emphasis on inherent conflict, I guess. And those are movies, let's move back to television. (I will now switch from 'heterosexual' to 'man/woman' because some of these characters are definitely bisexual.)

True Blood (2008-2014) was a far more adult television show, so it would expand beyond the mainstream that the fandom finds so cloying:

#1 Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse

#2 Bill Compton and Sookie Stackhouse

Or maybe not. But that's premium cable targeted at a different audience. Let's look at the competitors, such as The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017) which ran coterminous with our show.

#1 Caroline Forbes and Klaus Mikaelson

#2 Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore

Or its spin off, The Originals (2013-2018)

#1 Caroline Forbes and Klaus Mikaelson

#2 Hayley Marshall and Elijah Mikaelson

It's kind of weird that these all have a certain pattern that the most popular ships to write about are all man/woman ships with built-in oppositional obstacles. Now, there are shows whose fandom are focused on non-heterosexual relationships, such as Supernatural, and while I haven't watched it and never will, I'm told that one of the reasons is that any canon man/woman ship was doomed by the narrative impulse to whack female characters. There's Legacies, which I don't know much about but it seems to be focused on a woman/woman ship and isn't that refreshing?

But I think, to paraphrase my favorite show, if three times is a pattern, five times might be a trend. It seems that fandom doesn't really have any problem exploring canonical problematic supernatural man/woman relationships as long as there is a particular trait among all the people participating in those relationships. Can you spot the pattern for yourself? Can someone explain to me why these are the most popular ships in their respective fandoms but those same characteristics make Scott and Allison's relationship distasteful. Of course, and always, we have to remember one thing

BUT IT'S NOT RACISM.

[katesfoxhole]

As far as I've been able to determine, Mordian and the Mordian Iron Guard first appeared in the 2e Codex: Imperial Guard (or possibly White Dwarf 184 but they came out around the same time). And then nothing happened for 17 years. No new lore was added until Mark Clapham's novel Iron Guard came out in 2012, and even he only added one little tidbit--that people living on the dark side of a tidally locked planet tended to like bright colors.

I am writing some fanfic featuring a Mordian regiment, and I've made up a few headcanons or my own.

One is that, reflecting their tidally locked world, they tend toward a kind of binary thinking. Both men and women can serve in the Iron Guard, but regiments are segregated by sex (the Cain novels outright state this is the norm for the Imperial Guard anyway. And of course, nothing's stopping the Munitorum from pulling a 597th if you want a mixed regiment; the Adeptus Terra don't giveadam about some silly local custom). It's fine to be gay, but not bi or pan--pick a side, fence-sitter. Same with gender--being trans is okay as long as you cross over completely; no boymoding, no being genderqueer or agender.

(In case it needs to be said, these are not supposed to be good things btw, this is a flaw, a cultural blind spot.)

Presumably nothing naturally grows on Mordian--the day side is blasted by instantly-lethal amounts of solar radiation and the night side is, well, always nighttime. The only place on Mordian where you see plant life is in manmade gardens and greenhouses. So I've written my Mordians to be weirded out by nature. Their dialect of Low Gothic doesn't even have words for things that are not manmade--that isn't a forest up ahead, it's a very tangled and untidy orchard. How dare the trees grow wherever they want to instead of in neat rows?

I have an unwritten scene where some HQ POGs are making fun of a Mordian recon report: "Are they still calling the river a canal?" "Give 'em a break, they've never SEEN a river before."

They are also--at first--absolutely terrified of sunlight. After all, on their homeworld, dayside = instant radioactive death. The first time they land on an earthlike world, a commissar has to almost shoot someone to get them off the dropship.

Canon Mordian names tend to sound Germanic. I've expanded that to include names from other mid-European sources, particularly Estonian, Lithuanian, and Ukranian. Presumably a lot of the original settlers came from that part of Earth.

It's not as hard as it sounds to keep those fancy uniforms clean. Mordian has an STC for high-tech, moisture- and dirt-repelling fabrics. Textiles are one of the planet's chief trade goods. Mordian Iron Guard are positively horrified by soldiers from other worlds who show up in grubby cotton twill. Yeah, it's hard to stay clean while soldiering in the field, which is why you don't want your uniform making it worse by ABSORBING sweat and dirt omg.

Iron Guard officers wear gold gorgets similar to the ones popular in 18th-19th century European armies. Senior noncoms and NCO vehicle commanders wear silver ones. I'm not the only one who's had this idea.

As a joke, I've named one of the hives on Mordian--not the capital--Dsenta Vitta. I bent it out of a mishmash of Latin and Estonian and it means, roughly, "where those cunts landed". This is an ancient name, going back to first settlement, and to the Mordians its meaning has of course long since been lost to antiquity.

Anyway, those are my Mordian headcanons. I would definitely be insterested in anyone else's, if you have them.

"Why is the sky leaking!?" "It's called rain. We were briefed on this."

[thedawningofthehour]

1) When I read the part where Draxum rejects the idea of seeking an alliance with Big mama, a part of me snapped my fingers and said 'Dang! But another part of Me said 'ooh that's right, Draxum still doesn't know that Big mama was fucking Lou-jitsu ass' considering his secret crush on him I would love to know his reaction if he finds out.

Especially if big mama gets to win the race of who get donnie first and finds out from her, who I can see taking him right after to the ceremony for Splinter to kill him as a wedding gift. Which thinking about it would be a pretty cruel fate even for Draxum.

2) I imagine that Draxum did not apply his plan with the four turtles because it would have been much more difficult to keep an eye on all four of them, if one of them escaped he could free the others and his plan would be shattered. Now I wonder how it would have been if Draxum had also captured Leo on that roof? Double angst for the fam surely.

3) we see yokai that can fly, in the hidden city most wanted episode there's a part where we see a bird yokai mom flying with her child. Also the tmnt has mutants that can fly, Koya for example.

I feel like he would know?! I mean, come on, this is Big Mama and the all-time Battle Nexus champion. They were 100% on the cover of like...CosmoYokai, or Hidden City Enquirer. (it's been like fifteen years since I've cared about that kind of magazine so I forget what's popular) They were the star couple. When Lou stopped competing there were probably rumors that Big Mama ate him black widow style or that they had kids or something and Lou was now a stay-at-home dad. (human AU where Big Mama is Lou's executive, bread-winning wife and he quits acting to raise the kids)

I get the feeling that Draxum always knew that he would never have a chance with Lou. Either because he thought Lou wasn't interested in men, because he was wholly devoted to Big Mama or simply because Draxum kind of sucks and has never had a successful love life. I mean, he got Lou in his house and just stuck him in a cage. No attempts to woo him or anything. Raising Lou's kids was all Draxum could expect.

Oooooh man that is cruel. To have his son taken away, then be told that the guy he's in love with is marrying the woman who took him-literally because she kidnapped his son-right before Lou hatefully murders him? Goddamn. Just obliterate him.

Oh, exactly, all the boys are dangerous and they're increasingly dangerous when you put them together. Donnie was definitely the most risky one to capture, but he also had the most potential. It would have been difficult to do the same thing with more than one because Donnie actually required a lot of one-on-one attention. He might have been able to manage it with two, but why would he? He can make new mutants with similar abilities and would be more loyal to him. Donnie was one in a million and Draxum knew he had to take advantage of that luck.

He wouldn't have captured them both. He didn't have anything set up to hold Leo and knew he'd require something specially tailored to him, like The Table was for Donnie. Leo and Mikey didn't really interest him anyway. The only other one he would have wanted was Raph, who he knew could tear through physical restraints and Draxum would need to leverage one of his brothers over him to keep him from destroying everything. The only other brother that interested him was Donnie, and Draxum didn't want to risk Raph calling his bluff and having to hurt Donnie.

But some of Raph's Book 1 actions are actually adapted from my Risex2012 crossover idea where Leo and Donnie end up in 2012 universe and Raph goes a little crazy with two of his brothers missing. The scene with Meat Sweats was originally just Raph, and without Leo there to stop him, uh...let's just say he did a little more damage.

There would probably be both flighted and unflighted classes of winged Yokai, honestly. Some of them would be able to fly, some would have mutated with wings too short or too weak, some are probably crossbreeds with unwinged Yokai and were born with solid bones or without feathers. Now I'm thinking about how bird Yokai talk despite clearly having beaks-they'd have to make those sounds like birds do when they mimic, with their tongues. They probably have their own sort of sublanguage that's easier for them to vocalize.

Also, just fucking imagine all the feathers. Especially if the feathery Yokai molt on some sort of seasonal cycle-I'm unsure how it is with other birds, my cockatiels have always molted kind of whenever. When Angel molts it literally looks like a bird exploded wherever he stands for more than a few minutes. He'll do a shake and three to five feathers will come flying off. And he's like the size of my fist. Imagine how many fucking feathers a human-sized bird would drop during a molt. There's probably weeks of the year where it looks like cotton or cherry blossoms are covering the streets but no, it's just fucking feathers.

[lunatic-fandom-space]

Alrighty I finished watching the 2012 Jesus Christ Superstar, the one that people on tumblr like to gif the most

Thats not meant to be an insult btw, honestly this might be my favorite version Ive seen so far overall

I initially had pretty mixed feelings about the actors they got for Jesus and Judas, like, they werent bad but I felt like Judas especially wasnt putting enough emotion into it and their delivery was kinda off at times but then we got the last supper scene and I thought they were great from that point on. Judas was good, I didnt like him as much as 73!Judas but honestly after watching the 2000s movie Im just glad he was portayed in a sympathetic way at the very least. I actually really liked Jesus in this one too, which is pretty surprising because Ive found him pretty unlikable in the previous versions and also Ive been translating the german versions of these songs which made me realize that a lot of that unlikability is kinda baked into the script as well. Usually I tend to dislike Jesus for about half the show until it gets to that bit after the last supper where everyones sleeping and hes looking around like "wont anyone be with me now 🥺" and Im like, aw thats just a sad little man, a lost littol guy, I cant dislike him when hes like that

I really liked the way they modernized this story here, it felt a lot less anachronistic and like there was a more cohesive vision behind it. While I usually like anachronistic settings and think itd be especially fitting for JCS, I felt like the execution was kinda lacking in the previous version and Im glad the 2012 version basically just went full Modern AU with it

Pretty much everything else I have to say applies to either the costuming or specifoc songs/scenes so in the interest of having a better structure than I had in my previous review-post-things I think Im just gonna talk about costuming and then each song in chronological order. Also I will be comparing this version both the 73 and the 2000s movie because thats how I do things babeyyyy whyd you think my review of the 2000s movie was so much longer and more articulated its because I do better when Im comparing two things

Costuming

Right off the bat, I dont think this technically has anything to do with the costuming, this would probably fall under casting actually, but Im so glad Jesus was brunette in this because him being blonde in the previous two versions was weirdly upsetting to me. Like, obviously he usually gets whitewashed in popular media and thats gross and almost definitely inaccurate but because it happens so frequently and has been happening for such a long time I barely even register it beyond maybe going "hm. thats wrong" at the very start whenever they show Jesus as the whitest guy on earth in anything, but I usually see him portrayed as brunette at the very least so seeing him get portrayed as blonde on top of the whitewashing was just too much man. Also he looks like Lin Manuel Miranda but Im like 90% sure thats not him

I like that they modernized Jesus' clothes for this as well because in the 2000s movie he wore a white tanktop and like, jeans probably in the very first scene but in every other scene hes wearing these long flowing white robes, so I like that they put him in a normal white shirt (and black jeans) even though it doesnt really have that same vibe of divine purity if its not a long flowing robe or a dress. Like, he literally just looks like the most normal guy ever wearing that and I really like that tbh

He also wore a brown scarf a few times and I kinda wish it was red instead because I did some research and found out that hes pretty heavily associated with that color. I mean, I also found out that a whole bunch of figures in the bible are associated with red, like if someone tried to quiz you on this you could probably get 50% of the answer if you just said red everytime, but still.

Speaking of red, I think I said at some point that Judas not wearing red irked me, and it still does just to be clear, but Ive thought about it a little and I actually quite appreciate the thought that went into the color coding here, for lack of a better term.

Like, instead of red being Judas' and Marys color like in the previous films (i dont actually remember what color Mary wore in the 70s movie but im going with it anyway) its essentially the color that the antagonists or people who are in some way against Jesus but who werent really directly involved in his death. Herod is probably the most obvious example, hes completely decked out in red but Simon is also wearing it and hes characterized as someone coopting this message of Love and Acceptance and whatnot in order to spread hate, Im pretty sure Peter also wears it and he ends up denying Jesus.

And then sortof complementary to that we have black as the color of people who were more directly involved in Jesus' death, like Caiaphas and his guys, Pilates and of course Judas. The crowd that gathers and calls for Jesus' crucifixion at the end is also wearing black so could see them partaking in his death as well

And then we obviously have white for Jesus and Mary as basically his closest follower who seems to understand him the most and also probably embodies his message of acceptance the best. Judas also has a white scarf to still tie him to him visually even though he does end up betraying him which I find neat

The fact that he didnt get to wear white for the last song again is crime honestly, cmon man do it for the visual cohesion if nothing else. They threw in a few singers who were also wearing black so Judas wouldnt be the only guy in black surrounded by a bunch of angels in white but ehhhhh, it only kinda works imo. I mean atleast its not as messy and thematically confusing as whatever they tried to do at the end of the 2000s version but still, just let my guy wear white

Also, before I move on I wanted to compliment the sets, or stage, since it was mostly just a pretty empty stage with few props and just a really big screen. I think they utilized the screen really well, just consistently having that illusion of The Media there really helped modernize this musical. I also liked the portayal of Jesus n gangs hideout as this little encampment and the implication that they had the last supper in basically their home. Idk what its like in the bible but from both of the other versions i watched I got the impression that they had the last supper somewhere else and while that didnt bother me at all, i think theres something nice about it being more mundane

Thats pretty much it I think, now its Song Time babey

Overture(/Prologue?)

I paused within like the first 40 seconds and wrote a post because they just immediately hit you with fictional news reports about protests and police brutality and then they just keep going for like 3 minutes and Im just sitting there, mouth agape because its like. first of all, these made-up news reports were so similar to ones that Ive seen throughout the summer of 2020 when the George Floyd and related protests were happening that I had to do a double take and make sure that yes, this is from 2012 and literally nothing has changed. Alternatively, they were actively trying to portray an unrealistically horrifically tyrannical government police state only for the creators visions of a horrible dystopia coming true only 8 years after. I dont know which one is more upsetting and Id rather not think about it too much and find out

Second of all, Andrew Lloyd Webbers musicals tend to be pretty safe, like theyre known to be more spectacle and melodrama than substance, atleast the ones that Im familiar with and while I certainly wouldnt call this musical subtle or even particularly profound, I really wasnt expecting something this politically charged within the first minute. And just to be clear, Im not saying that JCS is bad because its not that subtle or profound, I really love this musical and think its really good it just isnt those qualities and thats fine

Heaven on Their Minds

I dont have a lot to say here, Judas is pretty weak. His voice lacks emotion and because of that it feels more like a pop-cover than a musical theater song and I wasnt a fan. His actual singing voice is good and he definitely gets better as the musical goes on but this was quite disappointing after that overture

Also, the camera was obviously focusing more on Judas at this point but Im pretty sure I saw Jesus and Simon having some kind of argument while his followers are all surrounding him and Judas is singing, I thought that was a neat detail

What's the Buzz/Strange Thing, Mystifying

Im gonna be real with you, saying those two songs are part of the same one doesnt seem right to me but thats what Genius and youtube do and I dont think I really have too much to say about Whats the Buzz on its own so yeah

Honestly, I feel like Whats the Buzz is just gonna make Jesus seem kinda weird and unlikable regardless of who plays him, the good thing about this version is hes not musically moaning and going "ohhhhhhhh~ Mary thats so nice~~" like he is in the german 70s version which i forced myself to listen to approximately 600 times

I have the same criticism of Judas as I did in the previous song, not enough emotion. Jesus isnt great here either, I feel like neither version after the 73 one really managed to capture his anger at his followers the same way, the delivery has been weaker and not as impactful and snappy in the 2000s and 2012 versions.

And I just wanted to say again that I like the setup of their hideout being a bunch of these little tents, I think its really fitting

Everything's Alright

Jesus and Judas are still not giving me enough and its just gonna be like this until the last supper I guess

I really like Mary's voice, theres something soft and kinda vulnerable about it and its nice to listen to

This Jesus Must Die

Musically this is probably my favorite song because of course it is, its the villain song

I like that in this production Caiaphas seemed to really struggle to reach that low tone lol. Like, he sounded great but his face looked like he was struggling, thats about as well as I can describe it. I also liked Annas, he seemed so smug and obnoxious and I liked his leitmotiv-melody-thingy that he would sing its very catchy

I really appreciated that white-grayish lighting, it reminded me of like sterile office building lighting and contrasts nicely with the more yellowish-golden lighting they had for Hosanna. They didnt do anything as crazy or evocative as the 2000s film but Im also not sure how feasible doing something like that on a live stage would be so whatever, I still enjoyed it and thought it looked really good

Hosanna

This might be my favorite song in terms of how they adapted it for this modern AU-thing. I love that Jesus seems a lot more involved in this which makes sense since its been reframed as a protest whereas Im pretty sure it was originally something closer to a parade or something similar. I like that hes singing along to the "Hosanna, heysanna" parts, I dont think he did that in the other versions and it makes him seem less detached and above-it-all which definetly makes him a lot more sympathetic in my eyes

I absolutely adore the way Jesus' verse is framed with him like, looking into a camera with his followers huddled around him idk I think its nice. Speaking of framing and stuff, I havent mentioned the camera work at all yet and its really good for the most part, I do have some complaints but they dont apply to this song so I shant mention them right now

Really the only negative thing I have to say is that usually when the crowd sings "Hey JC, JC, wont you die for me" they cut to Jesus horrified/weirded out reaction and I think its a real highlight but I dont think they directed him to make any kind of facial expression at that part or maybe the actor forgot, so that was a little disappointing ngl. Speaking of that verse, I have Genius open rn so I know which order the songs are in and apparently that verse/line wasnt originally in the song??? Bro thats such a good and simple line how did you not come up with that right away. I mean, better late than never but still

Simon Zelotes/Poor Jerusalem

Again, I dont really think these two songs make that much sense as a package deal but who am I to disagree with genius dot com

I really enjoy the contrast between the two songs and I think they did a great job highlighting it even further via the lighting, with the stage being bathed in this red light during Simon Zelotes and the lights changing to deep blue for Poor Jerusalem. The staging and choregraphy were also great, I like that Jesus is mostly down at the front of the stage during Simon Zelotes with his followers being sort of scattered behind him as they were doing this high energy group dance number while hes up at the back of the stage during Poor Jerusalem with his followers almost huddled together in front of him, it highlights that emotional dissonance between Jesus and his followers really well

I actually liked Jesus performance too, I think the actor did a good job conveying his discomfort and at this point I felt like he was a lot better at projecting quiet vulnerability than loud anger or anguish at this point

Pilate's Dream

I dont really have anything to say here, the song isnt great but its short so its like, fine whatever.

The main thing I have to say here is that I did not Get Pilate at all the past two times I watched this but at the end of this song he puts on a powdered wig and I went "ohhhhhhh hes like a judge" and that made me finally kinda understand what his deal is somehow. Idk man Im a little stupid sometimes

The Temple

I think the first half of this song is fine, but I definitely prefer both of the other versions. I feel like having the people at the temple crowd around a camera as theyre singing about all the sinful shit theyre offering just makes for more effective framing and does a better job at putting you in Jesus' shoes and making you feel uncomfortable

Im not a fan of those weird moving neon shapes they show on the screen during this bit. At the very start of this scene they have this colorful neon text saying stuff like SEX and NUDES and honestly, I think they shouldve had that for the entire song. Like, I get why they might not want to have a whole scene with the word SEX flashing in the background in bold neon letters but it wouldve fit more and been less weird than abstract moving lines. I also dont think they shouldve had any of the 'sinners' wear white just to make Jesus stand out a bit more, but thats a nitpick.

I absolutely ADORE the second half with the beggars though. I mentioned before that I have this fascination with portrayals non-consentual non-sexual touch and this scene, in all three versions Ive watched, really manages to tap into that in a way thats pretty personal and hard to describe. This scene in this version is probably my favorite but Im not sure I can properly describe why. It just feels so intense, the way everyones grabbing onto him and practically lifting him off the ground like some uncomfortable perversion of crowd surfing, I love that

I also like the detail at the start of the song where Judas picks a fight with the bodyguard guy while Jesus goes inside

Everything's Alright (Reprise)/I Don't Know How To Love Him

These two songs arent actually lumped together like some of the other ones, but i have nothing to say about the reprise on its own and its really short so

I really like I Don't Know How To Love Him because its the song that made me realize that Jesus being the son of god is actually pretty ambiguous in this musical which makes this story way better and more interesting imo. Like, I rewatched Jenny Nicholsons video on easter plays after watching the 70s movie and i realized that the focus on Jesus as the literal son of god and his resurrection actually takes away a lot of the impact this story could have as yknow, a story, when its being told by people who are actually christian. And Im not religious myself but I get why that is, for a christian audience the resurrection is the most important part because its essentially proof of Jesus being the son of god rather than 'just' a prophet and/or important spiritual leader, which is kind of the basis of the entire religion. I also feel like theres a tendency in media made by christians about Jesus (or Jesus-stand ins) to avoid portraying any flaws in its main character because thats your god, and you wouldnt wanna portray that guy in a bad light and while I understand that too, it makes for a far less interesting story for non-christian audiences

I dont really know where I was going with this ngl, in conclusion; the reason I enjoyed this play about Jesus Christ so much is probably that it wasnt made by christians

Also Im going back to this after being done writing the post, I dont like that they made Mary ungoth herself on stage like cmon man, let my gal be goth. The only good thing about that was that Mary has muscles and I liked looking at them now that the jacket wasnt in the way

Damned for All Time/Blood Money

Finally a package deal song that actually works as one

Im gonna honest, while I think this song is good I dont really. understand it? Even after watching three versions of this musical and looking at some of the genius annotations. I understand that Judas is feeling guilty about the betrayal and trying to justify himself (although thats only after reading the annotations lol I feel like the lyrics are really weird and contradictory ngl), I dont really get why hes betraying him? Like yeah, he doesnt like what Jesus is doing now and is afraid that he's putting himself and other jewish people in danger but on an emotional level I dont really get why he thought betraying him would be the best course of action. Maybe because he came to realize that he cant get Jesus off the path hes on but idk, that wouldve been nice to actually see that onstage

But enough about that, lets move on to the things I really liked. For example they added this small bit where Judas is walking over to Caiaphas and his guys and you can see him walk into their office building or whatever through the security cameras, I thought that was a really neat detail.

I also like the way Judas sings the very last line about the gardens of Gethsemane, his delivery was really good

The Last Supper

I already mentioned this a few times earlier but I thought Jesus' and Judas' performances were fine for the most part, they just lacked emotion and felt more like flat radio covers because of it, but this is the song where they get really good and even stay really good. Thats not. great. But you know what they say, better late than never

I also liked Judas like, poking Jesus basically when hes yelling at him and I liked Jesus shoving him. Maybe its just me but I feel like the physical contact is way more intense in this version, for lack of a better term, and Im a big fan of that I think that rules, I love watching guys touch each other

I also mentioned earlier that I like how the last supper is just happening at their camp because it makes it feel more mundane and the other non-apostle ensamble members still being there in the background really adds to that vibe as well. I also feel like it made everyone going to sleep after the supper make more sense. Like, in the previous two versions I thought it was kinda weird that they all just fell asleep at the table after that big dramatic shouting match and Jesus predictions but in this one it reads more like the apostles are all going "okay. i think i need to leave." and just crawling into their tents bc what else are they supposed to do

Another thing I liked was that Jesus was like, kinda freaking out and lashing out in this scene. Idk the way Ive been taught about these events made it seem like Jesus just calmly explained this shit to his guys at dinner because he knew gods plan or whatever, so I appreciated this more dramatic and more human version

Gethsemane

oughhhhhhh this song is really good but I dont have a lot to say about it because its mainly an emotional ballad where Jesus is just kinda standing there singing while engulfed in blue light and I already talked about how I like that the existence of god is never confirmed in this musical and why i think that makes the story way stronger

I did want to mention this lyric-change I noticed and didnt like. So originally there was this line towards the end of the song that was like "God thy will is hard/Something something card probably" idk the only reason I remembered that line is because when I heard it in the 73 version I immediately went on tumblr to make an untagged 1 note flop of a post that went like this: "Call my penis thy will the way its hard". But in this version the line is "God thy will is done/Take your only son" and I just dont like that

The Arrest

It took me watching this musical thrice to realize that the music for this song is literally just the music for the beggar part of The Temple, eventhough there were some very obvious visual parallels in the 2000s movie on top of the music being the same but hey, Im a little stupid sometimes and also better late than never

Similarly to the temple scene I just dont think its as effective when you dont have the camera surrounded by these people to both put you in Jesus' shoes and to evoke claustrophobia. The reframing of these guys being like news reporters rather than ? disillusioned followers? jewish people who dont agree with him? I think? is really good and makes a lot of sense. I just didnt like that they had those guards holding them all back I think they shouldve gone all out and just fucking grabbed him

Peter's Denial

This is a pretty short qnd unremarkable song and I dont have much to say, I liked both Peter and Mary (Mary has been consistantly really good throughout the entire musical I think i forgot to mention thst until now) and I weirdly enjoyed Peter being so unecessarily hostile towards that old lady

Pilate and Christ

This is the song I keep forgetting about even though its actually really good lmao

I am just baffled by the decision to have Pilate working out in this scene. Thats kind of it honestly, like whyd they do that. whyd they do that huh. Literally the only reason I can think of is like, they wanted to show off how dismissive he is of Jesus but. there are other ways

Anyway I really liked Pilates vocal performance though and I like this actor, he has a very legal-professional kinda face and tone of voice which makes sense if we're interpreting him as some kindof judge guy, great casting

King Herod's Song

I really love this song, its so catchy and fun and ended up liking the talk show setup for this scene more than I anticipated. I think the reason I was kinda wary of how they would approach this scene was because King Herod is 10000% gonna be the guy who gets played by James Corden when they inevitably decide to turn this into a proper movie (again) but since this is 2012 and also a stage production, James Corden is nowhere to be found and this song is still really enjoyable. Theres really nothing to dislike here, I liked the guy who played Herod, I liked the backup dancer women (although I will say that I prefer their outfits from the 2000s), I liked the way they used the screen to further this whole talkshow thing, I liked Jesus being spun around in that chair, its great

My one small complaint is that during that line where hes like "Cmon man, turn my water into wine" hes given this water bottle and then the water turns red and even with the camera focusing on the effect it just kinda looks pathetic, maybe they couldve done something with the screen instead like they did for the "walk across my swimming pool" line but idk

Judas' Death

Man I cant even properly describe how much I love both the song and execution of it, its so wonderfully visceral and tragic and oughhhhhhh

First of all, I adore Judas' performance hes so good here and he does a great job at letting the emotion bleed into his voice and make it sound like hes sobbing without his singing suffering from it like in the 2000s movie. Do I prefer the performance here over the 73 version? Ehhhhh I think Id need to directly compare the scenes before I feel comfortable making a statement about that and I dont feel like doing that right now.

The lighting is pretty simple here, its pretty much just red, but its really atmospheric and helps underscore Judas' anguish and you know me babey, I love watching this guy suffer

I was gonna write something about the suicide being done well before ending this section here but I just remembered something and immediately forgot what I was going to write, so heres the thing I remembered:

When I was watching the 73 movie and Judas committed suicide, I was like mouth-agape shocked, not because it happened suddenly or because it was edited in a particular way but because I didnt know he was going to kill himself. Ive had religious education as a class for the entirety of my school career, the only time we ever actually talked about the easter story in any kind of detail was when I was like 6 years old in the first grade. The teacher told us about all the most basic beats, Jesus had a bunch of buddys he took out to dinner one night, he tells them about how one of them will betray him, Judas betrays him for money, Jesus gets crucified and then Judas lives in disgrace and shame until the end of his days. What she didnt tell us is how those days end and like. I mean i guess she didnt lie did she

And after that the topic of The Easter Story never really came up and also I thought religious education was the most boring and pointless shit on earth so I never bothered looking into any of it at any other point in my life and thats how I managed to avoid spoilers for this 2000 year old story

I was gonna end the section here but I just remembered something else that I wanted to share, I promise this is thematically relevant

A few days after I watched the 2000s film I thought to myself "hey, this is a popular musical that was originally english but since its been around for like 50 years I wonder if theyve since made a german version" so I looked it up, found the german wikipedia page and yes, theres a german version that came out on vinyl in the 70s but its unfortunately missing a song (two if we're counting Then We Are Decided as well but that one was added for the movie and not originally in the musical). Since Im already on wikipedia I decide to just read the entire article and I find out that orthodox christians didnt like the musical because it paints Judas The Traitor in a sympathetic light and I do a bit of a double take because Im like. I thought Judas was generally seen as sympathetic??? Because again, the only time i was ever taught about this story in any detail was when I was 6 in first grade religious education class and I havent really thought about it since. I only vaguely remember that class but Im pretty sure the way my teacher explained the apostles was that they were like Jesus' closest buddies and when I heard that Judas ended up betraying his good friend Jesus I was really sad and felt really sorry for him ? I dont remember my exact emotions or thoughts but it was either "I really love my friends and one of them died I'd be so upset even if it was my fault they died" or "I would never rat my friends out and cause them to be killed for no reason so he mustve had a really good reason we're just not being told about" or a combination of those and then I never paid attention to christianity ever again so I just never changed my thinking

So yeah, youre looking at a lifelong Judas Iscariot apologist Im so glad to finally be reunited with my fellow men in my natural habitat which is the Jesus Christ Superstar Fandom

Trial Before Pilate

Funfact, someone on youtube uploaded the entire JCS german soundtrack and there they called it "Pilate's Interrogation (39 lashes included)" and idk I think thats mildly amusing

I gotta say this is definitely a little bit disappointing after the 2000s version which had that absolutely mental illness inducing (affectionate) part where every time hes meant to get whipped one of the people in the crowd runs up to him and strikes him and leaves a bunch of blood on his body until hes all wet n grimy from it. Its alright but idk it feels a bit less intense physically and Im not just talking about the lashings, Im also talking about Pilates coming down to Jesus at the very end and being like "Im holding your life in my hands". I dont remember what the 2000s movie did here but I know in the 70s movie hes actually cradling him in his arms and it makes this bit hit way harder, but in this version hes just kinda kneeling next to him like hes the gym teacher and Jesus is the unathletic kid who just somehow sprinted like 50 meters in order to not come in last for the race around the local playground theyre doing for PE and embarass himself in front of the class and is laying on the ground panting afterwars and feels like hes going to die.

While I dont think its as effective as it could be, those faceless silhoutte people standing outside that fence arguing with Pilate are decently menacing and Ive already talked about black as the color of the people involved in Jesus death and how you could see this as The Masses or The Public or whatever also being complicit in his death in some way. Also I think I remember seeing some red garments in that crowd as well which I also appreciate

Also, the makeup for his bloody back was really good

Superstar

Ive said it before I'll say it again, why wont they let my guy wear white for this part? Was that the tradeoff for having him look all cool as he descends down with the stagelights? Is this their attempt to placate those christians who disliked Judas being sympathetic so much they banned the musical in Belarus?

Anyway, I enjoyed it well enough despite that and I think it executed the concept of Jesus carrying his cross being filmed and broadcasted a lot better than the 2000s movie, simply by not having the guys doing the filming be Judas' guys and having them as well as the angels. That being said, the way this was filmed or the way this was cut together or maybe it was a combination of both, just made this really confusing and disorienting to watch. The camerawork is really good for most of this production so I have absolutely no idea whats going on here but its kinda bad ngl. And whenever there was a wideshot you could see that Judas and the angels were dancing and taking up most of the stage and then on the left corner there was Jesus and the people filming him all huddled together and I honestly cant imagine it looking that great on stage either but I guess I wasnt there so I may never know for sure

The Crucifixion

I cant adequately describe what I felt when I realized they were going to crucify him on the lighting fixture so I'll just say I think its sick as hell and move on

This is less of a song and more of a short monologue but I still felt like I had to talk about it because the actor who plays Jesus is absolutely amazing, I was a bit worried if he could pull this off at the start because he was kinda weak there, but he crushed it. I was also a bit worried that he wouldnt be all wet with blood since he already got lashed and was pretty dry at that point but then he bleed a bunch from his head wounds from the crown of thorns and I was satisfied. And the modern crown of thorns was a crown of barbed wire I love that

Thats it I think its about to be midnight and I spent like 2 days writing this and my head is just mush. Sorry if the last few segments seemed a bit disorganized, my head is just mush. I actually had a few more thoughts I was gonna put in this conclusion-thingy but my head is just mush so I'll just say this gets an 8/10 from me. I gave both of the previous versions a solid 7/10 because while I still thoroughly enjoyed them in their weird quirks and think theyre kind of charming in their occasional bouts of kinda bizarre shit on top of being good, this one felt more competent and like it had a stronger vision behind it. Thats it, thank you for reading my very long post