#me-lapislazuli

[yoku-yukihime]

smoochin......

[crimsonbits]

I wish I had anything serious to post.

[immi4ever]

Hecatia x3

[xensergal]

[angelofdykeness]

please stop drawing hecatia lapislazuli with her legs and feet covered.... she needs those to breathe

[localnerdsprinkles]

Cooking a Hecatia cosplay. Will probably upload pics when I'm going around the convention center this weekend.

[maxknightley]

Which Touhou Girls Can You Plausibly Read As Butch? A Comprehensive Overview

Earlier on Tumblr I saw a post complaining that someone called Hecatia Lapislazuli from Touhou Project butch. This is Hecatia Lapislazuli:

Obviously, like most Touhou characters, she is in fact quite feminine - she just shops at Hell Hot Topic. But it got me thinking: In a series like Touhou, with a cast overwhelmingly defined by feminine (if rowdy) ladies, how many characters could you say are 'butch' without sounding like a complete doofus or significantly redesigning them to fit your headcanon?

CRITERIA

I'll be using four main criteria to judge characters' butchness. In real life, of course, butchness is a multivalent and extremely personal thing, but I'm talking about funny cartoon women from a video game here, so I'm willing to be a little reductive.

These criteria, in order of descending importance, are:

FASHION. In a series where goddamn near everyone is in either a dress or a skirt, the mere act of Wearing A Dress Shirt can be enough to make a powerful statement. Hats may also play a role here, given how many Touhou characters have gay little hats.

HAIRSTYLE. Short hair is not the be-all and end-all of butchness. I, myself, am Decidedly Butch even though I've been growing out my hair since college. But the length and styling of the hair are still a valuable indicator of how someone thinks of themself and wants to be seen.

'TUDE. Could this character be accurately described as "kind of a frat boy?" How do they speak to others? Do they just kind of seem like a character who ought to be butch, regardless of their looks? Do they even lift?

COMEDY FACTOR. Self-explanatory. This will probably only come into play if I run into a weird edge case.

I'll also emphasize that we're grading on a curve here - butchness is being assessed relative to the characters who do not appear on this list. Nobody in this series has a buzzcut, you know what I mean?

THE TIER LIST

AS CLOSE TO CANON AS WE'LL GET

Fujiwara no Mokou. The girl wears a dress shirt, fucking suspenders, and trousers. Not shorts, actual full-length pants. She's also in a perpetual love-hate mutual-murder situationship with Princess Kaguya, who is femme as all fuck. Obviously you don't have to be butch to date a femme - I'm just saying it feels Fitting given their whole deal.

Yuugi Hoshiguma. Most of the time, her fashion sense is actually quite feminine - but her look in the most recent chapter of Cheating Detective Satori, with the one exposed shoulder and the sarashi and all that, significantly alters the balance. Her hair actually reads as more masc to me when she keeps it long and unruly - when she puts it up in a ponytail, she ends up looking very kempt, even elegant. The deciding factor here is 'Tude: Her sheer levels of butch swag are off the fucking charts. (Still, I wouldn't blame someone for arguing she should be knocked down a tier - especially since I'd argue the Comedy Factor works in reverse here. She's way funnier if she doesn't think of herself as butch in the slightest.)

Minamitsu Murasa. In his original appearance I'd argue that Murasa is in "Reasonable" tier - maybe even as low as "Kind of a Stretch." But her big gay Jotaro jacket in Sunken Fossil World, combined with the emphasis on the weightiness and solidity of his trademark anchor, put her over the top. One of the only Touhou girls I consider worthy of being He/Himmed.

Shinmyoumaru Sukuna. The other He/Him-worthy Touhou girl. Very short, slightly messy hair; wears a kimono, not a dress; inheritor of Issun-Boshi's legacy; wears fucking dinnerware as a hat. Why do you want to be Big so badly, huh? So you can pick up women more easily? So you can carry your awful wife through the upside-down threshold of your upside-down bedroom?

Raiko Horikawa. For the longest time I thought her skirt was a pair of shorts because I straight up could not parse it as anything else. Even now I'm like "that can't possibly be a skirt, ZUN just drew it weird. She has to be wearing a full two-piece suit." Skirt aside, her jacket/dress shirt/necktie are still undeniable, as is her short hair. Also, she is a taiko drum given life, and I feel like taiko and timpanis are naturally butch. Maybe if she was a tambourine or a set of bongos I'd rank her lower?

Momoyo Himemushi. Rough-talking miner. Wears a dress shirt, leaves the top button(?) undone. Tromps around a big weird cave with no shoes or socks on. Wears bows and bangles basically everywhere but in her messy, tangled hair. Also, maybe I'm stereotyping here, but I just can't picture a centipede as being femme.

REASONABLE

Wriggle Nightbug. The dress shirt, cape, and puffy shorts all paint a vivid picture, but I just feel like I don't have a strong enough opinion on Wriggle as a character to put her in the top tier. In other words, she's got plenty of points for Fashion and quite a few for Hairstyle, but I just don't think the 'Tude is sufficient for me.

Reisen Udongein Inaba. The skirts are a strike against her, but her whole "dress shirt + necktie + sometimes suit jacket" thing makes a big difference, especially given that we're grading on a curve. Her rumpled ears and (particularly in Inaba of the Moon, Inaba of the Earth) pathetic demeanor go a long way towards giving her a vibe somewhere between "overworked salaryman" and "Detective Columbo."

Aya Shameimaru. All you need to know about Aya is that her "human reporter" disguise looks like This:

Mononobe no Futo. Butch, but in a really weird, circuitous way, imo. Like. She's sort of wearing a dress, but it's sort of a robe - the contrast of the hemline with her big flowy sleeves makes it hard to pin down - and her outfit quite notably has tassels rather than any kind of frills. I don't know what the hell is up with her hat but it's definitely not femme by any stretch of the imagination. Then thou hast the wayes in which she speaketh all "faux-olde-timey," even though nobody else in the setting does that... she transferred her soul into a plate, but she also throws plates around as weapons... It's like she's constantly putting on a performance that only she truly understands. It's like she reverse-engineered "masculine womanhood" by hanging out with a bunch of queens and doing kind of the same thing but kind of the inverse. The more I think about Futo the more I think she's entirely on her own wavelength, but I think "Reasonable" tier is a... uh, reasonable... approximation for the sake of this post.

Sagume Kishin. She dresses like if Bill Nye were a woman, and I think that cuts to the heart of it - she reminds me of a professor who you're not ever sure is gay, but you kind of pick up on a vibe, and near the end of the semester she offhandedly refers to "her partner" and you're like HOLY SHIT I KNEW IT. I went back and forth between putting her in "Reasonable" and "Kind of a Stretch"; ultimately, the Comedy Factor decided it because I couldn't stop thinking about a scenario where she says she's a woman, accidentally upends her whole understanding of gender in the process, and ends up taking testosterone while still ID'ing as a lesbian. I don't actually know if her powers would work that way and I don't care.

KIND OF A STRETCH

Eiki Shiki. I don't have a lot to go on, here, because she hasn't had many official appearances and seems to spend most of her time lecturing people or tormenting sinners. Her uniform(?)/apothecary outfit(??) is pretty snazzy; combined with the hat, it gives her a vaguely "military officer" look to me. We'll call her "butch pending further investigation," which I think she would agree is the correct course of action.

Sekibanki. She's here partially because of the cape, and partially because being sandwiched between Wakasagihime and Kagerou makes her look way more masc by contrast. I know what I said.

Ringo. It's pretty much just the hat and the pants, though - as a butch woman who Loves Eating - I am also inclined to project my own experiences onto her.

Aunn Komano. She reads as more "tomboyish" than outright "butch" to me, what with her whole puppy-dog vibe, but at the same time... she's very much wearing shorts and the kind of goofy-looking button-up shirt that is central to my own wardrobe and the wardrobe of other butches in my life. I'm willing to count her.

Takane Yamashiro. A living testament to the power of small character design choices. I would never in a million years call Nitori butch, even with her gay little hat and all the pouches on her outfit - she just looks like a girl scout. Takane, though? Takane, with her little hair swoopy, and the fucking suitcase slung over her back, and her camo-print dress? I mean - ultimately it is still a dress, which is why I can't justify scoring her higher, but she's definitely chewing tobacco and riding around on an ATV on weekends.

Chiyari Tenkaijin. If she's butch, it's not really because she's trying to be butch, it's just because being femme seems too expensive and time-consuming. She's got better things to do (drink blood all day). Still, I think an argument could be made.

DEFINITELY A STRETCH, BUT I RESPECT IT

Renko Usami. ZUN is kind of inconsistent with how he draws her hat - sometimes it's more of a porkpie/fedora type thing, other times it's round-topped and looks a bit like Koishi's hat. To me, this is a crucial distinction. In a more general sense, I feel like Renko's outfit gets a little less plausibly-masc with each passing album, which says a lot about our society. Or her society, anyway, since she lives in the future. Still, the capelets and bowties...

Rinnosuke Morichika. I think it would be really funny if the only significant male character in Touhou wasn't actually even a dude. I'm not aware of any real textual support for this interpretation, though.

Shou Toramaru. Pretty much only on here because of the hair and because I think there's a certain je ne sais quoi to her whole deal of "she's not a real tiger, she's the idea of a tiger that pre-Meiji Japanese people came up with from secondhand accounts."

Seija Kijin. Not even remotely butch by any stretch of the imagination... But if she did consider herself butch, isn't that exactly what she'd want you to think?

POTENTIALLY NOTEWORTHY EXCLUSIONS

Cirno. "Tomboyish" is not the same thing as "butch," to me, especially if you exclusively wear dresses. Also, I'm not sure Cirno even knows what a lesbian is.

Saki Kurokoma. Not actually butch, just a horse girl. (And a horsegirl.)

Mike Goutokuji. Can't tell if she's wearing a skirt or shorts. She's got short hair, sure, but the whole "matching bell collar and wristbands that also have bells attached" thing makes her look more like a Very Online Trans Woman who just figured herself out and hasn't started hormones or bought any new clothes yet.

[marcarella-pizza]

I’m gonna expose myself THIS ACCOUNT was the first ever time I posted art to tumblr.

When I say practice is how u get better at art, I MEAN it.

Also compare your art with your old art - seriously. It’s way better to compare to than someone else’s.

Glad to know my cloud painting technique is still the fucking same Lmao

Home away from home.

[mossy-green-aka-ferrythem]

Sometimes I wish I was Junko because that way Hecatia Lapislazuli would want me.

[eleemosynecdoche]

Hecatia Lapislazuli... DM me.

[fashiondisastertournament]

🎉The bracket is here! Round 1 Group D concluded! + Round 1 Masterlist

The 64 fictional characters who will compete for the title of the Worst Dressed have been now selected. Thank you once more for your nominations! ALL VOTING WITHIN ROUND 1 HAS NOW CONCLUDED

The bracket is super tiny on Tumblr, so here are the matchups in text format, divided into 4 groups (A, B, C, D). Groups A & C have all the frequently nominated characters in them, while groups B & D exist to give a chance to those characters who were nominated only once but in a particularly convincing way or who just look exceptionally Disastrous! All matches have been randomized - but I made sure to put the two most frequently nominated characters on two different sides of the bracket, not to worry ❤️

ROUND 1: MATCHUPS & MASTERLIST

Group A (popular nominees; top left of bracket) VOTING CONCLUDED

Matchup #1: Taako (The Adventure Zone) vs Trexel Geistman (Stellar Firma) -> Trexel wins!

Matchup #2: Sanji (One Piece) vs Franky (One Piece) -> Sanji wins!

Matchup #3: Hunter (The Owl House) vs Harrier du Bois (Disco Elysium) -> Harrier wins!

Matchup #4: Raikou Shimizu (Nabari no Ou) vs Goro Akechi (Persona 5) -> Raikou wins!

Matchup #5: Kanatsun (Entropic Float) vs Leon (Pokémon) -> Leon wins!

Matchup #6: Konoha (Kagerou Project) vs Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai) -> Rui wins!

Matchup #7: Pannacotta Fugo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) vs Sora (Kingdom Hearts) -> Fugo wins!

Matchup #8: Sock (Welcome to Hell) vs Midoriya Izuku (My Hero Academia) -> Sock wins!

Matchup #9: Shigeo Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100) vs Cecil Gershwin Palmer (Welcome to Night Vale) -> Cecil wins!

Group B (special chance; bottom left of bracket) VOTING CONCLUDED

Matchup #10: Gamzee (Homestuck) vs Tidus (Final Fantasy X) -> Tidus wins!

Matchup #11: Pico (Newsgrounds Museum 2 version) vs Hecatia Lapislazuli (Touhou Project) -> Pico wins!

Matchup #12: Alear (Fire Emblem: Engage) vs Captain Agent 3 (Splatoon 3) -> Alear wins!

Matchup #13: Mineta Minoru (My Hero Academia) vs Dr. Andre (Inside Job) -> Minoru wins!

Matchup #14: Wiggle Wigglebottom (Bugsnax) vs Tighnari (Genshin Impact) -> Wiggle wins!

Matchup #15: Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Marvel 616) vs Tingle (Zelda) -> Tingle wins!

Matchup #16: Lesley (Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared) vs Shouta Aizawa (My Hero Academia) -> Lesley wins!

Group C (popular nominees; top right of bracket) VOTING CONCLUDED

Matchup #17: Gabriel Agreste (Miraculous Ladybug) vs DIO (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) -> Gabriel wins!

Matchup #18: Satan (Obey Me!) vs Naruto (Naruto) -> Satan wins!

Matchup #19: Teru Hanazawa (Mob Psycho 100) vs Leonardo (Rise of the TMNT) -> Teru wins!

Matchup #20: Neku Sakuraba (The World Ends with You) vs Julian Bashir (Star Trek) -> Julian wins!

Matchup #21: Nanashi (Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse) vs Rex (Xenoblade Chronicles 2) -> Rex wins!

Matchup #22: Ex (Puyo Puyo Tetris) vs The Sixth Doctor (Doctor Who) -> Sixth Doctor wins!

Matchup #23: Quark (Star Trek) vs Harper Finkle (Wizards of Waverly Place) -> Harper wins!

Matchup #24: Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K) vs Zaphod Beeblebrox (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) -> Zaphod wins!

Group D (special chance; bottom right of bracket)  VOTING CONCLUDED

Matchup #25: Ryu Natsume (Paradox Live) vs Lu Yi (Dislyte) -> Ryu wins!

Matchup #26: Hannah Montana (Hannah Montana) vs Willy Wonka (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) -> Hannah wins!

Matchup #27: Miuccia Miuller (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) vs Gonzo (The Muppet Show) -> Miuccia wins!

Matchup #28: Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way (My Immortal) vs Leviathan (Obey Me!) -> Ebony wins!

Matchup #29: Haiji Senri (Len’en) vs Dick Grayson (DC) -> Dick wins!

Matchup #30: Raizou (One Piece) vs Serizawa Katsuya (Mob Psycho 100) -> Raizou wins!

Matchup #31: Blue Sargent (The Raven Cycle) vs Ghetsis Harmonia (Pokémon Black and White) -> Ghetsis wins!

Matchup #32: Jake Sisko (Star Trek) vs Condiment King (Batman: The Animated Series) -> Jake wins!

Questions? Concerns? Complaints? Please check the FAQ under read-more for answers!

And as always... may the Worst Dressed win!

FAQ

~"How is [x] character a fashion disaster? I like their look/ they're iconic/ they look alright/ etc. etc." First of all, this is a very lighthearted competition that doesn't mean to be negative or judgmental! A Fashion Disaster can sometimes be (affectionate): in some cases there's nothing more iconic than a bit of this pizazz. I like quite a few of the looks on this list (and sometimes dress much worse) but if they have been included, this means that either: 1) they have been nominated multiple times 2) they have been nominated at least once and whoever nominated them provided a very convincing or funny explanation of why they were a Fashion Disaster (for example by pointing out one particularly bad outfit - not necessarily their main outfit!) 3) they have been nominated at least once and upon looking them up, I noticed that they tick many of the boxes that were described repeatedly in other people's explanations of what they consider disastrous: e.g. clashing patterns, excessive accessories, crocs, bad haircuts, etc. etc. In any case, every poll will come with a brief explanation of why people have been nominating a certain character! To make sure that people vote informed ❤️ ~"Why are you randomizing matchups instead of seeding?" I totally see the value of seeding for most competitions, but this one here is largely unpredictable - a lot of characters got the same amount of nominations, and how Disastrous they are is entirely subjective. The competition is also quite visual-based - it's about looks rather than knowing a character, so it's more likely that people will vote for an unknown character than in other competitions, which risk becoming popularity polls quite quickly. Basically: I'd simply have no idea how to determine the ranking of most contestants here for proper seeding! That's why I opt for randomized matches - but I did make sure to put the two most nominated characters on the opposing sides of the bracket. ~"Why is [x] character not included?" There was a total of 174 unique characters nominated to this tournament! If the one you were rooting for did not make it, I'm sorry! One or more of the following was likely the cause: 1) they have not been nominated more than once 2) they have not ticked as many boxes for what other people considered disastrous as some other characters with a single nomination did 3) a lot of characters have been submitted from the same source. After choosing 3 most nominated ones, I couldn't include more! The rule is max. 3 characters per source. ~"Is propaganda encouraged?"

More than encouraged! Please tag me if you make any posters/posts/try to support your faves in another way throughout the tournament, I'd love to see and reblog it! ❤️

[yoku-yukihime]

succubus hecatia

had a fun idea that hecatia has various demon genes in her so i decided to let the pure fox in me Draw this one.

[blazeofnight]

PotO Italy (Trieste) review - Act 1

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance if I sound a bit defensive, but honestly, the amount of badmouthing the show is getting based on a few unofficial pictures and videos is astonishing and it gets old quickly (but I admit some of the memes are gold and I am enjoying them).

I have not seen other replica productions in full, only pictures, but I have seen the West End production in March. I do consider using Broadway/West End/replica productions as the one and true standard to judge non-replicas unfair in general, but I think it's fair to use them as a comparison to try and understand how these changes affect character dynamics and stuff like that, and to help in trying to understand the reasoning behind the choices made.

My visual memory is VERY poor, so if you've seen the show too and notice I remember something wrong please tell me so I can correct it!

This is almost 5000 words long, so please make sure you want to read it before clicking in the read more. Also please forgive any typos.

The one for Act 2 is here.

THE LOCATION

Il Rossetti was built in 1878 and is typical of the time, with a large stalls area on a gentle slope surrounded by open boxes, and two rows of balconies. During modern renovations they "opened" the boxes at the back to extend the stalls area, and these last rows are raised and angled to give you a better view of the stage. I have to say it is a good compromise to make an older structure more suited to modern audiences.

The interior is painted a rich lapislazuli blue with cream and gold trim, and the domed ceiling has some nice painted clouds. They have installed small lights that resemble constellations, the effect is very nice and they had the good idea of using it during Masquerade to great effect!

The foyer is also very nice, and there is a bar with good spritz at an affordable price.

We were seated in the second row of the raised stalls area, on the right side, and the view was great. Of course some details and expressions were lost, but unless you are aiming for a close and personal experience, it's a good view. There are some columns as you can see in the picture, bu they are thin and don't really obstruct the view in a significant way.

The audio control station was at the back of stalls, too, on the centre right (next to where I was seated), this meant there was a bit of light coming from them but it was low enough to not be a distraction.

I personally found the music to be a bit too high at times compared to the singers' voices, but it's something I think every time I see a live musical and when listening to the audios I take the voices are perfectly clear, so it's likely it's just me having some audio processing issue. The orchestra is 16 instruments, so reduced from the original but it still sounds nice.

There were subtitles! Two screens at the side of the stage with Italian subtitles, and also an app you can download on your phone for subtitles in English, Italian and German. I saw some folks using the app nearby and it looked like it was well synchronized, also since it was white subtitles on a black background the light was not really an inconvenience.

I saw the afternoon show on June 8th.

OVERTURE

The auction scene is pretty similar to the standard, the only difference is the attendants are seated with their backs to the public. Old Raoul is seated in the row closest to the audience, and he turns towards the monkey for his lines so we can see him in profile. The auctioneer activates a big lever switch on the wall to light up the chandelier, which raises over the centre of the stage instead of the audience.

Let's address this immediately: yes, the chandelier is smaller. It still looks nice, and if you're someone who never saw the show seeing it rise and move around is still a very good effect to open the musical with! The flashes of the chandelier's lights turning on and off at the beginning of the overture were timed to the music, which is a nice touch.

A cool idea that I think could use being improved was having the crash accident be replayed in reverse and slow motion during the chandelier rise! The idea is cool, and by using strong white back lighting it looks almost in black and white, reinforcing the idea of a flashback. BUT. This was done, I suspect, because during the chandelier crash you don't really see Christine and the other actors standing below it, which means that if you don't already know what happens it risks being confusing.

I think it could be easily be solved by having the auctioneer add a couple of lines when talking about the accident to make clearer that's what we are looking at and helping people who have never seen the show before connect the dots. It is a cool scene though! This is where the rotating stage-in-the-stage is used for the first time, and you get to see Buquet laughing maniacally while holding the fake lasso, dangling from a metal stair on the "back" of the stage.

HANNIBAL

We transition into the Hannibal rehearsals! I liked the ensemble costumes, they did remind me of actual early '900 opera costumes and the teal+gold combo is nice. Also, a couple of the soldier extras were ensemble actors wearing their regular suits with capes, fake armour and helmets on top of it, I loved it because sometimes rehearsals are just like that!

Image credit, via cdaae

Anna Corvino is a delightful Carlotta, her fake Italian accent is a delight and I loved how she incorporated some stilted acting that is very typical of early '900 Italian opera. It's a small detail but a very nice bonus for opera aficionados. You could really feel her exasperation when the background drop accident happened, overall she felt arrogant but not as entitled as other actresses I've seen in the role.

Piangi (Gian Luca Pasolini) arrives on a litter and stomps on a ballet girl (who understandably yelped loudly) when dismounting, I liked this detail to show he's a bit clumsy. The litter is also used instead of the elephant at the end, with Pinagi getting on it and the bottom giving out comically. Piangi was also suitably snarky towards Reyer in the Rome/Roma bit, and he did say "Amateurs!" while leaving with Carlotta.

Monsieur Lefèvre was dressed in a snazzy cream suit and he was quite funny, his anxiousness in leaving the theatre behind was palpable from the beginning and the little pause before changing topic when André and Firmin ask him why he's leaving was perfectly timed.

Ear Carpenter is clearly having the time of his life as André, and Ian Mowat is a suitably snarky Firmin with a likeable practical, no-nonsense attitude.

A special note for Rober Ediogu, the male dancer in this production: the scene was a bit cramped, but his grace and elegance are absolutely undeniable and he really gave the vibes of a consummate professional who has Seen Things while working at the Opera.

When Meg (Zoe Nochi) suggests Christine (Amelia Milo) for the main role, she physically pushes Christine to centre stage rather forcefully! Megstine fans will be happy to know this Meg is definitely the proud founder of the "Christine is awesome" fan club.

I agree that the Elissa costume could use a bit more oomph, but it was not bad at all. I think adding some vertical decoration to the skirt in a dark gold tone or big fake jewels would elevate it without making it feel too busy, but under stage lights it looks sufficiently nice and the teal fabric has a lovely shine to it that doesn't feel cheap.

An interesting change is that Reyer does not appear! You hear him speaking from a small orchestra pit on stage, and the actors are similarly looking at it, but he's not seen so you have this extremely annoyed voice coming from the depths of the stage.

THINK OF ME

If you were wondering if Amelia Milo can sing: yes she does, and quite well! In this song it's noticeable that her upper register could use being a bit stronger, but she's still quite young and I trust her voice will mature beautifully, Right now it has a very light, airy quality to it, very angelic. She can and does put more force behind it when needed later in the musical, but I think it suits this song beautifully. You really get why she gets to be a replacement on the spot!

The rotating stage is used again, this time with better lighting, and we get our boy Raoul (Bradley Jaden) being adorable and fangirling over Christine. For those interested in the brava/bravi discussion, Bradley says "Brava".

I don't have much more to say about this scene, I admit it isn't one of my favourites so I tend to get a bit distracted and just listen to the song.

Image credit, via cdaae

ANGEL OF MUSIC

Christine's room is extremely essential: one of the short sides of the rotating stage has been decorated with wallpaper and the mirror, hanging above Christine's vanity and chair. It is very simple but it works and the vanity has a nice lived-in feel to it. Christine has a nice white nightgown that looks similar to the original one, probably in plainer fabric but I wasn't close enough to notice. It's white, it has flounces, it's pretty, so close enough for me!

This is a very Megstine moment, they stand very close and touch a lot and Meg sounds genuinely worried but also happy for her friend. The vocals were very nice and I think Amelia really nails the hypnotized/transfixed aspect of Christine towards the Angel/Phantom, she had some great expression in this song.

Image credit, via cdaae

There is no Madame Giry (Alice Mistroni) rebuking the dancers for being sloppy before this scene, so when she comes to pick up Meg it feels more as if she's purposefully making it so Christine is alone. Meg leaves quite upset, stomping her feet and yelling "Rehearsals, rehearsals, ALWAYS REHEARSALS!" which I found quite funny.

LITTLE LOTTE

No managers bit, Raoul just arrives while Christine is reading. It took me a while to warm up to Bradley's Raoul but I ended up liking him a lot! He's going for a more adult portrayal, still enthusiastic and loving but a bit more level-headed. In this scene he's clearly leaning more into the enthusiastic side and it's a very nice and sweet interaction.

It is very clear that the memories he has with Christine are very dear to him. In this production it's Raoul who says "Those picnics in the attic" and he had a super tender, fond expression that was just the best. Just a very sweet scene overall, I really enjoyed it.

THE MIRROR

Oh boy, I loved this part! Christine had a suitable mix of awe and fear, the Phantom sounded extremely angry, almost growling "My triumph", and then becoming soothing and welcoming after seeing Christine's scared reaction.

Do you remember how the mirror is ABOVE Christine's vanity? It means that when the Phantom appears, he is literally towering over her (especially since Christine is kneeling on the floor), it makes for a very imposing entrance! The mirror is a bit opaque so when it comes up and suddenly you see the bright red of the cloak's lining it is a very nice effect. Christine has to climb on the chair and table to reach the Phantom, and then they disappear in the darkness, almost engulfed by it. It was all very pretty to watch and made for a great first impression of the Phantom.

Image credit, via cdaae

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Ok, onto the bad part. Unfortunately, they didn't find a way to give something to do to the characters in this scene. The scene is quite dark, they cross the stage, then get out of a door and cross it again, disappear for a bit and reappear on a box on the upper level of the fake stage and sing there for a while, then a catwalk is lowered and they walk on it, then a very short boat ride. No candles, they used a holographic fake flame effect for the boat ride that resembled will-o'-the-wisp fires burning just on the "surface", and while I liked the idea it could be implemented better.

They definitely have to find a way to make this feel more like a descent into a dungeon, cave, whatever, and better effects to transmit the otherworldliness that Christine perceives. As it is now, it just doesn't work.

ETA: I forgot to mention, a lot of folks remarked how this song sounds played faster than usual. I suspect it might be because as I said they don't really know how to keep the actors busy, so shaving off 20 seconds or so is good for them. This is just a guess, though.

THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

This has a lot of issues, too. The set is pretty sparse: the boat on the left, the pipe organ at the centre, and the Phantom's bed on the right, plus a nice background suggesting the passages and mazes that lead to the lair. I think a more gothic-looking bed and a couple more props could complete it nicely, but not too bad.

Unfortunately, once again they have to find stuff to do for the actors. The piece starts with the Phantom sitting at the organ and Christine standing a bit far away, looking at him. This isn't bad per se, it gives you the impression that Christine is trying to get a feel for the situation and what's going on and it makes sense, but... it goes on for too long. It becomes boring, the worst crime for a musical.

FINALLY he gets up and Christine starts getting nearer, they kinda circle each other and then the Phantom blows a candle in Christine's face after "Only then can you belong to me" and suddenly we're back to a more traditional choreography with the classical embrace pose. I really don't like it because it's pretty clear from watching that the candle blowing makes Christine suddenly change her attitude and behaviour and... it makes me think of a roofie, sorry. She's suddenly less scared, more agreeable, and at the end she loses consciousness. Nope nope NOPE.

On the good side, when Christine faints we get the catch and carry! All that crossfit Ramin is doing paid out! The Phantom gently lays Christine on the bed and covers her with her cloak, despite the unfortunate implications of what happens just before it is a sweet moment.

In general, Ramin played the Phantom as very gentle in this scene, you get the feeling of a genuine care and not wanting to scare Christine (magid drug candle apart). It reminded me a bit of the book, where the Phantom kidnaps Christine with the idea of having her spend a month or so with her, and then when she's got to know him reveal her his face because by then she knows him as a person and he hopes she'll stay by her own will.

Despite the issues, this scene got a BIG applause because Ramin did display an awesome vocal control, since his voice is on the warmer side I think it's a song that suits him a lot.

I REMEMBER/STRANGER THAN YOU DREAMT IT

In this version, the Phantom is aware of Christine being there and he lets her touch him, which makes the unmasking feel even more as a betrayal of sorts.

There is no Mandarin robe and no crawl, but the scene is suitably pathetic nonetheless. The Phantom is angry at the beginning, but it quickly turns more into a kind of sad resignation. I was really hit by the delivery of "now you cannot ever be free", it didn't sound like a threat but more like a sad realization that Christine has sealed her fate and thing will not go the way the Phantom hoped for. Immediately after that, the pleading in "fear can turn to love" is honestly heartbreaking. You get the feeling that he's trying to reach Christine, to make her understand, through the pain he's feeling.

At one point Christine falls on the floor, petrified, and scuttles away when the Phantom tries to get nearer, she does keep her distance a bit longer than I expected but then when the Phantom crumples on the floor she gets closer and tries to return the mask. the Phantom turns towards her, reaching out, but at the last moment turns away saying "No", and then gets the mask back while looking away from Christine.

The "come, we must return" bit is softer than I expected, too. He's clearly upset but tries not to show it and does not manhandle Christine, guiding her offstage gently.

Very pathetic, lots of self-loathing, 8.5/10 but only because there's no crawl, otherwise it'd be a solid 9 despite the staging.

MAGICAL LASSO

Man, this Buquet (Matt Bond) is unhinged! He clearly loves scaring the dancers, he has a WONDERFUL manic laugh. Madame Giry is her usual scary, ominous self. I did not mention it yet, but one of the high points of this production is the lightning. They use it quite effectively, especially to set the mood, and in this scene it was fantastically gothic and doomy. It's a short scene but it worked well to remind us that we are in a story with gothic elements, people will die, etc.

NOTES I/PRIMA DONNA

The rotating stage is slightly ajar, so you can see Meg finding a noose in box 5 (which in this production is at ground level) and playing with it during the scene before joining the others for her part. This means that a part of the stage is occupied by the fake stage, so unfortunately there's less space for the actors to move around.

This is just a minor quibble, everyone is very good in this scene with the usual amount of funny moments, over-the-top reactions, Raoul not understanding a thing, etc., Piangi was very supportive of Carlotta, Anna Corvino hits some very nice notes, the usual.

Carlotta's dress was way less snazzy than the original productions, but it did look nice (a dark-ish green with very dark velvet trimming) and fit well, also the train did take up a lot of space which fits the character and her large ego.

I loved that when André says "your public needs you" there is a longer beat than usual with Firmin saying nothing, then Carlotta turns towards him with a "weeell?" expression, and only then does Firmin rushedly say "we need you, too" with ZERO emotion, it was great! He was so DONE.

I also loved how they ended it: everyone went on the stage while it was slowly turning towards the public, ending up in the usual line facing the public and with the stage lights completely open, giving the impression they all really just stepped on the Opera's stage. It worked very well and did give me a beautiful moment of immersion and a reminder that the Opera, too is a character of sorts.

IL MUTO

I liked the staging! Overall it's slightly over the top, and the dresses are less glitzy, but the Rococò meringue-like look is still there and it works well. There is no bed but some decadent couches and ottomans instead, the background is on fabric with a big window showing a balcony and a nice garden. When the husband fakes his leave, he gets out of the door and behind the background where the window is, and then they change the lighting so it looks like he's standing on the balcony. It's simple but it adds some nice physical depth to the scene.

They do take a page from the movie here: when the performance gets interrupted by the Phantom Carlotta calls for her seamstress (with a super loud "SARTAAAAH!" we all enjoyed), who appears with a big perfume-like glass bottle and sprays Carlotta in the mouth, then everything resumes. Instead of croaking, Carlotta is more gasping for air as if her voice isn't coming out at all.

You can see the managers sitting in their box (there's no madame Firmin here) and André enjoying a nice bottle of wine, when Carlotta runs away in shame he jumps on the stage and does his bit as if tipsy and not 100% "there". I can see why Earl wanted to play the role, he's clearly suited to slapstick comedy and enjoying every moment of it!

So, André jumps in without a plan but knowing he has to do something, then he turns and sees they have a full house.. and no Countess... He manages to salvage the situation, mostly thanks to Firming feeding him suggestions from the box (I could clearly see him mouthing "ballet ballet BALLET!"), there's the usual ensuing confusion and then the male dancer LIFTS André to move him out of the way, while he's looking completely and utterly lost. It's great.

The dancers are not wearing separate outfits, just the "standard" white tutus. This is a clever way to have one less set of costumes to make, since they have moved up the ballet all of a sudden it makes sense for the dancer to not have changed yet, they probably were doing warmups and the like.

Instead of the Phantom shadows, we get the Phantom swinging wildly twice from one side of the stage to the other while laughing maniacally. It does work, because the third time it's the hanged Buquet that swings in instead, so when you see the rope for the third time your brain needs a second to register that this time something's different. My only complaint is that Ramin is clearly having a lot of fun and so his laugh isn't the most menacing xD

The scene ends the usual way, with more confusion, screams, Firmin trying to calm down the audience, and Christine and Raoul escaping to the roof.

WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT ME HERE?

For this scene a walkway gets lowered to represent the roof, you can see the beams below which is nice. The background is a bit too dark and you can't really see it clearly, I think it's meant to show a dark night sky and the Paris skyline but it really is too dark to see what it should be, which makes it hard to understand they're on the roof. I hope they change it because it's the one blemish in an otherwise really nice scene. Christine has no special dress or cape for this scene, if I remember correctly she's wearing her Il Muto clothes + the nightgown but the rooftop scene had a lot of more interesting stuff to notice so I might be wrong.

Amelia really makes you feel how what just happened plus the kidnapping plus the revelation that her Angel of Music is a murderous weirdo is hitting Christine like a ton of bricks. She sounds so anguished at times! But luckily Raoul is there to help, which leads us to...

ALL I ASK OF YOU

Ok so, this is where this production starts to REALLY diverge character-wise. Are you ready? (Trigger warning: discussion of suicide, and mention of depression, if this might upset you please skip to the next song)

So, this song is no longer a lovey-dovey 4-minute long "I love you!" "I love you more!". It's Raoul talking Christine down from attempting suicide by jumping off the rooftop.

During the previous number, Christine grows more and more distressed, especially after hearing the Pahntom's "Christine", and she ends up at the very edge of the roof, clearly debating if it'd be better to jump. Why? you might be wondering. My theory is a mix of her getting depressed after her father's death and now having that final connection to her father severed, plus feeling responsible for Buquet's death. I did come out of this musical thinking that, the way it is in this production, the Phantom works excellently as a physical representation of Christine's depression. More about that later.

Raoul notices what's going on and backs off a little, giving Christine space. He sits on the edge of the roof, still giving her space but within arm's reach. Meanwhile, Christine has barely moved. She's standing on the edge, her shoulders hunched, hugging herself spasmodically, her hands white, her face turned down looking at her feet, or maybe at the pavement many, many floors below.

And Raoul starts the song, but now it hits differently. This time he's telling a girl feeling alone, depressed and suicidal that he'll be there for her, that he'll do what he can to make her feel safe, that he'll turn away the darkness. Not just the Phantom's darkness, but depression, too. He's seeing her at her lowest and saying "I still care for you, I still love you". Especially since at this point Raoul isn't really sold on the whole "the Phantom of the opera is real" thing, so from his point of view the real issue is Christine's depression, not a magical man in a cape.

And this gets through to Christine, and slowly, timidly, she starts to answer. "Turn my head with talk of summertime", she asks. Show me that there is a future filled with light instead of darkness for me, that I can get better, that I can live without this fear. Tell me that your promises are true, tell me that you'll stay at my side even when things get difficult and ugly, like now.

Yeah, it really got to me. This song is when I forgave this production (almost) everything.

When Christine starts singing, she's still completely still. She really looks like a statue, it's impressive the amount of anguish and desperation she projects by just being so still as if rooted in place, closed off to the world. Then, she slooowly starts to break her pose, first by looking at Raoul, who extends her a hand and... after a few seconds, she takes it and goes to sit beside him. She gets more animated as the song progresses, they hug, then the big kiss at the end.

I just realized as I was writing, this scene parallels Christine giving the Phantom his mask back, even the positions of the one offering help (Christine/Raoul) are the same as the one who has to accept it (the Phantom/Christine). It might be a coincidence, but I hope not because it would be beautiful. Where the Phantom rejects Christine's hand and help at first and accepts only to get up, close off completely and be separated from Christine, here Christine is much happier to receive help and this then leads to her and Raoul getting closer both physically and emotionally.

So everything's well, they lived happily ever after, etc., right? Right?

ALL I ASK OF YOU (REPRISE)

Ah, yes, the Phantom's turn to break our hearts.

The rooftop raises, revealing that just below where Christine and Raoul had their loving moment there's the chandelier... and the Phantom upon it. As he's singing he gets down from it, stumbles among the rooftop beams, and finally collapses on the floor holding his head in his hands when Christine and Raoul's happy voices echo in the distance. It's a very nice Phantom's breakdown, very vulnerable despite him having just killed a person. It really makes you feel sorry for him despite the situation (of his own making) he's in.

He then gets back to the chandelier, the roof rises again and the chandelier with it, the chandelier catches fire (well, not actual fire, it's a nice red smoke effect), the lightning changes to a nightmarish red, and you suddenly realize that there are red LEDs all around the stage's frame that are lighting up and making everything even more oppressive and quite infernal. The Phantom saws away at the chandelier's rope, until it comes crashing down.

Yes, the crash is less impressive than in the original. Yes, it's less clear exactly what is happening (I mean, that it's falling down on the Il Muto's bows). It's still a nice effect, the chandelier swings down towards the orchestra while the lights go on and off. If you've never seen the original, I think it can still make an impression.

I also think that this is less of a focal point for this production. For me, at least, AIAOY stole the show and in general, the emotional twists and developments were the real star of the show. It feels more like the chandelier's crash is there because it has to be, both for plot and marketing reasons.

Overall, the first act started a bit rocky, the two "big" songs have some major issues that need to be addressed, but once they got the characters going it picked up steam quickly. At intermission I was already feeling I got my ticket's worth back, to be honest.

I am working on part two, which covers the second act, the actors' performances, and some general/final thoughts. It'll be longer than this one, so I'll need at least a couple more days to finish it.

[rhetoricandlogic]

Projections - S.E. Porter

3.58* average at the time of this posting. Seriously? Are all you 1* and "too long" reviewers o.k. out there?

This book is phenomenal and here's why:

Excellent prose. Flawless and consistent and precise. Even Rothfuss might take note of this. Consider this: Catherine writes in that ~1850 AD style until the very end while Gus's whole dialogues age a little and always keep with time in unworld. The Angus change with the number of their appearance and the last is contemporary. This is true master-level skill at work here.

Genre-nonconformity between fantasy, horror, magical realism and historical fiction without drifting off into fixation on technicalities like magical systems or Lovecraftian details. Porter uses historical fiction to highlight her topics, e.g. the Spiritualist movement as an example to female-led movements (and derided by men, same as the feminist movement) and the magic at its most concentrated is just a currency inviting a magical capitalism (led by men). Which brings me to

Characters: Gus is the embodiment of male toxicity rising to an extent where his delusions are clear symptoms of a severe mental illness and yet - if we look around today amongst our politicians and industry giants and their behaviours; the similarities are depressing. Gus, the character might be dealt with in the book, but all the Gusses out there continue to thrive. Catherine starts out as an atypical female of her time, interested in science, knowledge, beauty and deep analyses of her thoughts/surroundings and cause/effect studies. She's everything that humans as species can and should be, flaws included. Angus, the 2.5th character in all his iterations symbolizes that change without previous inflection and deeper understanding is just cosmetics. All these characters are exquisitely developed. None of them "grow" which is precisely one of the points this novel tries to make.

The worldbuilding is so, so poetic. We get descriptions of the unworld that emphasize the beauty we so often neglect to see, particularly the beauty in small things and other humans. Nautilus is a world full of whimsy and sorcerers living their fantasies to the utmost by being/designing fantastical creatures and structures of nacre, lapislazuli and living fish.

The topics of this book are many and some of them are deeply developed, most prominently feminism - the many horrors created by the patriarchy and male dominance throughout history (and still ongoing) and the women's rage at being mistreated or overlooked springs lividly from the page - or rather: Catherine's pencil and swoops the reader along without being patronizing or condescending.

TL;DR this book is a masterpiece, go read it.

[duochromium]

quick start ranting about ai-generated fanfics

extremely funny but absolutely should not be posted if made entirely by ai because nobody wants to read that

but stuff like “every other paragraph of this story is ai generated” is fun for the reader and writer so i fully endorse posting shit like that

ai is also pretty helpful just as a writing assistant. how do i word this sentence more coherently? how do i make this premise more engaging? how do i describe this thing more simply? the majority of my fanfics have had some sort of ai influence for like, 1 sentence

ai is also great for researching when you need info for a fanfic. like when i’m doing setting i often ask chatgpt about my options

fully ai generated fanfics are funny to send to your friends though. i’m sure you remember “Remillia Scarlet Verifies Bloodbath” that you did a reading of while i was playing celeste in vc

not to mention chatgpt has such a soulless and generic writing style with absolutely zero significant detail which makes everything so much funnier because it’s so machinelike. and it just gets stuff wrong a lot of the time

i think the convenience makes it fun to do with friends too. hey chatgpt write me a fanfic about hecatia lapislazuli and junko arguing over who gets custody of clownpiece. make it really serious and sad also include dialogue

Hecatia Lapislazuli and Junko found themselves in a dimly lit celestial courtroom, the weight of their cosmic responsibilities pressing upon them. At the center of the room stood Clownpiece, a radiant being caught in the crossfire of their dispute.

Hecatia, her voice stern yet tinged with sorrow, declared, "Clownpiece deserves a realm of laughter and whimsy. Gensokyo is the perfect place for her, where joy intertwines with the fantastical."

Junko, her eyes flashing with determination, countered, "No, Clownpiece belongs to the Lunar Capital. There, she can embody the purity of the moon, untouched by earthly chaos. It's her true celestial destiny."

Clownpiece, caught between these powerful entities, looked down with a heavy heart. "I just want to make people smile. I never meant for this to happen," she whispered, her voice a fragile melody.

As the argument escalated, the once jovial atmosphere of Gensokyo grew somber. Hecatia's gaze softened as she spoke, "Junko, can't we find a compromise? Share custody and let Clownpiece experience both realms, a bridge between joy and serenity."

Junko hesitated, but a flicker of agreement crossed her face. "Very well, Hecatia. But Gensokyo must respect the Lunar Capital's influence on her upbringing."

The celestial beings reached an uneasy accord, and Clownpiece, though torn, felt a glimmer of hope. As she floated between realms, the cosmic dispute left a lingering sorrow, a reminder of the sacrifices made for her uncertain destiny.

[santoschristos]

" THE CITY OF ERKS "

(Written by Sarhuma. )

"Visiting Erks, I've met the Time Machine, where data of Self-Convoys is processed." I've asked questions about myself and the answers were about my past lives, so I could remember the existences in every era or civilization in which I've lived. It was really a great exciting experience to know about my past stocks. I was also given answers about my Mission in the Future.

I have been able to see my physical appearance in every life, and noticed that what is preserved in every life is a Triangle from the eyes to the mouth, which never seems to change. I was a Disciple, Teacher, Teacher, but I always kept my character.

According to reports from the Time Machine, I traveled across the Universes and taught what I had learned in the various Civilizations in which I lived fully. My knowledge was due to my Teachers, who did not belong to my reality, they had more developed cultures than mine and their Creeds were different from mine.

Out of curiosity, I asked how did my deaths go? Some were violent, some were natural, some still full of criticism, but in each I completed my Mission. All these news about me, seemed like some sort of Ancient and Contemporary Legend at the same time. The Time Machine had detailed information about every individual on Earth.

After this experience I was led to the Presence of the Major Authority of ERKS. With other Beings we set off in a kind of open amphibious vehicle, guided by three Beings, we grooved a large emerald green lake, on the shores you could see a large movement of people I noticed that the buildings were of Lapislazuli, and you could also see large disc-shaped ships.

We finally arrived at a three-storey building, we went down a kind of ramp and we were introduced into a well-decorated compound, I admired the furniture of perfect beauty, we entered and were greeted by The Greater Authority of the Blue Flame. After the presentations and greetings, we talked about the trip and I expressed my gratitude for the welcome in this magnificent city. The High Priest of the Blue Flame informed us that ERKS was built after the Coming of the Sons of the Blue Flames. It is underground and at the same time Dinensional and communicates with other Cities located in mountains and the Cordillera through tunnels, where with a particular system Vehicles travel at great speed.

Some of these communications are like a network of tunnels that connect the Andes del Peru, with Lake Titicaca, the Andes de Mendoza, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, etc... I was referred to that the Blue City, has under its jurisprudence the City of Talampaya, La Rioja and Catamarca and the latter is known as "HUYHUMI"

Explanations continued regarding the Children of the Golden Flame, whose location is in the depths of Lake Titicaca with jurisdiction in Bolivian, Peruvian and Argentine lands. The Golden City is built inside the Central and Eastern Range of Peru and Bolivia. Their buildings are made of transparent material that emits Golden Light.

will continue

M. KUTHUMA FROM ERKS WITH LOVE AND LIGHT. .!

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Message Source:

Kuthuma of ERKS posted by Alfredo Di Prinzio