#my takeaway from this is that Peter

[droughtofapathy]

I had commentary on this shoot, and then I saw Bernadette wearing her glasses so all the coherence is gone.

[somfte-on-main-and-mizzen]

In the mid-19th century, socialism and communism were largely synonymous, and as often as not they referred to the dream of a future without all the institutions at the service of bankers, landlords, and factory owners; a future without the State. Since Marxism crowded out the utopian variations of socialism, however, the term has come to refer to the authoritarian shift in the international anticapitalist movement.

[...] This brings us to their primary weaknesses, which, ironically, are also interrelated and also connected to their class and subjective relationships to the workers’ movements that they did more to weaken and destroy than the police agencies of most contemporary governments.

All of their hypotheses about causation and order—where these oppressions come from, how they will change, how to change them—are worse than trash. They are either phrased in a way that is pseudo-scientific and untestable, which helps explain why Marxism has held increasing appeal among leftwing cults the more Marxist experiments proved to be real life failures (cults thrive on pseudo-sciences). Or, their affirmations about the future of capitalism and how to change it that were phrased in a falsifiable, testable way have all proven dreadfully wrong. Exactly as their anarchist contemporaries predicted.

[...] Many of us, perhaps most of us, will not get another chance for a revolution, for creating a world meant for life and not for the extraction of profit and power. We had a real shot a century ago, and we blew it. Since then, the hour has grown very late. Despite this, or likely intoxicated by the sense of urgency, many of us have forgotten our history and are turning again to the false promises of the State, in the forms of progressive, charismatic politicians, ecosocialism or eco-Leninism, the Trotskyist or Stalinist sects that have begun proliferating again, or the crypto-authoritarianism of the latest new cult of grad students who think they know better."

[...] It’s not too late, though. To recover our memory of generations of struggle. To learn from our recent setbacks. To discover ways to help as many of us as possible to survive the inferno that capitalism has become. The State is a machine for controlling and exploiting a society. It has no other function, any more than a car can grow strawberries or make milkshakes.

But communities of living beings acting in solidarity? No one is better positioned to define survival and to achieve it. Survival, and life, and joy, and healing.

[britneyshakespeare]

brian protheroe is really handsome

[thollandneedy]

Bet- Peter Parker

A/n: I discovered i have a thing for men who plays pool...

Warnings: Mentions of sex, make-out, description of sexual thoughts, sexual tension and one swear word

Summary: A boring evening turns into a hot situation when Peter and Y/n decide to play pool together

Don’t forget to share, like, comment and leave your ideas here

Bellah’s Masterlist 🪻

Y/n L/N and Peter Parker could be considered inseparable, since they did everything together, whether it was going to school on the subway or even waiting for each other in the bathroom door so as not to miss anything when they were together. As fate would have it, the two of them had been accepted at the same college and attended it together, even though they had different degrees.

On a late Saturday night, a weekend when all the students were exhausted from the week of exams, Peter and Y/n needed a break.

The girl was in the passenger seat, while Peter drove around the university town just to pass the time. They were both enjoying the sound of Tame Impala playing on Peter's playlist, until Y/n hit the car stereo, announcing:

“I'm getting bored” Y/n complaints, turning down the sound.

Peter glances at her briefly, returning his gaze to the street wet from the afternoon's rain.

“What do you want to do?” He asks.

“We can do something that doesn't cost a lot of money. My salary isn't due until next week, and I've got flies coming out of my wallet.” Y/n says.

“If you didn't spend half your money on takeaways and Starbucks, you might be able to afford to go out at the end of the month.” Peter points out, causing the girl wearing a navy blue sweatshirt to grumble.

“I can't cook, Peter! And Starbucks is literally on campus, so it's almost a daily temptation not to stop by.”

“I told you, I'll teach you how to cook so you can spend less money.” The brunette in the light gray sweater says. “Can we go to a bar and drink beer and play pool, maybe?”

“I thought you didn't like beer.” Y/n tilts his head to the side, tucking his hair behind one of his ears.

“I don't.” Peter smiles, drawing a low laugh from the girl. “There's a bar near here, we can go there. You buy the tokens, and I'll get us something to drink or eat.”

“You don't have to pay for our outings, Pete.”

“One large fry and two juices won't affect my salary, babes.” Peter says, turning his eyes to the street as Y/n feels her heart pounding.

It wasn't long ago that Y/n and Peter had a strange sexual tension between them, sometimes making the air seem to get lost in their noses when they were too close. They had never kissed or touched in a sexual way, but there were a few looks they shared that could be considered pure sex. Neither of them had the courage to comment on it, but they both felt the same way. Perhaps it was the fear of losing a friend, or their own shame that stopped them, even though they were very intimate.

“Give me the smaller cue.” Y/n says, leaning his hip on the pool table and pointing to a wooden pedestal containing the cues used for the game.

“You'd better take the bigger one.” Peter comments, placing the chip in the hole in the table, releasing the colored balls that would be used.

“I feel like I'm not accurate with big cues.” Y/n comments, turning to the brunette who is arranging the balls on the green table, walking over to the wooden pedestal, picking up the smaller cue and handing it to the girl.

Peter takes the larger cue, positioning himself in the center of the table. The cue touches the floor, and Peter looks at Y/n, who was busy watching the movement of the university establishment.

“Do you want to go first?” Parker points with his head to the colored balls positioned and the white ball a few centimeters away so that he can hit them.

“You better. We've never played this together.” Y/n gives the pass to the brunette.

“I used to play with Ned sometimes.” Peter holds the base of the bat, switching positions with the girl and positioning the bat towards the cue ball.

“How good are you?” The girl leaned her weight on the bat in her hands.

Peter smiled sideways, his focus on the small ball in front of him, gripping the cue tightly as the muscles in his arm flexed. His chest was flat against the table, moving the thin end of the cue between his index and middle finger, almost pornographically hitting the cue ball hard while all the others positioned in a triangle shape scattered to all sides of the table. One of the balls landed squarely on one of the mouths of the table, making a loud noise.

Y/n watched him without being able to focus on which number he had hit to start the game, as his mind began to fantasize about a million situations that he had never thought of even in secret in his room. Perhaps it was because of the warm lighting in the room, the low music and the increase in libido from the stress of the week, which for some reason tended to increase when she was stressed about something, but that image made her lose herself.

As soon as Peter hit the ball he smiled to himself, saying:

“I think that might answer your question.”

Y/n shakes her head quickly, coming back to the reality of the game. Peter tilted his head to the side, lowering his gaze so that he could understand what his distraction was.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes, of course. Super.” The girl smiles.

“My number's even.” He announced, moving to the other side of the table so that he could once again look for the next ball he was going to hit.

One of her curls was delicately trailing down her forehead, while her innocent eyes had turned into heavy, dark ones.

Y/n bit his lower lip, lowering his eyes to his hands, which had their veins marked when they were exposed to the light. Maybe it was wrong to think that about her best friend, but she couldn't get her fantasies out of her head, as if looking at him was a horny magnet. Imagining that those same hands could be holding her neck while he looked at her to kiss her, or thinking about how those strong arms would hold her body while he was on top of her.

Once again the same sound of the ball falling into her mouth is heard by the girl.

“It's a good thing we didn't bet anything, because I'd lose.” Y/n comments as he celebrates the ball hit to him.

“And if we were betting on something, what would it be?” Peter looks at her.

“I-I… I don't know.” The girl feels that for a second her words are lost.

“Are you really all right?” Parker slowly walks towards her with a confused smile.

“Just… you play well.” Y/n says, smiling at the boy who returns the smile, then looks down.

Passing behind the girl, he puts one of his hands on the woman's waist, coming close to her ear and saying:

“Don't be intimidated, darling.” His fingers slide around her waist, letting her go.

Y/n nods, accepting the challenge that had been indirectly imposed by her best friend.

Peter stares at her as he walks towards another move, only to look away to focus on his move, which he misses. The brunette grunts, looking down and then returning to his normal posture.

“Your turn.” He says, gesturing with his arm, a free pass so that Y/n can take her place and finally start her game.

The girl walks over to him, standing next to his warm body as he waits for her to make her move. The girl copied his position, placing the end of the club between her index finger and thumb, throwing her hips backwards as her breasts came close to the table. Peter realizes that your arms are crooked, so he places the club on the table and stands behind you.

His hands are directed towards your arm, placing the palm of his hand on yours, saying:

“Align your arm with your body. It's too far to the side and that will cause the ball to deviate from where you want it to land.”

Y/n takes a deep breath

“You distracting me like that doesn't help me.” She says in an ironic tone, causing him to quickly remove his hands from her in a symbol of surrender.

“Play it then." He says, resting one side of his hip on the table, watching Y/n.

And just as the girl was thinking, Parker's mind didn't leave his thoughts. When he was at school, he didn't consider himself a daring boy to flirt with, but when he entered college, that changed completely, causing the girls on his course to seek him out at parties to exchange numbers. And even with this attention, he only wanted one person. His eyes quickly wandered to Y/n's breasts, which showed through the white tank top she was wearing under her sweatshirt. It was easy to imagine her breasts in his hands, being squeezed with his thumb touching their nipples in a sensual massage, while she moaned his name softly. Or how hot she would look if she were sitting on the table, allowing herself to be touched by Peter's desperate fingers.

Parker took a deep breath, denying his thoughts so that he wouldn't get an erection in the middle of the bar. Focusing on the people around him who were also playing, his mind was distracted until he heard the sound of the ball falling. Y/n celebrated with a satisfied smile, then looked at Peter, trying to show through her gaze that she knew what she was doing. The boy nodded, smiling without showing his teeth.

With every ball hit, the place seemed to get hotter

Every time the ball was hit wrong, the tension grew because of the time they spent together

Every pose was like an invitation to sex

Each smile of success, proof of the tension they shared

And every grunt of frustration, a reference to their pornographic thoughts

Their last ball was hovering over the table, and they didn't even know how they didn't collapse on top of each other intoxicated with desire. Peter's fingers were anxiously tapping against the table, while his best friend's lips were red from biting them to try and hold back any kind of comment.

“Last ball. Do you want to bet something?” Y/n caught the brunette's eye as he mentally planned his move.

“What did you have in mind?” Peter replied, glancing sideways at her.

They only knew what was going on by looking at each other

The same look they shared when they were alone and too close together

Y/n lowered her gaze to Peter's lips and then said:

“If you get it right, you owe me a kiss.” She plucks up the courage to say it.

Y/n feels that her legs could lose their strength in that place, but decides to use her bolder side, waiting for an answer from the brunette, who puts his bat away on the wooden pedestal, then returns to the table. The girl looks at him confused and frightened, thinking that it might not have been a good idea to flirt with him in those conditions, but is taken aback when he picks up the ball that was missing and throws it straight into the mouth of the table. Y/n nods her head and gives him a snort of laughter as he walks back to her once more.

“I think I've got it.” He says, pulling her by the crotch of her jeans, causing their already panting bodies to touch.

“You cheated.” She says, releasing the bat from his hands as he puts it on the table.

“Are you really going to complain?” Peter asks.

“No.” Y/n says, pulling hard on the back of his neck so that her lust-intoxicated lips can satisfy his.

Peter's lips meet hers, allowing no time for them to enjoy themselves, as the girl's tongue quickly finds his. Their heads move in sync, not even paying attention to the drunken veterans talking loudly, or those at the tables next to them. Peter feels that staying in his pants is becoming a difficult job, while Y/n realizes that her hands are tingling to get down his body. The brunette's strong hand squeezes her waist, causing her hot core to contract and a small moan to escape her lips. Peter turns her around, placing her back against the pool table as a support so that the kiss can go deeper. One of his hands found the back of her hair, pulling it slightly so that she could look at him.

Their bodies breathed in the same sync, and their hearts beat with the same intensity.

“Tell me what you want and I'll give it to you.” Peter says against the girl's ear.

Y/n squeezed Parker's exposed muscles, which felt like they were going to burst through his shirt.

“You. I want you.” Y/n asks, holding his head as he answers in her ear.

“Tell me exactly what you want, Y/n” Peter squeezed his waist, pulling him even closer to him, making it possible to feel how aroused he was in his dark wash jeans.

“Peter Parker, if you don't take me back to your dorm right now and fuck me with all the fucking strength you've got, I swear I'm going to finish this here on my own” Y/n loses control of his words, which have been taken over by his excitement.

Peter turns away abruptly, picks up his jacket from one of the chairs near the table, puts it in his hands and says:

“Let's get out of here then.”

[ebp-brain]

a remus/sirius ficlet for new year's!

happy new year, everyone! I hope to write more fic this year so I'm starting today. -ebp

Remus Lupin's New Year's Resolutions, 1/1/1979

1. Get out of the flat more often. Go for a walk at least once/day.

2. Less takeaway. Soup is easy; make soup.

3. Buy the good chocolate sometimes. You can afford it if it’s just once in awhile.

4. Tell friends more things more often. Ask for more of what you need. They won’t hate you for it. You should know this by now.

Tell James it bothers you when he suggests solutions to your problems that require tremendous amounts of inherited wealth (e.g. buy house instead of renting shitty flat).

Tell Peter to stick up for himself esp. re: not liking spicy food???

Tell Sirius that

5. Stop feeling bad about your feelings.

6. THOUGHTS DO NOT MAKE YOU BAD.

Even those ones.

7. Let yourself at least express your thoughts to yourself.

Admit that you

Fuck

8. Ask for small raise at work + call in sick if needed after full moons.

9. Maybe you could write him a letter. Not to send (actually you should send it but let’s say you won’t so you actually write it). Just say that you’re sorry but you have feelings for him and you know that this is probably awkward but you’ll get over it like he got over James fifth year and it’ll be fine and normal once you’ve admitted it to him!

Tell him not to get a big head about it. Yeah, yeah, everyone wants him, sure, but they don’t know he’s a complete MESS they just know he has good HAIR and a kissable MOUTH

So what does it say about me that I do know he’s a mess and I still want him?

10. Maybe less self-analysis this year. Maybe more risk taking.

Addendum from SB 1/31/79: Remus, you’re adorable. Sorry to read your super secret New Year’s resolutions but I got bored while you were in the shower and poked around your desk and they were just lying out under a big stack of notebooks and library books and blank rolls of parchment so I couldn’t help seeing them. Glad you followed resolution number 10 or you’d have suffered the tragedy of missing out on my KISSABLE MOUTH and GOOD HAIR. Also, I’m going to buy you a whole box of the good chocolate and you can’t stop me!!

UPDATE: now with a companion ficlet

[chaoticbug]

Part of my job for the last 9 months was analyzing far right content to understand how they push conspiracy theories and motivate their voters and I have one major takeaway.

By eroding the trust in news media and journalists, Trump created what was essentially an alternate reality of people where extremists created their own "news media" filled with right wing ideology as the "only trusted news source"

If you thought Fox News was bad, you have never had to bear witness the awfulness of Real America's Voice or One America News. These are places where I swear to god a daily part of their news show is to sell you "medical emergency kits" with ivermectin in it because "you never know when the next medical emergency will happen" implying that the government will intentionally try and poison it's citizens if they have proper health insurance. They say the FBI is lying to you about crime statistics, they tell you every crime is being committed by illegal immigrants. They lie about the economy and tell you to invest in gold if you want have any money in the future. They say constantly that Trump's trials were a conspiracy against rights against him to be used as way to start to round up anyone who supports him.

The amount of times that Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro would claim that they "went to prison so you didn't have to" was immeasurable. These people committed crimes and were held accountable and twisted it to say they were victims "protecting the American people"

There are thousands of unhinged right wing podcasts that stream for hours every day on a site called Rumble which I guarantee most of you have never heard of. These shows get hundreds of thousands of views daily. And they legitimize themselves by having sitting congressmen and senators on their shows frequently along with "experts" from right wing policy groups you have never even heard of. Then, they legitimize each other by showing up on each others podcasts.

All this to say is that there are hundreds of thousands of people who only get their news and any information here. These are people who will praise Trump's "they're eating the dogs line" because it was memorable and therefore it means he won the debate. This alternative media market has insulated these people from ever seeing the truth. It is impossible to convince someone of something if they are in the most tightly held echo chamber where all they hear are lies and they are being told anything other than this specific "alternative media" is lying to you.

Simply put, there is no left wing alternative to this. These people live in an alternate reality where the truth has been drowned out. We need to create that left wing alternative to bring truth back

[rigelmejo]

@earlgrey--tea you asked who learned French just by watching TV shows and I'm thrilled you asked.

Here is the paper Peter Llewellyn Foley published: Picking up a second language from television: an autoethnographic L2 simulation of L1 French learning. Looking over the paper again now, he did 1500 hours of audio-visual French material for native speakers. He read toward the end of that period for some hundreds of hours, and he talked to people in French similarly toward the end of that period for some hundreds of hours. I read the whole thing, and I recommend anyone else who's curious reads the whole thing. Because my takeaways may not be the same as another person's. The paper includes what he did, how he studied, how he tracked his study, what study materials worked best (he found children's cartoons with a lot of visuals of what is being talked about were the easiest to learn from in the first few hundred hours - and adult television where they talk about things not directly visually shown as some of the hardest stuff that he used once he had more understanding of the language).

His paper shows at least 1 person could learn French by watching shows (with children's cartoons being best at the beginning stage until you learn more words), and trying to figure out what each thing means as you hear it. He did a lot of puzzling out the sounds he heard, using context and guessing what was being talked about (for curiosity's sake he did the opposite of what ALG Automatic Language Growth articles tend to suggest people do). He did not do any reading later sometime after 1000 hours, and it's fascinating how different he imagined French spelling was based on his guesses from the sound, compared to how it is actually spelled. He did use some graded readers for learners once he was reading.

He did not look any word translations up when watching all those shows. He personally makes the guess that if he HAD looked up words, if he HAD used French subtitles, and if he had focused entirely on children's shows at first, his progress might have taken less time. But his experiment did not do that, so it's only a guess, and actual success of people who've looked up words should be referenced instead for how successful or not it is (people like r/Refold learners look up words while watching shows), and he did not use any video materials made for language learners but my personal thinking is that Comprehensible Input type lessons at the beginning stage may have worked even better than children's cartoons.

To me, his level of understanding and ability to do things lines up fairly well with Dreaming Spanish's roadmap estimated hours to do X things. That makes sense to me as Peter basically studied with stuff made for native speakers, which eventually became more comprehensible. And Dreaming Spanish is designed to be fully comprehensible to a learner, until they can comprehend stuff for native speakers. I imagine Peter had a harder time initially, but as an English speaker learning French, with all the cognates, maybe he didn't have to learn as much to cross the threshold into comprehending children's shows as someone learning a language with no cognates.

I wrote my in depth thoughts about his paper here but it's mostly just rambling.

[mareagirls]

Hi! If you’re ever in the mood to write a sickfic I like this idea.

Peter and reader are on a date, but reader feels nauseous. But, reader doesn’t want to tell Peter because a: they’ve both been super busy lately between Spider-Man duties and college and/or work and b: because even if reader won’t admit it, being vulnerable and being taken care of kind of scares them. But Peter finds out/figured it out and wants to help and fluff ensues.

Anyway, it’s just an idea. No pressure to complete (obvi)! Hope you’re doing well and drinking water! <3

~🥧

 hey pie anon! i hope this is okay and i'm sorry it's months late! I forgot it was in my drafts :')

You realise something is wrong when you’re only a quarter of the way through your pizza and Peter is over half way through his.

You feel sick. Or at the very least least like you might be - nausea brewing uncomfortably in your stomach as you take small bites of your food.

Your boyfriend chats away opposite you, blissfully unaware that you've started to feel queasy, so you plaster a smile on your face and swallow hard. The two of you have been incredibly busy for the past few days between your work and his vigilante duties, and the last thing you want to do is ruin the first peaceful moment you’ve had together. You can tell how much Peter has needed a little normalcy. The thought of ruining it because you’re feeling a little off feels incredibly selfish.

Beyond that, you're not used to letting people take care of you, and though Peter has told you countless times that he likes doing it, you can never quite dislodge uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability that blooms in you whenever he does. Letting yourself be loved, allowing Peter to look after you when you're not feeling too well - they're processes. You've been trying to work on them for a while, but it's difficult. It always has been.

You’re just trying to rub at your chest discreetly when Peter looks up at you from his almost empty plate. 

"Everything okay?" 

"Yes! Yeah, everything is fine." Your reply comes out wobbly and you only realise afterwards that you’ve made too much of an effort to sound alright. You smile at Peter through gritted teeth and try foolishly to convince yourself that if you pretend the nausea doesn't exist, it'll go.

Peter doesn’t look like he believes you for a second.

"Are you sure? Do you not like your pizza?" He pushes his own plate towards you as if it's the easiest thing ever, offering you his last two slices. "Here, baby. We can swap."

The tender easiness in the gesture very nearly makes you want to cry. Peter Parker might just be the loveliest boy you’ve ever known.

"No, Peter it's okay. My pizza is good,” your hands shifts slightly to rub against your abdomen, Peter tracks your movements cautiously. “I'm just kinda full I think.”

Your boy raises an eyebrow at your barely eaten pizza but nods, never one to push you for explanations.

"I'll ask for the bill and a box to take the rest home. We can have the ice cream in the freezer when we get back. How's that sound?"

The thought of ice cream makes you feel queasy, but Peter seems so hopeful and he's looked so tired and sad in the past few days that you cant help but indulge him.

-

Once you’ve gotten the bill and packed your leftover pizza into a takeaway box, Peter takes your hand in his and guides you out of the restaurant.

New York City in the evening is a sensory nightmare, but your nausea does abate slightly thanks to the fresh air. You catch Peter looking down at you and stamp an awkward smile on your face.

"Home?" He squeezes your fingers gently.

Your stomach churns at the thought of having to go so far, but Peter is looking at you like you've hung the moon and the stars - the journey home feels a little more bearable with him by your side.

"Yes please."

"You okay to walk?" 

"I'm fine, Peter. I promise."

"No, you're not, baby. And that's okay, you don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don’t want to. Just let me take care of you."

You sigh, resigned. You don't even know why you tried to hide it from him. Peter can quite literally hear your heartbeat, of course he was going to clock that you're not feeling too well.

Peter keeps his body angled towards yours as the two of you walk, and you soon realise that he's shielding you the best he can from the light around you and all the bodies rushing past. It's a small gesture, one that he might not even realise he's doing, but makes your chest flutter pleasantly

Then, just as you think that maybe the nausea is easing up, another wave of discomfort overwhelms you and you stumble.

Fortunately Peter catches your wrist just before you can do any real damage, balancing your pizza box in his free hand. He helps you back up easily, his fingers a warm pressure on your skin.

"Woah. Hey, hey, sweetheart. Let's just stop for a second, hm?"

You are mortified, and very sorry about how inconvenient you're being but when Peter pulls you to a stop, you oblige. Tears swarming in your eyes, you make one last ditch attempt at snuffing out the discomfort by pushing your face into the soft sweatshirt your boyfriend is wearing. 

You feel him go still and for one horrible millisecond, you think he's going to push you away, but then Peter’s body relaxes and he presses you against him softly, almost as if he's afraid to hurt you.

You mumble into his chest. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologise," his lips are soft against the crown of your head. "You're good. Let's take a moment, alright?"

You nod, sniffing slightly.

"We're nearly there. Just a few more blocks to go." 

Something like a whine gets stuck in your throat and Peter coos gently, a hand coming up to cup the back of your head. “I know. You’re alright, honey. I've got you.”

You straighten up after a few seconds, aware that this is not at all what he signed up for when the two of you left the house, and Peter frowns a little.

"You can lean into me, baby. You're not a bother."

And you do know, because he's said it to you countless times before in different variations. I like being there for you. You don't have to apologise. I'm here for you, it's kinda in the boyfriend job description.

Peter doesn’t have to repeat himself. When he nudges you closer, you lean in.

-

Once you’re at home, Peter lets go of you carefully, never taking his eyes off you as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pull out the keys to let you both in.

He places the pizza box on the microwave in the kitchen before following you through down the corridor, a hand ghosting the small of your back. When you reach the bedroom, he dims the lights.

You sit on the bed gingerly. Peter sits next to you.

"How are you feeling?" Peter asks.

You’re quiet for a while. Then, a small admission;

"I feel really nauseous Peter." You avoid his gaze. "It started in the restaurant. I don't... I don't know what's wrong."

Peter is silent for a beat. You take it as a sign that you've said something wrong.

"It's fine though. I'm sorry for ruining the meal. I know you were looking forward to this." your voice is hoarse. "I’m really sorry."

When you muster the courage to look up at him, Peter looks horrified.

"Baby, what are you talking about? You didn't ruin anything. It's okay." His hand comes up to brush at your jawline. "I got to spend time with my best girl. I feel like the luckiest guy alive."

You think he might be exaggerating just to make you smile, but there's real sincerity in his tone. "Do you want pain relief? Some ginger tea, maybe?"

Right now, you only want Peter.

"Can we just cuddle for a bit, please?"

"Oh, my girl." Peter is already pulling you down so that you're lying against his chest. "C'mere."

[broadwaydivastournament]

A Birthday Tribute to Stephen Sondheim

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Diva posts and polls with a 24-hour Stephen Sondheim lockdown to recognize an honorary Broadway Diva and certified musical theatre god.

Stephen Joshua Sondheim (1930) was a legendary composer and lyricist who essentially reinvented the American musical with his soaring scores and fiendishly clever lyrics. With Oscar Hammerstein as his mentor, he began his Broadway career writing lyrics for West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). Throughout his life, he won eight Tony Awards, including a Special Tony, more than any other composer. His dedicating to writing fascinating, flawed, fantastic roles for women (particularly women of a certain age) means his work is some of the most sought-after of our Divas.

Sondheim Theatre and Concert Credits:

I have done the research and pulled together a list of every single role our Divas have played, and every Sondheim concert they have participated in. Here are just a few takeaways.

All together, 64 Divas have had a whopping 245 roles/concerts and counting.

Eleven Divas have never (to my knowledge) performed in a Sondheim or at a Sondheim-specific concert. Seven of those are non-singing actresses, leaving just four musically-inclined Divas bereft. (Brenda Braxton, Lillias White, Linda Eder, Ute Lemper). However, all four Divas have performed Sondheim's songs in their personal concert repertoires

Eighteen Divas have done just one Sondheim, some in particularly obscure contexts.

The most common roles are The Witch (Into the Woods - 9), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd - 8), Mama Rose (Gypsy - 8), Desiree Armfeldt (A Little Night Music - 8), Phyllis Rogers Stone (Follies - 6). More on that later.

Most Frequent Sondheim Performers:

Bernadette Peters: 21 Highlights include: Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Follies, Gypsy.

Patti LuPone: 20 Highlights include: Company, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, Anyone Can Whistle.

Marin Mazzie: 13 Highlights include: Passion, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Anyone Can Whistle.

Audra McDonald: 11 Highlights include: Sweeney Todd, Passion, Six by Sondheim, A Little Night Music.

Donna Murphy: 11 Highlights include: Passion, Into the Woods, Anyone Can Whistle, Follies.

Christine Baranski: 11 Highlights include: Company, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Follies.

Tony Awards and Nominations:

Leading Actress in a Musical: 14 Nominations (exc. wins) | 5 Divas 9 Wins | 4 Divas

Mama Rose in Gypsy is the most-decorated role in musical theatre canon, and arguably the best role for women period. In five productions, every actress has either been nominated (Ethel Merman, Bernadette Peters), or won (Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Patti LuPone).

Both Desiree Armfeldt actresses have won their respective years (Glynis Johns, Catherine Zeta-Jones). Additional winning roles have been Phyllis Rogers Stone (Alexis Smith), Mrs. Lovett (Angela Lansbury), The Baker's Wife (Joanna Gleason), and Fosca (Donna Murphy).

Featured Actress in a Musical: 17 Nominations (exc. wins) | 4 Divas 4 Wins | 1 Diva

Some of the most common roles to be nominated for in a Sondheim show are Amy and Joanne from Company (in the original production, Elaine Stritch competed in Leading Actress), and Louise in Gypsy. No featured role has netted more than one award.

Winners: Patricia Elliott (Charlotte, ALNM), Laura Benanti (Louise, Gypsy), Karen Olivo (Anita, West Side Story), and Patti LuPone (Joanne, Company).

[geminiperson]

Spiderman Talk: Jameson is right, and Peter deserves better

So I was listening to a text post on tiktok that I love about how Jameson is in fact a great person and really only has beef with Spiderman because of personal problems, and first off, that's blatantly wrong, which the post corrects, but it got me thinking about something interesting. I would love to see a Spiderman story called Spiderman for the Daily Bugle, in which Jameson has gone to therapy to address his well of trauma related to the death of his wife (for those who aren't aware, she is canonically killed by a masked assailant) so that he can finally get past his initial trauma response when he sees Spiderman in his mask (that absolutely looks like a balaclava worn by a robber) and makes a non-public spectacle offer to meet with Spiderman so he can actually talk with him to express his legitimate problems with him (this would technically be the first time they have done this, since the previous occurrence has been retconned to memory). When Peter shows up in costume, Jameson sits him down, and rather than yelling, being angry, and bashing on him, he approaches him as a journalist and asks him a series of questions that are designed to get serious responses out of him. Questions like "Why do you wear a full body suit that hides your full identity?" Which Peter obviously responds to with "To protect my loved ones from harm." Jameson acknowledges that this is a legitimate concern, but also points out that even showing part of his face would allow him to be more of a symbol just based on the reality that he is clearly a white man in America, and therefore should be using his privilege and notoriety to support larger causes (not so small reminder that JJ is a very liberal person who supports workers rights, is pro-mutant/enhanced, and was not only writing about the civil rights movements, but was actively a part of it, ala he definitely marched with Dr. King on Washington as a cub reporter) . These kinds of questions continue, where Jameson asks things, Peter responds honestly, and Jameson acknowledges his concerns, but also points out the real problems that Peter causes by using his current methods (again, I can't stress enough that Jameson has legitimate problems that should be understood). The key takeaways for Peter are:

Hiding his identity from his family and friends has legitimate detriment to his mental health and relationships, and he should tell the people he cares most about so that they can finally understand who he is wholly and support him.

Hiding his identity from the public should not separate him from accountability to his actions during his fights against supervillains, and he should create a means to help people who have been harmed by his own actions both intentional and unintentional.

It is not his job alone to respond to crime, or to shoulder the burden of being the "Hero of New York" and he should not need to sacrifice his own happiness and well being in order to uphold his belief. This includes a moment where Jameson points out that "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility, both to others as well as oneself."

Peter has talents outside of being Spiderman that he should absolutely be using for the betterment of others, which does not solely include his capabilities as a scientist or engineer. Jameson points out that a large part of the problems that cause crime have direct and indirect causes, and that Spiderman, as a private citizen who is empowered, has a greater capability than most to address not only the crimes that regular people can't engage with, but also the crimes that could be solved by doing proper leg work and investigation.

This culminates in the big reveal to Jameson that Peter is Spiderman. Peter breaks down over the interview, because this hits him in a spot that hurts him the most, his hero complex, and he begs Jameson not to hate him, to which Jameson, now realizing who he's been going after this whole time, acknowledges that while he was definitely mad at Peter, he could never hate him, because he knows, especially now that he sees who he really is, that Peter is an amazing man. Hugs and heartfelt words are exchanged.

Now by comparison to the original version that occurred, this would be the point where the story ends, BUT I SAY NAY! THERE IS SUCH A MISSED CHANCE THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN! Cut to a few months later, and Peter is thwipping through downtown, when he hears a loud commotion, and swings over to investigate. The Rhino is smashing his way into a bank vault while a few thugs with guns stand lookout. Peter pops in, quickly takes down the thugs, and then squares up to Rhino and shouts "Hey Rhino, Spiderman for the Bugle. I'm here to get your comment. What got you back into the game of robbing banks?" They go through what looks like the usual dance of Peter dodging and quipping to all of Aleksi's attacks, until Peter backs off and says "Hey Aleksi, do you know what the best part of having a full time job is?" Aleksi grunts his usual response and Peter gives him a thumbs up, where you can see a flashing button on the side of his index finger, which he presses as he says "Gadget money." and triggers the series of web mines he planted around Aleksi while he was dodging his attacks. As Peter swings away, he calls in to advise Damage Control about the damage to the building and SHIELD to pick up the Rhino and check on bystanders.

This would be the start of a story in which you get to see what a healthy, happy, and more fulfilled version of Spiderman looks like. No more of this malnourished permanently tardy half formed Peter, but one in which his family knows about his hero identity, he has a full time job as a journalist working the crime beat as Spiderman, and also writes additional articles as the science and technology editor for the Bugle, and has the full support of Jameson and the Bugle backing him as a hero. He still has to face the struggles of being Spiderman and Peter, including the challenges of being a parent, but now part of that balance comes from finding time to organize PTA meetings with MJ for Mayday. Aunt May knows that Peter is Spidey, and is incredibly proud of him, especially now that he's learning balance, something that she hoped for him. His relationship with characters like Daredevil and The Avengers is one that includes more professional courtesy and even sharing the burden of caring for New York, rather than just trying to uphold everything on his own. Peter does convince Jameson to keep his original costume, including the full face mask, but that is solely because of branding, and now he can actively use his persona as Spiderman in more than just a limited capacity, because "Shockingly" people would love to support their local hero, and spidey merch sells like crazy thanks to the Spiderman Store on the main floor of the Bugle. Peter has a secret headquarters that is based out of his co-op in Queens, which allows him to be an active parent for his kids while also living up to his role as a hero.

For those of you who feel like this sounds to "Mary Sue" I'd also like to point out that a) Peter still has logistical challenges that present legitimate dangers as a public hero in needing to protect his identity for the safety of others, and while that has been challenged by being a public hero, you can see how he responds to those dangers, and b) this gives us a chance to see Peter working at solving crimes and working within society rather than as an outside force, which makes him a better hero.

Lastly, consider the stories you could write with people like Matt Murdock, not just as Daredevil, but as the official legal rep of Spiderman. Matt gets to be put on retainer by a major corporation (Bugle Media is a pretty major leader in the news industry) and you can also have that paralleled with a Daredevil/Spiderman story in which you get to see what a hero who operated like old Spidey vs New Spidey looks like, and how those challenges differ. Also, B roll type stories with Deadpool coming after Peter for exposing a story about a major tech conglomerate, and Wade finds out Peters identity, which changes their dynamic entirely. Similar stories about how Spidey and Punisher clash, and Peter, after having gone through the challenges of being a legitimate hero finally responds to Punishers tired line of being tough on crime by pointing out that he's not actually solving crime, simply attacking one of the symptoms, and is then able to start writing stories about Frank that helps humanize him not as the deranged serial killer that most people see him as, but as a misguided mentally ill man trying to right the wrongs he perceives in the world.

What I'm trying to get at is this. Peter Parker is pretty constantly miserable, and in my opinion, a lot of the people that write him, create positive things in his life so that they can rip those things away later on down their story line to compel him to act, and I really don't think that's all that interesting personally. As a fan of Spiderman stories, there is not a lot of hope that Peter can be happy, because whenever he does get something positive, it's either retconned or ripped from his hands in a horrific and terrible way for what I would call unbelievably unnecessary character development that isn't actually developing his character. There's a somewhat popular fan comic of Spidey meeting The Joker, and after Peter talks with Joker for a while about half of the shit that has happened in his life, Joker basically has a crisis of belief in his own ideology of "One bad day is all it takes" because Peter has gone through so much and still chooses the righteous path. Letting Peter be happy for once in his life would probably generate revenue just on long term fans speculating when and how things are going to go downhill. Changing the makeup of his base character, especially this far into the game when he has existed as a hero for so long would create way better stories, because in all seriousness, giving Peter more happiness also means there is so much more to protect/lose, and losing part of that would absolutely still hit hard. I've only really scratched the surface of ideas that I, a lone writer, has about what could be done with a change like this.

There are so many ways in which you could use his character, and present him challenges that actually provide character development, instead of hate fucking the corpse of his stories with a bloody knife. Peter doesn't need a reason to act that involves taking that small amount of happiness in his life and ripping it away because his core belief is that he has a responsibility to act because he has the power to do so, and in my opinion, forcing him to go through unimaginable sorrow does not showcase that character trait at all. If you're taking something from your hero when their primary motivation is supposed to be their inherent belief that they as someone with power has the responsibility to act in the benefit of those without, then you're taking away their primary motivation and replacing it with a selfish motivation. It's not to say that Peter shouldn't lose things, but he should lose those things based on his own decisions, not just because the predisposed outcome of his life should be inherently negative.

This post ended up being way longer than I had initially intended, but I want to end with this. There are some truly great characters that I personally think could be better written given the opportunity. I don't even necessarily think the stories that we have of Spiderman are actually all that bad (Except for One More Day. Fuck that story specifically and the horse it rode in on, it's fucking terrible) and that history shouldn't be ignored. But I think if we as fans and creators come together, there are opportunities for us to change things for the better. There are chances for us to show what a good and happy ending can look like for Peter, and maybe, just maybe, he can keep that small bit of happiness that he's got going for him.

[acheronist]

woah it seems like i missed the first eleven words of your post but in spite of that would it be okay if i asked about what you think thomas armitage and henry peglar spent four years doing while they were sailing around the equator on the gannet together

LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT IT IS THE YEAR IS 1834. it's also early april. cool and crisp but sunny one could assume. we are boarding the hms gannet (an 18 gun brig-sloop), and we are signed on for four years, sailing across the atlantic and then working in service of the british navy in north america + the west indies. henry peter peglar was born in 1812 and is at this point twenty two years of age. thomas middlename armitage is born in 1805 . much less information about thomas is readily available to me so we're really entering crazygirl speculation, but we know he's at least 28 but probably closer to 29. i love it when the least problematic thing about a couple is their age difference.

i don't know what thomas was up to, besides allegedly being married for eight years and having some kids and then fucking off to the navy instead of being a father (closeted deadbeat dad backstory? married young just to appease family backstory? lavender marriage backstory?) but in the last few year before this henry had: worked under a captain who was notorious for lashing his men, said Yikes this guy sucks i don't want to be lashed, wrote for a discharge, got on a new boat. new boat was captained by the same crazed captain as before, so he bailed again, and ended up on a ship he'd previously been on before, and then got lashed for being drunk and mutinous under the old-new captain anyways. my poor boy. the takeaway from this is when he's getting onto the gannet as captain of the foretop, his shoulders are covered in barely healed over scars.

good news is tho he got a promotion!!!! a few, technically!! henry's captain of the foretop, now, and likely spends his days up in the ropes and rigging, climbing around and fixing the sails. he's good at this and does an excellent job. this is also his first time as a senior petty officer aboard a ship, plus he was acting as coxswain AND working gunner crew when necessary. (shoutout to his childhood in his dad's gunsmithing workshop)

thomas armitage is rated as an AB right now iirc, and with only so many men aboard, surely their paths must begin to cross. thomas has got a pretty good coverstory of Marriage, but henry's never had any romantic affairs recorded thus far and has been pretty career focused for most of his life so far as far as i can tell. oh you've been in the navy since puberty? mm. mhm. okay.

well anyways no one would blink twice at some fellow crewmates who run in the same social circles sharing a meal every now and then. lots of people do that. and henry likes to write, has always liked to write and keep a journal! the atlantic is clear and beautiful but to make good pace, henry doesn't get the time to write until late into the evenings. men aboard see him writing constantly in his spare time, and he gets a reputation for it. once, maybe during a meal, the ships boys nervously ask him if he'd mind helping them with their letters. he laughs and says his spellings not very good, he's not much of a teacher, always been a sailor, but he'll help of course, if they'd like that. thomas can't help but overhear and remembers how it felt to sign his marriage certificate to cecelia with an X, not even able to scratch his own name out across the line. maybe that was better though, he hadn't really signed anything, and it felt like he wasn't truly tied to her, not in a way that was real. marriage consummated, sure, but he didn't know his children. wasn't in their lives. much preferred the company of his fellow sailors, the ease and routine of a crowded ship. sent most of his money home, of course, and never saw them. couldn't send any letters home, couldn't read any letters that managed to reach him, either.

still, if someone aboard was offering to teach, maybe it'd be worthwhile to speak to him more. try and learn. so he strikes up a friendship with mr. peglar. easy easy easy. he's funny, he's clever. gets silly after too much drink, freckles easily under the clear sunlight, works hard and his company is pleasant. he's strong and competent and good at his job-- jobs-- and there's not much to dislike about him. lots of men like him, but even on the hottest days as they sail south, when men strip down to their skins, henry still walks about the decks with his shirt buttoned all the way up. it's a nice thing to see-- thomas has always appreciated it when a shirt is well worn. when a uniform is respected and kept in order. you understand, of course.

so maybe, on a quiet night, one where henry's lingering up in the crow's nest with his pages again, tom gets the nerve to climb up. scares the hell of out henry on accident, and they both laugh it off. make room for each other in the cramped space. talk about the view, the waves and how they stretch out to the horizon, clear and gorgeous. tom hadn't realized the height would make such a difference. henry agrees, explains its part of why he likes to hide up in the heights of the ropes so often. they talk, and talk, and talk until the stars come out. tom doesn't even remember that he crawled up the ropes in the first place to ask henry if he could teach him to write, not until theyre both down on deck and henry's folded his pencil and papers away.

anyways... henry's often busy-- working. always working. its hard to pin him down but thomas begins to seek him out. gets scant minutes of each day to grip his shoulder, friendly-- NORMAL-- and smile. talk. nothing salacious-- of course not, one has to be careful aboard ships lest he wants rumors to start. but still. when henry begins seeking him out as well, it's a good feeling. sometimes the sun shines so bright and thomas gets to crane his neck up, picking out henry's dark silhouette against the blue sky and gets a few seconds to watch him work in the rigging.

and finally the ship gets a land break. a short one, mind, but a break nonetheless. the ship's docked in trinidad, henry practically begs thomas to join him off to a party. friends of someone on board throwing the whole thing over on the beachfront. spoke awful loud about it that morning, so it's not quite an open invitation, but seems informal enough that if they arrive at the right time, no one will notice they hadn't been properly invited. thomas wasn't expected to get drunk under the table like this, but apparently henry's much better at handling his alcohol, and its late-- or very early, depending-- when they finally stumble back out to the beach. its cooler out here and its lovely-- dark and salty and sweet and exotic. thomas hadn't ever been to a party like this. he has to twist his fingers into henry's shirt collar to keep upright, and maybe that's the first time he properly notices the lines of scars peeking out from below the collar. wouldn't ever see them if he hadn't pulled henry's shirt out of sorts while they stumbled over the sand-- giggling like boys and splashing barefoot along the shoreline before they returned to the gannet. and thomas wouldn't bring it up no no no that's far too forward especially because it wasn't something he was meant to see anyways but he keeps it in mind. he keeps it sooo in mind he kind of begins to suck at his job once daylight and the hangover hit him because all he can focus on is wondering how far down henry's back the scars go. what he could have possibly done to be lashed in the first place.

so he doesn't ask. he doesn't ask and he doesn't think about it, just struggles through the alphabet that henry has him copying down and thomas kind of hates himself but he copies his shaky letters down and does his job and keeps a nice distance but still... if he takes every meal with henry across the table then that's fine. they have to go over thomas's terrible alphabet practices and have a billion other things to talk about .

and the gannet moves along, so does thomas. so does henry. and its all well until the ships docks again-- cumana this time, and some men get permission to leave the ship. they'll be back on the sea again for a long while after this so the officers aboard allow it and henry just wants to walk so thomas is fine to walk with him. and it wasn't like they'd planned to find a party again, this just seems to be a joyful part of the world. and it's hosted by some americans this time, so they don't even need to struggle with the language barrier too badly! and thomas tries not to drink so much, wants to be there to take care of henry this time. and stays in the back a bit-- watches henry become best of friends with these strangers and he sings and dances alongside them, and isn't it nice how his face lights up when he spots thomas still there against the wall, so unabashedly pleased that he'd not disappeared while henry hadn't been paying attention!! and well maybe henry stumbles out of the crowd and pulls thomas into the thick of it, his hands all warm from the weather here and calloused from work and a bit sticky from spilled drinks, and brings thomas into the crowd to dance. and gets thomas to sing too because when everyone else is loud, no one really notices them specifically, and its okayyy its okay! its okay. theyre nobody here, it barely matters. just come dance. and thomas does follow after him and he does sing and he does dance. and they rent a room for a few hours before anyone notices they've not made it back to the gannet yet, and thomas gets to peel henry out of his clothes and do up every single button again after, like they'd never been undone in the first place. glances around the room one last time, and couldn't believe henry nearly left his wallet on the bureau top-- tucked it back into henry's pockets himself before they left minutes apart to avoid suspicion. but they got away with it which is THRILLING. and they keep on like this-- a cycle of working with their heads down and indulging away from the ship when they could manage it. halfheartedly teaching thomas his letters, which never quite sticks but that's alright, and seeing the sights and wonders every day, side by side, seeing the turtles swim slowly by and basking together in the heat and excitement of a new place with a strong sense of anonymity.

and its two and a half more years of this, of catching each other's eye between the ropes and Knowing it'll never last, things like this never do, but isn't it nice to have it now? and it's two and a half more years of this, and thomas does get to see the long, gnarled scars that trace down over henry's shoulders and spine, once, twice, three times, more and more until he begins to lose track. and its two and a half more years of secreting affections away up in the crows nest at strange hours when no one would notice. and its two and a half more days until they both get their discharges and the gannet docks again at sheerness and they hadn't talked about it, about what's next, because isn't it obvious? there's nothing next. this wasn't more than an affair, but it was a lovely one. it might even be one that hurts forever.

and it's february 1838 when they meet up at a pub in kent-- thomas kissed cecelia's cheek before he'd and said he was off for a pint with a friend-- and it's in a crowded pub when henry has to lean in across the table to tell him he's signed onto hms temeraire, just because he can't bear to stay in one spot. not anymore, loves the sea far too much to be on shore for very long. and thomas has to tell him that's good-- that's best for him. has to tell him to be careful in the ropes, he won't be there to watch out for him this time. and henry knows better than to ask if there's an address he could write to-- thomas wouldn't give that, and thomas wouldn't be able to write back either way. he'd still never gotten the hang of making his letters blend together gracefully into words, not in the way that henry always could. so they shake hands, fingers digging in a little bit too tightly, until they let go and that's all. thomas armitage and henry peglar go on their separate ways, resigned to the fact that they'll likely never see each other again.

and its seven years until they DO see each other again, running into each other, completely unexpected. isn't it so odd? isn't it so funny how things work out like that? do you think fate's real? well it must be, surely the navy's bigger than this to just be happenstance. they both needed jobs again at the same time, is all. heard the same rumors about john franklin's arctic expedition, whispers of optimism trickling down to even the most common gossiping circles of sailors. both couldn't resist the idea of it. both walked the chatham dockyard with their things in tow, keeping an eye out for hms terror, talking again as if no time had passed, about what to expect from the sandwich islands, if it'd be at all like the west indies... and well, they might be, once they make it that far.

who can really say, though. they're older this time. it'd be different, surely. maybe it'd just be best to be pleased for a friendship-- a more steady, meaningful companionship as they got through the passage. who can say. who could know.

[ingravinoveritas]

I’m excited for the renewal of GO3 but I’m also kind of a little worried for David because he’s been performing McBeth for 6 six weeks now and rehearsals are also killer and now their set to film GO? Just thinking about this exhausts me so I can’t imagine how he would feel (and Michael also for that matter since he’s been rehearsing for his own show). Also, please please PLEASE don’t let GT and AL be in GO PLEASE

Hear, hear, and three cheers to the renewal of GO 3!

All I can say is, it's about damn time we finally got this announcement. I am ineffably thrilled as well to know that we will have our boys back together in Scotland to bring us the resolution to Aziraphale and Crowley's story.

In terms of filming, I did see the press release that said GO 3 filming would begin "soon," but I think "soon" is a relative term here. David's run in Macbeth goes until early February, and then Michael is in Nye at the National Theatre from the end of February until May 11th. So "soon" likely means a good six months from now at the earliest (i.e., mid 2024). Hopefully that means both David and Michael will have time to rest up and prepare for the start of filming GO 3, but I would imagine them both feeling a sense of excitement and anxiety at their forthcoming schedules.

What I think Michael and David likely do not feel anxiety about, however, is the prospect of getting to spend more time with each other. And we know they are already seeing each other at least somewhat regularly right now, what with Michael being in London at the moment, so it stands to reason that Michael and David are going to be frequent fixtures in each other's lives and worlds for a very good portion of the next year. Lovely.

In terms of Georgia and Anna possibly being in S3, I will echo what @thereallovebug previously excellently said, which is that it is very tiring to think that we haven't even had the GO 3 announcement for a day, and already people are calling for them to be cast in the show, and it's just...can we not even fully process/absorb this news before jumping to yelling at Neil to cast people? Or maybe just skip the "yelling at Neil to cast people" part completely? I'm just confused as to why there has to be an immediate call to have them in the show when there may not even be a place for them in it.

I also keep thinking of the discussion that took place when the news about GO 2 first came out, which was that having any family member of Michael's or David's would be distracting, and we saw what ended up happening with Peter Davison and Ty. I thought Peter did very well as Job, but Ty just seemed out of place the entire time and it was like you could "see" him acting instead of just...being, and as a result, his performance did not quite gel with the rest of the scene.

The takeaway point here is that the role of Ennon could have gone to any number of aspiring young actors, talented actors looking for a shot at the big time, but who did not get to have that opportunity due to nepotism. It only makes sense, then, that the same would hold true for GT and AL. And to me, it's disrespectful to the show, to Neil, and to Michael and David at this point to act as if GO 3 is somehow "not good enough" unless GT and AL are in it. As if the thousands of other talented actors in the UK aren't good enough simply because they're not Georgia and Anna. I've been accused on multiple occasions of only disliking Georgia and AL because of who their partners are, but the fact that so many people are only fans of theirs for the same reason is apparently not a problem.

(I will not go into detail here about the myriad of reasons why people are fans of Georgia and AL's because of who their partners are, but I suggest reading this post from @artificial-indulgence, who has perfectly enumerated my own thoughts on the subject.)

It is for the reasons that are mentioned in the post I just linked to that I feel many fans are unwilling to see the reality of things, which is that Georgia is a passable actor, but Anna is not, and any halfway decent casting director is not going to overlook that. I'm thinking back to an Ask I answered yesterday about her being edited out of the photo used for the I Talk Telly Awards and (more significantly) that no one actually seemed to notice that she was missing.

Given that, it's highly unlikely that someone whose performances are so unmemorable would be cast in the third installment of a major global TV show--at least purely based on merit. And knowing how important this third season is, how it's meant to resolve Aziraphale and Crowley's story and give us what Neil and Terry envisioned so many years ago, it would be truly unfortunate to see all of that overshadowed by other things.

But yes, today was very much a day filled with good news (and which I wholeheartedly appreciated, given that I am dealing with some difficult personal issues at the moment). More thoughts to come in a follow up post, so stay tuned...

[adamsvanrhijn]

Ok wicked thoughts for real. Spoilers somewhat

re: performances

Ariana Grande-Butera (as she is credited)'s soprano is very light, and they did lean into the pop sound when opportunities arose. Which you will be used to if you have seen any professional/equity circuit musical with a prominent soprano role in the last 15 years but if you've been listening to the cast recording a lot leading up to this I expect you'll notice it more than I did the first time around. I really enjoyed her performance personally!! (and frankly if you're expecting an og wicked performance you would have been disappointed anyway because They Do Not Make Them Like That anymore—but if you are a megafan who has seen multiple casts I think you will have heard Glindas who are not perceived as stunt casts who are less pleasant to listen to.)

Cynthia Erivo was great. I don't really have notes, I think everyone expected she would be good and she was.

Peter Dinklage did a good job. No notes

Jonathan Bailey.... Fantastic though I wish they let him be a little more legit. I assume he has it in him based on his resume but they went primarily pop rock for Fiyero. The vast majority of stage directors do this unless/even if they get a sparkling talent though; I'm not like mad about it at all. I actually think it's great that my main Thoughts capital t about the movie are the same ones I have about stage productions. (Also he has chemistry with everyone but I do legitimately think stage junkies expecting Fiyero eye candy may be disappointed with the costuming and choreography. This doesn't make it bad just something to be aware of.)

They split Morrible into two characters which was an inspired choice that improved the impact of the plot imo. Michelle Yeoh is not a singer but that role is frequently not a strong vocalist anyway. I didn't mind the speak singing for her like 2 total verses

Jeff Goldblum also not being a singer.... they cut down sentimental man and I am simply not complaining. Also a role that frequently doesn't have a strong vocalist.

Marissa Bode killed it, no notes

Ditto Ethan Slater

Big cameo was a little long but you can't hate it. It's The Big Cameo. Zero issues with the actual performances

Ensemble slapped. Incredibly strong dancing and singing. I haven't looked at the whole ensemble cast but I assume they pulled from the theater circuit. There were little cameos which were IYKYK and cute

Glinda's bestie situation was great, they did such a good job

Speaking of cast recording disappointment. The wizard will see you now 😐

everything else

I am going to be honest I don't remember what was in the book vs what they made up wholesale

Pacing was really good and it was difficult to notice in the moment what could be making it be double the length of the original. Arguably better than the stage show's pacing.

Lack of compromise of vocal quality despite resonant acting and live singing... 👌🏻

I think almost everything they added or changed worked! Exceptions.... Yellow brick road 😐 Cameo a little long as I said. A couple others but nothing that big a deal. I hope we get Glinda blue dress at some point in part 2 😔

I didn't mind how they broke up Defying Gravity but I do wonder if it could have been better if they hadn't? I didn't mind though.

Dancing Through Life was broken up in a way that made it work for the film medium in the way that a direct transfer wouldn't have been successful with imo. Also a phenomenal sequence.

I've seen a couple people say it's overchoreographed.... I thought the dancing was perfect personally.

I really appreciated that they actually treated it as a musical, where it doesn't really matter what is and isn't diegetic music and dancing and you don't need to pay attention to that, because it's a musical.

Use of montage and split screen was good!!

I think on the whole one of my big takeaways is disappointment about other musical movies of late, but also hope that things will be different moving forward... The bar is high now both for on screen performers with traditional stage worthy talent and for production style and value. This movie was obviously very expensive but I am referring more to the actual techniques and like, literal camera angles. It felt like they wanted to expand the reach of the musical and bring it to new audiences, as opposed to needing to Fix it to make it appeal to the mass market. There should be no question moving forward that a musical movie can be cast, filmed, and produced with special care and attention to the fact that it is a musical and be successful.

I think that sums it up but I could be misremembering things out forgetting stuff... I want to go see it again with a better sound system than the theater I was in lol and maybe feeling better than I was yesterday and maybe I will have additional nuance to my takes!

[wawamouse]

I thought I was on my way to writing the same number of Miguel/Chico fics as Ding Rong/Wang Zhi fics but I've actually written a surprising variety (for me) for Oz so far, and so miguelchico only accounts for 27/46 of my Oz fics (which includes several drabbles, of course) whereas rongzhi is 50/59 tsomd fic with i think maybe 1 drabble and 6/50 are another rarepair that i might be the only person on earth who truly likes

So the takeaway here is that if you thought I'd already milked this rarepair dry, think again! We haven't even entered the wilder AUs yet.... the transmigration.... the Island Prison!Oz AU.... I haven't even written MCD yet! There's been no marriages! No undercover!Miguel infiltrating El Norte! No 12 Monkeys AU! No Stepford Wives AU (yes this is also a bullet point on my "Fic Ideas" list.... no, I will not be taking questions at this time....)!

Not to mention the 10 miguelchico wips I already have started! 🥴 Basically, if history is anything to go by, I will be here chugging along long after everyone gets sick of my shit lol

(I have a Stanislofsky wip in the works rn too.... probably gonna be a short thing for HT100 as a breather, and also because I genuinely do want to write more oz fic with other characters too! sorta have a Torquemada/Morales AU in the back of my mind too—probably also going to be a short piece that I will try to match to a HT100 prompt, since idrk how to write either of them. But I feel like Morales doesn't get any love in the fandom and he's one of my favorite characters in the show tbh!

Also I've had a Said/Bismilla idea that I've had since last year when I was working on Holding Up the Sky (I know, that was forever ago) but need to do more development (bc... well... Bismilla) for that basically so I've been putting it off. Kinda wanna write Shirley/Diane still and Shannon/Gloria as well, and my sister's comments from last week's episode watch kinda made me want to write some sort of Ryan/Peter thing, but again... still gotta come up with more substantial fic ideas than simply the pairing and some vibes. Alas!

[missmungoe]

What about Shanks?

Although personally i wanted him to be more goofy but Maybelline that's just my interpret of him😭

More thoughts under the cut! Again, my personal feelings, influenced by years of trying to nail this character (figuratively, as I ship him with Makino, not myself), so take them as you will:

This is exactly my takeaway! Like I've said before, Peter Gadiot is an undeniably attractive man, and in terms of looks, I thought he made a great Shanks - ruggedly handsome and charming, albeit a bit too buttoned-up for my preferences. I loved his tender moments with Luffy, like when he was stitching up his cut, and after losing his arm, but he just lacked the goofiness that makes Shanks such a compelling character. One scene I missed - and it didn't have to be this specific scene, but something like it - is the one where Luffy is sulking about being called a kid and Shanks slides him a glass of juice, and then cackles when he takes it because he's such a kid. See also: Shanks' reaction to Luffy eating the devil fruit, or when he freaks out when Luffy is kidnapped by the bandits (a moment which coincidentally cemented his dynamic with Ben in my mind), or my favourite: his uproarious laughter when Higuma spills the drink on him (on that note, there was an altogether disappointing lack of uproarious laughter from a guy who in my mind embodies the sound). But any of those moments, or even a similar moment, would have done it for me, because I think his goofiness is one of the reasons Luffy connected so much with him. It's the kind Iñaki has in spades, and which makes Luffy's serious moments so much more striking. And so while Gadiot's Shanks was very warm and kind, like with Makino's actress, I just wasn't sold.

(I did love the detail where he's helping Makino out around the bar, lifting things and the like, but then that's because it could have been plucked right out of Shanties sdjfksdfjks)

[go-go-devil]

infodump to me about the lamb lies down on broadway so i have the intel for my next big listen of it!!!

Here I go!

So The Lamb is honestly a pretty insane album, not just for Genesis but classic prog rock as a whole. It's one of the most ambitious and creative concept albums I've ever listened to, but because of that it can be very alienating to some listeners due to how vague and overly poetic the lyrics can get (not quite Eraserhead levels of dream logic, but it gets close at times and most of us have very different takeaways from the story).

I think what makes this album so enjoyable and timeless for me is how unabashedly fearless it is in simply having fun telling its story. There's lots of dramatic and intense moments, but its also paced well with beautifully ethereal bits and even some silly moments. Every single song plays its part well and flows in perfectly with the next, no matter how much of a mood whiplash the lyrics or music can feel at times. Hell, one of the last lines in the album is "If you think that it's pretentious, you've been taken for a ride," and I just love that! It's the spirit of prog rock right there: go crazy and have and adventure, who cares what uppity critics think!

Besides that, it's also one of the most autistic albums ever made. Partually because I hc Rael as autistic due to the way he speaks and acts but also because the very nature of the album is like one big surrealist autism moment. Rael's constantly trapped in uncomfortable places that are too constricting or too crowded with people he can't understand and/or has trouble being around, and even has an anxiety attack at the end of "The Chamber of 32 Doors" due to being trapped in a room full of people who won't shut up. I felt all of that as a teen in high school, and I still feel it now T_T

Then of course there's my "controversial" interpretation of the album, at least I assume it is amongst many of the Lamb fans I've found on this site and irl, that this is one of the most delightfully sex-repulsed stories I've ever engaged with. Probably done by complete accident, but I don't care!

Just hear me out on this one. Sexual intercourse is NEVER shown favorably in this album; it's either not well executed/completely humiliating ("Counting Out Time") or overtly disturbing ("The Lamia" and definitely the album notes describing the Slippermen's fate in "The Colony of Slippermen"). The story ends with Rael sacrificing his penis to save both himself and his loved one, and that's a fucking insane thing to type down but I'm not exaggerating anything! That's just what The Lamb is like! Rael gains enlightenment by sacrificing a part of himself that never truly gave him anything fulfilling in his life.

One of the reasons I got into prog rock was because I'm sex repulsed and so many classic prog songs have nothing to do with sex or romantic relationships, and it's honestly so goddamn refreshing to find a piece of media that, for fucking ONCE, depicts sex as something as uncomfortable and unfulfilling as I've always known it to be. I felt seen by this story in a way most of my other favorite fiction could never achieve.

I'll never know what exactly Peter Gabriel was thinking when he wrote this story, and I certainly won't act like anyone's sex-positive interpretations of The Lamb aren't valid. But that's the beauty of it. It means different things to different people, but unites them all in a weird, rocking tale with some of the craziest imagery ever put to an album <3