#the backup sounds neat btw

[bearforceone3]

wrasslin’

[tiktaaliker]

MORE OF THEM:

Good Omens: well. its good. good story, good narration. i dont even have all that much to say here it was just a good time

Ender's Game: a book i read as a kid and sorrrt of understood the message but man. listening to it now has revealed that it turns out i really wasnt old enough to really get it. narration was very good, interestingly a handful of characters had different narrators but not all of them??? also some of the assides were annoying but i think thats more just how the book is written. a smidge antisemetic at times which is. unfortunate to say the least

The Raven Boys (again): yeah. yeah. honestly this was kind of interesting listening to a second time? some of the voices arent refined yet (ronan's especially, considering his voice in the later audiobooks is iconic) but its still really good. There was a handful of details i missed the first listen, along with some i just completely misremembered (ie i mixed up who could hear cabeswater right away- i thought ronan and blue were the ones who could hear the trees, but it was actually gansey and noah. which makes sense tbh)

The Bad Beginning (series of unfortunate events): man i love this series and the narration didnt dissapoint. oddly enough the audiobook i think was recorded alongside the netflix series??? so almost all the characters have unique voice actors (including neil patrick harris voicing count olaf lol) AND theres additional sound effects throughout the ENTIRE book (like footsteps, car sounds, etc when its relevant to whats happening). that was a bit distracting at first but kinda neat past the first scene (which had WAY too many random loud boat horns)

Dragonet Prophecy (wings of fire): honestly pretty solid, both in story and in narration, if a smidge too over the top at times. i know i would like this WAY more if i had any nostalgia for the series. i know i wouldve been obsessed with this in middle school

What moves the dead: dissapointing. Interesting concept with dogshit excecution. Pacing was slow in a way that was uninteresting instead of suspenseful. Tries too hard to be funny without actually being funny, while also failing to be all that disturbing or creepy. I think its meant to be a period piece, but the narration and dialogue just feels a smidge too modern, making it just. not fit right. Narrator is the same as the narrator for the two t j klune books i listened to, which was another strike against it (the narrator is perfectly fine btw i just couldnt listen to this without being reminded of klune's bad writing). Only kept it on as long as i did because i didnt have any backups that day.

my thoughts on the stuff ive listened to during work; note that im not basing my reviews on how good the actual book is, its based on how my personal experience was to listen to the audiobook while working in the lab

Animorphs books 1-3: i read this series as a kid but only once, so i was familiar with the story enough to not get distracted but i had forgotten enough of the details to be kept engaged. Voice acting was fine, tolerable to listen to, character voices distinct enough to differentiate without being annoying (albiet with at least one exception). Biggest issue is length- since my shifts are 8 hours, i got through the first 3 books in a single shift, and the specific version i was listening to was split up into a handful of short parts each book so i kept having to switch to the next video, which was way too much of a momentum-stopper (and work interruption) to stick with this series specifically.

The Witcher books 1+2: eh. was fine enough. once again this was something i was familiar enough with to follow without having to worry too much about missing details, while also being somewhat entertaining. i think i liked it a lot better to read than to listen to. voice acting was fine. biggest issue was that i had finally gotten used to the narrator pronouncing dandelion as dan-DIL-leon for the first book but in the second book he switched to pronouncing it as DAN-dee-lion and i had to stop partway through because of it

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: i remember enjoying reading it a lot more than listening. Ill be the first to admit that im kind of picky about audiobook narration and this one just didnt hit right, but was overall a good experience. Voice acting was fine, and the actual story was very entertaining as expected. Perfectly acceptable.

Discworld books 1-2: extremely good listens. Voice acting was great, character voices were fun and fit the characters really well, only skirted the line of being annoying. fantastic story, but not too complicated or unfamiliar, so i could still follow and be entertained while still focusing on work. Will probably continue the series at some point, but giving myself a buffer period before i start up again to avoid series burnout

Malevolent parts 41-44 (catching up with the podcast lol): man. theres just something about listening to a guy getting gutted and filled with maggots while working in the lab of a hospital. like broooo you are going to get sepsis!!! Very good listen, as expected, just kinda funny trying to keep a straight face while talking to coworkers and simultaneously listening to arthur's no good very bad day

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: probably the best one so far for what im using these for. The length meant i was able to spend like 4 whole shifts on the one audiobook. Footnotes were incorporated fantastically, narrator and voice acting was phenomenal, and its also pretty much my favorite book of all time. Ive read this SEVERAL times, but because of how fucking huge this thing is theres a lot of details i forgot about or misremembered. Only issue is that it was split up into several audio tracks, so i had to switch to the next one a few times per shift. They were each around 2 hours long however, so it wasnt too inconvenient. Also at one point i fucked up and accidentally skipped like 8 whole hours without realizing until after an hour in where they referenced an event i KNEW i hadnt gotten to yet lol

Catch-22: man they really went all fucking OUT on the voice acting here. All characters are EXTREMELY distinct, so im very easily able to tell who's talking even without speaking tags. One of my pet peeves in audiobooks is when the narrator whisper-yells when a character is meant to be screaming. That does not happen here. Narrator fucking COMMITS. Yelling, sobbing, laughing, all of it. Fucking fantastic. Phenomenal as an audiobook, i think i mightve even enjoyed it even better than actually reading it.

Slaughterhouse-five: man. this one is ALSO an audiobook that is fucking PHENOMENAL. biggest problem is that i got WAYYY too into it. I really needed to just sit down and soak it in, which was not very condusive to a workplace environment. I now have a self-imposed limit where im not going to be listening to any more vonnegut books from now on because i KNOW itll have a similar affect

His majesty's dragon: this one couldve been good, but the recording i found was not. The guy reading it did a big spiel at the beginning of each chapter and kept adding unneeded commentary like it was a middle school read along. Im going to be getting a library card today so i can use libby, so i might come back to this once i get access to an actual official audiobook lol

murder on the orient express: nope. barely lasted three minutes into this one

percy jackson and the lightning thief: see this is an example of something ive actually read too many times as a kid so i know the book too well for an audiobook to be entertaining. Dropped it after less than a chapter.

the kane chronicles: had potential, i remember liking the story a lot as a kid but i hadnt read it nearly as much as the pjo series, and i think it wouldve been at least vaguely entertaining. However, half the book has one of the narrator sdoing a really bad british accent for his sister's voicelines and i just couldnt do it. i didnt have the strength. Dropped after maybe 4 chapters.

Camp Damascus: the only audiobook of the lot that i actually bought, and the first one i got through that i hadnt read the physical book before. Interesting story, ok voice acting. Solid choice to listen to. Not quite what i was expecting, but pretty good story! Had some EXTREMELY gnarly descriptions of body horror thrown in at like. two points of the story maybe. Didnt really affect me personally but kinda threw me off in a 'this feels like a different story entirely' sort of way. Dont have much else to say here since these reviews are more talking about my experience with these as audiobooks specifically, and i havent read the book itself to be able to compare this one.

[simpz-art-stash]

A friend of mine and me have been rp’ing a LOT of LMK as of late and we decided to stuff in some old faces from an old original rp we had going on between our fav OTP (JokiXTrixie~) Decided to have their future versions meetup with the gang in an AU! As well as have Joki live out his lifelong dream as a rockstar again. Only this time as a demon-centric metal rock band. Where basically all their players are a demon of sorts to help fill the community in the world now that demons / spirits altogether are becoming a more popular minority on the online community. (my headcanon at least lol) ALSO HERE’S SOME COOL NOTES ABOUT EM!;

- Joki is based off a nightmaren from the game series NiGHTS Journey of Dreams. He still is one in this AU, the only difference is that he helped NiGHTS along with a whole gang of char’s defeat and seal away Wizeman in order to restore peace to the Dream Realm (Nightopia). Now with THAT out of the way, he eventually married Trixie where they both travel the world on tour. (The kind of music they tend to work on sounds like this.) - Joki is an electric guitarist / vocalist who used to have a band under the same name back during his first few long years in the mortal realm, back then they weren't able to go all out due to the stigma against demons. So they simply opted to pretend in favor of keeping their fans pleased. But it took it's toll on the rest of the gang who where demons. To the point they just ended up quitting due to stress of trying to keep their secret. As well as Joki having to take a lotta ‘sick days’ because of his 'condition'. (He couldn’t exist outside of the Dream Realm for too long due to the real world magic not meeting the same standards of his own body’s magic composition like his homeworld would.)

Now that he's been reborn to where his condition no longer applies he wanted to get back into the gig wid his wifey. Unfortunately the rest of his old members had either died off, uninterested or he just couldn't find em anymore. So he rounded up a few demons he met while doing a lil soul searching with Trixie and eventually brought the band back online. Mostly he did it because of the more popular outlook the demon community has started to show online. And since their band mainly has a whole gang of demons, it only fuels their rep for being pro-demon.

- SQiD: Joki dunno HOW the hell they found out he was looking for players for his band, but they showed up one day and offered their services. They’re a great pianist, as well as a good music editor. And even though they never talk, they DO happen to do vocals for their more metal heavy albums while Joki and Dez do backup. Joki isn’t even sure if they ARE a demon (pretty sure they’re some kinda eldrich deity) but honestly, so long as they don’t cause trouble he could care less. (They’re non-binary btw) (The kind of music they tend to work on sounds like this.) - Ray: A fire demon incubus and also the drummer! Joki met em a while back, and asked em if they wanted in, to which they agreed. He’s a bit of a hot head, and he’s totally hit on Trixie at least once. Though after getting shot down he more or less just teases her from time to time, there is a bit of mutual respect for her though considering she’s abstained his temptations in favor of his own bro. Just make sure you knock on his door because the chances of you walking in on him nakey is never 0%. - Dez or ‘Songbird’ as the other’s nicknamed them for their extensive vocal range, is what you’d totally call a drama queen. They also handle the bass and share vocals with Joki. They’re an ice serpent, but that’s about as much as you’ll get out of them backstory wise. They’re more keen on keeping the attention on themselves and adore their fans, who’re always surprised to find their persona on stage is a complete 360 compared to their normal demeanor. (The kind of music they tend to work on sounds like this.) - Trixie is married to Joki. She also happens to help with merch and keepin’ the boy’s in line. All of em know not to mess with her more than needed. Especially considering she’s a witch who’s gone through hell n’ back with Joki knowing he’d do the same for her. She’s basically helped saved the world twice at this point, and a third in this AU. She’s also a high standing witch now having eventually found her path and studied to get where she is with her status. And even though she isn’t immortal, her magic will keep her alive for a long time to come, something Joki wouldn’t have any other way. - Also Red Son is a total simp for Beast Machines music. LOL

If you got any questions regarding these neat char’s don’t hesitate to hit me up! ;D I own all the characters EXCEPT for Trixie, who belongs to @preposterousmissbradley However I did design her new outfit. Along with the rest of the character’s. work © Azelforest , do not repost, re-distribute, edit, or claim as your own, etc.

[cinaminho]

Stray Mafia: You get Snarky/Sassy with them

Uh ohhhh back again with a flop y'know

╰ Group: Straykids

╰ Genre: comedy

╰ Warnings: Language,, very mild violence ,, some are shorter than others,, not in order

Request:Hi can I please have a skz mafia scenario where you get into an argument and you say something really sassy like or snarky please 💓

BTW: in case you don't know their roles

Chan • Leader,, sets up every mission ,, plans everyone's position ,, always has a backup plan ,, prefers to use a bat//stick because people tend to underestimate those types of weapons,, Chan states "you just gotta know how to use them"

Changbin • Under boss ,, calls shots when Chan isn't present and is the head in negotiating ,, he's also a great sniper

Woojin • in charge of the cartel,, intelligent so you can't mess him over when it comes to supplies,, hand gun/knife/sword master

Minho • Head Spy ,, good in undercover missions,, Teams best non weapon fighter,, great with making poisons (thank you Yuta)

Hyunjin • Weapon suppliier ,, knows how to get military weapons because of connections,, underestimated because he looks innocent,, knows how to use 98% of weapons made

Felix • the interrogator,, his deep voice is intimidating ,, isn't afraid to torture you if he has to just to get the info that is needed

Jisung • Hacker,, tech prince,, might be able to get secrets from the Pentagon to be honest,, hacking skills are as faster than sending and retrieving a text,, he's also good at kidnapping enemies so they can be interrogated

-

Plot - Your Dark World Lover has hit below the bit or caused irritation to you so you get back him the best way you know how which is by being cunning with your words and snappy attitude.

/// .•°*♡

- - -

{ Chan }

"You walk around so high and mighty because you're a leader of your own mafia now which is ironic to me considering your brain isn't even half the size of the bullets you use I bet!"

You spat at your significant other as his back was turned to you, he had cancelled your date night again because of underworld business, he just blew you off without even trying to Reassure you that you could reschedule. Your tone caught his attention as he froze in the middle of tying his Neck tie . He spun slowly on the heels of his dress shoes to you, his normal smile gracing his face as his shoes clicked on the marbel floor your stood your ground crossing one foot infront of the other along with your arms. Once Chan was infront of you he teasingly Bent down to be eye level with you. He grazed his finger under your chin.

"Because I think you're on your monthly, I'll take your snappy attitude that is however the only time I will except it." He spoke before cupping the back of your neck and slowly leaning his lips to your ear.

"There are limits to my patience remember that, My dear."

{Woojin}

He was not having it clearly you must've forgot just how rude Woojin could get so when you gave him a slick remark due to him saying you needed to clean up more which you had , the place was spotless, Woojin was just a neat freak, you figured he was just in a bitch mood.

"Look Y/n just clean up." He frustratedly ordered once more.

"Clean up what Woojin? You know actually tell you what, how 'bout for once YOU clean, start with that dumb ass attitude." You exclaimed.

Woojin looked as if you'd gone mad his before you knew it he was slightly leaning over you as he stood over you who sat on the couch his hands were gripping the Arms of the couch to support himself lightly hovering over you. You were screaming silently, your skin grew hotter as your nerves heightened.

"Don't think I won't lock you away to set you right little girl..You ever talk to me like that again and I'll have you afraid to even speak greetings to anyone."

{Changbin}

You. Fucked. Up. Completely.

Now be no fool, Changbin loved you now that it was known it wouldn't change and as a loving couple of course you two would get into little spats naturally but this one was more heated, words of furious lovers were being threw back and forth, Fury gazes, neither willing to admit defeat, you really were blindsided by your anger you didn't notice until you'd said it, you just had to poke the bear though, right?

"Don't be a bitch okay?" You sarcastically stated.

"The phrase 'it takes one to no one' doesn't nearly fit enough in this situation." He responded matching your clearly sarcasm, you flickered from crazy to insane just like that before you knew it you were attempting to slap him. He grabbed your hand.

You looked between him and the hand that was in his grasp, his face scrunched in a murderous form, evident heavy breathing came from you both, one fear , one livid anger. His teeth were clenched so tightly you were they may break. Soon after silence and anticipation came his next actions. The base of his thumb pressed painfully deep into the palm of your hand adding a bit of his nail as well , you winced loudly as your knees became weak collapsing under you , so , down you went. He wasn't letting up either as he stared at your tortured pained face.

"Mark my words and God as your witness you're clearly out of your Damn mind if you're raising your hand at me, you will only be able to use your feet and mouth to feed you if you pull this bullshit Ever again. I promise."

{Minho}

"Of all the Days in the world you choose the today to go on a mission WHICH MAY I ADD,, you excepted behind my back you selfish son of a--"

"~Easyy there baby tiger, your anger is a weapon while the words are the ammunition." He Cheshirely grinned. Your gaze narrowed you in all honest felt a vain about to pop out of your neck from restraining your urge to strangle him.

"You're a Dick." You said through gritted teeth

Minho's mouth dropped open, he was at a loss for words, soon that changed once he Laughed, he seemigly and genuinely found you hilarious his adorable gummy smile filled with mischief was show cased as he doubled over laughing at you.

Minho glided towards you with his hands behind his back you held your head up high prepared for whatever it was that he has to say, or at least you hoped you were.

His face looked over yours carefully trying to call your bluff. He tilted his head to the side letting out a cute cackle. You hated when he didn't take you seriously.

"You really are the cutest thing when you try to snap back at me, good try , same time tomorrow?" He suggested before walking away leaving you to silently scold yourself. One of these days you'd get under his skin enough.

{Hyunjin}

"So you can locate Foreign weapons but can't locate the dairy aisle in a store? Remarkable."

He was showing some of the latest weapons that he obtained and allowed you to come along you wanted to tease and have a little fun but really you didn't choose the best time to try and make a joke out of him, on purpose of course. He'd had just about enough of your playful banter shenanigans . He excused himself from the group of men who also didn't find your humor amusing to talk to you.

"Y/n I don't think now Is the time to joke." He spoke flatly.

"I'm just joking lighten up."

Hyunjin looked towards the men who were paying attention to his high profile weapon shelf before he turned back to you, he snaked his hand through your hair giving you a soft smile. His soft touch soon became rough as he fisted some of your hair slightly bringing his face inches closer to yours.

"Do I look like I care that you're joking? Now Is not the time to joke I said."

He yanked his hand away from your head , your hand soon reaching to sooth the burn from where he'd pulled it, you were flabbergasted.

{Jisung}

You were literally talking to your friend about him while he was in the next room, he'd asked that you didn't speak about him to your friends for safety purposes , however, you thought he was just overreacting. Seriously what harm could it do? You were going to find out as you paid the price for ignoring his request or your phone would at least.

"This is my Last time requesting this, Y/n, please do not discuss me with your friends." He huffed puffing his cheeks out. You thought he was cute but the reddned hue on his cheeks indicated he was losing his patience. His fist balled at his sides, nails digging in the skin of his own palms.

"Jisung stop being a drama queen." You snickered.

Jisung's eye twitched slightly. "Drama Queen? , noted." He smirked. Before you knew it he Walt's over to you snatching the phone from your grasp not giving you time to question his actions before he savagely smashed it to the ground with a frustrated growl.

You let out a squeak as you stared at the broken electronic devise. Jisung smiled at his dilberate work.

"Oh, and if you ever call me a drama Queen again. There is way more where that came from, m'kay Pumpkin?" He stated before patting your head and walking away.

{Felix}

You were in the middle of a heated discussion and honestly you weren't listening because there was no way in hell you were postponing your wedding because his 'business' could get in the way of that. His words were going in one ear and out of the other.

"Honestly you're wasting not only your words on a useless excuse and my time. For someone who claims to be intelligent you sure sound like a numbskull right now."

Your words were like poisoned darts. You began to exit the room but Felix to big steps to soon be infront of you blocking your exit. He gripped your lower jaw snitching it in his so you had no other choice but to look at him as his grip gradually tightened if you tried to look away, you had to face the demon.

"Don't even think of insulting my intelligence! and This conversation is far from over. So pull up a seat. Shut up and listen , close your mouth for a millisecond. I'm postponing the wedding because the location may be compromised, if you'd just open your ears you'd know that I've stated that ,bridezilla ,know my reasoning behind my actions before you speak." He firmly demanded.

You were completely loss for words you couldn't find your voice so you kept your lips sealed. Felix smugly smirked at your expression.

"You've got something on your face." He declared squinting over your features.

"Ahh that's what it is. The look of pure stupidity." He said matter of factly .

[whatsupgoodbuddy]

Stoned thoughts #5095

these all are btw.

mother fucker i put press-on nails on yesterday; every time i do it, hate it. they look cute, yes, but it is so fucking hard to type right now jesuschristmas.

so yeah I would really like to learn music production and audio manipulation >:) music groovy and funky. good n fun.

I just love learning and appreciating cultures and international influences that impacted more recent and modern art. And how everything is adapted from its predecessors. does that make sense? unlikelay.

It's just neat that folks all around only want to connect. and art is taking a perspective (thoughts oooo ideas aaaaa) and using your motor functions that came pre-equipped with your prototype; you're exerting energy to tell a story to get other people thinking about their own translation of that story. Maybe they'll understand it the same as you. The chances are slim but never zero. But every body needs love. Unlimited love for every one.

Lust for the star dust.

Minor details, while inconspicuous at first, ultimately add distinguishable phrases that complete the sound. Music. Minor details being bass lines, backup vocals, harmonies, fuckin bells and yells, intros, outros, etc. Mind you, I don't have a fucking idea what I'm talking about. L43v3 M3 @L0N3. thx. well dont. oooh yo when that horn hits, good shit. k bye.

[cdyssey]

Saw Great Comet yesterday (7-30-17), and I just wanted to share some of my experience with you guys! I was sitting in the rear mezz, which I highly recommend!

*I'mma skip over a lot of the main details just because they’ve already been covered, but I’ll try to include things that were particular to this show/not often talked about.

“Prologue”

• There’s a little vignette right before the show starts where Andrey is leaving for war, and it begins with Natasha screaming the most heartbreaking no you’ve ever heard in ur life. • When Oak came out, there was thunderous applause. Like, it went on for at least a full minute. I was so happy. • Also, hearing that first accordion note reduced me to tears bc I’m sensitive™.

“Pierre”

• So lemme talk about Oak’s voice real quick. Someone noted that it’s this perfect blend between Groban’s smoothness and Malloy’s roughness, and I have to wholeheartedly agree. It’s absolutely beautiful. He’s a beautiful Pierre. • Also, he plays Pierre with a lot of melancholy. It’s almost as though he’s always on the verge of tears. • “He’s charming; he has no sex.” While the ladies are skipping around him, Hélène is conducting them, and it’s hilarious. • “I pity you. I pity me. I pity you.” — Oak sings these lines so gutturally. His agony echoes off the very walls of the Imperial. • “Pierre” received a long applause as well.

“Moscow”

• GRACE MCLEAN DESERVED TO BE NOMINATED FOR A TONY AWARD!1! HOLY CRAP. HER VOCALS BRING THE HOUSE DOWN!!!!!!! • The moment she belts her first lines, you know exactly what kind of personality Marya D. has, and that’s a tribute to her actress. Srsly. • During the song, Marya will sometimes act maternally to Sonya, but the moment Natasha comes back into sight, she’ll roughly push Sonya away, and it’s hilarious. • Natasha’s humming is absolutely heartbreaking. It’s one of the many moments in the musical when you realize how young she is.

“The Private and Intimate Life of the House”

• There were understudies for both Mary and Bolkonsky/Andrey, Courtney Bassett and Ken Clark respectively. They were wonderful. Ken’s performance especially stood out to me. • “People enjoy me, though…” Before he sang these lines, he held eye contact with a person across from him for, like, five seconds, and it was incredibly funny. (Same goes for him patting his wig and powder flying into the air.) • “BRING ME MY SLIPPERS! YES, FATHER. YES, FATHER. BRING ME MY WIIIIIIIIIIIIINE.” • The audience interaction in this one is A+. Mary’s suitor and Bolkonsky’s cheap French thing draw huge laughs from the crowd. • “They are there upon his head.” I’ve seen a few posts where people lament that the audience laughs at this line, but I truly think it’s supposed to be laughed at. Mary is kind of coy when she says it, like she’s laughing at it herself. After that, though, her mood dips, slowly sinking into this utterly palpable reproach. • The audience was completely silent. • While she’s singing her final lines, Bolkonsky is slowly making his way back to his chair, and your heart shatters as you watch. He’s clutching his back and using the railing for support. When he finally collapses in his chair, he kinda puts his head in his hands.

“Natasha and the Bolkonskys”

• Towards the beginning of the song, Natasha and Mary hoist chairs over their heads and join a table of people on stage. It’s hilarious. They really milk the awkwardness of the moment. • “Constrained and strained” is so frickin’ good. When Courtney and Denée sing it, it’s really low and creepy. • “Says the mean, old man in his underthings” drew huge laughs, especially bc of Bolkonsky’s hand movements. He kept gesturing towards his entire body.

“No One Else”

• Honest to God, I could write essays on how perfect Denée Benton and her performance of this song is. She emotes so beautifully. Her voice, her movements, her facial expressions all come together to create Natasha, a young, lost girl who wants nothing more than to see Andrey again. • I cried (obviously). • The blue light is absolutely gorgeous in this song. (The blue light is meant to be the moon.) • At one point, Andrey shows up, and snow begins to lightly fall on him. He reads one of Natasha’s letters, brings it to his lips tenderly before walking away, and just behind him, almost able to reach him, is Natasha, her face the perfect picture of despair. • Denée Benton. • The applause after this song was long and well-deserved.

“The Opera”

• Just for the record, songs like this one, “The Duel”, and “The Abduction"—where all of the cast members are out—are absolutely electric. The energy is incredible. • “The opera, the opera…” Marya D. belts these lines so loudly, lololol. • On one side, you can spot Heath Saunders as one of the opera goers, and lemme just tell you guys, that long, black coat suits him. • “Hélène and Dolokhov arm-in-arm…” They aren’t so much arm-in-arm as they are passionately making out on stage. Omg. I love them. • “Noooo, I’m enjoying myself this evening.” Pierre pumps his fist and smiles this absolutely giddy smile. • When Marya sees that Natasha is talking to Hèlène, she runs up and pushes Nat behind her. • To indicate that the “curtain rises,” some of the light bulbs retract. It’s a cool effect. • I know the literal opera part of the song sounds incredibly weird on the recording, but in person, it’s more hilarious than you’d think. The actors are doing ridiculous things and making animalistic noises, lol. • When it’s over, the spotlight turns to Natasha and Sonya. Sonya’s asleep, lolololololol. • Right before Anatole comes in and around the time Natasha begins to “pass into a state of intoxication”, she hallucinates Andrey being injured during the war. The two circle each other around Pierre’s salon, simply gazing into each other’s eyes, and it’s intense. • Anatole’s entrance is frickin’ ridiculous and amazing all at once. • You know those measured beats at the beginning of his introduction? During each of those, he sharply turns his head in a new direction, ostensibly to show off his head. • Also, his walk is literally a swagger. • Either in this scene or during “Natasha and Anatole”, he caught a lady unaware and kissed her on the cheek. She jumped so badly, lolololol.

“Natasha and Anatole”

• During the intro of the song, Anatole checks himself out in a mirror before posing himself perfectly for the moment Natasha turns around to see him. • Also, let’s talk about Lucas Steele for a hot minute. He is Anatole Kuragin, from his almost exotic voice to the way he walks. Out of the cast, I’d say that Steele is the one who plays the crowd the best. • Throughout this number, Anatole and Natasha play the roles of pursuer and the pursued. Natasha tries so hard not to be wrapped under his spell. :( • When he takes the flower off her head, Natasha makes a perfect :O face. I love Denée Benton. • “And kiss me on the neck.” He does manage to get this kiss, and it’s really rough-looking. • “How do you like Moscow?” Lolololololololol. • For the most part, the two are roving around the stage (mostly bc Natasha is running away from Anatole), but at the end, they sit down next to each other, and it’s played as a really significant moment.

“The Duel”

• “The Duel” is epic live. Holy freakin’ crap. • The moment Dolokhov, Pierre, and Anatole clink their glasses together, the strobe lights come on and the real party begins. There’s intensely sexual dancing, half-naked people, and glow sticks everywhere. • Y'all, I saw Marya D., in a skin tight, black costume no less, whip several people with a riding crop with my own two eyes. • Also, in the very back of the rear mezz, there was, like, a threesome going on. • The energy during this song was absolutely nuts. • Sonya’s party outfit is so cute. It’s an almost innocent looking dress, and she’s wearing bright sunglasses. • The ensemble echoing back “corpulence” is really frickin’ funny. • Nick Choksi really highlights the psychopathic part of Dolokhov, especially in the “Here’s to the health of married women” sequence. His movements are jubilant but also shark-like. He and Hélène make out for a loooooong time.

“Dust and Ashes”

• Oak’s “Dust and Ashes” is an absolute privilege to hear, and if you have the chance, I would go and listen to it while you can. His voice could have shaken the entire foundation of the theater. • While he’s singing, the entire cast lines up in the rear mezz to provide backup vocals, and it’s incredibly poignant. (Also, tho, Lucas Steele stood in front of me, and I died.) • “Don’t let me die while I’m like this…” During these lines, Oak starts crying, and it guts you. • There was a two minute applause for “Dust and Ashes”, and I was on the verge of crying just bc he was getting such a huge applause. • Oak is perfect, okay?

“Sunday Morning” / “Charming”

• “Everyone sees a man!” Ingrid delivers this line so well. It got a huge laugh. • AHHHHHHHHH, now here’s a symbolic moment for you. When Natasha says that she can see a shape in the darkness as she’s looking into the mirror, Pierre is standing up right behind her. Pierre is her future. • (The moment Nat leaves, he sits back down.) • Amber Gray can slay me, tbh. “Charming” is everything I could have ever asked for. • When she walks in, the lights are bright behind her, and her hood is over her head, effectively masking her identity. It’s a really neat moment. • The lights dim when she takes off her hood. • Natasha is in her undergarments throughout the song until Hélène gives her her cloak. (Btw, Natasha looks gr8 in said cloak.) • At some point, Natasha starts mimicking Hélène’s movements, and it’s adorable but also a really nice character touch. Same goes for Hélène snatching Andrey’s necklace off of Nat’s neck and exchanging it for her own pearls.

“The Ball”

• This number was enchanting. I had a hard time focusing on the main stage bc the dancers in the rear mezz. were so mesmerizing in their movements. • Also, tho, the ensemble dancers mimicked what Anatole and Natasha were dancing at times. • When Natasha tries to run away from Anatole, he pursues her up the steps and forces their first kisses. She’s surprised at first, but gives into it with abandon a few seconds later. The kiss lasts a very long time. • At the end of “The Ball”, Natasha and Anatole run through the doors together and then turn to face the audience. They’re holding hands. The lights are bright behind them.

“Letters”

• “Letters” is such a frickin’ jam, y'all. • When it starts, the cast members spill out of the double doors singing. • At the beginning of “Letters”, just as Pierre is addressing Andrey, Andrey appears at the top of the stairs. Pierre faces him. • “I see nothing but the candles in the mirror.” For one of the very few times in the play, Natasha and Pierre face each other. • The geometric symmetry in the choreography is really wonderful all around. For instance, at one point, Mary, Natasha, and Pierre are all positioned in a triangle, taking turns facing one another. • Anatole’s love letter was an absolute showstopper. People were whistling, clapping, and screaming when he started holding those really long notes. Holy crap @ Lucas Steele!!!!!

“Sonya and Natasha” / “Sonya Alone”

• “Sonya and Natasha” is intense. I was on the edge of my seat for their fighting. • “I’m soooooooooooooo happy, and sooooooooooo frightened.” Kill it, Denée!!!! (When she’s singing about her happiness, her arms are extended widely, and when she’s singing about being frightened, she withdraws into herself.) • “I have no will. My life is his.” During these lines, Natasha is wrapped around an increasingly agonized Sonya. • “Sonya Alone” is one of the most powerful numbers in the show, and you really don’t recognize it until you see it live. • The theater is almost completely dark with the exception of a spotlight on Sonya. Throughout the entirety of the song, Natasha is ambling about, tightly clutching Anatole’s letter. • Sonya never takes her eyes off of Natasha, and your heart can’t help but ache for both of them. • Ingrid Michaelson is truly a wonderful Sonya—maybe not as sure as Brittain but she definitely doesn’t lack heart. • On the first “I will protect your name and your heart”, Natasha stumbles on a stair, staggered by the weight of her friend’s words. Then, she walks to the opposite side of the stage, only to be completely stopped by Sonya’s, “I know you’ve forgotten me.” • For the rest of the song, Natasha is still, her head inclined towards Sonya.

“Preparations” / “Balaga”

• When Pierre greets Anatole at the beginning of this number, it’s almost as though he’s caught Anatole out. Anatole had been trying to sneak past unnoticed. • Anatole shaves in front of a mirror during “Preparations”, lol. At one point, he turns to the crowd with shaving cream still on his face. • Dolokhov sings his arguments at Anatole very fiercely during this song, even more so than he does in the recording. • I looooooooooooove “Balaga”. It’s such a wild performance. Paul Pinto moves with such agility and manic energy. The ensemble hands out the egg shakers during this one.

“The Abduction”

• “THE ABDUCTION” IS SO GOOOD. HOLY CRAPPP. • Anatole singing “WHOOOOA” while swinging his green jacket cleared my skin, watered my crops, and cured my depression. • The whole theater is absolutely alive with commotion. There’s a dance off between a guy in the rear mezz and a guy on stage that’s frickin’ amazing. • People are doing backflips. • Natasha smashes a painting on Balaga’s head. • Marya and Hélène are making out. • Pierre is doing a cute jig. • It’s beautiful, beautiful chaos. • When Pierre screams his “WHOA” part, everyone collapses on the floor, absolutely exhausted, and then, then, the most wonderful thing happens. • Pierre giggles. • “Hee-hee-hee.” • God, I love Oak. • “Wait, wait. First we have to sit down.” Anatole made room for himself next to a girl, which was hecking funny, but what was even funnier was that the girl leaned her head on Anatole’s shoulder. The whole theater dissolved in laughter. Anatole held the quiet for a comedically long period before getting up, and when he did, he kissed the girl on the cheek. It was really cute. • When Marya entered at the end of the song, surrounded by this harsh, red light, there were audible gasps in the audience. People weren’t expecting her, lol.

“In My House”

• GRACE MCLEAN DESERVED A TONY NOMINATION: PART TWO. • She acted her butt out through this entire song. I’m serious. • Her voice is dangerously quiet until, “YOU LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU. YOU LISTEN TO ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU.” • The tension in the room was palpable. • Also, all of the yelling you hear on the recording? It’s so much more intense live. It’s fierce enough to make you flinch. • “Don’t touch me!” At one point when Natasha screamed this, she physically pushed Marya away, and Marya wasn’t angry so much as she was stunned. • “Natasha’s whole body shook with noiseless, convulsive sobs.” She was literally bent over, grasping the railing like she couldn’t breathe. • “And she threw herself down on the sofa.” Natasha stands erect with her arms crossed and her head buried in them. The spotlights focus on her, and that’s when Marya softens. • You can see the fight leave Grace McLean’s body. Her voice is incredibly tender.

“A Call to Pierre” / “Find Anatole”

• GRACE MCLEAN DESERVED A TONY NOMINATION: PART THREE. • Her face is absolutely devastated as she’s talking to Pierre. Like, I still have chills thinking about it. • Also, Pierre is waking up from a nap at the beginning of this number, lol. • “I have been… studying.” He glances quickly at the place he had been napping. • The sheer power in Oak’s voice really comes out in these next songs. Anger and fear simmers behind the way he sings. A+++ • At the beginning of “Find Anatole”, he truly sounds out of breath. His body is fully bent over for a couple of seconds. • “He can’t be married!” The absolute horror in Denée’s voice nearly slaughters you, tbh. • When Pierre discovers Anatole and Hélène and gets mad, they start to run away. • Pierre is livid when he finds Anatole and Hélène. I mean, livid.

“Pierre and Anatole” / “Natasha Very Ill”

• Pierre nearly throttling Anatole is a sight™. • “Amuse yourself with women like my wife!” The spotlight shines on Hélène as she stands up and bristles indignantly. What an amazing character touch. • During that long pause before Pierre apologizes to Anatole, Natasha walks right between the two and drinks the arsenic. A few moments later, it begins taking effect, and she starts screaming. It’s a terrible, convincing sound. She runs off stage. Marya and Sonya follow her. • “FOR PETERSBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURG!” :’))) • There was a pause between “Pierre and Anatole” and “Natasha Very Ill” while we all wildly applauded that C#. Holy crap @ Lucas Steele!!!!!!!!!!!! • “Natasha Very Ill” is sad. Everyone is devastated, especially Sonya and Marya.

“Pierre and Andrey”

• Ken Clark is an amazing Andrey. He has a v. human approach to the prince. • When Pierre and Andrey are trading insults, there’s a lot of affection between them. It’s really as though the two haven’t seen each other in quite awhile. • Andrey’s somewhat tender tone continues until he asks Pierre to confirm whether the rumors he had heard were true, and when Pierre replies in the affirmative, that is the very moment when Andrey assumes his colder exterior. • It frickin’ breaks your heart. • #PoorAndrey • “If you wish to be my friend, never speak of that again.” During “If you wish to be my friend,” Andrey’s voice breaks seemingly on the edge of tears, and then it hardens at the end as he jabs a finger in Pierre’s chest. The moment he does so, though, he immediately looks horrified. Did I really just threaten my friend? • “Well, goodbye” is soft. • #PoorAndrey • CRAP. I FORGOT THE WORST PART OF THIS SONG. Behind Andrey and Pierre, Natasha and Sonya are standing in a darkened corner. Whenever Andrey refers to Natasha, she flinches and buries herself into Sonya. • :(

“Pierre and Natasha” / “The Great Comet of 1812”

• “Pierre and Natasha” broke me. • At the beginning of the song, Natasha slowly makes her way down the staircase, entirely dependent on the railing to get down. It tears at your heart. You can’t help but remember how lovely and vibrant she had been at the beginning of the play. • The nightgown she’s in makes her look so small, and with her braided hair, she looks just like a little girl. • Oak emotes his lyrics so tenderly, so gently in this one. His voice is always on the verge of breaking. • “She began to cry…” Yeah, no. She sobbed, and you sobbed with her. Her whole body was shaking. She had to hold on to the rail. • An interesting tidbit: Hélène is sitting right behind Natasha, and she has her head in her hands like she’s reacting to the sadness of this scene, too. • “All over…” At this point, Natasha is walking back up the staircase, and the theater is absolutely silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Oak says the written line to her back. • I’ll never forget the way Oak delivered it, and I will never want to either. • His voice simply broke on “if I were free”. • Pierre turns away from her, and then she turns towards him, slowly making her way back to him. • During her last lines, Natasha touches his cheek, and it is sincerely one of the most beautiful moments of this very beautiful play. • “The Great Comet of 1812” was moving, too. • The theater very much looked like a beautiful night sky. The comet prop was stunning, too. • Pierre sat down at the end of the song and gazed reverentially up at the comet.

This play was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, and I recommend it with all of my heart and soul. Please, please support it if you can.

[isaacathom]

ok heres my eurovision liveblog thoughts i guess

i love slovenias look but im not a.... trap fan?? is that the genre? not a fan of that. also not a flashing light thank, thank you.

‘the need for everyone to fall in love’ the need??????? sfuck off

uhhhhhh...... oh thats cute. oh those lil videos are cute. and i appreciate them. i wish she’d say the /O/ in old because she clearly can but it just sounds like ‘ahld’ or smth.

what wa the point of the australian presenter to spoil the fact her husband showed up on stage like that wouldve been sweet if i hadnt KNOWN it.

‘electronic groups’ oh god AGAIN? oh thank god. oh this is nice.

‘really gets under your skin’ wow these presenters suck. thats very much the wrong metaphor. like that literally means the opposite of what you WANTED it to mean. shit. fuck.

these presenters honestly are just kinda ass. also ‘songwriters are saying it doesnt make sense’ ??? are they stupid. its. its not exactly abstract expressionism?????? what the fuck are they talking about. also what was hthat camera cut with a bald man just side eyed the camera like hes ready to kill. my god. what a legend. but was thatcomment.a joke? wild. oh it was a joke. ok. yea no im not feeling their humour. also why do they keep cutting out.

oh im really liking portugals. like it just feels nice. its sorta cozy.

‘thats one way to put it’??????? was that a gay joke?????? what the fuck was that. what was that?????? like, she said ‘listening to music for 73 hours straight’ and she went ‘straight? thats one way to put it’ IS IT A GAY JOKE???? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. im so confused. i dont understand. pls. why.

ooh its time for the invader, im Ready???? i think im ready. im sorta not but i sorta am. no choice, i cant pause. im liking this song though. ok cool im getting second hand anxiety about knowing an invader is coming. im not ready. i have no choice but OH BOY!!!! oh boy!!....... ok she handled that fairly well, but the fact her vocals kept going does look weird (tho its just clearly a backing vocal track to help boost it or to allow her to hold long notes, so im not fussed)

i like this song tho, i sorta wish she’d taken the reperform . ooOOOOH ‘absolute cockhead’ same. i like that they decided to cut to an interview to allow for the backstage crew and security to figure out what the Fuck just happened. like its obvious it was an unplanned interview but i think that was a good way to do it. a+

oh fuck thats ethereal. wooooahhhhhhhhhHHH. oh bitch. oh my god. i love this. oh i REALLY like this one. gave me chills. also, ‘crazy colonel sanders’ what, the flutist? yall are uncreative fuckers. he looks nothing like colonel sanders, in ANY way. like he just loosk like your reclusive grandfather. or like uhhhh montgomery montgomery from the asoue movie (i forget the actor sorry i know hes big)

oh this song hurts and it really shouldnt. ow. fuck. im meant to be doing my essay and im crying on the couch bitch Fuck. listen dude songs about close family dying hurt me so bad. HES CRYING TOO!!!!! bitch. ow. god no wonder he came 4th, that shit fucking Hurt me. oh my god. my throat hurts. god dammit germany! no!!!! bad!!!!! i came for fun. im slain.

im a fan of this albanian song too. it feels sorta like im listening to uhhhhh...... one of chelseas french musicals, actually. specifically robin du bois. i think its the instrumentation. big fan. oh my god i Love him.

why is their outfits being designed by gautier matter. wow those are square shoulders. i wish he hadnt. looks like something a Sith Lord would wear. the shoulders are better in context of the whole outfit. just..... not on a close up, i dont think. uh lovely song btw. oh the converse do not work with that outfit. why is she wearing sneaker esque shoes. what the hell was that.

he did a backflip?? in rehea- woah. hold on. black bars????? they havent been there the whole time, have they?? this looks like an aesthetic choice???? im confused. oh no did he have to dance like that. was that to fill in for the backflip they had to cut because he hurt himself. :| did they just dab. this is disgusting. i mean the song is nice but Why tho. czech hipster man, why must you hurt me. also i love how ‘whats up eurovision’ worked perfectly with the beat. v nice.

i heard viktor krum, what did he do. what does he have to do with this. why the fuck did they mention viktor krum, that actor is bulgarian and this is denmark???? i cant rewind. did i miss a joke. also ooh this is a fun viking beat.

WHAT HE FUCK DOES VIKTOR KRUM HAVE TO DO WITH IT. these commentators absolutely suck. i literally dont understand. they look NOTHING like durmstrang??? yall fuckers seen the movie?

also wow this is the much hyped australian act................. hmm. yea no we deserved 20th place. this isnt great. it also doesnt feel like shes hitting certain notes? but im tone deaf so i cant judge. this really isnt great. like ‘oh were a win chance’ yall blind from patriotism. i prefer most of the others. this isnt great. (i mean i dont wanna be that downer asshole but i Mean......... this is a competition and we got what we deserved here) oh god no that didnt work. nnn nah.

also STOP THE FUCKING FLASHING LIGHTS you fucking assholes. oh my god. im just /begging/. oh my god shut the fuck up commentators. these commentators honestly fucking suck. i hate them.

the commentators dabbed. Why. WHY. whats wrong with yall. fuck me.

also im still bewildered by the ‘straight? one way to put it’ joke like genuinely what was it. if the prior performance had been one of the gayer ones that i know are coming up, then maybe itd make sense. this is bewildering. heyyy its the ncis lady. i like her.

im waiting to finally hear israels unbutchered song ver (the ‘vote for israel’ ad presumably fucked it).

fuck i need food and i cant pause. god, is every song a favourite, yeesh. small aside - im sick of bands with a Single female. cowards. i mean this band is fairly diverse and i appreciate that! thats very nice!!! its not a specific knock. just like.... come on........... where the girls in the big bands at.

X RATED WIGGLES???????? are you all fucking mad. good lord this shit is absurd. oh this feels like a gameshow set. i like this. oh i like this. this is an aesthetic. i love the illusion stuff. im a Big fan. i dont think id call any of this x rated... m, certainly. wouldnt ban most of this from tv, you feel me. i thought that was quite fun. can you stop talking over the actual presenters please, you australian cockheads. im really hungry.

ooh i like this. edm, right??? i kinda dig it. like its hit or miss for the genre but i like this.

I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE BLACK BARS. fuckers. it was stylistic, right? i appreciate it.

oh. screamo? fantastic. just what i want! :) precisely my genre :) big fan of screaming :) OOH this opening beats though, ooooohhh fuck yea. lets hear it boys. oh, les screaming, more yelling. no im mostly okay with that. its in hungarian but thats aight. im sure the nordic countries appreciate this hard rock representation. also, flashing lights!!! stop! oh im not a fan of the backup singers there. thats a shame.

‘unique song’ thematically??? yall fucking crazy weve covered both bullying and metoo in two previous songs. ya dunce.

ok lets hear it. OH her vocals are gorgeous. also by ‘referencing jpop’ are you talking about the outfit??? im mixed on it because idk shit about ~culture~ but it is cute, i suppose. i dunno anything about jpop either.

but wow that ad really did not represent this song well. dumbass.

huh. country. weird. i mean this is nice, sure, but its not my thing.

HEYYY IRELAND!!! helloooo. this is nice. just nice and sweet. like that was just nice.

ooh cyprus. oh my fucking god STOP SAYING FAVOURITE you absolute fucking balloons. ‘how does she get the outfit on’ you can see the zip and its obviously a full body suit, ding dong. dumb man. im liking this though. big fan.

oh final song, thank god, i can almost go get FOOD!!! im hungry.

was that a russian overlay. interesting?? i also feel like some of these overlays definitely arent italian. are they singing italian tho? are the overlays just thematic w/ some subtitle esque ones? its nice though. like, the message is definitely in a good close and i love it on that level..... on a uh...... Song level? not really.

well that was neat.... im getting food. oh jeez the commentators almost spoke over each other yeesh.

why do they keep saying fucking viktor krum. im so fucking mad about that. its so fucking stupid. like thats. thats not. thats not remotely close??? you dumbass.

not an exhaustive list, but i like norway, portugal, UK, germany (brings me to fucking tears), albania, france (STOP GOING ON ABOUT GAUTIER), finland, bulgaria, moldova, sweden, israel, cyprus. theyre nice. germany fucked me up the most so i think im legally required to say i wish germany had won.

‘heres sandra bullock and jennifer lawrence’ shut the actual fuck up.

anyway im leaving. that was fun.