#the production is fantastic tbh

[kithtaehyung]

maybe RPWP needs to grow on me but it… doesn’t sound good :/ it sounds like all the producers tried to make their own sound and put it into one track

ah, damn.. i’m sorry if it didn’t sound great on first listen but man it sounds like aoty to me

[frogsandmagic]

Misfits and magic season 2??? Fuck yeah!!!??!!

[astro-break]

Every time I think about how much I adore Mankai Stage Act 2 Winter 2023, I inevitably think of this one CM that is so balls to the walls hilarious, especially if you have absolutely no context about a3! at all and know absolutely 0 Japanese

Like it starts off so normal with It Happened one Quiet Night but the camera slow pans to Teruma's (Guy) deadpan face during the number and????? Like what???? But then you also realize that no, it didn't start off normal at all because Maekawa (Tsuzuru) slid across the stage to get to his position?????? Kitazono (Tasuku) whose in the same position just walks there like normal but noooooooo Maekawa has to slide there bc he's extra like that. Also the spin that Maki (Tsumugi) does is cute. Very cute. I miss Maki

The tonal whiplash between Chikage announcing what Citron requested of him and True Feelings is also just??? What????? And the hilarity of having no idea why there's sad somber music while some dude is sitting on the floor hugging a bag of super marshmallows like it's his lifeline while the other guy is giving him absolutely no personal space at all is peak

The rest is pretty normal but the editors choosing to cut off the Mika introduction scene with Ryosei (Homare) laughing so awkwardly is such a choice that is so silly, it transcends language barriers. The decision to also specifically play the small song number where Chikage disses Itaru (Tateishi isn't even in this production he can't even defend himself poor dude) for coming along is just. Skkfgk I can't.

The editing decisions that had to happen for such a masterpiece to come out is just beautiful. I love Winter 2023 and this CM is my favourite of them all

[highlifeboat]

caption

[i-assign-things-baked-goods]

cabby from inanimate insanity !! /nf

she deserves so much more love than she gets !!!! she has no friends :( and !! she has memory issues so that’s cool yknow,,

her vibes are fantastic. she's so No-Name Brand Pretzel Sticks /pos

[lettis-novaturient]

the 136 days of productivity

forget about 100 days of productivity, im gonna do 136 days of productivity <3

(david attenborough voice)

here we see the wild letti realise she will be a legal adult in 136 days and she needs to get her life into some semblance of control soon, or she will find herself struggling

[yandereunsolved]

[devours every one of your self aware aus] Fantastic, I need about 30 more, especially the dc ones like omgggg 😫👏👏 I never knew I needed that au in my life until now, so thank you for my new strange addiction 🙏🙏

On self aware Jason I just want to spoil that broken lil mutt [affectionate]

I just want to reach in and pull him out, do some skincare, I can practically see him melting in my lap as I massage the product in watch some period dramas I’ve been putting off, listen to whatever he wants to vent about all the while curling that cute white streak in his hairrr 😭👌

Oh btw while I’ve been looking into your dc stuff [it’s fantastic btw, may your back never ache from carrying the weight of this creativity] i noticed that you write more for adult/older Damian, nothing wrong with that obv, but I’m so use to kid Damian 😅 I wanted to ask you which Damian do you like more? I can’t see Damian as anyone other than a kid tbh, plus I think he’s way funnier as a kid, like that friends sassy lil sibling that you can’t help but be fond of, yknow? Like, in my head he isn’t Damian Wayne, he’s Damian “that lil sht” Wayne 😅😅

Legit crying because of how sweet you are. 👏

Ah, life—if it wasn't so mean to me I'd literally have like 100's of fics on just the self-aware dc (and other fandoms) characters.

On the question of Damian Wayne—I enjoy the dynamics of younger Damian in comics, but I prefer writing older Damian.

Watching young Damian in media is just so fucking awesome and he's such a little shit and I love him. 😭💗

But naturally if I'm writing him in a romantic context he is going to be older. And I just prefer writing for his older version in general. It's make him a more nuanced and complex for when I write him. He has more to go on.

Like adult Damian still needing a comforting parental figure and finding reader??? Him becoming a yandere as he takes up the mantle of Batman? Mhm... mhm... MHM!

Adult Damian is so possessive over his darling and naturally it draws the attention of his family. Even being older the others still bully him and try to steal his darling.

Like it just opens up so many possibilities in my mind.

Maybe adult yan Damian thinks yan Bruce is dead so he takes up the mantle and also makes advances on Bruce's younger darling (who is basically near Damian's age). So Damian gets Bruce's darling who he has been pining over.

And then yan Bruce comes back so it's the daddy age gap yan verses the younger more arrogant yan.

Yummy.

[littleplantfreak]

Self care nights with (some) of the Furin/Shishitoren boys

Boys included: Choji, Togame, Umemiya, and Kiryu

Inspired by me putting on a face mask and going "but what if there were boys with me"

Tomiyama Choji

-Choji's a little too pumped for self care night when you have to remind him it's supposed to be relaxing. He'll let you give him a manicure but he's twitchy when he sits for a while so I hope you have the hands of a surgeon otherwise there's a lot of cleaning up with the nail polish remover.

-He's the type to eat the cucumber they put on your eyes at the spa lmao a trip to the store for snacks in necessary. It's better to get him one of those cute masks that make you look like the animal on the package.

- Asks too many questions when you're watching dramas/movies together. There's a 50/50 chance he knocks out during the best part.

Togame Jo

- I wanna have a self care night with him soooo bad it's not even funny. He'll do whatever you ask him to whether it's playing with your hair or tracing your back and he just does it for however long you want him to? You'll get no complaints from him he's just vibing.

-Loves if you play with his hair too. It's super soft and it's even better if you do a hair mask with him. Put one of the peppermint ones on him and he's in heaven tbh.

-Set up a few candles and chill in the tub with him too if you're comfortable with it. He'll get a bit handsy when he's washing you but he behaves for the most part. Gives you those big ol' loverboy eyes when you reciprocate and start washing him too (i dont have any pics of him rn but I can see him in my mind's eye) They make you wanna kiss him senseless.

Umemiya Hajime

- Is used to these kinds of things since he takes part when the kids at the home and Kotoha have had nights like these in the past.

-He likes to try to keep his hands in good condition despite the ever present dirt from gardening and calluses from fighting. He's so good at mani/pedis he could do it for a living.

-Also his hands are fantastic at massages. If you're ticklish though expect him to graze your worst spots for fun. Making you feel good AND getting to hear you laugh? He's not passing that up for anything. Will smooch random places on your shoulders or back while he's working the knots out.

-Ume also likes to take baths with his s/o. If it's a bubble bath he makes beards or silly hats with the bubbles. He loves smelling like you after he uses your bath products btw.

-Snuggling on the couch and playing video games is ideal for him. His island in animal crossing is impressively made and full of every fruit and flower and plant you could want. Expert collector of things in his museum too (swooning)

Kiryu Mitsuki

- He also plays games with you but that's just normal for him.

- Great at dying hair and doing cute new hairstyles on you. He's super into skincare and makeup stuff so anything you want done to yourself, feel free to do for him as well. He has no problem with you trying new makeup looks on him or painting his nails wild colors and patterns.

- Doing DIY/craft stuff with Kiryu is a must. Bring on the legos, paints, and crafting kits he's ready for anything.

- If you're at his place he'll let you try on whatever clothes he has in his closet for fun. Might just eat you up what with how cute you look in them though so watch out.

[ginger-berrie]

SO I JUST SAW FALSETTOS LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME

HOLY SHIT OKAY. HEY GUYS I JUST GOT BACK FROM SEEING FALSETTOS. LIVE. MY FAVOROITE MUSICAL EVER. I HAVE WORDS TO SAY.

So firstly I of course have to say this musical is fucking phenomenal and if u havent seen it even on youtube you HAVE to. onne of the best musicals ever wrutten. ignore any typos in this my hands r still shaking and im not editing htis. OKAY.

The actors. It was a college level production but the actors were so so talented. My favorite performances were from Mendel and Jason, who both pulled off their roles INCREDIBLY. Mendel was like a carbon copy of Brandon Uranowitz he had his mannerisms DOWN. All the nervous ticks, touching his face, being generally so awkward all the time, even his face was just perfec t for the role. And Jason was played by an adult femme-presenting person but they were so good as him!!!!! their voice fit him perfectly and she also perfectly encompassed Jason;s awkward childlike nature. The entire cast was incredible but those two really stood out to me!!!! Everyone's singing voices as well were fantastic, especially Trina's—she KILLED the high notes and even sung up the octave on a few lines !!!! including the "but still the bastard divorced me" and she still belted the "you must exorcise a devil" even AFTER Im Breaking Down. In fucking sane.

THAT BEING SAID THOUGH. Even though i enjouyed every second of it I do wanna make some more analysis-related directing critiques because im fucked up and evil about this show . im so sorry just let me speak here meaout. Stating right now though I've only seen the 2016 revival (about 2 dozen times) and not the original 90's version (been meaning to watch it just havent gotten the chance) so i reserve all TRUE judgement until after I see it!!! maybe some of these choices were in the original but tbh if they were i still like how the revival did it better. okay i swear im not just one of those ppl who is like "tHaTS noT hOw ThEY dId iT On BroADwAy" calm down. thanks <3

First of all. Some of the scenes lacked energy !!!!! Thrill of first love had no homoerotic choreography!!!!! they just kinda sat there on the couch looking morose and barely looking at each other as if they truly just hate each other and feel ANYthing towards each other anymore at all. But thats not the point!!!!!! They dont fully hate each other theyre just lacking the excitement that they once had and it's been replaced with nothing but disagreements and sex. When Whizzer and Marvin do their gay little dance theyre not just dancing and being gross and sexual theyre also FIGHTING!!!! they still care about each other they just dont know how to act!!!! and marvin's a bitch of course. Marvin was still very much a bitch. But because of the lack of energy in this song there was a bit of a lack of chemistry between the two as well, which carried through the whole show. I feel like it's important to see just how gross fucked up n nasty these two are about each other to see how its truly affecting the other people in Marvin's life. Even their chemistry during the chess game was lacking. They just kinda felt like they really hated each other. Which isnt the pointtttttt. Guh

Trina (or the directors idk) also made some choices I wasn't 100% on board with but they were more subtle. Mostly in her tone about Mendel. Up through Please Come To Our House she seemed to really really like Mendel. Like it was clear she was attempting to woo him. But then when he was proposing, and when they were maknig their home together, she just seemed. Unenthused. I know Trina truly doesn't really love her life, and just needs the stability of a nuclear family, but it was odd to see her not even attempt to keep up the facade on her own. Her and Mendel were similarly lacking in a lot of chemistry because of this, which, maybe to some of you makes sense but to me i do want to see them be close even if Mendel isn't absolutely the best.

LAST CRITIQUE OKAY. This one is BIG SPOILERS if u havent seen it yet but probably if ur reading this far youve already seen it okay. The fuckign bar mitzvah!!!!! There was no acknowledgement from Whizzer to Jason as he was reading his Torah !!!!!!! He just layed there in the hospital bed, facing AWAY from the audience so we could only see the very top of his head (which was on purpose for a quick change but) and he didnt get up at all to thank Jason or even acknowledge him :( for all the audience knows maybe he didnt even see Jason get bar mitzvahd. screaming crying throwing up.

OKAY IM DONE W BEING MEAN HERES A BIG CHANGE I REALLY LOVED !!!!!! as well as some smaller changes that i also really liked or were jsut neutral things i noticed

For most of act 2, up until Days Like This, They had this really cool circus imagery? Now once again idk if this is in the OG, but they had a picture of each cluster of characters set up on either side of the stage, and each of them was doing some sort of circus act both in the pictures and on stage, especially during A Day in Falsettoland. When a character was having their point in the song, they'd sometimes cut the lights briefly and suddenly the characters would be struggling to perform their little circus act, and each of them had a differnt one respectively and they all represented their immaturities/flaws/struggles:

Jason was on stilts, representing his need to grow up and perhaps his perceived mental maturity compared to the other characters

Trina was balancing/spinning plates on sticks, representing her need to keep balance and order in her life

Marvin + Whizzer were fencers because of their lingering animosity, yet newfound respect, for one another. Fencing isnt a dangerous sport, like you dont actually hurt your opponent in it, but it;s still a fight and youre still pointoing a weapon at them. guh. (AND BTW they did this during the racquetball scene and HOLY SHIT. I just gotta describe this one. Racquetball number 1 They had their little racquets as they were singing to each other but then when they got really into the game the lights would cut and then theyd be FENCING each other instead!!!!! and then the lights would cut again and itd go back to racquetball!!!! BUT THEN in the racquetball number 2 when it cut to them fencing ONLY MARVIN HAD A SWORD. WHIZZER STILL HAD HIS RACQUET. GIUUHUHGGHGHGHGHGH.;..,.,/;;'.';.;'[[[.)

Then the lesbians from next door were like a duo balancing/acrobatics act where they were always leaning on each other and picking each other up which was cute but also like. Charlotte would start falling in one direction and Cordelia would have to scrambke to catch her. I always hail them as the healthiest couple in the show but sometimes i forget they have problems too, like Cordelia;s insecurity and Charlotte's stress over the virus of course.

And finally Mendel!!!! was the fucking ringmaster!!!!! He had a hoop and a top hat and every time he was trying to calm down Jason (Everyone Hates His Parents), or Caroline, or Trina (A Day in Falsettoland), he would appear with his hoop and top hat, to show that HE is the one who needs to "control" other people's lives, or at least he feels the need to direct them. Mendel of course needs to feel like he's smarter than everyone else and like he's the only one who can help people. It really drove that home and it was an insane realization to come to. Phenomenal directing choice idk who came up with that but. bravissimo to you

Now miscellaneous stuff i liked or noticed!!!

They didn't have the big ol foam block. just some couch ends that they moved around to be diff pieces of furniture. If you've ever seen Waiting In The Wings' analysis on falsettos you might have seen a comment in the youtube section discussing how in the set design for the revival, the lack of real furniture through most of the show represents the lack of maturity of the characters, and as things get serious for them, more real props and set pieces get added. Like the chess board, the decor for Mendel + Trina's home, Whizzer's suitcase, the whole hospital room, etc. They didn't lean into that with this but i think that's fine! its not a necessary detail in my opinion and they did their best with what they had!!

Marvin didn't hand whizzer the suitcase after the chess game. He just grabbed it, and packed it himself. I was waiting for him to slam it into whizzer's chest or something. but no. Whizzer just picked it up and walked off. okay. Neutral bad change imo

Marvin's performances of What would I do and What more can i Say were. Breathtaking. Marvin actor if you're out there reading this your voice is lovely and carries so much emotion in your solo numbers. I Did Cry. a little bit

god their group number harmonies were AMAZING. All of the cast members' voices blended together so well and it was absolutely beautiful. the whole show was beautiful and i adored it i swear. I jsut need somwhere to put my feelings

THE ORCHESTRA FUCKED. IT FUCKED

Okay its getting late now and im fading quickly BUT IF U READ THIS FAR UR INSANE. This is for me and nobody else i just eneded to feelings dump. tl;dr: i fucking lvoe falsettos this was one of the best nights of my life i love you actors i love you pit i love you lighting i love you run crew i love you sound crew i love you musical theatre

[lesvegas]

I think the one thing that bothers me most about Bethesda isn't even how little they care about their own lore let alone lore in general (though that's a huge part), it's that it seems like they refuse to even attempt to catch lightning in a bottle again. It's like they're not even trying to make something reminiscent of their previous work despite the massive opportunity they have to make something great that will last and might even be more re-sellable than Skyrim itself.

Bethesda has been given a big, 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. If they put even half the pieces together correctly, they could make a fantastic video game; they've done so before with Skyrim, Oblivion, and even Fallout 3. But they seem to have forgotten how jigsaw puzzles work and instead of looking at the box to get an idea of what the finished product should be, they've begun stacking the puzzle pieces like a house of cards because they think it'll be more impressive that way. Once in a while, two or three pieces in this stack will be connected; tiny little details in an otherwise awful or just dull game that most players will appreciate.

What I'm saying is they've got money, resources, talent, are one of the most well-known game devs in the world, big IPs... and they do fucking nothing with any of it! I mean they make passable mobile games boring bigger titles like Fo76 and Starfield, but are people still playing those? No lmao but they're still playing Skyrim. Anyway Bethesda puts way more effort into pumping out merch every month than actually trying to make a game that's half as fun or interesting as the one they keep trying to resell.

And it's just kind of a tragedy tbh. Feels like everything they make is just a massive waste of time and resources that could be funneled into something worthwhile if they gave a shit.

[fuckyeahaudiodrama]

🪸 JULY LISTENS 🪸

(ft. some lovely coral for those of us caught up on The Magnus Protocol😌)

this month, i’ve been working through some of the stuff that’s been languishing on my listen list for approximately a million years as well as revisiting some old favorites. here’s what i enjoyed most in my earholes:

G.O.B.L.I.N.S — (pilot, crowdfunding now!) for fans of Stellar Firma, the Meredith brothers have reunited with some other familiar voices to spin a story about an overly ambitious human office worker who gets dragged through the veil into the fae realm by a pair of chaotic goblins. the show is scripted but it’s marked by the same sense of humor that has characterized the Meredith’s other improvised works. 8 episodes projected if it funds.

Larkspur Underground — (11 eps, complete?) a fictional exposé about the sole survivor of a serial killer’s disturbing abduction and grooming. i was giddy to discover this one as an ardent fan of Showtime’s Dexter. it’s gory and glorious, and if you’re keen you might spot some clues; if not, the final episode is going to shock you. creator wants to make more, but it’s been a few years so who knows.

I Found A Wormhole — (5 eps, complete) a short yet existentially harrowing series. exactly what it says on the tin. mind the content warnings on the final episode but by the time you get there you’ll definitely know what’s coming tbh.

The Grotto — (10 eps, ongoing) a pull-no-punches exploration of messy grief with a supernatural twist. season two is here! this series has an absolutely killer soundtrack and immersive sound design. it has such a unique vibe. you’ll definitely like it if you like WOE.BEGONE.

Dear Bastard! — (16 eps, complete?) an epistolary comedy about a bunch of squabbling neighbors. i like to use this show as a palate cleanser when i’ve been listening to a lot of gruesome horror, because it’s just so light and fun.

Deviant — (10 eps, complete) a space pirate dramedy! i stumbled across this purely by accident and did a little binge. i love an absolute mess of a protagonist, so this was right up my alley. it’s a little abrasive at times but overall i enjoyed the narrative and it wrapped up nicely.

Murphy — (6 eps, s2 in production) a folkloric monster-of-the-week mystery with very charming characters. the first season is complete and although it is short, the episodes are long and make great use of their runtime. pleased to see their recent crowdfunder has been successful so there will be more!

Ghost Wax — (45+ eps, hiatus) a horror anthology facilitated by a “reclaimer” who can extract the final statements of the dead. this is similar to How i Died but the lore feels much more fantastically intricate. i don’t want to spoil too much of the meta plot but there’s a LOT going on, and i’m looking forward to s2.

Fulmar’s Folly — (12 eps, ongoing?) people on reddit love this series so i decided to give it a spin. fans of zombie survival like We’re Alive are most likely to eat this up. it can be a little overwrought at times, but the constant tension feels genuine in context. episodes are quite long but the length feels satisfying and necessary.

Nowhere, On Air — (46 eps, ongoing) another spooky small town radio show about a girl in a world she doesn’t belong to. this is one of my favorite genres of AD. fans of WTNV, King Falls AM, Tiny Terrors, and other shows of that ilk will probably enjoy this. it leans a little more surreal and introspective than comedic. IMHO, the host also just has a lovely voice. the meta plot is currently really hitting its stride.

All In My Head — (19 eps, ???) night terrors turn out to be something much more sinister. so intriguing, i was devastated to realize it may have been abandoned. i’m not going to completely give up hope for a final season though!

Zoinks! — (11 eps, complete?) a darkly comedic homage to scooby doo and other childrens detective fiction. i loved the way the narrative approached the subject of child neglect, while still maintaining a thread of silliness that saved it from complete bleakness. s2 has been mentioned but it’s projected release date has come and gone without a word, so it may or may not happen.

Trice Forgotten — (10 eps, ???) an aspiring cartographer gets accidentally mixed up with some pirates. i relistened to this series in honor of its anniversary and was just blown away by the sound design all over again. the setting is made so rich and alive by the effort put in by the production staff! and the character dynamics are so intricate and gorgeous. i am especially a fan of the tension between alestes and gammon. beautiful first season with SO much left to explore, i really hope to see this come back for a s2 someday.

[glass--beach]

sorry if this is too personal of a question, but do you think that the first glass beach album would have ended up differently (thematically/lyrical content) if it had remained a solo project like he's not with us anymore? i dont know if im making this up but i feel like i remember you mentioning how the sudden popularity of glass beach and tfgba when it first released caused you to retreat into your shell in regards to your gender identity. ive been listening to some of the old demos a lot recently and thought it was interesting how some of the final products shifted into being a lot more vague (or maybe im overthinking it...)

im sorry we didnt start a moshpit at your show is fantastic btw

i don't really think the album would've been different in that regard if it were a solo project. i'm just super self conscious and even pre glass beach felt overwhelmed by the amount of attention my music was getting. that's not really gotten easier tbh, i have like, an enormous amount of stuff i've made this year that i haven't released. authenticity is one of my core values but also something i struggle to embody. in the glass beach demos i told on myself more than i was ready to deal with & yeah a lot of it got put into vaguer terms. idk what possessed me to actually release that stuff but i'm glad the unflinching honesty of it has connected with people. been trying to lean into that stuff more lately but it is like, physically uncomfortable sometimes.

thanks i like that song too its sooooo old though i don't like my vocals on it lmao <3

[leaves-fall-down]

Hate to say it but the overlap of "has a fanbase that heavily values their writing abilities" and "has a fanbase that deliberately detaches/miscontrues/borderline insults/fetishizes the singer's identity and inspiration from their artistry in an effort to pretend the music is closer to what the fans think they should be" venn diagram is not only just a straight up circle, but has taken over many of the same musicians and the fandoms overlap with each other to such an extreme extent that it sometimes becomes exhausting to consume any of their music as independent artists and then discuss them, let alone seeing how a lot of these artists have a "collective" fanbase that treats them all so bizzarely. Like do y'all not see the pattern with how you always feel some need to focus on certain "nicer" aspects of musicians' identities and entirely disregard others, or be all weird about it when you do acknowledge it? I'll provide examples, hopefully you'll see what I mean.

Tamino is an Egyptian and Lebanese man, at the same time he is Belgian, and that influences his art and it's so weird to just focus just on Persephone and his more "western" songs, or compare his nose to just a bunch of western white men. Hozier is Irish and inspired by Black American musicians who make political music and it's weird when you guys pretend he's just the fairy bog boy, which tbh you also likely wouldn't be saying if he was from Pennsylvania or Manchester or whatever, you're absolutely doing it with him because he is Irish, plenty of other artists write nature themes and don't get that weirdness put on them, you're doing it because he is Irish. Ethel Cain is a Southern American and writes from that very specific experience and has religious themes that influence her music and isn't just some "backwards" "hick" "redneck" (in a derogatory, insulting sense) girl that a lot of you clearly view "people like her" down south as. Måneskin has written in English since the beginning of their career, clearly takes inspiration from English and American musicians, and isn't entitled to write in Italian just because you think they should or because their native language ~fascinates~ you as an english speaker. Mitski often writes from a very VERY obvious perspective of being an Asian American woman and yet so many of you pretend that her songs about that experience are innately applicable to all of womanhood when they clearly aren't. They just aren't. They are about her experience as an ASIAN AMERICAN woman.

There are other artists y'all do this sort of shit to too (mainly Black ones!!) and it's absolutely annoying as shit to see that you can't just appreciate their identities for what they are and still need them to be closer in proximity to you and your identity or needs to "fulfill" something for you as an outsider, to the point of being delusional about the fact that this is all first and foremost their music and that it operates with their identities and they're all fantastic writers because on various levels they're being vulnerable about their identities and selves. That's not to say you can't pull your own meaning from the songs they write or whatever, but when discussing the artists themselves a lot of you are showing your asses with how you view "people like that" and how even though you're not being weird or bigoted in an obvious, deliberately mean sort of way, a lot of you still have shit to unpack and look at before you engage with them and their stuff. I mean Jesus christ even the most surface level understanding of erasure, fetishizing, and sterotypes can show what y'all are doing subconsciously, I'd hate to see how you talk about these people's identities when it's someone you don't see as both a product yet (parasocially) a friend, but is instead someone you hate.

[hadsephone]

Could you elaborate more on "Amber shaped Persephone as much as Anais and Rachel did"? Like did she actually have say in things like lyric changes or staging or is it more about her actual legacy and how long she was in the role for?

The second one! to my knowledge she didn't have any direct say in the actual book/script, but ever since they started workshopping the show it was Amber's personality, acting, singing, etc that helped to shape Persephone. She's a very unique and one-of-a-kind performer and her specific mannerisms are what made Persephone, Persephone. Like, I don't really know how to describe it, but if you've seen her in other shows or at solo concerts you can definitely see a very strong overlap between "Amber characteristics" and "Persephone characteristics" and how Ambersephone was a perfect mix of acting as a character while also using her own mannerisms.

Amber was in the show for six years, across four different productions, and that's not even counting workshops. Theatre critics and fans genuinely viewed "Amber Gray" and "Persephone Hadestown" as synonymous in a lot of ways.

Many of the replacements have done a fantastic job at continuing on Amber's legacy while still putting their own unique twist on the role, and that's amazing! Amber is not an easy person to follow and I really do love most of her replacements. I love how they honor Amber's legacy while putting their own spin on the character.

Also there's just so many aspects of Persephone's character that are just...Black culture. For example, her dance in Way Down Hadestown is a jazz funeral. And tbh it's really offensive to have white actors in that role doing the same thing. If Amber had never played Persephone, Persephone would be a completely different character.

Persephone was exclusively a Black/mixed-Black role for almost 5 years.

(As a white fan, I'm not going to comment on non-Black POC playing the role. I ADORE Maria-Christina Oliveras and Shea Renne, who both are Asian-American, and I am not going to comment on whether or not it's 'okay' for mixed Pinoy actresses to play a Black-coded role, because while I do think Persephone should ideally be Black, I'm not going to advocate AGAINST Filipina leads. White Persephone is a million times more offensive than nonBlack-POC Persephone ever will be. That being said, since I've acknowledged that Way Down is a jazz funeral, I do wish that Shea and Maria had had the chance to honor Filipino culture in their portrayal, in the same way that every other Persephone honors Black culture.)

Basically: Amber Gray and Amber Gray's specific portrayal of Persephone is literally what built Persephone. Especially from a racial aspect, there's so many parts of Persephone's character that you literally cannot separate from African-American culture and casting white people as Persephone is so disrespectful to Amber's - a biracial black woman's - legacy in the show. Also, if Amber had actual say in Persephone's lines, I can guarantee the Chant II verse would never have been cut.

[suzu-kun22]

no offence but it's pretty obvious that they had plans for a different plot from the start. the changes begin from episode 1 and a lot of elements are re arranged long before they deviate fully from the og fma. the issues were more to do with a full season being cut from the show and budget running out than the plot for the show being "made up as they went along".

You're right, it is very clear that they had plans to go with a different plot from the start. However, tbh, 2003 doesn't really feel like it suffers from an entire season being cut from the budget. It feels like it suffers from the second half having a different writer than the first half.

Like, yeah. Considering that the second half of the show is written by someone else, it is surprisingly coherent. However, the tone of the story is completely different in 03. Most of the goofy comedy stuff from the first half of the show disappears after episode 25 (which, even when stuff starts to get more serious, the manga and Brotherhood maintain the comedy throughout.) And the way certain characters' stories end feels completely different and almost unsatisfying to me. Sometimes.

I definitely believe that another season of the show (or at least some more episodes/movies) were cut because like, anime production budgets are often non-existent and despite how good I think it still looks, it's clear that 03 didn't have a very high one. But I don't think that's the reason for 03's problems. At the core, I think most of the tonal/coherency issues just come from the fact that two different people wrote the two halves of the show lmao.

The first half of the show is still absolutely stellar, though. Some (emphasis on SOME) of the anime original episodes are so fantastic. Specifically the Barry the Chopper episode. Fantastic.

Plus I do think the ending of 03 has some really interesting implications. Again, if only the sequel movie(s) had been allowed to actually explore that.

[leolaroot]

not even close to informed or involved w the current republican ao3 staff drama (obviously) but im reminded of that poll that was going around star trek tumblr that asked "do you think a bigot could be a trekkie?" and dozens of people were giving their impassioned takes of how OBVIOUS it is that trek could never be enjoyed by someone whos racist or homophobic or disagrees with Their Personal Beliefs. never minding how star trek is full of bigotry both fantastical and real-world. even the highly praised "progressive" elements like televisions first interracial kiss! (was not actually tvs first interracial kiss) when watched in context its a white man being forced onto a black woman. never mind the wide swaths of openly right wing fans who love the franchise. i like it and im Progressive, so it Must Be Progressive And Revolutionary.

people who identify strongly by their personal perception of their own political beliefs have a knee jerk angry reaction to learning that people with other beliefs enjoy the same things as them. its why certain misogynistic rock fans dedicate their online existence to shitting on babymetal or whatever. its why any tumblrina has ever made a post about liking something in a way that is inherently more clever or thoughtful or deep than any other fan does (bc theyre smarter than Those Fans and not like Those Fans and tbh Those Fans are Not Real Fans)

of course a person can support the republican party while also working for ao3? there are republicans who consider themselves lgbt allies. there are gay republicans. there are gay people who are white supremacists and antisemites and transmisogynists and xenophobes. there are people who masturbate privately to the fantasy of trans bodies qnd its alluring specifically BECAUSE of how publicly they devalue and despise trans lives.

when you learn that you enjoy something thats also enjoyed by bigots, the response shouldnt be to defend yourself, or launch into no-true-scottsman bullshit, or to forcibly distance yourself from those bigots. the appropriate response is to return to the source material and ask yourself why it might attract bigots. ask yourself whether you noticed those themes the first time. (its maybe more obviously true that a fanfiction archive accessible to anyone will have a lot of highly offensive shit, sure, but this is true for any movie, book, or tv show you enjoy.) ask yourself this: if watching a tv show with gay characters ISNT enough to make a person an ally, what am i doing that makes myself at all different from those people?

you will struggle find a fandom or media property or piece of art that is one hundred percent pure and untouched by cruelty or hate. because everything and everyone is the product of the world they come from. make personal judgements and pay attention to the underlying intent and messages of the media yiu internalize and share with others. i dont remember what this post was about. OH YEAH its not even slightly surprising or confusing to anypony who thinks for more than a second that the "my free speech at the expense of anyone's comfort (including the comfort of the people im writing porn about. and yes that includes sexual rpf of child actors)" website would have right wing support. oky bye