#theatre development

[thewhizzyhead]

how genderbending the warriors (2024) is done not for the sole sake of "bad-assery"

okay here we go feminist ramble time for our newest chick on the block: warriors. now i'll be honest, prior to listening to the album, when i first heard that the warriors main girls were originally dudes in the movie and the novel, i thought that the decision for the genderbending, in lmm's perspective, were from the following: 1.) girl power move in like a very basic meaning of the word "bad-ass" 2.) simply a twist on a cult movie about big gang bros loved by the film bros, and 3.) a way to have the schuyler sisters back together gjfkdfldf

but when i read more about warriors and its development and how lmm took inspiration from the gamergate controversies of 2014-2015 aka among the peak of gamerbro misogyny campaigns, that's when i realized that Oh Shit Is Serious - because adapting a story about a group being framed and targeted and harassed for something they are accused of doing without any substantial proof other than a man screaming "THE WARRIORS SHOT CYYYYRUUS" with 21st century misogyny campaigns in mind makes the theme of fighting back a lot more complicated and a lot more resonant, going beyond just marketing a cast you can call "badass"

take the hurricanes' quiet girls, for example. the hurricanes (concept album version) is the only gang that lets the warriors off the hook and with a stern warning: quiet girls don't make it home. here, the hurricanes berate the warriors for not saying shit or attempting to defend themselves from accusations they know well aren't true. THIS MESSAGE IN PARTICULAR is what stays and influences ajax, fox, and swan til the very end of their stories.

literally one song after this does ajax show how easily she resonated with the hurricanes' lesson by finally sticking with her gut and actually choosing to fight back against both the baseball furies AND against the sleazy undercover cop. the latter encounter is one of the instances that really solidifies the recontextualization of the story because in the OG movie, ajax (a dude) WAS the sleazy fuck up harassing a woman in a park - and now with the literal character switch, ajax goes from being just a rebellious gangbro dude bro into someone whose want to fight is warranted. such a want to fight is seen in fox seeing as fox is the first to comment on the quiet girls scene and that, in the concept album, she is the one that instigates the rumble against the police in union square - saying that she is sick of being afraid of them and their 'fuckin powder blue' colors (also notice how she is the only warrior that really does say fuck the cops i think that's cool BUT I'LL TALK ABOUT FOX MORE NEXT TIME)

to a less obvious extent, swan also gets the receiving end of this recurring theme - by the album's finale, the usually violence-averse caution-first interim leader becomes a lot fiercer in protecting her crew. but perhaps among what i consider to be the biggest recontextualized change in the feminist sense is MERCY and her motivations to join the warriors in the first place. according to the wiki, her attraction to swan and the warriors and um seeing the orphans as wimps is what led her to switch sides BUT IN THE CONCEPT ALBUM, mercy's motivation to become a warrior is deepened, rooted in admiration rather than attraction - wanting to be like those women who hold their head up high. and again, we see this in Sick of Runnin' when she takes part in the rumble, finding her bravery within their ranks as they fight back. here, mercy becomes less of a swan tagalong and more of someone that wants what the warriors have: pride.

of course now that i type this out i realize that warriors is not based solely on the feminist rhetoric as with their theme of hope amidst adversity, the story is more intersectional and rooted in community struggle and wanting for more than that. but nonetheless, i genuinely believe that the twt filmbros arguments on why the genders should not have been changed in the first place just for "woke" points is kinda like,,,very shortsighted because not only does the narrative of women narrowly escaping unwarranted accusations actually fucking fit, but the act of learning to fight back amidst all odds - be it that of disbelieving, predatory men or the power of oppressive pigs - stays resonant for women yesterday, today, and the days to come.

ultimately, warriors (2024) is not solely a tale of female badassery - rather, it is a tale of the need for such "female badassery" in the face of past and present realities, which is why it somehow fucking worked.

[chalkscrub]

going on a journey (trying to make a species sheet for raptans) so i have to finally standardise mockley's design and think about scary things like developing vaguely believable anatomy for a made up beast. and i also have to put clothes on the made up beast.

[real-odark]

ride the cyclone as these emojis

[omeletcat]

I FUCKING LOVE HEATHERS i recently watched the musical and i cannot listen. to any song that isn't Candystore, dead girl walking, beautiful or big fun.

i wasn't expecting so much suicide in the musical tbh, and also thought that heather (the red one) would be more of an antagonist but she just died.

[ingravinoveritas]

Absolutely thrilled that David has finally gone to see Michael in Nye tonight, but potentially controversial opinion: I'm almost hoping we don't get a recreation of the Macbeth photo.

For one thing, I think the NT is too big for it and doesn't have the same atmosphere as the Donmar, so I'm not even sure the photo would be possible from a logistical standpoint. But I'd also rather David just be left alone and get to enjoy the play and Michael. I know we're all hyped up for a potential photo at the end of the night, but I'd rather it be from them and something they've chosen to share more than anything else. Just my opinion, at least...

[showroomcertifiedzine]

Showroom Certified is an upcoming for-charity fanzine about animatronics! Application responses have been sent out, and we're in production now!

(INFO) || (Twitter)

[supercutofbuck]

christian borle was just announced to be replacing andrew rannells in the new tammy faye musical… how do i make this about falsettos

[gobbledy-guck]

does someone have the bootleg for the great gatsby! smiles sweetly and nicely

[katcreatesthings]

ALAN WAKE II "WE SING"

[cupidford]

You Have Demons (I Do Too) by wannabesirACD

Johnlock Love Letters #2339

Sherlock is fresh out of rehab and assigned community service thanks to his ever-spying brother Mycroft. At the theatre, he meets a blonde army doctor suffering from a PTSD flashback. Things quickly develop and John has never been so thankful for a thunderstorm before.

[pandoratelenor]

When i saw people talk about the companions commenting on Solas memories like it was a juicy tv show

I thought they meant that they had comments that sounded like that

Not they they were literally hanging out on the living room furniture in Solas Second Rotunda (fade version 2.0) watching his memories play out on Solas murals

Hilerious choice 😂

[finalgirlwillbyers]

I watched Mysterious Skin for the first time, and season 2 Will is so clearly inspired by Brian. Now I am even more mad at ST writers for his s3-s4 treatment. They never explored his trauma further, in most viewers’ eyes he’s just a sad boy who « is not ready to grow up » and therefore is left behind / is hopelessly in love with his best friend / acts as a relationship counselor for the said friend / is a Vecna radar. How and when is he going to cope with the repercussions of his abduction/ abuse to be able to accept himself and move on? There’s so much to « unpack », and people keep quoting Mike’s unpacking line from s4 lol. Will Duffers drop the assault subtext added in s1-s2 to never address it and pretend Henry / MF took Will for his « powers »? Or was it all magically « fixed » by the power of love (shed scene) and literal exorcism at the end of s2? I hope not, but then there’s so little time to cover it all AND develop Byler? Lol Will is so not ready for the relationship with Mike (who is still dating Will’s sister which adds even more guilt and unnecessary drama to the whole thing).

Eric from MS in a letter to Neil told he thinks Brian is asexual. Then there was a scene with this woman trying to touch Brian, he panicked as it triggered memories of the assault. Per Duffers, ST is a story of a « supernatural kidnapping », so we most likely won’t see anything similar in text. But it kills me when people imagine Byler’s first kiss as this aggressive collision initiated by Mike during one of their inevitable fights. Like ok it’s dramatic and all, but are you guys sure Will is going to be comfortable with that? I don’t think so, even if it’s « you make me feel like I’m not a mistake at all » Mike.

Writers have a lot of work to do to make sure this poor selfless boy faces his trauma, learns to love himself the way he is, accepts his sexuality, treats his desires as a normal thing and moves on. Mike’s ST4 version is so not ready to help with that, the boy needs to be a better friend first, and only then a romantic partner (and who knows how much time he’ll need to start dealing with his insecurities / internal struggles first, face his queerness, sort things with El and admit his feelings for Will?)

So how do Duffers address all of that in ST5 with so many characters and plot lines? I have no idea.

Short answer: they won't.

There are too many ensemble members for the writers to delve into Will's trauma in-depth. We're going to see a revival and expansion of dropped plot threads, just like with El in Stranger Things 4. Who knows if that includes the sexual assault imagery and subtext. It's a shame that the writers are unwilling to tackle that textually, but that aligns with several other creative choices (ex. psionic powers being transferred via mutated blood).

Like I've said many times before, it's important for Will and Mike to grow individually before getting together. They both have personal and emotional conflicts that need to be addressed. Conflicts which impede the resolution of the love triangle plot line.

[stars-irises]

Update: The hyperfixation is formed

[lilacthebooklover]

tip for the world: never put your favourite song as your alarm. worst mistake of my life. i can never again listen to the "we know" instrumental from hamilton without jumping out of my skin.

[way2gosuperrstarr]

I'm glad my ask made ur day! I’ve literally talked to friends and even coworkers about the AU lmao. It’s such a good idea and a so many hilarious (and angsty) scenarios could happen. I keep wondering most about Moon and how he handles his new role. I imagine its quite difficult for the DCA after having spent most of their functioning lives as stage performers. The first time Moon successfully and confidently completes a naptime must be so comforting for him.

hello again!! gosh thank you once more, again its just so crazy to think this thing like . Exists outside of just my little Bubble of Thought and Space, wow 😭

regretfully i havent drawn or shared much of moon in this au yet (i will remedy this in the future! sun just seems to come by default </3) but he is handling it .... about as well as sun is (very clumsily!). funny enough, considering he's literally from the theatre, moon has a sort of "stage fright" in his new environment. he's very awkward, kind of offputting, and stumbles over a good chunk of the more "interactive" parts of his new job, like talking to the children or to mc/yn. he's not really used to talking to others except for sun, and he doesnt exactly have the same instant charm and charisma factor that sun has and flaunts. he wasnt like this in the theatre; this is new to him. feeling awkward and shy is a sort of new feeling to him; at least feeling this much of it is.

he still has a lot of his "theatre villain" antics (both of them still have a lot of their 'theatre days' in them). sun and moon's childcare protocol was sloppily slapped over their preexisting programming, so it's still there. just sorta .... mixed into the untested childcare programs. he feels a little worry about scaring the children with his posture and mannerisms.

yes, i do imagine his first successful naptime on his own would be quite uplifting :} yn is only supposed to be an assist in the daycare; the one legally required human to be around the children, and there to make sure sun and moon's programming is running smoothly and fill in spots anywhere they're lacking. they aren't supposed to be running anything. that's the dca's job. and moon is..... sort of hiding from that responsibility at first, i suppose? and he does feel a little terrible about it. even when he's down and helping, yn's still doing a lot of the heavy lifting during naps at first. his first truly successful and on-his-own run would surely feel quite rewarding and nice. :}

moon hides away for the first naptime or two. in fact, yn doesnt even know he exists at first— sun never really gets the chance to tell them. their first meeting is quite the shock, to say the least. or, a shock for yn, a little bit mortifying for moon.

[lizajudyfan]

“Asking me about Liza Minnelli is like asking a child his opinion of Christmas. I can think only of joy — how she sparkles, how she glows, and how she makes me happy. How she is always something to look forward to — an occasion — a blessing. But for those of you who dislike rhapsodic bleating and would like it simply said: I think she’s the lovin’ end.” — Fred Ebb