#west rosen

[cantheywinthehungergames]

West Rosen from the show Heroes

Name: West Rosen

Age: Teenage (Volumes 1-2)

Restrictions: No use of flight powers

[heroes-trash]

Hermes!West

[lightlybrilliant]

"You can't just ignore me." She screams into the phone before hanging up.

'HAMMER' flashes across her screen as she hits the button to try again. Sigh. He won't answer her and she knows it. He has this thing that he does when she calls. Where he just pretends like he can't hear his phone ringing, or like he can't feel it vibrating...or like he can't see it lighting up with her nickname on it when it's literally sitting right next to him.

Because he knows. He knows she's watching him. and the more she sees someone ignore her calls purposefully, the more it hurts her. So, for her sake, he will pretend like he doesn't know he's missing her calls.

Until--

*Six hours later* --Hammer enters the loft quietly, resetting the code on the alarm system before it goes off. He sets his balaclava and mask down on the kitchen island as he makes his way to the living space. He stops to watch Molly's back rise and fall while she sleeps. There are maps and pushpins scattered across the table in front of them, along with two whiteboards with nicknames and locations of their loved ones, and the names and locations of their enemies. "Shit." He thinks to himself. He shouldn't have been gone all day. Carefully stepping over levitating above the pins on the ground, he picks up the empty wine bottle and glasses, one stained for her and a second one, clean, waiting for him. He puts them in the sink and returns, picking up the pins and maps, setting them in piles. Red pins for enemies. Blue for Allies. He'll ignore the one red pin that she placed in the location he was in earlier. In fact, he will slowly remove it and put it away.

He slowly meets Molly's eyes with his own as her eyelids flutter open. He can tell by the disappointed and slightly hungover look on her face that she's upset with him. It kills him to see her so upset, but it kills him more to see her so...alone. The look in her eyes when she opened them, how she wasn't even surprised to see that he had snuck back inside, it hurts him. And it hurts him to hurt her. "Molly, I'm....trying." "Mhm." She responds, rolling over against the back of the couch. He grabs a blanket off the back of the recliner and lays it over her, crawling underneath of it as well to wrap his arms around her as he lays against her.

"I wish you would've left me in the Renautus Freezers." She whispers, causing a tear to roll down his cheek.

[thesearchofthingstointrigue]

First off, I have no knowledge of this series. Second off, seeing these two actors together is interesting (especially as what it appears to be love interests).

That is because, I know of these people, Nicholas D'Agosto and Jayma Mays, as being characters from the series Heroes, where they played West Rosen (D'Agosto) a character whose ability was flight and Charlie Andrews (Mays) whose ability was advanced eidetic memory. It's also interesting seeing them as mutual love interests when part of their roles was as love interests to two of the main characters in Heroes with West being the love interest of Claire Bennet [Hayden Panettiere (ability: rapid cellular regeneration, think Wolverine)] and Charlie being the love interest to Hiro Nakamura [Masi Oka (ability: space-time manipulation)].

Josh, what do you want me to say? What, that you and I should get married, raise a child together, buy a five-acre estate in Peck Woods where I’ll build a treehouse and you’ll make hot cocoa, and once a week we’ll have a segment on “Good Morning East Peck�� where we debate the law called ���The Legal Segals”?

[levforfakes]

what would happen if i fantasized a lot about a college au west wing fic with josh and his roommate chris who dated amy and their other roommate elliot who i made up and then josh and elliot get together gay style and are literally roommates for the rest of their lives? then what?

[hbcsource]

@hayfestival: Rhymes, songs, riddles and tongue twisters... An all-star cast offers A Nursery Rhyme for Every Night of the Year in our free film of the week on #HayPlayer now, introduced by curator Allie Esiri. Watch via the link in our bio.

[titleknown]

So, while I've talked about this in other posts, I figured I may as well compile it in one post with this nifty propaganda poster (more on that later)

Long story short, they're bringing back KOSA/the Kids Online Safety Act in the US Senate, and they're going to mark it up next Thursday as of the time of this post (4/23/2023).

If you don’t know, long story short KOSA is a bill that’s ostensibly one of those “Protect the Children” bills, but what it’s actually going to do is more or less require you to scan your fucking face every time you want to go on a website; or give away similarly privacy-violating information like your drivers’ license or credit card info. 

Either that or force them to censor anything that could even remotely be considered not “kid friendly.” Not to mention fundies are openly saying they’re gonna use this to hurt trans kids. Which is, uh, real fucking bad. 

As per usual, I urge you to contact your congresscritters, and especially those on the Commerce Committee, who'll likely be the ones marking it up.

Those senators are:

Maria Cantwell, Washington, Chair

Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota

Brian Schatz, Hawaii

Ed Markey, Massachusetts

Gary Peters, Michigan

Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin

Tammy Duckworth, Illinois

Jon Tester, Montana

Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona

Jacky Rosen, Nevada

Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico

John Hickenlooper, Colorado

Raphael Warnock, Georgia

Peter Welch, Vermont

Ted Cruz, Texas, Ranking Member

John Thune, South Dakota

Roger Wicker, Mississippi

Deb Fischer, Nebraska

Jerry Moran, Kansas

Dan Sullivan, Alaska

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

Todd Young, Indiana

Ted Budd, North Carolina

Eric Schmitt, Missouri

J.D. Vance, Ohio

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia

Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming

Again, it doesn't work unless you do it en-masse, so make sure to call ASAP and tell them to kill this bill, and if they actually want a bill to allow/get sites to protect kids, the Federal Fair Access To Banking Act would be far better.

Also, this poster is officially, for the sake of spreading it, under a CC0 license. Feel free to spread it, remix it, add links to the bottom, edit it to be about the other bad internet bills they're pushing, use it as a meme format, do what you will but for gods' sake get the word out!

Also, shoutout to @o-hybridity for coming up with the slogan for the poster, couldn't have done it without 'em!

[transit-fag]

Brightline West has received 3 billion in federal funds to build a High-speed Tail line from LA to Las Vegas

[northameicanblog]

Rosen Lake, British Columbia, Canada: Rosen Lake is a lake in Canada. It is located in the province of British Columbia, in the southwestern part of the country, 3,700 km west of Ottawa, the capital of the country. Rosen Lake is located 65 meters above sea level. It covers 0.30 square kilometers. Rosen Lake is located on the island of Read Island. Wikipedia

[endlessandrea]

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Untitled" (Key West), 1992

Photographer: Lance Brewer. Image courtesy of Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Full List of Democrats Who Voted to Ban Mask Mandates - Published Oct 26, 2023

Republican Senator J.D. Vance received support from 10 Democrats as part of a successful amendment prohibiting the Department of Transportation from using any federal funds to enforce future mask mandates.

The amendment to the Senate minibus appropriations bill passed Wednesday by a 59-38 margin and prevents federal mask mandates on passenger airlines, commuter rail, rapid transit buses, and any other transportation program funded through the 2024 fiscal year.

These are the 10 Democrats who voted for the amendment: Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin); Michael Bennet (Colorado); Sherrod Brown (Ohio); Tim Kaine (Virginia); Mark Kelly (Arizona); Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota); Joe Manchin (West Virginia); Jacky Rosen (Nevada); Jean Shaheen (New Hampshire); and Jon Tester (Montana).

Three senators—Democrats John Fetterman (Pennsylvania) and Alex Padilla (California), and Republican Tim Scott (South Carolina—did not vote. Of the three independent senators, Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona) was the only one to vote in favor.

"This is a massive victory for personal freedom in this country," Vance said in a post-vote statement. "We saw countless abuses of authority throughout the COVID pandemic, and the American people were justifiably enraged by unscientific mask mandates.

"Today, the United States Senate took an emphatic step toward common sense and individual liberty. I'm proud of what we've accomplished here and look forward to continuing the fight."

"With the COVID pandemic behind us, the federal government doesn't need to be requiring masks for travel when that could hurt tourism and Nevada's economy," Rosen told Newsweek via email. "Anyone who chooses to wear a mask still has that option, but we've reached a point where a federal mask mandate is no longer necessary for travel."

In September, Vance, who represents Ohio, introduced the Freedom to Breathe Act—a bill intended to prevent the reimposition of federal mask mandates across the entire United States, in response to some businesses and colleges and universities reimposing mask mandates in the summer due to upticks in COVID-19 cases.

In September, the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio announced that all staff will be required to wear masks on the premises beginning September 25.

"This decision was made to promote the safety of our patients, families, visitors, and employees, based on evidence that masks are effective in reducing the spread of respiratory illness," the hospital said in a statement.

Read the rest and get a link to the original at the link above!

[stvlti]

Sorry to my Discord mutuals who's had to hear me talk about Asian!Jason Todd again and again but I am not even remotely joking: your racebent headcanons can and should feature Asian!Jason and here's why:

First and most obviously, 2 out of the 3 women on the list of possible bio mothers for Jason in ADITF aren't WASP-white. You have Sharmin Rosen, a presumably Israeli woman (considering that's the country she was working for), and Lady Shiva, who was at the very least written to be ethnically Other even if her origins hadn't yet been streamlined to the East Asian heritage she has today. If it could be reasonably suspected that these 2 women might be his bio mother, Jason must at the very least look ethnically ambiguous, possibly even looking like he's got heritage from anywhere between West Asia and Southeast Asia.

Jason has been repeatedly compared to Dick's likeness and one can only assume that's not just due to a similar build. If Dick has tanned skin but Jason is pale as a piece of untoasted white bread there's no way the average civilian wouldn't have spotted the difference between the 2 Robins (and the 2 Nightwings that one time he followed Dick to New York). Ergo Jason has tanned skin too, which supports my theory of him looking like he's got West or South Asian heritage.

I know you guys love to see Jason & mom!Talia having the relationship he never had with his other parents. Wouldn't it be nice if they even looked like they were related? And as a bonus he'd actually look like Damian's big brother too for those of you who are into that sibling match up

Also can you imagine the sheer comedy of Tim being the only Boy Wonder to ever show up at Batman's side looking a few shades paler than every other Robin who's ever Robin-ed

[thejewishguyscompetiton]

The Jewish Guys of All Time!

It's time to meet the competitors, as they have been selected! Polls probably won't be up till after next week as I have finals next week. Reminder that the competitors were selected based on nominations and they can be canonical, headcanon, or coded! Only 2-3 at most from a source and I decided to take some lesser known or talked about ones in the nominations! So now that thats all out of the way!!!

If you have any propaganda for this competition please tag this blog in it and/or use the tag #jewishguyscomp2023

Welcome the contestants!

Barney Guttman (Dead End Paranormal Park)

Cecil Gershwin Palmer (Welcome to Nightvale)

Peter B. Parker (Spiderverse)

Spock (Star Trek)

Moon Knight (Marvel)

Magneto (Marvel)

Benjamin Grimm (Marvel)

Billy Kaplan (Marvel)

Adam Birkholz (Omg Check Please!)

Alter Rosen (The City Beautiful)

Annie Edison (Community)

Isabella Garcia-Shapiro (Phineas and Ferb)

Grunkle Stan (Gravity Falls)

Jake Peralta (Brooklyn 99)

Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)

Launchpad (Ducktales 2017)

Ragman (Rory Regan) (DC)

Nati (Srugim)

Nadia Vulvokov (Russian Doll)

Yanki (HaSodot)

Avram (The Frisco Kid)

Herschel (Wholly Moses)

Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs)

Coyote Bergstein (Grace and Frankie)

Walter Sobchak (The Big Lebowski)

Eli Moskovitz (Cobra Kai)

Nick Ganz (Mighty Ducks Game Changers)

Worf (Star Trek)

Artie Nielsen (Warehouse 13)

Booster Gold (DC)

 Brucie Kibbutz (Grand Theft Auto IV)

 Buddy Sorrell (The Dick Van Dyke Show)

 The Baudelaires (ASOUE)

Lemony Snicket (ASOUE)

 Mabel and Dipper (Gravity Falls)

Harley Quinn (DC)

Jeremy Heere (Be More Chill)

Tegan Jovanka (Doctor Who)

Muscle Man (Regular Show)

 Schmidt (New Girl)

 Michael Moscowitz (Princess Diaries)

Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop)

 Sonic the Hedgehog (The Sonic Movie)

 Toby Ziegler (The West Wing)

 TK Strand (911 Lone Star)

 Scanlan Shorthalt (Critical Role)

 Patsy (Spamalot)

 Nathaniel Kurtzberg (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir)

 Miriam Maisel (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

  Mendel Weisenbachfeld (Falsettos)

 KJ (Paper Girls)

 Libby Stein-Torres (The Ghost and Molly Mcgee)

 Noah Puckerman (Glee)

 Motl (Fiddler on the Roof)

 Otacon (Metal Gear Solid)

 Mabel Rose (Diviners)

 Isidore Latham (Chicago Med)

 Fran Fine (The Nanny)

Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) 

Greg Focker (Meet the Parents)

Davey Jacobs (Newsies)

 Dr. Alan Strauss (The Patient)

Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof)

Little Ash (When the Angels Left the Old Country)

ROUND ONE MASTERPOST

ROUND TWO MASTERPOST

[axl-ul]

The Flight of the Western Crane: Chapter Nineteen

(A reupload/repost of my fic/dark retellingof Journey to the West which can be also found on AO3 under the same name)

(General info about this fic/wip/retelling is here)

****

The stars shone brightly. Their watchful gaze glided from stone to stone, from one den to another, even to the sturgeons and minnows that hailed from a great distance to pass the Tiger Leaping Gorge in order to meet the splattering waters of Yangtze. Where their everlasting light couldn’t reach, the wind did its job instead by checking the deep burrows. Under the soil’s thick green hair, rabbits came to run around. Frogs and toads made their way out of the waters and added to the charm with their ribbit - an idyllic scenery perfect for an artist to admire and to immortalise in his craft.

The valley’s lowland, a blessed child of Heaven and Earth’s union, offered peace and rest to anyone except one poor soul.

Wukong twitched and trembled several times that night. His dreams started with the humming of a waterfall which progressed into screams. Amber eyes like his own glared at him from the shadows surrounding him and yet when he followed them, they vanished. Instead of them, hands grabbed onto him like shackles. A person stood behind him and put something on his head. She hissed in his ear and the jungle around transformed into a palace chamber with a chaise. The air was filled with burning poppy seeds. Yawen was sitting atop of him while the chaise pressed into his back. Her slimy fingers crept into his hair. Her pretty face was beyond recognition - unnaturally angular and long with unblinking eyes that carried a horrifying mockery. She flickered her tongue before her lipless mouth drew nearer to peck his forehead. “Only a fool thinks they can escape Death or Fate. Are you a fool, Dasheng?“

He fell into the dark of the night. Momentarily, he came back to his senses to see Márgerdra laying on her back next to him, the sheets around a complete wreck. The sun hadn’t rosen yet. At first glance it seemed she was fully awake and observing the details of the ceiling above like those of a temple’s roof. Listening closer, the Monkey King discovered her lovely voice hummed something. At least so the macaque deducted in the dark. Their fingers, no matter how stiffened, remained inweaved. Not even Wukong’s unusually cold skin made her let go.

Wukong slowly blinked before his vision went blank. He woke up only when the sun’s first rays flew inside the bedchamber. His head must’ve slipped as his pillow sat beside, not to mention the thud still travelling through his skull.

The Lady Wolf Witch, combing her hair with one hand, turned. Remains of the night’s fleeting touch reflected within her gaze.

“Good morning. Hopefully, it’s not painful as well.“

“Morning. Did you…“ Wukong changed his mind at the last second,“You could’ve let go. The brushing’d be twice as fast.“

“It was the only option to calm you down. Just please, don’t yank those fingers.“

He shot a confused look. Following a long strand, he came to understand. When changing his position, Wukong’s right hand had entangled in blonde hair and had been grasping it since.

“Sometimes, there’s more than meets the eye. It’s not just the aesthetics. However, I can’t deny I’m proud of my mane.“

“Mar,“ Wukong’s hand moved from under the yellow veil. It gently directed Márgerdra’s face to meet his. Her expression seemed flat and disinterested. Only when they drew closer, he noticed her subtle delight but also sadness whenever he spoke the name. “Yesterday-“

“Don’t think about it. It wasn’t your fault. You’re safe now.“

The demon took a deep breath - there was almost no trace of her perfume, yet her smell was still lovely; he yearned to pull her into his arms and cradle and soothe her there,“Thank you for everything. For having my back. And that you allowed me to know you better.“

They laid in silence until the matrace beneath heated up again.

Márgerdra helped the monkey demon to adjust on his pillow. Her bloodied fingers left behind fingerprints on the white glaze but the witch quickly wiped them off. The headache came back. Fortunately, those were barely remains of what her restless mind would experience.

“Is your knee fine? Do you really dare to go and participate in the match?“

“And to make myself look like a coward? Blondie, it’s as good as new anyway.“

Arched over Wukong, her empty stare darted between him and the door shut behind her back.

“You truly see me as your friend?“

“Where does this come from? I don’t think I can follow.“

“Does our relationship have any value to you? Yes or no.“

“Of course, it does.“

“I misunderstood at first, then. It’ll be fine. A broken twig means nothing if the trunk with the roots lives further. Why fight something that’s already decided anyway?“ she whispered but continued before he had any chance to ask,“Wukong, promise me one thing. Whatever happens, you’ll follow your Master’s path. You’ll protect the boy just like you defended your tribe and the people around. The whole world. You are one of the Pilgrims. Together, you’ll travel to the Western Paradise and retrieve the scriptures. Even if it means to move on.“

“Mar, what are you-?“

“Promise it. Swear it. One day, you’ll understand.“

Wukong shot up on the bed, grabbing and pulling Márgerdra closer until her palms rested on his cheeks,“What if I want to know now? I’m no hero, if that’s what’s on your mind-“

“There’s too many of those. Just somebody who learnt what’s right. Somebody who doesn’t give up easily. Or forgets about the others. Buddha taught your Master and he taught you. Now it’s time to teach the rest.“ The breeze slithered down the shutters. It crawled above the floor until it hit the two with the freshness from the peak of the mountain while the birds gathered there to fly again, freely, unbound to meet the sun while their shadows nonexistent on the land far underneath.

The woman said before he had any chance to reply,“Let’s go. We better hurry up.“

****

The numerous banners wafted in the wind under the cloudless sky. Since the earliest of the morning the sun hadn’t given up on its strength. It already provided so much heat that the local folks waved around with fans as colourful as a peacock’s feathers or used the very fabric of their robes to cool down.

The courtyard needed only the last few touches to be fully prepared. Considering the size and the number of the guests, this strange organised chaos erupted. Tables were breaking under the amount of plates and bowls being brought. Mere fanning wasn’t enough, the servants had to use spells to repel the annoying insects. Despite the initial sulky mood, the servants, officials and nobles whose heads and bodies were covered not only in fine clothes and mesmerising jewellery but in antlers, trunks, fur, feathers and scales and even bones, too, or possessed a human skin of an intriguing texture and colour soon came to enjoy themselves. Even a young handmaiden with a glass-like skin paid no attention to the amazed monk.

“This is a real deal. What do ya reckon, Shifu?“ Bajie, chewing on an apple he’d grabbed from the glass servant passing by, whispered to the man in a light blue robe with a round collar as they passed by a group of female dancers rehearsing their opening number.

“It’s truly fascinating, to say the least, Wuneng,“ Sanzang casted a worried look at Wujing, who ran around asking about the purpose of the pillars and excitedly noted down in his journal the process of building the different stages,“To be fair, I’m quite nervous.“

“Shifu, don’t say you’ve got a stage fright. You’ve spoken in front of many crowds before!“

“But those were either prayers or lectures. Not poetry. And there certainly weren’t demons but humans,“ the young Buddhist halted, his gaze fell to the floor,“Wuneng, I didn’t mean it. It’s just that… I know we’re in great danger. I don’t want anything to happen to anyone.“

“Shifu,“ Bajie hugged him around the shoulders,“we, the yaoguai folk, are scary. Yeah, we for sure have strange customs and can be rougher sometimes. It’s natural for you to be worried. But we’re here, your disciples, fine?“

“You’re right. By the way, speaking of you all, where’s Lie and Wukong? It’s never good when they aren’t around, especially the latter one.“

“Afraid we’d cause trouble again?“ Two heads popped behind the monk. The monkey and the dragon horse were visibly in a great mood, bumping into each other like two little boys. Soon, Ol’ Sha jumped at them and hung on their necks causing them to playfully fight.

Once they calmed down, the monk used to their advantage that the group distanced itself to a far southern corner and continued in a hushed voice,“Disciples, we may not have enough time and trust me, I’d like to say more. But all of you taught me that even the big words can’t sometimes reveal what the mind and most importantly the heart yearns to say. Therefore, I’m grateful and honoured that Bodhisattva Guanyin elected you four to be my bodyguards, my companions, sometimes even teachers.“

The four disciples looked the monk up and down. Only when Sanzang started playing with his sleeves did they break the act. They launched at their master and made sure to squeeze him tightly altogether.

“Shifu, we’re just as glad to have you,“ Lie started.

“To be honest, you were annoying at first. Too strict for us.“

“Also we truly needed some time to adjust to the different schedule,“ Wujing added to Baje.

Lastly, the eldest disciple finished,“But you proved to be brave and kind in your heart. Now, let’s go. The Dragon’s hour approaches and you with Brother Lie shall perform.“

Lie grinned,“You’re saying this like your fight won’t be the cherry on top.“

The disciples briskly ran up to their places, yet the Master and the senior disciple remained.

As the monkey was about to turn to follow his three juniors, the monk tapped on the blue ornaments dancing on the striking golden silk. It made the young man think of the tapestries with the Tang Emperor and, admittedly, with the wide sleeves flowing around, the demon would easily blend in such scenery with his decisive posture. All that Wukong was missing was a crown with a pair of phoenix feathers. And yet, Sanzang could no longer associate such a possession with his beloved disciple, not until the monkey stopped carrying the untraditional calmness in his deep gaze.

“Wukong, I wanted to thank you personally. Yes, I’ve repeated myself that we ought not to be bound to earthly matters as they’re but a fleeting touch, a reflection of the stars on the pond’s surface. But as you once asked about my parents, about my…“ although it was only a buzz of a tiny bee flying past him, Sanzang thought fingers, rough due to the hardships of life but also as tender as only a mother could ever have, caressed his ruffled hair,“As your Shifu, I should be both your teacher and father, guiding you through the teachings to achieve understanding. However, it’s often the opposite - you taught me a lot as well. I’m sorry I judged you harshly.“ Sanzang caught himself at the last moment; his lips dried out while rethinking his words. “Thanks for everything.“

“No problem, Shifu,“ Wukong’s uplifted spirit shone through and through,“you can count on me the same way I count on you. The same goes for my brothers. We won’t ever let anyone hurt you. We’ll get to the Western Paradise and bring the sutras to enlighten everyone.“

“Yeah, exactly,“ the monk rubbed the side of his eye,“Anyway, where’s Her Highness and Lady Wolf Witch?“

“No idea. She said she’d get prepared with the princess. She really thinks they’ll get here before the start,“ the monkey snorted and put his hands on his hips.

“Wukong? Aren’t those two…?“

The Monkey King turned in the direction of the Tripitaka’s pointing finger. In front of the main entrance, two women walked out of the palace’s shadows and ascended the stairs tanning in the sun’s gold. Even from the great distance, the demon and his master recognised the hopping pattern of the smaller woman whose pomegranate skirt flailed around as if it were a cat’s tail. Two pearly hairpins peeped from her tied up hair, mimicking a pair of ears. Her waistcoat added to the impression of a tigress given the turmeric dye and rubies sewed on the shoulders in several rows of stripes. Even the petite woman’s voice ringing with heartfelt cheerfulness made her seem not childish but charmful, especially when her feet firmly landed on the last stair. Mei, at last, straightened her spine and with a subtly stuck out chin stepped out. “Hello there, gentlemen!“ she waved at them.

It took plenty of effort for Sanzang to stop staring. Listening to his instincts, Sanzang turned his head just to scowl at drooling Bajie. He bumped into Wukong, too, whose legs turned stiff and made the demon persist in his place, unknowingly mimicking his master.

Despite the monk’s effort, the disciple couldn’t tear his eyes off of the demoness.

Like any other day, Márgerdra outshined other women easily yet today was somewhat different. Elegance and grace radiated from her. The hidden passion burnt so much it became a perfect contrast to the cool colours of her blue scarf where gold bits shone like tiny tears. Her skirt waved whenever her slim legs in fine mauve slippers moved as if she floated through air. Although of a quite loose cut, the garment still did her curves justice whenever the breeze picked up as a moderate wind and outlined her figure.

“Are you alright? Don’t tell me you caught something. A flu perhaps? I told you to take the whole blanket for yourself!“ When neither of the men responded, Mei waved again and briskly pressed her palm against the monk’s forehead. Sanzang distanced himself but quickly assured both were as healthy as a fish.

Mei and Sanzang surely chirped like sparrows on a roof as they made their way towards the rest. However their protectors couldn’t follow without a moment of privacy.

Wukong bowed his head. “It really suits you.”

“You don’t look that bad either.“ Márgerdra squinted as she sized up Qitian Dasheng. Suddenly, he felt smaller than ever. It all went away the moment she spoke in a voice that could melt the coldest ice. “Let me fix your collar,“ the small wrinkles retracted as the she-wolf faintly smiled and ran her hand by his neck,“now you look perfect.“

“Careful there, I may outshine you any moment soon.“

“I’d love to see you try. Honestly, however, I can’t complain much.“

He cackled and offered his forearm. The demoness caressed it and let her arm settle there like a swallow,“What a gentleman. Anyway, the servants told us your match got delayed. You and the captain shall fight by the evening. I was thinking I may help you to get prepared. I guess it would be more believable than if I stayed in the crowd. Besides, I’m afraid that Yawen and Golden Wind may strike soon. I highly doubt they’re going to wait for the full moon.“

“What makes you think that?“

“I haven’t heard a word about her this whole morning. I guess I don’t need to remind you twice that she isn’t one of the quiet folks. No way she wouldn't make herself known. Am I allowed to make sure your armour won’t loosen upon the first strike, then?“

“You’d made your way there even if I told you no,“ the disciple whispered back,“Plus, I’m not sure whether I wanna risk anyone getting a black eye or broken ribs like myself in case they stand in your way.“

Márgerdra took the hint, yet acted as if having no clue. “Like who? The captain?“

“Perhaps. Maybe a few soldiers as well.“

“You’re saying it like it’s a bad thing.“

Wukong threw his head back as he laughed at Márgerdra’s pretended innocence. 

At first, those were but foolish words echoing within the dead space of his mind. Alas, the Monkey King caught himself too late and replied out loud,“Quite the opposite. It’s that irresistible part of your charm.“

The Wolf Witch halted. Her eyes, so bright till that moment, lost their spark. Her teeth vanished behind her lips that formed a thin line as her nose wrinkled. She untangled their arms and continued forward keeping merely a former proximity. Neither she or the Monkey King uttered anything until they reached their seats.

****

The sun opened its eye to the fullest and blessed the earth beneath with the sacred light. Upon her arrival, Queen Shufen seemed to become the personification of that light. Her face was bright and clearer than the horizon. The phoenix crown’s gold, thousands of pearls, sapphires and rubies, the shining kingfisher feathers emphasised the unearthly look of the Immortality Crane whose blackest eyes were like soft velvet trying to hug the world and give it all the care she held within.

Musicians and dancers amazed the spectators as well. The sword dance left a trace of bliss behind. The colourful robes painted the air whenever they twirled around. Such a vibrant mix reminded of butterflies that visited the courtyard. Even the queen’s elephant was brought to perform with acrobats before standing next to her owner.

Shufen caressed the grey hide. “Look who finally showed up, Xiao Tao. Are you excited, my little girl?“ the queen gave her another apple and pointed to the young erhu player with white streaks in his hair. Immediately, the elephant threw her head back to trumpet.

Lie didn’t mind. Quite the opposite, he smirked upon seeing the majestic creature play with the queen’s crown during his number. Later, she directed her attention to the young captain who sat next to his aunt. It cost Lie a great effort not to burst into laughter when Xiao Tao tucked on the crane’s coat. Despite such a bold move, the captain himself smiled and scratched Xiao Tao on her trunk and let her rest it on his shoulder.

As he changed the upbeat tunes with more melancholic ones for the actors to finally join and introduce the story of a celestial bird meeting a dragon, the crowd calmed down and eagerly dived into the play with their interest. The story was longer than what the Pilgrims expected, yet they found themselves enjoying it. Márgerdra let the princess hide into her chest when the dragon showed up for the first time, scaring Mei with its long whiskers and flaming antlers despite being merely an impressive costume carried by half a dozen of skilled actors. Sha Seng briskly joined and soothed her along with the witch.

The play continued long into the late evening. At last, Ao Lie positioned himself next to the actors and welcomed the young monk. The disciple reassuringly squeezed his teacher’s shoulder. The Tripitaka felt the courage waking up inside although the sun had disappeared behind the bumpy horizon. It flared up even more when he saw all four disciples and even their companions from the Great Tiger Kingdom waving at him. Suddenly, the need to use the scribbles he made under Mei’s supervision left him disappeared. Instead, he turned to face the queen. His voice, at first a flock of cracks yet now a sound as nice to hear as the sandalwood to smell, spoke of high mountains, ravishing lowlands and the souls freed from pain that found happiness in the compassion their hearts treasured altogether. “Because the people are the world’s mirror as well for the ocean is too a myriad of droplets, each as significant as the other so as to nurture each other.“ A small pause and the monk started his last few verses not noticing the silent ruffle behind.

“I better get going,“ Wukong whispered once he noticed Jun standing up from his seat behind his master; he vanished behind a thick curtain that had to hide a stairway to the stage hosting the royal family,“See you soon.“ He nodded to the Wolf Witch, hoping she would eventually come to see him at the arsenal.

****

Márgerdra surely began to think she got lost in the vast space where the sole residents seemed to be the racks with spears, swords and bows. Soon she realised that in her hurry she passed by the corridor she was looking for. It was long yet the supporting pillars made Márgerdra hunch down after she accidently hit her forehead. As she scanned the corridor poorly lit with torches and the stone walls overgrown with mould and moss clumps, the witch doubted a mere human would find their way around the place. The air was heavy and moist, hard to breathe in. Hence her lungs significantly enlarged whenever she took a deep but calm inhale.

She didn’t mind the eerie space nor the noise of water dripping from the ceiling here and there. The arsenal was, after all, located under the courtyard and thus carved into the mountain itself. Yet, she couldn’t lose the feeling of not being alone. Still, she was certain nobody had followed her. Only when she walked to the crossroad did she stop. The main path was narrow and straight, the second one crooked like a worm. The woman was prepared to set out into the tight space ahead when somebody bumped into her.

Both stumbled down with grunts and curses. Márgerdra quickly got on her knees and started brushing off the dirt. Annoyed, she took a good look at whoever it was. Although the person had a hood, it was rather easy to conclude the identity due to the hunched stance and scrawny figure. After shuffling closer and seeing the brown eyes glowing with an amber hew, she was sure. “Wukong, are you crazy?! I’m no wooden dummy to train crazy stunts on!“

The demon drew closer, trapping Márgerdra between his body and the walls. She shivered when his wild look settled down on her - malicious, dangerous and filled with an unmatched curiosity. As if he were recalling something he passionately hated but couldn’t bury.

He dived into the curve of her neck. He sniffed deeply, sharply. The rough fingertips ran up and down her shoulder. He seemed not to realise that Márgerdra could hear his muttering. “You did not change a bit. The same ghostly woman that matched the cool forest all too well. I…scared you back then, didn’t I?“

She thought he already finished, then he snarled again. “How come that he was allowed to lie his head next to yours and be lulled like a newborn while I had to sleep in places where vermin dug into my skin and hair? A stranger bound to me yet should I forget the scriptures? My Shifu? My destiny?“ he growled,“I… He’s such a fool. But what else to expect? That coward could never bid farewell. One must forget to ascend.“ He brushed his lips, colder than that stone around, against her skin, still hugging her tightly despite his trembling hands.

The initial shock remelted into a letdown, then sheer anger from witnessing the gall.

While still in the hug, her hands shot up. Her claws dug into the back, tearing the cloak and shirt first, then mercilessly attacked the flesh.

The macaque hissed. Márgerdra couldn’t afford to hesitate further. Kicking him off of her, she sent herself back to her upright legs. Yet his tail slammed and put her back to her place.

Márgerdra’s vision went black.

Thankfully, she regained her senses, yet found herself to be alone. The only evidence of other presence was the hood she was clutching and an image of the demon before Márgerdra collided with the wall.

****

Finally, she reached her destination. Upon entering, the witch discovered there were four doors in the arsenal, an octagonal room of a moderate size inlaid with wood that was appropriately lit up with lamps. The first door was the one that she’d just used, two on the opposite walls that connected to other armouries and one the right which surely led outside to the courtyard. Looking around, the number of weapons and armour pieces wasn’t inherently great. Yet each impressed the witch with its simple though flawless iron and steel.

Wukong was standing in the centre. He’d already changed his robes for a tunic and much looser trousers. The boots he’d been previously wearing were now thrown under a bench since the monkey found the simple legwraps more suitable for his style.

Tying the last knot on the legwrap, the monkey turned around to greet the much awaited she-wolf who watched him from the entrance,“Blondie! What took you so long? I nearly started thinking you aren't coming. Anyway, could you handle that shoulder pad for me? The one on the right with a dragon head.“

Márgerdra let out a fume. She grabbed the shoulder pad and in less than four long steps stood in front of the Sage. Her movements when securing the straps were rough. By accident, she yanked the monkey’s fur, at which Wukong scowled,“Watch that!“

“I’ve tolerated your pranks too long. You better stop it immediately! You were scaring me! I almost thought you were after my neck again.“

“Blondie, listen, I don’t know what happened on your way here. I got no witnesses to have my back. But I’ve been here the entire time. Are you sure you didn’t meet a servant?“

“Wukong, I swear I know who I saw.“ The Wolf Witch took notice of him when he faced her. His eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed until a thin line remained while the demon tilted his head. He wasn’t lying, only equally confused. There was a question they didn’t need to pronounce out loud, but surely understood from each other,“If it weren’t you, then who?“

One of the doors slid open. Two guards followed the captain, whose garbs were similar to that of Wukong. The two opponents only differed in the colours they chose - Wukong stood tall in brown, yellow, red and black while Jun proudly kept to white, azure, purple and green.

Jun politely bowed to both before asking,“Prepared, Huang?“

“Like never before in my life, captain,“ Wukong nodded.

Just as the captain marched out to the courtyard, he changed his mind and turned on his heel. Facing the imp, the captain’s face relaxed as he bowed once more,“Keep this to yourself. But I want to apologise for the childish quarrel. You all were a great help.“

“What made you change your mind, captain?“

“I’ve never seen my aunt this excited or happy. Besides, I got my evidence on your… innocence. I also saw that you truly are a master of your craft. Please, let’s fight like opponents, like two fellows in martial arts, not enemies.“

Wukong bowed his entire upper body, then helped Jun to regain his stance with a broad smirk. “Aye, I guess that could be doable.“

Jun returned the friendliness, but he sheepishly retracted after looking behind the monkey. “I think you may want to talk to Miss Yaling. I’ll wait outside. Don’t take too long.“

Wukong let out a chuckle when the door behind the captain and his retinue shut tight.

“Oh man, have you seen his sour face? Priceless! I bet you secretly growled at him!“

Márgerdra took her time. Uttering nothing, she chose a pole that Wukong had prepared for himself on a rack and closed the distance between them. Shivers conquered her heart and soul but she brought herself to speak at last,“Say only one thing. That you’ll come back in one piece.“

“Blondie, am I not the Great Sage Equal to Heaven? The disciple of the Golden Cicada?“

Márgerdra’s voice trembled, yet not a single tear glistened in her eyes,“Please, promise that you’re coming back. Returning to your Shifu and brothers. Just like always.“

Wukong’s palm encircled the witch’s hand, the one grasping the pole. Uncertain about the idea at first, the demon then let his forehead rest against hers and replied,“I do, Mar.“

The two no longer hesitated. The witch threw herself around his neck and the disciple clutched his powerful arm around her back. Neither let go for a while, unsure whether breaking such a moment would shatter them both became equally fragile like the two old lion statues guarding the courtyard.

Márgerdra’s words marched out with Wukong, giving him hope and reassurance, although he caught a strange tint of alien sternness there,“Good luck, Qitian Dasheng.“

****

The silver threads of the full moon glided down onto the Jade Valley and the agitated guests in the courtyard. The moment they saw the tight knot with a crane hairpin, they all started cheering and welcoming the queen’s nephew. The leather scales on his armour were as white as snow, it made the crane look as if he shone in the evening’s gloom.

Jun stuck out his chest and bowed deeply to his aunt and then to the crowd as the drums picked up on the rhythm.

“Dearest guests!“ Shufen stood up in her seat and proudly began,“Once again I’m thanking you for your wishes. All the presents are lovely, yet two warm my heart the most. The first - the presence of my beloved nephew that never ceases to amaze me with his loyalty and capability. Since the sun has embraced this little boy, I knew he shall achieve great things. He’s been protecting me, this city, our whole kingdom. He’s fought against our enemies and traitors. One of which has impudently shown up right here, in our fortress!“

Simple whispers and speculations from the smug nobles and servants soon turned into an uproar when ten guards dragged chained Golden Wind Viper from the darkness of the palace. The muzzle kept the snake from spitting his venom just like the enchanted iron collar prevented his neck from elongating. Despite the precautions, the guards struggled to walk in a straight line as Golden Wind Viper was putting up a fight. He only stopped twitching when a cangue was put around his neck.

Golden Wind Viper no longer snarled. Scorn emitted from his very core when he cast gaze on Shufen. The fact that his spit landed right in front of him instead and splashed him didn’t take away his boldness as he exclaimed,“Your Majesty! How lovely to see you! It felt like ages I dare to say. I bet you must’ve been missing me. Has anyone replaced me as your general?“

In spite of his tone, his effort to gain attention went ignored. Shufen was far more calculated and chose an approach that made Golden Wind Viper turn even greener than what he already was from envy. “Captain of the Royal Guard kept to the promise. After being informed by the eldest of the Huang brothers, he heroically dived into the danger and arrested this scoundrel once and for all. At last, we may rest at peace. For everything that Captain Jun has done, I, Queen Shufen, a woman of my word, proudly announce that from this day on you shall be recognised as my general!“

The crowd applauded while Jun gracefully, yet with easily recognisable pride, bowed to show his gratitude towards the congratulations. Once he spotted the golden-haired woman walking up the stairs and reclaiming her seat, he grinned.

Yet, Márgerdra paid little attention to the man’s parade. She and Mei wondered,“Brother Monkey helped him, jiejie?“

“I’m confused, too, little plum. I don’t remember him mentioning a thing.“ Márgerdra lightly tapped on her chin. Something still made her come back in thoughts to the strange interaction she’d with Wukong. Neither her or the princess had enough space to think, however. The queen’s following statement took their breath away. Sandy and Lie’s jaws dropped as well. Bajie choked on his drink while Wukong almost stumbled back to the armoury.

“Master Huang Shui has helped us significantly with his whole family. Your intelligence, compassion and now the poem you wrote, such gentleness and affection towards everything living can’t be found anywhere else. With you, I realised my happiness. Although your family would like to venture forth towards their further research, I must ask one thing. A simple offer where our lives would seal our fates altogether. Not only do I promise you immortality coming from Golden Cicada’s flesh, Master Shui. Would you like to become my husband, too, and rule this country with me?”

Sanzang’s throat went dry. He felt as if the whole world was watching his every move.

He briskly stood from his seat below the queen’s throne. The Dragon Prince had to grab the monk under his armpit to prevent him from collapsing.

The young man’s lips opened and closed several times without uttering a single noise. He did not dare to guess the consequences if he rejected the proposal, although he didn’t find a single hint of malice. Yet, aware after countless Wukong’s warnings and lectures, the monk didn’t let his eyes be deceived by the first glance this time. What now seems to be a curiosity can easily turn into a vengeance from a broken heart.

The guests started whispering to one another when he gave no reply. Even Xiao Tao stumped her heavy foot as if the animal hoped for the noise to bring the man back to his senses.

Fortunately, it did. Even more, it gave Sanzang a bright idea. Although it didn’t solve the Pilgrim’s problem immediately, he managed to buy some time anyway. “Your Majesty, it was all lovely to meet you as well. Please, don’t doubt my manners due to my long answer. You see, the question came so suddenly. At first, this sounds like a simple question. Yet I am no simple man and I dare not to reveal my decision right away. My beloved brother is about to fight your nephew, Your Majesty. Hence I suggest we let them fight first as the great news could affect their thinking, judgement and so their decisions within the match! Please, let this fight be fair not for their own sake, not ours.“

His dance around the words seemed to have worked as Shufen nodded,“Master Shui, I expected no less from you. Your reasoning provides a sober mind to where my heart sings. Of course, as you wish.“ She deliberately waved her hand at the drummers to resume their rhythm. “General Jun of the Azure Crane Dynasty. Master Huang Wei. May the skill of each decide tonight, not the luck,“ Shufen sternly let out and lifted her palms to face the starry sky.

Meanwhile Jun and Wukong bowed to one another for the last time, effortlessly ignoring Golden Wind Viper’s cackle in the background.

The Azure Crane General unsheathed his sword and rose the ringing steel above his head.

The Monkey King responded by lowering himself till his front calf became parallel with the ground. The tip pointed at the opponent.

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Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @morganmaietto @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51

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List of chapters:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Epilogue

[spacetimesally]

Spacetime Sally's Vivian Larsen, a shot from a visit to the set of the CBS western/espionage/sci-fi series, 'The Wild Wild West' (photo from The Rosen Collection)

[dwsavideos]

My WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Opinion • The Big Top on Broadway!

Going into this show, I already liked the songs, but I didn’t know the story at all because I haven’t read the book or seen the movie (I just knew there was a circus lol). I went into it fairly blind, and what I saw on that stage for two and a half hours was nothing short of whimsical. I’ve gotta give a review of my experience without giving too much of the plot away- so this is gonna be kind of informal. I’m basically just gonna talk about what I love about this show because it definitely has flaws like any show does, but I genuinely think people are being too hard on this show. It has so much potential, so much insane superhuman talent, and it is so well designed. Just because there aren’t 50 Cirque du Soleil-esque acts or Grammy winning pop songs in it doesn’t make it bad. Not to mention that the original source material was difficult to work with for sure! I think that while this show is far from mainstream, it still has that classic flashy Broadway show vibe- and what a relief that is. I could talk about this show and the talented people in it for ages. My messages and asks are always open, so if you want to share an opinion or experience, or wanna chat about the show, I’m here for it! Okay, time to dive in:

For some background information, Water For Elephants is set in America during the 1930s, (I think 1931) and of course, at a traveling circus called Benzini Brother’s Circus which is in great financial trouble and is definitely not the most spectacular circus during that time. They manage to stay afloat under the management of the ringmaster, August played by Paul Alexander Nolan. Throughout the show, we see signs that the circus performers and workers (Kinkers and Rousts), and the animals are not treated fairly by August.

Jacob Jankowski played by Grant Gustin is a young man on the run from his personal troubles and jumps onto the nearest train, not knowing or caring where it was going. He meets some dodgy characters who reveal themselves as Rousts or circus stagehand workers (Wade being the main, scariest one, played by Wade McCollum). Jacob soon meets an older Roust named Camel, played by Stan Brown. Camel convinces Jacob to stay at least one day. Jacob doesn’t love the idea, and neither does Wade. They come to an agreement and all parties reluctantly decide to work together for one day only. One day turns into a lot longer- and now the fun begins.

The ensemble had great dancers and amazing circus artists (who also all danced). The circus artists in this show are unnamed ensemble characters, so I will call them by their actual names (There were a few swings on the night I saw the show): Antoine Boissereau, Gabriel Olivera, Isabella Diaz, Keaton Hentoff-Killian, Nicolas Jelmoni, Harley McLeish, Sam Renaud, and Alex Royer.

The ensemble of dancers who play Kinkers and Rousts were: Brandon Block, Paul Castree, Caroline Kane, Marissa Rosen, Charles South, Sean Stack, Matthew Varvar, and Michelle West.

The understudies and swings who were on as leads and featured characters for this performance were: Samantha Gershman as Marlena, Taylor Colleton as Barbara, and Michael Mendez as Walter. The ensemble and circus swings were Brandon Block, Michelle West, and Harley McLeish. As usual, Gregg Edelman played Mr. Jankowski. Almost every single one of these performers was a puppeteer at some point in the show.

The great circus stunts start right off the bat in the second number “The Road Don’t Make You Young” when the cast sets up the big top tent. Needless to say, their Tony Performance of this song does not do this cast justice at all. Seeing this live was awesome. Especially Gabriel Olivera, Isabella Diaz, Keaton Hentoff-Killian, and Alex Royer doing impressive (and kinda scary) tricks on the Chinese Pole and then also singing and dancing with the rest of the company like it was nothing. The number also included many hand to hand tricks where Alex and Isabella were thrown and flipped and caught by their porters. They made it look effortless. Some other big circus numbers were “The Lion Has Got No Teeth”, “The Grand Spec”, and “Zostań”. In the span of these numbers, there were flips, hand to hand tricks, aerial acrobatics, juggling, Chinese pole, Cyr wheel, hula hoops, and more! There were even several quick scenes that was just a few circus performs on stage doing their thing!

Also, I have to say that Grant Gustin was great! He has a great voice and he portrayed Jacob brilliantly considering his character is pretty bland. Paul Alexander Nolan stole the show as many good villains tend to do. Samantha Gershman didn’t miss a beat as Marlena, and her voice was stunning! Wade McCollum as Wade was one of my favorite performances as far as acting goes (plus he has one hell of a voice). And the ensemble of both the dancers and circus performers were out of this world. The choreography was so fun to watch and the way it was mixed perfectly with the circus tricks had me on the edge of my seat every time there was a big group number.

My favorite three moments in the show:

3: The Stampede: For a show with lots of fun tricks, colorful costumes, and flashy numbers, things got pretty dark towards the end. I won’t get into the really dark part, but one scene near the end that was really well done was a scene without any singing or dancing- the Stampede. This scene was staged incredibly, and it was very haunting. The cast turned into puppeteers and their movements along with the lighting design, sound design, and Gregg Edelman’s narration caused it to be impossible to even blink during this scene. In particular, Caroline Kane did a fantastic job portraying Rosie the Elephant for this scene and throughout the show. She was one of the six people who puppeteered Rosie. Caroline controlled Rosie’s trunk and also conveyed Rosie’s emotions with her facial expressions. At times, she was the sole person responsible for making us believe there was an elephant on stage- and she was brilliant. She portrayed Rosie’s joy, pain, fear, and anger so so well!

2: The Dream/“Go Home”: This moment was before the stampede scene, and it was so cool to watch. Once again, the lighting design and staging was very well done, and Grant Gustin was excellent in this scene as he grappled with his inner thoughts. In Theatre, a dream sequence scene could sometimes be corny, but this one was necessary. Another very haunting moment in the show, this dream sequence came at a pivotal time in the plot, and gave us a deeper look into Jacob’s mind, along with a major choice that he had to make. The beginning of the scene was like something out of the 2013 Pippin revival, with the circus performers nightmarishly taunting Jacob on a dimly lit stage. August made an appearance too, also taunting Jacob- who’s conscience was trying to tell him to murder August. During this dream, the circus performers become an ensemble of Jacob’s fears and desires. They do daring stunts, walking and sliding backwards on tightropes, twirl in aerial hoops, two performers juggle knives- tossing them back and forth while Jacob stands still in between them. Jacob grabs a knife from midair and contemplates if he should use it. August cracks his whip at the lion, puppeteered by Gabriel. Soon Marlena and Rosie appear in Jacob’s dream as his only two comforting companions. During this nightmare, things start to get real for Jacob. The opening guitar of “Go Home” begins, and Jacob stands by and watches helplessly as his parents parish in a car accident. The way this car accident is staged is not loud or gruesome, but kind of peaceful- maybe since Jacob didn’t witness it when it happened, it’s how he imagined it or hoped it was like. There is no car at all, but it was easy to tell what’s happening due to the blocking and great choreography. Jacob’s parents are portrayed by Keaton and Alex- Keaton pretends to hold on to the wheel until blaring headlights flash in their faces and disaster strikes in slow motion. The other circus performers are assembled behind Jacob’s parents, staged as if they’re pushing them into their demise. After impact, Keaton and Alex are physically pulled out from that reality by the others, and back into the circus troupe. The movement and choreography in this scene is what carries the story as Jacob sings the song “Go Home”. The song ends with the ensemble softly singing “there’s nothing you won’t do/there’s nothing you can do” over and over as Jacob holds a knife, hovered over a sleeping August. The song ends with the characters back in reality. All in all, this scene was a great mesh of musical theatre, physical theatre, and circus.

1: “Easy”: When Jacob and the audience first meets Marlena. Here, she’s caring for her beloved injured horse Silver Star, puppeteered by two circus performers Antoine and Keaton. The horse puppet timidly approaches Marlena, limping. As Keaton left the scene, Antoine smoothly handed off the Silver Star puppet (head) to Marlena, who sang as she simultaneously soothed and controlled the horse’s head while it rested on her lap in pain. Then Antoine’s aerial silk act began. It was an outstanding and elegant thing to watch. He perfectly portrayed the spirit of Silver Star longing to be healthy and free. He swung over the audience in an aerial dance, and at one point, he swung out as the silks held him by his neck. His skills during that beautiful routine along with the emotional song that Samantha Gershman sang perfectly was a highlight for sure. Antoine was a standout circus artist and dancer, and was really fun to watch the whole show. If you haven’t gotten the chance, listen to “Easy” on the cast recording- it’s the best song in the album.

Some details I enjoyed:

One of the things I noticed while reading the playbill was the amount of Non-Binary performers in this show! There are five NB performers in W4E. (Let me know of you want to know who they are, because I don’t necessarily name drop here). Interestingly I noticed that every costume that one of the female presenting NB performers wore could be considered gender-neutral such as pants and overalls which looked just like the outfits the men and male presenting cast members wore in the show. I just thought that it was a nice touch that one of the NB performers got to wear gender-neutral costumes in a show that takes place in an era when those who were female presenting rarely wore pants or overalls (especially as a performer). Even the leotard they wore in circus scenes was the same as the male presenting circus performers! I’d love to think that this was a conscious choice by the costume designer and director to put the cast in costumes that they are comfortable in regardless of gender.

Every puppet was so intricate and beautifully designed. I sat fairly close but not too close, and I was able to see so many details of the puppets. They were so colorful, lively, and still so different from puppets in shows like the Lion King or Frozen. But like the Lion King, the actors controlling the puppets are very much included in the puppet’s identity. Their facial expressions and physical movements of their entire body, and even their costume colors play a huge part in each animal’s portrayal. However, in Lion King, many of the puppets are more costume than puppet. In W4E, the only animal that is worn as a costume is an Orangutan played by Alex. Overall, I think this was such a cool and original take on animal puppets on stage.

References to other songs in “Go Home” lyrics: Listening to the cast recording over and over, I realized that there are many melodic and lyrical references to other key songs in “Go Home” which I guess can be considered as the 11 o’clock number of W4E. In the song, there are melodic and lyrical references to the following songs: “Anywhere”, “Easy”, and “What Do You Do?” (GO LISTEN!!) I just love when songs that aren’t a Reprise have references to other songs in musicals. It’s very classic Broadway and great storytelling!

Personally, I loved Water For Elephants! The circus parts were the most fun to watch, and everyone in the cast was so amazing and seemed to be super tight-knit. You’re not going to W4E to delve into some deep subject in a contemporary musical and leave with a bitter sweet feeling and a great message, but does every new musical have to be like that nowadays?? I definitely recommend this show, especially for families or people who love the circus, puppets, or depression-era shows! Water for Elephants is a whimsical spectacle with so many fun moments. I think Broadway needs more of that.

If you’re still here, thank you for reading this entire thing lol!