#now with readmore

[superbellsubways]

fictional QPR chart cuz I've never seen one for those 👍

[summertiide]

THE BIZZYBOYS BLOCK YOUR PATH!

(link to the other part of these!)

got an ask about their fight in a continuation of the OFF-styled ones i did before, and i'd been procrastinating these for a while, so i finally got around to finishing them!! boss fight thoughts below the cut! :-]

this might be a little rambly so apologies in advance!!!

so to start with, i feel like it would be shortly before the Inspekta fight as sort of a miniboss - none of the bizzyboys on their own have a ton of health, but its a 6v1, so the difficulty comes in from that! with direction from Capochin, they're more organized, and if he's defeated, they're able to do more specialized attacks, but they're more scattered in turn order/lacking the previous flow to the fight, making it more clear which ones need to be defeated sooner than others

here's some ideas for each bizzy on their own:

Capochin (Bizzy Captain): potentially able to use a "rally" attack to bring back fallen bizzyboys, uses his turns when they're all up to make one of them do an extra attack - doesn't do all that much attacking, himself, but you'd wanna get rid of him first to keep the bizzyboys that you've already defeated down

Grujaja (Bizzy Brute): with Capochin still active, he's got a moderate attack recharge, and deals some pretty heavy damage, inflicting Palsied as a sort of "knockback" from each hit / when Capochin goes down, he still deals as much damage, but takes a significantly longer time to charge attacks, and has lower accuracy

Patty (Bizzy Defective): "defective" in the sense that she doesn't want to fight you and, when Capochin goes down, the fast but light-damage-dealing attacks almost entirely stop, save for reactive attacks when she's dealt damage

Bananathaniel (Bizzy Chatterbox): STATUS EFFECTS FOREVER!!! he's sort of the support of the two "casters" of sorts, boosting bizzyboy stats and giving them Hasty, while rarely doing anything to the enemies directly (if there's no other bizzyboys, he might have a low-damage attack, but i'm not certain on that one)

Alexei (Bizzy Glutton): moderate to heavy damage, occasionally healing himself from a snack-break turn! when Capochin goes down, he'll do a lot less attacking and a lot more healing, which makes him hard to take down, but easy to avoid damage from

Vibiano (Bizzy Couturier): the other "caster" of the group, but specializing in afflicting the enemy with status effects - Blinded, Madness, Poisoned, and Asleep are the main ones among those! similarly to Bananathaniel, when there's no other bizzyboys left, he has an attack, which is just slightly higher damage than Ban's, but a fair bit slower to use

ANYWAYS that's all i got!! i might find some excuses to do more art for this (idk if it qualifies as an AU at this point, i haven't thought about how it'd go plot-wise!), but thank you again for asking, anon, i love thinking about this stuff!!

[quadrantadvisor]

DPxDC Danny/Jason Soulmates AU WIP

-

Jason's timer read 044389:21:08, when the display suddenly went dark. 44,389 hours. Five years, 24 days, 13 hours, 21 minutes, and 8 seconds until he was fated to meet his soulmate.

Or not. Because the time stopped.

It wasn’t supposed to happen. He did his research, and with the resources at his disposal (namely, a batcomputer,) he knew for a fact that there should be no way to defy the fate of a timer. People had tried. Avoidance, isolation, putting a hit out on your own suspected soulmate. Nothing worked. Trying to delay the inevitable put you on the path to meet it. Sure, there were people who lamented the unfairness of their own situation, who were devastated they never got time with their soulmate, famous deaths on opposite sides of a battle, etc. But soulmates always, always met eachother, face to face.

Not him, though. His soulmate was dead. Five years early.

Bruce didn’t get it. Dick wouldn’t talk about it. Alfred only looked at him with pity in his eyes.

Jason wasn’t sad that he was the only person on the planet who’d never meet his soulmate. He was fucking angry, because it wasn’t fucking fair. It was another person in his life who was supposed to care about him that he’d never get to have.

So when he found out he had a mom, somewhere out there, who he’d never had the chance to meet… he had to go. How could he not?

-

It was Sam who noticed, when it happened. Danny had just finished a stupid fight with Boxy, and he, Sam, and Tucker were finally ready to call it a night. Danny de-transformed and grinned, shaking the thermos proudly. “Gonna get these guys back into the Ghost Zone,” he said, when suddenly-

“Danny!” Sam yelped, and snatched at his arm.

Danny stumbled, nearly dropping his precious cargo. “Whoa, Sam, what-?’ he stopped, looking as she turned over his arm, baring his wrist.

His timer was dark, like people who’s soulmates were dead. The numbers still showed, faintly, but they were stationary. The countdown had stopped.

Ice spread through Danny’s veins, like the cold that rushed through him when he went ghost, but worse, so much worse.

Danny’s ghost form didn’t have a timer, which honestly freaked him out, but as a human it had always behaved completely normally. When he turned back, it would be there, the time having elapsed just the way it was supposed to. It had been so reassuring. He was alive. He’d make it at least five more years, and be able to meet his soulmate, who would hopefully be able to accept him the way he was. He wanted that so badly. He wanted someone beyond his friends to talk to, to know him as a person and a ghost. He wanted to not be afraid anymore.

He’d just passed the five year mark, not that long ago. He’d been so excited to be that much closer to someone so important.

And now something was horribly wrong.

“Dude, that’s jacked up,” Tucker said, noticing the problem with wide eyes.

“Did anything happen today?” Sam asked, her expression hardened with determination. “Did you notice anything weird while you were transformed?”

Danny shook his head. “No, no it- it was running while we were at school, and we’ve been fighting ghosts since then. I don’t know when it would’ve…” Danny could barely make himself speak. “Is it my fault?” he said, almost to himself. “Did I spend too much time as a ghost and it just-”

Sam gripped at his hand. “No, Danny, it isn’t your fault. Whatever the problem is, we’re going to figure it out, okay?”

“Yeah man,” Tucker added, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, maybe your parents can actually help this time? Weird magic science is kinda their thing, right?”

Sam looked less sure, but nodded all the same. “You’re going to meet your soulmate. Okay?”

“Okay,” Danny said, quiet, looking down at the stopped numbers on his wrist.

-

Edit: Added a readmore

[dreamingpartone]

we are only a breath away in this bright summer air •°. *࿐

not only is it the amber spyglass' 25th (!!) anniversary this year, it's also been a whole ten (10!!!) years since I shared my first midsummer day art here on tumblr. to honour the occasion, I decided to redraw that very first artwork — I was rather proud of it at the time, and it started a now decade-long tradition of making hdm art every june.

it's mostly a sentimental record for myself, but some of you have also been following me for quite a few of those years, which I deeply appreciate.

here's to the power of stories, and for many more sunlit midsummers to come 💛

[lunarlagomorph]

Source: 雪かく兎、平静も欠くby 千草もちくさ

Translation: me

I am not entirely happy with the title, but i had trouble figuring out a translation that didn't consist in changing it entirely. There's a pun (i think) in a word being used that means both "peace" and "composure", and calm has both meanings, so I used that. I could probably have labored to find a better verb than the literal "lacks" (i tried "needs" too and didnt like it either) but i wanted to post this and the rest i think is good so.

[skunkes]

that white boy needs to stop touching all the god damn food

[tradingjack]

really pumpin out these panel redraws now ✨

(yes. 5th moon isn't there. can't complete it until i get new markers :( WIP to prove its existence under the readmore)

[sw4nfire]

⏱ Inprnt ⏱

[nitpick7]

unstable universe soulmates au. the kind where if you write/draw on yourself, it shows up on your soulmate's body too.

disclaimer: i have not finished uu yet, i haven't watched doomsday or anything after that!! also i will probably mess up timeline stuff. sorry

spoke's soulmate is jamato. they figure this out while they're testing exploits together and one of them is writing notes on their hand or something. and they're like obsessed with each other. the whole time they're doing exploits together they're dating and spending like every second together, and if they're not together (not often), they're writing to each other. it's very codependent. so it's even worse when everything explodes and they break up and jamato leaves. (spoke still writes to jamato. jamato never writes back.)

but i've decided that soulmates can change over time. someone who's right for you at one point in your life might not be the right person later on. (also you can have multiple soulmates but i haven't used that lore yet.)

spoke's soulmate changes to mapicc. at some point before they're running around destroying farms? mapicc notices that someone is suddenly writing to him but the messages are definitely meant for someone else. he figures out it's spoke after a couple weeks. spoke does not realize they're soulmates. (jamato never replied anyway, and mapicc hasn't been writing anything.) until at some point they're sneaking around, mapicc needs to message spoke, and he finds a pen before his comms. so he just writes it on his hand. they have a... difficult conversation after that situation is over. but they're good (:

when mapicc is missing (captured by invis mafia), spoke writes to him constantly. mapicc doesn't have access to a pen to write back (for this exact reason), but it brings him comfort knowing that spoke is looking for him ((:

(feel free to reblog or send an ask or something if u want to talk about this au please i love yapping about aus with people)

[theokusgallery]

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Helping you relax after a long, tedious day. Although I do so wish to know where you got the audacity to question me."

KtS(aWtG)!AU by @greenninjagal-blog :) (please click on the images below for better quality)

With a static + no environment version. I'm normal ! :) (RAPIDLY BREATHING IN AND OUT OF A PAPER BAG)

[oscconfessions]

hey guys. mod art again! look its all of the alive modsonas in their respective styles (+cog for fun) ((i made all of these myself for the record)) -💥

try and guess the styles answer below the cut

Boom - Twisted Turns Reboot

Oliver - Inanimate Insanity S2

Catalog - The Nightly Manor

Herbert - ONE

Cog - Love Of The S*n

[beebeesiims]

Anyway I was trying to go back to sleep this morning and couldn’t because of Dorym baby headcanons so suffer with me

They might have more than one, but if it’s just one I think it’s a girl

I want so badly to say her name is probably Sky but idk too on the nose?? Maybe. Then again, Orym’s the one with the moon tattoos that fell in love with a man whose middle name is SecondSUN he literally made a sun pun to Keyleth’s face so actually Sky is probably perfect. Alternatively: Austen could be very funny.

Dorian gives pushover parent vibes but no it’s actually Orym who’s the complete sucker bc the kid looks too much like Dorian sorry (I live in trans!Dorian world but frankly I have a million and one ideas for how this kid came about and they all involve her looking like Dorian)

C-Poppers hate her: how this random baby got an entire collection of one of a kind C-Pop toys

Remember the squishy face kissing “you’re gonna do so good!!!” From the charity one shot?? Every morning before school.

She’s probably the only BH baby. I could MAYBE see Fearne & Ashton having an oopsie but I don’t think it’d be before Dorym had an on purpose

Speaking of Ashton, even though Imogen, Fearnie & Laudna get to be aunties, Chetney gets to be Pop and I think even Braius eventually gets some Uncle status, Ashton is just “My”. As in “My Ashton”. And they consistently rub in the rest of the Hells’ face that their nickname is the best one.

This kid has never been on the ground a day in her life. Carried everywhere bc her Aunties think she’s Too Cute. Totally. Climbing onto a table to see what her Tall Dad is doing? Absolutely. Hanging off of Braius’ horns, standing on Coriolis, sitting on top of Ashton’s hammer, riding wolf!Pop and Caviar (look between Chetney, Fearne and Laudna, Caviar does not scare this kid).

There’s absolutely more rattling around in my head I’m sure but I’ll add those later. EDIT: All the notes about this being 100% canon has made my heart warm so here’s the more i promised:

On the list of ways this child appears: 1. trans!Dorian (My fave). 2. trans!Orym. 3. AFAB!Ashton if it’s Dashrym but full “I didn’t know I was pregnant” vibes bc stone body & chronic illness. 4. Cyrus’ illegitimate child (but I live in resurrected Cyrus world tbh). 5. Surrogacy via one of the triplets. 6. Surrogacy via Fearne tbh. 7. Surrogacy via more modern means aka they pick a halfling with similar features to Orym. 8. A gift from Nana Morri. 9. A gift from the wild mother (8 & 9 are my second fave)

In most instances, she’ll never pass 5 ft I’m so sorry kid (but if she’s a Dashrym kid, sorry Orym she’ll outpace you before 1st grade).

Horse girl summers with Auntie Imogen!!!

I know Sam said he didn’t think FCG should come back but FRIDA says he’s not dead and i really want a Finding FCG one-shot SO once they get FCG back they’re baking buddies! They make a lot of good stuff but also the wildest kid mud pie concoctions.

Alma/Nel/the triplets/Imodna are the parent preferred babysitters, Alma/Chetney/Ashton/Fearne are the kid’s picks and Braius is a last resort bc they splatter painted the backyard last time.

Has a sending stone for Nephele & Zeru (& Cyrus).

Yearly family vacations to the Byroden festival!!!!

[corellianhounds]

Some headcanons for Mando:

Anything he uses to shower or wash his clothes with is unscented. Those scent-neutralizer dryer sheets keep his clothes from smelling like anything that can be detected while he’s on a hunt. Very few species are exempt from being unable to detect him

He keeps a clean ship and a consistent schedule. He’s been self-sufficient and on his own for long enough he knows how to cook and take care of himself. Keeping your tools, gear, weapons, armor, and ship in clean, efficient working order means you’re less likely to have to spend time fixing one of them when it breaks from your lack of routine maintenance, and his body is just another tool in his arsenal; sleep, food, necessary medical care, staying limber and getting vitamin D at some point all go a long way towards ensuring he can last longer in the field. You can’t run something ragged every day and expect for that to be sustainable.

That also means he’s well-equipped to handle long stints without different necessities when needed from time to time; you can push yourself pretty far when you’re already in prime condition.

Wilderness survival skills were some of the first things he learned while being brought up by the Mandalorians. Being aware of your surroundings, setting up and breaking down camp, foraging and hunting for food, building impromptu shelters, purifying water, navigating and tracking, having a variety of general and specific medical knowledge— All of those skills are building blocks for self-sufficiency. You never know when you’re going to be alone or thrust into survival scenarios, so it pays to be prepared.

That also means he’s capable of stomaching a wide variety of what some might consider inedible. Beggars can’t be choosers, and it’s rude to decline someone’s offer of food or hospitality so in any scenario where food is in short supply and/or it’s been offered to him, he’s taking it. As long as it’s something he knows humans can digest, he’s open to whatever cultural or regional dishes his travels have to offer, and he’ll muscle through the less pleasant tastes or textures of food he’s had to make do with when he didn’t have other options.

He does know how to make food taste good, but that more often than not requires more spices and ingredients and hardware than he can afford or spare the room for, so he makes do without. Once the kid comes along he branches out a bit more to make sure he gets some variety.

Along the lines of self-sufficiency and independence, he has a lot of general repair skills: you may not always have somebody who can fix things for you, and he obviously isn’t going to pay somebody else to do something he’s capable of learning, except for when he’s short on time or resources. We see him working on the interior circuitry of his armor in the second episode. He knows how to bypass and pick locks. He has the electrical, mechanical, and structural know-how to fix his ship and would know how to weld and use a torch cutter and a variety of other tools, but it also means he’d know how to sew and mend his clothes. Soft goods are just as necessary as hardware.

Injuries where he genuinely needs professional medical care are few and far in between partially because he’s very good at what he does, and partially out of necessity. Though it is by choice, him tending to his own wounds may not necessarily be because he is neglectful or prideful or has a penchant for pain; medcenters cost money, and submitting to that care means he is vulnerable and at risk of somebody breaking his creed by force, or doing more damage when he can’t fight back. It’s why he likely refuses anesthesia or anything that will put him under and make him unaware of what’s happening while he’s asleep. Either he will find somebody he’s close to to help him, or he will find a way to muscle through self-administered medical care yet again, or he will die from his injuries (which means he will have gone down because of a fight)

Though he has a few physical reference materials and logs he’s written down important details in, a vast majority of his knowledge concerning trade routes, ballistics, geography, maps, various customs and cultures and languages, exchange rates for currency, Guild bylaws— anything he could possibly need to know for a hunt— is committed to memory. He travels light, and the Mandalorians have an oral history more than a written one; belongings and archives can be destroyed, but their people live on and carry the knowledge that’s been passed down through centuries. It just makes more sense to him to commit everything to memory.

That being said, he does a significant amount of research before each hunt anyway, though the bulk of it is centered around the target themselves. Having all of your prep work done means the acquisition itself will go smoother.

He’s mathematically sharp: engine repair, manual piloting, vector calculus, electrical work, ballistics, basic engineering, weapons maintenance, financial management, and navigation by maps or by stars take a lot of mental acuity to understand and apply as quickly as he usually has to use them.

He’s not going to back down from others who purposefully encroach on his personal space, but he dislikes being in close proximity to strangers for extended periods of time. So much of his life is spent evading threats and fighting off challengers it’s hard to trust anybody to be that close. It’s not an aversion so much as it is an irritation that makes him tense. When you’re always looking over your shoulder, it’s just reflex to act defensively.

He doesn’t drink alcohol or caf unless he has sufficient time and he’s secure in the Crest without worry of attack; both impede his marksmanship and reflexes, neither of which are things he can afford while he’s working, so it’s usually only when he’s traveling through space that he’ll indulge

He doesn’t sing, but once the kid comes along he’s found that it’s easier to get him to sleep when he hums as he holds him and walks around the cargo hold.

[sae-mian]

[ c h a s e ]

"Damn. No offense, but you kinda look like shit."

It took every fiber of her willpower not to bolt. She knew better, at this point. You don't turn your back on a predator like him. You don't run.

Lest you get yourself mistaken for prey.

"Come any closer and I'll make you look worse. Offense intended."

He scoffed at the hollow challenge. She couldn't do shit right now, and he knew it. Injured and exhausted, she was spent. Her research had led her to an abandoned Imperial outpost in The Peaks. The area supposedly hadn't been of interest to them in months - it should have been easy. Sneak in, scrape through whatever data they'd left behind, sneak out.

Warnings of her youth trickled through her mind as blood trickled to the cracked stone floor.

Don't venture out alone, 'Khemi. You're easy pickings alone.

It was better this way, she figured. Had her unit been with her, when the group of Imperial scouts came around, unexpected and without warning, many of them may have perished. Maybe not even by Garlean hands.

The cloaked figure perched on the crumbling wall before her hopped down, and she flinched, motion tugging painfully at the wound she was trying to keep pressure on. She put on her best snarl, and he smiled in turn, familiar and twisted in equal measure.

Whether it was good fortune that he'd been there when he had, or a terrible omen, she couldn't be sure. Just as she was getting overwhelmed, mana waning, the bullet had caught her exposed abdomen. And just as she'd wondered if this was it, he had appeared. The spectre of the lochs - this ghost that had been stalking her dreams - descended upon the Imperial unit, ending them with a brutal efficiency.

She had taken the opportunity to make a run for it, taking shelter in a dilapidated storehouse when she felt her legs would carry her no further.

But she had been followed.

Of course she had. This wasn't the first time he had pursued her - though, at this rate, she feared it may be the last.

"You know how to fix it, don't you?"

He was approaching her now. Easily, unwavering, like they were friends. Like he wasn't a monster.

"Leave me alone."

There was a warning in her tone and in her eyes. If he noticed either, he didn't care. He unsheathed one of two blades, gripping it loosely - casual and comfortable.

"Scared? It's okay. I can fix it for you--"

"S-stay away from me!"

Impulsively, she swung her staff out in front of her, bloodied hand almost letting the thing slip. Nothing was cast - but the threat was there, plain as day.

His approach finally faltered.

"Ouch, Emi - that kinda hurts."

"Don't-- don't fucking call me that." she spat, vision swimming from pain and bloodloss.

The man tilted his head - but not in the curious, mock-innocent way she was used to.

"Why?"

"You're not my brother."

Her words were slurred, now, a hushed mumble, fading fast. The clack of her cane hitting the floor rattled around in her head, echoing. In the darkness that followed, she could have been alone, were it not for his voice.

Soothing. Comforting. Terrifying.

"No? Who am I?"

...Ali?

When she woke two days later in her bed at the Reach, she would wonder if he ever got his answer.

[jellicle-chants]

Casa Mañana CATS Show Notes

I am seriously so glad I got to see this amazing show in person! I have all of my detailed song-by-song recollections under the cut, but up top I just want to shout out @miasiegert's AMAZING costume and wig work, it was such a pleasure to see the bright colors for myself (and the wigs are just so poofy y'all wouldn't believe). Congrats to the whole cast and crew for making this show come to life, it was really something special.

Before I start, I feel like I need to preface this whole thing by saying that this was my first time seeing Cats live, period, and I also only saw this show once, so if I remember something wrong it's because half the time I was desperately trying to get any actor to make eye contact with me lmao. Also if I don't mention something you're curious about, feel free to drop me an ask or just reply with whatever your question is and I'll try to answer as best as I can! I also still haven't seen all the show footage online, so IDK what's common knowledge or not. I'll put a heading for each section so you can skip around if you want.

Jellicle Songs through Invitation

Sadly, the overture had nothing special going on :(

Jellicle Songs opened with a human worker at the stockyards being watched by the cats as they came onstage one by one, before she "turned off" the lights and left

The singing only started once she left and the lights turned back on after "can you see in the dark," which I thought was a really novel and fun interpretation of the lyrics

Since the cast was limited, Jellylorum sang all of Cassandra's lines, and Jerrie and Teazer picked up the twins' as expected. (They have Jelly listed as "Jellylorum/Cassandra" in the program but it's not a split track or anything, she's just normal Jelly singing Cass' lines)

The "flying trapeze" was replaced by some sort of leather harness(?) on a rope that the actors would stick one foot in and swing on (I have no clue what it actually is but Misto uses it during his song as well. Maybe a stirrup to cat-scale?)

The boot drop was replaced with the railroad crossing light going off, which I was hoping for ever since I saw it before the show

They made the "mystical divinity" section a bit of a national anthem analog, with the actors putting hand over heart and the two big US and Texas flags coming out

Naming went pretty much as expected. I'm not really a fan of when productions overemphasize pointing out who is who and I didn't notice it here, so that was appreciated (although I did think Skimble was Plato for most of the show, so maybe I need it more than I think lol)

Jelly and Gus had a cute moment during "some for the gentlemen, some for the dames" where they did a little bow/curtsy to each other

Victoria's solo was split up among all the girls one by one, starting with her doing an abridged White Cat with a pink cowboy hat

The hat was quickly stolen by Teazer, and they had a little fight over it which Jenny had to break up (loved the bratty vibes of this moment, which was their only big interaction I noticed)

Eventually it got passed along to Demeter, who seemed hesitant to take it, but was urged on by the other girls.

Going into the invitation/Munk's monologue, Raphe played him as serious and dramatic as ever (minus the accent), which was a departure from the other actors who tended to play a bit looser and more relaxed. (Not a slight against anyone of course, it was just interesting to observe.)

Gumbie Cat

Before the song started, Munk got a little distracted with a big spool of rope he was playing with 🥺

The same thing happened with Jenny and one of the hanging string lights on the walkway at the back of the stage during his first verse, which got a big audience laugh

As the trio were getting set up, there was a little (staged) moment where Deme fell over and had to quickly sit back up, which added to the idea that she was supposed to be a new member of the tribe and a little unsure of herself

Jenny's tap costume was SO cute, and she kept the US boots on for the rest of the show, which is a good way to identify her

I was definitely surprised that the cast soft-shoeing in their boots (instead of using tap shoes) was audible from the audience, but it worked like a charm!

Munk and Jenny had a little duet at the end (not quite a tap-off like it used to be, but from what I've seen of the recent Oasis prods Munk doesn't get to tap at all :( so it was nice to have him involved)

The song ended with Jenny going "thanks, y'all!" which I am formally requesting become the button for all non-British versions of the show from now on

The Rum Tum Tugger

The staging and setup of this song was pretty much as normal, but as with all good Tugger stagings, the real gems are from the rest of the cast's reactions

Demeter was very into it and leaned over to tease Misto a couple of times, who was very flustered and kept throwing his hands over his eyes — he delivered the "terrible bore" line like he had something to prove. (I didn't know about the cast headcanon until after the show, but from what I saw, you could read his actions as romantic or "ew Dad, gross" equally easily depending on your preferences.)

Deme almost got a moment with Tugger before Bomba cut in on her

At some point Jenny snuck back onstage to "nap" through the rest of the song

Surprisingly, they didn't go with the overexcited kitten gag — I thought it would've fit great with the setting, but I'm sure they had a good reason to cut it out

Grizabella

Rumpleteazer was the last one of the kittens to approach Grizabella (she was a little more timid, I think she was meant to be one of the youngest) and Griz delivered the first verse of her song directly to her as she was shivering in fear on the ground in front of her. Afterwards, she ran over to hide with her brother — I also saw Jenny huddled over Misto and Victoria

Old Deut made a surprise appearance to lead Griz out with a handkerchief over his hand (which I thought was about the "no touching" thing but he also did it at the end, so I'm a little puzzled about that)

Bomba put her hand on Deme's shoulder for comfort as she was leaving

Bustopher Jones

This song was literally so funny, y'all. They made up for the lack of lyric changes (none of the place names were changed) with a bunch of physical humor and gags that were pitch-perfect to the Texas vibe

Everybody was split up into little groups that each wanted to give Bustopher their food (or at least Jerrie and Teazer, who had the corn dogs, really did)

The first thing he picked up was a Whataburger cup from Munkustrap — for those not in the know, Whataburger has basically the same cultural relevance in Texas as In-n-Out has in California, except you can only get it in-state

I'm so sad I got spoiled about the Real Corn Dogs, because watching him take a bite out of them onstage(!!!) was a thrilling experience

Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer

The song started started with them coming out from behind the cat wanted posters on either side of the stage and sneaking towards the middle (including a moment where Jerrie stuck only his leg out from behind a post which was a great image)

Their solo costumes (raggedy overalls with a bunch of mismatched patches) were so cute

Behind the low wall at about mid-stage were a couple of trampolines which the actors used to do fun tricks and bounce in time to the music. I get the feeling the actors weren't as acrobatic (or the cowboy costumes/boots didn't allow that) so this was a great way to introduce some big energy to the number in a different way

After getting off the trampoline, they did a bit sitting on the edge of the wall where they stacked their legs threaded over each other (I'm bad at describing it but it's like when you and a friend try to stack your fists/hands alternating between each other)

At the end they pulled out a barrel and laid it on its side — both my sister and I thought they were going to walk around on top of it, but instead they made a seesaw with it which was also fun

The barrel ended up having some kind of illusion from which they pulled two big foam cowboy hats (in Texas colors of course). Honestly I'm still not sure how they pulled it off

Surprisingly, there were no loot bags (I think they were supposed to be more like rascals or kids goofing off and trespassing than actual thieves), so they skipped the playoff entirely

I think this was one of my favorite songs of the whole show. I really like this song when the actors are doing something every beat, and I honestly don't mind big props/gimmicks like these as long as they don't take up the whole song. This version threaded that needle really well and it was a great time!

Old Deuteronomy through the Jellicle Ball

Not much to say about Old Deut's song. I did notice a lyric change to "married nine wives" but I think that seems to be par for new shows post-2019?

After the pre-ball Macavity scare, Misto and Vic were huddled together downstage right and Sillabub downstage left to segue into the Song of the Jellicles

Tugger got the line "Jellicle cats are rather small" because there was no Alonzo, but otherwise I didn't make notes on who got which line

The ball had a lot more partner dancing than usual (no lifts unfortunately), which fit the theme really well! I don't know much square dancing lingo but I definitely saw them do a grand left and right at one point, I'm sure there was a lot more but I was too awed to really be picking things apart lol

They did pantomime tipping cowboy hats (which I hate a lot less than the weird crown pantomime Andy came up with, mostly because it's already a thing in Western dancing)

I think at one brief pause there was a small Skimble/Victoria moment? (This may have contributed a lot to the Plato mixup lmao)

There was a whole section where Old D stepped down and everyone was trying to reach for his handkerchief as he waved it around (and yeah, still don't know what was happening with that whole thing, sorry y'all 😅)

At the end of the ball (I think at the "Ecstasy" cue if you're familiar with Gillian's choreo names) the lights swept up over the audience like a field of stars and it was honestly the most magical moment ever

Memory (first time) through Moments of Happiness

For some reason in my program they have "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat" listed as "Entry of Grizabella" and Glamour Cat moved down to where this first Memory iteration goes, which gave me false hope that they were going to do the Jelly reprise. Very mean >:(

Before Griz came out, Old Deut almost presented Victoria with the pink cowboy hat from the white cat solo (which I think means she was about to be the Choice), but then she saw Griz coming and everyone got scared away

I feel like there was an extra 8 or 16 counts of dancing music for Griz before the song started, during which she did part of the partner dance choreo from the ball by herself :(

They used "silence" instead of "midnight" which I'm so mad about (ALW I'm gonna get my revenge one day just you wait old man)

Korie is such a beautiful singer, like he really fits the role to a T. Very old-school brassy bari/bass voice, a lot like Ken Page

Since there were no twins, Sillabub just got up and sang on her own, but it wasn't that jarring

At the end of the song, Rumpleteazer got a little sad and slid over to snuggle up at Old D's feet

Gus the Theatre Cat

Before you ask, yes, I did cry a little at this song (knowing that Michael had played Gus before back during the first Broadway run made me tear up, ok?)

Before the song started, Jelly gathered all of the kittens in front of her (unfortunately with the way the blocking ended up Gus was right between us and her for a lot of the song, but he had a much bigger stage presence than replica Guses so it wasn't a big loss)

As Jelly was beginning the first verse, Gus came onstage with a guitar, which he fake-played throughout his verses

Munk got to be Gus' friend at the pub, and they had real beer bottle props which was literally the cutest thing ever

During Gus' verses Michael sang with a much more lyrical tone than normal (as in he was really singing, not talk-singing), and the country accent really fit well with his song

At the Firefrorefiddle part Munk came back and handed Gus an actual fiddle, and how has NOBODY done this before??? It was literally so perfect y'all (I don't think the instrumentation was even changed but it just felt like the exact right thing)

I remembered to check back in on the kittens during their little moment, Rumpleteazer was aptly offended/embarrassed

One of the best lyric changes was definitely "in the days when Hank Williams reigned," I have a feeling if they could have changed more they would but alas

Between the end of the normal song and the lead-in to P&P, Gus ate up the applause (there was a lot!) and sang the next verse like it was an encore

Pekes and Pollicles

Not sure if this is as expected, but Gus sang "the awesome battle" instead of awful (and there was the "heathen" to "foreign" change that I've discussed elsewhere)

Before getting into full Rumpus Cat gear, Gus was dressed as a football referee (complete with real working whistle that he used a couple of times). He also did a coin flip during one of the early verses to decide which cornhole team would throw first

Yes, the actors were really playing cornhole onstage, and they were quite good at it too! I assume a lot of practice was involved lol

During the first barking sequence, Rumpleteazer was on her hands and knees playing one of the dogs and literally jumping off the ground barking, it was so silly-looking

Jenny played the police dog, complete with beer bottle. I think she was off to one corner fake-drinking for most of the song

I think the whole Little Tom Pollicle section was cut, including the bagpipes section

When the Rumpus Cat came out, the "dogs" flipped up the cornhole boards to hide behind. I also spotted Jenny as the police dog with a white-knuckle grip on her beer lmao

All in all, it was a very fun version of the song and I didn't even mind so much that it was moved out of its original spot in the show because it was SO goofy silly

Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat

This staging was a little less dynamic than the normal, they made the fake train very early on in the song and then just basically stayed there the whole time. Skimble was bouncing around as normal though

The train's "smokestack" spouted real steam at one point, which was really cool

Misto and Jelly were the card-players, complete with real oversized cards. At one point Skimble stopped to look at both of their hands and swapped some of their cards to complete the game, which I think is just *chef's kiss* perfect characterization for him

Instead of the fake train falling apart at "Skimbleshanks would help them to get out," there was a gag where Jelly was almost falling over and Skimble had to rush over and help her catch her balance

Macavity (scare, song, and fight)

Macavity used a literal lasso to kidnap Old D

This was totally just a personal thing, but I was definitely thrown off at first by the hard-T American pronunciation of Macavity

I can't remember if this happened here or somewhere else, but I feel like I should mention that at one point Bomba slid into a split so smoothly that I didn't even process it was happening until she was all the way down in it 😅

The fight was much different than normal — everyone got in on fighting Mac. I remember Bomba got a big moment getting him in the stomach before he got away

Instead of the jumper cables, Mac swiped at the "Cattlemen" sign and took out all of the lights except the ones that said "Cat"

After the fight, Deme and Bomba took a beat to clean each other off with some casual acrobatics

Magical Mister Mistoffelees

One change I thought was really sweet was at the beginning of the song, the rest of the cast were really disbelieving of Tugger and rolling their eyes at his claims, which I think pairs well with the cast headcanon

For our performance, Misto was not wearing the brown jacket he had in the promo videos — he may have had a black vest on or just his normal chorus outfit, but he still had his sheriff star :)

They had a couple of cans for Misto to knock over as part of his sharpshooting bit, but no squibs or anything onstage

During the "curled up" line, Misto went and cuddled with Vic for a second

There was a moment post-conjuring turns where the actor did a one-handed cartwheel with the toy gun still in his hand and I was just the tiniest bit afraid for his life (he pulled it off though!!!)

Instead of having a volunteer, they just had two people hold an old blanket that they used to cover Old D from one of the wings back to center stage

Misto looked away like he does sometimes after the Old D trick, but sadly they didn't get to hug after :(

During the final chorus Rumpleteazer got back on the trampoline and was bouncing along to the music

Rather than slowly making the spotlight disappear like in some productions, Misto shot it out before making his exit which was a cute touch

Memory (Reprise)

After Munk's monologue, Old D was ready to make Gus the choice, which this time was represented by a spotlight casting a circle on the ground. I was ready to be disappointed about the whole "wrong cat died" situation, but I was pleasantly surprised when Gus stepped back and invited Griz into the spotlight to make her case, it felt like a really good resolution to the issue some people have with that point

Right after Gus gave up the spotlight, he and Jenny had a little mimed conversation where she seemed a little upset/confused at what he did

Jackie did great as Grizabella — you could definitely tell she had played Elphaba in the past too lol

Interestingly, there were a couple of moments where it almost seemed like Skimble would be the first cat to touch Griz after her song, but he ended up backing off so that Vic could give her the pink cowboy hat :)

Journey through Ad-dressing

My sister and I were speculating before the show started where Griz was going to leave the stage (there wasn't a lot of infrastructure up above the stage itself so we were curious), and it ended up being the piece of scaffolding with "Mule Alley" written on it! Totally unexpected

I wish I had caught more of the cast interactions during this song, but I did definitely notice Bomba and Gus arm in arm

Old D was much more lively and light-hearted during The Addressing of Cats than normal (again, really reminding me of Ken Page's Deuteronomy, but even more jovial. I think there's footage of this so if you haven't gone to check it out definitely do!)

Not quite a lyric change, but the address in question was changed to something pronounced more like "aw, cat"

And that's about it for the show! Like I said at the top, feel free to send me asks if there's any part of the show you'd like to know more about! I tried not to assign romantic/platonic designations to any of the pairs throughout the show because it went by much too fast to tell one from the other (which is basically my way of saying go wild with it, y'all — the cast certainly sure have!).

[northern-passage]

The Northern Passage Pantheon & Miscellaneous Lore

I wanted to make a post that compiled all the gods together, with their descriptions and role in the pantheon, as well as some visuals just for fun :-)

The three wolves-- the Wolfmother, the Sun, and the Moon, form the top pyramid of the pantheon. While the Wolfmother is the head, the twins are equals as the foundation.

The Wolfmother

The Wolfmother was the "surrogate" mother for mankind (the imagery of The Capitoline Wolf inspired me a lot with her). When mankind first stumbled out of the sea, the Wolfmother took them in alongside her three children, and gifted them their own realm, ensuring humanity's survival. She is both the god of mercy and cruelty, and is linked to life, motherhood, and the home. She is also seen as the one who brings the change of the seasons-- initiating the "turn of the wheel" and guiding the twins on their journey through the sky each day and night.

The Wolfmother is always depicted as a golden wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: a wolf, tree of life, the Mercy Sword

The Sun

The Sun is one of the Wolfmother's twin children. There are variations on both her's and her sister's myth, where the sun is sometimes depicted as her eye, and other times where she is depicted as chasing the sun up and down the sky in tandem with her sister and the moon. She is the god of the harvest and flame, as well as war and peace. The Sun is also linked with curiosity and naivety, and is considered the "younger" twin.

The Sun is always depicted as a black-brown wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: the sun/sun discs, fire, sprouting seeds, sickle and scythe

The Moon

The Moon is one of the Wolfmother's twin children. There are variations on both her's and her sister's myth, where the moon is sometimes depicted as her eye, and other times where she is depicted as chasing the moon up and down the sky in tandem with her sister and the sun. She is the god of transformation and the hunt, as well as vengeance and forgiveness. The Moon is also invoked when a traveler is in need of guidance and safe passage; her moon and stars are said to guide many of the lost back onto their paths. She often clashes with the Stormbringer over the tides.

The Moon is always depicted as a black-blue wolf with grey eyes.

Imagery: the moon/phases of the moon, stars, ocean waves, compasses, white flowers, bow and arrow

The Firstborn

The Firstborn is not included in the pantheon, and when they are depicted with the other wolves, they are always placed beneath them. They are a shunned god, cast out and locked beneath the sea after they became jealous of mankind.

In the creation myth, it is believed that the Wolfmother formed the earth, and the Firstborn dug out the sea. When the twins were born, the Sun warmed the water while the Moon churned the tides, and the world became lush and green. From the foam of breaking waves humans were born, crawling out of the sea and shedding their water-skins in awe of the world the wolves had created.

It is said that over time, the Firstborn became bitter, flooding the world and fighting with their siblings, until the Wolfmother was forced to cast them out.

(There are variations of the creation myth where humans are more directly linked to seals-- inspired by the selkie-- but it is not a widely accepted belief and often frowned upon due to the Stormbringer's potential connection with the Firstborn. It is more popular in Gael than in Adrania or Yulan.)

The Firstborn is always depicted as a white wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: the Firstborn does not have a lot of iconography; most often, they are invoked with images of chains

Fun sidenote: I designed the wolves with coastal/sea wolves in mind. They tend to have a variety of warmer brown coats with a lot of unique variations. The image I used for the Wolfmother is actually a coastal wolf, taken by Paul Nicklen. They live semi-aquatic lifestyles and have diets largely consisting of seafood.

The Stormbringer

The Stormbringer rose from the sea after the fall of the Firstborn. She is one of the more "ambiguous" gods-- she will just as easily curse a man as bless him. While she is often linked to the tides, she is a god of the wind and sky, unpredictable and dangerous out on the sea. Many sailors pray to the Stormbringer for safe passage, and offer sacrifices such as food and gold and specially crafted ritual weapons before embarking on their travels.

She is often depicted as a rival to the Moon, fighting over the tides and the hunt. She is a violent god, and many question if she is connected to the Firstborn in some way, due to the timing of her arrival and her appearance-- she is considered the "wolf" of the sea.

Many worship the Stormbringer out of a mixture of fear and reverence. Her places of worship crowd ports and fishing towns-- anyone who has to face the wrath of the sea.

The Stormbringer is depicted as a naked woman with the head of a leopard seal. In Yulan, she is depicted with a wolf-eared serpent's head, instead. The Kópakonan statue of the Faroe Islands inspired me with her.

Imagery: crossed axes, lightning bolts, ocean waves, sea serpent

The Messenger

The Messenger is the god of omens and death. Another ambiguous god, it is seen as more benevolent in northern Adrania and Gael, but more malicious down south. It is the duty of the Messenger to speak to humanity, to deliver their omens as well as bring them their deaths. The Messenger is also a shapeshifter, and often shifts between the favored shapes of crow, wolf, and antlered deer. In the south, a person who glimpses an omen is considered cursed; while in the north, it is considered a blessing to be warned by the gods. The Messenger has been a part of the world for as long as the Wolfmother-- it is her companion and confidant among the pantheon.

The Messenger has a sort of cult following-- those who worship death. It is considered a fringe religion and is not recognized within Adrania, though there are well-established cloisters if you know where to look.

The "true" form of the Messenger is an anthropomorphic crow with many arms and many eyes. Unlike the others, this god is almost always referred to as it.

Imagery: crows, ravens, antlers, black wings, feathers, green flame

The Traveler

The Traveler is a trickster god, the god of mischief and wayward souls-- and the only one who was supposedly once mortal (this is debated). Clementine will tell the hunter his story in game: a lone traveler, mauled by wolves and left to die, saved only by the small bell in his pocket. Now, the Traveler watches over those who would walk alone and moves freely between realms; when the Messenger brings death, the Traveler comes close behind to ensure the souls of the dead find their way home (but only after tricking them three times).

Similar to the Messenger, the Traveler has his own followers, and is especially worshipped by more nomadic groups who live on the road and in the flatlands.

The Traveler is depicted as a man with the head of a coyote, wearing a long, dusty, hooded brown cloak. The Messenger's story was heavily inspired by the biker superstition of guardian/spirit bells.

Imagery: bells, coyotes and dogs, walking stick, flute (different variations carry different instruments)

Sidenote: Due to magic being derived from nature, the people in the TNP world also participate in a lot of nature worship; it's not a coincidence that their gods are all animals.

The Vel

The Vel separates mankind's realm from all the other realms beyond, erected by the Wolfmother to keep humanity safe. The gods can pass freely through the Vel, but humans cannot. Only hunters who have gone through the Ladder can safely access the magic of the Vel, though there are many people who still try, and as a result are corrupted by its power. The Vel was created through blood magic, a dark magic that is now forbidden from practice and punishable by death.

When the Vel is damaged (it tends to thin around areas that have seen a lot of violence and death) it can result in creatures from the other realms slipping through, or the Vel's magic manifesting into something malevolent. Wraiths, as an example, are people that have died in violent ways, both spirit and Vel becoming wounded and festering together.

Spirits

The spirit realm is supposedly one of the realms beyond the Vel, and where it's said the Traveler guides the dead once their business here has been concluded. Spirits are common throughout the world, from nature spirits to more traditional "hauntings"; spirits are fully capable of being malicious even without being corrupted by the Vel, though they are easier to deal with this way. People across all three continents have different burial traditions, but it is widely believed that a proper burial will allow a spirit to rest.

In Gael, the dead are buried, but in Adrania, they are burned on a pyre. In Yulan, they are buried in large family crypts, and ancestors are worshipped at altars along with the gods.