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For my art trade with @blackghostm2o who chose the pose reference. It was so much fun, I love expressive instrument poses and hands, and ofc the boys doing shenanigans!

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You're welcome! It looks so good, I love it!! Thank you so much!

My part of an art trade with @or-what-you-will

They gave me a really cool ref and requested the unmasking, I absolutely love that scene from the novel so I had a blast doing this. Ty, bud!

He’s Don Juan, yk?

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Just thinking about how Jon Robyns has very expressive head and neck movements in addition to hands. 🥴😅

(@or-what-you-will's master)

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I was tagged by @wheel-of-fish and @daaesviolin to share four recent non selfie pics. Thanks for the tag!

These are all photos from a recent trip I took to Toronto

View of Toronto from hotel window

Bowtie I found at a thrift shop

Room service robot waiting for the elevator (I'd never seen this before, its name was Marley)

Lake Ontario from the train

Tagging @rose-margaritas, @ladystormcrow, @differenceenginegirl, @exhausted-undead

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The First Sorrow - whatyouwill - Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms [Archive of Our Own]

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What is a "daroga"?

In the late 19th century, Persian orthography was not yet standardized, and there was no standard romanization from the Persian alphabet to languages that use roman characters like French or English. When Leroux wrote Phantom, he would have had to make up his own romanization of the word داروغه based on the sounds in the word or use one from an existing dictionary.

This means that when you google the term “daroga” today, it’s often difficult to find more information about it, and often what does come up is about India or Mongolia. The word did come from Mongolian, but it was also very much used in the Persian empire. Today, there are different ways of spelling the word that better reflect the pronunciation in Persian. On top of this, romanizations often differ depending on which language you are using the word in, as different languages pronounce vowels differently.

An example from a Persian-French dictionary from the late 1800s romanizing and translating “daroga” into French. In English, the romanizations “darugha” and “darougheh” are a bit more common today when referencing "daroga" in the context of Persia or Iran. These romanizations help keep the vowel sound for و as “oo” rather than “oh” which is closer to its proper pronunciation.

IPA: [d̪ɒːɾuːˈɣe]

They functioned as more than just the chief of police. Depending on the city and time period, their roles varied. They were in charge of managing the bazaar (central market), catching thieves and punishing them, making sure that the vendors didn’t sell illegal goods, in some cases also levying taxes, and serving as a sort of mayoral figure. They also managed guards who would keep watch over palaces and the bazaar at night.

By the time the Qajar era came around (1789-1925), the role of “daroga” was greatly diminished. They had reputations for being corrupt and collecting money for their own benefits, and a lot of their duties were distributed among other officials. At the end of the 19th century, they were pretty much obsolete, as the shah sought to modernize, and eventually created a more westernized police force to replace the old system.

You can find more information in the following places:

Fiveable - a short list of basic facts

Encyclopaedia Iranica - in depth exploration of the organization of Persian cities throughout history (this site is a high quality resource for finding information on the history of Persia in English)

Sheriff`s position in Qajar era (1796-1896) - academic article discussing the role of the "daroga" in the Qajar era specifically (article in Persian only)

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Chumisa Dormford-May as Christine in Phantom of the Opera on the West End

Got a request or idea for a future spotlight? Send it to my ask box! Click for better quality :)

Other Understudy Spotlights here!

🎥 : @or-what-you-will

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NFT expires today!

West End Phantom Audio + Video

New video boot means new audio gift!

This video is from May '24 and is available to trade for here.

Cast: James Gant, Chumisa Dornford-May, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Kelly Glyptis, Matt Harrop, Adam Linstead, Francesca Ellis, David Kristopher-Brown, Maiya Hikasa

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Minuet and Trio - whatyouwill - Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms [Archive of Our Own]

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POTO Bilingual Version

I made this pdf document using the two texts of Phantom from Project Gutenberg so I could keep track of what de Mattos left out of the original novel (none of this is my own translation). I thought I'd share it since I know others were also interested in seeing just how much was cut/changed, and it's nice to be able to search with ctrl + f.

I've laid them out side by side, lining up sections by paragraph:

Chapter titles are hyperlinked with the table of contents and footnotes are hyperlinked with their place in the text.

Please feel free to share freely as both texts are in the public domain.

I hope you enjoy!

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Thought y'all would enjoy this!

I'm an archivist and found this 80s Her Majesty's program in our collections at work. Feat. Dave Willetts, Michael Ball, and not one, not two, but FOUR Christines - Claire Moore, Jan Hartley-Morris, Rebecca Caine, and Maria Kesselman (they couldn't fit her whole name under her headshot, so she is just "Maria").

I love the graphic design - clearly before the aesthetic they eventually landed on.

I wasn't able to scan the entire program, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless :)

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POTO Bilingual Version

I made this pdf document using the two texts of Phantom from Project Gutenberg so I could keep track of what de Mattos left out of the original novel (none of this is my own translation). I thought I'd share it since I know others were also interested in seeing just how much was cut/changed, and it's nice to be able to search with ctrl + f.

I've laid them out side by side, lining up sections by paragraph:

Chapter titles are hyperlinked with the table of contents and footnotes are hyperlinked with their place in the text.

Please feel free to share freely as both texts are in the public domain.

I hope you enjoy!

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Beware the Ankou - whatyouwill - Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms [Archive of Our Own]

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Nine people I wish I knew better

Thank you for tagging me @glassprism and @ladystormcrow!

Favorite color: light green or dark purple

Currently reading: just finished Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell!

Last song: Untitled #3 - Sigur Rós

Last film: Herbie Rides Again

Last series: Taskmaster (series 19 is finally here!)

Sweet/salty/savory: savory

Tea or coffee: tea

Working on: my thesis...the last six whumptober fics from 2023...drafting a conference talk that I've been procrastinating...

Tagging @jerseyfiredragon, @exhausted-undead, @blackghostm2o, @jennyfair7, @bungee-gum-b1tch, @emynii, @rose-margaritas, @greenstripedcat, @sloanedestler

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Trading Terms Update

I now accept proof of charitable donations in exchange for whatyouwill masters.

Donation Terms

NFT video: $10 USD minimum donation

Video: $5 USD minimum donation

NFT audio: $2 USD minimum donation

Audio: $1 USD minimum donation

Accepted Organizations

LA Mama Archive - archive of La MaMa Experimental Theater Club

The Internet Archive - digital library of the internet, including the Wayback Machine

Acting for Others - provides emotional and financial support to actors in need

You must provide proof of donation and amount donated from one of these organizations to receive a recording.

You can put in requests through this form.

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THIS

For anyone who wants to know more about the impact of bootlegs and fandom archives on content preservation, I highly recommend reading Rogue Archives by Abigail De Kosnik and Bootlegging the Musical (from Fixing the Musical) by Douglas L. Reside. Also @slimetutorialanalysis has done some really cool research on this topic as well.

A Sentimental Soapbox Essay on Fandoms and Archives and Why Your Hyperfixation Matters

Offline, I'm a grad student/historian in training who studies a community that is systemically under-archived. A significant part of my day job involves helping that community craft the archive from what's "left" while coming to terms with what they've already lost. In the meantime, I'm also navigating how to write the dissertation I want to write without the sources I want/need.

Aside from providing the fodder for my gothic romance hyperfixation, fandoms are a breath of fresh air because they remind me that it only takes a few passionate people to build an archive and, eventually, a preservation ecosystem. It all starts with someone who records things, collects stuff, and accumulates niche knowledge--and then shares it with others--just for the joy of it.

Two episodes of a (now obscure) Jane Eyre BBC adaptation have been missing for years, and today an anonymous superfan/de facto JE adaptation archivist who never gave up announced that they've been found after all this time. Masters take the time to make elitist or ephemeral artforms like musicals more accessible for present and future generations' enjoyment and now several Phantoms who performed the role before I was even born are among my favorites. Stuff like this warms my heart as a fan, historian, and a human.

Don't take for granted that some institution is studying and stewarding that "thing" you care about. Universities, museums, and the internet are flawed systems and, yes, instruments of power and capitalism. They also just can't (and shouldn't) do it all. Preservation runs on informal archivists and spaceholders like @glassprism and @wheel-of-fish and @behindthemirrorofmusic and trading economies (in the case of POTO) and so many other people/spaces. It thrives on us investing in the things that bring us joy. And that investment doesn't have to be financial; it often just looks like collaborating with others for free and finding time to channel our intellects and energies toward what we love.

The things that matter to you...matter lol. Don't let *gestures wildly* all the stuff going in the world convince you otherwise. Now or somewhere down the road someone's going to be glad you cared this much.

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I was tagged by @rose-margaritas to do this picrew!

Tagging @differenceenginegirl, @chickiefoo, @potatosalamisandwich, @jerseyfiredragon, @emynii