#Character: Miss Hannigan

[one-time-i-dreamt]

Disney made a 2D animated adaptation of Annie the Musical. However, in this adaptation, Annie was a stray dog (I think she was an Irish Setter?). There were some slight alterations, like Miss Hannigan running a animal shelter and Sandy the dog becoming a major character as Annie’s best friend/adoptive brother, but the story was mostly similar to the original musical.

[10thmusemoon]

People arguing about the morality of Shen Jiu’s actions will never not be funny because Airplane literally scrapped all his dimensionality and made him be cartoonishly sinister in order to advance Luo Binghe’s narrative. MXTX gives us the QiJiu extras to show that he wasn’t as one dimensional as readers (SY and us) were made to believe when out of the control of the author. Shen Yuan’s own experience trapped in the character lock shows how limiting that was.

Shen Qingqiu is written to be Luo Binghe’s Count Olaf, his Miss Hannigan, his Miss Trunchbull, his Tywin Lannister.

It’s very Jessica Rabbit, “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way”

Not only that, but he’s also the first of MXTX’s characters to fall to misinterpretation.

All of MDZS centers on the unreliability of misrepresentation, about how easily swayed people can be and how easily poisonous words ruins lives and shapes what is perceived as truth.

She pulls the same trick with SJ as she does with JC, letting the readers build them up as villains through out the story (sprinkling in moments where that doesn’t quiet fit) and then revealing something at the end that should question that assumption. That’s literally Mu Qing’s whole thing. Everyone, even Xie Lian (our unreliable narrator), perceives him as scornful and vindictive, selfish and harsh. His actions are constantly misunderstood over and over again simply because he does not come in palpable packaging. In a way, original flavored SQQ is the meta prototype for these characters, and Shen Yuan is the deconstruction of that archetype.

SVSSS is meta of a narrative genre with common and cliche tropes, we’re beat over the head constantly about this, and somehow people still forget the SQQ only exists within the narrative (PIDW) inside the narrative (SVSSS). He’s the looney toon playing in the back of a drama, used for foreshadowing and a narrative foil. The villain coded in black so you know who to point a finger at and who to root for.

I just think that’s neat.

[broadwaydivastournament]

Movie Musical Divas Tournament: Round 1

Something familiar, Something peculiar, Something for everyone: A comedy tonight!

Carol Burnett (1933- ): Miss Hannigan in Annie (1982) | Winifred in Once Upon a Mattress (1964)

"OK SO CAROL BURNETT. Genuinely my first crush on a woman was probably her as Miss Hannigan in Annie bc I remember being really fixated on her, which, with foresight is INSANE but also? Incredibly prescient. Discovered her later work w/Sondheim in the past couple years, as well as her solo vocal albums and The Carol Burnett Show, and she’s SO funny and SUCH a great actor and vocalist and she’s so hot and I love her so much" - @idontpostanythingignoreme

Lucille Ball (1911-1989): Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) - Bubbles | Too Many Girls (1940) - Connie Casey | Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) - May Daly/Madame Du Barry, Ziegfeld Follies (1945) - dancer | Easy to Wed (1946) - Gladys Benton | Mame (1974) - Mame Dennis

"Long before becoming America's number one TV lady, Lucille Ball was a hard-working hoofer making her way up the ranks from uncredited chorus girls roles and bit parts in Fred and Ginger musicals to leading lady. One of my favorite movie musical performances of hers is in the underrated Dance, Girl, Dance directed by Dorothy Arzner, basically the only woman working as director in the studio system at the time. Lucille co-stars opposite Maureen O'Hara in a show-stealing role as the tough witty showgirl Bubbles, bringing comedy chops, sex appeal, and pathos to what could easily have been a one-note character. Also I'm pretty sure if you look up "camp" in the dictionary the definition is just a picture of her in Ziegfeld Follies as a feather-bedecked showgirl cracking a whip at a pack of sequined catgirls." - anonymous

This is Round 1 of the Movie Musical Divas tournament. Additional polls in this round may be found by searching #mmround1, or by clicking the link below. Add your propaganda and support by reblogging this post.

ADDITIONAL PROPAGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT: ALL POLLS HERE

Carol Burnett:

Photos and video submitted by: @mygreatadventurehasbegun | Photos submitted by: anonymous

Lucille Ball:

Photos and video submitted by: anonymous

[lilac-ravenclaw]

Hello and welcome! Let me introduce my Hogwarts Legacy MC, Raven Fawlty. I love her so much and want to share her adventures with everyone.🪻

• Is it ok to draw Raven?

Yes, please! Just please tag me with your drawing. In return I’ll draw your Hogwarts MC! 👩🏻‍🎨✨

Instagram | DeviantArt | ArtStation

✨ artof.ravnbee on Ko-Fi ✨ Thank you!

If anyone is interested, I created a playlist on Spotify. Music that reminds me of my MC and her personality, things she's going through, or her relationship with Sebastian. I'll continue to add songs as time goes on. Hope you enjoy!

🎧 Spotify Link 🎧

General Info

Name: Raven Fawlty - { reason for her name for me } “Ravens” often represents ancient wisdom, transformation and intelligence. The name “Raven” means “dark haired or wise”. “Fawlty”… honestly this was a gimmick at first. As I love the show, Fawlty Towers with John Cleese. Ran in the mid-late 70s with only 12 episodes, and was hilarious imo. it was the first name I could think of when creating my character.

Birthday: January 29, 1874 { The Raven was published in Jan 29, 1845 }

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Sex/Gender: Female { she/her }

Ethnicity: Latina and English

House: Ravenclaw

Wand:

Stalk: Dark Brown

Wood type: Willow

Core type: Unicorn Hair

Flexibility: Reasonably Supply

Wand Length: 12”

Handle: Checkerboard - Blue

Patronus: Black Bear

The Black Bear is known for their adaptability and resourcefulness. Others will see her as a fierce opponent who will protect herself and those close to her. Only those close to her will know of that softer side she usually keeps hidden away.

Physical Appearance

Eye color: Light Violet

Skin color: Tan/light brown, with olive undertones.

Hair: Long length and black, usually worn in a braid.

Height: 5’1” (155cm)

Weight: 110lbs (49kg)

Body type: Hourglass and petite

Birthmarks: small mole on the face, left cheek

Fashion style: Loves wearing a comfortable trouser, but will still wear a button up blouse and a skirt. Doesn’t care for the traditional school robe, but favors a nice blazer/jacket when needed.

Accessories: Pierced ears for small earrings, (wears a pair of snake gold snake earrings Sebastian gave to her as a birthday gift).

History

Place of birth: Somewhere in the UK

Childhood: Grew up in orphanage in London. Doesn’t know who her parents are, or her real name. She has a love for literature and took the name “Raven” after Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, The Raven. The orphanage she resided in was very strict and had a harsh living environment. The caretaker was mean to the children, much like a Miss Hannigan from the show Annie. So much so, that is how Raven acquired her last name “Fawlty”. A homonym for “faulty”, meaning of faults, inadequate, or wrong. (Which is also why the show, Fawlty Towers, got its name too.) Unknowingly to be a future Ravenclaw, took the insult of a name as a challenge to succeed and learn all she could and be the best version of herself.

Family history: Her father originally from South America and went to Castelobruxo, a wizarding school in Brazil. Being from the heart of the Amazon rain forest, he had a profound love for magical creatures. Which is where Raven gets her love for magical creatures as well. He had traveled all over the world and eventually made his way to Europe where he met Raven’s mother, was also traveling abroad as well. She had also attending Hogwarts in her youth, being a former Ravenclaw too. She loved astronomy, and music literature (her mother, Raven's grandmother, was a music instructor). It is unknown what happened to her parents in their untimely death, and how Raven ended up at the orphanage. **Keep in mind, Raven herself doesn’t know this. I just wanted to write this down to know where she gets her personality and interests come from ☺️**

Notable events/milestones: Raven always knew somehow.. she was different. Though, according to the wizarding world’s standards, it took a little longer for her powers to emerge. Even small things would happen here and there, without her realizing what had happen and that she was the cause of such strange occurrences. Until one day when the orphan keeper (the person who runs the orphanage) was “disciplining” one of the children and Raven stepped in to protect them and that enough was enough. She had forced a large shelf to fall over onto the orphan keeper… it was as if what she was thinking became a reality. Afraid of what would happen, Raven ran away, seeking shelter where she could. As Professor Fig was assigned the task of giving Raven her letter and bringing her to Hogwarts, it still took no time at all for Professor Fig to find Raven even though she was missing from the orphanage. She was hesitant at first but overall wasn’t scared at all, and actually was relieved to know there were others like her. A whole world like her just waiting to be apart of and that was the happiest day in her life.

Other notes: She had studied with Professor Fig for the duration of the summer before starting at Hogwarts. Having only gained her powers after the school year had finished. He had become the first father figure to Raven.

Psychological Traits

Personality type: INFP (Mediator) is a personality type with the introverted, intuitive, feeling and prospecting traits. These rare personality types tend to be quiet, open-minded, and imaginative, and they apply a caring and creative approach to everything they do.

Personality traits: intelligent, witty, adventurous, warm, courageous, emotionally intuitive, and quick-thinker.

Introvert/Extrovert: Sometimes both. Loves to be around her close friends, but doesn’t mind spending time alone reading a good book or flying on her broom.

Hobbies: Star-gazing, tending to the magical beasts in the Vivarium, reading, and singing. Doesn’t audition for the school choir til her 6th year. She doesn’t tell anyone except Poppy if she should try out, as Raven was 100% nervous about it and never sang in front of people.

Loves: Flying on her broom and singing in the choir.

Morals/Virtues: Values being compassionate and always being there for her friends/loved ones at a moment’s notice. Tries to do right by them and stand by their side when times are tough. She knows what it feels like to be alone in certain situations and doesn’t want her friends to go through the same thing.

Phobias/Fears: Being trapped in a “cage” and being forgotten.

Relationships

Love Interest: Sebastian Sallow… From the very beginning she felt like there was some sort of connection, but was a bit too oblivious to see it at first. He’s very charming and almost flirtatious with other girls, so figured she wasn’t any different. Sometimes she will catch him sneaking a glance in her direction during class, while studying in the Library or at mealtimes in the Great Hall. It was so easy to stand by him and help him find a cure for his sister without even a second thought. It may have been foolish, but Raven knows what it’s like to have no support when at your lowest. To feel like all hope is lost. She can understand losing your parents at a young age.

Parents: Deceased, Names Unknown

Grandparents: Unknown, Names Unknown

Best friends: Poppy Sweeting and Natsai Onai

Friends: Ominis Gaunt, Garreth Weasley, Amit Thakker, and Imelda Reyes

Rivals: Leander Prewett, not in a bad way. It's mostly a friendly competition when playing Summoner's Court.

Enemies: Peeves the Poltergeist, damn him for catching them in the Library!

Clubs: Crossed Wands, Summoner’s Court, and Hogwart's Glee Club ( was super hesitant in trying out for the school's choir, but her best friends Poppy and Natsai gave her the confidence she needed to try out).

If you’ve made it this far then thank you so much for reading. Hope you enjoyed learning about my MC✨💙

[terrible-musical-theatre-ideas]

Annie, but the only character who's actually played by a little girl is Miss Hannigan.

[mistresskayla-blog1]

A Calculated Risk

Characters: John Porter x Raymond Merville x OC Dina Sayed

Lyn's Writing Event 2024 - Week 3 - Day 17

May 17th: Week 3: Egyptian

Characters: John Porter x (crossover) Raymond de Merville (Modern AU) x OC Dina Sayed

Fandom: Richard Armitage – John Porter/ Raymond de Merville – Strike Back (Project Dawn- Porter Lives AU)/Pilgrimage

the character of John Porter was created by Chris Ryan, adapted for television by Simon Burke and Frank Spotnitz

the character of Raymond de Merville was created by Jamie Hannigan for the film Pilgrimage

Word Count: 2k ++

Warnings: military protocols, violence, graphic language, potential character death, fluff, angst, implied sexual relationships, money laundering, arms dealing, love triangle, rescue, espionage.

(This will be a full story – this is all I could get done in the time allotted, but it will continue this month. Also I keep using the name “John” and “Porter” interchangeably. I may go back and alter that later on. Sorry if it causes confusion)

~~~~

            Porter got his assignment that morning as he stepped onto the plane in Istanbul, Turkey. The two-hour flight gave him enough time to go over the dossier of Raymond Merville, a known arms dealer who had asked for assistance in retrieval in Egypt from a compound in Siwa Oasis. His commander, ________ (female commander) was very insistent, “Make sure you get him back in one piece, he’s a delicate piece of intel, but he is also a complete asshole.” John snickered over the coms as she said that.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Is there some package or whatever, or just him I am securing?”

Commander Eleanor Grant spoke carefully, “we need him, in person for the briefing, just get him here.”

“Understood,” John Porter responded, the call ended. Porter set his phone down on the table in front of him on the plane. And picked up the dossier again, opening it ceremoniously, and flipping through files, seeing a picture of Raymond in the file.

There wasn’t a lot to like about Raymond Merville, other than his penchant for drinking and gambling, along with arms dealing. He liked local flavors, and was well known to be a womanizer, John could respect that, as he was a bit of cad sometimes, but. The more he read the more it was reported that women he got involved with ended up missing. Including a journalist, an attaché, and two former undercover SAS agents. John gritted his teeth and furrowed his brow, looking out through the open window of the plane, a member of his team is not something he can contend with, even if it wasn’t on his watch, but two? Like it or not, Raymond was deadly to most women, and to intelligent and capable women to boot.

Porter made it his mission to keep him away from as many women as possible during the retrieval. The only reason he was going in, was that he looked similar enough to Raymond that his CO thought they could do a bait and switch with the Arab compound. A message came through the com – and he looked at it, it read, “New intel indicates he has an Egyptian national with him, Dina Sayed, CEO of a Financial Institution in Alexandria.” A picture of Dina Sayed popped up on his phone screen and Porter’s heart fluttered than sunk into his belly.

Porter spoke into his phone, “He’s escalating” he said sighing heavily.

Commander Grant, “I agree. Please keep an eye out for her, we both know her fate if you don’t.” Porter nodded, “Yes, I understand.”  

“Be careful out in Siwa, its pretty far from support, so make sure you have proper transportation in and out, we’ll rendezvous with you at the coordinates I sent,” Commander Grant explained.

“And Porter?” Commander said in question, “Yes?” Porter responded, “Its good to have you back.”

Porter smiled, as he looked out the window again, descending into Alexandria, “Good to be back.”  The plane landed in normal pace and as it hit the tarmac, Porter lurched in his seat, remembering the landings he has had in the past that were actually less smooth. He shook his head, clearing old memories and demons from his mind.

---

Raymond woke up with Dina’s arm draped across his chest, she stirred as he peeled her arm off his chest and snuck to the lavatory for a piss. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and felt the heat already creeping across the open door in his room on the compound. He pulled the glass doors closed, and the light-colored linen drapes stilled. Dina moaned against the duvet, “What time is it?” Raymond looked over at her, nearly naked in his bed and smiled like a cat with a canary. He approached the bed and sat down, clad in only shorts, “Time for you to get to work, love,” he said, his French-English accent whispering to her. Dina rolled away from him and sat up, retrieving her top off the floor and slipping it on, “Yeah, I know. I was hoping for some breakfast first.” She coyly smirked back at him over her shoulder as she stood.

Raymond came up behind her, across the bed and kissed her shoulder, “We can, soon. Let’s just get this thing done for Amed and then we can go wherever you want to go in the Oasis.”

Dina looked at him, “Amed said we couldn’t leave, how do you suppose we are going anywhere?”

Raymond sighed against her skin, kissing it, and causing tingles down her spine, he was so attractive, Dina thought. He was definitely wrong for her, she knew that when he approached her in that club 3 weeks ago. But he knew people, and Dina wanted to grow her business, even if it meant dealing with people that could, harm her.

Raymond kissed her neck again coming around the front of her and put his hand on the back of her neck, looking hard in her eyes, “We will get out of here, I promise you. I arranged a retrieval with my government,”

Dina stepped away from him, “What? In Amed’s house? Are you nuts?” Dina walked briskly into the lavatory. Raymond on her feet, “Dina! (he lowered his tone) Dina. Please. I can’t get out of this any other way this time. Amed does not let anyone leave this place without a fucking delivery or a toe tag. (he talked wildly with his hands) I need your money to get him his delivery.”  

Dina looked at him through the reflection in the mirror, “How do you want me to do this then? Because I’m not dying for you.” Raymond put his arms around her and looked at her in the mirror set into his chest, “I’m not letting you go, until I say.” His eyes darkened a little as he kissed her shoulder again and left the room. Dina shuddered, and splashed some water on her face, it was tepid, in the desert, water isn’t cold, even in the Oasis. She dried her face with a hand towel and straightened herself up a bit. Heading back to the bedroom where Raymond was casually leaning against the floor to ceiling doorway he had closed earlier.

Raymond turned to her, and smiled slightly, Dina approached him, tipping up to kiss him on the mouth, “I will make the arrangements for you, it should take a few hours, can you tell him that?” Dina came back down on her heels and he held her, looking into her eyes, “Yes, I can, thank you,” he nudged her cheek with his nose, and then dropped his hands sighing as he stared out at the Oasis. Dina finished getting dressed and pulled her laptop out of her large purse by the bed.

She pulled a key fob out of the purse as well, it had a read out that changed every 60 seconds for security, and never repeated a combination. Raymond watched her every move silently. Dina pressed her fingerprint to a key pad on the laptop keyboard and the computer loaded into a login program. She typed in her password and pressed Enter. It opened to an accounts setting. Dina scrolled through and found the corresponding wire information. She turned to Raymond then, “What’s his acct number?”  Raymond stepped towards her, and pulled out his phone, scanning they a folder and then showing her, but still not talking. “Thank you” she said, looking at it, and typing it into the form. She got the corresponding information and prepared the wire, “Amount?” She looked at him again, realizing he was standing just behind her, Dina felt a bit nervous with him right on top of her like that.

“45 millions euros.” He said casually. Dina smirked a little, that’s a good chunk for her she thought, he fee is 3% of transfer. Dina did the calculations, and sent through the wire, removing her fee ahead of the schedule. She looked at her device as the program prompted and typed in the 6 digit code before it switched again. The confirmation came up, and she looked at the “pending” status, and logged out swiftly. “There you go, all set.” Dina beamed up at Raymond, as she closed her laptop and tucked the device under her shirt.

Raymond beamed back at her, “Great. I will go tell Amed he can expect it soon,”

Dina walked to the window, “Less my fee of course”, a sly smirk rising. Raymond’s voice faltered, “You took it right away?” Dina looked at him, “Yes, why?” Raymond cleared his throat, “That’s very bold of you, what do I do about the discrepancy?” Dina looked down a moment, “You tell it’s a fee charge, what else, look I’m not doing this for a laugh. I need my own money to shift the company.” Raymond nodded, “I know, I want to help you, but this is a tricky deal, we have to be smart, how much did you take?” Dina turned, “1.3 million.” Raymond looked thoughtful, “I see, and where is that now? In your bra?” Dina looked more serious at him, “Don’t be ridiculous its in my other account.” 

Raymond rubbed her arms and up to her shoulders from behind, leaning into her shoulders a bit as they both stared out through the window. His hands squeezing menacingly, “Where am I supposed to get the other money then?” Dina shifted against his weight. “I told you 45 million clean, now your playing around, taking fees, he doesn’t know about?” Dina moved out of his grip, but he was fast and gripped her arm again. Twisting her to face him, “You don’t understand,” Raymond said.

Dina snapped back at him, “No You don’t understand, I am doing You a favor,” she pointed at his chest, walking him backwards, “And You will respect my position here.”

Raymond started to laugh, “Darling, the only position you are here for is to be on all fours, and give me that money,” Dina slapped him across the face, and moved to leave the room. Raymond was right behind her, pulling her back against his chest, “Don’t cross me either, I may be a pussycat, my dear but I can be fierce,” he nearly growled in her hair. Dina shuddered, staying still under his grasp, waiting for her opportunity to get away.

“Look, we can tell him together, if your so,” she swallowed, “nervous.” Raymond towered over her and placed a kiss on the top of her head, “Yeah, yeah, let’s do that,” his grip loosened as he calculated. Dina relaxed momentarily and they both exited the room to the main part of the compound.

---

            John secured a jeep and some gear, just enough supplies for the trek there and back. His rendezvous was just outside Marsa Malruh, near a small Bedouin village with a tourist salt cave. He had 28 hours to get Raymond and get him back to the rendezvous point. John thought about the woman, Dina, trying to figure out if he would have to retrieve her too. Surely if she was with Raymond, she knew the risk of staying in that compound. The compound in question was owned by Amed Al-Siwa, a very intense man with dark eyes and large hands. He had a short temper and a powerful sense of loyalty and honor.

It was 6 pm local time and Porter was driving into the sunset along the northern coast of Egypt, 6 hours on the road would get him to the compound just after midnight, and that meant, two things, the element of surprise, and cooler temperatures. Porter drove as the highway carried him to the southern roadway about 3 hours in. He stopped for petrol and pounded some caffeine pills he snagged in the shop. Its nothing but darkness in the desert at night, and wild animals, Porter wanted to stay alert. Porter checked his gear one more time, retrieving his Glock 9mm, and set it between the seats. He didn’t plan on getting stopped at the tolls, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen.

---

Taglist:

@scariusaquarius @riepu10 @sweetestgbye @lathalea

@middleearthpixie @evenstaredits @legolasbadass

Lyn's Writing Event 2024

[coraniaid]

I realize I've posted quite a lot about The Wish today without really talking about the whole doomed alternate universe angle, but that's mainly because I just ... don't find that part of the episode very interesting?

As I've said before, Buffy's strength has never been its worldbuilding or its plotting, and this episode is no exception.  As an actual attempt to answer the question "what might Sunnydale be like if Buffy had never come to town?'' it's all a little underwhelming.  Where is Luke?  Where is Darla? Where is Jesse (and if he was never vamped in this universe, why not)?  Why does school end early (suggesting some sort of non-vampire authority trying to protect people), but forbid Cordelia from driving a car (thereby forcing her to walk home in the dark)? Why is there still school at all?  Why don't the humans just wait until it's light outside and leave town?  Did this reality have a 'real' Cordelia that our Cordelia physically replaced?  Why, if Cordelia's wish was only that Buffy never came to Sunnydale?  Why didn't her memories change too?  How and when exactly did the Master get free? Why did the Mayor let this happen?  Did Spike and Drusilla still come to town last year looking for a cure for Drusilla?  If so, why is Angel still alive?  Is there a particular reason why Willow, of all people, seems obsessed with torturing him in particular?  Did he fail to protect her when she was alive, or did he kill the vampire (Darla?) that sired her? Did Jenny still come to town to keep an eye on Angel? Where is she? Why does Giles insist on having White Hat meetings in the library at night instead of in his big, well-supplied, vampire-safe house?

These questions have no answer, and even typing them out like this feels like seriously missing the point (well, the last one is a question that we're not supposed to ask in the regular show either).  You could write fanfic trying to answer them (and I'm sure that people have), but they are far beyond the scope of this episode.

And ultimately we're just being told a shaggy dog story here: once Anyanka's power source is destroyed, we snap back to the moment of Cordelia making her wish and nobody has any idea what happened.  None of the characters can learn from or be changed by this episode's events. (Okay, yes, Anya will be changed the next time we see her, but she'll also be a mostly different character who just happens to share the same name.)

So we're left with metaphor, the show’s usual strength: what can the writers tell us about the characters through this story of a world where Buffy never came to Sunnydale? And the answer is ... not much, especially after the show goes for the shock twist of killing Cordelia off mid-episode. 

Buffy would be much more like Faith if she didn't have her friends?  OK, but this is not news.  That has been explicitly the point of Faith's character for a while, arguably since her first episode. Giles thinks a world where he's no longer a Watcher and the town he lives in is overrun by vampires who keep killing people he tries to protect would be bad?  Yeah, me too.  Obviously there's some striking visual symbolism in Willow and Xander killing Cordelia and then Xander killing Angel (and being killed by Buffy moments later), and in Oz helping to kill Willow, but it just doesn't really mean anything.  These versions of the characters don't know anything about their 'real' selves, so these moments don't mean much to them, and the versions of the characters we've been following will never know about any of this at all.

Don't get me wrong: The Wish is a solid, fun episode. I enjoyed watching it, I'll enjoy watching it again next time I rewatch the show, and I get that having an alternate universe episode where everyone is evil and bisexual is any case all but mandatory for genre television. It's fun to see Mark Metcalf chewing the scenery as the Master again, and it's not like I'm immune to the appeal of Alyson Hannigan as vamp!Willow.  But there's just nothing much to say about any of it, is there?  

Uh. It was sad when everybody died hating each other, but then magically they hadn't and they were friends again, and that was nice.

[forthegothicheroine]

As I understand, the most recent film of Annie made Miss Hannigan into a shitty foster parent. Oliver Twist would have lots of characters you could make into modern shitty foster parents, from Bumble to the undertakers even to Fagin.

[an-autistic-with-personhood]

PLEASE tell me about your littlest pet shop town that you made with your sister omg i’m on the edge of my seat

Oh my god oh my god ok

So we used to play with them with a semi-normal town setup, with the animals as pretty normal modern townsfolk. Our town had a king (as you do when you're eight years old), most of the animals had families, and the many, many children left over stayed in an orphanage run by a Miss Hannigan from Annie-esque cat. I'll just list the ways it devolved from there. Relevant quotes attached.

The dog king got divorced every time we found a prettier dog wife for him (his first wife Daisy was an absolute bitch)

Jessica the orphanage caretaker hates kids and only works there because she's serving community service. We never explored what got her there.

Whenever we got new animals, we'd welcome them to town with a hazing-but-not-really-hazing ceremony (They'd very menacingly tell them they'd give them a "Nice. Warm. Welcome." But then it'd be the most wholesome cutesy song)

During our NCIS phase, we killed off a cat so we could do a murder investigation episode. She dangled from a makeshift noose in the corner for a few years before we brought her back

Some of the children from the orphanage ran away to live in the dump. They sell spiked lemonade. "The feral trash children spiked the lemonade!"

Somewhere down the line, a campsite went up with a pair of manipulative elephants hoarding the biggest campfire for themselves

The cat that ran the orphanage (Jessica) divorced her husband, and he got a redemption arc (and a bad haircut) out of it. I think one of the things that solidified his decision was when she spent the children's food money on a spa day. "Chad, I NEED this!!"

Accidental Krampus Christmas Special. "Saaanta's waaatching..."

Horror Christmas Special with children-eating snow bunnies. "🎵Frosty the Snow Bunny🎵 is gonna eat you now!"

Strained marriage between a husky and her idiot golden retriever husband (he loved her so much but he was just such a himbo that she sometimes couldn't take it)

Several character deaths after our family dogs chewed on the toys

I came home once to find my sister and cousin had been basically playing Survivor. Yet another cat was hanging from the bannister by a noose

Himbo golden retriever saw a lady bug (Carlos) for the first time and dubbed him the "chosen one", essentially starting a cult. Carlos was just the adopted son of the local cat polycule, but ce la vie

We have an au fanfiction somewhere of the himbo entering the town for the first time. au town was named Larpeville, pronounced "larpay villay". He met a vegan lion named Leoche (the "che" was silent) and nearly crashed a scooter into the town's new leaders. "*Sister making 'putputput' motor noises* *screaming*"

Triplet horse sisters (Sandy, Brownie, and Snowy) fell in love with a zebra, but all took different strategies to win his heart. Sandy took a pretty normal "get to know you" route. Snowy was the blondest of blondes and just blurted whatever. Brownie went full stalker. "My name is Snowy, but my friends call me Tanya"

The zebra befriended the orphans and talked to them on his morning runs. Pretty normal, but I had to mention my sister's genius improv when she blurted out Carlos's line, "I don't live here!!!"

The last time we played was exactly a year ago. My sister was 25, I was 24, and our cousin was 21. We made a playboy kink mansion. The himbo and his wife were trying out a sex therapist and she suggested they explore said playboy mansion.

Co-signed by my sister and my cousin - they just read the post and added some ridiculousness I'd forgotten

[droughtofapathy]

The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Anne Morris (Katie Finneran)

Everyone's favorite unlikable snob, Anne Morris was last seen in season one, storming out of Aurora Fane's drawing room in full mourning regalia. Though Katie Finneran's husband may have found his way on the union strikes, she has not been seen on the show since, much to my eternal dismay.

Though seen here as the upright and haughty Anne without a humorous bone in her body, Katie Finneran is Broadway's gift to comedy. Yet another Diva with two Tonys to her name, she transcends categories. Best Featured Actress in a Play (Noises Off), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Promises, Promises), both knee-slapping comedies--a particular achievement when statistically dramatic roles are more likely to net awards.

Other notable stage roles include: It's Only a Play (Julie), Annie (Miss Hannigan), and one of the many Sally Bowles replacements in Cabaret, for which, alas, I have found no footage, and only one production still (but I think about it a lot). Most recently, she was in The Thanksgiving Play on Broadway this past spring. I saw it three times. It is quintessentially Katie Finneran unhinged. (And you should all read my fanfiction HERE)

#1: "Getting Married Today," Company (2011)

Starting off strong with yet another Sondheim, Katie Finneran tackled the hardest Sondheim number to master just a few months after giving birth. Playing Amy, a bride-to-be with pre-wedding jitters, Katie delivers comedy gold with her breakdown performance. Anyone who has attempted this nightmare of a number knows that there is no recovering if you get tripped up.

While my favorite rendition of this song remains Madelaine Kahn, now and forever, Katie has the honor of taking second place. This is a mesmerizing performance, and I am terrified for her.

Katie has previously discussed the abject fear of performing this song, compounded with the trials and tribulations of having given birth, and leaking breast milk into the white dress.

#2: "Little Girls," Annie (2013)

Continuing with Katie Finneran's musical theatre comedy breakdown, here she is as reviled woman and beloved character Miss Hannigan from Annie in the 2012 revival. Reviews were largely mixed, and Katie's personal experience was largely overshadowed by having an infant child to take care of, but it's a hell of a number nonetheless.

The show only received one Tony nomination for Best Revival, and lost to Pippin. And yeah, that tracks. After seven months into her run, Katie left the show to pursue a television role, and was replaced by Jane Lynch, who performed at the Tonys, and was then replaced by Faith Prince to close the show.

#3: "The Boy From..." The Lilly Awards Cabaret (2014)

If you're sensing a theme, good. A character actress through and through, Katie enjoys songs she can sink her teeth into, and Sondheim always delivers. This particular number is the most well-known song from a little-known off-Broadway revue called The Mad Show with lyrics semi-anonymously written by Sondheim.

The song is a direct parody of "The Girl From Ipanema," and every character cabaret artist has covered it at some point. It's just a delight.

Katie also performed this song during a mini Gilded Age reunion on Stars in the House during their marathon Ukraine fundraiser. During the course of her time on the show, she flirted with Norman Lear, made out with Seth Rudetsky's husband, and proposed Anne, Dorothy Scott, and Agnes van Rhijn have a threesome in The Gilded Age season two. And I beg you to watch that clip HERE.

#4: "A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing," Promises, Promises (2013)

No full clip of this number can be found online, and that was both a massive mistake on the marketing team's part, and a devastation to me personally.

Thirteen years after Christine Baranski delighted Encores! audiences, Katie Finneran stepped up to the plate to deliver a truly unhinged performance which netted her a second Tony. The actress who originated the role in 1968 also won a Tony.

Here Marge MacDougall is a drunk, bold, and leggy barfly who dances on bars, and lifts Sean Hayes up and carries him around whilst dancing in heels. Yeah, Katie Finneran is also very strong. Unfortunately, the wildest parts of her fifteen-minute show-stealing time aren't in this clip. There is a bootleg out there somewhere, I've seen it, and I will dutifully keep looking for it.

#5: "Go To Jail," Broadway Bares XX (2010)

Veering from musical theatre just a little, please enjoy this hammy sketch from the BC/EFA Broadway Bares XX Strip-opoly show of 2010. Though Katie keeps her clothes on, we're treated to a little surprise curtesy of fellow comedy legend Jackie Hoffman.

LINK TO MASTERPOST

[girl4music]

Pure comedies are hit and miss for me. I don’t mind laughs just for laughs but it depends on the joke. If it’s at the expense of somebody, a minority especially, I don’t find it funny or enjoyable to watch it at all.

I tried so fucking hard to get into ‘How I Met Your Mother’ for Alyson Hannigan. I wanted to see what else she could do in a main protagonist role. But I just couldn’t stand most of the so-called “comedy” in it. Even some of her lines were extremely cringe to me. But there was one character who - in the same way most Buffy fans hate Xander or Riley - I hated a lot. I would grit my teeth every time he opened his mouth, anticipating the worst, most degrading and disgusting comments possible. Mostly about women and how he views them. But sometimes - about people with mental conditions or even physical incapacities.

The level of absolute vile this man spewed made me want to puke. And all I heard in response to it was just a laugh track for the most part. Sometimes Aly’s character would give him shit for it - but it wouldn’t do anything. He’d come back again with the very same.

I watched because of Lily.

I stopped because of Barney.

I tried. But it’s clear pure comedies are not for me.

[carolrain]

Top 9 Characters of 2023

Once again I must face the fact that I apparently watch very little media and/or remember too few details of what I do watch.

Fine, maybe it's entertaining for you to watch me fumble through such games.

Thank you for tagging me, @flowertrigger @ramonaflow and @mostlyinthemorning

David and Patrick (Schitt's Creek).

2. Henry (Red, White & Royal Blue). I like Alex too, but for the sake of the post, I'm making choices, and I choose quiet, sad piano player.

3. Rebecca (Ted Lasso). If she's on screen, I can't take my eyes off of her.

4. Paul (Shrinking). How fun it was to watch Harrison Ford in this.

5. Hmm. . . Barbie? Of Barbie. Honestly, I think driving to a parallel universe while singing "Closer to Fine" might fix me.

6. Annie? I rewatched Annie (1982) this year. Singing! Tap dancing! Such talent and longing! She deserves a big house and a dog. Although Miss Hannigan is relatable too. Tough choice.

7. Matilda, of Matilda (1996). I watched this for the first time a couple of weeks ago? Very cute, magic powers, likes books.

8. This is where I realize both that I can't count and that I have seen nothing else. But I saw Les Misérables on the stage. I love Éponine.

9. Oh wait, I saw The Lake and liked it, that's right. Justin is super cute. And kind of a disaster.

It took me like four days to do this post. Did everyone else who wanted to do one do it already? If not, it is your turn.

[politedemon]

was like huh i thought kristin chenoweth’s character was a mrs lovett character but with the orphans she must be a miss hannigan. and then she started singing and for a second i genuinely thought she was gonna suggest baking the orphans into a pie

[oveliagirlhaditright]

"Slayers" kind of ended on a cliffhanger. I wonder if they'll actually continue it or not.

And teasing Angelus? -gasps-

If everyone does come back for a sequel to this, I wonder if they could actually get David Boreanaz to voice in it (I really hope so, but I've got the impression in the past he doesn't want to come back. Though maybe he would for just an audio drama? Especially with so many of the others involved?) or if they'd find a sound-alike.

I have to say, I do have mixed feelings about "Slayers" as a whole. Like, I read a review before I started listening to it saying that it felt like it was written around who was able to come return for it, and I do think that's true. And there were parts of the story I at first thought were kind of weird and I wasn't that big on at first?

But then towards the end they started to pay-off and I was like, "Oh, okay. I think I get why they did this, and I might like it, after all."

I also feel like... quite a bit of the humor might have missed. And I also agree with said review that I think they were essentially making Clem Xander, because they couldn't have Xander and they needed comic relief like that.

But everyone seriously brought their A game to this, and it's so good to have them back. -sobs-

And there was a lot about the story that I did like--especially when some of the ideas really did start to pay-off, and it was like, "Okay, so they did put a lot of thought into this."--so I'd probably rank it somewhere with "In Every Generation," which I love.

And I'm definitely excited for more, if more is coming.

I'm also thrilled that we have this at all, to be honest.

I'll also admit that it's probably arguably better than the comics in some ways, yeah (but in others, the comics might be better), though you could actually say that this took place after the comics, if you wanted to. Because in Buffy season 12, Buffy was 30. And Spike says this story takes place ten years after Buffy season seven, in which case Buffy would have been thirty-two. So you could see this as two years after Buffy season 12, maybe. Buffy and Spike are also broken up here, like they are during/after Buffy season 12. And everyone knows stuff about the Slayers and whatnot in "Slayers," posting about them on Reddit and things like that (though that's probably just because stuff got posted online when Potentials were Called. And hell, the Scoobies and new Watchers--like Andrew, and maybe even new ones after that--probably put stuff online, so Slayers would know what to do if they were Called). So this is probably not based on how in the Buffy comics everyone eventually learned about the supernatural.

Actually, about that, I think the only thing that contradicts if you want to headcanon that this is after Buffy season 12, is I think Indria had some line about most normal people not knowing about the forces of darkness? And in the comic seasons, everyone found out about vampires and stuff. Maybe you could wave that away by saying, "Maybe people eventually thought it was just a stunt," but ehh.

Edit: Also, Indria is amazing and I love her. As is some of the character work they did with a lot of the characters, like Spike and Cordelia.

Edit 2: The SpikeDru stuff did things to my heart<3

Edit 3: I already forgot that the end also teased Willow. So if we get a sequel, I also wonder if they could get Alyson Hannigan back, too.

[soulofkhal]

Khal Reads: Green Arrow(1988) by Mike Grell

Discretion: This is my first Green Arrow run so I apologize if certain details already appears in the previous run and I missed it!

The blog isn't dead! The reviews are still coming in. Not sure if there's anyone that's waiting for another random comic review by me but here it goes!

This time, I'll be looking at one of the definitive runs of Green Arrow, the 1988 run written by Mike Grell. The run spans for 76 issues between 1988-1994.

Team:

Writer: Mike Grell

Penciller: Ed Hannigan (1-25), Dan Jurgens (26-33), Rick Hoberg (35-38, 44-60, 63-66, 69-72, 75-76), Denys Cowan (39), Shea Pensa (39, 73-74), Frank Springer (61-68),

Inker: Dick Giordano, Frank Mclaughlin, Bill Wray (35-38), John Nyberg (44-60, 63-66, 69-72, 75-76), Pablo Marcos (61-68)

Colorist: Julia Lacquement

Editor: Mike Gold

TL;DR on why you should or shouldn't read:

Trigger warning: Rape (some issues dealt with rapist and one of the character gets raped)

Pros:

Thrilling stories with full of action. Never a dull moment in this run.

More mystery/thriller/action based stories. We're talking government conspiracies, serial killers, yakuzas, CIA, IRA, and psychopaths (there's a story about a guy who collects tattooed skin, super fun). It's similar in tone to Dennis O' Neill's The Question but more action-y than suspense.

Tons of Dinah-Oliver moment if that's your thing (although their relationship isn't the healthiest in this run).

Stories are often interwoven with social issues such as from anti-draft , ivory trading, human trafficking, etc.

Cons (for me):

Ollie gets raped but the incident were not made to be a big deal nor do we ever get to see Ollie's feelings about the situation properly.

Social issues are often mishandled/clearly being written from a white lens. Some whitesplaining moments as well.

Female characters are mostly there just to fawn over Oliver or become his love interest.

The uncomfortable writing of Shado. There's the dragon lady stereotype sprinkled in with some fetishism while simultaneously not allowing her to be a real subject of attention or desire by the white male protagonist. There's some Grant Morrison Talia treatment in there is all I'm saying

Dinah and Oliver's relationship are relatively toxic imo. Oliver often abandoned and even cheated on Dinah throughout the run (with a girl half his age).

Dinah's role is often relegated as a fanservice for the reader

Oliver kills quite a lot in this run and I know heroes killing criminals could be controversial to people.

My thoughts and full review:

This run takes us to Seattle, where Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) and Dinah Lance (Black Canary) have just moved. The run chronicles the adventure of (mostly) Oliver and Dinah during their stay in Seattle and occasionally throughout the Globe. Dinah also started her side job as the owner of a flower shop. Throughout this run, we were introduced to a string of side characters such as Shado, an assassin who used to be indebted to the Yakuza that shares a complicated relationship with Oliver and Eddie Fryes, a merc who are often at odds with Oliver

I have..complicated relationship with this run. As mentioned above, there's a lot of things that I love and there's a lot that I don't and I'm going to expand on some of those points below.

(+) The plot

Boring would be the last adjective I'll use to describe this run. It's thrilling, it's melodramatic, and it's suspenseful. You got panels upon panels of our titular hero kicking butt, often with his accomplices. You got the soap opera and the drama between Oliver and the women in his life. It's really fun. As someone who loves thriller and mystery, the first issue already got me hooked. Here, we have Oliver trying to prove that a criminal that is currently under house arrest is still responsible for the kidnapping and torture of several women in the area. The issue ended with Oliver drowning the criminal in his own brewed alcohol. Also, we got cool panels like this one in the run

(+/-) The social issues

In the midst of all of this, we were also served with a plethora of social messages that were apt for the time, a common motif found in comics of this era. The run tackles issues such as race, human trafficking, illegal hunting, military drafts, corrupt government, drug trade and etc. I always love when comics can become a time capsule that reflects the era when it was written and as a medium that could talk about these important messages to its readers. A lot of it works although I do feel like Grell and Gold often hamfisted these message to the plot to the point that some of these issues just felt like an essay and not a proper plot point if that makes sense,

That being said, it's very obvious that a lot of these messages came from the perspective of a white man. One particular issue that stood out for me was in Issue #55 and #56: Justice is Mine, where a cop pins a murder on a convicted serial killer despite knowing that the murder that got this man acquitted was not done by him and the man was later sentenced to death. The catch is that the actual murder was a pimp (since most of the victims were prostitutes) but the thing is, the pimp, JoJo, is a black man, while the serial killer, Harry Gilbert, is a white man. I just think that using a white man being executed in the place of black man feels like an inappropriate symbolism to depict lazy/corrupt cops as it is often the opposite in real life. Not to mention the racial stereotype. A great fan letter sent to Sherwood Column (the fan letter column in the back of each issue) written by a black reader explains this a LOT better than I possibly could.

(-) The writing of the female characters

Dinah Lance (Black Canary)

Dinah and Oliver share a complicated relationship throughout this run. For the most part, their status are as lovers, but a string of events lead them to have an on and off relationship in some part of the run and as the run ended, so does their relationship, no thanks to Oliver's cheating ass.

Dinah mostly acts undercover in this run, running a flower shop while occasionally helping Oliver in kicking some butts. A favourite issue of mine showing them working together is in Issue #59-60 where they both work together to apprehend an assassination attempt on a serial killer (don't worry, they weren't siding with the killer). However, this issue was, unfortunately, a rarity, and we really don't get to see Dinah in action quite a lot. The editor's response to this didn't help as he often points the reader to instead anticipate her upcoming solo run...as if she's not allowed to kick ass in two runs at the same time.

It also doesn't help that most of her appearance relegated to her and Oliver having sex with Dinah often potrayed with bare minimum clothing. I know it's to be expected from an 80s comics, but I can still dislike it. The most frustrating part is though is how badly Oliver treated her. At some point, he even left her after she informed him that she's unable to have a child. And the worse part? SHE ACCEPTS HIM BACK WHEN HE WENT BACK TO SEATTLE. Thankfully, she stood up for herself once she discovers Oliver kissing Marianne, a grad student that they took in (who is also half Oliver's age by the way so yeah maybe male writers need to be stopped sometimes)

A fan letter describing my sentiment:

Shado

So let's get a little bit of a background here. Shado is a former assassin for hire by the Yakuza due to her father's former ties to their group. She and Oliver initially cross paths in the Longbow Hunters, the short prequel to this run. Shado's storyline is a huge part of Grell's run. There are 4 story arcs that puts her in the spotlight alongside with Oliver. Most of them I argue were the highlights of the run (before I knew better at least)

That doesn't mean however that this character is being properly written whatsoever. Shado starts of as an aloof, cold-blooded killer who develops close relationship with Oliver as the time goes on as the two shared common interest in the art of bows and arrows. There were certainly tension between the two which were noticeable, especially by Dinah which (justifiably) led her to be apprehensive around Shado.

Things take a turn when in the Here There Be Dragon arc, Oliver gets sick after being shot by his enemies with Shado tending to his wound. She then proceed to take advantage of him and rape him while he is delirious and also conceive his child. Yep.

We didn't really get this revelation until down the road (Issue 36 but I still wasn't sure until reading Issue 45) which makes me feel almost manipulated for enjoying the relationship between the two. To make matters worse, for a while, Oliver seems to kick himself in the curb for not..taking care of his child? when he didn't even know the existence of said child? it's just very off-putting, victim-blamey, and overall incredibly problematic on the team's part. I also feel like the whole situation just feels very unneccesary? It's like they want to drive the point forward that the only way this two could get intimate is that if she takes advantage of him. Maybe I'm reaching but it feels like they just didn't want the white male hero to even have a normal relationship with an asian woman. I heard that the writing of Jade Nguyen (Cheshire) were also problematic so maybe there's something to it.

Conclusion

So in conclusion do I enjoy the run? Yeah, to a degree. It's hard getting it above 8 with the problematic elements present throughout the run. It might sounds unfair since it's an 80s comics but since the fan letters in the sherwood column are also often critical about the way certain issues were handled, I'll say my reasoning is still fair.

Final rating: 7.5/10

Favourite issues: Here There Be Dragons arc, Predator arc, Bum Rap arc

Sorry for the long post. I'll try posting my review of Swamp Thing by Alan Moore and Aquaman (1999) by Peter David in near future. Thank you so much if you're still reading until this part!

[boggleoflight]

Get to know me!

Tagged by the ever-lovely @sasslett Thank you so much!! I love these sorts of things.

Share your wallpaper:

My background cycles through a bunch of gposes and commissions/gifts from friends, currently it is on this one:

which is a gorgeous gift I received from @lookbluesoup!! I still heart-eyes at it every time I see it.

The last song you listened to: Well I am currently listening to Inkpot Gods by The Amazing Devil, which is wonderful, highly recommend giving it a listen.

Currently Reading: Nothing. :( I keep meaning to pick up a book but I just haven't had the energy to start something new and nothing I've already read is appealing to me right now.

Last Movie: I have no idea tbh?? I don't watch movies very often, but I think it might've been Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, which is one of my major comfort movies. It's super fun and cute!

Craving: Good Mexican food. I miss how easy it was to find when I lived in the South.

What are you wearing right now: Pajama tunic thing + flannel. It's my day off and I refuse to change until my video appointment later today.

How tall are you: 5'8 I think?

Piercings: None, though I'd love some. The last time I tried to get my ears done, it got supremely infected despite the fact I took extreme pains to keep it clean and the fact I got it done at a very nice tattoo place. Unsure of what happened but I may try again at some juncture.

Tattoos: Nine! A crystal on my thigh, a vintage camera on my ankle, a coffin with an iris on my shin, a little book on one arm, a scorpion on one wrist, a grasshopper on the other wrist, a quote from Lisa Hannigan's 'Funeral Suit' in my girlfriend's handwriting on my forearm, a macaron with a sprig of lavender on my shoulder, and a little design on the other shoulder that I got as part of a donation drive. I've got a load more planned for when I have the means, too.

Glasses? Contacts?: Glasses! I've been told to get contacts but with the state of dark circles around my eyes, I think I'll stick to the extra bit of concealment that some chunky frames mask lmao

Last drink: Tea! Morning ritual.

Last show: I think it was the Shoujo Cosette anime adaptation of Les Miserables. I wasn't able to finish it because the website I was watching it on kept bugging out for me but I do intend to finish it at some juncture.

Last thing you ate: A little breakfast spread I made last night for supper.

Favourite colour: A toss-up between a nice rich phthalo green and a nice foggy, silvery blue.

Current obsession: Well I think you could probably guess shdjfgj FFXIV

Unrelated Obsession: Hozier. Not in a weird parasocial way, I just am obsessed with his music and the fact that he's unconscionably handsome.

Any pets: Three cats (Phyllis, Terence, and Constance), and one rat (Aymeric)!

Do you have a crush on anyone: Starry-eyed crush on my wonderful girlfriend.

Favourite fictional character: You might expect me to say G'raha Tia (and you would be right to) BUT. It's actually Urianger. Perpetually holding him up in my head like that one Marge meme. I just think he's neat.

The last place you traveled: Toronto to meet up with a friend of mine to watch some musicals that were touring through. We saw Come From Away and The Band's Visit!

TAGGING! I don't know who hasn't been tagged yet but @lookbluesoup and @seasaltandcopper just in case!! No pressure or anything of course!