#but still has the same charisma and performance quality that made him stand out so much when he was younger

[klaunee]

Edit 2/12/2024: I wanted to add a disclaimer to my redesigns! I really appreciate all of the likes and comments that these have garnered, but I just want to add that these aren't intended to be "improvements" or "fixes" of the original designs in any way and were done as a character design exercise for my own entertainment. Looking back on them there's a lot I'd like to change about them and I'd never claim to be anything more than an amateur/hobbyist character designer messing around with these character concepts.

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Alright I wasn't really feeling the other one I just did. I wanted to diverge a bit from it to better fit the other redesigns I did and do my own take on Al, which is why I made this one that's more shamelessly inspired by Cab Calloway.

I based him on Cab Calloway because I want him to have Mr. Calloway's charisma and showmanship to accentuate his role as a radio host. I feel like the canon Alastor is too subdued in terms of expressiveness, and of course this is part of what makes him unnerving, but I wanted to subvert that. This rendition would still be a gentleman, but he's much more animated in terms of his body movements and facial expressions. He's witty and has a great sense of humor. A big man with a big smile and a larger than life personality. Constantly schmoozing and sweet-talking other people. And yet there's just something off about him...

Copying my design notes from the other post and adding a few more.

Premise: A man who was born in a semi-rural part of the United States but moved to the big city at a young age. Became infatuated with the music and entertainment scenes of the city and idolized performers of the Jazz age, Vaudeville actors, and comedians. Decided to become a radio host himself after working at a local station and became renowned for his humor and wit. However, despite loving several parts of the big city, Alastor was disdainful of the rapid industrialization taking place and its effect on the environment he'd grown up in. In an attempt to make his broadcasts, which increasingly gained a more serious and environmentalist bent, reach more viewers, he delved into the occult and made pacts with demons. Unfortunately, his meddling with the occult drove him insane. Fortunately, however, his familiarity with black magic granted him increased powers when he showed up in Hell. Overall, a gentlemanly character with a suppressed madness that seeps out from time to time.

He's very tall. I wanted to make him uncanny looking while still retaining the gentlemanly appearance of the canon version and to do this I tried to give him an elongated silhouette. He's as tall as Angel Dust, if not taller when standing up, but he's constantly bending over either due to poor posture or to ingratiate himself to the shorter masses.

No more sexyman hourglass figure, I made him a bit broader to give him a bigger presence.

Cab's signature pencil moustache. I see a lot of people giving him one and I'm not sure if we share the same inspiration, but it's a cool look!

Overall a more desaturated, sepia palette than the rest of the cast for an old-timey look (I mean Angel Dust is old-timey too but... forget about it). Also to contrast with the red of Charlie's suit.

The black line parts of his antlers are meant to look like the velvet shedding deer undergo as well as power lines, with an eye in the center which resembles the flame between Baphomet's horns. This eye is where his "power" emanates from so to speak, like a radio signal.

Waveform design on his suit.

Design on his shirt meant to resemble a ribcage.

BIG ANTLERS! (less so in this version, more manageable)

Diamond design on the pants to indicate he is a trickster.

A long, deer-like neck and a deer-like yet human-like face to give him an uncanny look.

His right eye is a radio dial and he has a speaker in his mouth to produce that radio quality when he speaks.

I tried to make his suit look like a zoot suit for historical relevance, particularly the broad-shouldered ones worn by such performers as Cab Calloway. I made his pants high-waisted and pegged.

His staff is based on antique carbon microphones with the center modified to look like an inverted pentagram.

He practices black magic.

His entire body is covered in fur save for his face and ears, like a werewolf.

Thanks for reading!

[moonlight--cafe]

@mi-sumi​

Ugh where do I start, my angel, my peach, honey, apple of my eye you are everything to me! Thank you so much for popping in and instantly becoming one of the sweetest friends I’ve ever had, I hope this ship meets your expectations, I put a lot of effort into this one and had so much fun writing it. I hope you have an immaculate day, please feel free to request more ships when my inbox is open and I’d love it if you stuck around. My blog won’t be the same without you <3 

~Your Company~ JYP Entertainment 

~Group Name~ Mariposa 

~Members~ 12

~Debut Date~  26th of August, 2020

~Pre-Debut Days~

I need to get this out of the way, if you hadn’t actively auditioned for JYP Entertainment there is a high likelihood that you would have been scouted. 

When you had passed your editions everything would have happened so quickly, you were definitely overwhelmed as a result of the immediate changes that had occurred. For the first two years you were completely indecisive, you approached each area like “hey maybe I can do this”. Eventually you decided that you felt the most comfortable as a vocalist and put most of your effort into that area. This doesn’t mean your attempts at dancing and rapping were half hearted, but in the trainee circle you were known for your singing and presence.

You were a fairly peaceful trainee, you withheld the majority of your emotions. Initially the other trainees assumed that you were cold and only focused on your own wellbeing, even if this wasn’t correct you never really bothered to correct them or persuade them that you were a fluffy ball of cuteness. You never actually had to formally introduce yourself, you made a name for yourself by focusing on your training. Your actions spoke much louder than words.

Even though you were a quiet trainee who adhered to the rules most of the time you had inspired many of the other trainees, you had inspired a lot of the trainees to work harder. Seeing you put your blood sweat and tears into your idol career was enough to make them rethink what they were doing, if you could put that much effort into your training then they really had no excuses to under perform. 

Despite your potential you were a trainee for a while, you had witnessed many trainees come and go. One of these trainees was Lee Minho, even though he wasn’t a trainee for too long he took a shine to you. He had initially wanted to be a singer so the fact that you were a pretty good vocalist was enough to make him want to be your friend. Though he had become Stray Kids main dancer he will never forget how much you inspired him, and he has a habit of always mentioning it in interviews and on V-Live.

When the time came to initiate members into Mariposa JYP took a slightly different approach. They had chosen their top three trainees and those trainees were then tasked with choosing the rest of their members. 

You were honestly quite shocked that you were dubbed a member of Mariposa. You hadn’t really known any of the other members, you only exchanged polite words every blue moon. It wasn’t until a year after your debut that your members admitted why they had chosen you, it was because you possessed something that the group didn’t have at the time. Since it was an extremely competitive time they didn’t want to let anyone else figure out their game plan. They had a clear idea of what their group members had to be like, turns out you already had the charisma and style that the group wanted to show off.

~About You~

~Your Position/s~  Visual, Vocalist & Center 

Mariposa stands as one of the reputable groups in the industry, it is everything you expect from a group signed under JYP Entertainment. It’s safe to say that the majority of JYP groups are high quality in their own rights, Mariposa is no different.

 Your groups style is somewhat reminiscent of your sister groups while still remaining completely unique, the songs composed by your senior members is what truly sets your group apart from every one else. Essentially your group touches on themes that your sister and brother groups don’t, see it as JYP extending their reach in terms of style and theme. The entire concept of a dark/preppy group with slight retro and girl crush undertones is definitely a favoured one.

Going into more detail about your group, Mariposa is a group that takes serious or more realistic themes and expresses them in a more cheerful ways so that it is more palatable to the audience. Some examples of this are songs like Crooked by G-Dragon or  LO$ER=LO♡ER by TXT. Both songs touch on painful subjects that could easily make or break a person but the way it is presented makes you want to dance around your house like a maniac.

 Essentially you kind of follow in the footsteps of Stray Kids but your music and videos focus on seeming visually inviting, this is what truly separates you from the rest of the groups that come out of JYP. Mariposa is one of their ace groups. 

I mentioned this briefly when I answered a couple of you asks but you would definitely be my forever bias, you are straight up enchanting. Even if you are the visual of your group you have this almost tsundere personality type going for you, which adds to your charm. Often times stan’s refer to you as the female Minho, maybe you do seem cold initially but it adds to the charm you have. You bet there would be countless compilations of you being the passive aggressive or closed off one who always has a comeback for the members of your group who lovingly tease you.

You are the famous center, yeah you might be a standard vocalist but that doesn’t really matter. You are an extremely expressive and powerful performer, your stage presence is truly something to admire. It seems that you were born to be on stage, it’s as if you know exactly what to do at just the right times. You are the most experienced in your group when it comes to live performances, which is kind of odd since you didn’t really get to perform on stage until you debuted. You just know how to put on your best character, similar to idols like Seonghwa or Hyunjin.

On another note there are so many compilations of you smiling or joking around before the music starts and bam! You’re face is serious and you are dancing with such precise movements. It’s truly so badass.

~Debut~

~Debut Song~ Whisper in the style of Girls by NATURE

~Other Songs Include~

Roll the Dice in the style of Fantabulous by MINZY

Retroworld in the style of CHIQUITA by Rocket Punch 

Luna Love in the style of In & Out by Red Velvet

~Debut Album~ Cirque

~Stage Outfits~

~Relationships~

~Best Friend~ Chaeyoung (Twice)

Now this girl... All I’m going to say is that other idols better keep an eye out for her. She knows you’re popular in the idolverse but that doesn’t stop her from being kind of possessive. Let’s get real since it’s Chaeyoung you overlook this, it’s not like she’s controlling or mean she just platonically loves you so so much. She also loves to remind you that she is your best friend. When you first met you had to remind yourself that it was Chaeyoung from Twice, she honestly didn’t act like she was a member of such a well known group. When she first approached you and introduced herself you had seen a side of her that she rarely shares with other people.

That day she had decided to finally introduce herself to her new sister group, she decided to prepare herself so she watched your debut stages and she was in awe. She didn’t want to play favourites but she was so captivated by your performance, she tried her hardest to remind herself that when she met all of you she had to be polite and give all of you a chance. She did that but she also couldn’t hide the bubbly smile that snuck onto her face whenever you spoke to her. 

I know this part of your ship is all over the place but to be fair that’s kind of how your friendship with Chaeyoung is. She feels so comfortable in your friendship, as a result she is always 100% honest with you, she will never hide her true intentions or say something she doesn’t mean. You can trust that her opinion will always be coming from a good place. She’s the type of friend who would rush to your dorm rooms at 6am and jump on your bed while you try to wake up.

Another thing is that every single promise she makes you she will follow through with, she is the reliable friend who will never leave you hanging. She gets more enjoyment out of spending time with you than you do, you are the type of the friends who indulge in couple Halloween costumes even if you are normally against things like that. Your friendship is so powerful! Both your fans and Once adore your friendship, you rub off on each other in the best ways. You have made Chaeyoung the happiest she’s been in a long time, but don’t worry she will always make you happy too! She doesn’t even have to try hard either.

~Friends~ Jennie (Blackpink), Lucy (Woo!ah!), Handong (Dreamcatcher), Jeno (NCT Dream), Seungmin (Stray Kids), Changbin (Stray Kids), Juhaknyeon (The Boyz), Minho (Stray Kids) and Onda (Everglow). 

~Girlfriend~ Wheein (Mamamoo) 

The love story you share with Wheein is very well known. You both love to indulge in dramatic retellings of how you fell for each other, and the talk shows and their audience eat it up. On a real note though your relationship stands as a reminder of how despite all the glitz and glam idols are still people who experience real emotions.

Despite popular belief you both got off on the completely wrong foot. You didn’t hate each other enough for it to be an enemies to lovers situation but you tried your best to avoid being around each other. It started with a reality show type program that was airing its first season. The premise went a little something like this: It would revolve around two groups, one a rookie group, and the other a more senior group. Across 12 episodes the senior group would mentor the rookies, it was essentially a way of simultaneously training groups while encouraging fan service level interactions. Mariposa had just won an award and had been pretty popular as of late, so your manager had signed you up for the show.

You were a little reluctant at first, you weren’t against reality shows but you weren’t really in the mood to be mentored. Until you found out that Mamamoo would be mentoring your group. Your inner fangirl had been hyping you up for weeks and you had jumped into the first few episodes with much excitement, however, all that excitement had disappeared while you were filming episode 4. You had looked up to Mamamoo prior to this whole thing, you had assumed that you had a pretty good idea of their personalities. By the end of the episode everything felt wrong, you shouldn’t of had to hold back your tears because of something they said, more specifically you shouldn’t want to burst into tears because of Wheein. 

You weren’t feeling that well, so maybe that’s why you were on the verge of tears. You were so focused on trying to improve your dancing that you slipped up and forgot to keep up with your stage presence, you were trying so hard to impress your literal idols that it just slipped your mind. So far the members had assumed cliché roles: Hwasa was the confident yet wise mentor, Solar was the fun one who was expressive in everything she did, Moonbyul was the observant and cool one who offered valuable advice and then there was Wheein. In her defense she had actually wanted to take on the role of the fun and cheerful mentor but sadly Solar took that title, and since the producers wanted them to have distinct personalities Wheein decided she would try to be the serious and constructive mentor. 

She had commented on your form, saying that it was lackluster, you were trying but not achieving anything. She had tried her best to stay in character but when your eyes glossed over she was filled with absolute dread, she had never wanted to hurt any of you. She had tried to find you to console you after filming had wrapped up but you had quietly left the room, from that moment you were actively avoiding her and she knew it. When you had to be around her you responded with concise answers, and when she tried to speak to you privately you decided to run. The hurt Wheein was feeling didn’t seem to go away, she missed seeing you smile, she wanted you to light up when you perform. All of the charming things she liked about you had disappeared.  

She hadn’t realised how fond of you she had grown, she was under the impression that she was interested in your performance capabilities. She never once explored her feelings enough to realise that maybe her feelings were of a romantic nature. It took the absence of your emotions for her to realise she was hurting because someone she admired had pulled away from her. After some time it had seemed that you were slowly starting to behave as you once did, she took this as a sign that it was probably a good time to talk to you.

Little did you know that something as simple as “Is this seat taken?” would lead to you finding the person who you believe to be your soulmate. That’s a feeling that is definitely mutual. Wheein honestly loves you to the moon and back, since she kind of destroyed your feelings she takes it upon herself to be the protective and caring girlfriend. Overall, your relationship is very kind and you are very considerate of each other.You both function on a deeper level than most, you are the definition of a couple that can just enjoy each others company in silence for it speaks louder than words ever could.

Wheein is so giving with her compliments, she is the type to cheer her girlfriend on so that her girlfriend feels inspired to always give it her best. Part of this is because she loves to gush about how effortlessly cool her girlfriend is, and the other part is because she loves seeing how genuinely happy you seem when you’re merely doing what you were born to do. Despite how incredibly giving Wheein is in your relationship you still mean a lot more to her than you realise. You both have an extremely strong relationship, it isn’t likely to ever wilt. Most of the time it is wise for outsiders to not put any expectations on a relationship in case it ends in heartache, yours is an exception. Fans can guarantee that the two of you will probably be in love until the end of time. It really is a fairy tale type of love.

~Crushing on You~ Sunghoon (ENHYPEN)  

*Okay I honestly couldn’t decide whether it would be Sunghoon or Haewon who had the bigger crush on you, I decided to go with Sunghoon but just know that Haewon definitely likes you as much as Sunghoon does.

The Ice Prince, he is so gracious and presents himself in such a refined manner but would you believe me if I said that you make him feel like a nervous wreck? It had all started when you performed a duet with him at the Golden Disc Awards. Like most idols he had expected to just go about business as usual, put on a good performance and immediately revert back to his normal schedule. Turns out he had made one drastic oversight, he walked out of your rehearsal and left his heart with you. 

Sunghoon has never been the type to immediately fall for someone, so this really caught him off guard. He wasn’t completely oblivious, he knew that the feeling he was feeling was attraction of some sort. You were beautiful and he acknowledged that, a matter of fact he was quite shameless about voicing his attraction to you around the other members. The thing that really confused him was the fact that his attraction towards you was quickly bleeding into the territory of “I am romantically attracted to you”. After a few weeks of his heart thumping in his chest whenever he spotted you he decided to take matters into his own hands.

This sounds lowkey aggressive but please here me out, his version of “taking matters into his own hands”  entailed approaching you, trying his hardest to not seem like a mess. And truth be told he actually did pretty well! He didn’t always maintain eye contact but other than that he appeared quite confident. He had invited you to take your lunchbreak with him, something you never imagined he would do. Sunghoon is authentically himself, he is comfortable rolling his eyes on camera if one were to bore him to tears. Knowing this you were absolutely overjoyed because he was genuinely smiling at you when he made that offer.

Since then you had formed a strong bond with him, you weren’t officially friends but there was a close bond that was keeping you two together. As a result of your connection and the frequent practicing your duet was honestly amazing! Your voice worked so well with his (it was almost like your vocals were dancing a hypnotizing waltz). You had both channeled your mature and seductive energies in a royal fantasy. 

Despite this Sunghoon resisted the urge to kiss you at the end, something that he would come to regret. Because by the time he felt confident enough to confess to you (keep in mind this was months after your GDA performance) he had come across an article that finally put all the rumours to rest. You were actually dating Wheein. Man he felt so foolish, he couldn’t shake the embarrassment he felt. He admitted to himself that he definitely read your friendly gestures wrong. He needed a bit of time to process his feelings, he was gentlemanly enough to not share his regrets with you. Every time he passed you at an award show he would flash his trademark friendly smile, even if he wasn’t really smiling on the inside.

~Other Idols Crushing on You~ San (Ateez), Mingi (Ateez), Sana (Twice), Jay B, Hui (Pentagon), Soyeon (G-idle), Haewon (NMIXX), Xiaojun (WayV) and Eric (The Boyz)

~Extra Info~

Mariposa won Rookie Group of the Year at the 2020 Melon Music Awards

You were given the title of “Nations Warrior” since you pushed through the odds while maintaining your honesty, integrity, drive and a fierce disposition when you performed.

Mariposa becomes one of JYP’s legacies, they truly hit gold with your group.

You are often encouraged to mentor some of the newer JYP trainees (purely because Minho kept name dropping you).

Your relationship alone inspires the industry to move into a more open and accepting place for idol couples.

Both you and Wheein collaborate on a few duets and each song is so spectacular and amazing and precious. You and Wheein see these love songs as being celebrations and permanent reminders of each milestone in your relationship.

~Scandal~

You would be relatively scandal free so to speak, however, there is one scandal connected to your name. Essentially, there was a video circulating of you snapping at a staff member and later going on to snap at one of your members. Shortly after this scandal began circulating you did apologize, you’re not an inherently malicious or ill-mannered person you were just under a lot of pressure prior to one of your comebacks. After this some fans were weary but surely came around in the end and realised that you still had a very good heart regardless of this controversy. 

💜Thank You Note💜

 My dear mi-sumi, 

My angel.

I would give the whole world to you if you let me. I hope this isn’t too forward of me. The extent of my efforts on this ship are paramount in comparison to the words I am now writing. All my love and care has been weaved through every word I have written, on a personal level I feel that we have a very special, what is the word? I’m just teasing, what we have is a very special friendship. It is rare for me to feel so comfortable and at ease around those I have just met, but this feels natural and flows like a river on a pleasant spring day. There is an infinite number of compliments that I have for you, please answer these questions for me.  What luck has fallen into my hands? What made it possible for us to meet at my café? I will never get over the fact that I have met you, you will forever be in my heart.

Carpe diem,

Eden 💜

When I cannot find

my words I can always find

you and there they are.

[five-miles-over]

Why I Think ‘Gladiator’’s Commodus is a Better Character than Maximus

(Disclaimer: this schpiel is not intended to offend anyone, or any group of people. This is just a personal opinion I have based on the characters of the film, Gladiator. This has nothing to do with the historical Commodus. If you happen to disagree with some of the ideas here or might like to add on, I’m always happy to hear it. I welcome constructive criticism! Also SPOILER ALERT!!!)

So, without further ado...here are some of the reasons why I think Commodus is a better character than Maximus. 

Tag list: @beautifulyoungprospect @captain-el-writes @jokerflecker @cruellytearful @dreamingmaria @cherrymoon75​

(Note: When I talk about being a “strong character”, I don’t necessarily mean physical strength (I think I’ll leave that to your imaginations.) I think of strength as in emotional endurance and resilience combined with inherent good qualities present in both men. In addition, I factored in the ability to ‘win over’ the audience.)

1) Commodus is Self-Motivated

For this, I’d look no further than the scene in the first few moments of Gladiator, where Maximus checks on his camp and finds Commodus practicing with his sword. Aside from a little fanservice, I think this scene gives insight onto one of the ways Commodus acts upon his ambition. We (the audience) don’t see his father standing nearby or telling him to practice, thereby we can assume Commodus creates his own practice sessions. 

And by the looks of his fighting (I’ve only tried fencing for a few weeks so pardon my ignorance), Commodus looks like he is actually interested in perfecting his performance. He genuinely wants to be a good fighter, knowing how important it would be in the future.

Compared to Commodus, Maximus constantly needs other people to stir him into action - be it his wife and son, Proximo, or Lucilla and the senators. Even when he’s put in the gladiatorial area, Maximus initially refuses to fight and has to be goaded. This is possibly the consequence of being surrounded by people all his life - he constantly needs somebody else to be the catalyst for his actions. 

Commodus on the other hand knew he had to rely on none other but himself in order to get his things done. 

2) He knows himself....and he stands up for himself

“You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues. Wisdom, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. As I read the list I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition, that can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness. Courage. Perhaps not on the battlefield but there are many forms of courage. Devotion, to my family, to you. But none of my virtues were on your list.” 

For the record, ambition is a virtue when it drives us to excel. And in my opinion, it is a quality that Maximus lacks. I would rather trust a ruler like Commodus who had a clear vision of everything he wanted from his time on the throne, as opposed to someone simply thrusted the power of the empire with no intent (or possible idea) on how to rule. 

The ability of Commodus to advocate for his own virtues makes him look better than someone like Maximus, who constantly needs someone to remind him of his abilities. While someone could call Maximus ‘humble’ for refusing to brag about himself, it is Commodus’s ability to fight for his rights that enables him to fulfill his lifelong ambition.

And it is only when Maximus decides to stand up instead of letting someone else control his life that he is finally able to get his revenge. By deciding to win the crowd using his ‘mercy’ and ‘defiance of killing’, Maximus is able to get closer to winning over Commodus.

Moreover, Commodus’s ability to fight relentlessly to get what (he believes) he deserves is something desirable in today’s day and age. People like someone who knows what they have to offer, and isn’t afraid to use their talents to get what they want.

3) He appears to have learnt from his father on how not to raise a child

When it comes to being a father-figure, he appears to have learnt some of the things what not to do based on his experience with Marcus Aurelius. For proof of this, watch how he interacts with his nephew, Lucius. He plays with Lucius, reads to him, and encourages him. (”A gladiator? A gladiator fights only for the games. Wouldn’t you rather be a great Roman warrior like Julius Caesar?”) 

He never actively neglects him or berates him, like his father did. Most of all, once he finds out that Lucilla was conspiring against him, he made sure never to speak ill about her in front of Lucius. (Proof: the “busy little bee” monologue) Commodus wanted Lucius to have a mother he could respect, and he also knew when to separate politics from his family life. 

(Also, side note to Lucilla and the conspiring Senators: don’t you all know better than to get an innocent child involved in political schemes that could endanger him? All he had to do was shout, “Maximus, the savior of Rome!” in front of Commodus.)

4) He wasn’t afraid to call out the Senate on their bullsh*t

“I doubt many of the people eat so well as you, Gracchus. Or have so such splendid mistresses as you, Gaius.” 

Let me start with this: I admire sassiness in all its glory. And with Commodus particularly, I like the fact that he used witty retorts as a way to establish his authority in a room. It was the perfect, non-verbal method of saying ‘don’t mess with me’.

The Senate was elected to represent the Roman public, the majority of whom certainly did not fall into the aristocratic class of the Senators. 

Commodus actually had a point when he stated this flaw- throughout the film, the Senate never really did anything to help Rome. All they cared about was gossiping about Commodus’s spending habits and plotting his assassination. Honestly, I would’ve ordered the Senate to be temporarily dismissed until those guys got their act together. The Senators needed to realize that they were elected to represent the people, not their own individual interests. 

5) He shows instances of having excellent knowledge on being an emperor

For this point, I’m going to use the (deleted?) scene in which Commodus has two of his soldiers executed for lying about Maximus’s escape. 

Many viewers use this scene as a way to emphasize how cruel of an emperor Commodus seemed to be. On the contrary, Commodus shows what an emperor is supposed to do. 

To a ruler, lying is one of highest sins ever. Commodus himself explained it quite clearly in the film. “If they lie to me, they don’t respect me. If they don’t respect me, how can they ever love me?” The other point Commodus didn’t mention is, what’s the likelihood they won’t do it again? If a liar is allowed to go free, that makes the Emperor more vulnerable to further betrayal. So, to take no further chances, execution would be the correct punishment. 

On another note, public execution is by far one of the greatest ways of establishing authority by intimidation. It was the one way Commodus could tell the entire kingdom what happens to people who lie to the emperor. 

Most emperors, fictional and historical, would’ve seen this logic and followed suit during their own instances of betrayal.

Another instance is his organization of the gladiatorial games. His willingness to empathize with this particular aspect of the Roman people made him well liked among citizens - the very same citizens he is supposed to rule over as an Emperor.

6) Commodus had no allies throughout his reign...and still lived with his head held high

Being Marcus Aurelius’s only son may have gotten him the throne, but staying on the throne was all Commodus’s effort. 

This guy had no allies throughout the entire film, no ‘personal cheerleader’ to encourage him. In fact he had the total opposite. He’s been criticized and belittled all his life, while Maximus was praised all the time - even as an emperor, Commodus was belittled by every one of the Senators. They never took him seriously or even considered Commodus’s ideas to be good in any way. 

In fact, it would be plausible to say that Commodus was also his own enemy at times - fighting his conflicting urges, trying to create an identity for History to remember him by. (Should he be Commodus the Invincible or Commodus the Merciful?)

Nevertheless, he still keeps his head held high at the end of the day - never once do we see him attempt to give up the throne or drown himself in vices (like women, gambling, etc.) to try to escape from his duty as Emperor. He never lost his determination to be the best Emperor he could be. 

7) Your Hero is Only as Good as Your Villain Is

This is by far one of the most interesting parts about stories involving a Hero’s Journey archetype. Based on the types of things the villain metaphorically “throws” in the hero’s way, audience members get to see the hero’s adaptability and even the depth, or the extent, to which the hero is truly heroic (or not). 

(Side note: this gif is freaking adorable. He looks like a (big) little boy enjoying himself. I once watched this on loop for a solid five minutes.)

In Gladiator, Commodus is someone that many love to hate, but also many love to sympathize. Commodus’s desires to be a successful (and popular!) Emperor and a devoted son are things people see within themselves as well. This complex mixture results in a character that needed something as unforgivable as patricide or incestuous-looking actions in order for the filmmakers to tell the audience, “You are not supposed to be cheering for him. You’re supposed to cheer for the vanilla, goody-two-shoes guy.” 

However, with the amount of things Commodus does to seem relatable or even likable by the audience, Maximus is expected to do more or show more heroism and charisma to be really considered the ‘good guy’ of this story. It’s something that each and every viewer decides for themselves.

8) Commodus is more attractive than Maximus

Now, this is not a comparison between Joaquin Phoenix’s and Russel Crowe’s looks- I think “People” magazine can do a better job of this than me. 

(My ex-friends fawn over Maximus, I’ve found friends that think Commodus is more gorgeous...the feud never ends, folks.)

Commodus is definitely more charismatic, offering plenty more for the attentive audience member to dissect in his personality. His actions and emotions attract viewers into asking questions and even creating their own theories to understand what makes him tick. 

Maximus, on the other hand, offers nothing of that sort. His profile ends at just, “loves his family, wants to do the right thing.” This is the main reason I call his character ‘boring’ - he brings no element of mystery. With him, what you see is pretty much what you get.

So there you have it, everyone. This is why I personally appreciate Commodus as a character more than Maximus.  Sorry I made this super long; I really like analyzing movie characters. I hope you liked reading this and I would love to hear your opinions. Feel free to comment or message me directly.

[rksakura]

🔊: gogobebe ( lyrics + lines ) | 👚 trio performance with 💖 sakura, yuri, & xuxi! mentions: @rkmason​, @rkxkikwang​, @rkchoutzuyu​, @rkkenta​, @hyojinrk​, & @rkkyungsoo​

tw: anxiety!

the more the merrier, the better. this theme's featuring three bodies instead of two, which feels like a small group performance. which gets sakura pumped up, eager to work harder so that she holds up to the team. signs of trepidation flow through her though, that seems to be on every episode that she feels the tension itching but she can only focus her intent on having fun to come up with a piece with her new group! eliminations are inevitable every round, there's no point in wasting time dwelling on a circumstance bound to happen as written out by the judges based on impressions and several opinions.

she spends her days in the practise studio, working more and more on to pick up her vocals as she wasn't only going to rap this time. there are moments when she sits down and ponders thoroughly that she should've pressed on with her choir lessons but she'd already found a strong drive for rapping and its unique elements. she truly admires yuri and xuxi for being such hard-working individuals, the pace that they go through pushing themselves through it all, she lets the two know that she appreciates all of their hard-working whether through statements or gestures.

still, there's not a moment when she doesn't think about her friends or the fact any of the two other than herself have the potential to be eliminated. that's how it usually goes, right? rather, there are remnants of favouritism from the judges but she'd like not to trap herself within her own mind. the thoughts aren't on the brighter side so sakura shakes her head away as it'd only shuddered her, render her swelling with nervousness and going back to where she'd been so hesitant to reveal her face to the public before she'd reach this breaking point, blooming with confidence and becoming a better performer comes from trial and error!

not too long ago, just about a year. those were the days when she'd only discover that she'd been comfortable enough to put her musical content out in the world through the form of social media but never going out of her way to actually audition. this isn't the first time that she did it but she'd take every opportunity she could find to attend them in hopes to expand her knowledge and throughout, meet all sorts of other people that shared the same interest: a passion for music. it was a promise she'd carry out for tzuyu and kikwang, even gray that she'd enter. the truth is, she didn't expect herself to make it here. all the way to episode five but tonight, that could be changed. if she comes down to that fate, at least she knew that she did her best at the end of the day. that she sang, rap, and danced her heart out.

the building has such a warm atmosphere to it, maybe it's the fact that she isn't daunted and everyone has been nothing but kind souls to sakura. she'd do her best to return the gesture by putting out the same matter, with smiles and greetings. small meetings during lunches and small talks. she loves the friendliness and lightheartedness that flows through the room when she's listening to music or moving her body to a beat of the song. it doesn't feel forced, nobody hates one another or feels like strangers. this is the specific kind of environment that she aims to surround herself with all the time.

she hadn't met xuxi prior to this, but left a great impression with his performance on the last episode! she'd gotten to know him a bit more, exchanging contact information and numbers so that she didn't lose track of a new friend that she'd been excited to meet and even have the honour to work with him on the stage, alongside yuri. seeing the girl who she shares a cordial friendship with off-the-set and have dorky adventures with yena ( which sakura still wishes even now that she'd be here with them ), she's just glad to see her friends really.

tweaks are made with the choreography and dividing the lyrics out to three people, originally four and she finds herself having to dance, rap, and sing at the same time. she has to take some time at home to polish her vocals and breath stability whilst dancing. she'd have a small rap part given to her as both xuxi and yuri are strong vocalists. she believes that the only factor she found intimidating was the capabilities they had as vocalists with remarkable techniques and unforgettable charisma. she couldn't be on that level but her dreams are coming true slowly, she's grateful to even step on the trc building which is her dream company. it piqued her interest right off the bat when she came to south korean soil a year ago.

the outfit choice came down to light-colored suits. sakura could use a cool outfit to keep in her closet to use for another occasion. she had a good day shopping with the two. shopping's a favourite hobby of her's but she didn't like to overindulge unless she needs to. she'd have a horrible history in the past with using her debit card, her parents were from wealth but she didn't like to present that side about her upfront. at least, she's doing better with handling money now.

it's not long until the big day hits. her alarm sets off, she rises up from her bed with messy, untidy hair. sakura finds that it's easier to pack her items in her backpack and change her outfit in the bathroom. but with a suit, it's a tad bit complicated and she tries to pack the items carefully so that the condition doesn't look worn out with wrinkles all over. the clothing's covered with plastic so that nothing stains the high-quality item. she takes a small apple and banana with her for a small breakfast, starting off her day. the time comes up when it's time for her to go filming. she sets out to her designated destination, entering the building and greeting familiar faces. she'd arrive here early to see the others perform as she liked to stay longer even though she could have gone home, it was way better to see performances in person. being there physically, right at the moment is more exciting than seeing it on a flat-screen.

she spots mason, he's one of the first few to perform up. before he sets on that stage, sakura wanted to wish him luck and let him know that he's got this. kyungsoo's there as well, she walks up to him and greets him a hello, waving her hand and smiling at the male. first, she was speaking english with mason and korean with kyungsoo then she switches over to japanese with kenta, yelling out "頑張ってください "! ( ganbatte kudasai ; translation: good luck! ). then, she sets out to find the chairs are and finds yuri immediately. heyaaa!" she hugs her friend briefly before pulling away to sit down on her assigned seat. hyojin is someone she couldn’t forget to visit! she wants to make sure she gives him the best wishes.

once she hears their names being called up, that's when she knows she has to stand up from her seat and have an upbeat smile on her face! she introduces herself along with the others on the stage, bowing politely prior to letting the background music play. she finds a state of reassurance and relaxation when she releases some distressed sighs and takes a couple of deep breaths. she can sense the pressure already from the eyes. she's facing the judges and looks down on the ground then back up. in a moment of deep thought, she takes the few seconds to thank her goddess, amaterasu and says her prayers. 

the tempo starts playing, the sound's ebullient and uplifting. the dance isn't exactly difficult to tag along with, just sultry in some segments but she can work with the theme and calibrate herself. xuxi starts with the first line and it's a nice sound to it. yuri then sings with her angelic voice. she's grinning and jamming to the song energetically, sakura moves to the centre and delivers her rap portion of the song. she doesn't have a hard time pronouncing the korean as the lines were short, her flow is smooth and clean. her australian accent can be heard when rapping in english words.

야야 하루아침에 내가 변한 건 아냐 별거 아닌 거에 의미 갖지 마 인마 괜한 ANTIPATHY 등 떠민 적 없지 아이고 아이고 BUTTERFLY 그냥 잔을 부딪쳐 짠

she's got a lot of zeal. getting a good night's rest, her sleeping schedule has been better this week than the recent month that has gone by. she's cluttered with piles of schoolwork on the side, there's also the aquarium volunteer work that she's been doing for her internship. she's managed to take a couple days off from the volunteer work instead of being there five days a week, it was down to two as of the moment. she's astonished at the high notes that yuri and xuxi are able to reach. she's skipping on the stage with a curve on her lips and her eyes forming to a crescent shape. she switches in between the formations, staying on the side and drops a small line. 

DROP DROP DROP

she moves to the sound of the beat, primarily a drum-based noise and she's quick to pick up on it, moving her body as she prepares to transition over to singing. while she may not belt out notes and do runs and riffs, sakura could hold a note and tune with the sound of her voice, soft and airy, also lighthearted. she doesn't want to hold any of the others back sakura can show her own shining charisma with her charms!

너와 나의 MIX AND MATCH 빼지 말고 DRUNKEN

고고베베

sakura forms in a line with xuxi and yuri, in the center and winks at the camera cutely, with a cheeky grin on her face as she finds the meaning in the song that the best thing to do is enjoy living in the moment. she has minor levels of anxiety and which is what contributed to her being afraid to go on the stage and presence left unknown in the music industry until she found people who helped find out the possibilities of her blooming talents! being with xuxi and yuri gives her that sentiment, she'll remember being on the stage with her friends.

LOOK UP THE HERE FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS 난 나의 피사체 무시해 잔소린 음소거 CLICK CLICK 삑 이렇다저렇다 가타부타 꼭 말 많은 애들이 먼저 영화에선 DIE해 SO RAISE 자기애

she places her hand on her hip, following through the choreography and raps one more time. her rapping style has cuteness but is also chic, she's trying to go for more of a sassy and chic vibe! from the genres, she's experimented with being on the mnet global auditions made her a capable and versatile rapper. she'd been discouraged in the past that she couldn't rap cause her sound wasn't suited for rapping or she didn't fit the "criteria" but that didn't stop sakura, she views it as empowerment to continue to pursue what she wanted to do and develop her skills in rapping. xuxi takes over singing and his deep voice is a smooth transition from her rap.

 DROP DROP DROP

너와 나의 MIX AND MATCH 빼지 말고 DRUNKEN

she sings the best she can, the lines aren't very hard either. xuxi and yuri are in charge of belting and harmonies, she's responsible for rapping and the rendition of the piece came out lovely. she's learned a thing or two about harmonizing in groups, breath control's essential to singing, just as much as rapping relies on that too. together, all of the three dance and sing! her favourite part about the song is the beat. she moves her hips, swaying them and her hand gestures are lively!

고고베베

sakura sings her line and then continues to jam to the sound of yuri's sweet voice. 

NINE / SIX SIX NINETEEN NINE / SIX 고고베베

her pre-recorded voice is louder than her rapping out loud, ringers and she breaks into several poses before stretching her leg out as part of the dance. then, pulls herself back up and continues rapping while holding the microphone carefully. xuxi and yuri are singing in between lines after.

너와 나의 MIX AND MATCH 빼지 말고 DRUNKEN

the song was coming to an end soon, that was her last line and it was short and simple. the korean words in this song weren't hard for sakura to memorise either, she got them within an 'or two. she grins and holds up a peace sign as she enjoys the last half thirty seconds she has on the stage before the next trio comes up! running her fingers through her hair, she skips and dances happily. the formation of the choreography was adjusted to make it three instead of four! she sings one more time, harmonising with yuri and xuxi. lastly, she makes a pose prior to the song being cut.

it's ended.

she takes a bow and thanks the contestants and judges for their time, waving both hands in the air to say her goodbye and leaves off with a smile on her face. she'll definitely stay longer until the show ends to see how everything else turns out. it's better to be safe than sorry anyway. it seems that this day, the nervousness is rising back up once she's not on that stage anymore. music is a source of peace for sakura, helping her when she feels that there's a strain in her feelings or when everything else didn't feel right. the fire is growing in this competition, sakura didn't want to feed into it. the best weapon is to smile!

[binnsowen]

Assassination Vacation Tour: Review

From the beginning of queuing, to the tiring taxi journey home, the atmosphere around Resorts World was electric. Even from turning up to the surprisingly short line at midday, the weather-battered, homeless-looking groups of fans seemed to still be full of energy, despite clearly looking like they’ve been there since the early hours of the morning. However, as exciting as this day panned out to be, it slowly got less and less exciting as the wait grew more and more. Keeping us outside for an extra 1 and half hours wasn’t the best decision on the staff’s behalf. Nonetheless, as soon as my ticket was scanned and I was in, the excitement I reminisced at the beginning of waiting instantly came flooding back, and the buzz was back in the air. After grabbing food, drinks and any merchandise that took my fancy, then came probably the strangest way of moving to the standing area I’ve ever encountered. The first 100-or-so people in the queue were stamped and given a number on the way in, and these numbered people had to stand in another queue in numerical order. We were then told to walk towards the standing area, in a single file line without pushing, shoving or trying to run to the front. To be honest, I’m surprised we weren’t asked to sit in our rows with our legs crossed and our finger over our lips. It was as if I was back in first school. It also doesn’t do them any favours as we were given a safety brief before the acts came out. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself and ask ‘When has this ever happened at a concert before?’. Despite all of this, I secured my place at the barrier, trying my hardest not to let the girl behind me elbow her way in front of me. It was only then, at this moment in time, that it hit me, at the same time it hit everyone else. The main reason all 15,000 people were there, for one reason and one reason only: to wait a further 3 hours for the supporting act and Tory to finish and go mad when Drake comes out.

Baka was the only supporting act; and despite it wasn’t the largest, he drew in quite the crowd and was the perfect act to hype everyone up for the remaining artists to appear later on in the night. I couldn’t help but feel bad for Baka though. Even though his set was strong and consistent, it didn’t quite have that ‘wow’ factor as any other performer would. And the worst thing? There isn’t anything that he can do as of now that will help that. Because, in terms of concerts, the only way to impress a large audience from the get-go is to be well cemented into the industry, so to speak. As I was looking around the arena, I noticed that almost 3 quarters of the seats weren’t even filled, and simply because nobody cares about who’s on stage at this time. Especially if it is someone that they haven't even heard of, as I could hear a few people from way back in the standing section question who Baka even was. Which goes to show, in hip-hop, the fans are reserved for those who are on top of the game and know how to finesse the business. Which I think, is extremely unfair, but that point is for another time.

After an hour of Baka’s set, then came Tory Lanez. And with him, came along a lot more hype and anticipation. This point in the night is where the butterflies in your belly begin to shake violently with excitement, as a 5 foot 7 inch Canadian darts around the stage screaming into a microphone, dressed in a varsity jacket, skinny jeans and high top vans. Lanez’s music never fails to get you into that high-school-party, drunk-and-high-at-the-same-time, I-think-I-can-sing-esque mood, and this mood only heightens when you see him perform live. Girls were going crazy for him singing about the birds that he’s slept with on songs like LUV, Say it and recently released Freaky, and the lads were waiting for the mosh-pit bangers to come such as Shooters, Litty and Ferris Wheel. So his performance was unsurprisingly diverse, and could appeal to any listener. And with the addition of Baka before hand, it was strategic placing them together as Tory supported the hype that Baka had created perfectly. The best thing however, was the fact the security has to literally pick him up and throw him back on the stage after he’d been for a spot of crowd surfing. I was creasing at the fact that he could've probably jumped back up, but it was as if they threw him back up just to take the mick. His set then came to a close, and then came the final interval of the evening, with nobody else to perform other than the man of the hour, or 7 hours in this instance.

After about 30 minutes of standing around, the interval music came to a stop and the lights began to dim. This alone was enough to send the audience into hysterics, as they screamed at the top of their lungs recording nothing but an empty stage. But the stage wasn’t empty for long, however it wasn’t filled with a bearded rapper from Toronto, it was filled with a square curtain covering the entire stage floor being lowered from the ceiling. When it hit the floor, images of palm trees, coconuts and hula girls were vibrantly projected onto the curtain and the theme music to Austin Powers was played. At this moment, I wondered whether or not I was at the show. I was looking around to see if people were as confused as I was, but they all seemed to be hypnotised by the silhouettes of a horny spy. But as the projections disappeared, there happened to be somebody behind the curtain. Somebody tall, in a Louis Vuitton assault vest, holding a microphone. Seeing this outline made the crowd even more hysterical. It was at this moment that the introduction of 8 out of 10 began playing, and then the figure came to life, rapping along to it. Because I was stood at the barrier, I could see slightly through the curtain and could easily tell that the figure was Drake, if it wasn’t obvious enough. After the first verse ended, the curtain was raised to reveal the 6 God himself, live in the flesh. A part of me couldn’t believe it. That was the real Drake, stood a couple of meters in front of me. And as his performance went on, it wasn’t settling in any more.

Drake’s live performances are a priceless experience. From the clever use of pyrotechnics to the talented back up dancers that accompanied him on stage, you can clearly tell that Drake is at his best when he is on stage. Despite this, it pains me to admit that I felt his show was rushed and disorganised. Some songs were left unfinished, which was a shame because the older Drake songs on the set list (arguably his best era) were played for about 10 seconds each. To rub salt in the wound, they were all played with no breaks or intermission between each other. So in a sense, there was no real point in playing them at all. It was almost as if he had somewhere much better to be than there. Because of this, I found it hard at times to engage with him and with what he was doing, even though I desperately wanted to. Nevertheless, he still managed to put out an exceptional performance of his recent music. The transitions between certain tracks were executed smoothly, and his delivery of them were executed even more so. I really managed to notice the diversity of Drake as an artist whilst watching him, which is a skill I see many other rappers attempt but fail. He can easily perform a song such as Jumpman with the expected energy and charisma, and then manage to calm himself and the arena down with a soft and soppy performance of Peak. He can have any audience on strings and is in complete control of how they act and feel throughout his performance. To obtain this skill to such a degree is something that no other musician has, which is one of the many reasons that Drake is the best performer out of today’s generation of rappers; and probably the best rapper out of them too. But again, that’s for another time.

To summarise, Baka and Tory Lanez hyped the night up perfectly; no other 2 acts could’ve done it better. However, Drake could’ve handled that hype a little bit better and his delivery of certain songs could’ve been a bit more consistent. But this slight criticism doesn’t diminish his performance in any way, shape or form: it was a quality show. Was it worth going? Absolutely. Was it worth £120 and a 7 hour wait? Absolutely not. I cannot recommend going to any Drake concert enough. It is an experience that cannot be matched by any other artist simply because of how much of a natural born performer he really is. But my only piece of advice would be to choose wisely. If you’re going to pay that much and wait that long, go to Canada and see him there. I feel as if it would've been worth that much if there was some sort of after party to go to, or some form of exclusives included in the ticket price. Whether that be merch or a smaller show or whatever, it just wasn’t quite £120 material. But one thing is for certain, I look forward to the release of Drake’s next album that he said he would be working on as soon as the Assassination Vacation is over. So if he was to rush the next 11 shows, I wouldn't mind at all.  

[letmecomplainnow]

Melodifestivalen 2019 Deltävling 4 Review

Wow this was on the same level of quality as Deltävling 3 in 2018. It was bad. But I'm in too deep to give up now.

1. Pagan Fury - Stormbringer

I'm going to enjoy anything vaguely comparable to Evanescence so this was awesome. Melfest usually has a compulsory rock act that doesn't leave much of an impact; they're just the rock song. But this was such a great performance. The decision to include dancers on the stage instead of the rest of the band (as they don't play live) is such a cool artistic choice, making this really unique. Her vocals were amazing, the staging was dynamic and interesting, and I really liked the song. I've seen a few people complain that this wasn't intense enough and not really metal. But who are we kidding, this is essentially bubblegum schlager disguised as folk metal with amazing styling. I thought this had a possibility of going to andra chansen but ultimately, I'm not that surprised it came last. Melfest votes usually go to the safer acts.

2. Anton Hagman - Känner dig

After listening to this again, I don't think it's that bad. It's a perfectly pleasant pop song. However, this left such a mediocre impact on first listen/watch. The chorus isn't different enough from the choruses and the chorus lacks a clear hook. I thought the "cloning" effect on stage looked pretty good. However, that meant the viewer focused on the visual gimmick rather than paying attention to the melody. If the performance made better use of camera cuts and were less static, I think this could've stood a chance. But as it stood, it's elimination was kind of unavoidable.

3. Lisa Ajax - Torn

To be fair to Lisa, the fan hype around this entry was impossible to live up to. People said this was a Eurovision winner after hearing the snippet. It's a good song and Lisa sings it brilliantly, but it's not a Eurovision winner. The melody in the chorus is memorable for a ballad like this and the simplistic stage show is pretty powerful. However, I was constantly waiting for it to get going. I expected some drums or a beat of some sort to kick in so I'd be really blown away. Instead, the song slowly builds over the three minutes. And you can appreciate this more on the second listen when you know what to expect. But still, I don't think it's a clear Melfest winner like many said. Especially since Wiktoria has a much more accessible ballad.

4. Arvingarna - I Do

This is exactly what I expected so I don't really have a lot to say. It just screams "second chance qualifier that performs twelfth in the final and is tanked by the juries". I actually thought this would go direct as Sweden usually treat themselves to one "joke" act going straight to the final every year. It was fun enough, and it's kind of iconic that one of the band members couldn't make it because they were on holiday.

5. Bishara - On My Own

Ughhhhhh I don't want to be mean because he's only fifteen but wow I don't enjoy this. I should have seen this coming with Benjamin Ingrosso on the songwriting team. Benjamin's uptempo songs are fantastic but his ballads are dire (which is why I didn't really like Identification). This reminded me of Italy's Junior Eurovision entry in 2014. Boy singing a dated ballad with kind of inappropriate lyrics given their age. Performing fifth in the last semi final, relying a lot on charisma, this really reminded me of Frans. And I can see him doing really well in the televote in the final. But I can't see international juries going for this. His voice isn't bad, I just hope it doesn't drop before the final.

6. Ann-Louise Hansson - Kärleken Finns Kvar

Once again, it's exactly what I thought it would be. Perfectly fine but nothing to motivate me to support it. Her voice is nice. The staging was pretty boring. I'll be interested to see how much the new voting rules influenced her placing.

7. John Lundvik - Too Late For Love

So, John's probably going to win? John has a strong voice, the song is very jury friendly and I can see the Swedish public getting behind him (he's doing very well on Spotify despite the dreadful studio version of this song). This sounds amazing live; the gospel singers are the real stand out. I have to say I was disappointed with the staging. Usually the act performing last in the last semi has really memorable and unique staging (Måns, Molly, Loreen, Mariette) whereas John's performance looked pretty standard. But it's difficult not to get behind this song when you hear it live.

My Prediction On The Night

Final: John Lundvik, Arvingarna

Second Chance: Bishara, Pagan Fury

5th: Lisa Ajax

My Personal Ranking

Final: Pagan Fury, Lisa Ajax

Second Chance: John Lundvik, Arvingarna

5th: Anton Hagman

[bettsfic]

Whaaaa have u finished s5?????!!!! THOUGHTS???

i mean overall, critically speaking, it was probably one of the best single seasons of any teen tv show i’ve ever watched. like top 10, up there somewhere with buffy s2. the plot was tightly wrought, most things that happened made sense (which is something i’ve learned to let slide with this show), and every character had a reasonable motivation for doing what they were doing. granted, the bar was painfully low after s3 and 4, but i think if i picked up this show at s5 without seeing any of the prior seasons i still would have loved it.

THAT SAID, because i have seen the rest of the series, some of the OOC elements bothered me. i only saw a few glimpses of clarke’s history as the great wanheda (that quick knife to niylah’s throat? NICE). i didn’t like that all of her motivation had been reduced to motherhood when we’ve seen her in the past as a leader and lover and fighter and healer. BUT i also really loved the clexa moments, which didn’t feel cheap at all to me, and made clarke’s relationship with madi much more interesting after several cringey moments of “i’m willing to torture you to protect you.” similarly i didn’t like that abby’s character was reduced to her addiction and that guided everything she did. i like addiction narratives, but only when they’re not a plot device, which this very much was.

conversely, i think bellamy became more complex somehow, and his arc made sense -- he had six years in space to think on shit, and that changes a person. he continues to be probably the only truly trustworthy character on the show (i mean trustworthy to the audience) because his sense of loyalty is consistent and overrides all other traits, and his conflict (like captain america’s) always involves the compromise of his loyalty. in the case of this season, the people he’d spent six years with, or his sister, who is only a shadow of the person she once was. bellamy remains one of my favorite television characters of all time. (also note, i LOVED his fight scenes this season -- i can’t tell if it’s bob or the choreographers but all of them were really beautifully done, and it was a refreshing change of pace to not see him constantly beaten down every other minute. his face was only bloodied in one episode all season!!). 

BELLARKE?? the bellarke moments were so good and so infuriating. as much as i appreciated them, i just kept thinking about what the show would be like if they’d gone canon at different points earlier on, and how that would make their relationship so complex. if they’d been together during praimfaya and bellamy spent six years thinking she was dead. if they had the same ride-or-die loyalty of monty and harper or the passion of murphy and emori, and how much more interesting that would make the show and the characters and -- well, i also firmly believe that any romance arc shouldn’t stretch over 5 seasons, so at this point it’s looking more like a gimmick to keep people watching, and i think if it were really confident in its quality, it wouldn’t need to use slow burn romantic tension to engage its audience. too much build-up ruins the breaking point, ya feel? five seasons is enough.

anyway. raven, sadly, never gets a character arc in order to let her either grow or shrink because, being the engineer, she’s always forced into a function of plot. in every season, her job is to move a machine from point A to B, and her obstacle is always physical torture. it’s a shame because i think lindsay’s performance is so good. i dug zeke’s character and their romance, though, so i hope to see more of that in s6. 

and murphy. wow. for the first time we get an actual internal arc. even if it’s as blunt and heavy-handed as a brick, murphy had no clear-cut external goal, and everything about his growth this season was his internal acceptance of usefulness and heroism. as i type this i’m seeing a pattern, though, because emori, despite having a very interesting potential arc as grounder-turned-engineering-apprentice, was reduced to a function of murphy’s self-realization. i would have liked more development for both characters, because i think they were really close to something epiphanic that never got fully formed and had the potential to advance the moral cornerstones of the story.

ugh, echo. fuck echo. i think the only way she could be redeemed to me is if she showed bellamy the same loyalty she had once shown roan, and bellamy, rather than turning that loyalty romantic, would have dismissed it as being forced and toxic and destructive, so echo would be forced to actually consider herself as an individual rather than a member of a unit. but everything about their relationship was so sloppily done, and i found myself looking away whenever she was on screen. (which is not at all about the performance, which, again, was stellar.)

monty and harper provided a fraction of a wider perspective toward fixing what i think is the ultimate problem of the show, which is that the writing seems grossly unaware of its own moral assumptions. and maybe i’m projecting because i recently got that same feedback from an author i really admire (and he was right) but i may have internalized it so much i see it in other things now. monty and harper provided a much-needed “we don’t have to participate in this, and there are other solutions to be found” pacifist perspective which really helped round-out the season and provided a breath of fresh air to an otherwise exhaustingly dark plot. 

diyoza? stellar. perfect. wonderful. 10/10. a competent, lawful neutral to act as a foil to octavia’s chaotic neutral leadership. i liked that she was pregnant, but i disliked that her motivation and mcreary’s weakness was reduced to their feelings about that pregnancy, so it felt like just a gimmick to manipulate the plot and tip the scales against mcreary. 

kane is always fab, but i’m biased because i think henry ian cusick is the second best actor on the show. i wish he was more coherent as a character. as it stands he’s just kind of silly putty that gets formed into whatever he needs to be. i would be SO HERE for a kane/diyoza/abby triangle (which i would turn into an OT3 immediately). the daddy vibes this season were great. 

one of the most understated characters has always been indra, played by the best actress on the show, adina porter. this season i really adored her relationship with gaia. i don’t think i’ve ever seen a mother/daughter relationship as formal and loving as theirs, and how it seamlessly encompassed their respective love/worship of octavia. they’re a good example of characters how further the plot but also get to be actual characters. idk why it’s so hard for this show to figure out the difference between plot devices and characters but it’s really hit or miss.

aaaaand then there’s octavia. i was pissed earlier in the season that jaha was killed off just for the sake of landing some leadership advice, because i really liked jaha’s character and (like many of the more competent characters who are put into the hands of incompetent writers [see: lexa]) thought he’d been poorly utilized the past 3 seasons. i don’t get why octavia was the leader at all?? like, kane, indra, abby, and jaha were all more qualified, and they were all in the bunker together. i think there was supposed to be some commentary on charisma and loyalty or something but it got lost in the heavy-handed “we do what it takes to survive” and “we pursue violence for peace” rhetoric that oversaturates the entire show because jroth can’t think of anything deeper or more meaningful to say about the complexity of being (and it’s what will probably get the show canceled in the next year or so -- no growth in moral reasoning = no new drama to be found). the only part that really sold me was octavia’s decision to shoot the people who refused to eat, even though i thought it was a dumb premise to begin with, because the flashback was well-placed and the performance was great, and it showed a genuine breaking point between octavia and blodreina. 

if i had written the season, there were a lot of things i would have done differently (we get this ominous shot of the worms that doesn’t amount to anything, and a twist ending that felt cheap even if it was emotionally compelling), but in comparison to the prior seasons, i commended this season on not pulling its punches on the practical details like it’s always done (clarke eating windshield bugs to survive), threading in the consequences and details from all the prior seasons and the show’s own canon (abby using The Blight to motivate octavia into forcing everyone to eat), and overall slowing the fuck down (the entire season leads up to one [1] battle). 

i don’t think the show will ever fully recover from lexa’s death, which decimated its fanbase and lost trust in the writing, but s5 put up a decent mulligan of s4 to wrangle the juvenile moral quandaries the show attempts to assert. if s6 can advance the philosophical implications of its own world, lose the “our people” bullshit jargon, and focus on the fucking characters which is the only reason anyone watches the damn show, then i think it could really be up there with the other cult faves like buffy and star trek and supernatural. 

[rhainontheshelves]

Hey could I request 94 & 87 for Rocky?

A/N: In light of the Astro comeback, I finally ditched my original idea for this and came up with this! Thanks for being patient for a year and 4 months! Happy New Year, and happy reading! - Rhin

#94: “I had a bad dream again.”

#87: “Stay awake.”

    You woke up in a sweat, your heart racing and mouth dry. Your head whipped to the left, expecting someone to be there, but all there was was the piercing light of your alarm clock, reading 1:15 AM. Sighing, you covered your eyes with your arm and did some breathing exercises to calm down. It’s okay. Everything’s over, you’re fine.

    Finding the familiar worn plastic in between your mattress and the bed frame, you pulled out your phone and dialed your best friend Minhyuk.

    “Oh, please be awake, please be awake.” you muttered as the other end rang. At the last second, he picked up and relief washed over you.

    “Hey (Y/N), what’s up?” Minhyuk’s low and scratchy voice came over a bit too loud. It was obvious that he was tired, but he often stayed up late to choreograph songs for his group. You could faintly hear music in the background, further confirming what you knew.

    “Are you at the building?”

    “Yeah, why?”

    “Is it alright if I come over for bit? Or would I be destroying your creative process?” You tossed in a teasing tone. He often told you that he liked being alone so he wouldn’t get distracted, but you knew that having someone there to listen to his ideas and give him feedback helped him a lot. He recognized this too, but most of the time was too stubborn to admit it, so you two threw around the “creative process” joke whenever times like this came around.

    “My creative process is and always will be intact,” he retorted, feigning offense. “It doesn’t care if you’re here or not.”

    Laughing, you rolled out of bed and started changing into your go-to leggings and hoodie. “I take that as a yes.”

    “No, I wouldn’t want my BFF’s company at 1 in the morning! Of course you can come over. I’ll unlock the side door for you.”

    “Cool. Thanks, man.”

    “No problem. See you in a bit.”

    “Yep!” With that, you hung up and slipped on some sneakers. Grabbing your keys and a hair tie, you left your apartment and walked to Fantagio.

    About 15 minutes later, you pulled open the side door and walked down the dark hallway. The light from the practice room and the faint playing of Call Out guided your steps to Minhyuk.

    “Hey, close the door! You’re letting all the cold air in,” Minhyuk called from the middle of the room. You were standing in the doorway, watching his fluid movements and the little quirky ones as he tried to figure out what should be next.

    “It’s burning up in here! You need some cold air,” you fully entered and set your keys down on the table next to his phone.

    “It’s perfect in here, thank you very much. Besides, you’re wearing a hoodie!”

    “Because it’s cold outside! It’s winter, Minhyuk!” you shook your head. “Where were we going with this?”

    “Honestly, I have no idea.”

      “I don’t know either.” Plopping on the couch, you started scrolling on your phone. Soon, a sweaty and kinda smelly Minhyuk joined you.

    “To what do I owe this visit?” he asked, not-so-sneakily looking over your shoulder at your screen.

    “I had a bad dream again.”

    “Again? Why was I not aware of these?”

     You shrugged, trying to push the recollections to the back of your mind. “They don’t happen too often, and they don’t include you, so you didn’t need to know.”

     Out of the corner of your eye, you saw possibly the biggest eye roll known to mankind. “If you’re having nightmares that keep you up past 2 in the morning, I should definitely know about them.”

    “Look, I usually wake up from them around 4, so you’re lucky this is early for me.”

    “Still isn’t a good reason,” he sing-songed.

    “Ugh, shut up Minhyuk.” you slapped him on the arm and switched to Twitter to continue scrolling.

    “What are they about?”

    You raised an eyebrow. “What?”

    “The nightmares. If you want to talk about them, then they might go away.”

    “Honestly? I’d rather go back to middle school.” you tried to be as nonchalant as you could, but there was a tremor in your voice anyway.

    “They’re that bad? Wow, they must have you really shaken up.” Concern made his eyebrows furrow and a small frown appear. The only other time you refused to talk to him about something was when you were having problems with family and choosing between the company and university. You had explained to him after it passed that you had felt like you needed to listen to yourself and not have anyone else’s opinion influencing you. He figured it was something similar this time, too. “Just know you’re not alone in this, okay?”

    You dabbed at your eyes. “Okay.”

      “Hey, do you still remember that routine we did before you left?” Minhyuk hopped up and held out his hands.

    “Hyuk, that was like three years ago! How could I remember?”

      “I could re-teach you!”

    Finally, a grin broke out on your face. “Okay, let’s do it. See if I still got my moves.”

    “They’ll come back, I don’t doubt it for a minute.”

    You took his hands, got hoisted up, and followed Minhyuk to the middle of the room, ready to dance like you used to.

~~~

    “Yeah!” you yelled, jumping up and down. “We did it!”

      You two just did the whole routine all the way through without any mistakes. It took you a bit and a lot of reminders, but eventually muscle memory kicked in and suddenly you were dancing pretty much like before you left. Minhyuk loved the moment when you realized you were matching him with minimal effort. Your eyes lit up and you grinned really big, suddenly gaining more energy and charisma. He loved this side of you.

    “Yeah! I’m so proud of you!” he mirrored your excitement, hugging you and spinning you around. “It’s just like old times!”

    “Old times.” you hugged him tighter, “I miss the old times.”

      “Me too.” he sighed, enjoying this little moment.

      You pulled away and put your hands on his shoulders. “We have to film this.”

      “We do?”

    “Yeah! So we can compare it to that video the staff took when we first mastered this!”

    “Okay. Ddoca should be around here somewhere.” Minhyuk began to look around.

    “We could just do it on our phones. Is there a tripod anywhere?” You opened a closet and found one.

    “My phone doesn’t have enough space. Ddoca probably has better filming quality, anyway.” Minhyuk pulled a little white camera out from behind the soundboard with a triumphant “Aha!”.

    “Okay.” you shrugged. “Having the company label on it would probably be safer, anyway.”

    Minhyuk laughed as he set the tripod up and screwed on Ddoca. “You know all of that is added after we film everything, right?”

     “Yeah, I know! I’m just saying that I don’t mind if the company releases it if they want to.”

      “Alright, we’re set.” Minhyuk looked up at you. “Wanna do an introduction?”

    “I guess that’s probably the best way to do things, huh?” you came and crouched next to Minhyuk. “It’s gonna be weird, though.”

    “You’ll get used to it.” Minhyuk chuckled. “Ready?”

    With a nod, he reached over and pressed record.

    “What’s up! It’s Rocky,” Minhyuk started, using his stage name out of force of habit. “Today is kind of a special edition of Y.Y.Y. I have a guest today!” He grinned as he put both arms out and gestured to you like that Will Smith meme. You shyly smiled and waved.

    “I’m (Y/N). I used to be a trainee here at Fantagio.”

      “We auditioned and got accepted around the same time, so we kinda became best friends.” Minhyuk put an arm around your shoulders, throwing you off balance and causing you to fall on your butt. You two dissolved into giggles, mostly due to it being 3:30 in the morning.

    “Dear god, we’re tired.” you said, wiping a tear from your eye. “It’s so early.”

    “Stay awake!” Minhyuk shook your shoulders. “We gotta get this done.” he went into another giggle fit.

      “Anyway, we’re best friends here to recreate a routine we learned before I left and he debuted.” You smacked him, signalling him to calm down and focus. “We spent an hour and a half relearning it, so hopefully it’s pretty similar to the original.”

    “It’s probably way better now. We’ve both matured and changed our styles, so it’ll look way different. Are you ready?” Minhyuk looked at you.

    “As I’ll ever be. Let’s go!” With that, you went to your spot, Minhyuk started the music, and you two performed.

    It felt like a huge audience was watching when it was only a camera. Nerves turned into focus. Focus on your moves, on your expressions, on the flow with Minhyuk. It felt like the old times, and that was the best feeling you had in a while. And just like old times, the routine was over way too quickly. You both froze in the ending pose, breathing heavily and grinning from ear to ear.

    Minhyuk picked you up and spun you around again, making you squeal in surprise. “Minhyuk, I swear to god-”

    “That was even better than the last time! We should have filmed the whole process.” Minhyuk continued to hold you as he walked toward Ddoca.

    “No! I would have made a fool out of myself!” you lightly smacked his head. He put you down and squatted for Ddoca again.

    “You did fine, (Y/N)! I swear, this girl is too hard on herself.” He said to the camera.

    “Do you want me to actually whack you? ‘Cause I can do that.”

    “Okay, okay, I’ll stop! Let me live.”

    “We’ll see.”

    “Uh, yeah. Anyway! We need to go, so this is Rocky and (Y/N) signing off.”

    “Hopefully we’ll get to do more stuff in the future! Bye Ddoca,” you waved once again as Minhyuk said bye and stopped recording.

    You flopped on the ground. “My legs are burning. Is that normal?”

    “You haven’t danced seriously in years. I think it’s normal.” Minhyuk chuckled.

    “Getting sleepy…” you couldn’t keep your eyes open anymore. You were warm from dancing and exhausted.

    “Ah, let’s get you home before you do that. Come on, get up.” Minhyuk grabbed your hands and pulled you up.

    Minhyuk walked you home after locking up. You yawned pretty much the whole way home, infecting him with them too.

    “Do you want to stay the night?” you asked before you entered the apartment building. “You’re just as tired as I am.”

    “I would, but Jinwoo-hyung and Dongmin-hyung are gonna have my head if I don’t go back to the dorm soon.” Minhyuk rubbed his neck.

    You frowned, but hugged him anyway. “Be safe going back, okay?”

    “I will.” He said, squeezing you once for good measure. He watched you run up the stairs and open the door to the complex.

     “(Y/N)!” Minhyuk called just before the door closed.

    You stuck your head out of the door. “What?”

    “When you have another nightmare, I’ll always be there to dance with you.”

[buddaimond]

Kristen Stewart. Androgyne. The Beautiful Boy. Gamine. Epicene. The Tomboy. Either/Or. Neither/Nor. Both.

by Sheila O Malley

(I simply HAVE to share and post this brilliant piece by Sheila about Kristen’s acting. Read her profile if you question her capability to judge)

Camille Paglia is not the only one to observe that the great movie stars – of any era – are those with androgynous characteristics. The same could be said for literary characters (people always seem to forget the cross-dressing incident with Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre), for art, for architecture. Not so much yin-yang, but a fluid back-and-forth, an effortless integration, a beckoning that can be very destabilizing. Part of star power is that destabilizing effect. Kristen Stewart is the best example we have today of an actress working in that hard-to-quantify-or-even-talk-about realm. When we talk about charisma, I’d just point to Personal Shopper, one of the best films of 2017, where the majority of the film features Kristen Stewart answering and responding to texts … seriously, that’s most of the movie … and you cannot look away.

It’s not a ridiculous over-statement to call her this generation’s Brando. Brando (I’m talking his acting persona now) was macho, brutish, carelessly and thoughtlessly Alpha (he hated those qualities in men which just goes to show you you don’t have to “like” the characters you play). However: without his sensitivity, his soft beautiful features (beautiful as opposed to handsome), and his vulnerability which – frankly – put many of his female co-stars to shame … he would not be Brando. It is the overwhelming sense of an almost feminine openness and softness, mixed with the muscly sexy body, the brawny confidence, that makes Brando Brando.

It’s almost forgotten now but one of the reasons Brando was so explosive – and also so controversial – was that no one had ever seen a leading man like that before, a leading man that vulnerable and emotional. It just wasn’t done. Screaming and crying “Stella” was not particularly … manly. It’s hard to imagine John Wayne (as much as I love him) doing such a thing. Brando punched open the door for other men, creating a larger emotional space in which they could operate. AND, in addition to all of this, Brando is also one of the most riveting people to have ever graced the silver screen. What he had – in terms of personality, beauty, intrigue – was magic. It cannot be imitated, manufactured, manipulated, or created by a PR team. Alain Delon had it. Monica Vitti had it. Cary Grant had it. Marlene Dietrich had it. Talented people, all. But with something ELSE: magic. It’s also not a surprise that all of these actors had an androgynous quality, an “other” quality, something that made you look at them closer to try to figure it out, a mysterious and self-consumed self-obsessed quality that is a powerful draw for an audience.

And to those of you out there who are Supernatural fans, this is the realm in which the green-eyed freckled Jensen Ackles works too, and is one of the main reasons I got hooked into the show, since I could not stop watching him. I’ve written about that extensively. I talk a lot about his “burlesque,” and how he seems to have consciously (or no) incorporated it into the character he plays. The character was not written that way. The character conception initially was that of Han Solo. The sexy masculine wisecracker. Ackles is tall, muscular, Alpha, casually and intuitively tough, a Leader. He is a throwback to John Wayne, which comes very naturally to him. But he’s androgynous too, in a way Wayne was not. The burlesque – the softness – the receiving type of sexuality – but it’s a receiving presented in a performative way which can seem very aggressive … it’s hard to pin this stuff down, and that’s why it’s interesting – is all him.

Kristen Stewart may not have the range of a Brando, but “range” is over-rated. Especially by many of today’s credulous film critics and many aspiring actors. I remember getting into an argument with some dumbbell actor in a class I took who compared Spencer Tracy negatively to Dustin Hoffman. “He’s always the same,” complained the dumbbell. I have a talent for making new friends so I lectured him on why he was wrong. Ever since Robert DeNiro gained all that weight for Raging Bull, radical ACTUAL transformation is what has won Oscars, is what gets the most awe-struck commentary. (And I love DeNiro. But I don’t want the OTHER kind of acting to be dismissed as “just playing themselves,” “they’re always the same”. It’s incorrect.) Old-fashioned star power … well, you can’t put a price on it. No coincidence that those who “have it” are still some of the biggest box-office draws.

Kristen Stewart is one of the most naturally charismatic, naturally gifted actresses working today. I was so pleased when my mentor from the Actors Studio, Sam Schacht, a man who studied with Lee Strasberg, who KNOWS from “Method”, listed her as one of his favorites (*great interview...click link!!) when I interviewed him, a girl who struck him as “authentic.” The very nature of authenticity means it cannot be faked. You can’t TRY to be authentic because then … you wouldn’t be authentic. It’s like the copy of a copy of a painting. Well-trained eyes can tell the difference.

You cannot take your eyes off of Kristen Stewart. Even when she is just buried in her phone.

In Personal Shopper, she is depressive, intense, thoughtful. It’s interior work. This is not an expressive character. She dresses like she’s a teenage boy, in ratty sweaters, sneakers, wool caps pulled down, a blunt-edged ponytail sticking out of the back of her head. But in one extraordinary sequence, filmed almost in one take, she tries on a dress hanging in the closet of the high-profile woman she assists. She is not supposed to be doing this. It’s hard to even conceive of this character WANTING to put on a see-through black dress with an S&M type harness underneath. As Marlene Dietrich croons “Das Hobellied” in the background, Kristen Stewart strips down, and … languorously, slowly … puts on the harness, pulling at the straps to give her more breathing room. The straps though bind her down. Her bare breasts emerges between the straps. She stares at herself, completely unselfconscious in her near-nudity. She thinks again, takes off the harness, and slips on a black see-through bra. On with the harness again. The straps constrict her. She looks like she’s being served up as some male fantasy. And maybe she’s trying that on for size. Being a male fantasy is not entirely a bad thing, you know. I would also suggest that women love to look at beauty too. She’s a female fantasy too. But she doesn’t strut. Or pose. Or “act sexy.” She stares at herself. She slips on leopard-print shoes with dizzyingly high heels. She walks around the apartment.

Marlene Dietrich – one of the most famous androgynes who ever lived, accompanies this strange slim boyish girl in her transformation.

The sequence ends with her lying in the bed – wearing the dress – and masturbating. Is she thinking about anyone? The Unknown texter? Or herself, and the memory of her reflection in the mirror? Or both?

It’s one of the sequences of the year. And why? Nothing happens. It’s like any other “play dress-up” scene, a version of the well-known “fashion montage” in countless other films. Assayas knows what he’s playing with, knows we will come to such a sequence with preconceived notions and expectations. He doesn’t oblige us, though. Neither does Stewart. What goes on in that sequence is something else entirely. She is beautiful boy, pre-teen tomboy, glamorous woman, simultaneously. With deference to Camille Paglia, she is an extreme example of a sexual persona. And it is hers alone. The fact that she’s uncommonly beautiful … almost intimidatingly so … adds to the overall effect. And, like Marilyn Monroe, Kristen Stewart can – at will – depending on the project – dim her beauty. She can appear extremely ordinary. She could walk through Times Square undetected, I have no doubt.

Watch her extraordinary performance as the over-tired lawyer visiting a small town to teach classes in Kelly Reichardt’s film Certain Women. Hunched over her coffee late at night, with a long drive ahead of her, she is plain, dowdy, with circles under her eyes, almost tubercular in her exhaustion.

But she doesn’t make a big deal out of it. She does not “strut” in her plain-ness, she does not want to be congratulated for opting out of the Beauty racket.

Stewart is completely beyond those prosaic and careerist types of concerns. This is what Sam Schacht was talking about when he mentioned her authenticity.

Stewart is not vain, but she is CLEARLY aware of the effect she can have … she is not some “idiot savant”.

She knows what she’s doing.

Lots of actors know what they’re doing, though, and don’t create the captivating effect she does. She works ONLY with subtext. It’s part of her genius.

The camera is designed to pick up thoughts. She does not have to work to show that she’s thinking. She does not “act like” she’s thinking. She just THINKS, and the camera catches it. (Many actors – even good ones – “act like” they’re people. They don’t know how to BE.) What she has is total trust that the camera will catch what she’s doing. She knows she doesn’t have to act. She knows that the name of the game is not ACTing. It’s BEing.

The thought of anyone else doing the dress-up sequence in Personal Shopper makes me wince with discomfort. They’d be very busy showing us how this slim and competent and depressed boy-girl feels about what she sees in the mirror.

Kristen Stewart doesn’t “busy herself” with acting.

She stands in the harness. She looks at her breasts. She adjusts the straps. She looks in the mirror. She looks and looks and looks.

And we can’t stop looking either. At her. 

(**I’ve added a reply comment screenshot to her essay addressing criticism of Kristen’s acting, including Rob’s):

I’m baffled by those who think she’s a “log” – although I’ve heard that a lot! She does not EMOTE, even her crying is somewhat interior – she doesn’t sob.  She’s just so RELAXED onscreen and relaxation is so hard to come by, especially in acting. It’s even more extraordinary when you consider how she started out – as a teenager in this insane franchise which catapulted her to international celebrity – before she even had a chance to develop herself. Usually people like that vanish – or have a hard time finding their way.  But look at what she’s done with it!!

Same with Pattinson too. He was in TWO great movies this year.  Wildly different. Non-mainstream.

Both of them are really doing it right.  

[purplemonkeyemi]

exit, or, how i spent 2 evenings

Okay. I love writing my thoughts down. I used to do it all the time in my mid-teens, but life being as it is, I didn’t even dream of keeping that up. I don’t really know entirely why I’m writing this all down, but, I have a lot of free time and maybe one day I’ll find it amusing. I do think it’s important to discipline oneself to at least get one’s thoughts in order about things. So, this was my latest, intentional, grappling with a piece of art.

So, why “Exit”? Why did I spend, what, 3 hours or so watching about 15 different performances, in about 20 different videos, of one song from U2’s 2017 Joshua Tree tour? I’m not sure. And that’s probably why I did it. In hindsight, I feel like that’s the point in the U2 concert a couple weeks ago that I could have yelled at my husband, “Just shoot heroin in my arm next time!”… but, really, I think that had started about 8 songs earlier. Whatever the reason, I have not been able to get that performance out of my mind. I was admittedly enraptured by Bono as a performer that night, but this was different. And I couldn’t get it out of my head, like a ghost, or a shadow. Or a koan that I have to solve. I needed to interpret it to exorcise myself of it.

In a burst of girlish enthusiasm the other day, I decided I was going to find all of the high quality videos from the tour of Exit that I could find and watch them until I understood that performance. By this time I had figured out enough of my personal fascination with it—it’s very theatrical and it relies on several layers of “acting.” [I guess this requires a brief diversion into my general fascination with performers who become other people, including characters of themselves, especially relating to stage names.] BEGIN DIVERSION: Obviously, Bono is a stage name, one he’s carried for nearly (or exactly as?) long as he’s been in U2, over 40 years; it’s what everyone calls him, even his wife. But Bono, stage-Bono, like stage-the Edge, stage-Adam, and stage-Larry, like all musical artists, are, really, actors putting on a stage show. Each night, the same “costumes,” same lines, same set, same characters—they have to “be” themselves. A concert is an eleborate play. Sure, there’s some ad-lib, adapting for different audiences, etc. But those guys are “concert” versions of themselves for those 3 hours. Using Bono again, I’m 100% sure that stage-Bono, as earnest and genuine as he appears up there, is not the same Bono that his wife Ali lives with. Is the Bono that appears in public the same as Bono-at-home? Who knows, but I imagine unlikely. I can’t imagine how larger-than-life people maintain any sense of identity. I’m fascinated by all four members in this regard because they got together as 14/15 year olds and were rock gods by 20. What does that do to a person? :END DIVERSION So, one element: the performer—immersed in a multi-layered act which ends in a character created to protect himself from the darkness of the song (citation--one of several interviews I read). Bono as a real, everyday, married-with-kids-human, performing “Bono” for the audience (as much as he appears in-the-moment, and, often, utterly possessed by frenzied “in the zone”-ness), who is additionally portraying a character-- the Shadow Man—who exists only for this one song on this one tour. It’s an act, on an act, (conceivably on an act. I can’t imagine how public figures with alternate names maintain their sense of self after decades..). I bring this up, because the layers of the performance affect the interpretation. Next element: political commentary in which the song is set The lead-in to Exit (as well as the time-allowed for a significant costume change, it is theater after all), is a brief excerpt of an old television show. An enigmatic charlatan comes to an old West town claiming the only way to protect oneself and one’s home is to a build a wall. Another character calls him a liar, and the charlatan says he is the only one who can save them. Sounds familiar, right? Oh yeah, the charlatan’s name is Trump. An excellent find on the part of whoever unearthed it. Next element: song lyrics. I include them below. The song is about a wise, esoteric holy man who starts with good intentions, becomes obsessed with this idea of “the hands of love” and goes crazy (I can’t remember the details. Again, from an interview.)

And on this tour, there are two additional lyrical bits inserted at the end, which I’ll just do from memory. First, I believe, is a poem excerpt, “Where you’ve come from is gone, where you are is no good, and where you’re going was never really there.” Then a purposefully used version of “Eeeny Meeny Miny Moe,” chosen explicitly for its occasional racist uses (again, according to an interview, somewhere).

Final element: the stage—regular stage front, and a catwalk. I think the only way for me to do this is to annotate the lyrics. It should also be noted that variations occurred. BEGIN DIGRESSION: Watching this performance so many times from different concerts, it was obvious what was scripted. What was also obvious from this experiment, interviews, general observations, and such, is that during performances Bono exists in a very altered state of mind, becomes subject to his otherworldly soul, and turns into a performance artist, making choices (or being led by) based on said otherworldly soul. Clearly he can see through the haze, handling technical issues and such, but, from time to time, he seems to exist purely in the moment and interprets at will. Short version: each performance was a little different because Bono is a very free, uninhibited, one-of-a-kind spirit, especially on stage. It’s part of what makes him a fascinating human. :END DIGRESSION

So, let’s start interpreting this thing. I would like to note that, like interpreting literature, this does not always assume authorial intent. I imagine that artists of all types work as much by intuition as by purpose. Whether some of the choices made for this particular piece were logical or intuitive are irrelevant. “You know he got the cure But then he went astray He used to stay awake To drive the dreams he had away. He wanted to believe In the hands of love.”

-- Shadow Man walks with a slow saunter and swagger (rather than Bono’s charismatic, confident stride) to the mic stand; there’s some hand motions here, most importantly on “hands of love,” he rubs them together in front of his chest. Shadow Man is beginning his journey. He is intrigued, a little haunted, but earnest. He stands still at the mic stand. Sometimes, instead of sharply grabbing the mic, he pulls it, like an arrow, into his chest, in some sort of symbolic gesture. Then begins his descent. BEGIN DIGRESSION: I am/was really fascinated with how Bono interacted/interacts with his mic stand. It’s extremely physical, intimate, and borders on sexually aggressive (imagine Mad Men’s Don Draper and how he speaks to women). He stands very close, sings with his mouth basically on the mic, and takes the wireless mic with excessive force. This observation is one of performance and physical use of space. A similar energy also emerged with him and the camera.

I often try to figure out if stage/screen presence and charisma are tied to body language (conscious or unconscious); in Bono’s case, absolutely. His physical presence was inextricable from his bearing, demeanor, and his use of space/physicality. I think some of it is the learned artifice of a seasoned performer, while some of it, perhaps some of the mic dynamic, is natural and intangible charisma. I bring this up partly because Shadow Man does not have the same physical presence Bono did in the rest of the numbers—through purposeful artifice. This is a distinct character. :END DIGRESSION “His head it felt heavy As he came across the land A dog started cryin' Like a broken-hearted man At the howling wind”

--- Shadow Man begins his descent into darkness and confusion, portrayed by movement around the mic stand (yes, somewhat reminiscent of a stripper. I’ll address the song’s occasional increased sexuality in the next verse), visually representing a vortex. Now we get away from the stationary mic…

 “He went deeper into black Deeper into white. He could see the stars shine Like nails in the night.

 A hand in the pocket Fingering the steel The pistol weighed heavy And his heart he could feel was beating. Oh my love, oh my love” 

--- Shadow Man touches violence and approaches his breakdown in the frenzied beat and lighting; also, in about half of the performances, this also has very sexualized choreography and vocalizations (ours did not), which I don’t need to detail; now, I don’t know for sure, but I’m fairly certain this is part of Shadow Man’s characterization. It could also be just “In the moment” performance-artist Bono taking over his body. But since it happened as many times as it didn’t, I think it’s purposeful and thus requires reckoning. The Shadow Man has progressed another step away from himself. “So hands that build Can also pull down. The hands of love.”

-- Shadow Man walks across the stage to the catwalk, where, on repeated refrains of “hands of love” he clearly has some conversion experience as conveyed by the choreography (AKA, basically just Bono going crazy, as he does do from time to time), also occasionally sexualized. This is Shadow Man’s transformation from which he emerges as a demagogue, using his mystical fascination as a tool to control rather than build or heal. After this, Shadow Man saunters dramatically down the catwalk, exhorting the crowd to put out their hands (or put their hands to the screen, as if he were a politician of TV evangelist). Of course, the audience does extend their hands—because, of course, it’s the appropriate thing to do when a rockstar tells you to. Except, this isn’t Bono, this is the Shadow Man. This is where the performance layer comes in. The audience is taken for a ride, just like the Shadow Man’s dupes are. U2’s audience becomes the Shadow Man’s audience. This is blatantly analogous to how the “dupes” who support the man who wants to build a wall respond to and believe that charlatan (remember the video this number was introduced by). The “hands of love” could just as easily be the hands of power. They both can build up or tear down, as the lyrics state. Of course, this US presidential administration is tearing down, and this song (among others, of course) is a rebuke. Also, it’s important to note that Bono’s a charlatan too, as all performers are to a greater or lesser degree (performing Shadow Man, and performing himself as a rockstar, of course).  One could also add that he acts as a contrast to the Shadow Man, someone who has the ear of the people who tries to build up, to use his power, and hands, well. It’s perfectly constructed meta-commentary.

Next, Shadow Man gives his impassioned, broken-voiced, “Where you’ve come from is gone, and where you are is no good, and where you’re going was never really there” speech to his (U2’s) audience (all still with their hands out, as instructed). This sounds like, to me, the emotional appeal of the political right, or used on the political right. Shadow Man sounds, again, like a televangelist…or a politician. Then he approaches the camera arm, usually right up in it (sexually aggressive again), to give a crescendoing rendition of Eeny Meeny Miny Moe—working himself and the audience into a frenzy the louder, faster, and more frantic he gets. Remember, this snippet was included for its racist uses (though the traditional lyrics are used) and that the Shadow Man is a demagogue. Now he’s learned to manipulate his followers, and he’s led them to the realm of hate. (Hmmm…) The followers again are implored to put their hands “against the screen.” In one performance (perhaps the earliest one I found?) they’re even reminded to send him ten dollars, like a huckster, televangelist, or a politician. There’s a price for being swept up by the Shadow Man. The music then abruptly ends, and, during most of the performances, this happens as the Shadow Man is starting to saunter back towards the stage, and the moment it ends, he turns arounds (or stays forward, it varies), looking malicious of victorious (or is it Bono, with a look of condemnation?). Following this, Shadow Man strips of his jacket (if after one of the sexualized performances, this is still “in character” and it’s done sexually, like a striptease). Then he’s Bono again, who takes off the hat and moves into the next song as himself. Did I mention that the jacket covers a beautiful black vest embroidered (in black) of part of the US Constitution? Analyze that one. The narrative arc and political metaphor is clear and beautifully portrayed as a theatrical performance art piece, scripted yet also subject to the whims of (or forces acting upon) the artist.

It’s weird, and gorgeous, and bizarre. It’s far too layered to absorb in the moment. And I really enjoyed watching it, in various permutations, over a dozen times. When I could afford it, I remember seeing local community plays and musical repeatedly so I could see the subtle differences between performances. This was just like that. In this one Bono had to switch out his mic and remove/replace his earpieces right before the frenzied climax, interrupting the flow and breaking character, or in that one a verse was spoken more than sung, or in this one this choreography was a little different, etc. etc. Theater is alive and this piece of it caught me and would not let me go. Maybe now it will.

[alexanderhxmiltrash]

My long-winded and long-overdue Hamilton Chicago review

Here's the thing, I could go on for hours about why I love Hamilton and the impact I think it's going to have, but that's a post for another time (that will come, because I have a lot of emotions about this show). For the time being I want to offer my thoughts on the Chicago cast compared to both the original Broadway cast (OBC) and the understudies I had the privilege to see. (A word on some of my comparisons: I've seen Hamilton a few times, and at least three different actors in each role, so that's the basis of my Chicago review.)

Because of my ridiculous obsession with this show, I found myself in Chicago last week to see my favorite show yet again. I had the chance to see the show back in October doing opening weekend, and I was astounded to see how far this cast has come in five months. Don't get me wrong, they were phenomenal to begin with, but this most recent performance blew me away (pun intended).

(If you want the short and sweet version of my comments, check out the tl;dr before the cut.)

In the room where it happens

Seeing the Chicago cast twice was an interesting experience, because with the exception of the parts of Burr and Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, the cast was the same. The one constant, however, was the pure fire and energy this cast brought to the stage. They had a sort of bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed feeling that made the excitement in their eyes infectious.

Looking at the Playbill, you can see the cast is overwhelmingly younger than their Broadway counterparts. For many of them, this is their first gig, so rather than having credits of former shows and national tours, they had thank you's to parents, teachers, and God, but that doesn't mean they looked inexperienced. On the contrary, they were an unbelievably talented bunch, but they took on the show with a sense of awe and appreciation for the chance to be a part of the phenomenon.

The New York show has an energy to be because it's been rehearsed for almost two years now and works like a well-oiled machine; Chicago has the drive of a group of people who are diving in head first on an adventure into the unknown together, and it's that ethos that gives you the feeling that you're seeing the American Revolution unfold before your eyes.

The rest of my review is under the cut, but here’s the TL;DR:

Miguel Cervantes was my favorite Hamilton yet. Hurricane. Was. Incredible.

Wayne Brady somehow managed to combine the best parts of a Tony award winner (Leslie Odom Jr) and my favorite Burr (Sydney Harcourt) for a Burr that was calculated, emotional,

Joshua Henry was a new take on Burr that was very entertaining.

Jonathan Kirkland as Washington was good, but not great and only seemed lackluster because the rest of the cast was so phenomenal.

Ari Afsar gets the "Most Improved" award because her performance in October left much to be desired, but in March she was a fiery woman and a wife who did not take any of Alexander's crap - basically exactly how I imagine Eliza Hamilton.

Alexander Gemignani is obviously a Broadway vet with plenty of experience. He made King George his own in such a hilarious and captivating way.

Karen Olivo is an actual goddess and gift to this world who slayed the hell out of Angelica.

Samantha Ware was a decent Peggy, but her Maria was insane. Everything about "Say No To This" felt like I was truly watching an affair unfold.

Amber Ardolino gave quite possibly the most provocative and sexy portrayal of Maria Reynolds I've seen.

Jose Ramos is such an adorable human being and his Laurens/Philip had such admiration and respect for Hamilton. It was beautiful.

Wallace Smith's Mulligan/Madison deviated the most from the OBC simply because he is so different from original Mulligan/Madison Oak Onaodowan, but in the most wonderful way. If Javier Munoz is the "sexy Hamilton", Wallace is the sexy Mulligan.

CHRIS FREAKING LEE. I have no words. With the right actor, Lafayette/Jefferson can really steal the show, and Chris is indeed one of those actors.

(If you’re looking on my review on a specific actor, all names are bolded for scan-ability.)

What's your name, man?

Miguel Cervantes was by far the best man they could have cast to play the titular role of Alexander Hamilton. In New York, Lin Manuel Miranda was obviously a fantastic lead because he wrote the show, and his successor Javier Munoz, often called the "sexy Hamilton," brought a certain charisma and charm to the role, but Miguel seemed to take the best parts of both of them and masterfully mesh them with his own expertise.

When we first meet  Hamilton, he's seeing the world like an overly optimistic 19-year-old, and that's exactly what Miguel portrays from the second he steps on stage. What's interesting is how he grows as a character (and in age) throughout the show. Lin and Javi seemed older and almost jaded by the second act, but Miguel kept up the appearance of optimism while having someone else below the surface that you saw more when he interacted with those closest to him, his wife and Washington. In short, he was a politician.

Interestingly enough Joshua Henry as Aaron Burr had a similar quality of hiding his true feelings when interacting with Hamilton. In comparison, Leslie Odom Jr.'s Burr was very reserved, and you could almost see him seething with quiet resentment, so it was especially chilling when he challenged Hamilton to a duel. On the other hand, in New York you also have Sydney Harcourt as Burr who was a very reactive  character; you knew what Burr thinking by how he reacted to his surroundings, so it was the moments he didn't react that made you realize there was more than meets the eye.

Joshua Henry found a way to mix the reactive Burr with the Burr who had hatred against Hamilton festering inside. This created a very interesting dynamic between the two because you knew they were enemies by the end of the show, but they were pretending to be friends for the sake of appearances.

The March performance was truly a treat because Burr was played by none other that Wayne Brady. I grew up watching Who's Line Is It Anyway?, so I almost couldn't believe it when I found out he would be on stage the same time we were seeing the show. I knew he was a talented comedian, but how would he handle Burr, a character who is arguably one of the most dramatic of the show? The answer, of course, is masterfully.

My favorite Burr will probably always be Sydney Harcourt because of his reactiveness; some scenes didn't make sense to me or have as much weight when Leslie Odom Jr. performed them because his Burr was such an internal character, but I understood them with Sydney. Wayne Brady perfected that reactive nature while still having the captivating power I saw in Leslie. His only shortcoming was his dance ability, but I won't hold that against him too much. The highlight of his performance, on the other hand, was most definitely "Dear Theodosia"; this might be the first cast I've seen where both actors for Burr and Hamilton have children in real life, and the emotion behind that song was palpable.

I'll take a moment to diverge from glowing reviews to offer my minimal critique of the show: Jonathan Kirkland as Washington. I only say he wasn't my favorite because there honestly wasn't anything that stood out to me, and if I'm having trouble remembering the performance, there probably wasn't much to recall.

The one positive Jonathan had over other Washington's was he seemed to be a solid head taller than all of the "revolutionary set" and it made it feel like I really was watching a more accurate representation of the Revolution, at least in Act I. Hamilton and Co. were basically a bunch of crazy twentysomethings running around and trying to start a new country while Washington, the only real adult tried to hold it all together. That is exactly the feeling I got seeing Jonathan Kirkland looming over the rest of the cast.

The most improved performance from October to May has to be Ari Afsar as Eliza. Here's what I had to say about her in October:

"Ari's Eliza is adorable the second she steps on stage. She looks around her at a city full of change and excitement like a kid on Christmas, which is fine for the beginning stages of Eliza. My problem is that she never looses that, so you don't get a lot of development from one of the most interesting characters in the show. During Eliza's heartbreaking second act, I didn't feel for her like I did with any of the New York Eliza's. She's talented, but I think she's a little inexperienced in terms of Broadway."

I can't say enough how much more I enjoyed her performance in March. I still stand by the fact that Eliza is the most interesting character in the show, and Ari might be the most interesting Eliza I've seen to date. She wasn't this demure, sweet wife who stood on the sidelines. No, this was a woman who tried the do what was best for her husband and he resisted her at every turn.

She still had that child-like wonder in "Schuyler Sisters," and seeing her fall in love in "Helpless," was adorable, but we start to see a different woman around "That Would Be Enough." She's not just singing a sweet ballad to her husband about their future child, she's pleading with him to understand that she wants him more than his ambitions, which can be seen again in "Non-Stop" when Washington asks Hamilton to be in his cabinet; Eliza does not want him to go, and almost seems like she's lecturing him until he throws her own "Look around, look around...." line back at her. She seems to realize it's not worth trying to convince him at the end of "Take A Break." After Hamilton says he has to go, Angelica looks as if she's going to continue to persuade him, and Eliza just stops her and shakes her head.

It's these small moments that give both "Burn" and Philip's death so much more weight. All in all, she might have given one of my favorite Eliza performances, though not necessarily my favorite vocals. (Not to say she was bad, she was fantastic, just not my favorite.)

What comes next?

The actor who probably took the most liberties with their interpretation of the character was Alexander Gemignani as King George III. The defining characteristic of OBC King George Jonathan Groff was the way he portrayed emotions with nothing more than his facial expressions and tone. He hardly moved while on stage, and Rory O'Malley followed suit, but Alexander was all over the place both in voice and movement. Vocally, he didn't copy his predecessors, choosing instead to even speak some lines rather than sing them, and he pranced around the stage far more than Groff or Rory. All of this created a character who was terrifying due to his unpredictability. "I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love" felt less like a funny like in the song and much more like the promise of a power-hungry ruler.

I've thought long and hard about Jose Ramos's performance as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton and what to say in comparison to the OBC's Anthony Ramos (other than the fact that they have the same last name). I've found Jose's performance is the hardest to critique because he is so similar to Anthony in many ways yet also so different. I think overall, Jose's Laurens/Philip had a bit more innocence to them; there was a spirit of optimism to him where I saw more of a bold and flippant persona from Anthony.

I think what throws me off most is the difference in interactions of Laurens/Philip with Hamilton from Jose to Anthony. There is speculation that Laurens & Hamilton's relationship might have been more than platonic, but even if it wasn't, their bond was stronger than most. Anthony's Laurens and Lin's Hamilton (and even, really, Javi's) seemed to play this up. You got the idea that even if they were just friends, they definitely had no boundaries between them.

With Jose & Miguel, they were still obviously very close, but Jose's Laurens held such a deep admiration and respect for Hamilton. I could almost imagine him standing to the side while Hamilton awed a crowd with his words saying, "Wow, I'm so amazed by him. I'm so proud of him." If we're to believe that Hamilton and Laurens were indeed intimate, this would be the Laurens that is pining after his best friend who's busy falling in love with two girls.

Compel him to include women in the sequel

If you're familiar with the show, you'll know there's a lot of double casting from the first act to the second. As previously mentioned, Hamilton's bff also plays his son and two of his Revolutionary bros become Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, but the most interesting change in my opinion is Ham's sister-in-law who is then his mistress.

All of the doubles tend to be pretty drastic changes, but Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds requires an actress go from sweet youngest sibling (who also sounds like a child) to sexy seductress who can belt like nobody's business. Samantha Ware handles this change beautifully. Peggy in "The Schuyler Sisters" is this adorable girl who's happy to be following her sisters around, but when Maria enters, it's hard to believe they're played by the same actress. In "Say No To This," Hamilton details his affair with Maria Reynolds and how he was blackmailed by Maria's husband. It's a sultry song from the sound to the staging, but it was always a song that fell a little flat to me. That changed in Chicago.

Lin and Javi's Hamiltons paired with Jasmine Cephas Jones (OBC Pegga/Maria) were good, and you could definitely tell Hamilton was doing something he wasn't supposed to, but I ended up frustrated with him for going through with it. With Miguel and Samantha, I felt like I was watching something I wasn't supposed to, but at the same time, I couldn't look away. "Say No To This" is a sexy song, and this was the first time I felt like there was some serious desire from either of them.

Chicago understudy Amber Ardolino took the sexiness of Samantha's performance and turned it up even more (which I didn't even think was possible). This leads me to believe Miguel as Hamilton might be the key to "Say No To This," but obviously the scene wouldn't be possible without the girls. At the beginning of the scene, Maria and Hamilton have an almost kiss, and the sexual tension between Amber and Miguel was heavy in the air. By the time they do kiss, it was a full on make out at center stage, and it was full steam ahead from there on out. Seriously, I felt like I should avert my eyes even though everyone on stage was fully clothed. Bravo. That's acting right there.

Quite possibly the biggest star in the show, excluding the limited engagement of Wayne Brady, is Karen Olivo, who plays the eldest Schuyler sister, Angelica. Karen is a Tony award winner who originated a role in Lin Manuel Miranda's first musical, In The Heights. A couple of years ago, she decided to retire to the Midwest and take a break from acting, but she returned to the stage for Hamilton, and boy, am I glad she did. You want to talk about some freaking character development? I could go on for days about Karen's portrayal of Angelica. She had some serious shoes to fill, too: Renee Elise Goldsberry won a Tony for her Angelica, but I might be willing to say Karen did it better. I'll try to sum up her performance without going on too long.

Let's start with "The Schuyler Sisters." Just as Eliza steps out amazed by New York, Angelica enters the stage in awe, but for different reasons. Angelica is an intellectual (a big reason she and Hamilton are so drawn to one another), so to her, New York is a place of new ideas and so much to learn. My favorite part of the song was her line, "I've been reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine..." Renee's Angelica says it almost as if to warn Burr, "Look, I'm not just a pretty face, okay? I'm educated, so you better back off," but Karen's Angelica looked about how I imagine I do when someone asks me about Hamilton: "Okay, so I found the most incredible thing and I've learned sooo much from it, so let's talk about it and dissect every bit of thematic symbolism and depth in every word here." She can't be bothered to give Burr the time of day because she'd rather engage in political discussion.

Then there's "Satisfied," Angelica's confession that although she saw (and loved) Hamilton first, she's choosing to let him be with Eliza because she loves her sister more than she cares about her own satisfaction. Here's a fun story behind the song: Lin originally wrote this melody in a song for an album Karen had intended to record. The project was tabled, and when it came time for an Angelica feature song, Lin essentially asked for the song back. This could be why Karen's performance of the song is so powerful; in a way, it's coming home to the artist it was meant for. It's an incredible song to begin with, but the performance (before this one) that absolutely blew my mind was from understudy Alysha Deslorieux because she threw in some runs at the end that blew my mind. Oddly enough, so did Karen, which leads me to wonder, which one learned from the other?

Seriously, please send me a message if you ever want to know more about Karen as Angelica because I could dissect every detail of her performance of "Satisfied."

The world turned upside down

Still with me? I'm almost finished, I promise.

For the most part, there were a good number of similarities between the New York cast and the Chicago cast. That stops with Wallace Smith. Let me tell you about my love affair with him as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison. Everything about Wallace's performance is different from Oak Onaodowan's Mulligan/Madison, but it's because he has to be. In now way are Oak and Wallace similar; their demeanor, the way they carry themselves, their voices. Some of the cast could imitate the OBC and use that as a bit of a crutch, but not Wallace. And holy cow, that was the greatest thing he could have done. Hercules Mulligan makes a sex joke in "Aaron Burr, Sir," and with Oak's Mulligan, it was a funny comment between bros while drinking, but with Wallace's Mulligan, I fully believed he had somehow tried to have sex that somehow involved four corsets and a horse.

Whereas Mulligan was crude, Madison was obviously educated, sickly, and upper class. He constantly tried to have perfect posture, even though he had a persistent cough (which Wallace worked into the character wonderfully). His relationship with Jefferson was hysterical, but also exactly how I imagined it to be - he was always there to support Jefferson in whatever he was doing, but also the brains behind some of their schemes. One of my favorite Madison/Jefferson moments came in "Cabinet Battle #1": Jefferson usually drops the mic, but Madison catches it before it hits the floor. Instead, Chris Lee's Jefferson set the mic down on the floor like it was too hot to touch and Madison had to use his handkerchief to pick it up and then pretended to blow on it until it cooled down. It was hysterical.

And so I've saved the best for last. Tony Award Winner Daveed Diggs (*giggles because I can say that*) perfectly originated the role of Lafayette/Jefferson on Broadway, and understandably so, seeing as how elements such as the lighting-quick raps were written into the roles specifically for Daveed. It is easy to say a certain role was written for an actor, but in this case, it's completely true. Knowing that, following up such a charismatic role is no easy feat, yet somehow Chris Lee not only tackles the role but absolutely slays it.

Lafayette is a character that, rapid-fire raps in "Guns and Ships" aside, is easy to forget as he fades into the ensemble fairly easily. Chris Lee refused to let that happen. Remember how I said Jonathan Kirkland's Washington made the Revolutionary Set feel like a bunch of teenagers? Lafayette contributed to that greatly. He was like a playful kitten around stage dancing with Hercules Mulligan and laughing with his bros as they distracted Burr so Hamilton could interrupt Seabury in "Farmer Refuted." He was absolutely adorable.

Jefferson in Act II was the charismatic whirlwind you would expect, and Chris handled Jefferson's swagger and confidence wonderfully. He was so sure of everything he said in the cabinet battles, and the fire within him in "Washington On Your Side" was almost terrifying. He balanced all of this with humorous moments such as the beginning of "Washington On Your Side": the previous scene ends with Jefferson and Hamilton center stage and Burr watching in the background. When Jefferson goes to leave, Burr starts singing about how great it must be to be bff's with Washington, and Jefferson looks around like, "Where the heck did this fool come from??" His ability to mix Jefferson's intensity with humor is astonishing.

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?

I think it goes without saying that the creative team of Hamilton has gone out of their way to ensure the quality of the casts in every version of the show, and the Chicago cast is definitely no exception. The ensemble is stunning to watch, the main cast are stupidly talented, and everyone involved gives fervently to make sure the show is the best it can be. The show speaks to the dreamer in all of us and never fails to leave me asking, what will be MY legacy?

[lastgenpodcast]

Star Wars, Han Solo, Its Directors, and Kathleen Kennedy. What's the deal here?

It was recently announced that Lucasfilm and the directing duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller have parted ways on the upcoming untitled Star Wars film centered on a younger Han Solo.  This announcement came via StarWars.com and has subsequently hit the echo chamber that is the internet.  The reaction has been pretty solid towards posing the question, "Is this worrisome?".  Sadly, when you look at the recent history of Lucasfilm and its directors, the answer leans yes.  

Now, let me preface this.  What you are about to read is not going to be an article claiming that Earth has burned to a cinder.  The film will still come out and the franchise will move on regardless.  Still though, what's the deal with the majority of directorial choices made by Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm?  Kathleen Kennedy's resume speaks for itself and when she was announced as the new head of Lucasfilm, personally, I could not have been more excited.  This is the woman who produced 17 Steven Spielberg films, the Back to the Future Trilogy, Scorsese's Cape Fear, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Sixth Sense, and many many more films that fill the lexicon.  She understands everything a person in the film business can and she has handled large franchises before.  Perfect, right?  

Towards Star Wars, things started great.  A smart, if safe, choice for the re-entry into the Star Wars universe was chosen in the form of J.J. Abrams who has two very distinct talents.  Working with younger casts, and making a film comfortable to ease into.  He is a populist director with a massive amount of charisma and a strong eye.  To restate, his ability to get performances out of younger actors is comparable to that of Spielberg.  He is THAT good.  On the other hand, beside the dead horse joke of lens flare, he does not exactly have a style of his own.  

When you see a Tarantino film, you know where you are.  You don't need to be told it was directed by Tarantino.  Same goes for select modern day directors such as David Fincher, Wes Anderson, Christopher Nolan, and even Guy Ritchie.  When you walk into a film directed by these folks, you are told it visually and audibly.  Abrams, not so much.  He is a fantastic chameleon.  He has an innate ability to mimic film styles.  There is no better example of this then in Super 8, a film I really enjoy, which is a giant hug to Steven Spielberg.  His Star Wars entry was likewise in that it had his staple of young actors firing off fantastic chemistry but it still felt and looked exactly like a Star Wars film.  That is not a complaint either.  As I said, it was the smart, safe choice and paid off in spades.  The Force Awakens was a hit and besides some folk begrudging how similar it was to A New Hope (the mimic point arises again), it was embraced by the fans and movie goers at large.  

Following this we learned that Rian Johnson would direct Episode 8 and hot off the financial success of Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow would helm the finale of the new trilogy.  In addition, Josh Trank was attached to an unnamed Star Wars project with Gareth Edwards earning the opportunity to show us exactly how the plans for the Death Star got into Princess Leia's hand with Rogue One.  This did not happen all in one afternoon mind you, but there it was.  A lot of wheels were in motion and excitement was high.  

Then Fantastic Four happened.  

John Trank had a fresh take in his low-budget, found footage, superhero film, Chronicle, but his followup film with 20th Century Fox, Fantastic Four, was an utter disaster.  Not only was the film a critical and financial failure, reports surfaced of over $100,000 worth of damages to a rented home, issues with the producers, and Trank being "erratic".  All of this lead to re-shoots that occurred only months before the targeted release date and many unhappy executives at Fox.  Let's be honest too, if the film wound up being a success, all the other issues would have gone by the way side.  Keep that in mind.  

With all of the bad vibes spreading over Trank and his behavior, he was bumped off his Star Wars film.  Lucasfilm was gracious in allowing Trank to state that he departed the project, but everyone knew the deal.  He had lost the gig.  The question then arose as to why a largely new, stranger to big budget film, director was even given the reigns at a Star Wars film with everything that was riding on it?  Sure, Chronicle is great but it seemed a large jump and may have hurt Trank's career in the long run.  

Then came Gareth Edwards and Rogue One.  Edwards got much deserved attention with his film Monsters which was a low budget indie hit.  It showed a filmmaker who can do a lot with sci-fi without having to show a special effects cluttered mess.  He followed that up with 2014's Godzilla which is neither great nor terrible.  It suffers pacing issues and dispatches the most interesting character way too early.  It also barely features Godzilla on screen, which I liked, but it did feel a bit empty as a result too.  After that, onto Star Wars.  The shoot of Rogue One had some issues at hand though and ultimately Tony Gilroy was brought in for re-shoots and was paid to the tune of 5 million dollars to do so.  Now, re-shoots are not uncommon, on the contrary, but bringing in another person on the paycheck of 5 million is not exactly common practice either.  We don't know the specifics of why Gilroy was brought in, but obviously the product at hand was not stitching together very well in the eyes of the producers.  In particular, the ending was retooled quite a bit, or all together depending on what source you read.  Upon release, Rogue One was a box office smash but definitely had its share of criticism towards pacing and lack of character development.  It also used CG to recreate some lost folks and the reaction was mixed.  Truthfully though, towards Tarkin, many people who were not aware of who Peter Cushing was and that he had died over 20 years ago, had no clue the character was CG.  Make of that what you will.  With all of those concerns though, Edwards brought a new look to the Star Wars cinematic universe.  It had a grit without being dour, felt more tactile, and improved upon the "lived in" feel that the best Star Wars film have.  Full marks to him on that.  Yet, despite the film being a box office monster and successfully introducing a new tone, the question remained towards the motivation on the heavy retooling and bringing in Tony Gilroy.  Was this another un-experienced director who bit off more than he could chew?  And if so, how did this get by the powers that be.  Maybe hiring the director who made heads turn by showing less and accomplishing more, was not the guy to then tell, "Show everything".  It seems an odd match.  

Now for the uplifting piece.  Rian Johnson.  The director of The Last Jedi, aka Episode 8, seems to have it all rolling. His enthusiasm for the project is addictive, his knowledge of the series makes him seem trustworthy in his love of the lore and quite frankly he is the best damned director of all the people chosen for this new run of Star Wars films.  None of the other filmmakers made a better film than Looper, Brick, or even his three episodes of Breaking Bad.  He also is the only director that I can sit down and get a sense that he directed it.  Johnson has his own style and it seems he was given the leeway to inject it into his entry of the series.  Granted, I am basing this off a teaser for The Last Jedi, but it feels different from the other "saga" films in a good way.  If anything, it feels very "Empire", which is exactly what most fans want to see and hear.  This choice seems the most inspired and fitting.  J.J. Abrams fit extremely well due to what needed to be accomplished, but this choice seems to fit in the effort and need to expand the films into a larger. more original, story.  

For Episode 9 we have Colin Trevorrow.  This may be the most head scratching one for me.  I get it, Jurassic World made a ton of money but I think the nostalgia machine was turned so far up, the film would have had to arrive on fire to not make money.  Nothing in that movie stands out beside the assistant woman being tortured slowly by dinosaurs who drag her over the ground and sky to eventually eat her.  It's a total rehash of the original with no new interesting characters or events.  More recently, The Book of Henry was released and the reaction to this offering by Trevorrow has been pretty harsh.  It's sporting a Rotten Tomatoes score of 24% and to quote one review (trust me, many echo this sentiment) it's "grotesquely phony and manipulative".  So, that's something.  I find myself in total agreement with an article recently written by Owen Gleiberman in Variety where he states, "To my mind, Trevorrow has never made a movie in which he has told a powerfully and convincingly emotional story. His aesthetic seems to lack the human factor."  Did Kathleen Kennedy and Co only look at box office receipts?  I understand the business of the business but making a quality flick also is good for business isn't it?  At this moment, I have zero enthusiasm for Episode 9 and many folks are starting to rightfully question WHY Trevorrow gets this honor.  That being said, PLEASE, prove me wrong and make the best Star Wars finale film yet.

Finally, we find ourselves five months into filming the unnamed Han Solo film and the directors just packed their bags and left.  Did it really take this long to realize a "creative difference" existed?  Miller and Lord have been making quality and bank off of comedies for the most part.  21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street and The Lego Movie all have a great off-center feel to them.  It would be a good guess that they would bring that very approach to Han.  That would be my guess anyway.  Behind Rian Johnson, I felt the most excitement towards this match up.  Han needs to be a silly, fun romp.  Miller and Lord are a perfect fit for the need.  Again though, are the folks at Lucasfilm only looking at box office receipts and not the actual product produced by the talent at hand?  Were they unaware of their previous works and tone created in such?  What was the disconnect here and why so late in the game has it fallen apart?  

In conclusion, out of the 6 directorial choices made, he have one that never made it to production, one that required a second hand to come in for extensive re-shoots, another that left while approaching the finish line, and a director who has yet to make a compelling film but people like dinosaurs.  

Does this fall on the shoulders of Kathleen Kennedy?  She is ultimately the one calling the shots.  Her resume is beyond compare but she has also had the blessing of seeing Steven Spielberg in the directors chair for 17 feature films.  Is finding the right fit for this franchise proving to be a larger problem than anticipated?  I can't imagine so but based on the current results, that seems a question to be raised.  

In the end though, Star Wars will be fine.  Kathleen Kennedy will be fine.  Hell, the Han Solo film will probably be fine despite this development.  Too much money is at risk and mountains will be moved to ensure the investment is paid in full with interest pouring over everyone's head.  In closing, don't panic but definitely shoot first.  

[mst3kproject]

Reptilicus

I defy you to find something in this movie that doesn't qualify it for MST3K.  Giant lizardy monster?  Check.  A musical number that has nothing to do with the plot?  We have that.  Actors who appear to be dubbed despite also appearing to speak English?  The entire cast!  Black and white footage tinted blue in an effort to make it look like it belongs in a colour movie?  You betcha!  Wooden acting?  Beakers of kool-aid standing in for SCIENCE? Foreigners pretending to be Americans?  Toy boats?  Yep, Reptilicus has it all, wrapped up in a bright technicolour package by our old friend, American International Pictures!

It seems tailor-made for the show, and Joel apparently agrees.  I wrote most of this review before I found out that Reptilicus was slated to be the Season 11 debut, and now I’m looking forward to seeing how many of my predictions here come true when the episode hits Netflix on Friday.

SPOILERS: none of them! Not a damned one!

Copper miners on the tundra of Lapland discover a piece of a frozen prehistoric monster in the arctic permafrost (never mind that the scene was shot on a nice spring day in the woods somewhere).  A guy named Sven is charged with bringing the find back to civilized parts for study.  I hope you like Sven, because he's going to keep hanging around for the entire movie, and apparently possesses the same all-purpose security clearance as a Japanese child.  He's still in town when the chunk of monster thaws out and begins to regenerate. Ultimately the regrown beast escapes its tank at the Copenhagen Aquarium and goes on a cartoon-people-devouring, scale-model-smashing rampage.  Because what else is a prehistoric lizard monster going to do with its spare time?

Yep, that's the quality of effects we're talking about here.  I like the windows that appear to be drawn on with crayon.

Being as the movie is set in Denmark, the sign on the building where the monster parts are being kept says AKVARIUM.  I don't know why, but my friends and I used to find that outrageously funny.  Every time it appeared on screen we would all shout AKVARIUM! in obnoxious faux-German mad scientist voices.  Of course, that was years ago.  We're now thirty-somethings with mortgages, children, and assorted professional qualifications – but I bet if we all got back together and watched this movie, it would be exactly the same.  AKVARIUM!

Had the MST3K of the 90s ever seen fit to tackle Reptilicus, I'm pretty sure they would have made some kind of running joke about the AKVARIUM.  I can also imagine them asking Reptilicus if he'd like some coffee with that Danish, the two monsters taking turns on the hexfield to offer competing stories of why Gamera vs Reptilicus fell through, and Dr. Forrester and Frank putting together a 'Visit Beautiful Deep Thirteen' campaign – with or without a lounge act.

It almost feels kind of unfair to attempt any actual analysis of this movie.  Analysis is for movies that have higher ambitions, and Reptilicus really does not.  If I squinted hard enough I might be able to pull something about scientific over-reach or cooperation between nations out of the mess, but whatever I came up with would be sort of a Last Minute 11th Grade King Lear Essay, made mostly out of coffee and bullshit.  All Reptilicus wants is for the audience to have a good time (and maybe to visit Copenhagen), and it does accomplish that even if not quite in the way it wants to.

Rather than talking about what Reptilicus fails at (and believe me, it fails at quite a bit), then, let's talk about how it succeeds.  What we really have here is a very fine example of how having something fun to look at can go a long way towards saving a lousy movie.

When you get right down to it, just about everything in Reptilicus is bad.  The plot is contrived and full of holes – why do we keep Sven around when by all rights he should be back in the arctic doing his damn job instead of hanging around in Copenhagen?  How stupid is just about everybody at the AKVARIUM to let the tail thaw out?  Could they really not come up with a better way to suggest drugging the monster than the old trope about 'somebody offhandedly says I wish we could do Thing and somebody else goes why not'?  How does General Grayson keep forgetting about the monster's regenerative powers so that he starts shooting at it again?

The acting is terrible.  Apparently there's a reason for this – the Danish actors who starred in the production didn't speak any English and had no idea what their lines meant!  That's why everything had to be dubbed over later, which means each performance in Reptilicus is a collaboration between two un-talented actors who were truly less than the sum of their parts.  Worst of all is Carl Ottosen as General Grayson and the uncredited guy doing his voice.  Ottosen almost always looks like he's not entirely sure what he's reacting to, and voiceover guy has only two modes: grouchy grump and solemn declaration.  Sometimes he manages to do both at the same time.  I hate to say it, but the best actor in the movie is probably Dirch Passer as Petersen the Comic Relief Janitor, who has a passable sense of physical comedy.  He almost manages to sell his reactions to things like the electric eel and the microscopic view of his sandwich, even when the jokes themselves aren't particularly funny.

The characters don't have much to them.  Sven is a terrible main character, without charisma or recognizable personality or even any motivation.  He sticks around for the whole movie and spends most of it just standing there watching other people do stuff.  Sometimes he answers phones or acts as a chauffer.  He comes across less as the movie’s hero and more as its administrative assistant.  Grayson's just there to shout orders and complain, but he's still closer to being a proper protagonist than Sven – maybe this is why they have him narrate a few scenes, in an attempt to correct this bizarre oversight.  The professor's two horny daughters never amount to much, and Passer's comedy can't quite save Petersen from being the character everybody most wants to see die (he does not, but at least he's out of the story once the rampage begins).  The Scientists are Movie Scientists, too interested in what they might learn to think about things like consequences and personal safety.

The effects are the opposite of convincing, always drawing attention to themselves as effects rather than contributing to the story.  I've seen some ridiculous movie monsters, but Reptilicus himself (everybody in the movie refers to the creature as male) is right up there in the top ten.  He looks something like a very silly Chinese dragon – a long, skinny, snakelike beast with a forked tongue, a mane of ratty fur down his back, tiny useless legs, and a pair of small wings that are, tragically, never used. Apparently a scene of Reptilicus flying was filmed, but was deemed ‘too unbelievable’ and cut from the film.  The monster's acid-spitting consists of squiggles of green goo that resemble radioactive silly string.  When he eats a farmer, it is represented by an animated cutout of the man in Reptilicus' mouth.

Okay, so I did just talk about how the movie fails, and I could keep doing so for some time.  The comic relief isn't funny. The movie stops for a moment to break into a travel ad.  Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.  The point is, Reptilicus objectively sucks and if it were shot like a modern disaster film, all gritty and gray and trying for realism, it would be insufferable.  Instead, however, it's cartoony and colourful, and while the effects aren't convincing they're always at least creative.  The sets always look like sets, and the models always look like models, but they're elaborate and inspired.  Everything sucks, but movie are a visual medium, so if it's fun to watch the viewers will forgive all kinds of sins.

It's also a perfect example of an important bit of bad movie truth: you can't make a bad movie on purpose, not the good kind of bad movie.  People can try, but they come up with stuff like The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which I couldn't even watch all the way through.  A truly enjoyable bad movie is one that's trying hard to be a good movie and fails in just the right sort of ways – an intentional bad movie is the equivalent of a belabored explanation of a punch line that wasn’t that funny to begin with.  The thing that makes Reptilicus so much fun is the same spark that animates Teenagers from Outer Space, or Starcrash, or even Troll 2 – its sincerity.

Reptilicus is one of the most utterly unapologetic movies I've ever watched.  We've all seen movies that seem a bit embarrassed by themselves – remember Being from Another Planet, which wishy-washily tried to be a Serious Movie about Serious People instead of just embracing the fact that it was about a fucking space mummy?  Reptilicus is the opposite of that. It's not ashamed of anything, even in the places where by all rights it should be.  Its monster is an immobile puppet in a scale model, but the shots linger lovingly on every shoddy detail. Peterson the Comic Relief Janitor ought to be painful, but the script is so earnest that he somehow becomes a meta-joke: the very fact that he's not funny is itself funny.  Somebody thought the movie could be used to sell Copenhagen as a tourist destination, so they have the characters tour the city and talk about what a great time they're having.  The movie never gives less than its all to anything it puts on the screen.

So yeah, I love Reptilicus.  It's never boring and it’s frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and there's nothing in it that's either offensive or scary.  There are much worse ways to waste eighty minutes of your life.

[frustratedcastingdirector]

This article is a perfect example of the kind of expectations those of us who were blown away by Mark Ruffalo’s performance in “You Can Count on Me” had for him and his career.  Those expectations are still there for many of us, waiting to be fulfilled by directors willing to take a chance on Ruffalo, and willing to push him to his limits. - Jamaica (FrustratedCastingDirector)

Becoming a Thoughtful Woman's Idea of A Leading Man Part 1

By CATHY HORYN NOV. 9, 2003

On a cloudless day between the rains this summer, Mark Ruffalo, the 35-year-old actor, took his John Deere tractor out of the barn and began to clear brush on his 50 acres in Sullivan County, not far from where the Delaware River runs between New York and Pennsylvania. He had on jeans and a faded blue shirt that flapped around his thin torso, and his hair was still damp from a swim in the pond that lies at the foot of a grassy hill and a short walk from his two-story Swiss chalet-style house. A patio umbrella and several weathered lawn chairs were set up along the edge, and there was a dock with a wooden diving board that Ruffalo and his younger brother, Scott, a hairdresser in Beverly Hills, built last summer. When the brothers were growing up in Kenosha, Wis., they built many tree houses in the woods near their family's house -- Scott guesses they built one every 10 feet -- and they called themselves the Foresters. Two years ago, when Mark was recovering from surgery to remove a benign tumor in his brain, and thinking that his film career had ended just as it was taking off with his widely praised performance in ''You Can Count on Me,'' he designed the large sleeping porch at the back of the house. Constructed from hemlock, with open beams, it has double-high screened windows, many comfortable old chairs and beds and a closeness with the outdoors.

As Ruffalo positioned the tractor on the far end of the pond, his wife of four years, Sunrise Coigney, a lithe, attractive French woman in a bikini and a straw hat, sat on a blanket near the dock with their 2-year-old son, Keen. Her father, Joel Coigney, who was visiting from Los Angeles, had spent the morning policing the grounds with a chain saw and now joined Ruffalo on the hill. In a moment of perception that took in their voices, the water and the valley below, you couldn't help thinking that Ruffalo had everything he needed here and that there was no place he'd rather be than here.

It was also the perfect place to observe Mark Ruffalo the actor, for few performers possess their characters with more natural grace. Not only does Ruffalo make it look easy, he also manages to access emotions with a freedom unavailable to many of his better-known contemporaries, making him closer to the older generation of actors -- especially the young Brando -- for whom anger or sexual tension could often be registered with astonishing stillness. That Ruffalo has appeared in only a handful of big-budget films, usually in supporting roles that have limited him to playing the same type of emotionally conflicted men -- and thus kept his real powers under wraps -- has not prevented him from being noticed by first-rate directors like Jane Campion. But after the release of Campion's heated sexual drama, ''In the Cut,'' co-starring Meg Ryan, followed soon by films in which he stars with Jim Carrey and Tom Cruise, Ruffalo is certain to find a wider audience.

''In the Cut'' is based on the novel by Susanna Moore, and despite its problems as a film, Ruffalo, as a New York City homicide detective named Malloy, stands out. On every level his performance is a major turn-on, and maybe because, for the first time, we are seeing him as a man -- without conflicts, without boyish tics. In a bedroom scene early in the movie (slightly altered by the censors from the director's version), Ruffalo takes Ryan's character, Frannie, on such a bend, using every word and orifice available to him, that many female moviegoers will most likely regard their own mates with mild disappointment.

Given Ruffalo's previous screen roles, Campion admits he wasn't an obvious choice to play Malloy, who looks at every woman as a potential score. But, she says, ''the thing that interested me about his character in 'You Can Count on Me' was that he was such a flake-off, a loser, yet he was riveting. You couldn't stop watching him.'' In ''In the Cut,'' which takes its name from street slang for sexual intercourse, his presence is so commanding that it can make you forget the film's flaws, notably its jarring end. ''I think it's incontestable now that he has brought to life a different quality of performance,'' Campion says. ''And not like Pacino, or De Niro or Keitel, who have each opened up a new way to think about performance. Mark is a visionary with his work.''

Ruffalo seems genuinely surprised by her comments when I see him in Sullivan County. By then, we are fairly along in our conversation, so I am used to his way of speaking. He does more than look you in the eye. He quickly establishes intimacy by allowing himself to lower his guard. Many actors will let you know, directly or indirectly, that they have nothing riding on the outcome of a situation. But Ruffalo has no such obstructions. He is lightning present in the conversation. And though he has little in common with the characters he has played, if he is close to one of them, it is Malloy. Like him, Ruffalo doesn't hide his manliness under a bushel.

''I don't know what to say about that, babe,'' he says when I tell him what Campion said. He laughs, and his eyes glow with warmth. ''That's flattering. I mean, what do you say? Thank you, thank you, Jane Campion.''

While Ruffalo readily cites Brando as one of his two greatest influences (the other is Marcello Mastroianni, of whom he says, ''It's the whole package of Marcello -- the great life in an art form''), he seems uncomfortable being compared with a legend. Kenneth Lonergan, who directed Ruffalo in ''You Can Count on Me,'' says he should relax. ''First of all, he looks a teeny bit like Brando,'' Lonergan says. ''And I'm sure he can't mind too much if people compare him to one of the greatest American actors of the last 50 years.'' Ruffalo does bear a resemblance to the young Brando, especially around the mouth, but the real point of reference, Lonergan says, is how specific Ruffalo's performances are and how freely he enters and remains in the moment. ''He's sort of an open channel to his characters,'' he says.

The question is why we haven't seen more of Ruffalo before. He began acting in 1989 in small theater productions in Los Angeles. His parents, a painting contractor and a beautician, had moved Mark and his three siblings (he has two younger sisters) from Kenosha to Virginia Beach, Va., where Mark would become a state wrestling champion in high school, and then to San Diego, where his parents separated. After an aimless period spent mostly surfing, Ruffalo enrolled in the Stella Adler Academy, where Benicio Del Toro was a star pupil. He remembers Del Toro giving a monologue based on the song ''Light My Fire'': ''He was so sexy and had so much charisma, I thought, I'll never be that.''

In those years, Ruffalo says, ''it was all about urban for me.'' He lived in rough neighborhoods like Alvarado and Sixth, in downtown Los Angeles. But as much as he hankered for that kind of experience, and brings a similar instinct to his work, he is no fan of Method. ''Two things have happened to acting in America,'' he says. ''One is that actors think they have to live the character, which is a huge mistake. Because what they do is put the character on top of themselves and thereby kill anything spontaneous. The other is that someone introduced the idea that less is more, so that actors stopped doing anything at all. They just say the words.''

By the mid-90's, Ruffalo had appeared in some 30 plays, earning good notices. But Los Angeles theater, at its best, is not Broadway, or even Off Broadway, as Ruffalo discovered when he arrived in New York for the first time. ''I thought, I'm a swan, not a duck,'' he says. ''What am I doing in Los Angeles? I don't belong there.'' In 1996, after a decade in California, Ruffalo made his New York stage debut in Lonergan's ''This Is Our Youth.'' ''He did one play in New York,'' says his friend the actor Christopher Thornton, ''and it changed his life.'' It wasn't the only change. On a Monday during the play's run, he took his savings, about $10,000, and made a down payment on a house in Sullivan County.

Another explanation for Ruffalo's belated recognition involves the vagaries of Hollywood casting. Ruffalo estimates that before he landed the part of Terry in ''You Can Count on Me,'' opposite Laura Linney, he went on 800 film and television auditions. This is probably not a Hollywood record for rejection, though Ruffalo gives it some comic perspective when I observe that George Clooney remained under the noses of casting directors for years before someone realized what a leading man he was. ''If George Clooney was under their noses, then I was, like, under their knees,'' he says with a laugh. For all his dead-ending, Ruffalo sounds remarkably unembittered when he adds, ''In Hollywood, none of those people can make a decision. They can only say no. I'd go to casting directors, and they'd say, 'You are the best actor of your generation, but -- you just haven't grown into your face yet, your face hasn't grown into your soul.' I had insane things like that said to me all the time. 'You are one of the greatest actors I have ever seen, but -- .' I'd get this great feedback, but I could never get a job.''

Still another explanation is that, in the summer of 2001, as he was finishing ''The Last Castle,'' a prison movie starring Robert Redford, the brain tumor was diagnosed. He underwent a 10-hour operation, complicated by an allergic reaction to the anesthesia, and spent the rest of the year recovering in New York and Sullivan County. His wife, whom he met in 1997 when she was an actress, had just given birth to their son, and as Coigney told me, ''You don't expect a year into a marriage -- through sickness and health -- for sickness to come upon you so quickly. It's been quite a journey.'' He experienced facial paralysis, memory lapses and, perhaps worst of all, a complete loss of confidence. ''I had stopped worrying -- I just believed that my career was over,'' he says. ''No one would take a meeting with me or anything. I was damaged goods, babe. That's what was in the back of my mind, damaged goods. Can't fit the American-male leading hero. A hero does not have a brain tumor.''

It was in this vulnerable, if fully recovered, state that Ruffalo first met Jane Campion in Los Angeles to discuss the part of Detective Malloy.

Anyone who has read Susanna Moore's 1995 novel has no trouble recognizing its difficulties as a movie. For one thing, ''In the Cut'' deals with female grief and loneliness -- specifically, that of a smart, emotionally walled-off writing teacher whose obsession with language serves as a rendering of her engulfed spirit; she's so aware of the shape of her consciousness that she could diagram it like a sentence. And for another, you don't really buy the sexual liaison with the cop, which develops as he investigates a gruesome murder in her neighborhood. As Moore herself says: ''The book is a little cold, a little nasty, a little flippant. It's about language and ideas. And it's not about love. It's about violence. But Jane found a way to make it about love.''

Ruffalo says he had serious doubts going into his meeting with Campion about his ability to play Malloy. ''I had read the script a couple of days before, and I thought, I don't even know where to begin with this guy,'' he says. ''I know he's just a man, he's such a man. But I had never played that kind of guy, and it just terrified me. I thought, I'm the wrong actor for this part.'' Who did he think was right? ''Sean Penn or Russell Crowe -- tough guys, you know. Guys who were really closer to Malloy than me.'' Indeed, as Moore conceived him, Malloy is actually a composite of four or five New York policemen she met while writing her book. She says: ''They were worldly, tough, a little bit over the hill. Much less pure than Mark. They were corrupt emotionally and, in some cases, corrupt professionally.'' In her mind, she saw ''an older Tommy Lee Jones, puffy eyes, a little flabby. Mark was quite an unexpected choice.''

At the end of the three-hour meeting, Campion, who had seen several big-name actors, offered the part to Ruffalo. ''We just clicked,'' he says. ''Jane's ideas about the script were well formed, but she was confident and experienced enough as a director to allow a discussion to take place. A lot of our differences about the character were just semantics.'' Despite his trepidations, he says, ''I had never come to a part so consciously aware of what we were after, down to specifics like what Malloy did when he woke up in the morning.''

One thing that may have allowed Ruffalo to reach Malloy is his penchant for severe self-criticism. Christopher Thornton says: ''He attacks himself harder than anyone. In 'In the Cut,' he used those worries and fears. Everything that Mark was going through I'm sure in some way fueled that performance.'' During rehearsals, when he was still unused to Campion's intensity -- ''She's out there, man,'' he says. ''It's a contained chaos'' -- Ruffalo went home and got drunk. ''Jane and I had some bristling experiences in the beginning,'' he says. ''There's an enormous allowance for people to be wrong in her presence, even her. But the great thing about her is she's not invested with being right.

''So I was wasted drunk, really depressed, and I set up the video camera,'' he continues. ''I was, like, I don't know what I'm doing, I'm totally lost. . . . A couple of days later I was logging something from the tape and I saw it -- I saw Malloy, a shadow of Malloy. My tearing apart and hitting rock bottom was kind of like the birth of him.''

In the genre of police movies, Ruffalo's portrayal of Malloy seems startlingly realistic -- how you imagine detectives to stand and smoke and put their hands in their pockets but rarely do in the movies. There is a scene quite early in the film, when Frannie encounters Malloy and his partner, Rodriguez (Nick Damici), in a bar, that is almost unbearable to watch for its vulgarity. Ruffalo doesn't just talk in the unholy language of cops; he projects the psychological dynamic in keeping emotions at a distance. Campion, ever alert to the tiniest sign of weakness in Malloy, occasionally caught him, he says, reverting to old habits. ''She would say: 'You see that thing you're doing right there? Don't do that in this movie. Don't nod your head. No apologies, Mark. This character does not apologize. Straightforward stillness.' She made me aware of things. Who calls you on your stuff?''

The film's reviews have been mixed (though Ruffalo has been held out as its strongest element), but critics and box-office results aside, no one knows better than Ruffalo what the film -- and Campion -- have done for him. ''What I do in the next 5, 10 years will be mostly based on my choices,'' he told me. ''And it starts now. It wasn't after 'You Can Count on Me.' '' He's at work this fall as an undercover agent in Michael Mann's thriller ''Collateral,'' with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, about a killer who lures a cabby on a shooting spree. Next year, he'll appear in ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,'' a comedy written by Charlie Kaufman and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, in which Ruffalo plays a lab technician operating a memory-erasing machine. ''It was sort of a chance to play light and stupid,'' he says with a laugh, adding, ''Jane'll kill me when she sees it.'' On Campion's advice, he also did John Curran's drama ''We Don't Live Here Anymore,'' with Naomi Watts and Laura Dern, about the divisive nature of marriage. And sometime next spring, he'll direct Thornton in a dark comedy called ''Sympathy for Delicious,'' from a screenplay Thornton wrote, about a self-centered paraplegic who acquires the gift of healing but can't heal himself. ''He basically starts Healapalooza, where he's healing people in the mosh pit,'' Ruffalo says. ''It's kind of an allegory about fame.''

You sense that Ruffalo has used his craft profitably enough over the last decade not to feel he has to make up for lost time. He turned down the role of Brick in the current Broadway revival of ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' in order to return to L.A., where his wife has opened a store with a friend to sell jewelry and decorative objects. And Scott Ruffalo notes with pride and dismay that his movie-star brother still drives around in a white 1974 Volkswagen camper. ''He loves that thing,'' Scott says, adding, ''There's almost this essence of obliviousness going on around him.''

I know what he means. During my visit to Sullivan County, I casually mention that Ruffalo is probably not yet in a position to think about massive fame. He looks at me critically and smiles. ''When will I ever think about that?'' he says. ''What will my thoughts possibly be?''

Still, the rest of us can't help watching. Susanna Moore told me recently that female friends of hers are already having dreams about him. ''Isn't it interesting,'' she muses, ''to be witness to someone who is absolutely on the edge of being hurtled into a greater and, in some ways, less lovely world? He's going to be a very important actor. He's just now tipping into fame and riches and women chasing him. I think he'll be O.K.''

[chemicalperfume]

All That Takarazuka: Sagiri Seina x Towaki Sea Cross Talk

A couple of months ago, @chevalierene requested a translation of this interview (and very graciously provided materials for it to be made possible.) Read more below for some warm discussion between Chigi and Hitoko about “Caleb Hunt, Private Eye”, and the special system that is shinjin kouen. I also translated a small section at the end, with the reporter’s description/impressions of the leads of each 2016 shinjin kouen (from Shakespeare to One Samurai From Kagoshima).

Special thanks to @animaniacal for beta-reading and puzzling over English with me. <3

Snow Troupe Show Special Talk: Top Star x Shinjin Kouen Lead

A shinjin kouen is a regular show as performed by young actresses who have been with the Revue for seven years or less. In particular, the young actress who plays the lead, the same role as the Top Star, receives special attention. We spoke with the Snow Troupe Top Star, Sagiri Seina, and shinjin kouen lead, Towaki Sea, about “Caleb Hunt, Private Eye”, then we looked back on the up-and-coming actresses who starred in each troupe’s 2016 shinjin kouen performances.

-- What kind of man is Caleb, in “Caleb Hunt, Private Eye”? Sagiri: He is a very straightforward man, with justice as his core, who always pursues what he believes in. Also, the way he does not waver out of concern for himself or his surroundings, and just faces the case straight on, is another part of that wholehearted determination to help the weak and those in trouble. Isn’t that right?

Towaki: Yes, I also believe he’s a very straightforward person.

Sagiri: While he’s a private detective, which is not a common setting, I think there must be people working in normal companies and independent businesses who are like him. Caleb’s sense of justice can resonate with everyone, after all. As a play, it is not just a “hardboiled” crime drama, there are some comedic elements, too. You can see that through Masatsuka Haruhiko’s direction, and I think the play constantly switches gears between the comedic and the serious aspects of solving a case.

--Masatsuka’s works are known for their natural dialogue and characteristic manly worldview; doesn’t this make it a highly difficult production, especially for a shinjin kouen?

Sagiri: It is essential that we maintain the pauses and tempo of natural, everyday conversation, even with dialogue that is merely there to move the story along. This is difficult even for me, with all my experience, so I think this role will be a big challenge for Hitoko (Towaki). She’ll need to bring the role into existence while standing on stage as an otokoyaku within a very minimal world, wearing a simple suit as if it’s her everyday clothes…. A really big challenge.

Towaki: Yes!

Sagiri: I’m looking forward to seeing how Hitoko will make this role her own.

Towaki: I always watch Chigi-san (Sagiri)’s rehearsals, but I’m also aware that I shouldn’t become too much like Chigi-san’s Caleb...

Sagiri: Yes, that’s it! It’s amazing that you’ve noticed that.

Towaki: *laughs* I think that is especially important with this kind of play.

Sagiri: Yeah. Even if you use me as reference, you need to play it like it’s an entirely different part.

Towaki: Yes. This will be my third shinjin kouen lead, so instead of just studying by observation, I have come to first think about the part on my own, and then watch how Chigi-san acts it out in rehearsals. Seeing Chigi-san’s acting really helps me figure out the parts I don’t understand by myself.

--Such a dilligent youngster we have here!

Sagiri: Ain’t that the truth!

Towaki: Absolutely no such thing!

Sagiri: Even that first time she played one of my roles, in the “Maeda Keiji” shinjin kouen, she thought about the role and her acting very deeply, and asked some very perceptive questions. Even some that made me go “I hadn’t thought of that!” and then made me reassess some things *laughs*. There have been many times she’s asked good questions, which I enjoy. Throughout my own shinjin kouen era I was in a frantic state, so I think Hitoko is really amazing.

Towaki: Not at all! However, “Lupin III” and “Rurouni Kenshin” didn’t have particularly strong romance elements, while in this play I have a lover for the first time, and there are kissing scenes; it’s packed with first-time experiences.

Sagiri: Can’t wait *laughs*

Towaki: Chigi-san’s gestures are incredibly natural and cool.

Sagiri: Eh, I don’t think I’ve shown you much of that *laugh*

Towaki: No, it is all very educational for me!

-- What is Towaki’s appeal as a stage actor?

Sagiri: While she has all the makings of an otokoyaku and a Takarasienne, she also has the humility to not rely too much on her natural talent, as well as the ability to think for herself. That said, if instead of overthinking and then freezing up, she could add to her other qualities the daring to just go for it, even if that takes her in a different direction than she’d intended, I believe she would rise even higher.

Towaki: Before I go out in front of people, I’m scared of freezing up, so I end up thinking too much. I always want to give it my all and do it properly, though.

Sagiri: Yeah, you can do it, but something inside you is holding back.

Towaki: I lack confidence……..

Sagiri: No one is confident. We don’t have confidence, that’s why we rehearse.

Towaki: I think I’m scared of not being able to do it. Even if the rehearsal room is where you’re supposed to mess up, I don’t want to be seen messing up.

Sagiri: You are still too protective of yourself, definitely *laughs*

Towaki: I’ll do my best!

--What can one gain from performing as a shinjin kouen lead?

Sagiri: An endless number of things. Personally, more than anything else, I think I realized that no one can go out on stage alone; that a play becomes possible when everyone’s strengths become one. You are given the privilege of standing in the middle, wearing the most beautiful outfit, and having the brightest spotlight shine on you. You are automatically made to stand out, so you must grow into someone who can rise to the occasion. That realisation has probably led to where I am today.

Towaki: During my first lead, I realised I couldn’t do it without the support of everyone around me. The second time, there was the dread of having to exceed the first, along with feeling that I must pull everyone forward, and so it didn’t go well and I stumbled. This third time, as one of the senior actresses in shinjin kouen, I would like to look over the play in its entirety and also get to show off being the “energy at the centre”.

--Snow Troupe has many rapidly maturing young actresses. What kind of performance are you aiming to get in your troupe’s newest production?

Sagiri: It’s been a while since we had a completely original play and revue combination; therefore, I would like for us to enjoy our material, make the audience discover new, charming points in all our performers, and want to follow the show’s entire run.

2016 Shinjin Kouen Playback

Performed only once in each theatre during a show’s run, the shinjin kouen is a place of diligent study for young talents. The lead actresses walk their first steps to stardom, as the future hope of each troupe.

Shakespeare: Rukaze Hikaru, Haruha Rara

Rukaze, who joined the Revue in 2012, was chosen to play her first lead in her 4th year. Her vivacious role-building, robust singing and stage presence that capitalises on her whole 174cm of height, all made a memorable impression. Her classmate, Haruha, was the heroine. With her lovely looks, she exhibited high suitability for the position. A fresh and striking combination.

Rurouni Kenshin: Towaki Sea, Irodori Michiru

The second lead for Towaki Sea, the hopeful who debuted in 2011. Thanks to also being given the part of the “shadow” of the protagonist, Kenshin, in the main production, her sword-fighting is now magnificent. Her originality in building the role and her emotional singing charmed audiences. The heroine was Irodori Michiru, also in her second lead role. In the main performance, she got to display her aptitude for acting in a boy’s role, which earned her favourable reviews.

Die Fledermaus: Shidou Ryuu, Maaya Kiho

A highly difficulty production, adapted from Johann Strauss II’s operetta, served as Shidou Ryuu (class of 2010)’s first lead. With earnest singing and youth as her main weapons, she displayed quite the stately stage presence. The role of the heroine went for the first time to Maaya. She lived up to her reputation as a true talent of outstanding vocal and acting skills.

ME AND MY GIRL: Yuunami Kei, Shiroki Mirei/ Ayaki Hikari, Oto Kurisu

This grand musical was split into Acts 1 and 2, and the pairs of Yuunami / Shiroki and Ayaki / Oto played the leads in each. Yuunami built her role as noble and straightforward, while Ayaki used her raw talent to act with a remarkable aura. Shiroki and Oto, who got to shine in the main show as well, are both certified talents. It turned out to be a very high-level performance.

NOBUNAGA: Akatsuki Chisei, Yukarino Koyuki

With her excellent dancing skills and robust vocals, Akatsuki Chisei got to play an active part in the main show as well; this was the third lead for the strapping young star, who joined in 2012. She broke new ground for herself playing an imposing Nobunaga, quite different from her own personality. Her classmate, Yukarino, served as the heroine for the first time. A musumeyaku of adorable countenance but inherent vocal skill and charisma, she enchanted audiences.

Elisabeth: Rukaze Hikaru, Hoshikaze Madoka

The one to lead the shinjin kouen for this Takarazuka staple, was, for the second time, Rukaze. The role of Der Tod demands strong vocal prowess, and with her powerful singing voice, she gave an enthusiastic performance. The heroine was Hoshikaze from the 2014 class. Since she was chosen for her first heroine role in 2015, she is a rapidly rising musumeyaku star. She also delivered a great performance in the main show as young Rudolf.

One Samurai From Kagoshima: Amahana Ema, Kozakura Honoka

A combi that each received their first lead roles, Amahana and Kozakura. Amahana joined the Revue in 2012. Even in a difficult nihonmono role, she managed to enchant audiences with her dynamic acting and beautiful guise in casual traditional wear. The lovely Kozakura, of the 2013 class, also displayed staunch acting and vocal skill. It was a passionate shinjin kouen overflowing with youthful energy.

[endeavorsreward]

Excerpt (Bk. I, Ch. 3)

1996 OV / 1233 ZA

Month of Scorpio

The Grand Hall of Lesalia Castle was filled with but a tenth of the court—at absolute best—but in Louveria’s eyes it was far too crowded.

Behind the head seats was a frieze depicting the Hero-King Mesa leading his people from the sky to Lesalia; it was designed in the age of Devanne I so that parts could be seen-through into the hall unnoticed. She stood there now, watching the men converse each with an eye towards the door from which she’d enter.

Zalbaag Beoulve was offering a bow to Duke Druksmald Goltanna, though he looked peevish. “I admit to surprise,” he was saying, “As I thought Baron Grimms would be in attendance. I’d thought to discuss the connections between these bandit groups, else I’d be still with my own men in pursuit.”

“The commander of the Blackram Knights pursues an urgent lead in Zeltennia, I’m told.” Goltanna scratched at his belly, which strained against his doublet. Goltanna was still solidly built even at fifty-six years of age, but he was keg-shaped beneath the layers of finery, and his mustache, which dropped below his chin, was always uncomfortably damp. His were the only eyes in the room that kept glancing towards the frieze, unapologetically. The Black Lion was a man of secrets—if the Northern Sky had its numbers, the Southern surely had its subtler arts—and he wanted her to know that he was full aware of her intent. “I shall have one of my attendants convey any message you’d like. Communication and cooperation are surely key in unearthing these rats before they nibble anything more of value.”

Her eyes slid to one side, where Confessor Rousseau was meeting with one of Goltanna’s sizable entourage, whose absurd hat of station marked him easily for Bishop Haimirich Canne-Beurich, who was the highest church representative in Zeltennia and also fully in Goltanna’s pocket. He was older even than the Duke, and clutched at his crook like it held him up as he nodded at some report that Rousseau gave. She scowled.

And further back were two of that wretched Council of Nobles themselves, talking to Goltanna’s Galgastani pet. The one pointedly not looking at the dark-skinned Baron of Bolmina was the Earl Carston Sovlique, who was of little consequence—he was there only to give the benefit of numbers to Baron Etgar Minadette, who was laughing at some jest, standing with the posture of a man for whom all the world turned.

Her fists crushed into her gown. She stood up straight, checked herself and her crown and marched towards the door that would admit her. She heard Ser Garland’s spear tamp the floor twice. “Her royal majesty, Queen Louveria Atkascha.” And she entered with all the imperiousness at her disposal, looking at none of them, sweeping in like a thundercloud. She commanded all of their attention, which was as it should be, as the sun would wilting flowers.

Or perhaps, she thought darkly, as meat would hungry sharks.

She gave them a moment’s pause to judge the degrees to which they bowed. Rousseau offered a perfunctory bowed head, but Canne-Beurich did not even bother with that. The rest, however, showed the proper deference. “You may rise, gentlemen. We would see as always good works performed here in the name of all our lands, Ivalice.” She’d rather hold meetings such as these in the throne room. In that space, the differences in their stations would stand in relief. But this was how things were done, and to suggest the move would raise ire, would suggest she... well, that she was making a statement of power, which is exactly what she wanted to do. But she was only acting as proxy for the ailing king, and to push too hard would not secure her position, but rather the opposite. Some of these men were hungry. But she did not sit, so that they could not sit either. “We thank especially our cousin for making the long journey from Zeltennia.” She afforded Goltanna a nod. “We hear that the roads are less safe these days, explaining his decision as always to come bearing larger entourage.”

Goltanna’s look was dry, save for that wet-wick mustache of his. “Your majesty’s compassion is endless, and so I speak with pride in informing you that the roads grow safer daily—indeed, both Skies fall upon the bandits who have been ungrateful in the face of your largess.”

“Oh? We are gratified to hear that these traitors to the crown are put to rout, as we’d heard quite the opposite.” She looked to the Knight Devout. “Is your success greater than my hearing?”

Honest, honest Zalbaag Beoulve shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. “It would ne’er be my place to correct Your Majesty in any matter.” Goltanna glared at him.

“As always, Ser Zalbaag, you do your family’s honor proud in the realm of loyalty, though perhaps less so of late in that of results.” She waved her hand, casting the matter aside. “Surely, Lord Goltanna wishes only to reassure us of your mutual further endeavors. But we would remind you both that it is the leaders of such rebellions who most concern us, for examples must be made. My husband our king has saintly patience for much, even in his illness, but little for the act of treason. Folles and his ilk must be made corpses for true for the safety of our citizenry. We’ve a mind to let them swing from ropes at Golgollada itself for high- and low-born alike to witness.”

“As in the tale of Balias and the demon Leviathan,” offered Rousseau with a grin, “to fell a serpent, the head must be removed.”

Her nostrils flared. Zalbaag coughed. Goltanna’s eyebrow raised. Canne-Beurich looked like he was asleep.

“Mayhap the Confessor has dealt for too long with heretics and not with people of Quality,” offered Etgar. “Else he’d consider that speaking in those terms to a ‘head’ of state might be considered... inappropriate.”

Chastened—or faux-chastened—Rousseau looked down. “I assure you, ‘twas only mine intent to affirm Her Majesty’s edict. Indeed, the site of Ajora’s own death by hanging might be too good for bandits of their sort.”

“We shall take your... advisement into consideration, Confessor Rousseau.” Louveria’s lips thinned. “To return to matters of import, we understand that the Marquis de Limberry meets with our brother to the west.” She did not know why, but she did not say such. To admit that she and Larg were not communicating would be a sign of weakness.

“He did separate from our caravan at Dorter and continued on west,” Goltanna admitted. “He bid me pay Your Majesty all respects, but hoped that you’d find it no insult, as he was not himself the party summoned to this chamber.”

“The Marquis is a never-ending font of humility,” Louveria said. “One suspects it comes from being ground under Ordallian boot-heel.” Goltanna took the comment in stride, but behind him, the Baron of Bolmina tensed. She couldn’t remember his name, and didn’t care to re-learn it. At the Baron’s side, a dark-skinned scribe with his hair pulled back scribbled notes on the meeting without ever looking up. Likely the man’s spawn.

“I’m likely to blame for the Marquis, Your Majesty.” Etgar Minadette bowed. He was frustratingly handsome, young features under a mop of brown hair and possessing a rogue’s eyes. He held a majority stake in Zeltennian trade and he had the charisma to leverage that coin into a significant seat on the Council. He had a reputation for being noble in more than title, but that reputation didn’t stop him from raising his star higher by the day. “Duke Larg did offer me of late some measure of support in matters commercial, and the Marquis hopes to finalize some agreements of trade, that he might increase the coffers for rebuilding Limberry.”

She raised her chin. “It is often that “matters commercial’ are beneath the crown, when they do not pertain to taxies levied.” She tried to look thoughtful and curious, despite knowing the answer to her inquiries before she asked them. “But we hear the whisper of rumors in the halls of Lesalia, that it is your hope to open a corridor of trade to the east where there yet is none.”

Etgar’s face fell.

“We hold the Council’s enterprising nature in esteem,” she continued, “For it keeps our kingdom not only solvent, but thriving, a hub of commerce and culture that does past generations and present proud. But though Ivalice has ceased hostilities with Ordallia, we shall not open trade at this time. For with the king’s ill health, we cannot allow the possibility of open borders, that spies might enter in the guise of merchants in a time of weakness. And indeed, these uprisings trouble us, that they divert our knights away from the borders, where they might serve as a source of security and properly investigate traders of that sort. As ever, the safety of Ivalice must be our prime concern.”

Etgar’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he managed a “Yes, of course, Your Majesty.”

She faked a yawn. “Mayhap mon cousin could lower the tax by... hm, no, one percent is enough. You shall recoup some cost, and the people will see that Lesalia does not forget them.”

“As Your Majesty wishes,” grumbled Goltanna, “Though I’d point out that this will slow the rebuilding effort. Sal Ghidos is in much the same state it was the day the war ceased, and Limberry...”

“Bishop Canne-Beurich.” She rolled her eyes as Rousseau prodded the old man. “Could not the Church of Glabados send some aid to those poor souls of Sal Ghidos? The good Duke has left them to poverty and ruin.”

“Hm? Oh, well...” He dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief. “Your majesty, Mullonde is leery of sending its agents to close to the border when matters are so fraught...”

“Come now, Bishop.” She clucked her tongue. “We speak not of Templars and Confessors, but rather some charitable abunas with a mind to feed and clothe the less fortunate, as blessed Ajora himself would have done. Unless you suggest that the Duke has let the town fall to inquity?”

Goltanna was turning purple.

“I commend Your Majesty in turning to the church.” Zalbaag said without irony. “Those only recently liberated from the Ordallian heathens could use the return of the light of Ajora.” It was refreshing to have Ser Zalbaag there, a man with virtually no guile. She should make greater effort to point his sword-tip in directions to her benefit.

The Baron of Bolmina leaned forward, whispered in Goltanna’s ear. Louveria’s eyes fell again upon the little scribe, no more than sixteen, who continued to scribble at a pace possessed... even when none were speaking that he could hear. Curious. Goltanna, for his part, seemed to find himself and cleared his throat.

“Since Your Majesty is “shining the light” of your own compassion at present, I wonder if we yet might appeal to your more beneficent instincts in another, not wholly unrelated matter.” He rubbed his belly through the straining clothes. “A matter of housing.”

“Do you not let the Baron sleep indoors, then?” She jested, but other than a wan smile from Zalbaag and a muffled chuckle from Sovlique, nobody seemed much amused. “Very well. We shall hear your proposal.”

“Mm.” Goltanna puffed up a bit. “Your Majesty is well-familiar with the stated grievances of the banditry, regarding owed funds. And all assembled here agree with the crown’s assertion that such grievances are falsehoods, truly.” She glanced at Zalbaag, but he was merely listening intently. It had been the Council’s assertion, in fact, but when she had agreed, it had become royal decree. “We do allow, however, that some of our loyal soldiery did suffer hardship upon war’s end, returning home to lands that had suffered Ordallian looting and destruction.”

“Our heart bleeds as ever for the loyal knights of Ivalice,” she offered, “though to suffer loss in war is inevitable, tragic though we may find it. How are you proposing to redress this ill, that does not draw from coffers we know to be less than full?” For in truth, there was next to nothing left. Reducing the tax a single percent was a symbolic gesture she made in compromise, but the war had left the kingdom with nothing but the unburnt fields west of the Algost and the private stores that men like Minadette and Sovlique were sitting upon. And she could not afford to take a loan and fall into the Council’s debt.

“I have met with the Council upon this matter. The Marquis, as well, was most insistent that we provide for the welfare of his land’s liberators.” He gave a nod to the Knight Devout. “Begging pardon, those liberators of our own territories.”

“They fought no less bravely,” said Ser Zalbaag, and bowed.

“Just so! And so we think to offer them not coin, but opportunity.” Goltanna’s mustache twitched. The Camp Groffovia established just east of Bervenia, in order to protect that holy land, now lies all but empty with the border secure. But it need not lie in waste, as ‘tis all but settled land. We think to offer the land as the site of a new village, under my provenance and responsibility, for the families of knights who seek a fresh start at war’s close.”

“We have never halted the movement of our citizenry,” she said dourly, already suspecting where this was going.

“The land will need new leadership. We, the Council and I both, think to ennoble—or further ennoble, that the land can be governed justly.”

“Mullonde views this proposition favorably,” said Canne-Beurich unnecessarily. “For those who defended the place of Ajora’s birth to find new, honest lives at its borders is a path that walks in line with the faith.”

So: enrich the Council of Nobles with further numbers, and allow Goltanna to amass knights at Lesalia’s border. Else, denounce a plan whose details would and will filter out to the commoners, and raise further rebellion, embolden the Order of the Ebon Eye and the Grounded Doves—and make a further enemy of the Church of Glabados, to say nothing of the Marquis, who was a loyalist at his core. It was no decision at all.

She gazed over to the Council members in attendance, and saw Etgar whispering fiercely in Carston’s direction. Which meant that Etgar had no idea, that he’d only been brought before the court as a patsy, a voice she could shout down so that Goltanna’s actual plan would be a compromise.

...Which meant Rousseau had known all along. She did not look in his direction.

The people of Lesalia already spoke of her in hushed tones as a tyrant. They already spoke of hoping the illness of the king would spread to his son.

She closed her eyes. Goltanna had the grace not to smile. When she opened them, she looked at last upon the Baron of Bolmina’s stoic expression.

“Baron, forgive us, as our memory is oft-distracted by worry for our husband of late, that we forget your name.”

He bowed low. “Ulric Navarre of Bolmina, Your Majesty.”

“You are modest indeed, to only whisper your idea to your lord the Duke.” She nodded to him. “Your proposal is accepted. We shall receive a list of names to consider the addition of further peerage to the realm.”

Sovlique gasped. Goltanna flinched.

Whether it was his idea or not, let all of Ivalice know it was the Baron’s idea. Some would not care for matters of race, but some would. And Goltanna would not be the hero of the people for his maneuver. It was no victory, but it was the only play she had remaining.

She favored the Earl with a look. “Lord Sovlique.” A rat-faced man with a thin mustache, his earldom included the aforementioned Sal Ghidos, and yet he’d not seen fit to speak up regarding its fate. “In the matter of our Southern Sky and its valiant knights, we rely often upon the wisdom of Count Orlandeau, yet he could not appear before us this day.”

“Er...” He looked to Goltanna for aid.

“With Baron Grimms on the hunt for banditry, the Count stands watch over Besselat, as ever in service to the crown,” the Duke mumbled.

“We suspected as much.” Did he even know of this plan? Or had he approved it? “We task you, Lord Sovlique, with relaying to the Count what has occurred here.”

Puzzled: “I serve your will, Your Majesty.”

“Indeed.” Her hand found the arm of the chair by her side. Let them puzzle over that decision. “We grow weary, and must relay this news to the king, that he may affirm that we speak his intentions.” She stood, and everyone bowed. “Ser Zalbaag, you’ve no doubt matters martial to consider, but at your earliest opportunity, we bid you relay the decision to your brother and mine, that the Northern Sky knows the movements of the Southern.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Let Larg and Dycedarg decide how best to deal with Goltanna’s brazenness. No doubt their wheels already turned. She nodded to her oh-so-loyal subjects and left, Ser Garland at her side.