#i just watched it for the 6th time in theatres

[literarycinematics]

"i'm so normal about this piece of media" i say, fresh from consuming it for the 5th time this month

[dumbificat]

Happy Birthday, Kai !!

☆ - cyno + albedo + zhongli + heizou + tighnari + raiden + shenhe + jing yuan + blade + kafka fluff | wc: 1.8k ♡ - no warnings | gn reader (intended for kai) ♪ - note:: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAI !! im sorry this was posted late ,, i hope you had the amazing day you deserve, beby <33 ★ - taglist -> @thexianzhoujade @ryuryuryuyurboat @dailypenpen @thestarswhisper

CYNO, as i’m sure you know, is a busy man. for that reason, it took many weeks, if not months, to plan out your birthday. he needed it to be perfect after all. so on the morning of march 6th, you awake to an empty bed. rightfully upset, you wander into the main room where you find cyno, a delicious brunch on the table and tcg cards ready to go. your face breaks out into a smile. you knew he wouldn’t let you down. it was early afternoon by the time the brunch and games were finished, though the day was far from over. he takes you out, a lovely stroll through the streets of sumeru. you were headed on up to pardis dhyai, though cyno refused to disclose any details. along the way, he bought you some small trinkets from stalls in the zubayr theatre. you stopped to watch nilou’s dance, which ended in a happy birthday sung to you. finally arriving at your destination you were amazed to find a huge feast, piles of gifts and your close friends waiting. it seems this would be one of your best birthdays yet, topped only by future celebrations planned by the same man.

ALBEDO will have a portrait of you as a gift painted by himself. you look as elegant as ever, holding a bouquets of your favourite flowers as the sun casts a golden glow on you as it sets. when he hands you the painting, you can tell how much effort he put into it - yet he’s apprehensive. all the hours he spent holding that brush and he doesn’t even know if you’ll like it. of course, the tears in your eyes are quick to quell his worries as he embraces you tightly. a small kiss is pressed to your forehead, along with a whispered “happy birthday, my muse.”

ZHONGLI would have quite the experience with birthdays given his age. and of course, being the liyuen archon meant he knew of every desirable spot the region had to offer. the whole day would be planned for accordingly, with meals, walks and resting time accounted for. your day would begin with breakfast in bed, leading onto a walk through the city as you head towards third-round knockout for drinks. with iron tongue tian’s stories floating through the air like a historical melody, you take the time to admire the hustle and bustle of the nearby streets. you’re shocked when the story ends with a “happy birthday!”, zhongli only offering a knowing smile. you then start a short trip down through the harbour, zhongli buying any gifts you want from the stalls before making your way over to wanshu inn. there, you and zhongli have a filling meal with a cake for desert, decorated just for you. moving to your final destination, you see xiao, who offers you a small gift on your way to the roof. there, he hands you a gift, a silver ring with a complementary cor lapis gem sitting in the middle. he slips it onto your finger, then you move to sit in zhongli’s arms as you admire the view of liyue from above. needless to say, you enjoyed every moment of your special day with your special someone.

HEIZOU knows of your bad relationship with your birthday and wants to be the one to change that. he will have spent a lot of his time preparing the perfect day for you, hoping deep down that you’ll enjoy it. with the permission of his superior, and help from his colleagues, he plans a murder mystery, albeit fake, where each clue leads you closer to a surprise party at the end. you played your unsuspecting role perfectly, though you didn’t know it was all an act in the first place. you seemed genuinely upset at the prospect of a murder, and on your birthday no less. that’s where heizou’s intellect comes in. he knew how this could affect you, or anyone really, so he made some of the ‘clues’ outlandish and suspiciously fake. you thankfully caught on, the victim picking your favourite flowers only to be killed with chopsticks stained with your favourite food was… a bit much. regardless, you took the ‘bait’ and solved the murder, being rewarded with a party and gifts from your friends. there wasn’t much more you could have asked for, and it seemed as though your opinion about your birthday changed for the better after all.

TIGHNARI would know the gift he wanted to give you months before your birthday. he wanted to make you a flower. not through the means of paper or crafts. but with science. your own hybrid, a species made just for you. it took time, naturally so. but he finally had it made, just in time for your birthday. it was a cross between mourning flowers and padisarahs, the gorgeous sunset colours of the mourning flowers mixed with the structure of padisarahs made for one of the most pulchritudinous flowers out there. of course, he couldn’t just give you the flower. no, instead he had a whole garden of them, some being in pots as well. he invited you to dinner, then brought you to the garden with hands covering your eyes. to say you were in awe was an understatement. then again, tighnari managed to shock you each and everyday.

RAIDEN would have to ask kujou sara as to what celebrations humans hold for birthdays. after listening to her advice, she decided on a simple date, focused solely on you. your day was spent walking the streets of inazuma, drinking dango milk and having only the best street food (she wanted to cook but… you know how it is). just when you thought the day was over, she brought you to a cliffs edge, one with a stunning view of inazuma. there was a small picnic prepared, sweet treats that she managed to decorate herself. a short while - and many snacks - later, there was a sudden bang interrupting the serene silence. with a furrowed brow, you looked around hastily to find the source of the sound. it was only when raiden wrapped her arm around you, guiding your face to the sky in front of you that you realised what it was. fireworks. gorgeous colours and patterns filled the sky, an ode to you on your birthday. your head fell to her shoulder as you admired the sight just for you. they slowly came to a stop, but your head remained. raiden’s arm tightened around you as she confessed sacred truths and vows of love to you, drawing your special day to a close.

SHENHE would not be used to human traditions, so she would seek out the guidance of her master and ganyu . the three of them together would plan a small celebration for you, with many gifts made in advance. perhaps the best gift they had for you was a small mechanical device, made with the purpose of star gazing. the idea was shenhe’s, but it couldn’t have been made without xianyun’s help. when march 6th finally rolled round, she was ready. the two of you shared a lovely day together, sharing drinks and meals - she indulged in you and for once had liyuen dishes - and visiting friends along the way. when the time came, she gifted you the device. at first you were confused, but when she explained how it worked, you were elated. you spent the rest of the night stargazing together, while shenhe described constellations for you. a tiny star shot across the inky sky, upon which you wished every birthday would be like this. it was in the early hours of the morning that you finally fell asleep, head resting on shenhe’s shoulder. she promptly carried you home, cuddling up to you before sleeping herself.

JING YUAN - your darling husband - has a practiced plan for your birthday. he wakes you up with your favourite breakfast in bed, leading straight into a near hour long cuddle. if anyone were to witness such an inherent act of intimacy, they would believe you two had become one under the blankets, the tangling of limbs only serving as evidence. dragging you out of bed with a perfected ease, you fall easily into the prepared routine for your birthday. from chess to a picnic, you get a lot done on your day. as you wind down into the evening, there’s a final surprise for you. your favourite cake, topped with candles and sweet decorations. little yanqing was with you both, his smile brighter than the candles when he wished you a “happy birthday!!” as for jing yuan, his regular lazy smile was replaced by something more akin to ‘home’, for that’s what you were to each other. after sharing some of the cake, it was time for bed. though, being his husband, you knew jing yuan wouldn’t let you sleep without more cuddles and sweet confessions of adoration whispered into the night.

BLADE is not one for celebrations, but for you, he makes an exception. he gets permission for a day off, something he rarely sought. he makes simple plans for the two of you, though you couldn’t complain when you were expecting nothing from him. he knew how important birthdays were to humans, but also how you felt about your own. for that reason, he didn’t get anyone else involved, or even brought attention to your day. he home cooked dinner, and you stayed in watching a slew of movies and romcoms, something he’d normally be opposed to. hours passed as you basked in the comforting presence of each other. you thought the night was over, but there was a small surprise blade had for you. he handed you a tiny box, the velvet coarse in your hand. opening it, you find a silver necklace with a little sword pendant, a blade. he clasped it around your neck, the metal cool on your skin before taking you into his arms.

KAFKA would sense that you were stressed even weeks before your birthday. for that reason, she plans a spa day for the two of you. she treated you to the whole thing: massages, manicures and pedicures, facials, the lot. after such a soothing experience, your nerves were calmed. it wasn’t over though as you spent the majority of the day between saunas and steam rooms, as well as a dip in a jacuzzi. to top it all off, kafka ordered only the most luxurious of meals for you, and the sweetest cake they had. you could officially look forward to your birthday from here on out, especially if it would bring such a relaxing experience.

rest assured, these characters will be celebrating your birthday every year.

[sgdlr-asdfghjkl]

Link Click Musical update 156

Beginning of April summary, part 1

(Cao Muzhi's sillies and Wang Minhui's stage door talk)

Performances went on till April 6th and they resume on April 12th, so now we have time to catch up 🌟 I'll cover April 4th here ^^

The leaf stamp is to mark Qingming Festival. It's a period when people visit the graves and honour their ancestors.

@chocolatexiaoshi explained to me that, since it's a holiday, the theatre schedule was adjusted to hold 2 performances a day (like on the weekends). So the stamp doesn't mean any special events >< it's just to remind the audience about a different schedule.

Links in replies: cq&wmh laughing during 'Pursuers of light', stage door vid of wmh I reference later

April 4th, noon: Cao Muzhi, Wu Yihan, Qian Dongyue

These two are funny together, Cao Muzhi acts oh so clueless as Wu Yihan does his little trollin >:3 but dw cxs get a solid hug every time 💙🧡

I made a twt thread of Cao Muzhi reaction images, (he's just so funny to me 🧡) so you can check it as a bonus~

April 4th, night: Cai Qi, Wang Minhui, Qian Anqi

By the end of first half of 'Pursuers of light' Cai Qi messed up the lyrics making Wang Minhui fall to his knees and laugh (classic wmh).

🌟Exclusive gossip from stage door interview with Wang Minhui, explained by @chocolatexiaoshi ☕💖🙏(quoting but I edited grammar a bit):

'a fan said: you and CaiQi are very familiar with each other, so you guys will have more feeling of cp (cooperation?). I watched the play for the first time and have a feeling that cxs and lg are really like a married couple. wmh:😳😳😳 (he shies away in an instant) then he shared with audiences how to cooperate with each partner seriously' (timestamp around 4:00)

He also talked on how he addresses his CXS's actor partners

'BaiZhuoming: 白老师 - like Mr Bai, seems not familiar and wmh wants to perform more with him and become more familiar.

TengChunpeng: 滕哥 - like brother Teng (哥means big brother), to become more familiar.

ShuRongbo: 波波 - Bobo, 'oh I know srb is the cutest boy' (🥺Bobo is his nickname and his weibo username).

CaiQi: too familiar, just calls his name directly.'

Also, not lc related but I think some of you may like it... Wang Minhui posted this beautiful spring photoshoot on his weibo:

Nevermind, it is LC related, bc he's wearing Lu Guang's shirt. Here's a proof, he literally took it from theatre one day ><'

(*￣3￣)╭*:･ﾟ✧💕

see ya in next part soon

[gemsofgreece]

Help me choose: Meteora/Metsovo/Ioannina or Mycenae/Nafplio/Epidavros? Thank you!

Those are seriously good options! I believe you would love either destination, so I will just give you what each place is ideal for.

Meteora - Metsovo - Ioannina

This is an itinerary that is ideal for nature lovers and people who love urban and provincial areas with strong traditional character in gorgeous natural settings.

Pros:

Meteora is hands down the best natural wonder of Greece.

It is also one of the two most important destinations for Christian Orthodox and post-Byzantine heritage monuments.

Metsovo is a town built in a high altitude, surrounded by beautiful mountains.

It has a strong traditional mountain Vlach Greek character and great cuisine.

Ioannina is the 6th largest city in Greece. It is vibrant, it is a university city, however it retains its own traditional character.

Ioannina is a lake city (which also features a must-visit inhabited lake island) built close to a lot of natural beauty and is the starting point for a lot of nature-oriented destinations, including two national woodland parks.

Ioannina is very significant for Ottoman Greek and Modern Greek history and has a lot of museums and cultural places to visit. Metsovo does too.

Ideal for a lush green spring or a cool summer.

Cons:

No access to the sea.

Farther from Athens than the other itinerary plan.

Probability of adverse weather if visited in cold months.

Tip: For Ancient Greek culture buffs, the archaeological site of Dodona is about 22km from Ioannina.

Mycenae - Nafplio - Epidaurus

This itinerary is ideal for history buffs of all kinds.

Pros:

Mycenae is the best destination for the Mycenaean civilization.

Epidaurus has the best preserved ancient Greek theatre in Modern Greek territory and is in general one of the best destinations regarding Classical Greece. The theatre is functioning. (If you go at the right time during summer, you can watch a theatrical play there as well.)

Nafplio is the first capital of the Modern Greek state, it is coastal and has many points of interest regarding Modern Greek history.

Nafplio is also a good place to explore Venetian / Latin presence in Greece in the late Byzantine and post-Byzantine era.

Nafplio is much smaller than Ioannina but it is one of the prettiest cities in Greece. Both these cities are beautiful though.

Driving distances here are smaller as all destinations are in the same one administrative region (Argolis) and they are closer to Athens.

It might not have the wow factor of the other itinerary nature-wise, but that doesn't mean it does not have beautiful natural surroundings, and coastal ones too.

Ideal for early spring and a mild winter.

Cons:

If history and museum visiting get old for you after a point, the other itinerary might be better.

Pretty hot in summer months.

Touristy.

[lyrainbeleriand]

Ariel & Eric | Evermore (The Little Mermaid 2023 Spoilers)

just came back from my 6th time watching tlm in theatre and yes I'm definately obessed I love this film and this version of eriel so much I have no words

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

A couple new observations from my annual viewing of Wait Until Dark...

~Near the end of the film, when Susy tries to bluff her way out of the apartment, she tells Mike that she would have remembered about the doll if "that awful Sgt. Carlino" hadn't been hounding her...and Carlino looks so offended. First of all, dude, how did you expect her to feel about you? Secondly, it's an interesting layer to his character...as he used to be a cop, and at some point, left the force in disgrace (one can assume)...and that reaction shows that, at some point, he really did want to be a good police officer and help people...but he ended up as a con artist instead.

~When Susy calls the "6th precinct" to speak to Roat, Jr., Mike taps on the van window to tell Roat about the call...and when Roat exits the van, he looks so annoyed. You can tell he's getting frustrated with Susy and this entire charade, and he just wants his damn heroin. But all he shows on the outside is a quick gritting of his teeth.

~When Roat shows up as Roat Jr. for the first time (in that terrible wig), I noticed that he wasn't wearing both of his gloves, which I found odd...especially since he's so careful about fingerprints. Granted, he's holding a hat the entire time, but you never know. Then I noticed that he's wearing a wedding ring. But for who? Susy can't see it, and Mike and Carlino know it's all a ruse. Yes, he uses the costumes to make sure that his true face isn't seen by anyone outside the apartment (or Gloria), but the wedding band is such a small detail. It really shows how Roat is so dedicated to playing these characters. A true theatre kid..."if I'm playing a married man, I need a wedding ring." And I double-checked, he's not wearing one at any other point in the movie (though you do see him wearing one in a couple promo shots).

~And probably the biggest thing I noticed...after Susy has doused Roat with gasoline and starts lighting those matches, I saw that Roat was still holding that scarf...and I thought "wow, he's committed to that being his murder weapon, he didn't let it go after all that." But then I re-watched the scene and realized that when she strikes that first match, he is holding it in both hands like he was reaching out to strangle her with it. I never noticed that before! I think I always saw the fire from the match first and then Roat falling backwards. But he was actually trying to find her in the pitch dark to just end it all then and there!

Also, I love Roat/Alan Arkin's accent. The way he says "photographer" always makes me smile. I almost think he leaned into his accent more than he normally would have in other roles.

[thesunsethour]

Little Les Mis Things - 11/01/24

My ramblings (aka an in-depth analysis) on how amazing the current West End cast of Les Misérables are having seen the show yesterday (a particularly special version because of how many amazing covers and swings performed!) This is also the first time I’ve seen Les Mis in London with the new production changes (so much to talk about!)

Yesterday was my 6th time seeing Les Mis, and 4th time in London - let’s get into it!!

Jean Valjean - Played by the absolutely wonderful Killian Donnelly who is MY Valjean. This was the third time I’ve seen him play this role and no one has come close to him for me. The tenderness he brings to the role without losing any of Valjean’s rougher edges is sublime. His voice is as divine as ever yet at the same time has matured so much over the years since I first saw him as Valjean in 2017. The result is the most beautiful blend of roughness at the beginning that over the course of the show mellows as Valjean ages - but at the same time is always distinctly *Killian*. His rendition of Bring Him Home is the best version of all time. I would like to apologise to my aunt for this sacrilegious statement against the wonderful Colm Wilkinson but after yesterday I cannot deny it anymore. I always cried at the end of Les Mis, but yesterday was the first time I was sobbing from Bring Him Home onwards, and that is thanks to Killian Donnelly.

Javert - Played by Jordan Simon Pollard, who usually plays Claquesous but is first cover Javert. He was sensational! His voice filled every crevice of the theatre and his rendition of Javert’s Soliloquy was out of this world.

Fantine - Played by Ellie Ann Lowe, who usually plays a Factory Girl but was on as Fantine yesterday and smashed it right out of the park! Beautiful voice (especially at the end of I Dreamed a Dream) and an incredible actress to boot.

Cosette - Played by the lovely Lulu-Mae Pears. Her Cosette was a treat to see and her voice was stunning. Side note I LOVE Cosette’s new costumes for the London production.

Marius - Played by Ben Oatley, who usually plays Joly, and was making his debut as Marius yesterday! He is second cover Marius and this is his first ever West End show having graduated last year and it’s almost hard to believe when you see how talented he is - like he’d been doing the role for years! If you want to imagine this Marius just picture Mr Bingley from Pride and Prejudice 1995 now give him bucketloads of trauma. And then BOOM! A Ben Oatley Marius.

Éponine - Played by Rosy Church, an ensemble actress who is also making her West End debut with this current cast of Les Mis! She was simply outstanding, with a voice as clear as a bell and a higher register that really surprised me for a bit but I loved. Her ‘On My Own’ sent goosebumps down my arms - simply brilliant.

Enjolras - Played by Djavan van de Fliert who made the entire audience fall in love. The most charismatic Enjorlas I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, he filled the stage when energy whenever he was on it. During his entrance for One Day More he fell down on stage but didn’t miss a single beat and got an absolutely rapturous round of applause at the end.

Little bits and bobs I loved from this production:

* They’ve changed the tops that the chain gang wear from brown to red - it initially appeared quite jarring to me but then really grew as the show went on. It makes Valjean stand out more (especially important for people like me, who were watching from the Grand Circle all the way up in the Gods)

* Killian went for the higher note for “took my FLIGHT” which I always simply adore when he does that

* The way Killian said “the whirlpool of my SIN”… I cannot explain in words how many emotions he can pack into one word

* An addition from the last time I saw the show in London was that Valjean goes to help a little girl when going from town to town at the beginning and gets shunned and attacked for it, and this adds an extra weight to when he takes the coin off the little boy later on

* Valjean gets beaten up a LOT more than he used to… it works so well on stage but also leave my father alone…

* The actor playing the bishop in this production (Adam Pearce) was so brilliant - he played the role with an underlying tinge of anger which was a unique choice I’d not seen much of before. He seemed to be angry not AT Valjean but at his circumstances, which really worked well

* One of the factory workers called Fantine a bitch with such vitriol that the dozens of teenagers sitting in front of me on a school tour gasped out loud

* I loved Killian’s acting during the scene when Fantine was fired, she was begging him to look at her letter and Valjean just waved her away - it was made more obvious than in other versions and really helped to heighten his guilt later on when he finds her in the street. Also some excellent background acting with Valjean instructing the workers in the back

* When the man attacked Fantine after Lovely Ladies it was the most violent choreography of it I’ve seen so far. Then Fantine punched AND spat at him

* When Valjean finds Fantine it takes him a good couple minutes to admit his own guilt but when he did it was overwhelming to him

* Killian also kept putting his hand on Fantine’s cheek and then over his own heart…. killed me actually

* Ellie’s “you let your foreman SEND ME AWAY” was breathtaking

* I LOOOOOVED Valjean and Javert’s interactions when Valjean is Mayor because like for example after lifting the cart obviously Valjean had to take off his coat and Javert was holding it and it was after some very tense seconds where Javert was suspicious Valjean just motioned for Javert to return his coat bahahaha. So subtle but so brilliant

* Javert was getting worked up and said “but MONSIEUR LE MAYOR-“ and Valjean just held up a single hand to silence him and it was so perfectly done - I love their shifting power dynamics so much

* And during the Confrontation Valjean stole Javert’s chain and kept slowly wrapping it around his hand before delivering the most satisfying punch

* The little actress who played young Éponine was so fantastic, she kept mirroring Madam T’s behaviour

* I love how the new production emphasises Valjean’s nose boops to Cosette. They are actually so important

* But then… a huge travesty… they changed the line from “Yes Cosette, yes it’s true. I’ll be father and mother to you” to something along the lines of “Yes Cosette, yes it’s true, there’ll be a castle just for you”…. really don’t like this change. I always adored the “father and mother” lyric :(

* And I can’t even keep track of the amount of lyrics changed in Master of the House…

* Once again one of my favourite sections in the musical is The Thénardier Waltz because I adore Valjean’s exasperation and passive aggressive reaction to their antics

* Also when they were talking about his Cosette was often ill, Madam T said to Cosette “play dead!” Excellent new addition

* When Valjean went to pick Cosette up to spin her around Killian said ‘h-UP’ which is such an Irish thing and made me so happy like I really think Killian’s acting with young Cosette and even later with Marius in the sewers has so much more depth since Killian himself has had children 🥺

* Now we’re in Paris (side note they’ve got rid of the location and years projections which I miss…)

* They still have the “everyone’s equal when they’re dead” line for Gavroche which I never liked as much :(

* Although they did let Gavroche carry around a little baton the whole time to mock Javert which I loved

* They made Éponines “I know a lot of things I do” quite overtly sexual which is a change from other versions I’ve seen and I wasn’t mad on it

* I love how the Grantaire and Gavroche has been developed over the years it’s so endearing

* I really loved all the Marius and Grantaire interactions - and really Grantaire with the whole ensemble, such wonderful friendships

* When Enjolras took Grantaire’s bottle off him he immediately took out another one

* Marius sang the first few lines of ‘A Heart Full of Love’ from the top of the fence which I’d never seen before and loved

* Also I am CONVINCED Éponine said “shit!” when she noticed Valjean come out the door

* And later when Éponine delivered the note from Cosette to Marius via Valjean he was so soft towards Éponine and even softer when he realised she was a girl. He clasped her hands and told her to stay away from the barricade

* Death’s kiss!!!!!!! Éponine kissed Marius!!! And I sobbed

* When Éponine was dying one of the Barricade Boys brought Javert out and made him look at her body but Javert kept looking away… oh god quick where is that Éponine and Javert parallel post

* Éponine’s anger at the end of ‘On My Own’ was so palpable and especially her “a world that’s full of happiness that I will never KNOW” was so painful

* Drink with Me while very sad was also very funny because everyone was having a good time and then it’s like “oh good Grantaire is joining in- OH NO HE IS NOT OKAY”

* Enjolras really seemed have a lot of respect for Grantaire in this production which made it all the more painful when Grantaire shook his arm off when Enjolras tried to comfort him

* Grantaire’s “IS YOUR LIFE JUST ONE MORE LIE” really played into his NEED to believe in something

* BRING HIM HOME WAS THE MOST SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE I HAVE EVER SEEN. I sobbed throughout. Killian is so talented. Because his voice is so soft naturally and the beginning of the song is extra soft it means the gut punch of “the summers DIEEEE ONE BY ONE” all the more powerful

* Grantaire and Enjolras hugged over what they thought was Marius’ dead body… god…

* Valjean looked so devastated that he couldn’t save all the other boys at the barricade oh god it killed me

* Once again Grantaire was the last to die and shouted “YOU BASTARDS”

* One of my FAVOURITE additions to the new Les Mis staging (which Killian does particularly well) is Valjean saying “good boy good boy… good boy” to Marius as he heaved him up. I burst into tears again

* Turning was soooo good because they have a little girl sing the lyric “who will wake them?” and then she stares at Marius as he comes out for Empty Chairs

* I hated the lyric change in Beggars at the Feast from “that one’s a queer but what can you do” to something like “that one’s a queer but guess he’ll do”… like why. why.

* When Valjean was telling Marius about his life he kept rubbing and clutching his wrist which made me think of Fantine’s line about chains binding him… oh god

* As always Valjean’s death was so beautiful and painful… the part of the show that always gets to me the most

* THE BISHOP HUGGED VALJEAN WHEN HE DIED TO WELCOME HIM TO HEAVEN

* and then I died too. I love this musical so much

[deerntheheadlights]

tate and violet vs. embarrassing childhood stories? like they both wanna be cool kids so bad but i know they've got 'em...

Violet

Got super into vampires in elementary school. She read Dracula over a long break and insisted on dressing up as a Stoker-accurate, period appropriate vampire for Halloween. She was 11 years old.

Her first kiss was in the 5th grade. Jeremy Harris, a 6th grader she shared a band class with, approached her near the swings having fallen victim to a triple-dog-dare at the hands of his friends. He laid one on her and, right as his gaggle of laughing buddies rounded on them, she slapped him.

Ballet classes from 4-11, 7 years worth of "embarrassing" dance recital footage lay in wait on a camcorder Violet secretly hoped would get lost during the cross country move.

Freshman year Violet had a lengthy Sylvia Plath phase which resulted in a handful of notebooks full of poems she was sure would someday be read by legions of teenaged girls just like her desperately searching for understanding. Upon further review, however, she realized maybe poetry isn't her calling— she'd rather stick her head in an oven than ever let those poems see the light of day.

That summer she got way into musical theatre and begged her parents to send her to Drama Camp where she promptly fell in love with Cate, a beret wearing, cigarette smoking camp counselor (who most certainly did not awaken or inspire a single thing within Violet, thank you very much).

Tate

Collects beanie babies.

In the 4th grade, Tate was sent to the principals office for having stuck a thumb tack on his teacher's chair. He denied up and down that he was the perpetrator all the way up to the moment his desk was searched and the box of yellow thumb tacks was discovered poorly hidden underneath a fractions worksheet.

Indiana Jones for Halloween 3 years in a row.

Tate and Justin, his best friend and the only other guy on the track team who liked punk rock, got high for the first time on Justin's older brother's stash. Tate puked.

He's got a handful of incredibly nerdy, poorly executed stick n poke tattoos, including a Legend of Zelda triforce on his ankle and a d20 on his thigh. He'd hoped that they'd fade some with time. They haven't.

Tate is actually a nickname. His full, legal name, as it appears on his driver's license, is Orville Tatum Langdon.

Had nightmares for a week after having begged his mom to let him watch E.T.

[invisibleicewands]

Hello! You are so good at writing review, I really like it! What is your opinion about Good Omens S2? To be honest, I hadn't have any expectations, so I wasn't upset by the plot. But, to my mind, unfortunately, there was a lot of bad writing, unnecessary characters and primitive dialogues compare to the first season.

Hi, Anon!

Thank you for your trust, even if mine are more random thoughts. I have to tell you, I’m not a binge watcher (I prefer to taste the episodes one by one, slowly) but this time I chose to make an exception watching it all in three days, with the last ten final minutes seen immediatly the first day, just to avoid the spoilers online (like “away the tooth away the pain“). So, my view could be affected by this.

Over the last few months I've been making a certain idea about the 2nd series and now I can say it wasn’t completely wrong, even though the result is maybe a bit better than my first expectations.

I find GO2 being like a colorful circus, with a parade of artists doing their best numbers and where MS and DT were the best attraction, the trapeze artists.

The plot is a pretext, 100% fans service: to monetize again the success of the first season, following the dreams’ fans, using their fanfictions as inspiration for the script, then putting all together in a glossy package with a bow on top: some fireworks, a bit of special effects and the effort of two titans, MS and DT, who took the 80% of the weight of this mission on their shoulders.

As very 'serious' and professional actors, with a background of theatre, tv and cinema, they did a wonderful job, transforming with their talent every line in something precious, every scene unforgettable, with skilful expressions or little gestures, even during the boring moments. They put on the table all the tricks of their playbooks to play their characters. Sometimes I saw some of Bill Masters’ glances, sometimes there were Kenneth Williams or Aro or Castor’s vibes. And the episodes were rich of references to their previous works too (Bright Young Things, Dr.Who, etc.), like a showcase of their careers.

I particularly liked Crowley’s clever lines, his dry humour, his pragmatism, also his soft side. A bit less, I must say, Aziraphale character, who was sometimes too much unnecessarily stubborn or dull if compared with the first season, too much 'Wesley Snipes'. But the actors, as I said, were both excellent and a wonder for the eyes. A mention for Jon Hamm too: I thought the nice reviews for his performance were exaggerated, but his scenes were really funny (his hug to Aziraphale xD), maybe because of the contrast between the absurdity of the moments combined with his mono-expression-marble-face. Pity for his story, which had to be the core of the mistery but was revealed and explained in a superficial and hurried way just in the last few minutes.

And here we are, the story. I've found the first two episodes well written, with comic scenes and smart lines, good timing, but then something suddendly changed: the plot became plain, childish, predictable. IMHO a lot of time has been wasted to tell useless or not so interesting stories. The barely hinted relationship between Nina and Meggie, the mere rethoric of their speech to Crowley, all the chaos of the demons battle for nothing, the travel to the cemetary in Scotland and all the resurrectionist thing. Plus, a lot of stereotypical characters: the ridiculous zombies, the boring angels of the Paradise, all like clowns, dolls to fill the void. And Jane Austen. There was nothing really important about her, just her name to justify a ball in regency dresses. Not enough for me. Also, the la-la land love story between Gabriel and Beelzebub to give a meaning to the mistery (really?), was cold and too quick to be interesting.

The turning point at the end of the 6th episode and it was like suddendly watching Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in The Way We Were. MS and DT were simply amazing in giving to that scene such a depth and drama (nervous breakdown Aziraphale?), but the effect I felt was a bit alienating compared to what I'd seen just before. Like a leap too big, like watching two completely different and separate shows.

The final. Moving, exciting, wonderfully acted but... of course was not a final (like MoS ending in season 3). They should have called this Good Omens vol.2, like Kill Bill, since it’s obvious that was not a real end. Everything has been written for a third part since the beginning and you can see it, even if they tried to hide it somehow. Honestly I don't know if I wish to see another chapter, 'cause I'm worried about Michael's hair at this point... (I'm evil, I know)

Jokes apart, I think it was surely an entertaining, light, funny, moving, show with some brilliant moments and others less, and two great actors who covered the flaws with their skills. But I struggle to see it like a masterpiece or something worthing of an award (the special effects and the make up too, were a bit cheap). It needed of something more in the writing, for example, to reach The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel league, just saying.

But for sure it was a gold mine for fans and gif makers. ;)

A music video, to heal the heart of a demon:

[scotianostra]

The Scottish actor, playwright and singer Roddy McMillan was born on March 23rd 1923.

Born in Glasgow, Roddy McMillan was the son of parents from the Highlands. His mother was from Harris in the Outer Hebrides, and his farther from Ardnamurchan in Lochaber. The son of a docker, he was raised in a two-room tenement flat in the district of Anderston

He became interested in music at an early age, influenced by his relations who would come down from the Highlands to visit and sing folk songs. At the age of 8 or 9 he and his sister joined St Columba's Gaelic Choir in St Vincent Street, Glasgow, a junior choir numbering around 14 members. Two years later, after it folded, they joined the famous Glasgow Gaelic Music Association and would take part in the yearly concerts. Both experiences greatly widened McMillan's knowledge of Gaelic song.

He first experience acting was at school at the age of 13 and he went on to play in repertory for a number of years.

Upon leaving school he worked as an apprentice in a glass mirror works and, during the war years, he worked on aero engines for Rolls-Royce.

At the same time, at the age of 18, he joined the amateur Glasgow Unity Theatre, and after it developed a professional core he eventually became part of that and became a full-time actor. He then became a member of the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre Company. His first play, All in Good Faith, was given its premiere by his Citizens' colleagues when it opened on 6th April 1954.

McMillan was best-known, perhaps, for his role as Para Handy in The Vital Spark (seen here in this BBC picture with John Grieve, Walter Carr and Alex McAvoy) but his range extended far and wide.

After playing Para Handy, he specialised in dour, tough guy roles, the most famous of which was his portrayal of a Glasgow private eye in the BBC TV series The View from Daniel Pike, which won him the TV Personality of the Year award in 1972.

McMillan fought and overcame alcoholism, then gave support to help others through the problem. His leisure interests including folk singing.

He once had a role in a western, Chato’s Land, which was filmed in the south of Spain. Th film, directed by Michael Winner, starred Charles Bronson and Jack Palance. It wasn’t a challenging role, Roddy once commented in an interview that he learned, “the art of sitting in absolute silence at a roadside cafe, just watching the world go by”.

On July 9th 1979, not long after he had completed the recording of a second series of ITV's Hazell, McMillan suffered a heart attack in his Glasgow home and died in Glasgow Royal Infirmary, aged 56. He was survived by his wife, Jean, and two daughters.

McMillan's final work, in BBC Scotland's The Camerons, was broadcast two months later in September 1979.

One wee nugget of information I found out while researching Roddy’s life, was that he co-wrote the song Campbelltown Loch with Andy Stewart.

[wherebettertoescape]

Bonnie & Clyde - Garrick Theatre

This review does contain mild spoilers for the West End production of Bonnie and Clyde, talks of death, prison and abuse

Freddie attended the evening production of Bonnie and Clyde on the London West End on 6th May with her sister - please let me know what you guys think both of the review and the production in general!

The same moment that the lights dim in Garrick Theatre, loud gunshots ring out through the room and several of the audience members jump - myself included. I notice my sisters face of amusement at my reaction, but before she can comment on it, the music starts up - sounding as though it comes from an old-time gramophone. Then, a screen is lifted and Bonnie and Clyde appear - dead, in their car, the visual enough to raise the hair on my arms.

Even though the coronation celebrations are still causing the streets of London to be crowded with locals and tourists alike, the moment that Cleve September and his cast of fellow police officers take the stage, all thoughts of the new king are gone as I am swept back in time to the world of outlaws. 

I did not get the chance to see Jordan Luke Gage acting as Clyde, but I have to admit after having had the opportunity to watch Barney Wilkinson instead I’m so glad. I had seen little about Wilkinson’s performances as the understudy Clyde, and he was one of the cast members who I was utterly unfamiliar with - but he completely blew past my expectations. 

The first act ends with three very intense songs for Clyde - the duet with Ted, You Can Do Better Than Him, a song for Clyde that is vastly different from his other numbers. Yet Wilkinson captured the characters’ longing and love for Bonnie, and yet also conveyed with his expression the self-assured, almost cocky nature of Clyde with how he knows that even while Bonnie deserves better, she “won’t do better than [him]”, because she loves him. Contrasting with Septembers’ unconditional love for Bonnie, this number was truly remarkable and it’s hard to describe the atmosphere in the theatre when it came to an end.

Naturally, the musical number I had most been anticipating going into the audience for this show was Raise a Little Hell - the song that could be considered the soundtrack to the musical. I must admit, I wasn’t sure that anyone would be able to perform it with the same intense fury and grim determination as Jeremy Jordan. And while I am still partial to Jordan’s performance of the song, Wilkinson’s rendition was spine-chilling. His voice alone more than enough to set me at the edge of my seat, my breath caught in my throat as I waited for his next move - desperately wanting him to fight back and to confide in Bonnie. This paired with the choreography and staging of the number - the dark lighting and the image of Clyde, alone in his cell, his back to the audience for the first chorus of the song - united to show Clyde in a far more sympathetic light than before. No longer was Wilkinson portraying a poor man who kept winding up in trouble, he was instead creating an understanding between Clyde and the audience with the understanding that he has been beaten down his entire life, and no matter what he does now, nothing will get the weight of his past off of his shoulders.

Wilkinson’s expression throughout the song, especially following his decision to take matters into his own hands and to “make Ed Crowder pay” is haunting. There’s something almost manic about it as he sings, capturing what one of the real-life friends of Clyde referred to as his change “from a schoolboy to a rattlesnake”.

And here I must add in the comment that my sister made to me during the interval, after Wilkinson’s spine-chilling numbers of both Raise a Little Hell, and This World Will Remember Us: “I’ve just realised that they die. I’ve been rooting for them, and I’ve just remembered they die.”

Jodie Steele and George Maguire as Blanche and Buck truly blew me away. Perhaps it’s biassed of me to say as such, considering these two roles were always my favourites, but the two of them together had incredible onstage chemistry and carefully walked the line between providing the comedic relief early on in the show and yet also being able to tug at the heartstrings of the audience in the second act. Steele’s rendition of Now That’s What You Call A Dream was utterly heart wrenching, bringing great sympathy to a character previously so adept at the more comedic numbers, such as You’re Going Back to Jail- and I’m certain that when the West End cast recording of the soundtrack comes off I will be listening to it on repeat.

George Maguire came alive in When I Drive, channelling the relationship between him and Clyde in this fun number, rolling around a tyre between them. From an audience perspective, it felt as though Maguire and Wilkinson were just having fun together, attempting to make each other laugh, and I spent the whole number grinning, utterly convinced of the brotherly relationship.

Maguire and McCann both excel at conveying to the audience their characters’ inner turmoil. Both of them having loyalties in two completely different walks of life - for Buck, he’s torn between his love for his wife and the life she wishes they could have together, and his brother, who is utterly convinced that that life is one completely unattainable for either of them. Whereas for Bonnie, she can either choose the safe option and marry Ted, or Clyde, who is offering her the life of fame and fortune she has always wanted, though in a completely different way to how she had imagined it.

So adept was Maguire at showing Buck’s inner monologue, that when he has to choose between following Clyde in the second act, or remaining with Blanche where the police still won’t trust him, the woman sitting to my left whispered: “no, don’t do it. Choose her”. I have to thank that random fellow audience member, for voicing my own exact thoughts.

The role of Bonnie comes with numerous challenges in regards to vocals - the haunting high notes of Dyin’ Aint So Bad which contrast so strongly with the far more upbeat, swing-like How ‘Bout a Dance ensure that whoever takes up the mantle of this role must be comfortable with singing in multiple genres and possess an impressive vocal range. Frances Mayli McCann excelled in this regard - her enthusiasm with the more upbeat songs, both early on and in the second act was infectious, her rendition of Picture Show both as child and adult Bonnie brought a huge smile to my face to watch her singing and dancing around the stage - the picture of childhood glee and innocence. 

McCall makes it impossible not to root for Bonnie - the slow transition from a dreaming girl trapped in a small-town life, unsure of the path of illegality Wilkinson’s Clyde is steering her down, to the quick-witted, devil-may-care woman who has accepted her fate and her love for Clyde. 

One aspect of the casting that cannot go unmentioned is Frances Mayli McCann and Julie Yammanee as Bonnie and Emma Parker respectively - two Asian women giving phenomenal performances in key roles in the production. Considering that McCann herself states that “it was never a dream of [hers] to play the role”, on account of her thinking it was not “in [her] casting”, despite how much she had loved the original soundtrack when it was released. McCann’s words and exceptional performance at Bonnie, in particular with the difficult vocals in songs such as Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad, can give hope for the future of theatre being more representative and inclusive. I can only hope that any aspiring actors or actresses who had the chance to witness McCann’s performance are able to see now that your race, gender, sexuality or anything else should not be seen as a reason why you cannot play a certain role - as Jordan Luke Gage said in the interview: “Anybody should be able to play Bonnie”.

There are not many ensemble numbers in this production, but the direction and choreography certainly made them memorable. Particularly Made in America, with its harsh movements, the cast practically stomping on the stage, worked wonderfully to show how Bonnie and Clyde’s frustration with the system and they way things are extends much further than just the two of them, and explains why so many people did support and idolise the two rebellious outlaws.

Overall, the West End production of Bonnie and Clyde at the Garrick Theatre is well-deserving of its WhatsOnStage award for “Best New Musical”. With the use of physical humour that sent audiences into stitches, impressive renditions of vocally challenging songs, and two objectively bad characters who become so sympathetic throughout the musical, there is no doubt that this production does the original Jeremy Jordan production justice. I can only hope that it doesn’t take another five years for the next professional production, as even though I only saw it recently, I am desperate to return to the lives of Bonnie and Clyde.

[anonymous-ace72]

Seeing a lot of people sharing Phantom-y memories so I figured I’d weigh in a little. 

I always thought that someday, I’d pull together the time and the money to travel to New York and see the show in all its glory. That somehow, it would always just... be there, waiting. But now that it’s ending, I just feel a little hollow. I know that it’ll probably come back, and there are always tours to go see... but it won’t be the same. It won’t be the spectacle that the original was. 

Phantom was not my first musical (that pleasure goes to either Annie or Mamma Mia) but it is the first one that I got super into. I first heard the title song in 6th grade music class, and it made such an impact on me that I downloaded the song the next time I got itunes money and listened to it on repeat while putting on my Halloween costume for school. 

I saw it in its entirety twice in my sophomore year of high school. First, I saw the movie in my theatre class. Hearing the overture and watching the movie go from greyscale to color activated something in my brain that would never turn back off. The second time, was when my mom surprised me with tickets to the restaged tour. They were the last two available for that night, so we got lucky. I remember listening to the orchestra warming up before the show, and the excitement at hearing that overture live for the very first time. I’m sad that I didn’t get to see a true chandelier fall, the theatre we saw it in just wasn’t built for it (it dropped a few feet, but never crashed onto the stage. Didn’t even start on the stage, just kind of hovered there with a cloth on top of it. Very anticlimactic). My first, and so far only, live Phantom was Quentin Oliver Lee, may he rest in peace. 

We performed Music of the Night as our ballad for my Junior year show choir package, and having to work on that for months just deepened my love for the musical, even if most of my words were just oohs and ahhs (it was acapella, and I’m an alto). We watched Youtube videos to get inspiration on how to emote, I specifically remember watching Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess. Norm actually came and did a masterclass at my university last month, and I would have gladly skipped class to watch him speak if I didn’t have a French quiz at the same time (I am still super pissed about that). 

The musical has led me to consume other Phantom forms of media, such as the book, the 1990 miniseries, and some kind of video game where you play as Christine and Raoul’s daughter and get kidnapped by Erik. I’ve tried reading the book in its original French text with... very little success. I’ve cosplayed the Phantom, and am finally going to bring the costume to a con after many much needed refurbishments. 

This musical has honestly become a comfort for me, and I love it dearly. It’s so sad to see it go, this thing that’s brought me much joy these past several years. Honestly, I cannot think of a time in recent years where I was as happy as I was when I saw it live. But hey, maybe I’ll get the chance to see it again someday.

Until then, it’s over now, the music of the night.

[rosie-kairi]

tell me about the magical girl or die by my blade

Asfshadjd So!! My magical girl is named Tsuki Hikaru! She is a 16 year old theatre kid who was minding her own business until she suddenly has a grand cosmic destiny thrust upon her one night (as one does).

The overall plot summary blurb I've come up with is this. "Star Warriors are a product of legend, a simple fairytale conjured up to tell to children at night. But, when Eldritch forces awaken and an ancient world begins anew, it's discovered that some bedtime stories aren't as fictional as you may think. When the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, it falls to 16 year old Tsuki Hikaru to take up the mantle of Star Warrior and save everything she loves, or die trying." (Yes I did get the term star warriors from kirby, I'll change it eventually but for now it's gonna stay)

The inciting incident is when Tsuki finds her as-of-yet unamed "Talking Magical Animal Companion"™️, a bunny rabbit, after it falls from the sky like a shooting star. The rabbit is a guardian of sorts, it wakes up and sets out to find possible Star warriors in times of crisis. I imagine it as being a bit like the blob thing from Treasure Planet, able to change forms into anything is wishes + being malleable and able to float. It hides in Tsuki's purse/chest pocket.

Tsuki is initially enthused about the prospect of getting to be a magical girl (because theatre kid) but overtime realizes that maybe this is super dangerous and not like the anime she watched as a kid, actually.

Tsuki herself is a very cheery, optimistic young girl who always has a smile on her face. She's very energetic and fidgety. She laughs a lot and sings almost every other sentence. Knows a good couple of musicals like the back of her hand, had a Hamilton phase when she was in 6th grade, you know how it is with theatre kids. She never loses the optimism, but she just kind of tones her outward presentation of it. Tsuki genuinely believes in the good of the world and she's very vocal about it. She's also six feet tall.

Her Alter Ego is named Sonata! She's moon/star themed. Her primary weapons rotate between a scythe, a whip, and a bow and arrow. Her weapons form through a mix of harnessed moonlight + the wand she uses to transform (its disguised as a pen in everyday life). I haven't come up with many powers for her yet, but what I do know is that she can phase through objects (moon phases... there's a pun in there somewhere). She also just sort of skates everywhere. She doesn't physically have and rollerskates but she still moves like she's skating, if you catch my drift.

Iv'e posted this independently, but here's what she looks like!

[gay-jesus-probably]

Random old movie suggestion: The War Game (1965), which I believe may have been the very first movie seriously exploring how nobody can possibly win a serious nuclear war. At the time, it was considered so disturbing that it was immediately banned from being shown in theatres or aired on TV; they decided it could only be shown to an audience that had specifically been invited to watch it.

it was supposed to be released on October 6th, 1965, but the ban meant it wasn't premiered until April 13th, at the 1966 National Film Festival, where it was shown until May 3rd. This movie is specifically about the United Kingdom's nuclear policies and how they would fare in an actual attack, but it ran for less than a month in Britain before being shut down for good - after that, the only audience the film got was in foreign film festivals (where it routinely won awards anyways).

The ban was eventually lifted, and The War Game was aired on British television... but not until 1985, twenty years after it was made, and that was only because it looked like a cheerful distraction next to Threads (1984), the infamous movie that thought The Day After (1983) was being too optimistic about the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse. And The Day After full on showed you a third of the cast being obliterated in the nuclear strike, then made sure you knew they were lucky to die instantly as every other character died slow, agonizing deaths in a hopeless, radioactive wasteland. Threads was much, much worse.

Anyways, I'd call The War Game the earliest incarnation of The Day After and Threads, and it's a very important snapshot of British nuclear policy and public opinions during the 1960's. Especially since they treat the movie as an interesting blend between fake documentary and real documentary - half of it is a mockumentary of a nuclear war and its aftermath, with interviews of people discussing their lives in the aftermath of the end of the world, while the other half is an actual documentary about the nuclear policies of the time, featuring interviews with actual civilians and officials about how the nuclear policies are supposed to work, and how much the general public actually understands. The whole movie just sort of bounces back and forth between the two, and it really works.

One thing I really like about comparing The War Game, The Day After and Threads is that you can actually see each movie focusing on different things as science learned more about the effects of nuclear bombs. Like, The Day After goes hard on how the bombing would kill a lot of people, but the radiation in the aftermath would get everyone else, and the people that didn't die of radiation poisoning would eventually starve to death, as all the livestock are dead and the topsoil is too irradiated for planting. Threads took that even further, as it was the only of the three movies to be made after Carl Sagan had published his theory of nuclear winter - as in, Threads was literally the first movie to ever show a nuclear winter.

The War Game barely even mentions radiation, they don't consider it to be something worth worrying about - they're a lot more concerned about the fact that a nuclear strike would set the entire goddamn island on fire, and that alone would kill most of the population while leaving the survivors horrifically traumatized. Also, they just genuinely did not have access to that sort of information - British Civil Defence knew they were making a movie criticizing nuclear war as being suicidal for everyone involved, so they refused to cooperate with the filmmakers at all, they had very little access to government information on nuclear bombs. The movie focuses on the devastation of the fire, because the only officials willing to work with them were firefighters, who were absolutely fucking terrified of a nuclear war occurring, because they were the only ones that had realized just how bad the fires would be. The filmmakers also studied the WW2 bombings of Dresden for their research on the firestorm phenomenon (which was definitely a risk in Britain, with very limited land and very dense population).

[big-als-talk-time]

Wichita Falls, Texas. Known for being mentioned in King of the Hill (which I watch subbed). Also in a tom scott video about a tiny skyscraper.

There are various horse sculptures which allude to the fact there are real horses nearby. They are all pokestops.

Not that one though.

I was able to do 2 routes, the first I've ever encountered.

1. The L in Landmark

2. 10th church walk

The routes were fairly short, but they had many stops and it was nice to have some direction of where to go in the city.

I also picked up 6 gym badges

From right to left

1. Wichita falls public library

2. Wichita Theatre

3. First United Methodist.

4. St. Paul Lutheran Church

5. Harold Jones Park

6. 10 commandments

This is the biggest city I've pokemon went to so naturally this was the best experience i've had to far on my month using it. It was 107F (42C) which was probably dangerous but I drank a bunch of water at the public library so it all evened out. It turns out I was distracted by the fact that you can choose where a route starts as it turns out i missed the aforementioned tiny skyscraper by just a touch. Oh well. No terror attacks will hit it anytime soon. That would be too much risk for little reward.

I decided to eat at the nearby IHOP. I ordered a Buffalo Chicken Melt because it had a favorable calorie to price ratio. When it arrived the waitress asked if I wanted ranch. I replied "This should be good". The waitress was confused by this, asking a clarifying question. I took a moment to think, then realized that my statement is ambiguous and could be interpreted as a standalone idea about the quality of the meal, and not that this will be sufficient.

I replied "don't worry about the ranch" which was effective and I was able to continue with my minimally spicy meal. Once I had finished it the waitress returned and gave me a receipt before quickly walking away. Everything seemed in order so when she returned I stopped her to ask if I paid up front or what. She replied that I will pay her, but before I could proceed with that she walked away again. I assumed she was busy with other tables and that she would return.

After some time, a commotion from a table out of view occurred. A man was apparently upset that the same waitress had given the check to someone who had sat down to eat after this man, who reportedly "had shit to do" and "couldn't wait here all day". Consequently he threatened to leave without paying, and proceeded to do so.

At this point, it seemed like a bad time to bring up that I was tired of waiting. The waitress then returned to me. I figured that this would be the catalyst to my ability to pay. However she only asked if I wanted more water. After my 6th refill of the day, I was quite ready to stop and said as much. I was in the midst of switching to the topic of pay however she slipped away once again.

This caused the same situation to happen to me. For some reason this waitress had seated an elderly couple off to the side of me, they had finished, and then they were able to pay and leave before me. At this point I decided to stand up and ask to pay. The waitress then said "oh are you ready to pay now?"

I replied that there must have been some miscommunication because I wanted to pay for a long time. Since I asked about where to pay actually. Wordlessly our transaction was done. I did a standard 20% tip, slightly higher due to the fact it was paid in cash. Then I left.

[starrypawz]

❝  have you ever had something…missing?  like something just doesn’t feel right inside you but you don’t know what it is.  ❞ for Johnny and Lucas? :eyes:

Prompts AO3 @the-passenger-if

Happy Passenger Game Eve, it's been a fun journey following this game since 2019 and Pime thanks for letting me run amock with your creation as I make my own very niche content from it and hopefully there's much more to come 💜

The voice of the budget Sagan has trailed into silence followed shortly by the sound of the projector winding down. The sparsely populated theatre had been quickly vacated leaving them bathed in silence, alone and the only light the dull glow of the exit sign and the dull lights on the stairs. 

Lucas leans into Jonny’s shoulder. 

“I don’t think they’ve changed that show since I was in 6th grade,” Jonny mumbles and Lucas gives a faint snort. 

“Was that the last time you saw it?”

“No,” Jonny pauses, “Last time I… wasn’t really paying attention to it,” 

“Are you trying to tell me I’m not the first person you’ve taken here to take advantage of the fact it’s a dark room,” Jonny snorts, “No… I uh was you know-” “Oh” “Yeah,” Jonny clears his throat and Lucas gives a knowing chuckle, “Mostly stared at the colours,” squeezes Lucas’s shoulder gently as he pulls him in closer. 

It’s little effort for Lucas to climb over the arm of the seat  into Jonny’s lap and Jonny pulls Lucas in for a kiss and sighs into it as his hands settle into that sweet spot on Lucas’s hips. 

Lucas kisses back, but Jonny finds it… lacking. He’s well aware by this point of the various ways Lucas enjoys teasing but… this doesn’t quite feel like it.

“Lucas?”

“Yeah darlin?”

“You…” He sighs a few potential sentences bubble up and then pop immediately before he settles on, “Ok? I mean are you ok?” 

“I’m,” Lucas pauses as also for him a few potential sentences bubble up and then pop immediately, “I don’t know,”

Jonny tenses up

“I just… I feel kind of weird,”

“Weird?” Jonny catches his lip, “Like sick or?”

Lucas shakes his head, “Just… weird,” 

Weird is probably the understatement of the century. But the word both seems to encompass everything and explain nothing. 

“Do…. Should we get out of here?” Jonny swallows, “Like… need some air?” 

Lucas mumbles a no, shifts position so he’s tucked under Jonny’s chin and sighs softly as he feels Jonny’s fingers slip under the back of his shirt and start running circles on the small of his back. 

Lucas doesn’t even know where to start. His mind is seldom quiet at the best of times (Even on the best days he’s aware of that spot right at the base of hisnothecaket’s skull where the spine comes out and he’s got a grip right there, most of the time it feels like fingers, on a bad day it feels like he’s got the casket’s skull in his maw and then he just needs to bite down and he’ll puncture through and sever everything like in that documentary on lions in a highschool biology class.  Right now his thoughts feel tangled, like that time when the thecasketnohe was five and the Christmas lights had come out and they were tangled up all weird and somehow he’d sat there with Livvy and mom having to untangle them. 

(And Lucas had actually been pretty good at it, and they’d said that “Dad” has been pretty good at it and implied maybe he’d got it from them and Lucas hadn’t known if he wanted to revel in smugness at their ignorance or feel guilty about this whole situation) 

The show had started, a ten minute express tour of the seeming known universe (If only they knew) and as it progressed Lucas had found himself increasingly becoming unmoored whilst watching the cosmos roll on by reminding him of how he’s barely fits into these bones and it makes them ache and how everything here is small, so small not even a tiny dot within the eyes of what he actually is and how by the the time one of those four eyes blinks all of this would’ve been birthed and died and he wouldn’t have even noticed and how everything he feels is dulled but also too much at the same time and… 

“You…” Lucas begins as he grabs onto a stay thought like a lifeline,  “You ever feel like something’s missing?” 

“I…” Jonny pauses, “Is this… a trans thing?”

“No… kind of… not ugh,” Lucas catches his lip as he tries to pull something useful out of his tangled Christmas lights thoughts, “It’s… about everything,” 

“About everything huh?” Jonny huffs.

“Yeah,” Lucas sighs, “Everything just… feels weird sometimes? I guess, I don’t know, like… inside something feels wrong and you can’t quite work out what it is”

“I… I get it,” Jonny offers up with a sigh. 

You don’t A part of Lucas says You really really don’t

The projector whirs back to life and the film grain overlain starfield reappears with a burst of music where someone’s gone a little too heavy on the synthesiser  and the budget Sagan begins its narration of the vastness of the universe and the smallness of this planet he’s ended up on all over again and Lucas clings tighter onto Jonny and Jonny presses a kiss to the top of Lucas’ head. 

“It feels less like it when I’m around you,” Lucas mumbles and Jonny holds him closer. 

Homesick, the word comes to him some time later. 

Homesick.