#there is only so much an actor can improvise

[toobusybeingdelulu]

OH HE WAS CRYING EVEN BEFORE saying “and sometimes you have wished to follow me” TO MAX. This was right when he was walking towards her after she had finished reading the letter… Meaning that maybe he heard her?? But couldn’t do anything about it because Henry wouldn’t let him?? Oh we are gonna suffer so much in s5 aren’t we

[gibbearish]

ive seen ppl saying smth in the wider plagiarism discussion to the tune of "don't worry anxious people, it's impossible to accidentally plagiarize!" and i feel like that lacks a lot of nuance that anxious brains like mine latch on to to just dismiss the possibility outright, as well as a lack of life experiences fueling it.

it is possible to "accidentally plagiarize" in that you can read something, forget about it, then a while later have your brain spit the ideas back out without telling where it got them. so of course you just assume they're yours and share them as such, because That's Where Most Of The Thoughts In Your Head Come From! and it both is and isn't plagiarism, you weren't /intending/ to pass someone's else's work off as your own, i'd even say in a way you were just as much a victim of misinformation as your audience. but you very much so did still resuse the work of someone else, even if you don't remember it.

but in my experience, this kind of thing also happens to a lot of people. you tell a friend a joke then wake up in a cold sweat two days later realizing the reason they didnt laugh was because they'd told you that joke a month ago. you reply to a friend's text and after sending you realized you ended it with the same exact phrase as theirs. you're writing edgy poetry and write a line you really like only to see it in a text post two days later saying youve already liked the post. like, it happens. so if it DOES happens and you're just honest and explain, people will understand. something like "oh shit im sorry, i totally have read that, i mustve forgotten and only remembered bits and pieces and just thought they were mine. thank you for letting me know and for the source" works wonders.

people know you can forget things. people won't automatically doubt your apology just because all true plagiarists say it was accidental. HOPEFULLY people can understand the nuance between a genuine remorseful explanation, and a thief who hoped no one would find out scrambling for excuses for why they did it. and those who can't, that's a them problem, not a you problem, you've taken responsibility for your actions as much as you can. they think the answer is simple, that the only thing stopping you from saying "yes i did it on purpose, i knew the whole time and deliberately copied them" is shame/inability to admit to your actions. but sometimes things AREN'T that simple, so imo ppl who are shitty to you for not following the script they made up for you in their head should be ignored

[desertskiespodcast]

The first half of Desert Skies season 1 was made in a large hollow room, the latter half was made in a very unsturdy uncomfortable blanket fort.

The mic I use goes for $100 brand new which is nothing compared to many, and I’ll replace it with the same one if it ever breaks.

First episodes I ever made were made using free software, and the only reason I use a different software now is because it’s part of the Adobe subscription I have for other products I need. They both do the exact same things.

I never worked in sound engineering and still have no idea what half the things I do to clean up the audio are actually doing. I don’t understand the terms. I press buttons till it sounds right.

I never wrote a fiction script in my life. I didn’t finish college. I’m in recovery from a serious mental illness and have been for many years.

I’m ridiculously unorganized.

I didn’t have time to make a show. I operated at a loss for nearly a year and after that only made enough to pay for my hosting fees and software. I had a family I supported and they’re loud (but I love them).

I did it without a team. I did it without previous voice acting experience or other actors. I did it with massive amounts of self-doubt. I played every character.

I did it anonymously for like the first 6 episodes because of how afraid I was.

I took 3 month breaks between some episodes and then would have 2 episodes release back to back. At multiple points people thought my season had ended. It took me almost a year and a half to finish my 13 episode season

I still made it after some really mean reviews. And after constantly being compared (often kindly. often negatively) to a massive show I’d never heard of.

I made it after all the articles saying I’d never get listens because the podcast world is flooded. I continued making it after I found out I wasn’t doing something new, that there were like 8,000 other shows in the category.

Next month DS is on track to hit 1 million downloads.

I’m so glad I made it. It’s brought me so much joy. And I write none of this to brag, but I’m damn proud of what I’ve accomplished.

I’m just here to tell you this:

THERE ARE NO RULES

THERE ARE NO RULES

THERE ARE NO RULES

You can make one or a hundred shows if you want to, because there are no rules

You can make it by yourself or make your grandma voice act for you, because there are no rules

You can record it on a cassette tape and mail it to random addresses, because there are no rules

You can make it for one person, or for yourself, because there are no rules

You can make it a found footage or a full cast or improvise it or release one episode a year for a decade, because there are no rules

You can advertise it, or make social accounts, or don’t. There are no rules

You can record it into your phone, or your moms phone, or into a Talkboy because there are no rules

The only thing you can’t do is never make it. That’s not allowed

[edgeray]

*presses my face against your tank* HELLO RAY !!! :D I AM FINALLY HERE !! MY BRAINCELLS HAVE COLLIDED AND PRODUCED A THOUGHT !!

or, er, sort of? more like a vague vibe, but i digress. basically, consider: pining arle. how does she realize her feelings for you? how does she cope? how does her behaviour around you change? does it? what is she thinking the whole time? when would she consider making a move? essentially i would like to see you psychologically pick apart this woman. go as in depth into her brain or inner monologue as you want !!! the set dressing can be canon or an au, i’ll eat it up regardless :)) and as a professional angst writer i know you can write some absolutely monstrous (/pos) yearning and i’m frothing at the mouth thinking about it 🤤🤤🤤 lookin forward to your thoughts but also take your time with it !!! godspeed 🫡🫡🫡

An Unfit Role 

(Arlecchino x GN! Reader)

A/N - Oh sev… you spoil me too much. You truly do. Somehow this turned into very ‘Arlecchino is a person'-esque and I don't know how but oh well. I don't know if this answered your questions very well, but hopefully this is what you mean by psychologically picking apart her! Was this enough pining? Content warnings / info - uhh none I think. just a lil bit of angst, 1.4k words

Arlecchino is many things. The Fourth Fatui Harbinger, a Snezynayan diplomat, the head of the House of the Hearth, and simply ‘'Father.’ She takes on many roles, and enforces them with an iron fist, every facade meticulously practiced and rationalized. Perfected as if she were an actor on a stage, every action and step is calculated beforehand. And if external factors or unpredictable variables crop up in the midst of her play? Well, a good actor knows how to improvise. Arlecchino is well aware of her roles, has memorized the lines and drilled through every movement. The Knave has many feats from each character she plays. A flawless performer, in those aspects.

A lover is not a character she can play. Someone who loves. It is a role that she cannot hope to touch, one she cannot imagine assigning herself too. She is far too inexperienced in what it pertains to. Her perception would grossly mischaracterize it, painting a rather crude display of what she knows of but doesn't know. After all, how could one act without an adequate example? No actor would want to showcase a poor impression of an original source material, an actor presents only their most remarkable qualities. A good actor knows what they cannot act, and it is this where her talents reach their limit. It is what her role as a ‘Father’ stems from; this inability to express something far too fragile and flimsy for her to hold. 

Of the few showcases of others playing the role, Arlecchino is knowledgeable enough that they are simply inept showcases. The Tsaritsa, who has shown the capability to act, and yet chooses to conceal her abilities from her audience. Crucabena, an unqualified actor, whose words dripped with far too much venom for the soft-spoken voice that she used. Perhaps Clervie was the only accurate and genuine actor able to play the part, but one cannot appreciate the traits of an unfinished story. And the naive Peruere, who could hardly imitate her counterpart, was maimed by Arlecchino’s own hands. It is here that she learns that the role of a lover earns no applause, because it adds little to the plot, and so it lacks a function in her story.  

Despite this, she finds herself in this scene, where she plays a character unlike her usual, an entirely new character involuntarily thrusted into her by the cruel machinations of her mind. 

It is a subtle thing. First, she was just the Knave to you. But somehow, among your presence, her facade slips, and she dons another character. 

She becomes a character who knows of nothing but the way her sight is captured by a singular person, a character whose dead heart begins to beat, daring to flutter back to life after it was painfully wrenched out of her chest by her favorite story's ending. She becomes acutely aware of this role when her eyes linger on you a moment longer than need be, when she indulges your empty but no less engaging conversations, when she familarizes herself with the particular fauna scent you carry. When she closes her eyes, your smile flashes through her mind, she knows she's fallen. 

An actor knows when to quit, when they misfit the character they're performing. And yet her mind remains stubborn. Acting a role one does not fit will only damage the actor's reputation, and she intends on abandoning it. But it is difficult for her to dismiss how much she yearns for a warmth that the blood flames in her veins cannot bring. It is difficult to deny that she is not momentarily blinded and stunned by your beaming expression, even when you are not looking at her. It is increasingly more difficult to control the pulsing underneath her skin. This is a character she cannot control, instead, it often feels that the character controls her. 

It is an unseemly, disgusting appearance for her. If it were physically possible, she would plunge her very own cursed, clawed hands into her chest, to grasp onto this fickle, volatile organ and crush it just to exhaust the remaining embers of a futile hope. If only it were as simple as that. Love is far too much of a complicated role for her, and yet it is somehow inescapable. Some sort of torment placed onto her by the archons. 

She can long, she can reach, she can prance around you, but never can she touch. For love imprints its scorch marks deeper than any weapon or assault. One of the lessons her story has concluded to. 

So, instead, she reduces its role to a minor character. She lets her stares remain, but she observes you from a distance. She does not dawdle a second longer besides you if she needn't be. She dresses the role of a lover as an observer. Everything she touches with these wretched, blackened hands soon turns into nothing but embers and ashes, and so the only way that you will remain is away from her.

On her desk, sits a vase with a single flower. It is your favorite flower, the flower that you smell of. It does not move from its place, nothing is done to it besides being watered. Its stem is so brittle, and the petals are far too easy to wither away.

(It is a reminder, every time she sits at her desk. Oh, how'd she like to stroke the patels with as much tenderness as she could muster. How'd she like to cradle it in her hands, this source of life, despite being so delicate, is so beautiful. How'd she like to be able to wake up everyday, and view upon this blossoming flower. But she is not a gardener. She knows nothing of how to make a flower bloom.) 

Humans are the only viable actors for the role of a lover. A curse is not. 

(In her dreams, sometimes you are in place of Clervie. Yet, like Clervie, the only moment she is able to cradle you is when her sword impales you. She will not let another flower wilt, she will not burn another flower.)

It is why you baffle her. Why do you gaze upon her with that expression, as if her claws are not one one more inch from piercing your skin and ripping into your flesh? How do you take her hands in yours, somehow slotting them as if they were always meant to, when they’re soiled with vulgar blood? Her cutting words and sharp tongue, how do they not dissuade you? How do you see her blackened skin, and not be driven away by such a mark of impurity and depravity? 

How could you not tell that she is improper for the role that you seek?

She wonders if a flower is a poor description of you. She wonders if you are instead a Sundew ensnaring a spider, unwilling to let it escape. No, perhaps that is not fitting for you, because you are unaware how effortlessly she can char you–unaware of the imminent danger that comes with keeping such a venomous creature.

Arlecchino is many things. She is a coward, if only for you. She cannot abandon her role, but she cannot perform better, floating in the state of inadequacy that she so despises. Playing a lover makes her foolish, and it is a compromising role. 

She is foolish, but she is despicable. She is selfish. And though she is perfect actor, even performers must fail to succeed. One day, her mental will and patience crumbles. She requests you into her office, your doe-eyed expression widens when she gives you the flower that sits lone in a glass vase on her desk. She tells you that you plague her thoughts, every feeling and emotion is muddied when they concern you, a culmination of things not within her grasp, not within her control. 

It is your performance that finally teaches her what she lacked before: playing the role of a lover requires another. It is a role dependent on another character, otherwise it cannot succeed. It matters not how experienced one is with the other, as long as the characters are committed to it.

There is another lesson that she learned from you.

“I cannot act as a lover.”

“Why must you act to love me?”

Love is a fickle, unpredictable thing. There is no words to be practiced, no actions to be scripted. 

Arlecchino is many things. A lover may be one of them. 

[nothingenoughao3]

So y'all know how Jeff Combs was doing a theater production which someone involved with Re-Animator saw him in, and how he's suggested that the character he played there influenced how he played Herbert West.

I relayed this to @andalusiapunk and they were like "Oh! That explains it! He's theater-acting!"

I am not an expert by any means, but I did misspend my teenage years in a magnet school as a theater student. I understood immediately what they meant by theater-acting and I'm mad I didn't come up with it.

A lot of this has to do with Herbert's overall physicality. We all love talking about how he's hyper-dramatic, right? How he moves in a particular way that is extremely precise and sharp and, to be on point, theatrical. How he spins the tape recorder in his hand; how he offers Meg's heart in BRIDE; how he fumbles or manipulates syringes in various scenes.

None of that's in the script and it's not necessarily justified by what's happening... unless you're trying to make sure the audience in the backass end of the theater can see you're holding something small, like a tape recorder or a syringe or a human heart. As I observed elsewhere, you can trick the audience into 'seeing' or 'hearing' things that aren't present onstage or screen if your body language insists on its reality.

And, not to get into super-nerdy film history, but: originally theater-acting and movie-acting were one and the same. Early films are blocked like plays, they have extended sequences without constant cutting between shots (like an audience watching a play), and the extremely clear, over-enunciation of a play-actor trying to make sure those poor bastards in the back can hear what they're saying. And like a play, all acting was heavily rehearsed and expected to hit the same points and produce the same results every time.

What changed this was Marlon Brando introducing the idea of improvisation into movie-acting, a choice which also led to a greater flexibility in movie-acting... including delivery of lines. A more "natural", verisimilitudinous delivery became acceptable for films. This doesn't make either style bad, to be clear: each serves its purpose.

Bruce Abbott (to name the most obvious example) is doing movie-acting. He's got some Protagonist Accent going for him, but he has a clear variety of tone and a great deal of subtlety with his facial expressions and delivery. The same goes for the rest of the cast, although David Gale kind of straddles the line between these two styles.

Herbert's delivery is pure theater-acting. When he and Dan invade the morgue, Dan is whispering--but Herbert is stage whispering, which is why he hisses so much. I've made jokes on here before about how Herbert was born on Skid Row in Little Shop of Horrors-verse, and he thinks he's supposed to be in a musical... and, you know, LSOH is a film based on a play, only in that movie, EVERYBODY is theater-acting.

Anyhow, lotta words to find a different way to compliment Combs and the rest of the REANI cast on their acting, because I live for sorcery enjoying these damn movies.

[vintagetvstars]

Diana Rigg Vs. Nichelle Nichols

Propaganda

Diana Rigg - (The Avengers, Diana) - Honestly? Just check her out as Emma Peel in any episode of The Avengers. The character herself was a legend - an exceptional spy, wonderful fighter, certified genius, a true feminist role model - not to mention a renowned sex symbol (that leather catsuit... heavens help me...) and fashion icon. As for Diana personally, she was once described by Michael Parkinson as "the most desirable woman he ever met, who radiated a lustrous beauty". She could pivot from funny quips and endearing jokes to stone-cold badassery like it was nothing, and she looked stunning either way. Whenever I look at a pic of her, I have this feeling she's planning some fun mischief and I get the strongest urge to ask her to take me along. Need anything more? Here, have some pics: (pics below the cut)

Nichelle Nichols - (Star Trek) - She speaks for herself. Legendary, iconic, at the forefront of feminism and civil rights in the 60s, she is a triple threat who did so much more. She volunteered from 1977 to promote recruitment diversity within NASA, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts. Martin Luther King Jr. compared her work on Star Trek as a 'vital role model' to the civil rights marches. She refused to be dismissed, fought for visibility and shone whilst doing so. As a woman in stem, and simply a woman she means the world and stars above to me.

Master Poll List of the Hot Vintage TV Ladies Bracket

Additional propaganda below the cut

Diana Rigg:

When people think of The Avengers, they think Steed and Peel (or they think the marvel property but that’s neither here nor there). I know people who thought Mrs. Peel was the ONLY woman Steed worked with, Diana Rigg was Just That Good (she was only on two seasons!). She was one of those actors that could so perfectly play comedy in any form, her dry, sardonic wit was marvelous, but so was her physical and slapstick comedy, and she could do drama too! If you’ve seen her in interviews you’d also know how fabulously humble and kind she was. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more attracted to a TV woman than I’ve been to Diana Rigg. Some photos of her:

the SMILE!!!!

I like a woman that could kill me in one shot

tell me she's not endearing I DARE you

Gorgeous, sexy, competent, superior, so much leather. Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the Avengers was foundational to my sexuality and personality. She's classy, she's cute, she's cocky, in one episode she whips a bunch of guys while wearing a corset and a spiked collar...

excuse me I'm overcome with sinful thoughts

 hello 911 I think I'm having a heart attack

Here's an interview I fell for her in:

Diana Rigg | Interview | The Avengers | Good Afternoon | 1974 | Part one

Her first appearance in The Avengers (In series 4, if you can believe it):

The Avengers: Emma Peel First Appearance HD

Nichelle Nichols:

She is the original badass babe. She was a black woman in a leading role on TV in the 60s, a trailblazer for black actresses for years to come. She is so beautiful and so awesome.

she's fantastic. have you seen her? paved the way for black actresses on TV even while her lines and scenes were being cut and improvised the most iconic uhura line in the series. (sulu: "I'll save you, fair maiden!" uhura, pushing him away: "sorry, neither!") she's incredibly talented and it's a crime the show didn't give her more screen time (or make her sing more often because she also has a beautiful voice!)

“Sorry, neither” in response to “fair maiden” was ad libbed by her. There’s a lot more I could say but what else do you need??

A sci-fi icon!

She was such a trailblazer, and Uhura was such an important character for so many people to be able to see on TV. Apparently Mae Jemison (the first African American woman to go into space) cited her as a reason she wanted to become an astronaut. She was just an absolute legend!

The story of Martin Luther King telling her not to quit Star Trek gives me chills. Representation matters. “Thank you so much, Dr. King. I’m really going to miss my co-stars.” Dr. King's smile, Nichols recalled, vanished from his face. "He said, 'What are you talking about?'" the actress explained. "I told him. He said, 'You cannot,' and so help me, this man practically repeated verbatim what Gene said. He said, 'Don’t you see what this man is doing, who has written this? This is the future. He has established us as we should be seen. 300 years from now, we are here. We are marching. And this is the first step. When we see you, we see ourselves, and we see ourselves as intelligent and beautiful and proud.' He goes on and I’m looking at him and my knees are buckling. I said, 'I…, I…' And he said, 'You turn on your television and the news comes on and you see us marching and peaceful, you see the peaceful civil disobedience, and you see the dogs and see the fire hoses, and we all know they cannot destroy us because we are there in the 23rd Century.'"

She shared the first interracial kiss on Star Trek, helped propel real life African American women into space-related careers, and looks divine in a mini skirt.

HOW DID UHURA WALK BACKWARDS SO FAR??? WOW!

[dodorimo]

WIP Wednesday

Theater director!Raphael x Tav

He's supposed to be kinda creepy here, so yeah, this is a warning.

· · ──────  ❊  ────── · ·

It is a disaster, a travesty.

He wonders. When Tacitus beheld the charred remains of his beloved Rome, did he feel a similar way?

Chorus girls look to each other for guidance while lead actors traipse over the stage, painfully off-key. He has seen high school productions with more verve than this one.

That he has to share a room with such insipid talent. It is truly heartbreaking.

With a weary sigh, his eyes survey the stage for the weak link, and that’s where he finds her. A girl in the back row, looking a little lost and scared out of her mind.

“Dear God, who does casting these days?” he laments to no one in particular, crossing his legs on the leather seat.

“You do, sir.”

Raphael turns to look at the man beside him, taking in his ill-fitting suit and old-fashioned glasses. Poor fellow. He has neither the knack nor the grip for the job. And the syndicate thought sending this boy would keep him on his toes?

“Oh, I didn’t audition this one or I’d remember her.” There’s a pause while he mulls over his thoughts. “Tell me, Jameson,” he says and ignores when the other man voices a correction. “Why is she here?”

“The girl has promise,” comes the curt response. “She was highly recommended.”

The vague answer does nothing to placate his quickly dampening mood. “Recommended by who? Her parents? Her elementary teacher, perhaps?”

A few cleaning women choose this moment to walk past their seats, prompting the man to lower his voice. “The Royal, sir.”

Raphael reclines back in his seat. There we have it.

What these newcomers fail to understand is that admission to a fancy college isn’t nearly enough accolades for his standards. He didn’t build his reputation by bowing down to paper-pushers and sycophants. In this theater, he dictates the rules. In this theater, he is king.

With a wave of his hand and a few scathing words, he orders the session to be dismissed, much to the relief of those present.

“May I suggest a break instead?”

“You did well today, Johnson. You may take the rest of the day off,” he replies, his tone final.

The man opens his mouth to protest, but turns to leave the room instead. The buzz of conversation slowly dwindles as cast and crew head backstage. They turn off the lights on their way out, leaving the theater in semi-penumbra.

Despite his predisposition for pomp and extravagance, Raphael always thought he worked better on a smaller stage.

“Not you.” He points to the girl tailgating the group. “I’d like to have a word.”

The girl stops in her tracks, a thousand emotions flashing across her face, before settling on fear.

While he waits for her to come around, he pulls two chairs and rearranges them facing each other in the middle of the stage, right below where the headlights shine brightest. The girl moves to sit on one of the chairs, shaking like a foal standing on its hind legs for the first time.

“Fear not. This will only take a moment,” he says, his smile deceptively warm—a skill honed after many years in the business.

She is a pretty little thing, this new choir girl. But then, again, most choir girls are. If her theater career falls to pieces, he can imagine a profession or two where she would excel at. 

“What do you say we start from the beginning of act two?” he suggests, tone amicable as to not alarm her further.

The girl scrambles to flip through the pages of the script, her eyes skimming over the words in rapid succession.

This won’t do. An easier question, then.

“What is your name, dear?”

“River, sir. My name is River.”

“My man told me you came from the capital. Do you like it there?”

“I like it very much, yes.” The small talk seems to calm her enough to allow her to find the right page. What she finds there, however, does not please her in the slightest.

“Sir, this is a scene for two…” she trails off, eyes fearful.

“Make the best of it. Improvise. I can play the part of your would-be lover if you wish.” The abrasive approach isn’t to his liking. Unfortunately for this girl, he is short on patience.

If he had any hope that under the veneer of the ingénue might hide a true thespian spirit, it vanishes the moment she utters the first line.

He stands up and paces aimlessly around the stage. The girl stares at him, dumbfounded.

“You have been on the run. This man, this stranger, offers you solace and a roof above your head. He is charming and not too hard on the eyes. You feel indebted to him. You’re young, naive and you’ve never been properly courted.”

The deviation from the script wouldn’t pose an issue. He is the author, after all, and the play, a successful piece from his earlier career. “Updated” for modern audiences. The word alone is enough to make him grit his teeth. None of his plays needed “updating”. Younger audiences can take their grievances back to their food-stained couches. They had no respect for the classics.

His little summary provokes the intended reaction. He sees the pieces falling into place in her mind.

“Harlequin…” she tries again, this time with more passion. And is that the hint of tears he sees in her eyes? “I've never met anyone like you. If only I could repay you in kind.”

“Good, good… much better.” He returns to his seat.

“Say the word and my body will be yours.” She leans forward, exposing just enough of her cleavage for his eager eyes. It’s a bold move, but not unwelcome. His fingers twitch on his lap. This little dove may surprise him still.

Raphael recites the words that have become second nature to him. “Columbina. I’d rather you not return to your old ways. If you choose to lie with me, it must be of your own free will.” If his voice sounded more condescending than the play requires, it’s just an act of improvisation on his part.

He points to the script in her hand. It’s the cue for her musical number.

If the girl clearly struggled with the finer nuances of the text before, here she needs no assistance. Hers is a voice of singular beauty, the likes of which emerge once in a generation. He suddenly understood why James was so hellbent on bringing her here. It wasn’t just the charming Harlequin who was finding himself enthralled.

When it’s done, he takes off his glasses without saying a word and puts them carefully in his pocket.

“Oh dear, this is…” Beautiful, stupendous, awe-inspiring, his mind supplies. “A little crude, if you don’t mind my directness.”

The girl looks positively devastated, her lips quivering as if about to cry.

“But even the roughest of rocks can be polished into a beautiful piece of jewelry. Isn’t this what they say? Meet me at my office after tomorrow’s rehearsal. I expect you to be well acquainted with the text by then.”

“Thank you, sir. I won’t disappoint you.”

“Call me Raphael.”

“Raphael…” Her voice rings like angelic bells to his ears. “Until tomorrow.”

[karasbroken]

Just a bit of whimsy and the surreal today, with a moment from Won't Get Fooled Again.

There's a little story about this where the writer or director needed something to add to the creepy vibe, and really sell that this wasn't the real Aeryn. And they didn't have time or budget for anything big, so Claudia Black said "well I can do this thing with my tongue..." And she did this and they said, "yes, that's it, perfect!"

And one of the things that truly makes Farscape unique in sci fi is how much of what we see, especially these little details I focus on, came about because of improvising on set: actors, directors, everyone, throwing in ideas to get the scenes to work or feel more true to the characters, or just have more emotional impact.

Sci Fi tends to be heavily scripted with ad libs and deviation from the script almost forbidden. For good reason, when there are special effects going off and prosthetics to watch out for, and retakes being even more expensive and problematic than in more mainstream shows! But Farscape didn't have a large apparatus of film making with rules and expectations about roles. They were doing something new for Australia, and everyone was given so much more trust and freedom to collaborate.

And not only did it pay off in what ended up on screen, it really gives a freshness and energy that is hard to describe or explain unless you're watching other sci fi of the period too. I really does make Farscape special, something never quite done before or since, and I think that explains some of the devotion of not just fans but the people who worked on the show at every level.

[pedgito]

for those that couldn’t listen, here’s what we’ve learned about Joseph Quinn from today’s panel (creds):

he doesn’t like pineapple on pizza

he’s happy with the questions people ask him

meeting Metallica is one of his favorite memories from this year

he speaks English is is learning Italian and German

he can understand a little bit of spanish but can’t speak it

him being in a bunch of period dramas was not a coincidence

Jamie loves his eyes

Joe Keery is his favorite costar

he has not listened to any more Harry Styles since last month

he likes the WASP pin on Eddie’s vest the most

he doesn’t meditate (but says he probably should)

Sunshine of Your Love by Cream is the first song he learned on guitar

prefers steak pie over fish n chips

he’s doing alright :)

he likes Arctic Monkeys

his favorite Arctic Monkeys song at the moment is Perfect Sense

his favorite role is Eddie

his favorite scene from stranger things was the guitar scene, but he also liked shooting with the cast (Joe, Maya, Natalia, Sadie, etc.)

he was very nervous meeting the stranger things cast

the first s4 scene he shot was in the boathouse

he thinks it’s annoying when actors talk about their process to prepare for roles

he thinks some roles come naturally and some don’t

he loved Toy Story as a child

he loved working with Gaten so much

he did some acting in school and enjoyed it and then went to drama school

he would star in Bridgerton if it was offered to him

fall is his favorite season

favorite animal is a dolphin

he is an only child

his favorite scene as Ralph was when he proposed, but he doesn’t remember much

likes the song I Am by Jamie Campbell Bower

it took him an hour to learn Master of Puppets on guitar, and a few months to get it better

he listens to Metallica

he improvises lines with more spontaneous characters

he’s had social anxiety before

his glasses are reading glasses

he needs contacts but he doesn’t have them yet

biggest pet peeve is fussy eaters but he’s fine with vegans and vegetarians

he can’t choose a favorite pasta

he would stick with Eddie even if he could’ve chosen a different stranger things role to audition for

his comfort character is Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka

Legolas is his favorite LOTR character

he finds it weird to call himself a “famous person”

he thinks him and Eddie share a “questionable fashion sense”

he cannot play the Master of Puppets solo on guitar, but the rest of the song

he loves all of the stranger things fast that he got to work with

he’d love to be a part of A Quiet Place franchise

he wanted to save animals and be a marine biologist when he was a child

his perfect date would be dinner and a movie

when playing Eddie, he drew inspiration from obnoxious people older than him growing up

doesn’t have a least favorite stranger things scene to shoot

favorite movies from this year were The Banshees of Inisherin and The Whale

he is a dog person

[clementine-thedestroyer]

Valeria x reader with an underground fighting ring AU, and reader is someone who understands how the whole thing works- you’re not the strongest, you’re not the best- you understand that the fights them selves are more often than not ways for rich men to get richer.

You’re not afraid to accept money to take a loss- in fact, that’s almost your entire job. You’re one of the disposable people there for the one who actually know how to fight to beat up. The way you look at it, you’re more of an actor than a fighter. You job is to take a couple hits, throw a few punches, then lay down and let your boss make their money.

Really, you just need the money. You’re struggling to make ends meet and if you think about it… it’s a relatively low amount of time spent for the money you’re getting out of it.

So when you’re getting ready for a match against Valeria, you kinda knew what you were getting in to. Just stay standing and fight back long enough for the crowd to be entertained, but don’t break yourself over it. After all, you’ll have to do this again next week- at least, if you want to make rent.

So you get into the ring, expecting everything to go as normal- except, it doesn’t.

When you stepped up to face her, she took one look at you and sneered.

“Where’s your parents, little girl?” She yelled, her tone patronizing and nasty.

You clench your jaw, set on ignoring her as you widened your stance and put up your hands.

Maybe if you were lucky, you’d actually land a hit and wipe that smug look off of her face for a moment.

But that quickly turns out to be the opposite of what happens.

The woman you were fighting had skill beyond anything you’d come to expect from these fights. She was clearly someone who knew how to fight- she had skill and form that was vastly superior to the scrappy, improvised style of fighting you were used to.

She lets you dodge her punches for a few minutes- even letting you throw some of her own until the jeers from the crowd became too much.

You don’t even have a moment to register the switch in her demeanor before you’re flat on your back, the wind knocked out of you and your eyes wide as you gasp for breath. Then, she’s her foot’s on top of you, in the center of your chest and keeping you down against the floor.

Your eyes meet and she laughs, taking her foot off you and nudging your side as you struggle for air.

“What, you can’t take a hit? You can’t exactly throw a punch either, are you sure you’re in the right place?”

You grit your teeth and try to sit up- but before you can make it more than an inch off the ground you’re being flipped over and the woman is straddling your back, pinning your arms behind you easily.

“Stay down.” She growls, and her nails dig into the skin of your wrists as she speaks.

You yelp, trying to buck her off, which only succeeds in giving her reason to grab a handful of your hair and wretch your head up.

Reflex tears sting at your eyes as she leans down to whisper in your ear.

“Go home, chica. This isn’t the kind of place for girls like you.” She says, before letting go of your hair and letting your head smack against the ground.

After that, she stands up, raising her fist and taking her victory lap as you struggle to peel yourself off of the floor. She doesn’t spare you so much of a second glance as the two of you clear the ring- making way for the next fight of the night.

You leave that night with a lump on your head and your pride and ego considerably more bruised than usual- which is something to say considering a normal night here for you dose usually involve throwing fights.

But, after that, blank, unmarked envelopes containing the exact amount of money you need to make rent that month start appearing on your doorstep every month, with the most recent one containing a date, time, and address along with the note “wear a dress”.

[aguyinthepubliceye]

BREAKING MY SILENCE...

my partner and I have been watching different Ride The Cyclone productions. So far we've watched the off-broadway 2016 production (and just in case i'm mistaken, its the one played by Gus Halper, Alex Wyse, Tiffany Tatreau, etcetc. I will also be referring to this one as the OG even though is not cus im too lazy to type allat again), and some of t he more recent ones done in universities. I think it shocked us both to see the differences in the script. I mostly have qualms and complains around Mischa and Ocean's character. Mischa's has to do with how he's portrayed rather than the scripts, like Ocean's. In the newer ones, Ocean is portrayed as such a mean girl especially with the whole improvisation thing. They made her so superficial when in the original it really felt like she was trying her best to (as repetitive as it sounds) be her best and change the world positively even though it gave her a feeling of superiority for believing she is better than anyone else, that it came from HER being capable of changing the world. And by the end instead of reviving herself, she revives Jane and comes to terms that this is how she will affect the world, through giving someone else the chance to live again. That also means that Penny might not even remember her, and that's a whole lot development for Ocean cus she's not thinking about what her mark will be in the world and the changes SHE will make, but rather giving someone else the opportunity to live is purely selfless cus she gets absolutely NO reward, not even personal achivement or nourishment. It's just character development which kind of looses her effect when she's turned into a smart ass MEAN mean girl with airs of moral superiority that make no sense when she's bullying just because. Basically, yes she does think she can change the world but her superiority comes from moral and ethics, not just cus she's like 'im just better than anyone else cus im so slay yas girlypop'. They just pushed it too far with some of the stuff they changed/added (I will admit the improvisation bit was funny, if only it didnt ruin her character ((imo)) I feel like Mischa is being interpreted much more dumb than he actually is. They make him SUUUCH a himbo but almost fully negatively. It seems like they are putting characters in boxes. I enjoyed the OG because - much like he himself says - he gets hyped about things BUT in Halper's interpretation conserves that ''gangster'' more or less serious/chill persona and it's not just some loud ass class clown type of character. We didn't watch much of talia but even thinking of those interpretations singing Talia clashes so much because it feels so dumb'd down compared to the 'og' since he's kind of stupid and silly so it feels like Talia really is just a silly first love, he's being delusional and shit like that. Instead of the Mischa we first saw who already seemed far more realistic and less stereotypical, so it makes more believable for him to be so in love with Talia and that being the whole argument of his desire to live. GRANTED WHAT WE SAW ARE UNIVERSITY PRODUCTIONS so im not sure they were full on actors but still, it bothered me so much to see that twice, i had to get it out of my system bro. No hate to the actors tho these things happen, whateverrr anyway gus halper slayed that role, i have yet to see a Mischa that has so much ACTUAL passion and doesnt dumb down his rage thanks for listening im done yapping please dont yell at me thanks x2!!

[brucewaynehater101]

okay so I think I recall an ask here about Jason and Tim who got JJ'd having to work with an alternate Good Joker and it got me thinking about those actor AUs where canon is just a live-action piece of media, specifically this post

So now I'm thinking of Actor!Joker having just left the bar after a good day of drinking, not drunk enough to not get home by himself, only to get non-lethally isekaied into DC

From his perspective, one minute he was walking home, the next he started seeing himself playing the most lucrative role in his career. Dissassociation if he had to guess. He might need therapy

Oh, the Joker he plays is trying to kill him. Self defense it is-- he killed him. well he can't fault himself for it if he never learned self defense now can he :/

Is that a camera? Oh yeah, Joker and loads of his other roles break the fourth wall, and improvisation is expected of him

He looks straight into the camera, the audience, "this is why we don't method act kids. hallucinations" he points at not-him with that final word

"but you all see me pointing at nothing, don'tcha?"

Fuck it, for added humor, the minute Batman gets on the scene & Actor!Joker lays eyes on him, he say "now I'm hallucinating my fiance's role too, what a day," and also Jason and Tim and Duke are there for maximum psychic damage

Hey maybe the three were hostages because the Joker wanted to torment the top three bats he fucked up the most on live television for all of Gotham to see only for Actor!Joker to ruin everything

But also the three seeing this go down through the screen would be funny as shit too

Actor Universe lore; Actor!Joker and Actor!Bruce met through previous roles, kicked off a friendship that became a relationship and soon to be marriage and thats how Actor!Joker met Actor!Bruce hoard of children

this would lead to much of the quote on quote Batfamily Plotline being concieved, through Actor!Joker and Actor!Batkids scheming together to make the most drama-filled superhero story they could

So Actor!Joker and Actor!Batkids would cook up the most gutwrenching ideas, building of eachothers ideas, and cheered eachother on as the Batfamily lore became more and more emotionally devastating

Actor!Bruce can testify because years later into Batman, he still cries fountains of tears when he reads the script and something awful happens to the roles his kids plays, or Bruce Wayne is a shit father

actor!joker: my love, I have propositions the directors will grovel for

actor!bruce: oh no

his kids: daddy I have a new idea for my role >:3

actor!bruce: OH NO!

I think it goes without saying that the actors and characters they play don't have the same name, but I can't be bothered to come up with any mysel lol

Yo!!! This is a wicked cool idea. I dislike Joker/Batman (unless it's the Lego Batman), but I am vibing with this one.

To add on, what if Bruce and Joker became directors specifically so they could sort of adopt their kids? They would be those actors that also direct and screenwrite their own movies.

I want to see Crystal Brown being on set (not necessarily on scene) whenever Steph is, and Bruce and Joker chatting with her when they aren't working. Arthur Brown makes plenty of jokes and pulls pranks on his daughter.

Willis and Catherine cheer on Jason (and sometimes *can't* be on set when certain scenes play out) and smother him in affection after he's done.

The Drakes have their own careers they have to pursue while Tim is filming, but they try to make it on set at least once a week and watch every premiere with Tim. They are good friends with the other parents and only allow Tim to be on set without them because they trust Bruce and Joker.

The Graysons are acrobats in real life as well. Dick wanted to pursue a career in acting instead. They support their son, and he often does performances with them.

Would Damian still be Bruce's kid? If so, I wonder what Joker and Talia's relationship is like. Talia is obviously a fierce but loving mom in this AU. She viciously protects Damian, his privacy, and his ability to stop acting at any time. Damian enjoys acting and being on set with his dad. I also hc that Talia is famous as well. Maybe a model, maybe another actor, or maybe something else. Ra's is the owner/head of a really famous entertainment business. It has branches all over the world, including America.

The Thomases take turns with who's on set with Duke. They both work as well so that a majority of the income Duke makes goes towards his savings or his own spending.

I didn't talk about Barbara or Cass or Alfred or Kate or etc., but feel free to add more!

Actor!Joker would be appalled and disgusted with Batman. Actor!Bruce was playing a role. Yes, the role was somewhat based on Bruce, but he would never harm his kids. He would rather kill than allow them to come to harm.

When Actor!Joker gets transported to that universe, his distaste for Batman is the truly jarring piece of it all. He's not obsessed like their universe's Joker. Actor!Joker shows understanding for their hatred/distance from him. He accepts their boundaries and considers their feelings (in his own very weird way). He doesn't torment. He killed the other Joker.

Just Joker's mannerisms of "whelp, what can you do?" as he murders the other Joker. He still laughs a lot, does harmless pranks, and makes a ton of jokes. Somehow, he does this while lecturing Batman on treating his kids better.

[rainbowravez]

i think it's really disappointing how interesting and complex of a character yul could be instead of being a one-dimensional bigoted racist archetype used as comedic relief.

it would've been so much better if he were a commentary on how the entertainment industry can shape people into genuine horrible people because of the toxic work culture and serve as a contrast to james, who left the industry (or atleast isn't as involved) and how it let him grow as a person, while yul has to stay because he has no choice for other sources of income and how his bitterness and resentment only continues to grow and harbor into the man he is now. imagine if a huge part of his resentment towards james was because of jealousy that he was able to escape the industry, instead of just mostly being because he poisoned him with mushrooms last season. what if that's why he was so angry that james tried to lecture him because james has no clue what it's like for him and that he has the nerve to question him when he feels james had the privilege of being able to escape. he's angry that someone who could relate to his struggles now is just like everyone else; an outsider of how bad the workforce he's in is and he's truly alone again with nobody to confide in because he hates the only other person who can relate, grett.

his relationship with grett is implied to be forced upon him and this could've been so interesting to explore. in the first few episodes it seems like he has genuine moments with her. what if a part of him actually loved her because he finally has someone who can relate, but because he was forced into this position he sees her as his captor who is the embodiment of how he will never have the ability to make his own choices. they got the right idea when he's talking to james on the bike, where he says "when i win the 3 million, i'll never have to listen to anyone", but it's ruined when it's just chalked up to him being like "i dont want a fat girlfriend cuz shes ugly and im not". it could've been a commentary on how k-pop stars are often objectified by their fanbase and their employers and how little control they have in their lives, especially being recruited at a young age (WHICH IS LITERALLY STATED IN THE SHOW!!! WHEN HE SAID A VIDEO OF HIM DANCING BLEW UP!!) and the mental toll it has. he's so cruel to her because of his frustration with his situation and a want for her to leave, both using her as a punching bag for his lack of control while simultaneously trying to make her leave him as a way to regain the little control he has over himself.

the biggest flaw of yul's characterization is how his bigotry is NEVER called out. yes, the point is that he's SUPPOSED to be unlikable, but nobody ever says he's being racist and why it's wrong (besides gabby when she defends grett), they say it's to make us hate him more but if THESE THINGS AREN'T CALLED OUT, especially to their young fanbase of young teens, it comes across as just out-of-pocket "dark" humor that relies of shock value to make the audience laugh, which insinuates that it's okay. he's literally just saying bigoted shit for the sake of it. you can write an unlikable character without making him drop obscenities every moment he's on screen. it's bad writing and an easy opt out that takes little effort to write and has become normalized in the show, esp. considering how the spanish va of yul improvised a racist line (calling james a monkey) and how they just let it slide because "oh well it's in character". if your voice actor is randomly saying racist stuff that's not even in the script and you allow it to slide, your team has a serious problem.

there's so many characters that are intertwined with the entertainment industry (riya, james, grett, yul) and so many of the ideas are THERE but they aren't dived into and these characters end up being one-note as a result, like yul and riya. the best we can do is infer but that can only go so far. maybe i'm asking too much for a total drama inspired series to have complex writing and nuance, but if you want to differentiate and distance yourself from total drama (esp. when it prides it's writing as being more complex than total drama) maybe actually put some effort into making complex characters and not using them as a puppet to make bigoted remarks.

[weird-an]

It took Eddie a while to notice. Looking back, he's a bit ashamed. He knows all about role plays and creating characters for new campaigns.

Billy Hargrove waltzed into Hawkins, a cigarette dangling from his lip, batting his eye lashes at every skirt in his sight, charming and biting his way up to the top of the school's parody of a King's Court within days after his arrival.

Eddie didn't care, just watched from a far, a bit distracted from the curve of Billy's ass. Like everybody else.

He's a showman. It's a role Billy plays and he's a great actor. He never forgets his lines, he can improvise when necessary and he never lets his mask slip.

Only today Eddie gets a glimpse of the real Billy. He's meeting him, hidden behind trees, about to "try some shitty Midwestern weed".

Billy grins at him, white teeth sharp and shiny, a picture perfect California boy, if it weren't for the cut on his cheek and the dark shadow below it. He's wearing makeup. Billy wouldn't hide bruises from a fight, would he?

Eddie doesn't let go of the weed he just handed to Billy.

"Would you let go?" Billy huffs. "I already paid for your shit."

"What happened?" Eddie asks, fingers still clutching the plastic bag.

"I dunno what you're talking about," Billy says, voice bored, but eyes squinting a little.

"I can see the bruise," Eddie tells him.

"Jesus fuck, you sound like Steve," Billy murmurs. He freezes.

Steve.. as in Harrington? It sounds… intimate. Steve Harrington worrying about Billy Hargrove. Eddie knew Hawkins High's royal circles hook up all the time, but actually caring about each other?

Unfortunately Eddie doesn't know better and won't let go. Maybe it's the reason he sucks so much at school, always discussing with teachers and not knowing when to stop.

"Who did it?" He asks. A heartbeat later he adds, because he feels like he heard this story before: "Was it at home?"

Billy's hand trembles, still on the weed. "None of your business."

Eddie sighs. "I can show you how to hide the bruise better. Do you have the makeup with you?"

[lazywriters-blog]

INNOCENTLY YOURS

LYNEY'S DEFAULT & YANDERE PROFILE

Note: This took a long time to finish but hopefully, it's good enough and enlightening to read, should I do wriothesley next? Vote for your choice in the poll at the end:

Warning: May contain triggering content, female reader, and all the yandere stuff. Not proofread.

1. Their personality, and their blank points.

Lyney is a great actor and magician with many talents and whatnot. He's got a charm to him and he seems to be confident, cheery, and suave, he grins when he's caught a contagious smile directed at him or the applause his audience graces him with.

He loves those who love his show and never misses any of it, he's a little sad inside but burdens can't always be let go of, either he persists or is dragged down. He's a little on the nervous side, especially when it comes to his family, he caters to the needs of his people to know more about them, and he's good at consoling anyone to spill their secrets willingly, he frequently makes eye contact and he's good at reading people, he isn't normally shy because why would he be? He's a great magician, if he wants attention all to himself, he's gotta play his part and act confident, After all, people are drawn to those who are self-assured and have everything sorted out.

He might not look like it, but he's a professional gaslighter, first, he guesses someone's weakness and uses it against them, in a subtle way, wouldn't want them to back out just yet, he's gotta play his magic, and reel them in. He's good at it, but sadly he could never use his skills on himself.

Even if he convinces himself he's a good person, no good person would ever want to convince themselves of it. At least, that's what he thinks.

2. Their coping mechanisms and their reaction.

When one's delusions are challenged and given a chance to face themselves, most wouldn't due to their circumstances and experiences, the same can be said for Lyney, he's seen unlikable things and knows there's some good in the world, however, once he's betrayed, it is likely impossible to ever gain trust again. How does he cope? For starters, he just stares off and it would seem so eerie to anyone who has seen him lively, he looks dead whenever he does it, shake him out of it he may just smile and shrug it off saying he was thinking hard about something, it's like he has two personalities, happy and sad, likely stemming from knowing how people would take advantage of a weak being, no one would ever want to see him a sad magician performing tricks, perhaps an interesting concept but he doesn't have the reliability to do it.

Seeing how people react, how their expressions slip and crumble into something they were hiding, yeah he's noticed many things growing up, and he's learned to cope by improving, that's because he didn't have the resources nor the perfect environment to do anything else but improvise.

Besides, it has helped him. Striving to be better isn't a bad thing, but constantly doing so leads him to neglect important details about himself.

How he gets so frustrated and fidgety when nothing is working out in his favor, he hasn't learned how to properly deal with his emotions, he knows smiling will help, and he can keep his facade up and running but ignoring troubling things will only come to haunt him again. He knows it to some extent, but ultimately he can't do anything about it, he doesn't know how to relax and rely on anyone. He's capable, and he needs to prove it, he has what it takes to make people come to him. He's a smooth talker, after all.

Alike everyone, he's a ticking bomb that has been buried deep beneath. No telling what will trigger it.

3. How much do they love? Are they too much or too little?

He loves a lot, a little much but it's above average even at the beginning, he keeps it hidden through teasing and doesn't find it necessary to keep details away from his darling. How would he have encountered his darling? What attracts him to anyone? I have this thought of Lyney meeting her when he's on a mission to uncover some secrets behind his darling's parents, her mother to be precise, it's hard enough to find an opportunity to flee and enter someone's room, lucky him that she likes him, though it had been subtle that they had invited him and his sister to their home to observe him, the hints were clear enough and their mission had been a success.

What was more interesting was how he never got to talk to her, her parents were doting and likable so she should be the same more or less, shy. Maybe, he doesn't know. Their visit was pleasant and there wasn't any reason for bad blood, however, he was curious to know their daughter.

He would keep a closer eye on his audience from then on, or on the streets, in case she was to be seen, and then, voila, she appeared on one of his magic shows, testing his theory hadn't been tough, watching her eye something else whenever he looked her way was amusing. After the show, greeting her had been enjoyable, luckily her parents seemed to leave her alone with him whenever Lynette was with him.

She was genuine, sheltered from the harshness of the world yet so knowledgeable and cunning about everything, he found himself drawn to her. How could one be so untrusting when everything has been good to them? Thus, the gears would start turning, and soon, he would know. Only to realize far too late that he's in her life too deep now.

4. Dark habits or shadows of their personality.

Growing up needing attention and wanting attention can be problematic for any person, the need to be the center of the stage and do just about anything to keep it that way, clever magic tricks, dangerous tactics, you name it, Lyney has done it at some point in his life. It had been their livelihood to perform shows and gather money to avoid starving on the streets. Lyney had been the main since then, it worked out for them and they dared not change it for anything better, except for one point in their life and it ended in betrayal so they never attempted it. Lyney likes to do trial and error with his relationships with the people of his interest and it's the same for his Darling, figuring out what works and what doesn't is his starting point.

He may try distressing things to figure out what is a person's fear, and reason for anger, tears, and sorrow, he needs to know. For a more sensitive darling, it can backfire so he goes, 'I'm just joking, don't take it too seriously, I promise it was a joke!' 'I hope that didn't bother you much.' 'I love it when you smile while crying, you look adorable! See, you smiled again!!' he can be endearing that way, he's charming enough to make anyone talk about their feelings and trust him, his darling wouldn't stand a chance if they didn't remove their pink tinted glasses and see him for what he's truly doing.

He likes to position himself in front of his darling, always maintaining eye contact and chuckling whenever she looks away, by now, if darling trusts her gut instincts she would be very uncomfortable, but his smile would say otherwise. Of course, this all would change if you prove to be a good person who gets along with his siblings, one good interaction is all he needs to be lovestruck.

And once darling has endeared herself to them, he would try convincing her to cross boundaries, stay with him for the night, and sneak out with him, it would be a good time to bond, of course, he wouldn't force it, at first.

There's only so much he can do before sleeping beside her becomes essential. He'll do all sorts of things to convince her to stay, play, sleep, and remain.

5. How do they deal with irregular feelings or emotions?

He doesn't let it show outside, he knows better than to scowl at someone's mean statement, or at her parents' statement of how he's taking their daughter from them. It would be quite a predicament. Normally, he would try to be diplomatic about it all, butter them up, and clear up the misconception, but he finds it hard to do just that because they're right and he feels so giddy thinking that, a twisted sense of satisfaction overcoming him and he just wants to laugh in their face and speak condescending things. He won't though, he'll smile a big forced grin and walk it off later whilst complaining to his sister.

6. Do they let themselves get lost in the past, or present?

He's more present in the now than the past, he does think about it five times a day and lets it influence his speech at times, but it's rare to ever escape his mouth. Sometimes sure, but he tends to avoid it as much as possible.

7. How much of sanity do they possess?

A little above high, but when someone becomes akin to his family, one bad thing and it decreases significantly, he may not seem like it but when he's going crazy worrying over details and pondering and pondering, he can't help but pace around, and when bad notions come to mind he just wants to slam his head against something or pull out his hair, occasionally under extreme pressure, he ends up doing that. But it would take more than that to make him lose his sanity and do the most horrendous actions without thinking twice. He will shed many tears, but if his family is safe, he doesn't care what happens to his enemy.

Losing someone very dear to him is the major trigger that will cut loose all the ropes holding him down. Otherwise, he's pretty strong mentally, only when it comes to his family, he's pretty weakened.

A good thing to use against him, sadly.

8. If triggered, what would they do? Do they swallow their anger or just not contain it?

Well, the first thing he would attempt to do is poke fun at them in the shadows if they've hit a nerve and threatened anyone from his family if it's about him he doesn't care for it unless it's beneficial, angering him would be tough overall he's a performer so he knows how to deal with disagreeable people, pretends to have never heard about the nasty rumors involving him, he's sneaky and confident like that, unfortunately, that fails when it comes to family and darling, he wants to know who did it, when, how, why, everything and if this person doesn't know how to back down and eat their words, they might disappear entirely.

Nobody would know but hey, he left some clues.

9. Willingness to sacrifice their loved ones.

Not an option. He doesn't want to, and never will, family is important and I think he would do his hardest to avoid such a situation, even if it comes to that, he would sacrifice himself and make sure nobody is harmed.

10. Pushed to the brink of insanity, how would it unfold?

Let's say this cruel person tricked him into thinking offering himself up for sacrifice would save his siblings or his darling. Killed them when he was trapped and chained, he couldn't think of ways of saving them because he was too busy begging for them to be spared, sobbing and doing anything in his power to help, after the deed was done and he was left to the sight of blood, he can't do anything. He's frozen, and he's out of it. He may kill himself after it or die killing the person who made them suffer, all in all, the outcome is grim, and he's missing the pillars to give his support, he is willing to crumble to the ground and break into pieces. Seeing as they are sent on dangerous missions, this consequence is not impossible.

If his darling were to live, survive, or was never taken in the first place, watching him live for what little days he would persist is devastating, he wouldn't be his usual chatty smiley self, and he would wither away sooner and later.

But, if everyone dear to him is fine and dandy, one night he may approach the said person, sit them, take out his cards ask them to pick a card while he's smiling like his usual self, he doesn't let them escape until they've chosen their fate. He's going to laugh watching their expression shift and he may say a few words if he's not too upset.

'If only you kept your mouth shut, we wouldn't have to do this, pity...'

Leave the body in the open, wipe his hands, and after changing his gloves walk back home with a hop in his step, whistling softly and pocketing his bloody cards. Ohoh, the public is going to love the scene he left them with, the mystery, the 'what happened', and 'why' are all going to be circulating the next morning.

11. Are they too stubborn to get what they want? Or are they patient enough to wait?

It's a mix of stubbornness and perseverance, he can wait though if it yields the result he wants, otherwise, he is quick to tinker and manipulate things to fall into his laps. Say, if his darling were to figure him out and expose himself to him, slam the door into his face, and discard him from her life altogether, he would be very stubborn and persist to exist in her life and force himself into it. You see, he wants attention, he needs it, and she has to give it to him because then how would he live on? If coupled with desperation, he may say he was going to jump off a building and if she wants to save him, she has to come to his magic show. [spoiler: it was part of his trick during the show] Otherwise, that would be his final farewell.

He finds ways to bring his darling back into the picture or himself in her life, he's a jealous little Rascal and he doesn't want anyone else to take his place, he wants what rightfully belonged to him and was given to him, he doesn't want it to be stolen away from him. He earned it!

12. Dirty secrets.

Ahem, I'd like to say none, but I'm sure he has some. Sometimes, when he hugs his darling from behind and she can't feel him because she's asleep and there's nothing she can do to stop him, he just has to squeeze himself closer to her and wrap his leg around her tights and keep pushing till their clothed parts are so close, he pretends it's their first time sleeping together and takes advantage of the situation, because when else will he get the chance again? Of course, their real first time should be after they've been glued for life, he just couldn't handle it.

Even when darling is up and smiling, he pulls her to him and just enjoy the sensation of her skin, kissing her neck and relishing in the cuteness of her denial, might be the one time his darling feels violated and of course, he apologies soon after. He wasn't thinking straight.

13. Creepy things they like/dislike to do.

He finds it creepy when he watches his darling sleep, he doesn't know how to feel about himself when he stands there in their room or sleeping beside her, sometimes he coerces himself to sleep and rarely he can't sleep, over time it becomes a wholesome pastime for him and he doesn't find it all that weird.

And notice when he mentions something very specific about his darling's features, that's because he spent the majority of his time observing her. It can be creepy if Darling keeps a tab on what appeals to him and what he usually compliments her with.

Especially right after waking up beside him and hearing him whisper that in her ear. It would just be more flattering for an oblivious darling.

14. Moral compass, empathy, kindness.

His moral compass might be a little crooked, but he does have some no doubt, just that he doesn't show it often enough, being with the fatui has degraded him to some extent, stealing, lying, forced entry, all the basic things one has to do in the fatui, perhaps one day he'll be demanded to kill someone and he wouldn't have a choice. Empathy is a little hard for him to initiate unless he's trying to understand someone, situations, and so on, but he does let himself be empathetic around his family and a few dear friends otherwise, he's pretty carefree and nonchalant. Kindness he shows a lot, at least from what he has observed around him and come to know. Plus, kindness is what gets him into other's people lives and he will continue it till the day he drowns and dies.

15. Can they move on from one to another?

He might try, otherwise, it's nearly impossible he clings to any semblance of kindness and love, his darling proved him of it, he deserves the things he wants if not now then at some point indeed, of course, to make his darling jealous and come to him willingly he might pretend to be in love with someone else if it backfires and his darling just doesn't like him anymore, it might be time for him to kill someone in her life. He can be a hypocrite if he wants, gaslight her, and speak all sorts of things to get into her head and slowly but surely trap her in his life. Forever.

16. Do they have control over their anger and sadness?

Yup, in a normal situation, his control over anger and frustration is simply admirable, again if his family or darling is involved it is laughable how quickly he loses his cool and compresses like a balloon, he does things recklessly and doesn't think twice even if given time to reconsider. Sadness, I think he deals with it every day, or else he wouldn't have to be putting on a big smile and over-the-top cheerful personality. Behind closer doors, alone and with nobody to entertain, he drops his smile and leans forward, and he'll stay that way until sleep calls him or his siblings enter his room. Those times are simply too small and never lets himself be away from his darling or family.

17. If they are wronged, how would they go about it?

His first instincts would be to run and make sure his darling doesn't see him in an ugly light because he's a magician and he makes people smile, does tricks, and entertains, he wouldn't want her to see him any different he's lyney the grinning and famous entertainer he did his best to build up that reputation, he doesn't want to risk tearing it apart so face to face confrontation in public is rare, but he will appear at night with darkness around him and that person will have chills running down their spine seeing how cold and eerie he looks glaring at them, he attempts to lighten the mood with dark jokes and play tricks when they try to avoid him, he'd would be pretty annoying to deal with, and finally when he has spoken his mind he'll make them face death for a second then, he lets them live or they die with fear strucken eyes.

18. Do their eyes wander or are they too shy to look at anyone?

Oh! He's a confident rascal, his eyes wander everywhere to observe details and drink in his darling's features and her stature, he's a sneaky little parasite latching on to any attention his darling gives him and he'll have hearts in his eyes if it were possible, he is utterly in love and he wants to see her for all she is and he will not allow his eyes rest unless he's seen everything he needs to.

19. When sexually aroused, do they contain their desires or just give in to the urges?

During his shows, he's a little cautious about letting himself get excited and waits till the performance is done, at home or somewhere safe, he's pretty quick to go red in the face and tease back, the story is different if his darling is very resistant to desires and doesn't allow herself to be influenced much, it makes him so irritable and desperate, he'll beg easily in such state and he'll do everything he can to make her hands touch him, lean in closer than needed, slowly pull off his gloves and his cape, loosen his shirt and keep his hat down, make his darling sit beside him and within no time he's so close their shoulders are touching and his eyes are so focused on her, and his hands are just itching to touch her skin if he sees any indication of her trying to leave, he'll be quick to restrain by climbing on top of her seated figure and looking down with bedroom eyes, you see he's a little desperate today and he will say so, requesting she put her hands on him and let things happen naturally.

20. What would they do with themselves after they've been left behind?

Oops, his darling left him when he was busy looking at some gadgets he's so hurt! No problem though he'll find her soon, you see it wouldn't take darling long to grow tired of his presence and just try to ditch him on the streets and return home, duck down another street when she sees him coming her way. The first few times, she would be successful in evading him but as time goes on and he adapts the same tricks won't work and she will not be able to get away for a long time. By then, he'll have his arms wrapped in hers and he is not letting go until she comes home with him, has dinner with him and his siblings, and then maybe she can leave.

21. Will they control themselves from harming another person? Is it messy? Does it get physical?

Yes, at first he will refrain from harming anyone, let a guy talk to his darling while he's right there beside her and smiling a mischievous smile while clinging onto her like a kola, forcibly turn her face back to him whilst pretending something was on her face, it gets annoying after a few, it doesn't end there, any questions that are too personal to ask or just something he doesn't approve of, he'll squeeze his darling's thigh or hand depending on how far their relationship has progressed, play a few tricks and fool the person into thinking they are in danger it works like a charm on friends, not on families though. They are much harder to push away so he can have all his darling's attention but, hey, why take them out of the picture when he can just take his darling with him?

Sure, after he's done all the tricks in the book and nothing has worked, he'll get messy and he will use blackmail, past records, guilt trip, and gaslight, he'll do the psychological gimmicks in the beginning, pushing the boundaries and waiting to see if they he has to step in and get his hands real dirty.

22. Their kinks/fetishes.

I get the feeling he likes soft hands, bigger or smaller than his, he's just a little too focused on them, he looks at them half the time and if she allows it he's holding it, something about intertwined hands just gets him giddy, another thing he likes is dragging her hand to touch him all over and of course, it takes place when his darling is busy with something else and he likes to whisper into her ears while he's doing it, hide his face in her neck and hope it gets her excited.

This little rascal likes to tease and see how much she can withstand his advances, as mentioned above he tries to get touchy and pull her into a deeper kiss if she's resisting him, but he backs off when his gestures aren't returned and pouts, attempt to strike a deal and hope his darling is brave enough to take the initiative, for example, 'next time, you gotta be the one to kiss me, it's been so long since you've showed some affection?' if it works and darling wants to whatever he wants [which he likes] oh they are going to have a night he'll never forget.

23. Do they like children, are they understanding?

Yeah, he likes children. He is pretty understanding too so if he were to become a father and have his legacy continued, he would do everything in his power to help grow his kids into something, read them bedtime stories, braid their hair, and play hide and seek. He would be a cool dad and try to keep the little ones out of any shady business and protect them from things they shouldn't know, others ask where their mother is and who his wife is, around this time he and his darling are married and nobody other than family knows it so the curiosity when he brings a kid looking so familiar to him to a candy shop or a toy shop, it gets people talking. He doesn't seem to care much as rumors spread and if he could he would try to pin down whoever opened their mouth and make them disappear, he has got his wife somewhere safe with him, he's just cautious about letting her out without him since well, she acts like she hates him. Which she shouldn't, why? Because they have a child to take care of.

More likely than not Lyney would have baby trapped his darling any chance he got, you see he would like to give his kids the life he wanted and be very close to them. He won't force it yet, but he'll plant some seeds and see how his darling reacts, but he is rather sneaky and his darling wouldn't know when he got her pregnant. That time when he tried to perform a magic trick but it turned into something intimate? Or when he riled her up and made her lose her mind? Sadly for her, she's out of luck.

24. Are they controlling?

Not really. He is manipulative, to some extent otherwise all he cares is keeping his darling all to himself.

25. If rejected, what would they do?

Ohoh, well he wouldn't get rejected the first time he confesses, his darling would likely reject him after knowing him for a while and seeing his habits after they've shared a bed and needing to escape his overwhelming need for attention. Seeing all the disagreeable tactics he uses, no one would blame her. But would he take it nicely? Sure, he tries to, puts on a convincing facade, and shortly he'll want her back meaning he will do many things to prove her wrong and get her to like him again, what changed? If he was desperate because his darling was playing hard to get, being rejected would just steer him to force himself on her and pray no one noticed them when they vanished into a small alleyway. He'll play his magic and keep her asleep for a few days, then maybe he can try confessing again until she accepts.

26. Are they willing to confine someone to stay with them forever and live happily ever after?

Yes and no, he knows being trapped will just get her spirits down but if he has no choice then he wouldn't be all that empathetic, she made him chase her for so long now it's his turn to have some fun. Ultimately, kidnapping will still be his last resort.

28. Would they be able to live happily?

Absolutely, all he wants is his darling and his family if he has those two together, he will die happy.

[pythoneon]

not to be annoying about VHS christmas carols against but i’m gonna be bc

i can’t stop thinking about something curt said in his interview with james about starkid and how you can see the seams of the production in each performance, and how it adds to the experience, and i think that’s why so many people love starkid. not only is it extremely accessible for people who can’t afford broadway tickets (which are ABSURDLY expensive without a doubt) and exposes people to the joy of performance in a palpable and fun way. its unpolished sometimes, and not every run goes PERFECTLY, but that only elevates the experience.

as a recovering theater kid who’s also a fairly new starkid & tin can bros fan, its imperfections are what drew me in. my first musical i watched (TGWDLM) is AMAZING and still my favorite, but its not perfect, and i wouldn’t have it any other way. imperfections are human, they’re fun stumbles that can be brought up later as something unique that happened at that showing and no other. it shows the seams and doesn’t take you out of it. you hear people improvise lines to make their costar laugh, you see actors try really hard not to break character, you watch someone cry ACTUAL TEARS during a solo, so engrossed that you’re drawn in with them. you become a part of this world for a moment because starkid is nothing but passion and love for their craft, and they show it through ingenuity, creativity, and craftiness.

just like curt said in that same interview, VHS christmas carols is the embodiment of all that. its a small and intimate stage (MY FAVORITES), so the line between actor and viewer is blurred. there’s parts in the digital ticket where you hear clark laugh at a few line readings, which i love so much. it’s simpler than a lot of their other stuff, band wise and set wise, but what they DO have is excellent. the VHS-shaped stage, the play button on the box lids, the CANDLES UGH. they’re all enjoying themselves, putting their entire heart and soul into each performance, and it shows. even the happy songs brought tears to my eyes. seeing that reminded me of how much i loved being in theater and the friends i made doing it.

VHS christmas carols is like a reminder that starkid isn’t just a production company making high quality musicals for us to watch, it’s also a group of dorky friends having the time of their lives on stage.