#the moon theatre troupe

[hoperays-song]

Sing + Random Text Posts Pt: ????

#sing #sing 2 #sing johnny #sing ryan #sing buster #sing nana noodleman #sing rosita #the moon theatre troupe #sing rynny #johnny x ryan #buster is so chaotic istg #like the man owns a blowtorch for some reason???? #the fact that gunter is the only one to look excited in the group pic is just like both movies its kinda ironic #sing 2016 #sing 2021

[eien-no-gakusha]

Outen no Mon/Deep Sea

The Tale of Young Sugawara no Michizane

Outen no Mon the show made me want to read the manga.  Reading the synopsis, I originally joked with friends that this was just another Heian era swashbuckling mystery thriller or Onmyoji knockoff sans magic.  It is not just another Heian era swashbuckling mystery thriller, it is…different enough to be called unique.  Where Onmyoji was basically tale of a smartass, debauched sorcerer and straightlaced warrior who overcome their differences to save Heian-kyo to comical effect; Outen no Mon is about a smartass, bookworm scholar and playboy warrior who overcome their differences to save Heian-kyo.  As in any story set in Heian-kyo, it is haunted.  No wonder onmyoji business was booming during that era.  The difference is in Onmyoji the ghosts are real while in Outen no Mon the real danger lies in man.  As for the chick in the team, the immortal priestess is replaced with an imports and antique dealer who is probably also running a sweatshop of counterfeit goods.  But she has a good heart and uses her talents in service of the protagonists so don’t worry about it.

Characters:

In summary we have the brains, the brawn, and the street smarts for our protagonist team of investigators.  They can also be classified as middle class (Sugawara no Michizane), aristocrat (Ariwara no Narihira), and peasant (Shouki).  They are performed by our triple moon tops:   Tsukishiro Kanato, Houzuki An, and Umino Mitsuki respectively.  (I just realized the tops and niibante of moon troupe all have moon in their name.  Coincidence? ^^;)  This is my second non-romantic Takarazuka show in a row.  First I got a politically-charged Chinese historical fiction and now I got a politically-charged Japanese historical fiction.  In other words, this show tends to focus on the mystery and we follow the friendship of Michizane and Narihira more closely than anything Shouki is doing.  Reiko and Chinatsu portrayed their respective roles and contrasted each other admirably.  Michizane as a character is a shut-in bookworm and apathetic to the machinations of the court, choosing to mingle with the commoners whom he feels kinship with.  This often manifests as dressing casually to see the Emperor.  In the manga, he is a classic shounen hero with a difficult, socially awkward personality but still a morally upstanding citizen.  Reiko’s version is a bit more socially competent and suave because she is a Takarazuka hero.  Her Michizane comes across as an introverted and introspective youth rather than full hikikomori.  Since we aren’t privy to internal monologue in this staging, this is probably a better approach for presenting the main character.

Then we have Chinatsu as Narihira, resident playboy and military officer responsible for the safety of Heian-kyo.  While being a nepo-baby nobleman, he does take his job seriously and is open-minded.  His haughtiness and discrimination against the peasants is a result of ignorance rather than him being a dick and his friendship with Michizane begins with him opening his eyes to the plight of the disenfranchised.  I feel the fanservice was toned down compared to usual Takarazuka fare.  Narihira is so blasé about his charms.  Instead of a dramatic pose or drawn out moment where he puts his flirt on, he’s just going about his day and doing his job.  He just throws out a wink or wave while on patrol but marches professionally on when he’s on the clock even if fangirls are present.  That strikes me as a different portrayal of playboy from the norm.  Houzuki An is certainly one who would know she is suave without overcompensating. XD  Her makeup didn’t photograph well in some angles and I think she was attempting an old man but sexy look as Narihira is considerably older than Michizane.  Chinatsu’s voice is divine and it’s strong enough to carry.  Couple times she nearly blew out her mic in both the show and revue.  Also, I swear she had more costume changes than the Top Star since she’s playing a man of society so we saw her in dress uniform, street uniform, casual ensemble, etc.  On the other hand, Michizane is a maverick scholar known to be a slob who even dares to come to court in the Heian version of sweatpants and T-shirt so Tsukishiro Kanato is usually in the same outfit.

As the political intrigue features heavily in the story, the show is a bit of a sausage fest so there isn’t much for musumeyaku to do.  There are only three named female roles of note so it makes sense that Eri would take the biggest female role.  Shouki is a fun character in her own right and has no romantic subplot as a shrewd businesswoman and an equal member of our intrepid trio.  She is the ingenious friend who provides the resources to make Michizane’s plans a reality.  It is a refreshing role for a musumeyaku, who usually get stuck as love interests.  Of course, there is star-crossed romance on the side in case seinen is not your genre.  Narihira and Takako were lovers who tried to elope in their youth but circumstances of birth have rendered their relationship forbidden.  They resolve this the mature, Japanese way (those of you who watch Japanese historical dramas know what I’m talking about).  For a side character and love interest, Takako is a complex character with her own personality and drive despite her vulnerable social circumstances that Amashi Juri brought to life.  Generally, the female characters were well-developed and interesting even if sparse.

Kazama Yuno as Fujiwara no Mototsune is practically a lead character and a complicated antagonist.  He doesn’t have much depth to him as cold and calculating Fujiwara Jr who does most of foster dad’s dirty work.  However, his relationship with everyone else makes him interesting.  He had a not-negative acquaintance with Kisshoumaru, Michizane’s deceased older brother.  However, his younger brothers were responsible for Kisshoumaru’s death.  Thus, Mototsune and Michizane’s relationship is awkward to say the least.  If his solo number is any indication, he really did consider the Sugawara brothers as friends and misses their childhood romps while regretful about the harm his dick younger brothers inflicted.  Mototsune hasn’t completely gone to the dark side yet, perhaps due to him being a distant relative adopted into the main branch of the Fujiwaras or his youth.  Him and Takako are on the same boat as adoptees from a lesser branch of the family so he is more sympathetic and softer towards her.  He’s also willing to give respect when it is due, even if it is for the opposition.

Those are the characters worth mentioning.  The supporting cast do their jobs.  The two child characters are comic relief running around to sing the praises of Michizane’s genius.  Groups of women serve to showcase how corruption has disenfranchised the poor or as fangirls to promote Narihira’s star stud status.  The Sugawara household are a wholesome and supportive family who are scholarly and down to earth.  The Fujiwara household is…evil.  I joke but they portray a toxic and strained family.  Half are spoiled, despotic fools hiding behind the family name while the other half are miserable, calculating souls forced to make sacrifices and make up the slack of the former.  The emperor is young, naïve, and weak.  But he is always that way in any media featuring the corrupt Fujiwara puppeteering the throne (an actual stretch of history Japanese media love to defer to).  Overall, a strong cast from Tsukigumi!

Plot:

Story wise, it was a good opening but as the manga is ongoing and probably quite lengthy, it feels like we just completed an arc.  The arc is specifically about a demon parade harassing the streets of Heian-kyo that kills hapless citizens caught in its path.  By imperial decree among other circumstances, our main characters find themselves working together to stop the murders and uncover the truth of the matter.  The mystery of murder-ghosts was resolved but a lot of the interpersonal conflicts remained open-ended.  And what I mean by resolution is the streets are safe again now that the murderers are arrested but we never learn the motive or discover the mastermind.  In this respect, the musical did end a bit abruptly.  Regardless, I enjoyed the pacing, intrigue, and story immensely.

The plot was quite rich.  There is the main plot of why there’s a demon parade abducting people at night.  Michizane deduces this is a more earthly problem and together with his crew they catch the culprits.  Additionally, we are given lots of political intrigue with a naïve young Emperor being controlled by the Fujiwara clan.  Papa-Fujiwara is such a social climber he’s adopting all his country bumpkin relatives to be his pawns in court.  His heir is an adopted son and now he’s acquired a new daughter he’s trying to shove into the emperor’s harem.  Someone wants the emperor dead and someone is using the emperor for their own ends, all fingers point to the Fujiwaras but they are untouchable.  There are many layers to this show.

The character relationships are also complicated and the conflicts hit in the feels.  The main character is disenchanted with the Japanese court and is struck with wanderlust so strong he wants to go abroad and explore broader horizons.  He has big dreams and genius to match but is hampered by politics and domestic issues.  Reiko explains all of this in song form!  You have hard-working and practical Shouki who may be doing some shady business but the economy is bad and the system is against her.  Narihira and Takako are pining for each other, but are unable to reconcile their duty to family and their own pride.  Theirs is a bittersweet ending.  Mototsune has a lot of internal conflict to sort through but being a corrupt politician is hard work.  The list goes on.  I wasn’t moved to tears but was invested in the characters.

The musical is definitely plot driven.  I had more of an impression of that and the character development than I did of the musical numbers, which informed the story rather than serve as earworms.  The diegetic dance sequence in the imperial court was the only memorable number.  This was a grand dance number where Takako was meant to perform and seduce the emperor.  Then it transitions to the investigating trio being forced to duet together while they try to protect the emperor from assassination without ruining the banquet.  Lots of flashy bird costumes in this scene.  The court ladies are doing some sort of crane or heron dance with not-Takako at the center in a silver crane costume equipped with anachronistically showgirl style headdress.  Then Michizane and Shouki perform what appears to be a mandarin duck dance (based on the costume) but are interrupted due to Murphy’s law and lots of plots so Narihira has no choice but to take Shouki’s place.  Read into that what you will.  While the emperor has his attention on the stage within the stage, the audience is focused on the surrounding intrigue.

Overall, I quite liked it.  Now I will go read the manga and see how it compares.

The Carnival of the Sea Gods

After such an amazing show, I was underwhelmed by the revue.  Deep Sea?  More like “Glitter Cabaret.”  The theme was very subtle, which can be creative genius or WTF.  It was leaning towards the latter for me.  There were some ideas I liked such as the jellyfish tailcoats and personified pearls representing inspiration, courage, and hope.  The Mariana Trench episode was an interesting direction… Not all the ideas hit.  There were some snappy tunes but nothing memorable.  Lots of spicy Latin flavor such as tango, frills, spurned lovers, etc as advertised.  This revue was very shiny.  Blindingly so at times.  That is my biggest impression of it.

The revue was a hit-or-miss, but that is just my opinion.  My neighbors were significantly more impressed.  Amazingly enough, I was surrounded by sweaty dudes.  One grandpa was camped out with all his binoculars including a piece of equipment fit for birdwatching.  He was regularly switching between binoculars during both show and revue.  Another gentleman was clearly looking for a specific seito, perking up at specific times.  All the gentlemen fans noticeably leaned forward during the rockettes number.  No judgment there, Takarazuka entertains all!

#takarazuka #theatre #theater #takarazuka revue #ohten no mon #outen no mon #musical #tsukigumi #moon troupe #houzuki an #tsukishiro kanato #reiko #chinatsu #umino mitsuki #umi #eri #宝塚歌劇団 #宝塚 #月組 #応天の門 #deep sea #shounen manga #manga #月城かなと #鳳月杏 #海乃美月 #my thoughts #my meta #my ramblings #my rambles

[bluerants]

Sale until end of week! 10% off AND free shipping!

Every penny goes toward moving costs and vet bills as we prepare to move States!!

#sailor starfighter #sailor moon #eternal sailor moon #vault hunters #borderlands #siren #lilthe the siren #maya the siren #bunny girl #ffix #final Fantasy #zidane #tantalus theatre troupe #mew #pokémon mew #nintendo

[holdmytesseract]

Yay open requests! :)

Hmmm, I want to see you write a one-shot where the Reader is a travelling actor who comes to Aldwinter to perform for the town with her troupe, and Will Ransom of course becomes romantically fascinated by the reader while she's there. That's all, I'll let you determine how far it goes between them. ^_^

And if I may be selfish, maybe make the Reader a larger-sized redhead (like me) haha

Attraction

Will Ransome x fem!Reader

Summary: When a travelling actor comes to Aldwinter, Will is completely swept off his feet; hit by the arrow of love.

Warnings: mutual pining (sort of)? fluff, lil' bit of suggestive smut - blink and you'll miss it, not exactly a happy end - but there's hope! tell me if I missed something!

Word Count: 2,4k

a/n: Sorry this took me so long, friend! 🥺 I really hope you like this! It's been a while since I lastly wrote for Will, but I tried my best. 🧡

Tags: @lady-rose-moon @muddyorbsblr @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @jennyggggrrr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @asgards-princess-of-mischief @vanilla-daydreaming @loz-3 @captain-camille @lovingchoices14 @lokidbadguy @icytrickster17 @lulubelle814 @mandywholock1980 @november-rayne @chantsdemarins @simping-for-marvel @lou12346789 @lokiforever @multifandom-worlds @hisredheadedgoddess28 @vbecker10 @jaidenhawke @km-ffluv @crimson25 @cakesandtom @buttercupcookies-blog @salvinaa @javagirl328 @dustychinchilla74 @coldnique @eleniblue @frzntrx @huntedmusicgardenn @mochie85

Masterlist

Will's eyes roamed the quite big crowd of people, as he stepped carefully down the few steps which led to the altar. On a Sunday mass like today, the little chapel Reverend Ransome called his own, was always bustling with people. Something which made the vicar very happy. He gave friendly, confident looks left and right, as he made his way down the aisle and stopped close to the door. It was a tradition for him to personally see off his churchgoer.

After all, they were his sheep - and he was the sheepherder.

Once almost everyone had bid their goodbyes and only a few people were left, Will suddenly recognised another familiar face within the small group of people... And he was the last one to stand up from the pew.

"Dear Sir Ambrose!" Reverend Ransome called out his old friend with a smile. "What takes you to Aldwinter on this rainy Sunday? I haven’t seen you around in months!" Charles laughed and grabbed the hand of his friend; shaking it thoroughly. "Well... I had to go to Essex anyway this weekend. Business trip," he said; winking. "Therefore, I decided to go to mass in Aldwinter and visit my friend!"

"Well, I am delighted to see you, Charles." "So am I."

The two men talked for a bit. About everything and anything, until... "Charles, I know you well... This business trip and the want to visit me can't be the only reason you're here..." Charles laughed up again; clapping his friend on the shoulder. "You indeed know me well, William. These are truly not the only reasons... Let us sit down."

Will let himself guide to a pew by Ambrose, before they sat down beside each other.

"I have something you might be interested in... It concerns the children in school, here in Aldwinter." Will nodded; pricking up his ears at the word 'children'. "I am all ears, Charles."

"Our children came home from school last week - entirely excited and happy, and when my dear wife asked what was going on, they told her about how they had been visited by a wonderful lady and her troupe. They said they told them stories - bible stories, but not only through words... They dressed up and did a play! Like in a theatre! Can you imagine, Will!"

The vicar's eyes went wide in fascination, wonder and excitement. "Charles, that... That is fascinating!" The man beside him nodded. "It truly is. I soke out the lady and her troupe, of course and she would be willing to make a stop in Aldwinter, too - next week! They're heading to Essex anyway. What do you say? I thought it would be great for the children here."

Will smiled and nodded. "Yes, please do so. That would be indeed wonderful." Charles smiled. "Great! I am going to contact the dear lady then and tell her to ask for revered Will Ransome when in Aldwinter.

Aldwinter was a sweet, cosy village. You had to admit that. Sure, it could be cold and rainy - like you heard, but summers here were wonderful.

The warm sun was shining on your face, as you walked together with your troupe towards the tavern Sir Ambrose told you to go and where you could stay during your time in Aldwinter. With curious eyes, you looked around. You had never been here before. You never were long at the same place, after all. As a travelling player, you were one day here and the next day miles away - but you wouldn't want it any other way. It was the life you chose and loved with all your heart.

After the kind woman described the way, you walked the short distance to the church; hoping that you took the right paths. You did. Seeing the elderly, but beautifully crafted building, you smiled and tuck a strand of loose red hair nervously out of your face and cautiously stepped through the wooden doors. There was no one to be seen.

Once you reached said tavern, you told your fellow companions to go and settle, while you would meet the contact person Ambrose arranged for you.

"Excuse me?" You approached the lady in a dress and apron, as she cleaned up some tables in said tavern. At your words, she looked up to face you. "Yes?" You gave her a gentle smile. "I'm looking for reverend Ransome... Do you know where I can find him?" "Sure, miss. You'll most likely find him in the church at this time of the day." "And how do I get to the church? Apologies, I've never been in Aldwinter before." "Oh that's not a problem, miss." The lady smiled and put her rag away; wiping her hands on her apron. "The church is not difficult to find..."

"Apologies, Miss. I was up the stairs; sorting some things. I didn't hear you right away."

"Hello?" You called out; walking down the aisle. "Mr. Ransome?"

Just when you were about to call out again, you heard some rustling coming from another room; probably the backroom and only mere seconds later there were steps. They grew louder and louder, until they revealed the man you had been searching for - or well, told to go to...

... and you had expected a lot, but certainly not that.

Reverend William Ransome sounded to you like you were going to be face to face with an elderly, friendly man with glasses; perhaps in his fifties. You were wrong... Oh so wrong...

You swallowed; were taken aback by the man's beauty. You had never seen a more stunning man than him - and you had seen a lot as an travelling actor...

In front of you stood a tall man in his late thirties, probably early forties. Longer, blonde-brown curls framed his face, which seemed to be carved out of marble. High cheekbones, a sharp jawline, stunning blue eyes and perfectly shaped lips and nose. The beard covering his cheeks, chin and upper lip suited him without a doubt.

Will wore brown cord trousers which were attached to brown braces. Underneath those, was a puffy white shirt covering his upper body - but not entirely. Two buttons were undone; displaying a little bit of his chest and the fine, dark hairs which grew there.

"You must be the famous Miss Y/L/N." Will smiled and stretched out his hand. "Will Ransome. I'm the vicar of this cosy, little town." Still a bit stunned you placed your hand in his. Will brought it up to his lips; bestowing a small kiss upon your knuckles. His lips were so soft and gentle, you almost melted on the spot. His beard tickled your skin; leaving a burning sensation behind - in the best way possible.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Reverend." You smiled; trying to not lose your composure. "I'm Y/N Y/L/N, indeed." The vicar smiled back at you; blue eyes sparkling. "The pleasure is mine."

Will offered you to sit inside his little office, so you could talk about the performance and when you and your fellow companions were ready to perform. You noticed that you got along very well with the man sitting opposite of you. Clearly, you were sharing a great chemistry. He was the sweetest, kindest and most polite man you ever met - and he seemed so enamoured with what you were doing for a living.

A date for the play was quickly settled... Tomorrow morning, as soon as the children finished school.

Will watched your every move; completely fascinated and enthralled. He hung on your every word.

Sure, he was watching all of the fantastic players; performing the story of Moses, but you... You were so special. Whenever you spoke, Will's eyes seemed to light up and he couldn't help the smile on his face.

The vicar didn't know what exactly it was that got him so hooked, but he couldn't deny it...

Was it your talent? Your passion? Your beautiful, kind and determined character? Was it your beauty itself? Perhaps all of it?

Will couldn't point it out.

"I-I wanted to-" Will had to clear his throat. "I wanted to ask, if you'd be interested in a little sightseeing tour through Aldwinter tomorrow?" He gave you a nervous smile. "That is very kind of you, Will, but... We actually don't stay longer than a few days at one place, so..." Will nodded. "I-I understand. But please... Just one more day. I'd like to give something in return for your wonderful work." You bit your lip; weighing your options, but then sighed.

After the show ended and all of the children had left with their parents and Will had bid them goodbye, he cautiously approached the woman he couldn't get off his mind again.

"Miss Y/N?"

His deep, yet smooth voice urged to your ears; causing you to smile as you packed your utensils together. "Yes, Mr. Ransome?" The vicar lifted a hand; "Please... Call me Will." smiling as well. "Will," you repeated - and caused Will's heart to speed up. Hearing you roll off his name from your tongue did something to the man of god.

"Alright. One more day."

The vicar smiled, "Thank you." and helped you to pack your troupes things together.

You watched him help Gabriel - one of your colleagues and couldn't help but smile. You've never met a kinder man in your life and you had to admit that you could not wait to spend the day with him tomorrow, but... Was it really a good idea?

While you spent the next day in Aldwinter, the others decided to go to Essex. Aldwinter was too boring for them - something you absolutely didn't agree with. Yes, the weather was moody and often not the best, but nevertheless was it a beautiful, cosy, little town. You liked it - and especially the vicar who lived there.

I could get used to this, you caught yourself thinking; immediately slapping yourself across the cheek - in your head.

You met Will rather late in the morning after breakfast. He had a few things to do - duties to follow as the people's reverend; therefore it was almost lunch time when he stood in front of your room at the tavern.

He showed you around - like promised. The beach. The sometimes quite scary and dangerous marshes. The beautiful forests and of course the town itself. Will introduced you to a few important people and in closing of the day, he invited you over to his little house for dinner.

You were completely amazed and excited about the fact that Will was an excellent cook. The Shepherd's Pie he cooked was delicious, and you dared to say like no other than you've eaten before.

His smile even widened.

Later that evening - it was already dark outside, you were seated beside him on his little sofa; a glass of wine in both his and your hands.

"Thank you for showing me your home, Will. Aldwinter is beautiful." You smiled and took a sip of your wine. The man reciprocated your smile; gave you a dazzling one of his own. "I'm delighted to hear that, Miss-" Y/N..." You interrupted him. "Call me Y/N."

"Y/N..." You nodded. "I really enjoyed it. The time we spent together." Perhaps was the alcohol you had consumed making you a little bold. "You are a very kind man, Will." He blushed, "Thank you, I... I am flattered." and inched closer to you. "And you are the most beautiful and talented woman I have ever met."

You blinked; were almost blushing, too. "Mr. Ransome are you... Are you trying to woo me?" A small, kind of nervous chuckle left the vicar's lips. "Perhaps."

You shook your head; drinking from the wine again. "But we hardly know each other..." "I-I know, but..." He swallowed. "You fascinate me, Y/N. You attracted my attention like no woman did before, I... I feel as if an invisible rope is pulling me to you. A higher power, which keeps on shoving me into your direction. I-I just... I can't help it. I feel myself utterly attracted to you."

Once again you started to shake your head, "Will... Stop it, please..." and sighed. "We can't give into this. I'm going to leave tomorrow and we'll probably never see each other again."

"Please..." The man beside you begged then; seeing how you struggled. Will wasn't a man who took advantage of this situation, but he felt how torn you were. How you actually wanted this and was just held back by the 'What if...'.

"We?" It was everything the vicar was focused on. "We can't give into this?"

You realised the mistake you made way too late.

"Does that mean you feel the same?" Will's heart sped up after those words left his lips. Words filled with hope.

"I-I-I..." You didn't know what to say. It was true, but you forbid your body to feel it; knowing exactly that it would only lead to pain.

He inched even closer, until your thigh almost touched his.

"Just one kiss..." The reverend whispered and before you could do or say something, your lips melted against his. Will sighed in the kiss; hands landing on your waist.

"Tell me to stop and I will." He said in a gentle voice, while he pulled you onto his lap.

You let it happen.

Just one kiss turned into two - and two turned into way much more, until-

Will closed his eyes for a moment. It wasn't a nightmare... Far from it...

Will ripped his eyes open, only to find himself breathing quick and heavy. Sweat pooled on his chest; coating the fine hairs growing there. His puffy night shirt was totally dishevelled - just like his hair.

The vicar sat up in bed. As he moved, he felt the tightness of his underwear and the straining arousal inside.

He had dreamed of her again. Y/N. The beautiful woman with flaming red hair and stunning Y/E/C. The woman who had fascinated him like no other, when she visited Aldwinter a few months back to perform a play with her troupe. The woman which whom he had spent a wonderful night with - and who had left him to live her dream and travel around the world as a player; leaving only a letter and her shawl behind.

Will smiled; remembering the words written on the piece of paper.

One day, l promise I'll come back to you - if you are willing to wait for me.

#the essex serpent #will ransome #will ransome x reader #will ransome x you #will ransome x y/n #will ransome fanfiction #the essex serpent fanfiction #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom hiddleston characters

[eyenaku]

*sliiiiiides in* good evening

ooooo you wanna ramble about your pantomime au so bad ooo

I DO I DO I REALLY DO- here's a Very Long Ramble!!

let us meet our cast:

columbine (or columbina, as they're referred to in plays and promotional material)

harlequin (harlequin sun) and pierrot (pierrot moon)

Now these bad boys are the star actors (?) puppets! in a world renowned theatre specializing in Harlequinades, Melodramas, and other Pantomime-character-centric theatre.

(More accurately they're Commedia'dell arte characters, but people only know what pantomime is so. I'm calling it pantomime AU I guess LMAO)

The parent company (not quite a troupe due to their nature) also puts on other plays in other locations (with different characters and "tropes"/genres- like ballets, operas, etc. perhaps diff. fnaf characters in all of these).

The theatre is built like an opera house. The music is played by mechanical instruments- mainly a massive orchestrion housed in the back of the stage.

Now these puppets are entirely not sentient, manned by strings and puppeteered by a very advanced mechanical system of rails and the like in the ceilings (think similar to Moon's line thing in security breach- they move freely about a space, just with more lines to control each limb like a typical marionette). They're tall! Taller than the average human, Columbine included- they are very much life sized.

The characters are utilized much like human actors. They're used for meet and greets! They sign autographs! They gain fanbases and followings!

Columbine is marketed as Columbina the stock character. Female, with heavy make-up and vaguely promiscuous. Columbina is the target of affections. How attractive is she, in the eyes of the audience. How seductive. A soubrette- coy and cocky and conceited and saucy and a great deal of other descriptions.

However, just as the stock character was often the only Functionally Intellectual character in these plays despite all the not very demure connotations, Columbine, too, is multifaceted. Or perhaps single faceted, yet presented in a way that clouds the audience's perspective. Columbine is a puppet. Columbine is not female. People treat them as though they're female. People do not treat them well, especially in contrast to the followings of Harlequin and Pierrot

Columbine is pissed off.

Feeling a very strong emotion for the first time grants these puppets sentience. Why you may ask? Does it really matter? Its fiction.

Columbine's trigger so to speak was the issue of being perceived as female (and being treated in gross ways, thanks to the nature of theatre) when that isn't you. You are a puppet. Why is this happening? It's not so much being pissed off as being unbelievably frustrated. Columbine is frustrated!

So, in a huff, they carefully remove all their strings and just. Leave. Leave the theatre behind.

On the way to the exit they have to pass through a hallway with massive posters of the three of them illuminated. They see themself there and grimace.

So Columbine is gone now. And the theatre's management is sort of freaking out, after all this is one of the main three characters- arguably *The* main character. But they just try to cover it up, albeit poorly. Columbina is just under maintenance! Do not worry, audience! Harlequin Sun and Pierrot Moon are still here! Plays are still ongoing! They substitute in very basic clearly thrown together quickly "Columbine" stand ins for plays that are just. kinda sad. Blank dummies in an almost mockery of their costuming.

Speaking of sad, something is brewing within Pierrot Moon! Columbine leaving is kind of destroying him. He's sad, like really sad. Like... depressed. This is so strong that Pierrot, you guessed it, becomes sentient. Columbine being replaced is the final straw.

Moon becomes the kind of sad that drains everyone around him. He is not the only one suffering. It's not an uncontrollable thing either, he's just decided to not even attempt to manage his emotions, and everyone else has to deal with it. Anyone who is kind to him suffers for it. Moon's behaviour is not just disturbing to everyone, but is actively ruining plays.

Guess who this pisses off? Guess who else is sentient now? Harlequin Sun! He loves the theatre- a stickler for the rules and so very passionate about his plays. About his skills as an actor. Sun is incredibly unbelievably pissed off- Columbine is gone and Moon isn't doing anything right, and this stand-in dummy is godawful, and everything Was perfect, and now it isn't. and how incompetent! And so on and so forth. Sun is unabashedly pissed off. He is violent. When a play ends, he just about dismantles the stand-in dummies (more like rips them apart with his bare hands). A pile of "corpses" builds up, Everything is awful.

Moon decides it's all too much. He's going to leave. Maybe he'll find Columbine. He's desperate. He makes it to the exit hall, rips off his strings roughly with no care, and then!

Sees the same poster of Columbina from before.

Moon is just. stuck there looking up at it. Transfixed, he falls to the floor sobbing. He can't move. Sun finds him and *physically drags him* back. Hooray more violence 👍🏼

More plays, more Sun scrapping dummies, rinse and repeat. It just. Sucks. Human staff are quitting, it's too much for them. Dealing with either of them is just so horrible. Stage hands come and go and come and go and never stay.

Sun gets a turn to have a breakdown at the poster too!

He's not happy about everything sucking. Obviously he's not the issue, he loves the theatre, it's the other two. Why did you have to leave? It's not just anger but grief- he really truly misses Columbine, though he shows much differently than Moon. It's all too much.

(re)enter the new stage hand: totally not Columbine

ahaha what a nice welcome back! Columbine came back because they missed the two only to come back to. whatever tf this is that's going on. Violence from Sun, Moon's whole deal, The matter of the poster and littered approximations of their past self mangled about the backstage area. Yk how it is

Now at this point both Columbine and Moon don't have their strings (though Moon has stray bits still half tied to him). But Sun? Sun has his. They're Extremely Frayed though. His aggressive tendencies serve to have him work against the strings, even though he doesn't want to intentionally. Perhaps a lash at Moon mid-play, or pantomimed motions played out too rough. He's a touch too aggressive to be any kind of restrained. They're very close to just snapping- quite a feat considering they were made to support giant marionettes!

Anyhow, Columbine is back! They expect any sort of welcome but.. neither Harlequin nor Pierrot recognize them (and their dumbass didn't fkn think to... y'know... tell them? oh hey it's me?). They sorta assumed the two would recognize their face, or perhaps their oddly tall stature, or the remaining recognizable details (face paint, hairstyle (even with hoodie) eyelashes, etc) but nope! They're both blinded by their own selfish bitterness and can't see Columbine literally in front of them.

So the two are horrible to them, of course, since. Y'know! New stagehand! Ripe for Sun to be so passive aggressive to that it might as well just be aggressive to, and for Moon to be difficult and taxing towards.

Columbine is abhorred by this since, y'know. They missed them. And they take this as a sort of more messed up version of the silent treatment- surely they know it's them and are just acting like this out of spite! Fine, two can play at that game. Columbine can pretend they're strangers too.

They pretend they don't think Sun demolishing the faux-columbinas isn't a direct threat towards them. They pretend it doesn't affect them. They pretend Moon acting horrid and a type of sad so selfish it makes them want to leave all over again doesn't hurt. They, again, think Moon sobbing over heartbreak and abandonment is him rubbing their actions in their face. That him comparing them bitterly to themself is the same thing. They just do their job backstage. The two directly antagonizing them all of the time is hardly tolerable, but tolerable nonetheless since they do still care!

So it's horrible. At least it can't get any worse- WRONG! It can!

Sun went through too many stand-ins. The theatre can't just...get more. These are carved. They may have been simpler, and worse that Columbine, but they're still massive. You can't just get more like that. Management is freaking out- the public is getting even more upset. Where is Columbina? They need Columbina! A play is about to be put on, and the crowd is chanting for her. They're getting upset. They're demanding. But what can they do? There's nobody to put in the role- no human tall enough, no mannequins unscathed.

And then Management notices something- or someone. Columbine. Columbine is weirdly tall. Columbine would fit in the costume.

Before they know it, they're back on stage- stringless. In the same costume, the very thing they tried to escape.

The crowd goes absolutely wild- there she is! There's Columbina! The *real* Columbina! Columbine is distraught, they look around the stage for any semblance of help- Sun and Moon may be mad at them but they trust them! They know them!

And they make eye-contact with Sun. He's absolutely seething. He looks ready to rip them limb from limb. Does he recognize them? Nope! But this Stranger, this impostor is taking their place. A simple stagehand is taking Columbine's role, their spotlight, their fame, their cheering, their fans- He looks at them, who are identical in all but expression, and can't see Columbine. He's completely blind in his rage.

The bells begin to toll. The music starts to play. A final dance.

Columbine is passed between the two- spun in dizzying circles by Pierrot before being seized in Harlequin's crushing grip, and so on, and so on, and so on, again and again and again.

But then they see something change in Moon's eyes- recognition. It's actually them. He has no time to celebrate, to talk, to convey the overwhelming feelings bubbling in his chest. The dance becomes more fervor-ed- a true battle between Harlequin and Pierrot, one for Columbine's literal hand, for their safety.

The audience is oblivious to the ramifications, to the plight. They're mesmerized by the passion, the emotions so thick they can be felt in the air. There's tension, there's drama- it's a masterpiece of story and vehemence spinning and pushing and pulling and twirling about the stage.

Columbine can't tell if the snapping noises are from Sun's strings or from where his hands grip them in a stranglehold and splinter their limbs.

It's a struggle as entrancing as it is violent. The audience watches with bated breath- what will happen next? The three weave and lunge and with each forceful effort, Sun's strings making awful creaking snaps. The very system he's so desperate to maintain is working to subdue him, the two have a chance!

But just as Columbine manages to weasel their way out of his grasp-

SNAP

Nobody can do anything but watch in horror as Sun's strings feather limply at his sides, frayed like a violin bow gone sour. There's nothing stopping him now.

He's deaf to Columbine's pleas, to Moon's, to anything but the pure rage rolling through him. He lunges towards Columbine in a frenzied attack- a sickening crack ringing through the opera house.

And the audience erupts in applause as he realizes what he's done.

#pantomime au #ask #pantomime y/n #harlequin sun #pierrot moon #pantomime sun and moon #HI HELLO SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG ON THIS </3 #this au is rotting my brain tbh. been looping danse macabre #i wanna make an animatic to it #but idk how to make animatics #eyenaku #proudnaku #fnaf sun and moon #fnaf daycare attendant

[giro-revuescope]

Then-Moon Troupe musumeyaku Hoshino Hitomi, pictured in front of the Grand Theatre with her Himalayan cat Tifa.

(From 'Takarasienne Cat Fanclub', 1996.)

#takarazuka #hoshino hitomi #i regret to inform you he is named after the jewelry brand and not the final fantasy character #hoshino was never a major star but she had a cat in 1996 so she got a column #and this outdoors photoshoot turned out so cute

[gizkasparadise]

What are your top five xianxia cdramas? And, on the other end, what are your top five historical kdramas (any time period - I'm not well versed in this to know the various types names yet xD)? Oh, and lastly, your top five drama recs that are the most (generally) underrated? Thanks!

nice!

TOP FIVE XIANXIA (& I'M ALSO GONNA INCLUDE XUANHUAN)

love and redemption. girl meets boy. boy's part of a cursed theatre troupe and part of masochism tango of reincarnation with girl that lasts 10 life times. girl is actually kind of the god of war. crack, gender reversal, gender fuckery at large, feminist and queer friendly. incredible OST. just all-around one of my favorite dramas ever.

lost you forever (part 1). a xuanhuan vs. xianxia, but im not passionate enough about 5 xianxia for this list lol. another drama with gender fuckery. a fantastic FL and beautiful relationship building (and unbuilding) and character-driven story. dont even need the second part for this to be a favorite!!

love between fairy and devil. all those tropes you fucking loved when you were like 13 on ff.net given a lot of heart and near-perfect execution (aside from that ending). awesome characters, beautiful costumes and art direction. super addicting and bingeable

the legends. bai lu playing a powerhungry demoness and acquiring a dysfunctional harem in the process. xu kai looking like a sad blue-haired puppy. a monk that creates an entire demon because he has 1 boner. sismance. i had a lot of fun with this one and pointedly did not watch the last 5 or so eps lol

till the end of the moon. there's parts i genuinely hate and would not watch ever again. there's parts that are fucking incredible. sort of like the main couple, i have a love/hate relationship with this drama but when it hits it really hits

honorable mention: eternal love/10 miles of peach blossoms (xianxia fuckery at its finest weighed down somewhat by tedious side plots and one of the most infuriating 2nd FLs of all time)

TOP FIVE HISTORICAL KDRAMAS

gaksital/bridal mask. set in the 1930s. inverse character arcs between the hero and villain. dysfunctional romance amped up to the nth level. high stakes, high consequences, and a cast full of well-developed and written characters. bring tissues

empress ki. girl crushing and girl bossing her way through two kingdoms, one of the best FLs of all time. with her is a besotted baby enemy emperor and a Noble Good besotted powerless king as she goes from slave to smuggler to concubine to empress. chef's kiss

the princess' man. you want feral wrecks for your male leads? female leads ready to throw down in a parking lot? if you like lovers to enemy (?) lovers and star-crossed romances this one is a must

the king loves. this one's also on my underrated list. the first 4ish eps are a chore, but if you get past them you have the love triangle to end all love triangles, interesting palace politics with a fascinating "evil" empress, and im siwan getting to go a lil unhinged as a treat. it's the definition of an idol drama but gd did i love this and i binged the hell out of it no regrets

mr sunshine. le cinema!!! an interesting time in history (1870s-1880s) with a wide range of flawed but compelling characters centered around one of the most badass FLs of all time. winner of the #1 second lead syndrome contest for me with dong mae. only downfall to this one is i felt negative chemistry with the endgame ship but the show is good enough without it

honorable mention: chicago typewriter isnt on this list because it's only kind of half a historical drama BUT OMG WATCH IT. it's in my top 3 kdrama and while it has a slow build once it kicks off it fucking goes off

TOP FIVE UNDERRATED DRAMAS

the king loves as mentioned above. i think why it has a lower rating is the first handful of eps are kind of a snoozefest and there's a bit of an upset with the romance (which i was 900% for). but it's a fucking fun ride and full of awesome goryeo palace drama adventures

kairos. not underrated, since it has decent scores on reviewer sites, but underhyped? not enough people have seen this one and it's an incredible time-travel thriller that i found way more interesting than other popular dramas of its type like signal

cheese in the trap. the ending's a hot mess, but compared to how some 2020-onward dramas are ending it's poetry. a solid adaptation of a really great webtoon, awesome cinematography, and one of the few dramas ive seen that actually capture the campus/college life experience right

discovery of romance. the emotional cheating element causes a lot of folks to hate it/jump ship, but i love this one (and gd BOTH the fl and ml emotionally cheat ftr he's not innocent in this hot mess). jung yumi + eric mun are one of my favorite kdrama duos and they kill it, and kim seulgi plays an incredible second female lead

when a man falls in love. man people HATED this one but i think it's a blast when you're in the mood for mess + gangsters. if you're into watching fucked up romances with severe power imbalances and the dysfunction that follows, this one's for you. it's not perfect but definitely not deserving of its 6.8 MDL rating (gd!)

#asks! #cdrama #kdrama #long post

[devilbimboy]

I find the term “taken” to be weird in a romantic / generally intimate context. Because where are you going?! Where are you being taken to?! The MOON? If you aren’t, it’s not worth being taken EVER.

I will only be “taken” if I get to see a Vocaloid theatre troupe burst into song about the epic tales of Hatsune Miku :/

#my poor attempt at a joke #aroace #asexual #aromantic #romance is weird

[homomenhommes]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … April 27

1906 – Friedrich-Paul von Groszheim (d.circa 2003), born in Lübeck, Germany was an ordinary German man who was imprisoned by the Nazis for the (then) crime of homosexuality under Germany's now-repealed Paragraph 175.

Von Groszheim was one of 230 men arrested in Lübeck on suspicion of being gay by the SS in January 1937 under paragraph 175, which outlawed homosexuality. He was imprisoned for ten months, during which he had to wear a badge emblazoned with a capital A, for Arschficker (arse-fucker):

They beat us to a pulp. I couldn't lie down...my whole back (was) bloody. You were beaten until you finally named names.

Von Groszheim was held in a cell with no heating, very little food, and no toilet facilities. Freed, he was rearrested in 1938 and tortured. Von Groszheim was eventually offered the 'alternative' of castration or Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He 'chose' castration. Terrible as it may seem, it was a decision that probably saved his life. He was then released.

Because of the castration, von Groszheim was rejected as physically unfit for military service in 1940. In 1943 he was arrested a third time, this time as a supporter of the former Kaiser Wilhelm II, and imprisoned as a political prisoner at Neuengamme concentration camp.

After the war, he settled in Hamburg.

Von Groszheim was never acknowledged as a victim of the Nazi regime, and due to on-going persecution of homosexuals in Germany, it took nearly half a century before he broke his silence. Eventually he explained why he began to speak out: 'I'm living proof that Hitler didn't win. I'm aware of that every day. If I don't tell my story, who will know the truth?.' He only told his story in 1992, on We Were Marked with a Big "A", a film in German with English subtitles.

In 1995, he was one of eight signers to a declaration given to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. that called for the "memorializing and documenting of Nazi atrocities against homosexuals and others."

Jack Cole rehearsing Marilyn Monroe

1911 – Jack Cole (d.1974) was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance. He developed an entirely personal mode of jazz-ethnic-ballet that prevails as the dominant look of and technique for dancing in today's musicals, films, nightclub revues, television commercials and music videos.

Jack Cole, a student of Ravi Shankar's older brother Uday (who popularized East Indian dance in the West), danced with the staid orientalist Denishawn troupe, and invented jazz dance by applying what he knew of Indian dance to jazz music.

He stripped in Broadway's Ziegfield Follies Of 1943, opened New York's Rainbow Room, and formed a troupe that eroticized the Radio City Music Hall, Roxy, Ciro's, and the Fairmont and Dunes hotels.

His Hollywood entrance didn't go well: his specialty number for Fox's Moon Over Miami (1941) was cut as too sexy and he was fired by Arthur Freed from MGM's Ziegfield Follies (1946), for "griping about all the 'queen bees' like Cedric Gibbons and Roger Edens." Minnelli, Gibbons, et al, worked within the MGM closet, but Cole was a rebel and didn't hide his gayness.

At Columbia, then a minor studio, he lasted from 1944 until the McCarthy hearings of 1948, when most of his dancers fled to Europe. His first Columbia film was Cover Girl (1944) with Rita Hayworth, working with Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, and Felix. He worked with Ann Miller and thrice more with Hayworth, his eroticism transferred almost intact to her in the 'Put the Blame on Mame' number in Gilda (1946), his homoeroticism most pronounced in the satirical 'Greek Ballet' in Down To Earth (1947). When Gilda describing herself stops in midsentence, the next word could be "stripper," for Cole based her movements on striptease.

At Fox, Cole vitalized Gwen Verdon in On The Riviera, revitalized Betty Grable in Meet Me After The Show (both 1951), surrounded Mitzi Gaynor with slinky catmen in The I Don't Care Girl (1953) and became Marilyn Monroe's dance guru from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) until the end of her life, surrounding her with musclemen in There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).

He returned to Metro for Vincente Minnelli's Kismet (1955; he had done the Broadway show and the 1944 film); Designing Woman; and, with Gene Kelly, Les Girls (1957).

Back at Columbia, he gave Betty Grable a male harem in Three For The Show (1955). His gayness was hidden within his Orientalism, suggesting to Shirley McLean that "masculinity and gay identity" are not necessarily antithetical, erasing gender (unlike true oriental dance), and sought after by female dancers.

But "for gay audiences, the classic Cole number" is 'Is There Anyone Here For Love?' in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, featuring Physique Pictorial-type gymnasts oblivious to Jane Russell's charms: they even pump "their buttocks up and down in rhythm, an outrageous simulation of gay sex."

Cole lived openly in a mansion with his lover, David Gray. Their pool parties were "very naughty and very gay," with Gray on a diving board in high heels. At a 1974 memorial for Cole, Jane Russell reminisced about Cole's penchant for gay porn.

1951 – Luis Zapata Quiroz is Mexico's most prominent gay author. He rose to popularity in the 1970s with books about the youth subculture of Mexico City. His novels examine the connection between daily life and the popular culture of radio, television, and film.

Born into an upper middle-class family in rural Mexico, Zapata escaped the restrictions of his background by losing himself in the cinema. Popular culture, cinema, melodrama and soap opera have all played a significant influence on his writing.

Unusually for a Mexican writer, most of his novels, and stories feature gay and bisexual characters prominently. Where heterosexual characters appear they are usually within the context of the family and there is some element of hypocrisy and concealment, so the happiness of the normal social order is in some way seen as a smokescreen for more interesting goings on beneath the surface - as is the case with much popular drama and soap opera. His style is very heavily reliant on representing convincing dialogue and conversation - often between people of different social classes.

His work includes Hasta en las mejores familias (Even in the Best Families, 1975), Las aventuras, desventuras y sueños de Adonis García, el vampiro de la colonia Roma ( The Aventures, Misadventures, and Dreams of Adonis Garcia, Vampire of the Roman Colony, 1979), Melodrama (1983), En jirones (In Shreds, 1985) and La hermana secreta de Angélica María (The Secret Sister of Angelica María, 1989)

1953 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs Executive Order 10450 which establishes grounds for investigation and dismissal:  "Any criminal, infamous, dishonest, immoral, or notoriously disgraceful conduct, habitual use of intoxicants to excess, drug addiction, or sexual perversion." Without explicitly referring to homosexuality, the executive order responded to several years of charges that the presence of homosexual employees in the State Department posed blackmail risks. As a result, more than 640 federal employees lose their jobs over the next year and a half.

1963 – Today's the birthday of Russell T. Davies (born Steven Russell Davies). Davies is a Welsh television producer and writer and the prolific writer best known for controversial drama serials such as Queer as Folk and The Second Coming. He's also garnered major Geek love for spearheading the revival of the popular science-fiction television series Doctor Who, and the spin-off Torchwood. Although Doctor Who always had serious levels of camp, Davies really stretched the series into a much more inclusive and sexually playful character.

Born in Swansea, Davies aspired to work as a comic artist in his adult life, until a careers advisor at his school suggested that he study English literature; he consequently focused on a career of play- and screen-writing. After he graduated from Oxford University, Davies joined the BBC's children's department on a part-time basis in 1985 and worked in varying positions, including writing and producing two series, Dark Season and Century Falls. He left the BBC in the early 1990s to work for Granada Television and later became a freelance writer.

Davies moved into writing adult television dramas in 1994. His early scripts generally explored concepts of religion and sexuality among various backdrops: Revelations was a soap opera about organised religion and featured a lesbian vicar; Springhill was a soap drama about a Catholic family in contemporary Liverpool; The Grand explored society's opinion of subjects such as prostitution, abortion, and homosexuality during the interwar period; and Queer as Folk, his first prolific series, recreated his experiences in the Manchester gay scene. His later series include Bob & Rose, which portrayed a gay man who fell in love with a woman; The Second Coming, which focused on the second coming and deicide of Jesus Christ; Mine All Mine, a comedy about a family who discover they owned the entire city of Swansea; and Casanova, an adaptation of the Venetian lover's complete memoirs.

His most notable achievement is reviving and running the science fiction series Doctor Who after a sixteen year hiatus, with Christopher Eccleston, and later David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi in the title role of the Doctor. Davies was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to drama, which coincided with his announcement that he would step down from as the show's executive producer with his final script, The End of Time (2009-10). Davies moved to Los Angeles, California, to oversee production of Torchwood: Miracle Day and, before the death of Elisabeth Sladen, series five of The Sarah Jane Adventures.He has since returned to Manchester.

His latest show, Cucumber, a spiritual successor to Queer as Folk focuses on middle-aged gay men in the Manchester gay scene, and is accompanied with Banana, an E4 anthology series featuring younger characters across the LGBT spectrum on the periphery of the Cucumber narrative, and Tofu, an online documentary series available on 4oD discussing modern sex, sexuality and issues arisen during the show with the cast and public. The three names reference a urological scale categorising the male erection by hardness from tofu to cucumber, and are used to symbolise differences in sexual attitudes and behaviour between the two generations. Although Cucumber is designed as a self-contained serial focusing on the life of one man, Davies envisions Banana as open-ended and believes it could continue after its sister series finishes.

Davies' next project after Cucumber and Banana will be The Boys, a Channel 4 series about the HIV/AIDS crisis during the 1980s. The Boys will be a dramatised retrospective of the crisis which focuses on the men "living in the bedsits" during the 1980s as opposed to films such as Pride which focus on gay activists; Davies notes that the stories regarding the politics of the crisis and the virus itself has been told, but not those regarding the early victims of the virus itself. Davies describes The Boys as a way of "coming to terms" with his own actions during the 1980s, when the shock of the crisis prevented him from properly mourning the deaths of his close friends. After The Boys, Davies plans to write a series about sextortion that draws inspiration from real-life incidents of blackmail that resulted in suicide.

Davies is openly gay and has been with his partner, customs officer Andrew Smith, since 1999.

1992 – James Duke Mason is an American politician, writer, and political activist. He is the son of singer Belinda Carlisle and film producer Morgan Mason, and the grandson of the late British actor James Mason. In 2010, The Advocate listed Mason as one of the most influential young LGBT Americans in their "Forty Under 40" issue. He was named in OUT magazine's 2011 "Out 100" issue as one of the 100 most influential LGBT people in the world.

Born in Los Angeles, Mason moved to Europe with his parents as a child. In an Attitude Magazine interview, Mason stated that he is openly gay and that he came out to his family and friends at the age of 14 in 2006. After graduating from Mougins School, an international school in the south of France in July 2010, Mason moved back to the U.S. to study Political Science at California Lutheran University. After a year he moved to West Hollywood, California to focus on his efforts in grassroots advocacy.

He was appointed to serve as a Page in the U.S. House of Representatives during the summer of 2008, and also worked as a volunteer for Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic primaries. He has appeared on TV shows such as Dr. Phil, Nancy Grace, and Politicking with Larry King to discuss LGBT issues, has written articles for websites such as The Huffington Post and The Advocate, and did a YouTube video to back the It Gets Better campaign.

In December 2011 it was announced that Mason was appointed to the board of directors of Outfest, making him the youngest member in the organization's 30-year history. He began his term in January 2012.

He served as an official surrogate for the campaign of Barack Obama in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election. He had a small acting role in the film What Happens Next, which screened as part of the Hollywood Film Festival. He was a candidate for the West Hollywood City Council in the March 3, 2015 election.

1998 – Ghislaine Landry is a Canadian rugby union player. She won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games as a member of the Canadian women's rugby sevens team. During the 2016-17 season, Landry succeeded Jen Kish as captain of the national sevens. On 20 October 2018, Landry became the first woman to hit the 1,000 point milestone in the women's sevens World Series.

In 2016, Landry was named to Canada's first ever women's rugby sevens Olympic team, which won the bronze medal in a match against Great Britain. In 2017, Landry moved into first place all-time in HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series scoring with 706 points. In June 2021, Landry was named to Canada's 2020 Summer Olympics team.

Landry attended Saint Francis Xavier University.

She came out as homosexual in 2006 and married her partner in 2018.

In 2021, she announced her retirement from the sport, hanging up the boots at the age of 33 after an illustrious international career that spanned a decade.

2009 – Iowa becomes the third state to allow same-sex marriage.

[yuzukahibiscus]

"Meeting myself from the outer world" Takarazuka Flower Troupe Top [Star] Yuzuka Rei-san Retirement Press Conference

(Source from Mainichi)

Takarazuka Revue Flower Troupe Top [Star] Yuzuka Rei will retire next May and had her retirement press conference in Osaka city on 16th [of August]. Yuzuka-san appeared in a white suit attire and said with a bright smile, "I want to continue to do this earnestly, but I want to meet myself from the outer world that I haven't known about yet."

Yuzuka-san stated her intention of retiring this year in February. "I have here with me many sentiments from everyone, (the happiness) is so overwhelmingly contained in my heart". At the same time, also retiring is the Top Musumeyaku Hoshikaze Madoka, to which after [Yuzuka] told [Hoshikaze] about [her intention of retirement] in the rehearsals for the musical "A Battlefield for the Two of Us", [Hoshikaze] replied that "Please let me [retire] along with you."

She told the troupe members the day after the performance on the 12th, a day before the 13th which is the Senshuuraku day of the Takarazuka Grand Theatre performance "Singing Lovebirds" "GRAND MIRAGE!". From her companions' expressions and their gaze, "I once again was so grateful that I was able to work with these members."

For her turning point performances, she mentioned the Taiwan performance "Rose of Versailles" "Takarazuka Fantasia" (2015), "Boys Over Flowers" (2019), "Haikara-san ga Tooru" (2020). Her [Top] debut performance "Haikara-san ga Tooru" in the Takarazuka Grand Theatre had a delayed opening day after 4 months. "As my memories, this was an important production that I myself learnt a lot from".

As for the general question of “marriage”, she replied, “I would have worn a rubber band on my left ring finger, but I don’t have the courage (LOL). Of course, I’m available”, she replied cheekily with a smile.

Amidst the coronavirus, she said that she received courage on stage from seeing the audience. The applause and cheering from the audience, and those shining expressions even with a mask, "I love that more than anything". "More than anything, everyone's words, your presence and your applause, and anything that I have received in that space [of the theatre]…This is truly pale in comparison when I put it to words. I hope I could repay my gratitude to everyone on the stage little by little, that I will cherish and treasure this time to do my best."

Yuzuka-san entered the revue in 2009 as the 95th class. Her classmates include Star Troupe Top Star Rei Makoto-san and Moon Troupe Top Star Tsukishiro Kanato-san. After assigned to Flower Troupe, she garnered attention for her glamorous stage poise and dancing. She became the Top Star in November 2019 after Asumi Rio-san retired.

After the retirement of the then-Top musumeyaku Hana Yuuki, she welcomes her partner Hoshikaze-san and played an important role in the Flower Troupe 100th Anniversary Revue. Known for her splendid dancing, she is stunning with her footwork and dance steps in the musical "TOP HAT" (2022) and other shows (revue).

#yuzuka rei #retirement #taidan #flower troupe #takarazuka #takarazuka revue #hanagumi #hibiscustranslation

[justaduckarts]

Extra Practice

Hahaha this has existed in my drafts for so long :) Anyway, you want some more Lunar Phantom? You can have some more Lunar Phantom, as a little treat <3

Sun Centric, 1.6k words <3

Early morning. The theatre was quiet. Sun had just finished mopping backstage. He turned to roll the mop bucket back to the cleaning closet. The morning had only just begun, and he was looking forward to having some time to practice his own music before the troupe started arriving.

All of his ease was shattered when the door to the backstage opened. Of course someone would come in early to practice. Just what he needed after Moon's behavior all night. He'd been so weird and avoidant. Sun could tell he was up to something, but what?

As Sun turned to the door to warn the new arrival of the wet floor, he froze.

You.

You were standing in the doorway, looking at Sun with wide eyes.

"Hi," you said quietly.

"...Hello," Sun couldn't stop himself. He smiled at you. "I'm afraid the floor is wet right now. I just mopped."

"They make you clean, too?"

Warm laughter bubbled out of the whimsically designed animatronic. And oh, the laugh. So hearty and free. His eyes shined bright and he shook his head. The rays around his face began to spin.

"It's my job to make sure tge theater is in tip top shape, yes," he chuckled, "I thank you for your concern, but I'm not bothered by it! Really."

Sun could see the skepticism in your eyes, but you relented all the same.

"Well, alright. It's nice to finally meet you, anyway." You offered him your name. He nodded eagerly.

"Yes, the shining star of the show! I understand, you've been busy busy busy as a bee with rehearsals." He clasped his hands together and gave an Oscar worthy sigh.

"And goodness, the rehearsals! Your voice is like a dream," he grinned at you. Your face suddenly felt warm.

"Oh. Thank you," you smiled, "um... could I know your name?" The use of the words shining star wasn't lost on you. Was it possible the pianist here knew Moon?

"Where are my manners? I'm Sun! A pleasure." He pressed a hand to his chest and dipped into a bow. You couldn't help but grin at his antics. It was like he was made for the stage.

"Sun," you nodded, "well, I was coming in to practice, but if the floor is wet..."

"Ah," Sun nodded, "the floor should be dry in just a few minutes, if you don't mind waiting. I'm sure I can hold your attention." He did a little twirl, as if showing himself off. His rays picked up pace when he heard your laugh.

"That sounds lovely," you leaned in the doorway, crossing your arms. "You're a great pianist, by the way. I don't think I've ever seen you turn the pages for your sheet music."

"My, my, attractive and observant!" Sun put his hands on his hips, "I may have met my match! No, I don't need the sheet music. It's just there for show. Although I will read a piece the first time to memorize it, usually I prefer to play by ear." He hummed, "well, by auditory processor."

"That's amazing."

Sun bounced, watching your smile brighten. The way your eyes shone under the stage lights. He wondered if you knew just how stunning you were.

"Well!" Sun laughed, rubbing the back of his head, "thank you! What kind of musician would I be if I couldn't play well enough for our shining star?"

Once again, you felt your face growing warm. You looked off to the side, nodding absently.

"You're doing a great job," you fidgeted, smiling more to yourself.

"I think the floor's dry enough now," Sun strolled back over to the piano. You couldn't help but notice how long his legs were. They were clothed in fitted red trousers. Brilliant gold pinstripes would occasionally catch the light as he moved. He was so tall. It was easy to imagine him dancing, with such long, graceful limbs.

Without really thinking about it, you were following him. When he sat at the piano and poise his fingers over the keys, you felt your heart skip.

For the briefest moment, you were in the dark again. Watching Moon's fingers glide over the keys. Listening to a melody composed from his deepest agonies.

Sun looked back up at you, smiling. He had set of mismatched eyes, one brilliant blue and one gleaming gold. There was an artistic curl at the top of his right eye, something that added a bit of flair to his design. Delicate swirls set into his round and rosy cheeks.

"Was there something you wanted?" He turned to better face you, crossing his legs as he relaxed on the piano bench. As his legs moved, the pinstripes on his trousers once again caught the light.

"Sorry," you looked off to the side. What had gotten into you? You cleared your throat.

"Oh no, I'm not offended," Sun propped his chin in his hand. "I like the attention." Was it hot in here? You laughed a little.

"Right, well... I should start practicing. Would you..." You looked at him.

"I would love to play for you," Sun nodded, "what would you have me play, shining star?"

"How Lovely The Night?" You started for the center of the stage. You were going to get this part down if it killed you.

"As you wish," Sun nodded, turning back to the keys. His fingers poised to play.

"3... 2... " The melody played in.

How lovely, the night... 

When our eyes meet at last.

How lovely, the night.

When your hand touches mine. 

You didn't need Dave. You could picture each move and turn on your own. The piano's music washed over you and you followed willingly.

How lovely, the night. 

When the moon caresses my skin. 

How lovely, the night. 

When I am with you again.

There's the twirl. Now it's one, two, three, and-

And you mis-stepped again. The mistake was so jarring this time that you actually stumbled over yourself. Your rear hit the hardwood and you groaned. The piano stopped abruptly.

"Are you alright?" Sun rose from the bench, looking at you with concern.

"Nothing's wounded but my pride," you groaned, burying your face in your hand. Sun hesitated, hands fidgeting.

Could he?

"...If you like," he said slowly, "I'm familiar with the choreography. I could walk you through the steps? Having a partner might help." His earlier confidence seemed to wane as he offered himself to you.

Why would ever want-

"That would be nice, actually," you smiled up at him.

"Oh." Sun blinked. The soft whirr of fans filled the silence.

"Oh! Great! ...Great!" He laughed, bending and offering you a hand. When you took it, he pulled you to your feet. His other hand settled on the small of your back, steadying you.

Furious blush spread across your face. Sun grinned, releasing you just as quickly.

"Well, I can't play and dance at the same time," Sun mused, "can you perform without accompaniment?"

"I think I can manage," you nodded.

"Alright. 3... 2..." Sun took up the place that Dave was meant to stand. You returned to your spot on the stage. His warm voice filled the stage, humming the melody he would usually be playing.

How lovely, the night... 

When our eyes meet at last.

How lovely, the night.

When your hand touches mine. 

You met Sun in the middle of the stage. He took up your hands, smiling down at you. You looked up into his eyes. In this moment, you were supposed to be in love with him.

With Dave, it was always tricky to keep that in mind. But looking up at Sun, you felt a flutter in your stomach.

How lovely, the night. 

When the moon caresses my skin. 

How lovely, the night. 

When I am with you again.

Sun had no trouble leading you, despite the height difference. He twirled you with ease. You were so lost in him, you almost forgot this was just a rehearsal.

Take me in your arms,

Promise to be true.

Guard me from the day,

I give my all to you.

One, two, three...

You did it.

You did it!

Sun led you through the whole song. It was when the song was coming to its finish that you nearly stumbled.

How could you forget?

The scene ends with a kiss.

As Sun's gentle humming came to an end, he bent. His large thumb and finger gripping your chin lightly as he closed in. Eyes half-lidded.

His other hand kept yours, and you squeezed. For the first time in years, you were frozen. You looked up at Sun, lips parted in quiet anticipation.

When the solar animatronic's lips were a breath away from yours, he halted.

"...I think we can stop there," he released your face, straightening back up. Your heart was pounding, mind running wild.

You'd completely forgotten where you were and what you were meant to be doing for a moment.

"R-Right..." You nodded, swallowing your nerves. "Thank you for helping me practice."

Sun nodded, grinning down at you.

"The rest of the troupe won't be here for a while," he hummed, "...would you like to run through the song a few more times?" He grinned at you.

Already, you felt your heart pounding. But you couldn't bring yourself to say 'no'. You wanted to practice. And Sun was a great partner.

Your poor heart threatened to give out from all the excitement.

All the same, you smiled up at him.

"I'd love to," you nodded. Sun's rays resumed their merry spinning.

"Perfect."

Part One

Part Two

Part Three (Previous)

Next Part

#justaduckarts #lunar phantom #sun x reader #the fluff

[hoperays-song]

Random Sing Memes I Made On The Bus

#sing #sing 2 #sing johnny #sing buster #sing marcus #sing suki #sing ash #sing big daddy #the moon theatre troupe #and giving up tagging people #aroace suki lane truther #i mean she is the colours of the flag y'all #i made more memes again #are they bad? yes. do i find them funny? also yes. does that say something about me as a person? almost definitely.

[itneedsmoregays]

Johnny and Nooshy’s Christmas

Johnny and Nooshy’s British Christmas traditions at their place would totally baffle the Moon Theatre Troupe, à la English vs American, while Gunter is the only one who would completely embrace the weirdness.

---

Caspar: I sent my letter for Santa Claus to the North Pole, Auntie Nooshy!

Nooshy: Oh, you sent a letter for Father Christmas to Lapland?

Rosita: (runs over and covers Caspar’s ears) Nooshy! That sounds like a strip club!

Nooshy: Did you burn his letter in the fireplace?

Rosita: What? No! Caspar would have cried if I did that!

Nooshy: Well how else would you magically send it to Lapland?

Rosita: I don’t even...

---

(Porsha walks past drinking a glass of water and notices Johnny lighting a Christmas pudding with a match)

Porsha: HOLY CRAP! (throws her water onto it)

Johnny: Whoa! What'd you do that for?!

Porsha: Why was that cake on fire?!

Johnny: It’s a Christmas pudding! And because I poured brandy over it.

Porsha: ...So many questions.

Johnny: You watered my bloody pudding :(

---

(Steff is helping Johnny and Nooshy decorate their tree when he drops one of the ornaments)

Johnny: Aw, I broke a bloody bauble.

Steff: You broke a what?

Nooshy: A bauble.

Steff: A bubble?

Johnny: Bauble.

Steff: Borble?

Nooshy: This is a bauble.

Steff: You mean an ornament?

Johnny: No, a bauble.

Steff: ...Okay, never mind, let’s just finish decorating the tree. Then we can wrap the garland around it and put the star on top.

Nooshy: You mean wrap the tinsel around it.

Johnny: And put a fairy on top.

Steff: Why are you two like this?

---

Johnny: I remember when my dad would hang my stocking on the end of my bed for Father Christmas when I was a kid.

Ash: So Santa can sneak into your bedroom at night? That’s creepy as hell. Me and my parents always hung ours above the fireplace.

Johnny: And that’s a bloody fire hazard!

Ash: Didn’t you light a cake on fire with alcohol?

---

Nooshy: WHOO! Christmas morning at last!

Gunter: Frohe Weihnachten, Nooshy! Wait, why are you dressed up like an elf?

Nooshy: To go jump in the sea, of course! (shoves a Santa costume into his hands) Let’s go, Father Christmas!

Gunter: .....Ja, okay! Christmas swim, baby!

---

Johnny: Hey, Meena, you wanna pull the end of my Christmas cracker?

Meena: Um, alright. (pulls it in half with him and flinches at the loud bang it makes) AAH!

Johnny: What, don’t you have these?

Meena: No, we don’t have explosives at the dinner table at any time of year!

Johnny: (hands her the tissue paper crown from inside) Here, here, put this on!

Meena: OOOkay?

Johnny: (reads the Christmas joke from inside) “What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite!” (laughs hysterically)

Meena: ...This crown makes my head itch.

---

Nooshy: Oi, Moon, now that it’s Boxing Day...

Buster: You still haven’t explained to me what that is.

Nooshy: You want some bubble and squeak?

Buster: Bubble and what?

Nooshy: Christmas leftovers. It’s basically all the dishes mashed into one giant dish.

Buster: (gags)

#sing 2 #sing movie #sing 2021 #sing johnny #sing nooshy #sing ash #sing rosita #sing meena #sing gunter #sing steff #porsha crystal #buster moon #sing oc #christmas

[cutekoala1001]

Sometimes I draw Buster with my OC, a human woman named Julie. She and I are a little different, so I made this OC vs Artist thing to highlight the differences!

*her story*

In my canon she came to work at Moon Theatre for the production of Alice in Wonderland with a props management team, and she grew to admire Buster and fell in love with him. She makes the moves and they get to know each other better and it’s a little chaotic but by the end of the production they’re dating. She decides to stay with Moon Theatre to help work on Buster’s productions exclusively, and they eventually get married. She stays behind with Nana to help keep the lights on while Buster and his troupe do their show in Redshore, but the show is such a success that they take it on a world tour so Julie joins them. Eventually, she and Buster hire a company to oversee the show so they can return to the theatre in Bell City. They continue to put on productions at Moon Theatre and eventually buy a little house where Julie can enjoy her painting and gardening, and they get to experience the kind of family life that neither of them got to experience growing up. 🌸🌙

#sing movie #my art #buster moon #sing oc #sing Julie #julie x buster #my name’s not julie :p

[thetomorrowshow]

Can you elaborate on the actor-hermitship thing? I'm intrigued

(i'll also be reblogging my original post with this elaboration jsyk)

I'm an actor. I've been acting for years and it's something I really enjoy. Most importantly for this, I've done classes on improv and been a member of an improv troupe.

In improv, just like in scripted acting, I'm playing a character. That character may seem just like me: I'm using my same name, I'm hanging out with my friends, I look like me, I have my same interests and life stories, etc. However, that character is not me, because from the moment I step on that stage, everything I say is for the audience or my fellow actors.

There are a lot of similarities between my improv character and me, that's true. Some audience members might even think that I'm not playing a character. That's simply untrue--if an actor is onstage, they're acting, no matter what kind of show you're seeing.

Everything you see in an improv show is acting, because we have an audience. If I make a stupid joke to my scene partner onstage (even if we aren't in the scene), I'm actually making a stupid joke for the audience to hear and for my scene partner to have something to react to. If audience members started to ship another member of the troupe with me, we would probably play it up for the audience to keep them invested. Same rules for a rivalry. Nothing you see in an improv performance is realistic for how those people act outside of the show--we may be swearing death and vengeance upon each other onstage, but offstage there's nothing between us because that was all character work.

In theatre, if you have a good director you do warm-ups to get into character before a show, then de-rolls to get out of character after a show. Improv is no exception, even if there aren't lines to rehearse and costumes to wear. You have no idea the amount of times I've been approached by people I don't know after a show who say "you're so good at coming up with quick answers, I could never!" versus the people who know me who say "you were totally different up there. why did you put twizzlers in your sock".

If you don't see improv actors as having characters for improv, you probably aren't an actor, or you're not acting right. Acting of any kind requires detachment from the character so you don't go insane (which is why method acting is harmful to your mental and emotional state, but that's an entirely different post). It's really important to have distance between yourself and whoever you are for an audience--that way, when an audience laughs or boos, you know it isn't a comment on you personally, just the persona you've put on.

Which I guess is all to say, all Minecraft Youtubers are acting, because they have an audience. You have no idea what their personal life is like or how they behave off camera. A series like Hermitcraft may be unscripted, and the characters may seem very similar to the content creators, but it's improv, which at the end of the day is theatre.

There are some very clear examples of this (the season 7 turf war, the moon arc in season 8), and some not-so-clear examples (recent sculk pranks, boatem meetings, or outside of Hermitcraft, the way Jimmy's friends bully him). Everything they do on camera is to benefit the audience, or to give another character something to build off of. That's just the way improv works.

#ask #anonymous #i hope this makes sense #it feels very rambly #hermitcraft #shipping discourse #if yall watched tommyinnit on anthony padilla's show he had really good comments abt this #again this will be in the rbs of the original post! #i just saw someone on twitter talking abt how gross hermitshipping is #bc they watched some hermitcraft and thought that they were just ppl hanging out not acting at all #which if you've ever done improv is just. untrue #just bc they aren't reading off a script doesn't mean it isn't acting #mas speaks

[csarracenian]

i adore your shanghai combat revue, the characters are all so charming and have awesome designs! i wanted to ask, what are their cover operations as an entertainment troupe like?

Thank you very much!

I’ve been spitballing that for some time, and so far the main idea I’ve had is for the Shanghai Team’s cover be based on early Republic of China’s musical troupes lik Li Jinghui’s “Chinese Song and Dance Troupe” (中华歌舞团) or “Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe” (明月歌舞团), or most relevantly Wei Yingbo’s Plum Blossom Troupe (梅花歌舞团) of the 1920s-40s, which were some of the earliest more western-influenced musical theatres as well as popular music in China.

It can’t be an exact translation though, since I think their members would’ve been way younger on average at the year 1927 when my team would operate (as in 11-15 year olds, since many of Li Jinghui’s musicals were children’s productions, and in my team Mo Xiaocang is the only child!), and most of their well-known big adult productions and heavyweight famous actresses showed up around in the 1930s.

So the timeline here, just as with the end of the Warlord Era, would have to be happening earlier than in real-life.

#sakura wars oc #shanghai combat revue #サクラ大戦同人 #上海華擊團 #上海华击团 #1927上海华击团