Roundup

[jaggedwolf]

I've left my apartment while it's still light out these past two days, which has been a marked improvement from the usual winter lethargy.

Video Games

Instead of going back to the DA2 replay that I started over a year ago, I instead decided to start a playthrough of Jade Empire - a 2005 Bioware RPG set in a fantasy world inspired by Chinese mythology.

I got halfway through it back in middle school before the Xbox borked and I resorted to reading spoilers online, but vague memories of what's coming and major twists haven't really ruined the game for me. *insert obligatory grumble for Bioware to make compact RPGs with a clear story instead of open-world messes*

The game predates both the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, and the combat mechanic is unlike either series - I suspect the latter + lack of polish is why it never took off, compared to the other two IPs. It's the rare Bioware RPG for which I pick a dude PC, because it's all preset characters and I didn't care for how the female ones looked.

Anyway, I've most recently matchmade a lonely female gang leader who has good business sense with a craftsman making pretty wooden figurines. Rescuing Master Li? Eh, he can wait a little longer, it's fine, I gotta go hang out with a fox spirit now.

Theatre

With my only prior knowledge being a skim of the plot on Wikipedia half a year ago, I watched the Oklahoma! revival. Or, as my friend and I kept calling it, "edgy Oklahoma". It was a good watch, and I'm not just saying that because they fed us at the intermission. (That was delicious cornbread, okay). Judging from the book not being changed, the edginess definitely wasn't "what if poor Jud was harmless" but more "Curly also isn't harmless, and the town is happy to enable that".

My favourite characters to watch were probably Laurie, who was great at every emotional pivot, and Ali, who was hilarious and brilliant. I'm so curious to know how Curly and Jud's conversation in the smokehouse is played in most regular productions of the show, given how ugly Curly's suggestions get.

The townsfolk sitting back in their chairs while deadpanning lines about how they should help Jud worked well, as did the joke of a trial and the married couple sent off covered in blood. Poor Laurie.

I...did not find the dream ballet section particularly illuminating in any way. I kept wondering if it was about to end and then nope, okay, they're still dancing, and I guess boots are falling from the ceiling now for some reason.

This review captured a lot of what worked in the show.

Now that I've seen a production, I am even more intrigued by that gifset I saw ages ago of a version with f!Curly and m!Ado Annie. I would definitely watch that.

Talking Meme

Day 24: Favorite Tropes in F/F

Links

Things we don’t know about the Death Penalty in Singapore

What Did We Get Stuck in Our Rectums Last Year?

The 2010s were supposed to bring the ebook revolution. It never quite came.

How to Tell Someone’s Age When All You Know Is Her Name

GiveWell’s Top Charities Are (Increasingly) Hard to Beat

Comments

[nyctanthes]

I saw Oklahoma at St. Ann's Warehouse, and I was really impressed at how they updated it while still keeping it textual. So many revivals fail to do that. This was my go-to Broadway rec this year.

I didn't know the ballet was part of the original musical. It came a bit out of nowhere. I feel like I'd want to watch it again, to determine what I thought of it. But I do like the idea that the town has got all this simmering repression and desire. (As all small towns do.) Even if I'm iffy on the execution.

the edginess definitely wasn't "what if poor Jud was harmless" but more "Curly also isn't harmless, and the town is happy to enable that".

Yes!

And Ado Annie was fab.

[jaggedwolf]

Yeah, I was surprised to learn the ballet was in the original - I think the dancer being none of the characters also threw me off from getting invested. And yes, Ado Annie was super fun to watch as well.

[brigdh]

Man, that article about the death penalty in Singapore was fascinating. Thank you for linking!

[jaggedwolf]

Glad you found it interesting - there's so little official data released on it.