built in a day

mica | he/him | bisexual | jewish | israeli (unfortunately) | anti-zionist (just to clarify) | also british (unfortunately) | anarcho-communist | writer | musician | i like to think i'm funny and cool but only because i am

[built-in-a-day]

More enemies-to-siblings please

[shinelikedew]

Again, on the topic of a musical, there is a lot you can do symbolically with double casting between the first and second acts. Here's what I would do; let me know your thoughts.

- Silverweed / Woundwort

(I was gonna put Cowslip / Woundwort BUT I think Woundwort's reveal in Act 2 should be very big and scary and surprising, which would be slightly dampened if you've seen the actor before. Since Silverweed is only there for one scene, and a bit in the background, the Woundwort reveal would be actually enhanced by that thought of, "Wait, I swear I saw this guy already...? OH IT'S SILVERWEED")

- Nildro-hain / Hyzenthlay

- Toadflax / Campion

- Various Sandleford and Snares folk / various Efrafa folk

- U Threarah / Cowslip / The Black Rabbit of Inlé

- Various Efrafa Owsla / Various Black Rabbit Owsla

- Clover / Nelthilta

- Haystack / Thethuthinnang

And I can't think of any more!!!

Ooh this is great, I forgot about double casting! There is some awesome potential in here.

I'm having trouble seeing Silverweed and Woundwort as the same actor, largely because Silverweed is a desperate youngster used to soft living and Woundwort is like, a super buff middle-aged guy. Also I think I'd introduce Woundwort near the end of the first act, by showing Holly's mission to Efrafa right before the Nuthanger raid.

BUT YOUR MIND FOR THE NILDRO-HAIN / HYZENTHLAY PARALLEL....UNMATCHED.....THE SONG LADIES!!! I love that so much!!

Toadflax would for sure work great as either Campion or Vervain. Personally I think Holly / Campion would be ideal, but they appear in some of the same scenes so it wouldn't work unfortunately.

Reusing background casts at the various warrens makes perfect sense

Ooh I like Threarah / Cowslip / Black Rabbit, that's fun. The death association! Lying down to die! I've also heard the idea of Threarah / Woundwort, which could also be neat. OH or Threarah / King Darzin / Woundwort, or any combination of them!

For SURE the Efrafan Owsla / Inlé Owsla, that would really drive home the Black Rabbit metaphor Bigwig invokes by asking for that story

And the hutch rabbits as Efrafan does also works great! Overall I like most of these.

A few more ideas:

Maybe too obvious, but Hazel as El-ahrairah in the stories. That works if we don't include the epilogue scene. Not sure if Rabscuttle should be Bigwig or Fiver, though I'm leaning toward Bigwig.

Also in the stories, Hufsa / Bartsia would be hilarious, because Bigwig makes that comparison in canon.

I feel like Blackavar could be double cast as well but I'm not sure who...

[built-in-a-day]

I could see Silverweed reinterpreted as a kind of old lonely poet type. I also like the potential symbolism that Fiver is so shaken and scared by Silverweed because he sees Woundwort in him, which would be yet another of Fiver's crazy premonitions, this time on the meta level.

Hazel / El-ahrairah would be good BUT I also really like the idea of a duet between Hazel and El-ahrairah at some point. Maybe during the Black Rabbit story, where both of them are similar levels of hopeless, and then reprised near the end when Hazel and co. are trapped underground being hunted by Efrafa.

U Threarah / Woundwort, I feel, doesn't quite work, both because Woundwort's evil might be dampened slightly by his actor having played a wholly good and kind character before, and because U Threarah's goodness and kindness might be dampened by his actor playing a villain later on.

Now, U Threarah / Blackavar, on the other hand...

Would be incredible. Blackavar's actor having played a strong and awesome leader before would symbolise Blackavar's fall from glory in SUCH a good way. And paired with the other roles we've said he should play: U Threarah is somebody who rejects a premonition and then dies, Cowslip is someone who accepts that he will die, The Black Rabbit is death, and Blackavar is set to be killed, but ultimately symbolises survival and reentry into a new life, which would create a perfect symbolic narrative arc for this actor's characters.

[what-even-is-thiss]

I feel like I’ve been seeing people assuming that every stupid take must be made by an American more often lately. To the point where I see people assuming I must not be American specifically because I’m informed about something?

Like I fully get criticizing American attitudes about certain things but there are dumbasses everywhere you know.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Like for example people assuming that I’m not American because I like roundabouts? And because I’m informed about safe road design? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you needed to be from a specific place to care about reducing car accidents.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Anyways I’m just bitching after I just woke up about something that doesn’t matter. I’m gonna go have a coffee.

[scienceoftheidiot]

Liking roundabouts is specifically a french urban area administrator's characteristics, and no one else's, so congratulations on being assigned your new identity.

Source

[what-even-is-thiss]

No please I was thinking about Carmel, Indiana USA when I was talking about roundabouts don’t take me to the baguette hexagon

[built-in-a-day]

France is clearly a pentagon. You must be American.

[what-even-is-thiss]

L'Hexagone is literally a common nickname for France

[built-in-a-day]

The French must be American

[what-even-is-thiss]

I feel like I’ve been seeing people assuming that every stupid take must be made by an American more often lately. To the point where I see people assuming I must not be American specifically because I’m informed about something?

Like I fully get criticizing American attitudes about certain things but there are dumbasses everywhere you know.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Like for example people assuming that I’m not American because I like roundabouts? And because I’m informed about safe road design? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you needed to be from a specific place to care about reducing car accidents.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Anyways I’m just bitching after I just woke up about something that doesn’t matter. I’m gonna go have a coffee.

[scienceoftheidiot]

Liking roundabouts is specifically a french urban area administrator's characteristics, and no one else's, so congratulations on being assigned your new identity.

Source

[what-even-is-thiss]

No please I was thinking about Carmel, Indiana USA when I was talking about roundabouts don’t take me to the baguette hexagon

[built-in-a-day]

France is clearly a pentagon. You must be American.

[shinelikedew]

How would you envision a hypothetical Watership Down musical?

I WOULD SO MUCH LOVE A WATERSHIP DOWN MUSICAL!!

Apparently there is one, but there is no full recording of it, just a trailer and some reviews </3

It would probably have to be anthro, but that could totally work given things like the Lion King stage musical exist.

Divided into two parts, with part 1 ending when Hazel is shot.

Bluebell is for sure there. He can have a special musical motif for his jokes. Actually his and Hazel's silly little couplets would work SO well in a musical. Honestly I think Hawkbit, Acorn, Speedwell would all have to be there to give the heather scene more oomph, unless it's changed to Hawkbit and Dandelion like in the TV series. Honestly I would want everyone there but idk how practical that would be on stage.

No pairings mentioned bc they aren't important to the book and we don't have time for all that.

And--this is super important--there are songs for ALL FIVE El-ahrairah stories.

The main songs would be:

Fiver's "field of blood" vision, with all his words being super dramatic and iconic and urgent, and Hazel answering in a jarringly calm way because he can't see the blood. Warning the Threarah and leaving Sandleford, culminating in Bigwig's fight with Holly. "Frith's Blessing" song. River crossing song "There's a Dog Loose in the Woods." The argument in the heather (this could be a banger actually, I think argument songs in musicals are usually pretty fun). Cowslip's warren seeming lovely but weird, but with Fiver's suspicions building. "The King's Lettuce" directly paired and contrasting with Silverweed's poem. Fiver's argument with Hazel and Bigwig + Bigwig in the snare. Finding Watership Down, short and peaceful, kind of a break from the drama. Drama ramps right back up with Holly's tale about Sandleford. "The Trial of El-ahrairah." Kehaar song, starting with the rabbits meeting him and basically turning into a duet between him and Bigwig because they are BROS FOREVER!! Holly's failed embassy to Efrafa, actively shown like in the miniseries, so that not everything Holly does is just recounting things that happened, basically an "Efrafa really sucks" intro. A song for the raid on Nuthanger Farm, starting as the argument between Hazel and Fiver and reprising the tune from their argument at Cowslip's warren, Hazel overconfidently leading the raid until he is shot.

Intermission.

A song for Fiver's vision sequence finding Hazel, not exactly Bright Eyes bc copyright + I feel like that song fits Silverweed much more than Hazel and Fiver, but has some nods to it. An intro including the decision to go back to Efrafa leading into "El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé." Bigwig's infiltration, him meeting Woundwort and Chervil leading into a reprise of the Efrafa really sucks song and HYZENTHLAY SINGING A SONG IN AN ANALOGUE TO HER POEM SCENE!!! Escape planning song (Bigwig & Hyzenthlay duet). Epic escape song. Protags settling down leading into "Rowsby Woof and the Fairy Wogdog." Woundwort villain song about hunting them down; pretty much follows the "Great Patrol" chapter, starting as an argument at the Council meeting and building to the invasion. Hazel's attempted negotiation with Woundwort (I just know I would love this song so much, I love the scene in every version, damn you 1999 for not having it) building to the start of the attack. Fiver's vision as a "There's a Dog Loose in the Woods" reprise, combined with various elements from the Rowsby Woof song. The dog plan and Bigwig-Woundwort fight is one long song with both parts of the plan taking place simultaneously on opposite sides of the stage and they alternate verses, sometimes overlapping to show urgency. (Hyzenthlay is one of the runners like in the film bc Adams truly did not let her do anything in the finale.) Hazel comes home song. Honestly I can take or leave a Hazel's death song, it's cool seeing him join El-ahrairah's Owsla but it would also be cool to end on a story like in Chapter 50 or the miniseries.

What's anyone think? I feel like a lot of this is kinda just vaguely rehashing the plot instead of envisioning anything particular rip--

[built-in-a-day]

I propose Dandelion as the narrator.

Narrators in musicals are usually mostly impartial to the story. Outside figures who aren't allowed to interfere. This is often subverted to some extent: In Hadestown, the tragedy of Hermes is that he empathises deeply with the characters of the story but cannot change the outcome no matter how much he wants to. In Into the Woods, the Narrator is completely impartial during Act 1, but the characters rebel against him in Act 2, once we have departed from the classic fairytales, i.e. the stories we already know the outcomes of, to highlight the uncertainty of the rest of the show. In Urinetown, Officer Lockstock's impartiality is intentionally hostile; his way of speaking so flippantly about the fascist conditions that he is directly enforcing macabrely highlights those fascist conditions in turn.

As a narrator, Dandelion would be directly involved in the story alongside the other characters, never once even appearing to be impartial.

He is already canonically inclined to be the storyteller, and him being the narrator would add a lot of depth to a character who is otherwise pushed aside for much of the story. His tragedy as a narrator is that he straight up doesn't know what's going to happen, and he is not worried about interfering with the story because he's more concerned with the fact he's actively living it.

Also, having a narrator would allow the musical to be a bit more faithful to the book. Obviously it needs to begin and end with "The primroses were over" / "The first primroses were beginning to bloom", but it would also allow for inclusion of the footnotes, which would be difficult to achieve otherwise.

[built-in-a-day]

Item: The Memory Squeegee Rarity: ⏶ Common

What game would you erase from your memory just to experience it for the first time again?

Feed your dashboard by answering my question, blogger.

Outer Wilds.

[built-in-a-day]

Item: A Set of Dice Rarity: ⏶ Common

Do you consider yourself a lucky person when playing?

Feed your dashboard by answering my question, blogger.

I don't really consider myself anything.

[built-in-a-day]

Item: The Welcome Mat Rarity: ⏶ Common

What game feels like "home" to you no matter when you come back to it?

Feed your dashboard by answering my question, blogger.

I don't know. I don’t really play cozy games so much. If I had to choose I would say Spiritfarer. But I wouldn't have to choose.

[built-in-a-day]

People are saying words are names. Suddenly everyone is the moon. And I'm Italian? What the heck. It's like the whole world has gone topsy-turvy. And I'm not a idiot. Okay? I'm a smart guy. I can tell when things aren't the way they should be. Okay? Literally no one is being clear. And like, I'm a normal guy. I'm not the weird one here. Saying Earth is a planet and I have to go back to school. It's not fair. Everyone's so mean. And I'm a smart guy. And my name's not Michael. And I'm just so so so confused. I don’t even know if what I think I know is what I really actually know anymore. The world's gone mad. I've read Macbeth. I'm a normal guy. Capisce?

[built-in-a-day]

People need to stop calling Epic the Musical a musical because doing so delegitimises concept albums.

[ladytabletop]

hey because I am curious. what's your weirdest hobby?

[built-in-a-day]

I write fables.

[the-quasar-hero]

Very many white LGBT people understand the idea that the societal concept that CisHet is the ‘standard’ or ‘default’ state of a human, at best, is a flattened look at the human experience, and worse a dangerous idea that leads to discrimination. Yet not very many of them seem to grasp the similar concept that thinking white people are the ‘default’ or ‘standard’ version of a person also leads to the same thing.

[sherbertsk]

I have never met these people ever. You invented them just now and your reality is a false one.

[built-in-a-day]

Um. Shut up? You're wrong and stupid?

[sherbertsk]

I may be wrong and stupid, but you're correct and reasonably intelligent. And loud about it. Hey Carl why are you here?

[shinelikedew]

ugh just remembered "moorhens don't swim" and it's driving me up the wall. what's next, ducks don't swim?? swifts don't fly?? chickens don't run around???

[built-in-a-day]

Next you'll be telling me hedgehogs don't sing to the moon!

[the-quasar-hero]

Very many white LGBT people understand the idea that the societal concept that CisHet is the ‘standard’ or ‘default’ state of a human, at best, is a flattened look at the human experience, and worse a dangerous idea that leads to discrimination. Yet not very many of them seem to grasp the similar concept that thinking white people are the ‘default’ or ‘standard’ version of a person also leads to the same thing.

[sherbertsk]

I have never met these people ever. You invented them just now and your reality is a false one.

[built-in-a-day]

Um. Shut up? You're wrong and stupid?

[built-in-a-day]

I think it's cool that the rabbits in Watership Down are all aromantic. Meanwhile I absolutely think that can still be the case without female rabbits being referred to as "breeding stock". You didn't have to do that, Richard Adams.

[built-in-a-day]

Is it really really bad that I straight up actually do not believe anyone who claims to be addicted to Character.AI?

[shinelikedew]

Dandelion: Don’t worry I’m not homophobic, I’m an ally. Dandelion: That’s why I experience same-sex attraction, so I can better understand the gay struggle. Hawkbit: Because you’re an ally? Dandelion: Because I’m an ally.

[built-in-a-day]

Dandelion: Just because I like theatre doesn't mean I'm gay!

Blackberry: But are you gay?

Dandelion: ...Yes but not because I like theatre!