I'm going to try and post things when I feel like it
Going to try and keep this to musicals
txt posts: #i hope this is legible
(She/her)
Art from @sealistic
here to say thank you so much for writing down all of these details because i already forgot a lot of them!!! I also remember some of the things on the beanies board, it said try our new mung bean frappuccino (like in the song roasted coffee) and there was an option for a ‘fudge clivesdale mocha’ which i really liked
No problem!!! This has honestly been so fun to write about! I have a pretty good memory for this sort of thing so I'm glad to be able to put it to use.
Thanks for sharing some of the menu items! I only remembered seeing some sort of blondie, which was what the Man in a Hurry ordered when I watched.
I completely forgot about the fudge clivesdale mocha lol. I found that really funny when I was watching. The mung bean frappuccino is a really good reference I wonder what else is on there? Hopefully we will be able to see the full thing in the recording.
I'm hoping that the last part will be finished soon. I feel kinda bad that it's been a week since the last one but I'm almost done.
I'm back! And there are way more people reading this than I'm used to.
Welcome back to Everything I noticed in TGWDLM:R Part 4!
This is from after intermission to the end of Show Stopping Number.
Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 are here
Again Spolier Ahead to the musical.
In between
Paul and Ted are walking through the halls of Hatchetfield High. Paul comes from one of the aisles holding a flashlight and after a moment Bill runs onstage after him shouting for Alice.
While Bill talks about Alice, Paul is scanning the area and looking under what I’m guessing is the doors(?) of the school. This leads to both of them crawling on the floor.
Not Your Seed
This song was so sad. You can really see how they have integrated more of Alice and Bill’s relationship and characterization from Nightmare Time.
I don’t remember which verse, but Bill starts walking towards “Alice” but she keeps pushing him away. She also keeps stopping Paul from interfering as she keeps talking to Bill.
When the breakdown happens (the “why does it hurt to love you part”) Bill is kneeling on the ground and “Alice” sits down next to him and hugs him. They stay like that for the rest of this section until the beat drops. (This whole part hit me so hard.)
The most heart breaking moment was near the end where Alice, Deb, and the other girl surround Bill and hand him the shotgun. Bill stands there frozen in place.
Paul has to run in there and grab Bill tossing the shotgun away (but you know what happens after).
In between
When the aliens get scared off by the US military we finally get to see General MacNamara. Jeff gets another wig(?), he has the iconic ponytail.
When we transition back to Professor Hidgens and Emma it’s mostly the same except as Emma connects the dots and figures out that they need to destroy the meteor Hidgnes slowly makes his way to his desk (The one under his cork board). He grabs the syringe and tranquilizes Emma.
The black backdrop comes down and a single light is hanging above Paul. MacNamara places a chair next to Paul and begins to explain everything. (The scene is relatively the same but I just like how they set up the whole scene.
Since I haven’t been shouting out people as often, shoutout Brandon Baruch and Yelena Babinskaya for the lighting. It goes crazy especially during the later songs.
Show Stopping Number
One of the most iconic songs in the musical (in my opinion). Emma and Ted are tied up, Ted even does the “Wha- What the fuck??”
The piano was not already placed on stage so I was excited to see how they were going to reveal it.
As Hidgens reveals that he has a background in musical theater, the piano (I’m assuming it’s on some sort of dollie) is pushed onto the stage from the left.
For suspense Hidgens slowly brings his hands to the piano as Emma and Ted scream and beg for him to stop. He keeps teasing them by taking his hands away from the piano and then slowly bringing them back. At one point he makes it look like he won’t and Emma and Ted go “thank god” and sigh in relief, before Hidgens breaks out into song.
Talking about Hidgens again Will’s performance is so over the top (in a good way). He doesn’t stop striking poses and moving his hips. At one point (I don’t remember if this is before or during the song) he bends himself over the piano.
When Working Boys starts that's when the lights go crazy (again good job Brandon and Yelena). It’s very colorful and Will hit those high jumps!
This is partially a tangent but I feel like when Hidgens was explaining Working Boys Ted seemed more wistful. Idk if that’s just me.
I don’t know if this is already a theory (I don’t really follow Hatchetfield theories sorry) but is the reason Ted gets so into Working Boys because he feels like it reflects him or what he wishes for? “a group of old college chums… long for the simpler times…But those glory days, they're gone for good...Or are they?” I recently(ish) listened to Nightmare Time and I feel like this reflects what we learned about in Time Bastard.
Anyways sorry for that tangent. Here is a little thing I found funny. I’m not sure when but somehow the belt tail came out right before Hidgens sings Working Boys. So throughout that part it’s just kinda swinging around. Will manages to fix it after that section of the song ends.
From the same place Charlotte and Sam appeared from Greg and Stu show up. Greg shows up like a cartoon character, his torso is fully parallel to the ground.
Paul shows up and unties Emma and Ted. They changed the set change joke but not by much. Since the piano can’t be moved it goes “Should I take this chair? Yes!”
Greg and Stu take Hidgens to the piano and rips open his stomach. It was AWESOME!!! You could see his ribs as they tore him open. You can really see how much work they put into these bits.
Ok that’s it for now. I just want to say thanks to all of you guys for reading the almost 9 page monstrosity of my ramblings so far. I gained so many new followers through this so it’s kinda nerve wracking to have an audience when I basically only had like one person a few days ago. Not really sure what to do after these posts but again thanks for reading!
Hello I'm back again don't expect a quick turnaround for the next few ones. This one covers a lot from after Cup of Poisoned Coffee all the way to intermission.
Welcome to Everything I noticed in TGWDLM:R Part 3
Here is Part 1 and Part 2
Spoilers Ahead
In between
I was wondering how they were going to do the shrub scene since I wasn’t expecting them to walk though the audience.
Paul and Emma walk up and down the aisles and the left and right before going to the stage.
Emma asks Paul if he lives around this area. Paul says no, but he does know his way around the streets. Then he goes to try and make up a name, “They used to call me tom cat - ally cat” (or something like that).
Emma goes “They call you what? Tom cat-” Paul goes “Sorry forget that I had a stroke.”
I’m sorry I don’t know if this is exactly what they said but it was kinda like this.
Sadly there is no shrubs comment.
When they get to the stage there is a very good set piece of a pile row of trash cans.
Bill, Charlotte, and Ted all pop out of the trash cans (my friend whispered to me "Oscar the Grouch moment” when this happened).
Show Me Your Hands
(I'm once again asking you to give props to the choreography, cuz it pops off in this song).
This part has gotten a little bit fuzzy for me but some moments I remember was that two people managed to get cornered by the cops on the right while the others go offstage to the left. They loop back around to the left though and then they are all captured(?) and put in the cop car.
I want to mention that something like this was also mentioned in Ranboo’s stream around 1:24:07 they mention getting a police car on stage
While it is not an actual car on stage it looks like all of them are in a car while the cops are swerving around. (This is during the “Serg it’s your wife” part)
When Charlotte tries to talk to Sam he takes off his glasses to look at her but then his hands start shaking as he puts them back on.
Does this mean that they still have control over themselves or is Pokey just messing with them?
When Ted hits Sam over the head his hat doesn’t come off which does make the reveal of his brain better in my opinion.
Charlotte seemed to struggle to pick up the gun (she seemed very afraid of holding a gun).
In between
The prop brain is very good, very realistic. For some reason Charlotte places it on Sam’s chest later in the scene
When Emma is explaining Professor Hidgens she catches a glimpse of Sam and gags. She uses her hand to avoid looking at him.
When Emma gets close to Charlotte, Charlotte tries to show the brain and Emma starts leaning away.
We finally get a full scene with Hidgens. Can I just talk about him for a sec? Will Branner definitely turned up the theater kid-ness by 11. This guy could not stop striking poses. Hidgens’ voice is more towards Doc Brown I think. It’s more raspy and I would describe it like Hidgens saying “Good god!” in the original.
The scene of Hidgens watching the news has him behind a black background similar to the opening number. However, when he lets Emma and the rest in the background rises and we see the changed up set. (Oh also when Hidgens is watching the news he sticks out his tongue in disgust when the news talks about Clivesdale.)
Hidgens’ house (mansion?) is AWESOME. To the right we see what seems to be his doomsday storage. My friend pointed out that there was a cork board but it’s very hard to see what is on it.
To the left we see that Hidgens has a painting of himself up on the wall (which is just like him to be real).
Even though I’m pretty sure that Hidgens has a gothic mansion the inside seems pretty modern, with a lamp and orange couch to the left.
Hidgens keeps Alexa in his pocket and stares at it too long and maybe kisses it?
The rest up until Ted and Charlotte are left alone is basically the same.
Speaking of Ted he seems to be a bit more sympathetic in this. When he tosses Charlotte the keys and tells her “I’m going to hit on that crabby barista” he choked up and was on the verge of tears.
Tied Up My Heart
Leading up to this Charlotte praying to God seems much more emotional (but maybe that just me).
Sorry guys this song specifically has evaded much of my memory but I’ll try my best.
There was a lot more chair choreography and Sam seems to keep pulling Charlotte in. I don’t know if there is any alien power doing that, if it’s metaphorical of Charlotte getting pulled back by Sam, or if she just doesn’t want to leave him.
I think I already saw someone talk about this but when Sam “dies” his wig fell off his head. Jeff kept trying to adjust it before it fell off and even when he grabbed it (even though his hands were supposedly tied) and tried to put it back on. It still fell off. Since the crowd was laughing I wasn’t able to catch what was being said but Charlotte grabs the wig tries to put it on, it falls off again, and then she tosses it off stage saying “-the professor can fix this.”
The intestines for Charlotte getting disemboweled were so good.
In between
The whole “kick you head” goes as normal but I think instead of Bill slapping Ted’s hand he slaps his face. Ted is pretty shocked by that. Ted goes to lay on the couch while Bill goes off to the side.
While talk between Paul and Emma goes basically the same except in the beginning a spotlight shines down on them but they were a bit too far to the left so they had to awkwardly scooch over to be centered.
Join Us (And Die)
I didn’t bring this up before since it wasn’t that relevant but at the center back of the stage there are stairs that lead up to this archway(?) I’m bringing this up now because instead of Charlotte and Sam coming from the audience they appear at the top of those stairs.
I can’t remember much of the choreography for this one (sorry James and Lauren) but at the end Professor Hidgens appears from an alcove at the top left of the set and shoots both of them.
In between
The professor disappears from the left alcove and you still hear his voice as he comes down. Everyone is facing the left from where they expect him to come out, but he appears from the right and spooks everyone.
When they all have to sing the beginning of Moana it is literally unintelligible. They were just singing over each other. You could kinda hear Bill sing the Lion King but that was drowned out by all of the noise.
Ted’s whole speech of him telling Bill that he won’t make it in time to save Alice felt more emotional. Him gesturing to Charlotte and Sam when he talks about the “people who are fucking dead” just seemed more emotional seeing it live. It also seemed like he was more concerned about Bill dying than in the original (but that could be just me)
Ok guys that’s it for now I’ve made it to intermission. Like before if you’re going to see the musical tell me if you see anything different or correct me if I’m wrong! I’m very tired from writing and I’m already at 7 pages and I’m only half way there. But seriously the next part is probably going to take longer since for this part I literally just woke up and started typing all of this in 3 hours. Ok bye!
I did not expect many people to find this but I'm glad everyone is enjoying my weird rambley writing.
Ok everyone here is part 2 to everything I noticed in TGWDLM:R.
Part one is here
Once again spoiler warning
Finally La Dee Dah Dah Day
OK SO this is the one that has both a cameo that I was expecting and two that I wasn’t.
As the opening of La Dee Dah Dah Day starts we see Frank from Black Friday, Ruth and Max from NPMD?!?!
Besides the Homeless Man and Greenpeace Girl I’m not sure if I’m missing one more. Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure that was all of them.
Again the choreography is great for this one.
The aliens(?) seem more touchy in this musical since they are grabbing Paul and moving him around the scene.
Mariah Rose Faith Casillas killed it as always.
In between
The “ok…ok…ok” joke goes on for much longer than the original. I’m not sure if that was because of the audience’s nonstop cheering, costume changes, or something else
Speaking of costumes shoutout to June Saito and Mariah Harrison for the costumes. All of them look just like the original.
When the scene transitions to the office again the first thing we see is Ted’s ass. This guy is fully perpendicular, completely L shaped.
There wasn’t much that was different from what I remember besides the upgrades in the set. They have a water cooler (which was what Ted was bent over) and a coffee trolley cart.
What Do You Want, Paul?
First thing that happens in the scene right before the song starts is that when the crew was moving Mr. Davidson’s desk on stage something dropped from it. The lights were still down but you could hear it drop and then having to quickly pick it back up.
When the lights came back up I realized that it was the picture of Carrol that most likely dropped lol.
The song is relatively the same to the original but here are things I noticed/remember:
Mr. Davidson makes Paul get up from his chair and sit in Mr. Davidson’s chair which is a rolling one. This makes it so throughout some of the song Mr. Davidson is just rolling Paul around the stage (poor guy).
When Davidson is doing the joke of making too many curves Paul shouts out “THAT’S TOO MANY!”
When Davidson makes the call to Carrol and Paul asks to leave, Davidson wraps the phone cord around Paul’s neck and Paul starts choking throughout the call.
Cup of Roasted Coffee
The first thing I noticed when the scene changed to Beanie’s is the new character’s in the background!!!
We see Pete again and what I’m pretty sure is the mayor. There is another character that is sitting next to Pete that I wasn’t sure who it was for a second.
But I realized it was Richie!! I didn’t recognize him at first because he was played by Will (since Jon is Paul) but I’m pretty sure it’s Richie since he is wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
This is semi related but it was nice to see Pete and Richie hanging out at the Beanie’s and just chatting and laughing together since I don’t think we see much of their relationship in NPMD.
When Paul comes in and shouts for coffee everyone turns to look at him.
The person who tipped triggering Cup of Roasted Coffee was Richie!
From what I remember everything else was pretty much the same. Except instead of Emma pulling out the goo from the coffee pot when she lifts the lid the goo stretches out from it which is cool.
Cup of Poisoned Coffee
Pretty much the same except for the choreography.
Zoey and Nora grab Emma tugging her from side to side.
Paul has to pull Emma out of their grasp.
This song was kinda sad since there are now 4 kids dead from NPMD. (Ruth, Max, Pete, and Richie)
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Ok that's the end of this section. Part 3 is going to take a bit but don't worry it's coming, this is just a lot of writing for me.
Ok so as I'm writing this I just came back from watching TGWDLM:R. Like just came back. So I’m typing out everything that I can remember so 1) I don’t forget, 2) anyone who wants to read spoilers can read everything I noticed, and 3) anyone who also has watched this can also crash out with me.
Also if anyone is going to see the show and is reading this I want to say that there are flashing lights near the end of the show. I don’t know if this has already been said before but I want to make this known because it surprised me when I saw it.
Ok I'm going to split this into parts since this is much longer than I expected it to be.
One more warning even though I’m probably going to mark this as spoilers but just in case.
I’m going to go in song order and also try to write down anything I noticed between songs too.
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
Just like the beginning of the original, some of the cast appears onstage to sing but they're behind an all black background.
Jeff Blim with short hair is still kinda jarring but I’ve gotten used to it.
I’ve noticed throughout the musical or at least for this first performance Jeff has been singing lower than in the original. I don’t have a preference but I’m sure some people are going to notice.
The choreography goes crazy, not just in this song but for the whole musical. Shoutout to James Tolbert and Lauren Lopez for all of their awesome dances.
If you haven’t watched Ranboo watch the musical with the cast, they brought up “the train” and I think it appears near the end of this song, which I thought was very funny.
Ranboo's stream It’s at 33:34
They pick up Emma(?) and make a train idk how else to describe it.
The black background rises and you see the full set and background and it’s AWESOME. I like how in the later scenes they use the background as different things from the city of Hatchetfield, to the office, to Hidgens’ house/mansion(?).
Paul rolls into the scene. Yes he *rolls* in. He is wheeled in on an office chair which was really funny. A lot of funny scenes come from this change from regular chairs to rolling ones.
In between (this is long due to the big gap to La Dee Dah Dah Day)
The whole set for the office is SO COOL (yes I will keep on reiterating how great the set design is for this show). A clock and fluorescent lights/tiles descend from the ceiling.
There is a much longer held silence before anyone on stage speaks, which does kinda help show the vibe of office jobs.
I would probably say that for the whole of the musical there are many held silences but most of them are due to the audience since there is a lot of cheering, laughing, and clapping.
I like how each of the rolling chairs have pockets on the sides for all of the props. Like Charlotte grabs her cigarette and flask from it and Bill puts the papers Paul gives him into it.
I think Ted’s appearance is the best. From the right Ted comes wheeling in on another office chair. The whole back and forth between him and Paul has Ted just rolling around Paul in a circle. I’m pretty sure that made Jon break, which was very fun.
When the scene transitions to Beanie’s the clock and ceiling is replaced with a coffee menu. I wasn’t able to read most of what was written on the menu so if anyone is reading this and is going to see the musical (not very likely but who knows) tell me if you remember anything from the menu.
We get to see Man in a Hurry (I’m guessing it’s him since there isn’t a credit for the Rude Man), Emma, and Zoey.
I don’t know if his order is the same but at the end he also orders a blondie (which I did manage to see, was on the menu).
The scene is mostly the same as the original but with a joke that appears twice.
Emma tells MIAH that there is a line and he looks back and it’s just Paul.
Nora tells Emma that she needs to pick up the pace since there is a line and it’s just Paul (again).
Nora has a wig on and it’s kinda cool to see what her canonical(?) hair looks like. While we’re at it shoutout to Alejandro Bermudez for the wigs and make-up
Instead of Zoey appearing later in the scene she is just chilling next to the counter (which is a very her thing to do).
We get to see Joey as Pete!!! That got a big applause when that happened.
Paul walking from Beanie’s is mostly the same from what I remember besides Paul walking offstage and then running back on stage to get a last word in with Greenpeace Girl (or Harmony that’s her name right?).
There are some people that you will see in this scene but I’ll get to that in La Dee Dah Dah Day.
The meteor scene is probably my favorite since we get to see all of the intricate parts of the set (yes I’m talking about the set *again*) Shoutout Colin Lawrence and Carter Vickers for the scenic design and Meg Lloyd and Mari Carlson for the props.
There is a little alcove(?) up in the top right where we see Charlotte appear and then Ted.
Zoey and Sam appear and this is where I find out that Sam has long hair and I guess Mr. Davidson does not. (Is this canonical I guess it is?) His wig really does just look like Jeff’s long hair in the original.
We get our first look at Professor Hidgens. I really like Will Branner’s Professor but I’m sure there will be different opinions since there are now 4 Hidgens’.
Sadly we don’t see Dan or Donna in the flesh, we do get to see some of Paul’s morning routine (just him brushing his teeth). He also pulls the remote for the TV(?) from his suit pocket which is kinda funny if you think about it.
Shoutout to Stephanie Yackovestsky and Ilana Elroi for sound design and engineering. As Paul leaves his house we hear a lot of sound effects of him opening locks and his door, and grabbing his keys
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Ok so this is the end for this section, it's very late and I'm tired of writing. Tell me if I missed anything. There are like 2+ more pages of this so if you're interested tell me if I should make a reblog chain or just make separate posts.
I'm writing down everything I noticed (which is a lot (it's already 3 pages and I'm not even close to finished)) People who are ok with spoilers get ready.
in the proshot for cinderella's castle, there's one thing it doesn't capture, but is shown in the digital ticket, which is how quickly tadius recognizes a situation is Bad and runs out of there. literally. my man fuckin BOLTS. he accidentally voices his pro-regicide feelings to a noble? GONE. putrice is able to wear the slipper without harm? SCRAMBLE. tadius witnesses his prince's beheading? HE'S OUT OF THERE. that man is not fucking around and he is NOT finding out.
If anyone wants to see this crossover au I thought of.
Jeremy as Agent Curt Mega
Michael as Owen
Christine as Tatiana
Chloe as Cynthia
Brooke as Barb
Jenna as Informant
SQUIP is Chimera?
I haven’t thought through this idea at all so anyone can take this off my hands but I thought the idea of Jeremy as Agent Curt Mega and Michael as Owen worked really well.
I’m not sure who Jake and Rich would be. I guess that Rich could be the Baron?? I’m not sure it feels weird putting anyone in that role honestly.
Jeremy and Michael’s roles could be switched but I really like the idea of Michael trying to get revenge for the hurt Jeremy caused him. (It could be the banana or something else, idk you decide)
Anyway, if someone wants to take this from me that would be great. I have no idea what to do with this idea. It has been floating around in my head.
There is something to Ella and Tadius’ relationship (romantic or platonic).
One has become so used to help not being offered to them. While the other has only ever helped other people.
Every time Ella has tried to reach out for help she was denied and shunned. The only time people actually listened and believed her they were killed right in front of her. Tadius has only ever helped other people, it is his job and duty. If he ever said no or did something for himself, he would probably have to deal with the consequences of saying no to royalty.
There is something to both of them meeting each other and helping each other with overcoming the things they learned under servitude. Ella gives Tadius courage and the bravery to finally do something for himself (the man deserves regicide as a treat). He found someone who he thought had a similar belief in what the kingdom needed.
For Ella, she was already on her way to getting revenge, she had Hop-a-lot, Crumb, and the Fairy Queen to support her. However, Tadius was the first person to listen to her after the Grizzwald girls were killed. He treated her kindly and bantered with her, but he also gave her advice. Tadius questioned Ella and allowed her to stop and think about her plan to get revenge.
Tadius thoughts bc his characterization gives me the zoomies
SO evil advisor coded, that had to be intentional (black and red outfit, Evil Beard, snake clasps on his cape, clever and articulate, hates the royal family) except then it turns out he's the most reasonable man in the cast
Also ace coded imo, even after years of serving the Prince he still takes a moment to figure out when something sexual is being alluded to (happens twice in his first scene, again with the slipper, and there are probably more I'm forgetting)
Can't hide his feelings for shit, this man has never been noticed a day in his life and has about as good a poker face as Murderbot
The way he says "It's TADIUS" when Ella calls him Tedious makes me think people get his name wrong a lot
That Curl. You know the one. An intentional style choice (adorable if so) or has he just given up on trying to tame it (also adorable)?
If he had his own song in the musical, I am 90% sure it would be a reprise of Step On Your Grave
Ok so this has been in my head for the entire day. This is a slightly long au post.
I’ve seen the idea that Tadius can’t fight (which is great btw love that for him). But what if he did know how to fight or at least he knows how to defend, but just in a very different way that regular knights are taught.
Imagine Tadius getting his job as the Prince’s right hand man and being taught how to defend the Prince if there is an assasination attempt (or because the Prince is the Prince someone he hits on trying to stab him). Tadius gets taught from the very beginning that if need be he should sacrifice himself to protect the Prince.
So imagine a Tadius who knows how to defend, who knows how to tackle people, and get in between the threat and the Prince. But also imagine Tadius knowing how to deal with being stabbed, how to stitch himself up, how to take care of bruises and black eyes because the Prince just had to hit on that woman (she had a mean left hook).
Tadius has it ingrained in his head for so long that it’s instinct now. Take the hit, move the threat away, and make sure they don’t harm the Prince. Because even though he hates the Prince, even though he thinks the Prince is vulgar, childish, and not fit to rule, he has sworn to protect him. It is his job, his duty, his purpose.
Now imagine a Tadius that has been protecting a man that he hates finding himself with a monarch that he admires, looks up to, deems worthy of their position. While I don’t think this Tadius is self-sacrificial, (he’s pretty good at deescalating and the worst he’s gotten is probably being stabbed nonlethal) he’s learned to put the life of royalty over his and when it comes to Ella all bets are off.
Some more ramblings below
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I’ve seen some fics that have Hop-a-lot challenge, or mentions challenging Tadius to a duel. Imagine Tadius agreeing, and Hop-a-lot finds that he’s not bad. His footwork isn’t great, and Hop-a-lot can tell his sword skills are rusty, but overall Tadius is good. Obviously not to Hop-a-lot’s standards, but good. However, there’s just one thing that stands out to the frog. It’s not like Tadius keeps himself open, he can parry fine, if not a little sloppy. He fights like he can’t get hurt or at least like he’s not afraid of getting hurt.
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I know that this doesn't exactly fit with Tadius letting the Prince get decapitated, but I think that it would make sense that being faced with three trolls Tadius froze. A very deep primal instinct within him went “SHIT SHIT, NOPE, GET OUT, RUNRUNRUN.” Because honestly I feel like no matter what training, facing three trolls is going to make you want to book it.
Maybe after seeing the Prince die Tadius books it out of there and starts planning. “Oh fuck, the Prince just died, I failed my one job. What am I gonna do???” Then maybe puts the pieces together of Ella being the mystery woman and how she could be queen. He kinda likes that idea so cracks knuckles “Time to commit regicide.”
I’d like to think that while Tadius is somewhat distraught over the Prince’s death (since he has sworn to protect him and now he’s dead and ohmygod I just broke my oath) he is not that upset about actually killing the king. He made up his mind and has already accepted that Ella is going to be the new queen, so he doesn’t see the king as royalty he needs to protect.
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Also thinking about Tadius going with Ella to town, maybe a bit after Ella becomes queen. Someone tries to attack Ella, maybe upset with the whole royal family dying in one day. Dagger in hand they try to lunge at her. Before Ella can defend herself or dodge out of the way Tadius grabs the person's arm, trying to redirect their momentum away from Ella but ends up getting stabbed. To Ella’s surprise/semi-horror he doesn’t seem to be affected by that and manages to take the attacker down and pin him to the ground.
As they’re waiting for someone to call the guards and take the attacker away Ella is half mentally, half physically freaking out, because “We need to get help. You just got stabbed! What do you mean ‘It’s fine’?!” Ella is not happy to hear that Tadius is used to situations like this and is not hearing his explanation of “Don’t worry”, “It’s my duty”, and “I’ve sworn to protect you.”
She is distraught to learn about all of the things he had to learn and do, about how he was willing to lay down his life for the Prince, and how he is willing to do the same for her. Ella is done with losing the people she cares about and she’s not going to lose another to some random citizen in the street. She’ll try to show Tadius that he doesn’t need to risk his life for her. She appreciates that he wants to protect her but she can also protect herself. After all she is made of starlight and magic and has defeated three trolls. Ella’s going to try and get that through his head, but in the meantime she will be there to patch him up after every bruise and stab wound.
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TLDR: Basically what if Tadius was like a secret service member and was taught to lay his life down for royalty even if he hates them. And Ella has to teach him that she wants him to live with her and not die protecting her.
Curt has already gone rogue from his agency (which is treason just btw) by the time we get to the staircase scene, but when he's trying to convince Owen to come with him he says that if Owen turns on Chimera they can talk to the agency and try to get him a pardon. It's unclear whether Curt really believes that is possible (because, again, he did technically commit treason), or if he's just throwing out anything he can think of to talk Owen down. Obviously in the show this doesn't work, but imagining a scenario where Owen somehow agrees to this, what is Curt's plan here?
We've had corruption aus where Curt is so guilt-ridden and desperate to be with Owen that he joins Chimera, but sometimes I think about a corruption arc where the corruption is Curt returning to an agency he no longer believes in, doing work he has finally realized is not ethical or heroic, to protect a partner who will never be the same. Effectively selling himself to the agency on the contingency that Owen can live freely, and watching as they develop the same technology Owen had pursued with Chimera. Watching the US surveillance state ramp up, realizing the full impact of that technology, and selling his soul anyway. The conflict between his loyalty to his country and his ideals and his love for his partner. Idk that idea is just fascinating to me
Pre-fall I see Curt as kinda falling into the trap a lot of idealists fall into, where they are so eager to do good that they dedicate themselves entirely to a cause or organization, and their loyalty to the ideal makes them unable to recognize where that cause or organization is violating those ideals
Curt's patriotism makes him dedicate himself to working for his country, but he then falls into the trap of assuming that any work his government orders him to do must, by default, be morally/ethically correct (even if it's violent and unpleasant)
And in contrast, pre-fall Owen is a pragmatist. He understands that his work is awful and bloody and unethical, that he is doing monstrous things for MI6, but that ultimately the ends justify the means. Living through WWII in Britain gives him a clearer view that he is in a nasty business, but that the end goal of ensuring his country's survival is worth the cost
So imagining this kind of corruption arc presents an interesting opportunity where Owen (who has already given up all hope of being a good or ethical person himself) watches someone he does still ultimately love continually hurt himself by carrying out actions that are at odds with his own personal moral code. Does Owen end up, in some weird way, being the voice of reason pulling Curt back from the edge? Or does Curt see Owen as a traitor who wants to turn him into a traitor too?
I like the idea of Tadius having to reign Ella in when she has a mean streak towards particular peasants who had perpetuated her abuse in the past. The peasants who verbally and physically taunted/abused her. The people who disregarded her pleas and distress, writing it off as madness, violently sending her back to her abusers just to get her out of their sight. Because her circumstance and uncleanliness was uncomfortable to be around. Maybe she can't stand to be cordial or impartial to the very same people who she watched drag her mother into the square. Or maybe, at her lowest, she says some unpleasant things about all peasantry, flippantly stereotypes them in a moment of temper. Let's her trauma blossom into rage, into a simmering desire (not necessarily action, mind you) for petty cruelty.
We see her deconstruct a lot of her (admittedly not crazy large) bias against peasant and servantry in the show; this being easier for her to accomplish because she was forced into servitude and squalor herself. For example, one of the first things she jabs at Tadius with is his rank as a servant. She establishes her status and her power over his well-being, potentially his life (and this is important for us to see for her character! this is the first time we see her so confident in her dialog in the show. she is finally reclaiming the autonomy, power, and safety she lacked for potential years, even if this isn't "perfect victim" or kind behavior). This threat could easily have been genuinely fear inducing for Tadius if he hadn't perceived her comment as banter/wit (or he, at the very least, thought she couldn't do anything to him as the prince's right hand servant because she's not from a reputable house). But later, we see her call Tadius "a good man" instead of "a good servant", signifying her growth. She acknowledges where she went wrong in the past and asserts Tadius's position as an equal. Textbook character development.
She also originally vows to the fairy godmother to take vengeance only on those who deserve it, who have taken everything from her and seek to destroy more. She makes clear that her blood lust is for specifically her step family (edit: if Justine and Lucy represent Ella's core values and dreams then Justine establishing kindness to those socially lower to them as an admirable trait makes a whole lotta sense for Ellas character going foward). Hell, she is said to be a good queen by the whole kingdom, implying the peasants favor her rule after she's gained it. She is known by all for her kindness and love which is carried out just as fiercely as her justice.
Does this mean she doesn't have low points? Does this mean that at her lowest Tadius doesn't need to council her and advice her against her (valid, but potentially unfair) anger? That she doesn't let her new found power make it so that, at times, she speaks down to those she deems morally lesser (and could that perception of who is lesser, by this measurement, be influenced by class bias/her past peasant inflicted abuse)? Ella's main character motivation is vengeance in the show, even if her morals are steadfast throughout, I think it would be an interesting conflict between Ella's own ethic values vs. her (again, valid) trauma-induced feelings/vitriol, and how that conflict influences her decisions not only as queen, but interpersonally.
This could also lead to some great tension between Ella and Tadius (who are at this point good friends, partners, or at the VERY least close coworkers). With some communication Tadius would be given better insight into Ella's past, interworkings, and decision making. It would also grant Ella an outlet to talk about all this awful shit that happened to her and how it comes back to affect and shape her presently.
Not to mention Tadius's own trauma regarding aristocrats who belittle their subjects. Maybe at her most cruel (aka in a very bad emotional state) Tadius becomes clinical and emotionally disconnected, just as he was with the prince? Unconsciously or not, sinks back into giving stony irritated advice and doesn't talk to Ella in their normal affable manner for the rest of the day, or longer. Maybe it takes them a while to get to the point of healthy communication because of both of their past isolation (ella is purposely isolated by her supposed "madness" and has no one to talk to, she is overjoyed to vent to a literal frog + no one recognized tadius's wit before ella, implying he is not close enough with anyone for them to know who he is personally) makes it difficult for them to talk in a productive manner at first.
(I do not mean to say this is the only interpretation of Ella's character or the headcanons you should adopt post-cc. Maybe Ella never let's these internal biases (that I've picked up on) influence how she treats her subjects/how she rules. Or, shes developed and grown entirely past them. Maybe Ella and Tadius never have this kind of conflict between them. This is also tackling a very specific negative trait I enjoy exploring, which I personally could see presenting itself in Ella post-canon. I love her. I don't doubt she is a great queen who rules with the working class's benefit, along with the rich's detriment, in mind (in fact, I definitely like to believe she does). I just really like characters having character flaws, even if they are a good person, even if they are the hero, and even past their happily ever after)
Ok so this has been in my head for the entire day. This is a slightly long au post.
I’ve seen the idea that Tadius can’t fight (which is great btw love that for him). But what if he did know how to fight or at least he knows how to defend, but just in a very different way that regular knights are taught.
Imagine Tadius getting his job as the Prince’s right hand man and being taught how to defend the Prince if there is an assasination attempt (or because the Prince is the Prince someone he hits on trying to stab him). Tadius gets taught from the very beginning that if need be he should sacrifice himself to protect the Prince.
So imagine a Tadius who knows how to defend, who knows how to tackle people, and get in between the threat and the Prince. But also imagine Tadius knowing how to deal with being stabbed, how to stitch himself up, how to take care of bruises and black eyes because the Prince just had to hit on that woman (she had a mean left hook).
Tadius has it ingrained in his head for so long that it’s instinct now. Take the hit, move the threat away, and make sure they don’t harm the Prince. Because even though he hates the Prince, even though he thinks the Prince is vulgar, childish, and not fit to rule, he has sworn to protect him. It is his job, his duty, his purpose.
Now imagine a Tadius that has been protecting a man that he hates finding himself with a monarch that he admires, looks up to, deems worthy of their position. While I don’t think this Tadius is self-sacrificial, (he’s pretty good at deescalating and the worst he’s gotten is probably being stabbed nonlethally) he’s learned to put the life of royalty over his and when it comes to Ella all bets are off.
Some more ramblings below
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I’ve seen some fics that have Hop-a-lot challenge, or mentions challenging Tadius to a duel. Imagine Tadius agreeing, and Hop-a-lot finds that he’s not bad. His footwork isn’t great, and Hop-a-lot can tell his sword skills are rusty, but overall Tadius is good. Obviously not to Hop-a-lot’s standards, but good. However, there’s just one thing that stands out to the frog. It’s not like Tadius keeps himself open, he can parry fine, if not a little sloppy. He fights like he can’t get hurt or at least like he’s not afraid of getting hurt.
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I know that this doesn't exactly fit with Tadius letting the Prince get decapitated, but I think that it would make sense that being faced with three trolls Tadius froze. A very deep primal instinct within him went “SHIT SHIT, NOPE, GET OUT, RUNRUNRUN.” Because honestly I feel like no matter what training, facing three trolls is going to make you want to book it.
Maybe after seeing the Prince die Tadius books it out of there and starts planning. “Oh fuck, the Prince just died, I failed my one job. What am I gonna do???” Then maybe puts the pieces together of Ella being the mystery woman and how she could be queen. He kinda likes that idea so cracks knuckles “Time to commit regicide.”
I’d like to think that while Tadius is somewhat distraught over the Prince’s death (since he has sworn to protect him and now he’s dead and ohmygod I just broke my oath) he is not that upset about actually killing the king. He made up his mind and has already accepted that Ella is going to be the new queen, so he doesn’t see the king as royalty he needs to protect.
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Also thinking about Tadius going with Ella to town, maybe a bit after Ella becomes queen. Someone tries to attack Ella, maybe upset with the whole royal family dying in one day. Dagger in hand they try to lunge at her. Before Ella can defend herself or dodge out of the way Tadius grabs the person's arm, trying to redirect their momentum away from Ella but ends up getting stabbed. To Ella’s surprise/semi-horror he doesn’t seem to be affected by that and manages to take the attacker down and pin him to the ground.
As they’re waiting for someone to call the guards and take the attacker away Ella is half mentally, half physically freaking out, because “We need to get help. You just got stabbed! What do you mean ‘It’s fine’?!” Ella is not happy to hear that Tadius is used to situations like this and is not hearing his explanation of “Don’t worry”, “It’s my duty”, and “I’ve sworn to protect you.”
She is distraught to learn about all of the things he had to learn and do, about how he was willing to lay down his life for the Prince, and how he is willing to do the same for her. Ella is done with losing the people she cares about and she’s not going to lose another to some random citizen in the street. She’ll try to show Tadius that he doesn’t need to risk his life for her. She appreciates that he wants to protect her but she can also protect herself. After all she is made of starlight and magic and has defeated three trolls. Ella’s going to try and get that through his head, but in the meantime she will be there to patch him up after every bruise and stab wound.
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TLDR: Basically what if Tadius was like a secret service member and was taught to lay his life down for royalty even if he hates them. And Ella has to teach him that she wants him to live with her and not die protecting her.
