teacherbuknoy

teacherbuknoy, 6 days ago

I'm just kidding. The HR head is really sweet and it was my idea to just not join this year after winning them for two years straight because at this point it's become embarrassing for me and would tarnish my honor. I wouldn't want to pull a Taylor Swift at the Grammys type of deal.

But!! They have invited me to become the judge instead. Works for me. I get to be RuPaul for two nights this year. 😂

teacherbuknoy, 6 days ago

@matuzo when I do it, I feel like an old rehabilitated villain coming back to my old ways 😂

teacherbuknoy, 6 days ago

All that money I spent on Welkin and battle pass are going to something good. I'm not regretting it 🥰

teacherbuknoy, 6 days ago

@marioguzman your cat's eyes are so sassy 😍

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Since it opened in 2003, Wicked has been held up by countless Elphabas. But my pet peeve with this is how it's now seen more for the vocals it requires rather than the complexity in its acting. We have seen quite a big number of amazing and vocally powerful women with their own take on the vocals. But very few, for me, have been able to capture Elphaba's emotional moments with precise care as Julia Murney. (2/n)

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Julia portrays Elphaba to be on the extreme end of weirdness. In her portrayal, Elphaba is not just hated because she is green, but also because she's weird, neurotic, temperamental, and stubborn—traits that can also be associated with neurodivergence. This makes Elphaba more realistic and relatable; of course she'll be hated, she's fucking weird (from a neurotypical standpoint). (3/n)

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago (edited 8 days ago)

But Julia's careful portrayal does not take away from Elphaba's humanity. She contradicts the neurodivergent stereotype of being anti-social; despite people staying away from her, she is willing to reach out to others. She is open to new friends, only if there were willing. (4/n)

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Moreover, Julia Murney's Elphaba is not only "weird" from the perspective of everyone in Oz, but also when compared side-by-side with other portrayals of Elphaba. Julia isn't necessarily someone you'd call a pop vocal powerhouse, as is normally the case for Elphaba actresses. Her vibrato is very fast, and her high notes are not as resonant. In fact, you can hear her struggling to reach some notes in certain performances. (5/n)

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Julia's vocal portrayal of Elphaba is raspy, almost akin to something you'd hear in rock music rather than pop. And I love that. In a world of a musical with everyone, even background characters, having lovely voices and pop vocals, Julia's Elphaba is unique and stands out. It adds another layer of gap and separation between the world and Elphaba, creating a foreboding sense of alienation that other vocal powerhouses cannot replicate for Elphaba. (6/n)

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Julia also understands the significance of Elphaba's most important moments and how significant they are, and lets this influence her portrayal. Instead of letting out a vocally impressive performance of Defying Gravity, she gives out a masterclass in acting. She always remembers that during this song, Elphaba is a teenage girl, or in her early 20s at most. She is scared. She knows she is throwing her future away by singlehandedly starting a revolution against the government. (7/n)

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

But she never once entertained the idea of backing down, even when it was handed to her by Glinda on a silver platter with all the good it comes with. By watching her performance, you see exactly and precisely how, at the point of no return, Julia Murney plants these details with the little twitches, eyebrow raises, abrupt head turns, shaking hands, nervous swallowing, and a tight grip on her broom: https://youtu.be/JY9rXRLymC8?t=431

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

And in As Long As You're Mine, you can see all of the choices Julia makes to ensure that this first experience of love for Elphaba is as realistic as possible. Notice how she reacts to getting kissed for the first time at a time when she's already in her late 20s to early 30s. Or how she reacts when Fiyero touches her on her waist, and other subtle touches that tread the line between romantic and sexual. Julia perfectly captures the giddy inner child in an adult Elphaba's body:

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Here's the video for that: https://youtu.be/lScdlgNKdc4

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Oh, and did I ever mention that she looks VERY SIMILAR to the original Wicked Witch of the West in the original Wizard of Oz film, Margaret Hamilton?

Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

I want Ei to express regret not having been the mother the Wanderer deserved or needed. I also want Nahida to tell her that although her time has passed to make it up to her son, Inazuma is waiting for her next move.

In the end, I don't want Wanderer to just forgive Ei after everything. This is CENTURIES of pent up abandonment trauma. I want the story to end in such a way that Wanderer accepts that Ei did not abandon him the way he thought, but to also accept that she abandoned him either way.

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Finally, I want Yae involved in this entire thing. Whether she takes accountability for the mistake she made back when Kunikuzushi was asking her for help is another story. I just want her to be there for Ei for this entire process just like how Nahida would be there for the Wanderer. #GenshinImpact

teacherbuknoy, 8 days ago

Speaking of angst, I want there to be a fight between the Wanderer and Ei, and in this fight, Ei will lose by surrender. The Raiden Shogun will also be involved, since by this point, the puppet will have not received screen time for a painfully long time like her most devoted fan Kujou Sara.