Having a love-hate with derivative material

[keening_phantom]

What kind of mewling drivel are you exposing us to now?

[Well, the songs are a bit catchy...]

If you need more material, read the original work again, Madame! It is bad enough you saddled me with this child's face that's more a farce than a compliment to my name! Don't you dare impose another burden upon me!

And for the sake of your neck, will you stop that incesant howling!

[That's my singing, you jerk!]

Comments

[shelbycobra]

I think that happens a lot. My mun saw the touring production of your musical last week and she sang badly all the way home.

[keening_phantom]

I've been living with her singing for a very, very long time, unfortunately. However, it's picked up in earnest as of late.

[And mun is very jealous! Waiting for the tour tickets to go on sale around here, and then another three-month wait!]

[shelbycobra]

I can't sing at all, so I won't inflict that upon you. There's only one thing I do well and I'm afraid it's not artistic at all.

(It's amazing, the cast that I saw anyway. I think they change casts in November.)

[keening_phantom]

At least you are aware. Working on such skills is nothing to be ashamed of, but intentionally afflicting it on others [mun ignoooores the glare] is another matter entirely.

And personal expression need not be artistic.

[Aaaw, it won't be anywhere near me before then, but I'm still excited to see it when it comes by!]

[shelbycobra]

I'm an athlete, although I can sort of play piano on a good day.

[Chuckles.]

Mostly what I do is much more physical.

(I'm sure it'll still be good. I know this particular tour they said is like the biggest touring production or one of the biggest.)

[keening_phantom]

Not all of my own talents are artistic in nature. [Erik! Murder does not count!] But I certainly don't get out enough to consider myself in any way athletic.

((I've seen the show a couple times but it's been years and I heard a few things had been changed/updated since. Also new cast and crew. Always excited to see what new people do with the roles!))

[shelbycobra]

It has its ups and downs. I had a back injury months ago that, while in no way severe, my mun seems to like pulling back out whenever she damn well feels like it.

[Cue glare in the mun's direction.]

(It was my first. A friend of mine is in the cast, so I had no excuse not to go and I'm glad I did. I may go see the Broadway version later this year, if a planned trip to New York goes through!)

[keening_phantom]

They seem to have a certain skill for that. As if the strange trials they force us through aren't enough.

((Holy smokes! Congrats to your friend! And I hope your trip works out!))

[shelbycobra]

Tell me about it. I just realized yesterday that the entire trajectory of my life is a Catch-22.

Basically I get to choose between the love of my life and the career I've worked my whole life for.

[keening_phantom]

As it seems with us all. Love in one hand, ambition in another.

[shelbycobra]

And not having the faintest clue what to do.

[keening_phantom]

And regularly having one or the other tantalize us, just out of reach. Or worse yet, something I've come to understand is called an "alternate universe".

[shelbycobra]

Oh God. I don't think I could handle that. I have a hard time keeping up right now.

[keening_phantom]

I've had the recent honor of becoming little more than a toy to the mun because of one, it seems.

And yet, they somehow retain enough of their senses to remember I'm not supposed to be a pretty little thing to be fawned over.

[shelbycobra]

[Chuckles softly.] Take it from someone who knows. Being pretty is overrated.

Right now I'd give anything just to make my boyfriend happy.

[keening_phantom]

It has it's burdens, just as the other side of the coin.

As for relationships, I wouldn't know enough about such matters to comment on them, properly.

[shelbycobra]

Mine is complicated. I'm going through a lot of life changes at the moment, and so is he - so we're just trying to make sense of it all.

I'm sorry, I should introduce myself. Shelby Manning. [Offers a polite hand. Her father raised her correctly, thank you very much.]

[keening_phantom]

Erik. [He politely shakes her hand in return.]

Then, I can only wish you fortune in your venture together.

[shelbycobra]

Thank you. Heaven knows we're trying. [Save the world, nearly get killed, you know, usual stuff around these parts.]

So if you're going to be stuck here with the rest of us, what is it you're going to do?

[keening_phantom]

[Sounds about right.]

For now, I seem to be milling about some general forums. No plans as of yet for something more permanent.

[shelbycobra]

Mine just generally allows me to go on with my life except to periodically post so that my boyfriend's mun doesn't get bored.

[Shakes her head.]

Although I'm going to run out of things to do in three weeks anyway.

[keening_phantom]

Curiosity begs the question: why three weeks?

[shelbycobra]

That's when my employment ends for the year. We have a season that we race in.

[Never mind that she is in a contract year and also has no idea what she is going to do after it ends. Business decisions ahoy.]

[keening_phantom]

Ah. Seasonal employment. [It's been a while for him, but he has played that game before.]

You are working to negotiate something for the off-season?

[shelbycobra]

I hope so. I'm hoping that my current team and I will be able to agree on a new contract, hopefully for a couple of seasons.

That's my priority, and then I'll probably be talking to my boyfriend about what he wants to do and how that will affect us. He just left his career, so he's not sure what he wants to do or where he wants to be.