fandomhigh | Defying Expectations, Tuesday, Per 3

"So, this weekend was crazy and it was capped off by another bout of random singing." Karla was torn between empathy--because boy had she been there--and amusement--because she hadn't been there this weekend. Just another facet of Fandom life. "In deference to your probable need to hide under something or drink until you forget, I thought a slightly easier class would be appreciated today."

Plus, if she inflicted another class like last week's on her students, some of them might get up and mutiny.

"We don't have time to watch the full movie, but today I'll be showing you some clips from Jesus Christ, Superstar, a musical I got into during my own days as a student. For those of you not familiar with the story, the movie depicts the last few days of Jesus, a major religious figure of Earth. According to Christians, Jesus is the son of God, the creator of the universe and everything in it, who was born to a human woman for the sole purpose of being a sacrifice. If you're curious, I have some handouts where you can read about Jesus and his life and stuff. I'm not from Earth and I nearly got a group of friends kicked out of church one Christmas Eve--" sorry Sookie "--so if you have questions, read the handouts and then go home and ask Wikipedia. It's a far more reliable source than I am."

In fairness, the musical made it really hard to believe that Judas wasn't Christ's bitter ex. Ben has agreed with her whole-heartedly the first time they'd watched it.

"In this movie, Jesus knows that he must soon be sacrificed for the souls of the people on Earth, but he is understandably conflicted about this. It's one thing to intellectually understand that your career as an itinerant preacher is going to culminate in your death, it's another thing to accept this as happening at some point in the next thirty-six hours or so. Furthermore, Jesus is surrounded by people who all want him to do different things. Simon, one of his chosen companions, wants Jesus to use his celebrity status to urge the people to throw off Rome, who has occupied their country. Judas, Jesus's right hand man, wants him to stop preaching for fear that his claims of being the son of god will get them arrested by the priests and Roman soldiers. He is ambushed by a horde of lepers who nearly overwhelm him with their demands to be healed. Jesus is often alone, even in the middle of his closest friends, realizing that none of them seem to truly care for him. The crowd that cheers and adores Jesus in the opening scenes turns on him and demands his death by crucifixion by the end. The movie follows Jesus as he struggles against the role he believes he is destined to fulfill, going through many of the stages of grief before finally accepting his role as martyr."

[OOC: Links go to Youtube videos with audio.]

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What's the buzz? Tell me what's happening

And watch the clips.

In order they are: Simon Zealotes, Make Us Well, The Last Supper, Gethsemane, and Trial Before Pilate.

Because after OMWF, more singing was exactly what you wanted, right?

If you'd like to talk about your weekend or the songs you ended up singing. Either one of those was usually good for some trauma!

Did any of them particularly resonate with you? Do you recognize any of the emotions in them? Any comments on the clips at all?

Should Jesus have just run off while everyone was sleeping? Did he have a choice at all? Is Judas right when he says, "What if I just stayed here / And ruined your ambition?" Could Jesus have done this without him?

Anything else you wanted to talk about?

Who is hopefully less traumatized by this week's lesson than last!

Karla has some Very Serious Thoughts on matters like Simon's hilarious soul patch and Judas's leather coat.

Clips from the 2000 staged musical which I love to a degree that is almost unhealthy, even as I find it IMPOSSIBLE to take seriously.

The camp, y'all. So much camp.

Minako Aino

Emma Swan

Man the kind of pressure and responsibility involved in a bunch of people deciding you were some kind of saviour for them.

Emma couldn't see how anyone could cope with those kind of expectations.

Mara Jade

"Suck it up, Jesus," Mara said, making a little face. "Everyone feels alone."

She tilted her head, then asked, "He and Judas were a thing, right?"

"That was the conclusion I came to watching this," Karla said. "Other people disagree, but--come on." She pointed to the screen where Jesus and Judas were fighting over the dinner table, while the apostles all looked on, trying to figure out why their daddies were crying. "If that's not a case of serious eye-fucking, I don't know what is."

She...probably wasn't supposed to say that to a student. Oops.

"You should see the kiss of betrayal Judas gives him later."

Minako was doing her best to pay attention, but, well, she was still dealing with having the attention span that had made her a puppy in the first place.

Also? Jesus had SUPER unfortunate hair.

Kaylin Neya

Kaylin was here and very glad that she'd been in Elantra all weekend and missed out on the having to sing thing yesterday.

I adore JCS, though I have to admit the movie from 1973 with Ted Neely is my ultimate favorite still.

Kira Yukimura

Soren Bearstar

Mara tucked away "eye-fucking" as a phrase to use later.

"Was there tongue?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Elsa of Arendelle

See? Karla was an awesome teacher, passing on knowledge to her students that would be useful to them in th future.

"You know, I could loan you my DVD and you could watch it and see for yourself," she offered. "And if you decided to write a paper about their relationship, I'd give you extra credit for it. You could even write it from the point of view of the characters or something, to make it more fun."

...No, she wasn't offering Ben's mother extra credit for writing fanfiction. Really.

Mara may or may not have written RPF under a pseudonym, so...

"I would like that," she said. "I need to learn more about this planet anyway."

Better learning through religious deity pr0n!

"Christianity is this world's most popular religion," Karla said earnestly, removing the DVD from the player and putting it into its case to hand over to Mara. "Learning more about it can only be beneficial to you."

Because Jesus Christ Superstar was a 100% accurate view of both history and religion. Really!

Enh. Like either of them cared.

"And Judas is kind of pretty," Mara admitted.

"With his huffy leather jacket?" Karla asked. "I always kinda had a thing for Peter in this version. And Simon, but that might just be because I love making fun of his ridiculous soul patch."

Warren was so lucky he couldn't grow facial hair. So, so, so lucky.

Because she was supposed to be a teacher, however, she figured she should at least ask, "So, did any of those scenes resonate with you at all? Move you?"

"Soul patch?" Mara repeated, ignoring the second question.

"The tiny bit of fuzz on his lower lip," Karla clarified. "Don't dodge the question, darling. You're not a master at it yet."

Karla knew masters. Mara's son and his partner both counted.

"I'm nobody's darling," Mara replied, arching up an eyebrow. "I really felt Judas's eyerolls in the first song," she said. "Rebelling against an entire government is always a terrible idea, especially if you're the figurehead. They're the first to die."

Defying Expectations, Tuesday, Per 3

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