@soph_sol @Betty my favorite theatre AU involves the theatres founding artistic director putting on an absolutely horrible vanity project post apocalyptic adaptation of Hamlet which may be influencing my takes here somewhat lmao (fortunately I am not sure Bixia is dedicated enough to write a ~200 page script lmao so we’ll save Jingyi that fate at least)

@Satsuma wait, which theatre AU is this??

@Betty It’s Charles Xavier / Erik Lehnsherr —Sebastian Shaw is the rich asshole with a vanity project — but you can def just read it without context if you’d like: https://archiveofourown.org/works/594482

@Satsuma @Betty oh wow! yeah bixia isn't that kind of guy, to sit down and do work, even if it's very bad work. perhaps he spends his time coming up with "genius" ideas that someone else then has to implement. or making sure that his favorite sons get good parts even if they're not good actors. and probably getting mad at the interpretive choices the directors make, a week before opening night. also definitely taking bribes to put on the very bad plays written by someone else's beloved son

@soph_sol @Betty yeah all much more plausible things for him to keep himself (not) busy with! And yes have been pondering if the princes act, and if so if they’re any good lmao

@Satsuma @Betty the crown prince is extremely bad but wants his father's admiration so keeps trying anyway even though he'd rather just be partying. prince yu is excellent at some very specific types of roles, but thankfully that's the only kind of role he tries out for. he's determined to become a big name in the theatre world and break out beyond community theatre.

@Betty @soph_sol part of why the crown prince is bad is because sometimes he *does* skip to go party instead, or show up totally hungover. not as much as he’d like obv but

@Satsuma @Betty oh 100%. also he doesn't practice his lines on his own time enough, despite all of his mom's pressure

@soph_sol @Betty he’s got staff for that! they can stand back stage and cue him on opening night, its fiiiine (its not fine)

@Satsuma @Betty yes!!! oh my god. also even when he does get his lines right he is not emotionally convincing

@Satsuma @Betty oh also, bixia's brother who keeps trying to stay visibly not a threat in nif (I've forgotten his name) is like. sooooo busy being part of a community choir that he just can't help with the theatre, so sorry, count him out

@soph_sol @Betty oh absolutely not

his mom is maybe actually a talented actress but who retired into being a socialite after she got entangled with bixia and spends every show using all those skills to keep herself from visibly cringing

@Satsuma @Betty yes! but why doesn't she act herself anymore? perhaps being a professional actor required her to be away from home and her wifely duties too much, and she's too proud to lower herself to the community stage?

@Betty @soph_sol yeah i think he expects her to be able to drop everything at a moments notice to attend various charity functions and other fancy rich people events and thats just not compatible with being a professional actress who has a show pretty much every friday/saturday night for long stretches of time

she resisted it at first but she took a long maternity leave and it was just difficult to break back in to the caliber of roles she was accustomed to afterwards

@Satsuma @Betty yeah that all sounds very right for her. Ugh what a choice for her. having to give up her career for a man! but she chose that man specifically because she likes that he's rich and powerful.

@soph_sol @Betty and she does enjoy the little political games she plays with the other wives so she’s not spending all her time pining. But watching her son act poorly even by *sigh* community theatre standards definitely twists the knife a bit