Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Crimson Daffodil! Nellie the Nurse! Sherry the Showgirl!)

Post by Jabroniville »

drkrash wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 9:14 pm These covers are hilarious. I understand they are now "problematic," but I'm loving them.
Pinup gags like this were really common back then- you see a lot of them from Dan DeCarlo. And he got a LOT cheekier

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Jabroniville
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Mitzi

Post by Jabroniville »

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MITZI
Created By:
Al Jaffee & others
First Appearance: Teen Comics #21 (April 1947)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Teen Girl

-Mitzi, like Cindy, debuted in Teen Comics #21 and spun off, but only lasted a single issue of Mitzi before disappearing. She looked almost exactly like Margie, but her only cover is her scolding a soda jerk for adding a cherry to her monstrous sundae, stating "I'm on a diet!".
Jabroniville
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Margie

Post by Jabroniville »

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MARGIE
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: Comedy Comics #24 (Jan. 1946)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Teen Girl, Klutz

-Margie, another brunette in this bunch, is a contemporary of Patsy Walker & Cindy, but appears more clutzy, judging by the covers of her burning food and such. Other covers are standard "WOW- look at this hot chick!" stuff. Like Cindy, she debuted elsewhere but was immediately spun off into her solo book, which lasted 15 issues and from 1946-49.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Aug 31, 2022 1:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
kirinke
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Crimson Daffodil! Nellie the Nurse! Sherry the Showgirl!)

Post by kirinke »

drkrash wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 9:14 pm These covers are hilarious. I understand they are now "problematic," but I'm loving them.
Lol. Well, you gotta take them for the time they were inked in. I mean if you read the old pulp novels, like the Shadow novels boy... Talk about problematic. This is kinda tame on that scale? Least in my opinion. They actually covered alot more skin back in the day.

Taken into context, in the 19th century showing ankles was problematic that's why the Can-Can was considered who-hoo!
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drkrash
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Crimson Daffodil! Nellie the Nurse! Sherry the Showgirl!)

Post by drkrash »

kirinke wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:13 pm
drkrash wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 9:14 pm These covers are hilarious. I understand they are now "problematic," but I'm loving them.
Lol. Well, you gotta take them for the time they were inked in. I mean if you read the old pulp novels, like the Shadow novels boy... Talk about problematic. This is kinda tame on that scale? Least in my opinion. They actually covered alot more skin back in the day.

Taken into context, in the 19th century showing ankles was problematic that's why the Can-Can was considered who-hoo!
Note my quotes around "problematic." I personally am not much bothered about cheesecake art in comics!
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kirinke
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Crimson Daffodil! Nellie the Nurse! Sherry the Showgirl!)

Post by kirinke »

I'm not either. It's funny. The language and slang is a bit different, but boys reacting to girls they think are good looking hasn't changed much. :lol:
Contrary wise, girls reacting to boys they think are good looking hasn't changed much either. :D
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Jabroniville
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Georgie Lawson

Post by Jabroniville »

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"BEST-LOVED TEENAGER"?! My ASS!

GEORGIE LAWSON
Created By:
Al Jaffee & others
First Appearance: Teen Comics #21 (April 1947)
Role: Archie Knock-Off

-Most of Timely's Archie knock-off strips were about sexy girls, so Georgie stands out as being a more standard-issue ripoff. He was a dark-haired clumsy boy whose girlfriend was the raven-haired Judy. Georgie was eventually renamed Georgie and Judy, but switched back two issues later, lasting until 1952 (when Hedy De Vine was also axed). Georgie appears to be a bit of a flirt, either making time with Judy or some anonymous other girls on his covers.
Jabroniville
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Willie

Post by Jabroniville »

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WILLIE
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: Willie Comics #5 (Sept. 1946)
Role: Archie Knock-Off

-Willie, an odd-looking guy with a big mop of orange hair (SUBTLE), was drawn more cartoonishly than the other Archie knock-offs. He quickly got his own book (taking another one's numbering), and also got a backing appearance in Millie the Model, Patsy Walker and others. Willie Comics lasted 15 issues, and typically featured cover gags of him hitting on either a blonde or a brunette (SUBTLE). The blonde is apparently his steady girl Jinny.
Jabroniville
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Oscar

Post by Jabroniville »

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OSCAR
Created By:
Stan Lee & Kin Platt
First Appearance: Oliver #1 (March 1947)
Role: Archie Knock-Off

-Oscar is a goofy-looking, short teen boy with closely-cropped black hair, and seems to lust after a blonde named Kitty. Once again, he lasts from 1947-1949.
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Jeanie

Post by Jabroniville »

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JEANIE
Created By:
Unknown
First Appearance: Jeanie Comics #13 (April 1947)
Role: Archie Knock-Off, Teen Girl

-Jeanie, a brunette "Queen of the Teens", had the standard 1947-1949 run, as well as appearances in other books. She took over All-Surprise, but gave way to Cowgirl Romances.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Sherry the Showgirl! Marvel's Archie Knock-Offs!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Okay, that does it for these guys- I recall my impetus for doing this was to check out what was up with Nellie the Nurse, since I was aware of her yet had never done a bio- then, when I checked it out, I remembered the story about Sherry the Showgirl, and this kind of spun out to all the other characters, most of whom had some info on ComicVine or the like- looking up Mitzi or someone would reveal a debut in Oscar- stuff like that. While none of them really deserved statlines, I was curious enough to want to know things about all of them, and figured it was a fine 2-3 day diversion, especially as the covers tended to be a bit amusing.

Next up: A pair of Broadway-themed sets. I will re-post the Book of Mormon builds I'd done years ago, and add to that builds based off of Hamilton, which I've just now seen!
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Book of Mormon

Post by Jabroniville »

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"In this part of Africa, we all have a saying
Whenever something bad happens
We just throw our hands to the sky and say "Hasa Diga Eebowai!""

"Hasa Diga Eebowai?"

"It's the only way to get through all these troubled times
There's war, poverty, famine
But having a saying makes it all seem better!

There isn't enough food to eat
Hasa Diga Eebowai!
People are starving in the street
Hasa Diga Eebowai!
Hasa Diga Eebowai!
Hasa Diga Eebowai!"

"Well, that's pretty neat!"
"Does it mean no worries for the rest of our days?"
"Kiiiiind of!
We've had no rain in several days (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
And eighty percent of us have AIDS (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
Many young girls here get circumcised
Their clits get cut right off! (Way oh!)
And so we say up to the sky
Hasa Diga Eebowai!
Hasa Diga Eebowai!
Hasa Diga Eebowai!

Now you try!
Just stand up tall, tilt your head to the sky
And list off the bad things in your life

"Somebody took our luggage away (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
The plane was crowded and the bus was late (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)"

"When the world is getting you down
There's nobody else to blame (Way oh!)
Raise your middle finger to the sky
And curse his rotten name!"

"Wait, what?"
"Hasa Diga Eebowai!
Am I saying that right? (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)"
"Excuse me, sir, but what exactly does that phrase mean?"

Well, let's see "Eebowai" means "God"
And 'Hasa Diga' means "Fuck you"
So I guess in English it would be
"Fuck you, God!"
Hasa Diga Eebowai!

"WHAT?!"
"When God fucks you in the butt! (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
Fuck God right back in His cunt! (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
Hasa Diga Eebowai! (Fuck you, God!)
Hasa Diga Eebowai! (Fuck you, God!)"

"Excuse me, sir, but you should really not be saying that- things aren't always as bad as they seem."
"Oh, REALLY? Well, take this fucking asshole, Mutumbo, here. He got caught last week trying to rape a baby!"
"What!? Why?!"
"Some people in his tribe believe that having sex with a virgin will cure their AIDS. There aren't many virgins left, so some of them are turning to BABIES!"
"But that's horrible!"
"I KNOWWWWWW! Hasa Diga Eebowai!
Here's the butcher, he has AIDS
Here's the teacher, she has AIDS
Here's the doctor, he has AIDS
Here's my daughter she has AAAAAAAAA...
Wonderful disposition!
She's all I have left in the world!
And if either of you lays a hand on herrrrrrr...
I will give you my AIDS!"

"If you don't like what we say
Try living here a couple days
Watch all your friends and family die
Hasa Diga Eebowai!

Fuuuuuuuuuck YOU!
Hasa Diga Eebowai!
Fuck you, God, in the ass, mouth, and cunt-ah!
Fuck you, God, in the ass, mouth, and cunt-ah!
Fuck you, God, in the ass, mouth, and cunt-ah!
Fuck you in the eyyyyyyyye!
Fuck you, God, in the ass, mouth, and cunt-ah! (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
Fuck you, God, in the ass, mouth, and cunt-ah!
Fuck you, God, in the ass, mouth, and cunt-ah! (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
Fuck you in the otttttthhhhher eye!
Fuck you, fuck you, God (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
Fuck you, fuck you, God (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
Fuck you, fuck you, God (Hasa Diga Eebowai!)
Hasa Diga!
FUUUUCKKKK!! YOUUUUU!!! GODDDDDDDDDDD!!!

IN THE CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTT!!!!!"


THE BOOK OF MORMON:

There's this line that you can cross all you want as long as you have a reason for doing it. If it has a point and it has a story and it has genuine, real character and emotion, then you can pretty much do whatever you want. There is no line if you're being truthful. We learned that lesson a long time ago.
-Trey Parker, explaining why his & Matt Stone's style of humor holds up so much better than all the standard "Let's just do and say something offensive!" brands of shock-comedy.


-Debuting in 2011, The Book of Mormon basically became the Broadway hit of the century (... and then we hit a bigger one a few years later, lol), succeeding on basically every possible level- cleaning up at the Tony Awards, going on National Tours and opening on the West End- even becoming the musical even people who HATED musicals wanted to see! It's the brainchild of the minds behind the infamous South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and the music writer Robert Lopez (then best-known for Avenue Q, now best known for co-writing Let It Go and the rest of the Frozen soundtrack with his wife Kristin). All three men were obsessed with the odd, quirky Mormons they'd meet, and were all huge fans of the musical genre (before South Park, Parker was active in music, having performed in several shows and even having his own band, DVDA). When they came together after a performance of Avenue Q (a foul-mouthed Sesame Street parody that introduced the world to The Internet is for Porn), all three realized that they'd ALL had an idea that Mormons would be a HILARIOUS subject for a musical (Stone & Parker are notorious for satirising religion- they've stuck it to all forms of Christianity and Judaism, took a famous shot at $cientology, and infamously ripped on Muhammad to MAJOR controversy when Comedy Central refused to back them up). Lopez, a Broadway pro, convinced Stone & Parker to create a Broadway musical rather than a film version, and SEVEN YEARS LATER (these things are a BITCH to produce), they'd released one.

The musical is centred around two eager young missionaries at the beginning of their mission to UGANDA of all places- their job is to convert Africans to the church. Elder Price is a brilliant, happy, competent Mormon, and much is expected of him. Elder Cunningham is fat, stupid, and a giant nerd who obsesses over pop culture and can't stop from making up random stuff every time he gets nervous, mixing scripture up with pop culture he likes. And their mission in Uganda is fraught with peril, as their Mormon Bible has nothing of note to comfort the Africans dealing with problems like poverty, war, famine, AIDS and female circumcision- not to mention there's a vicious general out there who LOVES committing murder, and bathing in the blood of his enemies while being "butt-fucking naked!" The only way they're able to convert Africans is to basically modify their stories to fit more with than the Africans are going through- essentially "making things up", like Elder Cunningham always does. I mean, a religion based off of MAKING STUFF UP??

---

Like I said, Parker & Stone had been obsessed with Mormons for years- Orgazmo, a 1998 film about a Mormon missionary who performs in porn as a "Sex-Based Superhero" to pay for his wedding, took a ton of cute jabs at them ("Jesus and I love you!" "Jesus and I love you, too!", and an old lady calls two missionaries "soul-soliciting pigfuckers"). A 2003 South Park episode skewered the entire FOUNDATION of the religion, depicting an idiotic Joseph Smith founding the religion alongside increasingly-stupid events. This episode was AMAZING, as it literally spends 20 minutes ripping on Mormons for being overly-nice dorks, Joseph Smith for being a fraud, and ridicules all of the Mormon beliefs as being totally insane and stupid (Israelites build ships and sail to AMERICA? Native Americans are actually Israelites from the EVIL tribe of Israel, who had their skin stained red for their sins?)... then turns it right around on young Stan Marsh when he calls them on this with a series of insults, because while their beliefs may be silly, all Mormons try to do is be friendly and helpful to others, so if you're going to use their stupid beliefs as a reason to hate them, then YOU'RE the asshole.

Their fundamental point to that episode is largely the point to this musical as well- the religion is stupid and full of holes, but the MORAL is about helping people and being decent to each other, which is actually a good thing. Neither Stone nor Parker are religious (Stone has stated that he's an atheist), but their point is that religion is best used as a METAPHOR.

This neat and rarely-seen moral (the musical just DESTROYS the concept of religion for the most part- it's made exceptionally clear that Elder Price has "complete doubt that God exists!") is of course surrounded by one of the funniest damn things ever. I've seen the show twice- once in New York, and once in the touring show for Edmonton, and it is AMAZING. It's basically a concentrated dose of amazing music (only a couple songs from Frozen compare to Lopez' work in most of the show) and South Park's brand of foul-mouthed, endearing humor. Contrasting the super-dorky, clueless Mormons against the bitter, foul-mouthed Africans sets things off perfectly- the humor is relentlessly anti-PC and shocking, making Africa look like the hugest craphole in the universe, cracking jokes about how "80% of us have AIDS!". Stone is actually VERY knowledgeable about Africa, as all the jokes present are actually based off of real facts, like the problem of female circucision, or men raping virgins to "cure their AIDS" (even BABY RAPE is mentioned- and they're NOT MAKING THAT UP!). And it's this truth that allows them to be as shocking an un-PC as they are- the BEST jokes are all based off of reality.

Despite coming down on the side that religion is an okay thing, it mocks Mormonism as relentlessly as it digs into the horrors of Africa- all the Mormon characters are treated as clueless dorks- the whitest people in the history of whiteness. One Elder is struggling with his homosexuality by "turning it off" (my sister works with a gay Mormon basically doing the same thing, except he "doesn't believe in homosexuality", like it's the Easter Bunny or a Bunyip or something). The logic holes and insane beliefs in the actual Book of Mormon are parodied (God punishing Israelites by "causing a blackness to come upon their skin", Jews sail to America in ancient times and bury golden scrolls that only Joseph Smith can read, God changing his mind and allowing black people into the priesthood in 1978), and more. Many, MANY of the jokes are flat-out blasphemous and are shocking in a way audiences usually aren't prepared for, and basically say that all religion is silly and made-up; useful only as moral lessons that can change with times and cultures in order to better help current people. A fairly deep, meaningful moral.

The show was an absolute SMASH from day one, being talked about just about everywhere. Jon Stewart gushed to Stone & Parker on The Daily Show, basically declaring his jealousy, and that the song Hasa Diga Eebowai (inspired by Guns, Germs and Steel's description of how the rest of the world got screwed over because Europeans were just born into a better place that allowed them access to the things that would allow them to take over the world- everybody else got stuck with crap; essentially everyone in the world but Europe got screwed by fate) would be something he'd be proud to be used by aliens as a judgment for humanity's worth. Shows sold out to the point where getting tickets became legendarily-difficult. It crushed at every Awards show possible, and got Elder Cunningham's actor, Josh Gad, serious notice (he would later play Olaf in Lopez' Frozen). The Original Cast Recording was the biggest Broadway album in 40 years, and multiple tours have started up. It's basically the biggest Broadway hit in years- and musicals are NOTORIOUSLY hard to turn a profit on- Idina Menzel's If/Then lasted for more than a year, but still likely didn't turn a profit. Only the mighty Wicked is a bigger hit, and I think THAT'S just due to time and its larger theatre, in addition to a more worldly view that has made the show a smash in places like Germany and Japan. The more recent Hamilton ended up a smash on a similar tier, which was the only thing to rob this show of its thunder.

The Characters:
Elder Price- The best Missionary in the whole Training Centre- a smiling, dorky, laughing fellow whose competence has introduced a kind of smarmy arrogance that he will always know what to do.
Elder Cunningham- A goofy, uncharismatic, fck-up of a Missionary, and Price's "Mission Companion". Has a tendency to make things up and exaggerate, so decides to link up to the more-capable Price.
Elder McKinley and the others- The standard "dorky backdrop Mormons", who've yet to bring even a SINGLE Ugandan to the Church. McKinley struggles with his homosexuality.
Malafa- A Ugandan tribesman who introduces the boys to their village.
Nabalungi- Malafa's daughter, a classic well-meaning, innocent "ingenue" who is the only one to believe in the boys' tales of salvation.
General Butt-Fucking-Naked- A nasty, murderous General out for control, with a hatred of the clitoris.
The Mission President- He gets sent out to observe the boys once they become successful, and is shocked by what he sees.
Jabroniville
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Elder Price

Post by Jabroniville »

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"Heavenly father- why do you let bad things happen?
More to the point; why do you let bad things happen to MEEEEEEEEEE?"


ELDER PRICE (Kevin Price)
Role:
Main Character, The Hero
Group Affiliations: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
PL 0 (20), PL 3 (20) Saves
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 2 (+2)
Expertise (Religion) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Singing) 12 (+12)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Mormon Physiology"
Enhanced Skills: Persuasion 4 (+4) (Flaws: Limited to Other Mormons) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +0, Fortitude +1, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Converting Others to The Church)
Responsibility ("I am a Mormon- and a Mormon just BELIEVES!")- Mormons are trained to believe in the three Holy Books ("you have to believe in it all!"), even the stuff about God living on a planet called Kolob, and Price getting his own planet when he dies.
Responsibility (Arrogant)- Price tries to be modest, but believes in the adulations others spend upon him. He thinks his mission will be a cakewalk, and doesn't understand the challenges set before him. He is also clueless about the ways of the outside world.
Responsibility (Lack of Faith)- Price cracks under the pressure of his challenges, and loses his faith.
Phobia (Spooky Mormon Hell Dream)- All Mormons receive nightmares about Hell whenever they sin- Price got one when he blamed his brother for eating a maple-glazed donut, and another when he breaks Rule #72 and leaves his Companion. He watches Jeffrey Dahmer sodomize his father, and is forced to drink coffee by demons.
Relationship (Elder Cunningham)- Price is put out when he's paired off with the useless, uncharismatic Elder Cunningham, and only barely tolerates him.
Motivation ("Or-LAN-do-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh!")- Price's favorite place in the whole wide world is the land of SeaWorld, Disney World and other theme parks. He always longs to return there.

Total: Abilities: 4 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 1 / Defenses: 5 (20)

-Elder Price is sort of "The Ace" of his Mission Training Centre- the greatest, most knowledgeable Mormon Missionary there is. Everybody heaps praise upon him, from his fellow Elders to his parents, and despite being a generic smiling, polite Missionary, this kind of goes to his head. He's also your "Standard Mormon" to showcase the various quirks and foibles of the Church's chosen, contrasting from his wacky, dumb "sidekick" Elder Cunningham. This makes Price a pretty good centre to the story, as he witnesses various atrocities and has his faith tested as the best "baseline" Mormon possible.
-Elder Price is a pretty weak combatant, as he's got no experience with the outside world. His manner of politeness and charm are also highly-lost on anyone outside of the Church, giving him an odd Flaw. As a singing character, he gets a lot of the big, bombastic lines, singing about Orlando or "I BELIEEEEEEEEEEEEEVE!!!"- sort of the male equivalent of a "Belter". Pretty standard Broadway stuff.

-The other Missionaries (Elder McKinley and the others, like "Elder Poptarts" [because he eats them so much, naturally]) are basically like this, but usually know less about religion and Singing, as Price is the best.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Sep 01, 2022 5:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Elder Cunningham

Post by Jabroniville »

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"And now it's up to me
And it's time to man up!
Jesus had his time ta,
Now it's mine ta MAN UP!

I'm taking the reins,
I'm crossing the bear!
Just like Jesus,
I'm growing a pair!

I've gotta stand upppppp,
Can't just clam upppppp,
It's time ta-
MAN UP!"


ELDER CUNNINGHAM (Arnold Cunningham)
Role:
Main Character, Bumbling Sidekick-Turned-Prophet, Comic Relief
Group Affiliations: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
PL 0 (23), PL 3 (23) Saves
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Deception 6 (+5)
Expertise (Religion) 1 (+1)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 13 (+13)
Expertise (Singing & Dancing) 8 (+8)

Advantages:
Ultimate Pop Culture Skill

Powers:
"Mormon Missionary" Enhanced Skills: Persuasion 4 (+3) (Flaws: Limited to Other Mormons) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +0, Fortitude +1, Will +2

Complications:
Motivation (Converting Others to The Church)
Responsibility ("I am a Mormon- and a Mormon just BELIEVES!")- Mormons are trained to believe in the three Holy Books ("you have to believe in it all!"), even the stuff about God living on a planet called Kolob, and Price getting his own planet when he dies.
Responsibility (Unlikable)- Even Cunningham's father feels "Stuck with me", and others (including Price) often do as well, despite their Mormon vows to never stray from each other.
Responsibility ("You're making things up again, Arnold")- Cunningham often gets nervous or forgetful, and starts "adding fiction" to what he's saying- including the Holy Word! This is generally bad, as he gets nervous A LOT. When he starts making things up to convert more Africans, he gets into major trouble when people on both sides discover problems with his statements.
Responsibility ("Man Up!")- Arnold has let others lead him his whole life, and has never excelled. When he's abandoned by his Mission Companion, it's left up to HIM to finally "man up" and make good.
Phobia (Spooky Mormon Hell Dream)- All Mormons receive nightmares about Hell whenever they sin. Cunningham has not mentioned his.
Relationship (Neutrogena)- Despite being unable to remember her name, Arnold is infatuated with the beautiful Nabalungi.

Total: Abilities: -2 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 1 / Defenses: 3 (23)

-Elder Cunningham, a role started by Josh Gad, is the other Main Character of the show- his Pop Culture obsession and inability to keep the truth straight ends up with him randomly making stuff up in order to convince the Africans to listen to the Holy Word- when there's nothing in his Book of Mormon about AIDS, raping babies or other African problems (and instead a story about God punishing sinners by turning their skin darker), what does he do? He just starts coming up with relevant stories off the top of his head- inventing random new plot elements, often involving the Starship Enterprise, Boba Fett and Mordor! With a new, relevant religion that appeals to the modern African, he becomes the new Prophet... but of course the villagers then put on a show about their concept of Joseph Smith for the Mission President.

-Cunningham's lies catch up with him in a big way, but then there's the big take-away and the POINT of the whole musical, which is that religion should be treated like a METAPHOR. Cunningham is a great character, though- a perfect contrast to Elder Price, he acts as a Bumbling Sidekick at first, but his manic, comic energy gives him many of the best lines. Gad and the guy I saw on Broadway are pretty chubby (it definitely fits the character as a nerd), but the guy in Edmonton was average-sized, just with an unimpressive look (one of those nerdy-looking types with the fat trouty-lips thing going on). His songs are more "rock & roll" than Price's big Broadway-style numbers, especially Man Up! and Baptize Me's ending, though a couple are done in a fairly high-pitched nerdy voice for comedic purposes. It's a less-stressful signing role, but probably a harder acting one, as he's raw slapstick.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Nabalungi

Post by Jabroniville »

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NABALUNGI
Role:
The Ingenue, Female Lead
Group Affiliations: None
PL 0 (16), PL 2 (16) Saves
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Expertise (Survival) 2 (+1)
Expertise (Singing & Dancing) 9 (+12)
Persuasion 3 (+6)

Advantages:
None

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +0, Fortitude +1, Will +3

Complications:
Enemy (General Butt-F*cking Naked)- The evil General threatens to cut off the clitorises of every woman in Nabalungi's village- things are not safe for her.
Relationship (Elder Cunningham)- Arnold's motivating words send chills up Nabalungi's spine.
Responsibility (Mormon)- Baptized by Cunningham, Nabalungi is one of the loudest voices in the charge for conversion.
Motivation ("Sal Tlay Ka Siti")- Nabalungi dreams of this sparkling place in the land of "Ooh-tah", where the "Warlords are very gentle" and they "have vitamin injections by the case!" When she finds out she isn't REALLY going there, she is despondent and nearly gives up the religion.
Relationship (Father)- Nabalungi's father is very protective, and threatens to give his AIDS to any man who touches her.
Responsibility (Technologically-Disabled)- Her idea of "texting" people is to type on a typewriter she carries around.

Total: Abilities: 4 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (16)

-It's funny- in the "Making Of" book for the show, Josh Gad admits he didn't see the point of Nabalungi at first- she's just "The Ingenue", the innocent, wide-eyed young girl/love interest, and nothing more. But then he realized that she's fundamentally necessary for the entire plot to work- someone innocent enough to take the Mormons' words at face value, and emotional centre of the show- someone who can inspire pathos and joy, in order to justify everything else- if EVERY character was ultra-silly, the show would go "off the rails". She convinces the other villagers to listen to Arnold's words, is the first to be baptized, and attempts to lead them to a promised land. When she discovers that some of his words were lies, she breaks down and gives up everything. She sort of represents the entire village, and Africa itself, thematically- her life is garbage, but she hopefully, if desperately and naiively, longs for something more.

-Despite the humor taken in the jokes about her misunderstanding everything, the creators are careful to make her endearing and likeable. And while it seems like they're going with an Ugly American-style "HAH-HAH, look at how naive the Africans are!", only Nabalungi is really taken in- the others comprehend the nature that "Prophets often speak in METAPHOR!". Though naturally, that's not really what was happening at all.

-Nabalungi only gets a couple songs, one being hilarious (Baptize Me), and the other being a standard "I Want" song, that also lets the actress belt out to her pipes' content- Lopez even notes that "I wanted to write a Disney Princess song" (and later on in his career, he'd write MANY MORE). And as Arnold notes- she is a REALLY hot shade of black ("like a latte!").
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