#[ It took Adam to actually let me bring out the 'Actually Mad' Icon I made AGES ago. ]

[timelostobserver]

@originemesis - x

Azrael was silent, watching.. not even moving at this point. His face, unreadable. But anyone who knew God's 'Hitman' knew that it hid the bubbling, boiling inferno that rested underneath. After all, himself and several others were created with the intent to punish humanity for what it did.

And he was among one of the first done so. To bring an 'End' to life. Built, formed, made to destroy.

Even now, no one even dared to try and intervene. Were they confident Adam could handle himself, or were they scared to get in Death's way. After all.. Angels could die too.

And Azrael knew this.

. . .

Immortal...

Though while Adam flitted about, plucked his tunes in haphazard fashion, Azrael only made a slight motion. A flick of the wrist, but it unveiled a long staffed weapon that quickly whirled, rotated and clanged into place with a hiss of steam. It shone with angelic steel that had tasted the souls of countless beings. Human, Angel, Sinner, Demon alike.

Adam had been the first ever to have his soul reaped by this very blade.

He.. hated that word.

Immortal.

It was a one way ticket to getting him mad. A word that not even Michael dared utter in-front of the Angel of Death.

"Nothing is immortal." A click of gilded heels as Azrael made a very long stride, an all too smooth, and gliding stride toward Adam, the scythe held perfectly perpendicular to the ground. His tone was a complete and utter shift. It wasn't joking, or poking.. or trying to push the banter along. His form just barely held together and teetering on the raw shadow so many knew 'Death' to appear as and his usual 'form'.

It was beyond cold, barely audible as 'speech' and just on the verge of pure enochian. Like hearing a funeral organ's shrill cry.

"I think it's time I remind you of that." A statement, not a mere threat. If it took him tearing Adam's soul from his current form to remind him just exactly what he was taunting.

So be it.

[midnightmisadventures]

I just had this dream...i dont feel like writing it. But i cant get it out of my head.

I was in a completely fictional high school setting. But it was dystopian and general vibes reminded me of severance without the severance. The school felt very militant and controlled and like if you spoke out of turn something terrible would happen to you vibes. No evidence of that just a general vibe.  

But whatever, it was my typical dream senior year, and my 2nd period class was a math elective. Like it was only for one marking period blah blah blah. I go there and the only people from real life are (sort of) rkelly, and.....hg from csd. I was kinda talking to hg but basically i made friends with the “cool kids” and we were in the back of class. It was me, (sort of) rkelly, another jock guy, a sort of blonde friendly cool girl. Giving cd from highschool, and another black girl. 

So we’re all joking around waiting to be dismissed. The group is flirting, me and cd are becoming friends and talking about the boys. Then, jock boy kisses cd and then rkelly kisses her too. And im like omg “technically you all just made out with eachother, cause you all kissed” 

feeling a little left out but it was just hs sillyness. Cd makes a joke like....towards rkelly implying she wants a boyfriend and flirting and he rejects her immediately and is like “thats the exact opposite of what im looking for.” But i had starting feeling soft for rkelly and wanted him to like me and was a little sad when he said he didnt want a gf. 

I also remembered that rkelly was on my bus, lived in my neighborhood. And that was gonna be a way for me to get closer. Something about the kissing was ironic to something that happened on the bus this morning so i was gonna bring that up to flirt later. 

Somewhere along the line....rkelly turns into Adam scott. Like literally mark scout from severance. And im starstruck and kept wanting to be like “omg like ur an icon i grew up with you” but for some reason i wanted to call him Ben Stiller. Cause his name is ben in parks and rec and ben stiller created severance. It was weird. It was also at this point, that about 75% started realizing this is a dream....and probably a scary one at that. 

The cool kids and i, are waiting to be dismissed and its taking so long so all of the gang besides me leaves early to be rebels whatever. I took it upon myself to stay as sort of a lookout bc.....well i was nervous to disobey everything was strict and scary. 

The teacher gets mad. I call them back, whatever. 

So anyway, me and mark scout lol get closer. I never bring up that hes a celebrity and im pretty sure this is a dream. There were other scary and eerie things going on but also i tried to remind myselt im dreaming, it can’t actually hurt me, lets just play around with this cute romance. But also....i was like i dont feel like dealing with this i should just scream and leave. 

So i screamed and left....into another dream. I thought i was waking up but i wasnt. So i kept feeling narcoleptic and getting sucked back in. 

When we left for the day, im thinking we go on the bus but actually mark has this super sick rolls royce looking car. And im like “oh can you drive me home, we live rn to eachother”

The teacher came out she was basically ms cobel. And i thought i was gonna get in trouble for riding home with mark and not explicitly stating it beforehand. I also just thought it wasnt allowed and didnt want her to know my business. Luckily mark pulled away fast. 

So we’re being cute, he’s being cute. 

Another school day goes by. He waits for me at my locker 1:44. I’m having locker trauma but trying to remember ITS JUST A DREAM, you are basically choosing to be here lol who gives a fuck. Throw it all away, take it home, leave it here who cares you dont actually have homework. Anyway, i thought it was cute he waited for me and i didnt even have to ask him to drive me home. 

swipe for pt twoooooo

[robinrunsfiction]

A Long Way Home - Part 2

Part 1

Pairing: Gerard Way x Female Reader Rating: General Requested By: Anon Word Count: ~7900 total, about ~4450 in part 2 (minus the song lyrics used) Author’s Note: The song featured is Audience of One by Rise Against, it can be found in the playlist, here. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to the story!

As the tour rolled on, (YN) started to wonder if maybe there was a chance that the crazy commenters online were right about the possibility of her and Gerard being something.

It seemed like he always made time to see them perform now, and talked to her when he got the chance. It was never overtly flirtatious, but she couldn't help but wonder and hope that he was trying to get closer to her.

Unfortunately the tour had reached the halfway point and that meant saying goodbye to Taking Back Sunday. (YN) felt so thankful that she could now count Adam, John, Shawn and Mark among her friends.

Now Crystal Lake Cemetery had joined the tour and the overall vibe shifted. There had been such a welcoming camaraderie at first, but the new band didn't seem to want much to do with anyone else, returning to their own bus after their set was done. Rebecca and Jake took their lead, leaving Liam and (YN) to hang out with My Chem whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Now it was finally one of the rare days where there was enough time between shows to get a night in a hotel. Everyone appreciated the chance to get a decent shower and sleep in a real bed.

Everyone except (YN). She found herself on a couch in the hotel lobby after going out for dinner and drinks with Liam. He had started chatting with a guy, and ended up bringing him back to the hotel. All she could do now was wait for him to let her know it was ok to come back to the room and scroll through social media.

Up in his room, Gerard was doing the same when he noticed the square icon at the top of his phone. He smiled to himself when he saw that it was a notification that (YN) had updated her story.  He opened it up and saw it was a selfie of her pouting dramatically. With the caption "i havent been sexiled from a room since that semester i went to college 😫"

‘Where are you?’

The DM from Gerard surprised (YN), not only because he saw her post, but how quickly after posting it he responded.

‘Lobby. Liam brought a guy back, so I'm waiting for the all clear to go back up.’

‘Wanna hang out in my room?’

(YN) felt her heart rate shoot up. ‘Sure’ she replied as casually as she could with shaking fingers.

‘529′ he replied moments later and she jumped up, hurrying to the elevator. The ride up felt like it was moving painfully slow. She tried to keep her pace casual as she walked down the hall and smiled at Luke and Will, two of the members of Crystal Lake Cemetery who were talking in the doorway of the room across the hall, before knocking on Gerard's door.

“Hey,” he greeted her with a smile and she tried to keep from letting her knees go weak.

“Hey, thanks for inviting me up. I was getting kinda bored in the lobby,” she laughed as she walked in.

“Of course. Umm, wanna watch a movie?" Gerard asked as he made his way over to the couch.

"Sure, whatever's on," (YN) replied as she sat down next to him. She couldn’t help but wonder who designed the layout of the room with the couch not actually facing the tv as she found herself sitting sideways.

"Looks like The Martian is about to start, have you seen it?"

"Once when I was in a hotel room in Rochester, but I had taken so many cold meds that day, I'm pretty sure I thought I was a martian," she laughed. "I was so sick that tour. I hate when they schedule shows in the winter."

“I agree, those are always kinda miserable, seems like everything is always cold and wet. Oh, do you wanna stretch out?” He asked when he noticed how she was shifting uncomfortably.

“Sure,” she laughed a little nervously as she stretched her legs out over his lap. It wasn’t much later that her eyelids began to grow heavy and the next thing she knew, she was waking up as the end credits were playing, and her head was against Gerard's shoulder. Then she realized his arm was around her, his other hand on her shin, rubbing small circles, almost absentmindedly. "I guess I'm never gonna see this movie," she mumbled, feeling a little awkward.

"That's too bad, it was pretty good," Gerard laughed.

(YN) picked up her phone from where it had slid to the floor and saw that Liam still hadn't messaged her. "Damn dude," she muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, Liam still hasn't given me the all clear. I guess him and this guy really hit it off.”

"How are things with the other two? They never seem to be around much."

"Weird. I dunno, something is going on and no one is talking about it. Well no, they're talking about it, but not to us. Liam overheard Rebecca telling Jake that I’m selfish and I care more about the band as a concept than as four people making music together," she sighed. "And I do see it now that it's been pointed out."

Gerard shook his head. "I get it, I was the same way the first time round. I wanted everything to be the way I envisioned it in my head, I had that goal that I was working toward and that was all I was focused on. Though, for what it's worth, I think you're pretty great."

"Stop," she replied, covering her face with her hands to hide the fact that she was blushing.

"I'm not kidding," he said tugging at her wrists. When she looked up, he was smiling softly at her.

She shook her head. "Anyway, can I crash on your couch tonight? I'm not sure the staff would appreciate a rock star sleeping in the lobby."

"You take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch," Gerard replied.

"Gee, no, I'm the one who is invading your space!" She said getting up.

"I invited you," he replied, getting up as well.

"Share?" The word tumbled out of her mouth before she could even realize what she said.

Gerard looked a little caught off guard. “Oh, umm, yea-”

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to. Again, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“No, (YN), it’s fine,” he shook his head. “Please don’t worry, we can share.”

She nodded. “Ok, fine.”

~

The next morning she woke up and Gerard was still sleeping peacefully next to her. That was a sight she felt like she could really get used to and had to restrain herself from reaching out and brushing the hair from his face. He looked so peaceful and it warmed her heart. She rolled over and checked her almost dead phone, and found Liam had finally messaged her.

‘Ok, you can come back now’

‘Yooooooooooooo where are you i wanna talk to you come back’

‘For real text me back, i’m getting worried, if ur dead an its my fault im gonna be so mad at you’

She tried not to laugh out loud and wake Gerard. ‘I’m fine, found another room to crash in, we’ll talk soon 😁’

“Hey,” Gerard mumbled sleepily next to her.

“Hi. Thanks for letting me stay here last night,” she said as she rolled over and smiled at him.

“Anytime. I really like hanging out with you (YN).”

“Same. We should do it more often," she offered with a shrug.

"I'd love that," he replied softly.

"I should get going, Liam sent me about 100 texts," she said shaking her head. She got up and gathered the few things she had brought with her to Gerard's room. "Thanks again," she said. She didn't realize what she was doing when she held her arms out for a hug.

He smiled and got up and wrapped his arms around her. Her heart was pounding so hard she worried he would notice, but he was so warm and smelled good, she quickly forgot her worried.

Eventually she pulled back, and gave him a wave before heading out. When she opened the door, she noticed the door across the hall quickly close. She shook her head in confusion as she headed back to her room.

~

From that day on, things began to get strange. Garden of Woe's gear and wardrobe carts were moved into different rooms, their dinner orders were cancelled, and at a soundcheck Liam and Rebecca both found their instruments wildly out of tune, despite the guitar tech claiming he had tuned them before any of the bands came in.

“It feels like someone is fucking with us,” Liam said shaking his head as he and (YN) hung out with My Chem’s in their dressing room.

“The only thing that’s different is Crystal Lake Cemetery is here now,” Mikey said cautiously.

“Why would they be messing with us though? Are they hazing us?” (YN) asked. “I’ve never experienced anything like this, and we aren’t close enough to them for this to be okay.”

“I’m gonna have the tour manager talk to them, it’s not right that this is happening to you,” Gerard said from his spot next to (YN).

“Thanks,” (YN) smiled up at him appreciatively.

“Of course,” he replied looking back at her fondly. They were again oblivious to the looks being exchanged by their friends around them.

The talk must have worked, as nothing further was done to mess with the bands stuff, but what (YN) didn’t know was how the rumor mill was now working overtime.

~

“I can’t deal with this, I fucking can’t deal with this. Fuck this, fuck you, I can’t believe it,” (YN) snapped before rushing out of the dressing room. Tears stung at her eyes, blurring her vision so she couldn’t see who she ran into. "Fuck, sorry."

“Woah, (YN) what’s wrong?” She heard Gerard ask. She just shook her head in response and looked up at the ceiling, trying in vain to keep the tears in place. She felt Gerard taking her arm and leading her into another dressing room for privacy. But as soon as the door was shut behind them, she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"It's over, it's all over," (YN) sobbed.

"What is? What's going on?" Gerard asked, concerned, rubbing her arms.

"Rebecca and Jake are leaving the band at the end of the tour."

"What?! Why?"

"They're gonna go have a kid and be a family and leave us behind," she wailed, the tears coming harder again. Gerard pulled her in tight and let her cry on his shoulder.

(YN) had no sense of how long she had been crying when she finally felt herself calming down and her tears slowing. "I'm so so sorry. You don't need to be bothered by my stupid problems. You're like the most important person here and I'm nobody. I’m nobody with no band anymore," (YN) said pulling back and wiping her eyes. She was thankful she hadn't put on her stage makeup yet, or his olive jacket would have been ruined.

Gerard shook his head, his eyes soft and full of sadness for her. "No, you’re important to me. And yea your band is gonna change, but you’re so talented, so is Liam, you're gonna do amazing things.”

“You think?” she asked looking up at him and he nodded. “Thank you for helping me calm down.”

“Anytime.”

She realized his hands had settled on her waist, and she looked back up at him as she clung to his jacket, to find he was still smiling down at her softly. This was the dream for her. Well, not the part where she found out half her band was leaving, but being held by Gerard Way while on tour together. The fan fic was practically writing itself in her mind until she felt her phone vibrating in her back pocket.

“Ugh, I gotta go deal with this,” she replied when she saw the text messages rolling in from Clark in all capital letters with many expletives and exclamation marks.

~

Garden of Woe's show that night was not their best, but no one spoke of it, mainly due to none of the band members speaking to each other at all. The bus ride to the next town was silent and when they arrived, Liam and (YN) found a private place to talk about the situation alone.

"I can learn drums, and play and sing like Don Henley. Or we could call Dallon and Ryan and see if they wanna form a supergroup? I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND Garden of Woe?" (YN) suggested.

"Genius," Liam laughed. "But (YN), we're gonna be fine. We'll figure this out as we go along. Well take a break and maybe they'll even change their minds."

"Jake maybe, but I doubt Rebecca will. She's been on edge for a long time, I just don't know if this life was ever for her. Maybe she's doing exactly what she needs to."

"What was it she called you?" Liam smirked.

"Scene whore," (YN) laughed darkly as she shook her head.

"Yea, that was something else.”

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I got my call with my therapist in five minutes."

"You doing ok?" Liam asked, concern crossing his face.

"This whole situation just reminded me a lot of what my mom did. Bailing on us to form a new family and all that."

Liam nodded thoughtfully, remembering how betrayed (YN) had felt when her mom left. "I get it," he replied as (YN) got up. "But hey."

"What?" (YN) stopped in her tracks.

"Remember what got you through back then?"

A smile fought its way across (YN)'s face. "Listening to hours and hours of My Chemical Romance?" Liam shrugged with a smug smile. "I'll give it a shot," (YN) laughed.

That night as she stood off stage (YN) felt like she was going to puke. The crowd was already so loud and the lights hadn’t even gone down yet.

“Ready?” Liam asked.

“Not at all,” she shook her head. “But fuck it, let’s go.”

The duo walked out on stage, where two stools and microphones were set up, a spotlight shining down. “What’s up California?!” (YN) shouted and the crowd cheered. “We are half of Garden of Woe, unfortunately Rebecca and Jake are both feeling under the weather tonight, so we’re gonna do a short acoustic set for you and then Crystal Lake Cemetery is gonna be out here to do an extra long set to get you hyped up for My Chemical Romance!”

The crowd cheered, albeit less enthusiastically than before. (YN) felt like shit lying to the audience like that, but Rebecca and Jake couldn’t be convinced to come off the bus, and it was either they do a modified set, or give up their time on stage altogether. The duo started with a couple of their best songs that sounded good while being played acoustically.

“Ok, we have one more song for you, it’s a cover of a song that means a lot to me by Rise Against. It’s called Audience of One. Thanks again guys you’ve been amazing,” (YN) said and Liam started playing. (YN) knew that it would take a miracle to make it through the song without breaking down.

I can still remember The words and what they meant As we etched them with our fingers In years of wet cement The days blurred into each other Though everything seemed clear We cruised along at half speed But then we shifted gears We ran like vampires from a thousand burning suns But even then we should have stayed But we ran away Now all my friends are gone Maybe we've outgrown all the things that we once loved Runaway But what are we running from? A show of hands from those in this audience of one Where have they gone? Identities assume us As nine and five add up Synchronizing watches To the seconds that we lost I looked up and saw you I know that you saw me We froze but for a moment In empathy I brought down the sky for you but all you did was shrug You gave my emptiness a name Then you ran away And now all my friends are gone Maybe we've outgrown all the things that we once loved Runaway But what are we running from? A show of hands from those in this audience of one Where have they gone? We're all okay, until the day we're not The surface shines, while the inside rots We raced the sunset and we almost won We slammed the brakes, but the wheels went on We ran away And now all my friends are gone Maybe we've outgrown all the things that we once loved Runaway But what are we running from? A show of hands from those in this audience of one Where have they gone?

The tears streamed down (YN)’s face as she finished singing. She didn’t know if the crowd could see it or not, and she didn’t know if she cared either way. She waved with Liam at the crowd and retreated off the stage. As soon as they were out of sight, he wrapped her in a tight hug and she cried against his shoulder.

After calming down and washing her face, (YN) and Liam went out to the merch booth to sign for fans but not many turned up. As they headed back through the corridors of the venue, they spotted Clark heading toward them.

"If it isn't my favorite PR nightmare," Clark said, annoyance clear in his voice.

(YN) and Liam looked at each other. “Oooh, Liam’s in trouble,” (YN) sing-songed with a smirk.

“Not him.”

"Wait what did I do?" (YN) asked, eyes going wide, as Liam snickered.

“In here,” Clark said, nodding toward the dressing room door, shutting it behind them. "When did you start hooking up with Gerard?"

"What?! We haven't done anything, where did you hear that?!"

"Apparently just about everyone else on the tour is talking about it. They’re saying you've spent  nights with him, you’ve been spotted ducking into abandoned dressing rooms with him."

"Well yea, I mean I stayed over in his room when Liam was hooking up with that guy in Texas, but we just hung out! And the dressing room thing, I don't even know when that would be other than that time I ran into him and he was comforting me when I was upset about Rebecca and Jake. Who would make something out of nothing?"

“People love starting rumors, especially about big names,” Clark shrugged. "If this gets out of just this bubble, people are gonna think-"

"Yea, yea, I know what people are gonna think," (YN) waved him off.

"We have enough problems coming up at the end of this tour, can you at least make sure this isn’t one of them?" Clark sighed before leaving the room.

Liam let out a long sigh as well. "I'm sure he's making a big deal outta nothing, don't you think?"

(YN) didn't answer, she had her head in her hands, staring at the floor. "What if Gerard thinks I started those rumors? What if he never wants to hang out with me ever again because he thinks I read too much into when we've hung out and think there's more to our friendship than there is? Now even if we ever had a chance at something more, it's ruined."

~

The last few nights of the tour dragged by, but they were finally back in LA for the final four shows at the Forum. The bands were given the option of staying in a hotel near  the venue, but (YN) just wanted to go home. She was tired of going out of her way to avoid everyone, especially Gerard, and she wanted some peace and quiet, even if it meant dealing with traffic.

(YN) unlocked the door to her apartment and walked in, dumping her luggage just inside the door. She breathed in the stale air that filled the apartment from being closed up for two months. She felt like she was going to be taking on the world when she left, and now she was home feeling utterly defeated.

She wandered over into the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was filled with nothing but condiments that were very possibly expired. She checked the pantry and found a stash of canned soup and spaghettios. She got a pot of spaghettios heated up before moving on to her laundry.

As she threw her clothes into the washer, she wondered what she’d wear to the show tonight. Did it matter? These were the last four shows that the band would be performing together and she had to pretend like everything was fine. Should she really live it up, or give up? (YN) trudged back to her kitchen and started eating her half warm lunch straight out of the pot. Was this what her life was about to become? Miserable and alone?

That night when she arrived at the venue she hid in the dressing room until sound check. She continued to avoid everyone except Liam until the show started. After, she went to sign for the fans and for the first time she didn’t hurry back to see My Chemical Romance play. Her heart broke as she heard the first notes. She wondered if Gerard noticed she wasn't there. She wondered if he was glad she wasn't bothering him anymore.

As she laid in her bed the morning of the last show, staring up at the ceiling, she couldn’t help the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She had barely slept the last few nights, her mind racing, and she felt like shit. She dragged herself out of bed and down to the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee and staring at her still bare pantry, the last can of spaghettios staring back at her. She sighed, the feeling of defeat over everything hitting her harder than it had yet.

Her doorbell ringing made her jump, pulling her from her thoughts. For a second she considered not answering. But when it rang again she decided to check who was interrupting her self-pity fest.

"Gerard? What the hell are you doing here?" She asked when she opened the door. "And how do you know where I live?"

"Liam told me.”

"Has he told you my blood type and social security number as well?" She sneered, but held the door open for him to come in.

"I was worried about you, (YN)," he said softly, his eyes filled with worry.

"Gee," she started running her hands through her hair frustratedly. "How could you possibly care about me? I am useless damaged goods! I'm barely functional! I've been eating spaghettios for the last four days because I can't bring myself to go to the store. My band is about to break up, and meanwhile people think I fucked my way onto the tour of a lifetime. Everything is," her voice started to crack as she sank down on the couch. “This was supposed to be the best thing ever, and it was at first, but now it’s ruined and you should hate me.”

“Why?” He asked as he sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“Don’t you think I started those rumors about us?” She looked up at him.

“No!” he replied. “God no, I know you better than that (YN). And I know those assholes from Crystal Lake Cemetery. Now I wish we never had to bring them along on this tour because it meant that I’ve had to spend time away from you these last few days.”

(YN) was dumbfounded. “Do, do you mean that?”

Gerard nodded. “Mikey told me like the second day of tour just to ask you out, but I didn’t think I’d have a chance in hell with you. And then I got to know you even better and I, I knew I was falling for you, but I still don’t believe you could feel the same way about me.”

“How could I not?” She asked, astonished.

“Because you’re this amazing up and coming star, you’re beautiful, and funny and could get any guy you could possibly want and I’m older than you, I got an ex that everyone knows and still brings up and a kid. Because I got this grey hair, and I look like this,” he said gesturing to his body as he looked down forlornly.

“Gerard, stop it,” (YN) snapped. “I will not tolerate you being so mean to someone I love.”

His head shot up, eyes wide. "(YN), do you mean that? Do you really want me?"

"More than you could ever know," she whispered, not breaking eye contact.

Gerard leaned in and kissed (YN) hard. She immediately responded by grabbing his jacket to pull him closer before reaching up to run her hand through his hair. His hands were on his waist as he leaned into her. She took the lead, pulling him back so he was laying over her on the couch. He deepened the kiss as she let him move his tongue against hers.

When they came up for air, Gerard brushed the hair out of her eyes and she laughed lightly. “I missed that sound,” he said quietly. “God, I love you (YN). Fuck what anyone says, I wanna be with you, if you’ll have me.”

“I thought that kiss made it pretty clear I do,” she laughed softly again and he blushed. “Because I love you too, everything about you.”

He leaned in and kissed her again. “Would you like to go get lunch before we gotta be at the venue?” He asked when he pulled back.

“I would love nothing more than to not eat another can of spaghettios and get lunch with you,” she laughed.

They grabbed lunch at one of Gerard’s favorite spots, finding a secluded corner where they could talk away from any fans who might just happen to stop in. (YN) had been spending so much time with Gerard before Clark told her about the rumors that she felt like they had so much to catch up on after just a few days apart.

“So how was this for a first date?” Gerard asked after they finished eating.

“Perfect,” (YN) nodded contentedly. Gerard was looking at her with a soft smile on his face. “What?” she laughed.

“I’m just really happy,” he said, taking her hand.

“For the first time in quite a while, I am too,” she agreed.

When Liam saw Gerard and (YN) walking into the venue together, he sighed in relief. “Hey guys,” he said tentatively. “Everything good?”

(YN) nodded. “Yea, we got it all sorted out,” she said glancing up at Gerard, who was smiling back at her.

“Good because tonight should be the best show of the tour, and I could not put up with any more of your moping (YN),” Liam laughed.

“Thank you for your support in my time of need,” (YN) rolled her eyes.

“Gerard, there you are, you’re on for soundcheck,” the very tired look tour manager called from down the hall.

“I’ll see you later,” he said leaning in and gave (YN) a quick kiss before heading down the hall.

“So when you said sorted out,” Liam started.

“We’re together,” she blushed.

“My god, your 16 year old self must be dying right now,” Liam laughed.

“Stop,” (YN) shook her head before heading back to their dressing room.

When Garden of Woe took the stage for the last time, everyone played well, and the crowd was going crazy, but (YN) was struggling to act as if nothing was wrong. Her heart felt heavy until she glanced to the side of the stage and saw Gerard leaning against a crate, giving her a nod and a smile, reminding her that everything would be okay.

“Are you ok?” Gerard asked, wrapping her in a hug after the band took their last bow.

“Yep. Things change, but I think everything has ended up exactly where it needs to be,” she nodded before leaning in to kiss him again.

[winteriron-trash]

Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliment Sandwich

So I just saw S:FFF and I have... feelings. But since I’ve been really critical of the MCU lately despite claiming to be a big Marvel fan, I thought I should be nice and give the movie a nice compliment sandwich to prove that I still like Marvel. 

Good: The intro scene with the really crappy slideshow clearly made by an incompetent teenager was on point to teenage editing capability and fucking hilarious. It did a good job of setting the tone of the movie after the Dark and Serious intro with Fury and Hill

Good: Calling the Snap, “the Blip” is fucking hilarious and I love how meme-ish everyone is with it, which is probably the most realistic thing about this movie

Good: Peter’s suitcase with the “BFP” initials were a great subtle shout out, I liked that.

Bad: I think the other guy who had a crush on MJ kinda added nothing to the plot and did nothing for the conflict of Peter’s relationship with MJ. He just really seemed pointless and salty and his addition was only an annoying attempt at drama.

Bad: Oh. My. God. Can we like, not milk Tony Stark? I’m a #1 Tony Stark stan, but I feel like when your runtime loses at least fifteen minutes when you cut out every reference to him, there’s a problem. We make jokes about Spider-Man movies just being Iron Man movies, but this literally felt like Iron Man 6. Stop, and let the MCU move on.

Bad: I get that Mysterio was obviously going to be the villain the whole time, we been knew about that, but did the reveal have to be so cheap? Like, you had that cliche ass fade away of the scene, and Mysterio even had that awful Cliche Evil Villian Smile. Could you not have done it better? Like, we all knew Bucky was the WS, but the reveal was still shocking because it was shocking to the characters. This was just stupid.

Bad: And speaking of Mysterio, why the fuck would you get rid of his powers, just to give another cheap tie into Tony? It made no sense and you managed to ruin a great Spider-Man villain by making him an obsessive smart guy.

Bad: You teased the multiverse, and you didn’t follow through? Leave me alone with that nonsense. What could’ve been the coolest plot device of the whole movie was thrown away as a “wild idea”. Fuck that nonsense.

Bad: No, I’m not done about Mysterio. Why did you kill him off? That just didn’t even feel right at all, I hate it.

Bad: Where. The. Fuck. Were. The. Avengers. Why is Doctor Strange unavailable? Where’s Sam? Bucky? Wanda, even?What the fuck.

Bad: If the elemental villains were just illusions, how was Peter able to interact with the one by touching it and grabbing onto it, but the other he just entered? Maybe I missed something but seems fishy. 

Bad: Still not done with Mysterio. He was a bad villain and just a copy of so many villains we’ve seen before in the MCU. It was like you took everything that made Vulture interesting and just ran with what was left. He was an unstable psychopath with access to some dangerous tech and a cult of followers. We’ve heard this story before.

Bad: No seriously, where the fuck were the Avengers

Bad: I feel like Peter figured out what was going on way too easily? Like, he saw that it was just a projection and then everything was put together? Idk, that felt really fast and cheap

Bad: So many of the cool scenes from the trailer were just... not there and I feel cheated. The most iconic, Sider-Man feeling lines of the trailer were cut and honestly Marvel, this is getting stupid. A few seconds that end up getting cut is fine, but half of your trailer wasn’t in the movie. What’s the point of even having a trailer?

The end credits scene. No. Having Spider-Man being seen as a villain to the public is nothing new and fine if we want to believe that, but revealing his identity? No. I hate it. It doesn’t make sense to the story of Spider-Man and is now a loose thread we won’t find out the repercussions of for at least a few movies, all just for the shock value. 

Bad: Why did the “Peter tingle” only work at certain points? It was never really explained what brought it back and felt kinda stupid as a way for Peter to win the final boss battle super easily.

Bad: What. The. Fuck. Was with the other end credit scene? Why are the Skrulls back? Are we to assume that Fury and Hill were never even on Earth throughout the whole thing? Fucking why? Why was he on a spaceship with Skrulls? It’s not suspense, it just flat out doesn’t make sense. Fury wasn’t even Fury, so how did he know things like Happy’s “code”? It makes no sense.

Bad/Good/Confusing?: Okay, is Peter the next Iron Man or is he not? The movie couldn’t really seem to decide on that. It kept insisting Peter wasn’t and he was his own thing as Spider-Man, but then literally everything else was screaming that he was and I just can’t tell what they were doing with that. We don’t need a “next Iron Man” and yet the movie seemed to want to shove the idea down our throats. I like that Peter was adamant that he wasn’t the next Iron Man because he shouldn’t be, but at the same time, the movie seemed to contradict that idea? I’m really lost on that whole deal.

Good: Okay, “Peter tingle” is funny, I’ll admit that

Good: MJ was fucking amazing and I love her. Her finding out Peter is Spider-Man was so refreshing from the secret identity trope, and she did have the cool moment with the flail taking out the drone. She’s just a really great character and I liked her a lot.

Good: I love Ned. That’s all.

Good: Flash was annoying but in a good way? Like, I thought he was over the top in Homecoming, but he was actually kinda amusing and seemed like a realistic character in this movie. 

Good: Ned and Betty were cute together, and I’m actually not mad at how they had them break up but remain on good terms. It felt like an accurate depiction of high school relationships versus the typical dramatic shit we usually see in movies. They were just really cute and I hope to see more of Betty in future movies. 

Good: The fight scenes with the illusions, especially at the end where Peter relies completely on Spider Sense were really fucking cool. That whole visual was trippy and I loved it. 

Good: Okay, the scene where Peter has to take his clothes off for the lady agent and Brad walks in was kinda funny and I’m sad the lady agent was never to be seen again. I want her back. 

Good: Fine, I’ll admit it, J. Jonah Jameson at the end credits scene was hilarious and it was exciting to see him made into an established character to bring the Spider-Man movies back to their roots. 

Good: Whilst I hate the constant Tony Stark reference, the scene where Peter is building his new suit with all the holograms and Happy puts on AC/DC was probably the best tribute to Tony. It didn’t feel shoved down our throats and it didn’t make it seem like Peter was the new Iron Man, but it still was a cool way of showing how Peter is following in Tony’s footsteps and still his protegee. It just felt really awesome.

Good: Overall, it did feel like a good, cohesive Spider-Man movie. It succeeded where past Spider-Man movies have failed and was an enjoyable movie that was still lighthearted enough to be funny and easy to watch. Even if it does nothing to even try to fit into the MCU and manages to both ignore Endgame and try to explain Endgame at the same time, as a Spider-Man movie, it succeeded in my opinion. For as much criticism as I have, I didn’t leave the theatre feeling cheated or angry at it. I can nitpick things as they relate to the MCU, but as a movie itself, I don’t think I have much to complain about, really.  

See? I tried to be fair, this time. This is just mostly me rambling to get my thoughts out. I’m still ignoring most MCU movies post-Winter Soldier, but I’m trying to be nice this time and not completely hateful.

Also, to prove to yall how small and ignored the theatre I go to is, here’s the packed house for the brand new MCU movie. 

Wow. Don’t know how we even found a seat in this chaos. 

[winnipegpatty]

leave (get out) finale | s.m. one-shot

Mega Pop Icon Shawn Mendes was recently spotted out on the Toronto club scene. He was seen propped up against friend and former One Direction member, Niall Horan. Mendes didn’t appear to be doing too well for himself, as he stumbled gracelessly down the street with bloodshot eyes and his signature rosy cheeks. Horan, the usual chipper Irishman, didn’t appear much better off.

Mendes hasn’t been seen with long time speculated girlfriend, Y/N Y/L/N, in weeks, sparking rumor that the flame may have finally died out. Mendes had always been adamant that they were just good friends, but fans never really bought the line.

If Shawn’s latest tweet is anything to go off, it’s not looking too good for him.

Well, he may be lonely, but if Shawn Mendes is finally single again, we can hear the teen screams from here.

shawnonly1998: you mean to tell me someone broke Shawn’s heart? Fists are going to fly.

mendesarmyupdates: Rumors are circulating of Shawn and Y/N Y/L/N’s break up, despite their relationship being only speculation in the first place.

___

It had been three days. Three days and Shawn was falling apart. He couldn’t eat. Couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t write, or sing, or even pick up his guitar. He couldn’t live without Y/N. He couldn’t breathe. That’s what it was. That’s what it felt like. Like his lungs were slowly collapsing in on themselves. Like he had to gasp for breath every moment. Each extra moment alive, a silent fight. Or maybe he felt like he was drowning. Like his lungs were actually filling with water, impeding him from breathing, from calling out to Y/N. Stopping him from fighting for her, for them. Stopping him from just explaining the simple truth.

He wasn’t sure what the feeling was exactly. He just knew he couldn’t live like this. Couldn’t live without her.

24 text messages, 13 phone calls, 5 FaceTime calls, and 3 unanswered knocks at her door.

What was he supposed to do, other than what he was about to do. It was a last resort. That’s what she’d pushed him too. Shawn knew she wasn’t at home, the three newspapers at her door told him so. Because yes, she was one of the last people on this god forsaken planet to get newspapers. But Shawn knew her. Knew her like the back of his hand, and he’d go to his grave knowing and memorizing and burning every detail about her into his mind. Because he was crazy for Y/N. And he couldn’t live without her.

Despite being gone frequently, she was all he ever thought about. All he cared about. All that mattered to him. He’d once told an interviewer that he was too in love with his career to focus on anything else. That one day, he’d hoped that he would meet someone who pulled his attention away. Who’d be all he could focus on, because that’s what love should be like. And Y/N did just that. She was it for him. No one else. No one.

Not Camilla. Not the Hungarian bartender, whose name he couldn’t even remember.  And most certainly not Hailey fucking Baldwin.

It was just her. That’s how it had been since the day he met her almost three years ago. He hadn’t been able to see anyone in the room but her. She’d captured his heart and completely taken over his life. He dove in head first and never regretted it for a moment. There wasn’t a single night on tour where he’d wished he’d been single so he could get a fuck. There was never a moment in an interview when he’d wished he could just have easy answers for everything. There wasn’t a swooning fan who could change his heart for Y/N. No fight that could ever change his mind about his decision to choose her. There was no one he would rather have on his arm at an event.

No one he would have rather gone to the Met Gala with.

But that was in the past.

Now, Shawn was in the present. Alone. Living with his fuck ups, and just praying he wasn’t too late. That he hadn’t messed up too much this time.

He stood at the door of Y/N’s mother’s house, just shy of an hour outside of LA. Shawn knew she was here. Knew this was her go to get away. Her place to hide from madness. Shawn knew because he knew her. He knew that she’d be tucked away in her old childhood bedroom under lavender sheets and a black comforter. He knew that her mom would have made her ginger snap cookies the second she came home, knowing something was wrong. He knew all these things because they were important details that came together uniquely to make Y/N.

Shawn knocked on the pristine white door with a shaky hand, not really having a plan to get in the door. He was mostly banking on pity.

After a second knock, the door swung open revealing Y/N’s mother, an unpleasant expression clouding her face. “What can I do for you, Shawn?” she asked stiffly.

“Is she here?” Shawn whispered, not even recognizing his own voice. And when it looked like he might be shut down immediately he begged, “Please, please. I need to see her.”

“She doesn’t want to see you, Shawn.”

All of the unopened texts and missed calls told him as much, but frankly Shawn was past the point of caring. Because the truth was, he was selfish. He needed her for the most basic of human functions. That was his own fault for allowing himself to depend on her, even from a distance. She’d facetime him every night so he could sleep. And if he called, she’d answer. Never once had she not been there for him during an anxiety attack. He hadn’t been alone with his anxiety for almost three years. He didn’t even know what to do without her. There wasn’t life after her, without her. That wasn’t living, not to Shawn.

“Please, I..., you have to know it’s all a misunderstanding. You know me. You know how much I love her. Help me.”

“Shawn, I have to help my daughter.” Y/N’s mom’s tough exterior began to crack as she looked on at the broken boy in front of her. But it was simply out of her control.

Shawn honestly didn’t know if he’d ever felt this distraught before, feeling like his final shot was slipping through his fingers with nothing he could do about it.

Y/N walked towards the front door from the back of the room, “Mom, who’s at the…” she quickly trailed off when she saw Shawn. He could hear the way her breath caught at sight of him, but seconds later her face was expressionless. “You look as shitty as you did in the papers.”

Her mom had taken a few steps back as Y/N approached slowly. Shawn swallowed under her intense gaze. She made some sort of eye contact with her mom that Shawn didn’t really understand, but it resulted in her mom walking away, taking him in with unsure eyes.

“What do you want, Shawn?” She asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Shawn couldn’t tell if the annoyance was true or just a front for emotions similar to the ones he was feeling.

“To talk about the truth.” Shawn begged.

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Please Shawn, don’t make this harder than it already is.”

Shawn groaned out of frustration, “If you’d just let me explain, nothing would be like this in the first place!”

Through gritted teeth she seethed, “Thoughts you should have had before you didn’t explain it to me when it happened.”

“God, Y/N, shut up!” Shawn fumed.

Her eyes blew wide, clearly not expecting Shawn to yell at her. She slowly stepped through the door, to meet Shawn on the other side of the frame, closing the door behind her. She was caging in their conversation, forcing them to stay outside, rather than inviting him in. It told him she intended to be brief. It made it less intimate, detached.

“You have two minutes. And no more, before I drop your ass and forget about the last two and a half years of my life with you.” It was then that Shawn knew with absolute certainty that the annoyance wasn’t real but was in fact walls. Walls shooting up from the ground, trying to protect Y/N from catastrophic damage. It was her, slowly switching off emotions. Colorful memories full of love, happiness, joy, excitement, dimming to nothing but black. It was her forcing herself to forget what she loved about him, just so she could survive in the days to come without him.

“Well first, you have to know that I never wanted to go to the gala with her in the first place. She contacted Andrew about bringing me with her as her plus one. And Andrew thought it would be a good outing since I hadn’t really been seen with anyone recently.”

Y/N scoffed and rolled her eyes at that.

“Anyway, Hailey reached out to me personally after I told Andrew I didn’t want to do it. She said she’d been with Justin previously but in most recent Justin Bieber fuck up move, he’d broke it off with her. And she told me, well really asked me...if I’d go with her to hopefully get a rise out of him. I didn’t really want to do it, but Hailey and I have been friends for a couple of years now. You know that,” Shawn looked at her desperately. “And I just figured that you wouldn’t really care because you’ve never cared before if I go out with someone for the cameras. You’ve always known it was just you.” Shawn sighed, “Or I mean, I thought you knew. I never thought I gave you a reason to believe anything else.” He tugged at the back of his hair, “But then Justin put out that song and took a fucking stab at me...and it pissed me off. It wasn’t even real, but it made me so angry, Y/N. That he thought he was better than me...that he was more worth someone’s time than me. He’s an asshole, eh? And so when Rolling Stones asked about it...I lied. I lied and I said it was something that it completely wasn’t, just to try and cut a little deeper into Justin’s wounds. Which was wrong and childish, but that’s what I did. And I,” Shawn paused before finally whispering, “I don’t know why I didn’t tell you that.”

Y/N stood staring at him while he stared back, walls still firmly in place.

They stood there, staring, in silence. Neither one budging, neither one moving.

“Please believe me,” Shawn finally whispered almost inaudible. He blindly reached towards Y/N, tangling his hands in her hair, a source of comfort for him. And she let him. She actually let him. She didn’t pull away or flinch. She just stood there, accepting his touch.

“Please,” he choked out. “I can’t…” He was about to start crying. He could feel the prickling sensation in his eyes, “I can’t live without you, Y/N.”

He gently tugged her closer to his body, until her head came flush with his chest. She was a good six inches shorter than him, and it was the perfect size for him. She stuttered out a broken breath, but otherwise remained unmoving and silent.

“Do ya?” Shawn whispered quietly, “Do you think about me?” Shawn felt Y/N straight underneath him. “And, do ya?” His whisper turning into a soft careening sweet sound in her ears, “Do you feel the same way, babe? And do ya?” His voice cracked. “Do you remember how it felt? Cus I do….” Shawn felt the first tear run down his face and land somewhere below his chin, “So listen to me baby.”

He wrote the song years ago, one of the first songs he’d ever wrote for Y/N. When she’d completely stolen his heart, but he was waiting out in this weird limbo phase not sure how she felt. It was a scary moment when he’d realized he might just have fallen in love with someone who could have not cared for him at all. And releasing the song had him shitting bricks, but he’d eventually been able to tell her. To ask her, “Do I ever cross your mind?”

In his arms, now, Y/N began shaking, and Shawn felt the walls tumbling to the ground almost as if they were physically there collecting at his feet.

She looked up at him, looking completely broken and yet whole at the same time. “Don’t cry...or do. Whatever makes you comfortable. I’m tired too, there’s nothing left to say. Let’s call a truce.”

Shawn almost laughed, almost. It was more a breathy cough. And something rumbled around in his chest, making himself feel a little bit more free.

“Don’t ever do it again, Shawn.” She finally said all goofing aside, all romantic lyric professing truces and declarations gone. Left only, was the hard truth. That this had been his last chance. He can’t mess it up again or she’d be gone forever.

Shawn only nodded, before dipping low to kiss her lips softly, murmuring sweet ‘I love you’s’ to her. And ‘it’s only you, always been you.’ And ‘no one else for me, baby.’ Everything he could possibly think of to make her understand just how fucking stupid he knew he’d been to possibly ruin it.

“Just don’t make me leave,” Shawn finally said.

“Never wanted you to, anyway,” she finally mumbled into his chest.

tagging: @fourtristattoos @rosecth @peacedolantwins2 @darkwolfpeanutskeleton @unhealthyobsessionwithmarvel @baefrombombay @sinceweremutual @justjustyncase @atlas-of-a-human-soul @matchamendes @ourlittleshawnie @mutuallynotmutual

[skiinggray5-blog]

Rent Live Recap: A Stellar Show Despite Injuries and Pre-Taped Controversy

Rent is one of the most beloved musicals of all time. For us -- TV Guide writers Megan Vick and Lindsay MacDonald -- the 2005 movie was our intro to loving musical theater. We then sought out live theater productions and began a more than decade long love affair with the world of Broadway (we also get why people hate the Rent movie, but that's another story).

So, when Fox announced that Rent would be on its live musical event agenda, we were both excited and terrified that this piece of art could become Twitter fodder instead of a celebration of the show. The casting didn't do much to alleviate those fears with quite a few wildcards in the mix. It wasn't until we saw the dress rehearsal on Saturday, Jan. 26 that we saw what an impressive job Fox, this cast and crew had managed to pull off.

The dress rehearsal was also where star Brennin Hunt rolled his ankle during the final commercial break, forcing production to try and make their way through the closing numbers with Roger remaining stationary on the apartment table. That dress rehearsal ended up being most of what fans saw watching from home on Sunday, so the roadcast wasn't really live, except for the last act where the Fox folks were ultimately joined by the original cast of Rent to close out the show. We, as two die-hard Rentheads, recapped the show below.

We'll Pay Next Year's Rent with Jordan Fisher's Star Power

Lindsay: I appreciate everything that Jordan Fisher does and have since I covered his season of Dancing with the Stars. He can sing. He can dance. He's adorable. Let's put him in everything.

Megan: I heard a rumor that Ben Platt was offered the role of Mark in this production and to be honest, I kind of held it against Jordan that he wasn't Ben. That was a mistake, and I am making a formal apology right now. This kid is going places. Additionally, I'd like to say that I've never been very invested in production design Emmy awards, but if Rent does not win for this immaculate setup, it will be a travesty. This set is SO freakin' cool.

Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now!

Hark the Herald Angel... Dances Really Well!

Megan: Okay, the part of Angel requires so much and in 2019 you can't just ask anyone to put on a great outfit and wig and call it a day. I think that Valentina has the right spirit for Angel -- sweet and sassy. I mean, those dance moves are killer and I feel like she's the guardian this group has been looking for. However, vocally...

Lindsay: Vocally she's just not as strong as we'd all hoped. It's hard to out-sing a live audience who knows all the words and is singing along with you, so I can excuse most of it on a combination of nerves and noise. You're right, though, that the spirit of the character (and hell yes, those dance moves) are technically speaking more important to the show than Angel's vocals, so at least Valentina's got that in her corner. Just stand by for, "I'll Cover You."

Tango Maureen Felt More Like a Waltz

Lindsay: You know who did not disappoint here? Jordan Fisher. While Brennin gets my love for recreating a Roger-clone worthy of the original Broadway show, Jordan Fisher has stolen my heart with this totally new and unique version of Mark. His Mark is more whimsical and playful thanks to Jordan's natural charisma, and that charming little grin of his saved a number that would have otherwise been kind of a "meh."

Megan: Jordan is the MVP of this production I think, but there's someone who didn't hold up their end here. I love Kiersey Clemons. She sang her heart out in one of my favorite movies last year, Hearts Beat Loud, but this felt shockingly off-kilter. The thing about Joanne is that she's a powerhouse voice. If she's taking charge of Mark in this scene then she needed to own it, but it felt like she got overcome with nerves. She can do better, I know she can.

Rent Live Actor Brennin Hunt Injured During Rehearsal

Tinashe Can Take Us Out Anytime

Megan: Girl. GIRL! "Out Tonight" is my favorite song in the whole show and it is so much more challenging than people think. You have to have a serious range to hit those high notes and dance like Mimi does. Many have tried and failed to pull this number off, but Tinashe showed that she has some real star power here. It was so amazing in person, but the sound mixing during the broadcast made her sound a little off. This was the moment where she turned me into a fan, though.

Lindsay: Was it sound mixing or just her dancing too hard? I agree that the song is super difficult and she danced her ass off, so I'm willing to forgive a few vocal missteps.

Megan: Fine, but then she kills it during, "Another Day." She sings Brennin under the table.

Lindsay: Look, I'm going to go to my death defending Brennin Hunt and not just because this poor sweet thing broke his foot in the name of art. I have literally never heard someone who sounds so much like Adam Pascal's Roger in my life, and in a show where some other really drastic changes were made, anything that harkens back to the original is appreciated. Plus, he's just got that raspy bad-boy thing DOWN.

I'll Cover You(r Ears)

Lindsay: Music nerds will notice that they appear to have fiddled with the arrangement of this song to give Collins (Brandon Victor Dixon) some of the difficult harmonizing work and Angel the easier to achieve melodies when it really should have been the other way around. It's not something I'm going to get particular about though since the stronger vocalist taking the more challenging notes is just good sense.

Megan: Thank you for this education because all I had was, "Oh wow, this is... not great." There's no amount of sashaying to make a song like this work if you can't hit those notes. I've seen worse, but this is definitely not a "best of" moment of the show.

Over the Moon for Some Hudgens

Megan: When people say they were nervous about this cast, they are actually saying they were nervous about Vanessa Hudgens because of that infamous Hollywood Bowl performance of Rent, in which she played Mimi. It's been years since then, but could she really be weird and powerful enough to pull off Maureen? Yes folks, yes she could. As soon as she hit that extended note in "Over the Moon," my fears about Hudgens being able to rock this vanished. I have never been so glad to be wrong!

Lindsay: The Hollywood Bowl performance still feels too soon to bring up. Naturally, seeing her take on an arguably more difficult part in the same musical was daunting. Living up to Idina Menzel's legacy is a pretty tall freaking order after all. And then she just SHOWED UP! I've also never been so happy to be proven wrong about my own expectations because Vanessa killed every single moment of "Over the Moon" from the vocals to the acting to the mooing. Bow down to your queen, peasants.

La Vie Bo--What?!

Megan: I've had 24 hours to process this and now a clear view of the choreography and I still can't help being offended by this version of "La Vie Boheme." There are two Rent tracks you can't mess with and they are this and "Seasons of Love." I understand some lyrics weren't going to make it due to broadcast standards (like Benny saying puke instead of piss), but there were other changes made that don't make sense. Where was the order sequence? Is it really "La Vie Boheme" if you don't get to yell "WINE AND BEER!"? The theater fans at home had to be so confused during a number we were all looking forward to and I'm not okay.

We Ranked Every TV Musical Event, Because of Course We Did

Seasons of Who Are These People

Lindsay: Aside from Keala Settle hitting that incredible note in the final run, "Seasons of Love" was bullsh--.

Megan: Wow. I said there are only two songs you can't mess with and they did it with both? They gave iconic parts to chorus members. This is the prime sing-a-long part of the musical and I am just so frustrated with how both "Seasons of Love" and "La Vie Boheme" came out. They are too iconic to be treated like this.

Take Me, Take Me, Baby!

Megan: THAT IS THE KIERSEY I CAME TO SEE! I told you that she was capable and that's the kind of electricity I wanted. "Take Me or Leave Me" is my second favorite so I am so glad it came together like that. And I'll say it again, Hudgens is owning every minute she is on the stage.

Contact High?

Lindsay: I'm torn between being glad that they left it in (the movie removed the song completely) and being just confused about why they chose to do... that. I get that they couldn't get away with the usual bump and grind that number calls for but it just didn't totally work for me. Strangely enough, it was the only time I thought Valentina's vocals were on solid ground

Megan: I know there are a lot of Rent purists who were angry that "Contact" was left out of the film, so I give Foxcredit for going there and including it, but I also didn't need it? It's interesting but it just feels like such a disconnect from actually losing Angel, which is a pivotal moment in the entire show. It takes an extra beat to get that sadness. I would have preferred a full "La Vie Boheme" than what they did here.

Just Because You Love Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Doesn't Mean It Needs a Movie

We're Not Crying, You're Crying. Just Kidding, We're All Crying

Megan: Brandon was one of the people I was most looking forward to seeing in this production, knowing that he took over for Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr in Hamilton. I knew he had to have pipes, but the "I'll Cover You (Reprise)" is by far his shining moment in the show. It's the first time I've been misty-eyed all show. Absolutely breathtaking.

Lindsay: Honestly, I forgive this show everything after that knockout performance. For the most part, Collins was consistently good, but not a showstopper or scene-stealer. That changed real quick when he added in the soul-crushing pain of losing Angel. Mad props to Keala for the assist.

What You Own Is Our Hearts

Lindsay: Guys. GUYS. "What You Own" is totally the turning point for the final act, and I cannot stress how important it is to nail it. And holy cow this one did! This version had all the bells and whistles including crowd surfing, ladders, and possibly one broken foot. Poor Brennin. Never the less, the energy in the room was nearly as pitch perfect as the voices of the two heroes who shall forever be known as Brennin "Do The Damn Thing" Hunt and Jordan "Sweet Baby Angel" Fisher.

We Should Tell You, Brennin's Injury Is Really Unfortunate

Megan: Ugh, this poor guy. Look at that cast! I know it's really sad that this cast didn't get to put on their final show as planned, but I also can't help snort laughing that they kept a close up of Roger yelling, "NO!" when Maureen and Joanne bring Mimi in from the cold... and then he doesn't move to get her. I totally get that Brennin couldn't get up, but oh my god, it's awkward watching him stay on the table instead of doing anything to help bring her in. That being said, he sang for his life in "Your Eyes." Damn, boy.

Lindsay: He'd taken a couples stumbles in the taped show, but I've got to say, he really redeemed himself with this. There were definitely some parts in the middle where he was overacting, but I got back on the bandwagon after that serenade.

2018-2019 TV Scorecard: Which Shows Are Canceled? Which Are Renewed?

OMfghA!R%* THE ORIGINAL CAST. IT'S THE ORIGINAL CAST OF RENT ALL TOGETHER!!!

Megan: Okay, I can't even pretend to be composed enough to come up with a witty section headline for this. We just bore witness to the original cast of Rent reuniting all on one stage and it was absolutely beautiful. I cried when we saw them do it at the dress rehearsal and it's just as magical on screen. Something about that just felt holy. Idina Menzel will forever be queen.

Lindsay: Once the original Broadway cast started posting photos from the set of Rent everyone knew this was coming, but it was still just so magical to watch that wall lift up to reveal the faces and voices we've loved for over 20 years singing that epic final number. The only thing that made it even better was Adam Pascal leaving the herd to go hang out with poor, immobilized Brennin. Thank you for watching that miracle take place with us, and remember to always measure your lives in love.

Source: http://www.tv.com/news/rent-live-recap-a-stellar-show-despite-injuries-and-pre-taped-controversy-15486493590065382/