#I am the no. 1 lin manuel miranda hater

[hollowaluminumvessel]

i swear to heaven and earth and all things holy, if lin manuel fucking miranda speaks a WORD of rap in the Percy Jackson show, I'll tear the throat of the first person that dares make eye contact with me out with my jaws.

[pardonmydelays]

> "most people who used to love lin in the past are his biggest haters now"

> "maybe pjo fandom is not as terrible as i thought"

two things! one: i actually did used to hate lin, but that was a short phase, and i realized i actually was upset at my younger self, and was just taking it out on people and things i associated with who i was at that time

two: that really made me think, so i have some comments actually! they’re not super insightful or conclusive, but: (if you don’t mind)

i think lin and rick riordan (the author of the pjo books) are actually pretty similar? they’re both goofy older dudes with usually much younger audiences (or at least that was true when i was a big-time hamilton fan, things might have changed), and they’re guys who have certainly made mistakes, but overall are good people (and incredible creative geniuses, but that’s a little more lin than rick tbh)

i definitely can be seriously critical of lin, i definitely think he’s corny as hell, and i definitely lightly make fun of him, but only to a point. if it starts looking a little too hostile, i remind everyone (and it’s almost always universally true) that all of us do actually love his work, and if any of us saw him in public we’d all want to ask for a photo and tell him how brilliant hamilton is, or how beautiful in the heights is, or several other wonderful things he’s done. we’re all very eager to see any creative work he’s involved in because we know it’s going to be awesome, so we really can’t complain about him that much

i am much more seriously critical of rick and things he has previously said than i am of lim (also, a lot of pjo fans call riordan "uncle rick", which is, let’s be honest, INCREDIBLY CORNY! like i do it sometimes but it’s GOOFY as HELL!)

i jokingly bully rick as well — i have sent messages about him that are like "dear lord i one day i am going to kick that old man’s ass", or more often just "RICHARD. COME ON." — but it also doesn’t get too mean. when i see comments that stray from genuine criticisms that also acknowledge he’s grown as a person or like a little friendly teasing of a guy we all admire and towards shitty comments about a stranger, i am always the first in line to defend that old man!

a while ago my older sister asked me why "gen z hates lin manuel miranda", and i explained that 1. he did some stuff that isn’t great but also really seems to have grown from that point (and also probably the smallest problem people have with him), 2. a lot of gen z went through hardcore hamilton phases and now resent their past selves (this is a major factor), and 3. being earnest is the internet’s biggest sin (the most likely culprit and also the saddest answer)

making fun of rick is very common in the pjo fandom, and at least some pjo fans bullying lin are doing it in the same way, so it’s supposed to be more "teenage cousins are gently ribbing that one goofy uncle" than actual hate? i know that there are a lot of people that are just genuinely being mean, but i hope you can find some solace that it isn’t quite as much as it looks like

okay this has been weird and maybe a little scattered, i’m blaming it on my adhd medication being way too low of a dosage lmao

but i’m sorry you & other lmm fans haters, (and i’m extra sorry because there’s a decent chance one of them was 15 year old me)

ok, wow. i don't even know how to answer that (anon, this is super long, WHY)...

so first of all, i am not a part of pjo fandom, this is important - i've said this before, i'm gonna say it again: i've never read the books, i started watching the show only because of lin, i know nothing about rick & all those inside jokes you guys have, but if making fun of him is normal in this fandom, that's totally fine. silly jokes & actual hate are not the same thing for me.

"they’re both goofy older dudes with usually much younger audiences" - that is not entirely true & it comes from someone in their late 20s (& i know a lot of people from this fandom who are waaaaay over 20). being goofy & corny, those are not real reasons to hate on somebody like that... actually, everything you said here, i already knew. people are ashamed of their hamilton phase - oh, we should definitely blame lin for that, he's literally the worst because he wrote a musical once & we were super cringe about it... did he make mistakes in the past? yes, we all do, nobody's perfect. i've heard about much more problematic celebrities & people don't even talk about them but for some reason they have to shit on lin all the fucking time. he's done more good than bad (i could write a super long essay for you but it's late & i don't even know why i'm writing all of this), that is the truth & this is where i stand.

now, we are not talking about "making fun of him", we are talking about actual hate, examples:

"lin-manuel miranda should die/we should kill him"

"i would also turn evil if lin was my father/i would kill myself if he was my father"

those are real comments i've seen about him & it all comes from pjo fandom. this is the reason why i said this fandom is terrible. like, are you guys aware that he actually has kids? go outside, touch some grass & leave him alone (i'm not talking about you anon, you're ok, i'm talking about real haters).

[ohsosweeran]

if Lin-Manuel Miranda has a million haters I am one of them if Lin-Manuel Miranda has 10 haters I am one of them if Lin-Manuel Miranda has 1 hater then that’s me if Lin-Manuel Miranda has no haters I’m dead

[willtheweirdrat]

I might just watch the new Percy Jackson series just to see Lin Manuel Miranda in it (I am the #1 PJ hater but I'll do it for him)

[garc-i-a]

Jealousy is not cute. Madison has mentioned she wants to play a superhero. The perfect character of La Borinqueña has a chance of being live action and her name was brought up. The creator of the graphic novel series thinks she fits well and Rosario Dawson, who will direct La Borinqueña, also agrees. But some people wanted to sully the post about her as the beloved superhero on the comic book’s Instagram account.

This is disrespectful to Madison. To say she is not a real Puerto Rican because she is from the states....Mind you, the CREATOR of the graphic novel is also a New Yorker. Also that she is not actually Afro Latina....Just because she does not have super dark skin and 4c hair does not make her any less Afro Latina! She physically fits the character to a T.

Madison is a skilled up and coming actress. She has shown she can carry a show and has a loyal following. She is already leagues ahead of other potential people who want the role. Don’t put someone down just because you can’t get what they have. It’s petty and childish.

Another thing, no one should be coming out their face about Lin Manuel Miranda. 1. Spell his name right if you are so hellbent on doing it. 2. He has done more for Puerto Rico and the visibility of our people than these haters I am sure.

There is more than one person’s view. To claim that you know better than the people behind a property is very presumptuous and entitled. It is clear that the creator of La Borinqueña cares deeply for the work and sees promise in Madison as the character. Do not belittle him by acting like you know more than him.

Okay, I’m done.

[coffeeandcomposition]

It’s Friday again! Can I level with you guys? This week hasn’t been the greatest. I am struggling with contentment, which is funny because I’m reading a book called Learning Contentment for a women’s study we’re doing at church. I’ve only read chapter one. Maybe that’s my problem. Regardless, Five Things Friday is all about identifying even just a few things that bring joy even in the midst of grouchiness and discontent. Here are this week’s:

1. The 2018 Hater’s Guide to the Oscars

I haven’t actually watched the Oscars in years due to a lack of cable and patience. I tend to catch up in gif form on Tumblr. But friends, this made me laugh out loud on multiple counts. NSFW language and content ahead. In particular, this quote about Dunkirk (which I loved) made me cackle with glee.

And this movie is even better than Darkest Hour because, in Dunkirk, you can’t even tell which British dudes are which! Who’s that one kid who just drowned? Was that the One Direction kid? No wait! I think he’s still alive. He was the one who found a dead body to carry so that he and [unidentifiable other British guy] could get a ride back to England. Or was he? I can’t keep track of any of these limeys. One was wearing a sweater. I think they were all named Nigel. Why did they cast this movie like they were making a Starsailor video? They didn’t even give Tom Hardy a name in this fucking movie. Here we have one of the most technically brilliant war movies ever made, and they forgot to write a fucking screenplay for it.

2. The Commuter Briefcase from Topo Designs

If you follow me on Instagram (which you should) you’ll know that I’m obsessed with my new bag from Topo Designs. I bought it for my daily bus commute but also in the hopes that it would be good for my Ireland trip in April and it is perfect on all counts. It’s sturdy but not bulky, has a neon interior and plenty of pockets, and converts into a backpack. Plus, it’s made in the USA. Now try holding me back from buying everything else on Topo’s site.

3. Natelle Draws Stuff

Here’s a pic from my Snapchat of my new pin from Natelle Draws Stuff on my new Topo bag. Isn’t he sweet? Natelle has a ton of cute and covetable goods on her site.

She has wonderful customer service and was very sweet when we interacted on Instagram. So, in the interest of supporting independent artists who are also nice people, check out her site.

4. The Tenth Anniversary of In the Heights.

It’s the tenth anniversary of one of my very favorite musicals! It might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually might like Heights better than Hamilton. They’re different experiences but on any given day I’d rather listen to Heights all the way through, and I like its female characters better than Hamilton‘s. Also, they’ve just announced that Anthony Ramos (whose debut role on Broadway was Laurens/Philip in Hamilton’s original cast) is now playing Usnavi in ITH in Washington, D.C. and I uhhhh have a lot of emotions about it.

Anyway, if you haven’t listened to In the Heights, treat yo’ self. Blackout is one of the best songs from any musical ever. Thanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

https://open.spotify.com/album/3VPHalWocJfe7VfbEW60zg?si=NwhPjfasTNu7TIruQfBhlA

5. This video

Marshall posted this on my Facebook the other day when I told him I was having a not-so-good day and it’s just… perfect. Let’s head into the weekend with this stuck in our heads.

[purficklyclean]

purficklyclean’s top 10 films of the year, pt 1

Here are numbers 6-10, in alphabetical order because a top five and a bottom five were as much as I could make myself rank them (they’re all so different!  whether I like one more than other depends on the day and my mood and the weather!)

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened - This is a documentary about the original Broadway production of my favorite Sondheim musical, Merrily We Roll Along, which only ran for 16 performances on Broadway before shutting down.  It was made by the original Charlie (one of the three main characters), Lonny Price, and I loved it, and cried a lot (a common theme with most of the movies on this list).  Documentaries about my favorite musicals are my jam (see also: Every Little Step, this year’s Hamilton PBS doc).

Jackie - This movie about Jackie Kennedy right after JFK’s assassination was the last movie on this list that I saw, and I had heard quite a bit before seeing it (mostly that it was pretty polarizing and out there in regards to the film’s style and score), so I had braced myself for something pretty weird, but instead I just got this really beautiful and emotional film about legacy and grief with a seriously powerhouse performance by Natalie Portman (I could have watched her watching that concert for hours). Also, the journalist in this film is possibly my most hated character of the year, but that may be recency bias.

La La Land - Look, the backlash for this movie has now seriously commenced, and I’m not going to try and paint it as a perfect movie or anything, but I loved it.  The singing/dancing abilities of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling totally worked for me, I loved all the musical numbers, I loved the lighting and cinematography, I loved Emma Stone being peak Emma Stone, so the haters can keep hating (and that is their right!) and I will keep singing along to the soundtrack in my car (also, because I saw this and BWTTECHH close together, I think of that movie every time I get to the line “smiling through it/she said she’d do it again” in Audition (The Fools Who Dream) and I get teary and emotional). Favorite song: Audition (The Fools Who Dream)

Manchester By the Sea - This movie will almost certainly make you cry as much as everyone says it will (I definitely cried buckets), but it’s also just a completely gorgeous and well-written film.  It’s funny, and it’s lovely to look at, and Lesley Barber’s score is amazing, and despite all the tears I cried, I want to watch it again, because it’s really so watchable despite the tragedies happening onscreen.  And, of course, the performances are just spot on. Ugh, that Michelle Williams scene, so good.

Moana - Ha, what to even say about Moana?  My favorite animated movie of the year (out of the...three I saw? I guess?), absolutely gorgeous water and sky animation, some great songs from Lin Manuel Miranda, an extremely enjoyable film all the way (although as someone who still hasn’t seen Mad Max, I must admit the Kakamora battle didn’t do much for me).  Favorite moment: Moana’s mom appearing to help her pack for her journey; surprisingly the only time I cried in this movie.  Favorite song: I Am Moana (followed closely by Where You Are and We Know the Way)