#basketball? i’ve watched enough hsm

[moonmoonthecrabking]

heartbreaking: the sport you know the most about isn’t popular in america, so you have to google for your high school fics

[onlyfreds]

Breaking Free | F.W.

Title: Breaking Free (High School Musical Au!)

Requested: Yes/No

Summary: Fred and Y/N first meet at a New Year’s Party. When Y/N ends up being transferred in the same school as Fred and they have callbacks for the school’s musical, will they be able to escape the status quo and break free?

A/N: This maybe the longest fic I’ve ever written with a whopping 3k. And tagging @thisismynerdyself​ since I know she loves HSM.

Fred Weasley couldn’t believe it. It was her, Y/N L/N, the girl who sang with him during the New Years’ Eve party. But he had to make sure.

He took out his phone, despite Mcgonagall warning them not to, and called the number Y/N had given him.

Sure enough, her phone ran, confirming her identity. But at the cost of getting his and Y/N’s phone confiscated and the both of them landing a detention.

Once Homeroom had ended, Fred waited for her outside the classroom.

“Hey!” He greeted as she walked out.

She looked up at him, a smile making its way onto her lips, “Hey! I didn’t know you went here.” She said as they started to walk down the hall.

Fred chuckled, running a hand through his hair, “I didn’t even know you lived here.”

Y/N giggled, “I just moved this winter because the company had to transfer my mum. But now, she made the company promise not to transfer her until I graduate.”

“That’s great!” Fred said enthusiastically.

The two of them stopped in front of a sign-up sheet for the Winter Musical.

“You should join. Since you’re such a good singer.” Y/N suggested as she glanced at Fred.

“Oh,’ Fred suddenly muttered, “I-I can’t, the one that was singing with you was a whole different side of me.”

The girl giggled, “In short, your friends don’t know.”

Fred laughed as he relaxed. Feeling relieved that Y/N had understood him, “Yeah,” he said, “They don’t know.”

Pansy Parkinson, the leader of East High’s theater clique and Draco Malfoy’s partner, came skipping in. Signing her name on all of the spaces for the audition.

She gave a sickly-sweet smile to Fred and Y/N, “Hi!” She said to Y/N, “I would invite you to audition for the musical but.” She glanced at the sheet, “All the spots are taken.”

Y/N chuckled nervously, “It’s fine. I wasn’t planning on joining any extra-curriculars anyway. Since I am new and all.”

On that happy note, Pansy skipped off, probably to look for Draco.

“I’m sorry about her.” Fred immediately apologized as Pansy was out of earshot, “She’s always like that.”

Y/N smiled genuinely at the ginger, “It’s okay. There were a lot of them at my old school anyway.”

Later that night, as Fred laid in bed, he couldn’t stop thinking about Y/N. Not that he was complaining, of course.

Truth be told, he couldn’t stop thinking about her ever since he met her at the Ski Lodge during the party.

For some reason, he was infatuated, no, he was in love with her.

--

The next day, Fred skips one of his basketball practices (even if the coach, Oliver Wood, would throw him across the court if he had caught him). Secretly heading over to the auditorium where the musical auditions were being held. Only to bump into an equally curious Y/N.

“What are you doing here?” Y/N asked him, not expecting him to be there.

“Um, to um, watch the auditions.” Fred stuttered out, making Y/N giggle at how cute he was.

They sat in the back row to keep away from prying eyes as they watched the auditions.

It would be an understatement to say that the pair was mildly disgusted with the performance of Pansy and Draco.

Mcgonagall called for anyone else who would want to audition.

“I want to audition.” Y/N whispered excitedly to Fred.

“Then go audition.” Fred encouraged her.

She looked at him, “But, I need a partner.”

Fred’s eyes widen, “No, I can’t sing with you.” He tried to tell her but she was already walking over.

“I want to audition Professor.” She said, causing Mcgongall to look at her.

“I’m sorry dear.” The professor looked at her sympathetically, “But the solo auditions are long over.”

“I’m going to sing with her.” Fred suddenly said, coming out of his hiding spot, wearing the most defeated look on his face.

Mcgongall tried to mask her surprise, “I’m sorry Mr. Weasley and Ms. L/N but I already called for the pair auditions and you are too late.”

“But Professor, she has a great voice.” Fred tried to reason.

“You guys can audition for the Spring Musical.” She said.

“But Professor- “Fred tried.

“The next musical.” Mcgonagall said sternly, leaving no more room for discussion.

Fred looked apologetically to Y/N, “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, a small smile gracing her lips, “It’s fine. There’s always the next musical anyway.”

They then heard a small thud and as they looked over at the direction of the stage, they saw Hermione, the pianist, frantically trying to pick up papers that flew out of her grasp.

Fred and Y/N ran over to Hermione and helped her pick up the papers.

“So, you wrote the play?” Fred asked trying to break the awkward silence that was lingering between the trio.

Hermione nodded, “Yeah.” She answered in a quiet voice.

“Then you’re the playmaker of the play.” He said.

Hermione gave him a confused look, “Playmaker?”

Fred nodded, “Yeah, it’s like you’re the brains behind the operation. Without you, the play wouldn’t be happening at all.”

Hermione smiled, “Do you guys want to hear how the song should really go. Not Pansy and Draco’s version.” She offered.

Y/N smiled, “Sure.”

Hermione started to play the song, Fred and Y/N singing along in perfect harmony.

“Weasley, L/N!” Mcgongall said as she came out of her hiding spot, causing the trio to jump slightly. She offered a kind smile, “You have a callback.”

Hermione had given them the music sheet for their callback song.

--

The next day, Pansy’s scream seemed to echo across the whole school.

Draco took a deep breath despite his partner’s distress and started to read the note. “Callbacks for the Winter Musical, Thursday 2 to 3 pm. Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy, Fred Weasley and Y/N L/N.”

Pansy screamed again as George and the rest of the basketball team entered the school, “Fred and Y/N have a callback!”

George laughed as he heard it, “Fred? Has a callback? You’re kidding.” But the smile on his face disappeared as he took a look at the sheet and saw his twin’s name on it.

He quickly rushed out in search for Fred.

“We’ve got to do something about this.” Pansy said, stomping her foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum, as she dragged Draco to who knows where.

George and Y/N’s best friend, Angelina, met up in the chemistry lab.

“They both have callbacks.” George ranted, “We have to do something about it.”

Angelina thought about it for a moment, “I have a plan.” She said as she whispered their plot into George’s ear.

The ginger looked at her with a smile, “You’re absolutely brilliant!”

--

The plan came into motion the next day.

George and Angelina came to school early to make sure everything was ready.

The two then went their separate ways moments later to execute their operation.

George and the rest of the basketball team cornered Fred as he was about to leave the court.

As they were drilling Fred, one of his teammates took out a small webcam that was connected to Angelina’s laptop making sure everything was being captured.

“You’re already neglecting the team because of Y/N, because of the stupid callbacks.” George said to Fred, knowing what he would respond.

Meanwhile, in the chemistry lab, Angelina was having Y/N watch the scene that was unfolding down with the boys.

“Then I’ll forget about Y/N.” Fred said in his confusion and rage, “I’ll forget about Y/N and the callbacks.”

Y/N heart was shattered. She thought that there was already something more than friendship between her and Fred. But she was wrong. She was blinded by love and it resulted in a broken heart.

“I’m sorry.” Angelina said, knowing her friend’s obliviousness to the whole plan.

Y/N stood up, taking her best friend’s hand, “It’s okay.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper, “I should’ve realized sooner anyway.”

Angelina nodded, feeling slightly guilty upon seeing her friend’s heart being broken into pieces, “Do you want to go to lunch?”

Y/N shook her head, “No. I think that I’ll just stay here for a bit.”

Angelina looked at Y/N reluctantly, pursing her lips, contemplating if she should tell her the truth. But thought against it as she left the lab.

Y/N looked out the window to see Fred being lifted on his teammates’ shoulders as they cheered.

Her heart ached so much for him. At night, she couldn’t stop imagining how life would be if they were in a relationship. How it would feel like watching him play, cheering for him as he winked at her, proud to have her as his girlfriend.

But it was just a fairytale. A dream she lived in when she was awake.

But this was reality and reality was no fairytale.

She tore her eyes away from the window, walking down the halls, mind filled with nothing but Fred, heart broken into pieces.

Just my luck she thought as she suddenly bumped into Fred at the locker area.

“Hey!” Fred said, greeting her with his signature smile.

She avoided his gaze, causing him to suspect something.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

Y/N looked up, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, “Nothing.”

“Oh, and about the callbacks- “Fred started to say before he was interrupted.

“Let’s forget about it.” Y/N suddenly said.

“What?” the ginger asked, confusion coating his voice.

She looked down at her feet, “Let’s forget about it.” She repeated, trying to keep herself from breaking down in front of him.

“Why?” He questioned, trying to figure out what was happening to the sweet, bubbly girl he knew.

“That’s what you would want.” Y/N said as she walked past Fred, failing to control the tears from falling from her eyes. And leaving a very confused Fred standing there.

--

It’s been a week since that incident. Fred and Y/N’s mood seemed to be deflated to the point that even their friends noticed it.

George and Angelina discussed the problem, and they both agreed that they should tell the pair the truth.

George, Lee and Ron went up to the rooftop garden and they found Fred there.

“Hey!” George said as the three of them sat down next to Fred.

“Leave me alone.” Fred muttered, staring blankly into space, trying to figure out what he done wrong with the girl he adored.

“Just give us a moment Fred.” Lee pleaded.

“Just listen to what we have to say.” Ron added.

Fred nodded, thinking it wasn’t of any importance.

“Angelina and I maybe behind the reason why Y/N has been avoiding you lately.” George said, slowly breaking the news to Fred.

Fred turned to properly look at his twin, now giving him his full attention, “What?!”

George explained what plan he and Angelina had formulated. Fred wore a frown on his face the whole time instead of his signature smile that made Y/N fall for him in the first place.

Once the three of his friends had finished recounting the story. Fred immediately ran down the stairs.

In the chemistry lab, Angelina, Hermione and Ginny were the ones to tell Y/N the truth.

After they had told her everything, Y/N placed her attention on the whiteboard where she was studying for the triathlon.

“Y/N?” Angelina said tentatively.

“I’m okay.” The girl said.

“About the callbacks?” Ginny asked.

Y/N sighed, “They aren’t important. We should focus on the triathlon.”

--

Y/N still avoided Fred especially at the attempts wherein the boy would try to talk to her.

It was after class, Y/N laid on her stomach on the bed, texting with Hermione on her phone. When she heard her mum opened the door and upon hearing Fred’s voice, she slowly walked down the stairs hiding from view.

“Can I talk to Y/N?” Fred asked.

Her mother closed the door slightly looking at her daughter as Y/N mouthed, “Tell him I’m doing homework and stuff.” Before she dashed up the stairs.

“She’s doing homework and stuff.” Y/N’s mum said, turning to Fred.

Fred nodded, “Well, can you tell her I dropped by?”

Her mother smiled, “Of course.”

As Fred started to leave, he noticed that the balcony behind the house led directly to Y/N’s room.

He climbed the nearest tree and hopped onto her balcony, seeing Y/N with her back turned to him.

He took out his phone and called her, as soon as she picked up the phone and heard his voice, Fred suddenly said, “Wait, don’t put down the phone. I’m sorry okay. I never meant to say all that. I can’t bear to lose you from my life. Not being able to talk to you this past week has been torture for me. So, can you please find it in your heart to forgive me?”

When he received no answer from her, he began to sing the reprise of the song he sang with her during New Year’s Eve, This could be the start of something new. It feels so right to be here with you. And now looking in your eyes, I feel in my heart The start of something new

Y/N turns around and sees him on her balcony, she drops the call and walks over to him with a small smile on her face because she realizes that Fred really cares.

“I’m sorry too.” She said, joining him on outside of her room, “for leaving you without an explanation.”

He smiled, “It’s okay. So, will you still do the callbacks with me?”

She smiled up at him, “Of course.”

--

The friends of the two were happy when they saw that Fred and Y/N were back. After class, Y/N went down to the basketball court to visit Fred.

“What are you doing here?” Fred asked with a smile as he passed her the ball.

“I came to see you.” Y/N answered as she threw the ball into the hoop, shooting a perfect three-pointer.

“Not bad.” The ginger praised her.

She giggled, “Well, I did score 40 points during a game.”

Fred gave her a look of surprise, “Really?”

“Yeah. And on the same day I invented the space shuttle and microwave popcorn.”

“Microwave popcorn.” Fred laughed as he hugged Y/N from behind, spinning her around as her giggles echoed off the walls.

Somebody cleared their throat causing Fred to let go of Y/N, it was the team’s basketball coach, Oliver Wood.

He raised a brow at the two, giving them a questioning look.

Fred placed an arm around Y/N’s waist, causing butterflies to erupt in her stomach as he said, “Hey coach! This is my friend.”

Y/N smiled as she held out her hand, “I’m Y/N.”

Oliver just nodded, “Well, Y/N, if you don’t mind, we have practice to attend to.”

The girl nodded, handing the basketball back to Fred, “Well see you.” She said, running out of the court.

“You didn’t have to be rude.” Fred said, dribbling the ball.

“That girl is distracting you.” Oliver reasoned.

“That’s girl’s name is Y/N.” Fred answered back.

“It’s because of her you’re in the callbacks. You supposed to be the playmaker, not a singer.” Oliver said.

Fred stopped dribbling the ball, “Why can’t I be both?” Fred asked angrily before they proceeded to practice in silence.

--

Pansy had managed to put into motion a plan that will stop both Fred and Y/N from attending the callbacks.

“The callbacks have been moved to Friday.” Hermione said, bursting into the room where Fred and Y/N were practicing with the presence of George and Angelina.

“But the big game is on Friday.” George said.

“The triathlon is also on Friday.” Angelina said.

Fred and Y/N exchanged a look before the five of them started to formulate a plan.

--

The three groups went on their separate ways that Friday. Pansy and Draco going to get ready for the callbacks. Fred and the basketball team going to the court. And Angelina and Y/N going to the lab for their triathlon.

Pansy thought that she could win? Then she’s messed with the wrong people.

Right after Y/N answered a question at the triathlon, scoring another point. She and her best friend exchanged a look as she sat down.

“Time for an orderly exit from the gym.” Angelina said she pressed a key on her laptop which caused the lights to flicker in the court.

“Players please conduct an orderly exit from the gym.” The voice of the announcer boomed through the speakers as Fred and George exchanged a smile.

“There goes Angie’s signal.” George said clapping Fred on the shoulder before running out of the gym.

Angelina pressed another key on her laptop, causing on the potions to emit smoke and have them all evacuated to the auditorium.

Pansy and Draco had just finished their performance, when the students both from the gym and the lab started piling in.

Fred and Y/N met on stage. “You ready?” Fred asked.

Y/N looked nervously around at the amount of people who were watching them, biting her lip.

“I can’t Fred. Not with all these people.” She said.

He cupped her cheek, turning her face so she could look at him, “Hey, just imagine there not here. Just the two of us. Just focus on me.”

She nodded as Fred motioned for Hermione to start playing the piano.

They started to sing, Y/N felt like she was set free as her stage fright melted away with every second, she was on the stage with Fred. They both felt confident, they both felt like that they could take on the world. Together.

“You know the world can see us in a way that’s different from who we are.” The couple sang the last line together, looking at each other loving as the audience gave them a standing ovation.

Fred kissed Y/N on the cheek. “Be my girlfriend?” He asked quietly.

Y/N smiled, “I would love nothing more.”

𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝

@lumosandnoxwriting @whizboingies​ @wand3ringr0s3

[pluviophile-bookworm]

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Rewatch pt. 5

Technically, I shouldn't be doing this right now. But who are we kidding? I miss my Wildcats and this seems like the only thing I can do to see them again right now. So here goes

1x8: The contractually obligated emotional rollercoaster

This episode sure is a lot... I don't know if I'm ready. But it makes no sense to skip this one. I never skip through stuff I love, even when some parts are borderline traumatising. Plus I remember this episode having a bunch of hilarious moments that are definitely worth it.

'I'm really not sure what to say' — Me neither, Miss Jenn, me neither. I'm just sitting here watching this and I know I'm supposed to comment, but I just can't think of what to say. Sometimes the silence just speaks for itself.

'The Lucky Ducky Puppet Pavilion' — I can never overlook that line. Not when I know how much it took for Matt to deliver it. Fun fact: one of my cats is called Lucky, so when his siblings were about to be born, I briefly considered naming them Ducky, Puppet and Pavilion as a joke.

Ah, the El Rey. The place where Miss Jenn totally did not suffer a professional heartbreak. Things are about to get real here. And by real I mean... real dramatic.

I've got to say, I love the duality of Big Red (well, I do love everything about him so that was a no-brainer, but still): doesn't know how to hang a light, but sure does know how to light up a room; amazing with power tools, but took three weeks to make a paper-mache basketball because he kept gluing his fingers together (that last part is far more relatable than I care to admit). I just love him, ok?

The way Carlos acts about Miss Jenn's box of production notes... honestly, I totally get it. I feel like if there's one person at that point who cares about the show much more than anyone else, it's him. And I fully understand why that is. That poor boy has been lonely for too long, and this show is giving him the chance to be part of an accepting community for what feels like the first time in a long time. Just... give my boy Carlito all the hugs.

For a place that allegedly hasn't been used in so long, the El Rey is not nearly dusty enough. I mean, you should see my room if I forget to hoover for longer than a week. And we're talking about years here. There's allegedly mould in that place, but I don't even see dust. Oh well, maybe I would, if it weren't for that lighting — or lack thereof, more like.

'Whatever it says in Miss Jenn's audition file, I am me, and that is the only me I need to be.' — A beautiful sentiment, my dearest EJ. Now maybe hold on to it for a while... just a suggestion.

'Lacks emotional connection to the material' — well, I do have to agree. My first impression of EJ when I was watching the first couple of episodes for the first time was that he was 'too polished to be Troy'. Too much Technician, too little Performer. And I do love my Performers over my Technicians.

Wait, is that a Redlyn background moment I see? I mean, everything is super chaotic and fast-paced, and my two ginger babies are just sitting together on the side of it all. Bonding, I assume. Good for them.

Seb being the only one to know why Natalie is absent, along with the two of them sitting together in 1x1, makes me think... Natalie and Seb are totally besties! I mean, he's basically besties with everyone he ever talks to, so... what can I say, that boy is sunshine incarnate. He deserves all the love and appreciation.

'I know how to hang... out' — gosh, I love this one. And I can only hope everyone was laughing with him, not at him. Because there's nothing to laugh at. My boy got dragged into this whole crew stuff, it's not his fault he doesn't know everything. He's more of an on-stage person than a backstage person anyway. Maybe put him in the spotlight next time and prepare to get your socks knocked off.

No, Ash, your baking club is not at all irrelevant! Honestly, I have nothing but immense admiration for how Ashlyn manages to be in the top two students most dedicated to theatre and do all those other extracurriculars. And she probably has a 4.-something GPA, too. I don't know what the Caswells are feeding their children, but I need it this instant.

'I just don't know how to make things light up' — 'You walk into a room?' — I just... this is one of my favourite Redlyn moments in the history of Redlyn. See, the thing about Ashlyn's line here is the tone in which she says it. She doesn't mean it as a compliment, but as a statement of the absolute truth. You can hear that in her voice. And with good reason, too, because she isn't lying at all. My boy Reddy sure does light up a room by walking into it. Both of them do, really. They're soulmates, you know.

'This place is not creepy at all...' — Yeah, and things between Ricky and Nini are not totally awkward at all, either. I'm living for this.

'I can do Troy!' — Sure you can, Eej. Sure you can. Emotional connection to the material and all.

Ok, but this entire scene... Carlos marking Gabriella's lines completely flatly, EJ emoting like he's in a freaking telenovela and also chopping onions... Carlos' reaction to the latter... I'm living for all of this.

Big Red just suddenly appearing next to Miss Jenn has me rolling... and also kind of wishing he could appear like that next to me too. I mean, it's not like I've visualised that so many times... certainly not every time I have to pass by a stray dog, or give a blood sample, or talk to people, or whatever... why do you ask?

'I never really loved the name Nina anyway' — listen, I relate to the sentiment of not being super fond of your given name, but... what was that stuff in s2 about, then? I mean, I do understand that too, but the two just seem to clash a bit, I reckon. That's all.

Also, can we talk about Rini's chemistry and how it's sometimes there and sometimes nowhere to be found? I think I've figured it out. Every time the chemistry is there, they're talking about or doing things that are not necessarily inherently romantic. Reminiscing about kindergarten, how they gave each other their nicknames, 'the ribbon in your hair, the secrets that we shared, the way that you would stare at me across the room' (yeah, I went there, and for a good reason)... see, Ricky and Nini have that kind of thing going on where, however hard you try, you just can't be indifferent to the other person. It's obvious that they love each other so much, but whenever they try to make it romantic, something goes south. What I'm saying is, when you're really good friends with somebody and you try to force it into something 'more', or better said, something else (because romance is not inherently 'more' than friendship and you can pry that out of my cold dead aro hands), and the operating word here is 'force', things are bound to go wrong and even reach toxic territory. And Rini are living proof of that. Some people are just better as friends, and sometimes the entire 'I don't want to ruin our friendship' trope is very valid. I just want them to be best buddies, is that too much to ask?

Bless Steph for pushing Kourtney forward when Miss Jenn needed someone to sing! Honestly, it's moments like these that make me feel like the background characters are criminally underrated. I realise not every character can be equally central to the plot, but with this cast, I kind of want them to be. I have the feeling that most, if not all of the one-line characters in this show are people with just as much talent and potential as the main cast. They deserve recognition, you know.

Going off of the above, Dara Reneé is living proof of the point I just made. You know how Kourtney was supposed to be a one-scene wonder with two lines? And then Dara showed up and hiding her in the background was instantly out of the question. I wonder how many more hidden gems there are in the show, just sitting in the background, delivering their single line and waiting their turn in the semi-metaphorical wings.

'I just need a minute, or a vacation, it's not clear' — Me, all the time. Especially after I read chapter 11 of @redlyncentral's Let It Go. That ending broke me. And this line by Miss Jenn just reminded me of that feeling, even if what she's feeling right now might not be the exact same thing I went through with that chapter the other day. That being said, everyone go check out my lovely friend's writing right now, I promise you it's worth every second.

'We're going to take a... long five' — What, no 'thank you, five'? I was expecting that. But I guess everyone is a little bit too distraught for that now.

I have to hand it to Carlos — even when he's very obviously uncomfortable and lowkey scared of some people, he just goes up to them and calls them out. I wish I could ever be bold enough to do that.

Wow, not EJ thrashing Carlos' 'forest of boys' idea. Again. I don't get why everyone dislikes it so much, I think it's brilliant visual poetry and should have been given a chance. I said what I said.

You know, everyone has been calling the show out for saying HSM premiered in the cinema, not on telly like it did in real life; and I have been agreeing with that sentiment. But notice how Miss Jenn said 'the Utah premiere' and how there were family and friends in the audience? What if that was some sort of semi-private screening for cast, crew and their family members? It would make sense. And of course, it was held in Utah because that was where the show was filmed and where the majority of background actors, dancers and extras are from. Idk, but it makes sense to me. Note that I have very limited knowledge of how the period between post-production and the release of a movie works.

Isn't Ashlyn the best, though, always noticing when someone is not ok, hearing them out, helping them... I wish I could be half as good a friend as she is. She and Big Red are totally soulmates in that, too. And they deserve each other more than anyone else deserves them, honestly. I just love both of them so much, both as individuals and as a couple, and I cannot be made to shut up about that just yet.

I've got to say, the entire 'me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me' - 'you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you' thing was super funny. And it makes me love Rini — strictly as friends — even more. You know, I think I used to ship them during s1 because the script wanted me to. Exactly like I didn't notice Big Red until midway through the season because the script didn't want me to. Sometimes the script, the acting, the directing and other stuff has immense power over viewers' perception of a show's plot and characters. And that is, as I always point out, what rewatches are for — noticing things that may have escaped you the first time over.

Yeah, so Nini was Ricky's first crush. So what? Many people have had crushes on their best friend at some point or another. That doesn't necessarily mean they're better off as a couple than they are as friends. The opposite idea is just amatonormativity speaking. I mean, sometimes it's nice and it works out; I love me some well-written best-friends-to-lovers, but that's just not always the case and the media should stop pushing the idea that platonic relationships are in any way inferior to romantic ones.

I've got to say I really don't like it when someone interrupts two people's romantic moment (and Big Red is not exempt from my frustration in such cases even though I love him so much — just think of the In a Heartbeat scene), but honestly, bless Reddy for not letting Ricky and Nini kiss. I mean, I know full well they do kiss later on (and how!), but it's just nice to have semi-platonic Rini for a while. If and when we get season 3 (manifesting!), I really hope we get more of them putting some stuff behind them and just being best buddies.

Kourtney and Seb's friendship is honestly goals and I really wish we'd got some more of it. Just another thing to add to my season 3 wishlist. Along with, you know, an actual season 3.

EJ saying all those nice (and very true) things to Carlos has my heart (or, well, he's renting it temporarily from Redlyn and Seblos, but you know). And Carlos really was like 'A for effort, C for execution', and I adore him for that. But EJ is seriously growing. He's pretty much reached EJ 1.8 at this point, and I love to see it.

Say what you want about the Lucas Grabeel dream sequence, but I love, love, love it. Completely unironically. I mean, he's kind of my favourite OG cast member. And the 'I'm more of a Glinda' comment referencing Kate Reinders actually being one of the BWay Glindas? Here's a note from when I first watched 1x1: The drama teacher won’t stop spilling her coffee and I love her. Also, her actress was Glinda on Broadway, so I stan. See, I didn't even know Miss Jenn's name yet and I already loved her. But then she went and did some stuff in s2 and ruined all of that. Add 'proper Miss Jenn redemption' to my s3 wishlist, I guess. But I'm getting off-track (when am I not?)

I only just noticed that all of the iconic BWay leads mentioned in the song (sans Glinda, of course, but that wasn't even a proper part of the song) start with an E. I wonder if that was on purpose or a lucky accident...

'And you never know when you'll get a cameo...' — If anyone in the HSM franchise knows anything about making the most of a cameo, it's Lucas. I'm referring to his post-credits scene in Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, of course. That is one of my absolute favourite scenes in the entire movie. Well, that and The Rest of My Life. I very unironically love that number.

Another thing on the list of things I very unironically love — the transitions both into and out of this scene. I just think they're neat.

Have I mentioned before how much I love it that Carlos' response every time someone asks where he has to be is 'Broadway'... it just reminds me a lot of Seb's 'Friendship!' — that's some soulmate stuff right there, if you ask me.

'I just... almost did something really stupid' — Yes, Nini, yes it was very stupid. And you're going to do it anyway. You wouldn't if I had any say in this, but I don't and so here we are. In a world where Rini are a romantic thing, Redlyn get 5 minutes of screentime in s1 and two major moments demoted to post-credits scenes, Seblos haven't even properly discussed their issues, and Portwell didn't even kiss on screen. I lowkey hate it here. Still, I feel like things are going in the right direction. If we get a season 3, that is — and we better be getting it, or I will riot and I know I won't be the only one.

No but... just imagine if Kourtney hadn't called YAC for Nini, but for herself. There's so much potential there... and I think Kourtney and Ashlyn deserved that spot every bit as much as Nini did, and then some. I said what I said.

Well, this was 1x8. This post is already way too long, plus I want to do a double feature of the last two whenever I get to rewatching them, so I'm ending this here. It was just as much of a journey as I remembered it being, and not nearly as negative as I had the feeling it would be. I absolutely loved it, you know. And with good reason too.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

In line with my recent announcement about High School Musical fanfiction, here comes another analysis from High School Musical II. Apologies for the fuzzy video quality: I found this on Youtube. 

The above scene shows Gabriella Montez accusing Troy of becoming “a new Troy”, and the rest of the Wildcats sharing her anger after Troy is called away to practice with the Redhawks. 

One thing that strikes me throughout this scene is the sincerity of Troy’s apologies. During my series, Questions for High School Musical II (Part I & Part II), my commentary contained less nuance. Having discovered things about the series which I had not learned beforehand, I just wanted to spill my thoughts onto Tumblr. 

Returning to High School Musical meta and fanfiction therefore challenges me to use more nuance and reasoning in my work, and I am fascinated to know whether my views have changed. So the scenes that caused me such frustration beforehand still render the same reaction? Have I noticed things which were concealed beforehand? All of these things are worth considering. 

Troy apologises for forgetting the staff baseball game, for missing lunch, and for missing the two-on-two play after work. We don’t see any impatience, something along the lines of, “Can’t you see that I have to--?” Sure, he shows frustration, but only because he is caught between commitments and has chosen to prioritise his scholarship opportunities. Instead, he say, “I know... I’m sorry.” when Zeke reminds him about the after-work game. 

It astonishes me that Troy Bolton is portrayed as the culprit here. Anyone could criticise him for trying to please all the people all the time, one of his lasting flaws throughout the series. He can be inconsiderate and forgetful. He can ignore good advice, and stubbornly pursue the wrong path. But has he really changed into a snob who has no time for his friends? 

If that were the case, then why offer to go on a date with Gabriella once he returned from basketball with the Redhawks? Why apologise for forgetting about the staff baseball game and commit to being there? Why, when Chad insinuates that Troy thought the Redhawks were too good for the Wildcats, would he quickly clarify his comments: “It’s a closed practice.”? At every turn, Troy clarifies his position and is mortified by even the suggestion that he is abandoning his friends or insulting them. “No, no, no that’s not what I meant.” 

This scene is built on insinuations from Gabriella and the Wildcats, which we the viewers are told to take as fact. Gabriella goads Troy by mentioning his “Italian golf shoes, new clothes, golf carts...” as proof that he changed. She doesn’t mention that Troy never sought these advantages (something that Troy commendably points out to Chad later on). Neither does she mention that Chad also rode in a new golf cart when caddying for the Evans’ (something he considered hugely beneficial), nor that Taylor got her own golf cart as part of her job. 

Should Gabriella be upset that Troy has missed dates? Well, he turned up for the picnic (she was ambivalent about this one), he was late for the after-work swim (she commendably waited for him without complaint). He missed the free cheeseburgers at lunch, in what can be described as the only show of inconsiderate behaviour throughout this entire movie. Sure, if Gabriella wants to be upset, have at it. But 2/3 ain’t bad. She rarely gives him credit where credit is due in this movie. 

The fact that she cannot highlights the unrealistic expectations she has of Troy and their relationship. Her cutting sarcastic comments highlight this: “Crazy stuff. Hard to keep track of, I bet.” Remember that Troy had been promoted to a job paying $500 a week plus tips, teaching golf to children. He also had to practice with the Redhawks, and rehearse for the Talent Show. That’s a considerable amount of responsibility, and so it’s inevitable he would forget other tasks and commitments. But once again, Troy responds by apologising and promising to do better in future. 

It’s worth pointing out that Troy was practicing college-standard basketball with the Redhawks. This meant developing and refining his technique, listening to tough feedback, all under the watchful eye of his father and his employer. Unlike what Taylor McKessie claims, sportsmen work hard to earn their fame.  

But Gabriella doesn’t even acknowledge the work Troy is putting in to secure his future goals, instead casting him as the recipient of new privileges and thus a new person. Why? Because he forgot a few commitments. Well, I don’t wish to justify forgetting your commitments, but as I said, Gabriella doesn’t even humour his explanations, though they are entirely reasonable. Just a few errors and she has already emotionally detached herself enough to make sarcastic remarks after he had promised to take her on a date. 

I think it’s worth examining Troy’s remark here: “So what’s your point?” I have often said before that Troy is impervious to Gabriella’s faults. Actually, I think that is untrue. I think this section of dialogue disproves my previous claims. Just see how Troy’s smile disappears, replaced by a frown. 

He catches the insinuations. Instead of trying to explain himself, he asks Gabriella to come straight to the point. So he dislikes her statement, and is hurt by her insinuating, rather than directly stating her problem. Of course, Gabriella’s response leaves him without an answer, but it encourages me to see a glimpse of Troy answering back in his defence, if only for a moment. 

Later on, it is Chad who insinuates that Troy has forgotten the team (the same accusations he made in the previous movie), and that Troy doesn’t want the Wildcats to come and play the Redhawks because he thinks the former are beneath the latter. We know that Chad made the accusations without evidence, because Troy quickly clarified that it was “a closed practice, sorry.” That’s not snobbery. It’s just a fact-- after all, the Redhawks players call Troy alone, not anyone else. 

(Watch how the player/driver’s smile disappears when Chad says, “Hey Bolton! That’s my ball!”. I think he is very perceptive. His reaction to Sharpay’s cloying behaviour is also illustrative). 

In HSM I, Chad, Zeke, and Jason all told Troy that they had had “another team meeting” about “how we haven’t been acting as a team”. They rightly confessed to downing Troy’s ambitions because it didn’t align with their own perceptions, and promised to be “cheering for you”. Yet fast-forward to the summer and the same three are again guilt-tripping Troy because his ambitions don’t align with their own perceptions. As Troy’s father rightly says, Troy has as much a duty to himself (even more so) as to the Wildcats. “There’s nothing wrong with keeping your eye on the prize.” 

Let’s not forget that the purpose of attending Lava Springs was to work for money. Each Wildcat had their own goals. Chad wanted to save up for a car, “so I can take that little hottie out on a proper date”. Zeke had to find a job so that his parents would match what he made (he has good parents, evidently). Troy was concerned about college funding, and made that concern clear: “No but seriously, guys: this summer I’ve got to make bank. My parents keep talking about how much college is gonna cost.”

Yet when Troy, in imperfect circumstances, does his best to achieve that goal, he is shunned and maligned. Sure, Sharpay pulled strings to give him privileges, but some of those came as a result of Mr. Evans’ more objective appraisal. Certainly, the Redhawks weren’t lying when they took a liking to Troy and invited him to scrimmage. And Troy did demonstrate an ability not only to play but teach golf, which also impressed the Redhawks. 

So it would appear that the Wildcats are not as contrite about their deception from HSM I, since they still question his motives any time he makes his own way-- even if making his own way in basketball, supposedly their common language. Worse, not one of Troy’s friends apologises for the above exchange. If Troy has to apologise for putting his scholarship and financial future first, why can’t his friends also apologise for the above scene?

[samandartieverse]

Midnight HSM Watch Party One-Shot Where HSM Is Barely Relevant

Summary: Artie likes strawberry ice cream and Sam. Sam likes talking and Artie. Both of them like the HSM trilogy. (Comes with a small dosage of Troy Bolton roasting and sympathizing. Enter at own risk.) Word Count: 2,306 Quote: *Don't ask me why Artie has a 7-foot pillow, I don't know.

Sam woke up in complete and utter darkness, save for a yellow light from Artie's kitchen. He, along with Mike, Finn, and Puck, spent the night at Artie's house to "Make sure he was alright" while his parents were at some work thing, which they took for "have a small party and seriously consider stealing some liquor."

He looked around the living room, first seeing Mike caressing (or being caressed by) a 7-foot pillow on the couch about a foot from him.* He continued looking around and he eventually saw Puck and Finn sprawled out on the floor. Puck's face was close enough to Finn's crotch that gay jokes were gonna be made in the morning, probably by Artie. Speaking of, the one guy he'd hoped to see wasn't anywhere. Last he remembered, Artie was talking about something Star Wars-related before the sound of his voice put Sam to sleep.

*Don't ask me why Artie has a 7-foot pillow, I don't know.

Sam did not have a crush on Artie, to be clear. He just thought he was a cool guy, andsometimeswantedtosofltykisshisforheadwhenhewassleeping, a completely platonic and heterosexual friendship.

Sam heard a thud from the kitchen, and Artie groaning in pain. Sam's fight or flight response kicked in, but he had also only been up for 43 seconds. Sam groggily got up and hurriedly stumbled to the kitchen. He saw Artie sprawled out on the floor and a tub of ice cream on its side next to him.

"Artie! Are you alright," Sam shouted, but it came out closer to a muttered, "Archty, are youlr ight. .?"

"I'm good," Artie assured, "I was just getting some midnight strawberry ice cream and... fell over."

"Youu knee helll p?"

"Sure, that's... that's why you guys are here, right?" Artie had a drop of bitterness in his voice.

Sam tried to lift Artie by his arms, and he normally could. However, Sam's tiredness made everything significantly slower and harder. After 2 awkward-ish minutes of trying to lift him, Sam decided to get him by his back and legs, which is how he did  not   fantasize about holding him sometimes. He set Artie in his chair, who sighed.

"Could you... could you also get the ice cream? And my glasses," Artie asked sheepishly. A silver lining to the whole situation was getting to see Sam bend over. Artie had admitted to himself that he liked Sam, but he'd decided Sam was straight and resolved to stolen glances and crying listening to Micheal Jackson songs over strawberry ice cream, like he was planning tonight.

Sam handed Artie his ice cream and Artie thanked him. He put his glasses on and they stood/sat in awkward silence for a moment before Artie thought to do something obvious. He handed back the ice cream.

"Could you put this in the freezer?" Artie asked, "And after we could go watch High School Musical in my room."

"Sure," Sam agreed, walking over to the fridge, "As long as you don't tease me when I cry."

Artie smiled, "Honestly, I can't watch that movie without crying."

Sam put the ice cream away, and Artie took the opportunity to again sexualize Sam mentally. Sam wheeled Artie to his room and went searching for the High School Musical DVD. He popped it into the player and let the movie roll, turning back to pick up Artie.

"So, like, Artie," Sam began awkwardly, "How do you, uh, lay down?"

"Flat on my back," Artie replied, then poked Sam in the chest, "Preferably next to a blonde guy with abs."

Sam's breath hitched. Was Artie flirting?

"Anyways, that's your cue to pick me up." Sam, turning bright red, realized he zoned out. He lifted Artie and set him gently, resting his cute little head on a fluffy pillow.* Sam patted Artie on his chest.

*This is not an opinion of Sam's, but an objective fact.

"All good?" Sam asked.

"All good," Artie replied, smiling.

God, his smile is so pretty. Sam thought, or more-so felt. He immediately hetero-corrected himself. Because he keeps his teeth clean, which is epic for someone who can't even see himself the bathroom mirror.

Sam went around the bed and laid flat on his back, keeping his distance from Artie. He didn't want to seem like he was anything other than a straight friend.

"Sam, get over here," Artie told Sam. For a moment, Sam thought about Artie saying that in a way different context.

"Hm?" Sam couldn't get any words out.

"The blanket can't cover us if you're all the way over there. Also, go get the blanket!"

Sam chuckled and got up. He didn't show it, but Artie telling him what to do was kind of a turn-on (but, then again, wasn't from Artie?) He reached Artie's closet and grabbed the wooly blue blanket (Artie told him it was his favorite 3 months ago and he hadn't forgotten) and wrapped it around himself. He returned to Artie's room and flopped onto his bed, still keeping the entire blanket to himself.

Artie cleared his throat.

"What?" Sam said, trying not to smile, "I got the blanket like you asked me to."

"My arms still work, Sam."

"So?"

"So I can still effectively strangle you!" Artie grabbed Sam's neck, getting a group strong enough to pull himself over Sam. Sam tried to get Artie off of him, but the blanket stopped him from using his arms, and Artie had an iron grip, so it was a struggle. Artie had his hands firmly around Sam's neck, sat on his chest, when Sam finally gave up.

"Fine, fine! Uncle!" Sam shouted, laughing uncontrollably, "We'll share!"

Artie let go of him, "Thanks. Glad we could work this out peacefully."

Artie rolled off of Sam, and laid right next to him, to the point their arms were touching. Sam was still hyperventilating, he couldn't get over how Artie sitting on his chest made him feel, and how much he might have wanted him to be a little farther back. None of these feelings were helped when Artie turned to lay on his side and Sam could hear Artie breathing.

"I thought you... you were a back-sleeper," Sam said.

"It depends on the day," Artie replied, "And who I'm with."

Sam was dead silent after that, so Artie was too. He got the message at returned to his back. They watched the harrowing tale of Troy balancing the worlds of theatre and basketball, laughing at all the funny moments, but nothing else.

Eventually, When There Was Me And You began, and Artie couldn't keep his opinions about it quiet.

"I really hate Troy here," Artie said.

"Really? I dunno," Sam replied, "It's not that what he did was good, or anything. I just... I understand why, y'know?"

Artie turned on his side to look at Sam. With genuine interest, he said, "Actually, I don't know. Tell me about it."

Sam hesitantly turned on his other side to look back at Artie, which caused him to be slightly nervous speaking. "Well, when you're- You're put on the spot like that, and all your friends.. expect something from you, you- you don't really have time to think. And, there's already a way out for him that- that everyone wants and expects him to choose, so he just does."

Artie nodded Sam along. Maybe it was just the crush filter, but Sam actually made some sense.

"And, when you get... feelings for someone it's really- really... I can't explain it, but Troy's also fighting his natural 'go for love' instincts with his logical ones, so that a factor too."

Artie smiled at Sam, "Interesting thought process. Did you just think that up?"

"Nah, I've been- I've had that opinion for a while."

The two laid together and finished up the movie. Troy apologized and got the girl... and the lead in the musical... and won the basketball game- maybe I should become Troy. My personal aspirations aside, Sam and Artie were again silent till after the credits rolled.

"...What now?" Sam asked, turning over to Artie, "HSM 2?"

Artie took a deep breath, and rolled over, looking Sam in the eye, "Sure, but..."

Sam was interested, "But, what?"

Artie looked past Sam, at his poster of Back to the Future handed down to him from his mom. Geekiness is hereditary, it seems*, "Maybe we could, like... cuddle, or something while we watch it."

*No shade to my geeks out there. You guys helped make fandom what it is today.

Sam felt his face grow hot. His two favorite things, movies and Artie. He kicked his ankle to make sure he was awake (he was,) "Uh... Sure?"

"You don't sound sure," Artie, who was still 78% sure Sam was straight, didn't want to force Sam into anything, "It's alright to say no."

Sam was silent for a second, "I think I want to, but I... don't really know how. Especially not with another guy."

"There's no right way to cuddle," Artie said, smiling at Sam. Sam wished Artie knew how much his smile made him feel, "It should just be... comfortable. And nice."

Sam smiled, "That should be easy with you."

Sam studied Artie's reaction. His face didn't change, but he rubbed Sam's arm a little bit. Sam's heart fluttered from the touch.

"Okay, so... we cuddling?" Artie asked.

Sam got up, "Yeah. I've gotta start the movie first, though."

Artie's movie shelf was pretty low to the ground, so Sam had to bend over to reach it. Artie, in a friendly fashion, hollered and said, "Take your shirt off!"

Sam, after picking up the case, played along and asked, "Really? That's what you want?"

"Hell yeah!"

Sam pulled off his shirt. He tossed his shirt Artie, who pretended to faint when it landed on him. The boys laughed, and Sam turned back around to put the disc in. After fiddling around and managing to start the move, he turned to find Artie staring at him.

"Artie..." Sam noticed how Artie was looking at him. It was like he was a little kid looking at a toy they couldn't buy.

Artie looked away, "Sorry, Sam."

"No, don't be. It's- Well, I kind of like you staring at me."

Artie smiled, but still kept his eyes off Sam, "Really?"

"Yeah, kinda," Sam scratched his neck,  "Let's... cuddle now, if that's cool."

Artie finally looked at Sam, nodding happily. Sam made his way back onto the bed, laying on his back. As the ever iconic opening number* of HSM2 played, Artie found a place in Sam's arms, their faces close enough to hear each other breathe.

* What time is it? Wildcats! ...Wait, that's not right.

At some point between Fabulous and Work This Out, Artie turned his head to look at Sam. Sam turned after to see what he was looking at.

"We should just..." Artie was terrified. If his legs worked, they'd be twitching like a streamer, "Kiss."

Sam turned a little red, "K-kiss? Like, me and you?"

"Yeah... I just thought you might want to, and... I know I want to-"

Sam, once he was sure Artie wanted him back, kissed him. It was a long kiss, but a soft and sweet one. A feeling like a warm, long overdue blanket washed over them both. It was indescribable.

When they pulled apart, with amazment in his eyes, Artie whispered, "Wow..."

Sam was about to respond, but a yawn caught his tongue. Sam was experiencing 'sleep kickback',* "I think it's happening again."

*Sleep Kickback: Noun; An experience of exhaustion after waking up, often causing a 'second sleep.' Commonly experienced between the hours of 1 AM to 6 AM.

Artie looked curiously at Sam,"What?"

"The sleep," Sam laid his head dramatically back and closed his eyes.

Artie leaned in and kissed Sam on the neck. Nuzzling there, Artie said, "Goodnight."

Sam grinned, wrapping his arms round Artie. He got close to his ear and whispered, "Goodnight, Artie. You have my heartie."

Artie kissed him again, gearing up for winding down. He rested his hand on Sam's bare chest, savoring the feel of Sam's abs. In spite of the dad joke, Artie had never felt closer to anyone.

[thebestpirate]

The Longest Sail EVER (Uruguay to Cape Town)

On January 13th, 2017, the Gulden Leeuw left for a grand adventure of our 34-day sail. The thought of starting this voyage scared me half to death because I am the biggest family’s girl you’ll ever meet. My family is full of my best friends and I didn’t want to leave them for a month. However, with the help of my newly found family on the ship, I learned that even a 34-day sail can be full of fun and adventure. Moving back on the ship was surprisingly very easy. I thought it would be a stressful process, but it took maybe an hour. Also, the boys and girls got to switch sides in the dorms, which means we get the better air conditioned side! I can use my blankets every night… I bet the boys can too because the South Atlantic is SO COLD, but still… It’s such a nice feeling. Also, last semester, my bed was one of the closest to the ceiling. When I raised my elbow, it would hit the ceiling, so there was NO WAY I’d possibly ever be able to sit up and most nights I’d hit my head on the ceiling. But no longer do I suffer with a tiny sleeping area. My bunk this semester is still a top bunk, but the ceiling is higher and I can actually move as I please. It’s heaven.

We met our new maritime crew the day we came back to the ship on the 10th of January. They’re a group of amazing people and so many of them are from the States. I haven’t been around so many Americans in a very long time. I very much enjoy being around people from all over the world (it’s probably the coolest thing about CAF), but it was cool to meet people who live closer to me than others.

Our watch groups were changed this semester and man do I love Watch 6. Svea, Elizabeth, Haylee, Brody, and Klaus are some of the best people to hang out with on watch at 4 to 6 in the morning.

On the 18th of January, I was writing in my journal saying “…we’re on our way to Tristan! I really hope we get…” And I just stopped writing because I then wrote, “AAAAND I totally lost my train of thought because there were a bunch of pilot whales SO close to the ship.” That’s the cool thing about Class Afloat. You’re excused from class when there are whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, etc. It’s a crazy thing to think about and I can’t imagine what living on land is going to be like after experiencing this. Anyways, what I was going to say in my journal was I really hope we get to make it to Tristan Da Cuhna. (Spoiler alert… We made it to Tristan! But I’ll talk about that in a bit.)

On Jan. 21st, a bunch of us were watching High School Musical 2 and you better believe we sang our hearts out. I’ve never met a group of people who understand my love for HSM. Watching the second movie brought me back to when we were in UNEDCO in Spain and we watched the 1st movie in the building we had our classes in. It’s crazy to think that we had a month off the ship and now it’s been a month at sea (with a short stop in Tristan). Before watching HSM2, it’s Megan’s clumsy story of the day… I had just gotten out of galley and I was taking the massive container of rags to the laundry room to start cleaning them. I was walking and the second I stepped on the tile floor, which was super slippery that day, my right foot slipped right across my left leg and I tripped myself. I landed ONLY on my right knee with not only my own weight, but with this darn container of rags. It hurt SO bad, but I ignored it while watching HSM2 because that felt more important at the time. The next day I realized I couldn’t bend my leg… Whoops. I went (limped) to the Medical Officer, Chris, and he put me on the “less physical work board” because walking was a struggle for a solid 48 hours. It took longer than that for the swelling to go down, but I could walk like a semi-normal person after the 1st 2 days. For the time I was crippled, I was walking like a had a peg leg. It was kind of funny, but extremely painful.

The next day (the 22nd), there was an all hands call for a job on deck and, even though I was still injured, I just did an easy job. But… It happened to be Sunday Dinner that day and we were all dressed nice. My skirt was NOT happy in the strong wind outside. It takes skill to haul on a line and hold down your skirt at the same time, but the girls managed it really well so props to us.

On the 24th, we saw at least 4 sperm whales. They were beautiful (and insanely close to the ship). Seeing marine mammals never gets old. Later that day, there was an announcement over the loud speaker that simply said, “big whale on starboard side.” I had been having a rough couple of days in terms of mental health so it’s things like that that make me cheer up a bit. I hadn’t gotten out of bed that quickly in a whiiiile. Also, don’t worry family… I get a little down every now and then because I get impatient waiting to talk to you guys. I cheer up when crazy stuff happens, but sometimes you just want to call your family. The Southern Atlantic, however, does not have cell service. I also found out that morning that I got accepted as a Teacher’s Apprentice for the Anthropology 12 class. Everyone can apply to whatever they want to be on the ship as an apprentice and I knew being a teacher’s apprentice would be more my speed compared to something maritime related. I’m so proud of my work for Anthro!

JANUARY 27TH! My 19th birthday! I am now a 19-year-old and it happened on a ship in the middle of the Southern Atlantic Ocean. How cool is that?! Lindsey, I’m definitely not 8 anymore. In fact, I’m now DOUBLE that. I know, it’s crazy to think about. I got bucketed like what normally happens on peoples’ birthdays and oh my gosh it was cold. I have a video of it because I didn’t want to get bucketed with cold water and not be able to make fun of myself later on.

Time to talk about TRISTAN. Some sailor’s only dream of making it to Tristan because sometimes the wind/weather doesn’t let you anchor outside of their small, isolated home. But we made it! With a lot of hard work, we got to anchor outside of Tristan on the 29th of January, which was earlier than expected, but that’s the window of good weather we had and this crew made it happen. I went aloft (to just below the lower topsail) with John, Kyle, and Liz. I was a little scared, but the waters were calm and we were anchored so I felt confident enough to make it up there. The view of Tristan was breathtaking. We actually went onto Tristan on the 30th and I saw a ROCKHOPPER PENGUIN the second I stepped onto the island. I was in love. I sent some post cards to my family that I hope make it there soon. We visited the school that very few kids attend (considering there’s only about 280 people on the whole island). We got the chance to play ACTUAL BASKETBALL with a few of the kids and I didn’t realize how much I missed throwing things and running around, two things that are prohibited on the ship. We got the chance to climb the volcano that erupted in 1961 and I got some BEAUTIFUL pictures. We only had one afternoon on Tristan so it was over way too quickly, sadly. We made our way back to the ship on the dinghy and set sail the next day on the 31st.

In the beginning of February, I began to prepare my lesson for the Anthropology lesson I would be teaching regarding Sex and Gender. Being the teacher’s apprentice for Anthropology has been a blast and when the time came to teach my 55-minute lesson, I felt 100% prepared. It went extremely well because not only did I work hard on the presentation, but sex and gender is a topic I know a lot about (self-taught because little Megan and current Megan are constantly curious about how that stuff works). Everyone told me that I did a good job and they feel like they learned a lot about sexual orientations, romantic orientations, and gender versus sex.

On board, mostly throughout this long sail, a game known as Jungle Speed has been spreading like wildfire. It’s a hit amongst individuals on the ship who have to get some pent-up energy out. It’s a game that involves a lot of yelling. We’ve actually drawn blood playing this game because it’s so intense when you have to be the first to grab something. It’s harder to explain through text, but consider playing it one day. I’m for sure going to force it upon my family.

In mid-February, we had a handover day, which means the students take over the ship while the maritime crew gets the day off. They keep an eye on us just in case, but I think we were pretty successful that day and the other handovers that have happened throughout the year. Every handover day (at the time I’m writing this, we’ve only had two, but another one is coming up), we fly the huge pirate flag that we have onboard. It’s the small things that make things like this fun. Even though I wasn’t acting as a maritime crew member, because I was a teacher’s apprentice, it was still fun for me to watch my friends be captain, 1st and 2nd officer, engineer, ABs, and bosun. You get a really strong proud feeling when your student crew can take over the ship for a full 24 hours.

On February 13th, we anchored outside of Cape Town and all anyone could think of was “FINALLY!” This was a parent port so many of us had been anticipating seeing our families. I had not seen my sisters since I left in September. We had to anchor until the 16th and I was growing impatient having to wait for 3 days to see my best friends. My siblings are my best friends so seeing my sisters was a big deal. I cannot thank Chris enough for bringing them with him to Cape Town because, not only did I get to see them, they got to experience something outside of our normal life in the United States. Travelling is something I believe everyone should do and I am so glad my sisters got to go to Cape Town, one of my favorite ports.

I enjoyed our long sail, but we sometimes tend to go a little crazy waiting for land to appear on the horizon. One of the most interesting things I’ve learned is that you can smell land when you approach it after so many days at sea.

Thank you for reading this VERY LATE (sorry about that) and very long post. I’ve been putting off typing about this passage for quite some time because of the length I knew it would be, but here it is!

<3 - Megan

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Troy Bolton: Things We Ought To Know (HSM I)

I've had a writing epiphany: I need to begin where the story actually begins. Without delving into mundane details, I have been struggling with one of my Trelsi fics, because I was dead set on beguinning it during the latter half of HSM III, simply because I had envisioned plenty of great scenes for that period. The problem was, I couldn't make things gel together, and all I had was a bunch of great scenes bridged together by pointless conversations that did nothing to advance the plot or increase dramatic tension. For someone who drinks writing advice like a fish, I definitely can neglect the basics! Start where the story actually starts, and there needs to be dramatic tension and stakes from the first chapter. I think I've fallen too much on the "It's just fanfiction" excuse, which is inexcusable, because I want to tell a good story, which means good writing, and I'm currently writing original works, too. What's the point if I give myself reasons to slack off?

Having come to this grand epiphany, I've significantly sped up my writing process, and made it easier to write the synopsis. Furthermore, I was worried about repeating myself when I wrote other stories which would also be set during the latter half of HSM III, but here's the thing: those stories ended up having something to say during that period. So I could transfer my scenes there, and therefore cut the flab from the big one. And to be honest, the only reason my "major" Trelsi fic was even major was because I'd added a whole load of flab to the beginning before getting to the middle part. I literally could not figure out why the middle was better conceptualized in my head than the beginning, before I realized that the middle actually WAS the beginning. So now I don't have to worry about repeating myself, because I'm dealing with different time-frames. I had always suspected this story would be better off beginning after graduation, but I'd read another Trelsi story with a similar starting point and thought I might be copying. That's ridiculous, as my story is completely different, as it should be.

Anyway, why is this relevant? I'm currently rewatching HSM I in my beloved Google Play. Ever since realizing that Dropbox allows you to save and back up Screenshots, I've been hitting the Print Screen button like a maniac all through my favourite movies and TV shows. I like having visual images available when writing. And this is actually helpful for HSM, because I'm British and therefore relatively unfamiliar with the American school system and other things. I once spent an entire lunchtime reading about American roads because I needed this information for the scene where Troy insanely drives 1053 miles to see Gabriella. Another piece of great writing advice I read recently was that all fiction writers should read nonfiction. Truth is stranger than fiction, and this can help spark new ideas and provide necessary research that maintains reality in fiction. I have NO patience for writers or screenwriters who don't take the time to research the topic they're handling.

Why is HSM I important? It demonstrates the reason for Troy's attachment to Gabriella and to his illusions. If you want to detach Troy from Gabriella, you first have to understand how and why he became attached in the first place. Troy strikes me as idealistic, particularly when it comes to romance. You have to experience the twinkling lights, the innocence, the romantic music, the shy laughter and their final performance before watching it unravel and wondering why Troy wants to be trapped under the wreckage.

This is why I am updating huge chunks of my story, cutting out loads of unnecessary flab that I'd previously considered good/attractive, but serves no purpose whatsoever. I realized that I need to focus on TROY's evolution, his goals and his final redemption, when he is emancipated from his relationship with Gabriella. That's the whole purpose. (Other than him being with Kelsi). So I rewrote the summary to reflect this. So HSM I makes for important referencing material-- more so than HSM II, because if the story begins in HSM III or later, then the damage sown in HSM II was already done. But knowing how it all started will increase Troy's emotional conflict and pain later on. And emotional pain and conflict make good stories.

There are so many interesting things about Troy Bolton in HSM I that have nothing to do with Gabriella. For example, the rooftop garden scene is not memorable because Gabriella was invited there; if you watch carefully at the end, you will see that they run out of things to say to each other, and stare awkwardly in different directions. That already demonstrates that despite their obvious attraction to each other and one mutual interest, they don't have much else in common. No, this scene interests me because it shows how desperately Troy craves solitude, and even enjoys it. It shows that Troy isn't fully comfortable around his friends, not because they aren't his friends (although their behaviour certainly suggests this sometimes), but because they don't understand him enough. Note that he says of his rooftop hideout: "which means that my buddies don't even know it exists." He doesn't make any distinction between his regular buddies, and Chad, who has been his best friend since childhood. I'm a huge fan of Troy and Chad's friendship, but you can't ignore the significance here.

Interestingly, Troy does actually share many nerdy memories with Chad; in HSM III, we find out that the two used to play in Troy's treehouse and visit Riley's Salvage, pretending to be spies and superheroes. Chad says "I was a much better superhero than you were"; so maybe Troy was telling the truth when he said the red cape in his treehouse belonged to his friend. Why does Chad not know about the rooftop gardens (until it was convenient for the plot in HSM I)? I think it's because Troy does share many interests with Chad and when they're hanging out, they're not retreating from the world. They're being a part of it, considering themselves as brothers-in-arms. The big difference between them is that Troy is "The Basketball Guy", the one whose actions affect the "entire school" and who must lead his team to victory, presumably every time. Chad enables and encourages this pressure, whilst also becoming resentful when he feels Troy enjoys too many perks, too much praise, too many advantages. A further reason is that revealing the rooftop gardens would mean revealing his friendship with the Science Club, which is social heresy in Chad's book.

There are many other things that build a picture of Troy's life outside of Gabriella in HSM I.

[Gabriella] "Well you sound like you've done a lot of singing too!"

[Troy] "Yeah, my showerhead is very impressed with me."

Again, this picture of him singing in the shower demonstrates the freedom he experiences when alone. Although he admits this to a girl that he's just met, which is significant, he downplays it. I initially believed this was because of his dorkiness, but maybe it's because he's modest about his talents and because he actually does enjoy singing in the shower, or takes it seriously. But ever conscious of this new girl who has sprung out of nowhere, he thinks that coming off as a dork will work better. He certainly seemed more interested and impressed by her experience singing in Church choirs and encouraged the notion of her having a solo career. Perhaps he isn't confident enough in his singing, even when clearly capable at it, and would never allow himself to dream outside the "Hoops Dude/Playmaker" box. The screenwriters could have explored all of this at the beginning, instead of giving the impression that only Gabriella awoke his interest in the Performing Arts.

Here's the thing: that whole beginning sequence is utterly forgettable. Sure, they kept each other's numbers, but their meeting could equally have had no effect whatsoever, had they either not kept in contact, or been too far away to get to know each other well enough. Meanwhile, information about Troy singing in the shower and his enjoyment of performing could have been triggered by a more meaningful meeting. Might I suggest one? His meeting Kelsi, 35 minutes later into the film lead to longlasting repercussions, all of them positive, for both characters. As I will explain in my Trelsi series (it IS coming), if the screenwriters wanted a more romantic beginning, this scene would have worked far better for several reasons. Firstly, it's not coincidental. Sorry, but I dislike coincidences. I still can't decide whether Troy intended to become friends with Kelsi, but he definitely made an active decision to help her pick up her manuscripts and to build her confidence after seeing Sharpay tear it down. Secondly, Troy and Kelsi clicked right away, whereas Gabriella just wandered off after their supposedly romantic first meeting without even saying goodbye, perhaps a sign of her subsequent behaviour towards Troy. Thirdly, meeting Troy made Kelsi open up (with enthusiasm) and brought about a change in her character, whereas Troy and Gabriella simply chatted about their singing experiences and agreed that karaoke was fun. Fourthly, meeting Kelsi led directly to Troy realizing his newfound interest in singing-- please note this scene could have happened with or without Troy meeting Gabriella. Fifthly, as I have said before, Troy's reaction to hearing Kelsi's song was far more profound than his reaction to singing "The Start of Something New".

Just saying.

By the way, Gabriella completely misinterprets the need for Troy's rooftop hideout.

[Gabriella] "So this is your private hideout?"

Sounds innocuous, but later on she says:

[Gabriella] "You pretty much have the school wired, don't you, Troy? Seems to me like everyone on campus wants to be your friend."

She thinks that he gets the rooftop gardens thanks to his status, that he gets anything he wants and that the world is in his hands. This might explain her lack of patience with him in HSM II, and her willingness to believe that he's wearing Italian golf shoes to show off, rather than because they were given to him. Perhaps there even might be some longing in her voice; she was previously the school's "freaky math girl" and would love to be popular and admired instead. She gets this without any struggle whatsoever, mostly thanks to Troy and Taylor. So even Gabriella doesn't understand Troy on the spot. Is that a crime? No. And certainly later on in this scene, Gabriella demonstrates that she knows Troy better than his friends. But again, it's worth pointing out that the "Playmaker" scene demonstrated instant understanding between two people. On the other hand, Gabriella eventually proves to be just as (deliberately) ignorant of Troy and his feelings as everyone else around him. Again, just saying.

What other interesting facts about Troy are revealed? "Unless we lose." This demonstrates that despite the adulation heaped on Troy's head, he's no longer interesting if he can't deliver for East High. This fits in well with Coach Bolton's later claim that "what you do affects not only this team, but the entire school." Remember even Principal Matsui expects Troy to get the team "whipped into shape". If Troy loses, the whole school has lost. If Troy can't focus on each and every game, then he's letting down the whole school. If you view these two lines of dialogue together, you get a sense of the overwhelming pressure that Troy, at this point only sixteen/seventeen, faces every day of the basketball season. It's insane to put that kind of pressure on a kid's head, particularly when he's so sensitive and doesn't have a picture of his own future, as he proved in HSM III. "Unless we lose," means that Troy has faced the consequences of losing many times. How do we know this? Later on, Coach Bolton says that the "West High Knights have knocked us out of the Playoffs three years running." Now although he later says that everyone must given 110% to the game, you have to take into consideration his later words directed only at Troy: "And without you completely focussed, we're not going to win..." Losing is not simply a part of life for Troy Bolton. It's failure, it's disappointing his team, his school, his Principal... his Coach AND father. And he's faced this several times. When he says "Unless we lose", he smiles in resignation and shrugs as though it's not a big deal, but we know that it is-- not just because it hurts Troy to lose, but because he shoulders everyone's hopes and expectations.

Small wonder that he doesn't "see my life as a ball game anymore" later on?

Thing is, Troy loves basketball. It wouldn't make sense for him to choose it (and announce it first) in HSM III otherwise. His eyes light up whenever he sees a hoop. One of the first advantages of the job at Lava Springs was basketball: "We got a hoop out back..." He takes any opportunity to work on his free throws at home. His bedroom, often representative of a character, is filled with basketball memorabilia, all collected of his own accord. Basketball is a source of bonding between him and his father-- sometimes the only way they can communicate. Basketball is what he shares in common with his best friend. He enjoys sports on the whole. You can see the genuine delight when he wins in HSM I and HSM III. It's not the game that he doesn't like, but the unnecessary adulation, the pressure, the insistence upon him being everyone's superhero when, as he quite reasonably stated, "there's twelve people on this team, not just me." He might not be as passionate about it as Chad, because he definitely sees his identity as being more varied than just being a basketball player. Chad's future is easy: "Hoops all the way!" But he certainly is invested in it.

I'm just rewatching Gabriella and Taylor's conversation about the Scholastic Decathlon right now. It's ironic that Gabriella is the voice of reason here, stating that Taylor should get to know Troy before making judgements about him. Calling someone a "particular sub-species" just because they play basketball is absurdly unfair. Taylor is bubbly and fun and intelligent, but intensely prejudiced and relies heavily on her preconceptions of other people. Furthermore, she expects other people to accept her judgements, hence why she constantly tells Gabriella what to think about her relationship during HSM II. (Gabriella (apparently later) forgets that she ever told Taylor to be more open-minded and decides to just swallow whatever Taylor feeds her).

Anyway, what's interesting about this scene is the cheerleaders in hysterics over Troy's looks. What's even more interesting is that Troy is not in the slightest bit interested in any cheerleader, and for most of the movie, doesn't appear to acknowledge their existence. This is a marvellous feat, given that they presumably sit at his lunchtable with the basketball folks. You can see this right before "Stick To The Status Quo". Troy has a notable flaw of ignoring people when he's engrossed in something, like during HSM II when he was showing the Redhawk player how to hold a golf club and ignored Chad and Jason. They found this insulting. Apparently, Troy's lack of interest in any single cheerleader (some of whom must surely have thrown themselves at him) does not insult them, judging by their giggling. And does this interest die down after Troy begins dating Gabriella? I don't think so. At the beginning of HSM III, as Troy is wading his way through dancers at his house, Martha and another cheerleader congratulate him. So I guess he's still their hero.

This is very interesting to me; because I ship Troy and Kelsi together, I have to work around his complete blindness to any other girl, which canonically includes Kelsi. I wrote loads of notes about what Troy's taste in Gabriella said about his romantic tastes, and then applied these to Kelsi, and then had to think up scenario's where he might notice Kelsi more. It was challenging, but stimulating, because I realized that this would actually make their romance better. Why? Because it falls perfectly in line with the first song of Kelsi's that Troy ever heard: "It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see, that you were always right beside me."

Again, just saying. The unexpectedness of meeting Kelsi, plus Troy's reaction to hearing her song and his ability to connect to it instantly speak volumes. No scene of such emotional intensity exists between Troy and Gabriella before perhaps their performance of Breaking Free.

Okay, back to Troy Bolton.

By the way, I've noted before that during HSM I, Kelsi wasn't in Troy's homeroom class. By HSM II, she's there, her desk directly to his left and she gives him a quick hug after the bell goes! (CUTE!) I'm still waiting for an explanation.

When Troy tells Chad that he's off to do homework instead of, *gasp*, practicing during free period and directing his team, the audience is supposed to take this as an excuse. Of course, Troy was using homework as a diversion. However, later on in the movie, we see Troy spending what I presume is a free period to check out some books in the library and take notes. Chad, on the other hand, is tailing him and filling his head with all kinds of nonsensical threats and meaningless anecdotes. This does demonstrate that Troy is, outside of basketball, a conscientious student. Chad* is not, and proud of this. He boasts about having been behind on homework since preschool, an untenable position for someone hoping to attend college. I understand that in the American college system, you spend the first year studying all the basic subjects to build credits. I've already discussed the importance of Troy hanging out with the Science Club, unnecessary if he doesn't care about academics. He also won a scholarship to Berkeley, impossible without having sufficient credits and having performed exceptionally well. In HSM III, he is seen holding a thick textbook which I think says "Literature" on it. Of course, by that point, Gabriella probably watched over his studies like a hawk; she orders him to "come on" so they can do homework. But I don't think Troy slacked off at other subjects (even though he is rarely ever seen carrying a bag, or holding books and pens!). It does counter the accusation that he simply sat around waiting for privileges, as his friends and girlfriend so insultingly assume during HSM II.

There are many other things I'd like to know about Troy Bolton, but the final thing I want to note here is his modesty. Like I've said before, he doesn't even know arrogance, let alone display it. Can he be inconsiderate? Yes. He put several members of his class into detention just because he wanted to speak with Gabriella, when he could simply have waited until they were dismissed. He can forget things that are important, be late, have a tunnel vision with regards to unreasonable goals, as well as ignoring sensible advice to attain said goals. But is he ever arrogant? Not that I can think of. During the first scene between him and Gabriella, he tells her she has an "amazing voice". He then repeats this to Ms Darbus, not even mentioning that his own voice is pretty good too. When Ms Darbus offers him (and Gabriella) a callback audition, Gabriella is delighted, he is astonished. On the rooftop garden, Gabriella says "You're a cool guy, Troy. But not for the reasons your friends think." Troy's reaction isn't even bashful; he genuinely appears astonished by this revelation, that his quirky, dorky character is a positive thing, and not something he should hide from others. That there are people who appreciate him without making him conform to their expectations, like (ostensibly) Gabriella. You can see him contemplating her words there, not even seeming to notice her until she thanks him for showing her the place. Later on, he gives his Game Ball away to Kelsi, whom most people either don't know or don't notice, and lets everyone cheer for her after the basketball game, which is what they actually came to see. It's actions like these which make me love Troy Bolton and enjoy writing about him.

More musings upcoming.

*FOOTNOTE-- Interestingly, Chad won a scholarship to the U of A, which would have been impossible had he done no homework. Is it fair to assume that he buckled up and studied hard? Did Taylor, a conscientious student, have a hand in this change? If so, this would prove her a good influence on him, and beg the question of why they may have split up after graduating. I'm still infuriated by this. 

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Responses-- Troy Bolton: Things We Ought to Know

@boltonevans response to my post here. 

In a lot of ways, the song “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen, is a “Troy Bolton” song.

I know nothing about Disney, but I’ve found several songs that are indicative of Troy’s toxic relationship with Gabriella. “I don’t wanna cry” by Mariah Carey and “Fire and Water” by Free have some great lyrics:

I Don’t Wanna Cry- Mariah Carey

Once again we sit in silence After all is said and done Only emptiness inside us Baby look what we've become... 

And later here:

Too far apart to bridge the distance But something keeps us hanging on and on Pretending not to know the difference Denying what we had is gone Every moment we're together It's just breaking me down I know we swore it was forever But it hurts too much to stay around...

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Fire and Water- Free

Every single day I got a heartache coming my way I don't wanna say goodbye baby But look at the tears in my eyes I don't wanna say goodbye mama But look at the way you made me cry Every way that's nice you show You've got a heart that's made of ice And I know...

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The lyrics, “It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small”, seem, to me, an apt explanation for why Troy has an affinity for secret locations several dozens of feet off the ground, such as trees, tree houses, and gardens on the roof of his high school. He needs the space to himself to simply breathe and exist as his own person, but the distance between himself and the rest of the world also, likely, acts as a means of temporarily shedding the weight of so many expectations and so much pressure to always be “the best” at everything off of his shoulders. In After the dream, I attempt to address this.

Great points. 

“Watching earthly things, like pavement, dirt, grass, and trees, recede, and people and buildings reduced to hardly more than specks miles beneath them before disappearing under a thick sea of smoggy haze and fluffy clouds, is oddly comforting to Troy. It’s as if, up here, there’s no pressure to be anyone but himself. Troy.

Not The Basketball Guy, or Hoops, or Wildcat.”

Great description here. I’m looking forward to reading the full third part.

Gabriella’s “observation” that Troy has the whole school “wired”, in context with her seemingly only becoming interested in him after visiting his secret hideout, expecting him to be the sole “provider” in their relationship, and never lifting a finger to do anything for him, in return, really doesn’t paint the most flattering picture of her. It almost gives one the impression that she was using Troy for the perks of dating him, such as getting to shed her unwanted reputation as the school’s “freaky genius girl” by becoming the most popular girl in school, and getting access to “secret hiding places” that Troy hasn’t shared with anyone else.

I think we’re discovering that very few things paint Gabriella in a flattering light. As the movies progress, her use for Troy diminishes to the point where she can up and leave on a whim and refuse to return, even after having promised to do so. After HSM I, Gabriella stops admiring his fame and treats it as an inconvenience, and an excuse for boasting (HSM II), and more importantly, a way of getting him to stop complaining. In HSM II, Troy confides his fears about the cost of college. Gabriella tells him that he’s pretty much destined for a scholarship. It may be a small thing, but there’s good reason to believe that Gabriella believes that because of his fame, he should have nothing to complain about. She drags the conversation away from his problems to her own and then tells him to focus on “right now”-- something he won’t be able to do, thus setting him up for further punishment. If you take Gabriella’s dialogue in HSM I and HSM II into consideration, this does support the notion of her impatience and insensitivity to Troy’s complaints and worries. He’s a “Wildcat”. He shouldn’t be complaining. And again, in HSM III, Gabriella chides Troy for not admitting to his love for Theatre. “You love it. Why is that so hard for you to admit?” Troy can’t be unsure. He can’t be limited by other people’s limited expectations of him and his future. Instead, he loves it, which must mean that he enjoys the attention. This indicates that she continues to misunderstand him throughout the movies despite having displayed understanding during that rooftop scene. 

I very much appreciate the shout out to Troy’s studiousness. For as much as the fandom and Taylor, alike, rag on him for his intelligence, and Gabriella generally views him as a dense, inconsiderate moron who needs the obvious painstakingly pointed out to him, he is shown doing his homework of his own volition, in the first movie, and, while it isn’t shown in the film proper, his tree house has a telescope inside of it:

HOW do you notice these things? I’m impressed. Thanks for this picture-- I need to use this for my story. 

This implies that he has some measure of interest in stargazing, potentially astronomy. In addition, he helped his father build the tree house, and makes repairs to his pickup truck unassisted. He has basic mechanical know-how, and could be quite the handyman. Sure, he isn’t the “genius” who made the papers in her previous hometown, won a Scholastic Decathlon, or got into Stanford University, but the kid is no slouch.

When Troy’s off the ground, he’s closer to the sky, so this actually makes sense. I would never have noticed this at all. In response to that link: first of all, the person ranting against Troy is incoherent, just like their claims. I have reblogged and responded to that original post. 

And, he’s more self-effacing than arrogant, without a doubt.

OH YEAH! HE stole the ball, not his team-mates. Wow, glad to see people notice these things; it’s amazing how much I actually don’t know. This actually makes Chad’s accusations against him even more absurd; if Troy was self-effacing enough to attribute his own excellent manoeuvre to his best friend, that destroys Chad’s comment here: “If I was as good as you?” I will reiterate that Chad NEVER apologizes for this comment, nor is he ever obliged to. When viewed in conjunction with Troy’s amazing last minute assist in HSM III (which I never really watched properly until recently), you definitely get a better picture of who he is and his moral values. 

I’m very sorry to hear that you’ve been struggling to get your works off the ground. I can relate, and it’s a very unfortunate place to be. :( I am glad you’re managing to climb your way out of this hole. If there is anything I can do to be of assistance, never hesitate to ask.

Thanks-- things are progressing much quicker now that I cut out the unnecessary stuff. I’ve come up with quite a few new scenes, some of which were inspired by your answers to my questions on Troy Bolton. (Worth reading, people, here and here). 

In response to your footnote: I’m sure Chad got into U of A on a basketball scholarship, though I do love the idea of Taylor assisting him, academically, and am still bitter about the implication that they’re splitting up, after graduation. If any couple should have made a clean break without even attempting to date long-distance, it should have been Troy and Gabriella. :[

You and me both. I love Chaylor, not just because they’re so sweet together, but because their relationship is built on realism and genuine affection. They don’t prance around onstage singing gooey songs about forevers that don’t exist, even though Taylor definitely digs the Troyella duos. (As does Chad). More importantly, neither of them manipulate the other into compromising their respective futures. When Chad says “Hoops all the way” in HSM III, Taylor does not react with the contempt that she would have done in HSM I. And Chad tells Troy that Taylor’s headed to Yale without making some derogatory comment about brainiacs. The only thing that infuriates me is the hypocritical double-standard they demonstrate towards Troy, whom both of them have known for longer than they’ve known Gabriella. This is astonishing. Without Troy breaking the status quo, Taylor would most likely not have come to like him, or even gone out with Chad, given that he only asked her out after the callbacks and not earlier when they were plotting against their friends. Without Troy, Taylor wouldn’t have recieved a summer job with excellent references, her perfect prom invitation from Chad, or persuaded him to return onstage during the graduation ceremony in HSM III. Yet despite clear evidence of Gabriella’s actions hurting Troy, she almost never takes his side because he’s a popular basketball player. Never mind that her boyfriend is a popular basketball player, too. Taylor is an enigma to me. 

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Responses- The Marvel of Trelsi (Part VIII)

By BoltonEvans post here. 

Believe me, I’m in the same boat as far as my OTP goes. While there is a bit more of a variety of fanfiction to explore, the majority of it is grossly out of character (self-loathing homophobic asshole Troy, and Ryan with Sharpay’s personality who refers to Troy as “Bolton” are everywhere), and resort to using extreme traumatic scenarios, such as rape, for cheap drama.

I used to be in another fandom where the homosexual ships involved exploitation of rape as a plot device, which is quite frankly disgraceful. As for Troy being “homophobic”... Is that why he decided to make friends with the most flamboyantly gay... Oh, never mind. I truly believe so many fans were watching a different film altogether. 

Even worse, I’m the only person still actively writing for my ship, these days, with the very rare exception cropping up and taking me by surprise every couple of months, or so. It’s a very sad state of affairs.

Sad, indeed. They have far more in common: 1)- A love of the Performing Arts and corresponding commitment, 2)- Strong work ethic, 3)- Kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness, 4)- Humour. The honest viewer doesn’t need to ship them to see this. Gabriella by comparison only meets ONE of the above criteria-- being a hard worker, and that only relates to her academic pursuits. When it comes to Troy or Ryan’s hard work, she’s happy to flush that down the toilet when it doesn’t suit her. (She’s also happy to play the two against each other to get emotional revenge, which is obnoxious). 

A few more notes/additions, because I’m both obnoxious, and incorrigible:

- My Tryan bias results in my perspective of Troy seeking Sharpay out and agreeing to perform with her and save her “sinking ship” of a talent show only if she also allows the Wildcats to perform, revolving around Ryan persuading him to do so. Troy was hellbent on dropping out of the show and resuming kitchen duty as a show of solidarity with his friends. It was only because of Ryan that he ultimately changed his mind. So, even though Troy absolutely does uphold his commitments (he is a textbook people pleaser, after all), I view that instance as the one exception where Troy had to be talked into keeping a promise. Thankfully, it was by someone who was actually looking out for him, for once.

That’s a good point. Thanks for pointing this out. 

- One minor correction: Gabriella transfers to East High after the new year begins. In the American school system, this would be the start of the second semester, or halfway through the school year, and it’s questionable just when, exactly, she and Troy began officially dating after the events of the first film. In all likeliness, she and Troy dated for about half of their junior year, broke up several weeks into summer vacation, got back together (after Troy was willing to throw an opportunity for a scholarship out the window because of Gabriella’s reaction to him prioritizing his future over giving her a summer worthy of remembering), managed to stay together for most of senior year, then broke up, again, when Gabriella unceremoniously and callously dumped Troy over the phone a week before the year was out.

Correction noted, thanks. 

“When Troy tries to show her a golf course in HSM II, she tells him “I don’t play golf”, which is harmless enough. But given that she should have known by then that her boyfriend was on the school’s Golf Team, it would have reflected better on their relationship had Gabriella taken an interest in his golfing, whether she liked it or not. Particularly since Gabriella was later bitter that Troy didn’t ask HER opinion on the much-derided “Italian golf shoes”. If she doesn’t play golf, why does she care?"

This is a brilliant point, even though I believe that Gabriella telling Troy that she doesn’t play golf when he was obviously setting up a date (since he’s the sole half of the relationship tasked with planning every single date they go on), was rude. I’m assuming that Gabriella, contrary to what sense and logic would dictate, doesn’t take any real interest in Troy’s golfing because it was nothing more than a plot point for the sake of the narrative in the second movie, and never comes up, again, afterward. Her general apathy toward him is also a factor, though, of course.

I also want to add that, as far as their lack of a “common thread” goes;

-Gabriella seems unable to commiserate with Troy’s financial woes, and, indeed, never expresses a single concern about how she’s going to afford her own college tuition- another disparity.  

Oh, this is a VERY good point. Thanks for noting this one. Contrary to what popular romances like to claim, financial disparities can often harm a relationship, with the lesser fortunate partner feeling inadequate (particularly if they are a man) and yet steadfastly refusing any financial assistance. In Troy’s case, he never envies Gabriella’s financial position or asks for anything from her (although she bums freebies off him ALL the time), and expects to resolve all his financial issues himself through hard work and personal responsibility. This is one of the things I really like about him. However, his flaw of worrying so much also comes to light, which is where, as you say, Gabriella comforting him at the very least would have helped somewhat. Of course, what she ACTUALLY says is that they should “focus on right now”-- in other words, herself. 

Whenever Gabriella pulls attention away from his relatable issues and back to her own First World Problems, I tend to think this would have the psychological effect of making Troy feel as though he were complaining too much, if that makes sense? Because he always invests SO much in alleviating Gabriella’s worries whilst sidelining his own. So he would be internalizing a LOT of anxiety, which is extremely unhealthy. In conjunction with the fact that Gabriella makes him feel and look like a toddler in their relationship, his financial woes would make him feel even more inadequate for her as a partner. When his truck breaks down whilst he takes her home, he looks embarrassed, even though the reason is perfectly normal: he needs a new fuel pump. But it’s almost as though he anticipates her mockery, which makes me think that she regularly mocks him when things go wrong-- even if those things went wrong due to circumstances beyond his control. And let’s not forget the fact that he feels so obliged to impress Gabriella by spending his own limited resources on her, even though she can clearly afford to not only provide for herself, but also do nice things for him. What was stopping Gabriella from buying herself a pizza and inviting Troy round for once? Why couldn’t she pay for dinner and a movie sometimes? Why couldn’t she use her mother’s car or help buy her own, since she clearly has the money? Why, as you have already said, could she not help Troy out with his truck woes? (As I’ve said, I’m almost POSITIVE that she would have gotten irritated with him on the ride back from California, because his truck is unreliable. She has no concern for anything that troubles him. I bet she didn’t help pay for petrol, either). He eventually spends/borrows money to attend Berkeley for reasons beyond my humble comprehension. 

It’s very unhealthy and Gabriella’s lack of sympathy makes it even worse. 

-Gabriella’s bedroom decor, behavior, and wardrobe choices suggest a childlike innocence to her personality, and she talks about wanting things to be "like Kindergarten”, but, as you mentioned, she pokes fun at Troy for holding onto boyhood playthings. Watch her face when Troy takes Robo-Rob from her, worrying that she’ll break the toy robot.

That doesn’t strike me as the face of a girl who finds her boyfriend’s dorkiness and sentimentality for an aspect of his childhood endearing. That’s the face you pull when a person says or does something crazy and you’re trying to wrap your head around it.

You seem to have all the right gifs! Christ. There’s rarely ever any genuine affection in her eyes when she’s around Troy, as I will discuss later. Maybe in HSM I with the rooftop scene, we saw some genuine affection as she was opening up to Troy. That vanished not long later after the webcam stunt, in which her expression was NOT hurt/disappointed, but cold and almost hostile. (Maybe she didn’t want to appear weak or hurt by his words, given that she DID shed tears earlier). And yes, the hypocrisy is staggering in the way she treats Troy’s childhood interests. 

-Troy knows his future is coming at him full steam ahead, and even though he has no idea what he wants to do, after high school, and is “being pulled in a hundred different directions”, he acknowledges, “We’re going to graduate. That’s going to happen. Nothing is going to slow down”… while Gabriella laments, right in front of him, life not grinding to a standstill, just for her, so she never has to leave East High. This suggests not just a disparity in priorities, but in maturity levels, as well; something that would have caused an eventual rift between a real life couple that nothing could have patched up.

Absolutely. 

Imagine, years down the road- if they managed to stay together- Troy fretting over steadily accumulating bills and taxes while Gabriella rolls her eyes and tells him to just push for a promotion at work. Then, imagine Gabriella finding out that the electric bill hasn’t been paid and their electricity is about to be shut off. Do you think she’d take a stressed out Troy aside and promise to find a way to get them out of this rut, or angrily confront him and demand to know why the bill hasn’t been paid and if he wants them out on the street?

Shaking with laughter! :D Please God, let it not get this far! 

Imagine how Gabriella would respond if Troy sustained an injury, in college, that ruined his shot at a career in professional basketball, or if he got laid off from his job. Do you really think she’d stay by his side and try to work things out? Or, do you think Troy would come home to find the engagement ring he put his entire salary toward, sitting on the kitchen table beside a note from Gabriella explaining that she “can’t do this, anymore”?

That dialogue... :D That is JUST what Gabriella would say. I’m laughing because of the sheer irony. We are told that this couple represent “Relationship Goals”... I just can’t! *wipes eyes*

Based on everything I’ve seen in canon, I heavily lean toward the latter.

The Wail Fest in HSM II epitomises Gabriella’s philosophy in a nutshell: “I gotta do what’s best for ME.” She really knows how to play the scorned lover in every one of her Wail Fests. What’s even more insulting in this song is when she sings, “You’ll be okay!” This is AFTER she: 1)- quit the job he secured on her behalf, 2)- mocked and derided him for his promotions, 3)- flirted with Ryan to manipulate his emotions, 4)- dumped him, 5)- and eventually rejected his necklace. She has some audacity! Every time she is about to drop kick him, she constantly makes the presumption that he will understand her behaviour: (HSM I)- “You’ve got your team, and I’ve got mine. It’s WHERE WE BELONG.”, (HSM II)- “I just don’t belong here, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND”, (HSM III)- “I can’t be a little adult right now, Troy. I’m hoping you’ll understand that.” It makes me sputter with rage. Meanwhile, when it comes to HER turn to show some understanding in the following situations: (HSM I)- When Troy is clearly being pressured to avoid the Musicals, (HSM II)- When Troy is under pressure from Sharpay’s harassment and his fast rise to fame, (HSM III)- When Troy is worried about his future--- hey, what do you know? Her “understanding” vanishes. It’s like she never heard of the word. 

*angry sigh*

I’ll discuss more of this in later posts. If you don’t mind, I’ll add some things you’ve said here. (Giving credit, obviously). 

Thanks for the responses! 

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

The Marvel of Trelsi (Part IV)

Welcome back, people. I need a Restraining Order against Real Life, which has taken up so much of my time. But let’s get back to Trelsi, because Trelsi is just life. 

Just a recap of this series: I’m getting to the bottom of Trelsi (Troy Bolton and Kelsi Nielsen) throughout the movie canon, as well as adding my own headcanon musings and commentary. I want to explore what makes them so compulsively rewatchable as a duo, and the potential of their relationship. So far, I’ve:

1- Introduced the duo

2- Answered my first question, “Who IS Troy Bolton?”

3- Answered my second question, “Who IS Kelsi Nielsen?”

4- Examined the opening scene between Troy and Kelsi during HSM I. 

For the last couple of days, I’ve been torn on what post to do next, as several of the next scenes between Troy and Kelsi reiterate much of what I said in Part III. Since the first scene between them is so emblematic of who they are and what they will become, we need to understand why their friendship from this point onwards, just WORKS. During this time, I can incorporate some of the scene analysis from HSM I and II for examples. So this will answer my question from the introduction:

Question: What makes the Trelsi friendship and dynamic so friggin’ special? Why does it make me want to weep and write poetry?

There are two major ironies in the HSM franchise. The first, as I will discuss in later instalments, is that the main couple are supposed to represent an ideal romance (there is no such thing), and instead represent a shipwreck. The second irony, relevant here, is that unbreakable bonds of friendship are ostensibly said to hold the cast of characters together. In Troy’s graduation speech, he says, “East High is making friends that we’ll keep for the rest of our lives.” If one watches the movies uncritically, this may appear to be the case: Sharpay repents at the end of each movie, warming up to Gabriella, Gabriella makes friends with Ryan, Chad and the Wildcats stop deriding Ryan as “Sharpay’s poodle” and make friends with him, Troy and Chad have been friends since play-school and so on. This is what the movies want us to believe.

The reality is that none of the above cited examples come even close to the quality of friendship that Troy and Kelsi share. Not even close*. There are of course exceptions. Taylor is a very good friend to Gabriella, and the only person to whom Gabriella actually shows some genuine affection and loyalty. Troy and Ryan have a strong friendship: Troy didn’t need Ryan to undergo some silly contest to become his friend.** Kelsi is eventually willing, by the beginning of HSM II, to push aside her grudge against Sharpay and become friends with Ryan (”Kelsi’s got some great new ideas to spice up the Talent Show!”): if not for the Royal Sham conjured in HSM III, things would have gone well for these two. However, the vast majority of friendships in the canonical franchise only represent a hollow echo of the word. Yet it is precisely these relationships that receive more airtime and are aggressively touted as commendable, whilst the genuine and wonderful friendship between Troy*** and Kelsi is lucky to even get four scenes out of movies that span almost two hours each. It’s unjust. It’s inexplicable. 

In order to DEFEND Troy and Kelsi’s friendship, I need to deal with my main contention: how Troy is treated throughout the series. Kelsi is, for the most part, fortunately spared of dealing with absurd levels of pressure, both professional and social, harsh criticism, staggering levels of hypocrisy, betrayals of trust, mockery and downright cruelty that Troy faces throughout from people alleged to be his friends. It is honestly depressing to see how little Troy gets in return for his own decent and kind acts towards other people, and how the script expects the viewer to ignore or worse, celebrate, this. I’ve done some reading on the Internet to find a comprehensive article explaining what makes a good friend-- in particular, a good friend to Troy, since he suffers more. Using this, I will demonstrate how Trelsi wins and many of Troy’s other friends fall far short of the mark. I will try and keep references to Gabriella’s behaviour to a minimum here, as she will be discussed when I examine the potential of Trelsi romance. 

You can find the link source I’m using here: 11 Signs of A True Friendship

1- “They accept everything about you, including your flaws.”

In my post about Troy, I discussed his dorky personality. Prior to Troy’s significant overcoming of social hierarchies and stereotypes in HSM I, it appears certain that dorks and nerds were viewed with disdain by the jocks. So the fact that East High’s Primo Boy and Playmaker is also a King of Dorks is social heresy. This is why Troy was at pains to hide his rooftop hideout from his friends: “Thanks to the Science Club, which means my buddies don’t even know it exists!” In other words, Troy was essentially telling Gabriella that his buddies don’t accept the real him. They’re in love with the image. Playmaker, Hoops, The Basketball Guy. This is what guides and motivates them. It’s only much later in HSM III that Troy tells Chad, “The Gardening Club is ready for you,” but even that is punctuated by 1)- Chad laughing at Troy for potentially getting into Juilliard, 2)- Chad barely attempting to understand any of Troy’s chronic indecision until the very end, 3)- Chad imposing his own view of who Troy should be upon Troy all the time. 

Furthermore, the Wildcats have no patience for Troy’s flaws. In HSM II, his weakness for trying to please all the people all the time is treated as a sign of arrogance and selfishness, rather than partially motivated by the insane pressure that THEY (as well as others) place upon his shoulders.**** In HSM III, Troy’s significant flaws for taking his relationship with Gabriella too seriously, of over-investing in it and not expecting anything in return, of taking each setback personally to the point of being unable to function properly, of refusing to see reason or be objective in said relationship or his friendships, are virtually ignored by the Wildcats. In fact, it appears they are irritated by his upset. I base this on Chad’s irritation with Troy for messing up the dance moves and songs in rehearsal. 

On the other hand, Kelsi completely accepts Troy as he is. No questions, no judgements, no mockery. As I stated in my analysis of Kelsi Nielsen, the crux of her innate understanding of Troy as a person is communicated in song. BoltonEvans has helpfully pointed to lyrics from “You Are The Music In Me” that demonstrate this, which I will reproduce here: “As I am/And you understand/And that’s more than I’ve ever known”. My personal favourite is from “I Just Wanna Be With You”, which really demonstrates Kelsi’s philosophy on friendship and what it SHOULD be: “A friend like you/Always makes it easy/I KNOW THAT YOU GET ME EVERYTIME” (Capital emphasis my own). Kelsi never requires Troy to change who he is, or to fit some model trope. A significant reason is based upon Kelsi’s personal experience; given that she has been treated as not socially acceptable enough to be considered cool, and knows how this feels, this has given her more incentive to be empathetic and non-judgemental towards others. Furthermore, Troy treated her as a human being and an equal, and thus Kelsi returns the favour, also seeing him in the same way.

As is always the case with Trelsi, this works in the reverse, too. Although many movies that use the Cool Guy and Nerdy Girl pairing often make the Nerdy Girl become “cool” before she can be with the Cool Guy, this trope does not exist when it comes to Troy and Kelsi. She’s still wearing her funky clothes, bandana’s (that bandanna in HSM III is so Jimi Hendrix), cut-offs and converses. She’s still got that sarcastic humour, likes to poke fun of things. She leaves a half-eaten apple on the piano. (This is sacrilegious. My mum always told me, don’t bring food to the piano. And tea! Honestly!) She whistles and sticks her hands in her pockets, and rolls her eyes at Sharpay. She still wanders around with wads of manuscript paper in her bag, and tunes out of her friend’s conversation at lunchtime to finish her songs. She’s between 16-18 and writes songs like an adult. And Troy totally accepts that. He does not change a single thing about who she is to make her socially acceptable for him. After all, he is Jock Supreme. Playmaker. Hoops Man. And he hangs out with a girl who knows NOTHING about sports (”basketball class”-- seriously still not over that one), probably doesn’t talk about “cool things” (I have learned that cool things include who slept with who and who tried E last Friday night) and has zero sense of fashion! :D Okay, that was my own insert. But you get the picture. East High is HIGHLY HIERARCHISED. The significance here is enormous, which begs the question of why we didn’t see MORE of this. 

Oh-- also, Kelsi is a girl. Troy’s buddies up til now are all boys and all part of a brotherhood in basketball. (”Buddies” always has the connotation of male friends). And he breaks away from them to make friends with a socially inept girl miles away from him on the social spectrum with NO EXPECTATION of sexual/romantic consequences. Given the tough-guy attitude of the Wildcats players, they seem to see girls as being there to be conquered. Chad in particular does not have a girl who is just his friend until the end of HSM I onwards. Yes, he likes Gabriella, but previously, he had called her a “temptress” because she was interfering with Troy’s “true” calling. (Damn the “female mind”! :D) He likes Gabriella because he approves of Troy’s relationship. And before Chad got on with Kelsi, he made a comment about her looks: “Do you know something about this? Small person?”, not even taking into consideration the fact that Kelsi was upset about the callbacks being re-arranged, too. But Troy just likes Kelsi because he likes Kelsi. He’s not interested in her looks, her relationships, her social status. He just likes her. What she DOES (i.e her mind/her skills) is “really cool”. He takes an interest in her life with NO STRINGS ATTACHED. That’s just SO awesome to me. 

2- “They stick with you through both the good and bad times.”

Oh, this one will be a BIGGIE when considering a certain lady, won’t it? :D 

During HSM I, Troy gives a completely contrived speech (these seem to be a speciality of his) during which he says, “I thought that you’re my friends! Win together, lose together. Team-mates.” There is a laughable irony in these lines, given that the Wildcats rarely display ANY of these basic requirements for friendship. Yes, they repent after seeing Troy downcast and hurt by Gabriella refusing to speak to him. But during HSM II, they quickly abandon him as a lost cause when the pressures of his job mean less time spent with them. Instead of reaching out, Chad yells at Troy then stops speaking to him. Only through Kelsi’s intervention does he decide to bury the hatchet-- and even then, not before Troy is forced to admit to being a jerk, whilst Chad makes no apology on his part. So no matter how frustrated and isolated Troy feels, he gets no sympathy from The Wildcats. No, he is the problem. He is arrogant and selfish by not devoting 110% of his time to them. (By the way, another website says (point #1) that real friends don’t make you feel like crap for missing social times to attend to work/career concerns. Take note, Wildcats. And a certain lady). During HSM III, they are rarely on hand with positive encouragement when he is 1)- struggling to make career decisions, 2)- struggling with Gabriella’s absence, 3)- struggling to stay motivated in rehearsal. Remember Troy sitting ALONE in the auditorium, staring into the nothingness? All the chairs next to him are empty, because the Wildcats are too engrossed in their own conversations to check on him. 

Kelsi is one of the few characters who truly exemplifies the loyal friend. Once she has become friends with Troy, the deal is sealed. Her loyalty is one of her best assets. In HSM II and HSM III, the key moments of encouragement for Troy come when Kelsi either stands by his side, or when she tries to cheer him up. 

By far my favourite scene in HSM II comes when Kelsi is the only one not to turn her back on Troy or freeze him out. Think about the significance of this. The Wildcats, upon hearing that Sharpay had banned employee participation, had most likely planned not to speak to Troy. What were their objectives? I think it was either to punish him. If they wanted him to change, they would and should have communicated their displeasure to him. The fact that they didn’t even have the decency to explain their anger shows that their motivations were vindictive. Given that Kelsi was, by this point, considered one of the Wildcats, she would have been expected to follow suit. After all, Troy was betraying the team. He was getting privileges whilst they were washing plates. (Obviously their interpretation, not mine). Can you see why Kelsi’s actions here are not only important, but downright HEROIC? Firstly, Chad glares at Troy and then leaves when Troy comes to sit down, which is insufferably rude. Then Jason makes eye contact with Troy, glares and turns his back on him. The hurt on Troy’s face makes it difficult for me to watch this scene. But look at Kelsi’s reaction: she is shocked and embarrassed by Chad and Jason’s behaviour and doesn’t know how to react. This may make it seem like Kelsi perhaps didn’t know about the Silent Treatment plan, but she was DEFINITELY there when Chad yelled at Troy (I rewinded to make sure), so perhaps she might have expected this. Then we see Troy turn to Kelsi, as though expecting her to just up and leave as well. He is confused. There is a cold silence in the room. What has he done wrong (this time)? Instead of leaving, Kelsi passes him the announcement and watches his reaction. Troy is stunned and shocked by this (because he had NOTHING to do with this!!!) and looks at Kelsi, presumably for an explanation, as he begins to realize why everyone is silent. And it’s the look that Kelsi gives him which clinches this scene as a classic Trelsi moment: it’s a silent “It’s not your fault”, and then that shrug, which seems to imply that she knows why everyone else is angry and doesn’t agree with their actions AND that he shouldn’t worry (perhaps not very helpful) AND that she is trying to downplay her own disappointment at Sharpay’s behaviour. (Although not successfully). But the main point here is that she does not blame Troy. She’s silently demonstrating loyalty to him, not freezing him out, not blaming him, whilst everyone else literally turns their back. It’s a silent act of rebellion that could have cost Kelsi herself, given that she was disobeying the Wildcats unilateral decision to punish Troy. But she still does it, once again demonstrating that she is no wallflower. She can resist. If that’s not true friendship, then I don’t know what is. 

I have already discussed the BEAUTIFUL, SQUEE-WORTHY Trelsi hug in HSM III at length here, but I will add that even though Sharpay commands Kelsi to get to the piano, she rebels, and instead goes straight to Troy. He is her first concern. She holds his hand, helps him to stand and then gives him a hug. He smiles back at her, and she smiles too. Once she knows she has lifted his spirits, she makes her way to the piano. Think about this. Kelsi has poured her heart and soul into the musical; the last thing she needs is a miserable and lifeless lead actor pining over his girlfriend. But the fact of her checking on him first sends a powerful message; that friends come first. Songs can wait. That even when Troy is at his lowest, she is RIGHT THERE BESIDES HIM. (”It’s hard to believe that I couldn’t see that you were always right beside me”/ “Through every up, through every DOWN, you know I’ll always be around”). Those lyrics are Troy and Kelsi in a nutshell. And again, there’s no need for dialogue here. There is a great reversal in roles between Troy and Kelsi in this scene, demonstrating that they are equals: in the first movie, Kelsi was down (both literally and emotionally), and Troy picked her up. In the third movie, Troy is down (literally and emotionally), and Kelsi picks him up. It’s “I’ve got your back, you’ve got mine.” 50-50. Partners. Equals. 

*squees and weeps* :D

Now if the movies had been more interested in Kelsi’s life outside of music, then I’m sure we would have had some scenes where Troy did the same for her when she was down. For example, a possible scenario could have been when Jason broke up with Kelsi (if that’s what happened) for Martha. (A possible theory proposed by BoltonEvans). I 110% believe that Troy would be there for Kelsi first, and NOT his basketball buddy for all the reasons I have illustrated. That would have been a GREAT scene. You see the enormous disadvantages in limiting Trelsi scenes, but inflicting us with the Bubonic Plague of Wildcat hypocrisy and calling it friendship. 

Okay, I have written enough today, but I will be back soon with more! 

(*FOOTNOTE-- On Gabriella believing Troy’s performance on the videotape. As a scientist, shouldn’t she have a bit more of an enquiring mind? :D If the direct WiFi streaming wasn’t suspicious enough, she could at least have sought Troy’s side of the story. To be fair, I have less of an issue with Gabriella’s behaviour in this movie as compared to the next two. Although, as I have stated before, if Gabriella could be so swift as to quit the musical in front of Troy, I very much doubt she bothered to tell Kelsi. Why? Because in HSM III, she quits the musical, and we have no choice but to assume that Kelsi was not in the know. These things may not be significant, but they do show how little respect Gabriella actually has for Kelsi’s time and effort. Look at her face in HSM III (top picture), when Troy reminds her that they’re doing a musical together. Like I said in the last instalment, it wasn’t as though she was eager to help Kelsi after her fall in the first place, was it? It’s insane and quite sad, given how much Kelsi (unfortunately) respects Gabriella).

(**FOOTNOTE-- Another reason why Chyan is a nonsensical ship and another example of Wildcat insincerity. Though Chad does genuinely like Ryan by the end of HSM II and HSM III, it’s clear that Chad had to check if Ryan was good enough to be his friend. Once he “approved” Ryan (almost entirely based on sporting ability and not character), then the Wildcats presumably stopped deriding him as “Sharpay’s poodle” behind his back. Eventually, in the third movie, Chad admires Ryan’s choreography. But when Chad laughs at Troy’s potential chance at attending Juilliard, he is demonstrating a lack of respect for Ryan’s passion (the Performing Arts), which makes it implausible that these two would ever work as a pairing).

(***FOOTNOTE-- It’s worth noting that every friendship with Troy in is either 1)- exemplary, or 2)- completely one-sided because the other person doesn’t put in half as much effort as Troy does. This underlines the innate value of Troy as a hero, and demonstrates how seriously he takes the matter of friendships and relationships. There’s no half-stepping with Troy, as I will discuss when examining the potential for Trelsi romance. He’s in 110% or he’s out. The only person with whom he wavers is with Sharpay, but that’s only because Sharpay pursues him to the point of active inconvenience/discomfort/annoyance. Even then, he was willing to put aside his annoyance with her in HSM II out of compassion and a sense of duty. Hence why, in a rare moment of likeability and humanity, Sharpay said, “You’re a good guy, Troy.” )

(****FOOTNOTE-- I have to seriously question how good the East High Wildcats are as a basketball team. Forget the catchy slogan. I’m a sports fan, and like Troy said, it’s a TEAM effort. (Clue is in the name). If they could, according to the ever-helpful Chad, fall apart just by the idea of Troy auditioning for a musical, then what does that say about their game plan? To be quite frank with you, I’m surprised they hadn’t lost more games given the pressure they put JUST on Troy to deliver. Chad’s claim that the Wildcats would “get their sorry butts kicked” if Troy was auditioning seems a declaration of general incompetency. What did they do if Troy is ill or injured, as I’m SURE he must have been in the past? They might as well not show up! There are perfectly brilliant players who perform poorly in a particular team because their team-mates don’t put in as much effort, or aren’t co-ordinated together. I think Mr. Bolton is a capable coach, but even he admits that he puts too much pressure on Troy! “And without you, COMPLETELY focused, we’re not going to win next week.” Why only Troy? From what we can see, Chad is integral to the team as well; Troy relies upon his assists to score. Isn’t this what Troy said in HSM II to Mr. Evans? Jason has the same value. “There’s twelve people on this team, not just me,” said Mr. Perfectly Reasonable. Alas, no one ever listens to him). 

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Questions for HSM III (Part VI)

Incidentally, the above picture reflects my feelings whilst watching HSM III for the first time.

Shall we continue?

On the topic of night-time picnics, quite how Troy thought he would disguise his appearance at Mrs. Montez’s house when his truck was parked right outside is beyond me. I’ll cut the poor lad some slack: he’s in love. Foolishly, destructively in love. 

On Gabriella’s Continued Arrogance- Stanford Honors Program Part III

1- As I said yesterday, the arrogance and bold-faced rudeness that Gabriella shows towards Troy not just here, but on a regular basis, should be enough to question Troyella as a viable couple. Clearly, Troy wasted a trip. Had he spent the evening working on his truck, instead of feeding pizza into his ungrateful girlfriend’s mouth whilst she cut him down for information that SHE refused to share, then he would not have broken down outside her house. Or perhaps if Troy had spent less time pole-vaulting himself around the Junkyard with Chad, and more time looking for spare parts, he might have avoided this situation. 

However, this breakdown scene comes right after Gabriella has finally decided to go to California. So actually, is this scene a metaphorical way of demonstrating 1)- a setback in Troy’s life and 2)- more importantly, the breakdown of his relationship? Just as Troy’s truck refuses to co-operate, so does Gabriella refuse to communicate. Just as Troy chucks his keys and walks away, so should he have done after the rude treatment he just received. Is there a comparison here? Lessons to be learned? 

Or perhaps we should look at it this way: the truck is unreliable and keeps breaking down, but Troy sticks with it out of a nostalgic love. He does everything he can to fix it, and it still gives up on him. Is this not a perfect metaphor for his relationship with Gabriella? Is that what we should infer from this scene?

(By the way, a truck that could barely make it from school to Gabriella’s house without almost throwing both passengers through the windshield will later become fit for purpose when Troy makes his mad dash for California, 1053 miles away. Because plot. We will discuss this later). 

2- “Why are you saying goodbye? We still have prom. We still have to graduate.” The poor kid. When will he learn? 

3- “I meant goodnight.” Gabriella tells another bold-faced lie, planning to abscond to California whilst he’s in school so she doesn’t have to face him. Afterwards, she doesn’t get back in contact with him until much later; we know this because Mr. Bolton brings up the issue a couple of days later. Now, let me be fair: if Gabriella had a consistent record of contributing to her relationship, if she treated Troy like a man and not a boy, if she discussed her own personal struggles with stability in a meaningful way, one might understand her upcoming Wail-Fest (”Walk Away”). Instead, during this dreary ballad, she makes no mention of Troy’s feelings (as per usual), the pain he must feel at being left behind. It’s all about me, myself and I. It’s truly painful watching Troy walking home alone, sitting up at night contemplating his loss, wandering around the school rooftops aimlessly, staring at Gabriella’s empty locker, presumably coming to pick up his truck and finding a “For Sale” sign outside. He doesn’t deserve this. All Gabriella had to do was just TALK TO HIM. You can’t accuse Troy of being unapproachable: he’s one of the most encouraging, open and understanding characters in the series! 

Again, DID Troy at least FEEL that Gabriella should have said goodbye/not lied to him/not run off without telling him? Surely, he must have felt almost betrayed, even? *sigh*

By the way, another one of Troyella’s awkward kisses before the Wail-Fest. I think my eyes might roll out of my head. Nice to see some affectionate behaviour from Gabriella before Troy leaves, though. I don’t think she took some perverse pleasure in what she was about to do. She has some feelings. But at the end of the day, when it comes to her relationship or herself, she chooses the latter without remorse. (In HSM II, during the last Wail-Fest (”Go My Own Way”), she says “I gotta do what’s best for me.” And what was best for her was dumping Troy, ditching the necklace he gave her, and making him feel like shit). Why did no other character at least point out how unfair it was for Gabriella to leave just like that? 

Again, let me be clear: I fully support all of Gabriella’s academic ambitions. These are the least offensive things about her. If she wanted to attend this program, more power to her. What I object to is the portrayal of her pursuing those ambitions as being forward-thinking and totally right, when the same treatment was denied Troy last time. If anyone had laughed Gabriella out of court for wanting to attend a top university, I can guarantee that viewers would have been outraged. 

Long story short, this scene was an utter disgrace. 

On Troy and Kelsi

Sanity! Sweet sanity!

1- First of all, I just want to discuss Sharpay in this scene. Like I said in the last instalment, I think it is was fortuitous that she schemed her way into the lead role with Troy. Not because Troy would benefit from it-- his reaction says it all-- but because Gabriella would eventually show a complete lack of respect for the musical, her friends and her boyfriend by quitting later on. But what she says is actually quite good advice: “Come on, people! We’re all pro’s here!” The Queen Bitch storyline wants you to believe that Sharpay is saying this for selfish reasons, but I think she’s actually appealing to sanity. Why do the other miserable Wildcats (Deadcats, by the looks of things) think that they can’t perform a musical without Gabriella? Are they the first people to do a musical? Whilst Gabriella is a somewhat decent singer (too overwrought for my tastes), she doesn’t have the star quality of Troy, nor the professional instincts of Sharpay, nor the creative genius of Ryan. She’s certainly not the best singer. She’s not a composer like Kelsi. Upon what basis are we supposed to accept that the show is doomed to failure? 

Honestly, kudos to Sharpay for maintaining professional decorum. She said “we’re all pro’s here,” but it seems like only she is. I can even forgive her for claiming they should “do it for Gabriella!”. Dedicate hours of hard work to someone jumps ship without prior notice, and who won’t even show up without persuasion? Clearly, Sharpay was joking, right? 

2- So, Kelsi continues in her righteous annoyance with all things Sharpay, but it is nice to see her and Ryan getting along. Of course, given the Royal Sham that occurred earlier between them, of whose name we shall not mention, this leaves the viewer in some confusion. Is Kelsi ever aware of Ryan’s true motivations for asking her to prom? Or, since Sharpay has finally gotten her way, is that shunted aside by the script, as Kelsi will have to give Sharpay the duet anyway? In which case, what was the reason for manipulating Ryan and Kelsi into the Royal Sham, since Sharpay used the exact same technique to nudge Gabriella aside as she did in HSM I? Seriously, what was the point?

3- Kelsi comforting Troy. It’s TOO good, people. I rewatch this like a madman. This is what you call a healthy friendship/relationship. She quite literally has the power to pick him up and by doing so, lift his spirits, and that is what makes Kelsi a great character overall. And it makes their interactions onscreen (cruelly limited as they are) compulsively rewatchable. They are blissfully and effortlessly comfortable with each other; asides from Gabriella, the only other person with whom Troy has held hands is with Kelsi. And it’s totally spontaneous; there’s no need for discussion, no awkwardness, because they don’t need to speak to communicate. Troy and Gabriella speak a lot-- but they can’t communicate. Kelsi can say everything with just one gesture. Troy understands this, appreciates this, values this. I’ve already discussed HSM II, where she makes that sympathetic gesture towards him whilst his other “friends” freeze him out for no good reason. Here, it’s the same. Notice that although some of the students already know that Gabriella has left, NO ONE has come to sit next to Troy in the front seat. Chad, who likes Gabriella and thus must be sympathetic to Troy, doesn’t come to check on his buddy. Taylor doesn’t come. Everyone else is just having their own quiet discussions, not even paying the slightest bit of attention to their FRIEND who is lonely, lost and withdrawn. Kelsi is the only one who goes out of her way to comfort him, and let him know that she’s concerned for him. What more need I say? I LOVE THE HUG!! Seriously, did you know I love the hug? :D Evidently Troy does, because you can see him smiling all the way to the piano. 

Why no more screentime for Trelsi? We would have learned so much about them both as individuals, and they could have helped propel the plot by bonding over Gabriella’s absence. They are invaluable to the plot and, story problems and character arcs. It pains me that Kelsi is considered “minor”, when her music brings the whole gang together, and makes Troy into a star. Why couldn’t we have seen them rehearsing “Just Wanna Be With You”, or just hanging out? Why couldn’t it have been Troy who watched Kelsi composing that song, instead of Ryan coming in to fulfil the Royal Sham? Or Kelsi watching him play basketball, even though she knows nothing about it? (Alright, that’s my headcanon speaking). There’s SO much MORE to be seen and learned when it comes to Troy and Kelsi, and the fact that they got so little screentime is painful and infuriating. Why, script, WHY?

I have said before that HSM III brought me to Trelsi, because in my headcanon, they become closer during the latter half of this movie. This scene is EVERYTHING. Instead, Kelsi gets shunted off into a sham romance with Ryan, of whose name we shall not mention. To what aim? 

Also, I like how Ryan waits till Troy is standing up (he makes a tiny gesture, encouraging him to stand), before walking to the piano with everyone else. He doesn’t just walk past. Just a little considerate gesture that makes Ryan a great character and a great friend. More screentime for these two, please.

More analysis upcoming.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Questions for HSM III (Part IX)

Caption: “My life is over.”

This is cruelty, folks. I just can’t look at the above picture without shaking my head. This is how Troy looks for the vast majority of this movie, which I now realize is the primary reason I found it so insufferably dull on the first watch. He’d lost his vibe, his spark, his zest for life. And this is the face of a student who is in a beautiful, romantic relationship, so the script says?! For real?!

On The Dumping (Part II) and Chad Danforth

1- So when we left off, Gabriella had ruined Troy’s plans in one fell swoop by deciding that she wouldn’t show up for prom, the musical or graduation. Just to give you some context, please remember that this is nearing the end of the school year. It’s a time of excitement, nostalgia and anticipation. Everyone else will be looking forward to prom... EXCEPT Troy, who is now once again dejected, lonely and withdrawn. As if he hasn’t enough on his plate, what with the musical tanking and almost everyone blaming him, the Wildcats showing no sympathy or interest in either his feelings or his future, his dad being unable to allow him a say in his own education, his indecision about where he might go after graduating-- now he has no date for prom. At the END of the school year, folks. And this is ALL because Gabriella doesn’t have the common decency to keep her promises. Her tears here are thoroughly irrelevant, whether genuine or contrived. The question of why she was smiling beforehand remains unanswered. I like to keep swearing in my posts to a minimum, but at this point, I was so DONE with her behaviour for the millionth time that I couldn’t help myself. So she hangs up, pretends that she’s just made a difficult decision (I maintain that her “explanation” was pulled out of thin air) and then we’re back to Troy’s devastated, disappointed and miserable face. As if this poor kid hasn’t been punished enough. 

In a movie series designed to convince us that Gabriella’s goodness was next to that of Jesus, why was this plot line included? What good does it serve the overall message, the plot, the character arcs, the impressionable viewing audience or Troy himself to see this live massacre?

2- "That’s lousy man. Really is.”

When I was doing my minute-by-minute commentary, I was initially annoyed with Chad’s behaviour in this scene, and then realized much later that he did actually redeem himself. First of all, he shows some GENUINE sympathy-- hallelujah!-- towards Troy. This shows that despite Chad’s many faults, this friendship is REAL and pretty damn resilient. I mean, Troy forgave him for that cruel webcam stunt in HSM I, which was a MASSIVE betrayal of trust. I’ve seen friendships ended for much less. Troy apologized TO Chad in HSM II by accepting the false claim that he had been a jerk whilst never mentioning how Chad had yelled at him in front of everyone else on the flimsiest provocation, and said nothing when Chad laughed at him for getting a scholarship opportunity. By contrast, Chad gets credit for apologizing in HSM I, but from then on, it’s like he’s never heard of the word. He cut Troy down to pea size in HSM II, and then agreed that Troy had been a jerk, mocked him endlessly (”Let’s see if Tiger Woods still has a jump shot!”), made numerous false accusations against Troy, like accusing Troy of not thinking him good enough (”If I was as good as you?” Of course, Troy had praised Chad’s teamwork in front of Mr Evans and his guests not long before), and took no notice of how Troy had given up on a massive opportunity to get back into his good books. Whilst Chad’s behaviour improved in HSM III, he still has been insensitive throughout as I have already explained. The fact that they are still best friends, like brothers, is incredible. Like I said, I am a huge fan of their friendship, but it’s flawed as hell. As always, very little of this is Troy’s fault, apart from the fact that he so often enables Chad’s unjust behaviour. So, Chad is sympathetic here. 

I notice that Troy doesn’t even repeat Gabriella’s “explanation” for not coming back. Why is this? Is it because he knows it’s as stupid as it sounds? (I wish!) I mean, how would he say it? “Gabriella’s not coming back because she misses everyone.” 

More importantly, why doesn’t Chad ask for an explanation as to why Gabriella isn’t coming back? He has just presumably accompanied Troy to the clothes store so they can buy the suits for prom. His best buddy was obviously excited, on the way. His best buddy was excited to show off the suit to his mother (cute scene, by the way). His best buddy was excited to speak to Gabriella, and then HE, Chad, saw the smile gradually slip from Troy’s face and melt into sadness and disappointment. And we’re supposed to believe that he isn’t curious as to the reason?

3- “Everybody knows that you don’t bring the girl with you after high school!”

Really starting to wonder how Chad managed to find a girlfriend. If not for the chemistry and sweetness of Chaylor, he’d be a bachelor for life. And how on earth is this classically insensitive comment going to make Troy feel better-- Oh wait. It was intended to pour salt in Troy’s wounds. What have I said about Chad being on another wavelength? I think he’s in another universe. Folks, this is the first time that Chad has attempted to reach out to Troy, which is saying a lot, since we are over halfway through the movie. But believe it or not, I actually do believe that was intending, in his own brash manner, to raise Troy’s spirits. Tell him to man up and get over it. Yes, he’s using crass and unhelpful language, but in the long run, isn’t this better than allowing Troy to wallow in misery ad infinitum? You have to be cruel to be kind. And to be fair to Chad, he is right about the nature of high school romances. They ARE transient and fleeting, aren’t they? Isn’t he just telling an uncomfortable truth, to spare his friend the pain? Don’t like the means, but they do justify the end. 

On the OTHER hand...

4- “Look, Gabriella is already one step ahead. As usual.”

And herein lies the hypocrisy. This basically nullifies any somewhat helpful advice he gave Troy not two seconds ago. In HSM I, Chad considered Gabriella to be “an elevated IQ temptress girl” who was detracting the Hoops Dude from his true calling as basketball superstar and perpetual Wildcat. Then he decided to be supportive of Troy and Gabriella’s relationship. Ever since then, he has thoroughly bought into the legend of Troyella; he not only approves of Gabriella, but has never criticized anything she’s done regardless of the devastating effect it had on Troy. When Gabriella dumped Troy in the middle of the summer (sorry, not over that one), Chad was indifferent, as he was already giving Troy the silent treatment. (”Chad won’t talk to me”). His best friend had just been dumped, and he didn’t at least try to bury the hatchet and reach out. Gabriella could not be wrong. He’s said nothing when Gabriella left Troy for California, instead choosing to excoriate Troy behind his back for messing up repeatedly in rehearsals for a musical that HE, Chad, was initially unwilling to join! Gabriella could not be wrong. Later, when Gabriella makes her appearance at the musical, she gets cheers from Chad in the sidewings and a hug. Even now, he never asked for an explanation as to why Gabriella wasn’t coming back; instead, he treats it like one of life’s misfortunes. “That’s lousy man...” instead of “Why isn’t she coming back?”

Of course, I don’t need to expand upon the nonsense of extolling Gabriella’s cruel behaviour as being “one step ahead”. 

What on earth did Chad think he was accomplishing here? Is he Troy’s best friend, or Gabriella’s best friend? 

5- “’Kay, Taylor’s heading to Yale.”

Of course, Chad would never have had to beg Taylor to embrace her future and lucrative opportunities. Taylor is mature and forward-thinking and doesn’t believe that a relationship should get in the way of personal achievements, which is why she urges Gabriella to attend Stanford. (The latter simply whines because me, me, me). This is another example of the healthy relationship between Taylor and Chad. Like I said, they don’t mess each other around. They have a silent understanding between each other, and they stick to it. They understand that they can’t live in a fantasy world of perfect relationships, unlike a certain Troy Bolton, and so they accept the future as it comes. Notice that Taylor did not bail on Chad with regards to prom; the scene where she said “I’d be honoured!” was far sweeter and more meaningful than Gabriella’s “in every language”, which as we know, turned out to be a lie. Despite the contrived set-up of Chaylor, they DO care about each other and they do value each other’s presence. During HSM II, when either or both of them were upset, they silently turned to each other for comfort (after Mr. Fulton dared to make them work for pay, after Chad came into the kitchen angry because Troy wanted Swiss, after they got banned from the Talent Show). When either Troy or Gabriella was upset, there was no communication, period-- silent or otherwise. Troy was left to flounder on his own, Gabriella quit in a righteous huff. There’s no way that Taylor would bail on Chad for no good reason, and there’s no way that Chad would do the same vice-versa. 

However, the above dialogue implies that Chad and Taylor would break up, which leaves me stuttering and speechless. Of all the canonical characters, they would be the MOST likely to last longest, due to their maturity, respect, genuine affection for each other and natural closeness. HOW could the screenwriters not see this? Distance relationships can work if there is enough will. Says who that Chad and Taylor would not have had the will? What crime would Taylor have to commit in order to justify this horrible plot-line? Despite Taylor’s faults, she is NOT like Gabriella when it comes to her relationship, which she actually takes seriously, despite her competitiveness towards Chad. I’m furious and quite frankly disgusted that the healthy relationship gets shunted aside, whilst the unhealthy one is sold as healthy. Why?

6- Troy tries-- again-- to tell Chad that he doesn’t see his life as a ball game. Chad, of course, ignores this. However, Chad does redeem himself somewhat with the following line: “You’re gonna go to the prom with us. You’re gonna be with all your friends, you’re gonna have a great time.”

So you can see my indecision with regards to Chad in this scene. Is he being encouraging in a difficult way, or is he being a hypocrite in a pretty damn easy way? I can’t figure him out. But this is some solid, excellent advice to Troy that compliments his earlier comments about not bringing the girl after high school, crass as that comment was. Once again, he’s offering Troy a way out of lying in bed, staring into the nothingness and looking like a lost cause. As I have mentioned in another post, Troy was one of, if not the most popular kid in school, and despite the insolent ingratitude of the Wildcats, he did have some genuine friends. The viewer will recall the scene where Troy is walking through the corridors at East High hi-fiving/joking around with his buds-- we don’t know any of these characters, but they appear to be well-known to him. In HSM I, we see a brief hint of his other friendships: he shakes hands with members of the Drama Club (who were probably seen as losers by other students, if Chad’s disdain towards other social groups is to be believed), the Science Club members let him sit up on the roof and the Gardening Club members could be relied upon to provide flowers for Chad. 

Why didn’t we get to see some of Troy’s non Wildcat friends, whom I honestly believe would be better friends to him than his team-mates? Why couldn’t he be seen hanging out with other people, and not just the same folks who saddled him with unreasonable expectations and then heaped opprobrium on his head for being a flawed human being? I think Troy’s friendships with these various other clubs is very significant. Remember in HSM I, Troy doesn’t seem even remotely interested when Chad is expounding upon the rules of Social Interaction at East High, just because Troy dared to take an interest in things other than basketball. Up until it was convenient for the plot, Troy’s basketball buddies didn’t even know he had a secret hideout, thanks to the Science Club. I think these nerd clubs would have been viewed with disdain by the alleged cool kids, so Troy, Wildcat superstar, East High’s Primo Boy and All-Round Nice Guy refusing to see any such distinction is massively significant and I think those kids would really appreciate him for that. Would it have been nice to see some of Troy’s other interests and time spent with these people? I mean, it appears that Troy has an interest in science and botany (or is that my headcanon speaking?), which explains his his some of his nerdiness/dorkiness and the model airplanes in his treehouse. Why couldn’t we see THIS side of Troy?

But back to the point about his canonical friends, Kelsi and Ryan, the only two people who have supported him wholeheartedly throughout, did not deserve to be left behind just because of Gabriella. Why did the script never show us THEIR feelings about this? Because I honestly believe that even Kelsi would have been at the very least disappointed with Gabriella. (Or I hope so, anyway). 

More importantly, WHY oh WHY didn’t Troy take Chad’s advice?

Chad leaves, thinking he has gotten some sense into Troy. He gives Troy an affectionate slap on the head. Troy’s head droops because he’s lost all life and lustre at this point. We think that Troy will, however, attend his prom. 

And how wrong we are.

TO BE CONTINUED.