#dear evan hansen one shots

[h0n3yk1tt3n]

Things that make me want to rewrite L2C scenes from a different character's perspective OR add "missing scenes" via Tales From the Lagniappe:

Vague narration because POV Character is panicking/spacing out/passing out/ generally not All There/etc.

Implicit backstory

—Chapter 16 // Swamp Fever Part 3

[alyona11]

(I might have sent you this already but I could be wrong) I’m 80% sure the reason they’re bringing back the og cast is so they could film them and release a pro-shot of them. All of them are hugely iconic in their roles, more so than any other actor that has performed in the show I believe. And with the Wicked movie already being a success and proving that people do like musicals after all (interest in musical theatre has probably been raised because of it in fact), they probably want to take advantage of that for the time being.

Not to mention time’s probably running out for the two main runs of the show. I’d say Hadestown is somewhat less popular than Dear Evan Hansen, which ended up closing after about 5 years. The West End production is currently scheduled to end next August I think, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the Broadway production closed next year either. So they probably want to help people experience the show when it becomes far less accessible to watch in full form.

Yeah I’m sure they are bringing the og 5 back to film the proshot, it only makes sense. If they just wanted to bring them back they would just ask them out on Broadway why bother making them travel overseas for a 1-month run.

But I don’t think even a proshot could do to Hadestown what Wicked movie did for Wicked xD It seems to me like a proshot makes the movie adaptation of Hadestown less likely in the near future (who knows about the next 5-10 years).

But either way the only adaptation of Hadestown I’d like to see is a 2D cartoon. Wicked gave me hopes that with effort one can make a good musical adaptation but honestly I just want smth new.

[angstysebfan]

Only Us (One Shot)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader Summary: You have an interesting relationship that Bucky keeps running away from. You finally confront him. Warnings: Some Angst, but lots of LOVE

A/N: Just changed a few small things with this one, but it’s another one of my favs. If you’ve never heard this song, look it up. It’s from Dear Evan Hansen, and when I heard it I immediately thought about Bucky.  If you would like to be a part of my new taglist please request. My previous one is now gone. All my stories were not edited or beta’d, so I’m sorry if there is grammar or typo errors.

You knew exactly where he was. The same place he always went to when he needed to think, but this time you weren’t going to let him get away that easy. You and Bucky had an interesting relationship, if you wanted to call it that. You were friends and partners on the field, but you both also had feelings for each other. One moment he would have you up against a wall kissing the hell out of you, and then in the blink of an eye he would be cold and ignore you. But the worst was when you had an amazing night of love and passion together, and then he has completely avoided you since. You knew he was scared, but you were tired of this back and forth game. You were going to confront him once and for all and make him understand that you are both meant to be, and there was nothing to be scared of. You stood in the elevator thinking about what you were going to say. You knew he was going to try and make a haste exit, but you had to stop him and make him listen to you.

When the elevator stopped at the roof, you exited and saw him standing at the railing, overlooking the Avengers Compound property. You slowly walked up to him, waiting for him to turn around. You knew he heard you coming, with the super soldier serum it was difficult to sneak up on him. You saw his shoulders tense as you came closer, causing you to stop.

“Bucky, we need to talk about this,” you say calmly. He drops his head then turns toward you still saying nothing. “You can’t sleep with me and then ignore me,” you say in frustration. “You make me feel…” you stop talking shaking your head.

“We can’t do this Y/N,” he says quietly.

You meet his eyes and see sadness. “Why? You need to give me a pretty damn good reason, because I am tired of this back and forth with you,” you say crossing your arms.

He shakes his head and starts walking toward the building. “I can’t talk about this now,” he says.

You step in front of him to block his path. “No! You can’t keep doing this to me!” You start poking him in the chest. “First you flirt with me, then you get cold towards me, then you kiss me, then you hide from me, then we spend the best night of my life together, and then you run again. I am done playing this game! I know you like me, but you are trying to talk yourself out of it. Why?! What is so wrong with me that you can’t let yourself be with me?!”

Tears are now flowing down your cheeks. Bucky stares at you, shock and regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry I am hurting you, but this is to protect you. I'm not a good enough man for you. I'm seen as a monster, and will bring you down with me with all my baggage! I'll hurt you in the end, and I'll never forgive myself if...when I do,” he says, tears now building in his blue eyes.

“But, you're hurting me now,” you say with a shaky voice. You hear him suck in a breath. You look at him and cup his cheek. “You don’t have to convince me. You don’t have to be scared your not enough, cause what we’ve got going is good,” you say.

He shakes his head sadly and tries to step back, but you take a step closer grabbing his face to make him look at you. “We don’t need more reminders of all that’s been broken. I don’t need you to fix what you'd rather forget. Clear the slate and start over, Bucky. Try to quiet the noises in your head, cause we can’t compete with all that,” you say with a breathy laugh. "Just let it be us and only us."

He smiles at you. “I never thought there'd be someone like you who would want me,” he says, tears now coming down his face. "So I'll give you 10,000 reasons to not let me go."

He grabs your waist and pulls you closer. “But if you really see me, if you like me for me, and nothing else. Then that’s all that I’ve wanted for longer than you could possibly know,” he says as he wraps his arms around you.

He leans his forehead against yours, as you slide your hands around his neck, brushing through the small hairs on his neck. You look at him with a smile. “So can it be us and only us. And what came before won’t count any more or matter. Can we try that?” You ask, as you caress his hair. 

He continues to look at you. “I’m scared. What if you change your mind?” he asks, and you see the fear in his eyes.

You peck his lips. “I won’t. It’s not so impossible, just imagine no body else but the two of us here,” you say.

He gives you a small smile. “You’re saying it’s possible?” he asks.

You nod, pulling him closer. “We can just watch the whole world disappear, till you’re the only one I still know how to see,” you whisper.

He smiles and kisses you passionately. When he pulls back he looks into your eyes. “It’s just you and me,” he says quietly. 

You hug him and whisper in his ear, “That’s all that we need it to be. The rest of the world falls away, and it’s only us.”

--

Seriously go listen to that song and tell me it doesn’t scream Bucky Barnes! Feedback is appreciated.

Permanent Taglist: @rebekahdawkins @marajade1974 @missvelvetsstuff @phillygirl77 @pattiemac1 @winterslove1917 @vampire7595

[justarandombrit]

Wrote all this out a while ago, but why not post it now? Anyway, Hatchetverse characters’ favourite musicals!

Pete: Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. He will defend this show with his life. Yes, he knows it's dogshit, he does not care. To Pete, this show is a masterpiece.

Ruth: Falsettos. Okay confession, I've never seen this show (don't crucify me, I'm sorry I'm uneducated) but I know people say Just For Once reminds them of Falsettos songs, so I just took a shot in the dark. Also gay people. (I bet she had a Be More Chill phase though)

Grace: Scamilton. She doesn't know it's a knock-off. To her, this is Hamilton. (She always covers her ears at the harem line they left in though)

Miss Holloway: Back To The 80s: The Musical. Come on.

Emma: The Mad Ones. She's stuck in a constant state of wanting to project her and Jane onto Sam and Kelly but also wanting to ship Sam and Kelly. This is a genuine conflict in her life.

Rose: Rockabye Musical. Simultaneously a guilty pleasure and something she regards as the highest form of art (she's right).

Alice: The Prom. This is a full guilty pleasure. She watched this show with Deb because it has lesbians in it and she thought it'd be a laugh, and then had to bluff her way out of admitting she loved it. (Also, Dear Evan Hansen, because Bill mentions her forcing him to watch it in Watcher World)

Ted: Ride The Cyclone. Very specific headcanon, stick with me here. Ted got really fucking drunk one night after hooking up with Charlotte, stumbled across a boot of this show, decided to hate-watch it, and then loved it. He cried at Sugar Cloud, Ocean’s ending speech and It's Not A Game (It's Just A Ride). Nobody can know this.

[mysteriousxmidnight]

Every once in awhile, I miss my Dear Evan Hansen hyperfixation and wish I could get back into it. I still have so many unfinished fic ideas and fic requests. I kept them all. If you sent me one, it’s still waiting to be written. But the Steddie hyperfixation has been fierce

Although I do have two nearly completed one shots that could potentially go live any day now, if there was interest… one is TreeBros and one is conguel …. 👀

[justeeeen]

Challengers: A Good Time to be Bisexual

Just watched Challengers. It's 3 am and I'm still thinking about it.

For starters: I LIKED MIKE FAIST FIRST I LIKE HIM FIRST I LIKED HIM IN DEAR EVAN HANSEN OK I LIKED HIM FIRST.

Secondly, I'm realizing that I'm not into tennis enough to have realized just how erotic the sounds people make when they hit the ball are? Like I could handle the make out scenes, the nudity, the almost sex, but the sounds?? Especially for Art, like why did they have this man to make the most erotic whimpery moaning noise I've ever heard EVERY SINGLE TIME he hits the ball (I know why)? Like I felt like I was intruding and I shouldn't have been there. Convinced they locked Mike Faist in a recording studio, blocked out the windows, and had him do what he had to do in there cause that was OBSCENE.

Thirdly, I cannot begin to express my excitement at the resurgence of loser pathetic men in movies. I think Patrick is a loser, but Art is PATHETIC. Like peak simp behavior. He literally turned on his best friend for Tashi, a woman he had like 2 interactions with. To be fair, he was young and dumb and this was by far the worse thing anyone did in the movie, but it's pathetic man behavior. He literally equates her to Jesus. I'm going crazy.

Fourthly, this movie is so fucking sexy. Honestly it doesn't show any physical sex happening on screen, but just, the vibes? The music?? The noises?? Did I mention the noises?? Zendaya is absolutely stunning, and I appreciated their refusal to let her wear a bra in this. Josh O'Connor, I never found attractive before, but there were some shots in this movie where I was like "Ok, yeah ok, I get it." And Mike Faist, the man that you are (between the two of us I originally only wanted to see this movie to see Mike Faist be pathetic).

Finally, this movie is actually pretty straight forward. Tashi says multiple times that all she cares about is "watching some good fucking tennis" and that she doesn't want anyone to be in love with her. As for Art and Patrick, I feel like the only reason they really love tennis is for the relationships they get out of it. Art played tennis when he was younger because he liked being with Patrick and he even mentions that his Grandma is really proud of him, so that's another person he's playing for. And later, he's playing tennis for Tashi. Patrick plays when he's younger for Art, but I think when he's older he might be playing for fame? He just seems like that kind of person. And in the beginning of the movie he seems a little upset that no one knows who he is. Tashi played tennis because she loves tennis, and when she can't play tennis anymore, she's in love with two people who can. And she knows that what they have is the potential to play a good game of tennis. Which is all she cares about. I mean, I don't think that's true. I think she loves Art, but I don't think she respects him (it's giving TomShiv). I think she has more chemistry with Patrick, and potentially loves him more, but thinks she could never be with him because he challenges her too much, and she's too egotistical to be with someone like Patrick who's also egotistical.

I think Art loves Tashi the most, Patrick loves Art the most, and Tashi loves Patrick, but loves tennis above all.

To be fair, I don't support Tashi erasure, like this is one hundred percent a polycule and not like, a gay romance with a woman getting in the way of it. I just think that above all, Tashi loves tennis. That doesn't mean that she's not deserving of love, and that doesn't mean she doesn't love Art and Patrick, she just loves something else more. Tennis will always be the 4th person in their relationship.

At the end they all get what they want. Art wins the game, and wins Tashi by proxy. Patrick wins Art back by physically catching him in his arms and reigniting their friendship. And Tashi gets to watch some good fucking tennis.

[despair-inc]

Thinking about every movie I saw in theaters (or remember watching in theaters, anyways) in 2024. Kind of a ranked list but the criteria is how much I liked it.

1: The Substance. The unchallenged lead for both "best movie I saw all year" and "favorite movie of the year". The beautifully grotesque child of New French Extremity and USAmerican style Elevated Horror, it has the best performances of the year, oodles of extremely impactful and pointed imagery, and amazing special effects. Just amazing stuff all around.

2: The Wild Robot. Undisputed champion of "best family movie of 2024”, it has beautiful visuals and makes quite a lot out of its simple and heartfelt story about family and community. Can't judge the original dub's performances because in Mexico it was only released in theaters dubbed into Lat Am Spanish, but hats off to the dub cast, they were killing it the entire film.

3: Robot Dreams. Technically a 2023 release, but in Mexico it played in early 2024, so it goes on the list. Amazingly heartfelt and melancholic, I was bawling on the theater. Once again, also just beautiful to look at, an amazing work of animation that functions entirely without dialogue.

4: Inside Out 2. I will always be biased in favor of Pixar because, like most people on this website, I grew up watching their movies, and those movies from 2010 and before are all universally good. That being said, after the stumbled releases of Lightyear and Elemental, this was a surprise by being actually pretty good. That being said, it's held back by having a plot that's basically a retread of the first movie (Riley experiences a stressful life situation and emotions that shouldn't be solely in charge of her mental state take over and fuck shit up), so overall it's a bit weak on that regard. Still, very solid and fun movie, and if The Wild Robot hadn't come out in the same year, it would be the strongest family release of a major USAmerican studio of the year. Possibly the best non-Toy Story sequel Pixar has made.

5: Wicked. It was pretty nice to have a live action musical film that was overall well made and performed and that people actually went to see, unlike shit like Cats or Dear Evan Hansen, or Spielberg's West Side Story which was actually good but no one went to see. People on here have ragged on the lighting and it is kinda bad in some scenes, but when actually watching it, I didn't really notice it, because the rest of the stuff was very compelling. Here's hoping that Part 2 lives up to the hype.

6: Dune 2. Not much to say about this one because I went to see it first thing in the morning after only sleeping like three hours, so I'm pretty sure I slept through like a quarter of the film. The stuff that I do remember was pretty good though, like that one fight scene in Black and White. I need to rewatch this one to give it a fair shot.

7: Deadpool & Wolverine. I'm like 90% sure that this was the only major USAmerican Superhero movie released in 2024, but it still probably would've been the best superhero movie of the year if others had released. I'm kinda hoping that they keep this movie as the final Deadpool movie because while it is pretty good at what it does, the shtick is too worn out. Like, where can Deadpool 4 go? It's not gonna happen, cause DP sells well and Reynolds has developed an allergy to appearing in movies that are creative, but dreaming is free.

8: In A Violent Nature. This is the movie that surprised me the most this year, even if I was already aware of the concept of "a slasher film from the killer's POV". The very sensate and deliberate aesthetics of having no non-diegetic music and constant scenes of our killer walking in the woods seem boring on paper but work very well when you're actually watching it, and when it goes for more traditional slasher film aesthetics, like the kill scenes, it does them exceptionally well. And the extremely tense monologue scene at the end is an amazing finale to cap things off. That being said, it can get pretty slow and I think that the concept only really works for one movie. I read that they're gonna make a second one, and I really hope that they think of a different aesthetic style for it because reusing this one will probably turn part 2 into a slog.

9: Next Goal Wins. First movie I saw this year, and it is thoroughly unremarkable and forgettable. Pretty standard white savior sports story where the main white guy learns to loosen up while the Samoans get good enough at actual football to reach their meager goal of scoring at least one goal in the climactic big game. It had some laughs, and it is the only movie I saw in theaters with an openly transgender character in it, but it's really nothing special or noteworthy. Hell, the most memorable thing about it for me is that the guy who sat in front of me when I watched it spent the whole movie playing games on his phone and blasting my eyes with its light. I wonder if Waititi will make movies worth watching again, or if he's gonna be pegged as peaking with Jojo Rabbit and then falling off.

10: We Live In Time. This movie was surprisingly good. I went to see it on a whim because I had to go pick up some stuff and there was a promo on the ticket prices at the time (30 MXN ticket at Cinemex Fashion Drive, it's a steal even if they recover the money with the popcorn), and I rather enjoyed the non linear structure and the very good performances. Honestly, it just gets a low spot because I've never been into pure romance films so it's a bit unmemorable for me, I ain't gonna watch it a second time.

11: Venom The Last Dance. I guess I didn't count it as a major USAmerican Superhero Movie because Sony's "Spider-Man minus Spider-Man Movie Universe" never felt like major releases, and the Venom movies, regardless of how much I have enjoyed them, are a bit like the cheap knockoff of Deadpool. And just like DP, the third entry is the weakest of the series. Unlike DP, at least we know that they're not gonna milk the series dry because in between the Symbiote dying at the end and the failure of Kraven the Hunter, I'm pretty sure that Sony is just gonna give up. The movie itself is a kinda subpar action film, and while it got me a few laughs and it has a few standout scenes, like Venom dancing with Mrs Chen or Otto Hightower's UFO Conspiracy Theorist family, it's nothing remarkable. It has a very "Movie that plays on Canal Cinco on a sunday morning" vibe.

12: Joker Folie A Deux. I don't need to tell everyone that this movie is bad. It flopped and everyone hated it. I'm actually in the camp that this movie is a bit better than its reputation makes it out to be. If nothing else, I'm giving Todd Phillips props for trying to make a movie that spits on the face of the misaimed fandom of the first one, even if he thoroughly fucked it up. Still, the attempts at making a diegetic jukebox musical fall completely flat, and the performances of Gaga and Phoenix can't save the script like Phoenix did on the first one. I can only recommend checking this one out via the magic of online piracy, it ain't worth money.

13: The Apprentice. This is the movie I hated the most out of all the movies I saw this year, mostly because the things I heard about it made it sound a lot better than it was. It's a political movie that, ultimately, only has the message that Donald Trump is Bad with very little examination of the systemic issues that made him rise to the position he rose to. It is overwrought, the performances can't save the script and it honestly wouldn't have been in theaters if it wasn't an election year. Worst movie I saw in 2024, not even worth pirating.

[apolloscastellan]

Masterlist

Current works: 2.

Last work: Loss of my life final chapter (Published 02/09/24)

Currently working in: ArtPatrick x Patrick's childhood best friend!Reader series, Riff Lorton x Tony's sister!Reader series, Poly!Percabeth x Reader one shot.

Newsies:

Jack Kelly

Racetrack Higgins

David Jacobs

Albet DaSilva

Elmer

West Side Story:

Riff Lorton

Mouthpiece

Challengers:

Art Donaldson

Patrick Zweig

Tashi Duncan

Poly!Challengers

Harry Potter:

James Potter

Lily Evans

Poly!Jilly

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

Poly!Wolfstar

Poly!Marauders

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Ginny Weasley

Ron Weasley

Percy Jackson:

Luke Castellan

Annabeth Chase

Percy Jackson

Poly!Percabeth

Dear Evan Hansen:

Connor Murphy

Bridgerton:

Anthony Bridgerton

Benedict Bridgerton

Colin Bridgerton

Eloise Bridgerton

Penelope Featherington

The Summer I Turned Pretty:

Steven Conklin

Conrad Fisher

Jeremiah Fisher

Taylor Jewel

Stranger Things:

Steve Harrington

Eddie Munson

Poly!Steddie

Dustin Henderson

Lucas Sinclair

Max Mayfield

The Hunger Games:

Peeta Mellark

Finnick Odair

Famous people:

Ben Cook

Mike Faist

[burningthrucelluloid]

Christmas Carol-cember, Day 14

From muppets to ponies to lost television media, it seems A Christmas Carol fits very well into the musical genre. But obviously, a great musical is only as good as the songwriters providing the songs.

So when the writing/directing duo behind “Daddy’s Home 1 & 2,” “Hot Tub Time Machine,” and “We’re The Millers” signed a deal with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds and got Apple to pony up $75 million in the bidding war, they needed songwriters who could make some bangers for their holiday musical comedy.

Enter the hottest songwriting darlings of musical theatre: Benj Patel and Justin Paul. Two guys who met at the University of Michigan with a love of musicals so strong, they wrote their own called “Edges" while completing their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in musical theatre. But their true accomplishment was the 2015 musical “Dear Evan Hansen” that shot them into the stratosphere of success after they won the Tony for Best Musical and Best Original Score and later won a Grammy just as Hollywood came a-knocking. They made a splash with writing the songs to 2016’s “La La Land” that earned them an Oscar win for Best Original Song before they truly became Hollywood darlings with 2017’s super hit “The Greatest Showman.” They also won a Emmy for writing songs for the Hulu show “Only Murders in the Building,” making them the newest editions to the EGOT crowd.

Naturally, when you can get these guys to write your musical, you’ve got a guaranteed success.

Right?

In the modern day, the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Sunita Mani), Present (Will Ferrell) and Yet To Come (voiced by Tracy Morgan but played by NBA star Loren G Woods) still perform the annual duty of picking out a miserly human every Christmas Eve and force them to change their ways for the betterment of mankind.

They celebrate every converted human with an elaborate music number.

And before you ask, yes, they openly acknowledge it’s weird but never explain why they do it other than “just cause."

Although the Ghost of the Present is eligible for retirement, he refuses to step down until he finds that one human he can change who will have a meaningful impact on the world. Enter Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds), a selfish media consultant who will do and say anything to stir the pot as well as get ahead in his career, even going so far as to tell his niece to post an unflattering video of her opponent to win class president, much to the displeasure of his Executive Vice President Kimberly (Octavia Spencer).

Realizing this guy is just what he’s looking for, he makes the pitch to his boss, Jacob Marley (Patrick Page), but is warned that Briggs is “Unredeemable.” Unwavering, the ghosts prepare to haunt Briggs, only to learn that Briggs is not too hip to just follow the traditional story beats and finds that it might not be just him that needs to make a change, forcing the Ghost of the Present to reflect on what he really wants...

All done with music numbers that the characters keep recognizing is weird that they do them.

Hope you liked that joke cause they will beat it into your head that it’s weird for there to be music numbers in a musical.

But only for the sequences with the ghosts as they establish the songs are happening within the world of the movie, whereas the music numbers amongst the living are happening inside their minds or as a metaphorical speech given at a convention.

At least I thought that was the idea until Octavia Spencer attempts a reprise of her own song near the film’s end until Ryan Reynolds cuts her off.

Taking a moment to step back let’s drop some film theory to give you an understand why this running joke bothers me so.

In the medium of film or television, there are two modes of sound that connect to the implementation of music or sound effects.

Diagetic Sound is sound that occurs within the world of the story and we can see its source. Whether it’s a baby crying, a car driving past, a conversation between two people or a vinyl record set on a record player, the sound we hear is the same sound the characters in the narrative hear.

Non-Diagetic Sound is sound that is not happening inside the world of the story. This is usually narration but it's most commonly film scores as not everyone can hear the swelling of music happening around them unless directly shown to be, such as the Walkman music from “Guardians of the Galaxy."

Musicals are a tricky act because it’s not so simple to explain whether they are one or the other. For the most part, it’s widely accepted that songs in musicals are non-diagetic. An inner monologue given out in song that represents what the characters are feeling or meant to serve a symbolic gesture behind their actions or words.

Take “Popular” from Wicked. While Galinda is having this conversation with Elphaba about giving her a makeover, we the audience can see her singing, the musical imparts the suggestion that the singing is an internal gesture that is made manifest in song for the audience to hear. The lyrics are a metaphor for the situation and the song is Galindo's internal thoughts.

Of course that’s not to say songs can’t be diagetic in a musical.

“Million Dollar Quartet” specifically makes it clear the songs performed do come from the cast as they are performing their songs within a recording studio. The songs serve both a symbolic gesture while clearly being connected to the world within the musical.

“Spirited” is trying to have it’s cake and eat it too by employing both modes to suggest the music numbers are diagetic and non-diagetic, but it seems to be at odds with itself.

It tries to play itself as funny by poking fun of itself for being a musical….while indulging in elaborate music numbers with complex choreography, colorful set pieces and big bombastic songs that feel right at home on a Broadway stage.

It’s funny once when the movie opens with a music number and a random intern openly asks why everyone is singing before he is told it's just what they do. Ryan Reynolds interrupts music numbers or makes snarky comments how he could perform an elaborate dance number, even one music number that was cut for time plays over the end credits when the joke for that scene was Marley giving Present what he wanted to avoid a music number.

Even during an emotional ballad from Will Ferrell where that same intern from the beginning whispers “What the heck is going on?” It just takes me out of the musical and whatever feeling they want out of me as it slams to a halt.

Contrast that with “Spamalot” where the songs remind you that this is a musical, skewering itself relentlessly but never losing its identity. Such as the number “The Song That Goes Like This,” where Lancelot and the Lady of the Lake perform this duet together, all while calling out the cliche of that kind of musical number in the lyrics or pointing out their own shortcomings to hit specific keys.

It’s the anti-musical musical that still has enough respect for its audience even when it’s taking the piss out of them.

The sad thing is, all that was me speaking to what I got the most worked up about this film.

Because it’s not completely bad, there’s plenty here that’s worth giving a glowing recommendation that I was enjoying.

Ryan Reynolds still remains his usual smart-mouth self that has boosted his career since “Deadpool” but he shows impressive range as a singer (even if there were a few moments I could have sworn I heard auto-tune alteration yet on the soundtrack, there is no alteration) as well as his physicality for the complex choreography created by Emmy-nominated Chloé Arnold and her team, Ava Bernstine-Mitchell and Martha Nichols. Coupling that was Will Ferrell, clearly having understood the assignment as he too shows some impressive dance moves and singing that feels like it comes from the heart, even if some of his humor is still screaming loudly. But he balances that screaming at the top of his lungs with pathos and a well timed retort bouncing off of Ryan Reynolds humor.

What’s more, their chemistry actually works. Even when the ghosts are going through the motions of showing Briggs his past, Present sees Briggs is deeply uncomfortable having to face a traumatic moment and supports him while Briggs recognizes Present's desire to experience the world again and helps him to step out of his shell when he recognizes a connection between him and Kimberly.

And they sell it! That bromance feels genuine and if the songs weren’t part of the film, their chemistry would still carry the movie.

As for the songs themselves, they’re really good. So good it’s why I’m annoyed every time the film keeps calling itself out on them.

One main reason why Pasek and Paul are great songwriters is because they know the conventions of musical theatre and are very familiar with what appeals to people. “That Christmas Morning Feeling” is the kind of big flashy modern musical number that gets people to cheer in the cheap seats and usually shows up on Good Morning America. “Bringin’ Back Christmas” is the kind of jazzy dance number that would have been right at home in the big brass and swing musicals like Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.” “Good Afternoon,” while on the crass side, you get the feeling the two took a lot of inspiration from the playful bounciness of the Sherman Brothers.

The songs are the highlight, even if one or two of them overstay their welcome (“Unredeemable” did that for me, as well as “Do A Little Good” though by then, I just wanted the movie to be over with). But they’re very strong and hold on their own, which is why I find it so frustrating the script has to come off as “witty” to interrupt itself with snide comments about its own songs.

I really dug the overarching modern themes of cancel culture and the online trigger outrage that is rampant and often exploited by companies for profit. Even the whole concept of the Ghosts expecting to scare people into forcing a change is taken into an interesting place as Briggs says that people don’t really change overnight, but it takes real time and effort for people to make that choice to stop being an ass. Heck, it’s not even seeing a vision of his future that really forces a change from him, he outright says that “sure, I’m gonna feel bad for a few days but then I’m gonna get over it. That’s my job.” What forces a change is the bond he builds with the Ghost of Christmas Present and his willingness to be there for him when he recognizes it’s too much.

It’s a genuinely compelling argument without dissing on Charles Dickens but making a modern point in personal growth. Changing yourself takes work, but it helps to have people to support you.

I liked that. It’s not necessarily an open embrace of Dickens nor does it reinvent the wheel, but in this age of post-irony, it clearly has put thought into itself.

Moments like that clearly show there was an effort to insert sincerity into the script. I just keep being pulled out of the narrative every time they do a music number and call attention to how odd the musical cliches are.

As I said above, a musical lives within its own logic. If your narrative is to acknowledge it and move on, fine. "Rocko's Modern World" made that joke and it's funny every time I see that gag.

But this film keeps calling attention to that cliche and it gets tiring, especially when Will Ferrell does this emotional ballad that showcases superb camerawork and choreography with people holding lights and creating patterns with it…only to be offset by some dude watching who interrupts the song with a snide comment.

I didn’t outright loathe “Spirited,” but by the time the movie was over, I was so annoyed with it, I wanted it to be done and over with so I could move on. Which is a shame because there is plenty here that is worth watching. The cast do a fantastic job, especially Ryan Reynolds who clearly knows how to build rapport with his co-stars whether they are Will Ferrell or Hugh Jackman, the songs stand on their own and are infectious ear worms.

But with a sense of self-aware snark that grinds against the sincerity the film is trying to present, it just comes off as irritatingly hollow at the wrong times. Like driving in a fancy car with superb sound quality and smooth driving but every time you hit the brakes, there’s this awful screeching sound coming from the bottom front of the car that you worry might snap the brake lines and send it careening off.

But if you’re not bothered? Hey, I say go for it, just make sure you’re not going over 50 when you do so.

“Spirited” is available for streaming on Apple TV+

Next week, we’re going to focus on a different theme; whether the story still holds weight even when the characters are aware of Charles Dickens and the cliches.

For that? I think I might call a Doctor...

[mikefaistinfo]

West Side Story’s Mike Faist Wishes He Got to Sing ‘America’

By Nate Jones, a Vulture senior writer covering movies and pop culture

From the very first trailers for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, one character popped off the screen — the scraggly John Mulaney lookalike playing Riff, leader of the Jets. Without taking anything away from Russ Tamblyn’s jovial performance in the 1961 film, this new Riff is something different. He’s a true street rat, almost feral with a live-wire charisma. Since the film started screening, viewers and critics alike have been asking: Who is this guy?

That guy is 29-year-old Broadway veteran Mike Faist, whom theater buffs will recognize as one of the newsies in Newsies as well as the depressed teen whose death kick-started the plot of Dear Evan Hansen. (Faist got nominated for a Tony but declined to reprise the role for the movie — a wise decision in retrospect.) West Side Story is his 14th screen credit but his first major film role, and it’s a true breakout performance: Alongside Ariana DeBose’s Anita, Faist’s Riff has been spotlighted as one of the best things about the new film, the personification of Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner’s more historically grounded take on the material.

The praise is a long time coming for Faist, who shot West Side Story back in the summer of 2019. As he told Vulture over Zoom recently, he’s spent the intervening months looking for projects that would live up to the experience, living that #VanLife, and thinking about what he actually wants to get out of acting.

In the most recent interview I read, you’d left New York and were living out of a van.

The pandemic did a lot of weird things to everybody. I was working in Austin when everything shut down. They were going to send us back to New York. I’m in Austin. I have all this space, the sunshine. I’m not going to go back to New York and just hang out in my apartment during a pandemic. So I had my dog, and we drove around the country a bunch. I would purposefully stay away from people. I would find people that had farmland. They were nice enough to let me set up a tent. I actually sold my apartment in New York this summer. Got rid of it.

This is maybe a heavy question for early in the interview, but what did you learn about yourself from that experience?

I didn’t know that I liked being alone. I think it’s important to really get quiet. I lived in New York for 13 years. And when you’re here, it’s just like constant adrenaline. Which I love. But I think when you’re here, you don’t realize the toll that it takes until you leave it.

In that interview, you also said you weren’t sure if you hated acting or loved it. That was six months ago — have you come closer to an answer?

I’m embarrassed by this because everyone’s asking. It’s so strange. I don’t know, man. Ultimately, the issue really was that I had come off shooting West Side Story, which was such an incredible experience artistically. It was everything I wanted to do as an actor in terms of how I wanted to approach the work, what I demanded out of myself. And then I had to leave. Jumping into the next project wasn’t a negative experience. But one was such a fulfilling thing, and the other one, I was going to work.

So I was thinking, To what end do I do this? Ultimately, what am I trying to get out of this thing? Do I really need attention that bad? What are the things that I really want to do? Because if it’s just to go from job to job — which is a gift, so I’m not trying to knock it. But it was more just asking myself all these questions about what my goal was. And ultimately, I came to the conclusion recently that I love it. I love it too much, maybe to a fault. I’m a little precious about the craft of it all. I’m learning not to take myself too seriously. Enjoy it, let things come when they come.

You shot West Side Story two and a half years ago. What’s it like watching it after all this time?

It’s so weird. All that time was passing, and there was this thing floating there in the ether. And eventually, maybe the world was going to see it. I remember calling Steven over the pandemic, and I said, “For me, if nobody saw the movie, it wouldn’t matter because the experience was amazing.” Then you go and see the film for the first time, and you’re in a theater with only five people, and you’re just like, Huh.

How so?

In that initial screening, I wasn’t able to relive the experience of making it. You can’t help but watch yourself, and you can’t help but critique. While I was making the film, I felt like I was giving it everything that I had. And then when I saw the film, I was like, Oh, buddy, maybe you need to go find a different job. We’ve all talked about it as a cast. We drove home back to the hotel, and we were all like, “It’s a good movie. But man, I’m bad.” And everyone else was like, “No, you are great, I’m bad.” And I think Steven and Tony sensed that we were all too close to it to actually see what was going on. So they invited us back for another screening. The second time around, I was like, Stop being such an egomaniac and just watch the movie. And being able to remove myself more, I thought it was a great movie. But still, it was an entire theater with four people. At the premiere, I realized why it’s very important to have a collective experience of going to the theater. There’s something about communal experiences that allow you to see aspects of art that you wouldn’t necessarily experience if you were by yourself. And that’s the same thing for when you’re performing onstage in front of an audience. We’re all co-creators in this thing that’s happening right now.

I know the Bruce Davidson portraits of 1950s Brooklyn gang members were a key bit of inspiration for you. What struck you about those photos?

When I saw those photos, I knew that these were the guys. These are the Jets, visually, for me. I’m not trying to knock any production of West Side in the past, but there felt like there was maybe something missing — a certain groundedness, a seriousness or desperateness, that I started understanding as I was doing research. I think that pops off the page with Bruce’s photos. You see these guys, and they’re emaciated, they’re nihilistic, they just don’t care. You can tell that they cannot see what’s beyond tomorrow. And then as you do more research, you find out they’re all orphans. None of these people have families; the only family that they have is each other. And then on top of that, too, they’re heroin addicts. They’re broke. At the end of the day, they would pool money, and instead of really eating, they would just buy wine and get wasted. They just feel so lost.

Tony Kushner also does a good job of making the Jets the embodiment of 1950s white resentment. I’m curious how you approach that element of the character.

Can you elaborate on that a little bit more?

Sure. I mean the way they’re a community that sees people moving in from Puerto Rico and feels like they are an existential threat. They act out in ways that are, to modern eyes, quite racist. But obviously, it still gets at the fact that these are desperate orphans.

Where Tony really nails that, and Steven as well, is the setup of the film. The opening shot, where you see the demolition of all these homes so that Lincoln Center can get built. Everybody’s getting kicked out. It’s like the only thing constant is change. And that’s why this story’s going to be able to be told over and over again. Humans’ inability to deal with change, that’s what makes this story super fascinating to me.

It’s an interesting thing. There are racist acts that happen in this movie. Are the Jets racist? I don’t know. I couldn’t approach that from my point of view: being the actor, trying to empathize with this character who’s doing these really questionable things.

Because you’d be putting a judgement on it?

Yeah. I can’t do that as the actor. My job is to be like, “No, this guy’s the victim.” Now, I accept that this guy does a lot of racist stuff. But where it’s coming from is the xenophobia of it all. It’s the fear of the unknown. And from Riff’s point of view specifically, his home’s getting taken away. His best friend doesn’t want to be his best friend anymore. It comes down to this weird codependent relationship between Tony and Riff. I keep joking that it’s like Thanksgiving. Tony’s a guy who wants to not be that way anymore, but he’s still trying to be loving and have a conversation. But Riff doesn’t have the emotional intelligence to understand that.

Some productions of Romeo and Juliet add a romantic subtext to the relationship between Romeo and Mercutio. Was that something you guys were playing around with as well?

Romantic?

I mean, Riff is sleeping with Tony’s ex. I was wondering if there’s a little transference there.

I think it says something more about Graziella: She has to be with whoever’s the alpha at that moment. I’m not sure if it is romantic. If an audience member wants to interpret it that way, go ahead. That’s fine. But for me, I keep going back to the familial kind of love. Tony and Riff raised each other because there was no one else. They were their only line of defense. It spread out among other guys, but it all started within these two. Which is what we see in gangs, right? You don’t have a family, well, we got you. We will do this for you, but you have to do this for us. You don’t have power in that situation, but you feel accepted.

The new movie shuffles around the musical numbers in terms of who gets to sing what. Is there a song you wish you could sing, even if it doesn’t make sense for Riff?

I mean, “America” is amazing. Those dancers are incredible, man. They’re absolutely amazing. I would love to be in that number. I think all the Jet boys got a little FOMO from that one.

One thing that I and many others who’ve seen the movie have noted is your remarkable resemblance to John Mulaney in this film. Is that something you got before West Side Story, or is it Riff specific?

No, you’re not the first person to say that. People have come up to me and been like, “You ever get that you look like John Mulaney?” It’s fun. It would be fun to see John Mulaney as Riff in West Side Story, though.

He’s got the limbs for it.

For sure. He’s definitely got the nothing-but-arms-and-legs thing going on, like myself.

You said you’re trying to be a little more intentional about where you go from here. What’re the ideal next few years for you?

Tony used the word “stewardship.” And that’s very accurate. We had a deep respect for this story and the legends that have told it in the past. I feel like I have a great responsibility here to do this right. And on top of that, to tackle roles that force me to find the pieces of myself that I didn’t know existed.

What part of yourself did you find here?

I was reading this interview from a while back where Tom Hanks and Steven were talking about Saving Private Ryan. And Tom said there was this weird thing that Steven subliminally did in terms of, you have to step up and take charge of the group. I felt that way too. It wasn’t ever explicitly said. It was just an energy thing he was putting out there, like, “You know what you’ve got to do.” I’m in charge of 15 other guys. Some of them have done some movies, and others this was their first time, they’ve never done this before. I guess what I had learned was that I’m able to do that. I demanded of them. When it was time to have fun, it was time to have fun. And when it was time to shut up and do the thing, it was time to shut up and do the thing. And they ran with that. We did this thing together. They elevated me, and I elevated them.

Find this article on: https://www.vulture.com/2021/12/west-side-story-riff-actor-mike-faist-interview.html

[writerscafehub]

𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

@eulalielatibule

From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

Hmm I'd say I'm like, 2.8? I'm pretty basic and don't do much editing but my stories are good and I'm proud of them!

2. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

I think I excel at fluffy family fics. I just love writing good dads being sweet with their kids, especially daughters. Another thing that makes me stand out is how I write autistic!reader. I haven't seen anyone else write that for the Chris Evans fandom (not including Steve) so I'm proud to be the one to do it.

3. Are there any writers that inspire you?

Everyone in the server is so talented and they all inspire me in different ways. @a-lumos-in-the-nox puts out story after story with her OC and Ron Weasly and I just love that! Especially as someone who wants to start writing more OCs. @flordeamatista’s writing is so poetic and beautiful and I admire it so much

4. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

I'm pretty proud of my Suburban Dad Sunday verse. It's done so well but it's also just very fun for me to write and it's letting me explore characters that I hadn't written for previously.

5. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write and which do you find most difficult to write?

Jake Jensen is definitely the easiest. Idk he's just so sweet and fun and the vibes are immaculate with him! The most difficult would probably be any dark character

6. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

I write a lot about Jake and fluff/hurt and comfort.

7. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about!

I have a Lloyd Hansen fic with a living music box ballerina. It'll be a giant/tiny fic which I know isn't super popular but I find it so comforting and I'm excited to share it!

8. First fandom you ever wrote for?

I believe it was Phantom of the Opera 🙈😂

9. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

I can't think of any tropes, but I do love reading daddy kink fics lmao

10. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

I mean never say never, but I do not like enemies to lovers. Idk why, I just can't get behind it. I also will likely never write a mob au.

11. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

Probably my most recent one with Jake Jensen x Reader x Ari Levinson. H-O-T-T-O-G-O was my first time writing a throuple and it was interesting!

12. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

I love writing Lloyd Hansen and his Reader for SDS. He's just so funny and petty and it's fun to see his shenanigans!

13. Do you listen to anything while you write?

No, I get too distracted. I need it to be quiet while I write. I do have playlists to help me get into the right headspace or to help with muse.

14. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

One shots all the way

15. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

All the time! Although I feel like most of my fics are little side quests to one big story/universe. I want to do more with The Purrfect Pair- Kitten is so cute and there's lots of potential for mischief with her and Wanda.

16. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

Soooo many things. I want to write a smutty series but smut is just so hard for me to write for some reason. I admire those who write it so effortlessly!

17. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

There are many comments that I hold near and dear to my heart. Recently I got a comment from @thezombieprositute who said my ability to turn simple prompts into heart warming stories was a testament to my skills and it really made my day.

18. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

A long time ago I wrote a Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers Halloween fic. It was on my old account so it isn't around anymore, though I might repost it here. It was definitely a challenge as it was more involved and took a lot of world building. It turned out okay, but maybe I'll revisit it and do some editing!

19. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

Fluff, all the time.

20. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

Do I?? I have so many. Thank you for the time to infodump about some of my favorites lmao

I have Eloise Montgomery who is a sexretary for Pete Brenner. Her face claim is Sydney Sweeney!

There's also Charles Randolph who is similar to Ransom in that he's a bratty rich boy who I pair with Ari Levinson. His face claim is Logan Lerman.

I have soooo many but they are my favorites!

21. If you could enter the universe of any one of your fics, which would it be and why?

Oh gosh, that's hard. Probably my The Purrfect Pair au. I want to live in a cottage with Wanda Maximoff more than anything!

22. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

I can't think of anything in particular. It just takes me a while to write because of burn out and stuff but I love it and I love sharing it with everyone 🩷

23. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

Oof this is hard for some reason but I do like this from Pine-ing For You

One time when you both were drunkenly singing All I Want for Christmas is You, he pulled you over to the plant hanging from the ceiling and kissed you straight on the mouth. It was a chaste, puckered lips type of kiss and yet it still made your heart flutter from excitement. You both carried on as if nothing happened, never brought it up when you were sober. You eventually decided the incident was merely drunken shenanigans and nothing more, although a part of you wanted to feel his plush lips against yours again.

24. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I'm excited for all that I have planned this year and I hope I can venture into some new territory with my fic writing. I appreciate everyone's support, you all mean the world to me! 🙏🏼 

[anna-scribbles]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thanks for the tag @jattendschaton and @miabrown007!! blowing u guys kisses

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

8 💪

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

105,963

3. What fandoms do you write for?

miraculous ladybug<3

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

this question is great bc nearly all of my 8 fics make it in👍

golden (like daylight)

call it even

at our wedding

circles & cycles (right back where you started)

no other shade of blue, but you

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

sometimes!! I try to!!! not as often as i wish i did :( I was pretty consistently replying on call it even for a while but then i fell behind and it got overwhelming😭 there are so many lovely ones I go back and reread all the time though!!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

no other shade of blue but you maybe? not sure if it counts as angsty it's very short and ends with marinette just being sort of sad and wistful. i'm not built for angsty endings<3

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably golden (like daylight)! that's definitely the one i'm proudest of at least.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no not really!!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No👍

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

haha not yet but i've had an anastasia inspired fic in the works for soo long. one day i'll dust it off and finish

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

AHAHA YES I co-wrote call it even with my sister @sha-nwa!!! one of the most fun experiences of my life, abby's such an incredible writer and she did marinette so much justice.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

lovesquare (shocking)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

i have tooons of wips in my google docs but i am wary of posting anything on ao3 that’s not a one shot/something i’m sure i’ll finish. one i think might be lost to time is my ladrien greek mythology wip💔

16. What are your writing strengths?

a lot of comments I get are related to prose/description so maybe that? I tend to spend a lot of time trying to pick out the exact right words for each sentence so that it has the sonic/rhythmic quality i'm going for. golden is probably the best example of this; I worked and reworked those sentences for many months until I was satisfied haha. I remember wanting it to feel sort of like the building of a song

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

my writing can be sort of dense and hard to get through sometimes!! I think I have a tendency to try and pack a lot into every sentence, which is fun for me to write, but can be difficult to get through as a reader. it's sort of the polar opposite to how I approach drawing silly comics, where the goal is to deliver the point/joke as clearly and effectively as possible. writing puts me in a much more contemplative headspace, which makes my fic not quite as digestable I think

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I admit i am guilty of peppering in random french words in ml fic whenever I feel like it 💔 I usually use italics though

19. First fandom you wrote for?

dear evan hansen I think? (<-I was a very specific type of annoying in high school)

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

have to give it to my og adrien essay golden (like daylight). it has all my favorite stuff. adrinette. what could loosely be called a plot. the word "something." I said what I needed to say

tagging anyone who wants to!!

[amostexcellentblog]

So I saw wicked yesterday... Now, I’ve never been a major fan of this show, even as it is inescapable to any musical fan. So I was a little unsure of what to expect, but I ended up loving it. Enough so that I apparently had a lot of thoughts to get down.

So, Wicked.... It’s influence is undeniable, it basically created the market on Broadway for shows aimed at tweens and teens, an audience too old for Annie and too young for Sondheim. Without this show, we probably wouldn’t have Newsies or Dear Evan Hansen, or anything else aimed at young adults. It basically brought fandom culture to musical theater. For better or for worse.

Beneath that massive success though, it’s always had its detractors. The New York Times critic panned the Broadway production, and it famously lost the Best Musical Tony. And honestly I get that. Wicked is a deeply flawed show. It’s a script in particular is bad, the foreshadowing is unsubtle, as is the political allegory, and really it just tries to cram too much into a limited running time, and as a result many storylines feel rushed and underdeveloped.

And yet it’s appeal is undeniable. Defying Gravity is one of the all-time great ballads, no matter how often it’s been butchered in cast party karaoke, Popular is undeniably fun, and really the whole spectacle of the production is just enthralling to see done live. It’s the sort of big spectacle show that you don’t see on Broadway that often anymore as cultural taste and the economics of the industry move towards smaller scale shows that are more intimate, and much cheaper to stage.

So yes, I was understandably worried about how it would translate to the screen given its flaws and the fact that the last decade has not been kind to high profile film adaptations of hit Broadway shows. But I'm happy to say the filmmakers knew what they were doing. The decision to split it into two parts was the correct one, the extra time allows the movie to flesh out the characters and story lines. It doesn’t totally fix everything, Nessarose and Boq remain incredibly uninteresting characters, but Elphaba's devotion to her sister is better explained here. It also adds more subtlety to the political subplot by letting it unfold more gradually in the background of the main character's more frivolous romantic entanglements in a way that feels almost like Cabaret. The performances are all topnotch. There’s no Russell-Crowe-in-Les-Mis amongst the cast. I was concerned about Ariana Grande, but she is actually great and sings the part beautifully. But this is Cynthia Erivo‘s show and she is fantastic!

The Director Jon M. Chu brilliantly opens up the story to film. The opening panning shot leading into No One Mourns The Wicked instantly grabs your attention, and the Defying Gravity scene is incredible to see on the big screen. It never feels slow, the extended runtime just flies by. One thing I like about Chu is how he references classic Hollywood musicals even as he updates the style to modern sensibilities. For his last musical In the Heights, he paid homage to Fred Astaire‘s famous dancing on the ceiling bit from Royal Wedding by having a young couple dancing up the exterior of their apartment building. Here he seems to take Gene Kelly’s Niña dance from The Pirate, where he swings from rafters while flirting with various women, and dials it up to 11 for Jonathan Bailey's Dancing Through Life number. That being said, there were times where I wish he could’ve gone a little smaller. For example, in The Wizard and I, I don’t think Elphaba needs to run through a random field of wheat, and I don’t think Popular needs to have Glinda swinging from a chandelier. It becomes a little repetitive when every number has to go big. Kelly understood that, yes he will do a big Broadway Melody ballet, but the most famous number in that movie is just him tap dancing in a storm drain with an umbrella and a lamp post. Sometimes simple is better.

The costuming is great, although it is a little ridiculous that only the background characters seem to be required to wear uniforms at the University. The special effects are a bit better than the trailer, but they do still have that kind of bland washed out look that a lot of modern movies have.

The biggest flaw by far though, is the decision to have the cast sing live. I really don’t get why directors feel compelled to do this honestly. Judy Garland pre-recorded Over The Rainbow, Gene Kelly pre-recorded Singing in the Rain, when all the old masters are doing it this way maybe it’s just the best way to do it and you shouldn’t play around with that! The singing isn’t bad, but it never feels as strong or powerful as it could be, and I do think that’s because it was done live.

Overall though, I still loved the movie and I’m glad we finally have a great big budget movie musical in the style of the old MGM classics. I’m glad that the creative team didn’t just copy the show, but really sat down and thought critically about what needed to be done better and then went out and fixed those problems. Honestly, assuming Part 2 doesn’t drastically drop in quality, (which could happen, like most musicals, Wicked’s Act 1 is much better than Act 2) I think the movies could actually be better than the show. I hope its success proves that there is still an audience for this type of film, and that we see more of them, and that the people involved in making those movies care about the material as much as the people involved in making this one did. I don’t know if it’ll make musical fans out of musical haters, but I do think even casual moviegoers can be drawn into its world. I highly recommend seeing it on the biggest screen possible.

[non-binary-lil-star]

Planning on doing some bnha musical aus

And if you're thinking " Robin, don't you ever get tired of drawing mha characters ?"

The answers no, I don't :)

Anyways

So. Here's what I want to do :

Heathers

Midoryia as Veronica

Todoroki as JD

Bakugou, Kirishima and Kaminari as the 3 Heathers

Either ochaco or Iida as Martha (maybe both of them )

Dear Evan Hansen

Probably gonna do deku as Evan and bakugou as Connor but I won't decide rn because thinking about dear Evan Hansen is making me sad

Mamma Mia

Aizawa as Donna

Present Mic as Sam

Ms joke as Bill

All might as Harry

Shinsou as Sophie

Kaminari as Sky

Midnight as Tânia

Oboro as Rosie

The greatest showman

Shigaraki as Phineas Taylor Barnum (aka the shownman )

Hawks AS ZAC EFFRON ( the character is Philliph Carlyle )

Dabi as godamn ZENDAYA!!! ( the character is Anne Wheeler )

Spinner as Charity Barnum ??? (Do u guys Shipp spigaraki??)

Magne as Lettie Lutz

Idk who to put as Jenny Lind ( the singer )

Toga as Deng Yan ( the acrobat )

Compress and Twice as random people in the shown or smt ( might invent especial roles for them )

Legally Blonde

Toga as Elle Woods

Ochaco as Vivian

Probs bakugou as Warner

Midoryia as Emmet ( but in an alternate universe in which Elle ends up with Vivian )

Dabi and Hawks as the Gay or European guys

Everyone else as background characters ig

The prom ( tododeku genderbend )

Midoryia as Emma

Todoroki as Alyssa

Present Mic as Barry

All might as an less asholery Dee Dee Alen

Aizawa as Tom Hawkins ( the teacher )

Midnight as Angie Dickinson

Be more chill

Haven watched bmc yet but this is gonna take forever anyways so I'll update it when I watch it

High school musical

Momo as Gabriela

Jirou as troy

Todoroki as Taylor

Bakugou as Chad

Midoriya as Kelsie ( the piano girl )

Monoma as Sharpay

Aoyama as Ryan

Aizawa as the drama teacher (but less bitchy )

I totally didn't write a 7k word one shot a couple years ago on this au ( with lots of momojirou + background tododeku )

Teen Beach movie

Momo as Tanner

Jirou as Leila

Shinsou as Mckenzie

Kaminari as Brady ( Yeah I'm going for ALL queer shipps what about it )

Mina as Cheechee

Bakugou as Butchy

Midoryia as Rascal

Todoroki as seacat or smt (just cause I think that's funny )

Dekusquad in general as surfers

Bakusquad in general as bad bitches motorcycle ppl

I really just don't want to have to write the names of some background tbm characters literally no one remembers

[tragedytells-tales]

A Souls Resentment

Notes - GN!MC, heavy angst, spin off from the masked event, MC turns evil lol, Solomon actually living up to his title as shady, inspired by 'left behind' ( DA games + CG5 ), 'Good for you' from Dear Evan Hansen, feat. The brothers, The royals, Solomon, Simeon, and Luke

Summary - Halloween goes haywire when two humans become cursed and a soul unearths its pain.

Warnings - major obey me season one spoilers, lessons 6-6 spoilers, not proofread

Tw - major injuries, blood mention, violence, graphic descriptions of violence, mentions of dead people

MC panted when they finally reached the student council room. Solomon picked up the list and began checking off boxes.

"Well, that should be everything done. Good job MC!"

MC took a sip of water and showed Solomon a thumbs up. "We did good! You should see the town! Everyone put their all into this."

Solomon chuckled and set the list down. He looked up to see a strange box sitting on the table.

"Hey MC?" The person in question let out a light hum in acknowledgement. "Was this box always here?"

MC walked over to the table to see what Solomon was talking about. They quietly shrugged their shoulders while humming a quite no, the box hadn't been there before.

MC took out their D.D.D and shot daivolo a text about it before looking at the time- "Come on, they're probably from lord Daivolo anyway. We have to get dressed or we'll be late!" -it was nearly time for the festival to start.

They grabbed a mask and rushed out the door before Solomon could disagree. He picked up a mask and gave it a wary look before rushing after MC.

Both of them met up at the beginning on the town. Solomon was adorned with a spirit kitsune mask while MC had on a phantom of the opera mask that was adorned with holographic patterns.

"Alright, one more round before the festival starts?" Solomon nodded before handing MC a decorated vial filled with a glowing liquid.

"What's this?"

Solomon hooked it onto their costume and nodded "Protection spell, just in case."

MC grabbed Solomons hand before he could pull away. They raised a questioning eyebrow at him while waring their worry on their sleeve, "Hey, is something wrong? You're being more protective than normal."

Solomon just shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing, just a precaution!"

MC crossed their arms while stareing skeptically. Once it was clear that he wasn't going to elaborate they decided to back off. "Alright, so, what does it do then?"

Solomon rested his hand on his chin, "It's a potion that's able to void all curses someone may be placed under." MC nodded in response and ran off.

When they came back they handed Solomon a similar vial to stick onto his costume "Just in case." Solomon simply chuckled.

They waved eachother a quick goodbye and headed off to their posts. MC took out their D.D.D to let the others know about their last rounds.

"Finally, it's our turn."

It wasn't long until a thundering headache hit, and a thick black plume of smoke choked both the of humans. Solomon went to grab his vial but his vision had darkened before he could even detach it from his person.

MC was taken aback by the cloud that seemed to block their vision. They desperately rushed to text, call, or summon someone, but they only heard the sound of their phone dropping before they felt the impact of the fall.

[ Daivolo : MC, answer me as soon as you can. Those masks are not from me or the brothers. ] Sent : 5:15

Lucifer was the first to arrive at the student council room with Daivolo being the last. As each person filtered in each one noticed the absence of the two humans.

"Aye' what's up with this weird box?" Mammon said as he reached out to touch it. When he retracted he quickly wiped it on his pants as he hissed at the burning sensation and stared at his now yellow fingers with shock, "what in the fuck?!"

Lucifer was next to step forward as Satan took to tending to mammons hand. He was only able to get within three or so feet from the box before getting overcome by an overwhelming sense of dread. He stepped back with a disgusted expression and turned to everyone else in the room, "Does anyone know where MC and Solomon are?"

Daivolo looked down at his D.D.D in worry, "No, they still haven't replied to my message either." Luke began pacing the floor in worry while the brothers worked to not erupt.

Belphegor was the first, slamming his hand down on the table while wide awake. "Well, what are we all sitting around for?! MC is miss-" the creaking of the door cut him off.

"MC is just fine. In fact, maybe you lot should come see for yourselves since our rounds are done."

All eyes were soon on Solomon as his dead tone brought an unsettling air into the room.

Barbatos watched Solomon with a careful eye while Asmo stepped forward with confidence,

"Solomon, hon, you wouldn't mind telling us where MC is, would you?"

Lucifer watched as Solomons eyes flashed with animus that slowly formed an eerie but serene smile. "Naturally, they should be at their station. we'll take you there!"

Solomon stopped midway out the door and glanced behind him, "Simeon, luke, you two should stay here." All the footsteps in the room came to a sudden halt.

"Huh, why can't we come?" Luke asked in naive curiosity. Simeon however, was more attentive.

"Solomon." The angel held Solomons gray eyes with a piercing glare, only to be met with an abrasive smile.

"Simeon, surely you wouldn't want MC to wander about alone should they come back here, right?"

Asmo shook slightly as a chill sweep over him.

Solomons serene facade melted into a foreboding glare, as if threatening Simeon to make a move.

Simeon silently backed off and huddled Luke to his side.

Solomon nodded as a smile graced his face again. He turned on his heel and lead the group out the door, leaving a disturbed and knowing Simeon behind.

The door slammed shut and the only sound that could be heard was the light tapping as feet hit the floor. No one bothered to speak, although, they all too aware that something was off. Both with Solomon and with MC.

The cold chill of the night air wafted over the group.

"Ah, there you are!"

MC? Walked over to the group to meet them halfway. They flashed their boys an elated smile and stopped a few feet away.

"Solomon! Be a dear and have Barbatos lock the door would you?"

Solomon nodded and let out a monotone 'order' for barbatos to lock the doors to RAD.

Daivolo went to tell off the sorcerer but was stopped when he felt Lucifer go ridged by his side.

One by one each of the brothers stood ramrod straight.

And one by one, each of them dropped to the floor as their eyes rolled to the back of their heads.

Daivolo turned to look into MCs now multi-colored, resentful, eyes.

Any shouts of confusion or concerns fell on deaf ears as both humans stood and watched as his crown fell.

"Revenge is best served with love."

LUCIFER

- He struggled to open his eyes for a moment. Everytime he was lulled back to sleep by the dull rhythm of tapping. His attention was stolen when the dull taping was replaced by melodic humming. Humming a song that- "only Lilith knows?"

- He shot up and stood on guard, ready to take down the threat. And yet, he was only met with MC. MC who can't see out of their right eye because there was to much blood in the way. MC who had black covering their entire upper midriff, from their neck to their arms. MC who's only working eye thrummed with purple and red.

- MC who looked dead.

- Lucifer rushed over to MC only to phase straight through them. He stopped where he stood and slowly turned to look back, and met with a gaze in a state of enmity.

- "MC, what happed? Who did this to you?"

- "You did, Lucifer."

- No, that can't be right. He just saw MC alive. MC is safe at RAD. MC only got knocked out that day. Lucifer stared down the MC before him, he knows he would never hurt MC.

- "But you have tried. In fact, you did."

- Lucifer leveled MC with a disbelieving glare. He settled on an impassive expression, one that MC naturally saw straight through.

- The two stood in a bit of a standstill before Lucifer spoke up. "Who are you."

- "I already told you. I am MC."

- The scene around him began to shift, the abyss that once surrounded him surrendered to the shadows around the underground tomb. His own voice mixed with the suffocating fear that covered everyone in the room.

- He couldn't speak, he couldn't move, he couldn't run no matter how much his body begged him too. It was almost as if the trembling fear of an angel and the need to protect kept him chained in place. But it wasn't him. It couldn't be him, because he was screaming at the top of his lungs about choices while hindering one from MC.

- "I did the one thing you never could." He heard MC yell, something about Beelzebub protecting Luke. The next thing he knew, the air was knocked out of his lungs as he felt his own magic pulse beneath MCs skin. A Thunderclap like headache struck as the magic burned.

- Daivolos outrage, Mammons grief, Beelzebubs remorse, and Lukes lamination all melted into one as he felt MC smile softly. "I died protecting those I love, and I'll be damned before I let you hurt them again."

- The shadows swarmed back in as Lucifer was dropped back onto a bottomless floor. He barely had a chance to reach his feet before he was knocked back. Chains clamped around his wrists and neck as they bound him into place. MC stepped forward before stopping a few feet away, they pinned him down with a mencing glare. Lucifer choked around the tightening chains, "I would never harm MC-"

- MC crossed their arms with a stern expression and shook their head. "Is it truly that incomprehensible that someone like you would kill the person he describes as weak and lowly? Ironic."

- Lucifer struggled against the chains while baring his teeth. "I've already been forgiven-" He said around the chain "-If it's vengeance you want, then it's not against me."

- MC simply chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "Vengeance? Is that what you think i want?.-" they raised their hand and lowered Lucifer to meet their eyes "-I don't want vengeance, I want you to admit that everything you did to me was for nothing."

- Silence fell over the two, and MC stood to wave away Lucifers grief and anguish at the sight- the thought of MC never forgiving him.

- "I protected my family in a way you never could."

AN: Happy Halloween, have big time angst that I wrote last year as an excuse to hurt the old man

[rainbow-pop-arts]

This is part 1 of my Trigun Maximum vol 14 thoughts for @trigunbookclub!

Some thoughts on TriMax chap 90-92  under the cut!

Vash’s life journey ๑(◕‿◕)๑

Oh um….Chronica didn’t make it, did she? （´皿｀；）

Knives you bastard

WOAH WOAH WOAH GUYS, IT’S KID ELENDIRA……what’s with this page all of a sudden?

He’s controlling Elendira’s corpse to choke Livio! Legato you bastard! ヾ( ･`⌓´･)ﾉﾞ

WOLFWOOD

No way he actually shot Legato (just like ep 24 of ’98 trigun fr!!!)

｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ‸இﾟ)ﾟ｡

Yeah, looks like Chronica didn’t make it ( -_-)

Hoo boy, the look on Meryl’s face

STAWP

This is basically the “You are not alone” part of the song You Will Be Found from Dear Evan Hansen

Oh um……. looks like the crash was that bad. It’s a miracle lots of humans survived the fall

POLICE, WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED

Let’s see how Knives is doing……….hm.

Feathers are falling and it seems to be the plants’ way to communicate

Ohohohooo, we get to see the humans’ progress since the fall

Plants have seen the horrific stuff of humanity but there’s lots of good ones too, like LOOK AT THIS!! (ᗒᗨᗕ) Kids going on a field trip, guys cleaning the bulb, an old lady praying (woah, it’s Kuroneko), LIKE ALL THESE IMAGES JUST MAKE ME FEEL…

(Beetlejuice the Musical)

Scold him, scold him, scold him! Scold his egotistical ass! -`д´-

That’s all for part 1! ♡(ﾐ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣ ﻌ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣ ﾐ)ﾉ

Bonus thoughts: ……Wow, things are starting to come together! （＾ω＾）So, Vash took Legato out of his misery and Chronica’s probably dead. I really like the part  where Meryl and Milly came for Vash, especially when Vash was on Meryl’s lap. (◕∀◕) Like, seriously, Vash needs some comfort and a break! They’re also trying their best to communicate with the plants and I think it’s working? I dunno, humans treated badly for lots of years so they’re very upset about that, but cool feathers are falling! I wonder how that glasses guy gonna deal with Knives?

(Anime: Skip to Loafer) Also, I kinda made a counting mistake with the chapters, sorry about that, and I just found out that vol 13 had an omake this whole time when I was checking out the other website where I first read Trigun & Trimax. The current website I’m using now doesn’t have the omake for some reason.