#i am a huge emmett fan.....

[vivigoesinsaneagain]

watched legally blonde (the musical) with xendie and had the time of my life

[tamaharu]

okay thats interesting! in the SF try-outs during the song "legally blonde" she sings about how she cant be legally blonde, while in the official version AND THE DEMO she sings about letting her be legally blonde. which means that at some point they changed the lyrics around, and then changed them back! laurence o'keefe.... nell benjamin.... what occurs in your twisted minds

[certifieddorianandcassiansimp]

Hi! I have a prompt! Twilight - Tanya/Bella. Tanya realizes Bella's her mate at the wedding. She says nothing to anyone because she needs to keep the peace between the families, Bella's happy with Edward, and she's human so she can't feel the mate bond. Edward knows and tries to keep them from meeting again, but they need the Denali's help to protect Renesme. Ends with Bella&Tanya together. Angst with a happy evening is my favorite ☺️

I am in love with this idea. I am a huge fan of prolonged mating, and this is the first way that I’ve seen Bella possibly being canonically gay.

The Human Reader

Tanya was getting ready for the wedding. She knew almost nothing about the human girl Edward had fallen for but her name, Bella. She had never met the girl, and she didn’t really know what the wedding would be like. So, being from an older time period, she curled her hair and piled it on her head with a yellowish dress cascading down her pale skin. Tanya was just finishing up getting ready when Kate walked in.

“Trying to upstage the human, Tanya?” She asked jokingly. Tanya rolled her eyes. “If I was trying,” drawled Tanya. “I wouldn’t wear this puke-colored dress.” Kate just gasped.

“It is not that bad.” She exclaimed, as her own dress was the color of her skin with gems along it. 

  “Have you seen yourself, Kate?” Tanya asked, smiling slightly. “If you had a mate, I’d be willing to bet you’d be fully ravished tonight.” Kate blushed and looked away. 

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kate murmured, making Tanya cackle. 

    “Sure, sis.” She then walked away smiling. 

…

     A few hours had passed, and now Tanya was at the wedding, Edward hadn’t come to say hello yet, nor had the bride appeared. She just held a glass of champagne in her hand and pretended to drink it. Kate and Irene were near her doing the same, when this blonde boy waltzed up to them. “Are you guys sisters?” He asked, it appeared to be one of the human’s friends. 

   “Yes. What about it?” Kate asked, her eyes trained on the mortal. Something about her expression must’ve frightened the human, as he backed up a bit, defensive in a way.

   “N-nothing.” He stuttered. “You all have such beauty I wanted to know.” Once more, he stumbled over his words. Both Tanya and Kate smirked at this. 

    “Thank you, sweet thing.” Tanya purred and watched him go red, then stumble away muttering incoherently. Tanya  and Kate laughed and went on with their lives until the ceremony began. 

   Tanya was seated on Edward’s side, in the first row next to Emmett and Rosalie. The white decor was… straining, to say the least. Alice had done well with choosing decor, but it was just a white overload. It was so bad that Tanya shut her eyes, just until the wedding march sounded. She stood like the rest and looked back at the bride. When Tanya was expecting to find an insignificant human girl, she instead found her breath hitching, and the world shifting. Her eyes widened slightly and her smile fell. One word was berating her brain. 

  Mate. 

  She made her eyes unfocus, and she put her face back into the smiling position. No one had noticed what happened, and she would make it stay that way. The human was not hers to claim, Bella was happy with Edward. What more did she need? She couldn’t even feel the bond as a human, it was better if she didn’t say anything. Tanya had been alone for centuries, what would a lifetime be like? The rest of the wedding was a blur to her, even speaking to Bella, she couldn’t hold a conversation long without wanting to scream. She left in the night soon after.

I’m making a part two, it’s just been two days since this was asked for. Sorry for the wait! I’ll try to have part two out within a week!

[forabeatofadrum]

So Much Better

Summary: Kurt is very excited to make his Broadway debut in Deaf West’s production of Legally Blonde. He plays the Voice of Emmett and he has to work with Blaine, a Deaf actor who’s been part of the show since the very beginning. They grow closer through the process.

Notes: This is my @klainesecretsanta2022 gift to Terra (@klainedreams34​)! The original prompt was: Kurt and Blaine are both making their Broadway debut in the same production, however, one of them is deaf. If you’d like a reference, you can look up deaf west spring awakening on YouTube! I am a huge fan of Deaf West’s Spring Awakening, so I immediately selected that prompt.

(Also, while we’re at it, please read Terra’s fic Wild Child! I am obsessed with it.)

For this fic, all the spoken language is “written like this, between quotation marks”, including simcom or when someone speaks through an interpreter. All the written language is written like this in italics. All the signed language is WRITTEN LIKE THIS, IN ALL CAPS. I chose all caps for the ASL since ASL gloss is written in all caps. That being said, I wrote all the ASL in English, so I did not follow the ASL and glossing rules.

Enjoy!

Read the fic on S&C | Read the fic on AO3 | Or read the fic here under the cut:

--

“I am here because I want to be challenged.”

Everyone claps politely and Rachel sits down with a satisfied grin on her face. She’s basking in the praise and Kurt envies her confidence. It’s almost his time to introduce himself and he’s incredibly nervous.

This is his first role on Broadway.

This is a show that tries to break boundaries.

This is a show he wants to be proud of.

Yet, he can’t help but be anxious. What if he is terribly miscast? After all, if you had told Kurt a year ago that he’d play the Voice of Emmett in Deaf West’s production of Legally Blonde, he wouldn’t have believed you.

Kurt, of all people, as the straight romantic male lead?

Well, of course, that is partially true. He’s technically voicing the role. A Deaf actor will embody Emmett, but they will play the role together and Kurt’s high-pitched gay voice will be heard by the hearing audience.

When it’s finally time for Kurt to speak, he gets up. All eyes are on him for now.

“Uh, hello, my name is Kurt Hummel,” he says and signs. He can’t sign at all, but he did teach himself how to introduce himself in ASL. He looked up some things, since it’s important. Luckily the interpreter takes over for the rest. “I will be playing the Voice of Emmett and I am here because I want to challenge others. Thanks.”

He sits down again and the round continues.

When it’s time for Blaine Anderson to do his talk, Kurt sits up.

“Hello, my name is Blaine Anderson,” the interpreter speaks for Blaine. Blaine is signing and it’s captivating. “I play the role of Emmett and I am very happy to be here. I am here because I want to show the audience how Deafness can enhance an existing story. Thank you.”

Kurt and the others wave their hands as applause. When Blaine sits he looks at Kurt and smiles. Kurt nods back. He knows that the two of them will be playing the role together, so they’ll be seeing each other a lot.

He noticed Blaine from the beginning. This is the first time that the entire cast is officially meeting, but the moment Blaine stepped into the room, Kurt saw him. Kurt’s done his research on Deaf West Legally Blonde so he knew that he’s going to be sharing the role with Blaine. Still, seeing him in real life is different.

The roll call finishes and the group disbands for a small break. Most of the cast is familiar with each other. Deaf West Legally Blonde had a run in Los Angeles before it transferred to Broadway, but some people, including Kurt, have joined the cast. Rachel playing Elle Woods was a huge deal, since she’s the lead. So far the new hearing cast members and the new Deaf cast members hang out separately, since there is a language barrier. Only April Rhodes, who plays Paulette, is a hearing member who can sign.

But Rachel was right: they’re also here to get challenged, so Kurt steps towards Blaine who is rapidly signing to Quinn Fabray, the Deaf actress who plays Brooke.

“Hi,” Kurt says. Quinn and Blaine share a look, and Blaine smiles.

HI, he signs back. Kurt recognises that one. K-U-R-T, RIGHT?

Kurt nods.

Blaine quickly signs something to Quinn, who nods and walks off to Santana, the hearing actress who plays Brooke with Quinn.  

YOU SIGN? Blaine asks.

NO, Kurt shakes his head. He takes his phone out of his pocket and points towards it. Blaine nods. They can also ask one of the interpreters to help, but this works as well.

Kurt hands his phone to Blaine so that Blaine put in his number. He quickly sends a text.

KH: Hello!

The screen of Blaine’s phone lights up.

BA: Hello, it works!

I think this might be the easiest right now

KH: Yeah sorry I don’t know how to sign

BA: That’s fine. You’ll learn

I can teach you

Although you won’t be fluent. It takes years

KH: I looked up some signs but it is difficult

BA: It’s fine

So, how did you become part of the show?

Kurt knows that Blaine Anderson has been part of this show since the workshopping days. Kurt only joined for this production and this spot was opened up because the actor who did the role in Los Angeles joined another Broadway show.

KH: I just auditioned. I love the original and I saw the casting call and I took a chance.

Kurt still thinks it’s a miracle that he got the role. Rachel as Elle was a given in Kurt’s mind, but Kurt still can’t believe this is real.

BA: I think you’re great

That message surprises Kurt.

KH: Oh?

BA: Yeah I’ve looked you up

Kurt has some Off-Broadway and regional credits. They’re not big roles like this, but he’s proud of his work, so he smiles when he sees that message.

KH: I also looked up your stuff with Deaf West

Kurt wants to write some more, but the small break is over. Everyone’s called back. Blaine sends him one quick final message.

BA: We’ll talk more, yeah?

Kurt sees that Blaine’s looking at him so he gives him a thumbs up.

--

Rehearsal is heavy, especially for the newer cast members. Kurt plays a Voice, so he doesn’t have to sign in the show. As a result he spends most of the rehearsal with the other Voices. He also has music rehearsal, which is something the Deaf cast isn’t part of, expect for when they’re also rehearing the signing. There are some music rehearsals where everyone signs instead of sings, in order to get the timing right. This show is all about working together. He goes through staging, tech and blocking with the entire company. All the Voices are constantly next to the actors who embody the roles.

In the first week he hasn’t really gotten the time to sit down with Blaine to talk about Emmett. Everyone’s just busy getting the basics together, although he and Blaine have texted a little bit over the week. They know they will be seen a lot together, since they play the same role.

This production is truly something he’s never done before. He’s never had to share a role like this. Sure, Kurt’s been an understudy for one of his Off-Broadway roles, so he technically shared that role with someone else and that led to cooperation, but they weren’t on stage simultaneously.

When Kurt and Blaine finally have time to sit down with an interpreter, they go over the script together to go through every line Emmett has. They’re in their dressing room and they flip through the pages. They both approach the role in a different way. They’re going through their big number, Chip On My Shoulder, which is the song where Emmett and Elle really grow together.

“Hello Kitty…” Kurt reads out loud with a smile, “I always loved how Christian Borle said it in the MTV proshot.”

Blaine has a questioning look on his face.

“Oh, uh, he said it in a really deadpan voice and he draws out the words,” Kurt explains, “And he put a pause between Hello and Kitty for humorous effect.”

Blaine squints his eyes slightly. Right, of course. How do you explain sound and speech to someone who’s never heard it?

“Can you do that?” Blaine asks.

Kurt watches Blaine’s signs as he listens to the interpreter. He’s already realised that it makes it easier to recognise the signs.

YES, Kurt signs back, I THINK.

And Kurt in turn signs when he’s able to in order to practise.

“In my opinion, Chip On My Shoulder is probably one of the most important moments in the show,” Blaine continues, “Maybe I am biased, since I play Emmett, but I think it is more monumental than So Much Better.”

“Well, yes, we get to hear Emmett’s point of view,” Kurt agrees, “His life. His motivation. We already know about Elle. This is the moment she starts to share the spotlight.”

Blaine nods eagerly.

“Exactly!”

“What do you think Emmett’s main motivations are?” Kurt asks. After all, they’re here to do a deep dive on their character. “For helping, Elle, I mean. I always thought it was a mix of pity and kindness. He’s a kind guy, so when he feels bad for someone, he wants to help.”

“Oh, I have an idea.”

TELL ME, Kurt signs.

“For starters, in our production, Emmett is Deaf,” Blaine points towards himself and he winks, which makes Kurt laugh, “I think that his initial annoyance with Elle only gets exacerbated because of this. Elle is this very privileged hearing rich girl who walks in thinking she can just own the place, whereas he had to work very hard to even get into Harvard. And I know we make Harvard a more Deaf friendly school, since Emmett isn’t the only Deaf or hard of hearing person in this university, but it is still harder for them.”

“Look, they laughed at me, like they're laughing at you/We can't win if we don't follow through,” Kurt sings.

Blaine nods.

“Yes, people don’t always take us seriously, so that line stood out in particular.”

“Huh,” Kurt says. He’s been a fan of Legally Blonde the musical ever since he watched the proshot on MTV. He’s known the lyrics by heart, even before he auditioned. Yet, he’d never thought of it like that.

“Plus,” Blaine continues, “He’s also different from other Deaf characters in our show since he’s from a poorer background. That is why he also stands out in the group of Deaf Harvard students like Vivienne and the Deaf Delta Nu ladies.”

YOU’RE RIGHT, Kurt signs.

I KNOW, Blaine signs with a smile.

“So it’s not out of pity or kindness, but out of recognition?” Kurt says and Blaine nods.

“Well, also out of recognition,” Blaine clarifies, “I agree with you that Emmett is too good for this world so he’d help Elle even if he didn’t have that recognition.”

“Like in the original.”

Blaine nods again.

“You said on the very first day that you were excited to show a Deaf perspective and how it can enhance the show.”

Blaine’s eyes widen in surprise.

“You remember that!”

“Of course I did,” Kurt says with an ‘isn’t it obvious’ tone.

“Yeah, well, it isn’t much,” Blaine shrugs, “But it’s something and even though it’s small, I think it already adds a lot. Kind of like how they added the ban on signing in class in Spring Awakening. Did you see that show?”

Kurt nods. It was one of the best Broadway experiences ever and it’s one of the reasons he auditioned for this show, despite his own reservations and doubt.

“It’s great that, like in Spring Awakening, the original script isn’t changed. It just adds new meaning to the existing text,” Kurt says.

YES! Blaine signs excitedly. His movements become more eccentric and the signs take up more place when he’s really excited and Kurt loves it. He loves to learn about communication in a new way.

The two of them share a smile. Glad to hear they’re on the same page. He’s already overheard Kitty, another new cast member and who plays the Voice of Vivienne, talk about how it’s quite difficult to connect to Mercedes.

Kurt was afraid that he and Blaine also wouldn’t click, since Blaine has shared this role with another person, but it’s going well.

Kurt gets pulled out of his thoughts when Blaine taps the table.

“Hm?” Kurt gives him a questioning look.

“And what about you?” Blaine asks.

WHAT? Kurt asks back.

“You said that you wanted to challenge others.”

“Oh, right,” Kurt says.

Now, Blaine has a questioning look on his face.

“It doesn’t really have anything to do with the text,” Kurt motions towards the script, “I don’t think it’s super relevant for how we want to characterise Emmett.”

Or at least Kurt hadn’t thought about it like that.

He tries to talk around it, since he hasn’t shared his doubts about his casting with anyone, not even Rachel. Rachel probably wouldn’t get it. She’s too caught up in her own excitement and Kurt’s a bit jealous of it.

He wants to be exuberant as well, but he just worries about what the audience will think.

“Okay. I still want to know,” Blaine says when he realises that Kurt isn’t saying it outright, “Out of interest. You must’ve had a reason for it.”

Kurt sighs. Well, if they are going to work together then they will definitely get to know each other better. No matter what, Blaine will find out at one point down the line. Maybe it’s best to tell him so early in the process.

“I want to challenge the audience… with my voice,” he answers.

Blaine frowns. He doesn’t get it.

“When I auditioned for this role, I took it with a grain of salt. I was certain Finn would get the role of Voice of Emmett, but Finn encouraged me to try it anyway.”

“Wait, sorry, Finn who voices Kyle?”

Kurt nods.

“Yup, he’s my brother.”

Blaine looks impressed but then he realises he’s interrupted Kurt and he motions towards him to proceed.

“When I got the callback, I thought they were joking. But they weren’t. They wanted me as Emmett, and after a couple of audition rounds… here I am!”

“Here you are,” Blaine agrees.

“And I couldn’t imagine them casting me, a gay guy, to be the male romantic lead in Legally Blonde. So I am afraid that I am miscast and that the audience will hate it.”

“Wait, wait,” Blaine looks confused, “Gay guys play straight roles all the time and vice versa. If you’re a good actor, and I know you are, then it shouldn’t be a problem. I am gay too, and I’m not too worried.”

Kurt’s momentarily thrown off by Blaine saying he’s gay that he’s lost for words.

Blaine is gay too?

Two gay guys are playing Emmett?

Blaine tilts his head when Kurt remains silent and Kurt realises he’s waiting for Kurt to say more. Kurt tries not to blush and he pushes the gay revelation away for now. There is still a major difference between the two of them.

“Yes, but it’s my gay voice,” Kurt says, “My high-pitched gay voice. When I pick up the phone, a lot of people think it’s my mom. Acting will be fine, especially since you’re doing all the blocking and the big romantic scenes are between you and Rachel, but everyone will hear my voice and realise that something feels wrong.”

“Correction. Not everyone will hear your voice,” Blaine quickly points out.

“Right. Of course.”

“But I guess I don’t really understand,” Blaine looks apologetic, “I didn’t know there was a thing like a gay voice.”

“There is,” Kurt affirms, “Of course not every gay man sounds like me, but my tone and the way I speak might be seen as gay. I used to get bullied for it at school. Kids would just mock me by mimicking my voice when I walked past them.”

Blaine nods.

“And I love my gay voice. I always have,” Kurt quickly adds. That’s very important. Kurt loves being gay and he’s always been unabashedly himself. “But it has closed doors for me, especially in the entertainment world, so I am not sure if the audience will appreciate it.”

“But you want to make them appreciate it,” Blaine points out, “You want to challenge people.”

Kurt nods.

He really does. He wants to show the audience that he can play this role of Voice of Emmett. He is confident that he can do it, but it doesn’t take away the fear that others won’t see it. A miscast can doom an entire show and Kurt has a big role.

Blaine raises his hands and he’s about to say something when someone knocks on the door. Kurt and the interpreter instinctively look towards the door. Blaine sees it and he understands what is going on when Kurt gets up to open the door.

“Hey Kurt,” Santana says and then her eyes widen when she looks over his shoulder.

“What?”

SORRY, Santana signs to Blaine. Then she nods towards the interpreter to indicate that she needs help. “I didn’t know you were here as well. I wouldn’t have knocked if I knew.”

IT’S FINE, Blaine signs back. He gets up as well. I WILL GO.

WAIT, Kurt signs.

Blaine shakes his head.

“We can continue later,” he shrugs and he and the interpreter leave Kurt and Santana alone.

Santana watches them go.

“You two seem to be getting along,” she says.

“Yeah.”

“Good. It’s an adjustment for newer people,” Santana says. She’s played the Voice of Brooke since the beginning and she has a strong bond with Quinn.

“Is there something you needed?” Kurt asks.

In the end, Santana only needed his opinion on her outfit. He appreciates that he’s being seen as the fashion guru in the cast, but he wishes he had stayed with Blaine just a bit longer.

--

And just like that, the first week of rehearsal is over. It was one of the busiest weeks of Kurt’s life. He knows it isn’t going to be less busy, but he’s gotten used to his new routine. He, Finn and Rachel travel to the theatre together. They have lunch in the city together with some others. Then it’s more rehearsal and when he gets home he goes over all the new signs that he’s learnt.

But for some reason he can’t get the hang of the TRUE BIZ sign. It doesn’t help that this is a sign with no English translation. Kurt’s embarrassed to say that he didn’t know that ASL and English aren’t analogous. ASL isn’t “English with your hands”, but it has its own words, structure and grammar. Saying that it is English also feels wrong, because there are differences between the sign languages in other English speaking countries.

Basically, Kurt’s struggling.

He’d love to ask Rachel for an opinion, but she isn’t home. She is out with Finn. Besides, maybe it is better to ask an expert.

Kurt knows who to ask. He grabs his phone to text Blaine.

KH: Hey can I ask you a question about signs?

BA:  Yes sure

KH:  How do you use true biz again? I know how to sign it, just not how to use it

BA:  You can use it as a synonym for actually, definitely, totally

As in

true biz I am playing Emmett

so like, I am totally playing Emmett

Kurt quickly films a video of himself signing it and he sends it to Blaine. Blaine sends some thumbs up emojis back and Kurt smiles.

--

“Broadway!” someone yells and the interpreter signs it as well. As a result, the crowd goes mad. It’s their first day in the theatre! In that first week they were stuck in a rehearsal space with tape on the floor, but now the set’s been built and it’s time to move to the stage.

People are smiling and crying and filming. It’s one big bundle of joy.

COME ON! Blaine signs before grabbing Kurt by the shoulders and leading him towards the stage door.

WE ARE HERE, Kurt signs back and Blaine nods.

Together they walk in. It’s an amazing feeling and both can’t stop grinning. After exploring the theatre a bit more, it’s time to find their dressing room. They share a big dressing room with Finn and Dustin Goolsby, who play Kyle, Will Schuester who plays Professor Callahan and Sebastian Smythe who plays Warner.

Finn and Dustin are already inside when Kurt and Blaine get there and Finn gives them both a thumbs up.

It’s as if everything’s slowly falling into place. They’re in their still bare dressing room. They are in the theatre! The sets are finished. The costumes are basically done. It’s all going uphill from here, Kurt’s certain of it.

Blaine and Dustin immediately start signing to each other and Kurt and Finn also talk about taking it all in. Will and Sebastian also arrive and they all bask in the glory of Broadway.

They’re all called to the stage for more formal information and Kurt and Blaine go together. They’re still grinning.

I , Blaine signs and then he adds another sign that Kurt doesn’t know, so Kurt copies it with a questioning look.

D-R-E-A-M, Blaine fingerspells, DREAM.

It takes a couple of times for Kurt to get it, since he can fingerspell well, but reading it is still difficult. When he gets it, he smiles and signs SAME.

TOGETHER, Blaine signs.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN? Kurt signs back.

US TOGETHER. BROADWAY!

“Fuck yeah,” Kurt automatically says, but Blaine must’ve understood because his grin widens. They’re going to do it. Together. Kurt can’t say that the anxiety about his potential miscast is gone, but Blaine really encourages him by being so enthusiastic. Sure, Blaine can’t hear him sing, but it shows that he likes Kurt’s work for other reasons as well.

He’s really happy that he got paired together with Blaine.

--

Of course, it isn’t all work and business. The cast loves to play around behind the scenes. They all need it in order to stay sane during the long rehearsal days.

And most days they immediately go home to fall to their beds.

Other days, they go out.

The entire cast is at an arcade. It is incredibly loud. The noises of many arcades is overwhelming.

Kurt and Blaine are playing Mario Kart and there must be something off with the machine because the tones are so high, it is grating and probably not supposed to be like this. Blaine, of course, doesn’t care.

LOUD, Kurt signs and points to the machine.

Blaine laughs.

REALLY?

YES!

And Blaine just laughs more. Kurt likes his laugh. It’s nice.

--

Kurt and Blaine are at Blaine’s apartment, once again going over the script. They revise their work every now and then, even outside of work. That’s because they’re very dedicated to it.

They’re doing it through text this time, since they didn’t ask one of the interpreters to come along. It’s fine. Communicating through texting and writing is obviously more demanding than signing or speaking, but they both agreed it’s okay.

They want to do this right with the role.

After all, the Voice of Emmett is basically Emmett internally. Something he does not want to share with the outside world. They have already worked on how Kurt is going to deliver those lines and how Blaine will sign along, but they also want to show the relationship between Emmett and his voice in their blocking.

What does Emmett’s Voice represent? In Spring Awakening, the Voices would represent a character’s inner thoughts, or a character’s innocence, or a true self.

What is Emmett’s true self?

BA: I think Emmett has a lot of thoughts that he cannot express easily.

KH: As in?

BA: Well, I think that in Take It Like A Man, we can play around and show Emmett’s true feelings towards Elle.

KH: We might have to discuss it with the director if we want to make big changes.

Luckily, the Artie is very open to input from others.

BA: True

But I think it’d be nice if you might move more closer to Rachel, while I am in the changing booth. To show Emmett trying to reach out.

And then when Rachel is done paying and moves back to me, you quickly turn away.

KH: That’s brilliant!

BA: Yeah?

KH: Yeah! Like, he is letting himself long for Elle, but he doesn’t know how to tell her. He is so close in Take It Like A Man. He’s starting to realise his feelings, but he can’t admit it yet!

BA: And yes, you, his Voice, understand it more than me. Since you embody his thoughts.

Kurt and Blaine give each other a high five. They are a great time. Other Voice actors are also closely working together with their counterparts. Even Kitty and Mercedes have found a middle ground. Still, it’s clear to everyone that he and Blaine are probably the closest.

The two of them hang out all the time.

The two of them have lunch outside the theatre.

The two of them text a lot.

The two of them also visit each other on their days off, even for non-work related things.

The two of them are true friends.

Kurt knew he was going to grow close with the cast, since the collaborative nature of the show practically demands it, but he didn’t know he was going to get an actual best friend out of it. He can’t imagine doing the show without Blaine at his side.

They go over more moments that has a potential. Blaine moves closer, since they use Kurt’s copy of the script. It’s easier to annotate it all in one place.

Kurt writes something down during the iconic and I don’t have to hit on interns, professor line. Out of the corner of his eyes, he can see Blaine watching him intently and when Blaine notices, he looks a bit alarmed, but Kurt just smiles.

They’re doing this together.

--

Legally Blonde is a highly anticipated show, so of course there is a lot of press. The cast performs some numbers in the rehearsal space for the press and afterwards they get bombarded by interviews.

Kurt and Blaine are paired together, which was to be expected, so they actually met up the day before to go over possible answers for possible questions.

“So, what is it like to play this character together,” the interviewer asks. The interpreter is stood next to them.

Kurt turns to Blaine to see if he wants to answer first. Blaine notices and raises his hands.

“It’s really fun,” he answers and Kurt can’t help.

SAME, he signs, which in turn makes Blaine smile.

“It is a unique experience and a collaborative project,” Blaine continues, “I have been with this show since the workshopping days, and Kurt is new to our Broadway run, and we both have our own history with the show and our own interpretation. And of course, I had a different Emmett with the previous guy who played his Voice, but it is really cool to learn Kurt’s perspective as well. It’s clashed sometimes, but it’s great to actually be able to have a conversation about Emmett. We both really care for him.”

“Yes,” Kurt cuts in when he realises Blaine’s done, “We’ve jokingly referred to Emmett as our son.” Kurt also signs SON when he says that.

The interviewer laughs at that. Kurt and Blaine do too. Blaine’s laugh is nice to hear. It’s quiet.

“But yes, I’ve had thoughts about Emmett, as a fan of the show. Blaine has had thoughts about him, since he’s been playing Emmett for longer than I have. I was a bit nervous coming in, because I am new, but Blaine and the entire company has been very welcoming.”

“Now of course you’re both making your Broadway debuts!” the interviewer says and Blaine waves his hands as a cheer. Kurt nods. “Although, Kurt, you have some other credits in the city as well.”

This actually surprises Kurt. He didn’t expect the interviewer to know this. It’s a huge cast, so it’s impressive if they did a thorough review of every member and Kurt respects them for it.

“True,” he says, still sounding impressed.

“This is definitely a step away from your usual stuff,” the interviewer continues, “What spurred you to audition for this role? A role like Emmett isn’t something people would think about when thinking about you.”

The interviewer looks genuinely interested, so Kurt doesn’t assume there is a malicious intent on their part, but he’d be lying if he didn’t say that his stomach just dropped a little bit. They didn’t outright say why this role might be ill-fitted for Kurt, but they don’t have to.

Maybe they aren’t even talking about Kurt’s voice, or his sexuality. Maybe they don’t even mean ill-fitted. But that’s what Kurt’s mind latches on to.

Next to Kurt, Blaine moves a little bit closer. He knows that it is a sensitive question. Kurt composes himself and he puts on a hopefully dazzling smile.

“Well, as I said, I am a fan of the original,” Kurt says and he focuses on not sounding nervous, “And I am also a fan of Deaf West’s previous Broadway musical Spring Awakening. So I saw an opportunity to do something I am really invested in and I took it.”

“Besides- I mean, if I may,” Blaine gives Kurt a questioning look and Kurt nods.

GO ON, he signs quickly.

“Besides, our show is all about new ways of showing a well-known story,” Blaine points out, “And the beauty of it is that the creatives did not change a single line in the script or a single lyric. As this guy once said-” Blaine puts one hand on Kurt’s shoulder and uses the other one to point at him for extra emphasis “-we want to challenge our audience.”

“Yes, I don’t want to take away from the work as a company of a whole,” Kurt quickly says, “But I also love the opportunity to show audiences what I can do.”

YES! Blaine signs. He still has the other hand on Kurt’s shoulder.

Luckily, the interviewer then moves to Blaine by asking him about his theatrical background and Kurt feels relieved. He hopes it isn’t super obvious.

Since Blaine is giving bigger answers, he uses both hands to sign and Kurt admits he misses the touch. It was very comforting. Kurt’s a bit lost in his own thoughts, so he admittedly misses some of Blaine’s replies, but when he starts talking about family, Kurt’s interest gets piqued.

“- supportive, but it wasn’t always rosy. It was a bit hard to tell my parents I wanted to study acting,” he lets out a sigh, “They knew that being Deaf would bring obstacles. I’d have to work twice as hard for anything, which is something we allude to in the show, and a creative career is already tough for hearing people. But I am glad I am here. I am glad to prove them wrong.”

The interviewer laughs.

“I understand they wanted what they thought was best for me, but I also wish they had been supportive from the beginning.”

“Are they supportive now?” the interviewer asks.

“Oh, absolutely. So is my brother. He’s also an actor.”

“Your parents must’ve been bewildered to have two acting sons.”

“Definitely. But Cooper is hearing, so it was different for him, or so they thought. It wasn’t until I told them about the Broadway transfer that they started to realise that this is working out. They’ve been supportive enough to at least come to all my other shows, but now they see that it is the real deal. So I also hope that when people see a show filled with a lot of Deaf people, they see it is possible. Spring Awakening and Big River paved the way for a musical like this, and we will keep going.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here!” the interviewer says.

“Same,” Kurt says and signs.

The interviewer thanks Kurt and Blaine before moving on to more people. The interpreter follows. Kurt and Blaine take a breather. That was a more in-depth interview than they expected.

YOU OKAY? Kurt asks.

I’M FINE, Blaine answers, I NEED A BREAK.

Kurt looks around. There is so much press, so they can’t really afford to leave. This is a huge day for their show. Still, he agrees.

LET’S GO, Kurt signs and he nods towards a door that leads out of the rehearsal space.

WE CAN’T, Blaine looks alarmed.

Kurt doesn’t know how to sign “just for a small minute”, so he signs SECRET, SMALL, FAST and luckily Blaine gets it. The two slip out of the room unnoticed.

Once they’re in a hallway, Kurt leans against the wall and he lets out a deep breath. He knew press was going to be part of it, but he expected that he would be asked very basic questions.

His phone buzzes in his pocket. He looks over to Blaine, who has a phone in his hand.

BA:  So that was a lot, wasn’t it?

Kurt smiles.

KH:  I did not expect to semi-admit to my anxieties like that

BA:  Me neither

KH:  Are you still anxious about your parents? What you said sounds kinda rough

After all, Kurt can’t imagine his dad not being supportive. Yes, his dad has also had doubts and concerns, but he still fought for Kurt. Kurt still gets a warm feeling when he thinks about his dad going to McKinley, demanding that Kurt should be allowed to try out for Defying Gravity. He didn’t understand it, but he knew Kurt wanted it.

By the time Kurt’s out of his thoughts, he sees that Blaine has sent a long answer.

BA: It was, but it could’ve been worse. My parents at least sign. 80% of hearing parents do not sign. They didn’t have this view in their head that Deafness is something that needs to be fixed. My family learnt ASL for me, they let me to go a Deaf school, and they did a lot for me in that regards. Thanks to them I am the confident person I am today and I had a language and a culture and a community. So I suppose I was a bit nervous about this career, because it felt a bit ungrateful. They did so much to help me excel, and then I choose acting? But in the end, what they did is called good parenting, and with good parenting, I shouldn’t feel like I owe it to them to give up on my dreams just because they don’t agree with me.

How are your parents?

I never really asked.

KH: We never really talked about it.

BA: True

KH:  My mom died when I was young, but she always encouraged the creative side. My dad and stepmom as well.

I told you Finn’s my brother, right?

My stepmom is his mom.

Our parents couldn’t be more proud of us.

BA: Sorry to hear about your mom

But glad to hear your stepmom is lovely

KH: Well I am glad to hear it’s all okay with your family now.

BA: Yeah better late than never

The two of them share a small smile. Their moment gets interrupted when the door opens and Lauren, the Deaf actress who plays Enid, pokes her head around the corner. She looks relieved when she finds them.

THERE YOU ARE, she signs.

SORRY, Kurt and Blaine both sign immediately.

WE NEEDED A BREAK, Blaine signs.

Lauren looks at Blaine, then to Kurt, then back to Blaine. A smile forms on her face and she has an amused look on her face. Kurt tries to see if Blaine gets why Lauren is looking at them like that, but Blaine looks slightly confused as well.

Lauren signs something but it’s too advanced for Kurt to keep up, but Blaine notices and quickly texts it to him.

BA: They were looking for us, so we should probably head inside. Someone wants to do an interview with some of the Voice actors and another person wants to interview me, Mercedes, Quinn and Lauren.

OKAY, Kurt signs, I UNDERSTAND.

Together they follow Lauren back inside.

--

Everyone is rehearsing the final number. It’s huge, since every member of the cast is on stage. Kurt and the other Voice actors are on the higher level pedestal in the back and they sing. In front of them, all the others dance and sing as well.

Honestly, it looks pretty cool.

“Oh, and if you could give one second before we all go,” Rachel sings and signs. Then she moves to Blaine who is standing to the side with others. She takes his hand and leads him to the middle before signing and singing: “Emmett Forrest, please make me the happiest woman I know.”

Rachel goes down on one knee, which is Kurt’s cue to sing: “Omi, omi, omigod!”

Everyone else joins in and Blaine and Rachel kiss while the other actors dance, sing and sign around them. Kurt isn’t singing during that part, since obviously Emmett is busy. He always feels a bit weird during this moment. Blaine and Rachel know it’s just a rehearsal, but they’re going all out.

Finn, who stands next to Kurt for this number, looks at him while he sings. Then he looks back to Rachel and Blaine kissing.

Luckily, Rachel and Blaine break apart to resume their parts.

“And now I found my love,” Kurt and Rachel’s voices blend together, “I found my way to love/I finally found my prize!”

Once the song is over, Artie gives some notes and they take a small break. Kurt and Finn walk back to the wings and Finn lets out a laugh.

“It’s still kinda weird,” he says.

“Hm?” Kurt raises an eyebrow.

“Watching my girlfriend kiss another guy,” Finn answers.

“That’s acting,” Kurt shrugs.

Finn gives him a look, as if he waits for Kurt to say more about it. But Kurt just frowns.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing,” Finn says quickly. Too quickly. Then he turns on his heel and awkwardly walks away.

What just happened?

--

The show is finished.

They have their final dress rehearsal, in front of an audience. A free audience. Kurt’s friends are in the audience as well. It’s basically a preview of the upcoming previews.

The actual previews are nerve-wracking. Legally Blonde has ten previews in a row and the first preview is the first show for a paying audience.

The show goes almost flawlessly, in Kurt’s opinion. There were some slight technical problems with the big screen that sometimes shows what’s being said or sung in writing, for example during Whip Into Shape, when the actors need both hands for the jump rope section, or when Elle yells from the supply closet.

But apart from that, it’s going great. Everyone’s amazing and on their marks. No one is flubbing lines. People laugh at the delivery of lines of the hearing cast, which makes Kurt happy. He and Blaine worked very hard on trying to nail the comedic bits, in both English and ASL, and Kurt’s happy to report that the audience laughed at the Hello Kitty part, among other moments.

After the show, the cast and crew is ecstatic. They all want to go out into town. Not for too long, though, since they have nine more shows to go through.

Kurt waits outside for some others when he overhears some audience members talking about the show.

He smiles when he hears the happy comments.

But then��

“I only didn’t really get the right vibe from the guy voicing Emmett, though,” one person says and Kurt tenses up.

Kurt hears the sound of papers being turned.

“His name is Kurt Hummel,” someone else says.

“Does anyone know him?” a third person asks.

Kurt hears disagreeing sounds.

“He can sing nicely,” one of the three says, “But I don’t know, I just wasn’t feeling it. If it hadn’t been for the other guy playing Emmet, uh…”

“Blaine Anderson.”

“Yeah, him! If it hadn’t been for him, I don’t know if I would’ve liked the Elle and Emmett storyline as much.”

The stage door opens and Blaine appears with Brittany, the hard of hearing actress who plays Margot. When Brittany sees Kurt, she immediately looks back to Blaine, as if she’s wondering if she should leave Kurt and Blaine alone.

Blaine raises his hands, but Kurt puts a finger to his lips.

Both Blaine and Brittany frown.

PEOPLE ARE TALKING, Kurt signs. He signs close to his body to indicate that he’s practically whispering.

WHAT IS IT? Brittany asks.

Kurt once again puts his finger to his lips and he focuses on the three audience members again. He’s missed some part of the conversation.

“… saying he isn’t talented!” one of them says, “He is. He can clearly sing, but I don’t know, I’m just not feeling it.”

“I think that maybe it’s because I didn’t expect Emmett to sound like that,” the other person says back and Kurt, well… his shoulders slump.

???? Blaine signs with a frown.

WAIT, Kurt signs back.

“Like, not to sound like an ass, but it just didn’t feel like a convincing Emmett,” the third person says in agreement, “Blaine’s back must be hurting from carrying that role.”

The three of them laugh and Kurt purses his lips and he looks down. He listens to the three audience members criticising his work and he knows it’s only three people, but it hurts. It hurts right where it hits the hardest. Kurt hears how they walk away, still talking about the show, and Kurt tries not to cry.

It’s just three people.

But if they already feel this way, then they won’t be the last.

Suddenly there’s a hand on his shoulder and Kurt’s head jerks up. Blaine’s staring at him with a concerned look.

YOU OKAY?

I’M FINE, Kurt signs back.

DON’T LIE, Blaine signs and he sighs. Then he quickly looks back to Brittany and he signs something to her. She nods and she leaves them alone.

I DON’T KNOW THE SIGNS, Kurt admits. He’s gotten so much better at ASL in the past weeks, but this is too advanced and also his mind is all over the place.

T-E-X-T ME, Blaine signs back.

So Kurt takes out his phone and he does. It’s a long read and Blaine also takes his time reading it.

I’M SORRY, he signs when he’s finished, THEY ARE WRONG.

HOW DO YOU KNOW? Kurt signs back in annoyance, signing sharply with quick movements, YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. YOU NEVER WILL.

Blaine’s eyes widen and Kurt feels like shit.

BLAINE… Kurt trails off.

But Blaine turns away.

FORGET IT, he signs and he walks off.

“Blaine,” Kurt yells out, proving himself to be even more of an idiot. He realises what he’s doing and instead he runs after him and grabs Blaine by the elbow.

BLAINE, Kurt signs again, DON’T. TELL ME.

Blaine hesitates for a while, but then he holds up his phone.

Kurt nods. By the time he’s opened his message app, he already has a message.

BA: You’re right, Kurt, I don’t understand it fully, because I don’t understand how voices can sound weird when hearing people speak.

But I can understand feeling insecure about a voice.

I don’t speak for a reason and that is fine.

And I can also understand the nerves. Do you think everyone will be open minded about Deaf people in a musical? Maybe it won’t be outright ridicule, but people will think weirdly about it.

Kurt remembers when Spring Awakening hit the Broadway scene. There were indeed some people who couldn’t stop talking about deaf people in a musical, as if it was something weird. And as Blaine said, people didn’t outright think it was a bad idea, but it just confused people and Kurt knows of people who didn’t see it, because the confusion bled over to scepticism.

Deaf people in a musical? How can that even work?

BA: We are here to challenge people, remember?

You said it yourself.

It sucks what they said, but it also shows that they don’t get the show. Legally Blonde in itself is about challenging people’s views. Elle proved people wrong. We will prove people wrong.

YOU’RE RIGHT, Kurt signs, SORRY.

I’M NOT MAD, Blaine signs and Kurt raises an eyebrow and Blaine relents, MAYBE A LITTLE.

Kurt now sends a message.

KH:  I didn’t want to imply that you don’t know what it’s like to be judged

BA: I know

KH: I’m just really upset

BA: And you can be. But tomorrow is a new show. A new chance.

Kurt wants to reply when another message pops up. It’s in the groupschat of the cast and crew and it’s Marley, who voices Margot, asking who’s coming along for some drinks. Both Kurt and Blaine see it.

But Kurt sends back that he’s tired.

He was going to go out, but now he’s just too upset.

He switches back to the conversation with Blaine and writes:

KH: You should get going, the others are waiting

BA: Yeah

KH: But I will see you tomorrow.

BA: See you tomorrow.

Kurt looks up from his screen and he gives Blaine a small smile. Blaine steps forwards, but then he changes his mind on whatever he was considering. Instead, he steps back and waves and they part ways.

--

There were three people giving Kurt shit.

And then two more after the next preview.

And then a whole group of people after the third.

By the time the fourth preview has happened, he’s losing it. Kurt can’t go outside anymore in the fear of overhearing more people talk shit.

Kurt’s sitting in the dressing room with his head in his hand. The fifth preview is about to start in an hour. Will and Finn are doing vocal warm-up. Dustin and Blaine obviously don’t care, but Kurt does. Does he have to hear them sing so well?

And yes, Kurt can also sing well.

Or… maybe he can’t. He did get a note from the Artie on his singing. He wasn’t doing great during the fourth preview, since the nerves just overtook him. He missed a line as well. Fuck. When he got home with Finn and Rachel, they already asked him if he needed anything or what they could do. But what can he do? He will only mess up more.

He wants to call his dad, but his dad keeps talking about how excited he is to be there at opening night and Kurt doesn’t want to let him down.

Oh no.

This is going to go downhill from here.

He will be nervous and the nerves will make him mess up, which will lead to more shit comments, which in turn will make him more nervous, and then he will mess up even more-

There’s a hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of his panic spiral, grounding him back to reality.

Blaine sits down next to him.

It’s silent, so Kurt looks around and he realises that the others have left them alone. His phone lights up.

BA: I asked the others to leave.

THANKS, Kurt signs.

WHAT IS WRONG? Blaine asks.

Kurt holds up his phone to indicate that he’s going to type.

KH: I can’t go on

BA: Why?

KH: I can’t do it. I am not fit for this.

BA: Everyone has pre-show jitters.

Kurt shakes his head. This is different from pre-show jitters. He’s had pre-show jitters before, but he’s never felt like this. He is Kurt Hummel. He usually has the confidence to overcome things like this. He’s usually not this beat down.

Well, Kurt supposes that every creative person has a breaking point. Unfortunately for him, his is during his first Broadway run.

Kurt texts all of this. He also tells Blaine about how the criticism is hitting and about how it’s been happening after every show.

KH: I can’t go on. I want to quit. I’ve never wanted to quit before, Blaine. Do you think I can quit?

NO, Blaine signs quickly, sharply and he uses a lot of space to do so.

But Kurt lets out a teary sigh.

KH: I can’t do this, Blaine. I might have to talk to the director. If this keeps happening, then it’s clear that this isn’t the place for me. Maybe it’s the best that I leave before the opening, so that Roderick has time to step in.

Swings and understudies usually don’t start rehearsal until after previews, but if Kurt quits, then Roderick will get promoted. And he has a gorgeous voice. Maybe this is meant to me. Maybe this was never Kurt’s role.

BA: Whatever you’re thinking, stop

Kurt looks from his screen. Blaine looks at him with an intense look on his face. He’s silently pleading. Kurt shakes his head and shakingly writes

KH: What do I have to offer? If I can’t do my work properly, it’ll make it worse for everyone. Why should I stay?

Kurt waits for Blaine to answer, but he doesn’t. He sighs and gets up to leave. He must look for Artie. But when Kurt leaves, Blaine stops him.

Blaine starts signing something and Kurt doesn’t get it, but it looks familiar.

I DON’T UNDERSTAND, he signs sadly.

Blaine’s face falls.

Normally, Kurt would sit down and try to understand, but he is in a hurry now. The show is about to start.

I MUST GO, Kurt then signs and leaves. Blaine doesn’t stop him.

--

A Broadway theatre is huge, so it takes some time until Kurt finds Artie. He’s asked everyone he’s passed and it turns out that he is on stage. Kurt’s behind the curtain and he walks to the wings when he hears his name.

“Kurt is not doing so great,” Artie says.

Kurt stops in his tracks.

“Do you know what to do?” Mike, the choreographer, asks.

“I don’t know. How can we support him?” Artie asks the others, “He’s clearly struggling with something, which is a shame. His roommates have already asked me for help.”

“But what could be bothering him?” someone says through an interpreter. Kurt can’t peek through the curtains, so he doesn’t know who else is there.

“I don’t know,” Artie says, “We need to see if he’s open to talking about it. It’s a shame.”

“He was doing well up until previews,” Mike notes and Kurt nods. Mike is right. That feels like ages ago.

“What’s changed? He did a stellar job and the audience loved him!” the interpreter says. Kurt tries not to snort, because he knows it’ll lead to tears.

“I don’t know,” Artie says again, “Shelby, do you think we can ask Blaine? He and Kurt work together the most, they’re perfect together. Maybe Blaine knows.”

Shelby is one of the ASL masters for the show. Blaine likes her.

“And go behind Kurt’s back?” Shelby sounds a bit affronted.

“I agree with Shelby,” Mike says, “We should first talk to Kurt. What can it be? He’s doing great and the audience indeed seems to like him.”

Kurt frowns. First Shelby, now Mike?

“Yes, yes, I too have heard all the praise,” Artie says, “I particularly liked the comment of one audience member who loved how he sings the end of Chip On My Shoulder. He and Blaine really care for that number.”

“I overheard some people saying that he is a breakout star of the show,” Mike says.

“Yes, and some of my friends said that he is great too,” Shelby adds, “Even when they cannot hear him, his subtle stage acting is wonderful and people appreciate it.”

Kurt’s still standing behind the thick curtain and he listens to how Artie, Mike and Shelby talk about his great work.

Is this… true?

Well, why would they lie? They don’t know he’s here.

Kurt turns around.

Maybe Roderick will have to wait a bit longer until he makes his Broadway debut. Kurt is still not fully convinced. It feels like a huge relief to hear that there are people who like him, but he also knows that people do not like him. He can’t say all of his doubt has disappeared as snow before the sun, but if people think he is doing great work then the least he can do is try to keep it up. And that’s not what’s happening right now.

Artie said it. He did great, but he got worse.

Kurt goes back to the dressing room to only find Dustin there. Blaine is gone. Well, they will see each other on stage. One more preview cannot hurt, right?

--

Emmett isn’t on stage for the first twenty minutes or so. Usually, Kurt and Blaine watch the show together from the dressing room while getting ready. Every dressing room with a Deaf or hard of hearing member has a nice TV with a view of the stage and with text on the screen.

Kurt watches how everyone acts their hearts out.

He needs to do the same. He cannot let this cast down. Yes, he’s struggling, but he doesn’t want to drag everyone down. He doesn’t want to drag Blaine down. If this show still goes horribly wrong, then he’ll talk to Artie about what to do.

On screen, Rachel does her big dance number at Harvard. It’s almost time to go on. Kurt checks his hair and make-up one last time before going down to the wings.

Blaine is waiting there.

He gives Kurt a quick nod. Kurt feels like he has to say something, but before he knows it, they’re cued to go on stage.

The entire show goes well. Blaine is a wonderful actor and Kurt’s happy to shadow him. They get laughs at their comedic bits.

“So I’ll give you ladies a moment then!” Kurt says and Blaine signs it. The audience laughs and they only laugh more when Blaine turns to him and they act that Emmett and his Voice cannot get out here soon enough, with Blaine shooing Kurt to the side.

The get more laughs at the Hello Kitty line and afterwards Kurt tells Blaine people liked it.

GREAT, he signs.

Honestly, it’s going great. Kurt’s turned off his thoughts and he tries to focus on the show. He does flub a line, but he quickly recovers and improvises. Luckily, Rachel can hear it so she waits a few more seconds before she does her line.

The second act has a lot more Emmett and Elle, but there is one moment where they can take a break. Emmett isn’t on stage during the big Elle and professor Callahan scene. It’s a nice break, because the song Legally Blonde comes next, which is a big emotional one, so Kurt and Blaine need to get into the mindset.

Rachel starts the song and does her blocking. The prop door slides to the centre of the stage and Kurt and Blaine follow along. Once it’s ready, they lean against it and Rachel walks up to them.

“There she is, intern of the year!” Kurt says. Blaine also looks radiant while signing it to Rachel.

“Thanks for your help and for all you’ve done,” Rachel sings and signs while she walks to Blaine. Kurt steps to the side, so that the focus shifts on Rachel and Blaine. “Thank you for treating me decently.”

“What’s wrong?” Kurt asks.

“Maybe someday you can visit me/Give me a call/Say hello.”

Rachel reaches for the doorknob but Blaine puts his hand on it and uses one hand to sign.

“Wait/Where are you going?” Kurt sings.

“Sorry I’m letting down everyone,” Rachel walks away and Kurt and Blaine trail behind her.

“What brought on this?”

“You did your best with a hopeless case.”

“That’s ludicrous!”

“You were the best thing about this place!” Kurt and Rachel sing together.

“Elle you should know-”

“Callahan hit on me!” Rachel says and signs.

“He what?” Kurt always makes sure to sounds super affronted here.

“He kissed me, then he fired me, and he made it very clear I don’t belong here,” Rachel turns away from Blaine to walk to the door.

Blaine grabs her arm to make him look at her.

HE’S WRONG, Blaine signs angrily. Kurt was so caught up in Blaine’s small acting that he forgot the first part.

“Hey, we’ll fix it!” Kurt joins in, sounding angry and upset, “We’ll fight it.” He stands on the other side of Rachel.

“Emmett, please,” Rachel sounds teary and she touches Blaine’s cheek, “There’s no reason for me to stay.”

Then she goes through the prop door and it’s time for Emmett’s big love declaration. Blaine moves away from the door so that he can turn to the audience, so that his signs are clear to see. Kurt stays at the door and he knows that he needs to turn towards it, to Rachel as Elle, but when he starts to sing, he realises something.

“What about love?” Kurt signs and he slowly looks to Blaine instead, who has his back turned to him, “I never mentioned love/The timing’s bad, I know.”

And Kurt cannot see Blaine’s signs, but he knows what he’s signing. Kurt remembers.

This is what Blaine was signing to him in the dressing room. Back then it didn’t click, since Kurt as a Voice actor, doesn’t know the ASL gloss of the script by heart. But now he remember this part.

“But perhaps if I’d made it more clear,” Kurt continues to sing as he keeps looking at Blaine, “That you belong right here/You wouldn’t have to go/Cause you’d know that I am so much in love-”

“Back to the sun/Back to the shore!” Rachel’s voice joins from the other side of the door while Kurt’s doing his long note, “Back to what I was before.”

Blaine quickly moves back to the door for the next line.

“Please, will you open the door!” Kurt sings while Blaine is so close to him, he almost bumps into Kurt.

“Lie on the beach/Dream within reach/Don’t stray beyond!”

“We both know you’re worth so much more!” Kurt sings. Blaine was signing this to him earlier.

“Some girls fight hard/Some face the trail/Some girls were just meant to smile.”

“If you can hear/Can I just say/How much I want you to stay,” Kurt sings and since his eyes are still on Blaine, he sees that Blaine quickly looks at Kurt out of the corner of his eyes. It almost throws Kurt off.

“It’s not up to me/Just let me be/Legally Blonde.”

“I need you to stay!” Kurt sings and again, Blaine shoots him a look. Does he realise that Kurt’s seeing him?

Rachel finishes the song.

“It’s not up to me/Just let me be/Legally Blonde.”

The lights go down and the applause is massive. The door gets slid off stage and Kurt, Blaine and Rachel leave.

WE DID IT, Rachel dries her tears.

PAH! Blaine signs too.

Kurt wants to say more, but his mind is a mess. He can’t stop looking at Blaine.

When Blaine and Rachel realise Kurt isn’t going to say much, they leave together to discuss the song a bit more. Blaine does look over his shoulder, back to Kurt, but Kurt just nods. What else can he do?

Did Blaine confess his love to Kurt in the dressing room?

Since there is another big break for Kurt and Blaine, he has the time to think about it. Emmett will be back for the finale, so Kurt goes back to the dressing room. Only Will is here, which makes sense since Callahan will also be absent until the finale, but where is Blaine?

“Have you seen Blaine?” he asks Will.

“No, sorry,” Will answers, “Aren’t you the one who’s with Blaine all the time?”

“Usually, yes.”

Kurt scours the theatre but to no avail. By the time he’s seen everything, it’s almost time for him to go back to stage. Of course that means Blaine has to be on stage as well. Blaine arrives behind the prop doors of the court room. Rachel has just gone in.

WHERE WERE YOU? Kurt asks, I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU.

OUTSIDE, Blaine answers, I NEEDED A BREAK.

A BREAK?

But then Kurt hears Will’s line and he signs to Blaine that it’s time to go on. They’ll hopefully talk later.

--

Blaine and Rachel kiss on stage. All the others dance around them. Kurt and the other Voice actors watch from their pedestal.

It is awkward to see. It was always awkward to see. Blaine and Rachel are really going for it.

Kurt remembers what Finn had said about watching the kiss. It made him weirdly jealous. Is Kurt feeling the same? He’s so deep in thoughts that Finn has to poke him.

“And now I found my love!” he sings quickly. Right on time, thanks to his brother.

“My god!”

“I found my way to love!”

“You guys!”

“I finally found my prize!”

And Blaine and Rachel kiss again and Kurt feels uneasy.

--

After the bows, Kurt immediately wants to talk to Blaine, but Artie wheels to him.

“Kurt, a word?”

“I-” Kurt looks around and his eyes find Blaine. Blaine’s staring back.

Artie coughs.

“Kurt, please.”

“Right,” Kurt turns back to Artie. Hopefully Blaine doesn’t think that Kurt is the one initiating. He’s not going to tell Artie he’s quitting.

Kurt follows Artie to a more private place. Mike, Shelby and an interpreter are waiting inside. They tell him everything that has been discussed earlier, but obviously they do not know that Kurt has overheard them.

“So yes,” Artie concludes, “What can we do to help? Do you need resources? Maybe we can hire someone to talk to-”

Kurt holds up his hands. He appreciates it, he really does, especially since he knows that Broadway is still brutal, but his mind is elsewhere. The longer he stays here, the longer he has to wait before he can find Blaine.

“Guys, thank you,” Kurt says genuinely, “It is true that I am struggling and that is impacting my performance, but today something happened that has lifted my spirits and I want to see where it’s heading now.”

“Good to hear that,” Mike says, sounding relieved.

“But you will come to us if things are going downhill again, right?” Shelby asks.

TRUE BIZ! Kurt signs, which makes Shelby smile.

“… Can I go?” Kurt asks awkwardly and the moment Artie nods, he turns on his heel and bolts towards the dressing room.

“Woah there,” Sebastian says when Kurt basically runs into him.

“Have you seen Blaine?” Kurt asks.

“He just left,” Sebastian answered, “He and Dustin said something about the Deaf cast going somewhere specific? His signing was a bit too fast…”

“Oh.”

That’s too bad, then. And maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe Kurt shouldn’t rush into whatever he was rushing into. He says his goodbyes to Sebastian and he declines Rachel’s invitation to go somewhere with some cast members. He goes home and he needs a good night of rest, since today was a lot.

Once he’s draped on his couch, everything’s falling into place in his head.

Blaine…

Blaine loves him?

Not only that, but does Kurt love him back?

Because Kurt thinks he does. He’s loved Blaine for a while, and he just didn’t realise, but now that he’s had this epiphany, it’s all crashing down. They became friends through their work. They help each other out. That’s how it started, but it became something more. They started to like each other as a person and they hung out more, even outside of work.

Fuck.

Just like Elle and Emmett.

Kurt laughs at that.

He wonders if others know. He remembers the look on Lauren’s face when she found the two of them outside, alone. Brittany looked intrigued as well that day. And of course Finn mentioned that it’s weird to watch Blaine and Rachel kiss because he’s in love with Rachel. It’s also weird for Kurt.

He’s not in love with Rachel. Far from it. He’s in love with Blaine!

A surprised, but happy laugh escapes his throat. He’s in love with Blaine and it honestly feels great. Now Kurt understands why he always felt warm and fuzzy around him. Now Kurt gets why he always wanted to go to the theatre early to see him.

Fuck.

What now?

Kurt is still Kurt, so his planning mode overtakes his brain. He needs to do something. He wants to do something. He grabs his phone and looks up the nearest flower shop.

--

The next day, Kurt’s running a bit late. It’s because he had to make a detour. Finn and Rachel left without him.

“Where are you going?” Rachel had asked at breakfast.

“I need to arrange something,” Kurt had answered, “See you two at work!”

Now, he’s climbing up the stairs to his dressing room with a small bouquet of roses in his hands. He passes other cast and crew members who gawk at him. Some look confused. Others look surprised. But some also give Kurt a knowing smile.

“Get your man!” Madison, who plays Pilar, hoots when he passes the one of the girls’ main dressing room. This leads to others cheering and hooting as well.

Kurt’s beet red by the time he’s at his own dressing room.

Of course, Blaine (and Dustin) did not hear the commotion, but Sebastian, Will and Finn did and when they see Kurt standing in the door opening with the bouquet, they can put the puzzle pieces together.

Will taps Blaine’s shoulder, so that he turns around, and when he does his entire face morphs into a look of surprise. And hope. There’s a bit of hope there.

WE MUST GO, Dustin signs and all the other guys quickly agree.

“Finally,” Sebastian mutters when he passes Kurt. Finn also gives him a tap on the back. Dustin and Will smile and Dustin signs something really quickly to Blaine. Kurt can’t really see it, but Blaine barks out a laugh.

Dustin closes the door behind him.

THIS IS FOR YOU, Kurt holds out the bouquet with one hand and he uses the others so sign.

THANK YOU, Blaine signs with a smile. He accepts it but then puts the flowers on the table so he can sign. I LOVE THEM.

Kurt has so much he can say. The thoughts are still swirling in his head, but he doesn’t know the signs and he doesn’t want to text, so he signs the one thing he knows for sure. The one thing that matters.

I LOVE YOU.

Blaine’s smile widens.

I LOVE YOU TOO, Blaine signs back and Kurt’s pretty sure he has a matching smile on his face.

WHEN WE MET, I LIKED YOU, Kurt signs slowly, AND THEN I FELL IN LOVE. YESTERDAY, I UNDERSTOOD. HERE WE ARE.

It’s not the most eloquent and romantic speech, but it’s all he can do and judging by the smitten look on Blaine’s face, the point has still come across.

CAN I KISS YOU? Blaine asks and Kurt’s nodding before Blaine’s even finished the sentence.

Yes, yes he can. Why aren’t they kissing yet? Kurt puts his hands on Blaine’s face and he kisses him. Blaine kisses back. It’s wonderful. It’s only the first kiss and Kurt already can’t get enough of it. Blaine puts his hands over Kurt’s and he deepens the kiss.

Kurt can’t believe he didn’t realise that this was right in front of him, but better late than never.

--

The applause is enormous, even when half of the audience isn’t making noise. Kurt watches from the wings how everyone takes their first Broadway bow. The ensemble moves aside for all the other characters.

Emmett is the second to last, so once April has moved aside, Kurt and Blaine run on stage. Blaine was on the other side of the theatre but they meet in the middle. Blaine holds out his hand and Kurt takes it. Together they run to the front of the stage to take their bows.

It’s opening night.

They’re making their Broadway debut.

Rachel takes her bow and then the entire company comes on stage, including swings and understudies and crew members, so that they can take their last bow of the evening.

Once all of that is done, they run off stage and the energy is off the charts. People are yelling, in English and ASL. People are weeping. It’s a commotion, but a good one. Everyone runs back to the dressing rooms in order to get changed into their opening night outfits.

Blaine looks absolutely stunning in a navy check patterned suit. Kurt ties the matching pink bowtie around Blaine’s neck and when he’s done, he gives Blaine a small kiss.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, he signs, MY BEAUTIFUL BOYFRIEND.

YOU ARE MY BEAUTIFUL BOYFRIEND, Blaine signs back.

Kurt is wearing a fancy suit jacket with flowers on top of a pair of black slacks. The jacket is dark pink, which felt appropriate since this is Legally Blonde. Everyone wears at least a little bit pink.

Someone coughs.

Kurt looks at the direction of the sound and Blaine follows.

“You guys done flirting?” Finn says and he tries to sign along, “We have an opening night to attend!”

YOU AND RACHEL FLIRT ALL THE TIME, Blaine retorts.

COME ON, Kurt signs.

Once they’re in the lobby of the theatre, Kurt and Finn are immediately approached by their parents. They flew out to be here, since they wouldn’t miss it for the world.

“Oh, dad, this is…” Kurt reaches for Blaine, “This is Blaine.”

BLAINE, Burt signs, NICE TO MEET YOU. KURT TALK A LOT.

ABOUT YOU! Kurt adds.

WHERE YOUR PARENTS? Carole asks.

They’re here somewhere. Blaine was already looking for them before Kurt and Finn’s parents basically jumped on them.

Blaine excuses himself so that he can see his family and he kisses Kurt’s cheek before leaving. Carole swoons.

“Oh, shut it,” Kurt says and he feels red in the face. He’s not a teen anymore, yet he still feels like that when he’s being kissed in front of his parents.

“I’m happy for you, kid,” Burt says. He indeed sounds happy. “You were great on stage and Blaine seems lovely.”

Kurt is happy. He has a boyfriend and he’s part of a show he’s proud of. He’s still anxious for the upcoming reviews, but his cast and crew has his back, and he also tries to listen for positive feedback instead of focusing on the negative.

Kurt chats with his family for a bit longer until he’s called for press with Blaine. He and Blaine give a lot of small interviews about how they feel and what they achieved and if some of the interviewers notice how close they are, then they don’t comment on it.

After that, Blaine also introduces him to his family. Blaine signs differently when he’s with his family. He’s looser. Faster. He also signs with this when he’s just with the Deaf cast. Kurt can’t really follow it, but Blaine’s family is happy to help, especially Blaine’s loud brother Cooper.

Kurt’s working hard on learning more sign, so that communication will be easier, and Blaine’s mom also compliments him on the signing.

“Thanks, I’m still learning,” Kurt says and signs. His signing also becomes more English when he speaks at the same time.

“Well, not everyone does, so I am happy that Blaine has met you,” she says and signs back.

“Yeah, we’re really proud of Blaine,” Blaine’s dad says and signs and next to Kurt, Blaine beams.

“We didn’t fully understand it in the beginning, but it’s clear that you love what you’re doing,” Blaine’s mom signs to Blaine, but she speaks for Kurt, “And you’re doing a great job. The audience loves you as much as we do.”

Blaine looks like he’s about to cry from joy. Kurt steps away so that the Andersons can hug each other.

Kurt’s parents find them and both families meet each other and it feels right. Everyone hits it off right away. Kurt and Blaine have only been together for a few days, but it’s so good.

After all the serious stuff, it’s time to head to the afterparty. The parents went back to the hotels and Kurt and Blaine don’t mind since there’s a lot of partying, dancing and kissing and they end up going to Blaine’s place around 2am. They have to be in good shape for the next show, so they can’t get hammered.

If they thought being friends was great, then this is the next step. It is so much better than before.

–   

End notes: And that’s a wrap. I really hope you liked it, Terra. When I saw the prompt, my mind immediately latched on Legally Blonde. I got the idea from Amelia Hensley, the actress who played Thea in Deaf West’s Spring Awakening. The Deaf and HoH cast was asked in the Vlog of Purple Summer which show they’d like to see in ASL and she answered this one and I agree. I was so happy to hear that Legally Blonde is also one of your favourite shows.

I watched a lot of extra stuff for this fic (like the aforementioned Vlog) and I made a post here with links and some extra comments on how it impacted the fic. If you liked this and want to know more about ASL and ASL Theatre, you can find some information there.

Thank you all for reading!

[personinthepalace]

I saw a local production of Legally Blonde the Musical today!

One of the local high schools in my city (my old school's "rival" in fact haha) is doing a production of Legally Blonde, and I went to see it today! I'm a huge lbtm fan, but this was my first time seeing a live production, and it was honestly very good!! I am very passionate about the door discourse so I was highly anticipating that moment in the ballad. And this production passed the test! As soon as I saw that they were wheeling out the door during that number, I was silently freaking out to my friend haha. Anyway here are some other random notes/thoughts that I had about the production:

Real dogs! Rufus was a golden retriever, and when he came out, the show paused for a bit bc of the applauding haha. Rufus also listened to Kyle's command to sit which was quite cute haha A HUGE ensemble (it's high school so it makes sense). But they bring back the ensemble for like every possible song Elle was great - she used some vibrato and trills during her solos. Most of So Much Better was kinda a mess (backing music/ensemble not really lining up well), but OMIGOD she held out that last note just like LBB did on bway so huge props to her! Warner was a good singer not as strong as the other leads but he has the best expression/acting choices - more on that later Serious: they didn't do the accidental proposal pose which I thought was a missed joke The violinist during Serious walked back out with some great sad acting after Elle left before playing the last notes of the song (I thought that she was someone from the orchestra but they were actually part of the ensemble so that was cool!) What You Want: Elle's white outfit was cute!! They used the "Jet Blue" line! The actors' school photos for the Elle x Warner poster which I thought was funny haha Harvard variations: they got rid of Sandeep's character so the song was shorter Aaron Sholtz and Enid Hoops were played by butch actors which was cool! Bruiser now loves the Bachelor Emmett - the actor playing him (who my sister knew from elementary school) is such a perfect emmett! Looks exactly like how one would imagine him haha Background acting: Emmett introducing himself to the students and shaking their hands while Elle and Vivienne had their first interaction in class Blood in the water: Callahan was also a very good singer. I think this was one of the strongest number of the show. They also added grey to his hair He was kinda touching Enid during his lines with her but she kept on pushing his hand away from her - foreshadowing! Paulette was amazing!!! I think she might be my favorite actor in the show. She sounds EXACTLY like Orfeh did on bway. Also asian representation!! Ireland - she killed it obviously - seriously amazing!! (though she did accidentally came in early at one part). The lyrics are different from the bway version though (they were about her grandpa) Playboy bunny costume - they added a little tutu to it which was cute! Enid sat near them near the end of this scene (in preparation for Elle stealing her glasses). She tries to drink from a bottle but Warner took it away from her and drank it instead Chip On My Shoulder: Elle wears Emmett's jacket! Emmett saying he hadn't slept since 1998 killed me bc this kid is definitely younger than me haha Elle and Emmett don't do any secret handshakes though :( Elle sat next to Warner during her squealing exit and I loved that so much haha Reclaiming Rufus scene: Elle ran back on stage and threw her arms around Emmett and Paulette - I am here for this trio friendship When Dewey re-exited the trailer and saw Elle, he twirled his long hair

So Much Better, as I said before, was sadly not the strongest number but I do like that Elle's parents appear offstage when she called them. And Elle held out that last note!! Once again no Elle x Emmett secret handshake :(

(Part 2 will continue in a reblog bc apparently I hit the character limit LOL)

[whosmurphy]

➠ Intro!

I'm Emmett, also known as Murphy! I am a huge Back to the Future fan and that's my blog dedicated to it :D

I'm an artist, fanfic writer and sometimes I roleplay. My fanfic takes me ages to write, so I'll post my drawings here

I'll tag my drawings under #emt art

[moremusic]

This weeks guests sounds like Pink Floyd, the Doors and a bit of Hendrix. I have been a fan since I first heard them on Spotify, and I hope to see them live soon. Here is Emmett from Maisie.

Tell us a little bit about Maisie? Members, how did you get together etc?

The beginnings of Maisie goes back around 6 years ago after I had started a deep dive into the psychedelic music realm (Think Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Tame Impala and early Psychedelic Pxrn Crumpets). Since the bands creation I’ve been the main driver of the project and because of that has seen a number of changes over the years, with the band still being inspired by psychedelia, blues and rock n roll but now we are very groove and energy focused taking huge influence from the funk and soul. These changes have been a result of the growth and development of my personal perspective and connection to the expression of music, performing and song writing over the years and as well shifts in members to really embody the same feelings and passion.

What are you short and long terms goals?

The short term focus right now is to finish our first full length LP and to be able to express and capture that in a cohesive manner. Along side the album our short term goals are to expand our audience and focus on breaking out of Adelaide and playing more interstate shows.

The Long Term goal is to be able to take our expression and passion that is within our performance and share that with the world and inspire as many people as possible, a big long term goal is international touring and playing festivals, taking our music to the US and to Europe!

What is your career highlight so far?

Honestly career highlight is just having people sing the lyrics to a song that we wrote back to us before we can even get to it. We’ve supported a band from the US (Earthless) and a few of our fave interstate bands but the moments of connection, mentioned above, is what we do it for.

Your song “Hot Juice” is my personal favourite of yours. What is the inspiration behind it?

Hot Juice is a funny one, the origins of this one came around the time I was going through a big Parliament/Funkadelic phase and so when some really stupid lyrics just slipped out telling the story of a raunchy 70s pool cleaner and a love affair with a car we just had to roll with it. Conceptually and Lyrically with the car theme I took great inspiration from my favourite Van Halen tracks, “Panama” and David Lee Roth’s use of cheeky car metaphors.

Have you got any new music coming out? Or are you still recording?

We are still in a bit of a recording phase for the majority of the album but we have just announced our next single, “Sugar for Dinner” is due for release on April 11. It’ll be the very first single that was written and performed by the current members of the band.

The whole band is super excited about this one, as it took us a long time to get the vision the way we wanted it, but personally I am incredibly eager to have it out in the world because I absolutely love and adore everyone in the band and it feels like we have made something special together and is the most cohesive piece of music I’ve ever been a part of.

Who are the greatest influences on you? Individually and as a band?

Individually I would say, as an artist and guitarist Jimi Hendrix is probably the biggest one, The Beatles, Khruangbin, Tame Impala and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Marvin Gaye are big in there too all of those artist never stopped exploring, growing and trying new things which to me is the most important part of life let alone music.

As a performer I am greatly influenced by Michael Hutchence of INXS the way he could charm and take control of a crowd is something I admire and think is one of the rarest things and another big mention is David Byrne from the Talking Heads and I think that can speak for itself.

As a band theres a huge mix bag of influences similar to the likes of Funkadelic, Yussef Dayes, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Creed and the Doors.

What are your opinions of the Adelaide music scene?

I think the Adelaide music scene is super fun and diverse, I’ve seen some extraordinary bands over the years, I honestly don’t think it gets the recognition it deserves both within and outside of South Australia, I feel bigger Aussie music media outlets don’t give enough credit to the raw, exciting sounds that are coming out of Adelaide. A few of my fave Adelaide artists include the Empty Threats, Coldwave, Sons Of Zoku and The Hazys.

Favourite Adelaide venue to play?

At the moment it’s probably the Cranker, just feels like home, it’s sweaty, it��s crowded.

If you could invite 4 musicians to dinner dead or alive) who would you invite?

I swear my answer changes every time but I always have Jeff Buckley on there alongside Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye and Jack White. I feel as through there would plenty of good convos w those guys.

Any gigs coming up you want to promote?

We’re Playing March 16 on the Gov main stage which is a great, iconic room and the big one is our “sugar for Dinner” single launch on April 20 at the Queens theatre which we have a few surprised in store!!

Gibson or Fender? What gear do you play?

I’m definitely more of a Fender man, guitar wise I mainly switch between my Fender US strat or my Rickenbacker.

If you were given the chance to support one artist in the world, who would you pick?

Right now, it’d be Tame Impala, one of my biggest inspirations over the years. but I’ve also heard that George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic are touring at the moment, I wouldn’t say no to that!

Dream festival line up?

It’d have to be something like Coachella haha

If you were stuck on a deserted island with only one record, what would it be?

Probably The Universe Smile Upon You by Khruangbin

Where can people find out more about you?

via our socials - we’re most active on instagram

and you can find links to our music and upcoming shows here (including our Sugar for Dinner Launch show on Saturday April 20): https://linktr.ee/maisieband_

[casspurrjoybell-33]

Wreckless - Best and Worst - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Emmett

Finn is back and I open the door as soon as he knocks and he comes in smiling.

"Hey darling."

"Hi Emmett, mind if I change?"

Out of a monkey suit?

"Never."

"Are we going anywhere, do I need clothes?"

"Do you want to?"

He might not want to sit around my house all afternoon.

I'm going out later so I'm more than happy to be lazy for a few but I'll suck it up if he wants to go out.

"Not really, honestly."

He strips and then walks over.

"Rule number two, isn't it? You get to manhandle me a little bit now."

He kisses me then and I love that he initiates it and I am more than happy to wrap him up a little and let my hands roam.

I like my rules.

A lot.

I'm not a huge fan of rules in general but these two have my full support.

I'm glad he doesn't have a problem with them either.

"Was it a nice service?"

"It was," he mumbles into my neck as he leans against me.

"Glad you didn't mind me coming back, thanks."

"You're welcome anytime, darling, anytime."

The dryer buzzer goes off and I have to let him go.

"I'll be back in a minute, make yourself at home."

When I come back upstairs he's in the kitchen munching on apple.

"I needed a snack, hope that's okay."

"That's what it's there for. There's watermelon and some strawberries in the fridge, too."

He's eyeing up the blueberry muffins that are on the counter.

"Those are for your rushing to work mornings, save a couple."

"You're sweet but I told you, Emmett, you fill me up plenty."

That boy.

"Finn, do NOT start anything."

"I'm not, I'm just saying. I'll take one tomorrow, they're gonna ask if I've eaten breakfast for the blood draw and I don't think I should tell them about my morning endorphin shake."

Morning shake. I internally groan.

"No, please don't. I have to take these upstairs."

"I'll come. Hey, I was thinking that if I wash the stuff I have here I could just leave it?"

I like the sound of that and it'll be easier on him.

"Sounds good, just toss it in my hamper and I'll wash it for you."

"I can do it Emmett."

Apparently just a look stopped him, interesting.

"Put it in the hamper."

"Okay. Thank you."

He goes through his bag while I fold and put my stuff away and I make a drawer for him in my dresser.

He objects to that too but he doesn't need to live out of a bag.

He finally agrees when I tell him that I'll need somewhere to put his washed things.

"Can we talk about last night yet?"

I don't want to have to cut it short to head to Dad's.

"Sure."

He sits cross-legged on my bed and grabs a pillow to put in his lap.

"I'm fine though, are you fine? Or are you not and that's why you're asking?"

He's worried and it's cute but that doesn't mean I'm not going to put a stop to it.

"I had a blast, darling. I'm not sure where I came up with that stuff, I do NOT usually talk like that but I guess reading erotica helps. But you're the one I'm worried about."

"I'm fine. Sore, I'll admit that I'm a little bit sore but other than sitting very gently on the pew at church and wondering if I was the only one there with a sore ass, it is soooo okay because it's worth it. Really."

Good. Okay.

"So, favorite part?"

"Oooh, fun game but you have to answer too, okay?"

I nod and he continues.

"It was my fantasy, I loved all of it but hmmm, let me think. Oooh, when you said you were gonna hurt me, damn, all the master talk, honestly. I mean, crap I'm getting hard again and my balls already ache. Threatening to do it again, that's my favorite part. Can we? Sometimes?"

Was that an 's' on sometime?

"Your turn."

"We can do it again sometime if you want but it'll be your decision, you just let me know if and when, okay?"

I get a big smile and an enthusiastic nod.

"I guess the sounds you made, your whimpering sort of made me crazy. Okay, really made me crazy. All of it, I just got so wrapped up in the whole thing, Finnegan. Scared me a little that I was so into it but I knew you were loving it even with all that begging me to stop. It was hot as hell, really. And I loved playing with you beforehand, a lot."

"I liked that too. My imagination was going wild and I loved being at your mercy like that. I have to admit that I sort of liked not having to do anything, either. Like I didn't have to worry about pleasing you, is that awful?"

He needs reassurance but I know exactly what he means.

"I understand, we did have the whole 'topping is hard' talk, remember?"

"Exactly. Yes, like that but even more. I don't have everything figured out yet but I do know that when I'm in headspace I don't like to think too hard about anything, I just want to relax and if you want to touch me I'm happy to let you as long as I can just not really worry about it. It's nice. It's really, really fucking nice."

"Good. Okay, harder question. Least favorite?"

It's important but that doesn't mean it's easy to ask him that.

"It being over?" he teases.

"No, I'll try, let me think. But honestly Emmett... I liked all of it. Whatever I manage to think of is still going to be good. Um, hold on."

I'm more than happy to wait.

I'm glad he's giving it some thought.

"Am I allowed to say the nerves? I was worried I would go too far and that you weren't enjoying it as much as I was. I was worried I'd freak you out or that you'd stop. Is that a fair answer? I would tell you if anything made me uncomfortable but really Emmett, I promise, it was amazing. Maybe the spankings if I have to choose a real thing. I mean, in the scene they were great but damn, they sting. Now you."

No spanking outside of rough scenes, got it.

"That's fair and it's my answer too. I mean, I was in charge and saying all that shit and I was scared I'd actually scare you or push you too far. I didn't really want to hurt you and I still did, I'm sure."

"Not much, really. Yes, the end was really intense, my ass got a thorough fucking, but I liked it. It fit, you know? Um, maybe too much info but we need to figure out a way to get me really well prepped without so much work, maybe, you know what I mean?"

God he's cute when he blushes.

"We could just plug you for awhile first."

He's even redder now, it's adorable.

"True story, I've never used toys. I wouldn't even know what to try, or use but whatever you think."

"I'll put some of that huge wad of cash you left me into a few toys for you then, darling. Not even a vibrator? Anything?"

I'm going to get him a plug set, that's for sure.

Work him up slowly while he's watching a movie or something.

Damn, now I'm getting stiff.

"I'm not a prude I guess I just never really needed them or, I don't know. But no, nothing, so surprise me."

"Okay, I will." 

I don't love shopping but this will be a lot of fun. 

Hopefully I can get stuff here before next weekend. 

The sooner the better.

[hismercytomyjustice]

Let me preface this by saying things got wildly out of hand. I am so so so so sorry. I have a lot of feelings and I’ve seen way too many musicals. Do not even remotely feel obligated to read this veritable novel.

Under a cut to protect the innocent from the wall of text below.

Apologies if some of the YouTube links start in the middle. I was trying to make sure they were the right ones and idk if I have it in me to go back and fix the links to get them to start at the beginning. ಥ_ಥ

Anastasia - Gotta second this! It deviates from the cartoon movie (no Rasputin), but is still SO GOOD. This scene will FOREVER HAUNT ME. In addition to others! And it has Ramin Karimloo (my fave Phantom) in the OG cast. Amnesiac orphan Anastasia unknowingly agrees to pretend to be herself to help a pair of con men swindle her only remaining family member. Feelings are caught and secrets come out.

Bat Boy - A friend introduced me to this one and I thought she was kidding but oh my god I love it. I’ve never seen it BUT OH MY GOD IT’S ON YOUTUBE AND I’M DEFINITELY GONNA SOON! Tells the story of a vampire boy trying to be human.

Pierre Natasha and the Great Comet of 1812 - Omggg this is on YouTube too?! Sorry I am just ECSTATIC. Based on a portion of War & Peace. OG MC is Josh Groban and he kills it. Saw a local production and was completely blown away. OG MC for Natasha is same for Eliza in Hamilton. Sweet, funny, and has a lot of heart.

Epic the Musical - This is a concept album only but oh my god it is SO GOOD. Highly highly highly recommend!!! There are a ton of really cool animatics out there for it too. Follows the plot of the Odyssey. Completely sing through and a WIP tho a lot’s done already. Truly stunning music.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder - OG MC is the VA for Stolas in Helluva Boss. Looks like you can find it on YouTube too. A down on his luck man finds out he could be the heir to a vast fortune so long as he murders all the people in line before him!

Beetlejuice - OG MC plays Adam in Hazbin and Fizz in Helluva Boss. So funny and irreverent but also a really poignant story about grief and found family. Might not be able to find online, but there are clips of the songs.

Repo! The Genetic Opera - This one is actually a film. It includes Sara Brightman (OG ALW Christine ftw!). MC is actually the girl from Spy Kids. Story about a future megacorporation loaning out organs to a struggling populace and repo-ing them if they miss their payments.

Legally Blonde - Full version (originally aired on MTV which is where I saw it) is online! Yup, it’s based off the movie/book! OG actor for Emmett the main love interest is none other than Vox’s VA in Hazbin! He is SO SO SO good in this! He also plays Willy Wonka in the OG soundtrack for the Willy Wonka musical (which I also recommend).

Hadestown - Musical based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Music is more NOLA jazz and catchy af. Looks like it’s online too. Recommend going into it knowing the story if you’re unfamiliar. Went with some friends who didn’t and they had strong feelings about it lol.

Sweeney Todd - This is the one about the barber who seeks revenge through serial murder and his “situationship” who bakes his victims into meat pies! Lots of catchy songs! You can probably find on YouTube or somewhere similar but there’s a film version too starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things Vecna in a musical?!). I really enjoyed the movie when I saw it years ago.

Groundhog Day - This one is based off the movie/book too and on YouTube! The story of the guy stuck in the time loop until he learns how to not be a dick! I have only seen the YouTube version but I’m a huge fan.

Six the Musical - This one is about Henry the 8th and told from the POV of his very unfortunate six wives. There are a couple of recordings on YouTube. The music is kind of more poppy and it’s presented like a concert.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - I think it was free originally but it’s on streaming now (I think Prime). MCs include Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion. Created by Joss Whedon. Story is about a wannabe supervillain trying to make his way up the food chain while dealing with a love triangle (including his archnemesis) in the process.

Fiddler on the Roof - You might be able to find a filmed production of this online but it also has a really great movie version from I think 1971. Very sweet, but with some darker themes mainly around antisemitism. A poor Jewish man tries to find husbands for his three daughters. The daughters have their own ideas about who they want to marry. Hijinks ensue.

Mamma Mia - The ABBA musical! Love the actual musical and the film (starring Meryl Streep, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Cher, Colin Firth, and more)! They put out a sequel a few years ago too that made me cry like a bitch! Story about a girl about to marry her soulmate who is trying to figure out which of the three men her mother was seeing at the time of her conception is her father. Includes found family and it is just such a sweet and heartfelt story about love in its many forms.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Musical tv show! This one is about a successful lawyer who has a panic attack and runs away from her life to pursue her childhood crush. I gotta admit I haven’t seen the full show (I think I’ve seen through the second season?), but I really enjoyed it! The songs are a bit silly but fun! Stars include Rachel Bloom, Santino Fontana (first 2 seasons, he’s also Prince Charming in the OG soundtrack for the Cinderella musical - also highly recommend), and other great cast members!

Annie - This one will always have a soft spot in my heart. Huge fan when I was a kid. The 1982 film is great (Tim Curry is in it, need I say more), but the 2014 remake is phenomenal too (and includes Jamie Foxx)! It has the famous “You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” song in it, which apparently heavily played a role in Alastor’s character in Hazbin. Annie’s an orphan holding out that her bio parents will return for her one day. Meanwhile a rich workaholic decides to temporarily sponsor her for the holidays for the sake of his image. She teaches him life isn’t just about money and legacy.

Big Fish - This is also based on the movie/book! If you haven’t seen the movie, HIGHLY recommend. It’s up in parts on YouTube. It follows the story of a man’s grown up son trying to uncover the real version of his father under the fantastical version of himself he’s always played. It’s a story about fatherhood, optimism, and mortality.

The Prince of Egypt - This is an older movie but I still listen to the soundtrack to this day. You often see it on lists of “soundtracks that didn’t need to go that hard” haha. Follows the story of Moses from the Bible, reckoning with his destiny and how it will destroy his relationship with his brother. Extremely star studded cast and music is composed by Hans Zimmer.

Nevermore - This one I’ve only listened too but I’ve really enjoyed it. Loosely based on the life of Edgar Allen Poe. There are clips on YouTube but I’m not sure if a full version exists somewhere online.

guys drop more musicals for me to watch pleaseeee

so far i’ve seen phantom/hamilton/rocky horror picture show/frankenstein/dr jekyll & mr hyde/les miserables & some others i can’t remember lmao

[wanderingbattler]

10, 16, 19, 23, 28 for the character thing~

~Spark💥

10. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to them?

"Oh this one is easy. This is from back when Hina and I were flirting, before we were officially together. I remember taking a walk with her and simply tripping over my own two feet when I went to lean over to kiss her cheek. I fell to the ground quickly and without any grace. I remember just laying there sprawled out on the ground for a second before moving again. Luckily, Hina thought it was cute but I was so incredibly embarrassed."

16. Do they have any bad habits?

"Less so now, but I used to drink... probably more than I ever should have. It was a rough time."

19. What’s their favorite food?

"I am a huge fan of sweets, especially mochi or melon pan filled with chocolate."

23. What is their most treasured possession?

"Would saying Hina be too cheesy? She's not a possession, though. So maybe a necklace that I keep on me that is one of the last things I have left over from my parents."

28. Who would they turn to for help?

"I'd go to Hina, Reina, or Kana. I trust all three of them greatly. I'd also go to Ingo or Emmett, they're both incredibly reliable as well."

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Which 21st century singer (Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd etc.) would each Cullen have as their favourite? For example, would Rosalie be a fan of girl in red or would Edward have posters of Lana Del Rey*?

*i can see him dancing to Radio and cringing at Off To The Races

I am about to admit something very embarrassing: I have little to no familiarity with 21st century music.

Oh, sure, I know names. I've heard songs. I live on this planet. But it's not my style of music and, just like all of my pop culture references are ancient, so is my music taste.

So... I'm not the best person to ask this.

But, I'll give this my best shot. Caveat that this is entirely headcanon, the only thing we know about Cullens and music is that Edward's the musician and music afficiando.

He knows Clair de Lune.

Alice

I see Alice is a very pop person. Into very upbeat, catchy, music that everybody loves. She was, of course, super into Brittany in the early 2000's and late 1990's. I imagine she's a very large fan of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

She tells us that the next Taylor Swift album is going to be amazing.

No one's surprised by this.

Carlisle

I see Carlisle as just generally into good music of all genres. He's liked popular artists from all eras. So he's probably also a Taylor Swift fan, enjoys Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Mumford and Sons, etc. Probably a very eclectic taste.

Edward

Edward is Enoby Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way: bands he insists are indie/goffick and relatively unknown are actually Linkin Park (yes, this is canon, it's beautiful).

We also know Edward wasn't a fan of 60's music and loved the 80's. That's right, Edward enjoys Phil Collins' solo career.

He would not be a fan of Taylor Swift, she's too main stream (and frankly too good). For similar reasons he's not a fan of Lorde or Lana Del Rey (too good, too main stream).

God, who would Edward pick... I don't even know.

Owl City.

I can think of no other artist awful enough to be worthy of Edward's attention. This is part of the reason (other than the car crashes and the Volvo) that no one wants to ride when Edward's driving.

Emmett

Take him home country roads. And fuck anyone that isn't John Denver. He isn't a 21st century singer? HE IS NOW.

In all seriousness, I have no idea for Emmett. I could see him enjoying utterly ridiculous things just to confuse the family. Emmett's a huge Ke$ha fan, very into Gaga, in the 90's he was Nirvana and Pearl Jam's number one fan.

Really, anything that will annoy Edward and make Rosalie laugh.

Esme

Esme only listens to Rogers and Hammerstein musical soundtracks. It's the Sound of Music with Julie Andrews, on loop in the kitchen, for days. She occasionally gets a little outside her comfort zone and plays the soundtrack to "Singing in the Rain". This does not happen often though and she's mortified if anyone finds out.

She's never heard of the 21st century, Esme's still in the 1950's.

Jasper

Jasper's too depressed and too out of touch to pay any attention to musical artists. He hears what others play around the house, the pop Alice listens to isn't terrible.

Rosalie

Beyonce is her queen. Also a huge fan of Lorde, probably not of Lana Del Rey because even though her lyrics are thought provoking and very good they're Lana Del Rey lyrics. Not a message that Rosalie would be into.

Generally though, I think Rosalie would be very big into female artists and always has been.

Concluding Thoughts

That said, Edward is The Musical One (TM), it's implied that certainly no one plays the piano besides him and that the others aren't quite as interested in music.

Edward is the one with stacks and stacks of CDs.

[gisellelx]

Any HCs about the Cullens interacting with 2020 culture? Like is Emmett a huge sneaker head? Does Carlisle listen to NPR podcasts on 2x speed? Does Alice have a collection of quirky “y2k bags” she bought on Depop that are actually just Powerpuff girls lunchboxes?

So the secret to my time sitting on this ask is actually that I am bad at 2020s culture. I’m old in the grand scheme of tumblr fandom, which apparently is ironically better summarized by “I’m new here.” But here are a few things as I think about what they are up to right now with stuff I know enough about to feel confident about how the Cullens would interact with it. Under a cut because apparently I *do* have a few ideas... 

Carlisle is an Apple aficionado. Esme jokingly got him an early generation iPod in the early 2000s, not long after they came out (they couldn’t give one to Edward because twenty years later he is still crabbing about lossy music). She expected him to dislike it. And then she was surprised that he took to it and loved it. He bought an iPhone right away in 2007 and now bribes people at Foxconn just so he can have the latest phone early. He wears an Apple Watch Series 6 at the hospital; he has heartbeat notifications turned off.

Speaking of lossy music, Edward is thrilled about the resurgence of vinyl. The amount of time he spends in record stores simultaneously drives Bella crazy and also allows her to get him out of her hair on the regular. He likes acoustic-forward bands like the Lumineers and Mumford and Sons. 

Emmett is very excited about all the attention being paid to Dolly Parton. He listened to every episode of Dolly Parton’s America as soon as it dropped. He made Rosalie watch Dumplin’.  Emmett and Alice are the big fans of Drag Race. Esme joins them for binging Queer Eye.  The whole family is into Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian. Those are the shows for which spoilers will get you hurt in the Cullen household. Esme and Carlisle also love This Is Us and all the kids make fun of them for it.  Rosalie was surprised she liked Hamilton as much as she did. Renesmee’s love of it is much less surprising. They quote lines at each other well...nonstop. 

Alice really enjoys fashion tik tok, instagram, and YouTube. But mostly in the yelling at people mode. Carlisle has forbidden (in as much as he ever forbids--it was more like, “You understand this could kill us all, right?”) all of them from actually having accounts where they show their faces, but Alice likes to assemble photos of outfits with captions about how to wear the pieces. Every time her follower count gets too big, she starts a new one and acts like an amateur for a while. Emmett doesn’t have a tik tok of his own (he wants one; Carlisle put his foot down) but he can lose hours watching videos turned up by the algorithm. 

Jasper is still quite content to just be reclusive and old. He finally gave up his flip phone eighteen months ago. Renesmee tried to get him to play Animal Crossing and Among Us but he quit both. They do play the Lego games on PS4 though. Her favorite is Harry Potter; his is Avengers.

Esme watches too much HGTV. Chip and Joanna remind her of her own marriage, and she also never misses Rehab Addict. 

Bella is making up for lost time by doing graduate degree work. In her free time, though, she’s loved Scandal and Suits, and she watched Bridgerton in one straight binge on Boxing Day. 

[leahclearwaterdefensesquad]

Wait Emmett is a Dolly Parton stan?

I thought jasper would be the one since he’s from the south

Ah. A newcomer.

So here’s the thing, babe - I’ve already answered this same question before (though I can’t find the stupid ask for the life of me) and thus I’ve already explained my reasoning as to why it’s Emmett and not Mr. Single Star on my Collar Confederate that is the die-hard fan of the Country Queen. But because this is the LAST time I want to have to say this, I’ll go ahead and reiterate myself.

For reference to anyone reading this, Anon is referring to my current blog title (”emmett’s a dolly stan”).

I gotta lot of things to say about this so bear with me, it's gonna be a whole - actually, scratch that, multiple bullet lists. We’ll start with Emmett.

First thing’s first, I made this moodboard 

... and I made this post to go with it as a way to explain my reasoning.

As you can see from the post above and Emmett’s wiki, ya boy is from Gatlinburg, Tennessee! Good ole country boy who was just making a living to take care of his family!! Gotta love him. As you can also see from my post linked above, I mentioned that Dollyworld, Dolly Parton’s theme park that she had built to create jobs in that area, is located in Gatlinburg!!

Now, we know that Dollyworld wasn’t around in the ‘20s when Emmett was still human and living in the area, but (and yes, it is mentioned that he technically ~never looked back~ but that doesn’t matter because this is a headcanon) if you read the post above (how many times am I gonna repeat that phrase lol) I lay out why I think he would still have a soft spot for his hometown and, specifically, the music icon popular of that region, who is also from Tennessee herself!!

Other points worth mentioning: He’s from the back country, and because I think he’s a country boy, he would just enjoy some actually good country music. Srsly, how can one not like her music anyway??????? 

So to finish off this little bullet list.... Anon, do you not think Tennessee is in the South???? It is Or were you not aware of his Tennessean roots??? Not saying that to be mean, but ya know. Worth asking.

Now, onto Jasper.

As we have previously established, Jasper ain’t the only Southern gentleman in the Cullen Clan. 

Here is where I delve into canon (or at least, what ik from canon). We know from his anecdote that he relayed to Bella in Eclipse about the newborn army he trained that once he got turned, he was really out of it in terms of keeping up with the human world. His world was just violence and pain and conquering until he left and met Alice. From what I interpreted, Jasper still hasn’t really kept up with human affairs. I mean, okay yeah, it says in the Guide that he has a degree in history, so he went to college and knows some things (which is really fucking ironic when you think about how he was so proud of being a major in the Confed army but anyways), but he seems to just check out when it come to like... pop culture, you know? Idk about y’all, but to me, he doesn’t really seem like someone who would care about all the different kinds of music out there, so it seems like a stretch to me that he would zoom in on Mrs. Parton. Maybe he does keep up, I haven’t really read Midnight Sun so maybe I’m wrong, but to me, it just doesn’t seem like he’d be into a particular artist. That may be because I just write him off as some boring and racist character so I don’t give enough shits to breathe any life into him fanon-wise, but hey, if y’all are into that, I ain’t stopping you. 

I think the reason that ppl tend to get confused about this is that Jasper had the opportunity to relegate his backstory for plot driven reasons, and Emmett didn’t. Jasper talking about his human life really cemented in the minds of readers that he is From The South, but if Emmett somehow got to talk about anything beyond getting mauled by a grizzly (another mistake on smeyer’s part - grizzlies are out West, not in Appalachia), I think readers would also associate him as being from the rural South too. But because his backstory is only really recounted in his wiki and The Guide, it’s not the most well-known aspect of his identity. 

I feel like the majority of ppl that assume Jasper would be the one to like Dolly, and also just country music in general, is because they’re operating on the assumption that being from the South = good enough reasoning for a character to like country music, which can be kind of reductive but hey. And because fandom only thinks it’s Jasper who’s Southern and they skip over Emmett and Alice (I will give credit where credit is due - I know there was someone on here who made a country music playlist based off of those three’s Southern origins, but I can’t remember who it was unfortunately), he tends to get assigned those headcanons. Ig he does retain that Texan style a bit so it wouldn’t be a huge stretch if he liked country but anyways.

TLDR; To be blunt, it just makes more sense to me that the Tennessean whose hometown is literally where Dolly has her business would be a plausible Dolly Parton stan, not the aloof Texan who’d probably have some kind of vampiric seizure if he discovered that she supports BLM. 

Not to mention that I’m not the only one who thinks this. 

[msfilmdiary]

The Twilight Saga: Twilight (2008)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Reaser, Billie Burke, Christian Serratos, Rachelle Lefevre

Screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

I do not own any of the pictures posted. 

SPOILERS AHEAD 

First of all, you have no idea how excited I am to finally be reviewing this. (I have popcorn!) 

Twilight may perhaps be one of the most recognizable films of the early 2000s vampire craze. Now, whenever someone mentions the word Vampire I immediately think of Twilight. (Also The Vampire Diaries, but that’s a story for another day.) 

Twilight follows seventeen-year-old outcast Isabella “Bella” Swan, after her relocation to Forks, Washington, from Phoenix, Arizona to live with her father, Charlie. Charlie is the towns’ police chief, while her mother, Renee, is married to a minor league baseball player named Phil. 

After the move, Bella becomes reunited with childhood friend Jacob Black, a Native American teenager living with his father, Billy on the Quileute Indian Reservation near Forks. Bella soon makes friends at her high school but is drawn to the aloof and quiet Cullen siblings consisting of Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and the famous Edward Cullen. She is seated next to Edward in biology, to which he acts almost repulsed by her. After the Cullens are absent from school for a week, Edward returns to class and socializes with Bella. A couple of days later, an out of control driver nearly crashes Bella in the school parking lot, but Edward instantly covers a distance by thirty or so feet in order to prevent the van from striking her. After arriving at the hospital, Edward refuses to explain his actions to Bella, ultimately warning her against being friends with him. Jacob then informs Bella of the long-standing rivalry between the Cullens and the Quileutes and that the Cullen family is not allowed on the reservation. 

Bella then begins to research Edward’s condition, ultimately concluding that he is a vampire. He confirms this but pleads with Bella that he and his family only consume animal blood. They soon fall in love, and Edward introduces Bella to his family, where she meets Carlisle, the family father, and a doctor at Forks Hospital, Esme, the family mother, and their formally adopted children Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. The family’s reaction to Bella is generally positive except for Rosalie’s, who fears that her family’s secret can now be exposed. 

Bella and Edward’s relationship is soon jeopardized when James, Victoria, and Laurent, three nomadic vampires arrive in Forks territory. They are responsible for a series of attacks leading up to and in the Forks territory. James, who’s described as a tracker vampire with incredible hunting instincts, is consumed by Bella’s scent and becomes obsessed with hunting her. Edward and the other Cullens protect Bella, but James ultimately tracks her to Phoenix, Arizona, where she’s hiding with Jasper and Alice. James lures Bella into her old ballet studio as a trap, attacking Bella and infecting her with vampire venom. Edward arrives and fights James, subduing him until the other Cullens arrive. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett kill James, decapitating and burning him. 

In the aftermath, Bella suffered a broken leg and is hospitalized. Edward accepts Bella’s invitation to their high school prom, where he refuses her request to turn her into a vampire. They are unaware that Victoria, James’ lover, is secretly watching them, in schemes to avenge his death. 

Let’s talk about Twilight as a cultural phenomenon. It pleased devoted fans to the novel series, while also defining an early generation of the vampire-romance genre. I was five when the first Twilight movie was released, so it was never a huge part of my life growing up. However, I do remember the cultural aspect of the films. I remember going to the mall in the mid-2000s and seeing posters and pictures for it everywhere. Twilight, like it or not, was everywhere from 2008 to 2012 and has experienced a surge in popularity since Stephanie Myer’s release of Midnight Sun, which is Twilight told from Edward’s perspective. 

If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a huge fan of Hardwicke’s directing style. I think if she continues to direct the following Twilight films, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn 1 & 2. I would have enjoyed the later movies as much if not more if I enjoyed the first one. However, that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the series as a whole. I think it truly defined the early-mid 2000s, and the nostalgia of the movie I think is more remembered than the actual story. 

My friends and I still have Twilight marathons to this day. Do I think it’s deep? No. It’s about a girl falling in love with a 108-year-old vampire, of course, it’s not deep. Plus, the film, novels, and the story are directed at teenage girls, who of course back then, couldn’t possibly understand the complexity of a well-written and well-developed script. Do films have to be deep in order to enjoy them? No, absolutely not. I think that most of the people who heavily critique Twilight think that it needs to be deep in order to be enjoyable. Twilight, in no shape or form, I think claims to be deep. I think it’s a cultural phenomenon, and because of that, people think it has to be the next generation-defying film that has to be good. I also think that it’s more popular to hate Twilight because it's directed toward teenage girls, and, as we’ve learned, teenage girls can’t have anything without being made fun of. 

I also want to talk about Bella’s plainness. When I see critiques on Twilight or Bella’s character in general, said critiques typically argue that Bella’s lack of personality in the films (and book) is a major turn-off. I agree that she’s plain, but I don’t agree that she’s a major turn off when it comes to my love for Twilight and the saga as a whole. Truthfully, she was designed to be a plain and somewhat modest teenage girl. Everyone around her, especially her friends, are full of life, while she is frankly dull. She is one of those characters that is written to coincide with another, that being Edward Cullen. 

In my perspective, they are two sides of the same coin. For example, Bella believes that she has nothing to live for, while Edward is pushing and pushing her to live and have the life he never got to live. Bella is extremely realistic for a teenage girl, honestly. Her “normal” attributes make Edward seem more desirable and God-like. I think it's time we stop picking on the “boringness” of characters written for and about teenage girls, mostly because I think it's just another thing that young girls can be put in a box for. If they’re not interesting or captivating enough for a certain audience, they’re plain and dull and lifeless. If they’re too interesting or captivating, there’s always something wrong with them (hence the manic pixie dream girl trope). Bella, I believe is written against that trope, and that is why she’s boring. 

I enjoy Twilight. I do. And I’m not ashamed of it. I don’t think every movie has to be life-changing to be defined as a cultural phenomenon, or even enjoyable. I think when people say that Twilight is “bad” we have to ask ourselves what a “bad” movie is. “Bad” and “good” is completely subjective to who is watching it. As a teenage girl in my life right now, I enjoy watching Twilight. Truth be told, I like the story, and I like the nostalgia attached to it. 

I wonder if my feelings would be different if I was a teenage girl in 2008 when the Twilight film was first released. I wonder if I would hate it because I was told to hate it, or if I would like it because it’s something that I enjoy. Nonetheless, the first Twilight film will always have a special place in my nostalgic little teenage girl heart, everything from Bella’s bleak green and purple bedroom to the clearness of the Cullen's barely used kitchen. 

Overall rating: 9/10 (For the nostalgia, of course.) 

[justafairytailofinnocence]

Hey love, I’d love a Harry Potter (marauders or golden trio era, doesn’t really matter) and/or Twilight matchup! If you have the time for it of course.

Before I start with the facts, english isn’t my first language so have mercy on me haha.

My pronouns are she/her and I’m pansexual so gender doesn’t matter at all. I’m an INTP, slytherin and my enneagram is 4w5. I have blonde, very thick hair. I have green and bright eyes.

My friends and family says I’m intelligent, which I can agree on partly. I love learning languages and I’m currently trying to learn both Latin and Italian. I am such a pessimist, which is something I’m really trying to change about myself. My humor tends to be terrible, dry and sarcastic. I’m 100% the type of person to laugh at my own shitty jokes.

I write poems as a way to express my feelings, not gonna lie, they have potential. I’m a huge fan of horror movies and halloween. I have a tend to be very stubborn from time to time. I either have to much energy, or none. It’s fully possible to find me dancing/jumping around to music no one likes but me. I’m introverted but not necessarily shy. I am a good speaker and always ready to argue anyone with bad views (racism, homophobia, sexism etc.)

My zodiac signs are Taurus sun, Aries moon and Cancer rising. I’m pretty sure my love language is words of affirmation and acts of service. I have a couple of hobbies; playing the guitar, thrift shopping, reading and boxing. I’m an amazing listener and I try to help people as much as I can.

I hate it when people ignore me, or answers with a simple “okay” when I’m really excited about something. I absolutely love rain. I suffer from anxiety but I’m pretty sure it’s getting better.

Hope you’re doing well! Thank you in advance <33

Heyy so another matchup again this time with the first one being:

Harry Potter and for this I ship you with:

Sirius black🦊

- your two personalities are really great and since he knows your humor is very dry he finds it funny. He also has a ton of dry humor as well.

- he is into your music he loves it a lot and seems to hang out with you around the black lake. Your love is forbidden because your a Slytherin and he's a gryffindor.

- despite being in Slytherin he stands up to James potter just to be with you.

Sirius: so you found out

James: Sirius she's a Slytherin she's in the same house as snivellus.

Sirius: because she's the only girl that I care about.

James: yeah but she's in Slytherin Sirius you've dated a bunch of girls what makes this one different.

Sirius: she's different because I actually love her

You: what's going on-

Sirius: don't worry y/n nothing important *walks away*

You: don't worry Sirius i swear no matter what we can stay together *grabs Sirius hand and kisses him*

- he doesn't really read that's remuses thing but he will put up with it just for you.

- your wedding is consisted with the order and everyone attends. You were friends with Lily and Molly they were like sisters to you.

Ok so for the next is twilight I ship you with:

Emmet Cullen🦇

- he loves your sense of humour it's quite funny to him. Everyone gets along with you except the werewolfs (minus Seth), the enemies and Rosalie.

- he would turn you even if you didn't want to and Rosalie didn't want to he did it to protect you.

- there's a heap of tension between you and Rosalie beileve me Emmett loves you more proving his point to make you his mate.

- you couldn't help feel rather scared at first but you were comforted by his personality and he found you beautiful.

- your wedding was at their house you even have a child a hybrid. Everyone attends except for Rosalie due to her broken heart.

Hope you like it that's all I have for now:

Ta ta💫

[roschka]

Let’s talk about the Life and Death names

I’m a slut for names and Twilight, so I thought I’d make a post reviewing the shitty names Smeyer gave her characters in Life and Death. And yes, I am a massive name snob. 

Beaufort Swan - Like, Beau makes sense, but I’m not really a big fan of the name Beau so that’s a 5/10. And Beaufort? Come ON, Stephenie!

Edythe Cullen - While Edith (or Edie) isn’t a terrible idea for a female Edward, I think the spelling of Edythe is a little too much. Like, why? Why was a Y and an extra E necessary? And I think Eve would be a better name for female Edward anyway because it ties in with the nighttime theming of the book titles. 2/10

Archie Cullen - Strong NO. It’s either short for Archibald (which is bad) or it’s a nickname-as-a-first-name type thing and I seriously don’t approve. I think something like Alec or Alex / Alexander would be better for Alice, mostly because of the similarity but also because they, like Alice, are timeless classic names. 1/10

jessamine Hale - Not a huge fan of this name, but it definitely fits Jasper’s southern vibe. 8/10

Royal Hale - That’s a word, not a name. Sure, it fits Rosalie’s vibe, but I still hate it. 1/10

Eleanor Cullen - I actually prefer this name to Emmett. It’s a classy name. 9/10

Carine Cullen - Not terrible, but I prefer Carina. It suits Carlisle, but surely there must be a better option. 7/10

Earnest Cullen - Hate it. Too old, too boring, too gross. I’m surprised Meyer didn’t choose something like Ebenezer though. 1/10

Julie Black - Not bad. I think Juliet would be nicer though. 7/10