#i like how i did bens davey here hes cute

[chimeofthecomet]

this my first time posting the broadway cast? oh well heres to prove i can do it too :P

[lmelodymusicl]

My thoughts on Broadwaysies (2014)

I watched a broadwaysies slime tutorial that featured Corey Cott as Jack, Andy Richardson as Crutchie, Liana Hunt as Katherine, and Giuseppe Basusilio as Racetrack. Here are my thoughts on it.

What I liked about it:

Corey Scott as Jack was phenomenal. His version of Jack was a lot more sad and heartbroken while Jeremy Jordan’s version was more angry.

I really enjoyed seeing Liana Hunt’s version of Katherine. She’s brings a very level headed vibe to the character. Her chemistry with Jack was a lot better in this version.

Giuseppe Bausilio is great as Racetrack, as he still manages to match the same energy as Ryan Breslin. Although I still prefer Max Casella’s version.

Ben Fankhauser steals the show as Davey! EVERY.SINGLE.TIME!

Little Luca Padovan is soooo cute as Les! He brings a whole new, sassy, sweet and spunky energy to the character that I really liked. Basically, everything he did was so cute! I wanted to squeeze his cheeks every time I saw him!

So far I would have to tie him with Luke Edwards (92sies Les)! Both of those boys are still better than Ethan Steiner (Livesies Les)!

The choreography was just as good as I remembered, and I found myself wanting to dance along to it because of it!

What I didn’t like:

I still didn’t like how Sarah, Denton, and the original newsies were cut from the musical in order to make room for Katherine. All of them could’ve coexisted!

Andy Richardson’s version is still naive, although not so much as Andrew Keenan-Bolger.

Jack and Katherine’s relationship is still toxic. I would’ve written the latter to end up with Davey!

I still love Broadwaysies, regardless of all its flaws!

[carryingthebanner]

NEWSIES OBC THOUGHTS pt.2

Act 2

Here are some more thoughts on the Newsies OBC that once again, nobody asked for :)

- Not even a minute in and can we talk about the delivery of these lines?!

- Act 1 was pretty relaxed but passionate and Act 2 just has this burst of energy and I love it

- Especially since the Newsies need a morale boost after how Act 1 ended

- “Front page of w h a t?!”

- Angry Les >>>

- Davey’s body language once again says i-did-not-sign-up-to-be-the-unofficial-baby-sitter

- Race’s happiness is through roof plz share some of your dopamine with me im begging you

- Henry couldn’t care less oof

- I LOVE THE WAY RYAN BRESLIN SAYS “Ya famous, an’ the werld is your erster”

- The way Bres delivers the next few lines >>>

- G R A T I S

- This is slowly turning into a Ryan Breslin appreciation post

- Race’s happiness is literally contagious ahh

- KATHERINE PETS A NEWISE AFTER THE POODLE LINE-

- Background Newsie (this bootleg has like .2 pixels plz don’t judge me for not knowing his name 😩) and Race are way too excited to get drunk. Calm down buddy.

- THE TAPPING SEEMS SO MUCH MORE INTENSE HERE WHAT

- I love how they’re all just out here vibin

- Katherine seems 10x more nervous during her tap solo

- The little dance Katherine does with Les is different than the one in Livesies and it’s equally as cute 🥺

- WAIT DID SHE ALWAYS SPIT-SHAKE DAVEY’S HAND DURING KONY?!

- The rowdiness and amount of energy in this performance is INSANE

- I have been blessed

- SERIOUSLY EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THIS THIS ALONE IS A MASTERPIECE BLESS YOU CHRISTOPHER GATTELLI YOUR CHOREOGRAPHY HAS CURED ME

- Is there a Les protection squad already? He must be protected at all costs.

- I’ve watched 92sies, Toursies, and Livesies but this might be my favorite performance of KONY yet

- CHILLS.

- why am i tearing up-

- THE FACT THAT I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT NEWSIES UNTIL NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR MAKES ME WANT TO SCREAM

- IMAGINE SEEING THIS BEAUTY LIVE?!

- PLEASE DISNEY GIVE US A REVIVAL OR AT LEAST HAVE NEWSIES PERFORM IN YOUR PARKS

- I am convinced that one hasn’t lived until they have seen the masterpiece that is the performance of KONY in this bootleg

- Katherine’s twirls are everything

- My cheeks hurt from smiling so much

- oh gosh nO it’s over

- Ahh it’s so weird not seeing Letter From The Refuge after this

- Medda’s motherly instincts are kicking in adopt me plz

- The contrast between Davey being elated and Jack being PISSED 💀

- Katherine being done with the Newsies (specifically Jack) pt.2

- “Yes he did. And then he died.”

- “The guy who paints places he’s never seen is calling us crazy” will never not hurt me, like Katherine girlie ily but that was a low blow

- Jack is so broken

- Fr someone get this man therapy and a hug

- Jeremy’s line delivery is also on point, I felt that in my soul

- Katherine comforting Les 🥺

- ANGRY DAVEY ANGRY DAVEY

- Three Pissed Teens and a Concerned Child: The Musical

- “jACKey T H I N K ABOUT IT!”

- Ben’s ability to go from angry, frustrated dad to smiley, positive motivational speaker scares me

- Ahh Davey’s little head shake after he says “the poor guy’s head is spinning”

- Jack is way too aggressive in this

- Somehow, my hate for Snyder has grown even more

- Both the Protagonist and the Antagonist have Anger Issues: The Musical

- The low “ooh” coming from the audience after they find out that Katherine is Pulitzer’s daughter

- Pulitzer is evil evil

- JOHN DOSSETT CAN ACT. His calm demeanor is straight up scary

- Keep Crutchie’s name out of your mouth. 🙂

- The manipulation is STRONG here

- THE DELANCEY’S REALLY JUST PUSHED JACK DOWN SOME STAIRS

- The Delancey’s favorite pastime is beating up Newsies for no reason

- Ok but the actor playing Morris is really talented (I’m not sure if it’s Mike Faist or not)

- I really can’t believe the audience didn’t cheer when the Brooklyn Newsies showed up

- APPRECIATE BROOKLYN’S HERE PLEASE AND THANK YOU

- Spot knows he is THAT Newise

- Not Jack coming in and ruining everything-

- Davey has some slightly-exasperated-parent vibes going on

- Jack being way too aggressive x2

- The pain in Jack’s voice wshqzjszuy

- Ah yes, Jack “The Dream Crusher” Kelly

- SPOT IS OUT FOR BLOOD

- Les running away after Jack yells at him physically hurts me

- JACK PLEASE CALM DOWN

- The intensity between Jack and Katherine in this >>>

- Not me slightly shipping Jatherine after this-

- Kara and Jeremy look like they’re having so much fun during this aww

- THE WAY JACK IMMEDIATELY SAYS “SHUT UP” AFTER DAVEY SAYS “IT’S GOOD TO HAVE YA BACK AGAIN” AHAHA

- *Jack being aggressive but finally in the right context*

- DAVEY’S SCARED GASP WHEN PULITZER WALKS OVER TO HIM. IM LOSING MY MIND

- Teddy Roosevelt’s comedic timing is also on point WHEW

- CRUTCHIE FOR THE WIN

- I can’t express the amount of love I have for Crutchie Morris

- My hearttt 😭

- DAVEY AND CRUTCHIE

- I can’t believe that it took this one performance to turn me into a Jatherine shipper

- Davey being a slightly exasperated parent pt.2

- KARA IS CHECKING ON SOME OF THE NEWSIES AND ITS THE CUTEST THING EVER

- Katherine’s little dance when Jack puts his bag on her 🥺

- Jeremy: “Look guys, I can dance too!” ok I’ll stop now

- I don’t know how to feel about Crutchie dancing by himself :(

- Hello, this is your daily reminder that Newsies has the best finale/curtain call ever ✨ no this is not up for discussion ✨

- THE AUDIENCE REALLY STOPPED CHEERING WHEN JOHN DOSSETT TOOK HIS BOW-

- Remember to separate the performer from the character please and thank you

- Ok I love them

Conclusion: I LOVE THE OBC. From this single bootleg, I have become a Ryan Breslin stan, a Jatherine shipper and I appreciate Les way more than I originally did. My banner is carried, my day is seized and my poor (guy’s) head is spinning. This has been a life changing experience.

[clownsgobeepbeep]

How do the Bingo, Carney, and Ally feel about the other kids/adults? Any age group is fine uwu :3

I’ll write them as adults uwu This is long...but I finally fucking answered it

Ally

Davey: Of course, Ally has had the longest crush on Davey. God it really started when they were young. Anyways. She thinks Davey is such a smart guy, so funny and clever. She admires everything about him, always tries her best to talk to him because conversations with him are always great. Before all that angsty stuff happens, she’s really been trying to push her feelings away but...sigh, Davey’s just too cool of a guy to not crush on apparently X3

Cordelia: Ally likes Cordelia, but she can be a bit too hyper for her, not that she dislikes it. Ally is just more on the tamer side(okay, she might secretly be a bit like Cordelia and I know she could totally bring that side of her out). Would like to hang out with her, she seems like a person who can make anything fun.

Ben: He’s so serious...but he’s a pretty cool guy. While some may be uncomfortable or spooped by his serious expression, she thinks it’s pretty nice, he’s perfect for her sister. I can imagine she liked to hang out with him when they were younger, he’s so calm and collected.

Greta: I imagine she’d get along with Greta, would enjoy being in her company and such. They seem like they’d have a nice girl’s day/night out.

Rory: Just like with Ben’s seriousness, she really wouldn’t be creeped out by Rory at all. They seem like such a nice person, can tell why Phoebe’s really crushing on them despite not realizing it. They definitely think Rory is interesting.

Clara: Another person Ally could definitely see herself with. They honestly seem like they’d be really good friends, their vibes just kinda match up hehe.

Phoebe:She likes Phoebe, she’s her sister’s best friend so she sees her quite often. She’s a bit too energetic for her taste, but she’s still a really fun person and always encourages Ally to do things she’s too shy to do(except tell Davey about her feelings asdfghjkl), so she really appreciates Phoebe. Wishes she could be more like her.

Harper: He’s a really cool person, thoughts are similar to those she has about Phoebe. Definitely asks him for outfit ideas and I’m sure she’s asked him if he’d like to go shopping with her, she’d want his opinion. Recognizes that her brother has been crushing on Harper for a while and thinks they’d be really cute together. They’re her own rom-com lol.

Penny:Hmmm...I don’t really know how she would feel about Penelope. I haven’t seem much of Penny in a while but I guess she’d like her.

Bingo

Davey: Even if her sister didn’t have a crush on him, she’d think Davey was stupid. People like him are kind of irritating, she doesn’t want to deal with that sort of shit. Okay, that sounds like super mean...Davey’s just the kind of person that makes her roll her eyes any time he does some stupid shit. She recognizes that he’s smart+clever, not the best combination with that stuff he does. Definitely dislikes how he’s made her sister hurt of course, sure she partially blames Ally for the mess they’re gonna get into but also Davey for being so damn dense and barely going after her after she’s seeing someone else.

Cordelia: Bingo likes Cordelia surprisingly X3 Somehow tolerates her a lot more than Davey hehe. Likes the whole hero thing she had going on when she was younger, is going to love her kids when they arrive. 

Ben: *insert Lenny Face* Benjamin is such a great person, aaah. Okay, Bingo wouldn’t say it that way but you can bet he does make her feel a bit blushy at times. As she grew up and realized her feelings, she would find herself watching Ben from afar. Anyways. She really just likes him as a whole. I really can not give you anything specific because literally everything about him she loves, even if they were interested in each other she would have really liked Ben.

Greta: Hmmm...I think she would like Greta...I would need to see more of her as well as the two together to properly answer for her.

Rory: Bingo would definitely like Rory, they are someone Bingo would be really fond of. Their vibes just fit together huehue. I imagine Bingo and Rory have conversations about Phoebe because everyone except Phoebe knows about her crush on Rory asdfghjkl. 

Clara: She seems like such a nice person, Bingo would tolerate her. For some reason reminds her of her older sister

Phoebe: This is her best friend right here. It even surprises me that they’re best friends my god. Bingo doesn’t know why but when they were younger, Phoebe just seemed like such an annoying but interesting girl. Kind of stalked her for some time??? Then she realized...maybe I’ll befriend her to experiment...she really enjoyed being with her in the end and they just became besties.

Harper: Harper is Phoebe’s other best friend and honestly, Bingo thinks he’s a really cool bird. She likes him, she admires his characteristics minus the anger hehe. He’s entertaining to watch when it comes to the rom-com shit with her brother. At least Harper’s not dense like Davey which is why she decided to straight up tell him about Carney’s crush on him(’cause she wanted Davey to learn for himself while Harper, that’s a lot easier to deal with). I can see these two(as well as Phoebe) some great sleep overs.

Penny: Hmm...I honestly don’t really know what she’d think about Penny uwu

Carney

Davey: Hmmm...he doesn’t dislike Davey, he actually thinks he’s kinda cool but also does get a bit angry about the whole not-noticing-Ally’s feelings. Himbo, stop being a damn hypocrite. But like, he also realizes that Ally’s been crushing on him foooorever. He keeps quiet because he might reveal too much and get Ally mad. Anyways. Davey is a cool dude though, he would definitely want to join in on those shenanigans.

Cordelia: Cordie seems like a cool person, I don’t necessarily see them hanging out together but if they did, he would definitely enjoy it. Doesn’t mean he wouldn’t hang out with her because he definitely would, I just mostly see him with his sisters or his bestie Rudy. I feel that they would definitely get along when they’re adults.

Ben: Finds his stoic expression funny. It’s like another Bingo hehe. Tolerates the guy. I don’t think he’d have too many thoughts on Ben honestly.

Greta: I don’t think he’d have very many thoughts on Greta uwu

Rory: Rory always creeped him out when they were younger, and they most likely still do X3 He’s not too much of a scaredy-cat as he was when he was young of course and he has matured, so he actually does interact more with Rory, especially because his dad worked at Cuckoo’s circus and I’m sure they constantly saw each other.

Clara: Doesn’t think too much of Clara and I don’t really see them hanging out due to personality differences. Wouldn’t dislike her, they just aren’t too compatible and he can tell. However, he would approach her(if possible) because his best friend does have a crush on her, tries to figure stuff out ya know? Helping a bro out

Phoebe: She’s a pretty cool person, he definitely likes Phoebe. Besides the fact that she too has matured and their personalities don’t really clash anymore, they have definitely become better friends(especially because he sees her a lot thanks to Bingo). Definitely appreciates always trying to help him with Harper(even if it’s mostly teasing)

Harper: Of course, himbo here has a hardcore crush on Harper. Besides thinking that he’s so damn beautiful/handsome and just really awesome, Carney really likes how he’s matured. He definitely remembers being snapped at by Harper when they were younger but he really doesn’t mind any of it, most people snapped at him ‘cause he was definitely annoying as fuck. He appreciates that Harper now tolerates him and is willing to hang out with him, especially when they’re left as third wheels X3 Also, I’m just saying but like, you know how in movies women tend to be portrayed as being shopaholics and their male partner is always carrying all of her bags, totally struggling. If Harper wanted to go to the mall and buy all kinds of shit,Carney is that man and he ain’t gonna be a bitch about it. That’s how much he likes him

Penny:I don’t think he’d have many thoughts on Penny either

[incorrectnewsies]

Ben Fankhauser’s Insta Live story highlights (4/5) aka Ben’s Broadway Bistro 

So there’s a lot to unpack here. It’s an hour of footage. I only did the first half but this is still long af

You have 24 hours to rewatch it on his instagram story (plznfanku) but there were also some lovely people who recorded it and have posted it either on here or on youtube (I don’t have any links so feel free to reblog/comment with them)

- his little wave when he’s playing piano (and he’s so good wtf) 

- I love how happy and joyful he looks while performing, even to a simple camera and Kyle 

- if you don’t know who Kyle is, he’s his roommate and bestie and let me tell you, Kyle was amazing

- when the song he’s singing (idk what it was sorry) changes tempo and becomes all upbeat he just radiates sunshine I love him!!!!

- glad to say he still owns the title of “riff daddy”

- admitting he’s terrible at Instagram HA 

- his little spin and snap 

- ”we’re making breakfast” 

- 2 seconds later, someone commenting: “what are we making?”

- Ben Fank: “we’re making breakfast”

- YES BEN BABY BUT WHAT BREAKFAST FOOD ARE WE MAKING

- “that’s how I’m getting through this corona virus. Coffee, I guess.” 

- “let me tell you about oven bacon. merp merp merp merp muow” yes tell me about oven bacon

- “set your oven to 380 degrees. Why 380 degress? Cause I’m a random motherfu err” he says when he said shit a minute earlier

- “*quoting a comment* an erster. Mkay, okay I see you.”

- he asks for tips from chefs like three times 

- shows off his 3D Illuminati pepper 

- intermission: show some love for Kyle!!!! 

- has great cutting technique (you curl your fingertips in slightly on top of what you’re cutting to keep your fingertips from being under the knife)

- precision + Ben Fank = a match made in heaven 

- Kyle flipping the camera on himself by accident 

- favorite song from Newsies: Carrying the Banner + clapping and a salsa dance 

- sort of sad because Ben doesn’t sing in that song :( 

- he talks with his hands and with his facial expressions so much wow I love

- little wink wink ;)

- everyone asking him to sing Poor Guys Head is Spinning (abbreviated PGHIS) with Alex Wong encouraging everyone

- he acknowledges them and then goes on to ignore them LMFAO

- Ben (sort of, not really) wanting to be Evan Hansen shakes me to MY CORE the power that could cause...

- okay... like... this man I mean I know he is literally Davey Jacobs BUT HE IS LITERALLY DAVEY JACOBS

- “tall ass potato”

- he stops everything to make sure it is shown how he cuts his potatoes

- intermission: gratitude towards first responders  ❤️

- the way he looks up while talking about burritos is really cute but also lmao 

- when he’s asked his favorite dog breed: “oooooOHHHHHHHH”

- “Y’all are literally watching me cut potatoes” YES AND WE DON’T REGRET A THING

- “wITH preCISION” 

- doesn’t know what kind of potato he’s working with (gold potatoes, Ben. Gold potatoes) 

- “y’all didn’t think you’d get this closeup to my *haaaaands*

- “can y’all appreciate the precision? Cause I can.”

- Intermission: I am once again asking for your cooking tips

- Kyle: “Someone wants to know what’s your favorite thing about Kyle?” Ben: *high pitched* Is that for real?”

- he goes on to talk about how Kyle is tech savy and rigged up their apartment instead of talking about his personality or qualities lmao

- his little sneeze and spin, also people telling him to wash his hands afterwards

- calls himself a grandpa 

- his mom sent him to theatre camp when he was a LAD

- “this is getting pretty hot” he says with a head bob

- also gets excited that we got a look at Kyle when he accidently switches the camera onto him

- everyone commenting about the bacon because he hasn’t checked on it since the start of the video

- doesn’t know how much olive oil he put in his pan but it must cover the bottom

- “hot grEEse”

- *vegetables sizzle when he puts them in oiled pan* “that’s the sound when you make a really good zinger at a friend and you walk away it’s like zzzz” *snaps*

- I want to know when he went to Bryant Park Christmas market because I was there this year and if he was there when I was there and didn’t know I would scream

- “this water is a beralin” 

- you can see how proud he is of his potatoes when he puts them into the water

- calls the boiling water water, then grEEse, then water again

- intermission: condolences to people who have had their plays and musicals canceled because of Corona virus 

- his profile is so nice w o w

- uses the same spoon to stir the vegetables to stir the potatoes because he’s a “dirty birdie” 

- demands for the PGHIS in the comment section (led by Alex Wong again)

- his favorite yiddish slang word is slamazel (might have spelt that wrong)

- intermission: love for the Flamingo Kid 

- checks on the bacon finally

- *talking about bacon* “you like it crisp or what? If you don’t like it crisp begone.” (favorite quote of the video)

- him and his grubby lil fingers

- *talking about Ozark* “wuufh wuufh! it’s great”

- gets sort of bashful about talking about him playing poker hehe

- the way he “walks down the street”

- *Ben goes offscreen* question: what’s you go to hand washing song?” Ben *slides back onscreen with a smile on his face* I’m going to play it for you

- couldn’t think to describe his potatoes as hard

- *bacon pops* “Did you hear that? This bacon is trying to sass me! Did you hear that?”

- messes up the abbreviation for PGHIS a couple of times

- his little “poor” when he’s trying to figure out what he wants to do 🥺!!!!!! 

- I’m sure you heard his performance already. Amazing.

Okay that was the halfway point of the video so if you want me to do the other part lmk haha

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #233

Fri May 01 2020 [01:13 AM] Wack'd: We open on Deeden State Correctional Facility. It is, the narration tells us, incredibly hellish, but not infamously, because no one ever leaves to tell the tale. It is here David Munson is about to be condemned to death. [01:13 AM] Wack'd: (Also yes Deeden sounds like Deadend, this is its nickname, and what I'll call it because I'll probably just forget not to) [01:14 AM] maxwellelvis: Sounds more like Dee-Dee to me [01:15 AM] Wack'd: Anyway, David--or Davey as the priest calls him--is pissed because he didn't kill the guy he's being put to death for killing [01:15 AM] Wack'd: He killed lots of other people, sure, but not this one guy [01:16 AM] Wack'd: Anyway Davey gets electrocuted to death. And the priest sets about satisfying Davey's last request: [01:16 AM] Wack'd: Deliver a letter to one Mr. Jonathan Storm. [01:17 AM] Bocaj: DUN DUN DUN [01:18 AM] Wack'd: Did the Baxter always have this spiffy awning? I feel like it didn't.

[01:19 AM] Wack'd: Oh hey, a modern update on the Baxter cutaway. We get to watch this priest explore while Sue gives him the rundown. [01:20 AM] Wack'd: Unfortunately they've arrived in the middle of a Johnny/Ben showdown. (Johnny had plastered a photo of Christopher Reeves over Ben's bathroom mirror.) [01:22 AM] Wack'd: Thank you Reed for explaining Ben's damage. And thank you Sue for getting POed over something that has been going on for literal years that you've never gotten POed about before.

[01:23 AM] maxwellelvis: All for the sake of making the priest feel very very uncomfortable. [01:23 AM] Bocaj: I think its specifically because it happened in front of a priest [01:23 AM] maxwellelvis: "Should I wait outside until this blows over, my son?" [01:23 AM] Bocaj: Sue at her worst might be very 'how dare you let others see us as we are' [01:24 AM] Wack'd: Fair [01:25 AM] Wack'd: Anyway, Davey wants Johnny to clear his name. His mom never knew what a shit he was, see, and since he's getting executed for something he is actually innocent of, there's a chance she'll never have to find out. [01:25 AM] maxwellelvis: It might have helped if his defense wasn't "Yes, I'm GLAD, GLAD THE BASTARD'S DEAD! GLAD, YOU HEAR ME?! But I didn't shoot him." [01:25 AM] Bocaj: Ha [01:26 AM] Bocaj: God this is reminding me abstractly of the time that Batman stopped Joker from being executed because the specific thing he was being executed he didn't do. But only that very specific thing. [01:26 AM] maxwellelvis: "(Because if I had killed him, it wouldn't have been with a gun)" [01:26 AM] Wack'd: As for why Johnny, well, Davey knew him from bullying Johnny in high school. (He's not in Strange Tales. I checked.) [01:26 AM] maxwellelvis: Oh boy, this trope [01:27 AM] maxwellelvis: Yep, good ol' Davey Munson. Been here the whoooole time. [01:30 AM] Wack'd: Sick burn on Ed Koch outta nowhere

[01:31 AM] Wack'd: (Though actually he's been in office for three years at this point so *shrug*) [01:31 AM] Wack'd: (It took Johnny two hours to get here by Fantasticar so maybe we're not even in NYC anymore? I dunno) [01:31 AM] maxwellelvis: "How'm I doin'? How'm I doin'? I'm not doin' so well." [01:32 AM] Wack'd: Hey, more silent panels! Artsy

[01:32 AM] maxwellelvis: Silent AND black-and-white with zero grayscale [01:32 AM] Wack'd: Anyway, it seems pretty open and shut. No gloves, fingerprints all over the gun, and plenty of witnesses. [01:33 AM] Wack'd: But. [01:33 AM] maxwellelvis: Just one more question [01:33 AM] Wack'd: Johnny just doesn't believe Davey was smart enough to use a silencer [01:33 AM] maxwellelvis: Wow [01:34 AM] Bocaj: 😐 [01:34 AM] Bocaj: Damning with faint praise [01:35 AM] Wack'd: Anyway, Johnny heads to the scene of the crime, where he finds the stockroom. He thinks it's weird that the victim would've been back here with the lights out and the store closed. [01:35 AM] maxwellelvis: Wow, I was just joking up above with the Columbo routine. [01:35 AM] Wack'd: Also, it's weird that this liquor store is run by Abraham Lincoln, right? Not just me?

[01:36 AM] maxwellelvis: "PISS OFF!" [01:36 AM] Wack'd: It's a conspiracy?!

[01:37 AM] Bocaj: Those meddling Avengers or Spider-Man [01:37 AM] Wack'd: Anyway, Johnny gives chase, and the guy says "there's no way the cops could pin that hit on me", and we're like halfway through the issue so I guess now Johnny goes home and does something else. [01:38 AM] Wack'd: Dishonest Abe was too stupid to memorize H's phone number so now Johnny has a lead in the form of said phone number. [01:39 AM] Wack'd: Finds the warehouse, takes out a buncha dumb thugs. [01:40 AM] Wack'd: Johnny, that's torture, and on top of being ineffective it's generally frowned upon.

[01:41 AM] maxwellelvis: Did he turn into a completely different guy for one panel? [01:41 AM] Wack'd: Looks like a coloring error, yeah [01:42 AM] maxwellelvis: Also, is Byrne the first guy to draw Johnny's eyes as glowing when he's the Torch? [01:42 AM] Wack'd: Maybe? [01:42 AM] Wack'd: Anyway H turns out to be a member of the Mafia. Or the Maggia I guess but fuck that it's the Mafia. [01:42 AM] maxwellelvis: That was a thing the first season of the 90's cartoon did, have his eyes and mouth glow like that. [01:43 AM] Wack'd: Oh hey, a Dick Tracy villains convention!

[01:43 AM] maxwellelvis: Hammerhead! [01:44 AM] Wack'd: Fight fight fight [01:44 AM] maxwellelvis: His one special technique won't be quite as effective against a guy who can fly and catch fire. [01:46 AM] Wack'd: He's able to go toe-to-toe with Johnny because he's got an exosuit. [01:46 AM] maxwellelvis: Ahh. Damn Maggia resources. [01:46 AM] maxwellelvis: But I like that Hammerhead isn't so committed to his gimmick as to commit tactical suicide here. [01:48 AM] Wack'd: Johnny manages to short-circuit the suit by melting some of its fuses. But Hammerhead doesn't realize his suit isn't working anymore and escapes by jumping off the building. [01:48 AM] Bocaj: And nothing of value was lost. [01:48 AM] Wack'd: He disappears before hitting the ground though and Johnny can't find him so he's probably fine. [01:49 AM] maxwellelvis: If he's got a power suit, he's probably got a teleporter. [01:50 AM] maxwellelvis: Anyways, that'd explain why Morrie was so worried as to specifically namedrop Spider-Man earlier. [01:50 AM] Wack'd: Anyway, here's the summation.

[01:50 AM] Wack'd: Given the issue opens with Johnny picking on Ben I was expecting, like, something about bullying being a slippery slope or Johnny at least reevaluating his behavior but no he's a good good boy [01:51 AM] Wack'd: I like the twist that the mom knew the whole time, though. [01:52 AM] Wack'd: A better story woulda, like, tied things up thematically on that end too. Maybe get Sue involved? But it's cute. [01:53 AM] maxwellelvis: It's a sign of something that so far your criticisms have been mostly possible missed opportunities or ways to hypothetically improve the story. [01:53 AM] Wack'd: Yeah [01:54 AM] Wack'd: I think to a degree the modern era of comics storytelling is still kinda coming into its own, Fantastic Four has been spinning through so many creative heads it hasn't really had time to catch up [01:55 AM] maxwellelvis: Yeah, this is still technically the Bronze Age. [01:55 AM] maxwellelvis: I think the Dark Age kicks in in the mid-80's, but there's no real crystalizing thing you can point to. [01:56 AM] maxwellelvis: It's more gradual than dividing things into ages would make you think. [01:56 AM] maxwellelvis: Anyways, this is why I find John Byrne to be such a frustrating figure: [01:56 AM] maxwellelvis: There's no denying he's gifted, but he's just so unbearable as a person. [01:56 AM] Wack'd: Heh [01:59 AM] Wack'd: Regardless I'm just really 'gized to know that I'm reading a story that's not gonna be abruptly cut off and paved over [01:59 AM] maxwellelvis: Yeah, that is one advantage of a long run like Byrne's.

[wtfrace]

my favorite moments in newsies (live)

this is pretty much entirely for my own reference but i hope ur entertained by it anyway! and also love some of these moments! also I wrote these really quickly while watching it so it’s all just a big mess

- jack’s striped shirt that u barely get to see for the rest of the show

- all the nudging & swatting & flicking that takes place at the beginning of carrying the banner

- the beginning of kathrine’s never ending sass towards jack

- i’m crushed!

- jack in the background tying crutchies shoes shshsh

- spec’s looking at his cup, shrugging, and then downing it

- just everything specs does, what a cutie. like when he grins after all of his solo flips shshs

- and elmer!! is so adorable he’s like a little lost puppy

- how bout a crooked politician! (it took me a month to figure out they were saying, hey nitwit, it always just sounded garbled to me)

- smalls just?? on henry’s back for some reason

- when albert fuckin sprints across the stage with crutchie in his arms, while he pumps his fist victoriously

- the fact that weisel’s lines in the broadway show & 1992 movie are very similar, he just gets a lot angrier in the broadway show

- don’t worry kid, it rubs right off!

- sure, buy a ticket, they let anyone in! OHHHH

- crutchie just being jack’s hype man

- specs incredulous & impresses expression after les says “50/50”

- mike & ike saluting after they flip eachother

- when les bashes the delancey brother’s heads together & davey immediately lifts him up proudly.

- the synchronized cartwheel in the seize the day dance break !! and then the kick !!

- jack seamlessly pulling les out of a barrel and then fuckin chucking it across the stage

- kathrine’s expressions throughout the entirety of the king of new york, like amusement & fondness & being very impressed by the newsies tap dancing

- i just really love when albert intensely takes the newspaper from race as he intensely sings “nobbin with all the muckity mucks”

- albert looking mildly annoyed & unimpressed throughout most of the show.

- when davey & one of the twins hold out the “pulitzer’s poodles” pose for longer than everyone else, and then laugh at each other

- when kathrine whips the paper up during “cause look at that pape with my face beamin” and it makes a little gust of wind shshsh

- she is just so fond & adorable in king of new york i love it (it’s by far my favorite sequence)

- i have no clue who says it but the really loud “c’mon kathrine!”

- elmer in general!! my eyes always go to him (and tommy boy) in any group shot because he is so freakin adorable & his expressions & reactions are so cute

- oh yeah jack, this is crutchie by the way!

- ha-ha

- so you tell all the fellas for me, to protect one another! i just really love crutchie ok

- davey’s adorable expression when he goes “is that a real place? that santa fe?” SHHS and his grin when he goes “above. the fold.” what an adorable little loser.

- davey having to kneel and stand up like 4 times to keep up with jack

- even horace greely moved back to new york. yes he did, and then he died.

- lighten up no one died! *afronted expression* oh! is that what you’re aiming for?

- davey throughout the entirety of watch what happens reprise,, y’all already know i love this boy & i have too many favorite parts from that song to name (the poor guys head is spinning)

- the manhattan newsies standing behind the brooklyn newsies acting almost more dramatically then them.

- spot conlon being a dramatic little shorty and doing an odd amount of sticking his tongue out during brooklyn’s here (i love u tommy bracco)

- the little eyebrow raise & grin after spot shushes the newsies

- davey’s increasingly upset / confused expression during jack’s monologue in medda’s theatre :(( (davey.)

- if i was a boy you’d be looking at me through one swollen eye! (ngl i wish kathrine would have just fuckin decked him) (but the kiss was good too)

- this would be a good time to shut up!

- jack’s little nudge during “just someone sweet passin by” what a loser, i love him

- mini seize the day reprise? hell yeah!!!

- we could hold a hoedown in here and no one would be the wiser. hoedown. take a minute to think about this line & wonder how no one questions davey’s sudden use of the freakin word hoedown.

- once and for all is my FUCKIN JAM!! davey and kathrine joining in at the beginning? race’s dramatic here they come? they gonna damn well pay? joe you can stop counting sheep, we gonna sing you to sleep? spot looking intensely angry? the freaking key change? yes to all!!!

- these kids put out a pretty good paper! they’re very convincing!

- that old printing press in the cellar? ohh.

- spot just? starring at everyone intensely for the entire scene? i laugh every time why didn’t he get any lines HSHS

- i get GOOSEBUMPS when the newsies start singing seize the day from above & jack&company/pulitzer&company look over the edge of the stage

- and then spot ACTUALLY talking what a legend!

- the WAVES (i don’t see anyone talk about this part and it’s seriously one of my favorites)

- teddy roosevelt u legend! but in your case i simply mean— bully.

- jack’s ohmygodheshookmyhand to davey

- he doesn’t do HAPPINESS does he?

- tommy boys facial expressions in every single scene

- slightly off topic but? the fact that for the entirety of the scenes with the dark blue lighting ben cook’s eyes looking freakin radioactive & i love it

- albert suddenly not wearing his hat? and sky’s lucius hair?

- hiya fella’s! ya miss me?

- what me work for your fadda? you.. already work for my father. oh. yeah.

- race and albert’s incredulously expressions after jack pulls away from the kiss

[woildismyerster]

I was listening to Ben Fankhauser sing "girl you're freakin' out" with Ephie Aardema and I had like a vivid vision of a modern, high school davey fic kind of based on the first verse of that song? If you've got the time i would love you forever if you blessed us w that (or any) davey fluff

I love that song.  (Disclaimer - I love everything Ben Fankhauser sings.  I have a playlist on YouTube with my favorite songs that he sings, and it’s pretty much every single one.  I just listen to it on repeat.)

You took a swig of an off-brand soda, grimacing as you swallowed.  “Tell your mom to get name brand stuff.”

Davey, sitting on the floor by your side, shrugged.  “There’s no point.  She doesn’t think there’s a difference.”

You wiped at your nose with a tissue, taking a hitching breath.  “There is.  Tell her that if she wants me to come to your house, I need the goods.”

He pushed the tissue box a little closer, face softening.  “She’d just laugh at you.  She doesn’t invite you over.”

“She loves me.”

You could see Davey’s hesitation to ask you about the breakup.  It was stupid - you didn’t know why you were crying.  You dumped your boyfriend, not the other way around.  You hadn’t cared about him in a romantic way in a long time, so breaking up was more of a relief than anything.  

You had called Davey to tell him that you had done it, and he invited you over to take your mind off it all.  You walked into his house, saw him smile at you in greeting, and promptly burst into tears.

He wanted to ask you about it.  You could feel the confusion and worry pouring off him in waves, but you didn’t really understand it either.  

You blew your nose one more time and took another drink.  “Tell me about your day.”

“It was fine,” he said.

You turned to look at him, rolling your eyes.  “Davey, tell me about your day.”

He sighed, but rewarded you with a small smile.  “Really, it was okay.  I went to school.  I came home.  I did homework.  I read.  Now I have you here.  Basic day.  How about you?”  He asked the question with a crooked grin.

“Same here,” you said with a grim smile.

“You don’t normally cry on basic days,” he said.

“Oh,” you said.  “Well, I saw this bird nest on your porch.  There was a baby bird in it, and baby things make me cry.”

“Y/N.”

“They’re so small.”

You waited for him to tell you not to lie, to ask you how your day really was, but he didn’t.  He squeezed your leg, let his hand stay on your thigh, and started talking about a documentary on mushrooms he had watched the day before.

“This soda is so gross,” you said again.

“I can tell - the fact that this is your third one definitely proves your point.”

He dragged his laptop over and put Monsters vs. Aliens on.  He claimed that it was because the movie was good to watch when you didn’t want to pay attention, but he watched it all the time.  Every time it played, his eyes would widen and his lips would curl.  Sometimes, if he didn’t know you were looking, he would mouth along with the words.

You could still feel the sidelong looks Davey would shoot you, but you didn’t have any answers.  You were happy to be done with the relationship.  You were okay with how the conversation had gone.  It was just Davey, maybe.  That little furrow between his eyes.  The way he looked so happy to see you, even knowing that you might be sad.  Looking at Davey tonight was like when you were a kid - you would get hurt, but be fine until somebody asked you if you were okay.  Whether you were okay or not, the tears would well.

Tonight, you looked at Davey, and something that hadn’t bothered you for a long time started to fester.  Something fluttery and not appropriate the day of your breakup.  You had not known what to do, so you had burst into tears.

Sometimes you really hated yourself.

At the end of the movie, he grinned at you.  “I love that movie.”

“I know.”

“You can talk to me about this, you know.”

“I know,” you said again.

It was sort of true.  Davey was your best friend.  When you bought a candy bar at school, you shared it with him.  When Halloween came around, he would do a partner costume with you.  If a teacher said to work in pairs, the two of you didn’t even have to look at each other; you just knew that he was with you.  When he brought you into his room tonight, grabbing tissues and snacks on the way, he didn’t say a word when you sat on the floor by his bed instead of on the bed or his chair.  He sat next to you, never complaining about how much more comfortable furniture was.

He was your best friend, but he was the best friend that you had liked periodically over the years.  You would like him, and when he started seeing somebody else, you would shut it off and look to other boys.  He was your best friend, but your best friend who was probably more than that in a million parallel universes.

“Have you ever noticed,” you said suddenly, “that you and I are never single at the same time?”

He blinked, surprised.  “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

“It’s just weird.  Crazy timing.”

“I guess,” he said.  He didn’t look at you, instead readjusting the strings of his hoodie.  He stuck his tongue out while he he tugged, eyebrows furrowing.  “It’s just one of those things.”

It was getting late.  You were tired, and crying had made you feel loose and sleepy.  You wanted to curl up on Davey’s floor and sleep, or talk about everything and nothing.

You should go home.

Instead, you talked.  “Do you think, if we had been single at the same time, that anything would have happened between us?”

His eyes shot to yours, wide and surprised.  “I don’t know.  Why, do you think we would have?”

“I think I would have wanted to at least talk about it,” you mumbled.  You pulled your knees to you chest and hugged them, already wishing you hadn’t brought it up.  You were tired.  Tired Y/N should not be given control over important things, like word choice and feelings.  Tired Y/N misused them.

Davey sat in silence for a minute.  When he did speak, it was cautious and carefully void of emotion.  “Do you - have you wanted to date me?  Before, I mean?”

“Well, yeah.  You know, you’re really nice.  And cute, and smart.  Everything about you is everything that I want in a boyfriend.  The feelings have always been there, so -”

Davey put his hand on your cheek, turned your head to face him, and kissed you.  

It was not fire, or fireworks, or whatever it was that you had read in a romance novel you snuck from the library in middle school.  It was a broad, open feeling in your chest.  It was something that made the world feel very big, but it didn’t make you feel small - it made you feel bigger, too.  It was the small scrape of Davey’s 5 o’clock shadow against your chin and lips.  It was you thinking that this was so much better than the last time you had been kissed -

By your now ex-boyfriend.  Who you had broken up with a few hours before.

You pulled away.  “Wait.  Wait.  I’m not sure we should be doing this.”

“Right.”  Davey pulled away from you like a shot, cheeks burning and eyes averted.  “You’re right, I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have sprung that on you.  I just thought you meant -”

“I did,” you rushed.  “I did mean.  But I don’t know if this is the time.”

“Oh.”  The relief in his voice was palpable.  “Totally.  We should think this through.  Take all the time you need.”

You bit your lip, noting the way it burned a little now.  You thought of the way his hand rested on your thigh earlier in the evening.  “Maybe, while I think -”

You crawled back over to him, bracing your hands on his shoulders while you pulled him back to you.  He made a noise of surprise, but didn’t hesitate to sigh into you.  You straddled his legs, and he put his hands on your waist to hold you closer.

You thought.  It didn’t feel like you had reached out blindly, heartbroken, and found Davey reaching back for you.  It felt more like you had seen Davey and reached for him.

It didn’t feel like a rebound.  It didn’t feel like you were so desperate for somebody, anybody, that you had jumped the bones of your best friend - the best friend who, apparently, had been just as hopeful as you had been.  

Davey had told you once that the two things that could make or break a relationship were feelings and timing.  Maybe the two of you had always had the feelings, but the timing had been wrong until now.

You pulled back, huffing out a smile when his face followed yours a little.  “Okay.”

“What?”  His eyes were wide and glazed.

“I’m all in.  I thought, and I’m in.”

He grinned.  “Really?”

“Definitely.  I think that this is good.  You and I are good.”

His hands slid up to your neck, thumb brushing against the line of your jaw.  “We’re good,” he echoed.  “I like the way you think.”

You leaned back in to kiss him.  It seemed like, for once, Tired Y/N had not abused her power.

[javis-beretta]

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (3)

and here’s part three! sorry, this part doesn’t have too much plot stuff, but that’s only bc the next one is gonna be pretty exciting. thank you to everyone who’s been giving this story love, you’re all angels. enjoy! <3 (also i’m still figuring out some of the plot of this, so message me w your theories on who sent the letters or send me memes u think race would tag you in!) 

part 1 / part 2 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8

The next day, you stayed at school a little late, figuring you could catch Race after track practice to discuss your… arrangement. It also had the added benefit of allowing you to avoid Jack, who you knew was spending most afternoons at the community theatre across town, helping them paint backdrops for an upcoming show.

 (You weren’t stalking him, or memorising his schedule, or anything. You were just observant. You took note of behaviour. That was it.)

 Race was on his last lap around the track when he saw you sitting on the bleachers. You gave him a little wave and his face lit up with a smile. He winked and kept on running. When he was done, and presumably back in the locker room, your phone pinged with four rapid texts from an unknown number.

 hey babe I’m just showering and then I’ll come see you ;)

this is race btw

i’m really good at texting like a boyfriend

fake or otherwise

Even though he couldn’t see you, you rolled your eyes anyway.

 Yeah, okay hotshot

Come find me on the bleachers when you’re ready

When Race showed up, with a red face and wet, curly hair he gave you a cheeky grin, looked around to see some of the track team boys were still milling around, and he placed a quick peck on your cheek. You didn’t let yourself blush, remembering that it was all for show, and you pulled up a Word document on your laptop.

“Okay, so, this is going to be our contract,” you said, preparing yourself for his teasing.

“We have a contract? This isn’t Suits, man. It’s a fake relationship. We don’t need a contract!” 

“Uh, we so do need a contract, Higgins! We need to draw boundaries and limits and we need to stick to them.”

 He rolled his eyes and moved a little nearer to you on the bench, so that he could see your laptop screen.

 “Wow, nothing like a list of comprehensive rules and guidelines to really bring the romance, huh?”

 “Fake-romance,” you corrected him.

 “Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, what’s first on the contract?”

 “Okay, first up, no kissing.”

 He spluttered comically for a bit.

 “No kissing? How are we supposed to convince anyone that we’re dating if we can’t kiss?”

 “Look, plenty of couples avoid PDA. We can still, like, link pinkies or whatever.”

 “Link pinkies? Wha-? Are you living in the 80s? This isn’t Grease, babe.”

 “Look, Race, physical stuff may not mean anything to you, but it’s important to me, okay?”

 “Whoever said physical stuff didn’t matter to me?”, he muttered under his breath. But, after a moment he sighed. “Fiine, put it on the contract.

 You typed it up and looked expectantly at him.

“Okay, you get no kissing, but, number two, you have to hang out with me and my friends at lunch and come to parties with me.”

“Technically, that’s two and three. And, I get parties, but why lunch?”

He stared at the ground.

“Spot always sat with us at lunch, so he’d definitely notice if you were with me and the guys.”

“Fair enough.”

You typed that, and then said, “Also, we cannot tell anyone that this is fake. Gossip spreads like wildfire at this school so nobody can know that this isn’t a real relationship. Not even Albert, or your track team buddies.”

“Obviously. And don’t act like I can’t keep secrets. You can’t tell Davey or Katherine. I had journalism with her last year and I’m pretty sure that she would disapprove of this plan.”

He was right, of course he was.

“Fine, deal. Anything else?”

“Oh! You have to come with me on the ski trip trip in December,” he said triumphantly.

Your high school’s annual ski trip was infamous for being the weekend when most of your school lost their virginity. Some schools had the night after prom, but your school had two days and a night spent in the mountains.

“The ski trip? As in the one just before Christmas break? We’d have to stay together for three months to go on that.”

“Listen, no one in a relationship would ever let their boyfriend go on that trip alone. And, if we’ve gotta keep up until then, then so be it. Spot will definitely be there, so he’ll notice if I’m with someone else. We can break up after the trip, no harm, no foul.”

“Okay, fine. But we will not be sharing a room.”

“Yeah, obviously.”

“Anything else you want me to add, oh wise one?” you asked.

“Uh, well, there is this one thing,” he said, sounding a little hesitant. You motioned for him to go on. “Well, Spot always thought it would be cute if I wrote him little letters and put them in his locker or gave them to him, or whatever, and I never did it. Um, if he saw me giving those to you, he’d probably get pretty jealous.”

“Badass Spot Conlon, who would beat up anyone who looked at him wrong wanted love letters? That’s so cute!”

“Yeah, there’s a lot more to him than just being angry and bitchy. I bet he’s got his college boyfriend writing him all sorts of letters now,” Race scoffed.

“He left you for a college guy? That’s rough, Race. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, its whatever,” Race quickly said. “So, that’s the contract, then?”

“Yeah,” you said, satisfied.

“Perfect,” he grinned, and his blue eyes were twinkling again.

“You do know that you missed the bus today, right?” he said, after a moment.

“Uh, yeah, I was just gonna walk home.”

“Holy shit, what is it with you and walking? Do you not have your license?”

“Uh, I do. But driving terrifies me and I’d probably end up killing someone – or myself – if I drove every day. But, yeah, I don’t mind walking.”

“Well, if you’re dating me, there will be no walking. I’ll give you a lift home and a ride to school in the morning, if you want one.”

“Are you serious? You don’t need to do that, Race.”

“Nah, I want to. What kind of fake-boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?”

He smiled at you and you realised that Race had been right the day before. You could do worse. As far as fake high school boyfriends went, Race was probably one of the best options you had.

“I’d appreciate that. Thanks, Higgins.”

“No biggie. Now, let’s go. The Bachelorette is on tonight and I need to see who Becca chooses.”

Before long, Race had dropped you off at home, with a cheeky wink and promise to text. As soon as you were inside, your phone lit up with a message from him.

see ya bright and early tomorrow morning, girlfriend ;)

You rolled your eyes and typed a quick reply. Then, you went to contacts and your hand hovered over Katherine’s name. You’d have to tell her what had happened with Jack and explain that you were now (somehow) dating Race Higgins.

The phone rang twice, and you could practically hear the smile in her voice when she greeted you, as bright and cheerful as ever. You talked for a little bit about school and she told you about college and you realised that you probably couldn’t put it off for any longer. As soon as you said that you had something to tell her, she sounded more than a little worried.

“What’s up? Is everything okay?”

“This story is going to sound pretty weird but hear me out. You know when I was little, I used to write those letters to myself?”

“Yeah, you said that your mom told you to do it if you ever needed help figuring out your feelings.”

“Yeah, well, not all of the letters were to myself. I wrote some to guys I had crushes on and I swear that I never sent any of them out, but, um, somehow, some of those guys, got their letters?”

“Oh, shit. That sounds stressful. Who’d you write to?”

“That’s the thing that I need to tell you… When you first got with Jack, I thought that I was into him and I wrote him a letter. I was never going to send and I’m pretty sure I didn’t actually have feelings for him, I was just a little torn up because it felt like I was losing my best friend to my sister. But, uh, he got the letter. And, I figured that I should tell you before you heard it from someone else. And, also, uh, Race Higgins and I are dating.” The last sentence slipped out so quickly that you hoped she had missed it.

She was silent for a long time and you were worried that the phone might have died while you were talking and then, you heard a sigh.

“That is… a lot. I’m not going to lie, I am pretty pissed off right now. I don’t care if you were into Jack or not. You wrote a love letter to my boyfriend, while I was dating him. And Race Higgins? Like Spot’s Race Higgins? What the fuck? Look, I’ve got a report due tomorrow, and I really don’t need to be stressed right now, so we can just talk about this some other time.”

She was definitely mad.

“Kath, I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to hurt you, I swear.”

“It’s fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

She hung up. It was not fine. You felt like crying and crumpling yourself into a ball, when your phone pinged with a notification from Instagram.

@racehiggins tagged you in a post.

It was some stupid meme, and you knew he’d only tagged you in it because people from school would see it, but it brought a smile to your face, anyway.

Race was getting pretty good at making you smile, and you hadn’t even been fake-dating for a week. Maybe, this would all work out well.

TAGLIST: @hungoverhellhound @seriously-ceci @the-butterfly-anon @ben-cook-can-cook @pinecovewoods @brendonuriehimself

[brooklyn-anon]

I Can’t Help Falling in Love (Vday)

Word Count: 1487

Summary: You and Race are paired together for a dance in a Valentine's day showcase.

Warnings: 3am writing which honestly is a warning in itself.

Author's Note: Watch the dance rhis is based off of HERE @ben-cook-can-cook here you are! Happy love day sweetheart!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wise men say only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you.

Why was contemporary dancing so hard? Wait. No. Strike that. It wasn’t hard. Contemporary with Race was hard. And that was only because he was so perfect it made it hard to focus.

The two of you had gotten paired together for a showcase dance in the Valentine’s day performance. You both were both dance majors and were doing everything you could to impress your instructors. When one suggested you and Race work together for a showcase moment, you both jumped at the opportunity. A broadway talent scout would be in the audience for the performance so it was a huge deal that you scored a showcase.

The first time you sat down with Race to work out details was at a little coffee shop right on campus. You poured over youtube videos, Spotify playlists, and pages of notes for over an hour. Both of you downed at least two cups of coffee in that time. All was worth it though. You came to agree that a contemporary piece to the classic Elvis song “Cant Help Falling in Love with You” was a good route to take. Your professors all loved it and you were given private studio time immediately.

You were not falling for Racetrack Higgins. This was a fact you told yourself every day. You were not in love with him. You admired his passion for dance, was in awe of his fluidity when he moved, and thankful that he was at least cute, but you were not in love with him. Little did you know, he had similar thoughts. Race tried to convince himself he wasn’t in love with you.You were pretty, and graceful, and funny, and determined. But he wasn’t in love. It would be stupid to fall in love with someone that could be his competition someday. He had to be wise and not rush into things.

Shall I stay? Would it be a sin, if I can’t help falling in love with you.

You had debated dropping the showcase. You believed you had enough talent to stand out amongst the crowd. The talent agent would be offering a scholarship to your school as well as lessons with a Broadway choreographer. It was rumoured however that they only would be picking one student to receive it. As many times as you denied it, you knew you had feelings for your partner. Feelings that grew every single rehearsal. If you dropped the showcase, you could put all your focus into your dancing and not worry about a pair of pretty blue eyes staring at you. But no. You wanted the talent scout to notice you. You would have to fight how you felt.

“Alright (Y/N) we have a problem.” Race was already in the studio when you got there on Valentine’s eve. He was dropped into a split on the ground, his hands stretched out in front of him. “You don’t trust me.”

“What? Of course I do!” You had to. There was way too many times when you placed your safety in his hands for you not to trust him.

“No ya don’t. You’re stiff. So I gots ya something.” He stood up and pulled a bandana from his pocket. “I’m gonna blindfold ya. That’away you have no choice but ta trust me and relax.”

Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be. Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you.

He was helping you? He could have let you be stiff and tense and lose points in the showcase. But no….. He chose to help…. Huh.

A hand gently grabbed yours and led you blindly to a place on the floor. The music started only a moment later. Race was gentle with you. He knew you knew every step of the dance forward and backwards. You’re movements were so jerky though. He had seen you do so much better so many times in class. If you were the better dancer and got the scholarship, so be it. That’s just how life went. Maybe you were meant to be the lead in the next Broadway smash hit musical. And this showcase could be the opportunity to do that. Of course, Race thought the same thing of himself. But he didn’t want to win unfairly. You both had to dance to the best of your abilities. And if he was being honest with himself, you were even more beautiful than usual when you fully danced from the heart.

The first lift was rough. You were so scared he would drop you or you would misstep. But when your feet landed smoothly back on the ground and you were led into the next step, you visibly relaxed. Race’s hands smoothly ran across your skin as he moved your arms, gripped your waist, or held you in the air. You were falling in love with his touch every passing moment. He handled you perfectly. He was commanding and dominant with his touch and movement when he was supposed to be, yet let his fingers dance around you, light as butterflies, when it was your moment to shine. He held you securely when you were lifted onto his shoulder and when you stood on his thighs. His embrace was warm and comforting as he spun you around. And he held himself a safe distance from you as he rolled overtop of you on the floor.

Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be. Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you.

Every single touch was filled with love and care. You could feel that now that your focus was fully in the dance. Race could tell that you could feel it as well. It was honestly about time. How long had you been dancing together and you were only just now getting around to seeing how much love he poured into this dance in particular. And it made his heart soar when you actually reacted back. Your touch felt so much more genuine this time around. Instead of just brushing your hand against his face it felt more like a loving caress. You leaned into his touch more and left yourself smile instead of keeping a straight face.

This. This is what he had been waiting for. Your heart and soul were finally on the dance floor. You were so beautiful. Spinning, leaping, bending, smiling. You were giving everything you possibly could, and it gave you a radiating glow that you had never had before.

Your piece ended with Race standing behind you , his arms around your waist, and one of your hands pressed up to his cheek. A wide grin hit your face as you felt the familiar hug. Instead of stepping away like you usually did, you allowed yourself to stand there in his arms for a few moments. Race’s heart was….. Well, racing. Was it because of the explosive chemistry in your work? Or something else? Your hands reached up to untie the bandana when a pair of soft hands moved from holding you to turning you around. Your blindfold didn’t make it off before a  pair of lips found your own. They were hesitant at first, only making themselves known for a second. They returned with much more confidence when you tried to lean into the kiss. Race held your face in both hands and feverishly molded his mouth against yours. He tasted like sweat and mint gum. The mint gum he was always chewing……

Valentine’s day, the next day, came and passed in a blur. You spent all day on a “date” with Race. You rushed around for coffee, your costumes, makeup, your dance bags, a quick homework drop off, a ride to the theater, and a run of the entire show. Oh, and plenty of kisses were shared throughout the day.

A week after your showcase, you and Race both received an envelope in the mail. You opened them together, then gathered all of your friends in one room to share the news. The talent scout hadn’t recruited just one person. Both of you were chosen for their program. Every single one of your friends agreed that after the showcase you had performed, they would be stupid not to take you both. 

I can’t help falling in love with you.

“I have a secret for you. I love you Racetrack Higgins.” You whispered in his ear that night during your celebration of being accepted. Various containers of Chinese take out and solo cups of champagne littered the floor of Jack and Davey’s dorm room. 

“I have a secret for you too. I’ve loved you for a long time.” Race kissed you right there, sitting on the floor, tasting like broccoli and soy sauce. Even then, he somehow managed to be delicious.

[welproosterteethownsmysoul-blog]

Pittsburgh CLO Newsies 😍😍

I'm serious guys I almost died last night. This show was SO FUCKING GOOD! I've been dying to see this show since I was 12 and I finally got to and I'm just super happy 😁 Here is a veryyyyy long post of me rambling. Enjoy! 1. Before the show I was screwing around on Instagram and I found the video of Danny Quadrino (Crutchie) doing the splits and ripping his pants between the matinee and the evening show, 10/10 it's the funniest thing ever 2. During the Santa Fe prolouge right after Crutchie's "watch me stand, watch me run" part when he got all sad, Jack walked over to Crutchie and grabbed his face 3. Racetrack Higgins 😍 4. Specs and Romeo being adorable as usual 😘 5. Carrying the Banner was fantastic and it got a very long applause which it deserved 6. Right at the end of Carrying the Banner Davey walked out with Les and immediately grabbed Les protectively and I melted 7. Stephen's Davey is fantastic!! 8. Will (Les) was such a bean good god 9. Right after Davey's "that's disgusting" line Les walked over and showed him the hand that had Jack's spit on it with this really cute "I'm never washing this hand again" expression and Davey just gave him this horrified look and wiped the hand on Les's shirt 😂😂 10. The guy who played Pulitzer had a very good voice 11. I loved the evening scene between Davey, Jack and Les too much! Joey and Stephen play off each other so well! 12. You could actually hear their chatter when Synder was chasing them 13. The Medda was vv talented 14. BETH 😍😍😍 she was an utter princess up there 15. "Somewhere out there someone cares!" Will always be one of my favorite lines 16. Joey's voice during I Never Planned On Someone Like You was gorgeous 17. Danny's delivery of the line "in the worst neighborhood" utterly killed me 18. My inner Javey shipper was dying during the scene where they form the union 19. Seriously what is it with Joey and grabbing people's faces he did it like 3 times to Stephen in that scene 20. The pause after "unioned we stand" was great 21. THE WORLD WILL KNOW WAS SO GOOD 22. I swear these kids started rehearsals like 2 weeks ago and they sounded like the OBC recording 23. "Take away our vote!" made me melt 24. LES SCREAMING AT THE POLICE OFFICER WAS THE CUTEST THING EVER 25. Race, once again, was perfect in the first scene at Jacobi's Deli 26. Everyone (except Les and Davey) putting their heads down when Jack said Brooklyn was so funny 😂 27. Watch What Happens was fantastic 28. Beth did flub a line but she recovered very very well 29. Crutchie's battle yell when he showed Jack the strike banner was precious 30. SEIZE THE DAY WOFOFJWKCKVORPWOVKGKEKWJFN 31. WHEN DAVEY STARTED SINGING HIS VOICE CRACKED AND MY HEART JUST MELTED INTO A PUDDLE 32. I loved how Davey slowly gained more confidence as the song went on 33. "Behold the brave battalion that stands side by side, too few in number and too proud to hide. And say to the others who did not follow through, you're still our brothers and we will fight for you" was so gorgeous. My heart was already a puddle at that point and it just melted further. 34. I loved that Jack immediately started yelling Crutchie's name when they started fighting. Crutchie was his first thought. 35. Watching Crutchie get dragged off was depressing 😅😥😭 36. Santa Fe. Santa Fe. Santa Fe. When Joey hit that last note the audience erupted into cheers. 37. KING OF NEW YORK WAS SO SO SO GOOD 38. "Why do old people talk" "to prove they're still alive" got the biggest laugh of the night 39. They gave Les the cutest little tap solo during the dance break I was so in love with it 40. LETTER FROM THE REFUGE 41. They didn't list it in the program and I was really upset cause I thought they had cut it but then I saw the bed being wheeled out and I almost screamed 42. I will never be able to get over Danny Quadrino's voice. Ever. 43. There was a collective whimper after he said "your brother" 44. WATCH WHAT HAPPENS REPRISE WAS PERFECT 45. Stephen and Ben Fankhauser have very similar voices and I love it 46. DAVEY WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE JACK 47. Davey wiping his hand on his pants at the end of the song was so funny 48. There was a collective gasp during the daughter reveal and I loved it 49. They kept Katherine on the stage until the "You can't have mine" line of The Bottom Line reprise and then she stormed off 50. (Christ this is long) BROOKLYN'S HERE WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE MY FAVORITE SONG IN NEWSIES SO I DIED DURING IT 51. Sky as Spot was perfection. His biceps are just 😍😍😍 52. When Davey realized he was gonna have to do the rally by himself I was not okay at all 53. There was about 15 or so seconds of total silence where Davey just stood there all nervous and shy and my heart melted all over again 54. THE SLOW/HALF HEARTED CLAPS 55. When everyone saw Jack take the money Les went over and tapped on his shoulder. Jack wheeled around and went to punch him before he realized who it was. Les scurried back across the stage with a kicked puppy expression 56. Almost immediately after that everyone left the stage except for Jack and Davey 57. Davey just stood there shocked for a few seconds and then he made a very quiet dying animal noise and his expression was just... A mixture of shock, disappointment and a little bit of anger. Then he ran off stage. 58. Jack ran after him and once again my inner Javey shipper was dying 59. Something to Believe In was beautiful 60. ONCE AND FOR ALL WAS PERFECTION 61. THE KEY CHANGE 62. During the scene in Pulitzer's office right after Once and For All, Spot did this really adorable laugh and I melted AGAIN 63. When Crutchie came out during the last scene Jack ran over and hugged him so hard that he picked him up it was beautiful 64. The cat calls while Jack was kissing Kathrine 😍 65. The biggest cheer was for Joey during the curtain call but Danny, Stephen, Beth and Race also got quite a few as did the Delanceys (mostly Morris) Side note- 1. When Roosevelt was speaking at the end I noticed Morris glance very tentatively at Oscar and when he saw that Oscar wasn't looking he started clapping with the other boys and I just 2. They've acknowledged the existence of the "Morris is a bean and doesn't want to fight anyone at all" part of the fandom. He's no longer a one dimesional character. 3. The cast started dancing around after the curtain call finished and I saw Danny jumping around in the back. He then flopped down like he was going to make snow angels. He's so cute it should be illegal. In conclusion: I just spent over an hour making this post. This show has taken over my life.

[theragamuffininitiative]

Newsies Live, a review of sorts

So it’s looking like the reply I wrote up last night for @party-with-books on mobile, during a wifi issue, is just not going to ever post and is lost to the netherworld, which is unfortunate because, even if nothing I said was coherent, I wrote it while everything was still fresh and I was still on the most beautiful ecstasy high - the kind you can’t get arrested for. But I’m gonna try to do the play justice here, and using a lot of gifs, XD so we shall see.

Guys. Guys. Guuuuyyysssss. I just can’t. Let me start by saying I have never seen a stage production of Newsies. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for months, but for a lot of the bits the stage show has added or edited from the original film’s story, I had absolutely zero context for, and the soundtrack is sadly missing like a crap ton of reprises. Therefore, if you care about spoilers, I suggest you stop reading this and wait for the dvd to come out or something, because I don’t feel like holding anything back.

After that note, where the heck do I even begin? The production itself. And by that, I don’t just mean the sets and the cast and the lighting and the camera. Nah, primarily at this point, I mean Spectacle.

I’ve now seen a good number of shows, in various formats, but none of them have been so energetic, alive, and overwhelming. The dancing is superb. I know for the filming they pulled out all the stops, with bigger leaps, more twirls, and a larger number of Newsies on stage, and let me tell you, IT WAS WORTH IT. A stage filled with forty or more singing, tap-dancing, leaping Newsies is a sight to behold.

I mean, there was this:

This is Ryan Steele, as Specs, doing the full-out twirl. Our Specs was played by the amazing Jordan Samuels, but it’s a different cast member entirely who performs this move, and we get a sky high view of the spin, which I’m pretty sure is faster and longer, and the entire theater gasped and applauded.

There were hundreds and hundreds of flips, spins, cartwheels, splits, jumps, tricks, and moves I cannot name. There was tap dancing on tables. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A DANCING TROUPE OF THIS LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE IN SUCH AN EXTRAVAGANT SHOWING EVER.

The set and staging was absolutely dynamite, and it will never cease to astound me how theatrical productions can amass an entire world on a few hundred feet of stage.

Near the end of “Once and For All” the Newsies completely drop out on the vocals and then come roaring back in, and again, my entire theater gasped in awe and delight, and I was crying and covered in goosebumps.

As for Jack...

Jeremy Jordan is the definitive Jack Kelly for me, okay?

If you’re a die hard Christian Bale or Corey Cott fan or anyone else, I’m sorry, but it’s true. There will never be another player who so fully encompasses that role for me. His Jack is so intense and passionate the. entire. time. Every single thing he says and does. The only moments we see him physically relax at all are when he’s with Crutchie (and we’re too busy crying to notice) or sharing the stage with Katherine.

And that brings me to Katherine Plumber. I was not especially anticipating her role, I have to admit. I love my Denton too much, and I was horribly concerned that the romantic angle between her and Jack would be too strong, taking away from the real love story of the play, that of this family whose name is Newsies. But I couldn’t be happier with her character and Kara Lindsay’s performance. She was amazing, and I could feel the rest of the audience connecting with her too. “Watch What Happens” is just one of her shining moments, and I am in love with her, and so happy of the way the writers brought her character in.

It’s also beautiful to weave in the feminine vocals of Katherine with the only other female singing cast member, Medda Larkin (our very own being played by Aisha de Haas) in the middle of all those guys. Don’t get me wrong, because the Newsies chorus is the epitome of what makes the show so great, but having those softer moments and the gals singing brings enough of a change that it completely enlivens every other male vocal in the story.

Okay, enough being calm, rational, and technical for a minute. Let me “be real.”

I Am Not Okay. Not in this or any other universe will I ever be the same.

(The rest of this post is probably going to just be me screaming at random about different things.)

CRUTCHIE. HOLY COW. CRUTCHIE MY BABY. “Letter From the Refuge” absolutely killed me. THE FREAKIN ATTACK ON CRUTCHIE FREAKIN KILLED ME. Just him standing with Jack in the prologue with “Santa Fe.” THERE ARE NO GIFS FOR THIS. Andrew Keenan Bolger is of such high caliber, I can’t even begin to describe how much I love him in this role.

I BASICALLY CRIED SO HARD WHEN THE BULLS CLOSE IN ON THE NEWSIES. AND WHEN JACK SEES THEY HAVE CRUTCHIE. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE SICK.

Oh, yeah, also, little itty bitty detail here i was completely unaware of BROADWAY VERSION JACK KELLY IS A FLIPPIN ARTIST?????!!!! LIKE WHAT????!!!! OH.MY.GOSH. I LOVE THIS ANGLE SO MUCH. KAJLLGDFHLJFGHIERUNZUIZLGRF. HE’S PAINTING SANTA FE GUYS. LSLDGJAGKJHRUIGKNG. During “I Never Planned On You” he draws Katherine and the LED screen that assisted the set showed him sketching her as they talked and sang AND IDK IF THAT HAPPENS USUALLY IN THE STAGE PRODUCTION BUT I AND MY FRIEND AND PROBABLY EVERYONE ELSE WAS LIKE “HOLY CRAP AWWWW OHMYGOSH HOW PRECIOUS HOW PURE I’M NOT CRYING AT ALL NO” SO YEAH THAT IS A THING THAT  HAPPENED.

Little Les is amazing. Like, in the old movie, he wasn’t so much a character as a plot device. He was literally the little boy with the cute face who could sell the papes. In this, Les is the one who strikes up the deal with Jack, and Les is the one who shouts a message for Pulitzer as the guard closes the door in their faces. He is so precocious and adorable and perfect, and so much more a character in his own right, I am so pleased.

DID I MENTION BEN FANKHAUSER AS DAVEY???

HIS SINGING. HIS ACTING. HIS CHARACTER AND INTERACTIONS WITH JACK AND LES. The confrontation between him and Jack later on when Davey is trying to get Jack to rejoin the Strike, and he says “it’s not like anyone died” and Jack whirls on him in rage, because of what happened to Crutchie, who could very well die at that point. I COULDN’T HANDLE. And when Davey reminds him what they’re fighting for, and why they shouldn’t stop. PERFECT BOYS, PERFECT.

AND I ALMOST FORGOT RACETRACK LAJKDHF. Race is my favorite Newsie from the old movie, and I was not disappointed by him here. Benjamin Cook is an adorable angel and my favorite bit of him probably has to be when he is staring wide-eyed at Governor Roosevelt at the end, so happy and in awe. Unfortunately I can’t find any gifs of him either arg.

AND SPOT, HOW COULD I MISS SPOT CONLON Tommy Bracco’s performance left nothing to be desired, he was as spot-on as his character’s name. WE ARE BROOKLYN NEWSIES

Oh.

Oh, and then there was This:

I HATE/LOVE THIS PART OF THE STORY SO MUCH. When Pulitzer forces Jack’s hand, makes him face the Newsies and turn on them, in order to save them and save Crutchie and Davey and Les, but Pulitzer also gives him money to go to Santa Fe and that is all the Newsies ever see. LKDJFLHDHFAJDHFLA MY HEART HURTS

I love Jack Kelly more than Raoul or the Phantom, or Dimitri, or Valjean or Marius or Enjolras, or even arguably Fiyero. I feel every single beat of “Santa Fe” as it blooms and changes from dream to dust to dream.

I adore how the stage version plays up the affect the Newsies strike had on child laborers everywhere, how Jack proclaims it isn’t only Newsies’ rights they’re striking for.

The singing was absolutely flawless. Flawless I tell you.

IDK GUYS I JUST DON’T HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS OK

This is on par with the night I saw Wicked on tour. I will be buying the DVD. I will watch it at least once a year. I guess, if I wasn’t before, I’m a Fansie now.

So, yeah, to close: I don’t think I will ever find another thing on this earth that impacts every bit of my soul as much as musical theater does. That is a part of me I will never outgrow, and never give up. Doesn’t matter if I ever make it to see a show on Broadway, or if I ever get on behind the scenes at a theater company. This is me.

This is an experience I want to relive every day for as many days as I have. I laughed, I cried, I came home to my roomies in such a state of embarrassed, blissful exhilaration you’d think I just came home from my first date with the love of my life - which is a completely accurate comparison.

I cried so much, I laughed so hard. #NewsiesForever and all that. There is so much more I could say, so much I feel like I am completely leaving out. But truthfully, when it comes right down to it, there are no words in the human language to describe this experience and how thrilled I am that I was able to go, that I live in the same universe as this caliber of artistry and storytelling. This phenomenon is beyond anything I can say, so I’ll stop trying. ;)

I hope that answers anyone’s questions to whether or not I enjoyed Newsies Live.

[tamayokny]

On Thursday my mom and I went to the theatre and saw Newsies (2017). Since I was really tired and had school the next day, I promised that I would have shared my thoughts on it yesterday. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to but since I'm feeling better and refreshed today, I shall share!

Also this took me like an hour to type up lol

•I had been excited for this for WEEKS. I begged my mom to go with me, because no one else would. •She said yes and got the tickets ($20 each!!!) I was so happy •We asked my dad if he wanted to go with us but he said no. He kinda teased me about it and he keeps doing this to me still: "Newsies! 🤗" lmao (but I'm also like :/) •So my mom and I go on Thursday, getting there about 10-20 minutes before the show began. There was a big audience tbh (I told you mom lmao) •Oh BTW my mom hasn't seen/heard the Broadway version of Newsies before. She watched the 1992 movie back in December with me, and she was like, "It's ok" (I'm offended lol) •Anyway it starts exactly at 7 and man, my I am SHAKING with excitement and my heart is thumping 💓💓💓 •So Jeremy and Andrew are back as Jack and Crutchie! lil cuties •When Carrying the Banner started and all the boys were out I was like "MY KIDS" •I forgot that Ben Cooks (Racetrack) is only 19 so the pitch of his voice took me aback and I was like "he's 5" but I do love him as Race! •I love Katherine! I forgot how much alike we really are tbh 😂 •The Morris Bros were cute tbh but LEAVE MY SON(S) (CRUTCHIE) ALONE •DAVEY AND LES JACOBS. •Davey Jacobs is my Disney Prince tbh. And I love Ben Fankhauser. I told my pal if Ben wasn't Davey I was gonna be sad (I didn't realize that like, all of the OBC was back ok) •So yeah I love Davey with all my heart 💕 •ETHAN AS LES WAS SO ADORABLE. He stole the show. Everyone in the audience(s) love him. Also idk if it's because of the hair or not, but he lowkey reminded me of Dustin from Stranger Things •Davey's facial expressions / "That's disgusting" 😂 •I know we are supposed to hate Pulitzer or w/e but he was kinda funny lol •MEDDA!!!! •Lol one time I saw someone compare Medda Larkin and Donna Meagle and I was like "omg" bc I can see how. So now Retta has to be Medda in a next show or w/e •Also Medda is Jack's Mom. She's there for him and everything awe man I'm crying thinking about it!!!! She's a Mom when the boys/Katherine need her damn it I need to write about this now!!! •Davey and Les' culture shock/expressions watching the show •Katherine and Jack meeting again, and Jack is instantly heart eyes 😍 still •Katherine when she saw the sketch Jack drew/left for her •The World Will Know / Seize the Day are 2 of my fave songs from the musical btw •Oh and those two Newsies they got to join them??? I'm pretty sure one of them was a Crutchie because I recognized him but damn it I can't remember his name! •When Davey made Katherine upset I was like 😠 •Watch What Happens 👌 I love it •When Crutchie got taken to the Refuge 😔 •Jack's emotions coming out before intermission 😭😭😭

•There's a 15 min intermission so we all take a break. They show trivia and are playing the songs and 1) I get all the trivia right and 2) I'm singing along perfectly ok •My mom is like, ur a fucking nerd lol •I'm updating my pals/twitter and send my friends the "I'm crying in the club" meme bc fuck, I'm crying every 5 minutes. It's so good and I'm so happy

•So act 2 comes around •King of New York!!!! I had to dance to the '92 version of it for my tap class when I was...I'll say 12 years old. I'm p sure that's how I got into Newsies tbh but anyway.... •Oh and that Newsie they picked up too was all like "I WONT BE LAST IN LINE FOR THE TUB TONIGHT" I was weak 😂 •The show has a lot of fantastic one liners and dialogue tbh •Anyway Katherine's lil tap solo and she showed her undergarments I was like "ur so scandalous" LMFAO •Crutchie in the refugee 😭 •"Your friend -- Your BEST friend -- Your brother --" I cry every time 😭😭 •I love the Watch What Happens and yes, • 🎶 THE POOR GUYS HEAD IS SPINNING 🎶 •Did I mention how much I love Davey/Ben? Because I really do lol •lol remember when Katherine got in trouble with her dad? •but tbh it ain't so funny bc of what happened next, as in Jack came in, he finds out •Altho it was a lil funny bc how Pulitzer was about it lol •BTW I like Hannah a lot (she's the Supportive Aunt) and she reminded me of the mom off of Good Luck Charlie 😂 • 🎶 BROOKLYN'S HERE ‼️🎶 •That's another fave song awe they were so great •Newsies Rally: AKA Jack is a Fuckup because He Has a Heart of Gold •Also cute lil Davey tryna stand up (and succeeded in his own right) 👌 •Katherine and Jack meet up, make up, and kiss • 🎶 I HAVE SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN 🎶 •Jack and Katherine invented being in love •Once and For All is the BEST ensemble/song in the musical I'm sorry for telling the truth but DAMN it's amazing! •Oh and Katherine's rich pals helping out 👌👌👌 •I headcanon that the three of them grew up together (duh) and know each other because their dads are huge names (also duh) and the three of them act like siblings (that's the headcanon) •The crew marching up to Pulitzer. Boys outside, Jack v Pulitzer and all that •Teddy and Katherine are in the house •THEY WIN THE STRIKE YAY!!! •Pulitzer offers Jack a job because of his AMAZING ARTISTIC TALENT •"Why would i work for ur dad" "...u already work for him" •Medda/Teddy is my new otp 😂 •THE FINALE‼️ •Jack/Katherine kiss and the boys are shouting •That closing number 👌 •Fuck y'all, it was so damn good. Like I said, I was crying the entire time and I just LOVED IT. 14/10 stars. If ur able to, go see the last show this upcoming Wednesday. •BUT if u can't, I'm pretty sure it's confirmed that they'll release it on iTunes and Netflix, but I'm not sure when •That's it lol

[clownsgobeepbeep]

Don't let the candles go out, and they'll protect you okay uwu

Something a little late but eh X3

The day had finally come.

Ula was finally a year older, and she was quite proud of it.

This year, she decided that she did not want some “big” celebration, but she only wanted the day to herself and her small family. Specifically the tiny clowns she called her siblings, and so, her parents allowed her to roam around town with the two of them, and of course her trusty companion Mana.

“You really like those, huh?” Ula asked with a bright smile, looking at her axolotl who practically pranced with every step he took. “I guess I did a good job for my first time.”

Mana barked up at Ula, wagging his tail in excitement before he turned to look at his back where his new bat wings harness was. His little one made a pair just for him and one for Kala, the former clearly excited and showing off his wings as he strolled with the little clowns.

“Going back to today’s lesson,” Ula cleared her throat, dragging along her red wagon while her two siblings comfortably sat inside. “The second rule of Halloween is to always wear a costume. Tradition says that wearing a costume was basically a disguise for hiding away from the bad spirits, so don’t listen to what those dummy Halloween-haters.”

“Okay.” Davey replied, tapping his tiny fingers on his belly as he enjoyed being wheeled throughout town. “Candy?”

“Oh yeah, that was rule number one.” Ula nodded before noticing that Davey made a grabbing motion with his hands, making her giggle. “But yeah, I’ll make sure to give you guys some candy too. It is October after all. I saved up some money just for the occasion.”

Davey gave a hum of content, soon laying back once more as he and Cordelia watched their surroundings.

Houses were already adorned with Halloween decorations, as were the stores that the kids now walked by.

Little Cordelia’s eyes lit up at the sight of pumpkins situated at nearly every spot she looked, smiling while gripping onto the red wagon in complete excitement. Soon she had started to make thrilled, gibberish sounds, bouncing in place while pointing to the pumpkins.

“You like the pumpkins Cordie?” Ula asked, stopping the wagon to admire the scenery. “Well, that takes me to the next rule of Halloween. You must never blow out your jack-o-lantern before midnight. That also keeps the bad spirits away.”

Cordelia continued to speak her own language, pointing at what were arrays of different sized pumpkins. At the very top were the smallest of them all, and at the very bottom were the large and heavy ones.

“Excuse me sir?” Ula called out to the vendor who turned to her with a warm smile. “How much are the pumpkins?”

“Big ones are three bucks. The tiny ones are fifty cents. It all depends.” he replied, chuckling at the sight that was Cordelia clapping her little hands while bouncing in place.

“Huh. Then can I have...three big ones and one tiny?”

“You know how much that’ll be?”

“Pay attention.” Ula whispered to her siblings before clearing her throat. “Each pumpkin is three and I want three, so three times three equals nine. Plus a tiny one, nine-fifty.”

“Nice! And you want them in the wagon?” 

“Yes please!” Ula nodded before pointing to Davey and Cordelia individually. “One in front of him, the other in front of her. The third one right here. I’ll carry the tiny one.”

“You got it.” the man helped Ula load the pumpkins into wagon, eventually saying their goodbyes after Ula paid up and resumed her birthday stroll.

“You see this Cordie?” Ula presented a candle that she had also purchased from the man. “This goes into the pumpkin after we carve it and make it look cute or scary. Like I said, you don’t blow out the jack-o-lantern before midnight. Don’t let the candles go out and they’ll protect you, okay?”

The infant gave her version of a nod, far too entranced with the pumpkin she refused to let go of. 

“Yeah, I thought you’d like that.” Ula ruffled Cordelia’s hair, immediately repeating the action with Davey who clearly felt left out less than a second later. “Anyways, I’m starting to get hungry. How about we visit uncle Pepper’s shop?”

_____________

After some more walking, Ula opened the glass door that led into the small shop where she expected to find her uncle. Instead, she saw a baby sitting on the counter, and not one that was fathered by Pepper.

“Bingo? What are you doing here?” Ula asked the baby who sat on the counter, all alone as she ate a cupcake adorned as a spider. “Where’s your mommy?”

“Right here! I’m right here!” sounded Ferry’s voice as she hurried to the front, everyone seeing as she came in with the first born of the triplets. “Hello Ula! Happy Birthday to you.~”

“Oh thank you.” Ula giggled before bringing her wagon closer, her siblings staring up at Ferry and Ally who attempted to hide behind Ferry while being carried. “Have you seen my uncle Pepper?”

“He went to go do some errands and he took Ben with him. Had to buy more supplies for all the Halloween goodies.

“Oh. Huh.”

“Were you looking to see him?”

“Not really, I just wanted to see if I could get a treat for my baby brother and sister. I was showing them around town, and teaching them the rules of Halloween.” Ula motioned to the pair, then hearing a bark from Mana. “And maaaybe something small for Mana too.”

“I can arrange that.” Ferry nodded with a grin. “I mean, we also do give out free candy to whoever comes by. I know that rule of Halloween.~”

This alone made Ula smile widely, getting quite giddy on the inside before Ferry walked more towards her.

“Do you think you could hold Ally for a bit?”

“Sure! I love Ally.” Ula reached out to grab the baby who clung onto Ferry, eventually letting go and instead clinging onto Ula who laughed to herself. 

“I’ll be right back then,” Ferry started, then looking down at the wagon to see Cordelia finally releasing her pumpkin to instead reach up towards Ferry who giggled. “And I guess I’ll be bringing a little trick-or-treater with me.”

Cordelia cooed as she was carried by Ferry, cuddling into her chest as the woman made her way to the back of the bakery.

“Those are some cool cupcakes.” Ula looked at the glass display next to the cash register, Davey looking from inside the wagon as he was brought a sense of awe at the sight of gorey cupcakes. “Uncle Pepper and Ferry make all of these. Also aunt Belinda, but she has her own job too. I wonder if Ben and Greta are gonna do this when they grow up, the twins are already learning.”

“Cupcake.” Davey stood up on the wagon, having to lean against the glass to hold himself steady as he continued to scan all of the cupcakes. “I want one.”

“I’ll tell Ferry when she’s back.” Ula leaned down to kiss Davey’s cheek, making him giggle before he plopped back down on the wagon. “You’ll get a bloody one. And Cordie will get one with gummy worms.”

“Okay.” Davey looked around, soon locking eyes with Ally who immediately hid her face on Ula’s shoulder.

“You wanna play with Ally?” Ula asked, eventually lowering Ally onto the other side of the wagon after having moved the pumpkin that was in between the infants. “I’m gonna grab Bingo.”

Bingo soon looked at Ula with a face that seemed almost offended that that thought even crossed her mind, shocked when Ula picked her up from the counter just as Ferry came in. She looked over at Ferry, almost asking for help as Ula held her against her chest.

“I brought some chocolates for Davey, and Cordelia picked out some gummy brains.” Ferry mentioned as she set Cordelia down on the counter, also placing a box in a bag beside her. “I almost forgot, your mommy made an order and I was meant to deliver it today after taking the girls with their dad. Would you mind taking it with you?”

“I don’t mind at all.” Ula shook her head while petting Bingo’s, not really realizing that Bingo kept staring at her, fully offended. “What did she order?”

“Oh, just some cookies for work. She’s giving them to her employees I guess.” Ferry gave a giggle before whispering to Ula. “And I know that rule of Halloween about the candies, but just this once, don’t check your candies okay?”

“Mmm, okay I guess.” Ula shrugged, soon trading Bingo for the box Ferry provided. “Before we leave, can I buy the treats for everyone? I want cupcakes for Davey and Cordie. And also a doughnut with sprinkles for Mana.”

“Of course!” Ferry walked behind the counter, chuckling at the sight that was Cordelia squealing and giving an unexpected hug to Bingo who’s eyes had widened greatly. “Just know, they’re on the house.~”

_____________ 

The day had started to come to a close, Ula realizing that the sun was close to setting and that her siblings had grown drowsy.

“We’re almost there.” Ula told the two, really only telling Cordelia who was fighting her hardest to not nap like Davey already had. Ula was smart enough to bring along pillows and blankets for the two.

“I wonder what mom and dad have been up to this entire time.” Ula pondered to herself, then petting Mana’s head as he walked alongside her while holding the bag in his mouth. “Maybe we’ll get to watch a scary movie once we’re there. I hope mom made some dinner.”

Mana, not able to bark, gave a nod and a wag of his tail before their home finally came into their line of sight. Right on the window was Kala, no doubt having been waiting for their arrival to make sure they all got home safely.

Barks were heard from inside as everybody got to the front door, with the exception of Davey and Cordelia who were still on the wagon.

“You spent quite the while outside.” Ula heard her mom after the front door opened, Jelly helping her bring the wagon over the steps before everyone was inside. “We thought Michael Myers had taken you.”

“Oh, pssh.” Ula’s cheeks turned pink as she walked inside, soon gasping at it all. “Whoa! Look at all of this!”

“While you were out, your mom and I worked on all of this.” Lennie soon appeared, ruffling Ula’s hair before kissing her cheek. “Happy Birthday Ula.”

All around the house there were Halloween decorations, the ceiling being adorned with stickers and even hanging figures like bats and spiders. The couch has orange and black pillows, a good amount of the house having similar color schemes.

“Wowie! I love it all so much!” Ula jumped in place, then seeing as Jelly came around with the box they had brought from Pepper’s bakery.

“Did Pepper or Ferry tell you what was in here?” Jelly took the box out of the bag, Ula shrugging. 

“She said some cookies for your employees.”

“Good.” Jelly nodded, soon opening up the box and angling it so that Ula could properly look inside. 

“Wait,” Ula blinked inside at the box. “That’s not cookies.”

“You are correct.”

“That’s a cake. With my name on it.”

“It sure is.”

“Ferry lied to me!” Ula gasped, eventually realizing why. “Because it’s a birthday cake for me!”

“There you go.” Lennie chuckled to himself, helping Davey and Cordelia out of the wagon before placing them on the couch to nap. “Your mom bought popcorn and other snacks so we can enjoy the cake while we watch scary movies.”

“Yes!” Ula exclaimed, hearing Mana bark excitedly. “All night?”

“Until we all pass out.” Jelly nodded, soon feeling Ula engulf her in a hug.

“I love you guys so much.”

“We love you too kiddo.” Lennie soon received a hug, hugging her back before the family got down to business.

[marriagebase]

Mountains And Storms: My Adventure in Patagonia

“There are still places in the world that you can go and experience absolute silence. Stillness of nature.”

My last actual holiday (outside of work) was back in New Zealand. All too often I find myself dreaming of the mountains and craving that feeling of standing on the edge of the world, most likely with tear-stained cheeks. It is hard to disconnect from work and take a ‘holiday.’ It is hard to consciously make a decision to put my camera down and separate the two, to allow myself to just be. I’ve spent countless hours over the years photographing this sublime world. Often choosing adventure filled destinations where I simply couldn’t just leave my camera behind. And so, the cycle continues.

I remember last year, I was standing with my friend Will Patino in Port Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia. We were on a job together and in the midst of one of our many deep life chats. Will told me about his upcoming solo trip to Patagonia to scout for one of his workshops. Before he even finished saying the words, I interrupted with ‘I REALLY WANNA GO THERE!’  Patagonia: a dream destination for me. That ‘why don’t you just come to the workshop?’ conversation turned into me packing my bags less than a year later and leaving with two people I consider my dear friends, work colleagues and some of the people I admire most in this world, Will and Lauren Bath. But nothing could have really prepared me for the adventure, or rollercoaster, that was my trip to Patagonia…

  First stop was Buenos Aires, otherwise known as BA, and considered the gateway to South America. Lauren and I left the Gold Coast, boarded via Brisbane, onwards to Auckland and made the final route to BA with Air New Zealand’s business class.  I love Air New Zealand as an airline and experiencing business class felt like a real treat and the beginning of a real holiday. For all the traveling I do with my job, I never fly business and it was nice to arrive in a country and feel rested, at least until the onset of jet-lagged knocked us all around. I’ve been to Buenos Aires before on my way to Columbia, but it was a stopover and not somewhere I had a chance to explore. I’ve written so many times how I am not a city girl, but honestly BA surprised me.

After a few days of incredible food, nightlife and the occasional nigh time tango, it was time for us to move onto our final destination. Our time in BA alone was worth the trip alone, however the adventure was just beginning….

We caught our flight from BA to El Calafate. I couldn’t sleep the night before, likely still jet-lagged, but mostly excited. I had my head stuck to the window the entire plane flight (sit on the right hand side going down) as the tears literally rolled down my cheeks at my first glimpse of the Patagonian Andes piercing through the thick layer of clouds. I couldn’t believe my eyes at the turquoise blue of the glacial water. The scale here, from the sky, was expansive.

When picking up the car that Will had hired for the next 10 days of adventure I was dancing around in the car park, freezing already but unable to control every particle inside me screaming and moving for joy.

P A T A G O N I A.

South America’s Gem; an undiscovered paradise for adventurous trekkers. Where nature is wild, remote, barren. Space so expanding, that silence engulfs it.

After a night in the cute little town of El Calafate, our epic crew ( Will, Lauren, Davey, Ben, Grace, Nick) set off around 3am, bleary-eyed and yet still hopeful Patagonia’s notorious weather would hold out.

After the three hour drive, I found myself away from the group, standing alone at the top of the road towards El Chaltén, literally almost getting blown over by the sheer force of the Patagonian wind, left speechless by the explosion of pink in the sky as the sun rose behind me. Facing the towering granite peaks of the Patagonian Andes with my heart exploding, I caught my first, very brief glimpse of Mt Fitz Roy before the clouds swallowed it up.

Little did I know that would be the first and only glimpse of the infamous peaks that soar over El Chaltén.

I was prepared for all the elements. But I wasn’t prepared for this…

The worst window of weather in 7 years.

Some of the most beautiful mountains in the world, the most vast, incredible landscapes, those iconic mountains I’d grown up dreaming of, the vibrant turning autumn colours were all just out of reach. The roads were flooded and closed, although we tried a few hikes despite the weather, the chill got into our bones and our clothes soaking wet.

Disheartened. Devastated. Discouraged.

We left the town of El Chaltén without so much as unrolling our sleeping mats, my camping food uneaten, my tent still inside my suitcase – completely dry….

Photographically speaking, I’ve crafted a life by making sure I was in the right place at the right time, and I’d dreamed of visiting this place since I first laid eyes on an image of it. That image was burning in the back of my brain as I stood exactly where it was created and could not see a single thing. There were tears, but of frustration this time. For two weeks leading up to this trip, I was looking at stories being shared of picture perfect weather, so this felt like some sort of cosmic message, a form of universal rejection.

It was another lesson on letting go. I firmly believe that expectation is the root of all evil. If you can learn to let go and leave your expectations behind, that is when the real adventure starts. No this wasn’t what I pictured, it wasn’t even close to what I dreamed of, but I was happy. What a privilege it is to have the ability to travel and explore a new country, to open yourself up to new enriching experiences and create lifelong memories with new hearts.

Travel is about the experiences, about finding a shift in your perspective and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Although what I came to Patagonia for did not eventuate in full, it is not all doom and gloom.

The picture I just painted through my disappointment in the circumstances, and the emotional rollercoaster that was brewing in my heart and mind, is not the only story of our trip. I often ponder the detriments of social media’s highlight reel and how I may contribute to only sharing the final or “hero” images, as always I want to be transparent about all emotions – about the life of one that is on the road.

That week I met some of my idols. I was in a small town with world class photographers and there were only a few cafes and restaurants open (due to shoulder season) so I ended up at the same places, sharing meals and sitting with the same glass of Malbec. These very photographers paved the way to do what I do and I have spent countless hours pouring over their work, studying and learning from them and now I was there, in real life, having a conversation (about the weather) with them.  Wow!

We were a determined group and spent our days attempting to trek in the rain. Even in thick overcast weather the autumn leaves still burned so irresistibly vibrant, we saw Canyon Falls rushing and when it began snowing around us it felt like we were in some kind of wonderland.  How lucky we were to be there. Just to spend hours waiting in the cold for the smallest window and chance to see an opening in the sky. I’ll never take the sky for granted again, and I didn’t realize I ever had until this experience.

And yet, still the story was far from over..

Upon arrival at the breath-taking Perito Moreno Glacier we were greeted by the thundering echo of a chunk of the electric blue glacial tongue breaking off the 70m face, crumbling and plummeting down causing waves bigger than 20m below. Right place, right time? I think we just found it.

The tears were frozen to my cheeks. I wore a smile that spanned from one ear to another. We all stood together in disbelief, simultaneously exclaiming a series of “WOAH” whilst holding onto our heads, hearts and each other. The significance of this moment I will remember forever.

* For those interested in some nature froth: The Perito Moreno Glacier is in a state of equilibrium meaning it’s advancing as fast as it’s declining. This ice field is the third largest reserve of fresh water in the world (only 3 % of all water on our planet is fresh). Glaciers are a climate regulator, which means they keep our beautiful planet cool by reflecting back 45 to 85 percent of the sunlight.

From here we leaned forward to the next crazy adventure and began driving the 6 hours south towards Chile, where it felt as though our luck had started to change before our very eyes.

Crossing through the border security was an event, or interesting spectacle, with seven photographers all carrying a camera bag and suitcase each. However, as we stepped foot into my 30th country I recall feeling an overwhelming sense of immense gratitude. I had unintentionally made it to 30 countries before turning 30. Over the years I have worked really hard, sacrificed a lot and have been incredible lucky at the same time. I wrote an Instagram story thanking those of you who follow my journey (and my little feet) around the world. I truly feel so grateful for you.

Good road-trips often evoke buried emotions; I was deep in thought contemplating life and why I do what I do despite the loneliness, sleeplessness and stress at times. There is of course the undeniable connection with nature and love of sharing the beauty of the natural world. Deep in thoughts of the full circle of nature to our very existence, wandering down into the life I have created through photography and the interplay with seeking the light – for even on the gloomiest of days there is light. And then, there it was – the light – towering before me in all its ancient wild and rugged glory; the Patagonia Andes of Torres Del Paine National Park.

A simple reminder, a gentle nudge from the universe that we travel for more than just photography. It is all about those moments that take your breath away.

I am left, again, feeling breathless, humbled.

    This is everything I ever dreamed of.  Writing this right now sends a shiver up my spine as my body erupts in goosebumps thinking of those majestic glaciers and mysteriously carved mountains, which were formed over 12 million years ago. It felt like it would be completely natural to see a dinosaur stroll past me (of the herbivore kind of course!)

The emptiness was impressive, those jagged peaks and the ruthless terrain, pristine turquoise rivers; I was worlds away from anything I have ever known and I couldn’t have been more captivated.

I’ll forever cherish the memories of us here watching the sunset together by the edge of the lake, trekking by star light and opening up to the most unexplainable beauty I have ever seen. Beauty that can only be seen with the eye and felt with the heart.

Those days consumed me. Everywhere I looked was something larger than life, be it in the smile of a stranger along the path, the waterfalls, the autumn flora, the cheekiness of the infamous locals Guanaco (Chilean Alpacas) or just me feeling so small beneath the most dramatic scenes on the planet.

The Three Towers hike will remain a mental and physical challenge that I proudly accomplished. Due to the weather, this trail only opened for one day in the 3 weeks prior, so we slept under the stars and woke up at 3:30am to take the chance for sunrise. An 18km return hike and 4 hr steep incline was among the most challenging hikes of my life. It was my first snow hike and at times I was falling into waste deep snow, laughing hysterically, cold and soaking wet. But we made it and right on sunrise.

Looking back now I’m still speechless, the scale of what I witnessed is indescribable. Those three striking granite Towers above the glacial lake are higher than two of the tallest buildings in the world stacked on top of each other.

It changed me.

  When I really fall in love with a place, I struggle to look at the photos…for months. I feel like I will never be able do something so beautiful justice. I struggle to write about it, or even to collect my thoughts. How do you capture the way your heart feels like it’s going to burst through your chest? To put emotions into a single image? How does one convey the feeling when your eyes become wide, child-like, and fill up with tears that don’t break, as your smile is frozen breathlessly across your face and your legs are quivering, burning so deeply, but every part of your being is SO alive.

Travel turns you into a storyteller. It opens your heart and mind in more ways than one. It invites you to seek the beauty, find the light and never let go of hope.

To me, it’s a chance to learn about yourself, who you are and what you want from life. It allows you to see how different the world is and to put your life in perspective. When you remove yourself from your life back home, you’re able to take time to reflect and see things in your life a little differently.

Going to leave you with my favourite quote – “To live is the rarest thing in the world Most people exist that is all “ – Oscar Wilde

Don’t stop dreaming, don’t stop exploring. Don’t stop living.

A version of this blog post originally appeared on Melissa Findley’s website. 

Follow Melissa Findley on her Instagram and Facebook. 

  The post Mountains And Storms: My Adventure in Patagonia appeared first on Resource.