#i've always wanted to do musical theater but my dad wouldn't let me :(

[cicadidae-tm9899]

on my second relisten in a row of the be more chill soundtrack...i am remembering why i went through such a big bmc phase in middle school

[donnerpartyofone]

Various Social Situations, Which After Writing Them Down I Realize All Involve Money

My dear hairdresser friend is always very intense about how much she loves me and misses me and wants to hang out, but I think I've seen her for a non-hair reason maybe two or three times in ten years. I do not believe she's hustling me, I think she is genuinely very busy and stressed out and VERY easily discombobulated, and she always has some romantic drama going on that takes up most of her non-work energy. Even when I make a hair appointment with her it's always a crap shoot whether she's actually going to keep it. So, it's hard for me to reciprocate her emotional messages when what always happens is that I say "We can hang out any time you want, just let me know!", and then I never hear from her again unless I make a hair appointment. When I started running out of money recently and told her I can't get haircuts for a while but we can still spend time together, I could see she was totally panicking. She just can't figure out how else to interact with almost anyone she isn't dating or related to.

I am always struggling to make plans with one of my few close friends who I don't need a plane or a train to visit. I adore him but we both have kind of complicated lives and I only wind up seeing him a few times a year. He's a single dad and works like a dog, and I always have some idiotic health thing (mental or otherwise). He's also having a really hard time finding room in his life to write and record music, which is basically the life support system for his heart and mind, so that's bad. Sometimes we fantasize about coming up with some sort of joint effort to connect us, like opening a little venue or movie theater, but I don't think either of us has the right head for business. I think both of us feel like huge flakes at this point, but at least the feeling appears to be mutual and no one is mad.

I've had a few friends who are hardcore careerists. None of them really like to admit this about themselves; they're all artists of some kind and certainly not cutthroat business types, but for various psychological reasons they're only really reachable through work. One of them was an old-old friend who formed a little writing group with me, and as soon as the writing was done I basically never heard from him again. That was a big part of how I found out that, despite all his emotional language toward me, we weren't as close as I thought. Another one is struggling to reformat her life since a few of her loved ones became terminally ill, and she's scared she's wasting her whole life on work alone. A third one is someone with whom I have collaborated on a life-changing creative project, and I'm so grateful for that, but I always have this suspicion that even though we both say we have this profound and irreplaceable connection, well, maybe I wouldn't know it was there if it weren't for the work. Whenever he calls me to catch up, it's squeezed between appointments of some kind. His social life seems to be totally made up of big group activities--games and shows and stuff--and I think it's because he would never find time to connect to anyone intimately 1-1. That's pretty much the opposite of me. He's in treatment for being a workaholic now so obviously he thinks this state of affairs is not good, but sometimes I feel like being a dick and asking him if he's REALLY sorry he's like this, or if he just feels like he SHOULD BE sorry.

[cryptidsurveys]

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024.

Has anyone ever made fun of your taste in music? Not my taste in music as a whole. Just one band.

What’s your favorite season of the year? Autumn with winter as a close second.

Do you have pop-tarts in your house right now? No.

Is anyone’s birthday coming up? No, but my mom just had her birthday about a week ago.

Does someone owe you over twenty dollars? No. However, they do want to start compensating me for some of the volunteer work I do at the shelter because I'm there so damn often. I was like, "no, seriously, it's fine; just let me have an occasional cupcake and I'm good, lmao." But today one of the managers came in and gave me what basically amounts to a staff pass to the fundraising event coming up later this week (equivalent of 40$)…I forget whether it's on Thursday or Friday, but I'm going to try to go to that. I had planned on attending last year, but I was sick. :'(

Do you remember who you liked in grade eight? Yeah.

When was the last time you burned any part of your body? I burned my mouth a bit on some coffee/oatmeal the other day.

Have you ever overflown a bathtub? No. But the drain tab (or whatever you call it…?) for our tub is broken, so we just stick it down with a bit of duct tape. The faucet leaks a bit sometimes, and sometimes the duct tape will come loose, and…yeah. I've come home to a couple of close calls. There's a sort of secondary/emergency drain thing, so it probably wouldn't completely overflow, but...!!!

Are you dressing up for Halloween this year? No.

Have you ever called somebody dollface? I don't think so.

If I gave you ten dollars, what would you spend it on? Probably groceries. There's nothing special I really want to buy.

Have you ever thrown food at a stranger in a movie theater? No.

What are you most excited about right now? How much time I've put in at the shelter lately, and how well my body has been holding up. Over the past seven days, I've completed three full days (Thurs, Sun, Mon) and two half days (Fri, Tues). I'd have to add up the hours, but I think I'm at or approaching full-time.

Does / did either of your parents serve in the military? Yeah. My dad was in the Air Force.

Are you somewhat of a perfectionist? I'm like a failed perfectionist. I try so hard to get things right, but I'm always messing up something.

Do you like sour candy? It's alright, but it's not my favorite. I tend to prefer chocolate over sour/sweet candies.

Where would you like to go on your honeymoon? A lot would depend on my partner, our circumstances, etc, but I would love to go on a bit of an extended backpacking trip along the Colorado Trail. If not that, then maybe a trip to Japan.

Do you have Verizon? Yeah.

Are all nighters something you have grown used to? Nooo.

Do you usually wear sunglasses when you’re driving? I often wear them in the morning, but I don't tend to need them in the afternoon/evening. It also kind of depends on the time of year/angle of the sun.

Do you wear your shoes around the house? No. I have slippers for inside.

Is there ever a time that you enjoy cold showers? Not really. Even when it's hot out, I still prefer hot showers.

What clothes are you most comfortable in? Sweatpants and big baggy hoodies.

Is there anybody you’re not ashamed to tell anything to? I still experience shame, but I'm most comfortable with my dad and therapist. I feel like I can tell them both pretty much anything.

What has changed most about you in the past year? At this point, I feel like it would be easier to list the things that haven't changed. This was a really transformative year for me, in a good way.

Are you good at painting nails? I wish.

Smoothies or slushies? Smoothies.

Are you good at filling silence in awkward situations? No.

Ignoring nutrition, could you live off veggies for the rest of your life? I do love veggies, especially salads, but I couldn't live off of them.

Elaborate on a way you have volunteered? That's basically what this whole survey blog is about, lmao - the progression of my volunteer experience.

Do you use a full length mirror daily? Yeah, or pretty close to daily, anyway.

Can you walk in heels, or do you feel awkward in them? No.

Any TV shows you sit down weekly to watch? I don't watch TV.

Does anybody know about your sex life other than your partners? I don't have a sex life atm.

Even if you don’t like politics, do you still have opinions on the issues? I'm not a very political person, but yeah, sometimes I still have opinions. And sometimes I don't; either because I just don't care, or because I simply don't know enough about a certain topic to form a meaningful opinion…which could also technically fall under "not caring" because I haven't bothered to better inform myself. (shrug)

Are you one to sneak food into movie theaters? Just my water bottle, but I don't think that really counts.

Do you ever actually make your bed? I wash my bed-stuff weekly, so I make it then, but otherwise not really. I might fix it up a bit if I feel like it, but that's about it.

Do you make an effort to eat healthy? Yeah. Not an obsessive effort, like I still allow for various indulgences, but I try to do a decent job.

How are things between the person you like / love / are with? N/a.

Where did you sleep last night? At home, in my bed.

The last time you kissed someone, what color of shirt were they wearing? I have no idea.

What kind of booze did you last take shots of? I'm not sure…maybe rum…?

What’s something you want to purchase next time you’re at the mall? There isn't anything. I'm not even all that interested in visiting the mall.

Has someone of the opposite sex ever told you that you were sexy? Yeah.

If you could see any musician live, front row, who would you choose? Maybe Fifty Dollar Dynasty. Not because they're my favorite band ever or anything like that (although I do like their music), but I originally found out about them through their podcast (Brothers of the Serpent) and really came to love their silly personalities, so it's…idk, I guess it's more personal?

If you had to choose between a million dollars or to be able to change a regret? The money.

Are you taller than your mom? Hmm, am I now…? She used to be taller than I am, but both of my parents have shrunk a bit as they've aged, so…I'll have to pay attention the next time I see her.

Have you ever been around someone who was high? Yeah.

Do you prefer to take your showers at night or in the morning? Mornings.

Think back to June. Were you in a relationship? No.

What’s so special about what you’re wearing? It's comfy.

Do you have any ‘naughty’ photos on your phone? No.

What were you doing at 10:00 this morning? Volunteering.

Why aren’t you texting the last person you kissed? Because we're not in contact/on good terms anymore…?

Do you think anyone has feelings for you? No.

What do you miss the most about your past? I miss backpacking trips with my dad. It's at the point now where I don't think we'll ever be able to go on another one. :'(

When is the next time you will kiss someone? I have no idea.

Has anyone taken their shirt off in front of you? Yeah.

Plan on getting drunk or high tonight? No. I haven't been drunk/high for a long time.

In the past week, have you cried hysterically? No.

Do you think you’ll actually live a happy life with somebody? I guess it's possible.

Are you on birth control? No.

Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night? No.

Last time you were really happy? Now. It's mixed with all kinds of other complicated/contradictory emotions, but I'm probably the happiest I've ever been.

Do you tend to fall for players? No.

Have you ever asked a boy for advice? Yeah.

Are you wrapped in a blanket? No.

Did you get a full 8 hours of sleep last night? Pretty close.

Have you spoken to your mother today? Father? I haven't spoken to my mom, but I have spoken to my dad.

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

"The whole idea of having a league of villains opens itself up to a multitude of opportunities. You can have some that terrify you to your core, and some that are just entertaining and fun. I think entertaining and fun is a perfect way of describing the proper man that is Mr. Compress." (Me.)

So this one sort of caught me by surprise, for a long time I only cared about Twice from the LOV. He was the only one that really mattered to me until I started to think more about my relationship with Mr Compress. I started to feel a similar way for the magic man and this edit was the result of my simping (let me tell you it was not easy to both keep this spoiler free and to find various pictures of him.) Now though, I'm ready to cash in my chips as a member of the full minority fan club for this group of baddies.

When we first met Mr. Compress, I did love his character. I mean he can do magic for crying out loud and that's just amazing! I was distracted by Twice and that's why it took me so long to officially start simping for him. It wasn't until I made one of my closest friend's on Discord that I realized there might have bene something more to him then just loving his quirk. The more I thought about it the more I was like huh I guess I simp for Mr. Magic Man too. His voice was another one that bothered me for quite some time. It wasn't until I eventually looked it up and saw that Kent Williams was his VA that I went "HATORI MY BELOVED". Something that I desperately love about what this dub does is that it brings so many of my favorite voice actors out of the grave. So many underrated talents are able to play memorable characters, whether they be heroes or villains. His proper way of speaking combined with that voice were just *perfect* for his character.

Let's be honest here, you want to talk about mom friend's of the LOV, look no further than Mr. Compress. He's the constantly exhausted parent that's just dead tired from having to deal with this combination of broody and angsty and too much energy/hyperactivity in his children. He's one of the oldest people in the LOV and thus made him want to be the parental type so that these "kids" didn't run themselves into the ground. The moment that always makes me think of protective Compress is when Twice eventually uses his doubles of himself in season five despite his protests that it's the one thing that he'd never do. His genuine worriment for his friend warmed my heart because nobody had ever really cared or worried about Twice other than Toga.

His theatrics are another thing that I really, really enjoyed. I mean he's just so obviously having the time of his life. Even though he's out here killing people to him it's just like putting on a show and I love that. He uses his magic tricks as a way of deception and I've always thought that was one of the coolest things about his character. Tell me that this man isn't into musical theater, come on I dare you. Everything that he does that has led to him being a villain you know he had the time of his life doing it. Even though he was doing awful things, through doing that he became the team dad and found his place in the world.

The more that I thought about my ever growing infatuation of Compress the more that it made sense. He might not be your traditional tragic goofball like Twice but that doesn't discredit his own lovability as well. Even though they are in the minority, I wouldn't trade in my simping card for anything at all. The sheer amount of fun in these characters has brought me to seeing that yes, I can simp for villains they just have to be a specific type of baddie.

[issaxcharlie]

Story: Messing with the stars

Chapter 1

Bobby

I always end up here. It is as if her voice drags me back. It’s a miracle that no one has noticed how often I sit here to see her.

She finishes rehearsing, I grab my backpack and race to the parking lot to catch up with my friends.

Lottie, Gary, Lucas and Hope are waiting for me in front of Lottie's car.

"Bobbycakes, where were you?" Lottie looks annoyed, the others just get in the car.

“Sorry, Lottie. Mr. Hughes wanted to talk to me about my homework.”

My eyes move like magnets to her, like every single day. She has her dark brown hair tied up in a beautiful braid. Her green crop top matches her beautiful eyes perfectly. She laughs as she walks home with her best friend, Kassam. The two quickly bonded over their love for music and had being inseparable ever since.

“Bobby, are you listening?” Lottie brings me back to the real world, she looks angry. But decides to just get on the wheel. I walk into the passenger seat and turn to see her beautiful face one more time.

“Did you hear that this time it will be obligatory for us to participate in the school play this semester? It will directly impact our Drama class. ”

Everyone sighs in frustration.

“Why are we taking Drama again?” Asked Gary, clearly annoyed.

"Is mandatory this semester, an attempt by the school to make us more creative and versatile, or something like that." Says Hope, somewhat disinterested. After all, she is known for being good at whatever she does. She doesn't mind leaving her advanced math class for a semester in order to recite some lines.

"It wouldn't be a bad thing if I had to kiss that beautiful theater freak." Gary is smiling, definitely imagining himself in that situation. Gross.

“Alison Light?” Wow, Lucas seems to have been paying attention to her too.

"Hell yeah mate, she’s gorgeous." Lottie rolls her eyes, and Hope dramatically changes the conversation.

Alison Light, aka Sunny or Sunlight. (Or at least that's how I would call her if I had the guts to speak to her.) Everyone else calls her Ally, and I'm embarrassed to say that my friends call her theater freak.

There is a rumor, that Sunny's dad passed away 5 years ago. Her mom found a job in London, so they had to move from Scotland. Alison took refuge in music, which has always been what she loved the most, entered the choir, the school band, each play, whatever was involved with music, she did it. That's how she earned the ‘theater freak’ nickname from everyone else, especially, Lottie and Gary. Unfortunately, everyone listens to Lottie and Gary.

I came to school a year later. Lottie immediately thought I had the potential to belong to her group, to this day I have no idea why. She told me that if I wanted to belong, I had to be around people with potential, and when Sunny approached with vibrant eyes and a huge smile to introduce herself, Lottie pushed her to the side, and made fun of her for having a 'crush' on the new kid and behaving ‘desperate’.

I didn’t defend her. I followed Lottie down the hall, and didn't turn to see her even once.

Every day when I see her in the hallway I wonder why I chose a scary stranger instead of the girl with the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, and the conclusion makes me quite embarrassed.

I chose Lottie because I was tired of being the kid everyone made fun of regardless of the consequences, the one who was just a joke. The boy Caitlin Evans cheated on by pretending she wanted me to be her boyfriend just to humiliate me in front of the whole school. I saw the opportunity to be someone different, and I took it. Letting go not only poor and humiliated Bobby, but also the opportunity to meet Alison in the process.

The next day I walk with the boys to the auditorium. Most of the students are already there. The music is quite loud, and her perfect voice immediately reaches my ears. As we get closer I can finally see what's going on. Kassam and Alison are doing a duet of the song "Into the Unknown" which in my opinion is not easy to sing. I’m annoyed to admit that they sound perfect together. Their harmonies are beautiful and their notes are totally clean and well placed. All of us who do not normally belong to this class, have our mouths open.

“As you could hear, this class has talent to spare. I will not accept less than what I know you can give. Everyone will sing a part of the song you wrote me yesterday on the list.” Mr. Hudson loves music as much as Alison, and has been an important person in her life for the past few years. He has always been kind to me, and has invited me multiple times to participate in his plays due to my and i quote ‘charming personality ’.

Auditions started. Surprisingly my friends did a pretty decent job. I would not choose them as the protagonists but they were not bad.

I always wanted to try theater. I've been watching it for years, since I've never missed a play by Alison, no matter how delusional it sounds. And I always liked singing, but believe me or not, I have stage fright. Also, even if I sang, the chances of me beating Kassam in the lead are microscopic.

"McKenzie, let's go. I have a feeling you will do a good job, I am excited to hear you.” Mr. Hudson, I honestly hope I don't fall off the stage while I go up, for me that will already be a victory.

The music starts playing, but I am unable to open my mouth. I turn to meet her green eyes, which for the first time in years seem to speak to me. She tries to tell me to focus on her, and I do. The song starts again, and this time I manage to start singing the words, which sound more whispered than anything else.

"Of your kiss, your touch, your love" Sunny starts singing with me, everyone turns to see her, but she seems determined to help me sing this song. I remain somewhat fearful during the chorus, and she takes the second verse like a queen. Focusing on making me feel comfortable, still staring at my eyes and taking my hand.

Suddenly, she is the only thing I can see.

The connection I felt the first time I saw her feels stronger than ever as we dance together across the stage, our voices sounding perfect next to each other, like they're meant to fit together.

I'm definitely not half as good as Kassam is, but without a doubt my connection and chemistry with Sunny is much stronger, or at least that's what I want to believe. A man has to have hope. It was a magical moment, like when Troy and Gabriella meet and sing 'Start Of Something New' together. Don't judge me, I saw her with my sister Gemma.

The song ends and everyone is shocked. Lottie seems about to pass out, and Lucas looks at me in disbelief.

"I've found my stars." Mr. Hudson whispers, his eyes lit up.

"What? No way! They were supposed to be solos, not duets ” Lottie yells, clearly about to lose her patience.

"My decision is final. I've never seen so much chemistry, it's like they were meant to be together. ” Seems like I'm not the only one who thinks so. I knew Mr. Hudson was a smart guy.

"This work is going to be the best we have ever done, I assure you." Sunny blushes slightly, we are still holding hands, and I honestly don't feel like letting her go, but she starts to pull apart gently.

"Thank you, Sunny." I whisper, she looks at me with mischief in her green eyes. That's when I realize what I said. WE ARE NOT NEAR THE STAGE OF NICKNAMES, GOOD ONE IDIOT.

"Omg, I'm so sorry, Alison. I, You probably don’t even know my name and I’m calling you by a nickname, this is so embarrasing.” I start to mumble things that I don't understand myself.

She smiles at me, trying to calm me down. "It's okay, Bobby McKenzie. Professional joker, awesome baker, beautiful eyes. From Scotland, just like me.” She emphasizes my name, so I have no doubts that she knows who I am. And I almost passed out with the beautiful eyes thing. Fuck, she's so sweet.

“Sunny sounds adorable, I was getting tired of theater freak anyway. And like Mr. Hudson, I could see your full potential. You just needed a hand.”

I blush, hard. She likes it. Both the nickname and the fact that she made me blush. I can see it on her face.

Lottie grabs my arm and starts dragging me toward Hope to leave.

This time I don't let history repeat itself.

"I'll see you tomorrow... Sunny." I wink at her, trying to sound and look as cool as possible.

She smiles. "See you tomorrow, partner."