#katie hall my beloved

[motions1ckn3ss]

this feels like an apology and it is one which i will grudgingly accept

just found out i won't be seeing raymond walsh as grantaire in the arena tour? he's leaving in like 5 weeks 😭😭

[biceratops7]

Unpopular (?) (actually idk the popularity level) opinion:

I greatly prefer the POTO productions that replace Christine’s second kiss with a hug.

Cause what really does the Phantom in isn’t that a beautiful girl is willing to kiss him, it’s that no one has ever recognized that he’s a person and has the same needs, aspirations, desires, etc, as everyone else. It gets across that he’s unaccustomed to and amazed by ANY affection, not just romantic.

I don’t really see this interpretation much anywhere but I think the fact she’s doing this for Raoul’s sake is actually part of his change of heart. First of all, I’m certain by that point he was convinced that Christine was going to say no and save herself instead, but she doesn’t. She’s not only willing to sacrifice herself to save Raoul, an incredible act of love and selflessness, but she recognizes the horrors the Phantom had to experience to become so cruel and chooses to give herself up for his sake too. Instead of simply agreeing to stay with him with as much coldness as she can muster.

He has every reason to believe the only reason empathy exists is because there are people who just haven’t learned they must be selfish to survive. But Christine still did what she did after clearly losing her innocence. Even though she’s grown to understand the cruelty of the world and is now capable of true malice, greed, and hate, she chooses not to use them despite having every right to. She’s no longer naive, and she is still kind. That’s something the Phantom didn’t think was possible until now.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in December 2024 🌈

Find these books and more here.

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Happy reading!

❓What was the last queer book you read?

[ Release dates may have changed. ]

❤️ Sugar-Coated Kisses - Echo Lark 🧡 Christmas at Watson Memorial - Clara Ann Simons 💛 Warm-Blooded - J Greene 💚 It Takes Three To Tango - Jem Wendel 💙 The Black Curse - N.A. Moore 💜 Heavenly Tyrant - Xiran Jay Zhao ❤️ Encrypted Hearts - E.V. Bancroft 🧡 Dangerous Devotion - Robin Jo Margaret 💛 Sew in Love - Rhea Fox 💙 Saint - Chani Lynn Feener 💜 Her Ladyship's Christmas Companion - Theresa Meiningen 🌈 A Sky of Emerald Stars - A.K. Mulford

❤️ Inked in Blood and Memory - Allison Ivy 🧡 The Key - Jo Morgan Sloan 💛 Home Between Homes - Flynn Woods 💚 A Kiss for the Holidays - C.S. Autumn 💙 Loving the Linebacker - Amaya Knight 💜 Close to Home - Allisa Bahney ❤️ Christmas Shelter - Eva Gonzay & Julia C. Brown 🧡 This Isn't Everything You Are - J. Marie Rundquist 💛 Keep It in the Dark - Justin Arnold 💙 Santa & His Elf - Bink Cummings 💜 On the Subject of Kittens and Mittens - Katie Silverwings 🌈 Winter's Whisper - M Bonneau

❤️ Boyfriends - refrainbow 🧡 Innis Harbor - Patricia Evans 💛 A Complementary Connection - Eskay Kabba 💚 Point of Sighs - Melissa Scott 💙 Bind You by Blood - Shepard DiStasio 💜 The Resurrectionist - A. Rae Dunlap ❤️ Fractured Dreamer - A.K. Adler 🧡 The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou 💛 Becoming Disabled - Jan Doolittle Wilson 💙 A Caress of Water - Nico Silver 💜 How to Survive As a Villain 1 - Yi Yi Yi Yi 🌈 The Silent Concubine - Qiang Tang

❤️ Hadrian - Harlowe Savage 🧡 A Series of Rooms - A.J. Barlowe 💛 Inklings of Invisibility - S.L. Dove Cooper 💚 The Cobbler and His Elves - C.B. Wren 💙 A Nightclub for the Holidays - Arden Coutts 💜 Armor of Dusk - Jess Galaxie ❤️ Twisted Shadows - Allie Therin 🧡 A Deception of Courts - Ben Alderson 💛 Trial Run - Carsen Taite 💙 How to Flirt with a Witch - Tiana Warner 💜 Roughed Up - Kate Hawthorne 🌈 House of Crimson Curses - Ruby Roe

❤️ Sister Snake - Amanda Lee Koe 🧡 Roland Rogers Isn't Dead Yet - Samantha Allen 💛 The Rivals - Jane Pek 💚 Private Rites - Julia Armfield 💙 The Christmas Switch - Briar Prescott 💜 Ribbonwood - Ruby Landers ❤️ Shifting Lanes - Joanne Kwan 🧡 Twice-Spent Comet - Ziggy Schutz 💛 A Crush for the Holidays - E.L. Ough 💙 Resist - Lasairiona Lewis 💜 Free from Falling - E.L. Massey 🌈 The Legendary Master's Wife - Yin Ya

❤️ Tide Breaker's Curse - Ivy H. Marikova 🧡 Twist Her - Terri Ronald 💛 How to Fuck Like a Girl - Vera Blossom 💚 Dog Days of Christmas - Krystal Wolfgang & Kimberly Wolfgang 💙 Warmer, Colder - Alexia Onyx 💜 Salt in the Wind - Jenna Pine ❤️ What We Carry With Us - Joseff McKenneth Goodwin 🧡 Reinvention - Karol Yan 💛 Christmas Carols - Maxime Jaz 💙 I'm Not Your Pet - Fae Quin 💜 Something Extraordinary - Alexis Hall 🌈 I Might Be in Trouble - Daniel Aleman

❤️ Deck the Palms - Annabeth Albert 🧡 Don't Get It Twisted - Wren Taylor 💛 Ice & Sweet - Charlie Novak 💚 Speak EZ - Elle E. Ire 💙 The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish - Xue Shan Fei Hu 💜 Horns For Hell - Rafael Nicolás ❤️ Flamboyant Fictions - Ian Fleishman 🧡 Where the Heart Is - Jenni Simonis 💛 Sorry I Kissed Your Dad - Achilles King 💙 Merry Weihnachten - E.J. Noyes 💜 An Alpha for the Holidays - Emily Axon 🌈 The Blessed - Anne Shade

❤️ Our Sinful Love - Amy H. 🧡 Gambler's Conceit - Adara Wolf & R. Phoenix 💛 Fate and Flambe - Leena Metcalfe 💚 Figure You Out - Hannah Danielle & K.F. Starfell 💙 Amaranthine - Aricka Alexander 💜 Twisted Loyalties - Barbara J. Webb ❤️ Echoes of Us - Alex Cross 🧡 The Shadowbearer's Curse - Jasmyn Morning 💛 Too Many Beds - Various 💙 We Are the Beasts - Gigi Griffis 💜 Unspoken - N.N. Britt 🌈 Rainbows After Storms - Luka Kobachi

❤️ The Shutouts - Gabrielle Korn 🧡 Robin's Worlds - Rainie Oet & Mathias Ball 💛 What the Woods Took - Courtney Gould 💚 Rescue Me - N. Slater 💙 Seb & Ailin - Michele Notaro 💜 The International Love Story - Jonas Noelting ❤️ Waterlogged - Nance Sparks 🧡 The Guardians - Sheri Lewis Wohl 💛 The Changeling's Faerie Prince - K.D. Ellis 💙 Until at Dawn We Wake - Charlotte Dalwood 💜 How to Get a Life in Ten Dates - Jenny L. Howe 🌈 Hammajang Luck - Makana Yamamoto

❤️ The Rules of Royalty - Cale Dietrich 🧡 Tired of Waiting for Tomorrow - Allison K. Garcia 💛 One Last Run - Bryce Oakley 💚 Reckless Hearts - Jax Calder 💙 Christmissed - Blythe H. Warren 💜 How Could You - Ren Strapp ❤️ Blackened - Tyler Briggs 🧡 Gratification in Gluttony - Nik Knight 💛 The Mogul Meets Her Match - Julia Underwood 💙 How to Be Heard - Roxane Gay 💜 The Case of the Missing Maid - Rob Osler 🌈 Shades of Us - D.L. Sims

[cant-get-enough-btr-forever]

"Big Time Battle of the Bands", Chapter 5: Big Time...Fandanas?

Wednesday morning arrived. Logan was going around the Palmwoods with a big clipboard.

"Great! And thank you for your input." he said, smiling at the girl he'd finished surveying. He jotted down a note as he continued down the hall. Upon looking up, he did a double-take.

James was walking at the far end of the hall, too, but he wasn't alone. A swarm of people surrounded him. He was laughing and joking with them.

The first thing Logan noticed was that every one of them had a bandana circling their forehead. A couple of the girls appeared to be wearing T-shirts that said, Proud Bandana Babe! Below these words was an image of a scintillating diamond wearing a bandana.

What in the world?

Logan tried not to goggle as he and James met in the middle. "Guys, don't lose those Fandanas, alright? They double as good luck charms." James explained. The throng laughed and unglued themselves from his sides.

Once they had left, James turned to the bewildered Logan. He grinned. "Oh, them? They're a few of the people that bought tickets for the concert. Those flyers really did the trick, huh? And my Diamond in the Rush blog, of course."

Logan looked as bewildered as ever. "Okay, I have a couple questions: One, why haven't you started on our project yet? And two, Fandanas?"

James grinned again. "Fandanas. Yeah. That's the brand-new line of merch I’ve just released. I'm selling it to the Diamond Ring." He held up his arms, which were adorned from the wrists to the shoulders with neon-colored bandanas.

When Logan stared, he explained, "The 'Diamond Ring' is my new little fan club. I'm not sure what to call each fan individually, though. I was thinkin' 'facets.' Did you know that 'facet'—"

"—is the name for each intricately cut side of a diamond?" Logan finished, glaring. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did know that. Speaking of learning new things, it's your turn to do the surveys on water usage for our school project." He shoved the clipboard on James' chest.

James opened his mouth to protest, but Logan held up a hand to shush him. "Don't get back to me until you have finished interviewing at least ten more people." With that, he stalked past James.

"Well, fine! It'll give me the chance to sell more Fandanas, anyway!" James yelled after him. Buddha Bob rattled by with his usual cleaning cart, whistling. He stopped as soon as he saw James.

"Hey, nice bandanas!" he complimented.

James' face lit up. "Thanks! You wanna be the newest member of the Diamond Ring?" he asked, holding out a green bandana.

Behind his unruly beard, Buddha Bob beamed. "Totally! Say, can you spare a brown one for Plungy?" He held up his beloved plunger. James stared, but shrugged and smiled.

......

Outside the Palmwoods entrance, Kendall, Carlos, and Katie had set up a ticket booth. This time, Katie was dressed in a bulky microphone costume. She was dancing with an arrow-shaped sign. The sign read, Big Time Rush Tickets HERE!

Mrs. Knight approached their station, bearing a tray piled with sandwiches and refreshments. She looked shocked by the setup.

"What are you doing? Why is Katie wearing that poorly ventilated costume?" she immediately asked.

While Carlos dove headfirst into the food, Kendall explained, "It's just a sales tactic, Mom. And a very effective one, at that." He flipped through a wad of cash to prove his point.

Katie lowered her arms and wiped sweat from her forehead. She turned to glare at her content brother.

"Guys, I've been dancing for an hour. We've already sold tickets to every resident. I get that it's for a good cause, but this is bordering on a child labor violation." she panted.

Kendall looked at her. She did seem pretty tired. "I dunno, Katie. I mean, we're getting so close to selling out. If you leave, we may never reach that goal." He held up a few of the tickets.

Carlos piped up around a mouthful of ham, "Yeah, now that we've discovered the effect that angelic cuteness has on people, we don't know if we can let it go."

Mrs. Knight let out a half-frustrated, half-amused sigh. "Well, this little angel is clearly exhausted. And, besides, she has homework to finish. C'mon, young lady."

Katie dropped the sign in relief, grabbed a juice box from the tray, and started to follow her mother. She paused to face the boys again. "By the way, are you guys forgetting that this is the Palmwoods? I'm not the only adorable thing around here, you know."

When Kendall and Carlos looked at her curiously, she smirked.

......

"WOOF!"

Lightning the TV Wonder Dog was now perched on a chair with the sign in his paws. The two guys stared at him, then at each other.

"I think I prefer Katie." Carlos said. "At least we didn't have to scoop her poop."

At that moment, a couple of teenaged girls went up to Lightning. The dog’s tongue lolled happily as they cooed and scratched behind his ears.

"Then again..." Kendall grinned. When Lightning's shades slid down his muzzle, he winked at them. Their mouths fell open.

......

In Hawk Record's polished studio, Cross My Heart was recording demos. The four stood around a large microphone, the harmonies flowing easily and beautifully. Hawk reclined in a chair and proudly looked on from behind the glass. He was sliding faders and pressing various buttons on the vast console.

Once they had finished, he spoke through a small mic. "That was absolutely splendid, chicks." he praised. "Let's take five, shall we?" The girls nodded and began sipping from water bottles.

A laptop sat next to the console. Humming to himself, he pulled it onto his lap and spun his chair around. "Just wait till the masses hear them. I can see it now: 'Cross My Heart: The Best Thing Since Big Time Rush.'" He clicked a news link, sniggering.

His laughter stopped short. Emblazoned across the laptop’s screen was a picture of Big Time Rush. The header blared, "Big Time Rush to Hold Benefit Concert for the Palmwoods Apartments."

Hawk's smile twisted into an enraged expression. "Those fiends. Can't they stay out of the headlines for two seconds?!"

He swiveled around to face the obliviously talking girls. He looked from them, to the header, and back again.

And there it was: revenge, slathered in big, beautiful letters.

"I believe, chicks..." he began, the simper reappearing, "...that it's time to fledge the nest. CAW!!"

[cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien]

Sneak Peak to Solar Opposites in: Mighty Solars Issue #1: “A Mighty Solar”

artwork by @caramelflavoredcrayons

Korvo approaches Terry down the wedding hall as he smiles at his beloved Terry. Phoebe smiles at the two aliens as Jesse started to shed a few tears.

Pastor Philip: Do you, Terry Wearspreada, promise to love Korvo, to honor and keep him safe in sickness and in all health, for as long as you both shall live?

Terry: I do.

Pastor Philip: And do you Korvo? Take Terry as your loving husband? To keep him safe in sickness and in health?

Korvo: I do. softly nuzzles Terry’s forehead with his Terry, on this day, there is never anyway I would say. I promise, no matter what happens, I won’t let anyone or anything come in our way.

Terry: And Korvy, I vow to let anyone or anything harm you too. Because, you’re my man and always will be.

Pastor Philip: And by the power invested in God, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom.

Terry and Korvo kiss as the wedding bells chime. Phoebe smiles in tears of joy at her friends’ happiness, Jesse smiles, Yumyulack just gagged and the Pupa started crying in happiness. Korvo and Terry then dance away as the sunsets. Music in this scene:

Five months later…

Korvo and Terry were sleeping in their bed as Korvo opens his eyes softly and smiles at Terry, who is still asleep. Korvo kisses Terry on the forehead. Suddenly, a crash is heard. Terry whines.

Korvo: quietly Don’t worry darling, I’ll be right back.

Korvo heads up to his lab. He searches up the crash and finds out it is a meteorite. That belongs to a dark lord from space.

Korvo: What the heck is a meteorite doing here on Earth-4? Better warn everyone tomorrow morning.

[whatthequizquack]

inspiration // voltron ✧ klance soundcloud au

Ch. 2:

The News

-In Lance's POV-

I said goodnight to Hunk as I turned over in my bed and was doom scrolling through my phone. That song kept playing in my head, Cheif Keith's new single. It was oddly catchy, and that fact annoyed me. He was that kind of industry plant mumble rapper, and it kind of felt like he was trying to cling to relevancy by switching it up this drastically. But the stupid song was stuck in my head, and I remember watching a five-minute craft video that said that listening to the song that's stuck in your head all the way to the end helps get rid of it. Ugh. I gave in and opened YouTube, typed in the song title, and clicked the video. Since it was new, there was only an audio version, with an album cover of Chief Keith sitting in an old convertible, with gigantic lettering spelling "Past Pressures". Oh, interesting, there’s gonna be a whole album?

I woke up to probably the 87th time the song replayed, since I fell asleep after the 4th loop. It was really pleasant. Really soothing. So so melodic. Who would’ve thought, right? I slowly open my eyes with a small grin plastered on my face. What a pleasant way to wake up.

Wait. Wake up? It's morning? What time is--

9:25 am?! #$@#!!!

"Hunk! Wake up! We've only got five minutes to make it to class!" I shrieked as I jumped out of bed with only pajama pants on, grabbed a hoodie draped on my chair, and threw it on. I scrambled and hopped as I tried to put my shoes on as fast as I could.

Hunk shot up and threw on his clothes as well, also struggling and hobbling a bit due to the urgency. We both then grabbed our backpacks and jumped out of the door.

"Looks like we're taking the car to class!" I said as I jumped in the driver seat and put the keys in the ignition.

"Jump in!" I screamed out the window, as Hunk was desperately running towards the car a bit behind me, trying to tie his hair back. He jumped in and I gassed it.

I considered myself a great driver, but for some very odd reason, most people didn't agree. But the important thing is that I get to places in one piece I guess. By the time I sped up to our building and parked, we had about 30 seconds left until 9:30. We both ran into the building, ran through the halls and admittedly, we loudly entered the door into the classroom, and discovered that class was already in session. Sure, we had a pretty loud entrance, but we were there, and technically on time. I felt everyone's eyes on me, but I really didn't care. I just confidently walked to my seat, while Hunk apologetically waved to the professor as he sheepishly followed me.

"Sorry for the interruption professor. Please go on." Said Hunk, but of course he did. He's just that type of student to not want to be on bad terms with his professor. I just can't wait until I get out of this hell hole and get some coffee. I'm dead tired.

----

FINALLY, that bell rang. You already know I ran out of there as fast as I could. Calling the driver's seat, I got the keys, sat down, and got ready to drive. Hunk strapped himself into the passenger seat, and stared me down. Of course, he wants me to give my phone to him. He's all about that safety-first stuff.

"Just plug it into the aux. Turn on some bangers." He hated it when I said that, but I said it anyway. He plugged it in, turned on my Spotify, and we drove to the nearest Dutch Bros.

After getting my beloved cup of coffee, my songs were interrupted by my ringtone. Who can be calling me this early? Motioning Hunk to pick it up and let it play through the car speakers, he did just so.

"Yellow?" I glanced over to the screen and saw it wasn't a number I recognized, and followed my greeting with a confused "Who's this?".

"Hello, is this 'The Tailor' from SoundCloud?"

Ohhhh boy. How’d they get this number? Am I finally being recognized or hunted down?

"This is he," I replied, still confused.

"This is Katie Gunderson from Kaltenecker Records, I'm Cheif Keith's agent. You have been requested by Keith himself for you to visit the studio. Would you be interested in that offer?"

I just stared at the road ahead in shock.

"I-uh-yeah, but why does Chief Keith want me at the studio?"

I've never been more confused, shocked, and happy in my entire life.

"That’s not important. I’ll be keeping in touch with more details as things play out."

I looked at Hunk as he put his hands up defensively towards that tone. Kinda rude to speak to me like that but I guess that's how the show bizz is.

"Uhhh okay, I understand. When will this happen and where? Do I book a flight right now--"

"That won't be necessary. Whenever you have free time, just give me a call, and we'll provide transportation and housing during your visit."

Smiling slightly, I look over once again at Hunk and realize I’ll need him there.

"Uh, ma'am? I have a producer that creates my beats and stuff, I need him to come along with me."

"That'll be no problem, sir. Just say the word, and we'll get you here and settled for a bit. Any other questions?"

"No, but I'll call you if I have any! Thank you so much!"

“You as well. Good day.”

I ended the call and kept driving in a trance. After a bit, I looked over at Hunk, who still had his mouth open in disbelief.

"Woah dude. I don't even know how to react. Like is this it?"

Hunk gave an I-dunno look, and I turned to face the road as I continued to drive in shock. Is this my big break?

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

-In Keith's POV-

"Did you call him yet?"

Katie was looking out the window then turned around to face me.

"Yeah, he's going to come soon, it’s all up to when he’s free. He's also bringing a guest, his producer? I hope that's alright."

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine. So when is he coming?"

Katie was looking through her phone now, so she looked up and parted her mouth to reply.

"He's a college student, Keith. He needs​ to make time or find some on his own, not just us grabbing him from his classes."

I never went to college, unless one year of University before getting expelled counts. This guy must have some talent to balance music and school, since I can barely handle music alone. Maybe I can visit him...?

I stood up, nodded slightly, and headed out the door. Remembering where I was going, I peeked my head in the office once more to ask if Katie wanted anything for lunch, to which she gestured to her McDonald's bag. I nodded once more and headed out of the office building.

As I walked out of the office building, I scrolled through my texts, and saw I had a new one. From Katie? She sent me a number, and being curious, I clicked it and plugged in my earbuds to listen to the other end. I almost jumped when I heard a familiar voice on the other end.

"Yellow?" The guy on the other end said, in a rather obnoxious.

"Yeah, hello? This is Keith Kogane, is this 'The Tailor'?"

"Woah super formal" I heard him say under his breath. “Yeah, this is he, I think I just got off the phone with your agent…? Is this for real?”

I was shocked at this guy's bluntness, but I understand being confused by how sudden this all is.

"Yeah, definitely for real, I’m sorry for how out of the blue this all is, but I have a question for you. Since I know you have a busy life at the moment, I was wondering if I could possibly visit until you could come to California for the studio session?"

I could've sworn I heard whispering on the other end, but it quickly cut back to him talking normally.

"Woah, yeah, sure, dude! Come anytime. Me and Hunk-- ah-- Hunk and I, would be honored to have you here. I’m a bit confused about why, but hell, why not?

"Great, because I'm visiting tomorrow. What's your address?"

Fantastic. I sound like a desperate stalker.

"This is your number, right?”

“...Yeah…?”

I almost jumped when I heard the FaceTime ringing and looked down at my phone to see my own face, and a prompt to accept the call.

“Uhhhh…” I stammered.

“C'mon man, I wanna see if this is for real or not. This is a lot and gotta make sure it’s not a scam or whatever.”

I froze. I’ll be seeing the guy who inspired me. My muse. I’m scared.

I snap out of my confusion and sigh. “Fine.”

I accept the FaceTime request to see a couple of pairs of eyes hovering over the camera phone. One is a bigger tan guy, with big brown eyes and dark brown hair, sporting a neat manbun. The other is another tan guy, smaller in size, with the most stunning blue eyes I have ever seen. His wavy brown hair complemented his skin tone so well, and I hadn't even seen his full face. Who is this guy? The bigger guy quickly whipped out of frame, which snapped me out of whatever spell I was under.

“Woah, it's actually you! Love your music man, good stuff.”

I stare down at the phone, also only showing my eyes and hair.

“Right back at you, and you are…?”

“I’m Lance, or The Tailor as you might know me. The other guy is Hunk, he's the producer I mentioned to your agent.”

Woah. It’s him.

“Ah, right. Well, how is the visit gonna work? Do I have your permission, or…?”

“Right! Just let me know when you're in the area and I’ll send the address. Sound good?”

“Yeah, yeah! Sounds great, thank you for being so flexible, I just can't wait to work with you.”

“Of course! It’s an honor. See you when I see you!

"You too, thank you for the cooperation."

"Yeah, no problem, man. See you then!"

I heard a click on the other end, and felt a flutter in my chest. Woah. That was him. I can't wait.

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

-In Hunk's POV-

I have never seen someone so excited to see someone they hated only two days ago. Man, Lance is crazy. I mean, I'm a bit excited too, but this is just downright a dream. Why would a random rich rapper want to visit a lowly SoundCloud rapper and his producer? Well, whatever the reason, I hope he isn't staying here. Don't like rich people get expensive hotels? He's real thoughtful for visiting instead of us visiting him. It's almost midterms anyway. Hopefully, he won't distract us too much.

"Yo, Hunk! We gotta tidy this dump up! Keith is visiting like, tomorrow!" Lance said with a goofy grin and flailing arms. This dude needs to chill.

Wait, Keith? Who-- Oh! Chief Keith. Yeah, gotta leave a good impression.

I helped Lance set up the dorm in an orderly fashion, and prepped to go to the store to pick up groceries at the supermarket for the visit. Lance pitched in some of his savings so we could get a decent amount of food instead of just some Pop-Tarts and Cup Noodles. Plus, Shay works there as a cashier. She's so nice. 

I picked up all the groceries for a good cheap college dinner, and headed to the registers. Ah, register 2. Shay's working there.

"Hey, Shay!" I was grinning like a fool when I walked up to the conveyor belt.

We talked a bit about my career, my major, and her future goals. She's so breathtakingly intelligent. I said my goodbyes, grabbed the groceries, and headed for our old Honda. Keith better be prepared for the delicious meal I'll prepare for him. Although I am studying to be an engineer, I love cooking, and was hoping to minor in it when I get the funds. I'm super excited that Lance and I might be able to get some recognition from people other than online or on campus because of Keith's visit, I'm hoping it'll go well.

_______________________________

Thanks for reading yall. Leave feedback in the comments, ill be continuing my revision and hopefully with the rest of the story soon.

[weltysymposium]

Videos of This Weekend's Symposium

Did you miss the symposium Oct. 19-21? Never fear, you can watch the archived videos. Each heading is linked to the video in our Facebook group.

Thursday, Oct. 19, 7:30pm Katy Simpson Smith, The Weeds

Friday, Oct.20, 9am-12pm Lee Durkee, Stalking Shakespeare Maurice Carlos Ruffin, The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You De’Shawn Charles Winslow, Decent People K. Iver, Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco

Friday, Oct.20,  1:30-4:30pm Ann Fisher-Wirth, Paradise is Jagged Halle Hill, Good Women: Stories Claude Wilkinson, Soon Done with the Crosses Ephemera Prize Reading

Saturday Oct.21,  9:30am-12:30pm Ethel Morgan Smith, Path to Grace Christie Collins, The Art of Coming Undone Ellen Ann Fentress, The Steps We TakeExodus Brownlow, I'm Afraid That I Know Too Much About Myself Now

[glassprism]

I was looking your blog and I saw you posted JOJ's STYDI from his show with Celia Graham but the link is not available. It's still on youtube? I've only found two audios , one of him with Katie and other with Celinde. I cannot wrapped my mind around the fact there is only two of his shows and from his first run when he then went and had a lot of others christines like Katie and Celinde. West End had the worst bootleggers especially when it comes to JOJ.

One of the most famous Phantoms of the 90s, Peter Karrie, made his start in London. He played the role there for over a year from 1992 to 1993. There are no videos of him until he reached Toronto.

Peter Polycarpou, Glyn Kerslake, Peter Cousens, Mike Sterling, and Simon Bowman all played the role of the Phantom for various amounts of times in London. Many of them are very well known actors on the West End and have been in many famous shows. None of them have any videos of them besides maybe a few clips.

Ben Forster played the role in London for about a year, taking over from JOJ. Apart from one clip and a couple of concert performances, there are no videos of him until he went to the Greece production.

Ben Lewis originated the role of the Phantom in Australia's version of Love Never Dies. Despite his enduring popularity, the only videos of him are blurry, wideshot clips of just a few scenes of him.

Scott Davies was one of the longest-running standbys of all time, playing the role opposite over a dozen Christines for ten years from 2019 to 2020. The last complete video of him was as the principal back in 2000. There are no videos of him as the standby beyond minuscule clips.

This is not even counting the numerous other understudies and standbys who have gone completely unfilmed, some even completely unrecorded.

How many videos does JOJ have? Two with Rachel Barrell, one with Celia Graham, half a video with Lisa-Anne Wood, plus four clips of him in the UK tour with Katie Hall and clips of him with Gina Beck, plus various other clips with Christines like Celinde Schoenmaker, not counting the unreleased videos of him with the last.

Did the West End production have a dearth of filmers at some points? Yes. Just like every other production in the world. Did JOJ still manage to get filmed a fair few times? Yes. And do you think some of those other, barely filmed Phantoms also have fans? Because they do! Do they get grouchy and declare West End bootleggers "the worst" for not catching their beloved fave actors? No, we mourn for what could have been but enjoy the little we get.

So maybe you should try to be grateful to those filmers for catching JOJ so many times, instead of bashing on them for not catering to your very specific, JOJ-centric needs that they would not even have known about, years after the fact.

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Well-Behaved Women for Kamala

October 28, 2024 | Town Hall | Evening | Concert | Fundraiser | 2H

Given its primary purpose (a night of female empowerment songs to raise money for the presidential campaign), it was great. Twenty-one hot and talented women channeling historical figures in a song cycle of girlboss power anthems. What more do you want? Highlights of the night included Kate Baldwin's Janet Armstrong lament, Katie Thompson's fire and brimstone Boudicca, and the quartet of SCOTUS ladies (Klea Blackhurst, Barbara Walsh, Mary Testa, Alma Cuevos). My beloved Vicki Clark showed up in her green suit and debuted a baffling Australian accent that was not Australian at all, but she was having fun, so I'll allow it. During the final ensemble number, Mary Testa had found a comfortable position leaning up against the piano and couldn't be bothered to move to microphone for her line. Didn't matter, because this woman has a belt on her like Ethel Merman and knows how to project without breaking a sweat.

But see, the thing about song cycles is that individually, the songs are all perfectly fine, but presented consecutively, it makes for a repetitive night. There was nothing especially spectacular in terms of music and lyrics, and every single song required the performer to screlt to the high heavens. Some were more successful with this than others. Singers like Andrea Burns (Statue of Liberty) were able to really showcase their superior mixing skills to transition up into a more forgiving head/chest voice, and Kate Baldwin's slower ballad song was a blessed relief. And look, the actual subject matter is a little too revisionist, girlboss feminism to hold my interest. Plus, the composer and lyricist is Australian. So. Make of that what you will.

Verdict: A Lovely Night

A Note on Ratings

[catastrxblues]

welcome to the waiting room !⋆｡˚🌿✧˖

➸ greetings hi!!! i'm nadine. xvi. she/her. southeast asian. muslim. student. apparently an isfj. virgo. also bibble and phoebe bridgers enthusiast. late afternoons and afternoon sun my beloved <3

➸ other socials : spotify | storygraph | goodreads | letterboxd | serializd | pinterest | instagram | discord : soaperache

➸ (looking for a) creations (myth) : webweave, edits

➸ credits : divider i by @benkeibear, divider ii by @gigittamic, divider iii, super important bibble masterpost by julie <33333 @octoberconstellation -> if you want any of your edits to be removed from here please do say so!!! thank you! <3

important : thepalestineacademy.com, free palestine, on west papua (i)

┏ STEM at heart, but sometimes all i really want to spend the rest of my life doing is reading, pondering over poems, learning to bake, crying over songs, writing in an immense amount and be good at it, watching films and shows new and old, working at a bookshop, collecting so many books that i have sagging bookshelves on the walls of my room, watching the moon, examining the stars, and enjoying the afternoon sun in a meadow or hills or somewhere with running creeks and flowers (but that's unrealistic so)

books ✧ the hunger games + ballad, six of crows, percy jackson, a good girl’s guide to murder, hp (fuck jkr) & the marauders, if we were villians, anne of green gables, the kane chronicles, keeper of the lost cities, five survive, solitaire, circe, tsh, every other ya contemporaries because!!

artists ✧ taylor swift, gracie abrams, phoebe bridgers, lorde, conan gray, sabrina carpenter, olivia rodrigo, maisie peters, ariana, bridgit mendler,

movies + shows ✧ little women (2019), thg adaptations, before sunrise, mcu, romcoms, clueless, bridge to terabithia, lady bird, barbie, heathers, lemonade mouth, bridgerton, heartstopper, jatp, asoue (show), alexa and katie, nhie, lost in space (2017), full house, the edge of seventeen, matilda, tpobaw, bottoms,

albums ✧ all of taylor’s but mostly : folklore, evermore, speak now tv, and red tv. good riddance, superache, guts, emails i can’t send, stranger in the alps, melodrama, the good witch, and yes i added this section just to tell you how much i love folklore and evermore. they’re the first albums i have ever loved and they are so so special to me.

characters ✧ katniss everdeen, peeta mellark, the march sisters, all of the crows, anne shirley, sejanus plinth, percy jackson, annabeth chase, grover underwood, finnick odair, tigris snow, kamala khan, celine, remus lupin, pippa fitz-amobi, ravi singh, AND SO MANY MORE YOU HAVE NO IDEA

ships ✧ everlark, kanej, helnik, wesper, percabeth, odesta, pipravi, and soo many more i just can't think of any right now crying

check down below for some v cool moodboard and BIBBLE (first five are mastermind julie's creations!!!)

↳ personal tags i want to save : my reblogs of tumblr hall of fame posts (2) | i love you | save for later!! | rambles in shambles | long posts | my (unserious) edits | 💌 | ✉ | tagged (2) | album releases edition : sntv rants ✧ guts some incoherent thoughts ✧ 1989 tv know places we can hide

↳ some of my sideblogs : @electrictouchftvtv -> used to be a random writing blog, but got shadowbanned. @andillwatchh -> movies & shows sideblog @iborrowlibrarybooks -> i don’t know, book quotes / moodboards / aesthetic blog? haven’t used it in a while. @everlarkestt -> supposed to be a thg sideblog but it’s currently empty except like two posts because i’m lazy. @labyrintharchive -> I WANT TO BE LOVED. I CARE MORE TO BE LOVED.

[thew-mfacw]

Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium 2023 Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 19, 7:30pm Katy Simpson Smith, The Weeds

Friday, Oct.20, 9am-12pm 9:00 Lee Durkee, Stalking Shakespeare 9:40 Maurice Carlos Ruffin, The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You 10:30 De’Shawn Charles Winslow, Decent People 11:10 K. Iver, Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco

Friday, Oct.20,  1:30-4:30pm 1:30 Ann Fisher-Wirth, Paradise is Jagged 2:10 Halle Hill, Good Women: Stories 2:50 Claude Wilkinson, Soon Done with the Crosses 3:30 Ephemera Prize for High School Writers

Saturday Oct.21,  9:30am-12:30pm 9:30 Ethel Morgan Smith, Path to Grace 10:10 Christie Collins, The Art of Coming Undone 11:00 Ellen Ann Fentress, The Steps We Take 11: 40 Exodus Brownlow, I'm Afraid That I Know Too Much About Myself Now

Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, Mississippi Poindexter Hall, Kossen Auditorium Or live stream at our Facebook Group (no need to be on FB to watch) All times are approximate except start times

[dragoncxv360]

Oh oh I have tons of favourites

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender

Very good, have read it multiple times

deals with ghosts and mental health and death

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

still need to read the sequel but I loved this, ragtag band of misfits my beloved

Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake

haven't finished the series, I think there's some fade to black nsfw? But no actual explicit scenes. It's good but dark since it deals with three sisters fighting to the death for the throne

Of Fire & Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

kinda forgot what this is about but it has lesbian princesses, also it has one scene of very vague nsfw but like it's less than a page and not very detailed so you can skip it. Also it has a prequel called Inkmistress and a sequel called Of Ice And Shadows, haven't read them yet tho

Has lots of lesbian rep :D

RoseBlood by A. G. Howard

phantom of the opera retelling, very good, super interesting interpretation

The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

warning this has a very bittersweet ending so if that's not your thing I don't recomend it. I was fine the first time reading it but when I reread it back in 2020 I had a pretty big breakdown 'cause it deals with abuse and death and it hit too close to home

Has lesbian and trans fem rep :D (they don't die, just to clarify, they're like...secondary main characters?)

Deals with demons, literally, they make deals with demons, trade parts for wishes, it's very interesting

In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens

omg one of my favs it's so very gay and magical :D

Has princes and stoaway boys

So This Is Ever After by F. T. Lukens

also very gay and magical :D

Has princes and mages and a ragtag band of misfits

Also has a bi gal in it

F. T. Lukens is easily one of my fav authors now and I'm excited to read their next book that I have of theirs, Spellbound. Also they're nonbinary :D. Also I love their cover artist's art, I actually went and followed her on insta and she makes so much gay art it's amazing

The Witchery by S. Issabelle

Omg this one was so good

3 of the 4 main characters are black and there's a lesbian (or possibly bi) character and a minor character who's trans fem

The author is also black

This book is getting a sequel next month and I am so fucking excited omg. Also shout out to this book for being the first published book I've seen with trigger warnings in it, it was incredibly nice to have a warning about what the book deals with

Vassa In The Night by Sarah Porter

Based on a russian folktale, Vassasilia the beautiful I believe is the name, it feels like reading a painting honestly, the way it's written is gorgeous

The Asylum series by Madeline Roux

I love love love this series, it kept me on the edge of my seat

It talks loads about mental health which is super nice, tho it deals with a lot of triggering topics about old asylums and it has a lot of unreality

Also in the main series, one of the characters is gay and in the prequel the two main characters are a bi guy and a trans gal :D

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Very gay, very good

It deals with drugs tho so if that's not your thing def don't read it

Honorable Mentions

Simon vs the Homo Sapians Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Splintered by A. G. Howard

alice in wonderland retelling, haven't read the rest of the series

Project Paper Doll: The Rules by Stacey Kade

About an alien gal living on earth, haven't read the rest of the series but I def want to

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Really good YA book, talks a lot about anxiety in the end

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Also talks about mental health, tho this time it's about schizophrenia. Obviously with that territory does come unrealiable narration and unreality and some of the later scenes in the book of her having breakdowns could def be triggering. Has an almost nsfw scene but they end up deciding not to do it

Also the author is also an artist and has some more original stories on Wattpad, like the Hypnos Children and a tease of Monstrous Sea in written form (it's a comic mentioned in Eliza And Her Monsters that Eliza writes)

Hey hey anyone got any book or fic recommendations? I wanna make a list skjsjs

[allaboardthevespa]

Unconditionally

I got bored, and I suddenly felt the urge to write some really sappy (with some angst) Milo Murphy’s Law fluff. I know who Melissa should end up with is a matter of debate, but I’m a proud Team Zalissa member so this fanfic will be about that. Milossa or Bradlissa fans, sorry, but hope you can enjoy this nonetheless. I wasn’t sure what to call this at first, but I listened to the Katy Perry song “Unconditionally” and my brain was like YES so here.

I’m not proud of how this ends, but eh, my brain sucks at ending things. Just hope y’all enjoy this bit of adorable sickfic fluff ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

WARNING: contains relatively graphic scenes of vomit…and becomes extremely tooth-rotting fluff

-- 

It was an ordinary day in Danville – or as ordinary as it could be with the Murphy family’s usual chaos. Milo and Zack’s walk to school had been a heck of a ride, as usual. Runaway concrete pipes, surfing on busted plumbing, falling off cliffs, the whole nine yards. But, as is the norm for Milo Murphy and his friends, everything worked out and they got to school in the nick of time.

 But of course, it didn’t take long for them to realize someone was missing.

 As the students sat in class waiting for Ms. Murawski, Milo looked between him and Zack and noticed a conspicuously empty seat. “Hey, wait a minute,” asked the jinx, “Where’s Melissa?” “I have no idea,” replied Zack, scratching the back of his head in confusion. The other students surrounding them began chattering among themselves, wondering what could’ve happened to the rough-and-tumble redhead. “Maybe she blocked one of her chakras?” Mort suggested with a shrug. Bradley facepalmed, “Mort, she’s not a hippie like you are. She doesn’t do chakras.” “MAYBE DRAKO GOT HER!” panicked Chad, shivering like a leaf and covering his head with his hands. “Don’t panic, everyone,” Amanda cut in, “Knowing what happens in this town, she’s probably caught up in time-travel shenanigans to save a cart of pistachios or something.”

 “Pipe down, class!” came an adult voice. The kids turned to see Ms. Murawski entering the room, just hanging up a phone. “I know you’ve all noticed that Melissa Chase is missing today. Well, it’s simple. She’s just come down with a stomach ache and can’t come in today. No matter, she’ll be able to catch up some other day.” She took out a pencil, “Now, turn your textbooks to page 421.”

 As the other students got to reading, Milo turned to look at Melissa’s empty chair. “That’s too bad,” he sighed, “I don’t even remember the last time she got sick.” He turned to look out the window. “Poor Melissa. She must be feeling pretty down right now.” “Yeah…” Zack agreed, looking crestfallen. “I wish I could help out.” “Well, if you want to, you could,” Amanda suddenly spoke up, “It’s just a little science work, you don’t need to worry about missing it. I think Melissa would be happy to have a little company today.” “Yeah,” Milo agreed with Amanda, “Besides…I’m sure you would love to have a little…” He cleared his throat sarcastically, before giving a smug grin, “Quality time with her.” “Oh, of course,” laughed Amanda, as snickers and ‘oooooh’s went up around the rest of the classroom. Zack flushed a beet-red, flustered by Milo’s joke. “Yes, yes, I’m aware of the, ahem, ‘chemistry’,” he chuckled bashfully, “Alrighty. If you think I should go hang out with her, I’ll go. She could use the company.” “You go, Zack!” cheered Milo, as Zack went to Murawski’s beloved front desk.

 “Excuse me, Ms…may I be excused? I need to use the restroom,” Zack innocently asked, hiding his lie expertly well. “Fine, very well,” Murawski huffed, “Just don’t get lost.” “Thanks, Ms,” he chirped, waving goodbye to the students as he left the room. The moment he slipped out, he scanned the halls for the arrow sign that was labeled “Way Out”, and the minute he saw it, he scampered in that direction. He heard hall monitors yelling at him to not run in the halls, but he couldn’t give less of a damn. Detention could wait. He had a friend to help.

 --

 After a lot of running and following directions on his phone, Zack had arrived in the street where Melissa and her single father lived. Seeing Mr. Chase standing outside his house watering a bush, Zack got on his way to talk to him when he suddenly noticed a butterfly flitting in front of him. Zack watched it fly upwards and noticed it settle on a tree branch covered in wisteria flowers – and an idea registered in Zack’s mind. He reached up and grabbed a small branch covered in a healthy amount of the flowers, wrapped the wood in some tissue paper he brought with him, and wrapped a bow around the flowers to keep them straight. Holding tightly onto the bouquet, he soon made it to the house he was looking for.

 As Mr. Chase was minding his own business, watering that bush, he heard a familiar voice. “Hey, Mr. Chase!” He turned off the hose and whipped around to see Zack, politely standing at his gate with a bouquet of wisteria flowers in hand. “Oh, hello, Zack,” greeted the firefighter, “I imagine you heard about my daughter?” “Yeah, tough break,” Zack replied in a sympathetic tone. “When I heard, I thought I could come down and cheer her up.” “Oh, how nice,” Mr. Chase smiled, “Melissa doesn’t get sick often, but she’s always miserable when she does. I think she’ll be happy to have a friend with her.” “I thought so too,” Zack nodded, following his crush’s father to the door. “Thanks for letting me come around,” he thanked with a grateful wave. “No problem,” the older man replied, “Any friend of my daughter’s is a friend of mine. Hope you two have fun.” “Bye, Mr. Chase,” Zack waved at him as he walked up the stairs to his friend’s room.

 --

 It had not been a fun morning for Melissa. When she awoke, the stomach pain had hit her in full force, and it didn’t take long for her father to realize how out of sorts she was. Neither of them liked when she got sick, but Melissa had a special hatred for the concept of illness. She was a real go-getter, and the thought of having to stay in bed for hours on end and not enjoy her usual hobbies made her feel even sicker than she was already.

 But the worst part of being sick in bed is that, without her mind being preoccupied by daily events caused by school and Murphy’s Law, it tended to wander to some uncomfortable places…and asked some tough questions she didn’t know if she had the answers to.

 Was Milo always gonna be able to keep himself prepared for every situation? 

Will his bad luck come to bite him in a way he can’t protect himself from?

Should she even be asking these questions?

Would Milo WANT her asking these questions?

 The internal crisis she was having made the stress she had grow all the more, and her stomach’s pain intensified with it.

 Melissa was holding her head in distress and shutting her eyes tightly, in a vain attempt to block out those awful questions, when she heard her door creak open. Reluctantly, she slowly opened one of her eyes…and suddenly her heart skipped a beat at who she saw waiting for her in the doorway. She gently pulled herself up from her hunched state as her eyes met his, and gently mumbled “Z-Zack? Is that…really you?” Zack let out a quiet laugh, “Of course it’s me, buddy. I heard you were sick, and I knew I had to be there for you. You are my best friend, after all.” Melissa didn’t notice it, but her cheeks were heating up with a bright red blush as the compliment warmed her heart and soul. “You…really mean that?” she asked, giving a genuine smile. Zack couldn’t help blushing himself at the sight of Melissa giving him a sweet, happy smile with her cheeks tinged red. It was completely adorable.

 To respond to her question, Zack revealed the bouquet of wisteria flowers he’d picked on his way. “If I didn’t mean it, would I get you these?” He approached her in her bed and gently knelt down to her level, “Milo’s told me you love flowers, so when I saw these in your neighborhood, I figured I’d get you a little something.” Melissa gave an adorably surprised gasp, then, as quickly as she could, reached over to grab the bouquet with a cute little giggle. “Wow, I…” she stammered, caressing some of the petals, “That’s really sweet of you.” “It’s the least I could do for you being such a great friend,” Zack responded, watching happily as his best friend held the wisteria bouquet to her chest and face and inhaled deeply. “I’m glad you like them.” “Thanks, Zack,” Melissa gave him the cutest smile ever, “I’m glad you’re here for me.” “Well,” responded the former boyband member, “What are best friends for?”

 --

 From then on, in the following hours, the two best friends made the most of their time together. The two played all sorts of games, shared all sorts of stories, and just being two kids happy in one another’s company. Zack enjoyed every moment, yet throughout it all he couldn’t stop himself taking his eyes off his best friend. Her smile warmed his heart, her giggles were absolutely adorable, and every so often she’d briefly stop what she was doing, turn around and smell the flowers he’d brought her, now sat comfortably in a vase on her bedside table. That was another thing he found to be adorable. It wasn’t often that he saw the redhead able to just loosen up and be a goofball when they weren’t busy trying to stop Murphy’s Law from causing mayhem, but when they got the chance to just be kids, it was something both of them made the most of.

 It was during a quiet break from their fun that things began to take an unexpected turn.

 Zack was watching his best friend cuddled up in her bed, stroking her hair gently, when an uncomfortable-sounding groan emitted from her stomach, and she abruptly shot up and looked at him with a deer-in-the-headlights look. “What’s the matter?” asked Zack, gently grasping her hands. “I…I dunno,” Melissa panted, before she clutched her stomach out of instinct. “I…I’ve never felt l-like this…” She took a shaky breath, “But I feel like I…ugh!” She cringed, and without thinking raised a hand to her mouth. Zack connected the dots right away. He didn’t think they’d be able to make it to the bathroom fast enough at this point. Luckily, his eyes floated to a spare empty flower vase not yet filled with wysterias or whatever other flowers she liked. It wasn’t perfect, but it’d do. He scrambled over and grabbed it, before giving it to Melissa, and sat next to her once more.

 Melissa opened her mouth to say something, but abruptly, she hunched herself over and heaved unpleasantly. Zack couldn’t help cringing, but he knew he had to provide some semblance of comfort. It looked like this was a new experience for her. He gently rubbed her back as each painful retch came, making sure she knew he was there for her even in a time like this. Melissa’s mind didn’t register much else in that moment other than the horrible feeling of her throat and stomach expunging the nasty liquid from her body, and, in sharp contrast, the warm, soft, gentle touch of her best friend.

 In reality, it only took 30 seconds for the retching to stop. To Melissa, it felt like an eternity. Nonetheless, when she was sure she was done, she pulled her head back from the vase and wiped her brow as she set the now puke-filled vase aside. She breathed heavily in an attempt to clear her mind, as what just happened played itself over and over again in her head. She’d never experienced something like that before, and she never wanted to again. Luckily, though, she had her best friend right nearby. Getting a little closer to the sickly go-getter, Zack gently asked her “How do you feel?” Coughing a little, Melissa turned to Zack with a look of pure pain in her eyes. “I…I…” she wiped her brow again, “What…was that? T-that was horrible…” “Relax, Melissa,” Zack did his best to comfort her, “You just vomited. No big deal, it happens to you sometimes if you’re stomach-sick.” “B-But I…” the redhead whimpered, “Th-that hasn’t happened to me before…My dad told me about it when I was super young, and cuz I don’t get sick that often…I never THOUGHT it would happen…” She sighed, “Man, I feel like a dummy now.” Feeling his heart hurt for Melissa’s sorry state, Zack pulled her into a hug, “Hey…you’re no dummy. If this is your first time ever vomiting, no wonder your mind’s in a daze like this. You’ll be alright. You’re always alright, aren’t you?” He put a hand on one of her shoulders and comfortingly looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

 Until she said two words that threw him for a loop…

 “Not really.”

 Zack’s mind took a moment to register what Melissa had just said. Those two, little, mumbled words. “Not really.” What was she implying? Was it what Zack was thinking? No, there’s no way, Melissa was the toughest girl he’d ever known. But, why else would she say that? Gently, he got closer to her, and gently gazed into her eyes, ignoring the blush on his face, and asked “What do you mean by…’not really’?” Melissa flinched a little, not knowing where to begin. The questions in her mind were roaring to get out, and she had to let someone know. She was tired of suffering in silence.

 At that moment, Melissa gently grabbed Zack’s shoulders and began to speak, knowing he’d be there to listen.

 And all the words came flying out.

 “…Zack, I’m scared. I’ve always BEEN scared. Ever since I became Milo’s best friend, I’ve always been worrying myself like crazy about him, worrying that someday he’s gonna get caught in some insane Murphy’s Law accident that he’s not ready for and he’ll get hurt…or worse. And I know it’s really fucking stupid cause it’s goddamn Milo and he’s ALWAYS prepared, but I can’t help myself. And I just feel like a big jerk because Milo wouldn’t WANT me to be worried about him all the time. He’s…fine with the way things are and doesn’t want them to change…but…” She took a shaky breath, and sighed lowly, “I do.” Zack now reached up and rubbed her shoulders as she continued talking, “I don’t want Milo to be stuck with Murphy’s Law. I want him to live and be happy, without always having to look over his shoulder in case of stampeding bison or angry crossing guards or other shit like that. But Milo…he just doesn’t want that…and I feel like a selfish idiot who tries to act like she knows what’s best for everyone…but…” She glanced up, and Zack’s heart leapt at what he saw…

 The toughest, smartest kid he’d known in his life…strong, brave, a born leader with a near-permanent smile…

 She was crying.

 “I just…” she whimpered, not even bothering to wipe away the hot tears streaking down her face, “I feel like such a selfish jackass who doesn’t know what Milo or even you want in your lives…I just don’t want to lose him, or you, or anyone…” She shut her eyes tightly and let a fresh wave of tears out, “And I’ve been lying to you about how I’ve been feeling this whole time…because I just don’t want you guys to see what a fucking mess I really am!” “You’re not a mess-” Zack tried to interrupt, only for Melissa to cut him off. “No, don’t…don’t keep the lie going any longer than it has to…” she sobbed, “I act like I’m tough, but…I’m just a terrified wreck of a person who can’t stand the thought of losing the people she cares about…that’s me. That’s selfish, paranoid, obnoxious Melissa Lily Chase…”

 With that, the broken redhead turned away and started sobbing all-out into her hands, her limbs shaking with every loud sob echoing from her body. She could feel the burn of hot tears rushing down her face, dripping from the tip of her nose onto her bed. Between every choked sob, she tried to take some breaths as if to calm herself, but all attempts failed as the tears kept on coming.

 With every sob Melissa let out, Zack could feel his heart sink a little more. There was a part of him who still couldn’t believe this. How long had Melissa been keeping these feelings at bay? Did she really think that badly of herself just for being worried about Milo? His mind raced with questions, but he honestly couldn’t give less of a damn about getting the answers. All that mattered to him was giving support to someone who very badly needed it.

 Without hesitation, Zack gently put his arms around Melissa’s back, gently rubbing her side with one hand and stroking her hair with the other. It took a moment for Melissa to register what Zack was doing, but the moment she did, she felt her muscles gently ease up at the feeling of his warm embrace. She could still feel her cheeks and nose wet from all the crying she’d been doing, and flushed a little in embarrassment. “I, uh…” she tried to break the silence, “I’m sorry you had to see me like this.” “You don’t need to apologize,” Zack told her gently, “I just wonder why you hadn’t spoken up about your feelings before. Milo’s an understanding guy, he’d be happy to listen to your worries.” “I just…” she sniffled, “I just don’t want Milo to start worrying about what goes on in my head all the time…and I don’t wanna seem like a controlling bitch.” Without warning, Zack put a hand over her mouth the moment she said the word “bitch”. He turned Melissa around to look at him and looked intently into her eyes, and spoke his mind.

 “Listen to me, Melissa. You are not a ‘bitch’. You have never been a bitch. You’re worrying yourself that you’re a terrible person because you actually want what��s best for Milo! There’s nothing wrong with that. I know Milo is fine with the way things are but if you’re not, that’s completely okay. We may not be able to change Murphy’s Law, but we’ll always be able to help Milo throughout everything, and I know that cuz you’ve been doing that for seven years now, and I know you can keep doing that.” He gave her the warmest smile he could manage, despite the fact he now had tears of his own welling up in his eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with being scared, Melissa – as long as you don’t let it change who you are.”

 In that moment, both 13-year-olds found themselves gazing into one another’s tearful eyes. Then, without another word, Melissa got closer to Zack and collapsed into his arms, wrapping her arms around his back. It didn’t take long for Zack to return the embrace, rubbing her back gently to soothe her emotions. They stayed there, in silence, for what felt like hours. Neither of them said a word. They didn’t have to, not right now at least. All they needed right now was right in front of them.

 After so long of being locked in that embrace, Melissa pulled back a little, wiping one more tear from her face, before gently cupping her hands around Zack’s own face and tilted his head up so their eyes could lock once more. Both of them smiled tenderly as the tension that was in their minds evaporated.

Of course, there was just one more thing Melissa felt the need to say…

 “Hey,” she whispered, getting Zack’s full attention. She now moved her hands down to gently clasp his own, and gave him a soft smile, grateful for all of what he’d done for her, not just today but in all the time they’d spent together in the past. She took one more deep breath as if to mentally prepare herself, and spoke the three magic words.

 “I love you.”

 There was a brief moment where Zack felt surprised, but that quickly gave way to an indescribable feeling of happiness, and it didn’t take long for him to respond.

 “I love you too.”

 Without hesitating for a moment, the tomboyish nerd and the dorky jock soon embraced one another in a long, soft kiss, tears of joy now streaming down their faces. Zack brought a hand up to gently caress Melissa’s cheek while Melissa put her arms around his back, deepening the kiss further.

 Once they needed to break for oxygen, the two gently separated their lips, still having their noses touching. Suddenly a knock sounded at the door, and both of them flushed a bit before scrambling off each other – but they were still smiling widely after their passionate love display. The door opened and revealed Mr. Chase with a large cup of tea in hand. “Here you go, sweetie,” he spoke, bringing it over to his daughter, “I made you some tea. See if it helps your stomach.” “Thanks, Dad,” Melissa giggled a little in response. Zack couldn’t help blushing a little at how adorable he found that little laugh of hers. Mr. Chase now thought back to earlier and cringed a little, “I heard what sounded like vomiting earlier. Isn’t that your first time? I hope everything’s okay.” Melissa gave an awkward shrug, “It was scary at first, but…it wasn’t so bad. Especially since Zack was with me.” A sincere smile crossed her face, as she looked over at her best friend-turned-boyfriend, then at her loving father. “I know it sounds weird, but…this has been one of the happiest days I’ve had in a long time. Thank you both, so much. I’m so glad I have you both and Milo and everyone else in my life.” Zack and Mr. Chase now both brought Melissa into a group hug, and the former Lumberzack gently thanked her himself, “And thank you for being in ours.”

The End

[valjeans]

Best combined cast tour v west end? P.s all hail Chris Jacobsen

ooooh ok i think i maybe did this a while ago but will go again, and maybe mention covers to a bit:

valjean - look. im finally gonna just say it. at the moment i think jon is better than dean. dean’s voice just hasn’t been the same since lockdown and even though his acting is still great, jon has really grown into the role and his portrayal is great!

and on valjean understudies chris jacobsen is absolutely wasted as SECOND cover and should have got principle a few years after his enjolras run instead of this.

javert - bradley is genuinely now one of the all times faves. nic continues to massively disappoint, he’s had essentially just as long as bradley in the role and he still manages to give the most wooden and boring performance ever.

honestly atm i have no real strong feelings on the understudy javerts. richard has really gone down hill recently and i’ve only see a boot of jordan.

fantine - going to cheat and say katie hall here lol cause i dislike both rachelle and chanice’s performances.

as for understudies i absolutely adore kathy and jess in the west end cast!

marius - HARRY APPS MY BELOVED MARIUS. his acting is just perfect, i am obsessed with his heart full of love cause his marius is such an awkward freak. his empty chairs is also fucking heartbreaking. will is fine but he’s nowhere near harry’s level.

enjolras - hate to say it but sam wyn morris is absolutely fantastic as enjolras. jordan is very talented but badly miscast in the role.

for understudies i have to say im more a fan of harry from the tour than leo who looks like character from a tim burton movie.

cosette - honestly no real feelings. neither of them are proper sopranos who can hit the highest notes. paige is better acting wise though. at least there’s that.

eponine - ok but i love natty and sha SO MUCH. and i refuse to choose between them…maybe sha just cause i’ve seen her more and really look forward to it!

shout out to jessie in the west end who is also fantastic in the role!

thenardier - ian. always. gerard has regained a bit of his former energy recently but he still doesn’t match up. ian’s thenardier has a sinister side too and he doesn’t do the fucking quiche line which is a bonus!

also honourable mention to mark pearce. i saw the first preview of the restaged version and nobody really remembered but he had to go on as thenardier with four hours notice having never played or rehearsed the part. and another honourable mention to dean read the tour cover cause i think he’s fit x

madame thenardier - lol i seriously dislike josefina’s madame t so absolutely always helen.

no real feelings on the covers. do quite like kelly though and always love catching her instead of josefina.

grantaire - it is my belief that grantaire should be a weird little gremlin man and not a pretentious little indie boy and so connor jones is my preference here. he’s hilarious and always does something unexpected in the abc cafe. but his barricade acting his heartbreaking.

the bishop - feel like pure shit just want earl carpenter back xxx

[droughtofapathy]

rank every production of: company and follies, then rank every performance of

- not getting married today

- ladies who lunch

- being alive

- losing my mind

- could i leave you

- (anything else.)

What do you *mean* every performance? There's unhinged and there's batshit unstable because fuck's sake, how is this even possible? I'm putting it all under a cut. We're going to be here a while.

Okay, so given that I've only ever seen the recent Broadway revival of Company live, and otherwise only have a passing familiarity with the original and the two other subsequent revivals, I'll say that the real answer is Elaine Stritch best Joanne, Katie Finneran best Amy, Jennifer Simard best Sarah, and objectively Raul Esparza best Bobby. And that's all I have to say about that.

Follies: 1. Encores! 2007 for that sublime trio of Donna Murphy as Phyllis, Vicki Clark as Sally, and Christine Baranski as Carlotta. However, points off for not being a full maximalist design (y'know, being an Encores! and all). 2. Original 1971. Yes, there have been more talented performers, yes there have been better sets, yes it was kind of a nightmare to put together. But I've read Everything was Possible and I am deeply besotted by what was. 3. NT 2017. For the design and some of the background direction, full honors. That set is everything I have ever wanted from a Follies set. Gorgeous costumes. Love the execution of the ghosts. The actual performers...? Well...let's just say I can count on one hand how many West End performers I actually respect. 4. 2011 Broadway revival. Jan Maxwell, my beloved. The design may not have been as grand as it should have been, the casting of Bernadette might have been a little underwhelming, the drama backstage might have been harrowing, but Jan Maxwell may well be the best Phyllis we've ever had in a full production. 5. 1998 Papermill Play House. There were rumors of this transferring to Broadway but that got axed, alas. Instead, we got the 2001 production (starring neither rumored Donna Murphy nor Jean Smart, so what was the point?). But Dee Hoty is one of the great Phyllis performers. She did "Ah, But Underneath" instead of "The Story of Lucy and Jessie" and you know, I'm not mad about it. Honorable Mention: the Follies concert this past June at Carnegie Hall. It's been enough time that I can make up a laundry list of what I didn't like. But what I did like made for a magical night.

As for ranking the songs, you're getting my top three-to-five and you'll be happy about it:

"Getting Married Today" 1. Madeline Kahn Hands down, no question, zero contest, everyone else pack it up. This is it. The pinnacle of the song. She is everything and her "I'm not well" runs on constant loop in my head. 2. Katie Finneran Truly an ideal role for her, and this rendition is as nerve-wracking as it should be. Extra points for being post-partum and leaking breastmilk into that white dress. 3. Veanne Cox I've seen her do this live, and it's an impressive feat. She's got the neurotic panic down to a science. 4. Julie Andrews Do I think it's anywhere near the best rendition ever? No. But am I endlessly entertained? Absolutely. Julie Andrews, my beloved. 5. Marin Mazzie (technically) You never said it had to be the Amy part of the song. Marin Mazzie as the soprano Wedding Singer deserves a spot on this list, and while the video I'm thinking of seems to have vanished into the aether, there are a few clips of her doing it at different concerts, and I think of them fondly.

"The Ladies Who Lunch" 1. Patti LuPone But not the one she did for the recent Broadway revival. It was fine and all, but not her best. I do like the 2011 concert version, but I'm going with the Ladies in Red version specifically here. 2. Elaine Stritch The original. The blueprint. The ideal. 3. Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald It's iconic and feral and I don't think anyone's going to argue. 4. Debra Monk and/or Barbra Walsh I don't listen to them often, but solid takes either way.

"Being Alive" 1. Marquee Five I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but this song was only ever just kind of there for me until I heard an alto woman sing it. Now I get it. Obscure choice, yes, but argue with the wall. 2. Raul Esparza Okay, so I did hear him do this live during an unexpected appearance at a 24 Hour Plays event, and okay yeah, I get it. I understand the hype. It was incredible. Other than that, I don't really listen to others aside from Marquee Five.

"Losing My Mind" 1. Marin Mazzie This is everything to me. The gown, the silhouette, the sheer size of her mouth. And the little gasp at the end? I am in a puddle on the floor. 2. Kate Baldwin The pause at the climax of the song is one of the singular most transcendent moments of live theatre I have ever experienced. Total silence as nearly three-thousand people witnessed utter perfection. I am haunted by this performance. 3. Victoria Clark The best Sally, and I'll die on that hill. She gets it. And her costume, hair, and makeup for the 2007 Encores! concert has me so in love. Almost enough to make me overlook how delusional she is and propose marriage. 4. Liza Minnelli Yes, in case you didn't know, there's a Liza Minnelli disco version of this song, and I just... I... yeah, you're going to have to see for yourself.

"Could I Leave You?" 1. Donna Murphy Shocker. Who would have guessed that DroughtofApathy would put Donna Murphy's definitive rendition of this song at the top slot? She goes somewhere during this number, and I haven't seen a performance come close to touching what she does yet. 2. Jan Maxwell My beloved.

But let's be honest here. I'm not listening to any other version aside from Donna's. So here's just a few I think are very good, but given the choice, I'd never voluntarily listen to any of them if Donna is also an option: Julie Andrews, Dee Hoty, Emily Skinner, Alexis Smith, Janie Dee, Lucia Spina, Bonnie Milligan. Basically any woman. (Though I'll be honest, I didn't really care for Beth Leavel's during the Follies concert.) No man ever. Every time a man does this number at a cabaret, just know that beneath my mask, I am hissing and spitting in disgust.

And that's all she wrote.

[newtonsheffield]

Here I declare the first WE LOVE CYNTHIA meeting in session!!!!!

Molly how do you do to make us fall in love with this already beloved characters AND new ones too???!!!

Honestly sunshine, are you some kind of sorcerer? Half fairy? Demigod? Narnian? Ryan Reynolds? Gosling?

I love your works every week more!!!

I know you probably already have your box full of this but, any chance we are going to see miss Evans again???

Lots of love and margaritas

Ssouthern hemisphere bro ✊

Cynthia, Cynthia Cynthia!

She got that phone call from Lucy and went “Sure I deserve a treat this week.” And then every day when she left the lobby she’s out there like “Lucy, Cynthia here, can confirm we’ve had some towel action here!”

Am I some kind of sorcerer? Despite my absolute best efforts to develop a super power it appears that no, I’m not. I have but one skill in this entire world and that is guessing the Taylor Swift song at any point, within three seconds

Anyway! Obviously, I’m me, so The Bridgertons are definitely going to run into Stacey Evans again.

Kate really, desperately, had not wanted to go to to her University reunion. She’d had Edmund not six months prior and she was still feeling a little self conscious, and honestly, there wasn’t very many people likely to be in attendance that she actually wanted to see. But Anthony had, has always convinced her by hotly whispering in her ear, bolstering her confidence, the job he seemed to have made his personal mission. And she was terribly afraid he was right, she was proud of her career, of her husband and the family they made together, what did she have to lose by going.

So they’d packed their bags and gone to Lincoln, and left Edmund with Mary for the night, though it had made Kate’s heart ache and her stomach churn. Anthony’s arm had been tight around Kate’s waist as they’d walked into the hall on campus, his eyes darting around curiously.

“So this is where little Katie Sheffield became a big shot hey? I might have to make a donation for all it’s efforts.” His voice teased in her ear, causing Kate to scoff.

“Bold of you to assume I wasn’t always the hyper confident woman you first met.” His eyes had sparkled with delight at her words, his moth opening no doubt to tell her exactly how much he enjoyed her confidence, but he was stopped by a familiar voice.

“Well, well well, Kate Sheffield.” Stacey Evans voice said and Kate felt her face fall a little, Anthony’s arm squeezing her waist tightly.

“Hi, Stacey, nice to see you again.” She fought to keep her voice even, but even she couldn’t resist a small needle, “Do you remember Anthony?” Beside her she heard Anthony let out a small cough which to someone who didn’t know better, wouldn’t have sounded like a chuckle at all.

Stacey stood a little stiffly, her eyes flickering between the two of them, she took a deep breath. “Imagine my surprise, Kate when not a month after you told me you couldn’t stand the man, you were in a relationship with Anthony Bridgerton.” She was clearly pretending Anthony wasn’t there. Kate felt his posture shift beside her, shoulders slumping at the words she knew still bothered him and made a snap decision.

“Oh, I was already sleeping with him then.” Anthony’s head practically spun off his shoulders to look at her, his eyes wide, though a small smirk was playing at the corner of his lips. Stacey’s mouth dropped open, agog, and an unflattering flash of pride shot through Kate.

“Can you blame me, look at him, us women can only be so strong, right Stacey?” Stacey said nothing though Anthony preened a little at Kate’s words, a bright smile on his already handsome face as she tugged him away.

“Good to see you again Stacey!” He called out as they disappeared into the crowd. His voice once more hot in her ear. “Mrs. Bridgerton you seem to be remembering that week very differently these days?”

Kate gave a little shrug “Eh, I wanted to shag you anyway, what difference does it make?” And for a moment is was hard to tell what was more satisfying, Stacey’s shocked expression in the distance or the promise her husband made in her ear.

Keep bro-ing Sounthern Hemisphere bro