#looking back at what i wrote about him is hilarious during the entire flirting stage im in my journal like 'i dont think i want or can do

[lord-shitbox]

in celebration of it being a new month i thought i'd open my journaling entries from last year and got utterly jumpscared

[whereistheonepiece]

So @lesbian-space-ranger​ and I accidentally created a new Zosan AU that we’ve been talking about since last night. A note: half of this is me summarizing, half of it is pulled directly from Discord because Cas (lesbian-space-ranger) has such great ideas.

This is a long post. I don’t feel like putting it under a read more. So. Enjoy. Or keep scrolling. Either works.

So this post happened

These roles just came to me. Didn’t need to give it much thought because Sanji has the appearance and demeanor of a lead singer and I like the idea of him using his skilled hands to play piano at the same time.

I also watched the movie Rocketman earlier in the week. You know, that Elton John biopic. I adored it and it’s been heavy on my mind lately and I liked the idea of Sanji giving a high energy performance from the piano. (Sir Elton John’s music comes into play later.)

And as for Zoro, I find the bass and/or the beat the sexiest part of the music in a song and, naturally, I can see him rocking at either.

So I asked Cas if she had any other headcanons for this AU and this thing is too good to not share.

Yeah, so Zoro and Sanji are in a boy band with Usopp and Luffy. Luffy started the band. Luffy does guitar, Zoro is on bass, Usopp is on drums, and Sanji is on keyboard and vocals.

Nami is their manager. She works them hard and has taken a 40% cut of the profits because of the guys’ naivete and inexperience. But she’s why they took off. She booked their gigs at every venue she could manage, no matter how small.

They got their big break when Nami met Vivi, who’s a talent scout for the record label Baroque Works. Nami insisted that Vivi had to see the boys perform because they’re something else and Vivi’s heard that a thousand times, but she agreed because Nami is cute. Nami and Vivi are dating. Also, re Baroque Works: Crocodile looks like a sleazy music producer, doesn’t he? So does Doflamingo.

So Sanji is the pretty one, Luffy is the funny one, Zoro is the quiet/broody one, and Usopp is the smart one.

Zoro has a lot of deals with fitness brands, but secretly finds the famous life unfulfilling. This comes back later, so keep that in your back pocket.

Robin runs their social media. She’s so good at her job, running all of their accounts and tweeting simultaneously, you’d swear she had four sets of hands. Wink.

Franky does pyrotechnics/lighting.

Brook is their stylist.

Chopper was their first real fan. He and Zoro grew up in the same neighborhood and Chopper just always idolized him. He followed them before anyone knew their names. He was their hype man, saying encouraging things like "I know you guys are gonna be great!" He believed in them even when they didn't believe in themselves.

Usopp set up their recordings before they got signed because he’s savvy. And then Chopper would sell their crappy CDs. At these tiny gigs. Like coffeehouses and stuff.

Sanji can play keyboard because his parents forced him to play piano as a kid. They had this idea that classical music would teach him discipline and make him smarter. This is how he meets Zeff. Zeff’s your typical stern instructor, but he’s the first adult to ask Sanji what he actually wants and likes. Zeff sees Sanji’s not into it so he asks him what music he likes and Sanji tells him he likes pop, so Zeff gives Sanji a more rounded education. This includes Elton John because I say so. It did inspire me to put Sanji on keyboard, after all.

But other than being Sanji’s piano instructor, Zeff becomes the one positive adult figure in young Sanji’s life and he becomes something of a mentor figure for him. Zeff has a garden and he lets Sanji work in it with him. This garden is how Sanji gets his “little eggplant” nickname. Sanji pulls an eggplant out before it’s ready and it’s so small and pitiful and Zeff won’t let him live it down. Like, Sanji keeps in touch with Zeff even into adulthood and after he makes it big and he still calls Sanji little eggplant.

Zoro and Sanji are always doing that, "Kind of flirting, not really” thing on stage.  Sanji is always like walking up to Zoro on stage and acting like he's going to kiss him but pushing him away at the last moment. And it's this huge mystery whether they're actually an item or not. This comes from Nami. Sanji and Zoro have this natural chemistry with each other that leads to speculation and Nami, knowing how boy band fan bases work, saw dollar signs. But it’s not just pragmatism on her part; she knows that one cannot simply go up to Zoro and Sanji and say “You obviously like each other. You should date.” So she makes money and helps her friends find happiness.

Usopp has speculation going on as well. People are always confused as to who he’s dating. Tabloids keep being like "Usopp dumped Nami and is now dating Luffy!" "Luffy Scorned?" "Luffy ditches Usopp and steals his girl!" And they just think the entire thing is hilarious. They collect headlines. The answer is Usopp is dating Luffy and Nami and Luffy and Nami just become really affectionate with each other after dating Usopp long enough. Also Nami is dating Vivi, like I mentioned, and sometimes Nami brings her on as a plus one. 

Sanji and Zoro keep giving conflicting answers about their relationship status. Like they'll tell one person they hate each other and another person they're gonna get married someday. Sanji has to walk this fine line of being "in love" with all of his female fans and also "in love" with Zoro. Or not. Who knows? Like Sanji enjoys the attention but he really really plays shit up for his fangirls. This makes Sanji even more popular. Just picture pages upon pages of Sanji/Reader and “Zanji” fics on Wattpad. Nami is one smart lady. "I am the smartest, prettiest, most clever person alive."

Zosan getting together really is just a bunch of Fake Dating tropes. At first it really is just to get more press for the band. Nami schemes with Usopp and Robin to push them together. Robin's a social media genius and knows how to craft tweets and Instagram posts that fans will overanalyze. 

Meanwhile eventually Zoro and Sanji admit to each other they have actual feelings and one day Usopp finds Sanji sleeping in Zoro's bed, both of them completely tuckered out. But they don’t know Nami crafted this. They just come clean and hope she won't be mad and she's like, "Yes! Finally!" and they're like "What?" and she's like, "I've been waiting for you two to realize you have actual feelings. Did you really think I'd just use you for profit like that?" and they're both like "Yes" "Of course"

Zoro’s mad at her for meddling. Secretly he’s grateful, but he doesn’t want to give her the satisfaction and he’s yelling until Sanji grabs his hand and he just calms down.

And to bring Elton John back into the picture, just picture Sanji doing a cover of “Your Song” and uploading it online and thinking about Zoro. Naturally the comments are abuzz with people speculating that he’s singing about Zoro. And like. Onstage Sanji does his rendition and sends these small glances Zoro’s way, partially because he knows it’ll get the band a lot of attention, partially because that song is sweet and beautiful and it’s such a simple way to explain his feelings. (There is a reason why Moulin Rouge included it!!) I imagine this happens before they come clean to each other. Like, Zoro comes to him and is all “I keep thinking about that song you did...” And they go from there.

And eventually the band comes to its natural end. 

Usopp goes solo and flourishes, working as a songwriter and a producer. He wrote the band’s songs and he’s had a drum kit since he was, like, ten and he can make his own beats. He’s not the singing type (though he is good at it and could reach new heights if he came out of his shell), so he’s the kind of artist who makes the beat and then gets super famous pop singers to feature on his tracks. But he also writes songs for other singers and is so good at it and produces other artists’ tracks. I also like the idea that he’s taught himself to play multiple instruments, but he prefers the drums/percussion. He totally played percussion in school and was in marching band. I was in marching band for one year. I loathed every second of it, but I know he’d be phenomenal in drum corps.

Luffy isn’t much in music anymore, but he keeps himself busy. He’s something of an influencer, the kind of celebrity who gets paid to wear fashion brands’ clothing. He’s also Usopp’s trophy husband, living off the money he made off the band. Usopp grew wise to Nami’s antics and made sure he and Luffy would live comfortably for the rest of their lives, even if Usopp were to retire. Luffy also is secretly a Buzzfeed journalist because it’s fun for him to write these hit articles and people not know it’s him because he’s writing on this super bland pseudonym. 

And then there’s Zosan. They have a falling out after the band splits and go their separate ways.

Sanji quits being a professional singer because he’s tired of the prying into his personal life, but he still mentors and/or teaches. He has a string of girlfriends and finds no fulfillment in those relationships because the women are only interested in his celebrity.

And they aren’t Zoro.

Zoro tried branching off into commercials for fitness, but his heart wasn’t in it. He kind of takes up ranching on a whim and learns that he’s really good at it. He likes the physical labor, the quiet, being away from it all, nobody knowing his name. He doesn’t pursue anyone after Sanji because he feels like if it’s meant to be, someone will appear.

And Sanji does.

Sanji finds out where Zoro is through Luffy. So he makes his way to the ranch and finds Zoro and Sanji is all “Come back. I miss you.”

And there’s just a lot of soft Zosan content during Sanji’s visit. Sanji’s always been afraid of horses, but he’s not afraid when he’s with Zoro, and Zoro teaches him they can be gentle creatures, it’s just that you just have to respect them. (Ha. Get it?) Zoro takes Sanji on a ride and they go out and he takes him up the mountain and shows him how beautiful the view is. Sanji's watching the sunset and he's like, "Damn that's the prettiest thing I've ever seen." And Zoro is looking at Sanji and he says, "It sure is." And Sanji's like, "you're not... even looking." And Zoro's like, "No, I'm looking alright. Prettiest thing I've ever seen for sure."

More soft things like Zoro taking off his cowboy hat and putting it on Sanji. Them sitting by the fire, Zoro playing acoustic while Sanji sings. Whenever people see them they’ll ask them if they’re musicians and they share a knowing smile and say “Yeah. Something like that.”

And Zoro convinces Sanji to move out there with him. The others come to visit. Luffy and Chopper are obsessed with the cows and horses and the chickens. Luffy wants, like, eight pet chickens. Usopp is skeptical. Doesn’t believe Lu can look after a pet.

And it kind of ends there. It was us going back and forth, oftentimes out of chronological order, and so here I am putting it all together because it’s too good not to share. But it was a lot of fun.

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 1x06 Review

What Team? was another wonderful ep that really dove into the found family aspect of the show. Let’s dig in!

Miss Jenn’s past finally catches up to her as principal Gutierrez summons her to face the School Board tribunal on charges of falsifying her credentials, lying on her resume, and aiding Kulak saboteurs

I absolutely loved the spectacle of the trial. There’s a time and a place for realism but no one is tuning into HSMTMTS to see an accurate depiction of a school disciplinary process; we’re here to see rousing musical numbers, loving and supportive characters, over the top drama, a bit of camp, and a whole lot of heart. Tim Federle has a knack for making a crowd pleasing series without devolving into fan service and it serves him very well this this ep. As he shared on his twitter, Truth, Justice and Songs in Our Key was meant to have a rollicking, revival style to it, and it was just the right tone for the show to take

The little details of the performance are great. Benjamin Mazzara standing off to the side on top of the stairs looking down on Miss Jenn and the drama department both literally and figuratively. Big Red for some reason wearing a red trench coat and then taking it off even and carrying it with him down the stairs, it’s a bizarre choice but Big Red is a weird dude so it works. Principal Gutierrez declaring that everyone in the dramatic arts are insane. Miss Jenn’s facial expressions when Carlos and Seb call her out for having a sketchy past and dropping the ball. Ricky’s spider man jump onto the table

Of course, in real life Miss Jenn would have been immediately fired once it was discovered that she didn’t have real credentials but the show must go on and I’d rather they dispose of this now then drag it out. Though I do hope that we get some mention of Miss Jenn having to get remedial training or something

A strong ep for Carlos. His bond with Miss Jenn is very touching and one that the show can get a lot of mileage out of in the coming seasons. Carlos’ line about Miss Jenn being the first teacher not to treat him like a punchline was poignant and there’s a lot of sad history behind that. We see a more confident Carlos this ep, building off of his struggles and triumphs in Homecoming. He boldly confronts Mr. Mazzara and blames him for ratting out Miss Jenn’s past; the whole exchange was funny especially the ‘’Carlos surname’’ line but they really need to give him a last name. His bit with Nini about the forest of boys was also hilarious

We got some nice small Seblos moments this ep. It’s still amazing to see a boy playing a female character and wearing making up and having it be no big deal on a Disney show. I liked Seb gentle chiding Carlos for not leaning on him when he found out that Miss Jenn was facing dismissal and him putting his hand on Carlos’ knee after Carlos talked about Miss Jenn being the only teacher to take him seriously. Seb also has a great voice and I can see why they promoted Joe Serafini to series regular for S2. We can see the difference it makes that Carlos now has a designated love interest, it’s not just about the ship but about the fact that Carlos has a character who is now supporting his own plot lines which makes him more important

Real sketchy of Disney to cut the scene of Seb comforting Carlos that they themselves promoted with photos on instagram and in the LA Times article about Seblos. It’s an improvement over Disney’s past cutting and editing of gay scenes before they canon but I hope it doesn’t become a habit

Some nice Nini and Seb friendship moments this ep as well. As an astute tumblr user pointed out, Seb commented on Nini’s I I think I Kinda You Know post so they’ve probably known each other for a while 

We got some sweet Rina moments this ep, we’re really seeing Gina let her walls down and start to just enjoy being a part of the production. I’m glad that her alliance with EJ is finally done with, if she wanted to play Gabriella it never mattered who was Troy and at this point there’s no way Gina would try and sabotage Ricky to help EJ. I also liked that she was so supportive of Ricky throughout the ep. They have great chemistry and while disaster is looming for Rina I wouldn’t mind seeing them explored more in later seasons since we certainly won’t see Ricky and Nini together for the entire series

Nini was giving Ricky some major heart eyes this ep and is clearly not over him or comfortable seeing him and Gina flirting

Disney has officially used Rini as the ship name for Ricky and Nini so with great reluctance I am retiring the use of Nicky as their ship name

Great growth for Ricky as he goes from not really caring about the musical or taking it seriously to fighting to save it. He looked too funny in that Troy Bolton wig. He’s definitely attracted to Gina but what he actually wants to be with her, just a friend or something more remains to be seen. Gina has certainly made her intentions clear especially with all those heart emojis in her text to Ricky

Good ep for Mike Bowen as well as he shows up to support his son and also takes discovering who Miss Jenn really is in stride. Ricky seems to have noticed something going on with his dad and Miss Jenn but also seems okay with it

Mr. Mazzara had a very lawyerly response to Carlos accusing him of ratting out Miss Jenn, he didn’t actually deny it but instead shifted the blame to Miss Jenn

EJ has really fallen off since Nini dumped him. His apology was a good start to redeeming himself but even in this ep he still seems to want to work with Gina to take down Ricky so he can play Troy

It seems like every ep has been getting a little bit shorter which is something that they should reverse in S2

Looking Ahead:

We know that next ep is where Gina has her breakdown scene with her mom and we know that in ep 8 there’s an almost Rini kiss (or perhaps an actual kiss though I think it’s more likely that’s saved for the finale). What leads to the breakdown and the almost kiss will be interesting to see

They didn’t have EJ reveal that it was Gina who originally stole Nini’s phone and that coming out would be the easiest way to derail Rina but we’ll see if the show circles back to that

Is the news Gina gets that she has to move again or is it something else related to her family? We know she has a mom but we don’t know if her dad is in the picture or why she’s had to move so often. I reblogged a post earlier this week that showed scenes from an audition from a girl who auditioned for the role of Gina. They paint her mother as very overbearing and the script even refers to her as Gina’s stage mom. I’m curious to see if they’ve softened her mother at all since then. It does seem like they’ve changed Gina from being someone who has viral music posts to focus more on her dancing which likely came about because they casted Sofia Wylie and decided to make more use of her dancing abilities 

Joshua Rush revealed that he auditioned for the role of EJ which doesn’t have any impact on the show going forward but is interesting news and not something I would have expected. I’m very surprised he went out for the role of EJ since he really doesn’t fit EJ as he is in the show and the original character breakdown for EJ seems to track pretty well for how he is now (though we have yet to see EJ’s panic attacks). I kind of feel like his agent let him down a bit by having him go out for EJ when he was such a long shot for that specific role, I think he would have had better odds going out for Big Red or even Ricky. He would have been 16 when he auditioned for EJ and I wonder how seriously they ever took any of the actors who were under 18 when they auditioned. I don’t think it’s an accident that they went with a then 20 year old to play EJ since it seems like the character was always intended to be a muscular hunk in the way that teenagers can’t and shouldn’t pull off

We get Mr. Mazzara and Miss Jenn stuck together for Thanksgiving. I think we’ll see him start to learn to respect Miss Jenn and I’d imagine he’ll eventually fall for her though we really need to seem him apologize for exposing her past. A Miss Jenn and Mike Bowen and Mr. Mazzara love triangle could be interesting. The Salt Lake Tribune entertainment writer wrote an article before the series premiered talking about his time as an extra during the filming of 1x10 and he mentioned that the eps performance takes place in the gym not the theatre but to reveal why would have been a spoiler. I wonder if maybe the reason is because Mr. Mazzara comes up with a way to levitate Troy and that required filming in the gym rather than the theatre 

Until next week wildcats

[heoneyology]

for @yooyonqha! a (kind of) little get to know monsta x post! ❤️

monsta x is a 7 member group who debuted with trespass on may 24th, 2015! they were formed through starship entertainment’s survival program no mercy (I didn’t watch it bc I wrote off survival shows after yg’s win but I hear it was intense and really harsh). their music style now is very versatile but they started off with a lean toward hip-hop.

their name monsta x comes from mon (“my” in french) and “my star” and combined means “monsters conquering the kpop scene.” the x in their name symbolizes an unknown existence. their fandom name is monbebe which literally is the french mon + bebe = “my baby.”

idk if this is going to help you learn them at all but I hope it does, either way it was fun to write c:

shownu

leader, main dancer, and lead vocalist

his animal representative is a bear 🐻

you can recognize him by: his eye smile and... muscles... he has broad shoulders and is one of the tallest members

one of his nicknames is “shownubear” that monbebe often call him

count on the stylists to almost always have him basically half naked, or during big events like mama make him take his shirt off

has the husky voice!!

actual husband material, considered the “dad” of the group

he’s quiet and shy, sometimes comes off as awkward, weird, and dorky, but is a sweetheart and is very down to earth and genuine

when the members were asked if they had any complaints about shownu as a leader or if he had any faults, the others complimented him and said they don’t think anyone else would be fit for the position and that he’s the best

isn’t a strict leader, and some people think it’s strange he’s the leader because he doesn’t seem to have much “presence” because he’s quiet, but mx adore him and listen to everything he says

boy can dance! and he participates in helping with mx’s choreography (x / x)

he recently has been referring to himself as “nunu” and also he has a mukbang on M2 going on

wonho

lead vocalist, lead dancer, and the visual

his animal representative is a rabbit 🐰

you can recognize him by: narrow nose and big elf ears! also muscle man, his pecs are huge...

another member you can count on the stylists to have either half naked or completely shirtless

former ulzzang and appeared on ulzzang shidae season 3

considered the caretaker of the group (but not the mom, he just likes to care for his members)

he has a fear of heights, a baby :(((

his image in mx is the sexy, confident guy, which he upholds quite well... lots of lip biting, fan service, ab-flashing, winking, etc.

but... in actuality, he’s a dork, he’s shy, and also a bit awkward too and is very soft and soft-spoken, and caring. giggles a lot. like, not laugh, giggles... it’s adorable!!

also the most sensitive (and temperamental) member, he cries the most easily (and gets upset the most easily) please protect him

gets teased by the other members a lot and ends up complaining that they don’t respect him as an elder

also teases the other members a lot, though, mostly hyungwon, changkyun, and kihyun

he likes ramen. he calls it his “soul food”. feed him.

minhyuk

vocalist & visual

his animal representative is a puppy 🐶

you can recognize him by: his square face, sharp cheekbones and jawline, and unchanging hairstyle through the eras

beagle/mood maker of the group, he has a funny personality and cracks a lot of jokes

really really really wants to be an mc and tbh he’d make a great one

literally never shuts up... I don’t think?

overall has a very energetic, outgoing, and upbeat personality talks a loooot

his hairstyle has changed the least during every era so he’s pretty easy to recognize after time; hair color has changed but cut hasn’t

husky voice number two!!

actually when he speaks his voice is kind of high pitched? but when he sings it gets raspy it’s... pretty attractive...

fangirls are jealous because he has a tall and lean build, thin legs, and sharp features. he’s a pretty boy.

on no mercy he was one of the trainees that everyone kept saying wouldn’t make it to the final lineup

one of the clingiest members... not sure if he loves skinship or not but you can always see him hugging or touching his members

despite being clingy and so energetic, he’s a good listener and deeply cares for the members

kihyun

main vocalist

his animal representative is a hamster 🐹

you can recognize him by: his nose? idk... he has a wide nose to me so that’s how I learned him. monolid and has thin lips and a heart-shaped face with a very deep/pronounced crease between his lower lip and chin.

also he is the tiniest member. he smol...

actually doesn’t like being a hamster, said it “doesn’t suit him” even though the boy literally is as cute as a hamster

HIGH NOTES!?

he has cheek dimples!!! like... cheek bone dimples? they are tiny and are higher on his cheeks and they usually show when he’s laughing

favorite food is chicken. so much so that when mx went to the beach, instead of choosing to eat fish when they had the chance, he chose chicken. shownu has a grudge against him for it.

voted by the members as being the most maknae-like in personality

lowkey is a savage, highkey passive aggressive. he has a very sweet personality and is kind but sometimes gets snarky and blunt with his members and it’s hilarious

also has a death glare and literally the worst at controlling his facial expressions, especially when confused or disgusted

mom of the group; he nags like no other!

hyungwon

lead dancer, vocalist, visual

his animal representative is a turtle 🐢

you can recognize him by: his well-known, very full and luscious? lips; also always looks Perpetually Tired and that’s a Mood

he is a living, breathing meme because of his infamous bitch face... even starbucks knows who he is (he’s actually referred to as “the meme guy” sometimes)

boy got moves (he, too, can dance!)

he’s the tallest member, he’s got the gangly model body

used to be a popular model before joining mx, participated in a lot of fashion shows

he DJs now and his stage name is h.one

sleeps like the dead, according to himself. according to other members, he’s the most difficult to wake up and will often fall back asleep after being woken (what a mood)

Absolutely Detests Aegyo 

the quietest member, tends to not talk much during interviews or variety shows

100% will Not Put Up With His Members’ Shit (you can physically see his soul leaving his body when he’s judging them)

sighs a lot... also a Mood

laughs with his entire body like an adorable dork and claps like a seal it’s endearing and hilarious

joohoney

main rapper & vocalist

his animal representative is a honeybee 🐝

you can recognize him by: DIMPLES!!! FOR!!!!! DAYS!!!!!

recently changed his stage name to “joohoney” from his name jooheon because the character for “heon” is often mispronounced as “hun” and he was trying to make it easier for fans (also stated he always wanted this as his stage name, he’s actually a Big Softie)

absolute love of my life just kidding that’s not an actual fact

Aegyo King

considered the best rapper among starship trainees

he speaks english pretty fluently (some may argue otherwise but under pressure and on the spot he properly used “well” instead of “good” like I’m not even that decent at english)

very high energy personality but is also very gentle and easygoing, kind of roll-with-the-punches and very protective of his members

loves skinship and is definitely the most clingy member

had so much energy as a kid that his pastor stuck him up on stage to perform with his church's choir and that’s how he discovered he wanted to perform

helps to write, compose, and produce mx songs

he has a dog named sanche and two kittens named yoshi and gucci that have their own catstagram

thought of as the scariest member, is actually the most easily scared member

favorite food is dumplings. considers himself a dumpling expert. has stated if he were a food, he would be a dumpling.

I.M

lead rapper, vocalist, and maknae

his animal representative is a wolf 🐺

you can recognize him by: the eyebrow piercing he recently got (funnily enough it was just an aesthetic in the jealousy mv then the boy went and actually got his eyebrow done) also has a wide nose and it’s insanely straight; soft yet sharp features?

fluent in english, lived abroad because his dad is a scientist and work demanded travel (he lived 3 years in boston and 4 in israel)

was disliked by fans for a while and had a really rough time on no mercy because he joined halfway through the series (also the only to join late and make the final lineup)

is closest with jooheon, who was the first to befriend him on no mercy

helps jooheon with writing lyrics for mx

husky voice number three!!

has a... habit... of playing video games naked... in the dorm...

has a cheeky personality and no one can convince me otherwise. he’s an evil maknae. also an illegal maknae. he’s a little shit. I’d like to personally fight him.

tbh though he’s super sweet but he’s also a huge flirt and says things sometimes that definitely have double meanings (cue: changkyun you’re on broadcast please stOP)

had a hard time finding his place in the group so even though he seems very outgoing, he’s actually quiet around people he doesn’t know and kind of comes off as cold or aloof at first

he’s weird once he opens up

[scuba-claire]

Cursed Child Recap 16 July 2017

I went to see the cursed child again on Sunday, my 6th time overall and 2nd time seeing the new cast. I was sat at the back of the Grand Circle. I’ve only ever seen the play from the Stalls or Dress Circle so I was a bit worried about the view, but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. My view was only slightly restricted.

I had such a great day. Not only was the show amazing as always, but I got to meet some wonderful people in real life that I’ve only previously interacted with online. Except for one time when I brought my friend along to see the play on the Sunday before cast change, I’ve gone to see the play by myself. While I don’t mind this (although the first time I went on my own I was sooo nervous), it was so lovely to actually be able to discuss the play face to face, with people who understand.

Having seen the new cast a few weeks ago, I thought I knew what to expect, but this show still surprises me. I think that’s one of the reasons I love theatre so much. No matter how many times I see the play, I’m always going to see something different. Even if those differences are minor, it guarantees that no two shows are ever going to be the same. You just don’t get this same experience with films or TV shows. This is probably one of the reasons I keep coming back, I know I’ll be seeing something new each time.

I think all the cast are great, but if I say all I want to about everyone, this will be like an essay, so I’m going to try and be brief.

I think James Howard is just perfect as Draco, I’m really enjoying everything about his portrayal. Tom was simply hilarious, his timing in the ‘Let’s have another baby’ scene was just brilliant. I loved Jamie’s reaction to this, he looked like he wanted to just be anywhere else. They all shone during this scene and the search for the time turner scene. I noticed how they do a great job at matching the performances of Theo etc. That scene was such a joy to watch.

I love Rakie’s Hermione, especially during the first AU scenes. She’s so mean, the change in her character is pretty shocking. I can’t believe Delphi actually slapped Albus. I didn’t see that coming! Annabel was truly terrifying as Delphi. James Phoon was great to watch as Craig, especially during the dark AU.

I wrote quite a bit about Samuel’s Scorpius in my recap of 24th. Not sure what more I can add, other than he is still such a joy to watch. He is funny, geeky and was simply heart breaking in the library and staircase scenes.

David was just brilliant as both Snape and Voldemort. His portrayal really reminded me of Snape from the books. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make out what he was writing from where I was sitting. April as Myrtle was incredible again, her flirting with Harry and trying to touch him with her foot had me in stiches, especially with Ginny’s reaction. There was also a good bit of improvisation from Rupert Henderson.

I’m so glad I got to see Rayxia as Rose. I really enjoyed her performance and one thing I did notice was how upset she sounded when Albus was sorted into Slytherin. I also liked how playful she was at the end with the ‘Scorpion King’ line, but I’ll be honest, I was a little distracted by Samuel and Theo during this scene.

One particular highlight from the show for me was the scene where Harry and Ginny are talking before they discover the writing on the blanket. This was honestly the best performance of that scene I’ve ever seen. Jamie and Emma were simply incredible, the heartbreak they were feeling in that moment really came across. I really feel Harry’s pain, and that he was blaming himself for what happened to Albus and everything else.

Jamie and Emma were great throughout. Emma stood out for me again when Albus goes missing for the 2nd time. Ginny is clearly terrified in that moment and, in her fear, lashes out at Harry in anger. Again the emotion in this scene! If the actors were trying to make me weep, they were doing a good job!

Another one of the things I really enjoyed is how Jamie and Theo portray the relationship between Harry and Albus and how it changes throughout the play. They’re both less angry than Jamie P and Sam were, but what they’re doing really works for me.

I’ve seen this pointed out elsewhere, but it looks like they only touch at the very beginning, when they hug before Albus goes to Hogwarts for the first time, and then at the very end. While I did love the way Jamie P used to touch Sam’s heart in the final scene, I really am enjoying the way Jamie G and Theo play this scene. Plus it means there’s that moment at the end when Harry does finally put his arm around Albus shoulders. It’s so touching and such a brilliant way to end the play!

I could write so, so much about how great Theo is. He makes me feel so much empathy for Albus and its clear listening to him at stage door that he has put so much thought into the role. It definitely comes across in his performance on stage.

Stage door was quiet compared to 24th, but I’m glad I got a picture with Emma, she had to run for her train last time I was there. I also thought this was such a great idea that I stole borrowed the idea from @mrsellacott to have the cast sign their own house book.

I can’t wait to go back again already and see how the cast continues to evolve. Though I am going to try and resist the call of the box office until I can really justify getting more tickets. Unless I finally win Friday Forty! One day I’ll be lucky.

EDIT: I knew I'd forget something. I also wanted to say just how truly brilliant the ensemble is. They don't get enough praise and they really make the play what it is. The transition scenes are really, really well done, and the opening of part two is probably my favourite part of the entire play!

[sambart93]

2017.05.01 Shinsekai Romance Orchestra Review!

My wonderful friend managed to get me tickets to Ueda’s stage for my Birthday DAY! I was super excited! Especially seen as it marked ONE year since their hiatus and ONE year since I’d last seen them live. So it was three super special things in one! Although I hear some people don’t find their birthdays special... that’s a shame... anyway! Onto the stage!

Official Website here Press Coverage 1, 2, 3, 4

CAST

Ueda Tatsuya Shimizu Kurumi Saori Misato Aoyama Nagai Mijika Nemoto Shuko Miyazaki Tomu Nishida Naomi

NON-SPOILER REVIEW

Overall: This was entertaining. It was definitely comical like they promised but the story was a lot more simple and very different to what I originally was expecting. I enjoyed myself and there was a lot of meta jokes; they joke about members leaving and they sang random Johnny’s songs and one character even says KAT-TUN lyrics are normal sentences quite a few times. Ueda did amazing and I’m very proud of him carrying this entire play for two hours without a break pretty much. Rating: 6/10

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SPOILER REVIEW

Unfortunately this is going to be pretty short. I wish I’d watched this twice so I could have a better idea of what happened and such and also it’s been like two weeks since I last saw it so my brain is a little rust. Sorry but I’ll try my best!

So the MAIN STORY is:

Ueda is a composer and the main lead of his now 2 (was 4) person band, but he’s currently in a writing slump and can’t figure out their next hit single. He wants to write something rocky but the only time he’s inspired to write and the only time he can figure out the next part of his song is when he sleeps with women (and they only give him soppy love song ideas) and so he’s made a system where he has multiple girlfriends at once so he can see a different one every day, sleep with them and still be inspired while having one day a week off/rest from them. 

BUT it starts with him breaking up with the one girl who doesn’t inspire him when they’re together but at first she refuses and proposes to him. So the entire story is him getting in trouble with these multiple girlfriends while realising he‘s in the love the one he tried to break up with in the beginning and trying to accept that she is all he needs in her life.

Crazy right?!

First can I quickly talk about the actual theatre because I found it totally weird! So there’s three floors to this theatre, yes three! So you’d imagine it’s this huge theatre right? WRONG! First floor has only 15 rows and then floors 2 and 3 only have 2-3 rows each. What the actual?!?! Just put ALL 20 rows on ONE floor! It’s SUCH a weird layout. AND the platforms stretch out much more than where the seats finish so everyone has to lean forward to see the front of the stage if they’re on second or third floor. It’s so inconvenient and silly and stupid. See here.

ACTING

Ueda Tatsuya: I’m so proud of this boy! For some reason, even though I’ve seen him act quite a few times (but never on stage), I was worried if he’d be able to do stage. I know he technically works on a (song) script when he does concerts but my brain was like ‘can he even do stage?!’ because naturally it’s different to TV and concerts right?! But I am so proud! He is literally on stage the entire 2 hours bar like 10 minutes and he didn’t obvious slip up and his performance was both funny but sexy but cool but his angry moments too were great! I really proved he can act! I am so so impressed at how well he delivers comedy too! ^_^ He was so cute during curtain call too. At the first one he hopped over the pool but because it was wet, he slipped forward and you heard ALL the girl (aka the entire audience) go ‘ahhh!’ but he regained his balance straight away. And then at the second curtain call he was walking off while waving but he was so focused on the audience he didn’t realise he was about to walk himself off the stage xD and we all freaked again but he just smiled and laughed at us so mischievously xD

Shimizu Kurumi: She played his one true love of his life. She was annoying and had a silly logic BUT it worked for the stage. An example of this will be the very first scene where he tries to break up with her and she doesn’t react and he’s like ‘you're not upset? You’re not going to cry?’ and she’s like ‘why would I cry? We’re not breaking up. We’re going to marry each other’ and he’s like ‘what you on about crazy bitch?’ and she’s like ‘I figured it out *pulls out paper* your only option is to marry me in the end’. So in real life; that is bad shit crazy(!) but for the story, it worked. I also really loved her outfits! And she did other crazy things like go into the pool fully clothed and always greeted him from his roof’s window after they broke up because she gave her key back to him. She was sweet but in real life would be a crazy bitch xD

Saori: If I remember correctly she was the ex-manager who he used to date. She’s still very much in love with him and still flirts with him and she’s still his bit on the side. It was her story to learn to let go of him and move on, and kinda gain some self respect for herself and her body.

Misato Aoyama: She plays the idol who Ueda’s been in love with since she was a young child star. But she’s nothing like her idol pictures and she’s very disgusting too (lots of fart sounds for her) but she always very chill and energetic. She didn’t care about the fact he was cheating on her so long as he was with her somewhat.

Nagai Mijika and Nemoto Shuko: They play Ueda’s Chinese maids and they aren’t attracted to him but they do allow him to have his way with them. Even he’s disgusted at the fact he becomes attracted to them, especially because “I don’t like foreigner girls” as he claims a few times. They’re definitely one of the main comedy reliefs and are always very straight and direct with their verbal abuse towards Ueda which is hilarious. Also Nagai’s character is able to see paranormal and supernatural beings whenever she cuts herself (which is easily cured and mended through her sisters special salt which she rubs in after) ,so the entire last 30minutes are literally spent her (and the rest of the girls) cutting themselves so they can talk to Ueda who is currently in a coma in the hospital but his spirit has come to them as a final penance. I really enjoyed the twins although couldn’t help but think its a shame they hired Japanese people to play Chinese maids but I guess that’s my White Western First World ideologies kicking in. They did great and I laughed at them a lot.

Miyazaki Tomu: The only other guy in this stage and he is so ridiculous and funny! He’s the only other member left in the band and he’s brought it upon himself to play ALL the band instruments and pose at the members who left. So in one Music video it’s Ueda singing while we transition to different shots of him on different instruments and with different coloured hair so you can see there’s a difference xD we were ALL laughing. Also at the end, unfortunately he actually dies and tries to take Ueda with him and he spent his last scene IN and AROUND the audience just spouting abuse at the girls and then he pretends to die and lies on the floor for ages and such. Very funny xD

Nishida Naomi: She’s probably the most famous actress/actor out of them all - or at least for me she is. She was great! She played a charmingly funny but somewhat crazy one. She spends a lot of time crying and with such a lack of confidence. She’s like ‘if I was a good manager then you wouldn’t always be consulting your ex-manager right?!?!’ and Ueda is like ‘no I just sleep with her... she’s not my manager, you are! You’re a great manager!’ and she’s like ‘really?! *all happy for a second* BUT! You sleep with her and not me because she’s prettier!!! *calms a little* I’M SORRY! PLEASE DON’T HATE ME! I DON’T MEAN TO BE NEGATIVE! DO YOU HATE ME?!?!?’ She’s actually hilarious xD her and Ueda were the funniest I think.

Now onto some scenes and comments and such:

So the people in the band are Ueda and Miyazaki Tomu. It was originally 4 people but very quickly into the show Ueda comments ‘well they left...*looks to the audience* you know who left!’ and everyone died laughing because he was clearly commenting on KAT-TUN losing members.

I thought it was interesting how they did the sex scenes; they would do like a duet dance around the stage while they held music notes showing that he was being inspired in his music as he slept with them. It was creative and much more visually pleasing than just seeing him ‘have sex’ with the girls on stage.

The two Chinese characters at one point started randomly singing ‘100% Yuuki’ which got everyone giggling.

Also towards the end it got pretty ridiculous and the girl would cut herself in order to see ghosts and before she did it (every time) everyone was like ‘why are you doing this to yourself?! It’s dangerous!’ and every time her only reply was ‘Giri giri de itsumo ikite itai kara’ which got laughs every time.

There’s a 5 - 10 minute sequence where all the girls want to go and watch LaLaLand at the cinema with him; at first he’s reluctant but by the end of it he ends up even inviting his band member to go and see LaLa Land with him because he’s seen it that many times and fallen in love with the movie and it’s music (xD), and the music from the show plays over during this scene too. So safe to say this stage WON’T get a DVD because of possible copyright infringement from this movie xD

The finally few minutes and final scene starts with the title (on the wall) ‘One Year Later’ and that really hit me in the feels because I went exactly one year after KAT-TUN went on Hiatus and the whole scene was about him and his lover finally getting back together and reuniting after a year of being apart. And to have that scene and for JE to NOT announce KAT-TUN’s come back one year later was really a blow to the feels; especially because JE fucking WROTE this stage. WHY would you do something like a ONE YEAR LATER scene and NOT announce KAT-TUN’s come back one year later? That’s fucking brutal and cruel JE...

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All in all, I was laughing at all the meta jokes throughout this and this was entertaining, and I enjoyed myself a lot and the story is crazy and I did laugh pretty much the entire time, but underneath all that... I couldn’t help but be really hurt and sad too whenever some things were brought up, especially the ones about members leaving and the whole coincidental ‘one year later’ especially because I went on May 1st which is exactly one year since they went on hiatus and such. I definitely felt a stab in my heart. Also the making self harm a joke kinda hurt me at first but I decided to suck it up and just not take that too seriously.

It was definitely comical like they promised but the story was a lot more simple and very different to what I originally was expecting. When I saw the visual I thought we were going to be getting an actually musical orchestra university thing with Ueda as the star of the orchestra and he was like the Prince but it ended up being a lot more low budget, a lot more simple, realistic and completely different. But it was good.

Hope you enjoy that!