#my favorite monster‚ the beholder‚ even gets mentioned which is honestly all i could expect

[thecynicalcinephile]

So, About Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,

A solid well-written visual feast and overall entertaining romp through the world of the Forgotten Realms. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to actually watch a good movie.

First of all, I'd like to note that this movie makes surprising use of practical effects. I was concerned that this would be some overly-CGed marvel-level schlock, but right off the bat we're presented with a completely practical dragonborn and aarakocra (bird person), and this continues throughout the whole movie, with everything from zombies to tabaxi (cat people). I loved every second of it.

Then there's the acting. It honestly just feels like everyone was having so much fun with their roles. It's almost like the writers and all the actors really were just a bunch of friends playing DnD together. Chris Pine particularly seems to embody his role, for the duration of the runtime he honestly becomes a bard.

The film also remains surprisingly faithful to the source material, frequently citing specific spells & abilities, in addition to locations, that would seem like deep cuts to anyone who doesn't play the game.

However, that does lead to my one immediate problem with the movie: they're so accurate in some places that it causes the areas where they take some liberties to stick out like a sore thumb. As a DnD player myself, let me say that druids cannot wildshape anywhere near that many times a day. Additionally, the Hither-Thither staff was somewhat frustrating, as that is an original invention of the film from what I can tell. With how many spells & magic items have been released over the years, I guarantee you they could've found something pre-existing that would work. More importantly though, the staff is ridiculously overpowered. I don't think it can be safely ported over into the game without running the risk of breaking absolutely everything for a variety of reasons. Overall though this is a minor complaint, especially since no one who doesn't play the game would ever notice.

And the end of the day, all I can say is definitely give this film a watch when you get the chance. It's exciting, delightful, and fun for the whole family, while still taking itself seriously and treating the audience with respect.

[julies-butterflies]

Honestly, your writing reminds me a lot of the buffyverse. Just the perfect balance of humor and sadness and romance and heart that just feels like a vivid window into the world you've created.

God the Body...the best forty minutes of television I may never watch again. I've rewatched Willow and Tara's kiss (because I'll adore them forever), but just...the weight of it. It took me a full month to work up the nerve to watch the episode, to be ready to cry that much.

What you said about not wanting people to suffer, because of your work...It's never once felt like that for me. And I've cried a LOT while reading your work. I'll try to explain it the best I can

Grief can be so isolating, and disorienting. Your world goes topsey-turvey, supports you took for granted go flying into the abyss and suddenly it's a minefield of those glass shards. And no one's grief is identical. No two circumstances are the same. It's not possible for anyone else to know exactly how you feel, because no two hearts break alike.

Sometimes, it's because people just don't understand. Sometime's it's because they no longer want to. But some days, that feeling of aloneness can be crushing.

Then one night, I stumbled upon Let These Shadows Fall Away Like Dust. That one hit me way harder than I was ever expecting. The question of how to grieve the living, the dilemma on when forgiveness is deserved...Alex's anger, his devestation, the rawness of it all....That's my broken glass. Those are concepts I've been struggling for over a year. I'm still picking up pieces every day.

I sobbed, because it was such a relief. To see the feelings that had been scrambled up in my mind just reflected there, on my screen. The reminder I had desperately needed, that I was not alone. That even though my circumstances were different, I was not the only one trying to unravel those messy emotions.

Then again, I also read your deathfic for fun, so maybe I'm not the best judge of this. I tend to like angst. I tend to get a lot of "WHY WOULD YOU MAKE IT THAT SAD" in group chats :D

Please don't feel any pressure to respond to me quickly or anything. I never mind the wait. I'm so sorry for the rough times. Wishing that you and your family gets whatever you need to help ease your storm. Sending love and support as well.

(sorry for all the metaphors. I'm super sleepy and apparently, I resort to purple prose when tired lol)

I know exactly what you mean about Emily. I understand why people don't like her, but I just love to see her written as such a grey character. It's just so much more powerful when the love is so clearly there.

I mean, that's what a tragedy is, really. Love cut short. Grieving a future that could have been everything, if fate had not been cruel. I don't know if you know musical theater, but I like to think about the Barber and His Wife, from Sweeney Todd: the whole tragedy of that show, is that they were happy all together, and then permanently broken. How their paths keep crossing, but they never connect to heal. Never lost, but never found.

And that's the tragedy of Luke and Emily: too stubborn and too late. You find that grey area, the messiness so well, and just bring it all out so wonderfully. You do the same with Bobby/Trevor, ESPECIALLY in the horror and the wild. God, that absolutely devestated me. I'm not a big fan of horror in general, and I haven't explored the genre that much but...if all horror is like yours then DAMN, I might just have to become a fan.

This got super long (lol) so I'll wrap it up now but! THE SIC FIC QUEENS TOGETHER???? When I tell you I lost it.... all too well Bobby and what you've lost reggie in the same story are killing me. I am hooked and incredibly hyped. Loved both updates so far, and cannot wait to see where the story goes!

Oh yeah and I forget: I have to ask, do you have a fan cast of the one, the only, the incredible Keith Richards? (and that goblin is so cute!!! I really want to pet the blood thirsty monster. So badly)

Love, your totally-not-undead-pen-pal, :D

-Vampire Anon

Know musicals? Vampire Anon my beloved, I am a musical theatre bitch. Take a look at my high school graduation cap! (Anastasia is my favorite musical... something about the themes of home, love, and family, the idea of always finding a place in the world even after enduring incredible hardship, that anything is survivable with faith and love in your heart... I'm also a Romanov history bitch, and Christy Altomare is such an incredible talent and human being.) Literally, talk to me about musicals anytime!

And yeah, I definitely see your metaphor... the tragedy of The Barber and his Wife was how close they came to each other throughout the whole show, existing within reach the entire time, after being separated for so long. But it wasn't the same; it never could be. Time and trauma had changed them both into something unrecognizeable, and when they came face-to-face, they could only hurt each other. At a certain point, the ghosts of your past are meant to stay ghosts. Sure, you might want them back more than anything --- but what would it mean? What would you truly be getting back?

Luke's "back", of course, and he comes home to visit his parents multiple times... but they're not the same people he left. They're older, greyer, changed by grief... while he's just the same. A snapshot forever frozen in time, a memory crystalized in amber. You can't hold memories in your hands. You can't pull them close and refuse to let them go. Eventually, they'll slip away... and to Mitch and Emily, a memory is all their son is, now. That's what's so heartrending about the situation we see in the show, especially --- so much love still exists between all of them, but it has no place to go.

Okay, sorry, it's 3am here and I'm rambling too, haha --- mentioning musical theatre was a mistake.

I'm so glad my stories have been able to connect with you, especially 'shadows' --- that one resonated with a lot of people, more than I ever realized it would. It's not the most personal story to me... but definitely one that needed to be told, and the emotion in it... hits home for a lot of people. It means so much to me knowing that story, and Alex's internal struggle, has made people feel less alone.

I think I'm going to have a hard time looking back on that one, though. We were staying at my aunt's house for the weekend where I wrote most of it; I read a few excerpts to her, and she said she liked it. She was always interested in my writing... I kind of wish I'd gotten the chance to share more of it with her.

Like you said. Grief's a funny thing. Disorienting, relentless, and crushing.

Please just remember, though --- whatever you're dealing with, you're not alone. You don't have to cut yourself on those broken pieces... one day, you'll wake up, and realize you feel whole again. It will never feel the same, and the pain will always be there... but healing around it is what makes us stronger. You don't owe anyone your forgiveness; it's okay to grieve when you've lost something, regardless of whether death has taken them from you. Grief doesn't have to be earned, it simply has to be felt.

You'll be stronger for it, in the end. I'm sorry you've been hurting so much.

Anyways! Oh gosh! On to lighter, happier topics! Please tell me...

What are your favorite fics? (Like, my fics, obviously, which fics of mine do you just go gaga over? Please praise me or else my ego will shrivel like a worm on hot pavement.) No, okay, I'm kidding --- what are your top fics for this fandom? Like, what are the ones that really resonate with you, that you could read over and over? The JATP fandom has so many greats, but I'm always drawn back to Some Killer Queen You Are by pearlcaddy (buffyverse meets jatp!! iconic!!), Lantern's Light by thefairhero (literally the SOFTEST reggie), the sky's not empty tonight by firefall (just... devastating and beautiful in a dozen ways), and literally anything by foundfamilyvevo.

How long have you been in the JATP fandom? Who are your favorite characters? What's your favorite JATP song?

And finally, most importantly... what are your favorite musicals?

(also... since u asked... behold keith richards and tremble)

[mirkwoodshewolf]

I’m not like him; 10th doctor x reader

*Author’s note*

Hey all okay so this request (I honestly almost forgot I had it got lost amongst my board but as I was organizing my masterlist I came across it) so @unleashthebeees I apologize for the long wait but I found it darling so I give you your long awaited request. I just want to put up a BIG WARNING NOTE THAT THIS FIC CONTAINS ABUSE *both emotional and mentions of physical* ABUSE IS NEVER EVER OKAY!!! IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS BEING ABUSED PLEASE REACH OUT FOR HELP. YOU ARE A FACTOR FOR HOW THE LIFE OF THE VICTIM WILL END UP AS. PLEASE REACH OUT, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!

Warnings: ABUSE (mostly emotional but slight physical), angst, fluff, swearing, but fluff is contained in here as well.

Permanent taglist:

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@plethora-of-things

___________________________________________________________

“But why must you go?” I asked him.

“You know I can’t always stay in one place. The fate of the entire galaxy rests on my shoulders.” He said.

“I know, and I can’t ever ask you to leave it all behind but—must you go now? Can’t you take me with you?”

“As much as I would love to you know I can’t. I’ve—I’ve lost so many friends in the past, one friend very close to me when I first came to your world. I would never forgive myself if I lost you.” But if you do leave, you may lose me here, but it’s to something far worse than anything that’s out there in the galaxy. He cupped my face into his hands and said, “Three days tops. I promise. Then I’ll take you somewhere far away for a quiet little picnic, sound good?”

I nodded to him and said.

“Can it be somewhere remote? Where there aren’t any people.”

“Wherever my love desires to go, that’s where she’ll go.” He kissed me softly and whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, Doctor.” He smiled at me and he opened the door to his TARDIS but turned back towards me and winked at me.  I waved goodbye and he soon shut the doors and once more that wheezing, gasping sound echoed through the air as the TARDIS slowly faded away.  And not after five seconds of him leaving, a car pulled up along the driveway, a car that I knew all too well and feared beyond anything else in this world.

“Oi (y/n)!? Where’s my little plaything hiding?!” You see that man coming out of the car, you may be thinking ex-boyfriend or the cousin you never talk about, well you’re wrong on both occasions.  Now most would think of their father or ex-spouse as the one being the abusive one in most situations, well no in my case it’s my older brother, Jason.

All my life ever since I was 13, Jason suddenly began to turn on me.  It’s mostly verbal abuse calling me names like bitch or slut especially when I would go out, he’d sometimes even call me a whore (even when my clothes weren’t as scandalous as you may think they are). Jason’s always had a problem drinking which was 9 times out of 10 the reason why he’s so abusive.

But even when he’s sober, he can be a cruel person but he’s more precise with his wording.  Making to belittle me even in public even in front of our own parents.  When I would try to convince them that Jason’s words were abusing me, they just brushed it off and my no good dad always said.

‘Boys will be boys. He’s just toughening you up for the real world.’

And of course I’m not the only victim.  He’s been arrested for bar fights and also domestic charges and after serving about 2 years after his last trial, he always comes back to me claiming that I’m his ‘favorite plaything’ it’s like I’m a practice doll for what he could try on future girlfriends.

What was worse was the sometimes physical abuse, I was thankful he didn’t start off with that but by the time I was 18 and had left the house for college, one day he just showed up at my sorority dorm room, shitfaced before he suddenly slapped me across the face, called me a bitch for leaving home and then stormed out.

Besides he always said physical abuse is the reason why people got caught so easily. Too many scars and witnesses. You can always break a person down more with words than with fists.

“Ahh there she is.” I cringed as I felt his arm wrap around my neck and he made it seem like a playful brother reuniting with his sister as some of my neighbors were just starting to come out as he dragged me back to the house.  

But his grip around my neck was tighter than it needed to be, by the time he shut the door, he shoved me to the wall and he said.

“How come me little sis never visited me while I was away? Hmm?”

“Jason please not now…..”

“You don’t talk back to me you little slime. You’ll talk when I say you can talk. That’s what women are supposed to do. Obey the man of the house, understood?” I nodded then he said. “Good, now be good Cinderella and get me a beer. Budweiser not any of that other shit.”

And so for the next three weeks, I was tormented and kept a prisoner of my house by my brother who doesn’t even live here.  I was currently doing the dishes by hand (orders from Jason) while he was passed out drunk on the couch when I heard the wheezing sound of the TARDIS.

I looked towards Jason and quietly went out the backdoor and there morphing into the backyard was the famed police box I had been waiting to see. However I was pissed, he promised me he’d be back in three days.  He said he’d be back in three days, I was hoping and counting down the days to finally escape my evil brother and finally be rid of this hellhole for once.  Soon the Doctor popped out and he said.

“Oh love you would not believe what I had been through.” I crossed my arms over my chest and just glared at him.  “What?”

“Three days.” I simply said.  “You said you’d be back in three days. Three days Doctor! I was counting the days till you came back, what happened out there?!”

“I’m sorry love, but the Cybermen had apparently forged an alliance with the Daleks and they both planned on wiping out the future of New, New, New York. It took longer than I had planned, I couldn’t just let the people there die.”

“You know you could’ve called. Or at least not promised me such a promise. You’ve never broken a promise to me Doctor and now here’s the first time you’ve ever broken one to me! You can’t do that to me! You know that!”

“Would you rather me risk the fate of the universe just to come back to you?” He snapped at me.

“I expect you to at least never to make promises you can’t keep! You said three days well it’s been three weeks. Weeks Doctor! Do you have any idea what—how worried I was.” I tried to avoid any subject about my brother.  No one else knew about it and I’ll be damned if the Doctor knew about it.  But it wasn’t until the Doctor actually let out an angry cry before saying.

“Why must you be so stubborn woman!?!” I saw him raise his hand in the air and I flinched thinking that he’d actually go through and hit me, just like Jason always did. But the slap didn’t come, instead I heard the Doctor say, “Hey, love. What’s wrong are—are you okay?”

Ahh bollocks.

“I’m sorry I—I was out of line. I’ll…..I’ll never talk back again. You were right and I was wrong. Women should never talk back to a man.” I rambled on but the Doctor stopped me as he gently cupped my cheek in his hand delicately as he said.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on now love. Where is all this coming from?” I refused to answer him as I tried to turn away and not look at him. “Who is it?” he suddenly asked.  I looked at him worriedly.

“Wha—what do you mean?”

“Love I’m a time lord. Been everywhere and seen everything. And unfortunately out of all monster I’ve faced, fought or seen in the galaxy, there is nothing worse than an abuser. Now who is it? Ex-boyfriend?” I shook my head no. “Father?” I shook my head again.  “Uncle?” finally I whispered.

“Brother.”

“What was that love?”

“My older brother.” I said a bit louder but it still came out as a whimper.  But the Doctor managed to hear me as he said.

“He….does he—physically….”

“Sometimes. But that’s only when he’s truly shitfaced. But even then he only does it once. Says that that’s how abusers get caught too easily. No most of the time he just—says things to tear me down. He’s done it all my life and I’m just…..I’m sick and tired of it. I wish it would all stop!”

“Hey, hey, c’mere love, breathe love. Deep breaths.” I tried to breath deeply but my hysteria just kept getting in the way as I began to hyperventilate.  “Easy love, easy, easy. Follow me, just listen to one of my hearts and focus on that.” He rested my head over his chest and low and behold I heard the sound of his two heartbeats.

I focused on the first heartbeat that I would hear and just try and follow that. The Doctor also was letting out some slow, steady breaths trying to get me to copy him.  I followed his breathing and tried to calm my hysteria at this point.

After a few minutes of finally getting my breathing back in order and my mind was less chaotic, the Doctor continued to stroke my hair as he said to me.

“Is—that the reason why you were so adamant on wanting to come with me?” I nodded as I buried myself into his suit.  He held onto me tighter as he exhaled heavily and said, “Oh my love I—had I known I wouldn’t have…..”

“But you didn’t Doctor. That’s not your fault. No one knew about it. Hell not even my own parents believed me.”

“You mean you told your parents? And they didn’t do anything about it?”

“My mum never really listened to me and my dad always made the excuse of ‘boys will be boys. He’s just toughen you up for the real world out there’. What a load of rubbish.”

“I agree, that is a load of absolute rubbish.” He had me look up at him and he said, “(Y/n), darling you know that—that I would never, ever in all my lives…..”

“I know Doctor. It’s just….the shouting and raised hands they—it just triggered me and I—”

“Shhh, not another word love. I get it. I shouldn’t have yelled I’m sorry.”

“And I’m sorry for…..”

“Darling you’ve got nothing to apologize for.” He stroked a strand of hair out of my face. “Now I believe I promised a getaway, but let’s make a slight change to the arrangement.”  I looked up at him in disbelief.

“You—you mean…..”

“Come with me. Travel and see the galaxy with me, for the rest of your life. I can help you escape him.”

“But—what if he finds me?” I asked worriedly.

“Well unless another time lord comes around to pick him up, but last I checked I was the last one.” We both laughed softly and he continued, “I promise, you’ll never be hurt the way he’s hurt you ever again.”

“Thank you Doctor, I love you.”

“And I love you my beautiful star.” He softly kissed my nose and stepped into the TARDIS with his hand extended out to me.  I took it and he brought me inside the blue box for an eternity of adventure, excitement and most important of all, security and safety.

[theragamuffininitiative]

“Starring Opposite You” recap, aka a monster-length post

This is really long, and it’s me just rambling a bunch of dumb stuff about the night with video links to the songs, so I’m being courteous and inserting a readmore link, because I have no idea how the formatting is gonna come out by the time I’m done. XD

But guys. I got to see Ashley and Jeremy in concert together and it was incredible, and I got to see them afterward too. ^_^

Enjoy!

Ok, far as venues go, Sony Hall is gorgeous. It was cramped seating, but the venue itself was amazing. I got exactly two pictures of it and then my battery died. XD

Before the concert started, @hisloveconsumesme (my amazing traveling buddy who somehow managed to keep this ragamuffin in line) and I were sitting at these long tables that stretched out from the stage toward the back of the venue, so we had to turn sideways for the show.

So. Directly across the room from us was a little round table near the wall, and lo and behold seated there was none other than Melissa Benoist, Jeremy’s costar and the lead from Supergirl, who is on Broadway herself for a limited engagement in Beautiful and came to support her friend for a night of fun. She wasn’t exactly hiding and people kept coming up to get pictures with her and she was very sweet to all of them.

We kept watching that side of the room and by the end of the night almost the whole Squad had shown up so that it was Melissa, Kara Lindsay (JJ’s costar from Newsies) and her husband Kevin Massey, and Corey Cott (Bandstand, and JJ’s replacement in Newsies) and his wife Meg, and the queen herself: Laura Osnes (Bandstand, Cinderella, JJ’s costar in Bonnie and Clyde, and Ashley’s competition/friend from Grease Live). It was so fun not only seeing two of my faves on stage as a fan, but seeing my other faves there enjoying and reacting to everything as friends.

Ok but the songs:

Ashley and Jeremy came out and with zero introduction, they just stood on opposite sides of the stage facing one another, never giving the audience a bit of notice, unlit at the corners of the stage, and sang Castro’s “Automatic” 

They stepped closer to each other through the whole song until they were right in front of each other, and then they danced together, and then they spun around and faced the audience for the first time. It may have been my favorite song of the night and this is the only clip I think any one snagged of it, but it was so cute the way they staged it, I love them.

Melissa waved at Ashley from the audience and Ashley smiled so big and waved excitedly back, like how cute.

Then they introduced themselves (”in case you all came to the wrong place” Jeremy joked to the packed room) and gave a little background of what they’ve been in and how the night was their own little celebration of all they’ve done on stage and together and got to talking about how they will get the other person’s showtunes stuck in their head for days. Ashley burned JJ on having to listen to Newsies and Smash back-to-back and honestly they just roasted each other for a bit.

They talked so long about wanting to be in something together, they got tired of waiting so that’s why they did the concert: “Starring Opposite You.”

They had a script. They woefully went off script. They would do 'impromptu' jokes and then be like “this is in the script” and “now it’s your line” and honestly I can’t with these dorks.

Ben Rauhala was shaking his head at them from his keyboard 90% of the entire night, especially when Jeremy said “We didn’t rehearse!” and Ben was 100% done with Mom and Dad.

And then they started singing a medley of all their standards, except that Ashley was singing JJ’s songs and Jeremy was singing her’s ohmygosh

AND IT WAS HYSTERICAL BUT ALSO HOLY HECK GUYS ASHLEY IS SO GOOD.

ASHLEY SLAYED “Moving Too Fast” and “Raise A Little Hell” and “Broadway Here I Come” and “Santa Fe.” Like, don’t think this is anything less than a compliment, but I’ve pretty much come to expect phenomenal performances by Jeremy at this point, but there is not nearly enough content for Ashley AND SHE’S SO GOOD, I CAN’T STOP GEEKING OUT ABOUT IT. I need a cast album with her yesterday.

Jeremy was ‘offended’ that Ashley was doing choreography while he was singing so during “When You Got, Flaunt It” he shouted “Now for the dance!” and started to go for it and Ashley immediately went “No!” and stopped him. XD XD Heaven bless her.

Everybody screamed so loud for Bonnie and Clyde, these are my people.

Please please please, the part at the end where she’s singing “Santa Fe” in Jack Kelly’s accent. I don’t know if that was planned or not because Jeremy was dying on stage and had to fight so hard to get control back for his next bit, send help. XD XD XD

And yeah Jeremy sang “Harden My Heart” and “Hopelessly Devoted” so. um. heck.

He was such a huge dork the whole time, I don’t even know what to say, except to point out that at one point early on - I don’t remember exactly which of his antics got this reaction but does it honestly matter - I looked over and Corey’s wife Meg was doubled over with laughter while simultaneously covering her face with her hands in shame like “please. I don’t know this man. I swear.”

They did a scene from Rock of Ages and sang “High Enough” because they were both in it but not at the same time, so they played their characters opposite each other and it was great. XD

Featuring! Jeremy explaining to the audience he was holding a cassette tape, and Ashley then throwing it on the ground. XD

How did she fall in love with him when he was doing this role, I don’t know, but maybe it’s a good thing because at least she knew what she was in for.

Those harmonies though.

Then JJ grabbed a guitar and talked about old songs he wrote growing up and the whole bit cracked the entire room up

and this video has slightly better audio but without the intro.

Let me just tell you, as someone who taught guitar to middleschoolers for four years: that Green Day song is somehow always the one boys teach themselves on their own and I don’t get it.

AND THEN!!!!

ok ok ok ok ok Jeremy Jordan asdfghjkl singing the love song he wrote to Ashley and their future family, aka “Memories of Loving You”, aka “Ashley’s Song” - THE ACTUAL TITLE, aka my most favorite thing he maybe has ever done alkjfshldfijksdfjhleiudzfknv,fhslidvdxkvnd *broke*

They talked about Riley a lot. Like a lot a lot.

They joked that every time Riley was mentioned, everyone had to take a shot, but Ashley added that you needed to get someone to carry/drive you home. XD

There was a slideshow presentation of all of Riley’s nicknames and I honestly don’t remember most of them (kicking myself over that, because they were wild) but it was everything from like “Ri-ri” and “Riley Bear” to completely different names to long complicated made-up words that didn’t even make any sense - and there were like 30 of these. Most of them were dubbed by Ashley.

I could see Jeremy’s eyebrows doing The Thing while he sang from where I sat. XD

Jeremy was such a Dad because he kept getting distracted by the fact that the slideshow wasn’t keeping up.

I don’t remember which song it was around but Ashley had videos of her as like a three year old toddling around and singing, and this girl already had it from that age, and it was adorable.

The whole night felt like a chance for them to not only star opposite each other, but to swap places. Ashley was showcasing in every performance and song, being silly, but also very much bringing her a-game. Incredible. Jeremy on the other hand, was so incredibly laidback and goofy the whole night, this was the performance from a guy who knows he has nothing to prove and was just enjoying the moment and probably enjoying showing off Ashley for a bit because he never shuts up about how gorgeous and talented she is anyway, and he’s RIGHT.

Ashley talked about how much she was grateful for all the roles she’s gotten to do, but they’ve mostly been pop rock musicals and not anything classical, and so she sang “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” from Showboat

Someone cast her in something quick

And give us a cast recording

I’m begging you.

The Waitress medley. (!!!!!!!!!!)

I can’t.

@hisloveconsumesme kept grabbing me excitedly and if I had been behind her I would have been doing the same thing but basically I couldn’t take my attention off the stage long enough. We were living. Cast them in Waitress too. ;) ;) ;)

Ashley’s so perfect.

I have no words.

Except! Watch Jeremy stand back and be completely enthralled while Ashley is singing “What Baking Can Do.” You could feel the waves of admiration coming off that stage mixing with that coming from the audience.

Now go back and watch it again just to listen to her.

The part during “Bad Idea” where they go “you have a wife / you have a husband” and just shrug and laugh at each other like “yeah: you.” XD XD XD

He did “Run Away With Me”

probably the best he’s ever done it

especially after making a whole point about never doing it because of always messing it up lol.

Also the bit about the pie at the beginning might be what was embarrassing poor Meg Cott.

He did not share the pie.

Ashley singing “Embraceable You” was so precious??

ohmyword listen to her

I’m so uPSET I didn’t get to see her play Polly. *flops*

Literally everything they did was love songs, even when the other person wasn’t on stage for it. Jeremy kept popping back onstage saying things like “aw, you mean me?!” and Ashley just rolled her eyes at him.

These dorks. The 90′s Medley story is great, but what are they doing though, what...what are they.

90s kid me was having flashbacks

EVERYONE CLAPPED AT THE PART and it made Ashley so happy. XD

While Ramin will forever and always be my favorite Jean Valjean, Jeremy came out of freaking left field and sang “Bring Him Home” ????! for us as his final song, complete with a little story intro for his experience with the song.

I was seriously concerned by the fact that he wasn’t taking nearly enough breaths for this piece and I don’t know how he did it skjdflhajdfa

also he can go play that role any time he wants even though I never would have said I wanted it before the concert.

Oh, and when he finished, I glanced over at where Kara Lindsay was sitting and she was crryyyyyyyyyinngg AND I HAD BEEN FINE UP TO THAT POINT BUT HECK. SAME GIRL. SAME.

Seriously.

This is from the second night

Enjoy it all over again.

Ashley’s final song was “Stranger to the Rain” from Children of Eden, and gosh I need to stop forgetting how much I adore Schwartz’ music, so yeah, basically just listen to this and weep.

#PancakeHands

She is so pretty and talented, I’m sorry I’ll stop saying that.

They forgot to introduce the band until the last song lol. Jeremy kept making jokes about how we should all come back the second night because they would get it right then. XD

The final medley of the night was from a bunch of classic musicals, favorites of the Jordans, and wOW.

Medley featuring: “Our Children” from Ragtime, “Follow Your Heart" from Urinetown, “As Long As You’re Mine” from Wicked, “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge, and “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors.

I think Corey (and Melissa) laughed at every single dumb thing Jeremy did - the “Agony” video sums up their entire relationship I’m pretty sure -except when they went into “As Long As You’re Mine” and Corey’s little Wicked fanboy heart could hardly contain himself.

The whole night I couldn’t decide who I should be watching or when, because when Jeremy was singing, Ashley was still in full performance mode and being brilliant and hysterical and occasionally reverting to expressions of “you utter nerd what are you doing.” On the other hand, whenever Ashley was singing, Jeremy literally stepped back and just watched her like there was no one else in the room and not only like he was watching his favorite singer, but like she was the entirety of his universe and askjflhdjfdf - I can’t with them. Seriously, when you watch the youtube clips, watch the other person during the duets and you’ll see what I mean.

He kept reaching for Ashley’s hand the whole night.

Like, seriously, they held hands so much and it was so cute.

Ashley is such a good dancer. Jeremy used all five of his moves. XD She kept throwing him off by dancing and also giving him A Look if he tried to follow suit.

They came back for an encore and sang “You’re All I Need to Get By”

If I remember correctly they said this was the song they danced to at their wedding, and there was a full slide show of pictures of them (I feel like the slideshow was earlier in the night but if it was, I don’t remember which song, so unless I can see the screens from someone else’s youtube videos lol)

AND JEREMY FORGOT THE LYRICS. “ready for you” he says - NO YOU WEREN’T, JJ. Ashley and Ben kept trying to get him on track and he was so lost. XD

He was embarrassed and did the little double-over-giggling-to-hide-his-face thing I did a gifset of months ago.

Ashley held up her hand with her wedding band while singing “dedicate my life to you.”

I love them.

Standing Ovation.

Ok

But

At the end of the night:

After we applauded as loud as we could and laughed and cried.

We went and stood in line, because we had VIP tickets, and we waited for forever and chatted about the show and how incredible it was.

And then we get into this little green room in the back of the venue, and Ashley and Jeremy were taking pictures and saying hi to everyone one at a time. So I go in first, and someone before me had accidentally left their bag on the floor just inside, so JJ and Ashley were very concerned about getting it returned. Person, if you’re reading this, I hope you got your stuff back, but like, I also have a small bone to pick with you, and not actually because I totally tripped upon walking in. Jeremy and Ashley were both all “oh! careful!” (a direct quote from both of them), and very sweet about it lol. Thankfully it was only a little trip and I just laughed it off. XD So we got in and we took each other’s pictures getting a Jordan sandwich hug, and yes Jeremy really is that short, and I’m ashamed to say my brain was thinking “ohmygosh he’s so short” at the very minute I tripped over the bag.

Ashley kind of took over the little meet and greet, because naturally JJ had reverted to his shy off-stage self, and I was actually really okay with that because a) I was slightly concerned people would be all over Jeremy and ignore her and that wasn’t the case at all and b) it was much easier to focus on her and not be an awkward fangirl lol.

We told them “thank you, for everything” (at least, I think so, I was totally not focused at all at that point), and both of them were just so kind and actually thanked us for coming, and hisloveconsumesme got to chat with Ashley for a minute too as the next people where coming in and talking to JJ.

And then that was that. We left. We almost stopped to talk to Ben, but he was talking with a bunch of other people, and we were tiiiiiired. XD

So yeah. I’m sure I’ve forgotten half the night.

But this post is huge anyway. XD

It was a very good night.

@youtube user ren598, idk if you have a tumblr but I owe you for getting all these videos. There are some videos from other people there and from the second night, but these are my favorites, bless you.

Bless Ben Rauhala as well. Idk what the Broadway community would be without him, the King Medley Maker. I love him.

asdfghjkl

can’t

done

[rosegolddm]

Intro from your lovely DM! My history with D&D:

Hi friends! I have decided to start a blog documenting my experiences as a DM running Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. I actually haven't been a tabletop gamer for very long, but D&D has been something of which I have been aware for a long time.

I think I've always been into the fantasy genre, going back to a love of fairy tales and mythology from a very early age. I liked being read to and learning to read came just as naturally to me as a result. My dad also had an ongoing series of stories about Prince Garbanzo and Princess Goldie-lips that he'd improv for my siblings and me as bedtime stories. As a young gay child, princesses and mermaids in particular always caught my interest. I remember attending renaissance faires and coming home with wooden swords and shields - no princess hats, but that would have been THE LOOK at 5 years old for sure.

My history with role playing started with console JRPGs. These of course owe a lot to D&D when it comes to monsters, settings and other genre conventions we assume have just always been there. The original Legend of Zelda is the first RPG I can remember watching someone else play. Final Fantasy IV was the first I played on my own, back when it was called Final Fantasy II and fans in the US weren't even aware there were two games in between that (at the time) were destined to languish in Japan. Several more games would follow, many still retaining those D&D roots of which I was at the time unaware.

Shortly thereafter, my sister had a high school boyfriend who gave me several books in the Dragonlance series. This was my first true exposure to Dungeons and Dragons. I tore through these novels under the age of 10 - some of the content admittedly went over my head (probably for the best), but I read them cover to cover. I also remember reading The Hobbit around this time - I even did a book report about it!

I don't think I necessarily made the connection that the Dragonlance novels were based on an actual game until around the time Eye of the Beholder was ported from PC to current consoles of the time. I distinctly remember renting the SNES version and would later go on to own the Sega CD port. Video game magazines gave me some familiarity with the rules and monsters, but overall they were more cool games to play, nothing I wanted to research further than that. At some point I also rented the NES Dragonlance game, but that one's also notoriously crappy. Perhaps the less said about it, the better.

The Capcom D&D arcade games, probably the furthest from playing traditional D&D, were what really piqued my interest in the tabletop game from which all these video game spinoffs derived. Among other things, they included a mechanic that sort of emulated rolling dice to make a saving throw - you had to move the joystick back and forth to get out of various status effects. For whatever reason, this stuck with me. The inclusion of several iconic monsters and spells probably didn't hurt. I was sold on all of it!

After having played a few video games using D&D rules (or at least the settings), I finally decided it was time to give playing the real thing a try. My mom wasn't about to take me to some hobby store to play with a bunch of old grognards - nor did I even know that was an option at the time! Instead, I was allowed to order my first D&D module - Menzoberranzan. I don't think I had any sort of description of what I was ordering other than it being a D&D product - I was going in practically blind. Without any other manuals and just what we knew from the various games we'd played, my brother and I guessed our way through, mostly just throwing random dice around and deciding arbitrarily whether or not we'd killed one of the many drow provided in the modules. Despite a ton of interesting setting information, we both lost interest pretty quickly. Menzoberranzan was either given away during a move to a new house or lost in a flood. We resumed playing the occasional D&D video game, eventually having our options widened through both emulation and PC gaming.

As I got older, I made more friends with similar interests. Some of them had played actual D&D (2E) campaigns - I was so jealous! I managed to rope one friend into acting as DM for me and another friend. We made it through about one session during a lunchtime period at school. I don't recall doing much in the way of rolling dice or anything one typically associates with playing a tabletop RPG. It's probably for the best that it didn't pan out. The DM loved pulling dick moves on PCs and had an arsenal of DMPCs to get out of any and every jam, all of whom were ostensibly cooler and more competent than either of us players could possibly muster. I don't think dealing with any of that at length would have left me with a very good impression of the game.

The release of the third edition of D&D was an exciting time! I ended up picking up the player's manual, DM guide, and monster manual. Later on I even got the Complete Psionics. I would use these to formulate several characters and come up with all sorts of cool ideas in my head, but none of it ever translated into a regular game. At the time I certainly didn't feel confident enough to act as a DM, especially with a system as rule-heavy and numbers-heavy as 3E tended to be. There was also a brief attempt to get a game of Vampire: The Masquerade going in high school, but again it never really got off the ground.

Tabletop gaming fell off the radar for me for many years following that. I was aware of the 4th edition release, but unsure of what to make of it and not really willing to spend my money on a whole new set of manuals. It was a drastic change, to be sure, and I was probably more focused on dudes or partying or clothing. Every now and then, I'd get curious about a particular setting's lore and read up on that, but it wouldn't ever get further than that. I even went so far as to download a Pathfinder app that contained a huge amount of compiled information - being close in spirit to 3E didn't hurt!

It wouldn't be until a friend from Tumblr started doing artwork for the campaign he was running that my interest was again sparked in actually playing a sit-down game of D&D. I knew bits and pieces about the newest edition and it all sounded good to me. The party needed an arcane caster, I chose a Warlock, and I was immediately hooked. What really sealed the deal was having both an accommodating, engaging DM in addition to a great group of players. Over the course of about a year, we played through Lost Mine of Phandelver, adding lots of our own personal touches to the material through our characters.

What followed were some attempts at new 5E games, unfortunately hampered by the scheduling conflicts that often arise when you're trying to get 5-6 20-40somethings with jobs living in different boroughs of NYC to appear at the same place at the same time. Some folks moved away, some got bogged down in personal life stuff, but I never lost interest. If anything it made me more determined to get the right crew together for a really great campaign.

I am currently part of a mostly homebrew 5e campaign on hiatus best described as a mix of both Avatar series, Steven Universe, and a lot of interesting parallels to the currently running Not Another D&D Podcast (which I highly recommend btw). Kevin has been a great DM and we often spitball ideas that eventually make it into the campaign off each other.

During downtime from my main 5e game (we typically play about once a month and are currently taking a longer break), I started looking into Adventurer's League games for Kevin and I to try to give us both more opportunities to try different characters (and in Kevin's case, not being stuck as DM!). That didn't quite pan out, but in my search I DID randomly find a tabletop gaming channel on Slack at my job. I found a few mentions of D&D and decided to throw my hat in the ring with helping to organize a game. This was interpreted as me volunteering to be DM.

Honestly, I'd never considered it before and was a bit intimidated by the prospect. After stewing over it for a bit, however, I realized I could run Lost Mine of Phandelver, having familiarity with the material as a player. Once I had the books in my hands and the planning started, it all sort of clicked. Using tips from my friends who'd run games before and a variety of resources available online, I've gotten really into the whole process!

So that leads us to where we are now. In about a week, I'll be meeting with my players (2 experienced, 3 totally new to D&D) for session 0 to go over rules, expectations, and character creation. Coming up with characters is one of my favorite parts, so I'm very excited! I'll be using this space to discuss my own experiences running games, resources I enjoy, and other aspects of tabletop gaming. There's plenty more to come!

[roachliquid]

I ask u ALL the Halloween questions!!!

OH SHIT OK

Bat - honestly, yes, a fucking bat.  Fits into tiny spaces AND can fly.  WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE

Black Cat - Knocking on wood (or, failing that, someone’s head) for luck.  It’s not exactly witchcraft, but it certainly doesn’t make any sense, so superstition it is.

Broomstick - Portland, Maine.  Or all of Maine, if I can swing it.  I have it on Good Report that place is spooky as hell.

Candy Corn - I want to say the vomit-flavored Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans - because they are Utterly Repulsive, even compared to the other “gross” flavors.  But they’re supposed to be gross, so other than that, the most repulsive actual food item that I can remember eating (not counting all the non-food things I’ve put in my mouth) is the chicken wraps they sell at Costco that cause explosive diarrhea.  They taste fine, they just cause explosive diarrhea.

Cauldron - Pie, any kind.  I fucking love making pie.  It doesn’t follow that I’m good at it, but hey, that’s what cheesecake is for.

Cobwebs - Upper-class suburbs.  I’m always low-key worried I’ll be mistaken for a burglar and get cops called on me or something.  Plus the houses are just... IDK, too clean.  It’s spooky.

Coffin - Yep.  Especially in crowds, but also occasionally in restroom stalls.

Demon - It’s gonna be a toss-up between my ability to get involved in something pointless to the degree where I forget that time progressing is a thing for weeks on end, and my complete lack of anything resembling respect for hygiene.  I am not a well man.

Eerie - Adults trying to ingratiate themselves to kids by “lowering themselves to (the kids’) level.”  JUST TALK TO THEM LIKE PEOPLE, YA JOIRKS.

Fright - My mother.

Ghost - Probably a beetle.  I love beetles; they’re round and flappy and handsome.

Gravestone - Hmmm that’s a good question.  I’d like it to be something truly tasteless, just so that whenever people think about my death and try to get all sentimental they just think about the fact that I drowned at the bottom of a giant vat of beer.

Haunted House - Nobody, honestly.  I’m a terrible roommate and I don’t like having to accommodate other people either.  (Come to think of it, maybe that shoulda been my biggest flaw?)

Hocus Pocus - “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift.

Howel - Smol.

Jack-o’-lantern - I sure do!  I have scars from dermatillomania (did I mention I’m fucked up?) and a pretty impressive one on my foot from running into a tiller.

Monster - Uhhhhhhhhhhm I don’t really have a “favorite” scary movie, because if a movie actually scares me, watching it once is usually traumatic enough to be satisfying.  Though I’d consider watching the It miniseries again, because it was funny as heck but left me with a satisfying spooked feeling.

Mummy- Cremated, please.  As a dead body, I won’t really be needing anything, let alone a permanent chunk of ground just to lie around and be dead in.

Potion - Water (I really can’t stand the taste of most manufactured drinks) and Irish car bombs.

Pumpkin - Pumpkin spice coffee.  Can’t get enough.

Scream - Stand behind a door I’m about to open in a place I wouldn’t expect you to be.

Skeleton - “Alexis Feynman” is a pseudonym.  (In advance of any questions, no, I did not name myself after Richard Feynman.)

Spooky - I had a dream where one of my aunts, who is a known parasite, abruptly decided that her deceased father wanted her to have a bunch of stuff that the whole family was going to have to chip in to buy (some of which she didn’t even need).

Trick or Treat - OH MY GOD THIS IS MY FAVORITE STORY.  Be forewarned, this is about me being a Terrible Person, I’m not proud of my behavior nor do I condone it.  But god, it was HILARIOUS.

I was in a class where there was a continually rotating student body.  Consequently, you had more senior students (of which I was one) mixed in with underclassmen (such as my unfortunate victim).  This made it incredibly easy to get away with pranking other students with misinformation - sometimes for great justice, and sometimes, in my case, just to be an asshole.

I told this guy to delete his System32 folder.

He was naturally skeptical.  (HE WAS RIGHT.  DON’T EVER DELETE SYSTEM32, GUYS.)  So I spun him a story: I told him that Windows used System32 to store outdated commands that it used to run various processes, and that if he deleted it, it would be forced to pull its commands from the (nonexistent) System64 folder, which contained newer commands that would make the computer run faster.

AGAIN.  THERE IS NO SYSTEM64 FOLDER.

Well, this dude came to class the next day and LO AND BEHOLD, he’d done it.  He said that he was skeptical until he looked in his Windows folder and found System64.  I was like “wat” (he probably found the SysWow64 folder, which does exist on 64-bit systems).  And he’d gone and deleted System32.  Which COMPLETELY FUCKS UP WINDOWS, DON’T FREAKING DO THIS, YOUR COMPUTER WILL BE INOPERABLE WITHOUT ADVANCED REPAIR.

tl;dr I talked a dude into fubar-ing his computer

Vampire - Neither, really.  I’m an afternoon guy.  I like waking up in the late morning and staying up until the middle of the night.

Witch - Imean, I practice witchcraft IRL, so technically I’m already casting spells.  But if we’re talking some Hollywood-tier “point ant shoot for fancy effect” stuff, I’ll go with a spell that instantly cuts my hair to the style I want.

Zombie: Kraft fucking mac and cheese.  I swear that shit has no food value because no matter how much I eat I don’t feel full and that DAMN CHEESY GOODNESS just makes me crave it more.  I could eat two boxes by myself ok, don’t let me near it.