#richie goes to the theatre

[unladyboss]

DOES RICHIE GO TO PLAYS/THEATRE? SEASON 3 THE BEAR

I dunno why Carmy tries to make it seem as if it's not within Richie's scope to go to the theatre or see a play

Chicago has Shakespeare in the Park all the time.

Matter of fact Connor is doing plays right now and may have invited Richie to some

In fact it tracks that none of them know that Richie goes to plays because he's basically alone. Does stuff alone.

When he's not with Eva.

I'd hang out with Richie.

I actually want he and Syd to hang out more before she ends up with Luca

[randomsufff]

This is so funny because I also hc those two characters as dating (I mean come on, they danced as a pair right after the actual couple who went to homecoming together) but I never thought that he could be Trevor. But your so incredibly right, that is 100% canon now-no one can change my mind.

I also agree with Steven- and based on how Trevor acted when he was being pat down for security and how Steven danced- they’re both definitely those (low key asshole) dude-bro class clowns that think they’re the funniest guy in the room (they’re not). Though Trevor has an intense serious passion for theater that Steven indulges in, and man’s 100% knows all the lyrics to Hamilton and will be blasting that shit as Steven drives them both to school.

so what’s will branner’s character in the homecoming scene named and why is he dating trevor (star of “barbecue monologues”)

[currymanganese]

GUYS, I CAN'T ACTUALLY BELIEVE I'M SAYING THIS, BUT WHAT IF THEY ACTUALLY HAD A GOOD REASON FOR JOHN CENA BEING CAST AS SAMMY FAK?

please bear with me (pun intended) and let me know what you think of my speculation under the cut~

In a mind-boggling case of a seemingly big-lipped alligator moment in season 3 - John Cena appears in a bizarrely over the top (even by the tonal comedic standards set previously by The Bear e.g. Ecto Cooler punch at a kid's birthday party getting spiked with Xanax in Season One) and jarring scene that stretches on and on as he obnoxiously squabbles, blathers and exchanges nonsensical rapid-fire quips with his brothers Neil and Ted Fak as they buff polish The Bear's dining area before a food photographer from The Chicago Tribune arrives to take a photo for a review of The Bear.

In this scene, he also intimidates and threatens to 'haunt' (in a Fak family tradition ( that even the Faks find annoying) - that involves pranking and being an unrestrained nuisance to their loved ones especially when they least expect it) his brother Ted for, "stealing his SD cards"......

This scene and the increased screen presence of the seemingly plot-irrelevant Faks this season is currently being eviscerated by plenty of fans and critics alike.

Edit:

I now strongly suspect that John Cena's role was always in the works ever since S1

..................................

But what if there's a (debatable, but) really good reason for this scene and the increased involvement in Seasons 2 and 3 of the massive numbered siblings family of Carmy's pseudo cousins, the Faks?

See Exhibit A:

In season 2, episode 3, Sundae - after Carmy has already asked Sydney out to Kasama, a husband and wife owned restaurant run by Tim Flores, and Genie Kwon*, ostensibly just to brainstorm and gain inspiration for planning for the new menu, and after Sydney has already gone home and freshened up and changed her clothes, then arrived to Kasama early, despite the meeting only being scheduled for an hour after she last spoke to Carmy at his apartment, Claire calls and interrupts the whole hypothetical shebang with Syd and Carmy at Kasama (the Tagalog WORD FOR TOGETHER) with the words,

"Did you mean to give me a fake number? You do know that I know your entire family [translation: she must know Donna too and Claire assumes that Carmy's folks approve of her - and she's proven to be technically right throughout Seasons 2 and 3 ], right? And I know ALL the Faks! [translation: tee hee! they're bigger than you - to quote Neil and Ted with their Uncle, "We Faks do have a particular shape, don't we?😇" - and they outnumber you, you scrawny punk, slay!😉✨]"

Claire then proceeds to playfully threaten to have said "massive numbered siblings" Faks, which includes Sammy Fak, played by John Cena (a professional wrestler, from an industry that is mixes both bawdy over the top theatre, a performance art that values Kayfabe (legerdemain/slight of hand anyone?) and comedy, and an athletic discipline) that is TALL. BUILT. HENCH. AND BUFF AF.....Claire 'playfully' threatens to have THESE FAKS, beat up Carmy, who is short in stature and cannot fight well from all the previous physical confrontations we've seen him be involved in, despite supposedly being a former high-school wrestler, and who has already been seriously physically abused thrice in the series run thus far (not counting him play fighting or trying to fight with Richie) after being JUMPED by a GROUP of assailants, not once, but TWICE in season one, by the Ballbreaker nerds in the pilot, and the Bachelor Party attendees in the season finale (the first season started and ended with Carmy being beaten tf up, Holy Shit! 🤯); AND AFTER BEING SLAPPED IN THE FACE IN SEASON 2 BY HIS OWN MOTHER, DONNA.

Notice the way Carmy goes from being lost in his thoughts but being completely relaxed after his menu planning session with Sydney, and in anticipation of seeing her on their would be inspiration seeking meet-up (definitely not a date, no Sir! 👀) at Kasama, to being tense and jittery and apprehensive when Claire calls him (after going behind his back and getting his number from Fak).

Notice the way Carmy's voice shakes when he asks Claire if she really knows all of the Faks.....

Notice Carmy's defeated and annoyed reaction after he hangs up the phone.

No wonder Carmy is being so avoidant and conflict averse in his handling of Claire in both Season Two and Three, he has absolutely no faith in himself or his loved ones at present to defend himself should he assert the type of boundaries he may have been desiring to have with them for these past two seasons, after all - who can he count on to fully have his back even to the point of physically intervening for him if he gets into a scrape or is genuinely attacked, by the Faks on account of Claire taking offense at or misrepresenting his words and actions to them, e.g. Claire apparently twisting Carmy's self loathing stream of consciousness confession (that she eavesdropped on) and telling Tiff that they broke up because Carmy said that "Claire will ruin everything good for him?" while he was trapped in the fridge?

What if Carmy knows he has to rip the band-aid and call Claire and apologize for his part in the superficiality and disintegration of their dalliance, but is afraid to do so because he knows in so doing, if he is being fully honest with himself and with Claire, he never truly wanted to be with her in the first place?

And who knows how Claire will take that revelation - it probably won't be pretty will it?

And.....

to quote Neil Fak,

"Claire's the best."

"We love Claire."

"I did that." [setting Carmy and Claire up in Pop)

And.....

Claire. knows. all. the. Faks.....

TL;DR

They cast John Cena as Sammy Fak, and the Faks had a lot of screen-time this season because they are the physical manifestation of being haunted in their family's sense of the word:

and a satirical visualization of Carmy's desire for Syd being cock-blocked ; plus Claire is a Love-able Alpha Bitch, and Carmy is ambivalent towards her, and even a little scared to face her, because her henchmen are the Faks!

If you enjoyed this post, then thank you for reading and I'd recommend that you check out the following meta on the way Christopher Storer and Company have seemingly (and controversially) committed to sticking to the bit of lying to the audience and breaking the fourth wall throughout this entire season:

Richie and the viewer - by @whenmemorydies with my add-on in the reblogs about Richie, not Carmy, potentially being Christopher Storer's author avatar in this series (from a post originally written before season 3 premiered.

Fourth Wall being broken - by @brokenwinebox and @thoughtfulchaos773

Claire being a possible representation of addiction, being a habit that is hard to kick - by @thoughtfulchaos773 and my and @devisrina 's add-on speculating that Claire may also be meant to be interpreted or revealed as a bit of a mean girl, to reference TVTropes, she (and by extension Season 3) may be a deconstruction/ mashup /send-up / subversion of the: Girl Next Door, the Cute Bookworm, Nerds Are Sexy, MPDG, Yandere, Alpha Bitch, Loveable Apha Bitch, Childhood Friend Romance, High-School Sweethearts, Sickeningly Sweethearts, Getting Crap Past The Radar, Freeze Frame Bonus, Parental Bonus, Viewers Are Geniuses, Give Geeks A Chance, Even Nerds Have Standards, Beauty Equals Goodness, Face-Heel Turn, Cerebus Syndrome tropes etc.....and a subtler mirror version of Donna Berzatto.

Edit: See my reblog add on to @espumado 's thread on the recurrent 'haunting' theme this season and the possibility of the Claire x Carmy x Sydney love triangle being a Lilith x Adam x Eve allegory, and my webweaving about Syd x Carmy's Adam and Eve parallels. sidenote: Lilith is Adam's first wife apocryphally and in Jewish mysticism that left him, and became a she-demon / mother of demons after being impregnated by the archangel Samael - wait is 'Sammy' Fak a Samael allegory?!!

and another reblog add-on of mine to the thread linked above - on The Faks as the living embodiment of all that is fake in Carmy's life, C Storer's handy dandy tools for slight of hand,

you can't spell fake without FAK.

and please see

Clairecarmy as Ann Veal x GOB from Arrested Development

and with Richie's frustrated refrain of, "Who cares?!" whenever Claire and Claire and Carmy's breakup is brought up in 3 -

see the running gag of George Michael Bluth's (from Arrested Development) family's disdain for Ann and his relationship with her.

5. The parallels between The Bear and Burnt by @ambeauty - a post Season 2 post which was proven to be prescient and insightful given the Easter Egg inclusion of Bradley Cooper's character from Burnt on the photo wall of chefs at Ever in the Funeral dinner in the finale.

6. The parallels between The Bear and Boiling Point - a gritty film and mini-series set in a restaurant which features several plot elements and characters reminiscent of certain character archetypes and subplots present in The Bear - seriously think of this IP as The Bear's cynical, dramatic, older British cousin.

Decision to leave by @anderwater

This anon that recommended Boiling Point to me and wrote about its connections to The Bear.

The difference between The Bear and Boiling Point by @theblvckvenus

The similarities between The Bear and Boiling Point in this reblog add-on to @happylikeasadsong et. al's thread.

7. Claire/Carmy and the Walk In - my old post on the parallels between Strange Days (1995), Can't Hardly Wait (1998, and The Bear.

and @ambeauty 's meta on Claire as a representation of the fridge

8. My post on the possible connection between The Bear Season 3 and Andrei Tarkovsky's experimental, semi-autobiographical, psychological Oedipal drama film The Mirror (1975) - a film which was incredibly divisive upon its initial release, but has since gained wide acclaim and re-evaluation as a masterpiece, and that has had a legacy of subsequently inspiring multiple renowned filmmakers.

9. The Bear series' lead actress, and the director of Napkins, one of the only episodes of The Bear Season 3 to receive almost universal acclaim - Ayo Edebiri's trollish sense of humour and assertion that lying is the pinnacle of comedy.

10. And last but certainly not least with the inclusion of a Genie Kwon*'s, of Kasama fame, cameo in the season finale and the prominence of Kasama being key to Syd and Carmy's stymied relationship progression, courtesy Claire, see

The Kasama of it all by @gingerylangylang1979

@mod-doodles @lunasink @vacationship @chansoooo1-blog

@bioloyg @msmoiraine @nerdyblerd @ripley-stark @uncriticalbunny @prowitchazel @msmoiraine @mswyrr @anxietycroissant @turbulenthandholding @tvfantic87 @laryssamedeirss @tejidaepoque @angelica4equity @inalltheirgorgeouscolors @houseofevangelista @glitterslag

@uncriticalbunny @imliterallyjustablackgirl

@bioloyg and @ambeauty please don't say I told you so or welcome back, I'm flabbergasted that I wrote this, but I want to believe! 😭

P.S. If you're still reading this, do yourself a favour and read @brokenwinebox 's post

New Paradigm

and this follow up

Mocktail is a dirty word

and check out her #the magic trick tag!

and also check out these Sydcarmy and Rosalind x Orlando from Shakespeare's As You Like It parallels:

The Bear as a pastoral comedy

First Meetings

Fumbling with your crush

Separation, keepsakes and lovesickness

and also C Storer really did tell us in the music that this season would inspire

Mixed Emotions 🥴

[lasouillonne]

Oh yeah so … back in my It and Reddie obsession..

1) just Reddie hot stuff (funny how I’m 23 and still drawing old men yaoi having sexy time in the corner of my notebook)

3) Reddie are camping

6) the sketch on the corner is inspired by a book scene where Richie Ben and Bev goes to the movie theatre

9) Bev : you know I know you love Eddie, right?

Rich : fuck

Stan : you know I know Richie loves you, right?

Eddie : what

-

Richie and Eddie : we need to tell you something guys , we’re dating

Bill mike and Ben : what

Stan and Bev : fucking finally

Bev : you needed 27 years and killing a fucking clown to start fucking dating

Stan : she’s right

10) I’ll traduce in English cuz it’s written in French (I’m only quoting the books)

Richie : you know what fucking is, right Eddie ?

Eddie : of course….

And

Richie : That’s because they know how cute you are Ed’s, just like me. I saw what a cutie you were the first time I met you

Eddie ; sometimes you’re really a turd, Richie.

[thejagermeister]

this might be a controversial opinion so i will preface by saying that max is one of my favorite characters in hatchetfield and i love him very much. however

i think some folks take parts of his canon characterization (namely, his emotional intelligence and the fact that he acts kinda sweet after the prank reveal) and their neurodivergent/queer/etc headcanons (which are perfectly valid! i am an "autistic trans girl max" guy through and through) and arrive to the conclusion that max wasn't actually that bad of a bully.

as in, he didn't bully the nerds for showing queer/nd traits, he bullied them for other reasons. but like. what other reasons would he have.

like sure, he flick-it tickets richie for being in his hallway, but that's because richie "stinks the place up," and max doesn't want that in his space. richie's self-proclaimed overactive sweat glands are either a health issue or a nd hygiene issue or a combination of both.

he targets pete because of the rumor that he has a small dick. some folks use this as evidence for trans pete (i wholeheartedly agree) but even if you don't consider it from that angle, it's still body-shaming.

ghost!max makes fun of ruth for daring to engage with her dream hobby in privacy. he makes pun after pun about theatre to rub it in. the whole point of bullying is to isolate people who are different, whether they're nd, queer, poor, people of color, disabled, etc...

the takeaway from the "difference between intent and impact" scene is that he uses his emotional intelligence and "inclusive" vocabulary to manipulate people, not that he actually learns anything about inclusion. he'd know what transgender means and would probably say he isn't transphobic, use all the "right" language, but then turn around and make fun of pete for his body.

the "bully uses victim's preferred pronoun!" memes are funny and i'm not trying to police anyone's fandom experience by saying you can't talk about max like that. softening his harsher traits in fanfic where the focus isn't on a max redemption isn't like, a crime. do whatever you want. but sometimes i get the feeling people straight-up forget the way he acts towards the nerds in canon.

to me, the appeal of a max redemption arc is that he goes from a terrible, cruel, arguably traumatized person, to someone who's willing to learn from his mistakes and make amends. not that he was already kind of an okay guy to begin with.

[qilingxiong]

九龍城寨之圍城 | Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

I've rewatched this movie more than once, since seeing it in theatres back in August, and each time was just as good as the first if not better. Given that, I now have many thoughts so I'm subjecting y'all to listening to why you should watch it:

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (九龍城寨之圍城 or gau2 lung4 sing4 zaai6 zi1 wai4 sing4) is a martial arts action/crime film directed by Soi Cheang. It is an adaptation of the manhua City of Darkness by Andy Seto, and its source novel of the same name by Yuyi. The film's cast has established Hong Kong names folded in with newer-generation actors, starring Raymond Lam, Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Richie Jen, Terrance Lau, Philip Ng, German Cheung, and Tony Wu (Aaron Kwok gets a cameo role, too).

At a broad glance, the movie follows several major triads in 1980s Hong Kong and their power struggle to control the Kowloon Walled City (a densely populated urban enclave, which for decades evaded direct governance by either the British colonial or Chinese powers in the area). We're introduced to the KWC and the triads' major players through the eyes of Chan Lok-Kwan (Raymond Lam), a man fleeing Vietnam and attempting to make a life for himself in HK. He winds up seeking refuge in the KWC, and comes to call both the city and the people he meets in it a home worth defending.

The narrative itself is not the most complex, but if you enjoy '80s Hong Kong films in these genres, it's solid fare and a harkening back to that decade. All the major themes like brotherhood (and brotherhood vs blood), vengeance, and struggle with conflicting loyalties are there, alongside an internal search for identity and belonging within Hong Kong. But the highlight in it is that the plot connects feast after feast of utterly stunning fight choreography, made all the more impressive by the fact that, according to Louis Koo, quite a few major cast members had never filmed this kind of action before. All their training was done just for TotW, and oh, does it pay off. I can't make good gifs, so you'll have to watch and see for yourself. It's not action for action's sake, either; listening to the head stunt choreographer discuss how different characters' fighting styles were crafted shows off how fight scenes aren't breaks in the story, they tell the story, and deepen our understanding of the characters.

The setting of the Kowloon Walled City truly makes the action in TotW stand out. It's a unique space to stage all these major fights, as the KWC's buildings at the time were packed together close enough to resemble a singular block from the outside. Once inside, it's a stacked, dark maze of uneven paths, stairs, and rickety roofs, with electrical and television cabling snaking over/around/through everything. Fight scenes in these streets feel thrillingly claustrophobic, with lots of acrobatics and near-dodges as characters navigate these tight alleys of the KWC. Each impact as a character goes flying into a wall, or is launched down a flight of stairs or onto a roof, is wonderfully visceral to watch.

All credit and hopefully awards are due to the production and set design teams for their work, in crafting this environment for the story and its fights. The visual/spatial representation of the KWC is the film's other glorious highlight, alongside the choreography. Whole streets of the KWC were recreated for this, filled with every mundane, period-accurate detail from the lives of ordinary people who would have lived there. It's impossible to catch all the intricacies put into making the KWC come to life again onscreen, just from watching the film. Shots like the credits sequence offer close-ups of harder-to-see details, and videos like a tour of the KWC set by Terrance Lau, acting as his character Shin, show off things from the drinks in the fridge at the corner store to the scribbled writing on the walls by the public taps. This film was designed with a drive to faithfully represent what the Kowloon Walled City had been like, how it looked when it was lived in, and they achieved it to an incredible degree.

That dedication extends to more than just the sets, though. The emotional core of TotW revolves around the KWC's inhabitants, and how they were the ones who made the city what it was, a home for about 35,000 people at a time. The film doesn't treat the KWC as just an eye-catching location to stage some fights; its characters might be fictional and overloaded with jianghu powers, but it goes out of its way to show how ordinary people might have lived, worked, and socialized within the historic city. It shows off why, despite its (not unwarranted) dark reputation, so many chose to live in a place that was once the densest urban center on the planet.

And this brings us to the acting, because the cast all do a very good job bringing their characters to life as the heart of the KWC. Louis Koo is fucking fantastic and arguably the scene stealer of the film as Cyclone, the triad leader in current charge of the KWC. He's grumpy, magnetic, and dangerous when he must be, but he also cares so very, very deeply about the inhabitants within his jurisdiction. Terrance Lau's Shin acts as his charismatic and capable right hand man, as well as protégé to Cyclone, befriending Chan Lok-Kwan and helping him become accustomed to life in the KWC. These two, along with the snarky Twelfth Master (Tony Wu) and the masked + imposing AV (German Cheung) become a quartet with great chemistry and friendship, the next generation to watch over and protect the Kowloon Walled City. Outside the KWC cast, antagonist figures like Sammo Hung, Philip Ng, and Richie Jen's characters are intimidating and compelling as threats to the city, and the lives people have etched out within its walls.

All of these things put together, and Twilight of the Warriors is a deeply fun, enjoyable, and rewatchable film (so good, in fact, that Hong Kong has submitted it as its nomination for the 2025 Oscars). The movie doesn't lose its emotional throughline in the promise of an action-packed ride it fully delivers on, and it uses its narrative, setting, and choreography to pay tribute to an earlier era of Hong Kong, as well as highlight + humanize a piece of the region's history that might not be quite as well known to some.

(The Kowloon Walled City was demolished and its inhabitants relocated in 1993. The area where it once stood is now a park, with some historic buildings preserved. If you're curious about people in the KWC before demolition, City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City (1993) by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot is a collection of photographs and first-hand recountings from residents, recording their lives and stories. I'm in the midst of reading it right now.)

If anything I've said has piqued your interest whatsoever, I say to give Twilight of the Warriors a try, if you have a free two hours to spare. Something in it will be worth it for you. And if I've failed to convince you with any of this, or you need one more push, here's the trailer for the film:

And if I did manage to actually get anyone to seek out this movie, please tell me! I'd love to know your thoughts.

[bearsinpotatosacks]

The beautiful thing about the Bear is that it's such a high stress show that you can apply it to other high stress environments and the AU works. I can see some kind of hospital/medical AU, or, in this case, a dancer AU.

The Berzattos run a dance school for kids, teens, and adults. They do different styles of dance, teach according to syllabus and some of their best students, like Carmen Berzatto even go on to become professionals. Syd used to go there when she was a kid until her dad noticed her passion, and worked extra hard to get into the Joffrey Ballet, then the New York Ballet before she got disillusioned and tried to start her own dance company and failed.

Carmy joined the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, being taught by Andrea, as a child before being picked up by the Paris Opera ballet, before moving to the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, then moving onto the San Francisco Ballet before finally joining the American Ballet Theatre in New York, this is where David abuses him.

Mikey didn't have as much promise, he was a good dancer at many things, but didn't have the drive that Carmy did, so runs the dance school instead. He met Richie at the school, his mother was a dancer and she noticed his inability to sit still and put him in the dance school, his dad didn't approve at first but he started getting roles in musicals, he's a brilliant tap dancer and could've gone far in musical theatre but Mikey pulled him in. He got roles, worked hard for them but always got brought back to the dance school eventually.

Tina got into musical theatre 'too late', she's been in a local theatre outside of work but after getting fired, she's heard singing to herself at the bus stop outside the dance school, Mikey hears and offers her a job as the musical theatre teacher with Richie.

Mikey dies and Carmy's left the dance school. The place isn't doing well, they could be going out of business. Syd, who's been idolising him since she saw him in the Royal Danish's production of the Nutcracker, starts to work there. Carmy becomes strict on uniform and respect to the teacher, Richie's more relaxed, he's dance teacher but wants it to be fun, not a military school.

She and Richie don't get on, she's used to the skill levels of professional ballet studios, not local dance schools. She starts to see how good he is with the students, he can control the room easier and his students have more freedom and are generally happier.

Carmy decides to up the stakes of the school's usual yearly show, they promise Jimmy a certain amount of profit and a certain number of new uptake of students. They ask Tina choreograph her own section of the show to whatever she wants, she goes with West Side Story.

Sydney looks at some of the previous shows, and some of the previous work of the teachers to see if there's anything they could possibly do and stumbles upon some of Richie's work in musical theatre. She mentions it to Carmy, they talk to Richie, who's unsure as it's been a while.

She's there late one night when she hears something and sees Richie dancing to Singin in the Rain, which he performed on tour. They talk about dreams and goals, she encourages him to perform, but he's hesitant as it's been so long

Syd and Carmy are going to do a duet, but when it comes to the night, Carmy gets locked in one of the dressing rooms getting something for one of the kids. Syd's scared, so Richie improvises and steps in, he's seen them rehearsing and does his best (is this all because I want to imagine Richie lifting Syd like she weighs nothing? yes).

She joins him in doing 'Moses Supposes' from Singin in the Rain (minus the singing), something he used to perform with Mikey, because she makes him feel confident enough to perform again. They get through, make a fair bit of money and get some sign ups. Richie also gets an invitation to audition for another musical, with Syd's encouragement, he does.

Also added on: Eva being in Richie's dance class, Richie and Syd are in suits when they dance together to 'Moses Supposes', Syd and Richie teaching a class together and reluctantly getting along

[galacticleague]

speaking my truth on npmd because im thinking about this alot. i think the reason it falls flatter than tgwdlm and bf as a musical is that tgwdlm and bf have a running theme — want.

(whole thing undercut)

the cast of tgwdlm want human connection - charlotte wants sam to love her, bill wants alice to love him, mr davidson wants his wife to choke him while he jerks off etc etc, and eventually paul goes from 'i want what anyone wants, money, kids, a partner maybe idk' to - to put it simply - wanting emma (putting it very simply, if i went into detail this post would go off the rails). this switch is what makes him vulnerable to the hive and this want to live and to survive and to be happy with emma is satiated by pokey by giving him the connection he craves via hivemind, this is how it works for everyone. they want to be happy, pokey makes them happy by removing any need to want anything in the first place.

similarly, in bf, the adults of hatchetfield are still miserable and they want to be happy, they have this void within them that they feel they need to fill with products and consumerism. if they buy this stupid fucking doll their kids will love them, they will be happy, etc etc. and this want to be happy is similarly satiated by wiggly via the cult - they have something to worship, or - in lindas case - people who worship them. they have purpose, or at least they think they do, but whether their problems have actually been solved or not - they are still content.

but in npmd, this is less solid. theres that bit where they have to sacrifice what they want the most, but this is near the end. its kind of all over the place, and this wobbliness(?) is sort of just emphasised by the fact that there is no specific lord in black, its all of them. now i loved the summoning when i first watched it because im obviously a huge hatchetfield fan so i like. know who these characters are but as ive seen others say, alot of npmd does rely on knowing hatchetfield lore - understanding injokes. and in hindsight it just... isnt great for the cohesion of the plot.

tgwdlm and bf both have specific themes, specific lords in black, they have subplots but they have a solid throughline that is easier to follow. to me, npmd feels like its all over the place and it just feels kind of...mid for lack of a better word.

i think there were some moments that were just kind jarring? i guess? like if i loved you coming directly after ruths death was really strange, tonally. i wish they spent more time on ruths death tbh she deserved better. richie got two songs and an opening scene. anyways i digress- i feel like whenever i think about it im always like. i just wanted More. which is weird cuz its already like 2 hours long but idk. IDK!!! if i loved definitely felt unnecessary to me- like just conflict out of nowhere. i would have liked more build up to it. maybe im just salty that it took up stagetime that could have been used to grieve ruth but. sorry for the random if i loved you slander i think my point here is that some moments and some subplots felt more tropey, injokey or like fanservice??but not in a sexual way?? - is that the right word to use idk - than actual compelling plot moments. tgwdlm is an incredible work of theatre and uses subversions of tropes to communicate a great story, bf is a detailed criticism of american consumerism and how capitalistic societies force people to rely on products to make their lives better, npmd is. high school drama with ghosts. it just doesnt hit as hard on its own.

i dont want to be one of those "im a better writer, and THIS is how i would have done it!!!! im going to fix this!!!" people so im not going to do that but i think something i would have liked to see was focus on just one lord in black, probably nibbly because i feel like he fits the most and has the least preexisting story. i mean for gods sake, why does wiggly have the most speech time out of all the lords in black again!!! he already has an entire musical about him!!! greedy bitch- well i guess thats kind of his thing. i think i just want to see more of nibbly tbh, he has one nmt story and he only shows up at the very end. anyways that was kind of a side rant sorry gang. there isnt a problem with having a story featuring all the lords in black, but i think it just doesnt quite work in npmd for like structural reasons as well as plot cohesion.

i did enjoy npmd, im not pretending i didnt, but narratively it is the weakest hatchetfield musical and i just wanted to put my finger on what it is specifically. please dont take this as like hate or slander, i am a huge starkid fan, but i think it is important to consume media critically.

also i am not a professional i am a teenage drama and english lit student who likes media analysis and narrative design so just. take everything i say with a grain of salt :)

if you read all this, thankyou and if you disagree please lmk what you think(civilly.i do not want discourse in my notes)!! i could be hugely wrong about this and just need to think more about npmd and id love to see others' analyses!

[faeriemarie]

What’s a DR you want to gush about, but haven’t had the chance?

OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!

so the dr that i’ve been really missing is my 2006 indie kid dr which i call “zooey-inspired” because of zooey deschanel and her typecast

basically i’m a sophomore in high school and i’m the quirkiest manic pixie dream girl you’ve ever met in your life. i listen to indie rock on my discman and i went to see juno in theaters and i read classic literature in class.

i also scripted that finn wolfhard is my age and he goes to my school and we’re dating. he’s like a loner rocker kinda guy and he invites me to all of his band practices so i can just watch and admire him. we also are super codependent and literally do everything together. practically all our free time is spent at the movie theaters. OH AND OUR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES ARE SO ICONIC!! first we’re margot & richie tenenbaum, then we’re billy & layla from buffalo 66, and then we’re victor & emily from corpse bride. and the whole relationship is very lowkey, but super addictive. we’re just so in love and obsessed with each other.

not to mention that i get every role i want in theater. i get to play all of my dream roles and im gonna be my theatre teacher’s favorite student!! i finally get to play rosemary in how to succeed in business without really trying AND juliet in romeo and juliet. plus people are actually gonna clap for me and be proud of me and bring me flowers 🥺

and my style is so iconic. i do 60s makeup a lot and kinda use iconography of edie sedgwick because she’s perfect. but i also wear a lot of patterned tights and mary janes and berets. pretty much just giving a full 1960s swining london vibe thats so against the norm and cool. OH AND I GET TO HAVE A FLIP PHONE!! i love late 2000s tech it’s so nostalgic. i’ll have a portable dvd player and i’ll burn cds for finn and ill take photos on my nikon coolpix camera. and im gonna be able to drive and my car is a yellow volkswagen beetle which is totally iconic in its own right.

this doesn’t really fit into a fandom so idk how many people are actually gonna read this but this is one of my favorite dr’s

[amorhedera6]

thinking about the lipschitz family now.

(this isn’t including a trans richie. not because i don’t love that headcannon, but bc i forgot about it until i was halfway in)

- eloise and david started dating when they were 15

- they both were planning on leaving hatchetfield for college but staying together, until eloise got pregnant. with twins.

- so neither of them went to college, and they moved in with david’s parents, since he was an only child and she had two little brothers. (one of whom is paul matthews but don’t worry about that)

- they find out that they’re having twins and they are going crazy. david gets a few part time jobs to pay for all the shit, like her hospital bills, baby clothes, shit like that.

- she gives birth to trevor, and several hours later, richie. the two are identical twins.

- over the next three years, things are hard for them, as the boys grow up and the two work a lot.

- richie and trevor spend a lot of those with their grandparents and uncles, because eloise and david are constantly working.

- especially bc they were born in 2003 and so an economic crisis is almost here! so the little family lives with their grandparents for a long time.

- when he’s 5, richie gets an ear infection that leaves him partially deaf. they all learn sign language and make sure ur doesn’t progress, but they don’t have the money to get him a hearing aid or anything the like.

- at 6, trevor has so many friends. he has play dates all the time, and richie goes with him, but richie doesn’t really have friends. he has a hard time talking to the other kids, prefers to play by himself of with his hands.

- richie gets an autism diagnosis at 7, and they decide to ask trevor some question too. he does not have autism, which can happen for identical twins, i looked it up.

- when he’s 8, richie makes his first friend. peter spankoffski, who becomes a permanent very quickly. richie spends a lot of time at peter’s house, or his older brother’s apartment, and peter spends a lot of time at their house. trevor plays with them, but usually doesn’t want to go with richie to peters.

- eloise and david get married when the boys are 9, when they realize ‘oh yeah, we never did that. maybe we should!’ it’s a very small thing, since they don’t have that much money, but all of their families are invited, and they have an excellent time. richie and trevor are the ring bearers.

- trevor joins the school play when he’s 10, and absolutely loves it. he has trouble with his lines, but he makes a great abraham lincoln, and he’s cute enough that no one in the audience cares if he screws up the gettysburg address. he wants to do more of it now.

- richie starts watching obs ute tv shows and loving them. he becomes obsessed with anime and japanese culture.

- the two both have overactive sweat glands, but trevor wears a shit ton of axe body spray to hide it. richie says it hurts his nose. the two fight across the dinner table about it.

- the thing is, richie and trevor are very very different. trevor is an outgoing theatre kid and richie is a nerdy weeb, but they are brothers and the love each other a lot even when they pretend not to.

- they share a room for most of their life, up until they’re 13, when they finally move out of their grandparents house. they get a house for the four of them, which is two doors down from the flemming house. ruth and richie quickly become good friends. ruth and peter are apparently in the same dance group, so it’s all fun and friendship.

- they reach high school and go their separate ways, socially. trevor will talk to richie in the hall ways, but he’s a theatre kid and has theatre friends, and richie’s a nerd. ruth’s a theatre kid too, but she thinks trevor is fucking annoying, so she prefers to hang out with richie.

- when the boys are 14, they get a little sister. piper lipschitz. richie is a big protector of her, and swears to look out for her. trevor thinks she’s fun to play with, and messes around with her a lot as she grows up.

- at 17, richie starts dating travis coulson, a friend who goes to sycamore and works at the cineplex. they have a very akward family dinner and trevor makes fun of them a lot.

- at 18, trevor goes to sweden on exchange and comes back with a boyfriend. rudolph comes to america in exchange right after, and they go to homecoming together. they have an akward family dinner with lots of language barriers, since trevor only knows half swedish and rudolph only knows half english. it works well for the two of them, but with the whole family it’s kind of a mes. richie laughs mercilessly at them.

-when the boys graduate, richie is going to film school in boston and trevor is going to theatre school in ny. they hug very hard before they have to go.

these are my thoughts about them following jons stream ty

[crescentrivers]

I wrote down my thoughts while I watched working boys and so I don’t make a million posts about it here’s just everything I wrote, under the cut because it’s a little long and cause spoilers

I never really understood the obsession with minor background characters some HF fans have until now, Hailey ily

It takes balls kind of goes hard but that’s only because all the singers are incredible

The reveal that Hidgens getting struck by lightning was how the workin boys died was insane. I actually wasn’t aware the workin boys died until the pit stop in Hatchetfield stream I thought they were fine until getting infected in TGWDLM. RIP the mark chastity is workin boys Mark joke headcanon

Why is Grace even watching the show if she thinks it’s about hookers??? also is Grace friends with Richie and Ruth in this timeline

Everyone is so good at singing aaaaaaaaa

Also can I point out how Hidgens gets more and more deranged every time we see him? Like he was a little crazy in TGWDLM then ape-man happened, and now this. He’s on a downward spiral and I love it

Workin Boys is clearly very personal to Hidgens him saying it’s loosely based on personal experiences is such a lie. He listens to the girls’ AMAZING singing and then says everything is horrible because it’s not like his boys

Are the zombies their real ghosts or is Pokey being silly. The blue lighting isn’t helpful in me figuring this out.

Hidgens is gay for Chad (we kind of already knew that but it’s just more obvious now)

Okay this is definitely Pokey’s fault I doubt the workin boys are that evil cause they’re suggesting he kills or something

Poor Ruth, would yall hate me if I said this made me feel more sympathy for her than just for once (maybe my opinion will change if I rewatch NPMD but this is how I feel right now) just for once is a good song though

The girls are incredible singers please don’t let them die

I won’t stand for this Hailey abuse

HES GONNA KILL THEM OH NO

RUTH PLEASE LIVE RICHIE IS IN THE CROWD HES YOUR FRIEND (and I think Grace is her friend in this timeline too???)

Oh that’s some gore

Linda saying good about the actresses being dead-

The Starlight Theatre is small actually (I know that’s probably just budget things and it’s bigger in universe but it’s interesting to think about considering the touring production of mamma Mia went there)

Ted got shot in the head like in TGWDLM

Grace saying wow after shooting him. She’s a little bloodthirsty in every timeline I think

The gore??? It’s crazy

Grace saves people from deranged killers but ends up becoming a deranged killer herself, this is becoming a running theme in the timelines

(She doesn’t know about the LIB in this timeline so maybe things will be fine this time but I don’t trust that)

Linda clapping at the end of the show-

I’m sad about Ruth dying and I’m sad that her friend(s) were in the audience too

This leaves me with more questions than answers about the zombies, like I’m assuming blaming Pokey is reasonable but we also don’t know so-

Rip Ruth rip Hailey rip the rest of the girls rip the workin boys rip Ted rip Hidgens

All the songs are great also

[considerablecolors]

Me: ok ok so basically it all started when i was listening to Cool As I Think I Am yeah? and im like omg Peter Spankoffski is literally everything and more that Jeremy Heere from Be More Chill tried and failed to be

Them:

Me: like Cool As I Think I Am? that's LEGIT literally just the Chad version of Loser Geek Whatever

Them:

Me: AND THEN. I'M LIKE WAIT. NONONO. ALL THE CHARACTERS LINE UP BRO. like you have the sidekick that the fandom immediately adopts as their favorite little queer icon that makes constant references and has one of the saddest scenes in the show and deserves better? MICHAEL AND RICHIE

Them:

Me: a really quirky out-there girl that loves musical theatre? CHRISTINE AND RUTH BRO

Them: i-

Me: AND AND AND. A BULLY THAT'S LIKE OBJECTIVELY A BAD PERSON THAT THE FANDOM CAN'T HELP BUT LOVE BECAUSE HE SHOWS ROOM FOR KINDNESS YEAH??? RICH AND MAX MY DUDE

Them: uh-

Me: AND FINALLY IT CLICKS. NAH MAN. IT'S NOT JUST THE CHARACTERS. IT'S THE PLOT TOO.

Me: nerd guy and his friend(s) getting bullied and used to it, when he decides he's going to finally change the status quo because there's a girl he likes. then the bully intervenes and changes the status quo FR FR. it's all your standard high school drama and THEN a supernatural force intervenes and turns shit dark!!

Them: well-

Me: LIKE LIKE there's a party thrown where everything horribly goes wrong!! everyone starts being nicer to the nerd and you think it'll be fine but then nerd guys friend's start getting hurt and suddenly the entire school/world is at risk, PLUS the dream girl is at risk, so nerd guy is like SHIT gotta fix things

Them: i mean-

Me: THEN THE SHOW HAS A SUPER HAPPY UPLIFTING CHEESY ENDING WHERE EVERYTHING IS FINE BUT THEN. LAST MINUTE. THE SUPERNATURAL ELEMENT GETS TEASED AGAIN AND YOU'RE LIKE *GASP* IT'S NOT GONE IT'S STILL A THREAT WAIT I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT BUT THEN YOU DON'T GET TO KNOW

Them: so um-

Me: LIKE IT ALL LINES UP. THE MIX OF CLASSIC SHOWTUNES SOUNDTRACK WITH A POP/ROCK TWIST. THE SLIGHTLY OUTDATED TEEN LINGO. THE UNDENIABLE HORNIEST OF MOST OF THE CHARACTERS. NERDY PRUDES MUST DIE IS LITERALLY JUST THE BETTER VERSION OF BE MORE CHILL!!

Them: were you-

Me: BUT THEATRE KIDS AREN'T READY TO HAVE THAT FUCKING CONVERSATION YET SO I JUST HAVE TO SIT HERE, KNOWING I'M RIGHT, SWINGING MY BAT AT THIS HORNET'S NEST, TRYING TO SPREAD THE GOOD WORD, BUT THEY HATE ME FOR SPEAKING THE FUCKING TRUTH

Them: ...

Me:

Them: ...

Me:

Me: OH MY GOD. OMG. I'M SO SORRY I'VE LEGIT JUST BEEN RAMBLING HAVEN'T I

Them: ...

Me: ughhh that's so embarrassing lolol okok so anyways

Me: i'll get to the point lol sorry

Me: ok so um basically i was interested in commissioning you to make like- basically think of it as like an episode of Nightmare Time but it's like Pete x Michael ok?

Nick Lang: um.

Matt Lang: that's not really how this...

Nick Lang: yeah, we don't really do that

Me: oh :( cause you guys are homophobic?

Matt Lang: OKAY-

[checkered-tailed-maverick]

(For some reason my intro post just evaporated or something so round two I guess)

Hi, Hello. My name is Maverick J. Walker, my friends call me Mav or Jaywalker. Im 18, I'm a dude (self made), and I live in a little town in Michigan called Hatchetfield (idc if you are an online creep and want to kill me, try your fucking best. This town is weird as hell. Go Nighthawks.)

Some of my interests (because there is basically fuck all to do here) are bird watching, photography, theatre, art, shitty movies, taxidermy and science fiction I guess.

You can usually find me in school, working part time at the Starlight theatre, stocking up on bread sticks from that Italian restaurant or snapping pictures of the nighthawks on the edge of the Witchwood (i dont trust those trees man)

(Ooc/ additional info under the cut:)

He's just a little guy :3

Okay but seriously, hello I'm @ender-of-the-sender and this is my son, Mav. He means alot to me.

He is trans (ftm) but only a couple people at school know. They just asume he's gay, which he is.

He made a deal with Pokotho and now they basically share a body. Mav can for the most part hold him back, but every so often Pokey will push his way through.

Maverick is technically a nerd but he gets mid grades in all subjects except English, History and Art.

He has a massive crush on Richie, and although he will NEVER admit it, he likes Max aswell.

Yeah i will update this later just not right now im freaking tired

(When Mav in control, his eyes are greyish-blue. When Pokey takes control, his eyes roll back and his sclera goes completely blue and blue shit comes out of his mouth, almost like blood.)

Any and all times Pokey is talking instead of Mav, I will use blue.

If both Maverick and Pokey are talking over each other it will look like this

[vampiricnature]

Val facts bc he's a Mary sue (who the fuck wants to be boring?)

Val is basically mellow goth Regina George mixed with Penny Lamb and Erik Destler

He has 10 cats and two dogs. (IRL I have this many and Val is practically a self insert so)

He loves literature and he always gets an A in English despite not doing good in many other classes (he gets at most a D in phys ed)

He's a theatre kid and his dream role is either Jane Doe from ride the cyclone or Anatole from Natasha, Pierre and the Great comet of 1812

He's on the spectrum, but pretty low on it (he still needs assistance a lot of the time. His main stim is clicking his tongue against his front teeth)

He's very good at cheating on assignments and tests

His favorite movies all consist of horror, bad queer representation, and/or dumb teens doing dumb teen shit

He collects bones and bugs (he also buys taxidermy)

Even as a trans man, he loves to dress feminine/androgynous rather than masculine most of the time

He probably had an internet presence from the age of 10-13 and then his social media got cut off by his parents

He's unlabeled as a whole (gender and sexuality)

In elementary school, Val and Max would play together and make up stories. They'd often get caught talking when they shouldn't be and would be scolded, even their seats were moved a lot of the time

Val had been over to Max's house a lot in late elementary/early middleschool. Max's dad would get on his case about something and Val would be his only comfort

Val's family consists of 6 people including himself

He has all of the Lords in black plushies

Not many people recognized him once he came back for senior year (after freshman year he was homeschooled until 12th grade because of relentless bullying)

He hates football but goes to support the team (even if he doesn't have as much school spirit as others)

He dated Ruth for like a week in 8th grade and broke it off because he was an immature little prick

He is an artist and usually draws his friends/people (Richie asked if Val would draw him like 10 times in a class period so he finally gave in and did it. The drawing is now pinned on Richie's wall next to his anime posters)

[sunshinereddie]

imagining that in their teens the losers club always laughed at valentine’s day. after all, none of them ever got chocolates from secret admirers at school (unless it was a prank), none of them ever got confessed to behind the school (unless it was a prank), none of them ever got asked out on dates (unless it was a prank), and they all soon grew to roll their eyes at the “holiday”.

instead, they liked to spend february 14th together, as friends. by the time they were 16, it was sort of a tradition for them to all go to the movies on feb 14th, spend their allowance on candy and popcorn and junk food, and binge watch all the bad rom coms that the movie theatre is showing and laugh at and make fun of them, and it was a tradition that they all loved.

until…

when they’re 19, richie and eddie start dating. and when their first valentine’s day as a couple rolls around, they find themselves in a bit of a dilemma. of course they love their losers club tradition and still want to do that, but now that they’re in love they don’t think valentines day is as stupid as they used to, and they want to do something together. but of course they can’t without their friends being suspicious, and richie and eddie haven’t told any of their friends that they’re dating- well, except for stan, but stan figured it out on his own.

so a few days before valentine’s day, richie and eddie come up with a plan. the losers are planning on watching 3 movies. richie and eddie will watch the first movie, then stay for the first 10 minutes of the second, before sneaking out the back (thanks to stanley for helping them sneak out unseen by distracting the others) and going on their valentines date.

their date is perfect. richie had a picnic already packed and ready to go in his car, and they went to a small field clearing not too far from the movie theatre and have their picnic in the bed of richie’s truck. sure, it was february and still freezing and not exactly picnic weather, but richie and eddie both still think it’s the best date ever.

eddie’s had a timer set on his phone from the moment they left the theatre, so he can keep track of how long they have before they have to return. they’re just finishing up their desert when eddie gets the fifteen minute warning, and they quickly scramble back into the car and richie speeds back to the theatre. stan keeps them updated, sending texts of reassurance that nobody has realized they’re missing, and when they slip back into the seats behind the rest of their friends just as the movie ends and goes to the credits, richie and eddie bask in their success.

the only thing they don’t know how to answer, is when the lights turn on, and the losers club turn around and ask richie and eddie why they’re so out of breath.

[fruity-phrog]

Idk if you've talked about this before but how do you think Alice & Ruth's families, respectively, would react to them being together? :]

RUTHLICE TALKING.

A lot of this is nothing but entire headcanons but what can you do when the rarepair consists of two side characters who have never interacted or have no canonical connections to each other

{Obligitory Deb disclaimer that in this AU Alice did in fact leave Deb and go for Ruth but. Idk don't stab me}

Alice: I think Bill would actually warm up to Ruth. She'd be much more forthcoming about theatre, for example, so if he'd see her as a "better fit" than Deb. I also think Ruth's hornier nature is all bark no bite around Richie and Pete, and she'd actually get So So tongue tied and flustered if Alice even held her hand. This means that Bill would hear rumors of this freak of a girl (he'd definitely ask Paul and Ted about Ruth when he heard abt the relationship, knowing Charlotte would be a biased source), but meet a 5'1 bisexual who goes red saying the word Alice, so I think he'd actually like her after the original suspicion. As well as this, Ruth goes to Zero parties and has Zero social life, so he'd be happy Alice stressed less. Alice's mum I think kind of ignores her, and the big Hamilton stunt was just what Bill said, a one-up. I think she wouldn't really care about Alice's relationships, as long as they weren't actively hurting her or massively hurting her grades. However, I think Ruth would loathe Alice's mum because of just that (also for taking her away from Hatchetfield).

Ruth: I'm undecided on Ruth's parents. A part of me feels like they just don't really care about or have time for their youngest, and therefore just want Ruth to come back from dates before curfew. But for some reason they're also striking me as big lawyer energy, power couple of the courtroom, so I'd also say that they'd probably bring up the question of "do you think this little relationship is distracting you, Ruth?" when she got a B on a subject she isn't even that good at anyway. Charlotte, however (because how could I Not mention fleming sisters here) would LOVE Alice. She'd be so happy that Ruth is dating a childhood friend, and she'd love that Bill and Alice are "now officially part of the family". I think her and Bill are close, so she'd be enthusiastic about the relationship.

Thank you for the askkkk I am thinking about them All Times Always.