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Since Ace Attorney is trending for some random ass reason rn I’m taking it as a sign to say I’ve been working on a video presentation thing for a friend explaining literally every single game, plot wise (like going real in depth for the BIG cases)- The Great Ace Attorney Duology included and was thinking of posting it on YouTube.

It’ll probably end up being like, 4+ hours long- so really this is for fans of the series to indoctrinate their friends/have them know the crazy lore or for freaks like me would 100% listen to a 4+ hour yap session on all the games.

Anyways… thoughts?

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You know- before I go and watch the peak cinema that is Sonic 3 tomorrow, I just have to confess…

I don’t actually care for Sonic and have only been watching the movies for Lee Majdoub.

Never played the games growing up, don’t know or care about any of lore, and I never was into the franchise at any point in my life besides the fandubs (that is quite literally my only point of reference lore-wise).

Ive been a fan of Lee Majdoubs ever since his appearance in Dirk Gently- and my love for him as an actor only grew as I saw how active he is with his fans (I’m 90% sure he has a tumblr? Could be wrong)

I can’t even remember if I knew Lee was in the first movie before watching it or if I found out after deciding to watch the funny blue rat fight Jim Carrey but now Agent Stone has become one of my favorite characters.

Anyways- shout out to Lee Majdoub- I am probably quite literally the only person who excited to see Sonic 3 solely because Stone is meshing with the main crew. 👍

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The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals Swap AU! Featuring King of the Sassyman apocalypse Paul Perkins and Cringe girlfailure Emma Mathews

Something I made up in high school when I was really into making Swap AUs for no reason of all the medias I liked. Thought this one was actually something so I wanted to draw it. I have a bunch more doodles so maybe I’ll go back and remake those someday.

You can prolly tell who I swapped already but Paul and Emma swapped, Charlotte and Mr. Davidson (and co.) swapped, Ted and Greenpeace girl (and co.) swapped, and Bill and Mr. Hidgens are swapped ( but I didn’t draw “Bill” cause idk if everyone would like that- and I didn’t want to model him off of the new Mr.Hidgens/ Jeff Blim cause I’m weird- and I didn’t want two characters visually based off of Jeff Blim on the same “stage”. Does that even make sense logically or emotionally? No. But whatever)

Mini comic based on how short Emma apron is in the actual musical and thinking it would be funny if Paul Perkins also had a short ass apron for no reason, and ranting about it. (Cause be so fr- in a actual barista setting that apron isn’t gonna protect shit)

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Just saw Wicked (I’m LATE I know 😭) and I’ve seen so many people talk about Fiyero’s/Jonathan Bailey’s stomp dance move/ forehead kiss/ general fuck-around behavior in “Dancing Through Life” (as we should) but why has no one talked about the move where he DROPS to his knees and, like, swivels on a book???

I’m fucking aroace and my jaw dropped like- HELLO???? Is this allowed? Did everyone just see that, hello?!?!? Wow.

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Legit had a dream where the voice actor for Victor (I think? Or maybe it was the director? Idk someone on the official team) went on a podcast interview and straight up snapped over something and went on a whole rant on how Jayce and Victor were canonically a couple but are doomed lovers and will never be happy. Tumblr and Twitter were going crazy and all the people with that Jayvik pfp were like “vindiCATIONNNN!” but also crashing out.

I’m not even in this fandom- what have these sillies invaded my brain so much 💀

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Behold- more South Park doodles. I think this is all of them for now- I’ve drawn all the South Park out of my brain, for now at least lol.

I mentioned it in my last post but first time watching South Park I was crazy and doodled a bit of what I saw every episode. I didn’t do it long- maybe for a season and a half- but I decided to redraw some of them. (You can probably easily guess which seasons/ eps I did. They’re basically in order) Last half of the second page is the movie though- cause that’s what really got me into South Park in the first place-

Also, obligatory Genderbent SP because I see a lot of that for some reason? Can’t complain tho- I find girls hairstyles/fashion more fun to draw than guys. Thought I’d throw my hc/ designs in the ring.

(Also also, that one makeup meme for fem!Creek + doodles because I thought it was funny and also fit what I think their dynamic would be in HS)

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Not sure which GHD Tutorial you're looking for, but there is one still on YouTube! It's under the name "the second of the second (with subtitles)" and should pop up if you search that. If it doesn't, or if it's blocked in your country, lmk and I can send it over. I've got a couple saved.

Omg thank you for confirming that it’s still up 🙏 I couldn’t tell if it was gone for everyone or like, just me and my area. No need to send over a copy- was able to find it again in the end.

Did some digging and it’s cause of the SESAC copyright issue (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers). Looks like it mainly a US problem. Doing a verrrryyy surface level google search it seems like YouTube and SESAC failed to come to a renewal condition on their licensing agreement and so YouTube is blocking a lot of music content from artists belong to SESAC (which basically protects and strikes deals with streaming companies to stream artists music on behalf of the artist.)

It blocked it completely so it wouldn’t even show up in a normal YouTube search. I had to go to my safari, type in the title, click the auto fill (cause I watched it so much 💀) and see the “this is being blocked by SESAC” and stuff, so that’s why I couldn’t find it.

Sorry for the unnecessary info dump if people knew this- but I just quickly fixed it by using a VPN- and now I can watch it again 🥰🥰🥰 (I’m definitely saving this for myself omg)

I guess little PSA for anyone who also had this issue.

(Also don’t flame me for not knowing this before I don’t really listen to music on YouTube anymore so I had no idea this was a thing 😭)

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Ok- kinda random post but there was this slime tutorial of the Groundhog Day the musical on YouTube which was the whole show fully subtitled and I think it’s gone 😭😭😭

I swear there was a post on Tumblr linking it if it was just made unlisted or something, and that the person who originally subtitled it was on Tumblr too.

Just asking into the void if anyone has any copy of this video, if they could humbly share the link with me cause it’s my absolute favorite musical :c

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HEHAHBFKI More South Park doodles I think I’m going insane.

Actually this is kind of the product of me being liking South Park way back in high school but was too embarrassed to draw them when I was bored in class and now it’s all kinda flooding back 💀

Read below if you want to know more about my New Kid and my thoughts behind some of the doodles cause this turned out longer then I though 💀

Anyways- introducing my New Kid. No name cause I literally have no idea. Whatever the cannon name is ig- though I’d think it’d be funny if she was referred to New Kid by literally everyone like in game. I like the idea that a lot of people have with their New Kids that they liked the makeover section with the girls during the Stick of Truth a little too much. I also like it cause… uh… I didn’t play Stick of Truth. (The combat system is not my cup of tea) So it’s not until the start of TFBW does she know shes really a girl.

To give context to the top right drawing- I couldn’t remember the dialogue Wendy says in the alleyway if you say you’re a trans girl- but I do know what she says if your a cis girl (I always knew you were a girl) cause I did a second play through as a cis girl. And I don’t know if there’s supposed to be a huge time jump between the end of Stick of Truth and TFBW but I think it would be funny if it was just the next day- so combine these two fact to get “Wendy always clocked New Kid as a girl but NK just found out yesterday 💀”

Anyways- she’s such a cutie, I love her and her cool superhero outfit I gave her. Outside of the game- I’d like to think of her basically exactly how she acts in game. Mostly non-verbal, with the occasional zingy one liner, and just kinda goes along with the crazy shit the happens in South Park un phased. Like if she was in a episode- the plot would happen and she would be on screen, but wouldn’t say anything, and anytime another character would address her, they’d respond however as if she spoke lmao. Aroace, just like me, so she’s just friends with everyone (except Cartman) and vibes with everyone.

The mini Style comic I though of cause 1) I wondered if Kyle had the same elf ears as the other elfs did in game (again, never played and it’s been a while since I saw gameplay so whoops if it’s confirmed or whatever) and 2) I thought it would be funny if Stan was caught lacking and tried to /rp his way out of it (I wanted to add an extra bit where Kyle would be like “Oh, are our characters gay for each other??? (ARE YOU /SRS OR /J STAN)” and Stan would have to just “yes, and” his way out.)

The last three images were kinda of a stream of consciousness put on paper and made neat lol. I really like showing that all the costumes the kids wear are homemade and stuff- either stuff taken from their parents or visibly taped together etc- cause I think it’s charming. Anyways- I though Kyle’s little robe could be like one of his parents bath robe- and it would be a little too long for him to run without eating shit so he’d have to hike it up like a skirt/dress. Which lead to me thinking that Cartman would say some shit about that and how Kyle, who has a literal Golf Club, would smack his ass up. Which then lead to me thinking about how since Kyle’s the Elf King and Stan’s basically his right hand how he might lift it up wedding dress style if needed (/RP GUYS, RIGHT?RIGHT???) and how Cartman would react, which lead to that one JoJo meme cause thats literally how they’d retaliate.

Always- I’ll probably have at least one more post about South Park I swear. There was a period of time before I stopped watching (I gotta pick it up again) where I would doodle a bit of whatever was happening in the episode, each episode. Crazy I know, but not only did it improve my drawing skills but it helped me remember what actually happened in episodes cause I have shit memory and definitely don’t remember some of the episodes I watched. So I might redraw some of those- see if anyone can tell what episode they’re from.

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I’m cooking so hard- these aren’t even all the doodles I wanted to draw of these little guys lol

First two doodles are inspired by other posts- the sunflower image is from this post by leeyzart - though they did a more wholesome comic with it 💀 and the Umbrella Academy car meme was inspired by this post by saprozoicworm - the doodle on the bottom left reminded me of it, though idk if that was an intentional reference

The Creek comic is inspired by my head canon that Tweek wears, like, combat or just heavy duty snow boots and Craig wears Converse. Probably a widespread fan canon, but as a girlie who has always worn converse, even to her restaurant job which I don’t recommend, I have almost slip or actually slipped so many times, and I wanted to draw Craig going through that lmao

Second comic is a thought I had when playing TFBW cause there’s this one cutscene, after you defeat Professor Chaos on the roof of the U-Store-It, where Stan does his thing where he flies up using his tape measure or whatever, but WE’RE ON THE ROOF??? WHAT ARE YOU HOOKING ONTO?????? And I thought it was a funny visual if Jesus just was picking his up, cause how else would you explain that (I guess it could be like ~imagination~ but that’s not as funny

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Woah what’s this? A drawing post that’s not like a month after the last one? Impossible

No but fr South Park’s TFBW has something in it cause it like cured my art block and now all I want to do is draw the little guys.

So here are some random drawings I did to practice rendering cause it’s been a while since I’ve properly done it.

The dude on the left is a Paul Perkins design for a Swap!The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals AU- I’ve had the idea for a while and I’ll probably have an actual post detailing that sooner or later. (Featuring Cringe Girlfailure Emma Mathew’s and King of the Sassyman apocalypse Paul Perkins)

Also featuring my New Kid- though I started drawing this when I was like 1/3 into the game so her design changed a bit, I’ll probably also draw more of her.

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Craig during the entire time in Dr. Mephesto Lab in The Fractured But Whole

Recently got the game cause of a sale and I’m being dragged back into my South Park era 💀. Might doodle some more of these guys and my little New Kid

Don’t know why this part isn’t talked about more, I thought it was absolutely hilarious how angry Craig got. (Especially the Gift Shop cut off bit- was laughing my ass off) I could only see Craig doing these memes every time and I just had to draw it

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Here’s the “Why The Great Gatsby Musical is a bad Musical Adaptation” essay no one asked for-

(For the record- I haven’t researched anything or re-read the Great Gatsby in years so apologies if I get things wrong this is just me going off the dome with other people’s video essays [Sideways fans where y’all at] and the two Adaptations in Media courses I took in college)

(Also seems like I accidentally posted this before I finished so to those of yall who saw this before I was done- no you didn’t)

First things first- we gotta establish the core story/ moral lesson that the musical is trying to say.

Cause if this was a normal one to one adaptation of the book- I’d say the musical did a fucking shit job.

Cause adaptation are taking a story and changing it to fit a new medium. AKA- you don’t change the main story or elements that make that story… THAT STORY or else it’s not an adaptation- that’s just something else entirely with the same characters and such. You can ADD or REMOVE to the storyline or characters- but you can’t CHANGE them or else it’s not true to the original source material [and you get a lot of pissed fans as we’ve seen time and time again]

(Side rant- Which is why musicals like “Groundhog Day” and “Legally Blonde” are so praised. [ok maybe just me who likes the Groundhog Day musical but it’s really the perfect movie to musical adaptation]. They don’t change the story but rather ADD ON to what is already there to make it better. While Phils break comes from his own contentment in where he is rather then his love for Rita, this change ADDS ON to reasons why Rita falls for him, and they flesh out Rita as a character and her dynamic with Phil WAY more. Elle has a more fleshed out and deeper relationship with Warner which wasn’t seen in the film)

When you “adapt” a piece of media, and don’t stick or keep the IDEA of that media that makes it so likable- fans are gonna be pissed when you try to pass this off as the thing they like without all the heart. (Hence all the HBO Velma/ Scooby Doo adaptations in general hate, or Into the Woods/Heathers/ Dear Even Hansen/ etc. movie vs musical debate)

SO WHEN THIS MUSICAL SHIFTS THE ENTIRE CONCEPT OF THE STORY FROM A COMMENTARY OF OLD VS NEW MONEY AND HOW MONEY CORRUPTS TO A FUCKING LOVE STORY- CAN YOU BLAME PEOPLE WHO LIKED THE BOOK ABOUT BEING OUTRAGED. But I’m getting ahead of myself

I’ll give this musical the benefit of the doubt. People defend this musical by saying it’s an INTERPRETATION of the book. And I can’t argue with that so let’s look at how the musical failed as a musical (in my eyes) without pointing out the glaring difference in theme. (Even though I’m still pissed about it)

Which brings us to finding the core of THIS musical. What makes this story unique to this musical. Think back to every musical you know- I’d say most, if not all, of them have some moral or message they say at the end. And even if not- they at least tell a narrative. Something the main character LEARNS and/or TEACHES to others to make them a changed person from the beginning (very similar to typical narrative structures because that’s basically what a musical is- a story with music in it)

So what is The Great Gatsby’s core narrative?

And I KNOW the theme isn’t about Old vs New money cause they NEVER SHOW OTHERWISE except the ONE LINE at the very end. And they RUSH PAST all the consequences of all the rich peoples actions so it doesn’t seem like much was at stake. At least in the book Daisy is shown to value Old Money more and is more flaky around Gatsby- using him more obviously. BUT IF YOU CHANGE THE STORY SO THEY’RE BOTH INFATUATED WITH EACH OTHER- that selfishness and value on old money DOSENT HIT. Even NICK doesn’t know the lesson that “money makes people suck” in the musical until apparently the last 10 minutes??? Though it’s never shown his gradually trying to learn this lesson???

So that makes us turn to “is it a love story/ tragedy about Gatsby and Daisy”? And even then I’d say no! Or at least I’m not sure- because they honestly don’t show much of their relationship other than what’s in the surface.

Be so for real- ignoring that it’s Eva Noblezada and Jeremy Jorden singing- what do we ACTUALLY KNOW about Daisy and Jays relationship via lyrics??? That Jay went to war- they danced at a ball, Daisy liked him but thought he would die at war and moved on, and got married to Tom for security. There is NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE HERE. WHY did they fall in love? WHAT did Daisy like about Jay? WHAT DID JAY LIKE ABOUT DAISY?

There’s NOTHING HERE for the audience to feel and root for this couple. In literally any other (good) musical you’d have a grand ol song or spectacle about what the two love interests see in each other, which you BUILD UP over multiple interactions and dialogue. All they do whenever they’re on stage or singing is talk about how much they’re in love with each other- but not really why??? It’s so surface level- “we love each other so so so much and I’ll die without you”- but not actually showing, I guess, evidence of this? If that makes sense??? WHAT DO THEY SEE IN EACH OTHER THAT THEY CANT GET ANYWHERE ELSE? I didn’t feel anything when they got together, and I felt nothing when they got separated.

It doesn’t help that this musical tries to tell too many storylines at once. Yup I’m talking about the useless Jordan and Nick plot. WHAT is the purpose here? It just talks up time away from the main romance (if that was the core story) and ends too abruptly to convey the ��Money corrupts” angle (if that’s what they were going for???? I literally can’t tell)

So right off that bat I have no idea what this musical wants out of me or want to achieve. Is it making a capitalist commentary? A feminist one? Is this a love story? Between who??? Nick and Jordan or Jay and Daisy? I think the musical WANTS to achieve all of these at once, but it doesn’t and CAN’T work.

Sure, musicals can have multiple lessons or storylines, but usually, there’s ONE MAIN ONE that the rest stem off or build upon, making it layered. I feel like this musical wanted to equally showcase all these points, which made it feel like nothing was said cause they tried to give every point an equal amount of stage time.

If the main story is supposed to be about the Romeo and Juliet type tragedy between Jay and Daisy, why did they not show more conflict between the two? Why did they completely omit them fully reuniting and the moments before and after Daisy hit Myrtle???? That’s like their main breaking point and yall not even gonna show that????

If it’s between Nick and Jorden why do they not have a meaningful ending to their relationship? Why was Jorden so down bad for MARRYING Nick?

They then could have layered on the different messages, through side plots or dialogue or whatever to convey the other points

Ok so now that that’s finally out of the way let’s get into the res gif it real quick.

Nicks the main character but he dosent seem to learn anything or change at all until the last 10 minutes, and even then, it’s not THAT fleshed out. He just seems to be going through the story and has like such little impact despite literally being one of the main characters.

And yeah- he didn’t do much in the novel either but you were reading all this shit through HIS EYES. You got to hear HIS thoughts and how HE described situations, so you were still connected to he guy and knew his deal mostly.

In the musical, the only times he truly narrates is the begging, the song “The Met”, and the end. And after meeting Jordan, anytime he’s on stage, he mostly doing something with her. He never feels INVOLVED with Gatsby and Daisy’s plot after they get together. He kinda like, fucks off and does his own thing for like the rest of the show. It’s so weird- just invoke your main narrator more. ALSO JUST HAVE HIM NARRATE? Not sure why they made him stop narrating beyond the beginning and end but I think it would have been fun if Nick addressed the audience and had asides with his thoughts and such through the show.

Finally- though it’s not a huge huge nitpick- the songs.

I just felt like- they say a whole lot of nothing. Like half of the songs don’t add much in terms of character or plot, at least, nothing that couldn’t be easily said in a line of dialogue.

I’m not sure if this is true for ALL musicals, but I’d say generally, sons in (good) musicals have to either move to plot forward, or provide deeper insight to a characters feelings.

First example that comes to my mind is Tim Minchins Groundhog Day Musical (cause I really really love that musical). Literally every song in that musical either moves the plot forward, or provides a deeper view to a character that you’d literally never hear otherwise cause they’d never say that shit outloud.

When I look at this musical- only about half of the songs achieve this. Songs like “Absolute Rose” or “Second Hand Suit” and even “One Way Road” are great at proving a look beyond a surface level at the characters. But songs like “For Her” or “My Green Light” felt redundant cause they said what we already saw for 3 minutes. I already said this, but it would have been better if they used these songs to delve into WHY Daisy and Jay are so infatuated with each other. What about the other made Jay want to go after her for like 10 years or Daisy want to have an affair with him.

And the song “The Met” was GREAT for actively pushing forward the plot. Like it moved THROUGH the scene if that makes sense. Unlike other songs which kind felt crammed in as the plot moves around the song.

Cause that’s the thing about this musicals songs is that half of them don’t feel INTEGRATED into the plot. The story doesn’t continue throughout the song, you’re just kinda stuck in the scene with the character until they’re done singing. Of course there are the few exceptions (“Shady”, “Second Hand Suit” and “The Met” and of course) but almost every other song you don’t see the plot move forward WITH the song. And of course not every song in every musical HAS to move through the story, but if you’re going to have a musical with 23 songs, you need to use some of them to continue the plot forward.

It feels like the composers only used about half the potential that songs in musicals can do, cause they mostly only used it for like, romantic or big emotional moments and they don’t do much while they do.

In contrast, in the (here I go again) Groundhog Day Musical, in one song “One Day” (the Act 1 Finale) we 1) learn Rita’s reasoning why she keeps rejecting Phil and her personal thoughts on love and relationships. 2) See Phil repeatedly try to date Rita and keep failing. 3) See Phil’s thoughts and dive into depression as the luster of the loops wear off. And 4) Set up the other townies problems to the audience that Phil to help with in the middle of Act Two. 5) Pushes home the moral of the story (the townies always saying “one day, in the future, I’ll get all this shit done”) FIVE SEPARATE POINTS. All wrapped up in a montage as the audience get to see Phil become more and more demotivated as the loops go on.

Granted it is like 7 minutes long, but even compared to The Great Gatsby’s 5 minute “Roaring On”- I can only think of the song 1) Introducing how cryptic Gatsby is 2) Very brief backstory on Nick. 3) The set up of party goers always looking for the next party. And even then, “One Day” has a literal montage of failed dates by Phil, then has all the Townies stand fragmented as they say their problems, then shows him literally go through his day BACKWARDS to highlight how fucked up time is for him and how everything blurs together (and it genius because it uses core poses and people they established and hammered into your brain since the beginning of the show to make it so you can recognize the scene just by one person doing one thing- AGH I can go on forever about this show)

What does “Roaring On” have going for it? Nothing. Just dancers dancing and Nick standing there singing

“Oh, but it’s not that fair to compare an Act 1 Finale to the opening number…” Alright let compare the Great Gatsby’s Finale to other musicals shall we.

First off, “My Green Light” really does not have much going for it. No offense if you like the song, but what do we learn through this song? That Daisy also missed Gatsby but moved on for her own good and that they want the other “save” them. For Daisy, I can understand Gatsby maybe “saving” her from Tom, but what does Gatsby need saving from? Loneliness? Again, WHY HER?

Now again, I’ll try to be fair since there are act one closers that aren’t big spectacles (Looking at you Book of Mormon). Off the top of my head, “Our Love is God” from Heathers is similar in concept to what TGG is trying to do. They’re both love songs involving the main characters that they sing to the other. But what makes “Our Love is God” stand out is that it’s also the point where JD reveals his true colors, and both the audience and Veronica learn how obsessive his love is for her. It starts out as a sweet love song, sung in a loving tone, but by the end he uses the exact same words in a more sinister and possessive tone and you get to see Veronica kinda realize what she’s gotten herself into. “My Green Light” has nothing like that. It’s actually kind of a mundane place to end act one, cause there’s literally nothing going on that they could by have just said at some point. I mean even if you take it out and don’t replace it with anything, there’s nothing in there that’s you couldn’t infer or just get via the rest of the show. They could have shifted everything so that landed at their reconnection over tea at Nicks so it would be more plot relevant. Or even shifted it to when she comes to one of Gatsby’s party for the first time.

Dear Even Hansen has an emotional Act One Closer, but even that is directly connected to the plot. “You Will be Found” IS literally the thing that kick starts the downfall of Evan, and the message of the song is one that can apply to anyone in the audience.

I don’t know, if I remember correctly, I was kinda surprised when they went to curtain cause it was such a boring place for Act One to end, I expected there to be more.

Anyways, I think that’s basically it. So The Great Gatsby could have been a great musical if they actually chose a MAIN storyline to completely follow through on, and utilized songs to their full potential in musical theater rather. 👍

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Ok fuck it- I keep seeing the Great Gatsby pop up (thanks Gravity Falls lmao) and recently saw The Great Gatsby on Broadway and I need to spill out my thoughts on this musical

I’ll hold off my grips with it compared to the book till the very end- since I know a lot of argument around this musical is that it’s an adaptation and the adaptors are liable for taking creative liberties. Which- yeah! That’s valid! But I’d argue that in order to adapt something successfully, if you’re gonna make huge (and I mean HUGE) changes to the source material, it’s gotta somewhat follow some reason that makes sense for the characters and/or adds some layer or depth to the story or else you get something like HBOs Velma. But more on that in either an entirely other post or later depending on how long this gets

Read bellow if you want a really fucking long, detailed description of the show and what I think it did right and very, very wrong.

I will say- as a TLDR rn- I thought the show was just…ok. Like- “yeah that show sure was a musical.” kind of ok. The good songs and amazing spectacle of a few of the numbers kinda cancel out the bad pacing and really questionable narrative choices the show made. Also- hearing Eva Noblezada sing live changed my life.

OK- so I’ll start out by saying- I believe we had basically all the original current cast except for Jordan Baker was played by Traci Elaine Lee (who was absolutely phenomenal so I’m not too sad about missing Samantha Pauly)

I really thought the show was ok. Like I don’t hate it vehemently but I don’t love it either. I feel like the only reason it’s so famous is because of its two powerhouse leads (Hot take? Maybe.) Anyways, I don’t know how to go about this so we’ll go list form

1) PACING WAS ATROCIOUS

Again, not even comparing it to the novel- the pacing felt really off and didn’t even make much sense story wise. Like we would rush past certain information and then linger on scenes that didn’t really need to be lingered on? At least to me, I felt like there was other stuff the show should have prioritized showing- CAUSE THATS THE THING WITH THIS SHOW- is that they TELL not SHOW a LOT of information- so it kinda just feels like you’re being tossed plot without experiencing it.

For example, literally as soon as the show starts, Nick and party goers just throw all the information about Gatsbys party and being mysterious at the beginning by telling us and not showing, like he never shown to be cryptically hanging around in the first like 20 minutes of the show (at least that I remember- there was a lot happening in the opening number 😭) . Which sucks because they did this REALLY COOL thing right before the show started where Gatsby was standing there and was immediately gone as soon as a screen passed. LIKE YOU COULDN’T HAVE THAT HAPPEN AGAIN WHEN THEYRE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT HIM???

(Also- recently saw a rehearsal (?) video where Gatsby like actually opened the opening song “Roaring On”, and that would have been great if they kept that! Because looking back, I felt like Gatsby had the least amount of stage time. Which probably I sn’t actually true, but it really felt like it. Like where is the main guy??? His first appearance (after his little disappearing act) is like, 20 minutes into the show. Idk for something that’s called “The Great Gatsby” he sure wasn’t on stage a lot. )

Then a couple scene later, Gatsby reveals to Nick- a man he JUST MET FACE TO FACE- that he’s in deep love with his married cousin and asks him TO HIS FACE that he wants him to set up a meeting with her. And then they move on. Like???

If you watched the show, maybe this’ll make sence to you, maybe this won’t, but it feel like they rushed past everything in the original source material, and only expanded and talked at length the aspects they wrote in.

Also the ending was so. Incredibly. Rushed. Like we don’t even get to see Daisys reaction to killing/hitting Myrtle. As soon as the fight at the Plaza ends everything else happens in like 15 minutes. Are you kidding me. WE DONT GET TO SEE DAISY ACTUALLY HIT MYRTLE. They did the ol’ “Bright lights get shined at the audience as character pretends to get hit” but that’s it! Literally THE REASON why Gatsby is killed and we don’t get to see it or their reactions in the moment. They just… tell us what happened instead of showing it to us. (“Daisy tried to swerve to the next lane but there was a car coming- and then… she just peeled off. She’s packing now…” YOU COULDN’T SHOW THIS TO US???) No idea of how Daisy or Gatsby reacted immediately after, only the next day. No rambled and frightened dialogue of their game plan, no glimpse into Daisys psyche where it’s shown she’s not going to choose Gatsby after all. Nothing.

Oh! And guess how long Gatsbys funeral was? Like a minute long. Just Nick sitting next to a casket in the background while party goers, Jordan and Wolfsheim dismiss Gatsby with a throwaway line. Like bro… that’s your main lead character… shouldn’t you give him, idk , at least more than a minute on stage when he dies? And like yeah I get that that’s the point that he’s forgotten, but I thought it was going to be more prominent than that! Give me Nick standing solemnly next to a casket thats dead center on a completely empty stage while he narrates how no one showed up. How despite the riches and infamy, no one, not even Jays own father (cause literally no one was by the casket on stage but Nick) showed up for his funeral. Instead of weirdly dismissing it like it’s not important?

2) NICK AND JORDENS “RELATIONSHIP”

Nah this actually pisses me off because there’s literally no point in this being so highlighted when it literally goes fucking nowhere.

So their relationship arc goes like this: Jorden says relationships sucks because she wants to be an independent woman in the 20s. Nicks like, I am not looking for a relationship but if we were in one I’d let you do all those things. They flirt, almost kiss, flirt more, do kiss, Nick says “let’s get married /j” Jorden says “yeah let’s get married /srs”, they get ENGAGED, they fight after discussing if they inadvertently caused Myrtle’s death (Jorden intentionally let Myrtle know where they were going that night), break up, and never speak to each other the rest of the show.

HELLO? What the actual fuck was the point of this then? If you wanted to expand Jorden to be the independent, feminist, girlboss *cough lesbian cough* that she is, just let her stay single?? She doesn’t need to be with Nick if you want her to be a part of the main cast.

The main problem I have with this is that the musical put wayyyy too much emphasis on it. And it’s so funny because there’s this big, dramatic, movie-esc pause Nick does after he says “I don’t want to marry you”, and sorry to the people who genuinely gasped, but be fr, are we surprised??? Jordan has been saying from literally her first line that men/marriage sucks, and that she would never do that willingly- then when she get married to a guy she knows for, at most? 1-2 weeks (idk how long the musical take place over), I’m supposed to take that relationship seriously????

In fact, I felt like their relationship often overshadowed Gatsby and Daisys, which shouldn’t happen, because the whole fucking shows about Gatsby.

For example, they steamrolled Gatsby and Daisys reunion with a budding Jordan and Nick plotline, for some reason??? Like they literally show Gatsby and Daisy seeing each other, have them say a few sentences wistfully reminiscing their first meeting, then have them go inside the house while their silhouettes are shown talking while the audience stays with Nick and Jorden OUTSIDE as they joke and almost kiss each other. HUH??? How are you going to literally push your years-long, slow burn yearning MAIN ROMANCE reunion to the side for a budding relationship that came out of nowhere and frankly dosent need to exist? And since we’re not going book accurate, you can actually SHOW how Gatsby and Daisy fall back into each others orbit, how their conversation went. But no.

It got so bad that I honestly can’t tell if one of the themes of this musical is something about marriage because of how much they pushed the “married/ people in a relationship” dynamic. Like what are you trying to tell me? All marriages are doomed??? I don’t even know (mayhaps just me being aroace)

What grips me the most is that they don’t even get any closure. Like they literally never speak to each other after that night Myrtle is killed. (Mostly cause the show ends literally 5 minutes later). The whole show they put these two together, build up their romance, show them having cute and funny moments together… all for what? For nothing?

AND I DID LIKE THEM. They were a cute couple, and their chemistry and jokes together were funny and charming. Their dynamic was interesting too, with Jordan wearing the pants, so to speak, and insisting she maintain her freedom while in marriage/ a relationship which wasn’t heard of in the 20s. But for all that to end because Jorden didn’t want to tell the cops Gatsby and Daisy possible ran her over/they’re partially responsible??? Like they INVESTED. SO. MUCH. in this relationship (to the point where they got ENGAGED???) that it feels so stupid and dumb for it to end like “wow you’re heartless :c I don’t want to marry you anymore :ccc” “well too bad, L, you’re guilty too asshole. Bye.”

AND what really grinds my gears is that if they cut this whole shit out, or at least made it more in the background, it would give more time to flesh out the few other problems I have with this show

3) SONG… EFFICIENCY (?)

Ok last point that’s not as much of a complaint as the others, but it was still something that bothered me. Some of the songs just say nothing/ repeat stuff we already know. Mainly thinking of (and sorry to people who like these songs- I’m not saying they’re bad! They’re just not a lot of info there) “For Her”, “Go”, or “Shady”

Like “For Her”, he’s just saying “I did [list of things involved with his fame/money] for her” for 4 minutes and you don’t even know who “her” is until like, the last line. Like this could have been a perfect opportunity to deep dive into Gastbys upbringing/ past, but the most the musical goes into Gatsby’s past is that he was in the war. Like you don’t get the sense that this man worked his way literally from the ground up for this woman. It’s just so repetitive that, even though it was Jeremy Jordon, I was getting bored halfway through.

AGAIN, this is not slandering Jeremy Jordan (JJ stans please spare me), you could have the most amazing Broadway singer sing with the best technique, but if it’s a dull, repetitive song, PERSONALLY, I’d be bored. They could have just combined this with another song, or as I suggested, add more purpose to the song and maybe put it later in the musical.

Similarly, “Go” (and, AGAIN, love Jeremy and Eva) was super repetitive and could have just been reduced to dialogue.

And “Shady”, though also a really good song, frankly could have been cut out. For some reason the musical really wanted Wolfsheim to be a main antagonist/prominent character and gave him this song- but there’s nothing in it that wasn’t already implied in the first Act and it really has nothing to do with any of the other characters, other then a vague “Jay and Daisy” gotta keep their affair secret (which… yeah I think we know that, but also to compare that to… hiding dead bodies and minding your own business- it’s???? Idk what they were going for)

(Tbh- I conversed with my dad who also mainly wanted to see the show for Jermey Jordan and Eva Noblezada and he said that none of JJ songs were that memorable, which I kinda agree with. He’s a great singer, a very talented man, but the songs he was made to sing in this show were not it. Just nothing of substance or catchiness. Which SUCKS. Because how are you going to get someone like Jeremy Jordan and not have him sing an absolute banger? But weirdly, none of his songs (maybe except “Only Tea” which I really liked) stood out which I’m so disappointed about.)

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Ok that’s all just as it’s own thing (mostly) NOW MY FUCKING PROBLEMS WITH IT COMPARED TO THE BOOK

1.B) NICK AND GATSBY’S FRIENDSHIP

THIS IS THE BIGGEST ONE- Nick and Gatsby friendship is so fucking integral to the original, and it feels like it didn’t even exist in the musical.

Like regardless on whether you ship them or see them as friends- Nick was Jays only fucking friend. He was the ONLY ONE who truly cared about him and went to his funeral when no one else did. In the book, Nick did So. Much. just because he wanted to for Gatsby. Gatsby had to ask Jorden to ask Nick to set up his tea meeting, he attempts to charm and lavish him in trips, and even tries to pay the man to get him to agree. But Nick refuses and is even offended that Gatsby would pay him money for such a thing and immediately accepts the night he finds out. And they actually hung out! Like a lot! At least before Jay asks him for the tea request. And though it could been because he wanted to make it easier for Nick to say yes, they were friendly with each other, and felt like actual pals. Nick genuinely was worried about Gatsby at the end, and even tried to warn him about what he was attempting to do multiple times.

In the musical that bond is just… not there. They rush past meeting each other, they never hang out one on one, and any interaction between them seemed slightly aggressive or politely concerned, like one would be to a stranger, which they technically are!!! The only reason he agrees to Gatsbys plan is basically petty revenge against Tom for punching Myrtle and being an asshole to Daisy/ in general. (Which- I feel like a move thats so out of character for Book!Nick cause he also dislikes Daisy.) Like Nick never learns Gatsbys backstory here (I don’t think he ever tells it, not even to the audience).

The “ you can’t repeat the past” line seemed more aggressively exasperated in delivery then the more soft concern for a close friend I initially read it as. And the “you’re worth more then whole rotten crowd put together” line didn’t really hit as hard because they don’t feel like close friends and nowhere in the show has Nick expresses this pedestal he puts Gatsby on like in the book.

Literally the only times they’re together alone is their initial meeting, and setting up for tea at Nicks. Every other time either Gatsby is with Daisy or Nicks with Jorden. They could have at least put together a cool ass montage of them hanging together, using those moving panels, going through diffrent activities as Jay introduces himself with his Oxford and army line, instead of dumping it all on him on their literal first meeting in his study.

(Also noted that they made it so Gastby owns the property Nick lives on and is renting it out for the man. Idk why they did this- to make it so Nick is indebted to Gatsby??? Also Gatsby vaguely threatens/ says something with a condescending/threatening aura (???) before Nick leaves after Jay ASKS A MAN .5 SECONDS AFTER MEETING HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME FACE TO FACE for the tea set up. Like there was a moment where he held onto Nicks hand as they shake goodbye, held his eye and said a line (I forgor) and kinda stood there staring him down before Nick awkwardly left. LIKE WHAT WAS THAT???? WHO ARE YOU???? WHY??? Literally doing everything to make sure no one can ship them)

2.B) THEY STRAIGHT-IFIED MY BOY.

NICK WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU. It felt like they wanted to take away any whiff of an implication that this man is gay. Like literally no build up to Jay and Nicks friendship, no meaningful scenes between the two, going head first and completely committing to Jordan, AND THE MR MCKEE SCENE BEING LIKE THAT.

AND MR MCKEE, IM SO, SO SORRY WHAT THEY’VE DONE TO YOU. They made him to be some predator who harasses Nick the whole party scene. And this could have been so. easy. to fit into the queer lens if the actor who plays Nick (Noah J Ricketts, fucking what a talented man) acted interested in Mr.McKee but was actively restraining himself and trying not to engage in order to save face in front of Tom and Co. (Please, please, please- making a prayer circle and manifesting that one of the later actors does this down the line) But noooooo, Nick is shown to be mildly uncomfortable while McKee follows him around (in an unfortunately a banger of a song) EVEN THOUGH IN THE BOOK NICK ACTIVELY ENGAGES WITH HIM IN HOMOEROTIC DIALOGUE AND EVEN GOES TO BED WITHBNANJSBSJB

3.B) Jordan’s Purpose

Already touch this before but what the hell was the point of Jordan here. I love the “cool independent woman in the 20s” angle they were going for, but then why the hell would you immediately shackle her to a romantic relationship with Nick when that goes against literally everything she stands for. And I’m not saying she can’t get in relationships, but the speed in which SHE of ALL PEOPLE, was like “Yes I want to get married to you for real” make me…

Sure it was said in the novel that Nick and Jorden were together, but he was always flighty about her; saying he was attracted to her but also hated some of her qualities (dishonesty and heartlessness). It wasn’t the main focus like it was here (I can’t even remember much of their relationship in the book tbh) and they didn’t invest so much in it as they did in the musical that it didn’t feel out of nowhere or too much of a big deal when they broke up. Like it fr felt like the musical held up a “Gasp Now” sign when Nick said he doesn’t want to get married to her cause they wanted that moment to hit so hard for some reason???

AND. There was an ACTUAL PURPOSE to Jordan relationship with Nick in the book (a representation of the wealth he was attracted to then repulsed by [*cough* also contributing the “Nick is Queer” lens *cough*]) they… kinda? did it in the musical? And it would have been boosted by Nicks new naivety in the musical, but it falls short because they never speak again, or really explain Jordan’s value on wealth and herself is why it went wrong other then a “you’re heartless” line that feels out of nowhere. (Idk maybe I was too focused on how pointless that relationship felt that I failed to noticed if Nick had a Big RevelationTM here on Wealth and Jordan)

4.B) Character Differences

Some of them are great, like there’s more dimensions to some, but some character choices, I’m like- that goes against everything they’re supposed to represent in the book.

Like I found it so weird how willing Daisy was to run away with Gatsby in the musical when in the book it was more obvious, at least I read it so, that she was holding back a bit and was never going to run with Gatsby that far. Like wdym Gatsby could have had it all if he just ran with Daisy then, WDYM HE SAID NO BECAUSE OF HIS PRIDE???? HUH? WHERE did this priority of PRIDE come from???? When Daisy’s RIGHT. THERE. Like she was sobbing, begging him to run with her. In what universe would Gatsby turn that down???

Like many people say, this seems like it’s supposed to be a love story between Gatsby and Daisy, but in the book it’s pretty obvious how Daisy isn’t as committed to Gatsby then she is Tom cause of their Old vs New money.

And Myrtle? Why did she suddenly turn back to George? I felt like the only reason why that happened is cause the creators wanted shock and tragedy factor. Like “aw she finally found peace in where she is but oops now she’s dead”

And it would have been good if they actually showed why she thought this beyond the 3 minute song, cause that’s not enough time for someone who only chased after money to do a 180. Like, sure she figured Tom would just move on from her (YES EVERYONE CHEERED, GREAT CHARACTER MOMENT) but George isn’t shown to be that great either in his last moments with her. I mean he locked her in the house? Bathroom? and was pretty violent towards her. Sure we learn earlier that he’s doing a lot for her but we never SEE it. He sings to US the audience about his dream to move them out and live a nice life but not to HER which could have been a cute point of connection but nooooooo.

They also made Nick like, kinda naive. Like he really likes Daisy and Jorden and I guess Gastby (though it’s not shown) compared to his counterpart who know how money corrupts and kinda hates everyone (even Gatsby at points). Any I feel like they could have done well with making him naive to that fact, to really make this a tragedy (like Hadestown esc) but they fell short somehow. I think it’s cause the ending was so rushed. Like there wasn’t enough time to show the consequences of everyone’s actions and how hurt and changed he is. It all flys by in like 7 minutes.

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Ok now we’re done being cynical- here are the good things I liked

1.C) The woman are 3-Dimensional yay/ Nicks also here

Myrtle’s song (Second-Hand Suit) is phenomenal. Great way to introduce more character and backstory to someone who originally had none.

Also, again, loved Jordan’s independence angle (if only they WENT SOMEWHERE WITH IT) and I lowkey loved the “well Tom cheats why can’t you” line and Daisy’s whole attitude as she one ups Tom in the dinner table scene. Also Daisy was already kinda complex in the book, but it really shows how turmoiled she is here and that’s interesting,

And despite how I kinda ragged on it, I really did like Nicks personality throughout the musical. He was sooo humorous in a way he wasn’t in the book. Also, thinking about it, his nativity is an interesting spin on his character that I really would have liked if it was executed properly.

2.C) The songs fucking slap

I can’t lie, most of these songs are bangers. I have half of the songs on loop. Not to mention the actors who sing them are absolutely incredible. I won’t lie, I was mostly interested in this musical cause of Jeremey and Eva; and Eva, holy shit, is an absolute powerhouse to witness live. I was So. Surprised by how effortlessly she sang notes and how clear and crisp they were (“Absolute Rose” was… idk what it was about that song, but I’m obsessed with how she sang that song, [except the “open” part? Idk it grates me for some reason???] even though it’s not my favorite song) Like she truly embodies Daisy Fay and it was incredible to see that in person.

However, the rest of the cast was so incredible too, ESPECIALLY MYRTLE (Chilina Kennedy). Holy Fuck is that woman amazing at singing. Her two songs she sang absolutely ate, like I’m obsessed with her voice. Wolfsheim (Eric Anderson) and George (Paul Whitty) also had amazing voices.

Also NICK??! Holy shit, I’m so sorry you’re not in like any promotional stuff cause you fucking killed it. The way I’m obsessed with how he sings “If only I’d knew then, that I would never be the same” in “Roaring On” and how he sings “The Met” is amazing

3.C) Visuals- kinda

Some of the visuals were ok tbh- kinda boring- but the ones that went big, WENT BIG. Of course “New Money”, “Roaring On” and “The Met” are the ones that stand out the most in my mind. “New Money” and “Roaring On” are exactly what you probably think it is, big dance numbers with sparks and huge lights. But I loved “The Met” cause the furniture slid around and literally moved around Nick while people drifted in and out of the room. It was just great to watch visually.

4.C) THE ENDING NUMBER HOLY SHIT

I. Love. Love. LOVE. How they brought back the opening number, and the theme of party goers going on from party to party to show how unimportant Gatsby was to the world, and how everyone moved on.

Like, Nick stood in the center of the stage, reciting the end of the book, in tears and voice cracking, as the ensemble in the back slowly get revealed and are just having a grand ol time looking for the next party. Just- chills. It was amazing conceptually and they pulled it off so well.

If the musical got nothing else in terms of structure going for it- at least they got the last minute right cause omg, I love when media has opposing moods in the same scene, and they did so well here.

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Overall, yeah. Not horrible but I don’t love it. The lack in plot and nonsense relationships and complete disregard of the book didn’t totally ruin the musical cause I had a good time and liked the songs and such but I would not go back and re watch it.

I think of you know nothing about the book or anything about The Great Gatsby other then there’s a guy named Gatsby and he’s great and you just want a nice sounding show, you’ll probably like this, but people who are burdened by the knowledge of the book will be hung up on a lot of things I mentioned here.

Always, long ass post, congrats to anyone who actually read this real informal review. I haven’t gone into how this is a pretty bad adaptation, but I’ll have to do that in another post (if people want to see that) and another time cause this took my literal hours to type out.

(Tbh I might just do the adaptation essay anyways, cause I’ve written at least 4 papers on adaptation in media [and how Groundhog Day the musicals the best Movie to Musicals adaptation] and I love that shit)

[randomsufff]

Was listening to my playlist (which mostly contains musicals) and noticed a few things.

Will this hit the right audience? Let’s see 💀

[randomsufff]

My thought process as I played through Control for the first time after getting into Alan Wake II

Btw this is not me bashing on any ships- tbh they’re both good in my opinion - I just thought it was funny how I thought I immediately clocked Darling and Trench (which- if we’re going by Ao3 statistics I did), got blindsided by Darling and Zane, and then immediately understood why they were on the top of the tag after watching them interact for literally 1 minute 💀💀💀

[randomsufff]

You know, re-reading this after a while (and I’m glad so many of y’all think this troupe is as hilarious as I do) you could make it even FUNNIER if the confessor doesn’t even reveal where they’re sprinting off to- so the person receiving the confession has to participate in a spontaneous fucked up game of hide and seek as they frantically search where tf the idiot who dropped a love confession and ran went off to.

Cue them, like, calming chilling in a coffee shop or at home screaming internally as they wait for their crush to burst in. Or even better- cue them avoiding the other out of anxiety for a few days before the other has to corner them and be like “I LIKE YOU TOO STUPID, STOP AVOIDING ME”

I mean you can take and spin this in as many way you like- which I is think is great

You know what I really need in fanfics? More confession scenes where one person drops the confessions then runs, fast as fuck, in the other direction.

Like, obviously they’ll meet back up eventually and talk about it (which is hilarious in itself they they would have to sprint to catch up while yelling why they’re like this) , BUT THINK ABOUT IT!!! It 1) give the other person a chance to gather their thoughts so the person confessing doesn’t have to sit in anxious silence and 2) allows the confessor to get it over with quick and overcomes that anxiety over confessing. Also it’s just fucking hilarious.

Like imagine your fav paring or whatever, they get to that part where one (or both idk) realizes their feelings for the other but they’re just anxious to be vulnerable like that or they fear rejection, whatever. One of them suddenly goes, fuck it, and they turn to the other. (Maybe they’re on a sidewalk, maybe their in a park IDK endless possibilities here) and they go:

“ok I’m about to say something, it’s nothing bad (I hope) and I’m willing to talk about it after I say it. I’m 100% serious, this is really not a joke. But I’m going to say this and run to (relevant location). Ok? Ok…. Don’t freak out… iminlovewithyou” *Cue maniac SPRINTING as fast as humanly possible in the other direction* (Bro I’m cracking up just typing about this)

AND THEN!!! You get to chose how they react after a few stunned seconds. Do they sprint after them? Do they shout to bring their ass back over to them? Do they race like hell to beat the other at the determined location??? I don’t know, but it’s hilarious as fuck and can transition seamlessly into heartfelt feeling talk.

(Thinking about this with specific ships is funny as hell too)

Idk I think of more fics had this trope we could all have a grand ol silly time instead of accidentally speed reading through confession schemes because the stress is too much then having to go back and re-read it to fully process it, as one does. You know?