Black Friday was a bust and we shouldnât ignore it
So Iâve LOVED starkid for so many years and have fallen in love with their many create visions and ideas, so when I heard they were making a sequel I was skeptical.Â
The guy who didnât like musicals was so incredibly good because ONE it held the classic starkid charm where they didnât take themselves too seriously while also having such good subtlety in their story and writing that you feel for these characters. That scene between Paul and Emma where theyâre stuck in Hidgenâs basement and talk about theyâre lives and what they wanted and didnât want from it is such a good example that it should be taught in school. And TWO they veered away from that usual wacky side of themselves (B@tman, HP, Trail to Oregon) and pushed for a little more serious tone (Twisted, Firebringer) and was successful in balancing both of these factors.
The point of a sequel is to further establish the world that the story takes place in and how the characters (and audience) could further learn from it. This means that they would have to tackle these things while also continuing the subtlety, tone and characters that starkid is known for. The reason their last sequel, A Very Potter Sequel, was so successful was because the world they were working off of was already fully constructed by JKR and they used that as a crutch to focus on the story and characters instead of trying to keep those things in while also explaining why all of these things are happening. So this is where they failed to reach expectation because they had SO much plot and reasoning to cram in for world building that they didnât have time to develop much of their characters.
Like really what were these characters? I was totally down in the first twenty or so minutes when we finally got the year long answer! Like wholly shit its Paul and Emma! Theyâre alive and happy and we get to dive further deep into Emma and her sisterâs past! This started off good because we were reminded of our love for these characters that got the perfect development in TGWDLM and was leading us down a path of learning more of them and the people they connect with, which lead us to Tom. His character is so interesting and I was expecting him to get that sweet sweet character development and backstory we usually get for main characters (especially characters played specifically by Dylan) and his first solo proved for that to be the case until we are ripped away from Emma and Paul all together and put into the introduction of the first stereotype and flat character. They have done some stereotypes in the past but at least they had some purpose to the plot but Lexâs boss or Mr. Krabs 2.0 is so heavy that its painful. So we lead into the scene were we really meet the Lex and her motivations and relationships. I liked her dynamic with her (very sweet, like holy shit get me one of him) boyfriend, or maybe I was too distracted by Robertâs pretty face to notice anything bad but OMG I almost forgot I was watching a starkid musical because their song starts with âMY MOMâS A BITCHâ LIKE WHERES THE SUBTLETY IN THAT??? The song is one of many that falls flat but is saved by Roberts angelic voice and Kendallâs fun dancing.Â
Okay this is were it starts to become one note and stays there literally the rest of the musical, the scene in the line outside the toy store is boring and introduces stereotype number 2 with Lorenâs power hunger rich lady and leads through another song which starts to weird trend of stopping the story DEAD in its tracks to establish something that wont be important in the end. Every song in TGWDLM either had a purpose and/or was a BOP (therefore it got a pass) but many of the music in this show didnât do either of these. Anyway it moves on to the next song were I audibly cheered because I thought FINALLY a classic starkid song that people will sing at conventions for years to come with Dylan belting âITS MINE, ITS MINEâ and honestly it is one of the best from the musical and I loved how extra feral Jeff was the whole time.
Ethan was the one character I felt got the best character because he got the starkid special. Theyâve always been masters at establishing personalities in the most basic of conversations in their shows and that probably why Mr. Krabs and rich lady irritated me so much because their writing felt lazy. Remember how the original MacNamara was so charming because he had that weird personality of loving romance despite being the classic military character? Anyway Ethanâs death was the most impactfull for me and thatâs all I gotta say about it.
UGHHHHHH Okay so Iâve got to talk about this dumb ass villain. Joey is so fucking good at play villains itâs unbelievable but what heightens the impact of it is the reasoning and this guyâs reasoning gets so mixed up in the cramming of the plot that I canât even remember.
THE WAIST. THE GIANT WAIST THAT IS THE WONDERFUL CURT MEGA
I get MacNamaraâs point in the story but they completely erased the likable personality that I previously mentioned for the sake of plot which is irritating because I know they are capable to keeping a consistent character whose sole purpose is forwarding plot. He leads the final boring song of act 1 but sadly not the last one of the musical.
3 minutes of that fucking highschool santa song. I like the joke of a bad Christmas movie for teens but damn that dragged.Â
Tomâs story of trying to earn the love of his son while actually longing for forgiveness is such a good story and I do think they do it really well with the time that they give it but god nurse girl annoys me. JUST TO CLARIFY I LOVE HER VOICE IT GOES INCREDIBLY WELL WITH DYLAN'S. But Dylan going on a heartrenching speech of how he blames himself for the death of the love of his life and the mother of the son whom he thinks hates him to her going wOw rEmeMBer us In HigHscHoOl was so painful to watch. I did like their song despite the lack of chemistry until they started going at it after they expressed his PTSD and her murdering someone (who yes totally deserved it). Okay but the joke when they went back to the santa hightschool movie was the best joke of the show it was just too good.Â
The next time we see them theyâre acting like the rest of the âinfectedâ and like??? when did that shift happen??Â
God I feel so bad for Curt in that fucking suit. Okay but like is Joey wiggly or not? Is he just a follower and if he is why is he in the Black and White? But that use of the christmas ordiments and the hadestown lights was so cool and clever I really liked it.Â
I really liked that Friday is Black for Me song but now I can skip to the dumb part...
Super powers????? What????? How does MacNamara know Lex? When was that established and he not only knowâs of Lex and her âpowersâ but also Hannah and her abilities as well which were never shown or hinted at other than Webby her imaginary friend which was also pointless.Â
He says there is a Warrior of Light trapped in a deep sleep? Then she imediently goes to Tom which means MacNamara also knew of Tom and implies that Tom has powers as well???
Finally after listening to more pretty Dylan singing we go to another tensionless cult scene which ended up being the climax surprising me because again it was all one note. The scene was just so boring that when nurse girl shot Loren I had to recap because I could not remember how she got away from the people who dragged her there. But like seriously the lack of tension was crazy, Lex LITERALLY had the last doll not only in her hands but next to fire that of which she was threatening everyone with and Loren just strait up pushes Tom away walks up to Lex and takes it from her. Yeah the joke was funny but logically why didnât Lex light it up right after she got out of Tomâs grasp???
So yeah after the climax when Joeyâs character who was set up as the main villain pulling all of the strings never showed up and left Lorenâs flat character take the fall the falling action was everyone huddling together like a family even though the last time Hannah saw nurse girl and Tom they were actively hunting her with a needle to kill and sacrifice her to their god and I donât think Lex had ever met nurse girl but its fine because they burned the mall down even though the rest of the country was already taken over by the dolls and they were forced into WWIII because??? The Russains?? Had a portal too??? And I get that the actors showing up in their original characterâs clothes adds to the mystery that theyâre trying to set up at the end but I donât think its good to purposely add questions to a list that is already piling up pretty high.Â
Emma and Paul bickering at the beginning was the best part, then they are completely forgotten with Tom and nurse girlâs relationship, joeyâs villain character, Ethan all together (like we didnât even get a scene with Lex reacting to his death), and Hannahâs imaginary friend all for the sake of a cool visual at the end.
Again I adore starkid and their voices shine through but every show is iconic in its own way but the only memorable moments were the call backs to the original which I donât think should count
These are my opinions and honestly I would like some feedback, I understand that people enjoyed it and Iâm glad they did, I just need someone to explain to me why.
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Ahhhh! Thank you, your writing never disappoints đ„°
Hey could you do something were on patrol LB and CN aretalking and trying to keep stuff on their identities minimal but soon leads to âwho would be the last person youâd want the other person to be?â and jokingly chat says people like Chloe and possibly Lila (etc.) but LB mentions Adrien and kinda offended and confused Chat pushes further (angst plzzzz) Ps I ADORE your writing! You understand and appreciate Marinette unlike anyone Iâve read đđđ
Big thanks to @anonymouse-thoughts who not only beta read but added a lot as well (plus stay to the end because I have something funny to show you)
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Ladybug gave a slight yawn. It was late a night; she should be asleep but wasnât. The one thing that stayed consistent through all her time as Ladybug was how beautiful Paris was at night. It didnât matter how stressful her day was or how little sleep she got, the cityâs sparkling lights always seemed to calm her.
âHello, My Lady,â Chat announced as he landed on the roof. Ladybug just rolled her eyes. Great, my headache is back.
âSo, I know you said we canât reveal our identity,â Chat started, strolling up to her.
âDonât even think about it, Kitty,â Ladybug hissed hissed with narrowed eyes.
âNo, no, nothing like that. I was just thinking we can have a⊠discussion. Based on the students at CollĂšge Françoise Dupont.â He gave an innocent smile to His Lady, which only made her more suspicious.
âWhat type of discussion?â Ladybug asked, still wary of where this was headed. Why that school- my school? She began to worry her partner had begun to piece together her identity and mentally cursed Alya for posting that theory about her Dupont-issued history book.
âWho would you never partner up with?â Chat asked with a cheshire grin, clearly pleased to have gotten His Lady to talk - or at least consider talking. She was always so quick to shoot down any topics that could remotely tie back to their civilian identities.
Ladybug let out a snort. âSo basically an excuse to rant?â Ladybug replied with a knowing smile. It was well-known that Dupont had one of the highest akumatization rates in all Paris so it made sense for her partner to be vaguely acquainted with its students. No need to worry after all.
âYep! Iâll start,â Chat said, taking a seat next to the red-clad heroine.âI couldnât deal with Chloe as my partner. Sheâs much too bossy and would pretty much just put herself in danger. Plus, she attracts akumas like a magnet. More hindrance than help, really. Maybe a close second would be Lila. She lies so it would be hard to trust her accounts of whatâs going on in the field⊠What about you, My Lady?â Chat asked at the end of his rant.
Ladybug looked at him, his eyes brimming with catlike curiosity, before turning to gaze over Paris. He was probably expecting an answer similar to his, knowing her dislike of both girls mentioned. Honestly, she was expecting to give such an answer too. But looking down at the city of love and light, her heart clenched as she gave way to the truth. âAdrien Agreste.â
At that name, Chat let out a choke. He began to cough and sputter while making vague gestures as if trying to physically collect his thoughts. He fumbled silently for a bit longer before letting out a broken breath. With a look she couldnât quite read, he proceeded. âWhy is that My Lady? I heard heâs purr-etty good in a fight,â Chat Noir prodded, trying to make Ladybug reconsider.
âBecause he would never have my back.â
âWhaâŠâ
âAdrien is a lot of things and, while he may be good in a fight, he is also stubborn and naive, which is a dangerous combination. Heâs someone that always thinks he has the moral high ground, and if you donât do something his way then youâre wrong with no nuance taken into consideration. I canât work with someone who wonât reason or be flexible about these things.â She paused to catch her breath and the continued, though her voice grew fainter and her tone more bitter with each added word. âAnd heâs two-faced; he says what you want to hear and then turns around and does something else. Heâll make promises and act like you matter to him and convince you that heâll be there for you, just so you agree with him. But once youâve done what he wants heâll abandon you⊠And the worst part is he doesnât even see that what heâs doing is wrong. He just - he always thinks heâs in the right,â Ladybug finished her rant with a defeated sigh and watery eyes. Chat Noir stared in stunned silence. He was trying to process His Ladyâs words, but he couldnât have been that bad, could he?
âDo you know him?â he asked tentatively. This could just be the result of some silly miscommunication. No way Ladybug would ever think this if she knew the real him.
âI see him everyday, Chatton, and heâs hurt me in the worst possible way,â Ladybug said before bringing her legs to close her chest, trying to comfort herself. Sheâd said too much but at this point she didnât really care. After finally letting all her emotions out there was no taking them back.
âAnd what way is that?â Chat saw the tears begin to spill gently down her cheeks, completely unaware of the tears running down his own face. Ladybug looked over at Chat with a lost expression before instinctively resting one of her hands on her chest.
âHeartbreak.â
ââunder the cut for something funny.
Ok so I gave this to anony to read and edit. And it get this rant part way through and I have never laughed so hard. To be far they are not wrong..
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