#honestly the non-disney costumes i do welcome in part 2

[thetimelordbatgirl]

The amount of Disney costumes/references throughout Hocus Pocus sequel bit is uh, rather annoying, but I do enjoy the clear gravity falls reference with two kids dressed as peanut butter and jelly who are pushing around a red wheel barrow of candy.

[tommysparker]

Good For You

Peter Parker x Reader

A/N: I dunno how I really feel about this one...but there will be a part 2! Inspired by “Good For You” from the musical Dear Evan Hansen, give it a listen and enjoy :)

Warnings: just pure angst, reader is disappointed but not surprised, and also # done

Six times. 

Six times he’s canceled plans last minute. 

And that’s just this month, so far. 

You were happy for him, honestly, you were. But had you known his newfound fame would have cost you hours of waiting, hours of your life that you will never get back, just to end up looking like a fool as you leave the restaurant, you probably would have re-thought some decisions. 

“Hi! This is Peter Parker, leave a--”

You sighed in frustration, tossing your phone and keys on the couch as you kicked off your shoes and shut the door to the apartment. Thankfully, your parents weren’t home so you had time to release some stress and anger. 

Dropping yourself onto the cushions, you grabbed the TV remote and pressed the on-button, hoping some good ol’ fashioned Disney Plus would take your mind off tonight’s events, or lack thereof. However, the television network had other plans. 

Sure enough, there was your boyfriend, dressed head-to-toe in that stupid red and blue spandex costume standing next to the great Tony Stark, who wore a regular suit and that signature smile the public adored. 

Really? He ditched me to hang out with some tech billionaire? Is what you would’ve thought, however, you were used to it at this point. The first few times you felt disappointed, but now all you saw was red. 

You turned off the TV, throwing the remote aside and grabbing your phone, hoping to see at least one message from your once adoring lover, but you were met with an old picture of you and him that you set as your lockscreen. 

With a heavy sigh, you went into your room and decided to catch up on all the homework you’ve been ignoring. What better way to distract yourself than with memorizing calculus formulas? 

The only text you got that night was from your parents telling you they’ll be home late. 

                                                       ---

The next day at school, you completely avoided Peter at all costs. 

Peter was beyond confused. 

He had gotten home late last night after spending hours with Mr. Stark teaching him the new customs of his suit and later going back to the lab to fix some minor bugs. 

When he came into school this morning, he was hoping for the usual bear hug you greet him with when he walked over to your locker. However, by the time he got there you were already gone. Betty, whose locker was right next to yours, said you went to class early to talk to the teacher. 

He shrugged it off, figuring he would catch you in between classes. 

But he never did. 

Every time he tried to talk to you, you would run off or ignore his callings. He thought maybe you were just having an off-day, you’ve been having a lot of those recently. 

By the time lunch came around, he knew something was wrong. 

No matter what mood you were in, you always made sure to sit next to him in the cafeteria, so when you didn’t show up at all, he had a feeling it was more than just an off-day. 

He didn’t see you for the rest of the school day. 

                                                        ---

You were done. Absolutely done. 

You woke up that morning ready to deal with whatever bullshit excuse Peter was gonna throw at you, but as you entered the school something inside you just snapped. 

Maybe it was because one of your friends were talking about the amazing date they had, or maybe it was because you were tired after waiting for Peter to swing by your window and apologize for missing another date then end up passing out on the window sill, but either way, you were done. 

You dodged Peter the whole first half of school, ditching after lunch because you weren’t ‘feeling well’.

The rest of the day you spent curled up on your bed, listening to music that related to whatever emotion you were feeling. 

You glanced over at the clock, seeing school would’ve been out about half an hour ago. Picking up your phone you texted MJ asking if she was down to go out later. You were supposed to be having a movie night with Peter but if he could skip your plans dozens of times, why couldn’t you? 

A ding followed by your phone lighting up took your attention off your laptop. Picking up your phone, you were hoping it was MJ accepting your invitation, and thankfully, the bookworm didn’t fail to please. 

A few hours later, you were almost ready to go out, when a loud knocking sound came from your window. 

Startled, you whipped your head towards the glass, and behind it stood non-other than your boyfriend. 

Did you forget to tell him you canceled? Whoops. 

Rolling your eyes, you opened your window and stepped back so he could come in. You were still upset with him, but that doesn’t mean you were about to make him wait outside when it was near zero degrees. 

“Hey! Sorry I’m late Mr. Stark wanted to test this cool new web settings and we kinda lost track of time but I got your favourite food to make up for it- oh are we going somewhere instead?” Peter tilted his head as he took in your outfit. Normally on movie nights, you’d welcome him wearing a pair of comfy pants and his hoodie. However tonight you were dressed in jeans and a top he hadn’t seen you wear before. When did you go shopping? 

“Yeah-no. It’s just me going, MJ should be on her way right now. Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” you shrugged, walking back to the mirror to finish doing your hair. 

“Wait- what do you mean? What’s going on? It’s movie night...” The vigilante expressed, trying his best to mask the disappointed look his face fell into. 

“Guess I’ll have to make it up to you, right? Just like all the times you’ve made it up to me.” You snapped, sarcasm laced with your words. 

Peter could sense something was wrong, your tone and the look in your eyes being a dead giveaway. “What are you talking about, Y/N?” 

“I dunno Parker, why don’t you tell me. Because I have been stood up too many times this month and honestly, I’m sick and tired of your empty promises,” You huffed, turning around to face him with your arms tightly crossed over your chest. 

The brown-haired boy was baffled. “Look if this is about last week, I told you I’m sorry. You know how much being Spiderman means to me--”

“--More than it means being with me?” 

Peter’s facial expression made it seem like the question slapped him in the face. “What? No! Why would you think that?”

“Um for starters, you’re always ditching me to go play superhero with a billionaire. Every time you tell me you’re gonna make it up to me, you never do! Yesterday’s date was supposed to make up for the one you missed last week, and that one was supposed to make up for the one you missed two weeks prior! I’m seeing a pattern Parker and I don’t like it.” 

For some reason, his ears fell deaf to everything you said except for the mention of his alter-ego. “Playing superhero? Really Y/n? I’m saving lives! I’m making a difference here. I have these powers and if I don’t use them, and bad things happen, that’s on me. You have no idea the kind of responsibility I have. Besides, you should be happy for me! I’m better than I’ve ever been before. Don’t you get that?”

You bit your lip, fighting back tears. “Yeah, I guess you're right. Well...I’m sorry I don’t fit into your responsibilities.” 

“What? No that’s not--”

“I’m not done yet! You got what you always wanted, right? Your dream is now a reality, well good for you, Parker. I’m happy for you, really I am. I just wish you would’ve told me that dream didn’t involve me so I didn’t waste my time loving you,” You spat. 

“Wait, Y/N please--!”

“I mean, are you even sorry?” You cut him off again. “‘Cause you say it all the time but you never act like it. The Peter I knew would’ve put everything aside in order to right a wrong, but you, you just worry about yourself.” Yes, that was a low blow, and far from the truth, but in the heat of the moment you could hardly control the words coming out of your mouth. Months of pent up frustration being released kinda broke the filter. 

Peter looked like a kicked puppy, he tried to say something but you kept ranting. 

“When was the last time you hung out with Ned? Or had a real conversation with May? All of us are hurting, Peter. We’re your friends, your family. And all you do is jump the fence over to “Mr. Stark’s” at the blow of his dog whistle. But, hey, if that makes you happy then fucking good for you. I guess if I can’t give you any fancy tech, o-or ‘understand your responsibility’ then go ahead and cut me loose. No, really, I won’t mind--”

“Stop it! Just stop, please!” He had tears running down his face, similar to your own. He took a shaky breath, wiping away the tears roughly before giving you a heart-broken look. 

You stared back, shoulders shaking and eyes red. You sniffled, pointing a shaky arm to the window. “Get out.” It was quiet, a huge contrast to the previous volume of your voice, but suddenly the energy was drained from your body, mentally and emotionally. 

Peter left without a word or hesitation. 

You walked to the window, swaying slightly as you watched him swing off into the distance. 

So you got what you always wanted, live with the consequences. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again....not ecstatic about this turned out but hoping part 2 turns out better :/

All: @greenorangevioletgrass @allegra-writes @soraitmnt @worldoftom @farfromparker @angel-spidey @parkerpeter24 @god-knows-what-am-i-doing​ @the-panwitch @rebekkah4766 @hollandsamor @spideygirl2003 @theactualprincessofeverything

Peter Parker: @rubberducky-jrr 

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 6 Episode 2 Recap: Group A Wildcards, Back to School Themed, Let’s Meet New Students Baby and Hamster (Commentary & Guesses)

Hello my internet friends and welcome (or welcome back) to Ana's Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana, recap every single episode of The Masked Singer. So, this is technically the 2nd part of the premiere episodes’ recaps, since both of these episodes aired on the same week, back to back. So yeah, let's get started, shall we:

Ok so same ones as last time performed (minus the 2 who got eliminated), which were Pufferfish 🐡, Skunk🦨, and Bull 🐂, plus 2 new wildcards, Baby 👶🏼 & Hamster 🐹 and 1 of them was revealed who was...

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

Ms. Pufferfish 🐡

Performance: So, she stuck with the Tik Tok song theme, and performed Levitating by Dua Lipa and DaBaby (yup, she did rap again), which felt like a repeat of her 1st performance. I feel like she is WAY BETTER than singing these overly played Tik Tok songs and that's why she went home honestly, and I know the internet is up in arms about her leaving this soon, & I get it but I honestly wished she would've chosen a way better song that really showcases her range, like Bull does. Even though he picks songs that a lot of people know, they make sense & actually compliment his voice/showcases so many things he can do vocally, while the songs she chose were too one note for me.

Having said that, she was revealed to be by no one's surprise at all (well maybe the judges but they're always slow):

Toni Braxton (in a mask)

First of all, yeah not surprised... Moving on, she was wearing a mask under the costume's mask wow (because she has lupus so that means her immune system aka the system that tries to keep you from getting sick is weakened because it thinks everything even healthy cells that are part of your normal bodily functions are dangerous so they destroy them... Long story short, covid& lupus are not a good combo so she wears a mask as added protection). The thing about masks when you are singing (which is why most singers take off their masks when they sing), it makes your voice muffled and not as clear sounding no matter what mic you use. So yeah her voice might have sounded a tiny bit muffled but it was great considering. Was it the biggest upset in masked singer history? No, Tori Kelly getting eliminated in season 4 was, but this might be a close 3rd (2nd is a tie between Jesse McCartney not winning season 3 & Jojo not winning season 5). Anyways, let's talk clues:

Now, onto our remaining 4, starting with our OGs and ending with our 1st wildcards of the season:

1. Bull 🐂

Performance: This time around, he sang What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts and god damn the man got range, he started the song with a whistle tone run thing idk what’s called but it was punchy and amazing! He used a song a lot of people are super familiar and showcased a ton of rasp and range to his voice, from high to low notes he hit. I’m obsessed with this performance, it was probably my favorite of the night!

For my guess, I am still sticking with (and will fight anyone who disagrees, that’s how sure I am, my mind isn’t changing here):

Todrick Hall, ladies and gents and non-binary folks

Ok, I’ve known about Todrick for years, so much so that I didn’t even need someone to explain to me the clues (usually I do some research on the celebs, because I am not a celeb expert by any means, but he is the one I have done the least research on), like I figured some of them on my own which very rarely happens (if I see another ex Disney or Nick star, it will happen again possibly). Having said that, let’s look at them sweet (almost sweeter than the donut he is holding in that picture) clues that seal the deal for me (which as you can probably tell from the title are back to school themed):

Marched to the beat of his own drum in high school= he was openly gay in high school which was probably a bit rare in Texas

Disney concert hall= 2 things: before Idol, Todrick actually worked as a cast member at Disney World in Hollywood Studios and one of his most viral videos on his YouTube channel (and one of the ways I discovered him online) was called Evolution of Disney, which currently has 13 million views.

Cheerleaders in his locker clue= he actually really was a cheerleader in high school

2. Skunk 🦨

Performance: Ok, so I take back everything I said in my last recap here, because her performance of It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World by James Brown was a total 180 from her last performance! Like this was the kind of performance I was expecting from her, and she delivered in all her soulful, diva goodness! She sang this song to filth, it was the perfect song for her voice because it showcased her range and you can tell she was connected to the song, showcasing emotion from under the mask. It was fantastic and I really hope she sticks to these kinds of songs honestly because she is so good, like I hope they don’t make her sing super current pop songs, because she isn’t pop… anything rock, soul, R&B, or even funk works amazing with her tone. You can tell this isn’t her first rodeo performing so having said all that…

I am going to also stick with my initial guess for Skunk, who is:

Faith Evans

Alright yeah, I’m sticking with it, the voice is so similar (I used this video to voice match) but let’s get started with the clues:

Got a full ride scholarship and had to leave due to unexpected circumstances= yup, Faith left Fordham University to have a baby

Forced to take a different path= ended up singing backup in LA and moving there which in turn got her recognized by P Diddy

The vase with a D on it= she was on R&B Divas

3. Hamster 🐹

Performance: Yay a new wildcard! His first performance was Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison and you can tell he’s a great singer but he’s putting on an impression (a very good one may I add) but is a comedian like he isn’t a professional singer, he’s a comedian or actor who can sing granted but is trying to do impressions to throw the judges for a loop… but I see through you Mr. Hamster…. NOW I see through you, even though at first you did confuse me as well. He was ok though, nothing insane or shocking, I predict he might go home next in this group (depending on what the new wildcards sound like and/or when the next wildcards will be integrated)

I'm gonna say I think Hamster is...

Rob Schneider (better known as Elle King’s dad)

Alright, so again I had to do some voice matching because I have heard of him (mostly as Elle King’s dad haha) but never really heard him sing… if you watch him singing with his daughter, I can hear the tone and he might be putting on an Elvis style impression (which I have heard from a lot of people on the internet that he does those kinds of impressions in his stand up because he is a huge Elvis fan), but let’s look at them clues:

Famous Friends= he was on SNL and has multiple famous comedian friends like Adam Sandler & Chris Rock

Alcatraz Island= he’s from San Francisco, Cali

Locker clue is a baseball bat= hinting at a movie he was in, Benchwarmers

4. Baby 👶🏼

Performance: Ok, so I had to leave the most shocking one one for last, because this one threw me for a loop. At first, he was doing the baby voice and I was like this guy sucks he’s a goner…. and then he Barry Whited me with You’re the First, the Last, My Everything, and my jaw dropped (yes I did use Barry White as a verb, I’m so sorry Barry White, you are amazing, may he Rest In Peace, like no disrespect but it is his song so I tried to do something funny there… might have not worked out how it did in my brain, but I am too far gone now). Like I didn’t expect that voice coming out of that giant creepy thing you see pictured above this unnecessarily long commentary. Even my mom was shocked, and she don’t get shocked a lot…. Anyways, onto my guess:

This might sound like a dumb troll guess, but I genuinely think Baby is...

Larry the Cable Guy

Ok, ok, ok before y’all gang up on me and tell me “Ana, that’s such a Ken guess!,” I am gonna defend myself and say 1. Well Ken is now in the lead for the Golden Ear so anything can happen, and 2. Just hear me out, you’ll understand why when I explain myself. I feel like no other celebrity except Mr. “Get er Done” would put on a giant baby costume that’s borderline creepy, have an accent like that, and sound like Baby Mater from Cars (if you don’t believe it, just watch the performance, I’ll link it here and everything for you). Anyways, here are the clues that convince me and hopefully might convince you guys:

Replaced Arnold Schwarzenegger in a movie= Larry starred in the direct-to-video sequel to one of his comedic hits “Jingle All the Way.”

Locker clue was failing a driver’s ed test/reference to high speed car chases= reference to his success as the voice of Mater from the Disney movie Cars

Anyways, that’s it! Tomorrow is Group B’s first performance and I can’t wait to meet the new group! I’m so excited! See you guys this weekend and I hope y’all enjoyed this recap! Don’t forget to like and comment and do all the internet things. Follow me on Twitter too, it’s @photolover82 just like this page, where I live tweet the show if you wanna check me out there! 👋🏼 Bye guys!

[rain4evah-art]

Cassandra the nun. Her worst fear.

As relieved in the episode 'What the Hair', Cassandra is terrified of the thought of being sent away to a convent, something that almost becomes a reality in TSOtSD, when she is taken of duty. I just thought it would be fun to show her off as she could have appeared as a nun.

Now this might be a kind of foreshadowing, if you ask me: I don't know for certain as season 3 has yet to arrive, but after learning of her betrayal in the end of season 2, I have a strong feeling that the convent eventually will become her fate, as a kind of punishment for her actions.

The first figure is her as a novice. I have taken a look at costumes like Sound of Music, where Maria as a novice shows off her hair slightly under the hood, and the nuns show nothing. I don't know how nuns would appear in Tangled, so I have just taken the liberty of designing a nun costume myself based on pictures I've found all over the internet. This is something I am thinking of using in a future fanfic that I have yet to write, but it's not gonna be about Cassandra in general.

Do you see her hand in the novice costume? It's black, and that's why I have given her dark gloves to use as a non. She's using it on both hands though, as it would look weird with just one glove. To avoid any religion signs, I have just given her a simple pendant it straighten the impression, and a pair of keys to indicate how well she eventually could do it in time. Keys are a symbol of responsibility and respect, something she wants.

I have a feeling she eventually in the future would have made it rather well as a nun. I can imagine her non-nonsense attitude would be rather welcome in a strict convent and that she would have used this chance to get herself a position where she could boss around and command all she wants.

To be honest, (I know allot of Cassandra fans out there would probably hate me for saying this, but everyone has a right to have an opinion of their own, which I will respect nevertheless...) I can't understand what's so great this character. To be honest, she was the main reason I didn't watch Tangled series in the first place. When I heard there was gonna be a series about Tangled, and that Rapunzel would have this tough-as-nails handmaiden as a best friend, I thought to myself, screw it, I'm not watching that.

Yet I ended up watching parts of it, for other reasons. But I'm not too satisfied with it. But that's snot what I am to discuss here.

About Cassandra, alongside Eugene and Rapunzel. The whole thing about the tree of them as a best-friend-trio through the series, when there were so many other characters that had even more potential (let me not exclude a certain alchemist, some have probably guess the reason why I watch some parts of it at least, or even adoring Lance, and even the Pub Tugs) the constant bickering between her and Eugene, and not to mention her anger issues and respectless behavior adn the simple fact that she HAD to be a tomboy(What is it about girls have to be tomboys and so darn strong now, I'm so sick of that, I mean look at Rapunzel, she nails being a girly girl, a cool girly girl). I just don't get why Rapunzel looks so much up to her like mentioned in Challenge of the Brave.

And in the same episode, where she laments about not being respected and only being Rapunzel's servant in everyone's eyes; I can honestly understand why she's not respected; I have yet to see her show respect and care for other people by herself. How can she then expect respect from others? She seems so obsessed with her own ambitions and goals that she is blind to other people around her. That's at least my impression of her. Like the way she just uses Varian in Great Expotations, taking on the honorable job of protecting Doctor St. Croix, telling Varian in the last minute that she can't help him anymore, giving him only five minutes to find another assistant, even though Rapunzel pointed out to her that she had some place she needed to be (btw, I'm giving Rapunzel a boo along with Monty for not confronting Cass harder about this. She should have!). And we all know how well that went. And in Goodbye and Goodwill, she makes such a big deal about being a good fighter and how it's fun to play hurtful games, not to mention that she thinks fun is something like making Owl bother Lance, seen in Freebird.

During the second season, she also develops a hate towards Adira, and I just see some reasons; jealousy is the main reason. Rapunzel starts to trust Adira over Cassandra, and Adira seems to outbattle Cassandra in Outside the Corona Walls. I can imagine this does something to her self esteem. In Rpunzel, she finally found someone who views her like she wants to be seen, and when suddenly Rapunzel starts to trust herself, Cass realizes he's not needed anymore. A crack in her pride. Amd whem she tells Rapunzel she should have trusted her to use the spear of Demanitus to save them rather than Rapunzel using the dark incarnation. I can see Rapunzel's need to do what she did; she felt a responsebility towards them all and felt a need to do what she thought was best. But again it seems like Cassandra is just out to proove herself, lie in her solo Waiting in the Wings. It wasn't about Rapunzel loosing trust in her in my opinion, things just got out of hand. And Cass ended up with a black hand. We don't know if she could have saved the day on her own, but just the whole thing of her thinking so high of herself just makes me hate her more.

It's kind of awkward that makes such a big deal about giving Rapunzel her freetime, but later promise her father to look after her, and becomes upset when she tell her she can manage on her own and don't need her to watch over her anymore. I know that people will say, yes she is underestimated by her strict father who don't want her to follow her dream because he wants to protect her and holds her down, but he's doing what he thinks is best for her as King Fredric does for Rapunzel. And he does give her dress in the end of season 1, so she shouldn't complain.

Don't know what people think. I didn't actually expect such a long speach about her when I made this picture, I just couldn't stop.

#tangled the series #tangled #cassandra #rapunzel #disney #nun

[susandsnell]

whaaat Hadestown sounds awesome!!! i’ll definitely check both those out but it sounds like Hadestown is like, the style of my dreams. also anything that starts as a folk opera is awesome bc i love the concept of a folk opera. follow up: i’ve seen some things about Be More Chill and somehow missed its jump to Broadway? what’s it about?

Sorry I took a day to get back to you, musical anon, but I just had to write my penultimate final first thing this morning! Hadestown is the style of everyone’s dreams, and I really hope you like it when you do check it out. It’s incredibly unique. 

As to your second query, permit me to have some obnoxious gif usage because life is short and I am now permanently on my bullshit. And, well. You just asked me, Coco, about Be More Chill.

WELCOME TO HELL. YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE NOW. 

(Festive, right?) 

So! 

Be More Chill is a very loose adaptation of a (vastly different and quite offensive) 2004 novel by the same name. It did the work of my dreams, which is combine my two favourite genres, science fiction and musical theatre, in a big way, while also stealth being a narrative about mental health, recovery, friendship, love, and sexy computers.  Also, the songs are absolute bops and the music style is contemporary but still unmistakably Broadway. It’s also openly inspired by Little Shop of Horrors (while also being very much in the vein of other wacky, culty musicals like Reefer Madness, a bit of Rocky Horror thrown in, etc), which is a major plus. 

It’s a darkly hilarious, sci-fi-horror-teen drama-romance-musical, in short. 

In long??? A little gist: 

So, our leading man, Jeremy Heere, is a (canonically Jewish! Canonically Jewish! CANONICALLY JEWISH!!!) typical high school geeky outcast who struggles with severe anxiety, self hatred, and a vast panoply of other issues. He’s badly bullied, only has one friend, Michael Mell, who is quite literally the savior of the universe, and crushes on the local theatre kid (and a literal queen), Christine Canigula. In an effort to impress her, he takes the advice of the local bully, Rich, and buys a pill from the back of a Payless shoe store called a SQUIP (short for Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor), which, if ingested and activated by Mountain Dew (just go with it I promise it’s worth it), installs a computer chip in his brain that can manifest the illusion only he can see of a personification that is an intensely attractive person (has been cast as multiple genders depending on the production!!!) who will instruct him on what the right thing to do or say is so that he can overcome his perceived social and personal failings, and improve himself, and maybe get the girl. 

Of course, this thing goes evil, and absolute epic mayhem ensues. 

Where do I even start with what I love about this musical? 

The characters are incredibly true to life; literally nobody is who they seem to be in terms of typical high school, sci fi, or even theatre tropes. which is part of the ultimate message (and I love that!!!) Jeremy’s narrative is very much a subversion of the typical entitled-nerd-boy-goes-wild-trying-to-get-the-girl, because his actions and mistakes are steeped very much in long lasting mental health struggles (he literally mentions having to go to the nurse constantly due to his anxiety attacks), as well as a heartrendingly realistic and depressing home life, and the show is very clear about this, pulling no punches. He’s flawed, he’s sweet, he’s funny, he’s tragic, he’s redemptive, he’s just…wonderful. 

Michael, who in any other show would be ‘the goofy best friend’ character and that’s it gets an incredible arc showing his brilliance, and his own inner demons, including the big showstopper Michael In The Bathroom, which is famous not only for being an incredible song, but because it goes there; it depicts the entirety of a severe panic attack in gut-wrenching detail. All set to awesome music, of course. His depth is revealed in that the otherwise cheerful, happy-go-lucky best friend character whose life seems to revolve around the protagonist’s brought to the logical conclusion of this archetype; extreme codependency and other mental health struggles. This is by no means all that he is – I’d explain why, and what an incredible, positive, heroic character he is, but I won’t dare spoil where his arc ends up going. 

Christine Canigula, our leading lady, is a badass feminist and so much more than a perky theatre kid; she’s shown to struggle much in the same ways Jeremy and Michael do, she’s politically involved and dedicated, while still being desperately uncertain about what to do with her life, her entire character is dedicated to subverting expectations (all her big numbers end with a subverted rhyme to prove this!!), she’s developed so much more than other love interest characters, and is in so many ways so much more than a love interest. She’s fiercely intelligent, but tempted to take the easy route to popularity in different ways than Jeremy, while being more inclined to being true to herself, and her autonomy drives the plot. She’s also canonically a woc who has ADHD and she’s a gun control advocate. Like??? When will your faves ever?  Her romance is believable and wonderful and driven by what she wants and her arc, while subtle, is integral to the plot. 

I could do a paragraph for each character (and if you’re on my blog, I’ll probably get around to writing meta for each of them), but the popular kids, the bullies, even the apparently useless parent character…none of them are what they seem. As for the SQUIP, I don’t dare reveal the awesomeness of that particular villain, except to say that it’s a metaphor for…a number of things, while incredibly enthralling, and The Pitiful Children, the big villain song, is honestly up there with any of your Disney villains for a truly epic sci-fi experience. It’s a completely irredeemable villain whose appeal lies in its irredeemability, especially fascinating because it’s a machine, and hence gains no sadistic pleasure from it’s evildoing; it merely seeks results, which is just chilling. 

The cast is incredibly diverse, and there is a TON of LGBT+ representation, including Michael having lesbian mothers, a completely non-stereotyped bisexual male character who ACTUALLY CALLS HIMSELF BISEXUAL OUT LOUD, and who is arguably the most tragic character in the show, but that tragedy is separate almost entirely from his orientation, and more. 

While being lighthearted sci-fi fare, it deals pretty straightforwardly with a number of heavy topics, such as mental illness, suicidal ideation, extreme loneliness, self-hatred, isolation,  trauma, abuse, sexual orientation, dysfunctional families, dysfunctional friendships, existential crises, near-death experiences, brainwashing, addiction, bullying, torture (of the sci-fi variety but still pretty damn hard to watch), and even (albeit briefly, but it still bears mention) male sexual assault, and handles all of them exceptionally well, never overdoing it on any of them (they’re interwoven and sometimes entirely subtextual to the plot) but also being honest enough about the fact that some of our darkest moments include incredibly dark comedy, all while never making light of these serious issues. That being said, consider this the trigger warning paragraph if any of that’s a limit for you! They’re so wonderfully balanced by a narrative of healing and forgiveness and loyalty and love that it makes the story all the stronger; seeing everyone facing these awful things, and being able to overcome them together. 

It’s also the type of sci-fi that I love; the kind that, like Back to the Future, Weird Science, and Stranger Things embraces a retro aesthetic, and is a smaller, singular fantastical/sci-fi element contained in a setting that is otherwise very recognizable to our world; the kind of adventures you feel like you could have between your own classes. The sci-fi effects and costumes are incredible, especially in Act 2. 

AND, and and and, It’s an underdog story within an underdog story; it opened in a regional theatre in Jersey for a limited run in 2015 and closed very quickly, and everyone assumed it would never be picked up again, but in Winter 2017, it blew up by sheer word of mouth due to a combination of the original cast album being on Spotify and the popularity of certain amateur productions since it got licenced; eventually, it got a 2017 regional theatre revival at Exit 82, and that sparked an online fandom so strong that the show got a second chance with an off-Broadway run that happened this past summer, which in turn got so successful that the show is transferring to Broadway. All the way from a seemingly failed regional limited run, with most of the original cast (who are darlings, as are the creators, incredibly empathetic people bringing this wonderful, weird, warm story to the forefront). And who doesn’t love the meta of the show itself being an underdog when the cast is entirely of underdogs?

Just. Please. Do yourself a favour and check it out. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer.  I heard about it only peripherally since around mid-2017 ish and then only really got into it this past May/June, and….gosh. My life’s gotten so much better since. I’ve met dear friends through the fandom, dragged other dear friends into this glorious pit, and the show, as a narrative of healing, is helping to heal me, too. 

Possibly a new all-time favourite.