#i think you were thinking of les mis and phantom which do not count because les mis was originally a french musical

[princesssarisa]

Musical fandoms and ingenue hate

Is this really such a problem?

There's a YouTuber named Katherine Steele who mostly makes videos about musical theatre, and who has a small video series in defense of ingenue characters, titled "Why Everybody Hates..."

There are four videos in the series: "Why Everybody Hates Cosette" (Les Misérables), "Why Everybody Hates Christine" (The Phantom of the Opera), "Why Everybody Hates Johanna" (Sweeney Todd), and "Why Everybody Hates Maria" (West Side Story).

Some other sources – like TV Tropes, for example – have cited those videos to talk about why these characters are "widely" disliked.

But is it really true? Of all four of those musicals' fandoms, I've only been deep in the Les Misérables fandom, but from what I've seen people say about the others, I had no idea that those ingenue characters got big amounts of hate!

Being indifferent to the character doesn't count as hate, nor does considering her unoffensive but boring.

Do Johanna and Maria get the same kind of real loathing in the diehard Sweeney Todd and West Side Story fandoms that we see in the Les Mis fandom with talk about "that horrid Cosette," "I hate her with a passion," etc?

There is a lot of visceral, venomous Cosette-hate in the Les Mis fandom, or at least there used to be in the '90s and early 2000s. But it has a cause: Éponine. Immature people hate Cosette because she's loved by Marius, when they want him to love Éponine instead. (And to a lesser extent because she "abandons" her father Jean Valjean, but that's more the novel's Cosette than the musical's.)

I know that there's also some Christine hate among Phantom Phans, which is also love-triangle related: they hate her for choosing Raoul instead of the Phantom.

But I had no idea that Sweeney and WSS fans were venomous about Johanna or Maria – are they?

From what little I've seen of Sweeney fans, I've occasionally seen them call Johanna boring or a Mary Sue (and even then, the context has been "I always thought she was, but then [insert actress here] made me appreciate her"). But for the most part, I see people talk approvingly about how she's more complex than an average ingenue, how she can be played as mentally unstable, etc.

And Maria? Yes, there are the people who can't stand how quickly she forgives Tony for killing Bernardo. (Although that complaint only seems to have become widespread with the 2021 film's release – I remember occasionally reading it in the past, but not nearly as much as now.) But apart from that, and from sometimes seeing people call both Maria and Tony boring, I had no idea that anyone hated her! And if you think she had no characterization but "pretty and nice" until the 2021 film, then you've been giving both the stage version and the 1961 film a shallow surface read! She's always had intelligence, playfulness, passion and strength!

I'd like people who have been deep in the fandoms of these musicals to tell me. Is there really a widespread problem of loud, venomous hate for all these ingenue characters, the way there has been for Cosette in the Les Mis fandom? Or is it really just a few people calling them "boring" now and then, with only the love triangles in Les Mis and Phantom making people nastier about Cosette and Christine?

[cto10121]

@meganphntmgrl replied to your post:  European Musical Tropes

I think… a lot of non-European musicals function similarly.

So, what, most non-European musicals are nigh sung-through quasi operetta epics that deal with forbidden love, commentary social injustice, unjust/dystopian societies, depression/existential despair, little to no humor except for Tanz, have anthropormorphic versions of abstract concepts going about haunting human characters, and end tragically with the death of the protagonists and/or minor characters?

Yeah, not quite. 

True, American and British musicals have (in general) been getting more angsty, dark, tragic, with pop-rock/classical epic hybrid scores and what-have-you, (although I’d argue that I think that trend is finally leaving us), but they are still not quite the same. Except for Andrew Lloyd Webber, definitely classically-inspired, most Anglo musicals are more like plays with music than music with a plot; recently, they seem to be going for low-key social-issue-driven projects - either that, or straight movie-to-musical adaptations, Disney or otherwise. Freak hits like Hamilton don’t fit either that or the European style. And that’s only recent American/Broadway musicals. Traditionally, American musicals, in structure, were comic plays with happy endings until late 70s/80s, returning for a brief stint in the 90s and cropping up on occasion. Outliers like West Side Story and Porgy and Bess (out of the top of my head) were composer pet projects for the most part, the latter an outright experiment by Gershwin, heavily classically-influenced.

European musicals, on the other hand, had a tradition of opera and operetta that they followed with or without American influence. Hence the high-octane melodrama, recitatives (American musicals tend to dislike recitatives in general, preferring dialogue), poor character development, symbolism, and tragic deaths. 

Of course, there’s the whole forbidden-love or just love thing is a staple of both kinds, always ubiquitous. Showstopping solos, I Am/I Want numbers, love duets, ensemble numbers - things part-and-parcel of the musical for ages. Structurally, not too dissimilar. But themes like tragedy, existential despair, and suicide are rare in American musicals (which is weird because the blues are so American it’s not even funny). These European musicals in general seem to show modern concerns more starkly - the plight of migrants (Notre Dame), corrupt societies plagued with social ills (Starmania, RetJ), marginalized people struggling against their societal fate (Elisabeth, Notre Dame), love and desire mixed in with intimations of the supernatural or the fantastical (Notre Dame, Elisabeth, RetJ, Tanz, pretty much all of them). And then there is the solipsism of individualism in Elisabeth and Starmania, which leads to depression and suicidal thoughts. Quite different than, say, in Hamilton or the Book of Mormon or the Last Five Years or Matilda. or any of the hits on Broadway. 

[midasinc]

oh fuck wait do you have any headcanons about bossuet with bad luck but it affects his health in particular? i feel like that would be cool, i see so many headcanons talking about outside forces kind of throwing him off his rhythm but never many where its physically himself that's unlucky yknow?

absolutely! bossuet is actually the best les mis version of the old horse plinko thing bc god he never rests. existence is pain for him

-for starters, i like to hc him as having alopecia for starters. he started losing hair as a kid and it made him really horrified to be himself. it was embarrassing to not be like any of the other kids. his hair didn't fall out all at once, it happened over years. it started with thinning, then his eyelashes were gone when he was 17 and just more and more and more. his condition is more permanent than others- when he loses hair, it doesn't grow back. it takes years for him to get used to it and no longer care, but as a kid and teenager it was really really difficult to live with

-i also think he's very prone to colds, which is why joly thinks he is as well. bossuet gets them very easily- if he's out in the rain or in the cold or even a random one in the summertime.

-bossuet is also anemic. go figure- even his blood cell count is unlucky. he gets the fuzzy vision when he stands up and he is so lucky he lives in an age of canes being popular because it's the only reason he stays upright

-and joint pain. ooh god. thank god for his cane, you guys.

-i think in general, bossuet has a lot of the afflictions that joly thinks he has. if joly thinks he has the sniffles, it's because bossuet has the sniffles. joly gets phantom pains because bossuet mentions his own. it isnt like he's an attention whore- joly has a lot of mental issues that makes him worry to the point of physically feeling (to an extent) what bossuet feels. his anxiety does that.

[amuhseen2003]

SANDERS SIDES KARAOKE: GOTHIC LITERATURE MUSICALS EDITION

Okay, so after four years of being in the Sanders Sides fandom, I’m going to attempt to write some headcanons. Here we go.

Since it’s well-known in fanon that the sides do have karaoke sessions, imagine what would happen if they sang musicals based on gothic literature.

Roman’s happy because broadway, duh, Logan is happy because it’s canon that he enjoys gothic literature since he dressed up as Frankenstein’s monster for Halloween, same reason for Virgil and Patton’s happy that his family is bonding. He made extra cookies for the occasion. He’s dangerous like that. 

(I headcanon that when Thomas had to write analyses of gothic literature novels for school, Virgil, Roman and Logan would work together to come up with stuff and write the best essays in class and Patton would be so proud of them)

I’m not going to count Les Mis because I’m not too sure if that counts as gothic literature and whilst the Hunchback of Notre Dame is indeed gothic (trust me I read that in a plane once. An entire, like, ten pages is dedicated to describing the scenery) I don’t think it became a broadway show.

Now this isn’t like their usual karaoke nights, no sir. Just idly remaining in the living room won’t do. Where is the gusto? The pizazz? The accolade winning extravaganza? The-

“We get it Princey, can you just get on with it?” - Virgil

No, this type of singing can only be accompanied with an atmosphere that will do it justice. To the imagination they go and with Logan’s (who has practically memorised every single one of these books and is not geeking out at all) input on how the novels describe each setting, Roman creates very intricate landscapes for each song.

When they sing ‘Alive’ from ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ Roman thought that it would be really cool for Patton to play Mr Edward Hyde since Hyde is literally the human id and Patton, being the embodiment of morality, is literally the superego (although to be fair, Patton is also shown to be quite childish and impulsive since he’s also the base of Thomas’ emotions and Hyde is impulsive because he’s a way for Jekyll to act on his own emotions - especially since the only crime that Hyde does in the book are him over-reacting with his anger by beating a man to death. And in the novella, Jekyll writes that he and Hyde are like father and son and that Hyde is actually younger than Jekyll is, he does have that sense of childishness that Patton has only instead of that childishness being good and helpful, it’s bad and hurtful. Plus in the soundtrack of Alive, whilst Anthony Warlow does sing about how good being evil feels like, he also sounds like he is crying tears of joy of being able to be himself, the first words post-transformation being freedom and anyways these are supposed to be fun headcanons not analytical headcanons so I digress…)

Anyways Patton is happy to play the villain because “look kiddos, Roman conjured up this really swell cape” “the correct term is cloak” “and check out this top hat and cane!” and he’s just belting out the words and froliking around Victorian London without a care in the world, making his cape swoosh in the wind.

“Patton I would advise you not to take your shoes off. This is nineteenth-century London with people dying of cholera by the dozens, your feet could catch a myriad of infections.”

“Worry not, specs, the scenery is merely an illusion. I would never allow for our dear padre to succumb to the villain of illness”

“Aww, thanks kiddo (cue Patton’s sunshine smile) now where was I? IT’S THE FEELING OF BEING ALIVE! FILLED WITH EVIL AND TRULY ALIVE!”

They have Logan sing ‘I Need To Know’ because a doctor of science singing about wanting to expand his knowledge and having that thirst to do whatever it takes to get said knowledge. That is a Logan Sanders song right there. At first he’s like “why do I have to sing. I was happy enough giving directions and helping you with the scenery” but Roman creates this big scientific library that could rival the one from Beauty and the Beast/ laboratory from that’s practically the identical to Jekyll’s lab in the book and he’s like “Fine” like he isn’t enjoying himself. He is. They all know it. He’s not fooling anyone

Patton and Roman sing ‘Bring on the men’ together (yes, whilst wearing dresses) whilst Virgil and Logan drink apple juice from those big british beer glasses in the mind-scape created Red Rat (which Logan is quick to point out doesn’t exist and is vocally upset at how the musical adaptation added unnecessary romantic subplots with Lisa and Lucy when the book itself only had three background female characters who were only there for like one paragraph. He’s even more upset at the other inaccuracies with the book like how in the play Jekyll creates his formula as a cure for mental illness and Hyde was accidental whilst in the book he did it because he wanted to indulge in sin without fearing the consequences and Hyde, whilst not being exactly what he wanted, was actually created on purpose or how in the book Hyde only kills one man and in the musical he kills practically everyone except for the one person he did kill. Virgil pats him on the back with sympathy). Roman and Virgil are sniggering at the sexual euphemisms at the end of the song whilst Patton’s confused. She just seems really enthusiastic about food.

Roman sings both parts of ‘Confrontation’ by himself. He gets a standing ovation.

He also does ‘Transformation’. The problem is that he was so good at sounding like he was in complete agony and near death that they had to stop the song prematurely because Patton was getting upset. Don’t worry, Pat gets lots of cuddles by Roman afterwords.

(You know what I might do some sides reacting to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde later because 1. It’s my favourite book and 2. All four of them would have very interesting takes on it)

From the Frankenstein musical Virgil plays the criminal from ‘Say Amen’ because he wants to (seriously, the guy’s first words in the song are ‘I curse the day that I was born into a world so black with hate’) and Logan plays Victor Frankenstein but Patton refuses for his son to even pretend to be executed by the noose so they have Roman play a man wearing a british executioner outfit with a foam sword and the creative side just bonks the anxious side on the neck with it. Logan despairs about the historical inaccuracy from his place in the stands whilst Patton is cheering next to him. Patton also hands him an extra jumper to keep him warm in the Switzerland cold. 

“Patton, I am grateful that you are thinking of my health but no one in eighteenth century Switzerland wore bright blue jumpers with cartoon kittens on them”

“Really, Logan, are you paw-sitive?”

“I would like to change places with Virgil. Immediately” 

Roman and Logan turn ‘Birth to my creation’ into a duet because Logan enjoys the scientific aspect of it and Roman can’t resist the drama (of course). He goes all out. He makes Victor’s lab perfect to the smallest detail (and cheers when Logan’s eyes start lighting up and he does that cute clappy thing when he’s excited), he conjures a storm and makes lightning strike at the best moments of the song. He even creates a ‘wretch’ (what Victor calls the monster in the book. I’ve heard that it’s name is Adam but all I remember from the novel is Victor calling himself god and the creature his Adam) to lie on the table. 

“And we didn’t even have to go grave-robbing for it. Or drop out of University.” - Roman

“No matter how many times I wanted to.” - Virgil

Roman and Virgil do most of the songs from Dracula. The creative side creates this huge, expensive-looking window-balcony thing with glass double doors and billowing silk curtains so that he could dramatically sing ‘the longer I live’ whilst the wind blows through his hair and he dramatically drapes himself on the balustrade so that the light from the full moon hits his figure just right. Patton’s close to crying.

Logan is very eager to give as many facts as he can about nineteenth-century mental institutions for ‘The Master’s Song’. He gets really into the history behind certain treatments and different cases. Roman plays Renfield and the others play doctors. 

Virgil is super into Dracula’s castle during ‘Life after life’. He and Roman duet that song wearing all-black. Logan tries to help Patton’s slight fear by telling him the history behind different pieces of architecture.

Patton plays Christine during Phantom of the Opera

Roman, Virgil and Logan sing ‘A story told’ from The Count of Monte Cristo around a circular table in a dimly lit tavern. Patton takes pictures and drinks hot chocolate in the sidelines.

[kcrabb88]

Tagged by @everyonewasabird! Thanks friend <3

1) how many works do you have on AO3?

78

2) what’s your total AO3 word count?

869,705 

(Were Sailing by Orion’s Star still up it would be over a million which is sure something) 

3) how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Hadestown, Black Sails, TURN, Captain America 

(Older, pre-Ao3 fandoms include Pirates of the Caribbean, Rurouni Kenshin, House MD, Criminal Minds, and I’m sure others I’m forgetting)

4) what are your top five fics by kudos?

Les Hommes de La Misericorde, my epically long OG partial barricade survival AU 

Between the Soul and the Star, my more recent Everyone Survives (including Javert and Valjean AU) 

As If It Might Turn Out This Time, my happier ending Hadestown AU, where Persephone has had enough, and Orpheus saves everyone but in a less tragic way

For the Soul of a Spymaster, my TURN fic that is a canon divergence in season 3, where Ben gets kidnapped by John Andre

When We Had Nothing, a post Winter Soldier one-shot

5) do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I often do, yes! I sometimes forget, but I’d say it’s probably a 70% response rate, when I’m able. I love love love hearing what people liked, and I want them to know how much I appreciate them taking the time to comment. Plus, I’ve made several close friends because I responded to their comment, so there’s that! 

6) what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hmm good question! The ones that come to mind are May History Remember Us, my 2020 Barricade Day Fic where I was uh, having some feelings, By Force of Friendship, my 2017 Barricade Day fic which is each Amis’ death through Enjolras’ eyes, and then Echoing a Song, my two-part Les Mis Hadestown AU, which has hope at the end for sure, but something near the end is really angsty. 

7) do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

It’s not a crossover exactly, it’s more Les Mis but with worldbuilding elements of Hadestown, but Echoing a Song sort of fits. The most crossover crossover I ever wrote was a House MD/Criminal Minds crossover, back in the day. 

8) have you ever received hate on a fic?

I got one or two mean comments on Sailing by Orion’s Star when it was on Ao3, but otherwise not really? Not since I was a young teen getting the occasional flame for being a new writer, not unlike plenty of others in the early 2000s! 

9) do you write smut? if so what kind?

The only time I’ve written any smut, and it would definitely qualify as light, kind of artful smut was for a few scenes in She Was Bound to Love You and When She Heard You Sing, my lesbian girl Raoul and bisexual Christine series. There’s more in the latter fic, as I got comfortable writing love scenes. 

10) have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don’t think so! 

11) have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, one of my Les Mis ones. Ahhh I can’t remember which one though. 

12) have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not officially, but I’ve had friends who were either betaing for me or who I talked to in-depth about a fic that probably deserve a co-writing credit! 

13) what’s your all-time favourite ship?

Romantic ship is Raoul/Christine, platonic is Enjolras & Combeferre & Courfeyrac. Also Les Mis Wise I do dabble in romantic Poetry Smash, because they are, frankly, irresistible. 

14) what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don’t have any unfinished fics on Ao3, but I do have one on fanfic.net in House fandom that I wish I had finished! I won’t, but it was a good fic. 

15) what are your writing strengths?

I think characterization, for sure. I’ve also been told my descriptions and such have a cinematic quality, which I like! 

16) what are your writing weaknesses?

God, blocking. Not in action scenes, but in simple scenes in a room full of people. Also I think voice, sometimes? I do that thing a lot where I say something like “Character A saw/heard/felt” when I should just be direct rather than using the modifier. Also slipping tenses. 

17) what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I sometimes have little bits and pieces of dialogue in other languages. 

18) what was the first fandom you wrote for?

Rurouni Kenshin. Oh man, good times.

19) what’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

I may have turned it into books and made lots of changes, but, the OG fic of Sailing by Orion’s Star. Writing Les Hommes de la Misericorde was where I really started to come into myself, and it showed in that original SBOS fic. Plus like, the fic version of it taught me that I could turn it into an original work, and just the sheer joy I felt while working on that initial version was immense. 

No pressure tagging some folks! @phoenixflames12, @4beit, @amarguerite, @robertawickham, @apaladinagain

[rogue-coyote]

ty for the tag @gunfucked !! music rambling below 

i’m so uncomfortable tagging ppl because i don’t want to be annoying so... feel free to do this if you want to !!!

who was your first favorite artist?

my teenage years were spent thirsting for trent reznor and angsting to nine inch nails

who are your current favorites?

the weeknd, laurel, son lux, florence + the machine, hans zimmer, lord huron, mitski. idk this is hard for me bc it’s rare i end up liking everything an artist creates, and i tend to bounce around drastically.

are you into musicals? which ones/why not?

fun if they’re not cringe (see: hamilton). hope that helps! 

ok but real talk: phantom of the opera is my undying love, fell in love with the objectively mediocre but subjectively fun and sexy gerard butler movie, then saw it live for my 13th birthday and again in new york. traumatized kids will really be like *relates to the phantom and cries every time*

also, phantom of the paradise... if you know you know, and if you don’t, please watch asap. les mis, chicago and wicked are all quite good too. overall musicals are not really my first choice bc i get second-hand embarrassment very easily but they’re ok once in awhile. my tolerance for cringefail is low and unfortunately a lot of musicals are very much cringefail.

are there songs you consider so special you only listen to them very rarely?

yea... third eye (florence + the machine)

what’s your preferred way of listening to music? (time of day, medium, situation)

i like to study or work on assignments with chillhop/jazzhop/instrumental playlists, typically with headphones on. i absolutely cannot think about anything else while playing songs with lyrics so i only play lyrical tunes when i’m doing non-brain tasks, drawing or making graphics. genre is whatever, if it slaps then it slaps

what would you say is the most niche music you listen to?

oldies, babey! 

what’s your favourite music related movie/tv show that’s not a musical?

does the pianist count??? swing kids?? velvet goldmine????? idk

albums or playlists?

literally too many external and internal factors to give a straight answer. depends on the context and how i feel and the alignment of the planets on that particular day and

favourite albums?

how big, how blue, how beautiful (florence + the machine), high as hope (florence + the machine), diamond dogs (david bowie), rumours (fleetwood mac), dogviolet (laurel), the suburbs (arcade fire), after hours (the weeknd), my dear melancholy (the weeknd), animals (pink floyd), trouble will find me (the national), masse mensch material (rome), lanterns (son lux), the fragile (nine inch nails), shallow bed (dry the river), am (arctic monkeys), dragonslayer (sunset rubdown), wasteland, baby! (hozier), pure heroine (lorde), cannibals with cutlery (to kill a king) dune & blade runner 2049 (hans zimmer), so many video game and movie osts

is there an artist you’re trying to get into?

nah bro i’m just here to vibe

whose music do you find overhyped?

kpop, t-swift, most of the radio darlings even though i don’t mind their music - it’s all just very formulaic, empty in a late capitalist way. also fuck the beatles forever and for all time. 

what’s an underrated song?

literally anything laurel does... life worth living changed my life

what’s a thing a bunch of songs do that you love every time?

whatever the weeknd has going on in my dear melancholy... yea. send tweet

what song is better acoustic?

i generally find acoustic covers really uncomfortable in a secondhand embarrassment kind of way but i can tolerate iron (woodkid)

what’s the worst song of all time?

idk about all time, but stressed out by twenty one pilots gives me homicidal urges. congrats you made the most annoying, soul sucking song of all time about our annoying, soul sucking reality. 

do you put individual songs on repeat? if so, for how long and how often?

yes and until i physically cannot listen anymore w/o becoming ill. usually its because of ~character feelings~

do you make your own playlists? if so, what’s your most entertaining playlist title?

i have many playlists and none of them are for entertainment, they are all the auditory equivalent of self-flagellation over ocs or my favourite sad boys.

i think hypokeimenon is my all-time favourite but like... all of my daud playlists slap. the triumphant fall is next but only two people on my blog care about an obscure lore character from destiny 2 and i’m both of them

headphones or earbuds?

headphones at home, airpods at work

do you always sing the lead vocal or do you harmonize sometimes? if you harmonize, do you ever invent your own harmony?

oh girl i don’t understand anything about music. it’s like modern alchemy to me. harmonize deez nuts

a musical confession

people who only listen to one genre are freaks

[daisylincs]

get to know me tag

I was tagged by @the-9muses, @missinglittlebritishfriend, @aleksandrachaev - thanks, loves 🥺🥺 Yours were fab!

Name/Nickname: Lily (which yes is short for something, no it's not embarrassing just very British, as Kat LOVES to mock me about)

Gender: Female

Star Sign: Virgo (and fortunately/unfortunately with all the perfectionism typical of that sign)

Height: 166cm (and nO I am not trying to convert that into feet and whatnot. Sorry, Americans, but your system makes NO SENSE. Ugh)

Time: 9:45 AM, desperately procrastinating setting into my final round of prep work for classes starting next week

Birthday: 2 September

Favorite Bands: like my wife, I'm a BIG fan of musicals, pretty much all musicals, so... Hamilton, Hadestown, Wicked, Les Mis, Moulin Rouge!, Evita, Chicago, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, The Lion King. I'm also very into movie soundtracks, basically anything Disney or related to Lin-Manuel Miranda 😝😍

As bands go, Imagine Dragons, Florence + The Machine and ABBA are fab, too!

Favorite Solo Artists: Ed Sheeran, classical musicians do not count shut UP brain, Taylor Swift?? (hissssss @ Kat)

Song Stuck In My Head: Afterglow by Ed Sheeran

Last Movie: The Old Guard, rewatch #4. It's just SO DAMN COOL, guys

Last Show: Us (and no, not just for Iain, either, though ngl he's a big benefit. It's a great show, though, I'm loving it so far!)

When Did I Create This Blog: the 5th of May 2020, apparently! Feels like a lot longer to me, lol, but, yup, I'm a lockdown baby! 😝

What I Post: Fics, reblogs of other people's amazing creations, and occasionally random nonsense

Last Thing I Googled: "Lockdown UK live updates" - because, yes, that's what my TV show binging and spectacular denial levels lately have allll been caused by :/

Other blogs: Yes! I created and am an admin of agentsofchallenges, the Challenges of SHIELD blog we part-run from our fandom friends Discord. I'm also an admin for aos-angst-war, the blog we made for, surprisingly, the AoS Angst War (before we were smart enough to come up with agentsofchallenges, lmao)

Following: 387, apparently - w h o a, how'd that happen?? Too many amazing people out there, that's all I'm saying.

Followers: 237, which makes me think of three things immediately: one, there seems to be a sevens theme going on with "follow-" words today. Cool beans! Two, OH MY GOSH PAST TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOLLOWERS Already??? Every time I look at this statistic, it's more, and my eyes want to pop out of my head. I mean, I'm SO flattered, guys, but also w t f!!! Ahhhhhhhh, it's more than a little unbelievable. (!!!) Anyway, and, three, hnsjdskhsghsjhd, I'm an awful person, I haven't even completed my Hundred Followers Celebration yet!! Better get right on that 😬🤦‍♀️🥰

Average hours of sleep: 6/7 in work-time, because teaching is a full-time job and I need to be 100% functional. In the holidays, though... yeek. Anybody's guess!! I often go to sleep in the very wee hours of the night (2, 3am) but then I'm also a lazy ass and only get up at 10, so... About the same, actually!!

Lucky number: ehhh, I don't really have one, I'm not superstitious like that, really - EXCEPT, WAIT, NO, I TOTALLY DO. Of course I do!! 42. The answer to life, the universe, and everything, my friends :D

Instruments: I play piano and violin professionally, and a little bit of cello, badly 🤣

What I Am Wearing: an old grey-green pair of drawstring sweatpants, and an oversized white sweatshirt. My isolation suit, guys!

Dream Job: ohhh, gosh, well. I've always had a passion for both music and teaching, and I've known this is what I want to do for years, so I'm kinda... in it?? Lucky me, I know, lol 🤣😍 If I could have anything, though, I'd probably want to be an actress, or a singer-songwriter. Or both!! Or, I know, a Marvel screenplay writer for the Quake/Secret Warriors alternate universe spinoff 🤣😝

Dream Trip: ohhhh, MAN, well - I'm an incurable romantic at heart, so, the Seychelles with my boyfriend? Or maybe, to be a fangirl and a romantic (which is just goals, honestly) Tahiti!! Yup, yup, that's my final answer. I want an all-expenses-paid, full-luxury trip to Tahiti - I hear it's a magical place 😝😍🏖️

Favorite Food: I've recently been visiting my family in Ireland (before lockdown screwed everything over for me UGH) so, my nan's chocolate shortbread!! The actual BEST biscuits you'll ever taste 😍😍😍

Nationality: British-Irish (yes, I have a dual citizenship, which I think is pretty wicked)

Favorite Song: Impossible. Question. And one you'll get a different answer to every time you ask it!! Currently, though, I'm going to have to say Nancy Mulligan, for all the family nostalgia and happy memories it brings up for me 💜

Last Book I Read: Ugh, this is probably the LEAST exciting answer you could even dream of, but... A2 GCSE Music Syllabus and Teacher's Guide - 2021 Revised Edition. Yeah, prepping for work SUCKS.

Top 3 Fictional Universes I’d Like To Live In: The MCU, but very specifically season 3A of Agents of SHIELD, so I could meet all my babies when they were happy(ish) and tell them how much I adore them 🥺🥺💜 Also, the Wizarding World post-the Second Wizarding War (because if I'm living in the world I'm not affected by JKR's crap). And for number three, OOH!! Storybrooke post-season 6 (and happily pretending season 7 never happens.) Yes please!!

Oooh, gosh, well, this was loads of fun, and a great distraction from work... though, in all seriousness, I should probably get to that now. Before I go, though, I'm going to tag @eowima, @que-mint-tea, @justanalto, @apathbacktoyou, @springmagpies, @maybebrilliant, @loved-the-stars-too-fondly, @nazezdha321, @besidemethewholedamntime and @fitzsimmonkeys, if any of you guys want to do this! 🥰💜

[hhawkeye]

How do you go see so much theater? You must have spent my entire tuition by now! Is it, like, cheap where you are?

uhhh honestly the answer is until about 2.5 years ago i lived off of student loans (which at least here dont really count as Actual debt, i mean they are still debt but they dont count against you really and you only have to pay them off once you earn a certain amount of money per year) and had very few actual expenses (i lived at home with both my parents) and a lot of free time on my hands! so i would buy relatively cheap tickets for les mis (i’d say the average was about £35? but i’ve paid between £20 and £90 depending on where i was sitting, how far in advance i booked it, etc) and if i booked a train and hotel/hostel far enough in advance it ended up not Too expensive. i also sometimes stayed with friends or didn’t stay over in london and instead got the train down in the morning, saw les mis, then got the sleeper train home, so that cut costs down as well.

other than les mis the other musicals i’ve seen in london are uhhh… wicked, matilda, hamilton, phantom of the opera, the view upstairs, and fun home (i feel like i’m forgetting something maybe?) and i’ve seen a few plays as well, the most i’ve ever paid for a single ticket to les mis is £98 but that was for the concert version and i think pretty short notice? and they were Good seats which i generally would not go for but my friend and i went together. the most i’ve paid for a single ticket to any show is probably uh. £115 for hairspray which i am going to see next week. but that’s for a front row seat and i’m insane and feel like i deserve a treat after over a year of no theatre.

other than that i see some shows when they go on tour but generally i find the tickets for those are more expensive than they are for london, but i guess it evens out because i don’t have to pay for travel and accommodation.

next week i am seeing phantom, cinderella (??? actually don’t know if i’m seeing this now since they posted about having to close due to self isolation and have been vague about what that means), anything goes (which i booked before sutton foster was cast 😒), hairspray, and the les mis concert. most of these tickets were paid for using ticket vouchers i had received due to my bookings over the past year being cancelled, my friend and i ended up with about ~£700 tied up in ticket voucher codes between us because of all the shows we had booked but obviously had closed bc of covid, so this whole trip is kind of being paid for with money that has been out of my account for over a year now anyway.

tldr: i used to spend my money solely on les mis to the point where everyone in my life was begging me to stop, unfortunately now i have to work for a living and earn minimum wage so that combined with rising ticket prices and my hatred for cameron mackintosh means i will be going a lot less now, but also the west end is a lot cheaper than broadway and i have taken advantage of deals like day seats and cheaper midweek or matinee tickets etc. i am not rich i am very much in a lot of Real Debt now but honestly you do only live once so 🤷‍♂️

[starlene]

28, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46

:D Wow, that’s a lot of questions! Thank you!

28. Show that’s not your favorite but you feel deserves an honorable mention

Yeston & Kopit’s Phantom. I don’t think it’s even a tier B favourite for me – but I think it’s a good show and I’d love to see more Finnish productions of it.

35. Two shows that are essentially the same

If you’ve seen one Frank Wildhorn show... or one comédie musicale française...

Seriously though, Myrskyluodon Maija and Kristina från Duvemåla. They’re the Finnish and Swedish sides of the exact same coin.

36. Show where you’re way more impressed by the ensemble than the leads

I think I’m lucky, because nothing pops to mind immediately – which I take to mean that in all musical productions I’ve seen, at least one lead has been worth watching... (I don’t mean to diss ensembles by saying that though, I’ve certainly seen plenty of great ensembles along the way! No show that has one would be the same without them.)

37. Musical movie you enjoy

En del av mitt hjärta, over and over again.

38. Musical movie you hate

Tbh, I’ve grown to hate Les Misérables. Like... I do enjoy parts of it, some performances are enjoyable and some scenes work wery well – but the whole Singing Live For Greater Realism thing is so flawed, and the way Tom Hooper & co. were so absurdly proud of it even though it’s clear their nonsense methods made the actors sound worse than they otherwise would’ve... the fact there are people out there who have only heard the soundtrack and think that’s what Les Mis sounds like makes me sad.

39. Favorite Broadway trope

Angsty leading man soloes..?

40. You hate _____ [trope/characteristic/plot point], but ______ [show] is the exception

I hate every single thing that Rock of Ages represents, but I enjoyed the Finnish production with all my heart.

41. Show you thought was great, but the ending changed your mind

I know it doesn’t quite count, since I think Så som i himmelen is the greatest musical that’s ever graced the theatres of this earth... but maybe it’s worth mentioning that the way the finale was directed in the original production didn’t sit well with me at all. The mood went from Next to Normal to full Les Mis with no warning, I still don’t really know what to make of that.

42. Show you thought was mediocre, but the ending changed your mind

Rudolf – Affaire Mayerling. The ending took it from "kinda weird and bad but it’s Frankhorn, so whatever, I’ll deal” to “BURN IT WITH FIRE”

43. Show you know the most random trivia about (and include a fun fact!)

Already shared a couple of fun facts about Jekyll & Hyde... but I also want to tell everybody that this week, I learned there’s been a production of Notre Dame de Paris where Gringoire was played by a lady! I’m in love. Male Gringoire is cancelled, I only want to see lady Gringoire from now on.

44. Show whose cast recording you know, but don’t know anything about the plot

I’m listening to Le rouge et le noir atm... no idea what’s going on, but it slaps.

45. Show you keep meaning to listen to but haven’t gotten around to it

Livet är en schlager by Fredrik “Så som i himmelen” Kempe has been sitting on my desk for literal months, but I haven’t found the right headspace to listen to it yet. I think it’s the word “schlager” that’s putting me off.

46. Show song you say you hate but always sing along with

If I were a rich man~

~

Asks for musical theatre stans

[acekatherineplumber]

It’s time for Elphie to talk about the books she read this year!

How many books did you read this year? 43

Did you reread anything? What? I always reread Les Mis, but I don’t count that in the 43

What were your top five books of the year? The Secret History(and The Goldfinch), RW&RB, The Priory of the Orange Tree, Caraval, and Circe (and The Song of Achilles)

Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?  Stephanie Garber!

What genre did you read the most of? Fantasy

Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to? No, I got to everything. I recently compiled a comprehensive TBR, so I can’t say the same for next year. It’s a long list.

What was your average Goodreads rating? Does it seem accurate? 3.7. I’d say no, because there are things the deserved 1 star that I gave 2 stars because I didn’t want to be mean.

Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones? Yes! I finished the Harry Potters in French!

Did you get into any new genres? Not really

What was your favorite new release of the year? CINDERELLA IS DEAD

What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read? Song of Achilles

Any books that disappointed you? So many. Of Fire and Stars had to be the biggest one.

What were your least favorite books of the year? Of Fire and Stars, These Witches Don’t Burn, Undercover Princess, and The Baker Street Phantom

What books do you want to finish before the year is over? I’m currently reading The Deep End of the Sea. Just that one. I want to save others for the new year.

Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them?  I don’t really pay attention to awards. I just read whatever sounds good.

What is the most over-hyped book you read this year? These Witches Don’t Burn. It was bad.

Did any books surprise you with how good they were? Caraval surprised me!

How many books did you buy? So many. At least 20.

Did you use your library? Yes!

What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?  I don’t think I was anticipating releases. I like to wait until after all of the books in a series come out because I get very imatient waiting for them.

Did you participate in or watch any booklr, booktube, or book twitter drama? A little on Tiktok, but not much.

What’s the longest book you read? Don Quixote 

What’s the fastest time it took you to read a book? A day.

Did you DNF anything? Why? I finished everything but Of Fire and Stars. I really tried, and it came well-recommended, but it was the dullest thing I have read in a while.

What reading goals do you have for next year? 50 physical books. Maybe 52. We’ll see.

[bethhxrmon]

All I Ask of You Pt. 28

“Say you need me with you now and always, promise me that all you say is true, that’s all I ask of you”- “All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera

Pairing: Peter Parker x Female OC

Word Count: 3.9k (kinda long????)

Warnings: Light angst, mentions of death, murder, manipulation, eating disorders I think I wrote fuck a lot

Summary: Some of y’all wanted to know Annie’s backstory???? Here you go kinda???

A/N: This chapter covers a LOT, and I’m sorry in advance, as always the masterlist is in my bio!

Even after almost a week of driving, there was still a long drive ahead of all of them. Tony kept driving, something Annie couldn’t help noticing, but she didn’t say anything about it. If anything, she just wanted to get to where they were supposed to be. The novelty of being stuck in a car with everyone had worn off a couple of days ago for her.

Though she did like having an excuse to constantly be right next to Peter. What she wouldn’t admit was that it all felt so surreal. Sometimes it was almost impossible for her to believe that the people she felt that she cared about the most were all in the same place at once. It was a dream come true, and Annie sometimes wondered if it was real.

Then someone would say something and it would snap her out of her thoughts.

“Please tell me we’re all getting our own rooms when we get there, I don’t think I can deal with Annie staying up and pulling all-nighters,” Harper said, glancing back at Annie.

She shrugged, “Don’t act so innocent. You were up talking with me half of the time.”

“Yeah, when you weren’t reading your book and it wasn’t after midnight,” they pointed out.

Annie laughed, “I wasn’t kidding when I said I can’t sleep.”

“Don’t worry, you guys all get your own rooms. Hell, you kids get your own cabin. I don’t know about Pepper, but I don’t wanna end up being kept awake by you guys talking all the time,” Tony said, not looking back at them.

Pepper shook her head, “He says that, but he just about never sleeps himself.”

“See? Not sleeping is totally normal!” Annie claimed.

“It’s really not, you’re a little young to be awake all the time, don’t you think?” Tony asked.

Annie shrugged a little again, “I don’t know, I mean, I guess I’m a little young to be a superhero too, but here we are, going to a lake for Superhero Camp.”

“Hey! If your parents ask anything, it’s that theatre camp you talked about,” Tony warned.

“So… does that mean I get to do theatre stuff? Because my dad’s probably gonna be on me half the time and wanna see what I’m doing. I’d bet on it,” she replied.

Tony sighed, “Are you serious? I don’t know anything about that stuff.”

“We’ll figure it out. I’m sure that you’re talented enough to come up with something,” Pepper assured.

Peter nodded, “She really is. You should’ve seen her during the musical, she was actually great the whole time… I-I don’t know how anyone can do that all the time.”

Annie laughed a bit, “Come on, it was pretty easy to do, I mean, I didn’t have a whole lot of acting to do.”

“Is this really turning into you two flirting?” Harper questioned, turning back in their seat.

Ned nodded, “Yep. It’s to make up for all the time they wasted pining after each other for months.”

“I know, but is it gonna be like this the whole time?”

“Yep. You should’ve seen Pete, like, a week after she moved in. He kept talking about how we needed to invite her out more and then he started getting sappier. It was pretty cute,” Ned said.

Harper smirked, “Better than Annie, she was debating about whether or not she liked Peter or not for, like, months. Except she liked him the whole time and-”

“And we’re literally right behind you,” Annie pointed out, feeling her face heat up.

Peter nodded, “Y-yeah, maybe you guys should talk about that um… not around us.”

“I agree. If you’re gonna talk about us, do it behind our backs like any other self-respecting human being,” Annie said with a smirk.

“Oh come on, you guys have been doing great at keeping any of your teenage-angst bullshit out of the drive. Save it for the cabin when I’m not crammed in a car with you guys,” Tony responded.

Harper shrugged, “I mean, it’s not like we’re all stuck in a small, metal death-trap in the middle of nowhere. Like, this is literally the desert. Aliens could come and pick us up.”

They kept up with the banter and occasional bouts of silence for the remainder of the drive. Though, Annie mostly slept through the last stretch of the drive. After not sleeping much, if at all, the night before, she still couldn’t avoid the fact that her eyes were so droopy and that all she wanted was to get some more rest.

It somehow felt like the drive was never going to end no matter how much she fell asleep. Though Annie did start to notice the difference from the desert into the woods as they made it into California. There were more pine trees everywhere.

Eventually, Annie knew that she was tired and wasn’t running on enough sleep to function, but she couldn’t get herself to go back to sleep. So, instead, she went back to reading her book.

“What’re you reading about?” Peter asked, his head leaning on her shoulder.

Annie shook her head, “A lot. I mean, there’s all these families and right now, it’s all focusing on Pierre’s new religious awakening. It’s really weird, but super interesting.”

“Only you would say that,” Ned pointed out.

Annie rolled her eyes, “Just because you didn’t like any of the books I recommended to you, doesn’t mean that they’re not any good. Pride and Prejudice is literally one of the most amazing love stories I’ve ever read. And I swear, if you even think about talking about The Phantom of the Opera I will fight you right here.”

“I’m supposed to make sure none of you kids come out of here dead, can we try to keep that as a goal?” Tony asked.

Pepper turned around, “Jane Austen is a great author!”

“Case and point. You just don’t get invested enough in the characters. Harper never cared for classics either,” Annie said, marking her spot.

Harper scoffed, “Not true! Just all the books you talk about are actually really boring. I don’t make the rules.”

“Oh come on! They are the classics and are timeless pieces of art! Just read it within the context of the time period and you’ll see that Jane Austen is a genius. And then don’t even get me started on Dickens. If you realized he was criticizing the rich-”

“Then he should’ve gone out into the streets and called for a revolution, Annie!” Harper cried out.

Annie sighed, “I feel like that’s what Les Mis would be discussing… but go off, I guess.”

Instead of reading the classic novels Annie kept claiming were great, she kept pausing to talk about how they were great. And as much as she hated that she was pulling on everything that her dad would talk about when it came to teaching English, it made for some good points. Though, Annie didn’t admit that half of the reason she liked reading so much was because of acting. She felt like that was a given.

“You know, you guys are making this drive really hard on me. I don’t wanna drive us off this ledge,” Tony said, focusing more on the windy road.

Pepper laughed, “It’s gonna be fine. He’s just giving you guys crap because he’s actually enjoying hearing you guys talking.”

Peter seemed to be hating the very last stretch of drive where it was nothing but constant twists and turns. It was to the point that he had to keep his eyes closed for most of the time. Though, that didn’t stop him from talking either.

And while it felt like it had taken forever to get to the cabins, the minivan eventually came to a stop in front of a handful of cabins. They all looked like they could hold at least five people inside them. When surrounded by the tall trees and water, the place looked mesmerizing. There were even a few fire pits for campfires.

“Alright, we’re here, let’s get going,” Tony said, getting out of the car.

It didn’t take long for everyone to unload their things and then to find their rooms. Tony decided to leave everyone else to their own devices when he split Pepper and himself off from the teenagers. Each one which already seemed to be set up as if Tony had told someone that they were coming.

When Annie made it to her room, she only knew it was hers because of the ukulele sitting on the bed. It was only then that she remembered Pepper had told her that she’d get her own ukulele that wasn’t cheap and plastic. And she heard Peter shouting about how he had a polaroid camera from the other room.

Harper walked into Annie’s room, “Hey, I got this really cool setup going on and I think I’m gonna be making you a suit in my room the whole time, I got all these fabrics and a neat little sewing kit.”

“Nice!” Annie responded, taking out some of her things.

Harper sighed, “And I think you gotta tell them tonight. Because, I mean, if you don’t say anything tonight then you’re never gonna say anything.”

“I don’t wanna force it,” Annie said as she pulled out some clothes.

Harper rolled their eyes, “And we’re back to square one. Naturally or not, you gotta talk about it now before you end up lying about everything. Which I mean, they don’t even know who Greg is, so I mean, you’re just keeping all this stuff from them.”

“I didn’t think it was gonna matter. I wanted to just kinda start over if I had to move. How was I supposed to know that I ended up failing?” Annie pointed out.

Harper sighed, “Doesn’t matter. You gotta talk about all of it. I’m gonna make you do it because you need to.”

Annie sighed, turning around, “Okay, fine. I’ll talk about it tonight, happy?”

“Beaming,” Harper deadpanned, walking out of the room.

It wasn’t easy, trying to figure out what to say. Annie hadn’t counted on needing to say anything, period. It was that simple. There hadn’t been any reason to talk about what had happened at her old school. Well, aside from the fact that it was a performing arts school, but other than that, Annie felt there wasn’t any importance to it.

After dinner, they were all hanging out in the living room of their cabin. Peter sat on the couch upside down, Ned sat in the middle of the floor, putting together what seemed to be an intricate Lego set. Harper was seeming to mind their own business and sketching, though Annie could tell that they were thinking of doing something else. She was next to Peter, still getting through her own book

“Hey, do you still have your Heather Macnamara costume?” Harper asked, their blue eyes glinting.

Annie sighed, “Yeah…”

“Come on, don’t you ever just… I don’t know, think about that whole year? I mean, it was pretty wild, don’t ya think?” Harper asked, their eyebrows knitting together.

Annie sighed, “Okay, so um… look, guys… I uh… fuck. I um… well, I guess I haven’t completely talked about everything that I maybe should’ve? And I-I doubt it’d help with Carnival much, if at all, but I mean, it’s kinda important. Except that I really doubt that it’s gonna mean anything, but I’m being peer pressured into talking about it.”

“Hey, it’s gonna help. A lot,” Harper said, putting down their sketchbook.

Peter got up, frowning a little, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, really… I mean, it all happened way before I even knew you existed,” Annie started, “And I definitely need you guys to realize that.”

Ned shrugged, “I mean, you burned a girl’s dressing room down. There’s not much else that could really surprise me.”

“Thanks, Ned,” Annie said, sighing a little.

Harper smirked, “It gets worse than that if I’m being honest with you here.”

“How bad could it really be?” Peter asked, putting an arm around Annie, which she shrugged off.

Annie shook her head, “It’s kinda bad… hence why I haven’t told you guys about any of it. Well, that and the fact that you guys didn’t really need to know until now.”

“Why didn’t you say it right after the whole thing with Carnival?” Peter questioned.

Harper let out a dry laugh, “Isn’t it obvious? She didn’t want Stark knowing because it’s some kinda sketchy stuff, ya know? I have lots of opinions on this stuff, but I mean, I covered for her after all of it.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. I guess I should say that the guy that was kinda cute that I stole from the girl I replaced in The Sound of Music is Greg. And he was kind of a psycho now that I think about it, but I mean I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into at the time, you know?” Annie started, tucking some of her dark hair behind her ear.

Harper shook their head, “That’s how a lot of people’s dumbest stories start off. For some guy that was kinda cute.”

“Hey, I get it, I was a dumb freshman. You know what? I’ll go ahead and really start from the beginning here. The person who got me into theatre in the first place and why,” Annie decided, “Look, I used to do ballet instead. I was a dancer, and I mean, I was really good. Except, I’ve always been just a little bit curvy, ya know? Of course you do… well I started getting that way during junior high right as I started being a superhero. And I just needed to get rid of that extra weight. So um… I uh just wouldn’t eat anything.”

Harper frowned, “Yeah, and you know what happens when your a superhero and you don’t eat enough? You end up passing out in the middle of the alley and getting your ass kicked. Have any of you guys had to pull your passed out friend off of the street and get her to a hospital?”

“Annie, that’s not a bad thing… I mean, it’s bad because that could’ve killed you, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Peter said, looking at Annie.

She nodded, “Yeah, I know that, trust me. I know, but anyways, that’s when Harper decided to get me completely into acting. Which is, if anything, part of the reason why I got into acting. Now, Greg was really cute and we had to act together and we had to spend a bunch of free time together, right? Almost like being in a real relationship, and that was how I ended up dating him. What should’ve been a red flag was when he figured out I was White Swan in, like, a week. And, I get it, some people are more observant, but it was like he figured it out with no clues.”

“I always said that he definitely looked in your things like some creepy spy. You know that’s what happened, right? I kept trying to tell you, but you wouldn’t ever-” Harper was cut off.

“I know, he was actually a creepy stalker. I should’ve really known something was wrong when we never rehearsed anything but a stage kiss and then on opening night he actually kissed me on the stage in front of everyone. Except I thought it was actually amazing. You know, just the surprise of it all. And I thought he was someone I could trust because he tried to be there for me,” Annie explained.

Harper scoffed, “Yeah, right, until he fucking killed someone.”

“Okay, in all fairness, I thought he was trying to help me. This gang was starting to heavily go after me and I think one of them started to figure out my identity because he just outright attacked me. A little crazy, but what was even crazier was when Greg took out a knife and stabbed the guy to death. Which, I thought was okay since he was trying to hurt me. Well, that’s what Greg said. And things were pretty okay aside from Harper hating Greg. But I kinda ditched them for awhile. Then, there was the spring production with Seussical and we ended up being love interests, which was great at the time. Well, until closing night. Mind you, Carnival kept popping up every now and then, but I didn’t understand the dude until later,” Annie explained.

Peter frowned, “What does he do?”

“Um… well, his goal was always to make people so miserable that he could kill them and feed off of their misery. But I also figured out that he can mimic any natural powers,” she said.

“So… he couldn’t copy my web fluid?”

Annie shook her head, “No, but it turns out that he can control people if he tries hard enough, but it’s only to make people miserable. See, Carnival was controlling Greg the entire time. I only knew Greg before I started crushing on him. Then he was controlled for the rest of the time. So I uh… technically dated my worst enemy for awhile. And here’s where Harper and I disagree. I think that Carnival still has feelings for me because there were plenty of times he could have killed me and didn’t. Harper has other theories, but I think that if we’re gonna defeat the dude, that’s something to look into.”

“Wait, wait. What happened to Greg? Did he get caught with murder? Did he remember you?” asked Ned, having stopped trying to put together the legos.

Harper sighed, “You should probably tell them.”

It was the one thing that Annie had tried to avoid. There wasn’t any relevance to Greg in her opinion. She knew that it wasn’t her fault, but she hated talking about anything to deal with him. It hadn’t mattered beforehand.

Annie’s face hardened, “He didn’t remember a thing. From October to May, he couldn’t remember a thing. So he didn’t even know me except for, like the one or two times I talked to him before everything. A-and I just moved on from it and figured I just wouldn’t try anything with him. But I didn’t have to avoid him for very long because, well, he um… he killed himself over the summer. I mean, that’s what everyone says, but no one could really understand the suicide note… well, I did… but um… I’m gonna go.”

Annie stood up from the couch in a seemingly calm manner and walked towards her room.

“Hey, Annie,” Peter started, about to get up.

She stopped him, “I just… I need a sec.”

When Annie went to her room, everything was quiet. No one could think of anything to say, and Annie wasn’t sure if she wanted to be left alone or not.

“I didn’t think she’d react like that… I mean, I knew it was touchy, but, she probably doesn’t wanna see me right now,” Harper said, staring down their sketchbook.

Peter sighed, “Should I go check on her?”

“If that’s what you’d normally do, yeah. She won’t wanna talk to me, but she might wanna talk to you. Or at least, try to make her feel better,” Harper replied, running a hand through their ginger hair.

Peter nodded slowly, “She’s gonna be okay, right?”

“I don’t know… she’s been in a serious manic state for the whole week, not sleeping, constantly not wanting to do much. And then she’s suddenly sleeping for hours on end, and she’s probably really depressed right now. Or blaming herself. Just… go check on her, I shouldn’t have to tell you,” Harper sighed.

Ned nodded, “Yeah, they’re right. Go on.”

It didn’t take much to find Annie, she was pacing around the room. Peter opened the door slowly and quietly. There was a moment before Annie even noticed someone had come in. That was when she turned around and tears were in her eyes.

“Hey, Annie, you know-”

Annie cut him off, “I-I don’t know. Look, when I thought this would be good for us, I didn’t think I’d be over here giving you the whole… everything.”

“You did all this thinking that it was gonna be a good thing. That’s not your fault. You know that, right?” Peter asked, reaching over to hold her.

Annie stepped back, starting to pace again, “That doesn’t matter. All this bad stuff happened and I thought I moved on from it.”

“Then did you think you were just gonna move on from everything that happened with Tina?” Peter asked.

She stopped and turned to Peter, “In case it wasn’t clear, I haven’t moved on from any of the shit that happened earlier. And why the fuck are you talking about Tina? I was the one who was friends with her. I was the one who was there for her the whole time. A-and I get it, okay?! I keep fucking everything up a-and I keep making people die. But Greg? That’s the one person I refuse to take the blame for. I just… you didn’t need to know everything, okay?!”

“You know I just wanna help, right? I get it, okay? There’s some shit that happened earlier, but you’re obviously not like that anymore. That’s great, but you need to talk about it,” Peter sighed, frowning.

Annie shook her head, “I don’t need to talk about anything. I told you, I just need a minute.”

“No, there’s something wrong. A-and I know I can’t fix all your problems, but dammit, you gotta at least let me try,” he said, looking at her.

She shrugged, “What’s there to say? It’s already happened, and I just gotta get over it. At least a little.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t work!” Peter exclaimed, “Did you forget about that time you tried to jump off your apartment building? If you hadn’t called me and… and if I weren’t me… you’d probably be dead.”

Annie pursed her lips, “And maybe things would be better.”

“No, that’s not how this works, Annie, you don’t get it. You mean so much to me, and you care so much more than you say. And just because things didn’t go right earlier… that doesn’t mean that you get to just kill yourself over it. I never told you, did I?”

Annie crossed her arms, sitting on the bed, “Never told me what?”

“How fucking terrifying it was to see you like that. I mean, it was one thing to see you all happy the night before and you were… you were talking about how you had feelings for me… it was great. And then just the next day… you called me and I could barely hear anything you were saying. I freaked out and I wasn’t sure what was wrong. But you called me while I was on patrol, so I thought you were just going home or something. So I went to your building and then… then I just see you standing at the very edge and I could just tell you were gonna jump. And if I’d been a second later, I don’t know if I could’ve saved you. A-and if you died, I-I’d blame myself,” he finished, tears welling up in his eyes.

Annie got up and hugged him tightly, “I-I’m so sorry… I-I just kinda… kinda forgot you had to see that.”

“N-no, I-I can’t believe I never put it together. But, I don’t know what I’d do if I just… lost you, especially like that. So don’t you dare say that things would be better without you,” Peter murmured, holding her tightly.

Taglist: @flushings-here / @gaypanda / @avvengres / @parkerpuff / @ijustdontknowsometimes / @twilightparker / @buzzinglee / @lcy-thot / @moonstruckholland / @lionsfandomsandbearsohmy / @dolphinsarecuteandstuff (if you want to be added, just ask)

[madmaxxieslibrary-blog]

25 Bookish Facts Tag

Thanks @malazan-the-younger for tagging me! I love every excuse to talk about myself lololol. 

1. I’m obsessed with Victorian literature. Seriously. If you ever want to talk about it, please. I love it. 

2. My favourite author is Oscar Wilde. He was so sassy and fabulous and I just love him. 

3. I’m not entirely sure why, but I really hate plots that focus on romance. If it’s a subplot, that’s cool. But if it’s the main focus, I can’t do it. 

4. That being said, I REALLY want to read more LGBT+ romances. 

5. I’m discovering that I really love space westerns! 

6. I’m convinced that at the beginning of Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Gregory pull their dicks out. 

7. I don’t have a favourite book, but I do have a favourite character. Regulus Black is my favourite character I’ve ever read and I have enough headcanons about him to fill a book.

8. I’m considering writing a fic about him but I have no idea where to start/if people would even want to read it. 

9. I love the Harry Potter series, but I hate Harry Potter as a character. I’m not 100% sure why, but I do. 

10. I may start writing book reviews in the very near future, so keep an eye out for those! 

11. I love to read, but I’m really bad about actually doing it. I just graduated with my BA in English, so I’m having a hard time getting back into the swing of this “reading for fun” thing. 

12. I’m a bit prejudiced against graphic novels. For the longest time, I didn’t really count them as “reading”. I’m learning that I was very wrong and there are plenty of great graphic novels out there that deal with content just as intense as a book without pictures! 

13. That being said. If you want a good graphic novel to read, stop what you’re doing and read Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. It’s a musical now too. And a good one. And it’s super gay!

14. I hate american literature with a passion, I’m not sure why. But American classics just don’t appeal to me. 

15. I completely believe in forming your own opinions of books. Just because something is a classic, that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to like it. As long as you try to work out WHY you don’t like it instead of just being like “it sucks lol”.

16. Sometimes I can’t come up with a reason why I don’t like something, though, and that’s also totally cool. As long as I tried xD

17. I want to see a movie version of The Lunar Chronicles with Amandla Stenberg as Winter. 

18. When I was younger I used to keep track of who borrowed which of my books for how long and what condition they were in before and after they were returned to me. And by younger I mean like... 10. So. 

19. The first novel I ever read on my own was The Phantom Tollbooth. I remember it being about the length of Les Mis. It’s definitely not. 

20. I don’t like reading non-fiction, but every so often I try again just to make sure. The one non-fiction book I really enjoyed was Neil Patrick Harris’ autobiography. 

21. I like listening to music while I read, but I can’t have music with lyrics. It messes me up. 

22. I. Love. Satire. 

23. My go-to sfw recommendation is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Such a good read, and raises a lot of philosophical questions! Great if you want a piece you really have to think about. 

24. If you want something a bit less sfw, my go-to recommendation is Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. But you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO READ THE BRITISH VERSION. It has an extra chapter that changes EVERYTHING. 

25. I literally always want to make new reader friends so please come chat, I don’t bite!

I’m going to tag @abookblog, @eldritchbibliophile, @all-these-paperback-dreams, @srwhitehead, and anyone else who feels like doing this! You can say I tagged you if you want to! (I have a tendency to see things I want to fill out and get paranoid about doing it if I wasn’t tagged xD) 

[thelastyearinmyforties]

T-Minus 28 Days: The joy of musicals...

I love musicals. On the stage, on the big screen, ringing through my car’s speakers...love them. Most of my friends know this about me, and anyone that follows me on social media knows as well. 

I guess it started in church, back in San Antonio, Texas, when our music guy wrote a musical called Cool in the Furnace. Google it. It’s amazing. Seriously. And there are kazoos.  remember it like it was yesterday, and it was something like 43 or 44 years ago. 

Sometime after that I saw Grease, probably in the theatre, though quite honestly, I can’t remember. I do remember loving it and singing along and thinking it was just about the best thing ever. I was ten years old when it came out so if I went to the theatre I’m sure at least one of my parents was with me. That same year The Wiz came to the movies and I do remember seeing that. It was so different than Grease and made The Wizard of Oz look like a cartoon. It was colorful and funky and had Michael Jackson in it! I still own the soundtrack on vinyl.

Somewhere in there I heard the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack and maybe even saw the movie. It was controversial for Christians but I loved everything about it. I totally credit my mother for that one. That is likely the show that really planted the seed of what big musicals were supposed to be. I mean, it was Andrew Lloyd Webber at his finest. 

It was in junior high when our choir did a production of Oliver and I wasn’t in it but I did turn pages for our choir director as she played the piano. That’s something right? That would been somewhere around 1982/1983, and it was somehow cooler than the church kid’s musical I’d done years earlier. It somehow seemed more real. And it only got better from there.

In high school I had chorus parts in Bye Bye Birdie - technically I was the first girl to faint in that one, and I also played the piccolo as part of the band on stage - and Oklahoma. Those were fun. Really fun. And while I never thought I’d go into musical theatre I think I knew that I’d always be connected it some way. My senior year we did Li’l Abner, and I stepped off the stage and into the pit where I played some of the coolest and most complex music I’d ever played in the orchestra. It was very cool and a whole different experience from the chorus. I loved it!

At some point in high school, either my junior or senior year, I got the joy of seeing CATS on stage in Denver. I knew the music but seeing it live, watching people become cats, and being part of the spectacle was amazing. This was REAL theatre, not theatre done by a church or a school. This was professional and it was fantastic! To this day, when I hear Memory, I get chills. 

Something else magical happened toward the end of high school though, something that would impact me even more than everything else. And that was the discovery of The Phantom of the Opera music. I got the cds and practically wore them out because I just couldn’t get enough. Little did I know I wouldn’t actually see the musical on stage until I was 42 years old. More on that later.

I didn’t see much theatre in college but I did see a version of Phantom of the Opera with my aunt, just not the Andrew Lloyd Webber version. it was good though. I didn’t see much, if anything, after college and I think partially that was due to finances, but also, it just wasn’t a thing I did. I still listened to CATS and Phantom, and I went to see my friend Serena in a couple of things at Pepperdine, but I never went to Broadway and I never saw the tours and I sort of just let it go.

But then I moved to the Chicago area after grad school and The Wiz came to the Schubert Theatre and I knew I had to be there. I knew the music by heart and couldn’t believe I had the chance to see it live. It’s the first time I’d ever gone to the theatre by myself - which seems hilarious now - and it was a truly memorable experience. For one thing, the incredible Stephanie Mills played Dorothy and well, that was perfect. But it was more than that...it was seeing this incredible movie come to life in front of me. It was hearing the music live and being transported by the sheer will of the actors on stage. It will forever be a favorite.

After that it would be a long time before I saw another show on the stage. I don’t really have a good reason for that, but I don’t think I saw another production on stage until I moved to California. I’d seen movie musicals on the big screen and on TV, and I loved them, but it wasn’t the same as seeing a live show. And I didn’t see much in my first few years here either. I really didn’t have any money - hi, it’s super expensive to live here - and I was still getting to know people and the area and again, it just wasn’t something I did. I still saw movies and always loved the musicals, though there weren’t a lot of them. 

But then something happened...I had friends who wanted to see shows, who invited me to go with them. First there was Les Mis, and then Mamma Mia, and then finally, FINALLY, I got to see Jesus Christ Superstar on stage. I’m getting chills just thinking about it. There were some others after that, including the Berkeley premiere of Green Day’s American Idiot. And that show is what finally got me to New York and finally got me to Broadway.

I’d been thinking about going but when it was confirmed that the American Idiot show was going to Broadway I knew I had to go. And so I made plans and actually got to see my first Broadway musical on Broadway. It was an incredible feeling and it’s probably a good thing I don’t live in New York or I’d spend every penny I earned going to shows.

After that I started to see more shows here in San Jose and also in San Francisco, sometimes by myself, sometimes with friends. I faithfully watched the Tony Awards and knew all the shows I wanted to see. And which ones I didn’t want to see. 

About five years ago, a friend and I got season tickets to the San Francisco Broadway shows, and it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done. There’s something cool about going to shows you might not have picked on your own. Some of them have become favorites and some I’d rather forget. 

And finally, over Christmas of 2013, I took another trip to New York and go to experience The Phantom of the Opera for the first time. And it did not disappoint. From the moment the music started until the last notes faded away, I was mesmerized. I cried, I gasped, I got emotional...it was everything I’d hoped it would be, and there couldn’t have been anything better than seeing it in New York. I never expected anything to replace it or Jesus Christ Superstar as my favorite musical but then a little show called Hamilton came along and well, let’s just say it’s taken over in a big way. I can't fully explain why it’s so great but I just know that it is. And that I love it. I got to see it twice last year, and yes, I feel incredibly blessed by that as I know so many have not even been able to see it once. It’s worth every penny you pay for your ticket. Trust me.

So here we are, more than 40 years after that first musical theatre experience in church, and I am all in. Have I seen 50 musicals? Maybe. I honestly haven’t ever counted them up. Between the stage and screen I can imagine I have but I’m gonna try to build this Top 50 list based only on what I’ve seen on the stage. So here we go...and in case there’s any doubt, Hamilton is number one, followed closely by Phantom and Jesus Christ Superstar. But as I’ve done with past lists, I’m putting these in alpha order.

Aladdin

American Idiot

An American in Paris

Anything Goes

Avenue Q

Beauty & the Beast

Beautiful

Billy Elliot

Bye Bye Birdie

Cabaret

CATS

Cinderella 

Fiddler on the Roof

Finding Neverland 

Hamilton

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

If/Then

It’s Cool in the Furnace

Into the Woods 

Jersey Boys

Jesus Christ Superstar

Kinky Boots

Les Miserables

Li’l Abner

Mamma Mia

Mary Poppins

Matilda

Memphis

Motown

Newsies

Oklahoma

Oliver

Once

Rent

Rock of Ages

Roman Holiday

Something Rotten!

The Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

The King and I

The Lion King

The Phantom of the Opera

The Wiz

The Wizard of Oz

Wicked

Well, I think that’s it...not quite 50...clearly I have some work to do. But I’m not throwing away my shot, and I might get pretty close to hitting 50 by year’s end. We shall see...

[bughead-fic-request]

I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @bughead-is-riverdale work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

I have a Masterlist of all my fics to date, all nicely ordered under headings/ship pairings. You can find it in my bio.

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm 18 and I'm from the U.K. I've just accepted a place to study English Lit at Birmingham Uni in September, I'm so excited! I've always loved reading/writing - starting this blog is something I wish I had done sooner - and I also love theatre. I have a little brother with Down's Syndrome who is the centre of my world, I'm more like his second mum than his older sister because of our 8 year age gap. I'm the 'Mum Friend' of my friendship group, don't be alarmed if I call you 'my love' or 'sweetheart', it's ingrained in my soul.

I'm a hopeless romantic (probably why I'm so invested in Bughead) and I've been with my current boyfriend/best friend for just over 4 years.

3. What do you never leave home without?

My promise ring that my boyfriend bought me for our 4th anniversary. It's an aquamarine stone with tiny diamonds and I never take it off. As I said, I'm a hopeless romantic.

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Definitely early bird, I'd rather not waste the day!

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

Cassandra Clare's world of Shadowhunters! I think I would be pretty badass. Besides I would find Julian Blackthorn and marry him.

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met.

Sadly I haven't actually met anyone famous! Recently however I saw both David Tennant in 'Don Juan' and Andrew Scott in 'Hamlet', I was so close to them! Does that count?

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

Aside from Riverdale... I'm a sucker for most period dramas (Colin Firth as Mr Darcy ahhh)! Brooklyn 99 is hilarious and Teen Wolf has always been one of my favourites. With films... Anything with Meryl Streep in it! I'm secretly a huge nerd so 'The Lord of the Rings' as well. Another one of my favourites is 'Dead Poet's Society' because it breaks my heart just to think about it.

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

Recently I've hated almost everything in the charts. Musicals are my safe haven so Hamilton, Les Mis, The Phantom of the Opera, Kinky Boots, and Rent I will listen to on repeat. I also love Tracy Chapman because of the meaning behind her lyrics and Queen is legendary.

9. Favorite Books?

Jane Austen is my favourite author and 'Pride and Prejudice' is my all time favourite, I read it annually. Please don't talk to me about 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies', it's an abomination. I also love 'The Book Thief', 'Jane Eyre', and my favourite play is 'Hamlet'. Anything by Cassandra Clare is also fantastic, you're never too old to enjoy YA fiction no matter what people say.

10. Favorite Food?

My mum makes a delicious sausage and bacon pie, I ask for it on my birthday every year.

11. Biggest pet peeve?

Incorrect grammar.

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

When I was a kid I wanted to be a queen, and I still want to be a queen. However, I have a back up plan to become a journalist and/or author.

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

When I was a kid I watched an episode of Doctor Who that had a werewolf in it. It didn't help that my friends played a prank on me when I was in primary school where they locked me out in the garden on a full moon and grabbed my legs when I tried to crawl through the dog flap, scarred me for life. I still low-key panic in the dark.

14. When you are on your deathbed what would be the one you’d regret not doing?

Not having kids, I'm too family-oriented to not be a mum.

Okay… lets talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

I wrote a Soulmate AU called 'Odd One Out' - it's a Jughead x Reader fic but you can always imagine the reader is Betty as she doesn't feature as a character.

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

My 'Guilty?' mini-series, it was my first fic.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

I have a notebook specifically for my blog where I brainstorm ideas. I also bounce ideas off my little sister. Anything particularly romantic I tend to pull inspiration from my own relationship.

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

I've had a Bughead AU 10+ chapter series plan in my head for a long time now but never put pen to paper. The idea of doing a long fic seems quite intimidating, I guess I'm worried that people won't like it and all my hopes/time will be crushed.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

I wrote a fic called 'Double Date' by request and I felt that the plot was really weak. I didn't really have much to go at on the request and the person who requested it kept asking me when I would be done while I was in the middle of my A Level exams so it just really stressed me out, writing it felt like a chore.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

Probably Part 1 of 'Guilty?' because it was my first fic so I felt that I had to really prove myself to the fandom. I got a great response from it though so I was encouraged to keep writing.

21.Favorite character to write?

Jughead, without a doubt.

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

"AT LEAST YOUR PARENTS WERE SOULMATES!" - 'Odd One Out' Part 1

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

Recently someone told me that they translate some of my fics into Portuguese so their friends could read them and that my writing has helped them improve their English, they were from Brazil.

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

I've never received any hate mail, I don't know how long that will last though. I guess if I did I would either just ignore it or shoot them down with sass, I write for free after all.

25. What is your favorite story you’ve ever written? Any fandom?

Like I said earlier, 'Odd One Out'.

26. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

I'm reading 'Lord of Shadows' by Cassandra Clare. Also a fic called 'Wicked Games' by @ariquitecontrary that I'm obsessed with.

27. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared?

Do not be afraid/self-conscious. I have never received any hate, we are a welcoming fandom. Make sure you tag your writing appropriately so people can find it and reach out to other writers, maybe they will promote your blog. My inbox is always open, I will never fail to reply to you.

[can-you-damianot]

i was tagged by @princedamianos ♡ ♡ ♡ it always takes me so long to do these orz

five things you’ll find in my bag

strawberry & spearmint gum

goggles

pens. like, a fuckton. 

lip balm and i mean lip. balm. i have at least 5 at any one time. i think right now it’s 10. 

aspirin

five things in my bedroom

3 dressing gowns and a faux zebra skin throw which i use to make a little wall between my pillow and the edge of my bed to protect me from gremlins

books. sometimes in piles because i don’t have enough room for them. 

sculpting stuff

my suitcase and art bag full of clothes

so??? many??? dog poo bags??? i put them in my pockets and forget about em then deposit them in my room

five things i have always wanted to do in my life

go see hadrian’s wall

go see hadrian’s bust in the louvre

go to hadrian’s villa in tivoli

go to peru!!!

see les mis/chicago/nell gwynn/phantom of the opera on stage (this counts for like. 4 of my five so i’m gonna put it as just one lol)

five things that make me happy

my soft old sheet cover that i still keep even though it’s threadbare

beeeeeeeeeeeees. watching bees. helping bees. purchasing bee related products. letting the bees know i love them.

yuri on ice (not joking it makes me so happy that yoi exists???? end me)

cats. dogs. rabbits. pets in general.

H I S T O R Y and people who wanna talk about history or let me infodump about history

five things on my to-do list

get another cat

go to hadrian’s villa in tivoli (just go back to rome in general)

buy a cream-coloured cable knit jumper and some lovely old gloves

get fit (on my way to this one !!)

read the aeneid

five things people may not know about me

uhh?? i have no idea. i have seven piercings. hopefully more soon.

i love love love oolong tea (particularly the really dark stuff).

i have a terrible fear of large bodies of water and sharks.

i own $450+ worth of comics, mostly deadpool and young avengers (some of them were really hard to get hold of).

i love wilfred owen and war poetry.

ok i tag @jxkaste @just-themys @desastrista @hasensalat @damen-the-fuck-of-a-lifetime :3 do it if you wanna 

[princessasmosprincess]

The Ultimate Musical Theatre Questionnaire

This is not originally mine, the link is below. I just filled in my answers.

Ultimate Musical Theatre Questionnaire

Some of these will include a Top 5-10…

1. What is your “go-to song” when you’re feeling sad?

 It really depends on what “sad” means that day. If I need a boost of confidence “Watch What Happens (Reprise)” or “Once and for All” usually does it. If I need to get out some anger “I’m Done” from Rocky is a fun one to sing. Comforting songs are good too, like “A Little Fall of Rain”.

 Honestly, playing a cast album like Newsies or Cinderella really lifts my spirits.

 2. What Broadway song do you relate to?

SO MANY!

Watch What Happens ~ Newsies

Santa Fe ~ “

If I Loved You ~ Carousel

Before the Parade Passes By ~ Hello, Dolly!

 3. Favorite female voice? Favorite male voice?

 This one is so hard. Obviously this isn’t a complete list but this is what comes to mind at the moment. 

Female:

Barbara Streisand

Laura Osnes

Laura Benanti

Sierra Boggess

Megan Hilty

Kelli O’Hara

Lea Salonga

Phillipa Soo

 Male:

Jeremy Jordan

Alfie Boe

Ramin Karimloo

Santino Fontana

Aaron Tveit

Christian Borle

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hugh Jackman

4. What is your favorite show based off the music?

Bonnie and Clyde

Death Takes A Holiday

Meet John Doe

The Secret Garden

Chaplin

Literally anything Rodgers and Hammerstein. Even if I don’t care for the show, I usually love the music. I love the wit behind the lyrics.

 5. An overrated song.

Seasons of Love ~ Rent (I love to hate this one. It’s catchy and fun to sing… SOMETIMES…)

All I Ask of You ~ The Phantom of the Opera (I read the book, I’ve seen the movie, the live tour, and the 25th anniversary, but I just don’t like Raoul...)

I’m Not Afraid ~ Songs for a New World

Sixteen Going on Seventeen ~ The Sound of Music (there are other really great songs in this show!)

Tomorrow ~ Annie

I Feel Pretty ~ West Side Story (I mean, really, this is one of the defining songs of this amazing show? America, Maria, and Tonight are so much better in my opinion).

Green Finch and Linnet Bird ~ Sweeney Todd

 6. An underrated song.

Without You ~ My Fair Lady (everyone always does “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “I Could Have Danced All Night” but I don’t think those two songs are the best in the whole show).

How Can Love Survive ~ The Sound of Music (this one wasn’t in the movie but it is an amazing song. It’s so witty and the tune is beautiful. Actually I did this one as a solo for a cabaret show).

Raise A Little Hell ~ Bonnie and Clyde (This one gives me chills every time)

 7. An overrated musical

Avenue Q ~ I am so tired of hearing about this one, and I don’t like the concept or the music.

Book of Mormon ~ I know there are a few good songs but as a Mormon and as a decent human being I find it offensive… Jk about the decent human being thing, but still, I don’t like this one…

Rent ~ I do appreciate that it’s based off of La Boheme, and that it’s a very revolutionary piece, but I’m tired of hearing about it.

Cats ~ why?

Chicago

Little Women ~ Everyone has Sutton Foster Fever and they need to stop. She’s a great actress, but there are other actresses out there and these songs are played too much.

Into the Woods

Songs for a New World ~ BIG TIME. It really bothers me that the songs I like from this show are less popular than the ones everyone raves about.

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown ~ Any of the Charlie Brown musicals… I don’t really have a connection and I don’t think the music is particularly clever…

Seussical ~ I’ve been in one full production of this and I also played the Cat in the Hat in a dance recital (that one was actually fun), but I LOATHE this show. It’s very childish, and I get that that’s the point, but it’s really childish. It’s on a similar plane to Charlie Brown in my eyes.

Grease ~ Seriously, the story to this one is terrible. Yeah, go ahead and change yourself for your crush because he’s not man enough to tell his friends and society that your social status shouldn’t matter when you’re in love… Also some of the music gets on my nerves, and I don’t really like the movie either.

A Chorus Line

The King and I ~ Personally not my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein show. There are some good songs but I like some of their other shows far more.

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ~ Ugh…

Cabaret ~ Another really poignant show but no one really focuses much on the story, they just like the suggestive and scandalous songs.

Pippin

Annie

Oliver

Sweeney Todd

Falsettos ~ Now I know I’m going to get a lot of hate for this one but I still had to say it. It is a really great show and I don’t hate it. It’s just there was so much hype before the Tony’s and so much hate directly after.  I just don’t like how negatively people acted when it didn’t win Best Revival. (I thought that Miss Saigon was going to win but whatever). I just really dislike the hate that goes along with not liking this show. I don’t think the writers would have appreciated that, and I don’t really think the actors would either.

 I’m adding an extra category because there are some shows that are overrated but I still like them a lot...

The Lion King ~ -ish… I still like the show, but everyone raves about it when there are some other really great shows out there.

Hamilton ~ Again, I like the show, but everyone is obsessed…

Dear Evan Hansen ~ I don’t know whether it really deserved to win best musical… But then again the lyrics and staging were really on point.

In The Heights ~ There is so much good about this show but I do think it’s a bit overrated...

 8. An underrated musical

Rocky (I think the music is adorable, but then again I’m a South Jersey girl so Rocky holds a special place in my heart)

Love Never Dies ~ Lots of people hate this but I really like it. This is definitely one that you need to actually see to appreciate it. I really like the character development, if you can get past all of the weird Coney Island stuff. Plus, you know I hate Raoul.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Dracula

Show Boat ~ This one is a classic but still, it doesn’t get nearly enough attention.

Death Takes A Holiday

Bonnie and Clyde

Meet John Doe

Chaplin ~ I will never get over how CRIMINALLY underrated this one is.

The Woman in White ~ Why doesn’t anyone talk about this?!

 9. How many cast recording albums do you own?

 Technically… I own Newsies, Cinderella, and the celebrity version of Finding Neverland...

 Of course thanks to the library I was able to download quite a bit to my computer so…

Wicked

Beauty and the Beast

The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary

Bombshell ~ Smash, I count this one.

Mary Poppins

South Pacific

 I also have various songs from some different shows.

 10. Do you buy the whole cast recording, even if there are songs you are not fond of?

Depends. I don’t really have that many. If there’s only a few songs I like I’ll just buy the songs separately, but if I like the majority of the album I would definitely buy the whole thing.

 11. What was the first cast recording you owned?

 Newsies, but I think I had some songs here and there before that.

 12. How many playlists do you have on your mp3 or iPod? If just one playlist, how many songs?

 I’ve got at least 5 different Spotify playlists. Usually I listen to songs on Pandora so I can get some new suggestions.

 13. Song that reminds you of someone else?

Beauty and the Beast ~ Technically the movie version but… This was going to be my parents’ wedding song.

The entire album for Show Boat

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again ~ The Phantom of the Opera

The Love I Meant To Say ~ Smash. Also not really from a show but this one touches my heart so much.

 14. Stephen Sondheim or Andrew Lloyd Webber?

This is a really tough one. I think ALW’s music is a bit more accessible to me and he has many great shows (and some really overrated ones). Stephen Sondheim is also extraordinary, but I like his more melodic songs which can be few and far between. Sondheim is challenging to sing and understand sometimes.

 15. Favorite choreographed number?

 King of New York ~ Newsies

 I’m sure there are others but I can’t think of any right now.

 16. What do you think of shows based around the music of other artists? (i.e. American Idiot, Mamma Mia)

 I like Mamma Mia, and I’ve heard that All Shook Up is really good. If the storyline is as compelling as the music, then I’ll love it.

17. Favorite song cut from a show?

The Truth about the Moon ~ Newsies (I want sheet music so bad!)

One Man ~ Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

 18. Most powerful (vocally) song

Female:

Once Upon A Time ~ Brooklyn

When It All Falls Down ~ Chaplin

 Male:

Who Am I ~ Les Miserables

Raise a Little Hell ~ Bonnie and Clyde

Music of the Night ~ The Phantom of the Opera

 19. Favorite song from your least favorite show.

 I’ll just name one, “Stars and the Moon” from Songs for a New World

 20. No-Dry-Eye Broadway song.

 I cry in almost everything…

Letter from the Refuge ~ Newsies

Santa Fe (prologue) ~ Newsies

Santa Fe ~ Newsies

The entire score to Les Mis

I’ll Be Here ~ Ordinary Days (listen to it and you will bawl your eyes out if you have a soul)

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again ~ The Phantom of the Opera

When the Phantom sings a reprise of “All I Ask of You” during “Past the Point of No Return”. Also his reprise of “Masquerade” at the end and when he sings, “Christine, I love you…”

Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad ~ Bonnie and Clyde

Hold On ~ The Secret Garden

You Don’t Know This Man ~ Parade

 21. Your favorite Broadway duet

Love Songs

If I Loved You ~ Carousel

Something to Believe In ~ Newsies

 Non-Love Songs

A Little Fall of Rain ~ Les Mis

How Can Love Survive ~ The Sound of Music

Chip on My Shoulder ~ Legally Blonde (can’t actually remember if this is a duet or not…)

 22. Do you reenact/sing in front of the mirror/pretend you’re the character when you’re singing along to a song?

All the time.

 23. Top five Broadway songs.

 Nope, can’t do it.

 24. A broadway song that makes you cringe. (i.e. least favorite)

 I’m Not Afraid of Anything ~ Songs for a New World

Seasons of Love ~ Rent

 25. What shows have you seen?

On Broadway:

Newsies (Once with Jeremy Jordan and once with Corey Cott)

Cinderella

Wicked (With Aaron Tveit when I was 13 and didn’t even know who he was…)

 On Tour/Professional:

Mary Poppins

The Phantom of the Opera

Emma The Musical (I don’t think this one has been on broadway but Colin Patrick Hanlon and Annelise Van Der Pol were in it)

Peter and the Starcatcher

 26. If you could play any role on Broadway, what would it be?

Katherine Plumber

  27. Name some stars you’ve met at the stage door.

Jeremy Jordan, Corey Cott (I chased him down the street before the show…), Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Annelise Van Der Pol, Carpathia Jenkins, Andy Richardson, pretty much the entire OBC from Newsies.

 EXCEPT FOR TOMMY BRACCO...

 28. If you could go up to New York and see any and every Broadway show you want to, what would you go see?

 There are so many shows… Right now maybe Dear Evan Hansen or The Great Comet (if it’s still running…)

 29. Which Broadway star do you want to see live more than anyone else?

Laura Osnes, Hugh Jackman, Neil Patrick Harris, Laura Benanti, Christian Borle, Andy Mientus, Santino Fontana.

 30. Favorite Tony Awards host?

Neil Patrick Harris

 31. Least Favorite Musical

 Any of the overrated ones, but for the sake of time Cats.

32. What is your go-to shower song?

 A crazy patter song like “Watch What Happens” (Newsies)

 Also “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” from South Pacific. My grandmother used to sing this song to me when she gave me baths when I was a toddler and young child.

 33. What does Broadway mean to you?

 It’s my life. I love Broadway and everything about it, and one day I will be performing there.

And I’m too tired to write anymore...