#tried to start the sidequest with larry

[direwombat]

on a narrative level i genuinely think it’s so funny that john’s chosen parties are the only ones you can actually outrun. like faith’s whole thing is that she gets you through prolonged bliss exposure and jacob’s chosen are likely the cream of the crop, but to me this suggests that john’s chosen are the ones who couldn’t cut it up north and that they’re just like...morons...

[ravenoftheskyes]

Dear Evan Hansen, We’ve been way too out of touch. (Yes, this is a persona fanfic)

(AN: @yusuke-of-valla’s blog, PQ2 but they’re doing DEH.)

“Cmon, Mona! Swallow your pride for me, just nod yes! Act like a mascot for once! For Ann?” Ren says, laughing.

“And prepare, cause something’s in the air!~” quite a few voices speak up.

“I’ve found my people!” Ren screams out, seeking out the voices.

The rest of the sidequest involved Ren, Makoto, Haru, Yusuke, Ann, Goro, Futaba, Yosuke, Rise, Minato, and Minako singing a bunch of musical songs.

Everyone threw Minato and Minako a heathers preformance because Heathers wasn’t out yet in their time.

And then...

“A preformance!” Ren says, flourishing a script.

“A what?” Minako said to him.

“We’re going to preform Dear Evan Hansen!” Futaba says, with an excited look on her face.

“What’s that?” Rise asks, confusedly.

“A musical! It’s kinda dark, but it’s got some killer songs and some hilarious moments!” Ann says, quickly.

“Okay, so who do you want us to be?” Minato asks, immediately bringing everyone on board.

“Okay, I was thinking that Yosuke could be Jared, Haru could be Alana, Yusuke could be Connor, Makoto could be Heidi, and Minato could be Zoe. But there’s are three roles that I have no idea who could be them.” Ren explains.

“Well, what are the characters?”

“Evan, our protag is depressed, oblivious, and ridiculously in love with Zoe. Larry and Cynthia are Connor and Zoe’s parents. They need to be able to argue at a moment’s notice.”

Minato and Minako share a look.

“We might know some people who could fill those roles.” Minako says, a smirk playing at her lips.

And they leave the room.

Twenty minutes later, they drag in Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Yu.

“If I’m Zoe, then my husband should be Evan, shouldn’t he?”

“And you haven’t seen these two really get into an argument.”

Ren smiles.

“Looks like we have our cast!”

And rehearsals begin immediately, with scripts and listens of the songs.

Finally, Makoto and Mitsuru start off “Anybody have a map?”

“Connor finished the-” Minato starts, swinging the milk carton behind him and accidentally hitting Akihiko, who was standing behind him.

“Shit, you alright?” Minato says, basically carrying Akihiko at this point.

“Yeah, fine.” He says, clearly with a broken nose.

Mitsuru sighs and pulls out her evoker.

“Diarahan” she says, with a tight-lipped frown.

And that was only the start.

“Life without you has been rough” Yu starts

“Kin-HAHAHAHAHA” Yosuke tries to say.

He ended up laughing for a full minute.

Ren, Minako, and Hikari hold back snickers.

Requiem comes along.

“Why should I play the grieving gir-”

Minato tries to sing, and ends up yawning.

“Wow, you can’t even stop yawning during a preformance?” Yu quips.

And Minato, deadpan as always, says this.

“I want a divorce.”

Minako and Ren try so, so hard to not die of laughter.

And when they finally get to the end of act 1...

“Even when the dark comes crashing through, you will be found. When you need someone to carry you, you will be found! You will be found!”

Minato and Yu lean in for the kiss.

“Haha!” Futaba yells out, just as their lips are about to meet.

“Futaba! You killed the moment!” Ren yells back to her.

“S-Sorry! It’s just that Hikari told me something hilarious!”

Minako whispers something under her breath.

“Take two!” Hikari says.

“Say darling, hey maybe, fancy a movie night with us?” The wildcards say in sync.

“You guys really need to stop that.”

“No!”

There was somewhat smooth sailing until Good for You.

“And you say what you need to say, and you play who you need to play, and If somebody’s in your way crush them and leave them behind!”

Yu breaks down in tears.

“Cut the music!” Someone screams out.

“Yu, it’s all an act. Please calm down.” Makoto says, with her head in her hands

“Yeah, partner.” Yosuke says, touching Yu’s arm.

“I’m sorry! I’m not a theater kid! I don’t know how to do this!” Yu cry-yells

“Yu, seriously? This is why you join the drama club.” Minato chimes in.

“Oh, and I suppose you’re a part of yours?!”

“...We don’t have a drama club.”

“Technically, we do.” Mitsuru chimes in.

“We have one?!” Minako yells out.

“Well, on paper at least, SEES is the drama club.”

“We’re the WHAT NOW?!”

“...It’s not important, anyhow. The true purpose is to fight shadows, is it not?”

“Is that why Ms. Toriumi sometimes asks me to do dramatic readings in class?” Minato asked, with a degree of uncertainty.

“Most likely, yes.”

“Revelations aside, let’s try again. We need to get this perfectly!” Hikari says, cutting off the conversation.

So they stumble through the rest of the songs, and start with the dialogue.

“You went lurching from one miracle cure to the next.” Akihiko yells.

“Miracle cure? Is that really what you call it?!” Mitsuru says, with all the emotion of a grieving mother.

And then sparks and ice start surrounding them.

“Oh, no-” Minato says out, just as Mitsuru accidentally freezes Akihiko.

“Akihiko!” Mitsuru says as she snaps out of her stupor and catches her frozen best friend.

Shinjiro runs in. “WHAT’S GOING ON MY IDIOT-FRIEND-SENSES ARE TINGLING!”

After they thaw out Akihiko and try again, a similar thing happens. Akihiko shocks her.

Shinjiro has to start sitting in because otherwise his friends are going to kill each other.

Finally, dress rehearsals. Akihiko borrows Yu’s glasses, Yosuke wears his, and everyone dresses a bit more casually. Yusuke’s hair gets poofed up by Ren and Ann.

“Why am I lowkey weak for Inari?! I shouldn’t be lowkey weak for Inari!” Futaba yells out.

Everyone else, is of course, also lowkey weak.

Songs start again.

“Oh, damn!” Minato says as he watches the milk carton fly into the ceiling. “I’ll get it!”

“I’m gonna say the M word!” Futaba yells out, suddenly.

“NO!” Half the team screams.

“Macbeth!” She yells out.

“AAAAAAAA” Minato yells, as he falls off the ladder.

“...Countercurse time?”

“YEAH!”

“What happened??” Minato questions.

“Futaba said the M word!” Minako tells him.

“WHY WOULD YOU SAY THE M WORD IN A THEATER?!”

“If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here, whilst these visions did appear.” Futaba recites.

“Thank you!” Ren told her.

“What’s this superstition? Why shouldn’t you say M-” Yu questions.

“NO!” Once again, half the cast yells.

“Call it ‘The Scottish Play’ or ‘The Bard’s Play’ in a theater” Minako starts.

“Basically, there are multiple stories. Some say it’s because the first ‘Lady’ died and Shakespeare had to go on in her place. There was also the one where the prop daggers were switched for real ones and Duncan was murdered live on stage. There’s also the one that says the spells in the play are actual spells and Witches cursed it because of that.” Ren informed Yu.

“...Oh”

“Yeah. So never say the M-word in a theater.”

“Okay.”

Finally, the preformance.

...You think everything ended here? Oh no, mistakes always happen.

“Dear Evan Hansen, thanks for every note you send!”

“Dear Connor Murphy, I’m just glad to be your friend!”

“Our friendship goes beyond...”

Yu dips Yusuke.

“Your average kind of bond!”

They lean in.

“But not because we’re gay!”

Yu drops Yusuke.

“No, not because we’re gay!”

Yusuke says, as he jumps up. Everyone laughs.

“Did you plan that?! Did you?!” Ann whisper-screams to Ren.

“No! Not at all!” He whispers back.

And then the “You Will Be Found” situation.

The company starts singing. And then we get to Zoe’s part.

Yu trips Minato. Minato is literally pinning Yu to the floor. Minato keeps singing, and then leans in for the kiss when it’s time.

All the other theater kids beg for Yu not to mess up with Akihiko and Mitsuru.

The rest of the show goes without incident.

The finale comes in, and the curtain goes down.

Raucous applause follows it.

...It was hard, but they did it.

[antialiasis]

FAR TOO EARLY THOUGHTS ON GROUNDHOG DAY THE MUSICAL

Because I am, ahem, a little actually full-on obsessed with this thing right now. Damn you Tim Minchin and your delicious deliciously dark serious humour.

(Far too early because I have not seen it and have no idea what I’m talking about and am trying to judge exclusively from listening to the soundtrack a lot, ahaha clearly I am Qualified to comment on it)

So in lieu of being able to actually see the musical, I rewatched the movie the other day, and along with some repeat listens to the soundtrack, it gave me Thoughts.

The movie is a fairly straight comedy. There is an element of existential horror to the premise, but it’s pretty much entirely played for laughs. Phil accepts the bizarre situation he’s in without much fuss aside from comical confusion and annoyance. There is, yes, the suicide montage (the most memorable part of the movie by far for me, because I am me). But it’s kicked off by the absurd, hilarious sequence where Phil kidnaps the groundhog, steals a car and then dramatically drives it off a cliff. “He might be okay,” Larry comments before the car explodes, then, “Well, no, probably not now.” Definitely played for laughs, and while the following montage isn’t comical in the same way until after the end (”I really, really liked him. A lot.”), it’s too short to actually whip back from comedy to any kind of serious emotional impact.

The premise of Groundhog Day interestingly invites the viewer to consider how the people around them are also people living their own lives, whose lives might be positively or negatively impacted by one’s own actions - Phil gets to know the life story of practically everyone in Punxsutawney, and eventually his character growth comes in the form of deciding to be a positive force in the lives of all these people - at least for this one day. But it is a bit of a shame that despite this premise, the supporting characters in the movie are pretty one-note and not very fleshed out - Rita gets to be a real, developed person who reacts to Phil in organic and fairly believable ways, but characters like Ned Ryerson are just standard exaggerated comedy people, who we get to see being exaggerated comedy people in a few different variations. It’s hard to truly get a sense that Phil has come to care about these people, because the movie doesn’t make them seem like actual people, just obstacles in his path that he eventually learns his way around. (Or, if you appreciate video game analogies, they are pretty much just NPCs with little sidequests that he’s learned to speedrun). As a result, I actually find his character development less convincing than it could be - there are really good moments that strengthen it (when he realizes on the day that he’s honest with Rita about what’s happening that she’s an infinitely better person than he is, and when he tries to save the homeless man), but the actual bit with him trying to help everyone in town falls flat in comparison, becomes a mere comedy routine rather than giving a real sense that he’s changed as a person.

So, what I’ve noticed from the soundtrack of the musical version is that it takes the premise a lot more seriously than the movie ever did, which is pretty exciting. Phil’s suicidal despair is actually dwelt on a bit and gets a pretty serious song exploring his tortured mental state as he tries to kill himself repeatedly - I also gather that his first suicide attempt involves him shooting the groundhog and himself with a gun, which definitely sounds a lot less comical than the version in the movie, although I can’t confirm that myself (God I want to see this show). And the second act appears to go to pains to spotlight at least two of the supporting characters (Nancy and Ned) as real people with their own rich inner lives, not simply props in Phil’s personal universe, which I imagine probably makes it a lot more genuine and rewarding when Phil starts to truly treat them that way. I really dig that; I hope that’s what they were going for and that it’s doing more of that (although obviously they wouldn’t have time to give a spotlight to every bit character).

ANYWAY. The soundtrack. I have listened to it enough to start to really appreciate the songs. Here are my favorites, not in much of a particular order.

Hope

Obviously. This song was written for me specifically, thank you Tim. Even if it weren’t about suicide, it’s a beautiful song and I love Andy Karl’s voice.

Favorite lyrics:

After acid and gas and guns and razors and rope, you may want to live but baby, don’t give up hope - I have buttons okay. In fact I’m pretty sure I have a special button just for characters listing off suicide methods, in pretty much any context; I seem to recall this just always gets me. Why? Who knows, but either way, FFFF

And in your head that leaden dread, the fucking roads have all been trod and there’s no way and there’s no God and God, oh God, this goddamn weather will last forever - leave it to Tim Minchin to punch me in the gut with precision F-strikes and repeated invocations of God.

Day Three

I just like listening to his mounting incoherent desperation. It makes me grin helplessly. Again, I have buttons. Also, the actual music is glorious, taking Day One and twisting it around and making it sound hellish and sinister. It’s great.

Favorite lyrics:

No. No. No! No! Come on! Don’t ring! Do not ring! Do not-- God, this--the hell’s happening? This--goddamn! God... damn! Somebody! Okay. I can figure this out. Figure it out, come on! Christ! Come on! Oh, damn it! Oh, God! What the hell! Help me! - yes, good, this is exactly what I wanted from this musical, A++

Day One

This one’s just really catchy. I have had it stuck in my head for days (specifically the first half, what I think people refer to as “Small Town, U.S.A.”, although on the track listing it’s just Day One).

Favorite lyrics:

And I’ve no qualm at all with your small-town people, I admire their balls getting out of bed at all to face another day in a shithole this small - just look what a gloriously condescending dick he is.

If I Had My Time Again

I really love this song musically, but the lyrics are even better; Rita with all her dreams and ambitions and desire to do things better is such a fantastic contrast to exactly how inane and self-centered Phil’s activities have been. I’m assuming this is played as the trigger for his character development, and it’s exactly spot-on. In the movie he just says that she’s such a much better person than he is; the musical shows it, in a way so achingly clear that there’s just no way for Phil to not see it himself.

Favorite lyrics:

Rita’s I always dreamt of learning how to dance / it’s so exciting / a new beginning every morning / to have the time to strive for more, interlaced with Phil’s Sometimes I go out without pants / I slept with 90% of women in Punxsutawney between 18 and 84 / and one dude when I was bored - Phil, striving for more.

Similarly, Rita’s I always fancied learning how to climb / I’d study math / and search for meaning / and run up hills / and learn to paint / just to know I can simultaneous with Phil’s I once masturbated seven times / in the bath / in one evening / it wasn’t fun but still / a man my age / it’s nice to know I can / it’s nice to know I can - w o w. Who wouldn’t slink back and rethink their entire life after this. (Also, it’s hilarious.)

And if you knew the endless nights that I have wasted getting wasted contemplating different ways to suicide - never mind me, just me and my buttons again.

One Day

I actually mostly love this one musically, but it’s also just a great ramble from Rita developing her character, and alongside its humour it establishes she has a bit of a romantic fantasy going on beneath a lot of layers of cynicism, setting up why she might nonetheless end up falling for a guy in the space of a day.

Favorite lyrics:

And I’d rather be alone if the only other option is succumb and settle down with some condescending clown with a great rating from some dating service, some self-professing Mr. Perfect, another narcissistic legend made a million out of hedge funds, another sexually ineffectual self-obsessing metrosexual pseudo-intellectual getting drunk and existential every time the Steelers lose a game - Tim Minchin in full form.

ANYWAY, I am a little obsessed, hopefully I can think a little less about this now that I’ve gotten some of it out of my system.