#wonderstudies

[notbadweird]

Has it occurred to anyone that the last convo Ej and Gina had before Gina moved was a whole argument and they had no idea where they stood with each other and that boy still decided to buy her a ticket home…fuck💔

[thstarsofsilver]

i think gina calling ej 'ej 1.0' was a form of projection. we see earlier in the season that the idea of '1.0' was used against her by ashlyn & kourtney (although that seems to have been breezed over, considering her relationship with the pair of them is fine). part of her summer of firsts has been trying to experience things like the musical/auditions a) without being gina 1.0 and b) without worrying about or actively trying to shun the image of gina 1.0. i imagine ash & kourt bringing that back up means it's still dwelling in her subconscious, despite her efforts to distance herself from it, and i'm guessing it cut deeper than she let on.

gina & ej have talked in the past about wanting to let go of their '1.0' selves - they've both shown a desire to move on and ensure others don't see them in that way. gina tamped down her ambition probably further than was comfortable, and didn't complain about not getting the lead, and even eventually settled as a co-choreographer. ej who was self-centred and despite his good intentions, acted in rather questionable ways, showed himself going out of his way for others and not rejecting symptoms of his privilege.

that very concept was used against her not long ago, and as gina is (rightfully) hurt, her saying that is partly her striking out and wanting to hurt him, too. not in a particularly malicious way, but in the heat of the moment and in the context of feeling betrayed, and wanting to blow where it'll land.

[team-wonderstudy]

I appreciate the show for giving Gina growth before getting with Ricky but I’ll never forgive them for ruining her friendship with EJ to achieve it

[2ndstringloser]

what i need people to understand is that i’m an ej and gina stan but in like a wonderstudy way not a PW way does this make sense

[regrettable-username]

also idk why exactly lauren had to drop out but i did overhear the swing who ended up performing riley's part (caroline lellouche) say that they learned the second act between shows, which like. fucking phenomenal

[hsmtmtsnet]

DARA RENEÉ as KOURTNEY GREENE 1.03, “The Wonderstudies"

[saw-x]

♡ every episode of hsmtmts ♡ ↳ 1.03 “the wonderstudies”

[ginaporterr]

RICKY & GINA IN EVERY EPISODE ✿ 1x03: The Wonderstudies

[goldengashes]

“It’s the kind of outing that Gina yearned for before she made it to East High and the Wildcats took her in. It’s the kind of outing that people write about, the simple mundaneness creating a perfect time capsule of a moment that could work at any point in history. Gina grasps just how much love and adoration she has in her heart for her friends, but then she’s strolling through the streets of New York after a Juilliard tour with EJ Caswell, joking around as they steal licks of the other’s ice cream, and suddenly it’s a struggle to hold the weight in her chest—in the best way possible. It’s the kind of outing she never wants to forget.”

a lil sketch of the new york trip ice scream stroll from then somebody bends unexpectedly by the amazing and talented @lovelyserpentines

y’all i have NOT forgotten about our wonderstudies <3 exams are finally over for this sem so i think it’s time for a tsbu reread… 🥰

[amesscott]

so since pw didn’t get the payoff that troyella/smitchie did in their movies…

i would have much rather had a s3 storyline with team wonderstudy directing the musical and their expectations of them being a good team/couple being challenged, but ultimately working through it together and coming out stronger in the end

[organic-guacamole]

now that the show is over for good I just gotta say

this show means so much to me and hase since I discovered it in 2021. that time in my life was stressful and hard to get through and through hsmtmts I met some really amazing people on the hsmtmts discord server (at the time there were only 2 servers for the show and one was dead so)

that said, throughout seasons 2 and 3 where some questionable things happened, I looked forward to every Friday (then Wednesday) just because of how fun it was to chat and interact with these people on the server. it was so fun to have inside jokes and playful ship wars and all that. it sounds silly but it made me really happy to have these friends through a screen where the only thing we had in common is loving this show.

I'm such a different person to who I was when I started watching it but every time I rewatch season 1 (10 times and counting y'all) I get transported back and somehow only recall the best parts of that time, the nostalgia from that era overrides the worst and I'm so grateful for that.

I'm so grateful for this show for letting me live out the theatre kid dream I could never sustain irl. thanks to this show I started posting my writing online too, which has opened up a lot more for me too.

not to mention y'all here on Tumblr too:

@wondereternity

@phoebenpiperx

@team-wonderstudy

@pipes-loves-writing

@hydesmolina

@sunshine-julie-molina

@after-nine-at-the-oasis

@ejcaswelll

@ejwaterpolotheatergay

ik I didn't always interact with y'all but you deserve a mention because during the craziness of season 2 and 3 y'all were so hilarious and always had something to say. to me it felt like a proper fandom community on there and I only wish I reached out and interacted more in the past

I'm so happy that this show exists even if I would totally rewrite a lot of things that happened (for example make season 2 and 3 have the vibes that season 1 and now season 4 have, more mature and inclusive of all characters, etc).

but anyway, this is my quota for being sentimental. see y'all around

[notbadweird]

Y’all does it bother anyone else how Gina randomly decided to give a fuck about what Ej’s dad thought AFTER they broke up!?

WHERE WAS THIS ENERGY WHEN HE WAS STRESSING!?

And how Ej realized how its cool to follow your dreams regardless of what your parents think.

THAT MINDSET WOULDVE BEEN PERFECT TO HAVE BEFORE THE BREAKUP TOO

[frozensnetwork]

carolinebowman5: ❄️Thankful for these beautiful women who stepped in and held down the fort these past 2 plus weeks❄️I was blessed to have some present, much needed and necessary time with my family on the east coast knowing they were a smashing it on the west coast. Will always be grateful for wonderstudies❄️

[team-wonderstudy]

“If you hurt her, I’ll never forgive you”

It’s like I am getting my EJ Gina besties again 😭

[27emailsicantsend]

Gina Porter for the character ask! ❤️

Favorite thing about them: I love her ability to ride with wherever life takes her. She doesn’t seem afraid of standing up for herself or taking big risks because, “as a new kid, you either eat or be eaten”. There are so many scenes I can think of where she said a line and I was like “whoa, that was confident ma’am”. I know this comes a little bit from a trauma response on her end, moving around as much as she has, but as someone who struggles standing up for herself and doing things that require bravery, I really look up to Gina Porter. Both she and I can be stubborn, but hers is to help her “push through” challenges and continue on with life, whereas I can end up getting stuck in my problems. I know I’m using a lot of comparison to myself in this ask, but I do see a lot of myself in Gina Porter, so watching her take traits that I want to improve on and make them her heroic qualities, turns her into an outstanding character for me.

Least favorite thing about them: this didn’t happen often, but especially in season 2, she had a really hard time talking through things if someone else asked if she was ok. She would say she was fine and then when she couldn’t hold it in anymore, she would finally speak her truth. I just wonder if her showing a little bit more vulnerability in the moments where people asked if she was ok, would have helped her put down her walls a little sooner. And even then, this is such a small thing because the ask requires it. I genuinely love Gina as a character, so this was a bit hard to write!

Favorite line(s):

“You’re not a maybe, you’re a yes” (no one is surprised)… actually let’s just do the whole speech with this line standing out the most

“But we’re not dating”

*insert Gina’s entire break up speech with EJ*

EJ: We’ve just got to wait for the fireworks to start Gina: “is that a metaphor or…?”

“Don’t get me started”

“I wouldn’t quit on us if I wasn’t moving away”

“I meant what I said about, at the skate park, about you having your own style. I don’t even think I knew how much I meant it when I said it”. “Good night, Ricky”. “No. Awkward? Could not be us”

“Could I hear that acoustic song idea? It sounded cool” Ricky: You serious? “I mean, we’ve got the time” (Ricky had been told by so many people up to this point, especially Nini, that he was just causing problems and taking up space. Gina created more space for him.)

“Come on, then. Let’s watch”

“You just acted like an old version of yourself, I get it. Or maybe it’s just the real EJ of Shallow Lake”

“Hell yeah, we are” (in response to being an awesome pair of wonderstudies)

“Mr. Bowen, would you like to dance?”

“Chicken”

“Walk on the moon… hilariously grounded, Ricky”

“I-I-have it, like-like if you-“

“Open it.”

“I’m your sister, right?”

“I have my eyes set on one thing this summer and one thing only” Ricky: *head empty, crickets* “And I’m gonna get it”

OTP: Rina 💕🥹 (is anyone shocked, just asking the crowd)

nOTP: P*rtwell

brOTP: S1 EJ and Gina (them getting together was necessary for Gina’s development, but wow they would have been so much better off as friends. I truly loved the “Wonderstudies!”)

Something I expect from them season 4 (if applicable): where do I begin… ricky and gina dating, gina and ricky dating, ricky and gina as a couple, rina, rina, rina… lol :)

Rina related:

-Can I Have this Dance where she leads

-the puppy in her arms in the trailer is hers

-she has to spend a lot of time convincing Ricky Mack is harmless

Gina related:

-she is told she won’t have to move again

-she becomes really big because of being a main in the movie (I’m talking famous Hollywood actress)

-I doubt this will be straightforward, but I do think there will be hints about where Gina is going after she graduates and I think she will go to the same city as Ricky, but I could see them putting her in a different school like Troyella OR Ricky goes to college in LA and Gina acts there for her career (skipping college)

Random Headcanon:

-Because Sofia Wylie is celiac and her character makes gluten free treats, Gina is gluten free in my mind too

-In S1, Ricky and Gina were already seeing each other frequently, that’s how come Gina knew where Ricky lived and thought she could “walk him over” to EJ’s. That is also why she said “there is no point of calling me anymore, do you”, because they had already been hanging out and calling each other on a regular basis. We as an audience didn’t see it though. Along these lines, Gina definitely put in a bit more effort to hanging out with Ricky, so when she pulled away it made him sad because he wasn’t seeing her like he was used too.

-Also Gina definitely helped Ricky move into his new apartment^ because how did she know where he lived after the move (while there were still boxes in his living room, mind you)

Unpopular Opinion: Gina was never a lead before moving to East High. Don’t believe me? Go back and rewatch the part where she talks to Nini about “never being an understudy”. A lot of people say Gina going “this is my first time getting the lead” is a plot hole because she says it s1. She actually never does. She only says she was “never an understudy”, with no dialogue about being a lead too. My personal headcanon is that she omitted that part so she could come off more intimidating, when she knew good and well she hadn’t had either. Maybe she was a background character up until that point too.

Song I associate with them:

(They’re all rina related, ofc)

-Bad for Business, Sabrina Carpenter

-Nonsense, Sabrina Carpenter

-Timeless, Taylor Swift

-I Can See You, Taylor Swift

-All of the Girls You’ve Loved Before, Taylor Swift

-Hits Different, Taylor Swift

-Story of Us, Taylor Swift

-Make You Stay, Girl and the Dreamcatcher

-Not Like I’m in Love with You, Lauren Weintraub

-So Good, Halsey

-Better Man, Taylor Swift (the only one not rina related because the second verse/chorus feel directly aimed at EJ)

-Message in a Bottle, Taylor Swift

-Boys like You, Megan & Liz

-Handsome, Megan & Liz

-Jump then Fall, Taylor Swift

-Just a Friend to You, Megan Trainor

-Before I Let You Go, Colbie Caillat

Favorite picture of them: (I tried to find the photo of her in her yellow SOGAE premiere dress on the balcony, but couldn’t :( that was one of my faves. Also, I genuinely considered just posting her entire insta feed because Sofia Wylie is one of the prettiest humans to exist and I will take that to the grave… but here’s my top 5)

[sankta-starkova]

LETTERMAN

005; blocking

previous chapter | next chapter | masterlist

summary: the one where ej and andy reunite after years when they're cast as love interests, finally rekindling their friendship and maybe getting something else out of it as well

Wordcount: 1.3k

EJ followed Nini down the stairs in school, Ashlyn, Andy and all the other theatre kids waiting at the bottom.

It was obvious that Nini was angry with him - and Andy assumed it had something to do with the phone situation from yesterday - but EJ didn't seem to get it.

"But why haven't you answered my texts?" He asked and she turned around with a sigh.

Nini was clearly annoyed but he cared sbout her so much that it clouded his judgement, so he kept pushing.

"Can we not to do this right now, please?" She asked as she saw the group of theirs friends waiting.

"Do what? Are you mad at me?" He questioned, the smile on his face dropping as they stood in the hallway.

She scoffed, finally cracking, "At lunch, I was at the computer lab, bribing some hacker to crack into my phone to recover a message you deleted when you stole it!" Nini yelled out.

Ashlyn and Andy looked at each other, both knowing that the other knew about the phone situation.

The entire group fell silent as they started to listen to the gossip. None of them expected this from the presumably perfect couple.

"Gina's not the wonderstudy I need to worry about, is she?" Nini asked.

"Can we talk about this over the-" EJ started and Nini scoffed, cutting him off.

"Dont," she said, starting to walk off before EJ said her name, making her turn around again.

He had those big wide pleading eyes that Andy recognised instantly, he felt bad, truly.

"I said I loved you and you couldn't say it back. You said it to Ricky, and now I see the way he looks at you and I know you guys have a lot of history," he explained, out of earshot so the others couldn't hear them.

"I could say the same thing about Andy, you two have always been so close and maybe I've always been a bit jealous of that but I'd never steal your phone but Ricky would never steal my phone," Nini said angrily.

EJ scoffed, he was okay with her attacking him but the second that she mentioned Andy, his blood boiled.

"Leave my friendship with Andy out of this. And no, Ricky wouldn't because he just leaves sad-face messages on it asking if you shared a moment," he refuted, her not getting his point.

"Dont make this about Ricky!" Nini said, Andy hearing that bit of the conversation as Ninis voice grew louder.

"And dont make this about Andy. This is about Ricky, I'm just trying to hold onto what we had over the summer," he pleaded, desperation evident in his voice.

When she heard her name, Andy looked at Ashlyn, her eyes wide. She didn't want to be the reason they broke up, even if deep down she wanted EJ. She wasn't a homewrecker.

"Yeah, I was too. But you know what? Summers over," she said and he sighed, watching as Nini walked away from him towards the group.

She walked towards the group of theatre kids who all acted as if they hadn't heard anything at all. Nini was seething, not in the mood for their gossip mongering.

"Is the door locked or something? Why can't we get in?" Nini asked the group, frustration in her voice

"Oh, Natalie Bagleys missing her emotional support hamster. He got loose," Ashlyn explained.

"Yeah, Carlos and Gina are helping her find her. Him. It," Andy said, her gaze landing on EJ before they all heard a high pitched scream.

"I think they found it," Andy said and Ashlyn nodded, looking over at her friend instead of EJ.

It felt like seconds before EJ and Nini started to argue about their relationship again, the theatre group still watching.

"Sometimes a relationship needs one person looking after the other," EJ explained, trying to prove his point, "It wasn't divine intervention that got you into Marian the Librarians costume"

She furrowed her brow in confusion, "What does that mean?" Nini asked and EJ's eyes went wide as he realised what he had said.

It was silent for a while as Nini ran the scenario over in her head, thinking back to the day. When she realised, she shook her head in disappointment.

"You were responsible for Emily Pratt spending opening night in a toilet?" Nini questioned, already knowing the answer.

"I believed in you," he sighed, not knowing what to say, "I slipped her a bad deviled egg, I didn’t think it would actually work,"

It looked like Nini wanted to say something but they were cut off when Natalie walked out with a box along with Carlos.

"Now she thinks he's in her gym locker but we're ready to begin people," Carlos explained, annoyed, looking at everyone as they swarmed inside.

Everyone wanted to get away from the incredibly awkward situation that was going on between Nini and EJ.

When they were inside, Miss Jenn explained that Ricky couldn't make it to rehearsal so EJ had to stand in for him. But EJ and Nini wanted to be nowhere near each other and the awkwardness in the room was so obvious.

"Can you move a little closer to each other?" Miss Jenn asked and they looked at each other, unwillingly stepping closer.

She sighed, not understanding what was going on. Everyone else, however, knew about the relationship problems after it was aired to the whole group.

"Come on guys, this is a love story, not a SARS epidemic," Miss Jenn said and the two stood next to each other.

Ashlyn and Andy watched as Miss Jenn conducted the two into a position, Big Red really confused about how to sort everything on the stage out.

"Take it from 'wow, now that was really nice' okay" Miss Jenn said and the two acted it out, very awkwardly.

Seb started to play the music, the two singing the song until they were practically yelling at each other through the song.

"Okay, freeze" Miss Jenn said as the music stopped, "Nini sweetie, this reprise comes at a decisive moment in the story, once your hearts have joined. Its a love song,"

She shrugged, "Are we not getting that?" Nini asked sarcastically.

"I'd like you to get to his heart without cracking his ribcage," Miss jenn explained sarcastically before Ricky ran in.

"Sorry I'm late! My mum caught an earlier flight. Where are we?" He asked, dropping his bag.

"Scene seven," Carlos said and Ricky nodded his head.

He reached into his bag, rummaging around for a little bit before sighing and looking up at the group, cheeks flushed in exhaustion and embarrassment.

"I don't have it. Could I borrow-" he started before Miss Jenn cut him off.

"You need your script Ricky, and a pencil. It's a blocking rehearsal," Miss Jenn explained.

"Ricky, you can have my spare," Andy said, feeling sorry for her friend.

She knew about the problems that he was going through at home and if his mother had come home early than it meant something bad had probably happened.

"Actually, you can't," Miss Jenn said, "When you come to rehearsal people, you come prepared,"

Suddenly, Natalie ran in crying and after talking to her, Miss Jenn asked if she could speak to Ricky privately, the two beginning to walk off.

"Are we done?" Ashlyn asked and Miss Jenn nodded.

"We are. Take a note Miss Darbus, this is what a frustrated drama teacher looks like," Miss Jenn said before walking off.

"That was eventful," Gina said and Andy laughed, looking over at her. The two of them weren't super close, but they didn't hate each other. 

"Wasn't it just," Andy said as she started to pack her things away.

She had never seen a more dramatic rehearsal before, not in her past two years of doing high school theatre.

"The only issue with rehearsal ending early is that I have to wait ages for mum to pick me up," Gina explained as she slung her backpack over her shoulders.

"Why don't you come round mine for a bit, we can work on the dance for a little while, and I'm sure your mum won't mind," Andy suggested.

Gina smiled, it was the first time someone had really asked her to hang out somewhere since she got here.

"Yeah, that sounds great, I'll text my mum," Gina said with a smile on her face, Andy smiling back at her.