#like the first scene he's in is just... him hugging nini and being like !!!! this is my wonderful amazing talented girlfriend nini :D

[taylorkellyreporting]

i hope no one minds if i liveblog this bitch: hsmtmts 2x01-2x12

gina saying ‘i’m gonna make my mark’ while walking through nini and ricky, causing them to break their handhold…yeah.

poor gina, she likes ricky so much

that was harsh, ricky didn’t deserve that.

oh my God, nini’s ‘team kourt’ pullover is so cute

blondie has a great voice but she’s a shit person, i have to say

kourt, ash and gina did so good but i kinda wish ashs voice wasn’t at the forefront

i officially hate blondie, how dare her laugh at big red falling???

ashlyn as belle my beloved <3

I KNEW SHE WAS A SPY

the hearts on nini’s face, aw

lmfaoooo he’s in denver

‘…i’m taking it in stride’ ‘you’re dressed in all black’ pls

big red saying valentine’s day is centered around the color red so he should have it on lock and pointing to his hair was hilarious i love him

ricky definitely has some buried feelings for gina cause there’s no other reason why their scenes are now slightly awkward in that cute way it is when characters have mutual feelings for each other and don’t know how to act esp when one half is in a relationship 🤭

‘there are just some things i tell you that i don’t tell anybody else’ ‘i think we do that for each other’ who else is doing it like them? definitely not rini lmao

not ricky shushing gina cause nini’s calling??? now why would he do that if he didn’t feel slightly guilty for hanging out with her? emotionally cheating ricky we love you🫂

big red and ashlyn are so adorable together

GOD RICKY AND THE CHOCOLATES, I CANT BREATHE

the way ricky immediately sent that text to gina, he’s so fucking obvious 😭

‘love you, mom!’ seb is so cute

kourt as lead when??

ricky’s fucking face when he sees nini’s voicemail and gina’s text 😭

reds song was saurrr cute

ricky’s down so bad, gina didn’t even say anything funny and he immediately lost it

‘what, do i need to send you a random box of chocolates to prove it? 😏’ gina is literally the only one so far who brings out ricky’s flirty side

‘i go big, gina. you know that.’ GOD

kinda wanna throw hands with mr mazzara for being there for ej but not willing to be there for ricky earlier

need someone to notice something’s wrong with gina and hug her

is gina leaving again? kinda getting that vibe

gina’s performance was AMAZING

WOW i think that’s genuinely the best cover of ‘the climb’ i’ve ever heard

‘i’ve never been accused of being speechless’ 🫂

oh wow, they stole their beauty and the beast idea

‘i’m ready to come home’

‘what would you ask your future self?’ ‘trick question, gaston’s dead!’ he’s not wrong 😭

ricky’s allergic to change and it’s definitely his parents fault

‘i wouldn’t quit on us, if i wasn’t moving away’

‘nini’s back and…he’s so happy now’ SHE DESERVES TO BE HAPPY, TOO!!!!

espionage 😭😭

gina finally got a hug 🥹

ricky saying he’d ask if the beast and belle were still together in the future + nini writing that song…yeah, they were built to fall apart

‘oh my God, is your phone hungry?!’ lmfaoooo

‘do you really think they’d steal from us?’ ‘i would :D’ pls?? gina’s so funny 😭

‘if you leave me unsupervised with their costumes i cannot promise i won’t go all gina 1.0 in there’ lmfao i love her

the way i gasped in sync with everyone else when that kid called the costume fugly 😭

ricky and nini is the worst relationship on the show

OH MY GOD???

okay, i did NOT see howie being the beast coming

‘miss jen, we didn’t break anything’ ‘would you like me to be the first?’ miss jen said her hands are rated E for everyone

‘keep our heads down and our chins up’ ‘i don’t think that’s physically possible’ ‘it’s an expression, sebastian!’ she’s so done with him 😭

rini needs to end, they aren’t good together at all

i already hate ej’s dad, he sounds so full of himself and he’s only said a few words lmao

kourt’s mom is the best parent on the show i fear

damn, all the relationships are imploding this ep

i would’ve preferred gina and ej just being friends tbh

i feel bad for nini and ricky of course, but their relationship was not it

okayyyy an andi mack reunion!! i’m here for it!

i love the song and video they made, i just wish ricky was there, too

gina is so damn shippable cause why am i here thinking her and jack would be cute together

ricky’s song is so good

ej showing up at the airport…ricky should’ve ran into gina there on his way home and they should’ve taken an uber together or something

‘i think i may have played troy at one point’ pls 😭

lily’s incredibly annoying

seblos 🥹

oh fuck, ricky fell 😭

the musical is really good

A BIG BROTHER FIGURE, I’M CRYING

lily stole the harness, didn’t she?

well.

‘i’ve always seen your name in lights’ oh my God, they’re so cute!!!

why can’t gina ever just be happy?!?

Gina and nini’s friendship (i use that word loosely lmao) is cute

nini being more upset about her and gina than ricky and gina…she doesn’t give a fuck about him dkgjfjs

oh wow, gina’s definitely gonna introduce nini to her brother

‘are you happy?’ miss jen is already better than both of ricky’s parents just by asking that simple question

i’m so glad they dropped out

oh brother

the cast performing you are the music in me 🫶🏻🥹

aww, olivia crying 🥺

that’s a wrap on s2 and if you made it to the end of this lb, pat yourself on the back lmfao

#hsmtmts lb #long post #hsmtmts #anti rini #anti portwell #ricky bowen #gina porter #nini salazar roberts #kourtney greene #ej caswell #ashlyn caswell #big red hsmtmts #carlos rodriguez #rina #seblos #ricky x gina #gina x ricky

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

Hi y'all! Looks like I'm going to continue doing character analysis lol. So, it's time for HSMTMTS Appreciation Week Day Two: Favorite Dynamic

Now, my favorite dynamic is seblos. And I will talk about them a bit, but I talked about them yesterday, so I wanna focus on some of the others :).

First of all, Ricky being besties with anyone heals my soul <3. He's just such a good friend. With Big Red, with Carlos, with Nini when they weren't together (think season 1), with everybody really. Also, @phoebenpiperx wrote an amazing fic about his friendship with Seb this I totally recommend, and totally believe now as well.

But anyway, about Big Red, for example. They're like, the most supportive besties ever. They tell each other all the tea, they're always there to cheer each other on (BATB auditions, the fact that Big Red joined crew accidentally just because he wanted to be there for Ricky, etc). And one of the moments I love the most is Ricky coming after his breakup with Nini. Big Red just immediately gets up and hugs him. Also, an underrated part of their friendship is how they manage to make each other laugh. Like Big Red in 1x05 when he starts pretending to be Gina. I just- honestly I love them so much <3.

Not to talk about another Ricky dynamic lol, but I love his dynamic with Carlos! And the thing I find really interesting, is it kinda reminds me of his and Gina's dynamic. Not dating, obviously, but think about it. In season 1, Ricky and Gina have a special connection in the beginning because they're both outsiders. Carlos and Gina have that same connection, explored with the co-choreographer thing in season 2, but it's a bit more tumultuous (thinking of 2x04). And Ricky and Carlos do as well. I've never spent too much time thinking about it before, but it's interesting. Of course, all of the Wildcats are outsiders to some degree (that's kind of how theatre is lol), but it's definitely highlighted in the way these three interact with each other. And yet somehow, those three relationships are all completely different. It's SO good, and it's how you know the writing is good.

Lastly (besides a bit about seblos), I wanna talk about Kourtney and Seb! I seriously love their relationship :D. It's just so cute 🥰. And theatre family (Kourtney being Seb's mother lol) really can go deep lol. I've consistently called someone my ex-husband for a year (as in "Hi ex-husband" "Hi ex-wife"), and that show didn't even go on lol. Also, their friendship gave us the wonderful "Seb was struck by lightning" information, which is lovely xD. Now one thing I personally think exists in their dynamic, but we don't really see, is being "side characters". Like, not literally, and Kourtney has definitely been getting more and more focus (as she should!!), but more in their lives. Kourtney as costumer, Seb as accompanist. Kourtney as Nini's best friend. And as I mentioned yesterday in my last post, I see Seb as kind of "the positive one". And sometimes that can be isolating. I'm not quite sure how to explain what I'm thinking here lol, but I hope it's getting across. I just think they have kind of a commonality in stuff like that. Also, I'm pretty sure they're gonna be sharing the bond of Sharpay soon (as in technically we don't know Kourtney is Sharpay yet, but like xD it seems pretty likely lol), so that's another point xD. And of course, them telling each other they can do anything in 1x08, and the ~thinking jazz~ scene in 2x03 are both amazing and so lovely :'D. They just genuinely listen to each other, and try to help each other out (even when dealing with their own stuff), and I love that for them :).

Anyway! Now a bit about seblos. I'm not gonna repeat what I said yesterday, but I do want to say a few more things about them! First of all, their reactions after Carlos asks Seb to homecoming are ADORABLE!! The fact they were both equally excited kills me (in the best way possible) :)) :'DD. Also, I of course have to mention the significance of dance in their storyline - Carlos giving Seb lessons, homecoming, In a Heartbeat, and Camp Prom. There may even be more! It's just such a sweet parallel :'). And it's especially cool to see since Rina has the same thing - and they seem to be the longest lasting endgame couples (based on Rina's development, not when they started dating). Interesting 👀. Also, considering that dance is so important to Carlos (and it's widely thought of in the fandom that Carlos really only had dance for a long time), and seems significant to Seb (from being the only musical theatre person in his family), it's extra sweet to see it brought into their relationship :'). And don't even talk to me about how the whole video situation in 2x05 relates to that. I guess I'm just kind of thinking, they had dance in different ways, and dance kind of honestly brought them together, and it continued into their relationship :). Oh and speaking of 2x05, Seb wanting to do all of that for Carlos is literally the cutest thing ever <33. They love each other so much your honor, and I love them :'D.

And to think I thought this post would be short lol. But, I hope y'all enjoyed reading my thoughts on some of the relationships in HSMTMTS. Don't get me wrong though,I totally love every one, and I may talk about some more I'm the future :D. But yeah! I had fun with this :). Hopefully I can do something for each day! I'm definitely enjoying getting to share my thoughts about some of my favorite characters (and such) :D.

#hsmtmts #oasis's hsmtmts chatter #high school musical the musical the series #seblos #seb matthew-smith #carlos rodriguez #kourtney greene #ricky bowen #gina porter #big red redonovich #big red #thanks for reading y'all :)! #seriously I'm having a lot of fun with this lol #I love thinking about my favorite characters and doing so is making me even more excited :D #which is helpful as another hyperfixation (rehyperfixation honestly) tries to sneak up on me lol #none of the existing or maybe future ones I was worried about either xD #anyway!! #seriously thinking about writing that seblos fic 👀 #and I think/hopefully writing about them (though in an anaysis way lol) is giving/going to give me some more ideas :)! #so that's handy :D #but yeah!!! #hsmtmtsnet #hsmtmtsweek23 #love y'all :DDD ❤️❤️!!! #byeee :))) 🥰🥰🥰🥰 <333!!!!

[nyikondlovu]

Been seeing a lot of completely wrong information about my himbo son Richard Bowen, Rina and the dynamic he has with Gina and EJ so let’s clear up the air.

Hold my hand, walk with me those without media literacy:

“He only wants Gina now that she’s taken“ false, looking back on S1 and S2 you can see how much Gina has always meant to him whether you wanna view with as platonic or romantic it doesn’t take away from the fact that he does care for Gina. him having romantic feelings or admitting them out loud is just a natural progression from the feelings. and it’s backed up by the fact that Tim writes Ricky/Joshua and Gina/Sofia scenes because of their chemistry. He wouldn’t have a ship he likes not care about each other.

“Ricky jumps from relationship to relationship“ again that’s not true he dated Nini. they took a break, Nini started dating EJ then he got involved in the EJ and Nini relationship and started dating her again. he went out with Lily once or twice but as far as we know they weren’t dating. he’s had ONE relationship and one almost relationship, he’s not jumping from relationship to relationship.

“He needs to be single for a while and go to therapy“ did you know you can go to therapy while in a relationship? I know it’s crazy! it’s crazy! Ricky‘s biggest problem was with change thats what caused his relationship with Nini to falter, he wouldn’t accept change. he’s begun to accept it now so in that aspect of relationships he would do fine because he’s begun to accept that relationships and people change. he could get therapy for other things but you don’t have to be single to go to therapy

“He’s getting in the middle of Gina and EJ“ where? Episode one he shows up for a second and he goes “group hug?” Being the goofy Ricky we know.

Episode two, he and Gina repair their friendship, is he getting in the middle of anything there? No.

Episode three they get lost in the woods they weren’t running off together. Everyone knew where they were going, they invited EJ! they just happened to get lost, he didn’t try to put any moves on her he was just being friendly because he was respecting her relationship.

Episode four, he was jealous however he never let that blind him, he understands that Gina is in a relationship and he is not trying to get in the middle of it, season one Ricky was already in the middle of EJ and Nini‘s relationship this seasons Ricky is mature enough to put Gina‘s needs first.

Episode five, The only time he lets slip how he feels about Gina is when they’re singing and even then he doesn’t tell her. when she leaves after it gets too intense he apologizes to her because he feels he made her uncomfortable, he doesn’t want to get in the middle of the relationship really he wants what’s best for her he told Jet “Gina is my friend, I want what’s best for her“ the only reason Ricky‘s feelings were out is because he was confiding in his friend Carlos.

Ricky is literally not getting in the middle of anyone’s relationship: EJ and his secrets? THAT could be a problem in the relationship; EJ not remembering that Gina is in her first relationship? THAT could be a problem; EJ not remembering that Gina is putting down roots for the first time? THAT could be a problem; EJ’s jealousy about Ricky and Gina‘s friendship? THAT could be a problem.

However Ricky? Ricky is not instigating anything nor is he actively fighting ‘for’ Gina he’s just there to support her as her friend, to help her shine as her leading man and just enjoy summer with his friends after a shitty year.

I guess y’all will have to find some other lame excuse not to ship them because in one episode Ricky shut down the ‘Rina was one-sided’ allegations.

Anyway go stream What Do You Know About Love on YouTube, on Spotify and on Apple Music.

Ricky pining and crying over Gina next episode and Rina endgame incoming 🫶🏾

#ricky bowen #gina porter #Rina #rina hsmtmts #hsmtmts 3x5 #elton john caswell #Richard bowen #gina x ricky #ricky x gina #Ricky Bowen x gina Porter #let’s be for real #like Ricky is SILENTLY in love with Gina #he isn’t hurting anyone #but the other girl SHOULD be afraid #be fucking for real

[27emailsicantsend]

Do you think Ricky will write a song for Gina in s4? I NEED this!! What are some things you hope to see from Rina in s4?

I literally collapsed when I saw this ask because the idea of this makes me SO happy. I would LOVE to see him write her a song. I also wrote in my last fic that Gina wrote Ricky a song by borrowing his guitar :') so I would genuinely be happy for both. Or what if they wrote a song together?? It would all be beautiful.

And even more amazing is the second part of this question... which is so, so much. I kind of wrote in that fic mentioned earlier (Of Converse and Pavement) things that might be cute from them and I made a list of a bunch of headcanons for s4/s5 I'd like to see. All of these are located in the description. Since those are more fantasies, I will answer this with things I feel like we could *realistically* see and I would really love to see (I apologize if some are redundant from my fic/headcanons):

-Rina "Can I Have This Dance"... I don't think I need to say more

-I think it would be hilarious if Rina went as peter/gwen or mj for a couples costume on halloween because of how involved it is in the fandom. Tim has had to see us screaming about that, right??

-Ricky showing up at Gina's door and/or Gina showing up at Ricky's door but he gives her a massive hug and kiss when he sees her

-I made a theory about this, but when rina says their I Love You's they parallel the first "Oh. Oh?" scene in season 1, but this time it's a pleasant shock and reciprocated

-Not a jealous gina per say, because I don't see that happening, but some sort of acknowledgement from Ricky that he is over Nini. Like maybe someone mentions her and he kind of shrugs it off (kindly) or he says "I've never felt this way about anyone" to Red and Red goes "what about Nini?" and Ricky says, "like I said, I never felt this way about anyone. Gina is different"... idk something along those lines :')

-I genuinely think we are getting a rina secret dating era, even if it's just the conflict of one or two episodes. The way corbin intentionally made sure the camera was turned off, the doc, the "students having to deal with new fame and the complications of it", it all feels like rina is going to try to keep their cool in public so things don't get bad for them

-I think at the very least Vanessa is going to make a guest appearance from some of the things she has said in interviews, but if Zac comes back too (which would be such a shame for him not to with everyone else... even as a surprise in the finale), we will have at the very least some sort of parallel to them and rina. Even just them standing by each other in similar clothes all the way to some meta conversation, even if Vanessa is the only one to guide it. I just feel like it is so on the nose; it would be weird for the show not to point it out in some way with those characters in the room.

-This is a teeny bit of a "I don't know for sure this will happen and it's likely it won't", but I would LOVE for rina to get a second chance at homecoming!

-Ricky as troy, gina as gabriella (and possibly them somehow somehow missing part of opening night to parallel movie 3)

-ricky just being heart eyes and absolutely dumbfounded at every breath gina takes because let's be real that's been him all 3 seasons so it won't be anything new

-There is a tik tok that looks like gina is at ricky's house, but her eyes almost look watery? I don't think it will be anything bad between their relationship, but I see her actually seeking him for comfort instead of running this time. Or maybe, even better, they have a sweet conversation that makes her cry happy tears :')

-To add onto the last one, I feel like it would be an absolute crime for them to not have one scene of Gina making something and ricky at the very least watching her do it (it would be even better, and my personal headcanon, that when she is hanging at ricky's house they are making something together <3)

-I think ricky is going to sing scream, which means he is going to have tough decisions to make about his life after college. Although gina won't be in the scene directly, I see him having at least a couple of scenes where he mentions her and how she will affect his course of plans for his life after high school. It will just be a really sweet way to show how much she really benefits his life.

-I think we are getting some variation of the chocolates confession. I know tim scrapped it for the finale, but I don't think he is getting rid of it. Not every viewer is on social media, so a lot of his scenes look like plot holes without this key piece of info. I think we might get a flashback or at the very least a conversation where ricky confesses this. Maybe this is the scene that makes gina cry as mentioned earlier?

-literally forehead kisses, holding hands, at least one hug from behind, and at least one scene with his arm around her shoulders. This one makes me want to collapse thinking about it.

-Lastly, for now, I would be shocked if they didn't do something to lead off of ricky's "don't get me started"*. They used that sentence specifically in BOTH variations of the script to end the scene (mind you the other way around was supposed to be gina saying it to him). He's trying to say "there's more" not only to gina, but the audience. I feel like he is either going to gush a lot over her, go on some long winded confession, or maybe even a conflict of an episode is he gets a wee bit too intense (really hoping this last one isn't true), but knows when to back off to show character growth from r*ni. Maybe rina even makes jokes about this? idk. It just felt too intentional for there not to be more.

*Maybe all of season 4 is ricky "getting started" with his feelings for Gina because they are so big and intense. I don't know.

Anyway, I hope this answers your question for now :') thank you so much for it. It made me SO happy to answer!! I can't wait for s4!!!

#rina #ricky bowen #gina porter #ricky x gina #hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #troyella #asks #anon #send me asks

[ginaporterr]

some things i feel like the hsmtmts doesn’t acknowledge when it comes to rina hate 1) nini had scenes where she was visibly jealous seeing ricky with gina and saying he “looks good now” as soon as he moved on but rinipws don’t acknowledge this and instead paint ricky as someone who wants someone he “””tossed aside””” as soon as she moves on with someone else (even though she never moved on aha) 2) if gina was a second choice and knew that he didn’t feel the same as she did in s2 (which are literally two conflicting statements. if he ain’t like her like that back then as you claim then how is she a choice in the first place NFJDJEJWE) then why did she keep saying she didn’t know where she stood with him and that she got nothing back. nothing as in not a yes or a no. he just stood there and said ok and hugged her back lmao. why is 80% of the fandom stupid it drives me crazy i hate hsmtmts tiktok

saying ricky tossed her aside is crazy, like he was heartbroken when she left originally, then was unsure about where they stood with each other but JUMPED at the opportunity to have her back in his life when she extended an olive branch 😭 but yeah, that argument is more so an argument against rini than rina as you said sjhdfsk the gina was a second choice thing is the woooorst argument, doesn't make sense at all yet is constantly brought up despite being disproven time and time again,, some people just like being wrong ig 😭

#answered #anonymous #circles we're going in circles dizzy's all it makes us #we know where it takes us we've been before #good song

[blues-valentine]

HSMTMTS – S3EP1

The plot from ep1 is so predictable from the trailer that I feel the need to write down what I think will happen just to see if I’m right later on.

The episode will feel pretty much like a introduction/catch up episode. It will be divided in 2 (or 3) sub-plots. First; we will see the group (Gina, EJ, Kourtney, Carlos and Ashlyn) on their way to camp singing HSM2 stuff and being used to kind of catch up the audience with stuff like PW dating and about the other characters that aren’t going to camp like Red, Howie, Seb.

On a second note we will have Ricky alone. He probably won’t be sure about going to camp (can see some characters like Big Red or even Lily show up in FaceTime calls) but very Ricky-style he decides to go very last minute. At this point the group already move on without him thinking he wouldn’t be at camp. The footage of Ricky looking at the city is him on his way to camp with Big Red's car and they’ll give him a solo song while at it but he is already very late. They’ll probably do all sorts of things to make sure Ricky arrives very late to camp (for tradition) like the car not working or something.

Meanwhile, the group is at camp getting the introductions done with Maddox and Val explaining the basics of camp, going to their cabins and seeing the place, PW being a couple, everyone will have an introduction interview for the docu-series, and they’ll have a song at camp (aka like A Brand New Day 2.0). I can see another sub-plot being given to Nini on her way to Miss Jenn (?) for advice as we saw on the trailer. Don’t know if that will be episode 1 or 2 but it will be very early on the season.

This gives the episode a moment with the group and PW as a couple, Ricky on his way being a chaotic mess and probably Nini talking about her future. Then, by almost the end of the episode the big announcement of Corbin Blue + Frozen happens (Ricky hasn’t arrived yet), everyone is excited about the play and are talking about the roles and what they can do so EJ sets Gina aside to give her the speech about their perfect summer together, then cuts to Ricky finally showing up and interrupting their conversation with the "group hug!" line. (It was a scene showed on the IG version of the trailer).

The episode will most likely end with EJ and Gina being surprised about Ricky there while the others are saying hi and all of that. It sets the tone for a 'dramatic' season and it gives PW some time to a be lovely couple before it. A very typical teen drama plot that I don’t get why people think they won’t follow when it’s HSMTMTS we are taking about. The show is predictable (for those actually paying attention).

Again, this is a prediction based on the official content we have gotten I don’t actually know if that’s what’s going to happen on the first ep.

#high school musical the musical the series #hsmtmts #hsmtmts season 3 #ricky bowen #gina porter #ricky x gina #rina #ej caswell #carlos rodriguez #ashlyn caswell #kourtney greene #nini salazar roberts

[fandomdaydreamer]

The Lighthouse and The Ocean

Pt 21

Without You Now

Pairing: Pedro Pascal/OFC

Warnings: angst, allusions to sex

Summary: Their first goodbye is clouded by a conflicting prediction but apart from a tiny worrisome detail, Nini is excited to record Pedro's song at Third Man Records.

Notes: Also find this fic on Ao3 -here- or the series' Masterlist and Playlist -here-

AN: If you're interested, I've included a YouTube vid of a tour at this wonderful interesting place called Third Man Records and an interview with JW III.

Length: 9k

~

Without You Now

The crew stood in a circle around me in the sunset dust, clapping and cheering for me once my last scene was finally wrapped up.

My character had ceased to exist while looking at her love with a smile on her face. We had left things unseen and unheard, giving a sense of hope rather than being lost in the notion that life had almost too much to offer.

I shed a tear, just a little one while the cameras kept rolling and captured my final bow and awe at the copious amount of applause surrounding me. I was absorbed in my colleagues' and friends' appreciation of my work and felt saddened in their midst about everything ending here. Pedro finally took pity and could no longer see me struggling to bear this kind celebration on my own. The uncharacteristically smiley cowboy drew me in for a hug, concluding the feeling that this was the end of an era. How could this have been only two and a half months? I spent a lifetime learning and growing here.

I couldn't imagine we'd be apart by tomorrow. We tried and failed to count the ample hours we had left until my departure but how could we not feel our time shrinking with such a sudden sense of loss when we had spent every minute of it together? Working and living in such proximity seemed worth a year of growing accustomed to each other as a new couple. Dreadful uncertainty behaved like clouds, obscuring my last hours in Mexico.

Today, like any other day, we took one final stroll around the gardens, partly in a prolonged ritual of dining and spending our evening together and partly, so I could say goodbye to the people here and the flowers. When the sun was long gone, our path took us back to our room where we got ready for bed and settled with the book we read together, like it was just any normal night.

I could keep telling myself that just one minute more in his presence would satisfy me for another lifetime. I wanted to be everything he ever wanted because I knew there was only one Pedro in the whole wide world, the only one I desired to be my everything. He was unique, he was here and in return, I was his truly, forever his. I wished to keep him here next to me in my arms when I laid my head against his shoulder and listened to his deep baritone.

While he kept threading his fingers through my hair, I yearned for the seasons to change and the time spent by his side that was yet to come. Six more hours until I would leave for the airport. I closed my eyes and pictured memories of every moment we had spent here together, behaving like strays in a timeless paradise who had been mostly unaware of any bitter endings. Other ways of figuring out how to be together waited right behind that door, down the aisle of that aeroplane and under the restless eyes of the public.

Pedro sighed, our Haruki Murakami book sinking to his chest when we had finished the chapter. "I promise we'll continue reading when we're back together again." He told me softly, awaiting any kind of reaction. After a while, he set the book aside along with his glasses.

I waited for a moment to escape the pessimistic thoughts that tightened around me in such a criminal embrace but it never came. I was afraid to lose us. "We won’t change, will we?" I relieved my troubling mind, sounding a bit hollow.

Pedro's chest rose, a deeply worried sigh escaping him and yet I felt a rush of determined energy passing through us. A kiss on my forehead remedied the frown on my face until I smiled again. "I won't let that happen." He whispered against it. His hand firmly traced my back and our silence brought nothing but peace to my mind. It was a quiet kind of affirmation, a sense of promise that he wasn't going anywhere.

From tomorrow on, we'd be separated again and I could not bear the thought, couldn't bear the thought that Señora Martínez's prediction spoke the truth. The memory of earlier today sparked sadness and insecurity inside.

"A palm reading?" I asked Pedro in a sceptical voice after he had translated what the old and wise Señora Martínez had offered me.

The deeply psychic woman sat in the low evening sun on her crooked stairs, back bent from old age. After she had beckoned us closer with one arthritic, wrinkled finger, she smiled a knowing smile that already made me believe in anything she would have to say. Naturally, I had never felt more put off or scared before in my life, shaking my head with vigour. "No, I can't. Palm readings can tell bad things too. What if-"

"Since when are you so pessimistic?" Pedro gave me a looped and confused smile, seemingly confident about a positive outlook, bless his soul. He leaned down to whisper when Señora still held out for my hand. "It would be rude to decline."

"You first, then." I challenged him, gesturing towards the elderly lady, who cooed contentedly as soon as my boyfriend asked for permission, sat on the stair below hers and placed his palm facing upward into her hand.

Señora's voice crowed. "Eres un alma gentil, sí," she told him. "Good man." She directed her words towards me specifically and smiled an almost entirely toothless smile. Pedro blushed through a chuckle.

I simply nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, I know." I rubbed his shoulder, affectionately, feeling more relaxed by the minute.

"Veo buen fortuna en tu vida con tu esposita." She declared with a gesture towards me and Pedro and I beamed at each other. She said all kinds of things I couldn't comprehend but I continued listening and watching her count the wrinkles underneath his pinky finger. "Mira- la linea de los niños. Uno, dos, tres niños."

Pedro's eyes widened. "Three? I'm f-" he stopped his curse from tumbling from his lips when Señora gave him a strict glare. "No, lo siento. Por favor, esto debe ser un error. I'm almost forty-seven years old, when's that supposed to happen?" He laughed ironically, maybe doubting the accuracy of palm readings too now.

I raised my eyebrows sceptically as well, imagining I could be the woman in this future vision and staring in shock into the void at the prospect of a whole brood of children. Until then, I thanked the stars for contraceptives.

'When' indeed. I could feel my face going pale. Pedro interrupted my train of thought just when I tried to figure out an important equation but he seemed to have interpreted my mortified expression as a sign of utter refusal. His smile trembled nervously. "Honey, don't feel pressured in any way by my old wrinkly palm."

"I told you, I'm a sceptic," I laughed it off, still inwardly panicking about the fact that I seemed to have lost track of my cycle entirely. Mentally, I was trying to count days and days, weeks back when I should have gotten my period.

"Are you sure you don't want to? It's... enlightening." Pedro ripped me out of my internal freakout.

"Eh.... m'okay then." Reluctantly, I knelt and placed my right hand into her open palm, anticipating what she had to say about my future.

The way Pedro held me, I knew he was not telling me something. His hand roamed up my arm and held me close, allowing me to tuck my head underneath his chin and close my eyes.

"I want to stop time," I told him faintly, both frowning and smiling bitterly against the light cotton t-shirt he wore. After filling my lungs with the scent of him, I exhaled deeply.

"Me too." He replied lowly. Pedro raised my hand to kiss the inside of my wrist and trace it to my ring finger like he imagined he could feel the little bump of an invisible wedding band. Maybe he could somehow, reduce the lines on my palm that predicted more misfortune than he had been willing to translate.

His voice took a joyful tone. "You know, I thought about taking you to my favourite little cinema just a little uptown, walks through Central Park when the leaves are turning brown. Maybe we could make a list of all the nook restaurants to visit, antique book markets in spring, picnics during summer." He said, treading on the future path we'd create ourselves, take matters into our own hands. It was our freedom to act on our wishes.

I closed my eyes and smiled, picturing us in said scenarios and scrunching my nose when I locked eyes with him again. "You didn't mention winter."

We exhaled the same kind of grin together. "Winter in New York sucks. Um, art galleries?" He promptly suggested. "Hey, maybe Sharon's vernissage still stands-" I snorted at his outrageous misplaced humour.

I roamed my palm across his broad chest, finally going back to simply relaxing. "I can't even imagine feeling cold now."

"We could hide out winter at my house in LA." He thought and though I loved every part of his idea, I let out a sound of protest.

"Christmas without snow?" I pouted and couldn't bare the loss of my favourite season. I was inclined to look up at him when he turned me on my back, facing me as he propped his hand underneath his chin.

"But Christmas is when the family meets up in Chile." He tried to gently get his will with that sly grin of his. "You don't wanna come and join the family trip with me this year?"

I gasped at the invitation and didn't mind him popping the romantic idea of cosiness and snow outside. Pedro was still very much a family man. "Let me introduce them to my beautiful, talented and-" His hand travelled down to prey on my weak spots and I prepared to be teased. I was already grinning and squirming to protect my sides while his soft voice lured me into this daydream. "-incredibly funny girlfriend who can kick my ass at hiking."

I started giggling when his hands purposely found my ticklish parts. "Yes, of course. I'd absolutely love... to- ah stop, no! I said I want to!" I escaped his hands and felt my heart slam in my chest at the sight of the happiness projected on his face. "Yeah?" He matched my giddiness.

I nodded happily, curling my fingers into the floof of his dark hair. "Allow me to buy your nephews gifts? Not just play secret Santa for my little sister this year."

"Thank you. I'm so lazy." Pedro replied with a dramatised amount of gratitude. I thanked the stars I had found the man I wanted to share all these things with, be my family and become his in return. I was too in love with him to imagine these feelings could ever do anything but grow with each and every day. I loved him like things of lightness are to be loved, out in the open somewhere between the sky and my soul.

Pedro looked between Señora Martínez and me, translating softly as she took a closer look at my love line. "She says our hearts are very old friends that always end up together in one way or another in each of our lifetimes, friends, lovers, family." He beamed happily but my elation at our newly recognised soulmate status was interrupted when she talked to us in a different pitch, frowning. "Ayayay. Unlucky little girl." Señora Martínez shook her head at my palm. "She sees a troubled beginning in your life and a lot of... suffering. Happiness has settled in your life though, you have a very fulfilling but difficult time ahead with a change of career-" Pedro raised his eyebrows at me as to say that, right, this was exactly what was happening. "You'll need to look after your health." Pedro hesitated with his translation, purposefully not mentioning her mumbling something about my odd, disrupted lifeline.

He stopped entirely, frowning when he skipped over a part I didn't understand myself. "What?" I asked, frantically looking back and forth between them and tried not to panic when he skilled his expression. I knew he wouldn't tell me the really bad news. "She just tells you there are two meaningful relationships in your life, both of them resulting in..." He swallowed and my gaze snapped up at her.

"Que significa 'sufrimiento?" I asked her and was met with a compassionate expression.

"Um, it means heartbreak." Pedro's voice sounded frail but he regained his cheerful spirit when Señora continued pressing her finger into my palm. "But she sees much love and life in your future, she says there are two children." He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Really?" I repeated, an octave higher than normal. "Two' children?" I pronounced the difference between our predictions.

Pedro was unaware of the worries weighing on my mind. "She says she's never erred in her life." He confirmed.

"Oh, that's reassuring." I protested, taking my palm back and bidding the wise old lady a polite thanks and extending goodbyes.

I squeezed her hand with both of mine and felt her gently tugging me back before I could let go. "Pase lo que pase, nunca te rindas con tus sueños." The old woman instructed me and I nodded, barely whispering a promise that I would never give up on my dreams.

"She has spoken." Pedro declared sternly to lighten up the mood, referencing a certain similarly wise Star Wars character he had gotten acquainted with. Not helping, I thought. We didn't match and everything would come back to heartbreak.

Slow steps took us down the path back to our hotel. "Palm readings don't tell anything that's written in stone." I crossed my arms stubbornly after we had walked back to the terrace.

"She didn't strictly say we're not compatible just that..." Pedro didn't know how to conjure up a different kind of interpretation. "We're both happy in our future. Nothing else matters."

"She clearly saw two different paths for us." I mourned, tried to explain my 'two meaningful relationships' and couldn't imagine I would ever love again if something severed our bond. It seemed extremely premature and downright scary, planning on starting a family and thinking about ever going through all of that before we even hit our one-month anniversary. I would count myself lucky if our careers allowed us to stay together. The idea of another heartbreak made me spiral. "Even if we were married and divorced one day, fair enough but not having the same number of children makes matters pretty clear," I evaluated, feeling overwhelmed until he gently pried my shoulders towards him and made me face him again.

"Hey, mi esposita-" he referenced Señora Martínez and cast a smile on my face. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna keep you on your toes unless 'you' show me out the door." He told me calmly and reassuringly, from the bottom of his heart. "Understood?" He added and caught my waist within his giant palms, raising his eyebrows encouragingly.

"Yeah." I grinned against his lips instead of kissing him. "You mean before or after I kicked you out because you had a child with someone else?" I pretended to be jealous of a hypothesis and snickered, bumping my shoulder into his arm once we'd continued our walk.

Pedro's jaw dropped. "Let's just promise to share custody, okay? I can't-" He babbled and succeeded to make me laugh. "And by the way, I'm pretty sure she meant that I've got one more kid than you because I have Grogu, my first." He joked and made me snort out loud.

"Ooh- that makes so much sense!" I exclaimed and we continued walking hand in hand, feeling at peace with where our path was taking us as our light conversation seemed to fade in the distance.

I felt Pedro drape the sheets further over my body. "This is the first time I have to let you go." His voice sounded so sad and I realised that perhaps it would never feel easier someday.

"Maybe the third man listens to one single note and he will send me on a plane back home immediately." I tried to console him, imagined Jack White frowning at my guitar plucking and just... leaving the room. My heart would shatter.

Pedro made a face like I couldn't get away with this utter nonsense. "No, you're gonna make all of them drop to the floor and worship you for your talent, you'll see." He promised me and traced his thumb over my cheekbone, seeming to feel conflicted about whether he wanted to look at me or kiss me. I pushed my face into his shoulder bashfully, which he chuckled about but also seemed to understand as a challenge. "Are you going to be good?" He asked sternly. A wide smile spread across my face at the fond but patronising tone.

"Yes." "Will you kick some ass?" I giggled when he raised my chin with his finger. "Yes." "That's my girl." Pedro tugged at my chin with a wink and I hoped the moisture in my eyes would not develop into tears. "The world needs more badass female guitar players, that's for sure."

A shallow sigh escaped my lips. "You really think so? I still don't even know what kind of musician I am."

"You're a rock star." Pedro encouraged me and his grin softened while he sought out his words. "Though... when you play your quiet folk songs, it's the definition of pin-drop music. You know, sometimes I think it's like some people carry the sun in their voices and some the moon. They differ in tone but not in beauty." He let his bloomy descriptions spill over, trailing soft patterns on my hip underneath the covers and pulling me closer while I hung to his every word. The pools of his dark eyes shone with admiration and his voice dropped impossibly deep. "I feel I could compare your voice to the soft glow of winter moonlight." His sweetness caused my heart swell and glow brightly. A sudden uncontrollable need made me kiss at every bit of skin I could reach and sample some of that sweetness he seemed to have been made of.

Pedro huffed in amusement at my reaction. I lowered my face into the junction of his neck, rolling my body into his and begging for the sexy part of our evening. "Heartbreaking. Beautiful." He managed to say before giving in and he pulled me with him, first to extinguish the bedside lamp on his side and then on mine after he had rolled on top of me.

I hummed, forgetting every bit of worry at his heartwarming happy chuckle. I breathed out as I opened my legs for him and framed his hips to pull his weight down on me. "You can say such nice things." I shuddered at the slight sting of his teeth biting into my skin and for the first time in months, I let him.

He worshipped me with hot, open-mouthed kisses, sucking at my skin from my neck to my jaw. "I had time to think about that description. I might have swooned over you to a couple of people." Pedro confessed with a smirk against my lips. I cooed and draped my arms around him, giving myself to him when he claimed my mouth in a searing hot kiss.

Tonight, I could sense a quiet kind of urgency beating inside his chest which I sought to remedy with a gentle touch to whichever body part of his seemed to need a reminder of my devotion. I could relate, for I felt his presence healing this tightening feeling inside my chest.

I begged him for the dark purple marks his mouth would leave on my body. Pedro sank his mouth down my jugular, wet heat closing around my skin and bruising it when I couldn't get enough evidence of where he could put his signature on my body. A reminder that I was his, even with them fading with time.

I buried myself in his arms and he stole the breath from my lungs, kissing me and making tender love to me. Pedro seemed starved to fill his fix and not less able to satiate, drawing out our entwined state of being for as long as his body could withhold the release.

In the calm of the afterglow, I closed my eyes in worship of his warmth and basked in the feeling of being so wanted in return. We felt more like the comforting heat of glowing ambers rather than the intensity of a fire burning strong and bright and it felt like something had to ring true about kindred spirits. I had found the most comfortable position right in his arms and gotten so sleepy that even my hand had stopped exploring his skin.

"Don't fall asleep," I whispered drowsily, looking towards him with heavy eyelids and realised he had them already closed. "M'not. Just... resting my eyes." He replied with a raspy voice and I sighed contently when I found him struggling to stay awake just as much. I let myself drift away when I was sure he had lost the battle against sleep first.

~~~

The clouds below looked like pale cotton candy while I tapped the end of my pencil against my bottom lip in the absence of my mind. I was scribbling away time on my flight to Tennessee, hoping the only reply wouldn't remain the echo of a memory. But just like always, Pedro gave me something I could dream about. At least nothing's complicated in solitude, I thought and wrote down the name of the song I had dedicated to him.

The Lighthouse And The Ocean

"You and me, in guidance and saviour or in reverse, my darling," I said to myself softly, missing the distant light in his eyes and the sparkle in their reflection whenever he watched me accomplish something and pride myself on it.

I drew waves and seagulls around the page as I imagined the melody of my guitar play paired with the harmonising sound of a cello. Mouthing the song to myself, I felt like I had written something truly meaningful.

I had managed to finish the new song during our first hours of separation and had written the final lines into a proper notebook. How sappy of me, a love confession at last. A perfect moment I could wait for a little while longer and look forward to until I could show his song to Pedro for the first time. It was written with so much love and yearning, for his absence was more than just noticeable.

His fragrance was deeply embedded in the highly huggable, striped hoodie I had stolen from him and when I pulled the knitted material to my nose, a picture found its way to the back of my eyes. A dimpled smile in front of a blue ocean, simply perfect and full of contentment. It distracted me from everything else, clinging to the fabric and smelling like what warmth felt like. A subtle dark scent, a cue for masculinity and protectiveness wrapped itself around me in a caring embrace. He had climbed into my heart and fixed himself there like a pin on a map, marked himself onto paper between my recorder and a flute of orange juice. No champagne... just in case.

An anxious feeling spread inside my chest and my hand redirected to rub at the pendant around my neck instead of travelling down my body. I didn't dare to cover my belly with my hand, out of fear that I'd start to sense some kind of connection I hadn't felt before. There had been too many people with cameras at the airport and I hadn't been able to buy a test then. I had been pushing the slight possibility of being pregnant to the back of my mind but it gnawed at my stress level the more I thought about the mere concept of having a baby.

What little else I could think of other than picturing Pedro with our child, happier than he ever was, raising it into the air with a laugh on both their faces before he kissed their chubby little cheek.

All of that and more... including putting everything on hold instead of grasping for the stars.

I hid behind my hand to mask my conflicting feelings about motherhood, both our skyrocketing careers and the fact that it was way too soon for either Pedro or me.

I thought about my mum. A new wave of sympathy shone on her memory. Despite everything, she had been the kindest and most gentle mother to me. Pedro would be the best father in the world, I was sure of that. I wasn't so sure whether I would be a good mother.

The world below just looked too wide and promising when we breached the clouds.

I walked out into the light, a cooling hum of North wind joining the scent of country and kerosine across the airfield. The air was no longer sweet and spicy. Still, I breathed long and thoroughly when I stepped out of the plane and let a chilly wind blow around my hair. Compared to the sunny warmth of Mexico, the midwest felt like negative degrees, yet the sudden shift of priorities was enough to brace me against the cold. On this bleak autumn day, I found there was an invincible summer within me and a clear path ahead.

I typed Pedro a message next, letting him know I landed and saw he'd tagged me on his Twitter. I grinned at the distraction of his recent Tweet, a picture of the consolation prank I had left on the pillow of his bed.

'My girlfriend thinks she's funny', it read and I retweeted the pineapple fruit that wore his aviators with a thick moustache I had nicked from the make-up team.

'Javier Piña'. I retweeted at him, giggling to myself at the possibly best way of how the announcement of our relationship could have gone.

I pulled out of the airport with my guitar case and the usual travel dirtbag look with the addition of Pedro's hoodie. This time, there were no cameras to capture my arrival as I walked toward the exits.

Halfway through the doors, I saw my agent waiting for me by the gate, grinning with her hands placed in her pockets. "There she is!" Olivia squeezed me after I had run into her arms to hug her. "On a scale from one to ten, how excited are you?"

"Eleven!" I felt sick in anticipation and showed her my shaking hands she failed to soothe. I admired her flawless, sharp blue eyeliner complimenting her high cheekbones and dark skin. "Where do we go? Is the band already there?"

"As well as the cellist you requested before your plane took off." Olivia chastised me with wide eyes, retrieving part of my luggage and walking towards the exit with me.

I had the decency to at least look guilty at the bold challenge I put her through on such short notice. "Sorry." I smiled up at her. "I just think my new song would benefit from-" "Well, long as you're happy. Guess where I found them." "The cellist?" "Playing in a New York subway station, today. Luckily, they immediately agreed to play with you and came with."

The spontaneity of this situation caused my eyes to widen dramatically. "You like picking up strays, huh?" I referred to the night we had met, when she had taken me under her wing, had literally picked a young and lost me up the floor of a hotel corridor. She both laughed and sighed as put her arm around me again, maybe also to subtly cover the hickey on my neck.

My so familiar gold and orange hues turned to blues and greys as tall and shiny buildings came into view. She steered us off the highway and away from the billboards that advertised lawyers or promoted... Christian slogans that promised that 'your baby is a blessing'.

"-because there's a big divide between substance and nonsense in pop culture these days." Liv talked on but I hadn't been listening at all. "They like to channel this substance, make it genre-less."

I returned the occasional non-verbal sound of attention.

"Welcome to the Gulch," Liv announced and I knew I should have said something. "You're awfully quiet." She noticed, glancing at me as I leaned my temple against the cool glass.

"Yeah," I commented, squirming in my seat and acting skittish at every bump in the road. "I just... hope I'll fit in. First time I don't know how to act because I don't have to play my part, you know?"

Olivia nodded. "Then be yourself." She replied pragmatically.

"Well, I appreciate the advice but..." I grinned a bit awkwardly, finally daring to do something about my uncertainty. If I was pregnant, I won't be able to do all the things I was currently dreaming of. No concerts, no backstage parties, just responsible adult things with a little human to care for. "Liv, can I ask you for a favour? Can we stop at the next pharmacy?" My face heated up in embarrassment.

"Yeah, are you alright?" "Of course, I swear I don't have a problem." I gave back, a little too harsh. I'd rather have her think I had. My inability to stay cool turned into an advantage and so, I acted nervous and pretended to have told an obvious lie.

Olivia shook her head. "I hope you have a prescription for that." "Don't need one." "Nini, there are healthier ways to cope with-" "I'm okay!"

"Alight, sorry... Jeez, what got your panties in a twist?" Olivia sceptically eyed my insulted pout. "I think there's a Walgreens down there, think you'll find what you need?"

I sighed at the prospect of a possibly crowded place. "Yeah, sure. That'll work." She stopped right in front of the store and I donned my sunglasses, treating her to a thin smile before I sprinted out of the car and ran in.

"Clearblue rapid detection... or First Response?" I panicked at the insanity of needing this 'family planning' section and figuring out their variety of products, always checking if anyone could be watching. I snatched a pregnancy test and a random other package to conceal my buy before anyone could see, keeping myself hidden behind my sunglasses and assumed the cashier didn't know who I was. Perhaps the funny look on her face was merely the result of my weirdly frozen smile as she scanned the test and pack of random vitamins and painkillers.

With the test hidden underneath Pedro's hoodie, I skipped back to the car and let out a huge breath of air as soon as I was back inside.

"That's it? Paracetamol and Vitamin D? You look like you've had plenty of sun." I ignored her, not caring how insane I acted and only getting rid of my sunglasses once we were one street ahead.

I was panicking internally to stack my pregnancy test away before mum could see. "I should have changed. I should have changed clothes before meeting bloody Jack White. I look like a slob." It was like I had been bitten by a rattlesnake before I climbed into the back, right between the seats. It was all part of the scheme. "Do you mind?" I was already behind the driver's seat, shimmying out of my baggy ripped jeans and Pedro's comfortable clothing.

Olivia kept her eyes on the road while I checked my suitcase for a pair of all-black jeans and a turtle neck that conveniently hid my hickeys. The jeans were halfway up my thighs when she slammed the brakes and I banged against her seat. The pregnancy test flew off my lap and underneath the driver's seat, sliding until it met Liv's feet. "Kut!"

"Watch the fucking road, asshole!" She yelled. "Fuck, sorry." Liv honked at the car in front of us again while I got a grip on myself and hopelessly tried to reach for it. "Wait, don't. It's just-" "Hold on, let me grab-" she pressed through her teeth and before I could protest, had bent down while waiting at the stoplight, to retrieve the test for me.

An awkward silence followed when Olivia checked the package. "Nini!" She suddenly turned around and I shrunk back into the seat. "What the hell is this? Oh, you think you're being sneaky again, huh? My g... are you-" Her eyes widened in horror like my baby was her worst fear.

"It's green!" I yelled back instead of properly answering, trying to get the test back before she could threaten to throw it at me. My voice shot up an octave as we fought for the test. "And no, I don't know! That's why I have to take a bloody test, for fuck's sake! Ow." She tossed the test back at me and it dodged my shoulder.

I could see her eyes through the rearview mirror flipping back and forth as I violently pulled my turtle neck over my head and sobbed childishly.

"No wonder why you're acting so weird," Olivia tutted at me and finally seemed to have gotten over the worst shock. "How late's your period?" She asked calmly as we drove into a bleak neighbourhood.

I sniffed, getting myself together. In all this muddle, there was a potential new life and how could I guarantee its wellbeing if its mother was acting like a petulant child herself? "Fuck." I laughed out loud, feeling simply overwhelmed. "About two weeks? I might have skipped it entirely, I don't know!" I admitted.

"Okay." Olivia processed slowly as she continued driving. "Let's not jump to early conclusions. Are you experiencing nausea?" "Not really." "Breasts feel tender?" "No?" "Girl, weren't you burned out about a week ago?" She asked, repeating how I had explained my holiday to her. "I was," I admitted.

She seemed visibly more soothed and it rubbed off on me. "Damn... oh, sweetheart. Take the test, okay? But don't freak out until then. You just might have been under a lot of stress."

I sighed at her lack of ability to take this seriously.

"Does Pedro know anything about your... scare?" She asked and I got overwhelmed by the thought alone. "No. I didn't have the time yet." I got more annoyed by the second. "Not sure if I should if it's a false alarm." I realised I was spiralling into old patterns before I even finished my sentence. Shit. There was my next level of progress. I had to tell him either way.

"Good." She helped me calm down. "Keep your head in the game, have the meeting with Jack and then pee on the stick tomorrow morning."

"Easy peasy." I gave back in a monotone. An incoming message distracted me and I was both hoping and fearing it was Pedro.

16:05 - 'Hey-, he had spelled my moniker with a music note, a bird and a heart emoji. 'Glad you're ok. Nervous? You got this, baby!!!

I typed a quick message back, promising I'd call him tonight and sent at least a dozen hearts in response to his selfie with him making a kissy face at the camera.

"Oh, god he's so adorable." I whined to myself and sighed. "He's such a sweetheart, I know he'd be such a great dad. Liv, I'm gonna be honest, I love Pedro but I'm not ready for a baby, not now." I had finally admitted, closing my burning eyes and praying I could deal with this situation in case I really was pregnant with his child and the sheer impossible, outrageous idea of getting rid of it.

"Poor thing." She commented and then changed her attitude with a fond look on her face. "Love, huh?" She repeated and I nodded, smiling again.

Olivia tapped her ringed fingers onto the steering wheel along with the sounds of a Stax classic... that ironically used the word 'baby' way too many times. "You're both gonna fine, you'll figure it out, hm? Breathe."

I hadn't even realised we had stopped but we waited, patiently, while I breathed and calmed myself. The dark warehouse outside seemed modest enough to conceal an entire music empire.

Maybe it was due to the countless times in my life when I had needed to pull myself together, but I knew that acting professional was more important than my current problems. "I'm ready." I decided after a while and blew a strand of my hopelessly wild hair from my face.

Though I missed the warmth Pedro's hoodie had provided, the reason why I shivered was due to my utter restlessness. The excitement was still very real and rooted in the very deep personal connection I felt towards the artist within.

Liv led me and my guitar case off the grey street and towards the low building before we finally stood before its entrance. Bold letters below a static Tesla coil inflamed the black walls. Third Man Records headquarters, the birthplace of the vinyl record Renaissance.

"Hey." She grabbed my shoulders, searching for eye contact for the stern pep talk she gave me. "You got this. You're gonna go in there and show them what it is that you want in life, woman. Focus."

"Focus," I repeated after her, letting out a huge breath through hollow cheeks and looking up towards the door. "Hoo boy." I swallowed at the sudden notion that my dreams might come true here. If they liked me. If they liked my music... which nobody heard aside from my perhaps very biased partner. Fuck, that suddenly added a lot of pressure.

"Anything I should be aware of, beware of maybe?" I asked, sorting out my priorities and hyping myself up with the notion of making a good first impression on my music idol.

"No, they're all so cool here, it's ridiculous." Liv stopped. "Wait, there's one thing." She hesitated, foot stuck between the door as her eyes narrowed. "Don't mention the Black Keys."

I gaped like a fish. "Who?" I pretended to not know the band and provoked a rare full smile from her. "Exactly."

"Wow." I held my breath as soon as I stepped inside. I didn't know where to look and didn't know what else to do but to move around and exclaim a 'woah' in front of every exhibited bit of unique analogue machinery. It wasn't just a record store, it was a pilgrim sight for true music junkies.

The sound of an electric blues guitar rang through the novelty lounge, reflecting off the yellow and black walls. From the corner of my eye, I registered Olivia walking ahead further into the building. "I hear, Jack's waiting for you in the blue room. Ready to meet the Rock'n roll wizard?"

My fingers stopped dancing over the racks of released vinyl issues. "Wait, that's him playing?"

We walked across the high-gloss floor past the fascinating knick-knacks, into the venue. A distortion pedal overloaded the signal and made the guitar sound rude. Liv stepped aside so I could join.

A few people were sound checking together, busy jamming in a blue bar with a giant elephant head and Persian rugs covering a blue floor. Cables and wires were splayed out everywhere around instruments that connected to amplifiers, mics and more pedals.

Jamming with a diverse group of people, he had his back half turned, facing the other musicians and bopping his head to the rhythm. The source of a wicked guitar play was rooted in the steady thrum of his fingers on the neck of his electric. Jack laughed at a particularly odd and mellow sound the pedal caused and which a badass-looking female drummer hesitated to address.

Jack dressed like a Tim Burton character who wore a pinstripe suit and hair that was a rich artificial bubblegum blue. His skin was white as a ghost and his mephistophelian eyebrows were drawn together in concentration, eyes closed as he was lost in figuring out the new sound. Skilled and unmistakably his, was what I would have called his play.

I would have been content with listening for ages until Jack looked up from his guitar and spotted me in my corner of the room.

"Oh, my Lord." He mumbled amused and caused all heads to turn towards me. He put away the guitar and stood at full height, which was taller than I had expected even after he had gotten off the stage. At first sight, he was a good-looking man, a little scary or perhaps, I was just battling my nerves. He had a wicked glint in his eyes and a placid smile that confidently supported his bad boy appearance. "Nini, welcome to Third Man." He quickly offered me a hand and pressed it with a calloused palm. His smile was sympathetic and his handshake sturdy enough to make me feel taken seriously and not like a fragile little flower some newly acquainted men decided was the proper way to greet me.

Before I could even respond, he checked out my guitar case. "Is that a Takamine?" He pointed at my instrument, reading the label.

I gulped. Be cool, I told myself against all instinct to freak out. If these guys were supposed to be the epitome of chill, so could I. "A nineteen-eighty-eight limited edition. Half acoustic." I replied proudly, still star-struck.

"Nice sound that one, can't wait to hear it."

"I'm afraid I need new strings though." I gave back, humbled. "It's-" I gathered my courage. "Amazing to meet you, Jack. This place is beautiful." I knew my eyes were sparkling when I finally thawed under his friendly words of 'thank you's. "My, I think I was a little girl last time I saw you at a White Stripes concert in Amsterdam."

He and also everyone else smiled at my admission. "No kidding." Jack kindly didn't freak out at my fangirlish approach. "Wait, Nini van Fleet was at my gig as a kid?" He turned towards the group of strange musicians who chuckled at our interaction.

"I was about ten meters away from the stage, it was incredible." "Wait, when was that?"

I remembered it like it was yesterday. "2005, Heineken Music Hall. You and Meg got out there, you started playing 'Black Math' on your iconic red airline guitar and just blew my mind." I laughed at the memory of that wild adventure. "Literally the day my life changed forever," I told him with shining eyes and it might have sounded like a blatant exaggeration but if it hadn't been for the White Stripes, I'd have never run away from home. My life would have looked a whole lot different.

Jack picked up a cigarillo that had been smoking abandoned in an ashtray. "Well, happy to see you back around. Hold on, meet the people you'll be playing with." He led me towards a group of people I immediately vibed with even before we all got introduced. Bass, drum, second guitar and keyboard, including a very sweet and somewhat shy cellist who wore second-hand clothes and thick, askew dreadlocks and couldn't quite believe they were here.

"And now you want to show your talents to the world?" Jack put his hands on his hips. "Heard great things about you." I was pleasantly surprised by his softness even though he seemed to constantly scowl at the world.

"I can only hope to live up to whoever boasted." I joked with a sideglance towards Olivia. "Yeah. I learnt these days how much I want to be valued for what I say and what I do, not be sold as an object on screen, you know."

"It's common to confuse the actor with their character." He agreed, crushing his cigarillo. "The perfect Hollywood sweetheart?" A shaggy blond guy named Ben suggested with a disapproving yet sympathetic side glance. I quickly got the notion. The spirit of the analogue: yea, Netflix and invisible consumption: boo.

I stuttered awkwardly. "Maybe this career change is good for me. I've got more to give." I compromised.

"So, your music is something you seriously consider pursuing." Jack narrowed his eyes when it took me a while to search for words. "It's unusual for us to promote an artist who's already famous, normally we favour newcomer artists."

I couldn't stop my heart from sinking to the floor and I swallowed thickly. "I get it. I would be hesitant too about giving a possibly delusional and mediocre and entitled Hollywood brat a platform." I played it off but then, felt all of my suppressed anger for the movie industry pour into my rant before anyone could interrupt my assumption. All my career, I'd been patronised, spoken down to. I had sometimes been the only woman on set, often for the accessory of the film, sexualised from a very early age. They called me an overprivileged actress because I hadn't been my own spokesperson in productions made by throbbing misogynists.

"I'm tired of being a prop, Jack," I explained, briefly looking back at Olivia and receiving support from her by a simple, yet encouraging nod. "I love acting. Acting is my life but I've never stood for something authentically me. This... my songs... this is me and I'm tired of the public dictating my image. I have so much more to give, and so much more to learn. I spent the majority of my life trying to appeal to people who don't even care about a single word that comes out of my mouth." I laughed ironically but Jack listened, taking my passion seriously. "I'm done with being acceptable to people I don't even like. Doing this will keep me from resenting myself and hopefully inspire people to be more than what society expects of women." I raised my chin at the guitar hero in challenge. "Especially in a male-dominated field."

Standing before me with crossed arms, his face remained unreadable for a second. "I like you." Jack eventually said with a relaxed, little smirk and a sigh of relief got stuck in my lungs. "Tell you what we're gonna do." He went back on a serious note, proving what a great boss he was by saying exactly what it was he wanted. "You've got a great band here... and time to create your songs before you're gonna record the blue issue single directly onto acetate. A shoot in the blue room, pressing and release-"

"Wait, directly?" I repeated, aghast, not moving past that little detail.

He smirked. "Yeah, any mistakes make the best part of the song. You know, let's just have a great journey, we're not story driven but if the record is good, who cares? Don't worry about the perfection of the songs, anyone who complains about it didn't really get the point."

Olivia was right. They were cool. Too cool, even to bother when the pitchforks of this biased industry would try to come for me.

"So, no pressure, just don't think about things that could ruin it," Liv added and regarded my pale face with a meaningful side glance.

"Think the music world is ready for what you have to contribute?" Jack frowned and awaited my answer.

I stood my ground and balled my hands into fists. "Yeah," I confirmed.

"Good, let's give you the tour." Jack carried himself with such swagger, I forgot to follow him for a second while he had already resumed talking back in the novelty lounge. "We'll do a couple of hundred limited edition design records back in Detroit and a big run of black vinyl for mass market," Jack explained, all business. "Bigger name artists are selling more vinyl than they have in thirty years. We love doing gimmick albums but we don't throw all of our tricks into the sink. Excuse my French-" he had turned to lead the way. "-but we're not trying to fuck a doughnut, you know."

I leaned over to Olivia as we followed. "What does he mean?" I whispered but she shrugged her shoulders.

The surreal uniqueness of this place surpassed my entire imagination and I marvelled at this music video thing called a scopitome. It felt like I had gotten a golden ticket to a chocolate factory and curiosity fare but for music nerds. "You're Willy Wonka," I exclaimed during our tour.

Just like that, it seemed the ice was broken. "It's been already fun meeting you, so far." He glanced back over his shoulder and we shared a quick laugh, which he ended with a shake of his head.

Ben lead us to a large booth. "And this-" he got my attention back from a diorama of a little puppet monkey band. "-is the voice-o-graph, nineteen-forties vending machine. The only one still in use apart from its twin down up in Detroit." The co-founder introduced a narrow and very old cabin that had more features in common with a telephone box rather than anything to do with music.

"Amazing!" I said, staring like an idiot. "What does it do?"

Jack stepped in, showing me a clear, six-inch plastic record, twirling it between his fingers. "It records one of these plastic records that fit two and a half minutes of music. It cuts your record and fends it out to you."

"That's bloody brilliant!" I cursed around, exhilarated. An idea struck me. My chuckle sounded dim in the very limited space of this booth. "I can barely fit a guitar in here." I calculated, eying the analogue technology of the recording system. "But I wanna try though, if I may?"

"Show us what you've got." Jack said and I grinned at the very 'hands-on' approach. I ran back to retrieve my instrument and tuned my guitar on my way back to them.

It only cost a couple of dollars to feed the booth. "It's... my choice of song for the B side with only guitar and cello. I just realised the first time I ever play it would be the perfect gift for the person I wrote it for. My-" I hesitated, not wanting to seem like every song I had written was about a lover. Pedro and I hadn't been dating for very long. I knew Pedro was the one but they didn't know that. "My boyfriend," I admitted anyway, shyly.

"Sure, go ahead." They let me in and shut the door behind me. I couldn't move around much. "Tight squeeze. Glad I'm not claustrophobic!" I yelled and heard them snicker. I stepped towards the mic, noticing this was my first-time experience recording one of my own songs in front of other people, or anyone who wasn't Pedro, for that matter.

"Oh, this is all terribly exciting!" The lights told me to prepare myself, machinery whirred and I watched all kinds of things happening in here. The red light alerted the start of the recording, the countdown started and I decided to jump into cold unknown waters by closing my eyes and letting the world cease to exist for a moment. This was for him.

"Hello, Pedro," I spoke into the mic after the recording had started spinning. "This is for you, just a reminder of how much I love you, angel."

I began with a calming, yet complex tune that was only dimmed by the use of a deeper and richer sounding drop of the E-snare to D. Softly, my voice smoothed over every syllable. My eyes remained fixed shut so I could feel every ounce of the words I sang, with every fibre of my being.

This one would show Pedro how great my love is. My love language was to sing his praise and dedicate my music to him because he deserved it. That's how it was. Good people do good things, and good people deserved to become a song. Seconds left until the record would end, I only played the echo of my jagged melody.

Once the record was complete, the booth played it for me and I listened with the door open, so Jack and the others could hear it too.

The audio quality did some real crimping and I had cut several chorus parts short but it had a forties nostalgic charm to it that put a smile on everyone's face, including my cellist who listened attentively and mimed the play of their instrument along with the melody.

I wiped a tear from my eye when I exited the booth and breathed, smiling happily at the band who seemed touched by the sweetness of the song. I circled my now pressed record in my hand. "I didn't know how else to say it," I commented on its sentimental message and sealed Pedro's song into a cover, ready to be sent by post.

Jack smiled, understanding passing through us when his voice thawed. "How, if not in music?"

Looking into the faces of my company, I had struck a chord within them. "It's beautiful," he said in a serious tone. "You're really... really fucking good. Hold on." Jack stepped closer and feeling intimidated, I hugged my guitar a little tighter. "Do you have more of these?"

"Yes?" I stuttered. "Tons."

He turned towards Ben and mouthed a 'wow' at him, causing me to blush furiously.

It was like I could see the determination turning a switch inside his head. "Play with me." He challenged me, holding my gaze. "Tomorrow night. The venue is open, we'll do something together."

I gaped like a fish and if I hadn't been so eager, I might have cried. I gasped. "Oh, sweet! Fuck, yes!" I didn't know how to vent my excitement about this development.

A wide grin spread across my entire face and played it cool last second by bumping my fist into his shoulder and making everyone around feel the celebration of the start of something new.

~

Part 22

Translation notes:

(sp): Eres un alma gentil, sí - (eng): You are a kind soul, yes

(sp): Veo buen fortuna en tu vida con tu esposita. - (eng): I see good fortune in your life with your little wife.

(sp): Mira- la linea de los niños. Uno, dos, tres niños. - (eng): Look- the line of children. One, two, three children.

(sp): No, lo siento. Por favor esto debe ser un error - (eng): No, I'm sorry. Please, this must be a mistake.

(sp): Pase lo que pase, nunca te rindas con tus sueños - (eng): No matter what happens, never give up on your dreams.

(sp): Javier Piña - (eng): - Javier Pineapple

(dut): Kut! - (eng): cunt ("fuck!")

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal rpf #pedro nation #pedro pascal/oc #pedro pascal fanfiction series #pedro pascal ff #pedro pascal ao3 #pedro pascal actor fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal fandom

[redcloakedraven]

HSMTMTS REWATCH - TAKE TWO 1x8 The Tech Rehearsal

Episode 7

Ricky vs Bowen Count: Ricky [5] Bowen []

This Episode: None

Ribbon Count: [1]

This Episode: 1 (Nini)

When Miss. Jenn said hug your neighbour Ricky's first instinct was to try messaging Gina again. We see he's try messaging her a few times. I would like to point out that Gina abruptly leaving probably reminds him of his mom doing the same thing. He called his mom last episode after finding out the Gina is leaving and Gina found it pointless to keep in contact but he's going out of his way to make sure that they do.

Kourtney's reaction even if storyline was planned at the time or not does show her anxiety already.

EJ grabbing the audition file to figure out why didn't get Troy makes sense for him as a person. Up until this point he's had the leads, he's let go of wanting the part at this point, but he still wants to know why he didn't get in the first place. He wants to know what he could've done better. In the beginning he kept acting and wanting to come across as this perfect person and finally admitted he wasn't, he came clean about a lot of stuff, but ultimately knew some things were just him being himself and apologizing helps, but in the end I think him getting cancelled made him realize he can't just apologize he actually needs to do better, he can't just keep apologizing if he is just going to keep doing it (he figured this out a lot quicker then a lot of influencers lets be real). So not only him finding out about the audition notes make him overall very curious to know, but also he had a completely different motivation to wanting to know at this point. He finds out what he did wrong and tries his best to show he can do it, only for him to not fully know actually how to do it. Which makes sense somethings do take longer then a couple minutes and emotions are very much one of them and out of everyone EJ is the worse with emotion.

Another reason Ricky and EJ are kindof a mirror they're both bad with emotions for completely opposite reasons. Ricky pretty much has to much of them for him to handle himself sometimes and it makes him panick, while EJ has a hard time properly expressing his and never really lets his guard down to do that. In the end though they both have a hard time saying what they feel because, they either have to much feelings to put into words (Ricky) or because he's never really let himself feel them at all (EJ). Which could tie into how EJ was raised once again to be this picture perfect person from his father. Whats the worse thing that can show your not perfect, being emotional.

As soon as we get to everyone on stage EJ is immediately watching Ricky and Miss. Jenn talking to each other and there is no jealousy there at all it's all insecurity. He's completely comparing himself to Ricky here. So when he was actually given the chance to fill in for him he took it and tried his best to come across as he was emotionally connect, but since he wasn't emotionally connected it was clear to be an act and he overcompensated again.

EJ's high pitch scream when seeing the mannequins. I never realized that was EJ until now.

I honestly I can't watch this scene sometimes I feel the embarrassment for EJ lol I'm powering through it and I'm happy I did because when Carlos says "This is a tech rehearsal and I'm your choreographer you can see the EJ actually have a small vulnerable moment and the insecurity is coming back. EJ actually is vulnerable here a bit. He's feelings insecure and Carlos and Miss. Jenn's reaction probably made him feel worse. He thought he could actually do this and wanted to show that he could. Or he wanted to do this so he can get better, but either way it's actually a lot harder then he thought it would be. Him starting to feel actual insecurity and a little vulnerable here makes him overcompensate even more. He wants to be emotionally connected to the script, but doesn't want his actual emotions to show

I'm pretty sure I talked about the scene with Ricky and Nini in my last review

It is canon that Ricky had a small speech problem, I wish that was an actual storyline or something we learned more about from his past at least

Ricky was excited about Nini signing up for YAC and it faltered a little bit when she mentioned Denver. At this point his mom has officially moved away, Gina is about to as well, and now Nini was thinking about it too. Three people women/girls in his life he felt comfortable and safe around all seem to be leaving. He still encourages her talent though.

So her real name is Jennifer

The Role Of A Lifetime is such a fun song they both sound so good I think it's underrated. Miss. Jenns song in general are underrated.

They've been foreshadowing Frozen since season 1 (and beauty and the beast of course)

"I'm the teacher." - Miss. Jenn

#hsmtmts #ricky bowen #ej caswell #gina porter #ashlyn caswell #nini salazar roberts #portwell #rina #big red #redlyn #caswen #seb mathew smith #carlos rodriguez #seblos

[zaine-m]

July 14th - Okay so I'm finally done the first season, season 2 has worse overall quality but more of my favourite characters so I think it'll be nice. Zombies 3 is coming out tonight so I'll probably watch that and I make make some posts about my thoughts on it idk. I think they have disney's second non-binary character which is really cool

Previous -- next

Season 1 Episode 10: "Act 2" thoughts:

The way that Ashlyn is immediately suspicious of EJ

Carlos just trying his best as Chad

Are they just getting Big Red to do every miscellaneous job

Are Jenn and Mike gonna talk about the mental breakdown Ricky just had on stage

Why do none of the scenes have background characters, like why are they the only ones sitting in the cafeteria

Nini, stop with the prolonged stares at the audience

Also Gina great job with the acting

Gina bring a supportive queen

Why does Nini say that like there's someone in the audience who could change your life every other musical

I love how Gina giving Nini a compliment she doesn't deserve just kinda turned into an opening night tradition for them

The way Gina holds her makes me think she doesn't get a lot of hugs

Ricky, why did you like she would pick up in the middle of a musical, she's the lead of

Why are they having side conversations while they're the only 2 on stage

Nini remember "the show must go on" Don't stop for anything

Was she supposed to leave then, they look surprised

Okay I just watched that scene of HSM and that was really not what was supposed to happen

I love how you can tell that Ashlyn whose always been EJ's baby cousin has been waiting for the opportunity to talk to him like that

I was like 'aww Lynn checking on her son' but then she was just like "people are counting on you, you made a commitment". Like, ask your son how he's doing

Also there are understudies for a reason and if Miss Jenn also cast an understudy as a main character, that's on her

Honestly Lynne, fuck off

"You were hugging, I saw it" someone give Ricky a hug

"Not all couples are meant to be together"

The way that he specifically said Seb, I guess he had the next song but like we never see the 2 of them talk

Yeah his family is so amazing and supportive but imagine if you went to go see your kids musical and someone in front of you was holding up a huge ass sign

Okay so Ricky did try to tell her I guess she just wasn't looking at her phone

Gina going to help Ricky, damn, she's being really supportive tonight

Mmm, Gina being able to see behind Ricky's facade and getting him to do something that'll still make him happy. This girl does too much for a guy who doesn't care about her

It is just a musical thing where there aren't background characters. They have background dancers, they can't get them to also stand around on stage?

Come on, don't be so easily distracted while your on stage

Nini, EJ's trying his best, why are being so hard to work with

Okay so if both Kourtney and Gina are doing the curtain call wouldn't there be an extra body?

Ricky's character development, he can do the dance now, my baby

Gina and Carlos hugging

Nini, why do you think she would choose you after you stared at the audience after like every scene and you took long pauses staring off at the distance of tried to have side conversations while on stage

Why did it cut to Big Red's parents in the middle of

Ahh, Redlyn

Also EJ just scoffing at the idea that he wrote it

Nini, you never even applied to the school, now you're upset they didn't like you when you did a horrible job

no she knows what's missing, Someone who can't follow instructions and is extremely unprofessional

Ricky being upset that it's over and they won't always be in the same space together

Ahh, Ricky's monologue about loving Nini!

"Fine. That's fine. It's all fine"

At this point his obsession with him is kinda unhealthy

Why is that such a long and passionate kiss, like there was definitely tongue, right?

Oh, he did get her a gift too

Carlos inviting people to Ashlyn's again

Ashlyn telling Gina to live with her in like their first conversation, they're such U-haul lesbians

Okay, why did they leave on this big cliff hanger to have it never be brought up again. Like do they really have no idea where they're going with this show

"It's clear you have things to say" she couldn't even say she wanted to be at your school

Oh no, she has too many good things and has to choose between them, why are supposed to like her?

I'm sorry I just can't empathize with a character whose main issue is too many people liking her

Aww, Ashlyn being amazed by Big Red's dance that he was probably too embarrassed to do in front of anyone else

#hsmtmts watch through #hsmtmts season 1 #hsmtmts

[awakenee]

hsmtmts . ep 102

july 6, 2:06 pm cst

completely unrelated but today i ended up accidentally cosplaying as jd from heathers with the trenchcoat and everything 😭

also this is me from after the episode, i wanna apologise for the huge text block + filling some of the space with personal anecdotes that have nothing to do with hsmtmts

"no, that... i'm not my grandma"

getting your measurements taken for costumes is the best thing ever

"he's already ruined this for me. ._."

throb my beloved

how to get your girlfriend back ft. richard bowen

ej's face before the intro card

why are people getting so excited over a group of chairs in a circle? yes, first rehearsal is always a magical moment but still

wait, is kourtney in the musical??

"i won't make eye contact" nini, he's your love interest

sneaky ej

but regardless of how sneaky one may be, there's no avoiding the ashlyn

hey, respect the stage managers >:[

"actually ej's my cousin!! :D" i love ashlyn so much

bonding with the cast is amazing

ej's face

"in a world full of no, this is a space full of yes" that is actually very inspiring

glancing towards your ex girlfriend and then her new boyfriend isn't exactly subtle, ricky

#SopranoMoment

when you're the only one closing your eyes:

ej's face

"did i just join a cult? ._."

people ignoring the existence of punctuation marks is one of my biggest pet peeves tbh

"sHaRpAy CoMa hEaDs fOr cLaSs pErIoD."

also why is there a coma after sharpay? that doesn't sound very gramatically correct

poor big red

aw ej

asking your girlfriend who texted her and then glancing at her ex boyfriend clearly texting someone after she told you it's nothing isn't exactly subtle, ej

seb my beloved

plot twist: miss jenn's mother is actually one of the zombies in zombies

"do you follow zac on instagram?" "no, but clearly i should"

this early rehearsal reminds me of that one time i had to stay late during a rehearsal of my school's musical to go over the details of a song and after i was done the guard at the door wouldn't let me go because i needed a special permission or something and the person that was supposed to give me that special permission disappeared for the next 30 minutes

i want nini's sweater

"aNd tHeN tHeRe'S tHe KiSs!!!"

oooh, hedda gabler

"go away" "no, you go away" go ash

"dating her doesn't mean you own her" gO aSh

oh ho ho ej

does nini forgive ash? i don't remember

"teach them the dance" ricky,,,

gina scares me

i wanted to see if the big book of broadway was actually a thing and one of the suggestions that came up in the search predictions was "the big boo of broadway page 374" 💀

after having had hsmtmts for two years this is the first time i realise the music playing for the curtain call rehearsal is actually we're all in this together

this gives me second hand embarrassment

ricky needs therapy counter: 4

OUCH

double ouch

i want to pat ricky on the pack and give him a big hug

being called by your character's name >>>>

"sorry i can't dance like fred rogers" "it's fred astaire"

sneaky gina

gina just had a thought

ricky needs therapy counter: 5

zoom off ricky

evil understudies mwahahaha

OUCH

aw, poor nini

nini is an icon

"i'm totally over ricky" lies

i'm a s1 rini shipper but woah, this is a great rina moment

gina gives great advice

she also has great music choices

"oh."

ricky is such a mood

the bells in the background >>>>>

imagine being able to dance in front of your parents

sneaky ricky

aw, ricky's so cute

sneaky nini

is ej bullying someone

awh wondering

ash is such a mood

back when i first saw this thing i didnt know who andrew lloyd webber was but now i'm squeaking

miss jenn's face

AWH WONDERING

this song is so amazing i cant

how does nini know the lyrics and the notes

ricky,,,,,,,

i've always thought nini's verse speaks about ricky and ough

this scene always hits me like a truck /pos

sneaky ricky pt. 2

ricky looks like a deer in headlights pt. 2

that's a lot of bubble wrap

possessive ej sucks

SEB,,,,,,

sneaky gina pt. 2

gina no

#hsmtmts #hsm the series #hsmtmts analysis

[lunarrumor]

ive seen so many caswen hcs that say they're not really big on pda but.......

do y'all remember when ej and nini were dating? he was not afraid of pda

mans constantly had an arm around her or was latched to her side (he's touch starved okay <3)

and now that episode one of the new season is out we've all seen that rini is that couple. the one that is literally so disgustingly in love and they make it everyone's problem

so i don't think ricky's shy about pda either

the only reason i think he would be is bc he might not be out yet,,,,

but i feel like ej would be the type who's very open about being bi (or. the exact opposite. because he feels like he has to be the golden boy and this will change people's perspective of him. there's no in between. (sorry my brain is always looking for ej angst xx))

anywho this brings me to my conclusion that ricky would be a little uncomfortable with pda at first, but ej is always pulling him closer and reaching out first (not to make ricky uncomfortable. he just doesnt realize why ricky isnt as affectionate in public and he's used to showcasing his love to everyone)

ej's always complimemting him and fawning over him and hugging him and ricky's like ejjjjjjj. my reputationnnnn

and then the first time ricky pulls him in for a kiss first ej gets so happy which only makes him more affectionate because omg i just love my boyfriend so much and he kissed me this time :DDDD and it's a whole cycle

#hsmtmts #caswen #ricky bowen #ej caswell #im so sorry i am suffering from caswen brainrot at the moment #and i dont know where this myth of ej not liking pda came from #like the first scene he's in is just... him hugging nini and being like !!!! this is my wonderful amazing talented girlfriend nini :D #you cannot tell me he wouldnt do the exact same with ricky #he loves flustering him okay #(and he just really wants to talk about how amazing his boyfriend is. but the fact that ricky blushes really easily is also a bonus)

[solarwriting]

good 4 u

e.j. caswell (formerly) x fem!reader

summary: after a bad break up, y/n writes a song and plays it with her band at a party her ex is also at.

warnings: swearing, underage drinking, unedited and written at one a.m.

note: i don’t know what this is but the song is so good and i watched the first ep of season two and this was born?? if you want a pronoun change let me know!

posted may 17, 2021

it seemed as soon as he broke up with nini e.j. found a new girl to entertain him. y/n l/n, she wasn’t a part of the musical. it wasn’t her lack of talent so much as it was a lack of interest, she figured focusing on her own music and starting a band would make her seem more serious.

she was pinning a band tryouts flier to the bulletin board in the cafeteria, unaware of the eyes on her. almost the entire cast of the musical was staring at her. nini sighed, “guys, stop. she’s gonna notice us staring.”

“do you think she knows what happened with you guys.” carlos asked, turning back to face her, leaning in to hear her answer.

“no. i don’t know. i shouldn’t care, it’s just- whatever.” she groaned, pushing her food around with her fork.

“convincing.” seb commented.

“i know he’s my cousin but honestly e.j.’s a bit of a whore.” ashlyn muttered causing the table to laugh.

kourtney leaned into nini’s shoulder, “let’s give y/n the benefit of the doubt and say she has no idea?”

“i mean how could she? she’s not part of the musical, she focused on her band.” ashlyn explained.

“wait, she has a band?” carlos asked.

“she’s starting one, she plays guitar and drums but she wanted a drummer another guitar and singer. i think that’s what she was putting on the board.” ashlyn shrugged, everyone looked at her confused, “what? we used to hang out.”

“wait, really?” nini wondered.

“yeah, she’s actually really nice. and really talented, girl can really shred. you guys would really getting along, you know if you forget about my stupid cousin.”

nini laughed along with the group, her eyes fell back to y/n who was now sitting with e.j. and his friends. maybe they could be friends.

it turns out e.j. is really bad with girlfriends because it only took a few weeks for them to break up, no one could really figure out why though just that y/n left school wednesday crying and didn’t come back until the following monday.

a few days later y/n caught her on her way to rehearsals for the musical, “hey, nini. can i ask you something?”

“yeah, sure.” nini was hesitant but thought on what ashlyn said.

“so you write songs right?” nini nodded and y/n continued, “so i’m writing this song for my band and i was wondering if you could give me some pointers. i know you probably won’t want to because of e.j. actually forget i asked, it was stupid.”

y/n turned to walk away before nini stopped her, “y/n wait. i can help you, come on.”

“where are we going?”

“i have to go to rehearsal and since they’re not doing any gabriella scenes we can work on it in the auditorium.” she motioned for the girl to follow her.

“hi, miss jenn. this is y/n, is it okay if we sit over there while you’re going over the scenes i’m not in?”

“of course. nice to meet you y/n.” miss jenn smiled.

they sat a few rows back, behind miss jenn and y/n pulled out a notebook, “it’s really rough right now. and it’s kind of embarrassing but you can look at it.”

nini was quiet as she read over the lyrics she had written down. “is the about?”

“yes.” y/n said quickly, “sorry if that’s weird.”

“no it’s okay, i actually really like it.”

“i was just really angry when he ended it- and did you know he’s already seeing someone else?”

“really? it hasn’t even been a week!”

“i know! she’s a cheerleader i guess.”

“and here i thought his type was musicans.”

“right? from what i’ve heard they’ve been off and on since his sophomore year and they started hooking up again while he was still seeing me.”

“i guess ashyln was right about her whore statement.”

y/n laughed and they continued to work on the song together. by the end of rehearsal everyone was talking about how two of e.j.’s exes had created a bond, at one point e.j. himself noticed the pair and looked like he was going to be sick. the girls finished the song and were getting ready to leave.

“hey, would you actually like to join my band, i need another singer and your voice is killer. we’re playing a party tomorrow night.”

“i would love to, will this song be on this set?” she asked.

“of course, imagine e.j.’s face when he sees two of his exes singing about him.” y/n laughed.

the two girls left and later that evening nini met the rest of the band (y/n managed to find a drummer and bassist a week ago) and practiced their new song as well as a couple of covers for the party.

the next evening, which was a friday, the band found themselves at the party. y/n couldn’t remember the name of whose house they were at though, a friend of a friend who offered her band to play.

y/n passed around shots of tequila to her bandmates “for the nerves” she had put it before downing hers with a groan. the rest followed suit before they made their way in to the basement, where the main part of the party was and where their instruments were set up. y/n pulled her guitar off the stand and plugged it in, she grabbed the microphone and adjusted it.

“hi, i’m y/n and first song i want to sing is an original written by myself and the amazing nini.” y/n motioned to nini who stood next to her, “this song is for anyone whose ever gone through a breakup where their ex got off better than they did, this is good 4 u, enjoy!”

y/n nodded to the bassist who began playing and nini started in with the first verse with y/n doing back up vocals,

“well good for you, i guess you moved on really easily

you found a new girl and it only took a couple weeks

remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world”

y/n leaned into the mic and continued with the next line, 

“and good for you, i guess that you've been working on yourself

i guess that therapist i found for you, she really helped

now you can be a better man for your brand new girl”

the drummers began playing and y/n began strumming her guitar and nini leaned into their shared mic as they both sang the chorus,

“well good for you

you look happy and healthy, not me

if you ever cared to ask

good for you”

y/n and nini smiled at each other as they continued,

“you're doing great out there without me, baby

god, i wish that i could do that

i’ve lost my mind

i’ve spent the night

crying on the floor of my bathroom

but you're so unaffected, i really don't get it

but I guess good for you”

y/n took the next verse and nini did the back up vocals. y/n joined nini to sing,

“baby what the fuck is up with that?

nini continued the next verse on her own with y/n joining in on the chorus again. y/n sang the bridge on her own before they both sang the chorus. they both found e.j. in the crowd as they sang. the girls smiled at one another before locking eyes with the boy to finish out their song,

“well, good for you, i guess you moved on really easily”

the crowd of excited, drunk teenagers cheered as the song ended. “i hope you all liked that!” y/n announced, out of breath. she looked at nini who was smiling just as widely as she was. she pulled the girl into a hug (being mindful if the guitar hanging around her). they bowed and nini grabbed the mic, “we will be taking a short break but we will be back!”

the band shared a group hug before breaking apart to find a drink or friends. carlos, ashlyn, and kortney quickly found nini who was with y/n looking for water. “that was amazing!” carlos squealed, pulling nini in for a hug followed by the two girls.

“y/n, that was incredible!” ashlyn gushed, hugging her as well, “i’ve missed hanging out with you so much!”

“i have too!” y/n exclaimed.

“hate to interrupt but can we please go find some water?” nini shouted over the music someone put on. y/n nodded and threw her arm over nini’s shoulder before they began their search.

#hsmtmts imagines #nini hsmtmts #ashlyn hsmtmts #hsmtmts imagine #hsm #hsm the series #high school musical the musical the series #high school musical #hsmtmts #hsm the musical #nini salazar roberts x reader #nini salazar roberts #ricky bowen #gina porter #ej caswell #ashlyn caswell #big red #kourtney hsmtmts #carlos hsmtmts #seb hsmtmts #x reader #oliva rodrigo #good 4 u #sour

[beyondd-dazedd]

here’s an analysis of the angst between redlynn and rini and the main portwell scene in episode 8 because i have so many thoughts so grab a drink and relax because this is going to be a long one:

both larry and julia’s acting in the scene in ash’s room was incredible. you know exactly how both characters are feeling because it’s so perfectly written on their faces. but larry really goes above and beyond with the way he’s portraying his emotions in the little things like his eyes tracking and the choppy turning and the flickering eye contact. its incredible. seriously.

DOMESTIC EJ AND GINA!! i loved this scene it was so sincere and heartfelt. i wish EJ wasnt so down on himself. yes he’s made some mistakes. a lot. but he’s a teenage boy and he’s come SO far. and matt portrays that so so so well in his acting. that sense of self consciousness under the bravado that EJ puts on. DONT GET ME STARTED ON SOFIA. her acting is BEYOND INCREDIBLE. she has a way of delivering her lines so genuinely and like she has experienced every single thing that her character has. it never feels like she’s acting. seeing these two characters who are so unsure of themselves but put up this mask and then finally get the chance to break down those walls a bit with each other and finding comfort is so beautiful and makes this scene that much more impressive. i don’t feel like im watching a TV show when i watch this scene. i feel like im watching two teenagers try to break down their walls and be vulnerable with each other because they understand each other in a lot of ways. Matt’s line delivery of “that’s what you think of me?” was so soft and so different from the way EJ normally talks that it really hits. this is a boy who has no idea who he is other than his mistakes and the expectations from other people so hearing gina say that to him is such a vulnerable moment for him and Matt killed it. also sofia’s line delivery after that where she back tracks when she says “you’d see what I... the rest of us see” is so genuine to gina’s character. gina hasn’t put down her walls quite yet but she’s trying to. her whole life she’s used to steeling herself and not getting too attached. and here she is allowing herself this moment of vulnerability with this boy who GETS her even if she corrected herself that moment is still there. and then her trying to deflect when EJ tries to compliment her is her realizing she let herself be vulnerable and tries to not let EJ break down those walls any more than he already has. but he does because she needs to hear these things as much as he does. their soft looks at the end of that scene is just so genuine and heart warming. they get each other and they support each other in ways a lot of the other characters can’t. sofia and matt’s acting compliment each other so well and you can really see that in this scene. this is such a moment of genuine vulnerability between these characters and both of them portray it so well to these characters personalities.

now that i’ve analyzed the shit out of that scene let’s move on to the rini scene. because good god. there’s a lot. i like at the beginning of this scene there’s a lot of reminiscing which obviously sets us up for the whole issue with their relationship at this point. they’re both stuck trying to hold onto something that’s in the past whether that’s their relationship as a whole, who they were or who they’re trying to be for one another. the career day metaphor do be a metaphor for nini’s progress as a person and their relationship. like nini said it’s always been nini and ricky and there hasn’t been much diverging from that their whole lives. the acting in this scene is perfect. josh’s resigned and almost stoned reaction is perfect for where ricky is right now. i think ricky knew this was coming but he’s obviously still hurt and is trying to stay strong for nini because it’s obvious this is devastating her. he does a good job capturing that with his line delivery and how it’s almost robotic like he’s steeling himself for the inevitable. olivia’s acting is so heartbreaking. her facial acting from when she says “ricky that’s not ok” to when the camera is back on her after ricky’s lines is devastating. like it took her time to process this new information. her delivery of “i don’t like running away” is so hard to watch because yes she’s upset but she knows exactly where this conversation is going and you can see that. you can also see the ramp up to her trying to break up with ricky. also josh’s like thick swallow he does while he’s trying to hold back tears?? sir?? ouch. also them both saying i don’t want to hold you back and nini saying can i just hold you now? BIG OUCH. and ricky trying desperately to comfort her. it’s always been nini and ricky and then they broke up the first time. it wasn’t mutual and ricky assumed it was a pause and not a break up so there wasn’t the magnitude of the loss on both sides. but now they’re at a place where they are both agreeing to let each other go and they’re having to make a mature decision to let the other grow before they can be nini and ricky again is so sad. they’re saying goodbye to a decade of who they were together. ricky taking off the necklace and nini crying harder is so DEVASTATING. also the “goodbye nini” is so significant. he’s letting her go to be the best version of herself because her identity is so wrapped up in who she is with ricky. he’s literally saying goodbye to nini so she can be nina (metaphorically and a bit literally) and just watching nini cry harder is big ouch. i won’t say too much about how this scene might be related to josh and olivia as people because it’s none of my business but i will say that this scene was acted so well by both of them and you can tell that it comes from their own personal experiences which makes this so much harder to watch. i could spend 100k words just analyzing the emotions and the different subtle acting choices that are in this that really makes this scene incredible but i’m not tryna make a novel here. additionally this really adds to my theory about ricky being the metaphorical beast. this is kind of at a turning point in BATB where the beast lets been go to save her father but in this case nini is trying to save herself and become a better version of nini. this is also the point in the movie when you can REALLY see belle’s love for beast so i’m interested in seeing what they decide to do next with rini.

howie’s singing?? PERFECT. he really had a glee moment but i will allow it because it’s just so damn good. EJ cover gina up so she can sleep more comfortably is so sweet and also shows how their relationship is progressing. they’re helping each other in little ways but sometimes those are the most important. red and ash starting to be on the same page?? amazing. a main part of relationships is trying to understand one another and learn what is important to each other. and i think ash getting the shirt is a good representation of her starting to understand red. good for EJ for telling his dad that he isn’t going to duke. GOOD FOR HIM. red and ricky’s hug BROKE ME. ricky isn’t outright sobbing when he walks into the room and he’s not saying anything but red knows. he knows just from ricky’s body language that he’s distraught (friendship goals). red’s hold on ricky is so tight and strong which is literally everything ricky needs right now. also the reoccurring theme of ricky hugging a pillow while he’s upset is something so special to me. red’s little pat on ricky’s leg says a lot about their friendship. no words have to be spoken for them to be there for each other and comfort each other. nini reminiscing and then looking at her insta? nini 2.0 anyone?? or should i say nina?

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts spoilers #ricky bowen #nini salazar roberts #ej caswell #gina porter #ashlyn caswell #big red #rini #portwell #redlyn

[gracestone]

What do you think was the whole point of the Rina flashback scene? I have seen some R*na shippers get mad that they showed a Rina flashback and we never saw them talk to each other again and they are out here claiming that the showed the flashback because they think this means R*na is the endgame. I think the whole point was to show that asked her for relationship advice on his current girlfriend after she told him that she likes him.

I think the flashback served several purposes, and none of them have anything to do with R*na being the endgame. If anything, this scene proved the opposite.

Its main purpose was to reveal that Gina hadn't kept her feelings hidden this whole time, but that she'd actually confessed to Ricky on opening night. Which put all the awkwardness between them in 2A in a new context and told us that Ricky was aware of her feelings this whole time, but didn't feel compelled to act on that because he doesn't feel the same way about her. Just compare how he just gave a whole speech to Nini about why he loves her and him only stopping to talk because she told him to just kiss her, to him only saying "Say it" when he knew what Gina was about to say and then giving her the hug she asked for but doing nothing else.

The flashback scene helps us understand why Ricky was trying to see how Gina responded to seeing him with Nini in 2x01 and why he looked slightly tense and hesitant when Gina said this in 2x03 (on top of the entire scene already being pretty awkward):

He clearly doesn't want to talk about her confession because to him he made his feelings clear by staying with Nini ("Obviously"), so he got tense when he thought she meant Valentines Day was hard because of him rejecting her, and he only eased up a little when she explained it was about missing her mom.

The flashback also explains why Ricky tried to stop Big Red from telling Gina about the voicemail he wante to leave Nini. However, I don't blame Ricky for asking Gina for advice in 2x05. She'd given him advice about Nini unprompted in 2x03 and then pretended to be fine with giving some more advice in 2x04. It's logical that Ricky would think this meant she was already over him. Gina's tendency to hide her hurt feelings simply backfired on her here. Which is another thing the flashback clears up, because Gina had been hinting that something had happened throughout 2A but never actually opened up about it, which only further isolated her from her friends, even though they kept reaching out to her.

Another purpose of the flashback is to tell us something about who Gina is as a person. She voices how she feels she never does anything right the first time, but that she just keeps on pushing and never quits. That's essentially her describing her coping mechanism for all the changes and curveballs life throws her way. She said something similar in 2x05 when she talked about how she and Carlos would just keep on dancing no matter what happened next. She sees this as something negative, but her conversation with EJ in 2x08 helps her reframe this, because he sees it as her being brave. That's why it was good for us to hear her voice that in the flashback.

We also see how hard it is for Gina to be open and honest about how she feels. Especially when she's afraid of getting rejected. It took her a long time to get to the point in the flashback scene because she was terrified of putting herself out there and knew it was very likely she'd get rejected. She even called herself stupid for getting emotional. Still, she did it, and that in and of itself also showed us how brave she is. But she didn't fully let herself be brave and didn't fully open herself up to rejection, because she did end up voicing her feelings in a way that gave Ricky an easy excuse not to answer. She didn't ask him how he felt and simply ended the conversation on her own terms.

Compare that with how much she's grown in 2x12: she doesn't just confess her feelings to EJ, but asks him if she can kiss him and if he'll be her first kiss. This time, she's brave enough to put herself out there, didn't need ages to get to the point (she only hesitated very briefly with her "Can I..."), and asked the boy she likes how he feels. We wouldn't be able to fully see that growth if we hadn't seen the flashback.

In conclusion: the flashback was there to highlight Gina's growth in the rest of the season and to close the door on R*na romantically by showing us that Ricky is aware of how she felt and doesn't reciprocate. Ricky and Gina do need to talk eventually to repair their friendship, but when it comes to their romantic relationship there's nothing to talk about. Which is why they didn't.

#hsmtmts #gina porter #ricky bowen #hsmtmts meta #anti rina #gina porter meta #ricky bowen meta #ask #idk why anyone still bothers listening to that fandom #it's clear they're just deluding themselves to the point where they're watching a whole other show

[youranxiousnerd]

The Transformation Thoughts

bc hsmtmts said gay rights

spoilers below

yesss seb doing the recap

wait did seb just say he was crying?!?! give him a hug 

cow baby!!!

wow miss jenn and seb having a civil conversation

Natalie is back!!

ej and ricky with the mask

kourtney’s outfit!!!

ashlyn’s outfit...

ahh so the awards and the show are separate, good, that’s how it works

RICKY’S SHIRT!?!?!?! 

i love it

ricky is lgbt do not try to convince me otherwise

ASHLYN IS SINGING IT IS BEAUTIFUL

like pop off

ricky and the mask

that mask is the true villain in season 2

“Belle, I-” flops

Ashlyn is carrying the scene, she is such a good Belle

how is ricky allowed on stage oh my god

the cap

that damn mask

“It’s okay, it was just my face”

Miss Jenn is hanging on by a thread

finally some ashlyn and ricky content

“Which they will” buddy have you faced the music? Have you seen Ricky?

“I think I might have been playing Troy at one point”

Miss Jenn needs help from someone who isn’t a teenager

“Mother is freaking out” High school theater at it’s finest

“There is math involved”

“OH” 

sassy seb

i can’t with east high’s tech crew, what are you doing?!?!

and why are the actors figuring out the tech stuff?!? i’m sure kourt, big red, ashlyn (she knows all), and seb (he lives on a farm) know what to do. 

the crew cannot be that bad

btw here are my thoughts on this scene

guys it is ashlyn’s house not yours

portwell shoulder bump

ASHLYN I LOVE YOU

OH SO NOW YOU HAVE DRILLS

WHERE WERE THEY WHEN THE TECHIES STARTED USING GLUE ON PLYWOOD!?!?!?!

I WANT ANSWERS

i. cannot. with. this. show.

lily wtf

“is this too weird” yes

like why?

lily like actually shut up

big red’s “wtf”

let her be evil damnit

“i’m just not well liked here” i wonder why

that was really weird, anyways

“he gets weird around tools”

me too

no give big red the drill he knows how to use it

someone write a fic about the girls and seb’s chaotic target run

why don’t you have a blackout and dramatic music and lights for the transformation, i know it isn’t award level but if done right it can be pretty dope

“I don’t know if my parents will be okay with me being at a co-ed sleepover”

“Chip, this is your mother speaking, go call your mother”

HE DID THE FINGER GUNS

GAY TABLE SIT AND FINGER GUNS THEY DID THEIR RESEARCH

ashlyn’s bucket

CARLOS GAY TABLE SIT

OH MY GOD

they’re so gay soulmates

let big red have his skateboards

“i need to talk to seb at some point but it can wait” honey no it can’t wait seb is on the verge of a breakdown

wait they havent talked in a week

Im a hypocrite ive been dancing around someone for three years

“You’re still at school”

“I’m worried about my children” “She means us”

such a high school theater thing (like i got married during high school theater, we had a family tree)

“ah, Sebby”

“Now I’m pretty sad” give him a hug

the girls ship seblos

“But, I guess he has to be, out of default, right... there’s not a lot of choices for a boy like Carlos, here, at East.”

alright here come the tears 

why...why couldn’t he say “gay” or “queer” or “lgbt”?!?!

“Not so good at saying the feelings part out loud”

shiz that hit close to home. 

Seb is just making me cry today, isn’t he?

wait so we’re just going to change the subject? coming from a queer person, opening up about your problems about your sexuality is hard. like, there are things that happened years ago im just telling people. 

“You’re my sister, he’s my cousin”

it seems everyone except nina knows about the chocolates. imagine gossip time when gina told people write a fic

Nini just stop talking. It wasn’t a big deal, simple mistake. Not everything has to be big and dramatic

and wasn’t she just asking about Gina and Ej? 

Nini for the love of god it is not something to read into.

“The farmer type”

Ash and Red exchanging gossip

wait... why are they texting about this?

“Why wouldn’t he say something to me?” It’s a hard conversation to have. “hey are we together just because i’m your only option?” 

“Okay, pretty boy” HE CALLED HIM PRETTY BOY

RICKY!!!!!!!!!!

!!!

carlos and gina chaotic siblings

give ej a hug 

“Sweet boy”

im so glad the guys are talking about their feelings.

Why a sleepover? It’s more of a hangout.

“Verging on failure”

jennzara therapy

slowwww burn

you go from hand holding to fist bump

disney please release an acoustic version of “let you go”

so it’s just carlos and ricky chillin’ at big red’s house?

do not play let you go for nini

do. not.

“You guys are a hallmark movie”

for once ricky is being smart

“the look on your face when you were talking about Seb tonight” smiles

he is so whipped

“I think you and Seb have something worth fighting for...bro”

that was so sweet and then there is bro

i love this show

“Sorry, I’m adjusting to being called bro” 

him and seb being awkward about feelings... that is a high school relationship

i love ricky in this scene

“Yeah, let’s just write”

ASHLYN CALLED BIG RED BABE AWWWWW

nina shut the actual hell up

“It’s in the costume shop, somewhere” mood

“Thank you, 15″ THEY SAID THE THING

GAHHHH

I LOVE IT

howie and kourtney oh my god what is happening

 “and begging”

“hi” he’s so nervous oh my lord.

he is so awkward around seb 

it’s like a switch

“Do you want to get risotto with me sometime” OH MY GOD THATS ADORABLE

GINA BABY HE LIKES YOU 

GINA HONEY!!!

AWWW THAT WAS ADORABLE

PORTWELL YESSSS

gina’s little run

“Am I in trouble?” 

they’re so nervous 

oh my god its time

“You keep it all bottled up” GUYS I CANT ARGGGG

can ricky just like, go behind a curtain?

“lookin’ for our kind of love” carlos basically just said “i love you”

seb is so whipped like look at him?

they’re so in love

seb’s little eye role at “in a heartbeat, i choose you”

the hands omfg

oh my god they’re going to dance

SHIZ THE HOMECOMING SUITS

I WAS RIGHT

OH MY GOD

SHIT GUYS IM DYING

gah the hands i cant

carlos is leading i love it

the tie

a tie just killed me

im combusting

You’re honor, they’re in love

i really thought carlos was going in for a kiss he is probably getting one later

i like how the dance isn’t big, it’s small and a little awkward bc right then it’s just them.

THEYRE SO IN LOVE HOLY SHIT

damnit big red

big red is legally required to interrupt almost kiss moments especially if it’s an lgbt kiss bc we cant have two in one season

in a heartbeat is so cute. Frankie showed UP this season with the vocals. there is no way that was all acting bc they looked so in love.

I...I love it

the lyrics are perfect

In a Heartbeat and Let You Go are probably the best OG songs of the season

“Siri, add In a Heartbeat to my gay sob playlist”

these boys are just serenading each other left and right 

“Yeah” 

so it’s just “yeah”!?!? That’s it!?!?! Seb could have least kissed him on the cheek or did they use all their kisses?

I love the song and love the scene, but there is so much more to discuss. Are we going to brush over the fact that Seb literally had an allergic reaction and didn’t get help because he didn’t want to disappoint Carlos!?!? Are we going to brush over “no, seb” and seb feeling like he has to get carlos big things!?! One “yeah” doesn’t erase all that. I’m hoping we get closure, proper closure, not a joke. 

In conclusion, only one thing was settled (Carlos loves Seb for Seb, not because he is the only out guy in school).

“Seb and Carlos suffer their first fight” effing liars

BTW it looks like they filmed the dance scene with the homecoming suits and normal outfits so disney release the footage

Ricky is the biggest Seblos shipper

“Bro”

you morons. are you using rigging without an adult there?!?!

im pretty sure that isn’t allowed. only trained people were allowed to use the rigging. it should be Natalie since she did it in HSM

you should have gotten mats are something or stand in a circle

gahhh

RICKY

OH MY FRICKING GOD

NO ONE RAN THEY JUST WATCHED WTF

WTF WAS THAT ENDING

UMMMMM NO

i legit have no words oh my god 

they just killed the lead

you guys saw the rope you should have ran 

you should have gotten mats or blankets or something just in case

rigging is difficult, set rigging and people rigging

EAST HIGH WTF

Looks like the sleepover is going to be in the ER

My gay heart is full but my theater heart is screaming. The episode went by really fast. I liked it, like a lot.

To answer the question, no, I am not okay @organic-guacamole and we will have a theater kid sleepover

#disney+ #hsmtmts #hsmtmts season 2 #hsm series #hsm the series #High school musical the musical the series #ricky #ricky bowen #nini salazar roberts #nini #nina salazar roberts #nina #gina #gina porter #ej #ej caswell #portwell #ashlyn caswell #ashlyn moon caswell #ashlyn moon #ashlyn #big red #redlyn #kourtney greene #kourtney #seblos #seb #seb matthew smith #carlos #carlos rodriguez

[organic-guacamole]

episode 210 here we go

awww seb doing the intro

congratulations to milky white and her baby chocolate milk😌

seb is so funny

but seriously, clean up that milk fast or else it will smell so bad in there....

was that Lauryn just randomly doing cartwheels? idk any theatre kids irl but that seems like it's a common thing...

is it just me or has ms Jenn been getting more harsh to Ricky and Seb mainly-

like what did they do to her

no because I actually snorted with laughter at the "you came back" WHAT IS THAT VOICE-

AND THE MASK OMG

yeah so my throat hurts now

I'm dying over here

KOURTNEY'S FACE

SAME GIRL SAME

Ricky's fake death got the whole place in tears /s

he looks like an asthmatic walrus

Seb's on piano, I love

we all know if he was the beast we'd all actually be crying✋

ok but I listen to Julia's version of home on Spotify when I want to cry-

right so gimme a second

is Ricky scratching his face.....while he's dying?

"belle i-" *flop*

round of applause to Ashlyn for trying to make Ricky's earthworm seizure look less.... yknow

Kourtney's just dying there

WAIT IS THAT NATALIE

did she really just disappear for 9 episodes just to come back and stare dramatically into the camera

WAIT SCRATCH THAT SHES HERE TO MURDER ASHLYN AND RICKY

oh so Ricky's wearing a gay shirt now too

so that's the real reason why Rini broke up, see y'all next season when Gini and caswen become canon /j

wait that was a long intro scene-

what was that look Carlos-

TALK TO MY BOY OR ELSE

carlos' run is so funny to me

therapist Ashlyn to the rescue

"that is...super" son you good?

ms Jenn call Benjamin, he would willingly put his loved ones on a rocket and blast them into Venus for you....

maybe

"I don't want you kids to be disappointed" girl you do realise you're the one that's most invested in this?

"a smooth opening night" wasn't there just 1 show though-

like their opening night was closing night too

"I think I was Troy at one point" PLEASE THATS THE MOST ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF THE SEASON 1 FINALE

me Jenn looks like a serial killer during that clap and I'm lowkey scared for zacky

"I have notes"

oo if you're taking suggestions, lemme get my list

"mother is freaking out" uhhhhhh

right....'mother"

"is everyone sitting down?"

*looks around awkwardly*

*big red slowly sits*

"no..."

please seb was the only one sitting-

does that mean Carlos looked at Seb as soon as he walked in and assumed that everyone else was sitting too or am I a seblos clown🤡

"is this about the transformation"

WOW MAYBE OT IS RICKY

WOW HES A DETECTIVE FOR FIGURING THAT OUT SO QUICK🤩

YO WHY IS NATALIE HERE-

she just shows up when it's convenient? is she gonna be at the sleepover too?

Seb's heavy swallow after Carlos shouts at him makes me so sad

"I never learned how to lie but I figure if I keep my mouth closed, I can't tell the truth" *nods and smiles at Nini when she asks*

why are they casually standing up all over the pizza shop, just sit at a big table and talk instead of blocking passageways and blocking off at least 6 tables-

"how about I invite myself" WHY DO PEOPLE ALWAYS FEEL THE NEED TO INVITE THEMSELVES TO ASHLYN'S HOUSE-

YOU CAN ASK BUT JUST FORCE YOUR WAY IN?

so Cash Caswell has a bigger house than... Dennis Caswell.... who would've thought

ah yes there's the good old EJ 1.0

Nini: "boys vs girls"

Gina: *looks devastated and glances longingly at EJ*

way to be inconspicuous

"but north high should be" *cracks her knuckles in the most uncomfortable way*

good for Ashlyn for getting more confident though

oo bossy big red

"i get bossy around the power tools"

is that why Ashlyn was holding up the drill in episode 8 orrrr 🤠

oh

Lily, leave him alone please

she's literally not blinking, is that what makes her creepy?

the diss at big red and his face afterwards is priceless

isn't that similar to what Gina's mom said to her in season 1? hmmmm

but seriously please don't try to redeem lily, let us have a character to hate, or to love because they're evil.

not everyone's a good guy.

"im not liked here and I don't know what to do"

let antoine finish his salad and it'll fix everything

"hug emoji" *gags*

y'all realize Lily's literally 14?

why is she calling a 16/17 year old from another school for personal advice-

"he gets weird around tools"

I shouldn't be laughing so hard

"deja vu maybe?" awkward silence

I'm dying here I love EJ so so so so much

"where's seb"

*cuts to seb being held hostage hoping that they'd notice he's missing and go look for him*

"don't ask"

"oh ok"

"100% real faux fur" as you should queen

sponsored by target

Kourtney is singlehandedly saving the entire show.

Seb making finger guns make me happier than it should

why is this kinda making me want to have a co-ed sleepover with my non-existent theatre friends

YES YOU DO NEED TO TALK/SING TO SEB CARLOS THANK YOU FOR KNOWING THAT

wait what-

you haven't talked to him all WEEK-

Carlos are you stupid /hj

Benjamin is so adorable I can't

he turned around to come back for her instead of going home. you're "what do you want Jenn🙄X act isn't fooling anyone Benjamin 🙃

10101

1+4+16= 21st?

they placed 21st?

or do I just not remember how to convert to base ten

GIRL DON'T BE RUDE TO HIM, HE'S GONNA SAVE YALL

no ms Jenn, the kids are not eccentric 35 year olds.

aww sebby

is he thinking that Carlos is only with him cuz he's the only other openly gay guy at school-

son you are a perfect little bean don't put yourself down

yes they all ship portwell as they should.

they'll be throwing risotto at the wedding.

not the chocolates. stop there are no chocolates. please stop I'm dying.

Gina you don't have to explain yourself to her

it was a misunderstanding and it's in the past

why is Ashlyn still laughing-

exactly it wasn't a big deal please just move on Nini

Kourtney really be out here saving everything

WHY IS ASHLYN STILL LAUGHING

why do I feel like when Gina finally told Ash about it, she didn't think it was that funny but wanted to feel included in the inside joke so now she brings it up randomly to show that she's in on it....I totally don't do that...

"idk, the farmer type" oh son...

Ashlyn and big red are just spilling the secrets back and forth huh?

OOO EJ AND GINA SITTING IN A TREE K-I-S-S-I-

cmon guys don't look at me like that-

"she is the best" and "we're buddies" don't sound right together

"pretty boy" "sweet boy" best ways to describe EJ

I love him.

and aw he's scared of rejection so he'll hold back just to keep her happy and not awkward how sweet

is Ricky wondering if letting her go(literally his song from last episode) was the best thing he did for Nini because he doesn't feel like it now? hmmm this is getting good

why is everyone so invested in Kourtney and Howie's relationship

PACK UP THE LAZY RICKY THING

oh yes Benji, that's exactly what she's doing

she couldn't follow her dream or whatever so now she's using the kids to gain some of the success she craves. why else would she have that massive hsm poster with her name on it in huge letters in her office.

just casually grab his hand with both your hands and stare at him creepily 🥰

ship jennzzara y'all

the first bump was a missed opportunity to do the baymax "falalala" as a reference to the fact that they watched big hero six while committing arson✋

wait so big red and EJ just left Ricky in the basement and now Ricky invited Carlos when they're supposed to be at the stage?

help no Ricky looks like he's about to tell Carlos he likes him (I know it's about writing the song for seb but still, look at his body language and tell me it doesn't look like that)

Ricky is so mature about this, he really just wants Nini to be happy even though he's hurting-

baby you deserve love, maybe Nini isn't the one for you but don't say you don't deserve it

why does he keep adding bro to the end like he doesn't know how to address Carlos

PLEASE CARLOS HAVING TO ADDRESS THE BRO THING

"let's write a song when we have like 45 minutes to get to the place and help our friends possibly win $50000 at the show in 2 weeks"

"can you hit a high C?"

"that's like the bottom of my range"

why am I laughing

this is so cool to see friendship interactions that we don't normally get to see

Nini why are you being like this-

Gina did nothing wrong??

I saw that, EJ and Gina being the only ones going in the same direction👀

right so obviously Kourtney's waiting until after the menkies to get back with Howie just in case he really is just using her as a way in to east high... obviously... right?

CARLOS

OK ITS COMING GET READY YALL

Why is portwell so awkward all of a sudden

OMG EJ

OMG GINA SAY YES or not, do what you want.

the way she doubts that EJ would genuinely ask so she has to make sure it's not Ashlyn behind it

OH

THE "NOT THAT I KNOW OF"

LIKE WHAT GINA SAID TO JACK ABOUT EJ BEING HER BOYFRIEND

GUYS THEY'RE SOULMATES

I want risotto now please

THEY'RE SO SWEET AND ADORABLY AWKWARD ITS LIKEEK LITTLE KIDS

OOOOOOO what is this place that seblos is in, looks fancy....and secluded

oh wait no Ricky's just standing there

wait is it the bomb shelter

it looks so good what

HSKAGSJAGAJAGWISGSKAUASBWKSVAIWBAISBQKSHIQBWOABWOABDOQBZIQBAIAQBSIWBQISVQKSIANSGOQBSAISBKASBKWBAIABQOSBBSJAHAJAVAJSBAJHSKAHSJAHAJAJAAJAHHHHHHHH

@youranxiousnerd ARE YOU OK?

CUZ IM NOT OK

LOOK AT SEBBY'S FACE

LOOK AT HOW ADORABLE IT IS

THE LYRICS ARE KILLING ME

SEBLOS IS KILLING ME

I AM DEAD

PLEASE SEND HELP

I like to imagine that Frankie and Joe practiced this in their apartment and just had a blast with it.

or maybe that Frankie practiced in secret like what Joe did for the climb

OH THE SUITS

THATS WHERE THAT CLIP IN THE PROMO WAS FROM

AWWW SEBBY'S SO CUTE

HE'S A LITTLE MARSHMALLOW

they're still so awkward with the dance I cant

let's appreciate Frankie's voice though

this episode really was made just for the seblos and portwell stans and you gotta love it

BIG RED GET OUT

WHY DOES HE ALWAYS DO THIS

Seb's little "yeah" IS ADORABLE

you can't tell me that wouldn't have been the best time for them to say I love you....IF FREAKIN BIG RED WASN'T THERE

ok but wait Ricky needs more hugs like that, look at his face

the boy needs love

"bro" please don't let Ricky and Carlos go back to not talking because their friendship is amazing

EJ laughing at Ricky sounding like a cat coughing up a furball is so funny to me

RICKY'S FLOP GETS ME EVERYTIME

I knew it was too good to be true

ok so Ricky's dead, next in line please

this episode was so short but I love it so much. this is what I signed up for for season 2✋

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts s2 #hsmtmts season 2 #ej caswell #ricky bowen #gina porter #hsmtmts spoilers #seblos #seb mathew smith #carlos rodriguez #big red #ashlyn caswell #kourtney greene #lily hsmtmts #ms jenn #mr mazzara #natalie bagley #guac's episode text blocks :)