#moved sharpay over here :))

[lennonxmanoban]

( DAVIKA HOORNE, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER ) LENNON MANOBAN the THIRTY ONE YEAR OLD year old is known as THE SUGAR BABY within the group. they are known to be ENTRANCING and CONNIVING which makes sense when you think about how SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A HIT AND RUN WHICH SHE GOT AWAY WITH but i guess we’ll find out for ourselves. { DANI, 27, GMT, SHE/HER. }

Full Name: Lennon Manoban

Nickname: Lenny, Len

Age: 31

DOB: April 12th 1992

Parents: Chet & Rita Manoban

Siblings: n/a

Hair colour: Black

Eye colour: Brown

Piercings & Tattoos: here

Sexuality: Bisexual

LINKS

character playlist

pinterest

connections

BIOGRAPHY

tw: sex work

Growing up Lennon's parents never really had full control over their daughter. She was adventurous, finding herself in situations she didn't need to be in, the kid that always had teachers on the phone because she was getting into trouble.

She had nanny's, therapists to discuss her behaviour, you name it her parents brought them in to try and get her 'under control' and this was all way before she even hit her teens. Once the partying and staying out late came into play her parents thought she was the worlds worst child but she was just like anyone else her age.

However her spending habits became excessive when she was 18 and onwards she was shopping a lot and partying. She didn't see college as her thing so instead of getting a job that left her with a lot of free time and a lot of money of her parents to spend.

Her 21st birthday came around and instead of throwing her the big birthday bash she was hoping for her parents sat her down and told her they were cutting her off financially. Instead of getting a job like most would she looked at more creative methods of making a little cash and thats how the sugar baby life style landed in her lap.

She has had all kinds of clientele ranging from the bare minimum required to earn payments down to full sex. Those that do require her to go all the way she doesn't keep on board for long due to them usually catching feelings and wanting more but for Lennon it is simply just business. Those that only want to chat or meet up occasionally but still pay her she keeps around as long as possible.

At 25 Lennon made the sudden decision to move to New York. She never really gave an explanation for her choice but it was sudden and seemed perfect at the time due to her bestie already being out there.

HEADCANONS

her family used to travel to cali a lot for family trips and she mingled a lot with celebs and influential families

the most she has made in a day from one person without having to do anything was 10k and that was for giving an old rich man attention over text

she doesn't keep her sugar baby life a secret, if asked she tells and she doesn't care what people think

demi lovato hated lennon through their early 20s because demi thought lennon tried stealing joe jonas from her but the truth is she actually tried stealing nick from miley but selena beat her to it

she is still cut off from her parents financially and they don't really know how she makes money they just know she has enough to fund her lifestyle. they don't really ask questions either.

had a fling with zac efron

has zero patience for people who are stupid

one time she adopted 5 dogs from the shelter with her parents money at 19 and her parents threw a fit

threw her drink on logan paul once at a club when he tried to kiss her

often pretends she doesn't remember peoples names or them just for fun when they stop her in the street and hit her with "lennon I haven't seen you in so long!"

told ashley tisdale she would have made a better sharpay evans than her and in the same conversation told vanessa hudgens she was off key in most of the hsm songs (she was drunk for all of this)

#lake:intro

[cassiiealexxwrites]

So I did a thing. I spent a weekend two weeks ago re watching the ENTIRE HSM franchise. Literally. The 3 original movies. The Sharpay spin off. HSMTMTS, and both of its specials. And I am officially in a Caswen spiral. I have read literally EVERYTHING I could find on ao3 for Caswen. Like. I need all the Caswen fluff. So. I decided that I needed to create my own as THERE IS NOT ENOUGH OF THEM 😭 I am over 11k words into this rewrite. I may be posting it soon on AO3. Will post link when I do.

For now, here is some basic info on my rewrite:

- starts during the scene where Ricky hits E.J. with the ball, Ricky chases after him and they talk

- Nini and Ricky best friends since childhood. They figured out that they never actually felt that deeply for each other but were going along with the motions of what they thought they should do

- E.J. and Nini already broke up because Nini decided she wanted to focus on herself

- Everyone thinks Nini dumped E.J. for Ricky

- both are Bi

- basketball captain Ricky, and water polo captain E.J. because why not

- EJ is a junior with the rest instead of a senior

- Ricky enjoys flirting with E.J. and making him blush, boy has a massive crush

- slow burn. Like. So slow. I’m 11k words in and we only just got to homecoming and neither of them have made a move yet.

- Lynne Bowen is the worst

- angst is mostly due to Lynne Bowen

- We love EJ in this household so we’re giving him supportive parents.

- Ricky owns an obsessive amount of vans and is also a little spoiled. Like not Caswell level of spoiled/rich but they’re a lot more well off than in canon.

I don’t want to give away too much so that’s all I’m saying for now. I’m considering starting to post the first chapter once I make up a summary.

#hsmtmts #caswen #ej caswell #ricky bowen #rewrite #let them kiss #boys in love #hsm the series

[dream-gate]

Review of season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

Let's get my criticisms out of the way, this list is short

1) It needed to be longer, not as in more episodes at the end because I'm sad it's over but maybe adding in like 3 more scenes where we are doing rehearsals for the musical. It's like a table read and then it's opening night, feels sparse.

2) Scream being saved for opening night was a choice, I can imagine it being used earlier for story reasons, it feels under utilized.

3) EJ has gotten better but doesn't realize that girlfriends are not something that can be "stolen" and he also still thinks Ricky was the reason for his last two break ups. Babygirl, look at your behaviour.

The good things? Literally everything else.

1) In season 3 I was joking around about Seb and Big Red being the only wildcats in town and that being Big Red's gay moment.

2) Speaking of Big Red I love that his name is still Big Red, I didn't trust them to leave it be.

3) I think Ashlyn should have gotten her girl kissing and still got to be with Big Red but not because she cheated, more like they just come to an agreement or something. But madlyn is good, no complaints about that, I just am attached to redlyn.

4) Carlos is that bitch.

5) Jet and Maddox just appearing is so funny, not a chance they would move like 3 days into the school year, iconic.

6) Mark and Spark perfectly captures the feeling of being too old for the new disney shows in like 2009 onward or whatever, it's very dog with a blog.

7) Kourtney has the best looks all season, the duck look for the movie, the orange, love it. Obviously any Sharpay look is going to be good because I am a Sharpay fan forever.

8) Related so nice that Kourtney didn't choose the fancy ivy league school and just went for the choice that made her happiest, that's what we've been needing for her the whole time.

9) "who the fuck are you guys"

Ricky and Gina the heart and soul of the series, they're so bad at secret dating, I can't believe that only Ashlyn guessed that. The whole show really was leading to this season for them, it's so good, they're adorable and so sweet together.

They have like 2 little problems and they overcome it and it like strengthens their bond and it's like, in season 3 people are saying "it's been a week why does Gina feel ignored" but that would be a preview of the future, the preview here is like working through stuff. Love their growth and how it makes them work well together.

Gina's choice to stay in Salt Lake not just for Ricky but for all her friends and the world she's worked hard to like, and it's so true Ricky just saw her as she was, he's the first person to accept her and it was good she said that.

I want to know if the tag was there on the prop the whole time, I am so curious!

#annoyingly long thing #don't worry about it #hsmtmts

[27emailsicantsend]

Kourtney and/or Ashlyn for the character ask please

Since it’s for two separate characters, I’ll do two separate posts, so come back later for Ashlyn’s :)

But here is Kourtney’s!

Favorite thing about them: Oh, for sure her confidence. To me confidence isn’t about having fear, but being willing to push through the fear and she does this time and time again. From her anxiety to her fear of telling Howie she liked him to her fear of trying singing in front of everyone, she has been able to muster up the courage to push through. She inspired me to be more proud of who I am and try new things, even if there is a risk of failing

Least favorite thing about them: I actually have two for this one.

1) sometimes the way they make her act/sing/dance in the show is a little… immature? Like when she is singing BTBB or Fabulous they made her do some really over the top dance moves that made me genuinely feel like I was watching a kids show, so I cringed a little. That’s not on Dara though, that is 100% the directing.

2) I don’t like that they made her basically the “funny black best friend” in season 1. This is a common stereotyped trope in a lot of tv and I know the black community has fought hard to put these characters in less degrading roles. (I’m not black, so if you have more questions about this or want to learn more, I would highly suggest learning from someone of color- there are a lot of incredible resources, even here on tumblr). It has been a fantastic breath of fresh air to see Kourtney really start to shine as her own character as opposed to Nini’s sidekick since s2.

Favorite line(s): (how in the world was I supposed to choose just one; Kourtney is iconic)

“I can’t be the first to die. I’m too smart and hot for that… unless I’m already dead. And if you’re first, then that would make the writer kind of homoph-“

“Cute duck!”

“Yeah we’re going to jail!”

“He’s staring at a tree, right?”

“Of course he’s confident. A cis straight dude with a paper-thin résumé?… you missed almost all the words I said, huh?”

OTP: Jetney 💛🐥

nOTP: Kowie 🤢

brOTP: Kourtney and Carlos

Something I expect from them season 4 (if applicable): I wrote an entire post about what I believe will happen with Kourtney here, but I really think she will play out that Sharpay/jealous of Gabriella getting the lead role. When Gina gets the lead, it will cause a rifle in their friendship. I also think that Jet will follow her around like Zeke.

Random Headcanon: I don’t know how much it is of a headcanon per-say, but I think we missed a lot of moments of her and Jet getting to know each other. I think they probably got really close at Camp Shallow Lake, but it was shown off screen so we’d be surprised in the doc. All their touching, talking, Jet being “team Kourtney” in the background leads me to believe they were developing a relationship off screen

Unpopular Opinion: Outside of S1, it is very unbelievable that Kourtney and Nini are best friends. Even while Olivia was a main s2, her arc was so Ricky focused, Kourt was out of the picture a lot. I kind of wish they either would have kept up with them being close or just made Kourtney her own main from the get go (and look how loved she is now! She was only supposed to be in one episode!)

Song I associate with them: Black Magic by Little Mix

Favorite picture of them: so technically it’s from a video but I was obsessed with everything about it when Dara dropped it!! Absolutely bodied Sharpay. Literally it’s such a pretty video that if Kourtney took it, Jet would be on his hands and knees begging for mercy.

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #kourtney greene #asks #send me asks #anon #character asks #dara renee

[indigo-scarf]

Draco and Dransy for the ask game please?

thanks for asking! (I'll try not to make this post too huge lol)

ask game here

💚 Draco

How I feel about this character: 

My precious little meow meow for 15 years (that's a crystal anniversary!). I actually can't explain how I feel about him without divulging my entire autobiography, but here are some relatable things we have in common:

being edgy because vulnerability is weak

going scorched earth sour grapes when rejected

jealous little attention whores

having done cruel things for said attention

impossible-to-please parental figure set in their callous ways and restrictive worldview

complicated feelings about Harry Potter

Sometimes I wonder if it's unhealthy to indulge such strong kinship with a character over mostly negative parts of both of us but anyway moving on

All the people I ship romantically with this character: 

Pansy, Harry, Theodore, Luna, Goyle, Scabior, Borgin, Tom Riddle (in some really abusive way), Neville, Cedric, Remus, Sirius, Marcus Flint, Zacharias Smith, Cormac McLaggen, any random man off the street apparently. Astoria maybe.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: 

Narcissa! Love to project my mummy issues. And I also ship them incestuously, but that would still not be romantic, more just expressing mother-son affection in messed up ways.

My unpopular opinion about this character: 

He doesn't need to be redeemed to be lovable!!!

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Canon is perfect the way it is. Get out of here with your deleted movie scenes, let him be a confused Slytherin mess.

I don't even really wish he had married Pansy, because despite her being my beloved princess I sort of like how much JKR hates her + I guess that would be narratively weird, unless Pansy's character had been given more attention all along/had a "horrible to questioning" arc of her own.

my OTP:

I refuse to pick one (you'd think I'd say Dransy, but I can think of so many reasons why they could break up lol).

my cross over ship:

Any of my other mean rich kid blorbos: Blair Waldorf, Sharpay Evans, Cheryl Blossom, August (Young Royals), Nathan (Life is Strange), Ryle (The Riot Club).

a headcanon fact:

He always has two birthday parties, one on the actual day (and it's a whole thing that it cannot flop due to exams) and a bigger one after term ends that marks the beginning of summer holidays.

💕 Dransy (aka racistflower, raciststars, or racistracist)

when I started shipping it if I did:

Last year. I genuinely don't know why I didn't ship it before, must be misogyny (and the fact that there are so few fanworks about it).

my thoughts:

I like mean rich kids and two of those together is chef's kiss. Also there are so many different directions you can go with this ship, from the most wholesome to the most abusive, all of which l find fun to explore.

What makes me happy about them:

The comfort of being childhood friends (even if I don't think their friendship was equal or entirely healthy) to lovers. Empathising with each other's dark side. Romanticising the dramatic ups and downs of potentially toxic fictional relationships. Going shopping.

What makes me sad about them:

That it's such a niche ship! Come on, it was literally canon for a while, what is wrong with society 😭

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

What fanfic? 😭 But I don't like it when Pansy is too sassy-confident, when Draco is too traditionally manly, or when either of them is explicitly forced into their ideology like they didn't enjoy being bigoted little shits.

things I look for in fanfic:

Being mean together, struggling to be kinder, (getting used to) being vulnerable with no one except each other, fighting because they refuse to be vulnerable, doing rich people things together, struggling to do non-rich people things... But I guess the most important thing is I'm just picky af about the characterisation vibes.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

Draco: Harry, Theodore, Luna, maybe Astoria

Pansy: Daphne, Marietta Edgecombe, maybe Lavender (but if she's black it gets rather complicated) + I once made up an OC that was Pansy's French gf

My happily ever after for them:

Luxurious travels around the world, until they're coastal grandparents with or without any grandchildren.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

They both want to be the little spoon, but sacrifices must be made, so they alternate.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Spa day! And taking Witch Weekly quizzes.

#ask game #draco malfoy #pansy parkinson #dransy #draco x pansy

[superiortremaine]

closed starter location: lava springs country club @sharpayyyyy

Drizella had gotten her and her family memberships to Lava Springs quickly. She didn’t care that it was about to be winter, she was going to enjoy the pool and the spa treatments as much as she could without a second thought. She hadn’t told Sharpay she was coming today; she wanted to surprise the blonde and discuss potentially filming some content together. After the Blaise incident all she wanted to do was shove all of that stuff behind her and move on. She was sure Sharpay had seen the kiss; who hadn’t at this point? She was being called all sorts of things on her socials. There weren’t a lot of negative ones, thank god, but the ones that were there stung and she needed to show she was unbothered. 

When she arrived she saw Sharpay at the front desk chatting with some older guy and she stopped for a moment. She knew she was being dramatic or stupid, but she was nervous about being here in the blonde’s world like this. She really needed to get a grip. She plastered on her best smile and walked over with the confidence she most certainly did not have. “Hey! Sharpay, do you have a min?”

#💵 champagne in my veins || interactions. #sharpay.

[variousqueerthings]

high school musical 3 is a fascinating journey to go on, because it's not coherent as such, but it hits some very interesting beats before sharpishly walking them back or does some bland needs-to-be-there stuff that it then promptly forgets about (mainly around pairing the spares), because you'd never be allowed to outright depict the highschool romance not lasting into college, or that the father is emotionally overbearing if not abusive in the ways he pressures his son (and ofc there are some queer overtones in the "don't do theatre, do sports!" thing), and you absolutely can't explain why the male best friend who's sleepwalking through a non-romance plot is obsessed with the male lead spending his entire life with him/choosing him over the girlfriend, whom he definitely never really liked

RIP sharpay and ryan are pretty sidelined in this plot (esp considering the growth in the second movie), although at least ryan continues to be an mvp in terms of performance and clothing style, and kelsi brings us more non-binary Fits so there's that

you have tensions that feel like they exist outside the film, hurriedly correcting like it's a slapstick "the show goes wrong" type of deal --

two seconds of kelsi and ryan paying lip-service to pairing the spares, before it's never relevant again, but it's been written now, don't worry, they are Straight, see they composed/sang 1min of a duet that wasn't actually for or about them in the story

another mini-arc that lasts all of 5ish minutes of chad asking out taylor, before both of them phone it in and have separate conversations with their besties about how your boyfriend/girlfriend in highschool isn't that important (and chad of course from then on is only interested in whether troy will go to college with him, like they'd always dreamed of)

gabriella going away early to college some thousands of miles away and calling troy right before prom to say she's not coming back for it, or for graduation, because she's decided not to see him again in order to move forwards with her life, which is a pretty clear boundary to set (if done in a somewhat terrible way), only for him to... get to where she is somehow? and his presence simply convinces her to not care about any of her previous decision-making

troy's dad once again being the worst character while he guilts his son over having an interest in theatre (same as in the last 2 movies), instead of following in his exact footsteps, only for the story to shrug it off at the end, because there was never going to be follow-through on something like that

and I know it's not that deep, don't get me wrong here. I'm just interested as someone who's seeing the bits where the structure it's been building (someone Chose To Write This) get dropped in favour of it not being that deep when... it could be a better, more complex movie, possibly if it weren't disney channel I'm guessing. but then, it didn't have to have these arcs to begin with, it could have been a much lighter story, it chose not to be --

and some of the corners it wrote itself into due to law of sequel character-growth stagnancy, because it's about writing the same story three times with slightly different covers, so chad has to be annoyed with troy for choosing gabriella over hi- uh, basketball? sharpay has to try to steal the show/troy, troy's dad has to guilt him before supporting him, gabriella and troy have to have a moment of Sad before working it out (quickly, the Sad cannot last for too long), etc. but because the structure simply changes when you write a different story (they are going to college after this, they won't be seeing each other every day again), these storylines feel different/get written differently

it's kind of a sad movie overall, with its whole idea of this'll never be forgotten best years of our lives type rhetoric ("Who says we have to let it go? // It's the best part we've ever known // Step into the future... but hold on to High School Musical"), and it brings that sadness into the plot -- it could have gone way harder on "we're so excited for the future and what's to come" but it didn't

I am so into movies like this. poking at them to see all the limitations that exist outside of them that work against telling a good story, but the good story is in there, somewhere. when for some reason production has decided that stagnation is more important. people don't want to see stories about people who change, they want them to stay the same forever (and ideally go back and watch the first movie again afterwards I guess)

anyway troy's "anxiety nightmare in the school" song was actually great + encapsulates 90% of the tension the movie has that it never actually manages to work out, but just brushes under the carpet, it's perfect:

"I don't know where to go // What's the right team? // I want my own thing // So bad I'm gonna scream // I can't choose, so confused // What's it all mean?"

you wrote this song hsm3: senior year team! c'mon!

#high school musical 3 #hsm3 #yeah catch me analysing this film #troy bolton is bisexual ofc #you can only write so much lyric about *not knowing what team you belong to* before it begins to sound Like The Metaphor It Is #long post #yeah yeah yeah i just watched hsm3 im going to bed now #10/10 experience enjoyed it a lot -- terrible movie

[snnydcysarchive]

@tccdles​​ sent: ❝ i’m not crying. it’s allergies. ❞

sonny looked over at the blonde with concern. it was obvious that she was indeed crying. sonny wasn’t one to let it go or leave anyone alone. moving her dark curls away from her face, she settled down next to sharpay and kept her gaze on the other, “either we sit here talking about why you’re crying... or we will go ahead and pretend they’re allergies and sit in silence. either way, i’ll stay with you right here.”

#❛ ☀️ 𝙼𝙴 𝙼𝚈𝚂𝙴𝙻𝙵 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚃𝙸𝙼𝙴 ╱ … ( ANSWERED ) #SHARPAY EVANS ... ( TCCDLES )

[withahappyrefrain]

-Oh my god, if you ever get into a bar fight with someone, he just wraps one arm around your waist, lifts you up, and kinda situates you on one hip? And just walks around like "Nope, ladybudy, we are not getting arrested tonight"

Omg I need to see this scene as it’s own thing…?! How would he react to reader being a little spicy jalapeño after too many drinks and too many rude a*holes?

not me asking bc I too have a temper hahahahahaFUCKhahaa

- @liz-allyn

Hi @liz-allyn I am tipsy and got this idea in my head and couldn't get it out soooo here we are this is pure crack have fun ♥️♥️♥️

As Peter turns around after getting his drink from the bartender, he goes on high alert at the realization that you are no longer by his side.

He quickly scans the bar, reminding himself to look both up and down due to how short you are.

He finds you. You've just downed your drink and from the way you're talking with your hands at the person across from you, Peter knows you're feeling the effects of your drinks.

It's when you shake your head and put a finger up at them, your mouth clearly forming the word "no", that Peter begins to make his way through the crowd.

The last thing he needs is trying to fight someone without showing off that he had super strength. As Peter got closer, he could begin to hear your conversation.

"How....like how on God's green Earth, could you think they deserve that?" You said.

"You just have to look at them! It's so obvious!"

You shook your head. Peter could see the anger bubbling up.

Oh God, you were pointing your index finger at them and saying no.

"How....how?! You're wrong. You are so fucking wrong. I have never heard a person say one wrong thing, right after the other."

"You're reading way too into this." Peter could tell they were starting to get frustrated. He did his best to move in-between the sea of people.

"And you are taking such a shallow approach to this!"

"It's just a movie."

"Ryan and Sharpay deserved those roles more than Troy and Gabriella!"

Oh God not this again.

At first, it was cute how fiery and passionate you would get when intoxicated. But then you put your hands on someone after they suggested Shrek was better than Shrek 2. Peter had to get you out of there quick.

"They sung the song the way Kelsey wanted it to be sung!"

"But Breaking Free is a bop."

"The way Kelsey had it was boring as hell. You're telling me you would have wanted to sit through that boring ballad? Ryan and Sharpay had the vision, they knew they needed to spice it up because they actually did theatre! They didn't just try it out on some whim!"

Before he met you, Peter had never seen the film. Your passionate rants were one of the many things he loved about you.

He just loved it a little less when you got drunk and threw drinks at people over it.

"That Ryan and Sharpay would have nailed! Could Troy and Gabriella pull off Bop to the Top? Absolutely not!"

"Ryan and Sharpay were shitty people!"

You looked ready to lunge at the person's neck.

Which was Peter's cue to step in.

"Alright ladybug, it is time for us to go! I am so sorry. Good thing she's cute, right?" Peter joked to the person you had been arguing with.

"No, we are not leaving until I knock some sense into-"

"Oh yes we are!" Before you could protest, Peter had one arm wrapped around your waist. He lifted you off the ground, your hip awkwardly resting on his.

"Sorry about that dude, she gets really passionate about her film opinions!" Peter whispered before turning around.

"Do not apologize to that person! They have shit taste!" You yelled over the music, "They probably think Glinda is a good witch!"

"She is!" You tried to turn around, but Peter's grip tighten as he walked out of the bar.

"Ladybug, I love you so much. But we are not getting arrested because of High School Musical."

"But Sharpay and Ryan-"

"Deserved those roles over Troy and Gabriella. Absolutely."

"See? You understand," you sighed and leaned your head into the crook of Peter's neck. Peter sighed, happy that you two were finally out of the crowded bar.

"We gotta start walking home now, okay?" He explained. You nodded your head.

"I'm.....I'm going to put you down now." You nodded your head again. Peter on the other hand, still maintained his grip on your waist. Your feet were still dangling above the ground.

"I know," You sighed.

".....We are not going back into the bar," Peter explained, his voice stern. You simply nodded your head.

Peter gently placed you back on the ground. After you stood there for a few moments, he removed his hand from your waist.

"They said Glinda was good, they need to understand she's a bitch!" You called out as you ran back into the bar.

Peter ran after you, calling your name. He should know better by now.

He'd be carrying you all the way home this time.

#peter parker imagine #tasm peter x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x you #tasm!peter x you #tasm peter x you #my writing #ask #lovely lizzy

[asongcanmeaneverything]

Rina and The Office: An Endgame thought experiment no one asked for 😂

I haven’t seen anyone handle the topic I’m going to cover here, but if they have, please feel free to let me know. Don’t want to reiterate things we’ve already heard.

Here we go…

So I’ve seen just about every kind of endgame prediction on here.

Most derive from two methodologies.

The first is trying to predict the likelihood of character’s future presence on the show. (EJ going to college, or even Olivia becoming too famous, etc.) By process of elimination one can guess at that elusive Rina endgame which may or may not exist.

The second being scouring season one and two for narrative evidence. Going beat by beat through Ricky and Gina’s paths to find what was meant to be or maybe what was just wishful thinking.

I think both approaches are useful, especially when applied simultaneously. It’s unlikely that endgames are being totally decided by narrative design, and not influenced by external factors like Olivia’s once in a lifetime debut, Covid, etc. It’s also bad faith to assume that Tim and the writers are just playing this by week, and not attempting to tie everything back together. So if we are interested in guessing at a Rina endgame/s we should continue to analyze using both methods. But I’m proposing a supplemental thought experiment that I haven’t seen covered yet.

I call this The Office Experiment: Jim, Pam, and the three seasons.

It’s obvious this show’s documentary visual style, comedic editing, interviews, etc. is taken in large part from the massive success of The Office. It’s not too much of a jump then to consider how this framework influences the development of core relationships over multiple seasons of HSMTS.

Now before we get lost in this, I’m not oversimplifying. I’m not so shallowly saying Jim is Ricky and Gina is Pam.

That wont work on this show. One of the remarkable things about this series was how HSM archetypes were blended into each core character. Gina was a fearsome adversary like Sharpay, and vulnerable new girl, constantly moving like Gabriella. Nini was hesitant to take the spotlight like Gabriella, but also not chained to Ricky like she was to Troy. EJ was a perfect blend of Troys jock, hot, popular guy coolness, with Ryan’s silly theatre geekiness. Ricky had Troys fears to put himself out there on stage, but he was far from “the man on campus.”

So as I dive into the Office Experiment I will draw one for ones between characters, but just know they aren’t perfectly squared. Mostly want to focus on how seasons played out with relationship arcs. This is a macro approach.

We’re headed into season 3 of HSMTS. For the sake of discussion I’m combining season 1/2 of The Office together since the first season wasn’t a full order, and didn’t tell a complete story.

Jim and Pam struggle to be together across Season 1/2. There’s moments where they are obviously close, but externally due to the obstacle of Roy, they can’t be together.

In this way we see some immediate parallels. Gina as Jim, Ricky as Pam, and Nini as the Roy obstacle covering two seasons.

At the end of season 2 of The Office, Jim puts all his cards on the table, it’s clear there was always something between them, but sadly it’s just not enough. Pam is in too deep with Roy. We can draw some ties here to Gina’s unknown and probably retconned emotional speech to Ricky in the dressing room. She feels good for having said it, and Ricky seems sympathetic, but now she has to begin the work of accepting what wont be and moving on.

Season 3 Jim is with Karen, and Pam is back and forth with Roy, but often single and dating around. Which is how we’re most likely set up to be in Season 3 of HSMTS. Jim here again is Gina, with Karen being EJ, Pam still Ricky, with Lily being Ricky’s dating around moments.

By the end of season 3 Jim and Pam are still not together. Jim is off in NYC with Karen, while Pam alone in Scranton must explain why she and Jim didn’t work out, “we could never get the timing right. I turned him down and then he turned me down.”

The bad timing for us would be Ricky was still hopelessly devoted to Nini when he and Gina begin to share the flames of romantic potential. They shared a (cheek) kiss, had inside jokes, attended parties together, gave each other hard advice, and after a private serenade Ricky told her, “I can’t forget anything about that (Homecoming) night.” But the bad timing becomes worse when Gina had to suddenly move after Thanksgiving, which sent Ricky (terrified of change) back on a path to Nini. He, in essence, turned Gina down for Nini. Now that Ricky is single, and Portwell has arrived it’s seems it’s now Gina’s turn to “turn down” Ricky. At least that’s what could happen.

At the end of season 3 of The Office, Jim swoops back in after we discover that Beach Day flashback where Jim explains to Pam that after he returned from Stamford, he “never really came back.” Pam takes a leap of faith and says “I wish you would.” Recalling this memory in his interview spurs him to unexpectedly return to Scranton, swoop in on Pam’s interview, and ask her out on their first official date. If we do get a Rina endgame, I wonder what this equivalent might be.

When you start to think of these broad relationship arcs, it does seem the most logical, and perhaps the most satisfying outcome to this show would have to be a Rina endgame, as it’s the only one with the emotional torment, and structural strength to achieve something akin to Jim and Pam, which lets be honest, is a, if not THE standard.

By the end of three seasons, mountains of tension, set backs, almost connections, dramatic speeches and external obstacles we finally got a Jim and Pam endgame.

Is The Office DNA strong enough in HSM, to secure our Rina endgame by season three’s end, or at all? Idk.

Based off last seasons abysmal, unorganized, and backtracking story lines I would say this show is more a chaotic degrassi where anything could happen. There are no grand designs. No true endgames.

But I don’t want to be that cynical. I’m excited for Portwell. I don’t think it can last, but whether or not it does, I can’t wait to see the joy and growth between those characters. I have ZERO comments about the off screen rumors. I’m excited to see a fully uncaged Nina, and poor Ricky lol. Once he discovers the harness it’s curtains for Lily, but perhaps that will help him finally recognize Gina. Lets be honest, who wouldn’t want to see even some temporary Ricky pining for Gina moments or episodes.

An additional point is that each season has a sort of predetermined balancing effect. Season 1, Ricky and Nini START broken up and END back together. The opposite being true for season 2. If Portwell, started season 2 apart and got together by its end, the opposite could likely be true for season 3. They wouldn’t likely show us Ricky and Nini “back together cause they’ve already done that.” And if Portwell ends mid season like Rini did…

… that only realistically leaves two people left to find there way back to each other. Rina is inevitable. *Thanos voice*

At the end of the day, our predictions are just that. We should investigate them throughly, but also not take it too seriously. The fun of HSM has always been not knowing how they would resolve things dramatically in the eleventh hour. HSM 2 still being my favorite, unexpected finish.

Here’s to seeing what season three resolves, or doesn’t, who ends up together or doesn’t, and if this Rina endgame has been the obvious climactic finish, or just our own meanings we made along the way.

#high school musical the musical the series #hsm the series #hsmtmts #joshua bassett #olivia rodrigo #portwell #rina hsmtmts #rina #gina porter #nini salazar roberts #ricky bowen #ricky x gina #high school musical #sophia wylie #ej caswell #rini #rinaedit #rina endgame #the office #jim and pam #hsm season 3 #hsmtmts season 2 #hsmedit

[luvdsc]

doing the bf tag with my bf.

hey, siri, does bf stand for best friend or boyfriend? (or both?)

pairing :: na jaemin x reader genre :: fluff / best friend + youtuber au word count :: 4,691 words warnings :: none playlist :: mean it (lauv & lany) ⋆ always, i’ll care (jeremy zucker) ⋆ fearless (taylor swift) ⋆ fingers crossed (coin) ⋆ cardiac arrest (bad suns) author’s note :: this fic is a tiny bit different than my usual writing because i emphasize more on dialogue than description in order to mimic a youtube video. happy birthday to this absolute darling angel! you have the biggest heart in the universe, and thank you for sharing so much of it with the world ♡ ↳ part of the not clickbait series.

Your subscribers have always wondered if you would do this type of video countless of times, and you never thought you’d ever actually record one due to the state of your love life (or lack thereof), yet here you are.

Unfortunately, the romantic department of your life still remains very much empty though. But lucky for you, so is your best friend’s. And that pretty much works out perfectly because he could stand in for your nonexistent boyfriend in order to complete the popular GF/BF tag (along with a hidden challenge that was popular by demand and personally requested by a certain friend with a flair for baking. Now if only the frantic butterflies in your stomach would settle down just enough for you to do it).

After all, BF could stand for either boyfriend or best friend, right?

It’s also no secret that yours and Jaemin’s subscribers shipped you two together either. Heck, you may be a little delusional as well because you ship yourself with your best friend, too. Blame the massive crush you’ve been secretly harboring. But two best friends sharing an apartment and frequently appearing in videos on each of your respective channels? In the eyes of your fans, that’s basically the perfect setup for a modern day love story.

It would 100% be the greatest love story since Kat and Patrick in 10 Things I Hate About You, but at this point in your life, your story is going to be marked down as a tragedy. You feel even more hopeless and dramatic than Romeo was about his unrequited love for Rosaline. Also, that dude got over her way too quickly at the sight of another pretty girl. You wish that would happen for you, too, but your heart is much too stubborn over Jaemin.

When you had asked him if he would do the video with you, Jaemin immediately agreed much to your initial surprise. The publicity would be good though, you surmise later on, and both our fan bases would grow, so of course, he would agree. It’s not like your best friend liked you back. That would be absolutely absurd.

“Are you ready?” Jaemin speaks up, breaking your train of thought, and you’re slightly startled. He plops down in the plush pink rolling chair next to you, the chair moving back a few inches. He scooches it closer to your own chair, buzzing with excitement. You smile at your best friend, pushing down the butterflies erupting in your stomach. You nod before reaching forward and pressing the record button on the camera set up in front of you. You pull up the list of questions on your phone.

“Yeah, let's do this.”

How did we meet?

“Oh, this is an easy question,” Jaemin says, flashing his award winning smile at the camera before he throws his arm around you happily, hugging you affectionately. “It was freshman year. You ran into me. Literally. We were in the same class, and it just ended. You were trying to shove your textbook into your bag and didn’t notice where you were walking until you face-planted into my back.”

The memory is still fresh in your mind, and you remember how you had already resigned yourself to your fate of becoming good friends with the floor. But Lady Luck was on your side for once, and she sent an angel in the form of Na Jaemin to save you from embarrassment on your first day of university.

“Yeah, I almost fell flat on my butt, but luckily, Nana has great reflexes and when he turned around, he grabbed my arm before I hit the ground,” you add on, still squished into his side. He beams, eyes crinkling into half moon crescents before placing a kiss on your cheek and turning back to the camera.

Your heart skips a beat, but you ignore it. Jaemin has always been affectionate, and kisses were all in good fun. You continue on, plastering a nonchalant smile on your face. “And he said, ‘Looks like you just fell for me.’ And then he insisted that we get lunch together.”

“And the rest is history!” he exclaims happily, resting his cheek on the top of your head. You smile fondly before going onto the next question.

Where was our first date?

“The dining hall immediately after you ran into me.”

“That wasn’t a date,” you interject. “We can skip this question since we aren’t dating.”

Jaemin shrugs, waiting for you to read the next question. He murmurs faintly under his breath, “It was supposed to be one.”

We’re going out to eat, where are we going?

Jaemin answers immediately, leaning back in his chair. “The little pizza place down the block! They always make three different types of unique pizza everyday, and once they sell out, they close for the day.”

“We always go on Wednesday because they make both of our favorite pizzas then.” You chime in, and he nods enthusiastically, moving closer to the front and throwing his hands up in the air for emphasis. “They have corn and potato pizza that day!”

You wrinkle your nose slightly before leaning towards the camera. “To my subscribers, for the record, I assure you that I have better taste than that, and I love the artichoke pesto pizza with ricotta.”

What food do I dislike?

“... Corn and potato pizza,” he says reluctantly with a pout. “And kiwis. The outside is furry and creeps you out, and the fruit makes your tongue itch.”

You flash a thumbs up at the camera, and your best friend grins, puffing up his chest. Chuckling quietly, you shake your head before answering the question yourself. “And this dork absolutely hates anything strawberry flavored. And he’s lactose intolerant, so dairy is his enemy.”

“I love cheese, but cheese hates me,” he says mournfully, hanging his head down low before he jumps back up and reads the following question listed on your phone’s screen aloud.

Who is my best friend?

“Me!” Jaemin shouts gleefully, throwing his hands up in the air, and you can’t help but laugh, grinning widely at your best friend, a fond expression on your face.

“You.”

Am I a morning person or a night person?

“We’re both night people,” you say, and Jaemin nods in agreement. “You won’t catch either of us waking up before noon if we can’t help it, and we each have to set up like five alarms just to wake up.”

“It works out because we can stay up together watching movies or editing our videos,” he adds in, turning to you and smiling fondly. “And I always have a partner when I want to go on a midnight snack run to the convenience store nearby.”

Do we have a song? What is it?

“Jeremy Zucker’s Always, I’ll Care.”

“That’s our song?” You’re surprised. You were going to mention one of the go-to karaoke songs the two of you liked to belt out on the top of your lungs after a movie and wine night. Jaemin makes a great Sharpay Evans when you both want to bop to the top.

“It’s the song that reminds me of you,” he says, voice growing softer as he reaches the end of the sentence. Curse your heart for melting into a puddle. His cheeks turn pink under your gaze, and he becomes uncharacteristically shy, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Anyway, what’s the next question?”

What’s my nickname?

“Nana!” You reach out to poke his cheek, and he puffs them up before pouting at you. He reaches out and pinches your cheek.

“I call you ‘angel’ sometimes. It’s why your channel is called peachyangel.”

What's my weirdest habit?

“Jaemin eats way too much cilantro,” you state, swinging around side to side in your rolling chair.

“I do not!” he protests loudly, and you give him a blank stare. The two of you sit there in silence, not breaking eye contact until he finally relents.

“Okay, maybe I do. But you pour cereal before milk!”

“That’s not a weird habit!” You defend yourself. You are appalled at your best friend. Neither of you have ever woken up early enough for breakfast, so this has never come up before. If you would’ve known this in the past, maybe you wouldn’t be so ridiculously in love with him in the present.

“Yes, it is! Your cereal gets all soggy that way!”

“Only idiots pour their milk first!”

He clutches his heart dramatically. “Are you calling me an idiot?!”

“... So moving onto the next question—”

What do you think I’m talented at?

“Making people fall in love with you,” Jaemin blurts out, and your eyes widen at his answer as your grip on your phone loosens considerably.

“I—I mean, you’re just so approachable, and you’re kind to everyone. You care so much about everyone and everything. People feel comfortable around you, they always gravitate towards you, and you just— I don’t know, you make people feel loved,” he explains, unable to meet your eyes, and his cheeks darken. He fiddles around with the loose strand on his sweater sleeve.

Your heart swells ten times bigger and beats faster than ever. You wonder if Jaemin knows he has the same effect on everyone, too. You hope he does.

You wonder if he knows you’re in love with him and if he would love you back. You hope he does.

When was the first time you said “I love you”  to me?

“Uh, we can skip this one, too,” you say awkwardly, but he throws his arm around your shoulder again, hugging you tightly. “Nope, not skipping! I have the answer to this one!”

He grins toothily at the camera before pinching your cheek for a second time affectionately. “I said ‘I love you’ when you showed up at my dorm and brought me pop tarts at three in the morning after I accidentally drunk texted you, instead of Jeno. That’s when I knew you were a keeper.”

“I did that because I felt bad about throwing up on your shoes at the party we went to the weekend before that,” you mumble, face growing warm when you remember your best friend’s drunken confession a few years back. “Besides, you were drunk. It doesn’t count.”

“Okay, fine, but we say it to each other all the time. The second time I said it was when you brought me chicken nuggets, and I was hungover, but sober.” He says, spinning in his chair.

“I can see the pattern now. You say it when I bring you food,” you say, crossing your arms over your chest with a fake pout. “You love food, not me.”

“That’s not true!” he exclaims, halting mid spin and facing you. He turns your chair towards him, moving forward to clutch both of your hands in his, and stares directly into your eyes seriously. “I love you.”

You inaudibly gulp, helplessly gazing back at him as you feel your face begin to burn, your heart speeding up in your chest. Jaemin grins, leaning back and letting go of your hand. “See? I love you!”

“Y-yeah.” You swallow hard, fumbling over your words. “You love me.”

What is your favorite thing about me?

“Your laugh,” Jaemin replies honestly, reaching out and absentmindedly drawing circles on the back of your hand as he looks at you. “Hyuck told me the other day that whenever I try to do something funny or make a joke, I have a habit of turning towards you for your reaction. It makes me kinda proud that I can make you laugh.”

You know that you’re stupidly grinning like an absolute idiot at this point, but you don’t care. You even almost forget about the camera.

“Your smile,” you answer, maintaining eye contact with him. Your smile widens when you see one appear on his face, his eyes shining brightly. “You have the prettiest smile, and I’m grateful that I’m able to see it everyday or be the cause of it sometimes.”

What film always makes me cry?

“Oh, The Lion King.” Jaemin responds automatically. “We both cry our eyes out at the stampede moment and when Simba tells his dad to wake up.”

“When we saw the live action version together, we brought along a ton of tissues with us, and he used almost all of them.”

What drink do I always order?

“Jaemin is crazy and always gets a venti iced americano with no water and eight espresso shots. He used to drink it six times a day until I yelled at him about it,” you say, shaking your head at the camera before glancing over at your best friend. “It’s seriously bad for your health.”

His lips jut out into a pout as he whines, “You wouldn't let me cuddle with you until I changed it!”

“It was for your own good! Plus, that drink tasted like battery acid!” You exclaim, and he sulks quietly before begrudgingly agreeing. You pat his head in consolation, and he grabs your hand, naturally interlocking your fingers with his.

“I drink it less now and with only two and half shots.”

If I could, what candy could I eat all day long?

“Chocolate,” you blurt out immediately. “Jaemin is a chocolate fanatic. But he’ll take anything with sugar. He has such a sweet tooth. He eats brown sugar when he’s bored. Even his boba drink has 100% sugar.”

“It’s as sweet as you.” Jaemin winks at you exaggeratingly, and you roll your eyes, turning your face away slightly to hide the smile that begins to spread across your face.

“Y/N likes matcha green tea Kit Kats.” He leans closer to the camera, peering into the lens in a serious manner. “If any chocolate companies are watching this, we are both open to sponsorships.”

If I could live anywhere in the world, where would I live?

“Here,” Jaemin says confidently, beaming at you, “You’d want to live here with me. And I want to live here, too. Because this is the bestest place in the world.” He hesitates, faltering for a moment before searching your eyes. “Right?”

Who are you to say no to that?

You smile at him. “Right.”

What am I deathly afraid of?

“You’re afraid of spiders,” he announces, “You make me take care of all the spiders in the apartment.”

“Yeah, it’s the only reason I keep you around,” you say casually, and he gasps, insulted. You give him a cheeky smile. “I’m just kidding.”

He scowls at you, lips pulled into a frown. “You better be.”

What is the first thing that I do in the morning?

“Jaemin is never awake before I am,” you inform the camera, crossing your legs. “I have to wake him up first if we go anywhere.”

“Even if you don’t have to go to an event, you still wake up early to make sure I’m awake, so I won’t be late. So that’s what you do first thing in the morning: wake me up.” Jaemin nudges your leg. “You always come into my room as a blanket burrito with your comforter wrapped around you.”

“That’s because I have to face the treacherous cold to make sure you aren’t late to your events. But you still end up late anyway because you drag me down onto your bed and refuse to let me go until we lay there for twenty minutes,” you grumble, pulling up your legs onto your chair and wrapping your arms around your knees.

“Cuddling is a good way to conserve body heat and start the morning,” Jaemin states, waving his arms around to emphasize his point.

“Really? Do studies show that it’s beneficial to cuddle in the morning?”

“I don’t know.” Jaemin shrugs, making a noncommittal noise. He smiles at you, causing your stomach to do flip flops and your heart to do cartwheels. “But it makes me happy every morning, so I’d say that’s enough proof.”

Who usually wins our arguments?

“Y/N does,” Jaemin sighs heavily, leaning back against his chair in resignation. “You always win.”

“It’s true.” You nod, patting Jaemin’s arm consolingly. “It’s tough always being right, but someone has to do it.”

“You always pout, too, and I just give in because you’re too cute,” he says casually, and you freeze in your seat. Never mind the fact that he’s implying you’re wrong, Na Jaemin just called you cute.

Good thing this is caught on camera because this means you can secretly watch this multiple times in private. And also cringe over your awkward reaction, but let’s not talk about that right now because once again, Jaemin just called you cute. You! Cute! Jaemin! Your mind is honestly short circuiting, and you can’t do anything, except nod and smile like a complete fool.

What do we usually argue about?

“Adopting,” Jaemin says solemnly. Eyes widening, you wait for a moment, but he offers no explanation. You lightly shove his chair, and he rolls a few inches away. “Nana, you can't just end it like that! You have to say more than that!”

Turning towards the camera, you hurriedly explain, “He’s talking about pets. He wants to adopt five dogs and name them after Jisung, Chenle, Jeno, Renjun, and Mark. And then he wants to adopt a snake and name it after Donghyuck.”

“She said we could only get one dog and the snake.” Jaemin scowls, slumping in his seat as he stares into the camera. “I can’t believe she isn’t letting me get five dogs. I love Jisung and all non-Jisung’s equally.”

What’s my favorite clothing item?

“It’s not even yours. You always steals my white hoodie. I haven’t been able to wear it for the past month,” Jaemin complains, and you have the decency to look a little guilty.

You play with the strings of said hoodie that’s currently engulfing your body, curling into yourself as you tuck your face into the sweater like a turtle. “Your clothes smell nice.”

“But we use the same laundry detergent.” Jaemin wrinkles his eyebrows, confusion evident in his eyes. “All our clothes smell like snuggles and cotton.”

“It’s not the same,” you insist, wrinkling your nose, and he shakes his head, lips curling into a smile. He reaches over and tugs the hood of the sweater over your head playfully.

“Okay, whatever you say, angel. You look better in them than me anyway.”

Where am I on a Friday night?

“You’re here with me, eating Chinese take out and watching Criminal Minds,” you answer, and he agrees, nodding.

“We just finished watching all twelve seasons on Netflix, so if anyone has any show recommendations, please send them in!”

What is my weirdest interest?

“Once again, my clothes,” Jaemin says, and you begin to protest but he wags his finger at you. “No, no, no, you don’t get to disagree! You hoarded like six of my sweaters in your closet. I bought you the exact same sweater for your birthday, but you still take mine!”

You silently decide that it is better to accept this defeat than correct him because you actually have seven of his sweaters and a few tee shirts as well.

Who’s my favorite YouTuber?

“Me!” Jaemin’s hand shoots up in the air. “I’m your favorite YouTuber. Next question.”

Your hands start to get clammy as you look down at the final question you have been saving for last. It’s been a good fifteen minutes, and the butterflies still haven’t subsided. If anything, they seem to have multiplied and transformed into a whole rampaging zoo complete with elephants and monkeys.

“Uh, are you sure about that, Nana? ShowMeTheMonet is really good. I also really like itsmebetch a lot.” You stall for time, staring at the last question until the words are stamped in your mind. “Dream Unsolved and Worth It are amazing, too.”

Suddenly, Jaemin is right in front of you as he spins your chair around to face him, frowning and complaining, “What do you mean I’m not your favorite? You’re my favorite! What kind of best friend are you? This is a betrayal! An insult! This is worse than Jisung not calling me his favorite! How could you do this to m—”

“Okay, okay, you’re my favorite! I’m sorry! It was a joke,” you interrupt, but he turns away from you, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No, go make a video with ShowMeTheMonet instead.” He sulks, shoulders hunched over. “If you like her so much, go be best friends with her.”

“I’m sorry! I’ll buy you all the chocolate you want after this,” you plead with him, placing your phone on the table next to you. “I’ll even buy you boba everyday for a week!”

Jaemin brightens up at that immediately. “Oh, yeah! I want some milk tea after this! Okay, what’s the last question?”

You swallow hard, nervously fiddling with the hoodie strings once more and shoving all the butterflies down to the pit of your stomach. Twisting in your seat, you move your chair and spin his around until you’re both facing each other, knees touching.

“‘Where and when was our first kiss?’”

At the immediate thought of kissing you, his cheeks explode in various shades of pink, the tips of his ears catching fire. He’d be lying if he said he hasn’t thought about kissing you daily. Heck, he had to stop himself from doing so earlier when you were burying your face in his stolen hoodie. It’s so unfair that you’re always so cute and looking so… so… kissable.

“I, uh, I don’t think I can answer that,” your best friend stammers out as his eyes dart towards your lips before meeting yours.

“But you got all the other answers right.” Your voice comes out steadier than you thought it would, and you mentally pat yourself on the back. Gnawing on your bottom lip, you pause for a moment, balling your hands into fists before uncurling them and asking hesitantly, “Should I help you out?”

“Yes.” He wonders how exactly you can help him out. Oh god, did he kiss you before when he was drunk? But you would’ve told him if he did that. What if he had ki—

A soft pair of lips lands on his.

You’re kissing him. Oh my god, you’re kissing him! Jaemin wants to jump up and shout it from the rooftops. His heart leaps from his chest, and he’s wildly cheering in his mind as fireworks explode around him before he suddenly remembers that he has to kiss you back.

And so he does.

Jaemin tugs you closer until you’re pulled onto his lap, a muffled squeak of surprise coming from you, and he laughs as he presses his lips against yours more firmly, hands gripping your thighs as you straddle him. Your arms loop around his neck, and your heart ricochets in your chest as you kiss him back until your lungs are screaming for oxygen and you have to pull away.

Jaemin positively beams at you, eyes sparkling as he leans forward and nuzzles his nose against yours affectionately. He laughs breathlessly, resting his forehead against yours. “Yeah, that was really helpful. Our first kiss just happened right here a few seconds ago. And now, our second kiss is about to happen.”

Your best friend closes the distance, crashing his lips against yours once more, and you kiss him back just as fervently, smiling against his lips as he does the same. Never in either of your wildest dreams did you think this was going to happen, but you sure as heck aren’t complaining, and neither is he.

When the two of you finally break apart, you bury your face into the crook of his neck, flustered, and Jaemin laughs giddily, cheeks flushed and eyes twinkling. He hugs you tightly to his chest before nudging you to look up at him. “So did I get a 100% on the boyfriend tag?”

“Yes,” you say, sitting up straight on his lap and grabbing both of his hands in each of your own, intertwining your fingers with his. “You got twenty five out of twenty five. Congratulations on your perfect score.”

“Technically, you did do the boyfriend tag with your boyfriend then, right?” he says slyly, squeezing your fingers. “Shouldn’t I get some bonus points for helping you do the tag correctly?”

You chuckle, failing to contain your smile. “Okay, fine, you get bonus points, too. You did an A plus job, Nana.”

“I’ll take those bonus points in the form of kisses.” He puckers his lips at you, and you easily comply, wordlessly leaning forward to give him one, two, three kisses.

Jaemin grins at you, positively delighted before he attacks you with kisses, peppering soft kisses onto your cheeks, forehead, chin, the tip of your nose, and everywhere else in between until he finally kisses your lips gently.

If this was a cartoon, there would be hearts floating around his head and shooting from his eyes. He leans forward again to kiss you one more time for good measure. You smile mischievously, tilting your head to the side slightly as your hands curl around his shirt. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you want for your bonus points?”

His eyebrows furrow for a split second before his entire face lights up. Jaemin carefully cradles you, picking you up as his grip tightens under your thighs. You let out a quiet squeal, wrapping your arms around his neck, as he stands up enthusiastically.

“Cut the cameras!”

One new notification: peachyangel uploaded a new video!

nana ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚ commented:

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH ANGEL 🥺💗💞💖💗🤩💝💕💜🤧💖💘😭💘🌼💐🥺💖🥺🥺🥺

peachyangel replied: ily too baby 🥺🤧💖💖

insert goofy’s chuckle commented:

is this allowed?? there are minors here 😫 jisung look away

peachyangel replied: get your mind out of the gutter, ya nasty 🙄 we turned off the cam because he wanted to go get milk tea

jisung pwark replied: I’m 18!!!!! Stop treating me like a child!!! 

ghosts are real so suck it hyuck replied: @ jisung pwark stop making me cut the crusts off of your sandwiches then

big head king replied: @ ghosts are real so suck it hyuck how come you don’t cut the crusts off of my sandwiches 😭😭

ghosts are real so suck it hyuck replied: @ big head king because you are a grown adult and jeno already does it for you

jenojam commented:

congrats jaemin!! :)

Starbucks Official commented:

we would love to sponsor you, Mr. Na!

FIGHTING HAEYADWAE commented:

OH YOU ARE NANA!!1!1!!! 🤯🤯

ShowMeTheMonet commented:

um hello i would love to do the gf tag with you! i accept!!! it would be an honor 🤩

peachyangel replied: omg yes!!!! 🥺🥺 let’s do it soon 💖

insert goofy’s chuckle replied: @ nana ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚ did… did we just lose our gfs 🤧

mork lee rawr xD commented:

hahaha nice guys ! this was really cute haha

ty track commented:

the babies are all growing up too fast ):

jeno is my favorite commented:

.... i feel so single @.@

DonutKillMyVibe commented:

let it be known that I was the friend who challenged @ peachyangel to do the challenge and hence, I am the reason these two are together 👀👀

ghosts are real so suck it hyuck commented:

someone should make an updated version of that jaemin complaining video compilation with this

big head king commented:

ayyy you all are the GOAT 🐐🐐🐐

jenojam commented:

so are we just gonna let it slide when he called everyone except jisung “non jisungs” ?

jisung pwark replied: 😎😎

insert goofy’s chuckle commented:

is no one gonna comment on how he called me a snake?????

ghosts are real so suck it hyuck replied: @ insert goofy’s chuckle is no one gonna comment on how much of a clown hyuck is???

insert goofy’s chuckle replied: @ ghosts are real so suck it hyuck wtf? where did this even come from

ghosts are real so suck it hyuck replied: @ insert goofy’s chuckle sorry I thought we were stating the obvious here

big head king replied: LOLOLOL

apado gwenchana god commented:

nice 😎👍🏻

#jaemin scenarios #jaemin fluff #jaemin imagines #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct dream scenarios #jaemin x reader #nct fluff #nct dream fanfic #nct fanfic #jaemin fanfic #nct scenario #nct angst #jaemin angst #nct dream fic #nct dream fluff #na jaemin #jaemin #nct #nct dream

[allthingsfangirl101]

The Other Evans–Troy Bolton

I was used to people complaining about my family. It kind of came with the territory of being Sharpay's and Ryan's younger sister. I wasn't used to running into an East High Wildcat every time I turned the corner at my family's country club.

Of all the selfish things my sister is capable of, the worse thing she's done is hired the entire East High student body to work at our country club for the summer. Dealing with the whining Wildcats on top of planning my sister's beloved show was too much.

I thought they were good people until they started working here. I've now realized how much they complained. I suddenly had a new respect for Coach Bolton.

"Next time I see Country Club Princess, I'm gonna launch her and her pink cart straight into the lake," Chad said through his teeth.

I walked into the kitchen as Troy patted Chad on the back. "I'll build the ramp, buddy."

Taylor cleared her throat and nodded towards me in the doorway. The boys' eyes widened when they looked at me.

"Y/N," Troy stuttered.

"What is wrong with your sister, Y/N?" Chad snapped at me. I subconsciously took a step back. "Has she always been like this? Focusing on only herself? How did you take that growing up? Why didn't you ever say anything to her?"

"She can't control her sister, Chad," Troy sighed.

"Still," he scoffed. "She's the only one Sharpay listens to! Y/N, you could at least tell her to be human."

"You think it was a walk in the park growing up with her?"

It was my turn to scoff. I had no idea where this sudden confidence was coming from but I went with it.

"Let me tell you something, Ball Boy," I said, slamming my clipboard on the nearest table. "My sister has always been a terror. Not that my brother helped. In fact, he kind of egged her on. I lost count of how many times they ganged up on me. Either I wasn't dressing right. Or my makeup wasn't the right shade. Or I wasn't standing in the right spot. Or I wasn't on key. Or I was late. Or this. Or that. It was always something!"

"Y/N," Kelsie tried to jump in.

"And try being the untalented sibling!" I continued. "My older siblings love to dance and sing and act. They're good at it and they know it! But I'm not. I can't play an instrument. I can't sing. I can't dance. What can I do? I can plan a pretty decent party. Which Sharpay loves. Instead of paying someone to do all the work, why not just have your sister do it for free!"

"Y/N," Taylor sighed.

"As if planning the Sharpay Bash wasn't bad enough," I laughed harshly, "why not hire the entire East High student body to add their drama to your summer?!"

I angrily left the kitchen, leaving East High shocked. As I walked down the hall, I realized I left my clipboard in the kitchen. Not wanting to go back, I kept walking away.

"Y/N."

I ignored my sister, not wanting to deal with her right now.

"Y/N, we need your help with something," Ryan sighed.

"Y/N," Sharpay whined, stopping her foot like a little kid.

"No!" I yelled, turning around and angrily facing them. "I'm done. I'm done with this. I'm done with you. I'm done with your stupid party. I'm done with this place. I'm done. You have both treated me like an employee instead of a sister. Which is saying something because you treat your employees like crap. Just ask all of East High. They've seen it!"

"Y/N," Ryan tried to defend themselves. When he hesitated, I said something I've always wanted to say.

"I'm done being your personal party planner," I said, standing up straighter.

"What?" Sharpay scoffed.

"I quit."

                      ��         * * * * *

After I quit working for my sister, I made plans to go back home. I didn't have to worry about my parents getting upset because they weren't even in the country.

I had just packed up my room and was heading to my car when I heard someone calling out to me. I ignored them as I kept walking.

"Y/N, wait up!"

I gasped when someone ran around and stopped in front of me. I bit my lip, suddenly embarrassed when I saw Troy standing there.

"What do you want, Troy?" I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You left your clipboard in the kitchen yesterday," he said softly as he held my clipboard out for me to take. I hesitated before taking it and clutching it to my chest.

"I tried to find you but I guess you left," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah," I said, clearing my throat. "I needed some space away from. . . Everything. So I went into town."

"I wanted to apologize for Chad yesterday," he said after a few beats of silence. "He was angry and tired and way out of line. He shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm sorry, Y/N."

I subconsciously tightened my arms around the clipboard as I shifted my weight.

"It's fine," I mumbled.

"So," he chuckled, "there's a rumor going around the kitchen. I wanted to know if it was true."

"What rumor?" I asked.

"That you quit being your sister's party planner," he said with a small smile. His smile turned teasing as my cheeks blushed. "Did you?"

"Maybe," I shrugged.

"That's amazing," he chuckled. "I bet she didn't take it well."

"Not at all," I said, clearing my throat. "She freaked."

He looked down, his smile falling when he saw the suitcase by my feet. "You're leaving?"

"I can't stay here," I sighed. "This place used to be one of my favorite places, but ever since I started working for Sharpay as her personal party planner. . . It's not the same here anymore. I come on vacation and end up working. So, I'm going home."

"You are?" He stuttered.

"It's not like I have a reason to be here," I couldn't help but scoff.

"Well," he said slowly as he reached up and scratched the back of his neck. "You could still play golf, swim. . . Plus the show is Sunday night."

"I don't think my sister wants me there," I said, glancing down at my suitcase. "Besides, why would I want to sit and watch her dance around the stage?"

"Because the rest of us are in the show too," he said barely audible.

"Troy," I sighed. "I don't think the Wildcats want me around either."

Before he could say anything, a honk came from outside. We looked up to see the valet getting out of my car.

"That's me," I said softly. I grabbed my suitcase and started walking past him. I was almost to the door when he spoke up.

"What if I want you there?"

I slowly turned around to see Troy looking at his feet. "What did you say?" I asked.

When he finally looked up at me, his eyes were soft. "I want you to stay, Y/N."

"You don't mean that," I said, my voice getting stuck in my throat.

He sighed as he walked over to me. "I do, Y/N. I want you to stay for the show."

"Troy," I stuttered. I gasped when he reached over and grabbed the clipboard from me. He tossed it onto a nearby couch before grabbing my hands.

"Stay," he whispered. "Stay here. This is still your parents' country club, not Sharpay's."

"So?" I whispered.

"So she doesn't have the right to throw you out," he said simply. "Stay here and enjoy the rest of your summer. I promise the Wildcats will be better behaved."

"I don't know," I stuttered, pulling my hands out of his hold. "What am I supposed to do? It's not like I have any friends. . ."

My sentence dropped and my cheeks burned. I looked away, wondering how much more I can embarrass myself in front of Troy Bolton.

"You have us," he mumbled.

"Yeah right," I scoffed. I cleared my throat when I saw the look on his face. "I just mean. . . It's no secret you guys don't like Sharpay and Ryan."

"But you aren't them," he said quickly. "You're nothing like your brother and sister, Y/N."

He hesitated before reaching over and grabbing my hands again. He intertwined our fingers, slightly tugging on my arms to pull me closer. I looked up at him through my eyelashes.

"Please stay, Y/N," he pleaded. "I'd really like to spend some time with you and get to know you better. And I know the team would say the same. Especially after you stood up to Sharpay."

I bit my lip and laughed. I looked up at him, my breath getting caught in my throat when I noticed him glance down at my lips. He looked back up at my eyes before smiling. I held my breath as he leaned in and pressed his lips gently to mine. It took me a second before I started kissing him back.

As our lips moved slowly in sync, Troy let go of my hands and wrapped his arms around my waist. I slowly slid my hands up his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck. I broke the kiss and leaned my forehead against his.

"My sister would be so jealous," I whispered.

He leaned back and let out a small laugh as he reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, his hand lingering on my cheek. He smirked down at me, slightly shaking his head.

"Let her be jealous of you for once."

#troy bolton #troy bolton imagines #troy bolton x reader #high school musical #zac efron #zac efron imagines

[27emailsicantsend]

There are auditions online and this new girl Dani has a boyfriend already Theo ( I think they change his name to Mack or something). I'm bad with ages but aren't those two like Rini in s1? And Emmy (this is me girl) is like Gina in s1? I can sense something if that's the case.

So I see where you’re going with this anon… like maybe another R*ni/gina triangle? I don’t think tim will do this though. To keep it brief, we know that the triangles were for rinas development (as characters and a couple). It would be unwise and possibly feel a little stale to repeat storylines. In a way, it might feel like glee when they tried to introduce new high schoolers who were the “replacements” of characters, just for the purpose of keeping the show running at the high school and college.

Hsmtmts is perpendicular to hsm. Not always parallel, but we do know that tim draws from a lot of the source material to give what feels like (and is at times) parallels to the hsm series throughout the show. My theory is emmy and Dani are both like gina in a way. We know emmy is more soft and vulnerable and Dani is more aggressive and absorbed in being the “queen bee” of the school and dance team. Mack looks and will probably act like ricky. I think we’re getting the tiara and Jimmy Zara storylines from these characters.

Here’s where I think it might be different. First of all, it won’t be “sharpay” getting the follower, it will be the “Gabriella” of the show. Second, I think these characters might reflect the things ricky and gina have tried so hard to overcome. It’ll be like they are fighting with past versions of themselves basically. We’ll have gina 1.0 (Dani) and 2.0 (emmy) either fighting gina or over idolizing her. And then we’ll have mack, who might become (like jimmy) really clingy and needy to ricky, finding comfort in a familiarity only ricky can remind mack of (himself). We know camp helped them “realize” their best selves within themselves…. What would they do if they saw themselves in someone else?

I know this sounds a little far fetched, but this is exactly what happened in hsm3. Tiara was a magnified version of sharpay that she had to fight to realize that’s not who she wanted to be. She needed to see the worst part of herself from the outside to realize she doesn’t want to go back. Jimmy, on the other hand, represented this part of troy he wasn’t willing to let go of: his past. He needed someone who over-idolized him to make him feel secure enough leaving his team, the theater department, and east high behind. Seeing jimmy score that final basket wasn’t just to give Jimmy a redemption story, it was to instill peace in troy that he could move on with his life. Everything else was going to be taken care of by someone who really, genuinely wanted to take care of it in his place. Now tell me these don’t sound like plots that would work for ricky and gina too?

#hsmtmts #rina #high school musical the musical the series #ricky bowen #gina porter #ricky x gina #asks #send me asks #anon #hsm #high school musical #tiara gold #Jimmy Zara #sharpay evans #troy bolton #prediction #s4

[klainerswiftie22oncer]

Gleeful Paintbox Project #5: Previously Unaired Create an outlandish concept for a glee episode

The High School Glee Club Musical Madness Part 2

Kitty tells Artie he has to give her the role of Sharpay and he says he can't just give her the role because she's his girlfriend and he has to be professional cause it's his last play before going to NY, wondering about what will happen with their relationship when he goes away, they sing Right Here, Right Now (in my fantasy world, Artie was a better boyfriend to her and they don't breakup when he leaves) (also I like to think in the end either Tina or Unique got the Sharpay role #justiceforRizzo, just headcanon whatever you want here lol).

Kurt goes to Ohio to see the play and after he tells Blaine his good news, they celebrate dancing but also helping Blaine to practice by singing Can I Have This Dance 🥺 (This is my favorite gif of them dancing cause Kurt looks like some pretty jumping pony and Blaine is just so happy he's happy and I'm ugh 🥺, I already have a full post about this particular song with Klaine btw in last week's paintbox, check that out lol).

Mercedes also went to see the play and she tells Sam he looks good with Marley, that he has to move on and be with her or someone else, but Sam says he can't and they sing You Are The Music In Me.

I Don't Dance- Jake and Blaine

The only actual song we see of the play lol (Kinda like in Grease where we only saw 2 actual songs of the play, and I kinda went on an song limit for each post cause I didn't wanna make it too long, also I know this is from HSM2 but I'd like to think the play they did was a mix between the 3 movies but cutting stuff of course, also because Blaine is Ryan and Jake is Chad so, also a treat for the Blake shippers).

The second song we kinda see of the play gets cut in half because at mid We're All In This Together (of course this one had to be here but I've reached my limit so I imagine this getting interrupted while Tina is singing because she never wins anything, sorry Tina stans, but it's not Glee without this I guess, but my episode headcanon is also a little choose your own story so you can change this lol) Sue boicots the show because they didn't give Becky the role of Sharpay (I ran out of creativity to think how she interrupts it, feel free to give ideas).

Rachel also went to see the play and Finn wants her to stay but she tells him she got a role and has to go because she belongs in NY (kinda like the scene in Glease) they sing Gotta Go My Own Way.

After Rachel leaves him, Finn sings a mashup of Troy's dramatic crisis songs Bet On It/Scream (and yes I image the hallways of the school also rotate lmao).

Finn goes back to college (I imagine Finn and Will intertwine weeks with the Glee club so he didn't left completely) and Puck tries to cheer Finn up and tells him he should get over Rachel and they sing The Boys Are Back.

Everyday- New directions with Hummelpezberry in NY

They perform this as the ending song for Will while the ones in NY celebrate for their roles. (I didn't know what else to do with Santana besides Fabulous sorry, but give me ideas as to what she is celebrating).

Will Jake and Marley get back together?

Will Quinn tell Rachel how she feels?

Is Klaine ever gonna get married?

Will Finchel, Brittana and Samcedes return?

Find out in the next episode of Glee (which I'm not writing bye lol).

#gleefulpaintbox #paintbox 5: previously unaired #glee #glee episode concept #high school musical #hsm x glee #glee headcanons #Kitty Wilde #Artie Abrams #Wildebrams #right here right now #Kurt Hummel #Blaine Anderson #Klaine #Can I have this dance #Mercedes Jones #Sam Evans #Samcedes #you are the music in me #Jake Puckerman #I don't dance #Tina Cohen-Chang #we're all in this together #Rachel Berry #Finn Hudson #Finchel #Gotta go my own way #Noah Puckerman #high school musical 3: senior year #high school musical 2

[sweetheart-sunghoon]

Hello lovely 🥰! I saw ur requests were open and I wanna request something👀👀👀if it isn’t to much for you! Thank u in adavance! 💞

Okay so, Kim Sunoo x Coffee Barista!Reader AU were, they go to the same like uni or school and sunoo likes reader and is surprised when reader like comes into the cafe and he tries to make they’re order perfect but like slightly messes up but reader likes the change? THNK U SO MUCH IN ADVANCE ILY MWA ❤️ <3

-Allie (also I’m sorry if this is so long)

of course, darling! i've never written a barista au despite working in a cafe so this was really interesting for me ^-^ i hope you like it!

𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗼𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲

wc : : 0.8k

contains : : college!au, barista!sunoo, no specified reader pronouns

summary : : sunoo tries to impress you with his barista skills

when sunoo sees you walk into the cafe, his heart stops. the biggest crush he's had since that curly haired boy in the 6th grade just walked through the glass door and he's the only person working. a whole nine hour shift and this exact moment is when jungwon decides to take a toilet break. sunoo isn't sure whether to praise jungwon or cuss him out.

you and your three friends walk towards him and sunoo has to remind himself to breathe.

it's not exactly unusual to for you to be at the campus cafe, not only are you a student but you also work here, but in sunoo's four months of employment here, you'd only ever once worked a shift with him and had never visited during his usual sunday shift.

breathe, sunoo, he tells himself before plastering on his brightest customer service smile and greeting your group. "hello, welcome to campus coffee! what can i get you guys?"

your tallest friend orders first. "can i get..."

and then the blonde one and the one with tiny dinosaurs hanging from her ears and then you.

"hi, sunoo," you say with a kind smile and sunoo's heart almost explodes.

"hi, y/n," he manages to reply without tripping over his words.

"i'll just get a regular cappuccino with an extra shot," you say.

unbeknownst to you or him, sunoo, still enthralled by your beauty, misses the cappuccino bottom on the screen and hits caramelised cappuccino instead. you pay then join your friends at the waiting area.

"i'll handle to cap and americano," sunoo tells jungwon returns from the bathroom, leaving the other two orders to him.

"cool."

as one of the most popular drinks these days, sunoo speeds through your friend's americano. now it's time for your drink. sunoo pauses, takes a deep breath and exhales, hands following the out breath in a sharpay evans-esque way. as his crush and the person who trained him on his first shift, sunoo desperately wants to impress you with his coffee making skills.

"let's do this," he whispers.

ground coffee into the portafilter. shot pot ready to collect. milk steaming. caramel fudge into cup. three espresso shots ready. into cup. mix with caramel. milk in. weigh. froth. chocolate powder on top. kiss of cream. lid. done!

sure that this is the best coffee he's ever mad yet still nervous, sunoo takes another deep breathe then carefully carries the cup to the collection bench. "y/n!" he calls out.

you walk over and take the drink from his hands. your fingers touch briefly. "thanks, sunoo," you say, smiling at him again.

"you're welcome," sunoo replies, heart rate at a million miles an hour.

"see ya!"

hand waving absent-mindedly, sunoo watches you away, admiring the shine and bounce of you hair. god, you're so beautiful. if only he knew how to tell you.

"closing time!" jungwon shouts.

"okay!" sunoo sings back, moving around the counter to go lock the door.

but the bell above it rings before he makes it.

he stops. "y/n."

"sunoo," you say, equally as shocked to see him so quickly.

"we were just about to close. can i quickly get you something?"

"no no, i was just coming back to tell you that you did a really good job on my coffee today. i'm glad to see you've improved."

sunoo ducks his head to hide the instant smile that appears in response to your compliment.

"it wasn't what i ordered but it was a nice surprise."

his head shoots back up, eyes wide. "pardon?"

"oh," you say with a slight head tilt. "so you didn't mean to make it like that for me?"

"it was a caramelised cappuccino, right?" sunoo asks.

"that's what you gave me. i ordered a regular cappuccino, though, so i thought maybe you were trying to be nice. caramelised caps are an extra fifty cents, you know."

sunoo is horrified. if the ground spontaneously opened up and swallowed him whole he would thank it. how could he have messed up like this?

you see the terror on his face and rush to comfort him. "it's okay, though! it was really yummy. maybe you just put it in wrong at the register."

"i'm so sorry," sunoo says, bowing his head to you. "i'll refund you."

"no, it's okay! trust me! i've never had one before today and i really liked it. it's okay."

"are you sure?" sunoo asks, grimacing slightly.

"positive," you say.

"okay." sunoo racks his brain for something else to say to you, but before he can you're already heading back out the door.

"i'll leave you to close up then." you pause and turn back to sunoo. "are you working tomorrow?"

"yes."

you smile. "cool. i'll have to drop by. maybe you can surprise me again."

you wink and then you're gone, leaving sunoo and his tomato red face to stare wide-eyed at the floor, asking himself if that really just happened.

#sunoo imagines #sunoo imagine #sunoo x reader #enhypen sunoo #kim sunoo #enhypen imagine #enhypen imagines #enhypen x reader #enhypen au #enhypen scenarios

[mostlymovieswithmax]

Movies I watched in July

Once again I’m doing my monthly round-up of movies I’ve watched. This was a good month for the cinema getting back on track and seeing new releases including the new M. Night movie, Old and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Pretty sure Marvel put out a new movie also. I’m hoping that this list can help in guiding a decision about what to watch (or what to avoid) and introduce people to movies they may otherwise not have heard of or bothered to see. These short reviews are my own subjective opinions on each individual movie and maybe a more informal approach to movie criticism can help include others who are just passing through. Here is every film I watched from the 1st to the 31st of July.

Bridesmaids (2011) - 4/10

Off to a good start. I won’t say Bridesmaids is a terrible movie but I don’t think I’m exactly the target audience. As far as I know, this is a beloved comedy but I just can’t get on board with all the boring, juvenile humour; with Maya Rudolph shitting in the street, with Rose Byrne and Kristen Wiig trying to one-up each other at a toast that went on forever, with Melissa McCarthy shitting in a sink… the conflict is so done to death and makes the movie feel unspecial. I do understand the appeal of the film, especially for women in that before this movie the likelihood of seeing something like this, where women play up the more crass and gross side of comedy, was probably few and far between. But the story is very tired and while I did appreciate some moments, namely a couple of decent jokes and some of the more intimate scenes, for the most part it felt like they wanted to corner a more quiet type of line delivery in a way that was supposed to be understated but very funny so as to not rely on over the top body language or musical cues, and it ended up being super dull.

Spectre (2015) - 7/10

As far as I can tell, a lot of people don’t like this instalment of the James Bond franchise… but I really enjoyed it! I’ve really taken a shine to these Daniel Craig-era Bond movies and while I can’t say any of them are the most amazing thing, I have a lot of fun with them. The biggest problem I have with Spectre is the villain being utterly pointless and uninteresting in basically every way. The idea of every villain Bond has fought before being tied to this one organisation controlled by this one guy is ridiculous, and what makes it worse is that the villain is barely in it! There’s so much that doesn’t come together in this but as it goes, I still had a really good time. Daniel Craig holds the whole thing together; he is excellent as 007 and the main reason I’m up for each of these movies is because of him. Sam Mendes directs again after the previous instalment and for what it’s worth I do think he does a good job with some of the action set pieces and the locations. I’m so ready for No Time To Die.

Shazam (2019) - 7/10

Shazam is a genuinely fun superhero movie that doesn’t take itself seriously at all. I was having a great time throughout and while it could conform to some of the same tropes we’re used to with these kinds of movies, it still remained playful and used the character of Shazam to his fullest potential in a way that showed an understanding of just how silly the idea of a kid who can turn into an adult and shoot lightning out of his hands is.

High School Musical (2006) - 6/10

So as you may or may not know, I co-host a podcast: The Sunday Movie Marathon. It’s a film podcast and every week I get together with my other co-hosts and watch movies. For episode 38, we watched the High School Musical trilogy. This first movie blew me away. I was really surprised with just how much fun I had, and if you want to hear more of my thoughts on the film, please listen to episode 38 of the podcast.

High School Musical 2 (2007) - 4/10

We then jumped into the second and while it’s certainly not as good as its predecessor, there are still some brilliant songs that manage to top the last movie. Again, more of what I have to say can be heard on episode 38 of the podcast.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) - 3/10

Senior Year was pretty hard to get through. I don’t remember it being as bad as it was, but then I didn’t really remember it anyway. It did however have one redeeming quality, which you can discover on episode 38 of the podcast.

The Piano Teacher (2001) - 9/10

What the fuuuckkkk. The Piano Teacher is horrendously affecting and I was so upset when it ended, maybe not because it’s not what I wanted but because it’s just so fucking dour and unrelenting. This is the second Haneke movie I’ve seen (after the original Funny Games) and I’m so impressed with how well executed it is. Following a woman who teaches piano, we get a glimpse into the life she lives, how sheltered she is from living with her mother at an age where you’d reasonably expect a person to be living alone or with a partner or friends (even going so far as to be sleeping in the same bed as her), and how repressed she is sexually. It’s clear she’s never experienced any kind of sexual interaction or romantic love with another person, so she goes out of her way to take control and make that happen. The upsetting nature of it comes from just what she does in pursuit of it or as a result of her repression, and what is done to her. It is by no means a movie to recommend to your parents but The Piano Teacher offers so much in terms of the ideas it presents (and I’ll admit there seems to be a lot more going on than I think I picked up on a first go round) about women in modern society, and about the portrayal of sex and expectations of people when it comes to how that is represented in a person’s character depending on their gender. I really enjoyed this movie but it is not for the faint of heart.

Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011) - 1/10

My podcast co-hosts decided it’d be a right laugh to add Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure to this episode and that might have been a fun idea for them because they got to watch it together, but I was just watching it alone. Just a 24-year-old man watching Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure alone and having a miserable time, I might add. But for a short and sweet ramble on what we all thought, please listen to episode 38 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

Dr. No (1962) - 6/10

A lot of very iffy parts of this movie. A lot of discomfort arising from how black people are portrayed that really didn’t sit right with me. As far as a Bond movie goes, this first instalment in the series is one I’ve seen before and it’s not wholly engaging but it plants the seeds for the rest, with Sean Connery breathing life into the role and making an otherwise lacklustre plot bearable.

Black Widow (2021) - 6/10

I think probably the best part about Black Widow is the experience I had while watching it. It was great being back in the cinema with a couple of friends in a packed theatre. The energy was high and I’m sure for a lot of people, this is the first time they’d been to the cinema since Endgame. For what it’s worth, I did have a lot of fun with Black Widow and I’ve explained more of what I thought about the movie in episode 39 of the podcast.

The Climb (2020) - 10/10

The Climb was added to Now TV recently and I already knew I loved it, having seen it in an empty cinema theatre last year, which I had an absolute blast with. The Climb details the years of a rocky friendship told over scenes filmed as one-shots. Not only is the presentation something to gawk at, but the performances by the two leads playing these friends with a terrifically dysfunctional dynamic is truly captivating. They’re both trying to figure out their own lives and where one can come across as being rather selfish, the opposite is true in his counterpart, whom everyone loves. This is a truly funny and heartwarming movie with a lot to say about how we choose to live our lives and who we choose to be with. It’s a shame the distributors of The Climb didn’t do a very good job because if not for it being available on Now TV, it would be near impossible to watch without forking out more money than is necessary to purchase a film.

From Russia With Love (1963) - 5/10

The second Bond movie. I thought perhaps I’d change my mind on it with another watch, having seen it for the first time maybe a year ago. But no, it’s still largely boring and it treats women like absolute garbage. From Russia With Love is one of those movies I forget as I watch it, and I was trying very hard (in the middle of the day!) not to fall asleep.

The Good, The Bart, and The Loki (2021) - 1/10

I don't usually talk about the short films I watch but for this I'll make an exception. As we all should know, Disney owns The Simpsons now, through their acquisition of Fox, so, coupled with another of their properties, that being Marvel, they decided to make a six-minute animated film wherein Marvel’s Loki is stranded in Springfield. This felt as though it was a minute long due to the horrendously jarring pacing; it is a movie that feels adamant that it needs to exist, while trying as hard as it can to be over as soon as possible. It serves only to stare the audience directly in the face and say “look, characters from The Simpsons are dressed as Avengers”, shit out three credit scenes, then end before you’ve even processed the atrocity you just bore witness to.

Russian Ark (2002) - 8/10

For this next episode of the podcast, we watched a few Russian movies, starting with Russian Ark, a film shot completely in one take as the camera moves about a luxurious museum in a first-person perspective as this main character watches what is happening around him, seeing people moving about the place but unable to interact with them, guided only by another man who seems to be just slightly out of his own perception of reality. This is a tremendous feat in filmmaking and more can be heard about what I have to say in episode 39 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

Ivan’s Childhood (1962) - 7/10

For my own pick of Russian movies to discuss on the podcast, I chose the debut feature from one of my favourite directors, Andrei Tarkovsky. It’s amazing that while this is not his best film by far, Ivan’s Childhood is still such a stellar debut, jumping around in its timeline as it details a child’s experience in the second world war. Again, I do go into more depth in episode 39 of the podcast, so be sure to check that out.

Outlaw (2019) - 1/10

The third movie chosen for this marathon is apparently the fourth Russian LGBTQ+ movie ever made. I’m unsure of the ultimate goal of this movie but what seems to be clear is that it hates the LGBTQ+ community. This is perhaps the worst film we’ve discussed on the podcast to date, so listen to episode 39 to understand exactly why it’s such trash.

Almost Famous (2000) - 7/10

I too love heavy music and also studied journalism so it stands to reason that a movie about a teenager who makes his way onto a band tour, following them through America and interviewing them as they hang out and play shows is going to be a premise that resonates with me. This certainly did. I enjoyed Almost Famous a lot; this kid is living the dream and I was so along for the ride, seeing a lot of myself in what was being portrayed. That said, the story itself is at times a bit by the numbers and I really would’ve been more on board if the visual component was more interesting. For what it is, technically it’s fine enough but nothing in that department ever jumped out at me.

Minari (2021) - 8/10

It’s crazy that this didn’t get a theatrical run where I live in the UK. It feels as though I complain about film distribution all the time but I really don’t understand the process by which a movie gets no cinematic release and yet, months later will pop up on the front shelf of hmv, taking pride of place. But of course I got the blu-ray straight away. Minari has a lot to say about the immigrant experience, specifically in America as a family comes over from Korea and tries to start a business and make something of themselves. You get to see a lot of what you might not think twice about when you think about immigration: the hardship of coming from a place where you know everyone to somewhere rural and sparsely populated, having to make friends with locals and integrate within the community; the strain it can put on a family and on a marriage where this idea is presented about the importance of making it on your own in order to live and not just survive, while also taking into account why you’re doing it in the first place and the value you place on being part of a family that you decided to make because that was more important than money, than economy, than proving you were good enough to make it in a place that gave you very little advantage from the offset. This concept of the promised land, of the American dream is a construct. There are times when it’s not pretty, when you have no running water, or you’re in debt, or a family member is dying and it just feels like you’ve been dealt as bad a hand as you can get. But it is better to know you’re not facing all that alone.

Roma (2018) - 10/10

This was my recommendation for the podcast episode on Alfonso Cuarón movies. Roma is as beautiful as it is heart-wrenching and I would recommend listening to episode 40 of the podcast to find out more about my thoughts.

An American Werewolf In London (1981) - 8/10

In all fairness, London is enough to make anyone a little crazy at the best of times. An American Werewolf in London showcases some fantastically grotesque effects, akin to something like Carpenter’s The Thing, in showing the dead brought back to life and a horrifically gory transformation scene. Although the film is from the perspective of an American protagonist, directed also by an American, the depiction of British culture and climate is something I’ve not seen many films pull off quite so well, and I was pleasantly surprised at the more comedic tone the film has overall, which is something that works more in its favour than straight horror would.

The Party’s Just Beginning (2018) - 6/10

Karen Gillan’s directorial debut is… pretty good! There are a lot of ideas I like in this movie: a woman living life and through convenient circumstances, is confronted with death in many ways. Gillan obviously knows her homeland as well as she can, imbuing the whole thing with an intensely Scottish vibe (though maybe not in the same vein as something like Trainspotting) that makes it a bit more unique than a more run of the mill movie of this ilk, backed up in no small part by her own main performance. The plot itself is no great diversion from the kind of story I’m used to with these smaller movies and for something that’s trying to include messaging about transgender issues and suicide, it probably could have been handled better or done in a different way.

Solaris (1972) - 9/10

Another Tarkovsky joint, one I thought I’d revisit to see if there was indeed more to get out of it a second time. Well, it’s no surprise that yes, there was certainly more to get out of it. Solaris is a crazy trip of a movie and I would liken it to Kubrick’s 2001 in terms of how grand the scale of it feels. Yet this is a film that comes across as deeply personal, choosing to focus on a specific character as he goes to a space station to help those on board who are experiencing some kind of emotional crises, only to feel the effects of the planet, Solaris invading his own mind as it has the crew. To many, I can see this lengthy Russian sci-fi being a tad slow but my personal experience is one of deep engagement. Solaris pulls its viewer in a lot of different directions and it is always doing something unexpected in terms of where its narrative goes. There’s a lot to think about with the movie and thankfully it’s no chore to watch again.

Y Tu Mamá También (2001) - 9/10

Another recommendation for the podcast episode on Alfonso Cuarón movies. This is a very relaxed experience, following three young people as they go on a road trip, visit different places and have sex. Listen to episode 40 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast for more of my thoughts.

Children of Men (2006) - 10/10

My favourite Cuarón movie, one that never stops being tense as its characters are constantly moving towards the end goal. Set in a future where humans are infertile, the oldest living person is 18, and London is the last city in the world that’s still keeping it together, somewhat. This is masterclass filmmaking. Listen to episode 40 of the podcast for more insights.

Minority Report (2002) - 5/10

I’m really not the biggest fan of Spielberg… Minority Report is an interesting movie in terms of its concept of stopping crimes before they happen by way of prediction, but I just didn’t connect with the heart of it. The colouring is way too overexposed in a way that’s supposed to be eliciting a futuristic vibe but instead feels so early-2000’s in the worst way. My biggest problem with Minority Report is just how long it is, clocking in at two hours and twenty-five minutes which allows for a lot of meandering, all while never quite developing characters enough for you to care about.

Caché (2005) - 9/10

Oh god! Another Michael Haneke movie! Here we see a couple periodically sent video tapes featuring hours of footage of the outside of their house. The anxiety ratchets up and the mystery gets deeper with every minute. There’s always at least one moment in any of his films that have so far made me realise just how out of my depth I am. Caché is no exception, and I won’t spoil anything here because I think it’s better just to watch the movie and see for yourself. He is a director that wants the audience to know something and that something is never what is explicitly shown at face value; it is pressed into the fabric of the film - plainly evident, yet hidden. Caché is so stupidly clever in displaying its themes and messaging - making reference to the Siene Massacre of 1961 as well as a deeper study of colonialism - and there’s no way to change a single detail of it without risking the Jenga tower crumbling to the ground. It all works in tandem. It is passion and fury and haunting.

Coco (2017) - 7/10

Pixar had a string of around seven forgettable movies before this point so thankfully Coco emerged to show the company still had something good in them. Coco deals a lot with themes of death and legacy, remembering those who are gone in order to preserve them and while its plotting is quite basic and there are certainly moments that either drag or cannot escape the same Pixar formula, most of what the movie has to offer is a lot of fun, with creative, colourful animation and emotional beats that resonate the way they’re supposed to.

Incredibles 2 (2018) - 5/10

Oh, they almost had it! There's a lot here that could have been explored in far more interesting ways. Setting Incredibles 2 directly after the events of the first movie was not a good idea. If it had taken place five or ten years after, the characters could have been in different places in life and it would feel as though they'd actually changed and developed. But instead of trying to be a film that actually cares about its characters and the journeys they go on, a lot of the film is wrestling with the idea that Bob isn't supportive of his wife and Jack-Jack has to fight a raccoon… They have to shoehorn in a villain that in no way compares to the genius of the original. The ending of the original introduces another antagonist that gets wrapped up within this film's first ten minutes, except they don't catch him and he's never mentioned again. It's a real shame because the animation is fantastic and the acting is superb and there are great ideas sprinkled throughout. It just doesn't come together.

Toy Story 4 (2019) - 6/10

I was rather reluctant to watch Toy Story 4 because from the get-go I’m not really here for sequels being made just for the sake of it. Everyone loves Toy Story and making another one is a sure fire way to make money. This is the first time I’ve seen Toy Story 4 and for what it’s worth, I did enjoy it. The animation is immaculate and that alone feels like a huge flex from Pixar who tend to step up the game when it comes to animation in film, despite not having the best track record for films generally at this point. While it was nice to see these characters again, I found a lot of them to be side-lined (namely Buzz) in favour of a story that focuses mainly or entirely on Woody, who I just don’t like as much as in the previous movies. Generally the movie is good and decent enough but there’s no real antagonist and the plot is quite loose… it doesn’t feel as though it needed to be made from a story point of view.

Onward (2020) - 6/10

And with that I have seen every Pixar movie. And Onward is a fine one to go out on. While I don’t think it compares to the likes of earlier Pixar it’s still pretty fun. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for a medieval setting filled with bright colours and magic! Speaking of which, the animation was super and the medieval quest element is something that hooked me with the film. Again, plot-wise it does feel very familiar and I don’t know, maybe I’m past the point now of expecting Pixar to mix it up where their formula for story-telling is concerned but the movie is quite predictable. Nonetheless, while I’m not rushing back to see Onward I would hardly turn it off or refuse if someone wanted to watch it.

Old (2021) - 3/10

Oh boy! New M. Night movie dropped and my word, was it fun! For more of my thoughts on this… masterpiece (?) of a movie, please direct your attention to episode 41 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

T2 Trainspotting (2017) - 5/10

Trainspotting is perhaps one of my favourite movies and I had never bothered with the sequel, 20 years on, because the ending of that first movie is so conclusive. T2 felt more an excuse for these guys to get together again and in that, I probably would have preferred a couple of pictures on Twitter of the main cast and director, Danny Boyle having dinner or something. This is a fine movie - very arty in its presentation but meandering and dull in its story that doesn’t offer much in the way of proof that it had to exist.

Taste of Cherry (1997) - 9/10

What makes life worth living? This is a central question and theme of Taste of Cherry, and one that leaves such interpretation not only up to its central character but to the viewer as well. This film got me thinking about times in my life when I truly have had no answer to hard questions. Because it’s hard to convince people of things they are so adamantly against and harder still to rationalise what you believe if you’re not even entirely sure why you believe it in the first place. We are all of us alive and in recognising that, does that make it precious? And if indeed living is not a happy thing, why then should we fight so hard to preserve it? I felt upset as I watched this movie because I’ve been asked these kinds of questions before and it makes me feel stupid when I’m unable to answer. But the only real answer I can give is, everything. And if you can’t see the point then you’re not looking hard enough. Taste of Cherry is beautiful in its exploration of these topics and in its overall presentation, offering some of the best visuals in any movie I’ve seen - fitting for a feature with so much to say about the beauty of life - and an ending that as much pulls the rug out from under you as it does pull you out of the dark and make you realise just how lonely you’ve felt.

Bones (2001) - 2/10

Snoop Dogg is Jimmy Bones! This film is super funny but I’m not sure it’s trying to be and I really didn’t love it overall. But I do talk more in depth about it in episode 41 of the podcast.

The Duchess (2008) - 5/10

Another recommendation for the podcast. The Duchess was pretty much exactly what I thought it was going to be and there’s a lot to like about it but generally it’s a bit sparse. For more chat on the movie, listen to episode 41 of the podcast.

The Man With One Red Shoe (1985) - 1/10

This was another one for the podcast and man, was it awful. We had to watch it at 1.5x speed towards the end because it just wasn’t getting finished otherwise. To find out more, make sure to listen to episode 41 of the podcast.

The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) - 7/10

Pull the lever, Kronk! Haha! Slays me. I do quite miss this era of Disney, where the animation was hand-drawn and the stories were actually compelling and funny. The Emperor’s New Groove is vibrant, it’s got great characters and memorable moments that will forever be ingrained in the memory of culture. All in all, it’s just a solid flick that doesn’t waste time, developing the standard fall from glory type of arc but smoothly and in an entertaining way.

The Suicide Squad (2021) - 8/10

Oh, bloody hell! They actually made a good one! The Suicide Squad is not only better than the ‘Suicide Squad’ of 2016 in every way, it’s a genuinely great film! This time, James Gunn (director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies) is at the helm and it seems clear that Warner Bros. basically let him do what he wanted with the movie, as it doesn’t seem to bog itself down with the restrictions of a more family-friendly rating. The result of this is a far cleaner, colourful film with a clearer vision that takes from early Vietnam movies and uses that style to craft a superhero/villain movie that differentiates itself among the copious amount of existing films of the genre.      The Suicide Squad wastes very little time, introducing fun, crazy characters we’ve not seen on the big screen before and isn’t worried about killing a whole bunch of them, with standouts being Elba’s Bloodsport, Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2, Stallone’s King Shark (expertly rendered with fantastic visual effects), and Robbie’s returning interpretation of Harley Quinn.      A lot of Gunn’s trademark sense of humour is laced throughout and more often than not, it hits. The audience at the cinema were truly loving this movie and I’ll admit, I was right there with them. This mix of the gritty, gory and absurd is not something that should work as well as it does but the basic premise of the film is already so silly (and boy, do they know it) that it just works! Certainly one of the best DC movies since The Dark Knight and one I’d be more than happy to watch again. This is what the modern comic book movie should be: just balls to the wall fun!

#july #movies #wrap-up #film #follow for more #Twitter: @MHShukster #children of men #roma #the climb #the piano teacher #solaris #y tu mamá también #y tu mama tambien #taste of cherry #caché #cache #the suicide squad #an american werewolf in london #russian ark #minari #coco #spectre #shazam #ivan's childhood #almost famous #the emperor's new groove #high school musical #toy story 4 #black widow #onward