#there's a part of me that's like oh but that's musical spongebob my bestie what's he doing here

[reallyhardy]

Sorry what’s up w the Ethan slater stuff? I know him only from your posts / SpongeBob stuff

HI HELLO please buckle in

yep -- the same guy from the spongebob musical, and my posts abut the spongebob musical.

he blew up completely and now the general public knows him as 'ariana grande's new boyfriend' - their relationship seems to have started off the back of co-starring in the upcoming wicked musical film adaptation.

it's just been like. a monkey's paw curling sort of a way for him to get catapulted to fame, as i had always really enjoyed him as a performer (as spongebob, yes, but also in the other roles i'd seen him in,) and my biggest hope back around 2017 was that he would continue in and be really successful in theatre, get a lot of broadway roles, maybe take on some existing parts i thought he'd really suit, like seymour in little shop or ogie in waitress.......... but instead he booked the role of boq from wicked in a massive hollywood film production instead, where he met ariana grande. THE ariana grande.

and then yeah. at some point, he and grande broke up with their respective partners, (slater leaving both his wife AND newborn son) jumped into a new relationship, and now the whole wider internet knows who he is but certainly not for the right reasons.

there's been speculation regarding whether or not grande and slater had cheated on their previous partners before their relationship began with various sources coming out of the woodwork saying "yes they did" and others saying "no they didn't" -- humans are all perfectly capable of making stuff up, the media especially, so i simply don't know who to trust and i admit it had completely shattered my whole good impression of him - PLUS it gave the wider internet an absolutely awful first impression of him, resulting in, yeah, the (frankly, unflattering, sometimes downright cruel) memes of him popping up on twitter and, as i discovered yesterday, in non-theatre youtubers' videos who would literally never have heard of him if not for the slater-grande romance 🥲

FULL COVERAGE of the situation as it was happening can all be found on the lovely @notasimpleslater's blog under the tag 'ozgate' if you want to delve deeper!

#loren talks #ethan slater #months later let's call this my actual full response/reaction lol #i think at the time this was going down at the end of 2023 i was sort of just Freaking Out like my blood was boiling lol #i was parasocially furious with both of them #ofc now i do realise i'd put him on something of a pedestal #having seen his cute posts about his then wife an former childhood sweetheart plus posts welcoming his new son #AND having watched a youtube mini-series he'd made with his then-brother-in-law. i was SO invested and then. #i was like OH. he really DESTROYED his family huh. #but ofc! every situation is nuanced. we don't know what went on behind the scenes #wrg to his relationship. or what grande's was like with her ex-husband #since everything came to light there's been articles stating that slater wants to work with his ex-wife to share custody of their child #and that he's been spotted backstage WITH his son at spamalot on broadway (his current production) #so it sugggests he's not trying to be an Absent Father #which tracks with some of his own artwork as he and nick blaemire DID write a whole musical about the strained relationship between #a father and son and i just feel like. that suggests something about his personal character. and makes me HOPE he'd want to #be a present and loving parent regardless of circumstance. #anyways. #it's simply not my business BUT. seeing his face #popping up every now and again #it does just. feel extremely weird haha #there's a part of me that's like oh but that's musical spongebob my bestie what's he doing here #as for ariana i really have never had a strong opinion of her #but i have to say hearing her songs out and about these days...... :') i could do without it

[chillassimagines]

Motivation - Edwin Honoret Oneshot

Going out with your friends was something you were unable to do in a hot minute. So to say a party at your best friend’s new friend’s house was quite inviting. Little did you know who you’d meet though.

“So, remember that song we like singing together in the car? You’re gonna meet some of the people who made it.” Your eyes widened slightly.

“What? One Shot is my shit! Who are they called again?” You asked, while slipping on your thigh high boots.

“They’re called PRETTYMUCH. I met Nick not too long ago, he’s got a killer jawline. There’s also Austin, he’s the taller white guy. Then Zion, he’s tall as well with blonde dreads. Brandon’s the one with glasses and black hair. Then there’s Edwin, he had red hair last time I saw him...might have changed it though. He’s a real sweetie.” You hummed in response to their answer. You reached for your bag and grabbed a water bottle.

“I’m ready!” You imitated Spongebob, making your bestie laugh and shaking their head at you.

-

“Woah, they live together?” You asked, seeing multiple bedrooms in the house. Y/BF/N nodded.

“Yeah, it’s really awesome. Makes me think about moving in with you.” You rolled your eyes.

“You irritate me too much.” You both laughed at yourselves.

“Y/BF/N!” You turned around to see whose face you remembered from Google while in the car, Nick Mara. You hadn’t managed to get to Austin or Edwin’s pictures though. You friend greeted Nick with a hug.

“Nick! Hey, this is Y/N. The one who loves One Shot.” Nick’s eyes flashed with recognition. He smiled and hugged you.

“The infamous bestie. Good to meet you, Y/N. Guys, feel free to grab any drinks from the cooler and in the kitchen anything on the counter is up for grabs. I’ll see you in a bit, Y/BF/N.” Nick winked at your friend and walked away in his crisp white shoes. You turned to your bestie with a smirk.

“So he’s coming back, aye?” Your friend rolled their eyes.

“So I might have dibs.”

“I can tell by the whole “killer jawline”.” You both laughed once more. You really missed the carefree atmosphere work didn’t provide.

“Hey, excuse me, I was wondering your name?” You turned around to see a male with black hair and a cute nose ring smiling at you. You gave him a once over. He was rocking some cool frosted chains with a black and red themed look. He looked absolutely yummy to say the least. You didn’t mind giving your name.

“Y/N, and yours?” Your stance changed to something more relaxed and approachable. He chuckled lightly.

“Edwin, I helped throw the party.” He joked and your eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my god. I was looking you guys up on the way here and I didn’t get to your picture! I mean...I might have been faster to get here if I knew your face.” You said the last part a bit quieter, nervous of his reaction.

“I like this one, Y/BF/N. Mind if I steal you?” He smiled at you while holding out his hand. You looked at your friend hopefully.

“Go on, you’re grown.” They chuckled. You smiled and took Edwin’s hand. He led you through a group of people to an unoccupied sofa.

“So, I hear you like One Shot?” He raised a thick eyebrow. You shrugged jokingly.

“Just a little bit of a fan. Just listened to 4U on the way here, that might be fighting for my next favorite.” He smiled at that.

“I remember recording that. Right in my room we recorded most of the vocals.” Edwin pointed to a closed door.

“You have a room studio?!” Your jaw dropped. He let out the cutest giggle and nodded. The laugh warmed your heart and your attraction was growing.

“Wanna see it?”

“Can I really? I don’t wanna intrude on your space.” Edwin shook his head dismissively.

“Not at all, c’mon.” Edwin took your hand again and led you to his room. “Watch.” He closed the door and grabbed a remote and soon neon lights were spread throughout the room.

“This, is awesome, Edwin.”

“The lights always inspire motivation for me. Even if it’s non musical.” He led you over to his computer space with a mic set up next to it. “I have hundereds of songs and beats on this it’s crazy.”

“How do you even come up with so many?” His body went to a shyer showcase of body language.

“It’s just relaxing and happens without even thinking. I hope you don’t think I’m bragging.” You shook your head quickly.

“Not at all! This is amazing. I could probably spend all day in here with you, it gives off good vibes.” You realized what you said and hoped it wasn’t too strong. His hand still holding yours, squeezed lightly.

“I’d really like that, Y/N.” You wet your lips slightly, feeling ballsy.

“It’s a date then.” He must have let his confidence rise as well.

“It sure is.” He tugged you softly closer to him. “Can I kiss you?” You responded by setting your other hand on his chest and letting your lips touch for a few moments. His lips were almost too soft to be real.

“Whatever you use on your lips, I want it.”

“There’s my motivation to make sure our first date goes well.”

#imagines #preferences #chillassimagines #edwin honoret prettymuch #prettymuch imagines #prettymuch #edwin prettymuch #edwin honoret #honoret #prettymuch oneshot #edwin honoret imagine

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 2X22 - And Straight On ‘Til Morning

Despite all the mourning from the last episode, we’re gonna go straight on ‘til we finish off this season.

...Wanted to make my last pun of the season classy. Now you know what to do.

Press Release The inhabitants of Storybrooke brace themselves for the end when Greg and Tamara detonate the trigger Regina had placed within the curse, with the annihilation of the town and its residents imminent; and Mr. Gold mourns the loss of his son, Bae/Neal. Meanwhile, back in Neverland of the past, Hook discovers his connection to a young Bae after he rescues him from the sea and soon realizes that the Lost Boys are in hot pursuit of the boy. General Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness Past I really struggled with how I felt about the past segment. Something about this flashback has always rubbed me the wrong way (Or at least, as much as the two times I’ve watched it can do) and I spent the lesser part of two days wondering why. And I think I finally figured it out.

The actions and broad strokes of this storyline are great, as is admittedly much of the dialogue. I like the bond that forms between Killian and Bae and I like how Killian’s framed. The dialogue is for the most part pretty good and I love all the time we get to spend on the Jolly Roger. However, the thematically heavy lines like “being alone” and “caring only about yourself” are honestly so distracting because Killian’s is blatantly committing revenge on Milah’s behalf and he has a whole crew with him.

Now on one hand, I get it. Especially given Killian’s decision at the end of the flashback, one can argue that Killian’s revenge and the decisions stemming from it are more for his sake than Milah’s. It’s similar to what Regina was doing with Snow and her subjects, where she claimed that after she killed Snow, she’d show them love. On the other hand, as I said before, it’s honestly so distracting and I feel like if the above were the case, there would’ve been more to paint it that way.

Okay, so now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, just remember: The segment is good, but dialogue choices like that separate good from great. The drama between Killian and Bae is one of the most important parts of Killian’s redemption and their bonding provides serious insight into who Killian is as a character.  Present First off, I love the way Neal’s “death” was handled. First, let’s talk about the acting. Robert Carlyle continues to be flawless. He shows how Rumple’s overcome with sadness and regret immediately upon hearing the news. Second, I love how he’s paralleled against Henry. While Henry has his mother to lean on and hold (A great if not tragic Swan Believer moment in and of itself), despite being told the news by two people, Rumple’s in the shot where he first takes it in alone and only comforted from a distance. Third, it gets Rumple questioning his own philosophy and is one of the biggest cases of “all magic has a price” being turned on him. It’s nothing short of a spiral and the way he pulls everyone down with him fits the character so well.

I got so many Spongebob Musical feels as I was thinking about the main story here. XD I’m going to explain it when I get to arcs, but I think that the main story does a good job bringing together Emma, Regina, Henry, Snow, and David’s stories. Every emotion here hits and the main story, which seemed to rightly get the most focus, was handled well.

Keep that in mind when I go off here.

”I did it [Kill Cora] because it was easy. It was a mistake.” FUCK THAT NOISE! NO! IT WASN’T EASY! IT WAS ACTUALLY BOTH DIFFICULT IN EXECUTION AND IN ITS AFTER EFFECTS! It was cruel, sure. And I get the guilt, but honestly, it was Cora (An uncontrollable monster) or Rumple (Someone who had been persuaded to do good in the past and could in the future AND had two morality pets to keep him on the straight and narrow). Fuck the noise where this was a wrong decision and that GOD this is the last instance where Snow says something like that! “There were other paths -- harder paths.” AND THEY WOULD’VE RESULTED IN MASS MURDERS ALL AROUND. FUCK! The ONLY good thing about that shitty flashback in “The Cricket Game” was that you supposedly learned that this idea was bullshit and you just threw that idea out like a dirty diaper! FUCK THIS SET OF LINES! It’s especially infuriating because it comes in the middle of a GREAT Snow scene where her optimism and leadership are so well shown!

Finally, What’s interesting to me is how Killian immediately dismisses Emma’s speech about being alone and being part of something by asking “Why are you really doing this?” Bae, being dead and Henry no longer having a father, is the spark that becomes the flame of his redemption. I’m with @sab031794 with the idea that Bae is definitely his turning point, while Emma’s words further the point, something he appreciates. Insights - Stream of Consciousness -Was there ever a concrete answer as to who drew the Milah drawing? Was it Killian? Milah herself? Like one of the people at theme park who paints people? -SMEE!! So by this point, is Smee Killian’s first mate or is he still just a regular crew member? Also, got to hand it to Smee for his faith in Killian. Smee’s a scared dude, so to see him with so much resolve in his voice as he tells Killian that they’ll avenge Milah, it’s so much bigger of a moment! -I didn’t realize how closely this episode borders on child trafficking until now! Dark. -I’ll never quite be over the way Bae’s eyes pop when he tells someone what happened to his father. Powerful! -It’s great seeing Killian piece together the puzzle that’s this new boy and immediately making a plan upon realizing just who he is. -It’s so creepy seeing how having only Lacey to depend on as a morality chain can corrupt Rumple so much. Hurting Henry to save himself at the very least was a point he was torn on when he first found Neal and learned the truth about his and Henry’s relation. But as he sees Henry on the swing, he’s so close to giving in and killing Henry. (Okay, someone write a dark ass fic where this happens. Henry dies and Emma goes crazy trying to figure out if his death was an accident or not. Can you IMAGINE the final confrontation there?!) Also, I refuse to believe it’s a coincidence that it’s David that snaps him out of it. Sheep Bros to the rescue! -Colin acts that last scene in the mine so freakin’ well! Like, less than three minutes later, that’s gonna turn out to be horseshit, but he sells that so believably! -I will say, while I don’t like a lot of platitudes this season, I’m cool with Henry’s “work together” schtick. -David, that was an amazing punch! XD -WHAT AN EXCELLENT REGAL BELIEVER SCENE! Once again, Regina apologizes to Henry and it’s very sincere. She’s not blaming anyone and is saying that it’s she who failed to live up to his standards. And Henry’s reaction does not absolve her, but lets her know that he loves her. THAT is GOOD! -”The things we do for our children.” This is kind of a weird line. -I love how it’s so obvious that this Pan is “him” and they are doing every backflip to make this a killer twist. -Oh My God! Felix is trying to be so menacing and it is just the HAMMIEST thing ever! XD I love it! It’s not appropriate at all to the mood they’re setting, but fuck it! I love it! -Grumpy, that is the best cup I have ever seen! I can’t even blame you for taking it back for Sneezy (And then maybe channel your inner-Stealthy and take it for yourself)! -I’ve been trying to do a count of the number of men in KIllian’s crew. So far, I’ve seen at most six pirates (Killian and Smee included). Does anyone have a better count? -Left is port, right is starboard. I don’t know why, but I always forget it. Hopefully, Captain Hook will be able to help me remember! -It’s interesting to me how Killian, even when he was just using Bae, used a real and vulnerable part of his life to relate to him. It’s great insight into Killian’s life and a subtle nudge in the direction of Killian coming to care for Bae even before the truly touching moment on the scene hits. -I do have to wonder, why does Killian want to live so badly? During “The Outsider,” Killian was more than willing to die so that he could return to Milah, but he wouldn’t have even killed Rumple then (though one could argue that he’d at least leave a black mark on Rumple and Belle’s relationship). Here, he’d be killing Rumple and there’s no sign he care about saving anyone else. -”I’m not your mate.” Give it a season, Davey! -Emma and Regina work brilliantly together here. There’s such a softness to Regina sacrifice and the way Emma tries to fight against what looks to be the inevitable. It’s a great testament to their dynamic. -Wow! The CG for the destruction of Storybrooke is awful! XD -Farewell, Lacey. I hardly knew ye. -Snow, that is not all of Storybrooke. That’s not even a quarter of Storybrooke. There should be a giant ass crowd of people, not just your besties! -The moment when Bae is told the truth of his mother by Killian is so powerful! There’s so much rage, passion, and love, all of it left on on the floor in the scene. -”I’ll track them down in Hell if I have to.” Granted it’s not regarding the same character, but give it a few seasons, Emma! -”There’s no way. I spent a lifetime trying to cross worlds to find my son.” Hindsight makes that line utterly hysterical! -Rumple! Let Belle help! Get some other stooge to cast the protection spell! Belle’s such a good tracker! -Why is this goodbye making me flashforward to Belle’s death?! *bawls* -GOLDEN HOOK WORKING TOGETHER!!! That look they exchange as they understand the map’s destination! YES! I’M FILLED WITH THE POWER OF YESSSSSS! Arcs - How are These Storylines Progressing? Regina’s Redemption - Regina’s redemption was handled masterfully in this episode. The focus of it was put on Henry. As the inevitability of the end hits her, all she can and does focus on is keeping Henry alive. But that’s not all. Her acceptance of ehr bad reputation being her own fault goes a long way towards washing away the exasperation from the last few episodes away. Her sacrifice works on every level, reinfusing sympathy into Regina without it feeling out of character because of the sharp focus on Henry. Rumple’s Redemption - So like usual, Rumple takes one step back and one step forward, and I felt that it mostly worked. I say mostly because I don’t really get how Lacey attempting to use Bae’s shawl is the turning point for Rumple using the memory potion on Lacey. It’s not like Lacey used the shawl maliciously and she even apologized for it. Was it so she could help him grieve? If so, I wish it came across better. That said, I like the effect that Lacey has been corrupting Rumple, but he realizes that he both needs Belle in her real state and that his thoughts of murdering Henry are awful and need to be shunted. At the same time, he’s not willing to lend a finger to help with the end of the world. Killian’s Redemption - What’s interesting to me is how early on in this episode, Killian is pointed at for not believing in something by Tamara, and when he does turn, Killian himself is one of the most belief-heavy people on the show! Additionally, in the flashback, Killian is so belief-heavy, believing that he can get his revenge on the Dark One and later that he and Bae can fill the empty holes in their hearts. But aside from that, Killian’s turn around is actually pretty simply set up for a sympathetic character. First, it comes through in the decision to go to the heroes to help stop the diamond, knowing they’re more effective. Second, it’s of course the decision to turn his ship around. It represents Killian’s decision to start caring again, allowing himself in a way to be reborn. Emma Accepting Her Parents - “Mom...Dad…” ...Do I even need to say any more? ...Well, apart from the fact that it’s a great closing out of the arc in the beginning of the season, it’s also a PHENOMENAL setup for the events of Season 3. Greg and Tamara - Greg and Tamara kind of get stupid in this finale upon revealing that they don’t know who runs the home office and all the deflectation that takes place when Killian questions them. Really? A group of people who supposedly value science over magic wouldn’t ask who their boss is? Favorite Dynamic Emma and Regina - Emma and Regina are amazing to watch. The episode doesn’t pretend that they’re friends or even that they like each other all that much, but that their bond over Henry is powerful enough that they can overcome those facts and at least start in that direction. For the first time, I feel these two come together as real mothers. They act in Henry’s best interests and that includes saving the other, being honest to Henry, and portraying the other in a good light. Darker Elements (TW: Mention of Child Trafficking) I’ve seen it be said that Killian’s decision to abandon Baelfire was the most evil moment of his life. While I’m not sure how much I believe that, I must point out how this is as close to child trafficking as OUAT can ever get without outright saying it, and that is fucking dark. While trying to examine my own feelings on the issue, I think in terms of the show, because of the fantastical distance of the child trafficking being conducted in an equally fantastical way by a pirate with a hook for a hand and a set of children in cloaks putting a boy in a dinghy to take him to Peter Pan, it’s different than other instances of Darker Elements that I’ve already touched on. If a woman is assaulted or someone is raped by deception, the resonance with the treatment of women and the realities of sexual assault, especially in our modern political climate, makes it difficult to cloud with fantastical elements. And I’m not saying trafficking isn’t, but it’s not something a large portion of OUAT’s audience sees on a constant basis.

Writer A&E are as usual in charge of the finale, and honestly, while well delivered, I expected better. So much of the dialogue works, and that makes the fact that some of the crucial dialogue doesn’t hurt so badly. I feel like they were trying to make square pegs fit in round holes when they talk about things like Killian choosing to be alone and how kiling Cora was easy and and how Rumple decides to turn back Belle because Lacey accidentally used Bae’s shawl as a napkin. it almost overshadows the genuinely good dialogue in other places and I feel like with another draft, those problems would either be minimized or non existent. It pains me how this episode reminds me in a lot of respects more of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” (My current least favorite episode of the series) than some of their better episodes like “Broken.” Rating 8/10. I’ve been torn on ratings before, but never quite like this. So much of the Season 2 finale does work, but it does have failings and they chip away. However, I’ve gone on about some of the dialogue choices enough. Let’s talk about the good stuff. This episode is a good culmination point for so many of the arcs started and presents a good jumping off point for them to be furthered in the next season. It’s entertaining to watch emotionally resonates where it counts. It’s dark, but optimistic and has that Once-y feel! Flip My Ship - Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness” Swan Fire - We get to see some pretty sad and yet hopeful Swan Fire stuff. Emma is barely able to mourn Neal’s loss, but when she tells Henry and Killian the truth, you really feel the grief she’s going through. And then Neal’s alive! Swan Queen - It was so great seeing Emma and Regina working together! You really feel for the emotional bond they’ve formed as they fight off the diamond and it’s gotta be said that there’s a serious weight to the fact that the two of them together managed to fight off something that neither thought possible. Captain Swan - I feel like Emma and Killian really get their deserved start here. Emma not only tries to get her bean back, but tries to invite him to the hero squad with as much effort as she can given all else on her plate. And while it initially doesn’t work, Emma’s speech does find its resonance with Killian through remembering of his love for Bae. Rumbelle - My thoughts on how Rumple decided to use the potion aside, the moment where Belle comes back and they kiss is beautiful and heartwarming, as is their goodbye at the docks. Grumpy Beauty - Grumpy went out of his way as they were all gonna die to get another memory potion to restore Belle! That is so cute!!! I love this ship!!! There’s also such a real feeling of sacrifice as Rumple sees Belle off before his trip to Neverland. ()()()()()()()()() Oh My God! Season 2 is completed!!! Well, sort of! Like last season, I’m going to do my overview where I talk about everything from the quality of the season itself to the best dynamics to who was the best writer! I hope you’ll join me for it because it’s gonna be a lot of fun!

Thank you all for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales! Couldn’t have done it without you!

See you next time!

Season 2 Tally (194/220) Writer Tally for Season 2: Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis: (58/60)* Jane Espenson (44/50)* Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg (40/50)* David Goodman (24/30)* Robert Hull (24/30)* Christine Boylan (26/30)* Kalinda Vazquez (28/30)* Daniel Thomsen (18/20)* * Indicates that their work for the season is complete Operation Rewatch Archives

#ouat #once upon a time #watching fairytales #ouat 2x22 #ouat rewatch #jenna watches ouat #tw: mentions of child trafficking

[reallyhardy]

ok, i gotta get it all down before i forget (but could i really ever???) so here is an extremely long, very spoiler-iffic

loren’s spongebob-musical-sperience

i attended the 8pm performance on friday, 24th nov and it was....

AMAZING!!!

i have never ever had such a wonderful time at a theatre. so first off i was on the front row mezzanine toward the left with my bestie and my sister, so we were at a really, really good vantage point. we...we very very enthusiastic, possibly verging on obnoxious...but being so close to that barrier...well. we were basically hanging right over.

i’m just gonna go through the numbers. obviously i have seen the chi boot so i was comparing what i could to what i’ve seen. if you’ve seen the thanksgiving performance it was mostly that beyond what we’re familiar with with spongebob going through and meeting all his friends around town, and like. oh man, that new newsies choreography was AH-MAZING! it was all so funny, ethan’s little spongebob walk and the way danny sort of...rolled into his appearance when he gets introduced. then of course there’s the new krusty krab set which was SO nice (and gets even cooler later!) but there was a scene with squidward and spongebob getting a lot more into that dynamic from the cartoon, and this hilarious little bit where SB puts his hand down on the stove and then, when he notices that it’s burning...he flips it over so he can cook that hand nice and even on both sides. and there’s a part where he hangs his spatula on squidward’s finger while he sings a new and improved and even more emotional ‘please be proud of me dad mr krabs’ part.

so the order was different from chicago because it goes bikini bottom day -> no control -> B.F.F. whereas the previous order was B.F.F. before no control. no control isn’t a fave of mine but it was VERY fun to watch and ethan did extra little contorty gymnasticy bits along with his split :’) but at the end... so the crowd screaming melts away leaving patrick screaming in the middle in his house before SB finds him -- that was absolutely hysterical. danny had a lot more opportunities to shine as a comedian, so many more jokes for patrick and he was so, so, soooo funny. but anyways - B.F.F. was very lovely - though i noticed no best friend handshake this time around as i’d seen from the rehearsal footage. the new painted cardboard letters were so fun and cute looking and it was just a really fun number - plus ethan and danny’s harmonies at the hand were so lovely!!!

then there’s a bit more of everyone freaking out before we get to going get tough which was!!! mind boggling!!! i did not think at first that wesley could rap because the first verse started and seemed quite slow, and it sounded particularly empty without karen’s beatboxing. but then. oh BOY. it suddenly became amazing. first, he did a big ol’ dance break with the plankton puppet attached to his shoe and a little spotlight on him to make you focus on watching him dance and then-- and THEN. OH. MY GOSH. THE SUPER FAST RAP VERSE. ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING. my sis, pal and i were losing. our. minds up there. it absolutely blew us away. i need to just say that wesley is absolutely fantastic as plankton, and clearly love love loves getting to play him. his voice is almost a dead ringer for mister lawrence and his whole manner is just. hilarious. absolutely brilliant.

okay! the next number is simple sponge! i didnt notice any lyric changes but i did think it was absolutely hysterical the way krabs slowly backed up while quietly echoing ‘simple sponge, simple sponge’ - too funny. he stood at the back on the higher balcony in front of the neon krusty krab sign and really hammed it up for the ‘you are still a simple sponge’ parts. and the neon sponge dance, oh my lordy!!! it looked so so SO good live! they adjusted the shape for gary so he is more obviously a snail. and they did a little belt around SB’s waist at the ‘own dojo’ line. and boY!!! that ethan slater!!! absolutely slaying!!! he didn’t go for the super super high note but what he did do was still awesome and super powerful. love love love that boy. plus, he kept up using it as a way of pepping himself up, so on his way to different locations he was chanting ‘i am not a simple sponge’ to himself.

okay, next up was daddy knows best. so, by now we probably all know that jai’len absolutely SLAYS as pearl. honestly, the whole audience was completely losing it every single time that girl opened her mouth. she was utterly, utterly PHENOMENAL. i never heard a voice like that!!! but okay so first SB comes up to the krab trying to tell everyone that they don’t have to leave town because he’s got a plan. krabs is busy packing and pearl is trying to decide what to wear to the benefit concert. she brings out two pink prom style dresses, a long and a short, but krabs tells her she’s not going (this is an interesting dynamic to them that i prefer from the chicago - it seems less like krabs is uncaring and disinterested in pearl and more like he’s an overprotective dad - still well meaning despite his blunders. i also noticed he did not say ‘yeah’ when pearl asks ‘is money more important than me?’ in act 2 which made me feel a bit better.) ANYWAY. spongebob takes the dresses and slips the shorter one’s hanger over his head so it looks like he’s wearing it and it is adorable. then when the song is going on, krabs instructs SB to cover his eyes (and he does so, for the rest of the number) while krabs cracks open all the doors and set pieces and to reveal all of where he’s hidden his money, so it’s all this seriously shiny gold coinage and it’s absolutely brilliant!!! i did notice that this time around pearl did not do any overdramatic sobbing, which was a little disappointing, but her amazing amazing singing made up for the little lack of comedy. then it got SAD because pearl sits own on the corner of the stage, genuinely upset, but there’s a very sweet moment where SB sits down with her and tries to comfort her a little bit. it. was. precious, and made me think of all the times SB helps pearl out in the cartoon because. he’s the best big(little) brother ever.

and then... HERO IS MY MIDDLE NAME! oh boy. okay. so, when sandy’s running from the mob, holy heck. the theme there on racist commentary is...oh. my god. every time this was brought up i could not stop crying. so sandy walks into the centre of the stage and on the right, a couple fish spray paint the words ‘LAND MAMMAL GO HOME’ and!! god!!! it was absolutely heartbreaking, lilli’s acting at this point had me full of tears. she said in this quiet voice -- i thought this was my home and MAN. SO SAD. then it goes into the song and...patrick did not carry spongebob in this time around, so, bummer, and i noticed there’s a lot less physical interaction between the team of tres than before - spongebob doesn’t extend his hand to sandy and sandy knocks out a bunch of plus squirrels in cowboy hats instead of striking pat and SB - both are pretty dang funny though so its all good. during this performance sandy did not sing the new verse heard at the playbill preview event, so i was a lil disappointed in that too, but all the fun little moves and dances were still really good - and the team of tres high-five handshake from bikini bottom day happened again, except this time with sandy in the middle. would have been cool if they full circled it at some point with patrick in the middle, but it ain’t no big thang. anyway - hero is my favourite song and it was so fun to hear live -- again the harmonies were absolutely fantastic!!! PLUS. SO SO BADASS, and this made me cry too -- patrick and spongebob hold up the board that ‘mammal go home’ had been sprayed on, and sandy kicks it to break it in half, they cheer, and then the boys toss the board away. SO. GOOD.

and now! SUPER SEA STAR SAVIOUR! this one was AH-MAZING. the new costumes for the sardine followers are absolutely gorgeous and i massively prefer them, and the new choregoraphy. wow wow WOW. okay. so they added this dance break to it where they all bust out tambourines and patrick does a hamboning thing with the tambouring like in the first movie. i did not expect at all that this would be a thing because in chi during dance numbers danny was typically at the back but here!!! WOW!!! he has clearly improved so much as a performer and this lil tambourine dance was SO GOOD. and then of course his singing was amazing, he was nailing those high notes, and and and!!! he did this funny little thing where he blessed all the sardines by sort of karate chopping their heads a lil bit, and the whole thing was. so phenomenal.

then of course there’s the breakup scene, where they acted a bit... spongebob did not seem as much hurt and sad as hurt and angry, and they insulted each other a bit first - ‘at least i dont live in a fruit!’ ‘at least im not pink!’ (hysterical) before they go fine, fine, fine! and then...well. then spongebob gets sadder, and he sits right down in ‘defeat corner’ much like pearl did earlier after daddy knows best. then it goes into tomorrow is, which was absolutely as beautiful as i’d hoped -- lilli and ethan’s voices together are my absolute favourites and!!! it got so very emotional. again i noticed that krabs sticks very close to pearl in a protective way here, although i was again a lil disappointed that plankton and karen don’t emerge very obviously post-coitus... they still dont seem to have quite reached that point this time around. THEN ANYWAY INTERMISSION TIME.

this was where i freaked out a little, talked to a friend, wiped my tears, freaked out a little more, and then by the time i was done talking and freaking, patchy had hurried back onto stage.

so it seems jon rua cannot play the accordion, but they got around this by having him have written some sheet music he’d come up with on a piece of very piratey parchment, which was passed along down the on-stage band who pretty much just passed it along with no regard. nothing was really different about the poor pirates number beyond patchy not having the accordion, it was still very fun but over quickly enough that we could get back to the action.

then its bikini bottom day reprise which is much like in chicago, except allan k. washington now plays gary, so he sat off a little ways to the side on stage to do the meows whilst visible on stage. i have no strong feelings on this - i think its kinda fun i guess!

BIKINI BOTTOM BOOGIE WAS FANTASTIC. i never loved it that much as a song on its own and didnt enjoy it that much in the chi boot - i liked it a bit more on the cast album but HOLY HECK. ON STAGE. so of course pearl is singing along and that gives jai’len another change to shine shine shine, and holy HECK. okay. there is a part where kyle matthew hamilton does a skating trick on TWO SKATEBOARDS. STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. again -- i freakin lost my mind!!! it was unbelievable!!!

chop to the top was pretty similar to chi, a couple of lyric changes but they did much the same stuff - it seemed a bit slicker and all put together better than in chi, and there were a couple more projections to give the boxes more of a lava-y effect. the harmonies between ethan and lilli again -- absolutely a m a z i n g.

now we get to another part that made me very emotional but i held in my tears this time. it leads in with patrick and the sardines but this time around they make it more obvious that he’s thinking about spongebob when he recounts the memories of his stretchy couch, because he says ‘spongebob and i this, spongebob and i that...’ and when they ask him what more do you need he repeats it in this hearbreaking little way. yeah. what more do i need? before he goes into the song. its just as emotional as on the album, but on stage ethan and lilli do a little bit more miming that they’re climbing the mountain while danny’s singing. then there’s no dailogue lead into spongebob’s verse, he just goes into it. there’s something about danny’s face when he sings this song, he just looked like his heart was breaking. he’s so, so good. the emotion breaks just a little at the end - sandy sounds a bit more impatient than before when she says ‘come on spongebob, this mountain won’t climb itself’ and SB goes ‘unless--’ ‘no it WON’T, spongebob!’ so i ended up giggling there in a bit i didnt before. not a bad thing, but i did kind of want to cry during that number all the same.

anyway. THEN WE GO INTO THE SHOWSTOPPER. NOT A LOSER. it looked pretty much the same as in chi BUT. SO SO SO AMAZING TO SEE LIVE. nothing to really say except that it was utterly perfect, and so, so so very very sparkly and beautiful. and the audience applauded for AGES. gavin just stood there holding that final post as we cheered and cheered and cheered. so so so amazing!!!

then its back to spongebob and sandy on the mountain. they added a little thing for plankton and karen where they use an ‘avalanche maker’ which makes them the reason spongebob gets knocked out on the mountain, and. oh, holy goodness, okay, here we go. before i get to the reunion, let’s spin back to plankton and karen. who...so ppl have probably already talked about this but. big guy. big guy. he gets her to call him big guy, moans every time, and then they have this BIG DAMN MAKE-OUT. there’s this bright, glittery projection of hearts and sparkles as they do so, and it’s just. oh my god. losing my mind yet again. SO much cheering from the audience.

right, and back to the mountain. the audience reaction to patrick flying down on the jetpack. glorious. we were all loving it. and then the reunion, oh my gosh! very very heartfelt, they changed the dialogue so the boys say a lot more emotional and genuine stuff to each other before they hug (though it was quite a brief hug) (and they did not do the ‘we are back’ dance, they just did the ‘best friends’ dance which i dont think was quite as funny but okay.) then...then we have the final part with the volcano. it was especially funny here because both ethan and lilli did cartwheels, and then danny lifted his arms like he was going to do one too...and then just kept on running. brill. then spongebob climbs the mountain and my sis and pal were all holding each other in fear because at one point it really felt like ethan might fall. obviously he had his harness but still. TERROR. then when he threw the interruptor. BLINDING! but awesome.

okay. hurrying along to the best day ever. i started crying right during the speech and continued to weep on and off ‘til the end at this point. i noticed perhaps due to tiredness or maybe real feeling but ethan kind of dropped out of the spongebob voice and delivered the really powerful speech in a voice more like his own which....ahhh. it had me weeping. plus, sandy took on a little bit of the speech at the start, and i just love the demonstration of spongebob and sandy’s strong loyalty to each other in both songs, dialogue and action. anyway. then of course the song starts and i absolutely adore how they staged it -- spongebob has a little interaction with almost every character and a lot of the time tailored to who they are -- so he joins in with a sardine’s hand motion, obviously shakes the mayor’s hand very officiously, and brings a lot of the characters together before they all join hands -- and SB was stood between pat and sandy when i saw it, which i like better than when he was between sandy and the mayor because...agh!!! what if that was it for them!? the whole thing of the best day ever absolutely has me bawling almost every time i listen to it, because they all come together to be joyful one last time before they thing they could all just...die.

god, i wish there was a way i could re-live the end when they all celebrate though, because i could not take in everything. i noticed that pearl and krabs hug, and sandy and SB hug each other before patrick runs in to join them. and. OKAY. SO THE RACISM THING COMES BACK AGAIN HERE AND. BY JOVE.

so the whole time, it’s been jenkins that lead the charge against sandy, which is horribly fitting as he represents...every old white man running the world right now, so how important and monumental that he is also the one to tell her you saved us. but then...god... they ask what happens now and sandy says -- i guess i’m leaving. and jenkins asks her to please stay, reminds her that in their town everyone should be welcome. and she says--

she says-- i don’t know if i can trust you, these people, anymore.

cue TEARS. i was absolutely sobbing here. i mean, you’d think, right? in spongebob, it’d be easy. she’d just be like ‘okay, you’ve convinced me’, but she didn’t. it was such a raw and real moment and lilli absolutely killed it. SO emotional. and then ethan steps up and, again, in not such a spongebobby voice, in a much more mature tone, he begs her to give the town another chance, and the whole time he’s been reminding her that she never deserved it but he understands if she wants to go -- he tries one last time and the town comes together ‘til sandy agrees to stay.

then or course, the town makes their own band. this was SO lovely because sandy takes the second line instead of krabs, and all the instruments were painted and decorated to be super bright colourful, it was so gloriously chaotic and wonderful. then of course the theme song!!! me and my squad screamed out lungs out and waved and cheered like crazy and ethan totally caught our eye!!! big, blessed moment.

at the stage door...almost every cast member we spoke to was like ‘i saw you three up on the mezzanine!’ stephanie hsu was very VERY lovely and me and hailey spoke to her about the art we gave her, she told us it made her so happy which made us so happy, we talked to oneika phillips about her cool hair and her very cool wig and makeup, lauralyn mclelland noticed my blue eyebrows that matched hers, and kelvin moon loh. oh my god. he gave me a little 20 cent wahlgreens print he’d made of a fanart i’d done for him that he’d set as his twitter and facebook pics -- he said he’d made copies for his family, signed them all...then went back inside to his dressing room to get me one.

i managed to give some badges and fridge magnets i made to lilli, danny (i slightly brushed his hand with mine and!!! got embarassed but he was sooooo lovely) (on his way out he held the starfish magnet up for me to see like yeeeah!) and also to ethan, who came out last when a lot of the crowd has dispersed, so he was the only cast member we snagged a pic with.

but the real highlight!? TINA. FREAKING. LANDAU. was also there. she was just stood behind me in the crowd looking out for ethan to make sure he got through okay. i got a bit giddy and emotional trying to tell her how much the show meant to me, and we shook hands but...it was no simple handshake, no. she took my hand in both of hers and gosh!!! i’ve never felt more blessed.

it was honestly. the best, best, best day ever. i left with a t-shirt and a streamer worn as a scarf and a stack of rescued playbills, and everything was absolutely wonderful.

#the spongebob musical #a big ol' review #emphasis on big #this took me about 2 hours to type up omg #its just adoring nonsense #there's stuff i didnt love but i mostly tried to keep it out of this because #i just want to express #ive never ever EVER loved something so much #in my life