#benny daniela and carla were the best parts

[mayyourshipsbewithyou]

Things I loved about In the Heights

-The sounds of the city are part of the music of the opening song

-The frame story is the only way this story should be told; the story only works if it shows the results of Usnavi's decision to stay

-Anthony and Lin shaking hands

-Yay to random mixed race couple asking for directions

-“I hope you’re writing this down I’m gonna test you later” only makes sense with kids

-Showing different residents of Washington Heights provides scale

-I’m not sure about the decision to cut Camila, but if it means less Nina drama, then I love it

-I love how Usnavi has his friends’ orders all ready to go

-LOVE how Usnavi announces Benny’s entrance

-Everything about Vanessa in this movie is perfect=> she’s given so much more depth, her beauty is downplayed, she’s kind of a nerd, but has a beautiful smile

-Nina’s heels=> metaphor for her reaching for the stars

-I love the actress that plays Nina; she’s the right age and her singing voice is so sweet

-Nina’s hair is straight when she’s at school; as soon as she comes home, it’s curly=>she can be herself at home

-When Nina turns around and sees the crowd of people counting on her=> I felt that

-I love seeing Nina get her acceptance letter; I remember what that was like for my brother

-Camila must have died while Nina was at college in this version; Nina lost her mother recently which helps explain her different reason for dropping out; she feels lost

-I don’t know why Sonny is using this deep voice, but I love it!

-Whoever decided to have 96,000 take place at the pool is a genius

-The graphics at the beginning of 96,000 are good for helping regular people understand the rap

-Pete just put his arm around Sonny=> are they dating?

-Sonny yelling 96,000 as he enters the pool=> the sound design

-Pete nodding along to Usnavi=> sucking up to the family

-Usnavi is such a proud cousin-uncle during Sonny’s part in 96,000

-Vanessa making her “I'll be downtown” walk down a ramp

-The dancer doing flips is now a diver doing spins into the pool

-On stage, the lighting was dark; in the movie, it’s underwater

-The circles of people in the pool reflect the zeros in 96,000

-Lin and Chris being rivals is perfect; their bromance is everything

-Nina and Benny being together before the events of the movie means they are the beta couple and have less drama than Usnavi/Vanessa which is how it should be

-Benny joins in during “on that fire escape”=> like West Side Story

-Benny’s “Let me in” against the fence is hilarious

-Nina and Benny are FUN, not angsty like in the original

-Nina following the little girl=> following herself, following her dreams which eventually lead her to the sea; all of this is done while she’s talking about her past

-Nina and Benny instrumental™ part 1 in the middle of “When You’re Home”, Benny interrupts=> their story isn't complete yet

-Benny says he believes in her without discounting her feelings

-Everyone loving Nina=> I finally get it

-Nina is home geographically and with people who love her

-Benny is Nina’s home

-In the Heights is about how dreams are great, but the life you have now can be so beautiful

-Nina’s hair during the dinner/club scene is great

-Usnavi is wearing his dad’s hat for his date with Vanessa; he knows that she is to him what his mom was for his dad

-Family dinners are the same in every culture

-Awkwardness of long-time friends going on a date

-Vanessa offers Usnavi his first drink of the night; he thinks that’s what she wants; because why would she want him and only him?

-Usnavi whispering in Vanessa’s ear is so sexy

-Love that Benny is on Nina’s side instead of being mad at her

-I wonder if they thought 5 years of Benny working for Kevin was too much or too little since they changed that line to "all these years"

-Benny’s reactions to Vanessa dancing at the club are hilarious

-Vanessa laughing at Usnavi dancing with someone else

-Nina is always smiling and laughing at the things going on around her; not as self centered

-Nina and Benny dancing at the club=> all of the yeses

-Usnavi is too nervous about being alone with Vanessa that he un-dated himself; he wasn’t quite ready

-Love that they consciously cut all the “Usnavi, help me” parts=> Vanessa is not a victim

-Fireworks are a romantic setting for Sonny and Pete, just saying

-Usnavi/Benny/Nina talking about the fourth member of their square gives me feelings; I need more of these four in fanfic, my dreams

-“I got to wait for Vanessa”=> the stuff dreams are made of

-Benny is such a good person; he’s even better than the original which is what he deserves

-Usnavi is relieved to have Vanessa call his name

-“Don’t walk away from us tonight”=> great addition

-To give Usnavi and Vanessa some of Nina and Benny’s original lines is to see the face of God

-The first time I saw this, I’m ashamed to admit, I thought Benny was going to steal money from the dispatch; I was a fool

-Dancer with fireworks on his shoes

-Benny is smart and good; he isn’t doing this for Kevin or Nina but for the people of New York

-Abuela was able to see stars again on the last night of her life

-I’m sad Blackout isn’t exactly the same but the orchestral parts that cover up what is unsaid is so beautiful it makes up for it

-Abuela’s family is her “fireworks”; they are what light up the Heights

-Sonny came to Usnavi instead of being with his dad during the blackout; his real family

-Abuela’s smile as she looks at her family while reflecting on her childhood is the most beautiful thing there will ever be

-Paciencia y Fe as a dream sequence is how it was meant to be

-The transition on the subway from reality to memory

-Paciencia y Fe is a mixture of cultures; like Abuela’s memories

-“Wide awake”=> stepping off the subway

-The same actress played Abuela on Broadway and in the movie

-Abuela may be in a musical, but she’s still an old woman

-“As I feed these birds”=> back to the present

-Calor means heat in Spanish but in English it sounds like color

-Abuela dying during the night of the blackout is perfect

-Usnavi saying “she was just here” twice: when she was literally just there and many years, maybe a decade, after the fact

-Usnavi’s daughter is the life that goes on after Abuela is gone

-Usnavi and Nina crying together

-Those closest to Abuela are inside and everyone else is outside

-Iris was sitting on the outside and now she’s in the middle; needed comfort from her friends

-“Should we take a break?”=> we’re past the point of an intermission

-“No daddy, keep going”=> does this look like a stage production to you? It’s a fucking movie

-There isn’t a clear point for an intermission; the action stays strong over where the intermission should be; this is a movie, not a play, and movies don’t have intermissions

-Everyone’s holding candles; like the stars Abuela loved so much

-Iris called Usnavi Daddy for the first time because that was the point in the story where he needed to hear that the most

-“I thought about the people I care about the most, I thought about you”

-Anthony makes Usnavi sexy in a way Lin never could

-So many people love Vanessa, but no one better than Usnavi

-Abuela paid to have Camila's napkins cleaned after all

-Usnavi is the kind of parent that doesn’t sugarcoat life

-Vanessa listed no emergency contacts even though she had people

-“That’s senorita to you”=> yes girl, get it

-Love Daniela for getting everyone out of their asses

-“Tonteria” means foolishness=> the more you know

-How fast Carla says no to “ask me why” shows how quickly she wants to please her love

-Usnavi’s Nueva York t-shirt=> I need it

-Daniela’s first effect being on a woman whose hair is terrible

-Carla pushing that man away from her woman with a bullshit excuse

-My friend was laughing at the parts that were meant to be jokes

-Usnavi’s entrance being announced in Carnaval del Barrio; just like Benny in the opening song

-“There’s nothing holding me down”=> assuming he was rejected

-The different communities dancing with their flags

-Nina being part of Carnaval del Barrio is great

-Even Kevin, kind of an old man, can get down

-Since Nina and Benny sex scene wasn’t shown on screen (praise Jesus), I have to assume Nina told Daniela even though she knows she’s a huge gossip

-Everyone stops because Sonny, a kid, starts singing

-Vanessa and Sonny are so powerful together

-Vanessa’s hand on Sonny’s shoulder

-A kid providing Usnavi with the “flag I’ve got in my hand”

-Usnavi and Vanessa dancing together is muy romantico

-Everything about Nina’s appearance in “When the Sun Goes Down”

-“Let me just listen to my block”=> peak Nina

-Abuela wrote “for Usnavi” on her lotto ticket 😭

-They cut so many songs but kept Champagne=>I love their priorities

-The pause before “you outta stay”

-Everyone has such great chemistry; especially Usnavi and Vanessa

-The choreography in Champagne is what I’ve always imagined

-Usnavi didn’t have time to cash in because Vanessa came over

-Vanessa and Pete friendship for the win

-“Best days of my life” is said thrice=> good things come in threes

-Usnavi staring at the room where Vanessa kissed him

-Iris knows he stayed; she loves her dad so much

-Usnavi looking out his window in Washington Heights and seeing his friends on his dad’s beach

-When Usnavi talks about Kevin at the dispatch, the camera flashes to an abandoned building

-“Vanessa at the salon”=> Usnavi sheds a tear

-Vanessa being front and center during Usnavi’s decision to stay

-Hearing the sounds of the beach during the unveiling

-It’s all about Vanessa=> perfection

-Lin being at the ending is perfect no matter the context

-“Say it so it doesn’t disappear”=> the sad reality is your neighborhood probably will disappear

-Usnavi telling his daughter “you’re it” is everything

-Iris understanding all of the little details of her father’s store now that she knows his story

-Iris is the goddess of the rainbow like the light that appears when water appears on a sunlit day

-“Man, you talk forever”=> that’s so “How I Met Your Mother”

-Iris has a necklace of seashells, like the islands

-Vanessa would sooner get wet than let go of Usnavi’s hand

#in the heights #in the heights 2021 #usnavi #vanessa #usnavi x vanessa #anthony ramos #lin manuel miranda #washington heights #camila rosario #nina rosario #benny #breathe #leslie grace #sonny #96000 #graffiti pete #sonny x pete #christopher jackson #nina x benny #when you're home #kevin rosario #abuela claudia #the club #blackout #paciencia y fe #iris #daniela #carnaval del barrio #carla #daniela x carla

[pika-ace]

I FINALLY SAW THE IN THE HEIGHTS MOVIE

HOLY SHIT

HOLY FUCKING SHIT I JUST WITNESSED MANNA FROM THE FUCKING GODS

My skin is clear, my children are fed, and my crops are thriving and I have SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT IT

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT! Seriously, do not read if you want to see the movie, I want you to experience this emotional ride yourselves

- I don't really need to talk about the music because, as expected, it was top-notch. Everyone was great, great voices, god-tier dancing, just good shit all around

- Songs are cut and things are changed, but honestly, NOTHING was lost so there's no need to worry. For every story element they take away, they add SO MUCH MORE with the changes they made to make up for it. It's like ITH for the first time all over again :D

- First up, Usnavi. MY GOD ANTHONY RAMOS, I AM SO SORRY I'VE BEEN SLEEPING ON YOU FOR SO LONG! I never paid him any mind back in the day because his face was just plastered all over Lams stuff (UGGGGH) so seeing him doing his own thing SEPARATE from that? I WAS ONCE BLIND BUT NOW I SEE

- The whole beach story-telling thing was throwing me off the whole time. I remember how PETRIFIED everyone was when the trailers showed that, but I had faith that there was a point to it and I WAS RIGHT!! The SECOND Sonny pointed out that green crab he painted, it was like a slap in the face, and when Usnavi started his whole 'There goes my flight' part, my cousin and I silently fist pumped in pure joy

- Also, USNAVI👏AND👏VANESSA👏AS👏MARRIED👏BUSINESS👏PARTNERS👏FUCKING👏ALL👏MY👏YES (Why did none of us think of this before????)

- USNAVI AND VANESSA GETTING A CANONICAL DAUGHTER, FUCKING YES PLEASE, PUT THAT HAT ON HER HEAD

- Next, Nina. Just...OH her voice...so soft...so gentle...I could fall asleep to that shit...

- The extra details of her being discriminated against at Stanford, just...DAMN, that shit HURTED. Best Girl doesn't deserve that shit!!!

- And her deciding to go back after learned that Sonny wants to be like her but can't due to discrimination just...BEST GIRL

- Benny just...OOZED charm, man. It almost makes me sad that he and Nina didn't play as big a role in the movie as they did in the play compared to Usnavi and Vanessa. ALMOST.

- Speaking of, Vanessa got an expanded role, HELL TO THE FUCKING YES. (She got a last name change from Otilla Garcia to Morales, but hey, her last name was just a workshop thing anyway so it's JUST not-canon enough to make changing it acceptable)

- Vanessa being the one who decided on the mural thing and getting Pete and Sonny to help just...BEAUTIFUL. That's TRUE LOVE right there

- Lin as Piragua Guy and Chris Jackson as Mr. Softee; that was the funniest meta shit I've EVER seen.

- I?? Did not expect?? To come out of this LOVING Kevin Rosario??? Like, he was SO MUCH BETTER and less antagonistic??? And I LOVED IT??

- Seriously though, getting rid of his prejudice against Benny was THE MOST WELCOME CHANGE in this whole movie (to me at least). When those two were together in the dispatch during the Blackout and helping people, that was just *chef's kiss* That was the pseudo-father-son shit I have been CRAVING for those two!

- Blackout was much less scary and chaotic than we were led to believe in the stage play; a part of me was disappointed, but the way they made it with everyone taking it in stride made up for it. It was like 'Aw dammit, blackout! Welp, bust out the fireworks and the Bingo boards, we're gonna be in the dark for a while, you all know the drill.'

- Also, lights turning back on RIGHT after Carnival del Barrio? Nice touch 👌

- Pete was SO GOOD. Favorite scene:

Usnavi, with Sonny: You're out here; who's watching the store? *points to Pete who's booking it out of the store having stolen something*

Sonny: *runs after him* PETE NO, YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT!!!

- Age gap still seems a bit ambiguous between Sonny and Pete, so until confirmation is given, this pairing is staying EXPLICITLY in the stage version tag on Ao3 XD

- PETE PROVIDING VANESSA WITH INSPIRATIONAL MATERIALS, THAT IS A FACET OF FRIENDSHIP I NEVER KNEW I WANTED

- Also, appreciate Usnavi being MUCH less antagonistic towards Pete, just treating him as an annoying kid that enjoys getting a rise out of him rather than a vandal that's a bad influence who Usnavi WILL call the cops on if pushed.

- Daniela and Carla were REALLY awesome together and I'm DOWN for them being a couple, even though Hollywood STILL decided to be cowards about it with no on-screen kiss or mention that they were girlfriends (come on guys, it's 2021, stop hiding the gays!!)

- Abuela. ABUELAAAAAAAA. NEED I SAY MORE????

Usnavi: I wanna take you and Sonny to DR

Abuela: I'm not leaving without Sonny

Me: MY QUEEN, YEEEEES

- When I saw her lying down during Blackout and staring at Usnavi and Sonny and then started transitioning into Paciencia y Fe, my writer brain IMMEDIATELY began putting those metaphor pieces together and was like 'No...no no no no NO, don't you do this to me, DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DO THIS TO ME-'

- Alabanza had me sobbing; no comment.

- The lotto money twist was SO GOOD??? Like, my cousin and I were VERY concerned when it wasn't brought up AT ALL, but then when it turns out she saved the ticket to give to Usnavi as a final gift after her death just...TEARS EVERYWHERE

- And last but not least...Sonny. Sonny Sonny Sonny Sonny SONNYYYYYYYYYYY! My son, my child, the light of my life, the stars in my sky, was given justice on this day!!!

- HE HAS A DAD!! IT'S A SHITTY DAD BUT HE HAS A PLACE TO LIVE!!! IT'S BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAD BEFORE AND I THANK BASED LMM FOR GIVING MY BOY THE BACKSTORY HE DESERVED!! (Fanfic writers, I expect MOUNTAINS of angst and hurt/comfort from you all with this new material!)

- RIP Smol Sonny, but that baby face of his MORE than made up for it :3c

- Usnavi WANTING to take Sonny to DR right off the bat, just...THANK YOU. That was DESPERATELY NEEDED and was even wrapped up early and neatly with Sonny saying to Usnavi 'Nah, I grew up here in NY, I have no memories of DR but YOU do, so if you wanna go, then go, I like it here.' and since he HAS A FUCKING HOME here, the worry for his well-being is GONE and it feels GOOD.

- Learning Sonny was undocumented was a PUNCH IN THE FUCKING HEART! My mind IMMEDIATELY reminded me when his dad asked Usnavi why he only paid Sonny in cash and the FACE HE MADE when Nina said that undocumented kids can't get in college just BABY NOOOOOOOOOO

- Usnavi. Using. The goddamn lotto money. TO GET SONNY DOCUMENTED. MY DE LA VEGA COUSIN LOVING HEART HAS FUCKING ASCENDED AND IS NEVER COMING BACK DOWN. DADNAVI SUPREMACY.

Do I have ANY gripes with this movie? Yes, I do.

THEY FUCKING KILLED CAMILA. I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEST MOM GETTING THE DISNEY TREATMENT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH >:/

Other than that though, this movie is a 10/10, go see it. Right now. I mean it.

#in the heights movie #in the heights 2021 #sonny de la vega #usnavi de la vega #in the heights

[thoughtfulpaperback]

In the Heights (2021 Film) Review.

Okay after four watches. And I truly mean four seperate watches. I am ready to talk about this film and address some of the controversy.

I'd like to hit the biggest criticisms out of the way before going into just my general thoughts.

1. "There are no black people in the film"

False. First addressing the main cast and main supporting characters with substantial screen time (they get names and feature heavily in two or more of the main characters storylines) there are three black actors portraying African American or afro latino characters. Obviously this is disproportionate and of all those main and supporting characters the two with the biggest storylines are light skinned or have "traditionally euro centric thought of" physical features such as light green or hazel eyes.

So this hardly is grand representation for black or even "indigenous" (usually meaning dark skinned but not black) looking peoples. But it is more than we've traditionally seen in films about latinos they skew more towards Antonio Banderas looking (he's not latino just fyi).

I think where the film actually does well in its inclusion of black people is in the background scenes/dance numbers. I tried and you cannot count the number of black background characters in the first half of the film.

The second half of the film is arguably less inclusive. That is to say that as the film progressed there was notably less black background characters/dancers. Most notably during a dance sequence in a Merengue club. I could actually count the number of black people in the scene (three black men). But if I am honest the movie/plot itself falls apart towards the end with the inclusiveity it tried to have.

I also am going to mention this as both a pro and con for the film, I loved that we had black women who were deep dark. Like Amara la Negra dark, what I dont like and I think it needs to be said is that like most film there are more dark complexed men than women and there is a disproportionate amount of lighter skinned black women than both dark skinned black men and women.

The film (at least in its first have) does try to showcase diversity in the heights and amoung latinos, but it by no means is free from the same issues of colorism and favoring lighter skin tones black or non black, because the film was also devoid of more indigenous looking peoples. And I will admit my view of indigenous peoples is skewed by my knowledge of indigenous mexican communities i know nothing of the islanders or South American indigenous communities. But i didn't see much of that in the film from what I could tell.

So overall is this film anti-black

... I dont know if I can make that call, but I would think no because it does try to include that history in film and does try to be inclusive with its casting and dance numbers, but it for sure does not escape colorism and by no means is the best form or representation of afrolatinos and arguably more indigenous Groups.

It is for sure disproportionately light skinned in the second half and again unlike the first half you can count the number of black people in the background or in dance numbers.

2. It's a completely different story from the Broadway show.

.....not false, but not 100% true. In fact I think this is why it falls apart a bit. The film keeps a number of the songs from the original Broadway show with minimal changes. It works for some songs such as no me digas, Benny's dispatch, in the heights, carnaval del Barrio, 96,000, and breathe. But it makes others such as "when the sun goes down" seem out of place.

It also, imo, minimizes the role and impact of Abuelas character. That isn't to say that the character isn't still a big part of the story they fit her in differently than in the show, but it is so minimized that when we finally get her big number (and only number in the film) "Pacencia y Fe" it is a bit out of place

It is still the most heartfelt number (and made me cry each time I've seen it) and most relatable to my families experience so I loved it but being honest it is a bit out of place with little build up to it except a scene which is in the trailers where abuela talks about her mother.

Okay so with those things out of the way I want to talk general and key thoughts.

1st: style of the film and disjointment

I personally am still unsure about the style of the film. It sort of blends campy and unrealistic with the real. So you get numbers in people's head where fabric falls from the sky, self-moving wig heads, dancing on the sides of building in gravity defying fred astaire ways, and animated gestures and moments. I think its cool for the kids, but was a bit of a choice in my opinion. I didn't hate it, but almost every time something cooky happened I was just a bit unprepared for it and I dont think that'd how the audience should feel.

In fact the whole film felt disjointed because one moment you had these grand dance numbers with lots of people and minimal effects but great use of camera work like 96 000, but then you'd have scene in a very small space that felt more "Jersey Boys" film/camera work like Benny's Dispatch.

The worst camera work in my opinion was during When the sun goes down. While the idea of dancing on the side of a building was initially cool I kept wishing the camera would have moved differently at many points. Fred astaire's dancing on the walls is still the best filmed gravity defying dance sequence in my mind.

2nd: reducing the drama for Nina and Benny.

Okay so whether its colorism or just time considerations. I didn't like how the changed around Benny and Nina's relationship and build up in the film. In fact my favorite moment for the two (and my favorite songs of the play) from the original show happen in Blackout and then Sunrise. The moment in black out was given to Usnavi and Vanessa and sunrise is not in the film.

I think the shift in the role Benny plays in the business (Rosario's Cab Company) is more complex and better in my opinion and I do love that was added in the blackout scene rather than just doing away with seeing anything of that character with the removal of relationship drama.

3rd: LGBTQ+ representation. I won't claim that there is a bunch but having Daniela and Carla as a couple was pretty cool.

4th. Representation of Latinos

Flawed as it is, I think what in the heights gets right is the telling of complex stories of latinos that don't revolve around violence and crime. I love the look at latinos as business owners and as members of vibrant communities. From my own experience, latinos in film are or tv are not usually seen as such and when you do get look at a latino business owner it is a scene where they are being interviewed by the cops, or the neighborhood is shown as being run down.

Even the usually heavily used storyline of undocumented latinos was done in an interesting way in the film.

I haven't connected so much to a film before and I cried multiple times at the feeling of relating to certain characters and feelings.

I would recommend it to others, but I would also be clear that stylistically it is a choice. I think it probably works better for someone who hasn't seen or doesn't know of the original show. The friends i have taken enjoyed it and my siblings also loved it.

#in the heights

[anais-mitchell]

highlights from extremely amateur ith performance

-it was in a black box theater so cast members were walking through/interacting with the audience

-piragua guy gave the pre-show speech and was basically the 4th wall breaking star of the show

-graffiti pete could DANCEEE. i was so shook by the breakdancing

-vanessa had purple hair and honestly? into it

-nina’s voice was killer omg she slayed those notes in breathe and everything i know

-benny and nina were already super cuddly and cute before they even got together i support

-sonny had a fedora

-the music just. wouldn’t turn on for inutil so my dude playing kevin sang it acapella and killed that shit

-abuela claudia on the other hand was STRUGGLING djskakao she could barely remember her lines and paciencia y fe was yikes. also they had an ensemble but no ensemble for paciencia y fe which is like the best part of that song?? so there were hella awkward pauses

-everytime vanessa was on stage usnavi had the BIGGEST heart eyes and just sat and watched her happily. pure.

-piragua guy could not hit the high notes and was fully aware of this so he just made it a big comedic thing of missing the note and that’s Valid

-during the club dance break, they had like a circle where a guy and a girl would go in and dance and they kept switching, but nina went in and danced w another girl bisexual queen nina rosario #confirmed

-speaking of the club holy shit THE FIGHT WAS WILD someone threw a shoe and benny was full on throwing down w the guy dancing w nina

-blackout was fucking awesome tbh but 1) as i said, cast members were walking around the audience and one ensemble girl decided her character would be loudly sobbing during the blackout so that was all i could hear whenever she passed and 2) the ensemble completely blocked benina kissing???? like my friend who didn’t know the show had no idea they kissed

-piragua guy sold piragua during intermission, then spilled a thing of flavoring all over the stage and had to clean it up

-carnaval del barrio was so much fun they had all the flags and stuff and were so energetic

-except for the fact that daniela and carla started their lines abt benny and. he just never showed up. benny was absent for all of carnaval and the cast members on stage were clearly confused but continued like champs.

-alabanza still destroyed me oh my god. it started w just usnavi then the barrio gradually came out and joined him ugh i almost cried

-ok so i loved vanessa’s actress for most of the show but she completely lost me at champagne, it was like she was trying to seduce usnavi to have sex which is??? not the meaning of the song?? she was like feeling him all up and gave him this sultry look back after the kiss like girl ur supposed to be having an existential crisis and being emotionally repressed pls read the lyrics

-once again music just did not come on for finale so they sang it all acapella which. added a diff emotional effect i guess but also the music to finale is so good ugh.

-also did i mention that usnavi was wearing open button downs w anime characters on them for both acts?? this is important bc this shows two scenarios 1) dude playing usnavi owned anime button downs and they decided to roll w it 2) they specifically went out and bought anime button downs for usnavi. either option is wonderful.

so yeah solid show idk abt everyone else but i had FUN

#in the heights #my posts #it was an Experience but worth it

[talesandfluff]

I'm not sure if you have ever done that, but favorite understudy for every In The Heights role

Okay, I’m cheating and including understudies who later became replacements but hey. They were understudies too! 

Pete: All Petes were really fine by me, I think since this is a very small part, there is room to make it pretty much what you want and there was a lot of creativity in the way some performers adapted this role to fit their own personality and acting style. I love what Michael Balderrama and Jon Rua did with it, but honestly I have not heard any Pete I did not like on Broadway or Tour.

Usnavi: Joseph Morales. He was understudy on tour then later became principal Usnavi after Kyle & Lin’s runs on the tour was over. He’s an incredible Usnavi, he especially nails the softer aspect of the part and I absolutely love him.

Piragua Guy: Gotta go with Tony Chiroldes. I’m fairly sure he was also the go-to replacement for when Eliseo Roman was absent and he’s an excellent Piragua Guy! 

Abuela Claudia: Gotta go with Doreen Montalvo. She also understudied Daniela and Camila but never really clicked for me in those parts (even though she originated the role of Camila in early workshop). Her voice is gorgeous and I love her acting. Great understudy!!

Kevin: I think most Kevins were very good, especially on Broadway. Since Eliseo Roman was the main Kevin understudy, I'll go with him, but honestly, I have rarely been disappointed in a Kevin performer on Broadway or tour, or even in London where they all seem to be good as well. 

Camila: Blanca Camacho. She has a bit of a stiffness to her and when she understudied Claudia or Daniela I felt like the softness or smoothness of those two characters was lacking, but Camila is by no means a soft character and for me Blanca works very very well with what the character is. 

Daniela: None of them. I only enjoy Andréa and her replacements to some extent (Justina Machado and Bianca Marroquin) but the understudies did not do it for me.

Carla: Krysta Rodriguez by far! She really nails that sweetness of Carla without falling into exaggeration or making her dumber than the text does. She's an incredible Carla, I love her. 

Sonny: Jon Rua. He's good in every part he understudied or played (he was temporary Pete), so out of all the Sonnys that weren't Robin he's my favorite. But let's be real, Robin gave 150% every single performance and no one can ever come close to what he did with Sonny's character.

Benny: Rogelio Douglas Jr. He was standby Benny on Broadway before becoming main Benny on tour and he is legit my favorite Benny ever. He does things with the part that I have never heard anyone else do and he had the best chemistry with his Nina (Arielle Jacobs) and he's just overall perfect. 

Vanessa: Toss up between Courtney Reed (understudy) and Gabrielle Ruiz (standby). Their Vanessas aren't the same but they are both insanely talented and their voices work so well with this part. I absolutely love both of them in their own way and I don't think I can pick. 

Nina: This is the hardest to choose because my two favorite Ninas are just so much better (for me) than any other and they were the main Broadway and the main tour one but I think I'll go with Janet Dacal. She understudied the part and later took it over for a few months in 2010 and she's very familiar with the role, having played it so much. I love how she speaks Spanish (I'm assuming Janet's Cuban accent?) and I love her voice. I prefer her as Carla but she was an amazing Nina. 

Thank you so much for the question!

#in the heights #Anonymous

[consider-thecoconut]

In The Heights songs ranked by how similar the off-Broadway and Broadway versions are (because I have all this information and I want to do something with it).

In the Heights: 7/10. A few changes, mostly during the spoken parts. Vanessa’s “NOOO NO NO NO” is not present in off-Broadway, which is a shame. The Broadway version is a little bit longer.

Breathe: 2/10. The gist of the song is the same, but the lyrics are very different. Off-Broadway doesn’t have the bridge (”when I was a child I stayed wide awake”).

Benny’s Dispatch: 4/10. Benny’s rap about the traffic conditions is the same, but there were quite a few changes to his conversation with Nina. No “Nina Rosario the barrio’s best” in off-Broadway. :(

It Won’t Be Long Now: 9.5/10. In off-Broadway, Vanessa gets a pineapple soda for Carla in addition to Daniela’s soda and the packing tape. Very minor change, but sad that Broadway Carla is deprived of her pineapple soda.

Plan B: 0/10. Does not exist in Broadway version.

Inútil: 8/10. The last verse in Off-Broadway has a few different lines, including one about Nina being wise like her mother and stubborn like him. The rest of the song is the same.

No Me Diga: 9/10. The dialogue after Nina leaves is a little different. In off-Broadway they talk about how Nina was the New York champion of team Jeopardy. The rest of the song is the same.

96000: 7/10. Broadway version is a little longer. Benny says “fuck the bling” instead of “keep the bling”. Sonny’s verse is a little different.

Pacienca y Fe: 10/10. Exactly the same in both versions. 

When You’re Home: 9.5/10. A couple of times, Benny says “cause you’re home” instead of “when you’re home.” Very minor change, I almost ignored it, but since the song is called When You’re Home…

Piragua: 10/10. Exactly the same in both versions.

The Club: 9.5/10. Benny says “that’s fucked up” instead of “that’s messed up” (watch your language, Benny). The music in the background is a little different at times.

Blackout: 8/10. Camila has a line in the off-Broadway version. There’s no chorus of “we are powerless, we are powerless” off-Broadway. There’s probably more changes that I missed because there’s too much going on in this song.

Sunrise: 6/10. The Spanish quiz at the beginning is a little different and longer in off-Broadway. The other characters have more lines, and it ends with everyone singing.

Hundreds of Stories: 9.5/10. Almost exactly the same, except Usnavi says the line “are you okay?” instead of Abuela.

Enough/Hear Me Out: 1/10. Serve the same narrative purpose, but are different songs sung by different characters.

Carnaval Del Barrio: 6/10. Off-Broadway has a verse with Kevin, Camila, Nina and Benny. Sonny doesn’t have a verse. Overall, off-Broadway version is a little shorter.

Attencion: 10/10 exactly the same in both versions

Alabanza: 10/10 exactly the same in both versions

Everything I Know: 6/10. The verse about Abuela in Havana isn’t in off-Broadway. The end of the song focuses more on Nina’s parents than Abuela.

Piragua (Reprise): 0/10 does not exist in off-Boadway

Goodbye/Champagne: 2/10. Different songs, but serve the same narrative purpose. Gets two points because Goodbye is pretty much Champagne without the champagne.

When the Sun Goes Down: 1/10 does not exist in off-Broadway, but it gets one point because Nina and Benny have a little part in Finale that has some of the same lyrics. 

Finale: 7/10. Off-Broadway has the extra verse with Nina and Benny, a few little line changes here and there, and is missing a couple lines toward the end that Broadway has. Also, Kevin and Camila sing “para siempre” instead of the bolero singer.

#in the heights #this got long #when you have the entire Broadway version memorized it's easy to spot the differences

[a-weird-blog-in-general]

ITH Mafia Au

Yep. I’m releasing this thing into the world. It’s been aging quite finely, and with some help from @pika-ace, this has been fleshed out to the best of our combined abilities.

And, as a little something extra, we’ve mixed in some Do No Harm stuff in there too.

Boy this is probably going to be long. Welp, here we go.

There are the three families, led by Vanessa, Daniela, and the Rosarios. I like to imagine Abuela Claudia as the Boss of All Bosses (the head Godfather), who can be a member or not, but everyone listens to her on her block.

Vanessa's family is the most "calm" of the three; they deal more diplomatic and trade affairs (stuff like blackmail and bribing political figures, along with moving products). Usnavi and Sonny both fall under Vanessa, Usnavi being an actual member (most likely a Capo) and Sonny is not officially one yet; he's going through initiation.  In Vanessa's family, of course you got some issues with Sonny being accepted into the family. Usnavi is not 100% on board with it, but it allows Sonny to have protection under the family without conflict and doesn't interfere with Usnavi's loyalty to the family. Not that's much of a problem because Sonny, member or not, is always going to be protected by the families but Usnavi doesn't see that yet. That also gives Ian the excuse to take Sonny because technically the other families shouldn't care about some kid, but oh he got shit wrong. There's also the issue with Sonny hanging around Pete all the time. Pete, belonging to another family, has taken the oath to be loyal to them above all else. Usnavi doesn't want Sonny to form this relationship he knows (or more like he thinks) that Sonny won't be more important to Pete than the family is.

Daniela's family has Carla and Pete, Carla being an Consigliere (basically Daniela's right-hand woman) and Pete is a soldier (the 2nd lowest level of the hierarchy). They are the more "violent" of the families, dealing with the dirty work (hits and stuff like that). They have the strongest mafia army, so if you ever need a war, you want this family on your side. But it's more like they'll do the violence if they have to, not that they're just violent in general. With Daniela, the issue is she's the one who's always harassed for being a female boss and having a female Underboss. Other small groups and gangs not associated with the families don't like that for some reason, but they learn very quickly not to mess with the strongest family with two powerful ladies leading it. But like it's an issue that's always there, so they always have to be a little bit better and stronger than everyone else because of it. And you also got that issue going on with Pete and Sonny in the back.

The Rosario's are the more traditional ones and don't have the greatest public presence. They're the ones pulling all the strings behind the scenes; you need some product moved, they'll do it. Need to sneak into this uber secret place? They got you fam. With Mr. Rosario as the boss, Lincoln is the Underboss (basically being groomed to be the next boss if necessary). Though Camila is really the boss (she's got Kevin on her leash), it's Kevin who is the face of the family. Nina isn't in the mafia hierarchy, which kind of makes her upset. Kevin keeps her out because he wants to keep her safe, but I mean she already runs some risk with being your daughter man. Benny serves as a bodyguard for the Rosario family,  which gives him plenty of time close to Nina, and romance blooms. And Kevin wouldn't like that no no. In the Rosarios, Lincoln doesn't want to be the next boss. He wants to go and do his own thing, but Kevin's like no you gotta be the next boss if something happens to me. Now Nina's like what about me? I'm here and I'm willing to do this let me. Kevin doesn't want to expose Nina to that kind of life, but Camila just takes Nina off to the side and lets her in on how everything works. Benny, being a bodyguard to the family and is one of the closest to the family, gets to spend a lot of time with Nina. Now Kevin don't like that. He's put his trust in Benny to watch over his family, he doesn't need Benny falling in love with his daughter. And in general, if it gets let out that the family's bodyguard is getting all close to the daughter of the boss, that's gonna cause problems.

So that’s the basics of the families. I’m not the best versed in these sorts of things so feel free to change/add/correct inconistencies.

So, here’s where the DNH element comes in.

Let’s say that Ian’s got connections (that wouldn’t be so far fetched when taking into account the shit he does), and he’s got his own little orgainization up his sleeves. He does some digging and decides that he’s going to use Usnavi to obtain money and information from the families.

It's gutsy for Ian threaten Usnavi, who's a Capo. But then again, this is Usnavi we're talking about so that's probably why he chose him to exploit. Usnavi, despite being a Capo, isn't exactly the best material for the job. Yes, he gets the job done but he doesn't have the best authority skills. People respect him because if they don't they gotta answer to Vanessa and that wouldn't be very good, for them that is. And it's Ian I think he just wouldn't care. And it's because of Usnavi's position and his lack of authoritarian skills that makes him a good target.And knowing Ian he'd keep an eye on him and know just the right pressure points for him. In Usnavi's case, his family; threatening him is one thing, but threatening to hurt Sonny is a low blow. He could also threaten to wage war on Vanessa's family, resulting in a whole lotta death for everyone, which is the LAST thing Usnavi wants on his hands. Innocent people get caught the crossfire of those things.

Ian would be pegging Usnavi for inside info. Like to let him know if anything big is happening within the family; I think that'd be a LOT harder for Usnavi cause money from his own pocket is one thing, but outright betrayal? That'd REALLY get to him. It challenges the oath and Usnavi takes that very seriously. It would wreck him.

Aaaaand Sonny would find out about it and he'd be pissed at Ian more than Usnavi cause he knows what lengths Usnavi will go for his loved ones and he'd just be like 'this asshole is basically taking advantage of my cousin to do all this shit, this guy is a monster! No one fucks with Usnavi but me!' Aaaand knowing Sonny he'd go out and try to confront the problem himself and get himself and Usnavi into even more trouble.

Now Sonny knows what’s going on, Ian has to use his biggest trump card; kidnap Sonny to use him as leverage against Usnavi.. He'd probably keep Sonny locked up or close to him constantly like 'You do the thing, or your baby cousin is dead, get it.'

And there’s an initial confrontation.  the confrontation would be like. Like, Ian calls Usnavi into wherever the hell they meet, and at first everything's fine, Ian acts like everything's totally normal while Usnavi's just confused and a little scared, until finally, Ian just snaps his fingers and two guys bring Sonny out (probably tied up; the kid's a fighter) and Usnavi just turns white and things just go downhill from there. 'Let him go, please! He's just a kid!' 'Alright, I'll tell you what? Finish the job, and I'll tell where to pick him up. And finish it quick; I'm terrible at being patient.'

So Usnavi finally decides to get help.  maybe Ian calls Usnavi to make sure he's still doing his thing and Vanessa overhears and confronts Usnavi about it, and Usnavi just breaks down, tells her everything and begs her for help. And Vanessa just hugs him like 'You dumbass why are you so afraid of asking for help?' Then she rounds up the rest of the families like 'Code Red people; emergency meeting now. Sonny's in danger.' Oh yes. And they don't even have to argue this with head honcho Claudia. You put the words "Sonny" and "danger" in any sentence together you have her full permission to fuck shit up.Like, Claudia doesn't even have to look up if she's doing something. She just says 'Take whatever you need, be back by dinner, and bring Sonny back safely, por favor.'

Usnavi tries to do the outsmart Ian thing when he goes to meet Ian again, but Ian thinks he’s got the uper hand but nope looks who’s knocking at the door it’s all three mafia families and their army. Adn they violently exterminate Ian.

I could see them kinda casually hinting at what they did while everyone's taking Sonny home like. 'Man I didn't know you could bend someone's arm that far!' 'The tooth fairy's got her work cut out for her.' 'How many times did he fall out that window?' 'Lost count.' And Sonny's just staring at the with stars in his eyes like 'I have the best neighborhood in the universe.' I could totally see there just being a somber moment in general, especially between Usnavi and Sonny. Like while they're walking home, Usnavi has his arm around Sonny the whole way like he's afraid he'll disappear. And then maybe they have a talk. 'Mijo you should have just stayed out of this. What were you thinking? I almost lost you.' 'I couldn't just sit around and let that asshole use you.'

Sonny probably would feel pretty freaking humiliated (let's be honest, being the hostage in the situation is the WORST) he's going to be initiated in a few years if he's ready, and he went and got himself freaking kidnapped and made Usnavi just about have a conniption from worry; there's NO WAY they'll let him be an official part of the family now! And maybe after the rest of the family give him a little pep-talk even Usnavi admits that Sonny could still be a part of the family if he wanted to. 'You stood up to a Boss to try and help me, Sonny; not just anyone can do that, even if it didn't work.'I could just see Usnavi hugging Sonny tightly and saying 'Alright you can join eventually, but  ONLY if you promise to NEVER scare me like that again.'

And that’s that. Now onto Ruben.

Ruben was previously an employee of some sorts for Ian, and now that Ian's gone some of his lackeys decide they want to strike back at the families and they use Ruben to do it.

So like the bad guys' spy on the families for a bit and realize that the person named Usnavi looks A LOT like Ruben, almost identical. So they decide to pull a switch to have Ruben pass off as Usnavi. It works out for the bad guys cause they blame him for teh fiasco that happened to their boss: if Usnavi had just gone along with Ian's plans, they'd still have a boss.

So Ruben's forced to be a spy and sabotage the families from the inside while pretending to be Usnavi. And the bad guys have Ruben's family under surveillance and if he messes up they're going to get hurt. The bad guys' plan doesn't really work out, cause no one really buys into it. Well, Sonny doesn't buy it at all; it's like one of those "who are you and what have you done with Usnavi" but serious this time. Everyone else pretty much acknowledges that "Usnavi" is not his usual self, but they don't really question it; that's something they'd leave to Vanessa. But everyone's suspicious.

And it gets even more complicated because the families don't treat Ruben like trash and actually treat him like a human being and even though they treat him as they would Usnavi Ruben's like "wow these people are the most caring people ever why am I doing this?" And the guilt gets to be too much cause it feels just like when Ian just came by his family's home and invaded Ruben's safe bubble but in this case, Ruben's the one invading another's family and boy does that feel shitty. Ruben feels like a horrible human being but he's got to do it anyway cause what can he do? Nothing.

Slowly, Ruben works his way into Usnavi's role (still kind of sucks), but with less suspicion. And little friendship starts between Ruben and Sonny (cause damn I love the friendship too). Ruben's like "wow this kid's pretty chill" and Sonny's like "wow Usnavi's actually chill for once wow."

And one day it get's overwhelming for Ruben and he breaks down and Sonny ends up walking in and doesn't know what to do. Like while it's Ruben, Sonny sees his cousin, the "rational" one and he's curled up alone and crying and Sonny's scared. And all Ruben manages to say when Sonny asks what's wrong is "I have to fix my mistake." And then Ruben suddenly gets up and makes his way to Vanessa and Sonny's still scared and follows, listening though the door. And Vanessa, from the moment Ruben walks in though the door, knows something is wrong and Ruben confesses.

After Ruben confesses, Vanessa, understandably so, is pretty damn pissed and in order to keep Ruben out of the way, again understandbly so, keeps Ruben under watch and under lock and key while she formulates her plan.

Sonny breaks Ruben out and they both go in secret to find Usnavi, who's still locked up... waiting. The bad guys haven't been the nicest of people (make with that what you will), but Sonny and Ruben manage to get there by Ruben pretending to have captured Sonny and have the bad guys come and get them. They manage to get to Usnavi and almost get out but the bad guys stop them.

So now they're all being held at gunpoint (not fun), but something that should be noted is that Ruben tries to shield Usnavi and Sonny as much as possible because he feels so much guilt and if those two don't make it out of this then goddamnit everyone dies I guess. And then Ruben decides to turn himself over to the bad guys as long as they agree to let Sonny and Usnavi go. But wow they don't agree they'd rather just kill everyone and Ruben tries to reason with them and they beat him up for talking back to them (Sonny doesn't like that and tries to fight literally the biggest guy in the room but Usnavi holds him back because no Sonny that's stupid you gonna die). Sonny breaks free anyway and puches the biggest man in the room straight up in the face (he has to jump to even get that high) and some other guy turns to shoot at Sonny but Ruben shields him and gets shot instead (oh no). The other guys get ready to full on murder but wait what's that I hear holy shit it's Vanessa (she noticed Sonny was missing Ruben had "mysteriously" gotten away so she just tracked Sonny's phone to find them; she was right in assuming Sonny had broken Ruben out) and she is PISSED. And yeah she brought a tiny army cause she wanted to literally murder every single one of the kidnappers on her own. And she does; goes in guns blazing and full on badass.

They manage to save everybody.

Ruben's taken care of but he is still not okay and still feels like the worst human being ever even though you took a bullet for Sonny (which kind of automatically puts you on Usnavi's good side). Everyone get's that Ruben did a bad, a very bad thing, but they also understand that he was forced to do it for his family which means the man's got values. And after finding out about Ruben's familial situation, the families agree to watch over and protect Ruben's family while everything settles down and Ruben's so thankfull????? Like I hurt your family and you're willing to protect mine? Well yeah because our family isn't a bunch of bastards. And they're even willing to actually get to know Ruben as Ruben and he can't deal with all these people being nice to him???? And they stay close.

And BOOM there it is

#wowie wow #finally #it is done #writing #in the heights #in the heights au #mafia au

[pika-ace]

In the Heights AU-Watership Down plot,part 12

The atmosphere at The Heights is a melancholy one in the evening, as they prepare Abuela’s body for burial. Usnavi,Sonny and Nina groom her fur one last time as Benny and Kevin dig her grave nearby the stream. Daniela, Carla, Camila, and Vanessa collect some of her favorite flowers to place on top while Ruben and Pete collect some nice stones to mark her grave site. The other escapees stand guard,not wanting to be surprised by another intruder. Finally the moment comes for her to be laid to rest. Usnavi and Benny work together to carefully bring her body outside. Each rabbit pays their respects to her,until finally Usnavi and Sonny are left,and quietly say their goodbyes to the doe that did so much for them, for all of them. She’s placed into the grave,and buried over,stones are packed over the dirt,and flowers laid down. For a moment, everything is quiet, until they all say with one accord,“My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopped running today”. One by one they go back to the main den,except for Kevin and Benny, who are busy dragging Lee’s body out of the warren and away from their home. They don’t want him anywhere near Abuela. When they arrive back,everyone is still subdued, huddling against each other for comfort. Usnavi can be seen speaking quietly to Sonny,who has his face pressed into his fur. Ruben has a haunted look on his face,and Camila comforts him. He starts sobbing, beginning to wail that it’s his fault,if he hadn’t needed herbs to calm down,Abuela wouldn’t have gone to get any,and she wouldn’t have been attacked. Usnavi comes over and tells him that he shouldn’t blame himself;the only one to blame is Lee,and he’s paid for it with his life. He tells Ruben that Abuela wouldn’t want them to lose hope,she would want them to work together to face any challenges each day may bring. After making sure Ruben is alright, Usnavi calls for everyone’s attention in the den,and tells them about his meeting with Sikes. After recapping his encounter,Usnavi is asked by Benny what they should do. Usnavi tells him that there is no way they are going to turn away their new friends, they’re family now. He commends the does for their idea in collapsing any entrances, and tells them that they need to work the rest of the night to collapse the remaining ones,as Sikes is likely to attack after dawn. Only an emergency exit burrow that opens far away from the warren is to be left open. The whole warren works into the night to bury themselves in. They’re almost done with the last few when dawn breaks. Switching to General Sikes’ point of view, we see his rage at The Heights rabbits refusing to surrender. He’s also angrily asking where is Lee!? A patrol runs up to him out of breath,telling him that they found Lee’s body a little ways away from the warren. “He’s dead,General!” they cry. He brushes it off,suspecting that perhaps a fox or another predator got him;it serves him right for sneaking off. The rabbits tell him that there was no scent of any predators on him,only other rabbits,and they tore into him! The other soldiers hearing this begin to get nervous amongst themselves. First they summoned a white bird to attack them,then they kill a vicious former Captain? Who knows what could be waiting for them inside that burrow? Sikes,tired of being questioned and his reputation on the line,roars at them to shut up! When he gives the order,they storm the place,and are to show no mercy. He wants everyone killed even if it means digging them up one by one. The entrance tunnel is almost packed in when they hear a massive battle cry. Usnavi looks and sees the whole Efrafan army storming towards them,he goes back in,and implores them all to hurry. It’s completely collapsed just before the Efrafans arrive. Sikes yells that they’re only delaying the inevitable, and orders his bucks to start digging. He informs Ian that if any officer breaks through first,they are to inform Sikes immediately. Down in the burrow, Vanessa asks Usnavi what the plan is now,Usnavi tells her that it won’t be very long before someone breaks through. He and Benny and Kevin will hold them off while Vanessa leads the others out the emergency exit. If they can bluff Sikes into thinking that everyone is still trapped, Vanessa and the others can get away. He asks her to please take care of Sonny for him,as well as the others and herself. She promises she’ll do her best for all of them. Suddenly Sonny collapses to the ground, moaning and thrashing wildly. Usnavi, concerned, quickly holds him down,trying to keep him from hurting himself. Vanessa asks what’s wrong with him in alarm. Usnavi while struggling with Sonny,tells her that sometimes Sonny will act a little like this when he’s sees things,but he’s never seen him this bad. Sonny’s moans carry out to the surface,where some officers get spooked at the noise,thinking it must be something terrible inside before Ian barks at them to get back to work. Sonny begins to speak between moans.“There’s a dog in the woods! There’s a dog loose in the woods! There’s a dog loose in the woods!” He keeps repeating this over and over before his eyes roll back and he falls unconscious. Usnavi tries to shake him awake,but he’s out like a light. Then he has a spark of inspiration, he gathers the fastest runners, Pete,Vanessa and Ruben, and tells them to follow him out the emergency exit,they need to get to the farm. Before they leave,Usnavi tells Benny and Kevin to get everyone into a single den near the back, and defend the run leading to them. He also tells to try and hold on as best as they can until they return. They wish each other luck. As Usnavi turns to leave Sonny is coming to,and is really out of it. Usnavi tells him that he has to leave for a little bit, but he’ll be back, he promises,before embracing him in a nuzzle. He nudges him towards Benny and tells Sonny to listen to him,and he and the small group leave. Two officers see them coming out of the burrow and attempt to give chase,but General Sikes says to leave them;it’s their Chief Benny that he wants. Usnavi explains that they need to lead the dog to the warren, hopefully it will scare the Efrafans away. An officer finally breaks through to the inside of the warren,alerting Sikes,who goes down underground. The warren seems to be deserted, until Nina peeks out of a hole,alerting Sikes to their location. He lunges at her but she escapes him,leading him down further and further. He finally comes to the run leading to the den where all the rabbits are,as he stalks towards them threateningly, Kevin presses them all behind him and snarls at Sikes. Sikes gets ready to attack,when suddenly the ground erupts beneath him as Benny bursts out and sinks his teeth and claws into his hind leg. He taunts him,asking him how it feels to have his own mark,to which the General attacks him in a rage,both of them engaging in a bloody battle. Usnavi and Pete arrive at the farm,having left Vanessa and Ruben at certain points along the way. Usnavi tells Pete to get ready to run while he goes and chews the dog’s rope. He sneaks up and nearly chews through it when he sees the cat stalking up to Pete. He stamps his foot to warn him,unintentionally alerting the dog. Pete dodges the cat and takes off. The dog pulls on his rope,which snaps,but the force of his lunge knocks over his dog house,collapsing on Usnavi. The dog takes off after Pete,and Usnavi pulls himself out from under the wreckage, only be pounced on by the cat,who prepares to kill him. Back at the burrow during a pause in fighting where both bucks struggle to catch their breath. Benny asks sarcastically whether he’s impressed yet,as the General told Benny to impress him. The General tells him that he also said he’d tear him to shreds;there’s no white bird to help him now,before they both go back at it. Pete runs faster than he ever has before, leading the dog a long ways before reaching Vanessa, who grabs the dog’s attention as Pete hides and runs back towards the warren as well. She reaches Ruben and hides herself, but the dog seems to lose interest and starts to smell around, almost discovering Vanessa before Ruben catches his attention again. Ruben runs as fast as he can in the final stretch. Inside the warren Sikes tells Benny he could send his bucks in one by one if he needed to,but it seems like a waste to kill him;come back to Efrafa,and he could lead any mark he desires. Benny tells him to go to hell. His Chief Rabbit told him to defend this run,and until he said otherwise, he’d be staying right here! This shocks General Sikes.‘His Chief Rabbit? He’s not Chief Rabbit!?’ Switching briefly to Ian’s point of view, he notices Ruben running in their direction. 'Well,well,well,if it isn’t my favorite toy’, he thinks with a smirk. He wonders if the General will let him have a little bit of fun with Ruben before killing him. Then he becomes aware of the huge dog running after him. He freezes in terror just as Ruben passes him and into the tunnel,then starts screaming for everyone to run! Run for your lives! Run! He moves too late as the dog leaps on him and tears into him,killing him. Above ground, there’s chaos everywhere, rabbits screaming and scattering everywhere as the dog attacks them. General Sikes hears the commotion and goes above ground to see what’s happening. He sees his soldiers running and yells at them to come back,cowards! Dogs aren’t dangerous! The dog and him lock eyes and lunge toward each other,but no one really knows what happened after that. After a while of waiting, Benny goes above ground to see that all the Efrafans and the dog have left,the only sign that anything was amiss is the torn remains of the soldiers that were caught by the dog. General Sikes is nowhere to be seen. Pete and Vanessa catch up to the warren as they’re celebrating. Sonny asks where Usnavi is;Pete tells him what happened at the farm and that Usnavi must have gotten killed by the cat. Everyone gathers in to comfort Sonny and mourn for Usnavi when he suddenly comes running up the ridge,asking what happened? Did anyone else get hurt or killed!? Sonny tackles him in happiness that he’s ok. Usnavi said that he thought his time was up when the cat got him,but the old woman saved him. He’s just as surprised as they are that a human could be so kind. Usnavi remarks that maybe some humans understand what struggles rabbits go through. A few days later,at sunrise,Pete and Sonny are admiring the tree,when Usnavi comes up to ask what they’re smiling about. Pete tells him that he’s just finished he’s new art piece on the tree. Usnavi sighs in exasperation, asking why he couldn’t do his weird art somewhere else,it’s a nice tree in itself,do you really have to scratch up the bark, blah, blah, blah….Until Sonny turns Usnavi’s head to actually look at the tree. It’s a beautiful carved picture of Abuela in the tree,with the words “Paciencia y Fe” underneath,all done by Pete’s claws. Usnavi, after being speechless for a few moments, tearfully thanks Pete. He asks him to maintain it to the best of his ability for as long as he can. Pete agrees,and the three continue to admire the memorial.

#submission #watership down #ruben marcado #ian price

[pika-ace]

In the Heights AU-Watership Down plot,part 11

((Bunny angst and death incoming!!!))

A week after the stargazing night, everyone is relaxing outside of the burrow,doing various activities such as grazing,grooming,and playing when suddenly Ruben goes stiff. He slowly rises to his hind legs, scenting the air. He’s always had a very good nose,and he maybe he’s imagining it but he thinks he can smell….no,no,NO,NO,NO! Ruben begins to panic,he can smell them,they’re here! Not them! NOT AGAIN! Abuela comes over to try and calm him, asking him what he smells. Efrafa,just downwind,he whimpers. Everyone gasps and the former prisoners begin to fret amongst themselves, while Vanessa and the original members try to calm who they can. Usnavi takes charge and tells everyone to go into the burrows,asking Benny and Kevin to guard all the outside of the warren with whoever is willing. When asked what he is going to do he tells them that he’s going to meet up with General Sikes to see if he can be reasoned with. He’s told that his idea is suicide,Sikes will kill him before he even opens his mouth,he tells them that he at least has to try,perhaps they can avoid any bloodshed. Sonny wants to go with him,but he refuses,causing Sonny to get angry that maybe with two of them they’ll be less likely to attack. He knows he’s small but if all else fails he can run. Usnavi tells him that this isn’t about Sonny’s size, even if he were as big as Benny he’d still want him safe here. Sonny tearfully tells him to please come back,to which Usnavi nuzzles him and say he’s promises he’ll return. Vanessa nuzzles Usnavi he better keep his promise or she’ll hunt him down herself. He finally nuzzles Abuela, begging him to be safe,and that she loves him so much,he returns the affection. Usnavi sets off to meet with the army of rabbits a little distance away and Benny,Kevin,Pete, and a few bucks and does who have been put in the Owsla take position to guard the entrances, while Ruben, Abuela, Sonny, Daniela, Carla, Camila, Nina, Vanessa and the rest go inside to the main burrow. Camila tells them that they should start to fill in some entrances with soil while they’re waiting, the less entrances that need to be guarded the better. She and the other does go to take care of that task,leaving Abuela with Ruben and Sonny. Ruben is starting to calm down a bit,but is still extremely anxious and despairing, joking darkly that they almost made it out,maybe they can take a few Efrafans with them when the Black Rabbit comes to collect them. Abuela tells him that he must have faith. They would have never have made it here without it. She tells him,that she knows he’s discouraged, afraid even; to be honest, she is too. They have fought so hard to obtain their freedom, now,they must fight to keep it. He feels a little better, but still shaken.

We briefly cut to Usnavi, who is being escorted to meet with Sikes by two soldiers,one being Ian. Sikes recognizes him as one of the three rabbits that had escaped before. He asks if Benny had sent him,Usnavi replies that he’s a friend of Benny’s. Sikes comes over to him,towering over him and telling him that Efrafa will destroy them,it was only a matter of time. Being discovered before they could make their surprise attack was only a minor setback. Usnavi tells him that perhaps they could come to terms,they could create a third warren between their two,with members from both The Heights and Efrafa. If Sikes agrees to this,he would be seen as a leader with vision. General Sikes growls that Usnavi is in no position to bargain with him. Ian asks if he should kill Usnavi, Sikes refuses, telling Usnavi to tell his Chief Rabbit that if he doesn’t surrender the escapees by dawn of the next day,he’ll rip out every throat in the place. Back at the warren Abuela tells Ruben to stay put while she gets some herbs from the den she shares with Usnavi and Sonny,and asks Sonny to keep him company in the few minutes she’s gone.The herbs will ease his nerves a little but will still allow him to be alert and help with anything if he needs to. Meanwhile Daniela and Carla move onto another tunnel to collapse near the back,when Carla smells the scent of an unfamiliar rabbit, Daniela can’t recognize it either. They call Vanessa to see if she can tell who it is,maybe it’s a rabbit that they still don’t know too well. When she smells it,she freezes with terror. It’s not one of them. It’s Lee….They all hear screaming from deeper inside. ABUELA!!! Switching to Lee’s point of view we learn how after he had told General Sikes about the location of The Heights, the General had put him back on the Owsla,but demoted to a common officer,while Ian was made Captain! That stupid buck hadn’t even fought at the bridge,he was knocked out! He approaches General Sikes and tells him that if they approach from the rear of the warren along the river,they could sneak into the burrows in a rear entrance while everyone was above ground,and kill them all by surprise. Sikes brushes his idea off,telling him that they are warriors,not cowards like him. They would take their warren in a direct attack by force. Lee is told to get out of his face,and to just take his orders like a good soldier. Lee bristles;hardly anyone listens to him anymore. Well,he’d show them all. As the Efrafans approach and position themselves in front of The Heights, he sneaks off to enact his own plan. He enters the rear entrance, just as Ruben scents the approaching army,and hides in one of the dens. While the stronger rabbits were guarding outside, the weaker rabbits would seek safety within, and he’d be ready for them. He gets ready as he hears one rabbit coming,as they enter the den,Lee attacks them ferociously. The rabbit screams,but surprisingly hits back as best as they can,actually scratching out one of his eyes. He screeches in pain and let’s go,but rage causes him to kick the rabbit extremely hard into the den wall,where it falls limp. He takes a few moments to observe it;it’s an elderly doe. He growls in frustration, he wanted something a little more glorious than THIS. After a few more seconds, two more rabbits spill into the den: that pathetic Ruben and a scrawny runt of a juvenile. They both look at the doe in horror before attacking him in a rage. Sonny and Ruben,had heard Abuela’s scream at the same time as the other rabbits. They ran as fast as they could to her den,where they found Lee standing over Abuela. As they looked at Abuela, at first they thought that Lee simply knocked her down,but she isn’t breathing. He….he killed her….They both throw themselves on him,biting and scratching him as hard as they can. Sonny is thrown off his back but takes a chunk of flesh with him,and it looks like Lee might gain the upper hand on Ruben,when Benny and Kevin rush in to help. Lee realizes that he’s vastly outnumbered and tries to make his escape, only to be confronted and trapped with the rest of the warren,including the rabbits he formally tormented as a Captain. Cowardly instincts taking over once more,he begs for his life once more,only no one is willing to show mercy as Benny and Kevin attack him once more, Kevin delivering the killing blow. Back at the den,Sonny tries to wake up Abuela to no avail…she’s gone. It’s at this point that Usnavi arrives back. Nina meets him,and tearfully tells him that something horrible has happened. Usnavi rushes in to find Abuela,laying in the den,and Sonny pressed up against her fur sobbing. He asks what happened in a whisper,Benny explains gently what occurred,and that Lee is dead,Usnavi stumbles his way over to Abuela,trying a few times to wake her himself. Sonny wails that they couldn’t save her. Usnavi finally collapses next to Abuela and his cousin, sobbing himself while trying to comfort Sonny. Why her? Why this way? Why at all!? What will they do without her?

(I’m so sorry. Hope you continue to read after this)

#submission #watership down #abuela claudia #alabanza

[pika-ace]

In the Heights AU-Watership Down plot,part 5

((Happy fluffy times below!))

The trio get back to the warren to find that Eliseo has made a small nest in one of the roots of the trees. He’s listening to Abuela tell a popular story about Hamilton, and how he outsmarted a flock of 51 crows. Carla is paying close attention, Daniela is grooming herself and Abuela,while talking, appears to be trying to tie together some sort of brace for his wing with sticks and vines–though it’s hard without opposable thumbs. Kevin and Camila are grazing together nearby,and Pete is…doing something to the tree. When asked by Usnavi what the heck he’s doing,he responds that he’s making art. Usnavi tells him to take his vandalism somewhere else,to which Pete huffs but listens…for now. Sonny runs after him to hang out for a while as Kevin approaches Usnavi and Benny. He asks how it went at the farm. Benny and Usnavi tell him that the rabbit there definitely wants to join, but they ran into trouble with the cat before they could get her out. Kevin asks what she’s like and if they think she’ll be a good fit,after all they don’t want to have a lazy rabbit that won’t do anything to help,and if she’s been raised by humans she may be too soft. Usnavi is visibly trying not to let anything slip,Kevin remarks that he’s acting weird. He excuses himself and Benny reassures Kevin that this rabbit definitely belongs in The Heights. Kevin accepts begrudgingly (still a little miffed at Benny’s betrayal the night he left) Later that evening, Usnavi and Benny try to think of a way to free Nina. Benny wants to go back later that night,but Usnavi,although wishing to free her as soon as possible, thinks it’s best to wait just a few days, because the cat might be on the lookout for them. Later that night,Benny sneaks out of the burrow and heads toward the farm. He works to break into Nina’s cage as quietly as possible, but the cat,expecting him back, tries to attack. Usnavi and Pete come to the rescue however, with Pete having been woken up as Benny was leaving and,after debating if it was a big deal,decided to wake Usnavi up and tell him about it. The two set off after Benny not long after and catch up to him just in time. They distract the cat while Benny finally is able to bust Nina out. Unfortunately the noise level alerts the older farmer,who storms out with his gun to see the intruders. Usnavi calls a retreat and the others run as the farmer start firing at them. They scatter in the panic, Benny and Nina going one way,Pete another,and Usnavi another. The farmer’s wife begs him to stop, he’ll hit their pet rabbit but he doesn’t listen. One of the buck shots grazes Benny’s leg,leaving a shallow wound, but Usnavi is directly hit and goes down. Nobody can stop to help as the farmer keeps firing. Benny and Nina finally make it into a sheltered area,waiting for quite a while before coming to check if the coast is clear. They find Pete, but no Usnavi. They call out for him,no response. By this point dawn is breaking. They assume the worst;Usnavi is dead,shot by the farmer. All three begin to mourn him,Benny worst of all,blaming himself for it. If he had just waited a few nights….With heavy hearts they make their way back towards the warren. As they’re making their way back, they come across Sonny. He woke up to find Usnavi gone,at first he thought that maybe he just was going to the bathroom, but then he couldn’t find Benny or Pete…it’s at this point he realizes Nina is with them and grows happy,they got her out!…Wait…that explains where Benny and Pete were, but Usnavi….Benny takes it upon himself to explain what happened. As gently as possible, he tells him that Usnavi was shot. “No…he can’t be…"Grief is starting to overtake Sonny’s face. Benny says he’s sorry, but they couldn’t find him afterwards,they called for him,but he never answered. "No,Usnavi’s not dead” Sonny gets a determined look in his face,and rushes off back towards the farm. The others call out to him and run after him,but they lose him in the morning fog.‘He’s not dead,not Usnavi’. As Sonny continues to run,he suddenly sees a flash of black fur in the distance. Startled,he stops in his tracks as he stares at the creature. It looks…rabbit shaped,but it’s very hard to see clearly in the fog. He calls out to it,but it turns and heads further into the mist. He doesn’t know why he feels compelled to follow it,but he does,the figure staying shrouded just ahead of him. Eventually it leads him to a thicket and stops suddenly, facing Sonny directly. Sonny stops and stares at the rabbit,now able to see that it’s completely black,with glowing red eyes. “Is this…The Black Rabbit of Inle” he thinks, trying not to shake. It stares at him for a few more moments, before whispering “It is not yet his time”. Then as Sonny blinks,the rabbit is gone. He cautiously enters the thicket,finding Usnavi with a hurt leg, but alive. He’s very weak,but able to speak, wondering what Sonny is doing here. Sonny collapses next to Usnavi in relief, pressing his face into his fur while beginning to cry. For a moment he had thought…Usnavi, despite his pain comforts his little cousin,saying that he’d fight every predator before he let anything separate him from his cousin and Abuela. He’s still very hurt though from the gunshot,needing help. Sonny offers to go grab help,but there’s no need. The fog has cleared up and Benny,Nina and Pete have been able to track Sonny down,finding the cousins in the thicket. All three are immensely relieved that Usnavi has survived, especially Benny, who apologizes profusely for not thinking things through and getting both of them hurt,as Benny still has a graze from the bullet. They help Usnavi back to the warren,where everyone is now awake and worried about the missing members. As soon as Kevin and Camila recognize that it’s their daughter with them,they nearly fall over themselves trying to get to her. She’s practically suffocated with nuzzles at their joy of knowing she’s alive(Kevin even remarks that he’s never letting her go again!). Abuela begins to fuss over all those returning, especially Usnavi and Benny, chastising them for almost getting themselves killed while putting together a poultice. Daniela outright scolds them, calling them tontos,but worry obviously on her face. Eliseo plucks out the buckshot in Usnavi’s leg, wincing and apologizing when it hurts him,while Carla grooms him to try and help him relax to make it easier. In the next coming days,Usnavi and Benny begin to heal from their wounds,but Usnavi, having been hit directly, now has a permanent limp.

#watership down #submission #PRECIOUS COUSINS #didn't think i'd be using that tag this much XD

[pika-ace]

In the Heights AU-Watership Down plot,part 2

((AAAAARGH!!! IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER!!))

The escaped group travels for about a day,deciding the next night to rest in an abandoned building nearby. They hear a noise and see a figure in the darkness,and get nervous thinking it may be a predator or an Owsla officer,but it only turns out to be Pete. Pete asks what they’re doing out of their territory, and Sonny explains why. He’s surprised at what’s going to happen at the old warren,but believes Sonny. He asks to come with them to their new home, everyone is fine with it but Usnavi is reluctant, thinking he’ll just cause trouble. As they’re arguing a flock of crows return to the building and start threatening the rabbits. Usnavi tries to reason with them to no avail, as the crows begin to attack. It’s chaos for a bit as everyone is trying to protect each other and fight back,but Pete manages to catch their attention and lead them away from the group. He’s extremely fast,and is able to keep ahead for a while,but since crows can fly, they dive bomb him relentlessly. As he’s fighting the flock the other rabbits are able to catch up,and Benny is able to kill the leader,which causes the flock to disperse. Everyone has a few pecks and scratches(Pete most of all due to the whole murder of crows on him),but it’s not too bad. Everyone, even Usnavi,agrees that Pete is a good addition to the group(though Usnavi grumbles a little),so now he joins the party! They continue to look for a safe place to sleep,and run into a strange rabbit named Jefferson,who invites them to stay in his warren. Sonny protests,saying that they shouldn’t, that he has a bad feeling, but everyone is exhausted,and want to take Jefferson up on his offer. He appeals to Usnavi, but his cousin,out of concern especially for Abuela, and tired himself, decides to go with the majority. Jefferson leads them back to his burrow, everyone(even Sonny,though reluctantly) following,eager to get some rest. The warren that Jefferson leads them to is big,but strangely emptier than expected. He encourages them to pick whichever burrow they’d like,and in the morning they could join in for silflay. While choosing their dens the group meets another doe named Carla,who is very nice and hope to be friends,though there is a sort of sadness that seems to be in her eyes as she says this. Abuela,Usnavi,and Sonny all share a burrow,as they are used to it. Sonny still seems nervous but Usnavi reassures him that it’s just because they’ve had a very harrowing couple of days,and he’d feel better after getting some sleep. Abuela even tells a story about Hamilton as they fall asleep,helping Sonny to relax. The next morning they wake up and are directed to the main burrow,where Jefferson formally welcomes them. They then go up to eat,being led to a big pile of grass, including lettuce,carrots and fruit mixed in. They are reluctant,saying they smell man all over the place. Jefferson says that of course they do,after all,man is the one who put it there. They’re shocked to hear this, but Jefferson encourages them to eat,and that it’s all safe,the man protects them. Cautiously, they begin to eat,eventually stuffing themselves on the delicacies mixed in. Sonny,however can’t bring himself to eat much,to Usnavi and Abuela’s concern. Daniela and Carla really hit it off and become good friends,and we see that Carla tries to warn her discreetly about something, but Jefferson is nearby,and interrupts her,sending her off to do some sort of errand before she can finish. There’s something in his eyes that gives Daniela the creeps, but she doesn’t say anything. Benny approaches Usnavi privately, and encourages him to talk with Sonny about his behavior, as he’s concerned that Sonny will offend Jefferson and his rabbits,and the group will be kicked out. Usnavi agrees,and later tries to talk to him about it. It escalates to an argument because Sonny insists that all he can sense is death in this place and that they need to leave,while Usnavi says that Jefferson has been nothing but nice to them and Sonny was being rude. It ends with Usnavi storming away back to the burrow. Abuela was too far away to hear the conversation, but could hear them yelling, and asks what is wrong. Usnavi explains what happened and how he’s concerned about everyone as well as Sonny and he wouldn’t think it would be fair to force everyone to move just from a bad feeling, he’s just trying to do what’s best for all of them. She reassures him that he can be a great leader as long as he has a good heart,takes into account everyone’s concern, and learn from his mistakes, because he WILL make mistakes. She also encourages him to make up with Sonny when he gets a chance to,not to let this tear them apart. Jefferson announces that in the afternoon, his warren likes to tell stories, asking the newcomers if they have any they’d like to tell. Abuela,being the storyteller, starts to tell a tale of Hamilton outsmarting a band of foxes called Redcoats,before being rudely interrupted by Jefferson, who says that stories of Hamilton’s tricks aren’t something they enjoy to hear. Daniela protests, saying rabbits have always needed tricks. To which Jefferson responds that what rabbits need is dignity and the will to accept their fate. He then asks his friend Madison to recite a poem that encourages these qualities. While it is being recited,Sonny comes back into the burrow,and starts to receive another vision,where instead of tree roots, he just sees bones all along the walls and roof of the den. It gets so bad for him that he screams for it to stop,suprising Madison out of his poem. On the verge of a panic attack, he runs out of the burrow, with Usnavi quickly following. He says that he can’t handle staying there any longer,and that he was going to go away. Usnavi, concerned, says if he did that he’d be killed,but Sonny claims that by staying here he was closer to death. Usnavi,seeing his poor cousin so shaken up, nuzzles him and apologizes for their argument earlier, saying if Sonny truly believed that this place was dangerous, they would leave. Benny,who followed Usnavi, is nearby and upset to hear this,claiming that he didn’t see any reason for leaving. They’ve eaten better here in one day than they ever did at the old warren. Usnavi stands firm, telling Benny that they were leaving, Abuela as well, and that he hoped Benny would continue to travel with them. Benny, though angry, agrees to get the others,but while going back to get them, gets caught in a snare. Usnavi sends Sonny to get help while he tries to keep Benny breathing and figure out how to free him. When Sonny informs the others about Benny, Jefferson tells them to stop talking about it and tries to stop them from leaving. He says that it was Benny’s time to die,that one day less for one was a day more for all. Carla tells him to let them through, and pushes him out of the way when he doesn’t move,letting the group slip through. Back at the snare Usnavi isn’t having much success with freeing Benny as he can’t bite through the wire,and Benny is getting weaker with lack of air. The others arrive and Daniela is able to figure out that they need to dig the peg holding the cable out of the ground. They do so,but it seems as though they’re too late as Benny is no longer moving. They mourn his death,but are relieved to see him regain consciousness. Everyone realizes that Sonny was right about this place being dangerous and angry at Jefferson for deceiving them. Pete even wants to go back and beat him up, but Usnavi says it isn’t worth it,that he’s doomed here anyway. As they start to leave,Carla catches up with them and apologizes for not being able to warn them,she also begs to go with them. They ask her wouldn’t she rather be with her friends? She says she doesn’t have any friends, that no one there likes to have friends in case they get snared. Daniela vouches for her,and she’s accepted into the group. Though she is warned that it’s not an easy life like the one she’s used to, she’s ready.

#submission #watership down #PRECIOUS COUSINS #fuck off jefferson you bastard bunny #lowkey still nervous #bracing myself for death to happen at any time #like you do when watching this movie XS

[talesandfluff]

Ask meme with your fave girl

DID SOMEONE SAY MY FAVE GIRL

I WONDER WHO THAT’D BE 

do I like them: YES I LOVE HER MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD

5 good qualities: VANESSA IS STRONG, SHE’S DETERMINED, SHE’S ASSERTIVE, SHE’S PRETTY AF, SHE’S THE BEST DANCER THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN

3 bad qualities: She’s blunt, she’s stubborn and she’s emotionally repressed

favourite episode/etc: Really love her parts with Daniela, that’s probably my favorite stuff in there. Probably No Me Diga (Reprise) and the ensuing conversation.

otp: HER AND USNAVI, PLS AND THANK YOU, THEY’RE SOULMATES THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER THEIR LOVE IS WRITTEN IN THE STARS. Also Vanessa/financial stability.

brotp: Definitely her and Nina, although I also ship it romantically. They complete each other so perfectly while also having a lot in common and you can really see why they’ve been best friends for so long. Strong second choice would be Vanessa and Sonny, who I think don’t know each other as well but have such interesting dynamics, siblings-like, I love that.

ot3: The only thing I could see working would be poly Vanessa dating Usnavi & Carla, or poly Nina dating Vanessa & Benny. I have a fic in the plans for the latter.

notp: Vanessa/Sonny like, can we not???

best quote: “Why is everyone so happy?!”

head canon: When Daniela is really mad at her she calls her by all her second names “VANESSA OTILIA JOSEFINA TERESITA BEATRIZ DEL CARMEN GARCÍA YOU COME HERE THIS MINUTE AND ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES!”

#vanessa otilia garcía #in the heights #Anonymous

[pika-ace]

You Headcanon Pete's dad sucks, right? So what happens when HE turns up at the barrio?

I haven’t thought up much about Pete’s dad and just HOW MUCH he sucks, but I think a basic summary would be that Pete’s mom died when Pete was about four or five and his dad blamed him for it since they were financially struggling in the WORST way, and his dad would just flat out ignore him, neglect him, and mentally abuse him with scathing words and insults making him feel like he was worthless. The neglect was the worst cause Pete’s only five or six and doesn’t know how to take care of himself so he went without meals for quite a bit. So Pete spent a lot of time away from home and he didn’t live EXACTLY in the barrio as a kid, but he was just a block or two away so he could come visit, and the barrio (and Sonny) quickly became his sanctuary where he could draw and be himself in peace. No one really questioned where he came from, until one day when Pete was maybe fourteen or fifteen his dad just disappeared without a trace. No note, no nothing. Luckily, by that point, Pete had learned to take care of himself and found his own apartment in the barrio. He told Sonny that he lived close by now, and one thing led to another, and it eventually leads to Pete’s story leaking around the barrio. On that day, Sonny gave Pete a whole bunch of candy and a slushee and Usnavi didn’t say a word, Nina and Vanessa dropped off a bunch of home-cooked meals that Camila made at his doorstep, Abuela and Carla gave him a blanket that they made by hand, Daniela and Kevin told him that if he had any questions about rent or anything money related, he could ask them, and Benny finally gave him his beloved monkey wrench so he could pass on the art of opening fire hydrants. They basically made Pete’s first day as an official resident of the barrio the best it could be and he slowly became part of the fam.

So when Pete’s dad suddenly shows up again for no reason at all and basically has it out for his son? The barrio takes up arms and drives him off

#ask #anon #pete is the barrio's biggest mystery #there are so many different hcs for him #and this is mine #hope you like #in the heights #graffiti pete #barrio fam

[pika-ace]

In the Heights at the Virginia Rep!!

Alright, I promised I would, so here we go! I got to see ITH at the Virginia Rep and in short, IT WAS AMAAAAZIIIIIIING!!!! I wrote down a BUNCH of little gems from the show that this version did so get ready, this is gonna be a long one!

But first, a picture of the stage for your viewing pleasure. 

And now, without further ado! Let us begin!

First off, let’s talk about some of the interpretations of our beloved characters! (And here’s a picture of the program, just cause X3)

Usnavi (played by JJ Caruncho) was just so...so...adorably huggy as Usnavi! Like, every time he got upset I just wanted to run up onto the stage and hug him and comfort him, he was just so cute! And also very jumpy (meaning the dancing was adorable X3), like whenever Usnavi got upset or anxious his voice would slowly rise in pitch and almost sound hysterical and depending on the scenario it was adorable or heartbreaking :(

Arielle Jacobs as Vanessa was fab, as expected and I really liked her gentle tone. I only watched the bootleg with her as Nina once, so I didn’t remember what she sounded like, but she was great, that is all. Shea Gomez, our Nina, was also great, and GOOD LORD did she have some strong vocals on her! Her voice was like an arrow of pure melodic strength, it could cut through ANYTHING!

Josh Marin as Benny was great, his chemistry with Nina was just *blows kiss* superb. Same for Usnavi and Vanessa (I think someone said JJ and Arielle are dating in real life, but boy you can tell cause they are ADORBS!!) And OH, Melissa Vasquez Cartwright as Daniela, was the freaking BEST!! She blended the feeling of a cool mom and a strict authority figure PERFECTLY! Speaking of mom-figures, Yvonne Strumecki as Abuela was BEAUTIFUL!! And her chemistry with everyone was amazing (Paciencia Y Fe was GOLDEN).

James Schoppe as Sonny was great as well as Roberto Whitaker as Pete. But Kita Grayson as Carla was probably my favorite because she was SO SMOL!! Like, SMALLER THAN SONNY!! HER HEAD REACHED HIS CHEST!! SHE WAS TEENY AND I LOVED IT!! And her relationship with Daniela almost seemed like psuedo mother-daughter and it was freaking adorable!!

To finish this off, here’s a poster I bought! They had these in the gift shop and it’s autographed by everyone in the cast! (just the main cast I believe, but I’m not sure)

And now for little tidbits I loved from each number:

Opening

We got Usnavi running up to Pete from the aisle as well as ensemble members entering from there as well (a fav blocking move of mine X3) 

Sonny ran down the aisle at top speed with his backpack and straightened his hat before coming in (you know you late, boy XD)

When Vanessa entered, Usnavi, Benny, and Sonny all peeked out the door, and Usnavi just put a hand on his heart and had this TOTALLY love-struck dreamy smile on his face and it was pure and adorable X3

Usnavi goes into the bodega a few seconds later and makes her coffee with Sonny while he and Benny basically prep him to go and talk to her (ask her out, dammit!!)

Breathe/Benny’s Dispatch

Sonny ACTUALLY kinda had a goatee but Usnavi grabbed his chin like ‘I think that’s fridge grease’ (typical cousin stuffs; I approve)

Abuela came out and called for Nina from the fire escape at the end of the song

Benny was just so excited to run the radio. He like rubbed his hands together like ‘Shit, I’m actually gonna do this!’ 

When Nina walked in, Benny just about started and just looked totally lovestruck at her smiling face

When announcing Nina, he pulled the microphone off the counter and wrapped it around Nina X3

It Won’t Be Long Now

Vanessa was not having none of the boys shit! She was just pushing them away and gesturing for them to get lost while she sang (like a BOSS)

Vanessa rocked a pair of shades as she pushed two boys away and flipped them the double bird...AKA THE GREATEST IMAGE I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!!!!

Usnavi attacked the boys with DOUBLE COFFEE POT ACTION!! And he even pretended to sheave them like pistols from a Western movie (I LOVE THIS DORK!!)

Sonny was basically standing by the door and giving Usnavi signals as he talked (Ultimate wingman Sonny strikes again X3)

Usnavi and Sonny silently fought over who would go into the store to get Vanessa’s things XD

Usnavi came back out behind Vanessa right when she asked ‘Does your cousin dance?’ and Usnavi quickly gave Sonny a thumb’s up and he slowly came up with an answer XD

Inutil/No Me Diga/9600

Kevin pulled out a piece of paper at the very end of the song, probably the offer from the company to buy the business (FORESHADOWING)

Just...the facial expressions during the whole salon bit, including the song. 

Sonny actually danced with DANIELA during 9600 and Pete had a tiny solo with Carla

Sonny’s whole bit seemed to impress a few people, cause a few girls came up to him after Vanessa stated how cute he was X3

Paciencia Y Fe

Okay, this was the coolest number, in my opinion by FAR!!

There were stars in the background sky for just about the whole song

People came on with old timey clothes right off the bat and during the part when Abuela was singing about La Vibora, everyone was dancing together

But when the song got to Abuela talking about when she got to America, they actually had a younger dancer represent her as a child (her skirt had the same floral patter as Abuela’s dress

The dancer went around but all the people either refused to dance with her or drove her away and Abuela slowly following her younger self around the stage and it was just so cool because I’M ALL ABOUT THAT SYMBOLISM BOIIIIIIII!!

When You’re Home/Piragua

When Nina said the ‘Your bedtime’ line, Sonny laughed for a few seconds like it was a joke and then paused. ‘...not yet.’ And glances back the bodega and Usnavi (boy, you go to sleep at 8, don’t you? XD)

People are just walking past Piragua song and going down the aisle, acting like they see something, which happens to be OFFSTAGE MR. SOFTEE (that scoundrel!!)

The Club/Blackout

Abuela’s stoop steps lit up neon for the club! 

Instead of a red dress (Yolanda had that and it was sparkly!) Vanessa had a short black dress with cool floral like patterns all over it.

Usnavi had, like, three shots with Benny and he was already tipsy XD ‘Sure, Vanessa, you can go dance with that other guy.’ USNAVI YOU’RE DRUNK, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING!!

Sonny was in the club as well, and he was dancing with Carla and when Vanessa got stolen again for the men chorus bit, he was trying to give Usnavi signals of what to do while Usnavi just looked at him helplessly

When Usnavi started dancing with Yolanda, oh my GOD, the poor boy couldn’t keep up with her! She was TOO GOOD!

Usnavi eventually just goes to Vanessa while the other guy’s back is turned and just gently takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor for a nice simple waltz.

The same guy tries to get Vanessa back and Usnavi tries to stop him and USNAVI ends up getting punched first, prompting Benny to step in (if any of you tag this as Ben**avi, I swear to god... X( )

We actually see Usnavi run down the aisle during Blackout and run into Abuela’s apartment

Sunrise/Hundreds of Stories

First, can I just say, Benny shirtless was looking FINE X3 

Sonny is the first to get to the bodega and just looks devastated and Daniela gives him a little comfort before Sonny and Pete start cleaning the trash

Usnavi came out when the song ended, looking all happy because of the lotto money and he sees the store and...ugh, it hurts; as in, his voice cracks when he says he’d like to be left alone with his broken grate D:

Usnavi’s voice was shaking SO BAD when he was telling Sonny to gather stuff up, he was trying so hard to be the bigger man and after the bit with Vanessa (poor girl hurried off stage almost in tears) Usnavi’s just DESTROYED

When Abuela asks ‘Are you okay’ Usnavi shows her the broken photo of the bodega’s first customer (AAARGH MY HEART)

The chemistry between Usnavi and Abuela shines like the SUN here! In seconds, Abuela has Usnavi smiling and laughing in excitement from the lotto money and it’s just so...so GENUINE AND LOVING IT HURTS

Usnavi’s voice just got so high and hysterical, he almost slammed the photo on the table on the line ‘the bodega’s a mess’ and Abuela calmed him down

‘Remember the story of your name’ and Usnavi lets out a mix between a laugh and sob that just hurt my soul

Carnival Del Barrio

Pete swept dust onto Carla and she sprayed him with a little spray bottle in retaliation XD

Sonny and Vanessa looked just about CRUSHED when Usnavi made the announcement. They both went to each other and were frantically talking

I swear, I could see Sonny saying stuff like ‘What about me?’ ‘What about the bodega?’ before going and sulking on the steps of the stage (Usnavi even tries to cheer him up a bit with his Dominican flag X3)

Benny looks embarrassed a bit when he and Nina are found out but he eventually turns sheepish and it looks adorable X3 (Also, Sonny was SO SALTY! Like he looked at Benny with spread arms  like ‘What the hell, man??)

FLAG FREAKING EVERYWHERE!! DR, PR, Cuba, you name it!

Usnavi gets Sonny and Vanessa to actually cheer up and Sonny and Benny hang a GIANT ASS DOMINICAN FLAG BETWEEN THE BODEGA AND THE STOOP FROM THE FIRE ESCAPES!! THE CULTURAL PRIDE WAS THROUGH THE GOD DAMN ROOF!!

Alabanza/Everything I Know

As usual, Usnavi was trying SO HARD not to break down

‘She was just here’ Usnavi gestures to the spot on the stoop where she sat (Whoops, there goes my soul)

Sonny came forward and gave Usnavi’s hand a squeeze

Benny and Nina were front and center stage during the big part of Alabanza, in each other’s arms, but the main spotlight stayed on Usnavi

During ‘Everything’ Usnavi leaves the scene in legit TEARS. Like, he can barely speak

Song ends with Nina in tears, holding the folder of keepsakes to her chest

Champagne/When the Sun Goes Down/Finale

Sonny walks into the store and just doesn’t acknowledge Usnavi. ‘C’mon Sonny, don’t be like that; don’t act like you can’t hear me.’

Sonny actually goes into the backroom for a minute and comes out drinking Cola Champagne before talking to Usnavi (Sonny, you little shit!!)

The whole ‘I’m freeing you’ but sounded a lot more genuine and heartfelt. It almost felt like Usnavi was saying, ‘You’re grown up now, it’s time for me to let you go’

Usnavi opens his arms for a hug before Sonny leaves but he doesn’t go for it DX 

Sonny goes, ‘This is the end of an era’ and does a fake echo effect on the word era XD

Usnavi just about throws the rag away when Vanessa says ‘we got a date’ XD

Usnavi’s voice cracks again on ‘It’s been a long day’ (STOP PLAYING WITH MY FEELS, SHOW!!)

Speaking of voice cracks, Benny sounds like he’s on the verge of tears when singing to Nina :’(

When the mural bit happens, Usnavi stops Sonny, puts a hand on his heart, touches Sonny’s heart and then sends him off (MY BOYS!! :D)

Bonus: Also, I think this version ships Sonny and Carla in some respect, not just because of all the dance duets they got, but because they seemed to be getting pretty cozy during the Finale (I couldn’t really tell from where I was sitting, but that’s what it looked like and I don’t know how to feel about it X( )

#in the heights #virginia rep #long post #but it was worth it #if you get a chance give this version a watch #and i hope we get some kind of boots for this for those who can't

[pika-ace]

last of us au where sonny is immune

OOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOOOOO!!!! BRUH!! THIS IS THE FIRST ZOMBIE AU I’VE GOTTEN AND YOU PICKED MY FAVORITE ONE!!!!

I know this story well so get cozy! This is gonna be a doozy!

Obviously, we got Usnavi and Sonny, who are the only surviving members of both their families, struggling to survive. I mean, Usnavi’s NOT the best when it comes to roughing it, but it’s been a few years, he’s improving…slowly. Benny lives in an old town by himself where he’s been trying to make new inventions for fighting and he’s the guy you go to if you need a car since they’re scarce. Vanessa is a Firefly, one of the best scouts; if zombies could feel fear, they would cower if they knew she was coming. Daniela is her leader, kind of more of a tactician person than a field person and Carla is her right hand; they also handle any messengers they send out. Nina works as a scientist for the Fireflies, trying to find a cure and her parents help in any way they can.

Usnavi and Sonny live in a quarantined area, and things are…not so great. Ration cards are growing scarce, the soldiers are TOTALLY abusing their authority and with the Fireflies launching attacks all over the place, living there has been…a challenge. And it certainly doesn’t help that Sonny is TOTALLY pro-Firefly and Usnavi just wants them far away from the zombies.

But Sonny has a reason to be pro-Firefly, other than the fact that he’s sick of living in fear all the time. His best friend Pete was part of the Fireflies, and one night they snuck out to have some fun, and well…if you know the DLC story…it didn’t end well. It’s been a year since that incident, and every night, Sonny stares at the bite on his arm that he got on that fateful day he lost Pete. It’s been a whole fucking year and he hasn’t felt ANY change! It only took people an hour at maximum to change! Why is this happening?!

Anyway, one day, Sonny’s feeling bored so he decides to go on a walk. Usnavi knows about these walks of his, and he’s been getting suspicious since he tends to stay out late and the next day they suddenly have tons of ration cards when he swore they were running low. So Usnavi follows him, and what the hell Sonny, you’ve been sneaking outside the wall this whole time, are you insane?! Usnavi confronts him and Sonny reveals that he’s basically been scavenging for them, raiding empty buildings for supplies for them and for others (he’s the Robin Hood of this place XD ) But Usnavi ain’t having this and he tries to drag Sonny back home when ZOMBIE ATTACK!

But as luck would have it, Vanessa happens to be nearby and lends them a hand. Once the zombies are dead they trail off as Sonny’s arm is slightly dripping blood and there are clear teeth marks in his arm. Vanessa is too used to this scenario and pulls out her gun on him. Usnavi jumps in between them, even though deep down his worst fear is coming true, and there’s a bit of arguing when Sonny finally steps between them ‘GUYS NOTHING’S HAPPENING TO ME!’ They wait around, and sure enough, Sonny’s perfectly fine; no twitching, nothing. Sonny then shows them his old bite and tells them it’s over a year old.

So after that, Usnavi’s just hugging the daylights out of Sonny just because his baby cousin isn’t a zombie and Vanessa is just freaking out. She just found a kid who happens to be FREAKING IMMUNE!! This is the kind of thing Nina has been looking for! This could be it! This could be the answer to EVERYTHING!

So Vanessa convinces them to come with her to the Fireflies; it takes quite a bit of convinces on Usnavi’s part but Sonny’s all for it! Let’s go save the world! They travel for a while until they come across the town that Benny’s in and Usnavi’s shocked! He thought Benny was dead all this time! After a short friendship reunion, Vanessa tells him their plan and Benny is…unsure about helping them. See, he’s an ex-Firefly and he and Nina were close until he had a falling out with Kevin and he decided to go his own way. But he eventually does give in, gives them a car, and even decides to tag along with them, mostly because Vanessa pulled the Nina card ‘Nina misses you so much like you have no idea, she barely ever smiles, she talks about you all the time and seeing you again would just make her so happy! Don’t you wanna make Nina happy?’

They keep traveling, fighting off raiders, zombies, and thieves and psychos all the while, and they eventually reach Vanessa’s outpost which is a college campus. But, surprise surprise, the Fireflies were compromised and had to move to their second location which is x number of miles away. And then humans attack the place and the group gets separated in the building for a while, Benny with Vanessa and Usnavi with Sonny. And while fighting, Usnavi falls off something and gets freaking impaled with a sharp metal object. Sonny freaks out and manages to defend Usnavi from any oncoming enemies and he helps him out of the building where they meet Vanessa and Benny.

So now, Usnavi’s really hurt, it’s almost winter, and they have no proper medicine. They can just keep him bandaged and PRAY that it doesn’t get worse. Vanessa spends most of her time watching Usnavi (insert fluff here) and Sonny and Benny take turns hunting and scavenging. But one day, when it’s Sonny’s turn, he comes across a group of survivors and he’s actually able to trade with them to get medicine for Usnavi. But at the last second, it turns out these guys were part of the group who attacked them at the hospital!

Sonny books it out of there and makes it back to the house, where they give Usnavi the medicine. Benny and Vanessa ask where he’s been and where the hell he got medicine but Sonny says he’ll tell them later. But the next day, Sonny wakes up and finds out that those guys tracked him back to where they were hiding! Sonny wakes up Benny and Vanessa and they all split up to take them out. They do a pretty good job, but it turns out they were after Sonny this whole time and they snatch him right from under Benny and Vanessa’s noses.

Sonny gets thrown into a little pen and sees some things he’d rather not see. Turns out this is a group that basically chop up their dead. Sonny doesn’t know if it’s for food or if they’re just crazy, but he’s not waiting to find out! Meanwhile, Usnavi FINALLY wakes up, feeling a lot better now thanks to the medicine and he finds the house empty. He finds Benny and Vanessa who tell him what happened and now shit has gotten real. The three of them give two guys a VERY painful interrogation and Usnavi even gets a few hits in on one of them, 'Tell me where my little boy is or I’ll cut your leg off!’ Needless to say, they got the info they needed. (Don’t mess with the Parent Squad!)

Sonny manages to escape, but the snow has picked up and visibility is fucking zero. Everyone’s looking for him and he has no idea where he is. And oh joy, he ends up getting cornered by one of the VERY crazy ones and the guy’s straddling him, choking him, Sonny manages to grab a machete, and everything just goes on autopilot. The next thing Sonny knows he’s being pulled away from the mess that used to be his attacker and Usnavi, Vanessa, and Benny are there. 'Jesus kid, calm down!’ 'Sonny, stop!’ 'Sonny, mijo, it’s us! Calm down, it’s us!’ Lots of fluffy hugs ensue, and the group continue on their journey; they don’t talk about what happened.

Anyway, at LONG LAST they make it to the city where the Fireflies are hiding out; their main base. They travel along, but unfortunately, it’s spring, so there’s a lot of flooding going on in underground areas where they have to go. Big shock, something goes wrong; also did I mention Usnavi can’t swim? Pete taught Sonny how to swim, but Benny and Vanessa have to really lend a hand here. Long story short, they get caught in some rapids underground, and Sonny gets knocked unconscious and Usnavi’s swallowed a whole bunch of water. Luckily, right when they get washed up, the Fireflies are there to help!

Sonny is taken to Nina and she and Benny have a little reunion, and Benny and Kevin even seem to have cooled down about each other. Nina immediately starts checking Sonny out to start her research. Usnavi wakes up in a separate room where Vanessa’s watching him and he gets introduced to Daniela who tells him the bad news. Nina researched as much as she possibly could and it turns out Sonny’s immunity comes from some mutation in his brain, since that’s where the zombie fungus grows and takes over. So basically, in order to make a cure, they have to cut out Sonny’s brain.

Now, I think this can end one of two ways. One, Nina refuses to do something like that to Sonny, and she decides to find another way, with Benny’s help. Sonny just has to stick around so Nina can have his DNA ready to go for research, so Usnavi and Sonny basically become part of the Fireflies.

OR

There’s literally nothing else they can do. This is the only cure they have. But Usnavi, is NOT having this. He didn’t travel all this way and risk his life and Sonny's on SEVERAL occasions just to have his little boy die! So, Usnavi, using all the skills he’s learned on his journey, basically manages to break out of the room he’s being held in and makes his way through the base, until he finds his unconscious cousin in a lab. He spares Nina, Benny, and the other doctors obviously, grabs Sonny, and heads for the garage where there are a few cars he can take. But then, Vanessa appears at the last second, holding up a pistol and Usnavi has his too. They don’t want to do this; after everything they’ve been through, they don’t want to kill each other. Finally, Vanessa lowers her gun 'I didn’t see you, if anyone asks. Get him out of here, but if you show your face again I WILL shoot you.’ Usnavi puts Sonny in the car and drives off. Sonny wakes up a while later and Usnavi lies to him about what happened, saying that there were others who were immune so it didn’t matter. Usnavi and Sonny drive until they reach a new camp, basically a nice quiet little place of survivors with no soldiers and they decide to live there, leaving the story on a cliffhanger (we’ll have to wait for Last of Us 2 to get an answer!)

#in the heights aus #this was a blast to write #I've actually written a last of us au for another fandom so I know this story so well #I personally like the second ending option more #but i'm all for happy endings #we'll have to wait for the sequel #speaking of if you haven't played this game go do it or watch a youtuber play it #it's amazing #in the heights #sonny de la vega #usnavi de la vega #vanessa otilia garcía #benny #nina rosario #the last of us