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sad-bastard-art · 5 years

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Abattoir Blues Ch. 3

This is the song used for inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXNpWkOpe5A. Please comment your opinion! Thank you so much for reading!

It was Saturday evening, Ellington was waiting in her fine dining clothes outside the Slytherin common room, determined to walk with Severus to their dinner with Slughorn, while trying to explain herself and making it up to him. At 8 o'clock he exited his common room, looking at Ellington with a blank expression, "What?" he huffed. "Give me 5 minutes and I'll explain myself." To her surprise he nodded and started walking down the hall, motioning for her to follow.

"I am sorry I didn't do anything that day, that wasn't okay I Should've stepped in, but I couldn't. I couldn't move, I don't know why, but know that if could I would have immediately. I even promise to you, that from now on, I'll always step in if anything occurs." Severus halted at the corner of their destination, he looked her up and down, looking for an indication that she was lying, or simply playing a prank on him. He didn't find anything, somewhat relieved he nodded again. Ellington let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in, Severus looked around the corner nevously.

"Severus, everything will be fine, Lily isn't coming, she felt a bit ill. So do not worry." he nodded again at her holding out his arm. She gladly took it and they entered the dinner room. ____

"I already got the abattoir blues," he whispered to her when they sat down at the round table, Slughorn greeted them kindly and so did the others. Soft jazz music was playing in the background and candles where flying above their heads. She giggled lightly at his comment, "Lighten up, buttercup, didn't you know that there is wine here?" she pointed at their glasses. "As in Alcoholic grape juice?" he asked. "You bet your ass, why do you think people keep coming here?" she whispered. Severus smiled, "Oh, let's have some fun then Sprout. One sip everytime he flirts with a girl, one sip each time he directs the conversations to boost his ego." he grinned at her, not knowing what had gotten into him, he knew for a fact that he couldn't handle his liquor. He felt more at ease now, after Ellington had apologised, he had seen that she meant it, which meant a great deal for him. Altough he trusted her, he was still determined to keep his walls up, just to avoid any harm she could possibly do to him.

When dessert finally came, she and Severus where slightly drunk, but no one seemed to notice because everyone else was engaged in their own conversations. "Have you noticed that David has been eying you all night?" slurred Severus. "Yes, I'm trying to ignore him, so he won't come up here." "Why not? He's a good looking lad. I suppose, he has women swooning over him." "He's just not my type." Severus dropped the subject, sensing that Ellington had become tense.

After their dessert, the students moved to the couches, David moved aside for Ellington, so she could sit beside him, but she ignored him and sat down next to Severus, their legs nearly touching. Severus couldn't help but feel his ego rise, a beautiful Gryffindor had just chosen him instead of some ravenclaw quidditch captain. Yes he deemed her beautiful, because when he was being honest, she really was to him, altough he would never admit that to her. Maybe it was just the alcohol talking.

"Elli, dear, why are you avoiding me?" David purred when he shuffled closer to them. Ellington's ears perked up, she rolled her eyes and looked at him, "Pardon?" "You heard me darling. Slide on over here, let me give you a squeeze." he slimely lift his eyebrows. Severus couldn't believe the nerve of this guy, why did he think talking to a lady in that way was okay?

"Eggerton, please, I have one question for you." Snape looked at Ellington in anticipation, awaiting what came next. David laid his arm on her shoulder, which caused Severus to feel slightly jealous. "Anything, babe." he smiled. "Is it ever jealous?" she smiled at him. "What is jealous?" "You buttocks, I mean, is it ever jealous of your mouth? I mean with all the bullshit coming from there…" David's face changed as if he had been hit in his stomach, several people were snickering, including Severus, who could barely contain himself. "That's what I thought. Learn to speak with manners to a woman, before you try again." Then she stood up from and greeted everyone. "Sorry to leave so early, but I promised Severus that we'd go running in the morning, so… Bye." then she janked Severus with her and ran into the hall. When they were far enough from the dinner they burst out laughing. Their backs against the walls, when they finally caught their breaths again Severus spoke. "Shall we leave this place now, dear?" he asked her silently, mocking David's words. "Oh god yes, maybe a round or two around the castle and then to the dormotories?" Severus nodded. ____ "Why on earth would I go training with you?" "Because you need it, don't even fight me on this Severus." "I'm perfectly healthy the way I am. Thank you very much." he stalked away, but failed miserably, due to the alcohol. Before he fell down, Ellington quickly scooped him up, suprising him with her strenght and quickness. Ellington on the other hand couldn't help but notice how thin he was and how light he felt. They awkwardly stood there, in the middle of the hall, not sure what to do next.

"Severus, please do come running with me tomorrow, we'll go before breakfast, no one will see you." "You aren't going to give me another choice are you?" he stood upright, but didn't move further from her. "No, Severus. I actually want you to feel healthier, you know what they say, healthy body healthy mind." "What do you care?" "I just do, now go to sleep, I'll see you at 7 am." She lightly squeezed his hand and then left him standing in the hallway.

His body felt weirdly empty now that she was gone, surely he hadn't ever met someone who caught him when he was falling. It was when she had held him so close to her, that he felt his heart pounding, not sure why. She said she cared about him, did she intentionally hold him that way? Or did she intentionally touch his hands, sat next to him… Don't be so daft Severus, you are drunk he scolded himself. Although he couldn't deny that his heart was still pounding and his mind was racing.

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onyx-archer · 6 years

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Thoughts on Mean Girls: The Musical

So I figured, since it’s been a little over a week since the Mean Girls cast recording has dropped, that I’d give it a quick “review” or whatever. It’s gonna be a little long, so I’m gonna put everything under the cut. The short answer is that while I didn’t hate it, I’m still disappointed. If you want to see more of my thoughts, you gotta click the “Keep Reading” button. Just note: it’s a very “stream of consciousness” kind of read, and less of a proper “review.”

Some context: Like many others, Mean Girls is a movie I’ve seen quite a few times, and I still very much love for it’s sense of humor, among other things. It’s a movie I’ve probably seen several dozen times at this point due to various factors. So when I heard they were making a musical version of it, I was ecstatic. I waited with bated breath for the day the cast recording was gonna drop, because I wanted to see if the musical could live up to the movie.

I’m gonna be honest: I’m disappointed in the final product. I don’t hate it or anything, but I’m certainly let down by it. Keep in mind, I have a feeling that it’d be better if I could see the whole show, but at the end of the day, since we don’t have legal access to a full stage recording, this cast recording is all I can use as the basis for my opinion, lest I want to shell out hundreds of dollars to go see the show on Broadway, which ain’t happening.

The Musical starts with the excellent, if criminally short “A Cautionary Tale,” and let me tell you, this is a great song. The voice of Janis, played by the lovely Barrett Wilbert Weed of “Heathers: The Musical” fame, is a strong way to start, at least for me. I love her voice, and have listened to “Heathers: The Musical” at least a hundred times through just for her voice alone. Grey Hanson’s portrayal of Damien also serves well as a companion to Barrett’s Janis, and it works for the song. Like I said though I feel like the song could have been longer, but hey, Janis and Damien aren’t the main characters, so it’s understandable why it’s short.

And then “It Roars” starts, and what interest I had begins to wain. It marks the start of my biggest problem with the musical: Cady’s songs kind of fall flat. I consider this one to be the worst offender though, as it’s effectively the “real” opening number. I’m of the mind that the song that introduces the main character, as well as the song that marks the start of the actual story, should contain some kind of hook via the chorus. This song doesn’t really have that for me. It lacks a moment like “Life can be beautiful~♫” or an “Oh my god, ohmigod you guys!~♫” I do get a feel for how the musical is going to portray Cady, but I think I’d be a little lost on it had I not been so familiar with the movie.

Before I get into the next song, I want to address the fact that my problem with the song is not, I repeat, NOT, a result of Erika Henningsen’s performance. She does a good job. Had the songs she is the focal point of not felt so basic and by the numbers, I think a good chunk of the musical could have been way better than it is.

Moving onto “Where Do You Belong?” I find myself thinking “why is this song a thing?” every time I listen to it. It’s not the say that Grey Hanson is not a good singer, but the song he’s singing doesn’t really feel like it belongs in the musical. In fact, I’d go as far as to say they could have taken this song out, and add all of what it’s trying to do to “It Roars,” and it would have made that song better, I think. The whole “Where~ Do you belong~ Where do you belong~♪” bit just kills the feeling of flow for me, and thus, drags this song into the bottom of the list for me.

“Meet The Plastics” by contrast, is actually one of the best songs in the musical. It does it’s job of introducing the characters of the Plastics, giving each of them a moment in the spotlight for a verse, and it works. It shows the listener how much Taylor Louderman is loving being Regina, her voice basically saying “drink in the sight, peasants,” and it’s great. Alicia Park’s Gretchen follows, and it’s basically the musical version of the introduction of a “yes-man,” and I think it works well. And last, but certainly not least, is Kate Rockwell’s performance as Karen, and man, does her bit sound like she’s playing “the dumb, hot one.” It slows down, and it works because of how simple the lyrics are, and the need to sustain notes in order to match the music is great.

And then we have “Stupid With Love,” which is, if I’m being honest, my least favorite song on the musical. I just... don’t like it. It’s a song about how dumb Cady feels when it comes to her crush on Aaron, and I just don’t think it works. It feels flat, and contrived. I don’t know, I just don’t think the song has much beyond it other than the surface level stuff, and it just doesn’t mesh with me.

You know what song I like a lot though? “Apex Predator.” While I take issue with way the title is said in the song, I don’t know how else they would have done it, so I can let it slide. This is the first song I heard from the musical, and man, does it work. Barrett Wilbert Weed, once again, kills it with her portrayal of Janis (though I might be biased given that “Heathers” is my favorite musical, and she’s the lead in that, so...), and when Erika Henningson comes in as Cady, I think she, as opposed to her last couple of songs, actually kills it too. The instrumentation, and the better use of animal metaphors for Cady just flow much better for Erika’s voice here, in my opinion.

Meanwhile, we hop back to one of my least favorite songs, Gretchen’s first solo number, “What’s Wrong With Me?” I’m not the biggest fan of the character, though I enjoyed her first moments in “Meet the Plastics.” Sadly, I’m just left wondering why this song is here, and not after Cady, Janis, and Damien’s plan to make her feel like Regina is giving her the cold shoulder breaks her. It just feels like it’s coming out of nowhere. I’m sure it makes more sense in the context of the stage performance, but because I don’t have a legal means of watching the lead in to the song, I don’t have that context, and instead have to look at it as is, and I don’t gel with it. If you’re asking me, it’s not fetch. Sorry for the bad joke.

Next up: “Stupid With Love (Reprise).” I don’t have much to say here, other than it’s better than the original song. Kyle Selig’s Aaron gets to actually sing a bit, and I like his voice. The lyrics still feel bland though.

What I find the most interesting is that my favorite song is not a Janis song, but is, in fact, “Sexy,” Karen’s solo number. But my god, do I love this song. It starts off with Karen’s trademarked air-headed singing, where she sings about Halloween and World Peace. Then it turns into a total bop about sexy Halloween costumes. And boy do I love this song. It’s got a great beat, fun lyrics, and has the excellent comedic moment towards the end of Karen “curing sex cancer.” It’s fantastic.

“Someone Get’s Hurt” is another great song, and serves as Regina’s first full solo number. It’s great because of how it spins Regina “getting Aaron back,” just so she can screw with Cady, and it’s just amazing. Taylor Louderman, once again, indulges her inner bitch, and I love how it sounds.

Revenge Party is honestly a fun song for Janis, Damien, and Cady. It’s probably, next to “Apex Predator,” my favorite song Cady is in. I don’t really have a lot to say, other than I just really enjoy the reference to the movie in this song. You go Glen Coco!

“Fearless” is next, and it’s effectively the song I thought “What’s Wrong With Me?” should have been. I honestly don’t have much to say about it though. It’s kind of “middle of the road” as far as the musical’s song are concerned.

Oh Damien, why do you get the lead on songs that I think are incredibly awkward to listen to? “Stop” is kind of another round of “Where Do You Belong?” for me. Unlike that song though, there are things I like about it. It’s still got some jank in it’s structure through, and I don’t really care for it because of that. A lot of my problems with it are echos of the aforementioned “Where Do You Belong?” but it’s less of a pace breaker than that song is. At least, as far as I’m concerned.

“What’ Wrong With Me (Reprise)” is basically a shorter, better version of the original song. It works better here though, because it reflects how Cady has basically become a second Regina. It feel less awkward for the story pacing than it’s original song to me, which is a marked improvement. Alicia Park does a good job here.

I honestly have not much to say about “Who’s House Is This?” It’s a dumb party song about Cady’s house party. It’s not special or anything, though I think it’s fine. Nowhere near something like “Heathers: The Musical’s” song “Big Fun,” but still serviceable. I guess if I have anything bad to say about it, is that I don’t like Cheech Manohar’s voice that much.

“More Is Better” certainly could have been better. It’s better than something like “Stupid With Love,” and I just think it could have been better. I think the whole “word vomit... no, actual vomit” bit should have been in the song? I don’t know, this song doesn’t really stand out to me as anything that great, or outstandingly poor. It’s just “meh.”

“Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise)” is barely a song, and I don’t have much to say. It’s the scene in the movie where Janis and Damien call Cady out as basically the second coming of Regina. Janis’s moment of “At least Regina didn’t have the guts to keep pretending to be my friend” was probably the highlight of the whole thing.

I have an... interesting opinion on “World Burn,” though it’s not a negative one. I actually really love this song, since it’s the peak of Taylor Louderman’s performance as Regina, and it’s a great “villain” song. My only problem is honestly that, as far as I can tell, is the first mention of the Burn Book in the musical. Well, the cast recording of it at least. I feel like had I known nothing about the Burn Book, I’d probably have just thought this was a great song, but the fact that it took so long for the songs to directly mention the Burn Book just feels wrong for a Mean Girls Musical.

As far as “fuck you” songs go in musical theater, I think “I’d Rather Be Me” is a great song. Janis is just venting, but in musical form, and need I say more? It’s more Barrett Wilbert Weed, and I can honestly listen to her sing about probably anything. It’s probably my least favorite Janis song, but considering the bulk of my favorites from this whole musical are Janis songs, that is, by no means, a bad thing.

“Do This Thing” is easily the best song Cady has that lacks the backing of either Janis or Regina’s voices. Of course, I don’t like Cheech Manohar’s voice, but it’s less of a big deal here, because it’s not a bad song. Again, it’s probably one of the best Cady moments of the whole musical.

“I See Stars” by contrast, is like a callback to “More Is Better,” but with a corny, feel good message. It’s still weaker than that song though. My reasoning? Because this is the closing number of the cast recording, and it lacks a sense of “finality” to it. I feel like the best closing numbers for musicals are the ones that call back other songs in some capacity. While technically not the closing number, “The Play” from “Be More Chill” comes to mind, because it references a ton of the songs in the musical. Heck, that musical’s actual closer, “Voice In My Head” still has the callback to “More Than Survive” at the end, and it works so well. Maybe I’m forgetting something from this song, but honestly, I think it’s pretty crappy ending track.

So... all in all it’s a pretty mixed musical for me.

Some things I would have changed, outside of giving Cady’s songs more to work with, are the previously mentioned “add the purpose of ‘Where Do You Belong?’ to ‘It Roars,’” as well as the following:

1. Have “I See Stars’ reference other songs, especially “It Roars” and “A Cautionary Tale” to give it a sense of proper finality.

2. Make Cady’s change into a more “Plastic” version of herself be more apparent in her appearances in songs, if only to add some depth to the character’s music. Show her become like a second Regina, only for her to become more like a better version of her old self by the end.

3. Add a song where The Plastics introduce Cady to the Burn Book, and them trying to coax her into using it. It would have added a layer to “World Burn,” and it would have given us a Mean Girls song akin to “Candy Store” from “Heathers.” You know, and a chance to hear more of Taylor Louderman’s excellent Regina.

Anyway, yeah, that’s what I liked, what I didn’t like, and what I’d change for the most part. it’s very all over the place, but still, hopefully you all got something out of it?

#Mean Girls #Mean Girls the Musical #Thoughts #a very string of consciousness kind of look at the musical #mixed opinion #I liked it #but was also disappointed

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