previously Risotto WonderstudiesI love HSMTMTS, Parks and Rec, Star Wars, and The Office
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He knows, without knowing…
Something I love is how EJ knows Gina’s needs without her telling him.
As we all know, because of life circumstances Gina is incredibly independent. Given this, she’s not used to people doing things for her. That’s why gestures like Ricky singing a song for her melts her heart in S1, it’s someone genuinely thinking of her.
Enters EJ.
Not only does he do these beautiful gestures, but they also align with her needs at the moment.
EJ buys her the plane ticket, allowing her to grow roots and form bonds with this group of people that love her.
EJ asks her how she is feeling, at a time where she is not sure if the people around her care (especially Ricky).
Picks her up at the airport, gives her a granola bar, and offers her to bring her back the next day. This comes after an entire day where she’s not only asking for a sign but also reveals that she’s waiting for the right guy to show up.
EJ might not know it, but he has a deep connection with Gina.
He’s the boy that knows without knowing.
my favourite thing about portwell is how they literally found themselves through finding each other.
so s1 ej was obviously very selfish and didn't care how his actions effected others. we saw him acknowledge his flaws and try to repent, but he was still only doing it to make himself feel better and to improve his image. as soon as he develops feelings for gina, we can see him find the joy in doing things for other people just because you want them to be happy. he discovers his huge heart and realises that he would embarrass himself, go out of his way and change his plans to help gina.
s1 gina was so closed off and cold because she refused to get attached to anything and risk leaving it behind. she also always put herself first and didn't care about others. ej being so kind to her, but never expecting anything in return, slowly allowed her to open up and trust people again. she is being shown unconditional love for the first time in her life and it's allowed to become her most authentic self. by the end of s2 gina is so much more confident and sure in who she is. she's learned that she does not have to perfect to be worthy of love and she doesn't have to compete for it either.
the way they treat each other has allowed them both to trust people again, and be comfortable enough to be fully themselves.
Because I am DESPERATE to get Alyson Reed as Grandma Caswell….. let EJ and Ashlyn’s grandma run the theater camp (since her Broadway dreams got cut short) and the Caswell Cousins invite the drama club to the camp. And Grandma Caswell wants to put on a SUMMER MUSICALE (said in ms darbus’s voice ofc)
TIM!!! IF YOU ARE LISTENING!!! ALYSON REED AKA MS DARBUS AS GRANDMA CASWELL! I BEG!!!
she just gives off theater camp owner vibes
dhdhdjdgewgywu GENIUS! I can totally see them passing down the alphabet of money and a J middle name, having BJ CJ then EJ so I just spent the last 40 minutes thinking of synonyms to cash and bill that start with an E, and with the help of thesaurus.com here’s what I got…😂
1) Estate James Caswell
2) Endowment James Caswell
3) Expensive James Caswell
4) Earthly-Possessions James Caswell
5) Earnings/Earn James Caswell
6) Escrow James Caswell
7) Emergency-Funds James Caswell
This is the best I could come up with, if you have others PLEASE SHARE.
I have this head canon that Ashlyn and E.J.’s paternal grandfather name is Bill Caswell because I think it would be funny since he has a son name Cash. Bill is not even short for “William” it’s just “Bill” like as in dollar bill and he was a banker before he retired. All the members of the Caswell family first name starts is at the beginning of the alphabet so following that same pattern it would be funny E.J.’s grandfather name is Bill and his mother’s name is Dolly like I said earlier.
sjhfdujekfa I'm DEAd. this is too funny, we've got cash, dolly, bill. What else? and it's the way the alphabet thing actually makes sense too lmao. your MIND anon.
reblog and put in the tags a song you wish you could hear for the first time again
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Thoughts when rewatching High School Musical
after being obsessed with High School Musical: the Musical the Series
pretty much just a bunch of parallels i noticed
Mostly how the characters in HSMTMTS match the characters they played with their season 1 arcs with a few exceptions.
1. I knew Chad carries his basketball everywhere, but boy he carries it everywhere…“She thinks I’m a Chad?!?” yeah you did bring a basketball to your audition so you sorta brought this on yourself Eej. He also just has a very Chad vibe I can’t explain.
2. Portwell in season 1 matches Taylor and Chad in just about every interaction they have from Taylor laughing at Chad up to Chad and Taylor scheming to get Troy and Gabriella out of the audition. Very wonderstudies with bad plans that don’t work out but then becoming the ones who go above and beyond to get Troy and Gabriella/ Ricky and Nini onstage for the callback/show for Breaking Free.
3. Troy sneaking through the building running around to auditions felt like a very Ricky move.
4. The only thing Seb and Sharpay have in common is that they deserved the lead and are under appreciated.
5. Alan the kid with the tie, who wrote his lines on his hands in the audition was giving me vibes of the kid who played Coach Bolton and sang Wondering in s2 auditions.
6. Ashlyn is Kelsi. Period. I love wondering for Ms. Darbus but like also it fits Kelsi too. And a Kelsi solo number would be like soooo good. The girl was frequently under appreciated I feel like she deserved it more than Ms. Darbus. Also since they are both songwriters.
7. And Ryan is not the brightest but always there with a funny one liner like Seb or Big Red, idk which he is more like.
8. Balcony scene- it mirrors the portwell couch scene so perfectlyi’m half convinced they copied the script. Also two seasons in and no one has ever gone on the balcony of the school and I want that so badly i don’t even know which couple should get it.
My findings are that Portwell season 1 is like Taylor and Chad and season 2 is Troyella. Almost like the wonderstudies got their chance to play both parts.
Also- How much time spans throughout the movies specifically between auditions and callbacks? Aren’t callbacks are usually within a week of the initial audition? the movie felt like more than a week
omg yes! so poetic! i also wanted to add they almost foreshadowed this idea about the plane taking off in 2x09 with jack saying the most dangerous part of the flight is taking off, not landing. Coming back to the lyric, “I’m safer when I’m on the run”, if running away= plane landing/going down is safer, like in hsm opening night when she is running away. then plane taking off (with ej) is more dangerous scarier and out of her comfort zone. but despite this she still takes off and takes her second chance and can fly with the right guy even if she is afraid she might fall. also making jack more of a portwell plot device to push them together. then after she takes that chance and asks ej to kiss him, taking off running toward him. like a plane on a runway. (changing the running away to running toward) even though it was dangerous and risky it was worth the risk for the chance to fly. and take off was successful because it was with the right guy!! more risk =more reward
thinking about gina’s line “maybe i’m safer when i’m on the run” and how it’s implied that she’s safer when she’s going from place to place with her mom because she doesn’t have time to open up her heart, but do you know where she runs the next time we see her running?? she runs towards ej. even when she tried to be “safer on the run” (whether that be moving in 1x10 or seeing her mom on break), ej was always the one there to bring her back from the airport where she belonged, which goes into the line “i got a second chance to fly.” airports have kind of become a portwell icon, and gina’s second chance to fly isn’t actually flying on a plane to run away, but to fly with ej and have him be her first kiss (and eventual boyfriend). she’s safer on the run because she’s running towards her person and she’s got a second chance to fly with ej instead of away from him.
No but just think of all the clubs that are going to have to find a new captain/ president now that EJ is graduating... that boy was the leader of everything he was involved in
gina running towards ej instead of running away (I’m safer when I’m on the run)!!!!!!
What if in that promotion picture of E.J. talking to Gina's brother's Jamie he is asking Jamie for permission if he can date his little sister Gina because he wants to make good impression with his possible future brother-in-law?
That’s totally something I see EJ doing.
I have this scenario in my head where Jamie gives EJ the big brother talk and he knows he’s graduating so he begs him to not hurt Gina or leave her since she’s been through a lot with moving around, so it’s hard for her to get close to anyone, and he says something like “Please don’t hurt her the way I have by abandoning her and our whole family. If whatever between you two is real, then fight for it. She deserves to be happy and if you make her happy then that’s all that matters”
imagine gina’s mom still keeps in touch w jamie every once in awhile and when he mentions maybe being in town to stop by the show she says “here, talk to this boy that bought her a plane ticket last year—he’s clearly in love w her and will tell you if this is a bad idea or not”
honestly OBSESSED with the fact that matt and sofia have the ability to act out such intense and striking emotions so perfectly. they literally speak with their faces and their eyes. every single smile, every single laugh, is so genuine and means something beyond what words can say.
ex. 1: when ej does a sweet gesture for gina, sofia knits her brows and acts surprised in the most adorable way.
that alone shows that ej goes above and beyond her expectations and what any guy has done for her before. something so simple has such a strong meaning.
ex. 2: their eyes light up during a close moment.
like during the couch scene or career day in 2x08, matt and sofia's eyes just totally light up. i'm honestly not sure how they do it, but it really shows how happy and comfortable gina and ej are with each other. they give one another compliments and make each other feel safe.
ex. 3: their reactions to the date
wether it's sofia's little walk afterwards or matt's nervous face when ej asks gina out, both portray something so authentic and so real. it fits perfectly with their characters' fear of rejection and putting themselves out there.
ex. 4: leaning in
the way matt puts his arm around sofia and she naturally leans into his touch, like at north high in 2x07 or the shoulder tap at the pizza place in 2x10, is the perfect depiction of 2 people with a friendship rooted in trust. ej and gina both comfort each other and are a safe space from the world beyond.
behind every perfect ship are the perfect actors :D
risotto night
i'm not sure if they will actually show the portwell date happening in the show, but if they did, here's how i think it should go:
location: fancy italian restaurant (because i don't think salt lake slices has risotto lmao)
ash helps gina get ready and she looks absolutely gorgeous. as she finishes up, the doorbell rings. ash runs to get the door. it's ej all dressed up. she starts squealing with happiness and motions for him to come in and sit down. she tells him how happy she is for both of them and warns him not to hurt her. just then, gina comes into the room. ej's face lights up and he stands to go to her. he tells her how beautiful she looks and hugs her. gina smiles fondly, ash standing behind them looking like a proud mother with a daughter. she jokingly tells them to be home by 11. they go out to ej's car.
at the restaurant, they sit in a corner by the window. the lights are dim and the walls are covered with vines and exposed brick to add to the ambiance. they order 2 bowls of risotto.
as they wait for their food, gina and ej reminisce all of their little moments together and gina expresses once again how grateful she is to have him. ej responds by saying that having her in his life makes him so much happier than he could've ever imagined.
as they leave the restaurant and drive back to ash's house, they talk about what a magical night this was and gush over the food. as gina is about to head out of the car, she says something along the lines of:
i'm still in shock that you remembered risotto night at north high and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek.
with a smile, ej says: you know i would never miss risotto night
now picture this, but with the something there instrumental playing in the background. boom.
opinion time y'all
my thing is, i don't hate rina. i don't hate rina stans. i don't hate ricky. in fact, he's one of my favourite characters. i was actually a huuuge hardcore rina stan until s2, and tbh i still think they have absolutely unbelievable chemistry. i still enjoy rina fics and edits.
i think ricky really cares about gina, and it's obvious gina had feelings for him. however, rina would never be a healthy relationship because ricky will always put nini first. and that's ok, that's no one's fault! that doesn't make ricky a bad person/character, it just means he's not gina's person. he can never give gina the relationship she deserves. she is always chasing someone who can't love her the way she wants him to. while i think they have amazing chemistry, and definitely would be good together in different circumstances, it wouldn't be fair to gina to put her with someone who would never fully emotionally commit to her. nini will always hold more of ricky's heart than gina can, and rina getting together wouldn't be fair to any of them.
the reason i am a portwell stan through and through is because ej has already shown how he puts gina first and will be the person who loves her the way she deserves to be loved. she doesn't have to beg for his affection and break her own heart, he is standing ready to give it to her. it's part of both of their character development, but especially gina. she is learning she doesn't have to compete and "be the best" to be worthy of love, she just has to be herself, and ej has shown her that is more than enough for him.
also the only relationship ricky should be in is with therapy
don’t get me wrong, i absolutely love the possibility of a something there comparison to summer nights from grease. but i also love the idea of making it sorta like everyday from hsm2.
picture this: an open stage. seb on the piano. gina gets pushed to center stage similarly to kourtney in 1x08 and is asked to sing a song from the show in order to test the microphone system/for another reason because maybe ash and ricky are busy brainstorming ideas. she sings the first verse of something there.
suddenly, she hears another voice singing the beast's part. ej walks onto the stage from the other side, microphone in hand. he goes to gina and they stand inches apart. they stare into each others eyes, ej takes her hand, and as gina begins to sing new, and a bit alarming... the lights go down and they are the only people visible. like during nini's audition in 1x01 or lily's solo during belle in 2x02, the camera spins around showing them from all different angles.
suddenly the lights turn back on and everyone on the stage is in absolute shock, their mouths open.
portwell x something there
soo since i literally cannot wait to see if something there will be portwell related, i wanna connect the lyrics of the song to some of their moments. i'm like 99.9% sure that this has been done before and isn't a new thing so yea.
There's something sweet, and almost kind But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined And now he's dear, and so unsure I wonder why I didn't see it there before
since this verse is supposed to be from gina's perspective, it might refer to the change that she sees in ej from season 1 going into season 2. i think back to how ej was portrayed as a villain and used as an obstacle for both rini and nini. despite his struggles, he became much more open not only to himself, but also to his friends.
She glanced this way, I thought I saw And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw No, it can't be, I'll just ignore But then she's never looked at me that way before
the entire verse absolutely screams heart eyes. cue portwell lovingly staring at eachother:
1. carlos's quinceañero
2. north high lookout
3. during career day sitting close to eachother
4. the couch convo
5. airport scene
6. right after gina thanked him for the plane ticket
i absolutely love the line she didn't shudder at my paw because it could be so easy for gina to just reject ej's sweet gestures (like a metaphorical paw) and see him only as the guy in season 1. instead, she's so warm towards him. that's not only called love, but also deep affection and care. i also feel like the line has the meaning that despite their differences (like belle being a human and the beast a mix of animals), they are willing to work together and understand eachother. ex. ej asking gina to describe moving around a lot and gina not not relating to ej having his life planned out.
New, and a bit alarming Who'd have ever thought that this could be? True, that he's no Prince Charming But there's something in him that I simply didn't see
while they have some nice moments in season 1, i feel as though ej and gina have only just now started to realize their feelings for each other and how immense they actually are. i love true, that he's no prince charming because it kinda goes back to the couch scene in 2x08 when gina acknowledges that although he fails a lot, ej keeps on trying to be better.
i also love how in 2x09, gina admits that things may be different between her and ej, something that she’s never seen before.
Ok so I just rewatched the Valentines episode and the background music in the scene with Gina and Ricky in his new apartment where she tells him, “…every girl loves a sweet gesture, i speak from experience” is the same background music as when in 209 EJ picks her up from the airport!
I don’t know if the same music is in any other scenes, but I love the foreshadowing that they dropped this so early in the season. It makes Ricky’s line that “I think you’ll get yours too” so much better that, we now know SHE DID GET HER SWEET GESTURE!!!!!
what if they confess their feelings and then someone talks to gina and mentions ej leaving and she gets insecure and think she's gonna have to let him go because it's the right person wrong time trope but then ej tells her hes staying in utah
i can definitely see that happening since as of right now, ej has not decided which college he’s going to, so it’ll be a surprise for gina to hear he’s staying close by.
[the difference]
r*cky: gina’s gone? time to profess my love for nini through song
ej: gina’s gone? time to buy a literal plane ticket to bring her back
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