the greatest ☆ of all

ok love uuuu bye running into the sunset

since we got a couple of asks about this i'm just going to answer them together :-) it's been a hot second since we've talked about our writing process and since we have a few chapters now and are no longer at risk for spoiling Everything in one fell swoop, attached are chapters 1-5 from our official outline document! this is the one we use to actually navigate and reference for the fic as we write, but we've had two or three versions before this where we did the majority of the actual planning/going back on forth on scene ideas. those got really difficult to navigate after a while, so we cut out a lot of the commentary (we are hilarious. #trust) and fluff and made this one pretty bare-bones, but we have the entire fic planned out this way and have had it planned out before any of it was ever written! it definitely helps with continuity, because other than some minor changes to the dates and stuff (we realized at one point that like three chapters all occurred within the span of one week lol) and some retconning to some vestigial scenes from our original fic concept - which was very different in some aspects when we first thought of it back in january - we've stayed pretty consistent to this outline while writing. we also have a million other documents as well - playlist organization, an entire document we used to plan out titles lol, a google slides presentation breaking down the timeline, etc etc. thea and andi are much better outliners than i am because i rarely do it for my own fics but this process might have converted me fr. to some extent. anyways! enjoy snooping! or don't. lol. hope you like my commentary xoxo

The very end bit of a curtain call but this time from Rumpleteazer's perspective

Bryce Farris as Tumblebrutus, Dudney Joseph Jr as Munkustrap, Xavier Reyes as Jennyanydots, Robert "Silk" Mason as Mistoffelees, Emma Sofia as Skimbleshanks and Jenny Mollet as Jellylorum

Filmed by Dava Huesca aka Rumpleteazer

when joe comes out of the body bag at the top of the show (i think tom was struggling a bit with the zipper, so from my perspective he kinda shimmied out of it lmfao)

"you've come to the right party ;)"

"i love it when you talk dirty"

"right now, i'd like to crawl into a hole and pull it in after me" same, betty

also her smile fading once she realizes that she talked shit about joe's script right in front of him lmfao

sheldrake echoing joe's earlier line ("i believe in self-denial") because joe is god's least favorite, apparently

joe's crashout is just yelling incoherently and stomping around in the circle like a toddler (i have no idea what he's saying)

"come to get your knife back? it's still there, right between my shoulder blades" (never change joe)

"i really liked it" "i'm all warm and runny inside" (lmfao joe)

"writers with pride don't live in LA" the shade

"I AM BIG - it's the pictures that got smaller" queen

"wait... did you say you were a writer?" "that's what it says on my guild card"

"looks like six very important pictures"

"i didn't know you were planning a comeback" "i Hate. that word. it's a return! :D"

"you shouldn't let another writer see your work, he may steal it" norma, looking him up and down "....i'm not afraid"

"i said SIT - DOWN...." music stops, cue joe looking around confused because there's no chair (or set) so he sits on the floor

nicole shaking ass to ALW is fucking hilarious ("PUMP PUMP")

"just how... old is salome?" "sixteen :D"

"i can say anything i want with my EYES"

nicole mouthing "i will kill you" (i think) into the camera

"well i'm pretty busy" "yea i don't care"

"don't you worry about moneyyyyy i'll make it worth your while honayyyy"

"how did you know i was staying here?" and max simply ignores him

"how did it go?" "well, i wish i were dead" real

joe as the uppity/out-of-work hack and betty being the studio smartass lol

while talking to betty, joe turns to the camera - "remember: it's only a movie" dramatic ass lol

when artie invites joe to his new year's party they do a cute handshake

max: "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN" with the camera right in his face

joe's dramatic ass "ohhh god" upon hearing they'll be watching norma's old "weepy melodramas"

honestly joe and norma's dynamic is very much black cat boyfriend/golden retriever girlfriend (except she is crazy) and it's pretty fun in itself

not technically funny, but the way joe holds norma's hand is so precious (in 'today is the day')

norma (pretending?) hyperventilating upon joe saying "its not about the money"

straight up going ("eughh?" at first ijbol)

joe teasing max about who's coming to norma's new years eve party ("maaaax")

"nonono not on the same floor as rudy valentino!"

max giving them party hats and throwing up some confetti with zero emotion

joe and norma doing dorky dances is the cutest thing ever (also "the perfect year" SLAPS thank you ALW)

joe dodging norma's attempt at kissing him so he kinda cradles her head

"there are noooo other guests :) just you :) and me :)))"

"i'm in love with you... surely, you know that, right?" - cue joe's look of :o (shock) bro was SHOOK

at the new year's party, the ensemble is kinda bumping and grinding to 'this time next year'

joe's reaction to betty still pushing along with dark windows - "well hallelujah :|"

all of the entr'acte. no, really

max staring at nicole's pictures of her in the pussycat dolls

ensemble member in a low budget monkey costume on da phone

can't forget about andrew lloyd webber's surprise appearance when he replaced his cardboard cutout

one time on 'the walk' tom seems particularly giggly one day, not sure about what

before tom says "shoore i came out here to make my name" he stopped in front of his photo outside of the theatre which hit like crack when his tony nom was announced... not so much after he lost but it is what it is

also the time when people wore birthday hats during the walk on his and nicole's birthday... awww

during the last few walks tom would fist bump people on the way up to the stage wow what a cool guy

"now letsss go up stairsss ;))))"

"its not madame they want. it's her CAR" ".........oh my god"

"you sound like you really hate yourself." get his ass betty

"T. H. E. E. N. D! I did it!" not necessarily funny but the end of the dark windows script has the same lines as norma's final lines in the show.... are betty and joe living in dark windows this whole time? is sunset blvd actually dark windows???

when betty is staring at joe, artie magically appears and rolls his eyes at her and walks away ijbol

peep the random guy snorting coke thank you very much

betty and joe kissing while artie's massive face is crying on the screen behind them lol

"you should go back to artie and marry the FEWL and you'll always be welcome to SWIM IN MY PEWL" oh tom francis your american accent is ever so slightly a disaster but its very endearing

personally i knew nothing about sunset going into it so when they did a full blackout and tom screamed i almost shat myself and the blood did not help

one time tom francis almost slipped in his (fake) blood during bows

(From Ready for My Close-Up: The Making of Sunset Boulevard and the Dark Side of the Hollywood Dream by David M. Lubin, 2025)

sir yes sir! 🫡🫡🫡