#can’t wait to see a slime tutorial

[milliesfishes]

What’s new BUENOS AIRES

[gryffindorcompaniononpigfarts]

They all eventually go out on YouTube. The few that don’t are available in multiple formats on their store. They have sales pretty regularly.

This isn’t a huge Broadway company. This is a company founded in college by a bunch of nerds. The shows are funded a lot of the way (if not all the way) by fans on kickstarter.

You are not “fighting capitalism” or “eating the rich”. This isn’t rich people you are stealing from. Yes, the use of stealing is correct. Bootlegs and “slime tutorial” are STEALING. (there is an argument there about regular Broadway bootlegs also ripping off the not rich people who are doing their job as part of the show but that’s a different rant for a different time)

A PSA from Team StarKid themselves about bootlegs from 2019, in case yall have forgotten

And for good measure how about their one from just last year!

If you seek out or record any bootlegs of Starkid shows, I’ll just say it, you are NOT a fan.

[ncity-agere]

seventeen ot13 cg headcanons? ❤️

Alright this one’s a big one! Here’s things Seventeen does as your caregivers! (I got carried away with some of them and wrote more than I expected to, oopsies!)

S.Coups: “Hey, y/n?” He asks sweetly, calling for you. You approach him, waddling from wherever you came from to see Seungcheol in the living room, lifting dumbbells and watching a weightlifting tutorial on the TV. Nothing out of the usual and you’re glad he’s sitting down so he doesn’t hurt his leg, but you’re still confused?

“Hm?” You ask, tilting your head. “What’s up, Daddy?”

Without saying much, he gets up from where he’s sitting, puts down his weights, and scoops you up into his arms, carrying you like a weight! You squeal in shock as he holds you over his shoulder, bragging about how you “fell for it again, silly cherry-pie”. You really should have known better, your muscle bunny does this all the time. You fell for it, again.

Jeonghan: He’s mean! But in a sweet way. He likes to play practical jokes on you and watch you get mad. Gaslight, gatekeep, Jeonghan.

It makes him laugh, but he promises that if you really don’t like his jokes, he won’t play them on you again, okay? Appa doesn’t want to be too much of a pain in the butt.

Joshua: He loves to do whatever you like to do. He’s always up for a princess tea party or wrestling in the living room, it’s whatever you’d like. Just make sure to let him know so that he can take off all that designer before you roughhouse and wrestle, please!

Jun: Takes you to the pet stores and pet shelters to pet the kitties and the puppies. Even if you don’t or can’t adopt them, it’s always nice to give our furry friends a visit!

He giggles when you ask to hold the animals and takes lots and lots of cute photos of you. You both ask the vets lots of questions and say goodbye to your fuzzy little buddies. Honestly, this is as much for him as it is for you, little one.

Hoshi: Snatch your pacifier or teether and suckles it himself. No, I’m serious. Unless you’re crying and in dire need of it, I think he’d just start suckling your pacifiers to soothe himself.

He’d also sit you in front of an iPad and call it stellar parenting (it’s absolutely NOT lmao) but then get distracted by the iPad himself and start watching slime videos with you… so now there’s two sticky, iPad babies and neither of you want to turn YouTube off. Oh boy.

Wonwoo: Okay, Wonwoo doesn’t understand it at first. He comes around to the idea and agrees to babysit you, not quite be your caregiver. And his go-to babysitting tactic? The Nintendo Wii.

You think I’m joking? He’s dusting that old thing off and playing whatever game you want with you. It’s interactive and it’s (mostly) PG, the Wii is perfect for a little kiddo like you. You both spend hours playing the console until you’re worn out or frustrated at each other (because Mario Kart can and will bring out the worst in people)

Woozi: Brings you the studio and lets you play with the keyboard. Might record a song purely made out of your babbles and giggles, which would go absolutely triple platinum in his earbuds. He loves hearing his little one having fun and being creative.

If he’s working, he’ll ask you to wait and preoccupy yourself as best as you can. But if he’s not working on anything new, he’ll let you mess around all you want on the spare computer (because he’s not letting you anywhere near the Universe Factory archives, nice try little one!)

DK: Reads your storybooks to go to sleep, but puts on dramatic shows and funny voices for every single one of the characters. I’m talking, FULL performances. He’s getting up to dance at some parts, he’s turning certain dialogue into little songs for you. He’s a theater kid, dude. What can I say?

Mingyu: Cooks dinner with you. Gives you very important tasks, like measurements and stirring certain ingredients (and when he’s not looking, you can’t help but to lick the spoon!)

Of course, he does all the chopping and handles all of the hot dishes, but you handle lots of other other daring tasks! And when dinner’s all done, Mingyu’s just so proud of you, little one! Now go wash up to eat!

Minghao: Takes you to the park on cloudy days, when not many people are there. He likes to watch you play on the swing sets and crawl up and down the swirly slide and run around and chase squirrels with you. He likes to meditate with you when it’s early in the day and cloud gaze when it’s late. Whenever you both are outside getting fresh air, it’s always a good day.

Seungkwan: Builds elaborate pillow forts with you! Sometimes, pillow forts are just needed. They’re good for the soul and fortunately, you love making them! Unfortunately, Seungkwan kind of sucks at making them so what you both end up with is a weird blob of blankets and pillows stacked on chairs, a funny little tent shape with crooked fairy lights inside, and many, many laughs.

Vernon: Outfit of the day! Some days, Vernon lets you dress him up head to toe exactly how you like. Usually, he’s left with odd accessories, untied shoes, backwards hats, and oversized tees with various comic book characters on them, but hey! It’s not like he does much better dressing himself!

Dino: Asks you nonsense questions and leads useless conversations just to hear you yap. Your little yapping is so cute to him, he’s infinitely amused by it. Plus, it gives you an outlet to feel heard, to feel listened to.

“Oh, yeah? Then what happened?” Chan asks with a fake gasp, smirking knowingly as you begin a rant of babbles to retell your tale. He’s listening intently, really trying to piece together the story you have to tell.

Yeah, Chan could listen for hours.

[lostboiking30]

Some night time thoughts while I’m sick in bed with Covid.

I want to preface this by saying that I have been aware of Wicked since 2004 and was active in the fandom between 2005-2009. I never watched the musical live(I know what happens tho-thank you for the slime tutorials), I read the book in like 2006 and I listened to the obc obsessively. However, I did fall out of the fandom maybe around 2010 and Wicked became less centralized in my life as I got older. Before I saw the movie, I hadn’t listened to the soundtrack for about 5 years. So it’s been awhile, but needless to say, I *adored* the movie.

I’m gonna be talking about some stuff in act 2 so if you are only familiar with the film, there are 🩷✨SPOILERS✨💚 below.

I’ve been active in a lot of discourse over Glinda being a “villain” in Wicked over on Threads and a lot of people are big mad about this take. And a lot of what I am seeing is that

1) people are assuming that folks who take this stance have only seen part 1

2) defending Glinda because they see themselves as her

3) are assuming that people calling Glinda a villain are simply being reductive and not seeing the nuances in her character arc.

On a related note—I find interesting is that everyone seems to be in agreement about who the “Wicked” one is in “No One Mourns The Wicked”

Now back in the early aughts when I was a teenager, I was admittedly more focused on Elphaba and Glinda’s romance than I was either of their characters, but at the time, I hadn’t seen the play, so all I had to go off of was the book and the OBC and as much as I enjoyed the book, the musical seemed more my speed because of how whimsical it sounded, which was more in line with my hopeless romantic heart that just wanted Glinda to get on the broom with Elphaba and forget about everything and fly off to their happily ever after.

Well…fast forward 2 decades later. I’m 33 now and within the last two decades, one of those decades has been spent in therapy after realizing that I was trans masculine, neurodivergent, and traumatized not just by the shit that happened in my family, but by the near constant political and social disasters we have all collectively been a part of for the last 10 years. The decolonization, deconstruction and radicalization I’ve experienced truly changed the lens on this story and the impact it’s had on me.

Watching Glinda in the first part of the movie was fascinating and entertaining because of how smart her character is. Someone described her as Machiavellian and at first I thought maybe that was giving Glinda too much credit, but the more I think about it, the more I think I agree.

Ariana Grande understands Glinda and played her so well and I saw that the second she appeared on screen.

Glindas performative “goodness” has always been present but it felt more tangible to me watching this film…and it left a bad taste in my mouth (yay for great acting!) because I have known people like her.

On the other hand, Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba felt so authentic that I couldn’t help but fall in love with her again. This Elphaba was soft, kind, loyal, empathetic, naive, and unwavering. And because I had just gotten into a big fight with a friend who had called me naive and emotional, well I couldn’t help but feel connected to her again.

When i referred to Glinda as a villain, one person replied “wait til act 2. Listen to ‘No Good Deed’ Elphaba wasn’t all good either” and I thought that was such an odd thing because Elphaba didn’t do things with the intent to harm. She was trying to save her friends. She is actively gaslighting herself in “No Good Deed” with all the things others have always said to her.

Elphaba later admits she’s limited and can’t do the things Glinda that Glinda could do, even though Elphaba is literally one of the most powerful witches in Oz. She wasn’t limited. Her ambition lied outside of herself and her desire to help the Animals. She was tired.

And after spending years doing social justice work, the number one thing I learned, especially during the pandemic, was that this isn’t work one can do alone. It’s a community based effort. Organizing is hard work.

Glinda, on the other hand, was self ambitious, and even though she was slowly beginning to unravel and figure things out, it took her losing almost everything she wanted (her freedom, Elphaba and Fiyero) to figure out she had to change. Similarly to the dance scene in act 1. If Morrible hadn’t given her the wand and told her what Elphaba said, I do not think she would have been as compelled to enter the dance floor.

So here’s the thing. I *LOVE* Glinda. But I hate her. She is so complex for all the wrong reasons, and I know that as someone who is marginalized in different ways, I cannot be friends with someone who aligns themselves as Glinda does. And it’s fucking heartbreaking.

That’s the whole point of Defying Gravity. Elphaba and Glinda cannot continue together past that point.

But they changed some things in the movie. Hearing what Morrible said about Elphie at the beginning of DG, accepting Morrible’s embrace and listening to Oz’ guards yell “kill her” should have been glaring warning signs. Yet Glinda still chose to side with them and uphold the wizards tyrannical regime. Not to mention that Glinda’s decision to help the wizard and Morrible led to the chain of events in act 2. Glinda’s not a good person, even if she felt remorse later on.

And don’t even get me started on Fiyero. Like I get why he became part of the guard but the whole working from within the system is fucked too. I also hated that they never told Glinda.

So yeah. This was a really long winded way of saying that I think movie wicked and stage wicked reflect different moments in time and movie wicked is more appropriate for today’s mainstream audiences. I think Elphaba being played by a Black Woman had a huge impact on how she was played and received. I love that Cynthia Erivo advocated to make her Elphie represent a woman of color and that she included inner child and ancestor work into the character.

Ariana Grande knows the in and outs of Glinda and plays her as authentically as possible. And knowing how much the actors love each other irl really solidified how much I believe Elphaba and Glinda love each other.

I spent way too long on this and it’s all over the place but I’m posting it.

Engage, discuss, and divulge in a respectful manner please. Wicked is very near and dear to my heart.

[stitchsixwives]

I saw the third preview of SIX and here are some thoughts

- First of all (unrelated to SIX) I just made a tumblr so I have no idea how formatting works

- Everyone was cheering so loud the second the lights went down.

- I never realized how far downstage they were (I was sitting in the second row) when they walk out; they were so close

- They walked out with such power. The silhouette with the haze, ah, absolutely amazing

- Andrea's hairpiece and Sam's ponytail were SO LONG. I spent most of ex wives mesmerized by their hair. And the vocals. Also the vocals.

- Sam's riff at "the fun's begun" sent chills down my spine

- Andrea winked at someone in the front row

- Britt looked so offended when Sam cut her off

- The choreography was so sharp for No Way. Especially the dance break

- Adrianna just totally milked the applause at the end of No Way, and it was fantastic

- Andrea's facials during the intro to DLYH were fantastic. She had that "What? Moi?" Face, and was totally into what the other girls were saying

- Her laugh was absolutely adorable, and for a brief second, I actually thought she was reading something on her phone that made her laugh. It was so genuine

- She also just looked so confused as to what was happening, and I could see her just put the pieces together and ahhh she's such an amazing actress

- Britt's facial expressions during DLYH were amazing. When Andrea was like "I didn't know I would move in with his missus" Britt had been sort of half paying attention, but at that line she shot up, completely shocked

- Sam and Britt were kinda making fun of/teasing boleyn and my brain couldn't decide whether to watch Dre or watch Sam and Britt's antics, because they were hilarious

- When Andrea was like "He's actually gonna chop my head off!" Britt looked like a scolded child and I was laughing my ass off

- A lot of Andrea's lines were much lower in her voice than they were before. I liked it, I just hope that the change isn't because of people making fun of her voice or calling her immature.

- The dick joke was much faster than before, just a very quick gesture with the mic

-Her "I'm not sorry" and ending riffs were SO GOOD AND I AM DECEASED

- I wish I could remember specifics as far as Jane's monologue goes, but I do remember there were some delivery changes, and I loved it

- Abby added some more riffs and did this light falsetto on "high" during HOS and I died

- I couldn't see the actual tears, but I saw her wiping her face when she finished. IDK how she sings that well while crying. Her voice didn't even really crack, it was still so strong and I have no idea how she does it

- HOH was so incredibly chaotic and I couldn't stop laughing the entire song

- I don't remember exactly when but I'm pretty sure Anna waved at me at one point (or someone near me, lets be honest)

- Britt had so much energy during Get Down that she almost kicked Adrianna in the face (and Dri didn't even react)

- She told this young girl in the front row to get up and dance. I think she was a bit shy, but Britt and the others were so encouraging and when she sat back down, instead of saying "get down" Britt was like "SHE'S SO CUTE"

- The costume reveal was so good, and Britt just had this expression like, "yeah I know I'm hot" and was just basking in the applause and cheering. Same with the applause at the end, she was just LIVING for it

- Sam didn't pet Dri's cheek during the K Howard roast, she just kinda stood there.

- I don't think she wrapped her arm around Dre either

- She did put her arm around Abby, and her "when will justice be SERVED" was so funny

- I never noticed before but Britt just kinda stares at Sam's arm/chest so neither of them break (I knew britt and Sam couldnt look each other directly in the eyes, but I never realized Britt was looking at her arm/chest)

- The pacing of the last few lines "I'm really hot...oh wait like this" was a lot faster and it took me a minute to get the jokes. And I've seen many slime tutorials of the show, so I already know the jokes.

- AYWD felt more serious from the beginning. It didn't feel as flirty or playful.

- Oh my god Sam's vocals just destroyed me.

- I've seen this before in slime tutorials, but seeing in person just emphasized the sinister expressions that the other girls have. Especially since they're in dark, mostly cool lighting, and they're looking up at her with zero trace of a smile. It was so creepy (in a good way)

- During the 3rd verse when the girls start closing in on her, Sam looked so nervous and uncomfortable and I just wanted to give her a hug

- Her riff on "different" was so fucking good and hearing it in person was even better than the videos. Her voice had so much power and so much emotion

- They're playing around with the ending of AYWD to try to get the audience not to clap, and when Sam threw her head back with that loud gasp instead of just letting her head fall back while she's sobbing, all I could think was "ouch, that looks painful"

- Sam was fighting so hard to stay in character during the applause. Because her next line is "and then I was beheaded" so she can't really bask in it or react to it the same way that Britt did, for instance.

- She changed the inflection on that line, so it was "and THEN I was beheaded" and I laughed so fucking hard at the way she said it so seriously.

- Andrea sounded so genuine when she was like "i don't want it to be weird between us" and then she finished the line in the same tone and it was even funnier than before

- Britt jumped like a foot in the air when Abby was like "oh boo hoo" and she was screaming so loud, Adrianna looked terrified, and everyone else looked a mix of bewildered, concerned, and startled

- I was nervous Adrianna was gonna back into the side of the stage for a hot sec lol, that's how fast they were moving. And Abby's pose at the end of "I DIED" just about killed me.

- Andrea's "hahahhaha what" was so fucking hilarious, and the way the band just teetered out and the queens looked completely lost was just golden

- During the argument about cathy not singing sam was just like "WOOOOOOOOW wow wow wow wow" and I was dying

- Everyone looked so skeptical about cathy telling them to sit down before her monologue

- ANNA'S RIFFS HOLY SHIT. She added some new ones and oh my god I am deceased

- The other girls were hyping Anna up so much during IDNYL and it was so fucking amazing to watch

- Adrianna and Andrea stayed holding hands instead of putting their arms around each other and it was so damn cute

- ANDREA FUCKING MACASAET FUCKING SMILED AT ME THROUGH MOST OF SIX AND I DIED. I thought she was looking at someone else at first, and I'm 95% sure she could clock the exact second I realized she was looking directly at *me* because I promptly started freaking out. I also was so mesmerized by this angel smiling at me that I missed the rest of the song lol

- Sam's "do you wanna hear one more song?" was so fucking cute

- I did get a video of the megasix but I'd get distracted by the singing and forget to turn the camera lol

[jebazzled]

it ain’t your muse! (shut up & write, ft. rihanna)

You nerds are always talking about your muse. My muse this, my muse that, I have no muse, my muse went the way of the dinosaurs, if my muse comes out of its burrow and sees its shadow I won’t be able to write for six weeks.

Shut up about your fucking muse!

It is true that you might go through periods where it is hard to find time and energy to write, or negative experiences in a writing community might leave you with anxiety surrounding writing. But by and large, writers block is something you can overcome! 

Please, for the love of god, let me help you. 

Writing is a muscle, and you’ve got to exercise it if you don’t want it to atrophy. 

This tutorial is a bit of tough love about y’all and y’all’s diddly-darn muses, and some advice for snapping yourself out of it!

So here’s the thing about writing, my loves. You have to actually do it. 

TERRIBLY inconvenient, I know.

I’m not here to tell you how to manage your work-life balance or how to manage your time. If you’re not writing much because you straight up don’t have time to write much, my advice is simple: pare down on your characters, focus on the plots that matter most to you, and spend some mental health juice on reminding yourself that there isn’t an RP Prom Queen, and even if there were, it’s better not to live or die by that bizarro crown. 

But if you’re having trouble writing because of Your Muse... I’m cracking my knuckles. 

We’ve all written with folks before - or been that folk before - who need a very specific set of circumstances if they’re going to write: they need time to Pinterest, need to listen to a specific playlist, need to get in the mindset, need the thread to scratch a very specific itch and need all of it to come together before the moon passes out of a waxing gibbous. As a fellow dev ho, I understand the appeal of writing to suit a mood, of vibing to a playlist, of prioritizing the stuff you’re going fucking feral for, of having the stars align while you do the thing. But if you’re like this when you’re writing for other people - 

well, you’re making things difficult for both you and your writing partners! We can’t control the external constraints on our time, e.g. work and school, and we can’t always control the nonsense our psychology spins to keep us from writing. But some things are within our control, and by god, if there is any control to be had in the year of Mother Sappho 2021, don’t you want it? 

At least some of your writers block is probably dumb as hell. So let’s beat the shit out of that part.

Anyway, if you’re yakking on and on about how your muse demands a bottle of red wine and a scented candle and fairy lights and soft socks and the blood of the servant, willfully given in order to spit out 200 words, or whatever... 

it’s not that fucking deep.

Writing is a muscle. It’s like any other muscle: you need to exercise it. 

If you’re training for a 5k, you don’t sit on your couch listening to “Eye of the Tiger” until race day. You get your ass off the cushion and pound the pavement. You probably start by alternating walks with short bursts of running. You probably don’t work your way up to actually running 5k at a time for a few weeks. And once you’ve run that first 5k, you don’t go sit on your couch to listen to “Eye of the Tiger” until the next race. You keep running to stay in shape for the next race.

Writing is like that. 

What you write does not have to be perfect. 

You can work on the post for six weeks and there will still be things you could change. You know what change your writing partner would have appreciated most? If you’d posted it for them three weeks ago. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. 

Cut yourself the same slack you cut for your writing partners. Do you yearn to keelhaul them if their reply isn’t worth a National Book Award? No, because you’re not an asshole. They’re also not an asshole. Everyone is reasonable here. Write something that responds to what they gave you and that gives them something to work with. Not every single post has to be capital-I Inspired. ✨

What you write does not have to be a vibe ready for the Goop newsletter. 

I was a creative writing major in college, and I was always having to turn stuff in for class that wasn’t exactly what I wanted to work on: a short story set in another country when I just wanted to write a play with puppets, an essay about food when I would rather write one about a weekend drive, etc. 

Sometimes, you write what you write when you write it not because it’s getting you hot and bothered but because you’ve owed a reply for A While and you feel bad about keeping someone waiting. It will still be fun, because you chose to do that thread with your character and someone else’s character for a reason, and that reason stands, even if your monkey brain is yearning to play with that slime that makes fart noises when you put it away. 

(Pro tip, here: don’t do threads you don’t actually have any interest in writing! It is less awkward to tell someone, “I am not interested in my character weed whacking your character’s lawn” than to waste their time with 10 posts of it before telling them, “I am not interested in my character weed whacking your character’s lawn.”) 

The more you write, the easier it is. 

Let’s talk about running again. A couple of years ago, I went on a bit of a kick with the running. I ran at least three times a week. I would bring my running shit with me to work so I could run in the park near my office. I would make running dates with friends. I would reward myself with a bagel from my favorite cafe if I did a run. And you know what? Once I got myself past the hurdle of pulling on my running clothes and lacing up my shoes, I enjoyed myself. When I ran 5k without slowing to a walk, I was proud of myself. When I told myself, “let’s do another loop at the park!” and stopped to take a photo of the sunset, I enjoyed myself. I would not have enjoyed myself if I hadn’t hit the goddamn pavement.

Put your ass in your fucking chair. I don’t care if you don’t have the right scented candle. Write 50 words. Right fucking now. I’ll wait.

Write another 50.

Now write another 100.

How long did that take you? Some days, it might take you 90 minutes to write 200 words. But that’s 200 more words than you would have written in 90 minutes of browsing Pinterest waiting for an angel to come down from heaven and write this post for you. 

All that bullshit you do to Feed Your Muse? It’s stalling, you idiot. 

The more you make yourself write instead of just thinking about writing, the easier it will be to actually fucking write. 

I used to sit and stare at posts for hours and hours and hours before submitting them, so worried about the post being good enough. When I moved to a neighborhood with an aboveground train line, I was able to write on my morning commute, and writing every morning - even if only the 200 words I could crank out on mobile in 30 minutes before work - got me out of my weird writers block crutches and security blankets. It didn’t take as much effort to write, anymore. I wrote over 200,000 words in 2019, and over 300,000 words in 2020, when I had barely any commute at all to use on writing. I didn’t magically have endless hours of free time. I just wasn’t wasting my free time pretending that being on Tumblr counted as writing. 

Tough love: doled out. And now:

TIPS & TRICKS FOR BEATING “””Writers Block”””

Stop acting like Writers Block is real. It’s not that it’s not real, but by telling yourself that you have Writers Block, you’re making it worse for yourself. You’re making excuses for yourself. I used Writers Block to stall writing my Topics in Creative Writing: Folktales portfolio for 3 months, and you know what happened? I still had to turn in the fucking portfolio, because the person I was writing for didn’t fucking care about my fucking Writers Block. And you know who had to sit her ass in a chair and write 30 pages of folktales in a 24 hour period? Me. It’s almost like my Writers Block was just PROCRASTINATION. 

Set a timer. If you’re looking at your list of replies owed and you’re feeling like it might be easier to “do character dev” and “build a playlist” than to write your posts, break the task into smaller pieces. If your server has a sprint bot, use it. If not, set your own timer.  Organize your list of threads with the ones you’ve owed replies on the longest at the top. Set your timer for 20 minutes and see how much you can write for the oldest post you owe. Not done? Set the timer for another 20 minutes. Keep setting that timer until that post is done and you can drop it in the tags channel. Now do the same for the second oldest.  CRANK! THEM! OUT! If you find that it’s depleting your creative energy, that’s not unusual! When I get to this point in my own posting habits, my oldest replies owed are usually for Albus Dumbledore, a character I write specifically because I hate him. It is often easier to knock out all his posts in one chunk rather than shift voice, so this ends up working out nicely. 

Don’t indulge your stupid stalling tactics. Do you typically get sidetracked by Pinterest? Put your phone away and close that tab. Do you get absorbed in lining up the perfect music for writing a post? Write in silence, asshole. Do you need to be in your favorite chair with the right lighting? Go sit on a park bench and write on mobile.  It’s nice to write in idealized environments. I rented a treehouse last summer to write 10k on a novel! I get it! But you absolutely can write in other environments, if you have to. And if you can get yourself to write on a dark skin on your iPad at an airport in the Midwest while waiting for a flight - well, shit, think of how much you’ll be able to write on a laptop when your diva ass demands are properly met!

Don’t take on shit you don’t want to write. I fully admit that these tactics feel a bit like homework/chores/a to-do list for what is of course a fun hobby. You know how they say “love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life?” If you don’t take on plots, characters, and threads that don’t have a lick of interest or excitement for you, this shit won’t feel like a hassle. 

Hope this whips all you little miscreants (myself included) into shape! Now quit your yapping and start writing. 

[mooooooosicals]

Can't believe I have to say this again.

This post is going to come off more aggressive. Just a warning.

I cannot tell you how big of an advocate I am for proper theatre etiquette. It is absolutely one of the most important things to know in the theater going experience. I believe that if you do not know how to be a good audience member, you don't deserve to see a show. Period.

I thought people just KNEW the basic rules of being in an audience, but it seems in these times people don't know anything, so let's go over a few reminders (I can't believe I have to actually remind people of this, this should be just KNOWN)

Going to see shows is a privilege and it is NOT cheap. I do think theatre, especially Broadway, should be a LOT more accessible than it is. It is a business that is most likely corrupt. We won't get into that, but the basic takeaway is that the seat you sit in has been bought by either you or a really nice person. A great many people would give so much to just sit in that seat.

With that being said, theatre is an amazing experience, it is live and raw and beautiful. Do NOT take that experience away from somebody. EVER.

There are many ways to steal the experience from somebody. Talking during the show is one of them. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT be that annoying person during the show that makes constant commentary. You may not mind it, but the other people around you probably do. Again, refer to 1. A lot of money went into that seat you're sitting in. Don't ruin it.

Don't have your flash on. Please. It's extremely distracting to the actors and everyone around you. Just don't have your phone on in general. The bright screen is distracting. It may be on low brightness but it is still very very visible to everyone around you. Watch the show, your friends and your platform can wait a couple hours. Again, refer to 1. (I'm not talking abt slime tutorials, that is not a subject I will be touching upon in this rant)

Audiences nowadays cheer waaayyyyyy too much. Cheer after a good moment, a good song, bows, but don't do it too much. It can end up covering up another line and can be distracting.

STAGE DOOR. IS. NOT. AN. OBLIGATION. FOR. THE. ACTORS. They do it because they WANT to, not because they have to. So please, do not push people, do not snap at people to give you a spot at stage door. Do not make the actors uncomfortable, do not chase after them, and give other people a chance to interact with them.

Respect actors. Both in real life and online. It seems people these days are getting EXTREMELY bold and it is very obviously making the actors extremely uncomfortable. They welcome compliments and fanart and all that stuff, but please, don't sexualize them, don't harass them, don't make fun of them, treat them with decency. They are humans too, with human feelings and thoughts and opinions. Let them live their lives, PLEASE.

If you can, please reblog this, and also add on if you think I missed an important point. I hope you all practice proper theatre etiquette in the future, it is extremely important.

[meepmoopfanfics]

you don’t get a win unless you’re playing the game

Daveed Diggs x Reader

I’m thinking of making this an extensive fan fiction on your journey to becoming a member of the first post-COVID recast of Hamilton where they bring back the OBC principals for one month only. It’s going to go by slowly because I’m really attentive to detail. 

Chapter 1

You had been working your ass off for months to prepare for your final Hamilton audition. You went in, nailed it, and pretty much nailed the singing, except for when they had you sing for a potential Maria Reynolds alternate. You had already known the show by heart from fangirling over every single Hamilton Slime Tutorial available on Youtube and the internet as well as the new HD movie on Disney Plus. You suffered long hours in the gym building your stamina and endurance for this. Your agent told you you would be hearing back from casting today at 2:00-3:00 pm sharp if you were hired. This was it. Your chance for Broadway. They were recasting the entire cast. You were 1/50 being considered to fill the 5 women ensemble parts, as well as women swings roles. 

You look down at your phone which displays the OBC Hamilton cast’s Vogue centerfold shoot photo. Of course it was zoomed in on Daveed Diggs to the left, grabbing his nuts, looking like a hot, charismatic, gentleman. It was your life goal to meet this man someday.

2:43 PM

“Fuck…” you said out loud to yourself. You were all alone in your closet sized studio apartment. You began pacing. You were browsing Youtube on your Apple TV, listening to your favorite Broadway songs that had nothing to do with Hamilton to ease your nerves. Your green urban outfitters tank top was drenched in sweat in the underarms. Your anxiety was skyrocketing. You thought about your ex who you recently broke up with and wish you had him to comfort you through this terrifying time. 

You finished scream singing Suddenly Seymour and looked back down at your phone.

2:48PM

It was getting bleak. It didn’t seem like this was going to happen for you. You began to spiral, beginning to feel your throat tensing up, your heart falling into your gut, feeling your soul shattered, you worked so hard and this is what you were going to have to live with for the rest of your li—

“LAFAYETTE! I’m taking this horse by the reigns making redcoats redder with bloodstains!”

Your head couldn’t process that your phone, which you made sure wasn’t on silent and turned up to the max so you wouldn’t miss a call, was ringing with a random number on it. You’ve seen the number so many times before from your agency calling for normal check-ins. 

“LAFAYETTE! And I’m never gonna stop until I see em drop and—“

“Hello?”

“Hi! Y/N?”

“Yes this is she!”

“This is Jenny. Where are you at right now?” “I’m in my apartment in the heights! Simply pacing waiting to hear back from casting.” You nervous giggled, putting on your most professional voice. You had personally asked your agent to call you either way based on what casting had to offer or not.

“Well Y/N I have some news for you... I I think you may want to sit down to hear this.”

Your heart sank back down. You felt tears rushing to your tear ducts. Heat rushed over your face and you began to shake as a panic attack began settling in.

“Okay I’m sitting. Is everything okay? Was the feedback negative?”

“Y/N… how’d you like to make your Broadway debut as The Bullet?”

Your whole world stopped.

“Are you joking right now?”

“Of course not. This is one of the happiest calls I’ve ever made as an agent. I know how badly you wanted this and we’re all so happy for you.”

You begin to scream and cry and laugh all at the same time. 

“Y/N? Are you okay? Are you laughing or crying? Or both?”

“I’m so happy I can’t even breathe!” You exclaimed. 

“You’ll be starting rehearsals on Monday morning at the Richard Rogers. Wanna know something else really cool?”

“What?”

“The principals for the first month of shows will be from the OBC. Lin Manuel, Anthony Ramos, All three Schuyler sisters, Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Oak-“

“I’m sorry… WHAT” you screamed. 

Jenny laughed a huge belly laugh. You began to dance around your apartment alone, stomping your feet on your hard wood floor. You’d be sure to be getting a noise complaint from the elderly couple that lived in the apartment below you.

“Yes! Daveed is coming back.”

“I’m in, I’m so in.”

“I’ll send you the details as soon as I’m done. We’re so proud of you and will be there for you debut on president’s day!”

You dropped your phone onto the floor. You didn’t even look or check to see if it was cracked. You could afford a new one anyway. Broadway salary? And Hamilton for that matter?!?

And you were going to be your dream role, making your Broadway debut, with Daveed Diggs right at your side. Daveed Diggs was going to know your name.

You already started writing what your Instagram caption was going to say for your debut post…

You had to call your parents and all of your best friends. This was the start of something new.

[honeym4rk]

station (jjh)

college! jaehyun x reader word count: 3.0k summary: four times you find yourself alone with jaehyun at a bus station.

There is comfort in the silence.

With every step you take, there is a crunch of fallen, juniper leaves at your feet. Your canvas tote bag is looped around your shoulder, your fingers clinging to the straps like it would shield you from the awkwardness of the current circumstances.

He’s got his hands hidden in the cavity of his hoodie. His knuckle cracking is sporadic, and you cringe at just how many times they’ve made an encore in the past two minutes.

You really should have begged Mark to tag along and leave the shindig so that this wouldn’t have happened- but alas, the boy was still hooked by the prospect of winning the next round of Mario Kart against Donghyuck. ‘It does some good to my self-esteem,’ he’d said. 

So here you are, sauntering bashfully to the bus stop with Jaehyun.

“So, uh- what bus are you taking?” You muster up the courage to speak up after a few minutes of painful reticence. 

“I’d have to take 922 or 153 from the opposite stop to get back to hall,” he sighs. It’s clear that he reciprocates the weird, distinctive tension here.

“And you?” He faces you with his raised eyebrows and you’re baffled by the sudden eye contact made. Your eyes dart elsewhere.

“Oh, I’m taking 922 from here.” You nod your head imperceptibly at the bus stop ahead of you.

A few metres away, there’s a zebra crossing, and you thank your lucky stars that you’re finally about to part ways. Oh, you’re sure Jaehyun is a nice person and all, but that doesn’t change the fact that the unspoken, kind enmity in the air is capable of being taut so hard around your neck that you asphyxiate. 

Ten more steps. Come on.

Five steps. 

Three steps.

“I’ll see you next ti-” 

Yet he doesn’t stop at the crossing. Instead, he continues his stride in tandem with yours towards the station. You stop in your tracks, slowly gesturing towards the beaconing street light with the hand you raised to bid adieu. 

“Aren’t you going to, you know..?” Eyes hinting at the yellow streaks of light, at the bus stop across the road, anywhere away from his own. Jaehyun notices your halt and follows suit.

“Well, I mean, Mark did ask me to see that you got home safe....”

You immediately wrack your brain for an appropriate response to his chivalry. It’s unclear how you should react; he really caught you by surprise. And from the way he’s gnawing at his inner lip and raising a hand to scratch the nape of his neck, you infer that he’s abashed too. All you manage is a small, “Oh,” as more silence ensues, before you start to blabber,

“No, no, thanks, Jaehyun, but it’s really fine, you don’t have to.”

His lips are taut into a firm, straight line and he lets out a surreptitious hum.

“Let me just wait ‘til you board your bus. Is that okay? It’s getting pretty late.”

You want to vehemently object. 

And you’re about to, but you let out a consenting “Yeah, alright.”

He’s invading your desiderated solace- yet something about his offer seems so genuine and saccharine that you comply out of curiosity. You’d heard things about Jaehyun around in school before, good things, especially seeing that he was well acquainted with your friends like Mark, but you’d never really encountered him until tonight, thanks to Donghyuck’s birthday celebration. Being a Linguistics student, fate hadn’t really presented many opportunities for him to meet someone majoring in Pharmacy. 

Therefore- you think to yourself- it wouldn’t be so bad. It’s unlikely that you’ll actually talk to him again, since you’ll probably never be within a radius of at least ten metres from him again. It’s alright, it’s okay. You decide to let him be a gentleman.

So you bask in the quietude shrouding the two of you, as you sit on the metal form, awaiting the arrival of a yearned 922. 

After all, there is the slightest hint of comfort in the silence.

There is also comfort in the familiarity.

You’re sure there’s a sense of déjà vu. It’s a similar scene to what had ensued a few weeks ago, at least, and you’re definitely surprised to be here again, with him . However, you’ve both abandoned the multi-layered cake of unease. It’s almost been completely devoured now. Fortunately.

Jaehyun’s chuckling relentlessly- nearly doubled over laughing- as you recount the earlier occurrences of the Friday night. 

“Yeah, no, but I’d give anything to see the look on Donghyuck’s face again.” His eyes crinkle into small crescents as he runs a hand through his silver hair.

“He looked so confident that it was going to work and I’d already told him otherwise, but I really don’t know what he expected.” 

Tonight, there had been an effort to study in Donghyuck’s apartment; considering the looming exam season. This purpose was indeed fulfilled, to some extent. 

Then Donghyuck, feeling rather ravenous, decided that he wanted to indulge in a quick and easy two-ingredient Oreo mug cake. The video tutorial truly looked too good to be true- you’d seen multiple YouTubers debunk the content-farm produced recipes. 

The wide-eyed boy was too desperate, however, as he credulously decided to fill his mug with crushed oreos and milk to the brim. He swore that it looked and sounded promising until a loud Pop! reverberated in the kitchen 30 seconds into heating.

Everyone gathered around to watch Donghyuck cry over his spilt milk, literally, as his appliance perpetually emitted smoke, its glass door burst open. Burnt mounds of moist black and white cookies were thrown at the white, metal walls of the microwave. Donghyuck fanned the plumes of smoke hastily.

“It looks like a volcano erupted.” Mark added, coughing, as he tried to swallow the chuckle bubbling at the back of his throat.

“Dude- I don’t want to say I told you so but,” You began to implore, before Donghyuck interjected.

“Maybe I should just try again, I think the microwave setting just wasn’t right.” 

And so he did- but to no avail.

The two of you approach the tiny station side by side, and you relish the warm, fuzzy feeling establishing in your stomach. Not quite butterflies, but maybe more like a tiny sprout popping out of the ground.

“To be fair, though, it didn’t taste half as bad as it looked.”

You snort. “Sure, because it’s literally sugar and milk with a dash of hidden carcinogens.” 

He lets out a low chortle. Jaehyun nails the bellowing dad laugh right down to a T, and some part of you finds this endearing.

A flash of bright light emerges as you look up from your feet. 922 has arrived and you’re rummaging through your bag for your bus card. 

“I feel like I left my card at Donghyuck’s, shit,”

The bus halts. 

“Here, use mine, I’ve got a spare.” Jaehyun offers without a second thought, pulling his card from the pocket of his denim jeans. 

“Go on, the bus driver’s waiting.”

You would have thought this through for a little while longer, but he was right. A scowl that said ‘Stop wasting my damn time,’ is plastered on the driver’s face, and it urges you to carefully pick the card slotted between his fingers. 

“Thanks so much- I’ll return it tomorrow, or something.” Your eyebrows furrow together and you clench your teeth together in a grimace.

“Yeah! Yeah, whenever. Good night, Y/N. Get home safe,”

“You too, thanks again!”

Boarding the bus hastily, you wave at him through the glass door as the bus sets off. He doesn’t leave until you’re out of sight.

You can’t help but grin as you examine the portrait on his student pass. He’s handsome, skin clear and glossy, hair parted such that there are a bunch of strands obstructing his forehead. It’s black in this image. You wonder how many colours it's been dyed. His dimples replicate the poked slime in the myriad of videos you’ve seen, and his cheekbones are incredibly prominent. 

It dawns on you that you don’t have his number, or follow him on Instagram, or have any means to contact him at all. You guess that you’ll have to fish something from Mark, but Jaehyun seems to beat you to it.

Unknown, [2340]: hey this is jaehyun lol hope you get back safe :-)

A sudden flash of the many possible outcomes this could entail breezes past your mind. You’re quite uncertain about how this will play out, and you unlock your phone to reply.

Y/N, [2341]: hii hahah thanks again! i can return your card tomorrow, just lmk where i can drop by

Jaehyun, [2341]: yeah sure, i think i’ll be cooped up in starbucks doing work w my friends lol 

Jaehyun, [2341]: u can join if ud like :o

There is comfort in the unknown.

There is comfort in the noise.

Your whole herd of boisterous friends are walking uphill from yet another study session at Donghyuck’s- there’s been quite a number of them since the first. You’re honestly amused by how many people can fit in his apartment. The study group has expanded from a mere four to a whopping seven people in total.

Thankfully, there haven’t been any microwave oven explosions since then, but you’ve had your good share of fun and company, and more importantly, productivity. 

The pack of young adults currently divulging the extensive, latest gossip and hall horror stories, you and Jaehyun stray further behind. You’re trying to listen in and pick apart information, but you’ve joined the conversation a bit too late for context. 

“Oh my god, Lia, you’re going to hate hearing this, but…” Jungwoo begins, his voice entering a decrescendo.

“But Jeno has a girlfriend? Yeah, I figured.” Lia wails. “I saw them together in the library the other day, being all cute and shit. My heart shattered .” She emphasises this by hitting Jungwoo’s shoulder out of pure frustration. 

“How long have they been together, though?” Ryujin quips, to which she gets a reply, but you try to drown out the rest of their conversation.

You tug at the arm of Jaehyun’s sweatshirt, and he leans closer to you as you query, “Who’s Jeno, again?”

“Cute dude that she keeps bumping into at hall, I think,” he mumbles. His words are semi-intelligible, because of the commotion right in front of you.

“Sorry? I didn’t catch that.” The infinite frequencies are hard to tune out, and it gets increasingly arduous to do so when Ryujin gasps.

“Oh shit, the bus is here!” Your friends are immediately ready to break into a sprint, but Jaehyun’s feet seem heavy as he continues to meander with you. 

“Jae, aren’t you coming? The next one’s in thirty minutes!” Jungwoo shouts as they begin to dash across the road.

“It’s fine, go on! I’m just a little lazy. See you!” Jaehyun dismisses him with the wave of his extended hand, and receives an incredulous look. The lame excuse confuses you, bamboozles you, but you wave goodbye to your friends anyway.

It’s been long since you’ve been caught alone here at the bus stop with Jaehyun- you usually head home with Mark every Friday. He’s not here, though. He’s crashed at Donghyuck’s for tonight.

“Uhm, what was that ?” You chuckle nervously, the little sprout in your belly magically reappearing. Truth be told, after the many lighthearted, late-night messages exchanged over the past few weeks, and after unravelling Jaehyun bit by bit, the sprout has grown into a pocket-sized garden. It brings its own butterflies, but you don’t quite have the audacity to admit this. There’s a different kind of trickiness lingering in the air tonight.

“Well, you know- Mark…and it’s- it’s getting late, kinda.” He’s timorous tonight. Under the luminescence of the bus station’s lamps, you see the pink tint land on the tips of his ears, something you’ve learnt happens when he’s rather shy. 

“I wanted to ask you something, too, though.”

“Okay, shoot.” You take a seat. He sits a modest distance away from you, cracking his knuckles instinctively.

“Well, I uhm, I’m not quite sure how you’ll react to this but,” he licks his lips.

“But?” You encourage him to carry on, staring as you await his continuation.

He looks as if he’s got the words at the tip of his tongue, the sea of sentences about to overflow from his mouth, and they’re spilling when he starts speaking again.

“Would you-” You listen intently, attempting to read his lips. However, he’s cut off by the booming wails of a velocious ambulance. You whip your head around to watch the vehicle pass by. 

Jaehyun breathes sharply, exhaling in frustration. The cries subside, so he tries again. 

“Y/N,” he clears his throat, and you face him once more.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“I was wondering if-” 

A fire truck zooms past the bus stop, and your attention is grabbed by the monotonous siren that raids your ears. Jaehyun notices your bus approaching, and he panics. The air-raid isn’t becoming distant; the truck’s obstructed by the imposing red-light flashing. There’s only so much time left to ask what he’s been dying to- and he can’t believe he’s getting cockblocked by the emergency services right now. 

You’re hearing Jaehyun spill a string of words but they’re incoherent- all you can seem to comprehend is the blaring repetitions that are relentless.

“What?!” You shout, fighting past the cacophony. “I can’t hear you!” You’re signing this to him, pointing to your ear and shaking your hand vigorously.

Your bus halts before you. Jaehyun’s in an absolute frenzy now. He doesn’t want to do this online. Something about hiding behind his screen sounds so ingenuine to him, and you’re already standing, shit, but he can’t win against the absolute pandemonium and doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the small crowd that’s alighted the bus, but he’s also not sure when he’ll get to talk to you in private like this again, 

So he clamours.

“Do You! Want To Go Out! With Me!” He’s cupping his large hands around his mouth, screaming into the makeshift amplifier with all his might, as you walk towards the front doors of the bus.

You look like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide open in disbelief as you gawk at the boy who’s sheepishly glancing at everyone and using his hand to defend himself from their stares. The butterflies that have erupted in you are merciless.

And then you burst into a fit of laughter- Jaehyun curses the sirens for piercing through such a pleasant sound- and you nod profusely, one foot already boarding the bus.

The glass doors shut close, and you’re enthusiastically gesturing to your handphone, waving at him. The bus whizzes away.

He’s shell-shocked, and he’s unable to will his hands in drawing his phone from his pocket. The sudden series of vibrations brings him back to his senses.

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝),[2257]: WAIT ask me again

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝), [2257]: idk if i heard u right

Jaehyun, [2258]: k

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝), [2258]: dude come back </3

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝), [2258]: YES lol

Y/N (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝), [2257]: yeeeeeeees

It heavily hinders Jaehyun that night, but there is comfort in the noise.

There is comfort in the isolation.

It’s only the blinding fluorescent lights and the cool breeze presenting company at the bus stop- you’re grateful that the occasional cars speeding by are helping you break down the very last walls of tension between the two of you, if there are any.

Whoosh. 

“I really enjoyed today.” He smiles and steals a quick glance at you. You’re at a different bus stop now- a month later and you’re amazed that you’ve gone out with Jaehyun at least three times now.

You catch the slight twinkle in his eyes as he scoots a whole foot nearer towards you on the cool metal bench. The distance between the two of you is closing slowly yet your heart rate is augmenting. It’s accelerating now- faster than any of the rambunctious vehicles that race down the road, their engines revving dirtily.

Whoosh. A black BMW zooms past you both and you take the opportunity to reciprocate the cheeky glimpse.

“Me too.”

There’s fumbling of fingers and twiddling of your thumbs before you notice the sudden influx of light and buzzing and realise that your bus has arrived. Pure languish rushes through every vein in your body- you don’t want this night to end.

Jaehyun begins to stand and shoots a quizzical expression when you don’t follow suit. 

“Let’s wait for the next one,” you grin, your legs swinging back and forth as you continue to glue yourself on the elevated seat.

The sound of his chuckle envelopes you into a warm hug- it’s deep, and strong, yet soft at the same time- and then you’re pulled to your feet by your wrists before he embraces you with confident hesitation too.

“Is this- it’s okay, right?” He just wants to be sure.

“Yeah- very.” You breathe, and his boyish smell fills your lungs. There is difficulty in naming what scented cologne he’s used today; but you devote no more attention. You just wallow in the tangy, mellow fragrance that has permeated your senses.

He’s got his arms coiled around your waist, his palm extended to press your back closer to him. You’re playing with the sharp, freshly cut hairs on the back of his neck. You run your fingers through them and he dives his head further into the crook of your neck. Jaehyun’s muffled voice is tickling your shoulder-

“Your hair smells really nice.” The corners of your lips edge upwards into an unrelenting grin.

“Thank God.”

There is comfort in Jaehyun.

[citylightsrpmemes]

Things I’ve Heard During Finals Crunch Starters

“Oh my god I’m going to piss all over my work.”

“SEND ME THE FUCKING DATA YOU COWARD!”

“I really am about to drop out just because I hate calc.”

“My mom sent me a care package of snacks and said to share with my friends. No Mom, that’s my meals for the next week until I come home because I have no meal plan money left.”

“I can’t wait to see my CHONKY boy.”

“Capitalism is bad but god I’m a bitch to it.”

“I am going to dunk my face into the giant cockroach tank.”

“Ah yes. Jewish Slime Tutorial. My Favorite. Totally not Falsettos.”

“I’ve allocated one hour to crying today. And every day. For the next week.”

“Oof. F in the chat for that political science class.”

“I love you, you dumb fuck, but for the love of god please eat.”

“Please take care of my plant son during winter break.”

“Hatsune Miku owns Harry Potter.”

“Fuck finals I’m playing Club Penguin.”

“I went all the way to class just to remember it got cancelled.”

“I’m going to the comic book store it’s like weed for asthmatic nerds.”

[honestlyhaunted]

Things to do while you’re stuck at home

This is an extensive list, so here are the main focus points and the details including links is under the cut!

1. Watching

2. Reading

3. Movement

4. Getting Creative

5. Random Other Ideas

1. Watching

Netflix. Of course, the obvious one. Catch up on shows you haven’t watched in a while, start new ones, got through your Watchlist and finally watch some movies you wanted to watch for years!

There is also the google chrome extension called Netflix Party that allows you to watch together with your friends while being at home!

Amazon prime, Disney+ and other streaming services. Same thing! Catch up on shows you wanted to watch for a while but haven’t come around to.

DVDs. I know this is old-fashioned but maybe you have some DVDs around that you haven’t watched? Or maybe your all-time favourite childhood movie that demands a rewatch.

Webshows. There a LOT of Webshows on Youtube, I’ve compiled a list with my favourites HERE! There are also plenty of indie short films you can watch here.

Educational Content. Want to learn more about a topic? Youtube is your friend here, too! You can watch loads and loads of Ted Talks and also Crash Course is a wonderful source to learn more about your interests!

Musical Bootlegs - I mean, slime tutorials! HERE is a super helpful link!

Watch a whole ass opera. The metropolitan opera has your back!!!

Media libraries by your local TV channels. I don’t know about other countries but in Germany you can stream shows and movies online in the media libraries of the big TV channels, for example ARD, ZDF, and arte. Just google the TV channels and see if the have a media library!

2. Reading

Books. Of course. There’s a book around you’ve been wanting to read for years? Now is the time! If you don’t have access to paper books, you can try the amazon Kindle app or the Libby app where you can borrow books and audiobooks directly to your phone! Also here is a link for free lesbian books!

Articles. There are so many wonderful blogs with interesting articles that you can explore!

Fanfictions. I know there is at least one 170k slow burn fic waiting in your Mark for later. Read it!

3. Movement

Yoga. Ideal if you have a mat but it’s also possible on a carpet or maybe even your bed. Try to stretch and get your muscles moving! YogaTX is a great channel, also Yoga with Adrienne is very good.

Dancing. Turn up your favourite music and dance! It makes you happy and gets you moving.

Take a walk. With proper social distancing, please. But it’s important to get fresh air from time to time.

Home workout. There are plenty of channels that provide videos for a home workout without equipment. Just search for it on youtube and find the one you like!

Hoola Hooping & skipping rope. If you have a big room or a garden, go for it!

4. Getting creative.

Write! If it’s short stories, fanfictions, movie scripts, poems, essays, diaries, lists, book and movie reviews - write it! Put your thoughts and ideas on paper. It’s always worth it!

Draw / Paint! I’m not a painter but i picked up a pencil yesterday and just scribbled some stuff and it was very calming. Doesn’t matter if you’re good at it or not - if it’s fun, do it!

Play an instrument. If you have an instrument at home, practice! Learn new songs, write your own or just play around and have fun.

Clean / Decorate your room. I love the Konmari method to clean your home, altough it can be challenging if you’ve never done it before. (But you should give it a try, if you’re feeling up to it!) Look around your room and think about how you REALLY want it to look like. Of course, you can’t magically change everything (I live in a 8 m² room right now with furniture that is not my own, sooo...), but you can change the atmosphere with little things you like - or maybe just getting rid of things you not longer like! I personally really like rearranging my book shelf.

There are a lot of other ways to get creative: stitching, sewing, gardening, book binding, baking, making moodboards, etc. If you want to try something new, or if that’s your hobby anyway: do it! (Also there are really youtube tutorials for anything.)

5. Random other ideas

Learn a new language! Duolingo and Memrise are great apps for that.

Research a topic. Always wanted to know why dolphins are mammals? Google it and find out!

Sing. I’m always singing, and it really helps me to express my emotions. Doesn’t have to be good, enjoy yourself! If you want to improve your singing, there are great vocal warm ups online!

Call your friends and family. With everyone being stuck at home I think it’s okay to actaully talk on the phone and not just text. It’s good to hear the voices of other people!

Listening to podcasts.

Discover new music.

Put on your favourite outfit, try new make up and hairstyles. Doesn’t matter if no one sees you. Make some selfies, posts them (or not) and maybe find a new style.

Discover national parks in 360 degrees!

See live streams of animals in zoos!

Play a computer or console game! This also should be obvious. If you just ordered the new animal crossing or if you finally have enough time to play the witcher - there are so many wonderful games out there!

Play a board game. If you’re stuck with some other people: now is the time to get out that dusty old board game from the 80s! Just be careful not to be at each other’s throat at the end, this should be uncomfortable in quarantine.

If you have other ideas, feel free to add them!

[differentworlds-fiction]

31

TARIN

In terms of hair, complacency with the regularly recurrent had never been Marjani Hunter’s forte. Whether she sacrificed a good night’s rest to scrounge the depths of Youtube for in-depth protective style tutorials, or she begrudgingly put her trust in the hands of a beautician from around the way with hopes of an end-result that exceeded her expectations, my friend tended to experiment with her hair quite often; leaving no style -- or color -- unattempted.

Over the years, I bore witness to the multitude of drastic hair transformations -- the burnt orange dye job I happened to grow fond of after a week of loathing, the effervescent bubblegum pink travesty she soon followed the former up with that haplessly damaged her hair by the onset of summer, and the befitting buzz cut she wore proudly subsequent to vowing she would ‘never allow an ounce of relaxer touch her head again’.

In true Marjani fashion, she revoked her pledge. And by that very same summer’s end, she commenced to relaxing, chopping and dyeing her short amount of hair that barely made it past her ears, settling on an auburn rinse styled into the cut reminiscent to Halle Berry’s in Boomerang.

However, this particular ‘do she chose to sport trumped them all.

She emerged from the sitting area in the lobby of my building wearing a wig the color of slime green; the neon colored locks cascaded down her back and its feathered fringe strands continuously grooved against her eyelashes. By the front desk, my eyes widened in astonishment; the sight alone prompted me to stuff my phone into the tiny satchel that draped along my shoulder and stare longingly at her as she gaited towards me, scooting by the passersby who’d failed to properly excuse themselves.

My eyes narrowed the longer I peered at her.

Marjani assessed my expression with a raised eyebrow, waiting for my initial reaction.

“...I actually like it.”

In response, Marjani kissed her teeth. “Stop lyin’.”

“No, really I do. The color might’ve caught me off guard at first, but I like it on you. Looks good.” I explained, taking notice to the subtle grin tugging at her heavily glossed lips. That subtle component of her fully made up face complimented the vivid smokey-eye I presumed she spent a majority of her time on.

I crouched down and inspected the wispy hairs, wondering if she’d styled the wig herself or paid someone to hack it for her. “It’s secure, right?”

“Girl, of course. I’m not about to be out here with my shit slippin’ off. This,” She tugged down the length of the wig’s pin-straight shaft, “ain’t going nowhere.” Her hands then fussed with the drawstrings that altered her ruched top. Gold chains dangled from her neck, exposing her decolletage coated in a cast that shimmered from the recessed lighting fixtures. “Don’t you ever get the urge to switch it up a bit?” She queried, messing with the braid out I managed to salvage when returning to New York.

Since my departure from Hill Sunday morning, it remained pulled into a pineapple until I mustered up enough patience to let it down and revive it with water and a generous amount of curling cream.

“I haven’t gotten the urge to make a drastic change to my hair. Not yet, at least.” I answered truthfully. “Who knows, maybe in a few months, I’ll want some highlights --”

“-- Or maybe you’ll cut it all off…and get some highlights put in to, you know,  liven it up.”

“I don’t know about chopping all of my hair off, Jani.”

“What’s there to think about?” She questioned. “I read an article once that stated women should chop their hair off at least once in their lifetime. I can’t even begin to explain how liberating -- how freeing that shit feels! I’m aware that hair is such a big deal to us,” she ran a finger over the top of her hand to indicate her complexion, “but that needs to stop.”

I nodded in agreeance, recounting instances throughout my adolescence where hair, its texture, and length remained a central fixture of one’s identity, and caused such a hangup amongst the women that resided around us. Even my decision to no longer routinely succumb to the overheated bonnet dryers at the local Dominican hair salon garnered a lighthearted scolding from Mama Sarah years ago, especially when I failed to conform to the unspoken tradition of taking Ayla to get her hair straightened for school pictures and preferred her to wear natural protective styles.

Too immersed in my own thoughts, I hadn’t noticed Marjani bringing her hand forth and toying with the coiled wisps hanging past my neck. “I could see you with a low cut like Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale. Maybe even something a lil’ shorter. That Amber Rose buzz-cut might look fresh on you, girl.”

“I’d never.” I expressed vehemently, feigning my doubtfulness of possessing enough oomph to pull it off.

“Hey, you never know.” Jani retorted, adjusting the strap of her shoulder bag onto her shoulder. She attempted to pick up the pace in an effort to remain beside me, producing shorter strides as she no longer sauntered on the soles of her chunky platform sandals.

On the way out of the lobby, I acknowledged the building’s concierge manning down the anchoring front desk by nodding in his direction, receiving one in return and a pursed, yet amicable grimace as well. Rather than wasting fare by lazily hailing down a cab to take us to our destination, Marjani and I opted to walk the two blocks and enjoy the tepid, night air that embraced our skin. In the midst of making aimless small talk and bringing each other up to speed on what’s occurred since our last outing, and taking selfies all while dodging civilians passing by, a subtle mention of Hill was made, followed by an inquiry about an apparent photo that was making rounds through a few celebrity gossip sites.

“You know they’re callin’ you a mystery woman, right?” Jani chortled, stuffing her smartphone into the open compartment of her shoulder bag. “Let’s hope those crazies don’t find your place of employment. Some of those self-proclaimed journalists -- and I do use that term very loosely -- find stuff out like that for the sake of ‘investigative reporting’.” She expressed, using air quotes. “Next thing you know, there’s a bunch of assholes with cameras waiting for you, ready to pry right into your business as if they’re entitled to it.”

I halted in moving any further and looked her square in the eye. “I highly doubt that’ll happen.”

“Mhm,” Jani grumbled, “you’d be surprised…”

“Let’s not even put that into the universe, because that’s the last thing I need right now.”

“Right.” She agreed and nudged me in the arm to walk again. “Can’t say that I’m not surprised at all this, though. When you called me from Vegas, I was a bit skeptical of it -- of him -- because at the end of the day, Hill is an athlete. Most of them tend to run through women like they run through drawers…”

“I know --”

“One could argue that the athletes get more action than the singers. Maybe even more than the rappers…”

“Yes. I know. I get it, Marjani.”

Heaving an exasperated sigh, she pursed her lips together, preventing herself from uttering another word on the matter once she sensed my sudden uneasiness about where the conversation was beginning to head. “Sorry.” She said apologetically.

“It’s just that,” I paused, “I like him, is all.”

The corners of her lined lips hiked up a bit at my utterance, hardly faltering when I too allowed a grin to etch its way across my face.

“What?”

She was hesitant to answer.

“I haven’t heard you say that about anyone since Richie.” She stated, the corners of her lips hiked up a bit and faltered into a grin of indifference. A sigh swept past her lips. “If anyone would’ve told me months ago that my prudish bestie was going to dust off the cobwebs and get her pipes cleaned  --”

“--Marjani, please stop!” I insisted. My hand shot up and I could feel heat rushing to the height of my cheeks, albeit, laughter couldn’t help but spill from my parted lips. Upon hearing her spiel of laughter, I guffawed, feeling tears brimming my eyes as I keeled over and giggled.

“I’m just saying,” she managed to get out, “I didn't know you had it in you. No pun intended.”

Subsequent to regrouping by a nearby bakery and reluctantly answering a few invasive questions, we reached our destination; past the Chelsea Market, between a trendy boutique and a deserted eatery, was a nondescript bar with people drifting inside, paying an entry fee before crossing the threshold.

In droves, people packed into the cramped establishment equipped with minimal stools surrounding the crowded bar. Manning the taps and gliding beers down the sticky surface was a buxom woman dressed casually in a black t-shirt; in bold letters ‘ROUGE’ was emblazoned by what appeared to a feathered boa stretched fiercely across her bust area.

A mashup of pop hits from the early 2000s emitted through the speakers, inciting the individuals around Jani and me to sway along to the infectious interpolating cadence.

My eyes wandered towards the horde of chairs surrounded a makeshift stage. And behind the stage were pieces of shimmery garland that dangled from the ceiling, distinctly warning the patrons not to advance past the festoon of hung decorations.

“Your friend from the graduate’s program...,” I leaned close to Marjani, “is he here already?”

After ordering a disproportionate vodka tonic, she took a timid sip and squeezed a lime wedge into her highball glass prior to simply muttering, “yep.”

Sometime in between Marjani downing the rest of her cocktail and me screening my phone for any text messages from either Hill or my mother concerning Ayla’s finicky request for dinner, she began divulging about her newfound friend she’d met by chance.

He was far from a veteran, per his own admission to Marjani one afternoon during a mandatory digital fabrication workshop, albeit, Raheem Lee was more than content with his weekly residency at ROUGE. His penchant for female impersonation garnered a bit of a buzz throughout Manhattan more for his performative imitation of Whitney Houston that seemed to go over well with the masses.

Unlike the previous shows we’ve attended on our respective celebratory birthday outings that were oversaturated with performers impersonating the likes of Cher, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, and Kylie Minogue, this particular drag show where black and brown patrons predominantly frequented highlighted entertainers of color as drag queens chose to skillfully pay homage.

Upon being provided with her second overpriced cocktail, Marjani led the way toward the adjoined alcove. Tonight’s show attendees began claiming seats closest to the stage, leaving us to rush toward the two empty chairs placed some feet away.

Simultaneous to us dropping our bags on the lucite tabletop between us, brilliant lights flickered on and averted towards the stage’s center; the emcee emerged, donning a sheer fabric dress bedecked with tropical leaves.

In a sassy, high-pitched tone, she revealed her name was Chi-Chi; the seductive introduction was followed up with a pose that showcased her toned legs and jeweled stilettos. As the crowd waited for the actual showcase to begin, Chi-Chi made her rounds amongst the inebriated patrons, asking outwardly invasive questions that proved to be funnier than either of us let on. In an instant, the beaming light fixtures transitioned to a soft, pink hue, intensifying the moment Chi-Chi sashayed toward the far end; the scanty, exotic green number hung loosely against her, threatening to groove down the ample curvature of her broad shoulder.

She extended her hand forward, and as if on cue, another impersonator strutted on stage, inciting an uproar from the crowd that the emcee hadn’t expected. In comparison to Chi-Chi’s stature, she was slimmer, and a little on the petite side even when wearing a pair of heels. Her honey-colored hair, both tousled and grazing past her shoulders, had been held up by a bow that complimented the dress stopping right above her knee.  

Across the small table, Marjani swallowed hard; her eyebrows rose and her eyes beamed with excitement. I took notice of the expression bestowed upon Marjani’s face. It was a mixture between awe and intrigue -- a silent reverence and fascination as she stared longingly at the other individual standing inches away from Chi-Chi.

The applause and hollered praises continued, making it difficult to hear the emcee formally introduce who I concluded to be Marjani’s friend dressed as Whitney Houston.

The only utterance audible was a single mononym, Monaé.

Rather than following suit after her heavily done up counterpart by prematurely engaging with the people in attendance, Monaé placed her hand on her hip; the subtle signal prompted the DJ to cue the music, and soon, a familiar rhythmic dance beat pervaded the room from the bass-equipped speakers set up nearby. My eyes remained affixed to Monaé as she moved across the stage, lip-synching every word of “How Will I Know” with ease.

She bopped and swayed emphatically, tossing her hair from side to side in lieu of the awaiting patrons holding out dollar bills. Without missing a step, she took the folded currency into her possession, coolly stuffing it into the padded brassiere exposed from the tank dress she wore. A smiling Marjani rummaged through her rather large hobo bag in search of her wallet, prompting me to do the same and retrieve any cash I had on-hand. As Monaé strutted off stage, making even strides in our direction, a few bills dangled from our hands. She passed by a group of guys, politely grasping each hand and giving them an affectionate squeeze in an expression of thanks. She strutted over, stopping only briefly to receive the dollar bills and caress the fullness of her cheeks.

Monaé maintained her character all without incident and proceeded to get the rest of her cash as the current song faded out.

***

The following morning, afflicted with a sore throat from unapologetically butchering ballads and reciting raunchy rap lyrics, I hurried to the nearest coffeehouse for chamomile tea before sliding into the awaiting town car provided by Cara for my mid-morning excursion. After hearing of the related news from Cheyenne that I cut out making the pointless commute to the office just to simply rush and meet with Haneef Parker, an email idled my notification center, stating that a chauffeured car service would be parked in front of my building.

In the palm of my left hand, my iPhone danced erratically against my skin, prompting me to stare downward at the new notification illuminating the once darkened screen. A text from Cheyenne confirming a scheduled phone call set for three o’clock sharp covered the lock-screen image, a capitalized ‘DON’T FORGET!!!’ soon followed.

Despite having to reroute and cut through various side streets after a fender bender between two motorists, the driver pulled up along the curb residence crafted by brick. Terracotta pots containing red begonias were placed on the outer ends of each step, contrasting with the black door and dark shutters framing the sashed windows. The minor yet noticeable domestic additions quickly reminded me of my sole purpose for meeting the R&B singer at his West Village townhome; a surprise baby shower for his pregnant significant other needed to be thoroughly planned.

My stare shifted and I made contact with the individual idling the driver’s seat.

Rhythmic thumps pervaded the small confines of the town car as the driver produced repetitive taps along the steering wheel, matching the cadence to the low tempo song pouring through the radio. Through the rearview mirror, the two of us made eye contact, exchanging courteous smiles briefly. I exited the car with my belongings in tow and expressed that I should be no longer than an hour right before closing the car door.

I raced up the four steps and knocked on the front door.

A short woman donning a pleated short-sleeved tunic and matching slacks answered, offering a warm smile.

“Hello, I’m Tarin -- Tarin Mena. I’m here to meet with Haneef --”

“Yes. He is expecting you,” The woman scooted aside, “right this way.”

I followed her beyond the foyer and through a hallway with walls decorated with canvases that combining elements of text and image. Ornamented tapestries draped along the wall adjoining a set of double doors that were left slightly ajar.

“I’d be more than happy to dispose of that for you...” The woman I presumed to be the housekeeper reached for my empty Starbucks’ cup but hesitated, fighting the urge to ask whether the disposable grande cup was, in fact, empty.

Obliging I handed her the cup, and she motioned toward the opened double doors.

“He’s in there,” was all she muttered before turning on the soles of her tennis shoes and heading back down the hall.

Heaving a low sigh, I tapped lightly against one of the doors, stealing peeks of Haneef seated comfortably with her sock covered feet propped atop a coffee table. His eyes drooped mercilessly as he grasped the remote, lowering the volume as political pundits debated about the current state of healthcare on MSNBC. I cleared my throat, garnering Haneef to turn his head in the direction of the door.

The barest hint of a smile played about his lips, dissolving just as quickly as it appeared.

“You don’t strike me as the type to reside out in these parts.” I entered the room, although I had yet been formally invited in by the crooner himself, “and we could’ve rescheduled to meet at a later date.”

“My girl’s out of town visiting her folks until tomorrow. Today was the only we could’ve met up without her finding out.” He explained, muting the mounted television entirely.

Having very little desire to waste his time, I dug into my back pocket and recovered my phone and unlocked it; the most recent tab displayed a former textile warehouse that had been renovated.

“I strongly suggest the full venue buyout; the upstairs and downstairs. With the additional space, there’s room for more possible seating, and tables. If you want, we could incorporate games throughout the gathering.”

His smile reappeared, putting me in the mind of the same grin plastered across countless magazine posters that were once taped to my bedroom wall. It was infectious in the way that, after a beat of silence, I too produced a smile and bashfully averted my stare elsewhere. My attention happened to fall on the only framed photo set upon the coffee table. 

Placed beside a stack of hard-covered books was a black and white snapshot of who I presumed to be his expecting significant other, clutching her protruding baby bump with Haneef’s hands placed over hers.

“Now about food,” I cleared my throat and winced slightly at the soreness, “initially, I planned to bring in a catering team based in Midtown. Unfortunately, since we couldn’t get a move on planning the event, they won’t able to provide their services. There is, however, an executive chef that’s working on another event I’m planning. I’m supposed to get on a conference call with him and his partner this afternoon. If there’s availability, I could request a quote, and follow-up with you before five o’clock...”

“I hear the ‘but’ in your voice.” He noted, toying with the hem of his t-shirt.

“There was,” I confirmed, and released a breath.

His stare that was once trained upon the muted television shifted in my direction, lingering as she nodded in the direction of the empty space beside him on the loveseat.

I sat down, facing forward with my palms resting atop the slim-fitted slacks I wore.

“Before I request a quote from the chefs for the shower, I need confirmation on how many guests are attending. We can’t move any further unless I have a set guest list with names and reliable contact information.”

“I hear you,” Haneef uttered plainly. “You’ll have your list before three. I’ll make sure of it.”

Silence loomed over the quaint den until Haneef sat forward to straighten out his limbs.

“Still wiped out since coming off the tour, huh?”

He blew out a breath to conceal the hearty laughter escaping him, “You have no idea.”

“I can imagine,” I said, pursing my lips together soon afterward.

Letting out an exasperated breath, he muttered something about time finally catching up with him. “Touring never felt that physically taxing on me, ever. This week was only a taste of what’s to come.” Haneef uttered, running a hand down his face. His lips parted as if he were about to utter something else, but the light raps against the den’s double door deterred him from speaking altogether.

Poking her head between the small space, his housekeeper announced that brunch was ready and being served in the kitchen. She looked at me questionably. Her brown eyes held some hesitancy, just as they when she felt inclined to take my thermal cup upon my arrival.

Her trained glare prompted me to stand and gather my belongings.

“Yo,” Haneef called out. Had he not tugged lightly onto my blouse sleeve, I would’ve assumed he was speaking to the housekeeper. “You ever had spinach frittatas?”

“Not to my recollection, no.”

“Well, would you care to stick around to have some?”

Without hesitation, I nodded, certain that the growl emitting from my stomach would have been a dead giveaway of how hungry I was.

[recentanimenews]

Cooking With Anime: Golden Wind and That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime New Year's Cocktails!

What a year 2018 has been, amirite? I mean, we had the Olympic Winter Games this year. Black Panther came out this year. I travelled to Japan, Indonesia, and Australia (!!!). I wrote a book (!!!!!). I made MERCH (!!!!!!!!!!!!) (sorta). I got to meet bunches of you guys at Fanime and Crunchyroll Expo, gave some panels, cosplayed as Marie Antoinette from Rose of Versailles, and put on a five-course anime themed dinner where I got to meet lots of cool people! I don't know about you, but I've been BUSY this year.

  What's more impressive than that are all the fantastic anime we've gotten to watch this year. We've received the gifts of Banana Fish, Mo Dao Zu Shi, Laid-Back Camp, MEGALOBOX, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Senpai and MORE! Seriously, those were just some highlights for me, but we've had so much great stuff come out this year; I can't wait for the Anime Awards to recap the entire affair. Until then, we'll have to settle for ringing in the new year with some drinks themed after top shows of 2018. And what better way to do that than by honoring perhaps two of the best shows this year: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. 

    Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind carries on the story of the longtime fued between Jonathan Joestar (and his family) and Dio Brando (and HIS family) by following Dio's son, Giorno, on his quest to become a mob boss. The show is both hype and hilarious. It's colorful, melodramatic, but never fails to carry a certain classy flare with every muscle flex. That's why the Golden Wind cocktail, a champagne coctail combined with Elderflower liqueur and gold lustre dust, is the perfect drink to epitomize the show. Not only is it golden (HAH roll credits on the drink), it combines a fruity, sweet punch with the classic flavors of champagne, one of the fanciest of all alcoholic beverages. Garnished with a lemon peel twist, emblamatic of Giorno's magnificent hair, this is truly a cocktail for those looking to class up their New Year's Eve. 

     Then there's That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime, an isekai anime that many were sure would be a total flop. I distinctly remember talking to some other creators at Crunchyroll Expo who were VERY on the fence about this show because it was YET ANOTHER isekai, and besides the title didn't seem promising. Then everything changed when the show actually aired! It's funny, sweet, and silly without being gauche. So, the Slime cocktail tries to encapsulate that. Outwardly it's...not the NICEST looking drink. A layer of blue "slime" floats over a bright yellow mixture of amaretto and sweet and sour mix (a knock off amaretto sour, essentially), garnished with a gaudy cherry and lemon slice. The drink tastes, however, exceptional. The amaretto sour base is fruity and tart without being too sweet or sour. The spiked "slime" layer provides for a surprising twist- it's fun to drink and melts in your mouth, besides tinging the drink a faint gren shade. If you're looking to shock your friends with something a bit different to ring in the New Year's, this is the drink for you. 

    Whether you're going for classy or flashy this New Year's, whip up some novelty cocktails for your friend and spend those last few hours of 2018 enjoying some of the best anime this year had to offer. Watch the video below to see the full process.

      Ingredients for the Cocktails

  Slime Cocktail

-1/4 cup blue Jello powder

-1 cup boiling water

-1/2 cup clear soda

-1/2 cup vodka

-1.5 oz Amaretto

-1 oz Sweet and Sour Mix

-Cherry and Lemon for garnish

  Golden Wind Cocktail

-1 oz St. Germaine's Liquer

-1/8 tsp Gold Luster Dust

-Prosecco

-Lemon Peel

    To Make the Cocktails

  1. Slime Cocktail: Combine boiling water, jello, soda, and vodka. Stir until Jello is dissolved, then place in fridge about 6 hours until firmed up and "slime"-like. Place a few spoonfuls in the bottom of a martini glass. Add amaretto and sweet and sour mix to a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, and strain out over the "slime" Garnish with cherry and lemon slice. 

  2. Golden Wind Cocktail: Add St. Germaine's to the bottom of a champagne flute. Tap in some gold luster dust. Stir together, before topping off with Prosecco. Garnish with a twisted lemon peel. 

    I hope you enjoyed this post! Check in next week for another recipe, and to check out more anime food recipes, visit my blog. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below! I recently got a Twitter, so you can follow me at @yumpenguinsnack if you would like, and DEFINITELY feel free to send me food requests! My Tumblr is yumpenguinsnacks.tumblr.com. Find me on Youtube for more video tutorials! Enjoy the food, and if you decide to recreate this dish, show me pics! :D

  In case you missed it, check out our last dish: Hot Tub Tamago from Kakuriyo-Bed and Breakfast for Spirits-. What other famous anime dishes would you like to see Emily make on COOKING WITH ANIME?

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[cabinofimagines]

Hadestown is awesome, I literally can’t wait to see it live in November! -Ardyn

I am SO jealous 😔😔😔 I really want to see it but I just, cannot bcus of yknow distance and all that

I wrote my thesis solely with the illegal slime tutorial and i bought the script so I could quote them but man 😔 Tell me how it was when you have been there!!!

-Asja

[cultgambles]

YouTuber!MC

Woooo! Finally something that I hope ya’ll enjoy. School started a week ago, and it’s all going according to keikaku so far, so that’s pretty good.

Word Count: 1014

Masterlist | Requests? open

Requests are OPEN

[YTN] = youtube name

Yoosung

Gamer

“So, MC, what do you do for work? Or are you in College?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m in college and I work from home!”

He didn’t really ask about it again, until he was playing LOLOL with his friends.

“Duuuude, have you seen [YTN]? She’s a girl gamer! She’s basically asking me out…”

The other players in his group agreed, but he had no idea who the person was.

“Yoosung! Leave the game and just watch her letsplays. You won’t regret it.”

“Uggggghhhh, finnnne”

Tbh he wasn’t expecting very much, but he wanted to know what his friends were getting so hyped up about.

He clicked on the first video: BAD DAD: MC plays Dream Daddy | EP 1

“WHAT’S UP GUYS!? It’s ya gorl, MC! So you guys have been BEGGING for me to play, and I got my grubby little hands on it! As you’ve probably read from the title, I’m playing Gamegrump’s Dream Daddy!”

UHHH SHOCK???

MC

Calls you up right away

“You didn’t ask”

Sometimes you bring him on as a guest

Your fans think ya’ll are really cute

Zen

Skits

Boi decides to venture in his fandom for once

He sees fanart of him and a girl who looks oddly fa2miliar

Many of the comments consist of “OTP” and “<3 ommmg they’d be so cute together!”

He looks up your name, MC, and sees that you have a pretty big youtube fandom

WAIT A MINUTE

THAT’S HIS JAGIYA

“MC??? You’re a youtuber?”

“Yeah! Since 2006 actually. It’s been so fun as the years go by. I can’t belive there’s so many people that want to see my silly videos”

“How many?”

“How many what, Zen”

“Followers? Subscribers?”

“Hmmm, I’d say about 7 million?”

Instantly becomes jealous

I CANT HAVe ALL THESE DANGEROUS MEN WATCHING MY MC ON REPEAT

He LOVES them tho

Wants you to get into the acting business

That’s a no from you

“But we can be stars together!”

“Nah”

“We’ll see eacho ther every day?!”

“We already do, dummy”

Jaehee

ASMR/Slime Videos

She finds it really calming after a long day of work and elly

She brought work home, and just has some playing in the background

Suddenly, your voice fills her ears.

Clicking the youtube tab, sure enough, it’s you.

You’re making some glow in the dark slime and just talking about your day.

Soon enough, she’s seen almost all your videos

Inspires her to make slime

You find her in the kitchen with her laptop open, just A MESS

Glue everywhere

“Jaehee? What’s all this?”

“MC! I don’t know how you make these tutorials so simple looking!”

????

R u

R u watching one of my videos????

“Yes I am now come over here and help me!”

You kiss her forehead and instruct her.

“Wow that made so much more sense”

“Haha I literally just said the exact same thing”

Jumin

Product Reviews

He doesn’t think it’s a real job

Worries that his father or coworkers will see them and immediately calls for their removal

Ohhh boy, your subs are A N G E R Y

“Damn, Jumin! I’m not a porn star! I make respectable content!”

“Oh really, MC? Really?”

“Let me show you then!”

The video you pulled up was one where you were reviewing an as seen on TV product (the refined feline cat furniture to be exact)

Your cat was laying around your neck

          he likes it ok?!

“MC, who’s that?”

“Oh, that’s Bartholomeow. He’s my cat. But, he sadly passed away a couple months ago.” :(

“He’s very pretty. I think he and Elizabeth would have been good friends.”

“Oh yeah, totally.”

Is actually really impressed with the details of the review

“MC”

“I want you to do my cat commercial instead of Zen”

“Hun he was never gonna do it in the first place” you snicker

Seayoung

Vlogs

Wow, what a better way to stalk you! He knows all your personal info already, let’s just throw in actual life stuff too!

Unfortunately, you didn’t really share a lot of your irl stories, you were reserved and only let your fans see small portions of your life.

“MC! When are you gonna put up another video! I’m bored T_T”

“Surprise”

>:(

“I’m gonna become a better youtuber than you and I’m gonna post TWICE EVERY DAY”

“Oh yeah? Wanna bet?”

“Yeah sure. $50 bucks if i get more followers than you in a month AND post twice everyday”

“Deal. But you can’t hack and cheat.”

It’s on.

Long story short, he gave up after a week

“Pay up, four eyes”

He likes to bother you when you’re filming too

Constantly having to edit him out

“Saeyoung, I thought you wanted a new video!!”

“I do!” he wailed

“Well get out!”

Saeran

Musician/Singer

You sing for the majority of your videos

You’ve recently started doing instrumental covers too

When he was getting info to lure you to Rika’s apartment, he stumbled across your videos

Your voice always calmed him down when he was having an episode or mental breakdown

He likes to sit with you when you record

Makes him sleepy lol

You have tons of instruments and when you were stuck at Rika’s he broke into your old house to deliver™

Along with covers, you also write your own songs

Those are his favorites

All in all he doesn’t watch many videos

V

speedpaints/artist

Two artists get together

You use a lot of his photos to do art studies

You have tutorials, speedpaints, tips, and just art q&a’s

Sometimes he learns from you

You and him sell your artworks at the same place and he had no idea that it was you

Sometimes, during auctions, yours and his are top ranked and have the most bids

Lowkey a compettion btwn you two

Gets the eye surgery to see more of your art

[bigbrothernetflix-st]

EPISODE ONE

“its week ONE. why is everyone being so cracked i hate it here i absolutely hate it here someone take me out with a sniper rifle” - aria 

HOH: Jev UPSIDE DOWN: Jacob & Gina NOMINEES: Kiki & Nash POV: Nash FINAL NOMINEES: Kiki & Mo EVICTED: Mo (14-1)

PRESEASON CAST ASSESSMENT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEdLzVoyttU&list=PLFEwPPy8j010XXwntq80VSU0qLNTNpSIN&index=2&t=0s

JOEY

WOO holy shit this cast is filled with such insane personalities, and I cannot WAIT to play this game!

NASH

tell me why i'm already nervous

NASH

waits patiently for mo to pick another damn person to infect

GINA

skghkdgljhgdlj BRAIN HURTY,, sm people to talk to and everyone is so so nice! just glad I'm not winning hoh

ARIA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-bwCxQGRhk

alternative title: im very mean for 20 minutes

KIKI

so far the cast seems very sweet! a little quiet so far but otherwise im really enjoying talking to them!! and i think the twist is a cool idea but could be dangerous.... maybe a little too easy to expose alliances

GINA

I really like this cast! I'm actually really good friends with Aria (but we keeping that a secret) and I recognize Joshua from other orgs! Also, this twist seems super fun!

ARIA

okay,,,,okay,,,ok,,,k my brain is struggling to complie everything ive learned today i am STRUGGLING!!!!

So!! Lets make a tier list

We're working together (didnt even need to discuss)

-Nathan

-Jacob

-Gina

Asked to work together

-Joey

-Joshua

Implied we're working togther but lower tier

-Jev

-Josh C

-Monty

Super Sweet & Nice

-Bri

-Kiki

-Dem

-Mo

Sweet but i want a response

-Nick

-Emma

_saira

-jake

-Nash

So thats what i've gathered for today mostly, Jacob-Joey-Jev-Joshua all seem to really want to work close with me and we've talked a bit of game ( ITS ALL THE Js HELP) and seem super open while the girls seem more closed off as of now, kinda worried gina isnt gonna be active enough but idk, oh also everyone is noticing bri is CHAOS and that nick is talkative/assertive. more to update in a bit but heres a trust ranking for night one, one more thing jev said he doesnt like nathan or nick :OO and someone else mentioned nick being overbearing

1.Gina (i love her to the moon and back)

2. Nathan( the charisma SNAPPED this game go off sir!!)

3. Josh C (they're also charismatic but they're hecking hilarious and our view are pretty similar) 

4.Jev (they cared about me!! and im nice to them and this is just really wholesome)

5.Jacob (LOVE him but we havent talked enough beyond "we're winning this game")

6.Joshua (super fun to talk to, same og community king)

7.Bri (they wont keep info to themselves but shes SO sweet pls take my heart)

8. Joey (hes kinda sketching me out tbh but also he wants to work with me so)

9.Nick (they wouldnt put me up and thats all i could ask for)

10.Monty (PLEASE trust me i need ur braincells)

12.Kiki (sHES SO SWEET AND GOOD AT ART ADORE HER)

13.Mo (existential dread buddies <3)

14.Dem(approached game w/ me,,,but on the first message so might be doing that w/ everyone)

15.Nash (kate protection gang!!!)

16.Saira (we loVE DOGS! and thats it)

17.Emma (feel better soon,,,then pls talk to me k thanks)

18.Aria (dont trust anyone,,,not even yourself)

DEM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykD4dZjsDl0

BRIANNA

https://youtu.be/odNZXz-jNtw

MO

If alliances have been made already, I am gonna have some QUALMS... This cast is very cute, I love meeting new people, let's see we have

Aria - an ANGEL we've been talking about SIX the musical and slime tutorials

Brianna - The first person to recognize me using a Carole & Tuesday song in any of my videos. I'm v grateful.

Dem - He kinda jokes like a mom... 

Emma - I'm friends with Emma outside of the game and she is such a chaotic sweetheart. We been in the house a day and she plays Lois Griffon singing Doja Cat... for what...

Gina - I have not talked with her, I just said hi.

Jacob - Jacob is nice. I think I've yet to have a super positive ORG experience with him tho. So. Yeah.

Can I do the rest tomorrow cus I'm tired and just not in the mood. Okay thank you.

SAIRA

I was a little surprised by the amount of people dming me but they all seemed pretty nice! The twist sounds cool, I'm excited to see how it plays out

JEV

i definitely did NOT expect to win the first hoh but here we are, i have no idea what i'm gonna do but i need sleep so that's tomorrows problem

JOSH C

HELLO! it's your boy josh coming to give you some thoughts on the cast. coming into this game, the only person i know of beforehand is.. JACOB who has managed to snake me in both games we've played together so that's cute. i don't really have a choice but to trust him for now bc that's my only outside connection so we'll see how it goes. he's fun to talk to so i don't really mind but my eyes are PEELED for it going south.

my favorites just from the first night are probably aria, kiki, nathan, and saira. for no REAL reasons other than i just feel like i've had the best conversations with them and they were more fun than the rest of the cast. i'm not sure if those will stay the same but that's HOW I FEEL RIGHT NOW!!

i've reached out to everyone and heard back from everyone (other than nash.. dunno what that's about so i'll just let it sit there. i don't REALLY mind bc it's good if i win HOH because it's a good reason to throw someone up there). everyone is cute enough, though i think i've connected LEAST with brianna, dem, joey, and monty? just haven't gotten a lot of energy back from them but i'm hoping that was just FIRST NIGHT jitters of people not putting in their full effort into their social game.

i'm going to spend today just chatting with people so i have a base relationship with them and that way if jev goes the route of asking people who they'd him to nominate -- i'm not someone they name simply for not knowing who i am. trying to be a little SOCIAL QUEEN. fun and funky so let's hope it pays off.

for the twist, i'm not really sure how to play this. i don't think the first round is going to have the BEST power hidden in it but it'd be nice to know that i for sure won't be first boot. (though i'm feeling OKAY enough that jev won't kill me bc we've talked at least). i think i'm going to wait a minute before i ask someone to send me in, or someone just sends me in on their own accord. that way people don't look at me for having a secret power bc it'll be really easy to narrow down who has one and that's just such an unnecessary way to get a target on your back. i like the twist, it's just hard to figure out how to play it and maybe i should just wait until someone does it for me or i'm one of the later people to get it so i get safety when there are less people in the house and it'll be harder to survive.

xoxo gossip josh

SKINNY NICK

https://youtu.be/yNBReh_pBPk

NATHAN

He's here, he's queer... and oddly enough starting off by not doing a Video DR; however, I think when making an initial first impression/trust list this method seems to go a little smoother... First off, coming right off of Big Brother Pasio and thrown into this game has made my head hurt more than it should. I forgot how annoying and tiresome the initial conversations are with everybody. With that said, I have begun to kinda pick out a path that may be suitable for me this season. In Pasio, my goal was to lay low, not be seen, and form connections. That strategy is going to be partially active this time around as well. I'm a big personality, and while that's fun and cute, I learned by keeping a low profile in the beginning portion while remaining social it does wonders. I don't need to be a Skinny Nick character and be talking in the house call and house chat at every ounce I get. With that being said, this season is full of Pasio players... some in which I had both good and bad experiences with. However, pushing that aside I really have my eyes set and locked on Aria. I have a feeling that the other Pasio alumni may see her for how she played in Pasio and I do as well, but I want to make sure her and I are on as good as terms as possible. She did NOT like me in Pasio, so rekindling that flame is ultra important. Alongside Aria, I get to play with both Monty and Jacob who I've had rocky relationships with in the past, but have grown to become great friends outside this. Working with them is going to be vital, but keeping them too close is suicide. With that being said, here's my initial trust ranking:

1. Aria

2. Jacob 

3. Nash

4. Jev

5. Josh

6. Monty

7. Joey

8. Nick

- - -

END LIST

JOSH C

okay, well nominations just came out and i can't say i'm too surprised that nash got nominated for eviction considering she hasn't responded to me yet and most everyone else is saying the same. i can't really imagine anyone using the veto on her unless she has a complete social turn around in the next 24 hours but that seems like.. a stretch. just gotta hope she doesn't win! we love an easy first week boot!

i'm a little sad about kiki getting nominated because i've really hit it off with them, but i think it's a good way to secure some trust with them and spark off a relationship. i've been trying to already be like YOU GOT THIS, YOU'RE STAYING! NASH DOESN'T TALK TO ANYONE! and i think they're being receptive. i like that i can joke around with them, so i'm hoping they enjoy me as much as i enjoy them.

i've also had aria and jake come talk to me about noms which means they trust me and that's GOOD. i want to try to secure something with them soon because i think they're both people that would want to work with me and i know that jake doesn't have a lot of connections already so being an early ally of his would be BIG.

just trying to focus on being a cute little social presence so people don't really focus on targeting me early on. i think this is a game full of half social players and some.. not so exciting people so it'll be easy to just slip through by not being the most boring person around. i don't want to promise TOO many people loyalty just yet but i think building a small core for myself will be important to keep me safe and i'm hoping that can come with jake/aria/kiki/jacob(?)

JAKE

chile............. where the fuck am i?

i dont know what dimension i'm in right now with these people but i am ready to show them what i am made of!! so far i've felt..... on the outs of most of what is going on so im just gonna give my perspective on things so far!! 

the cast....... ill just do an assessment

dem: said maybe three words to me since we've started... so there's that

saira: seems like a queen! i def need to talk to her more i've been sleeping on her and i think we'll get along well

joey: girl sometimes idk what this man is saying to me but we're rolling w it..

nash: her "sick" ass hasnt responded to my message from yesterday so bye

joshua: oh he can work! hes fun to talk to and i def see some potential to working with him. hes only 16 so yung so pure i remember those days </3

nathan: hes so hot god i literally want to eat his entire ass but i dont wanna be creepy so im trying to subtly flirt with him SDLKJFSKF he seems to be a sneaky player to me but hopefully thats not the case and we can be a showmance later on hehe

emma: LEGEND. QUEEN! PUT SOME RESPECT ON HER NAMEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my ride or die in this thing <3

jev: oh jevfrey my angel im so happy he's here!!! he's a loyal guy from what i remember and ill def be working with him ESPECIALLY now that hes the first hoh ayyyyY!!!! i feel completely safe with him

kiki: oh i LOVE THEMMMM we had a great connection from the jump and i have a soft spot for them for sure. theyre sadly nominated this week i did not know why jev made that decision but i will make sure they stay know THAT

monty: monty left me on read :( we had a kinda awk convo so idk how monty feels about me right now?? i def dont think he trusts me and ugh i hate the tension!!!!!!!! i hope we can resolve it all and be friends again

josh: KDJKFG i love this man... hes not entire truthful and is def playing me a bit but i think he's great and hopefully he doesnt turn out to be the snake i think he has the potential to be

gina: idk what to think of this girl she doesn't reply much to me and we haven't really spoken much for me to really get a good read of her. i infected her and idk if she'll take that a certain way i came to her with the explanation that we just havent talked as much. idk shes fine?

mo: hahhaha hes a cutie too and i think hes not much of a talker so i think hes nice for the most part it's just kinda hard talking to him sometimes

brianna: um....... yeah we haven't spoken yet and she infected me so idk how to feel about her yet. she claims it was this number system but do i fully believe thats what she based it on? not really.. so ill def have to talk to her more

aria: NOW THIS........ THIS IS ELEGANCE. THIS IS CLASS. THIS IS EXPENSIVE. THIS IS TASTE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! this 15 year old girl has me shaking to my god damn core with her social game within a 20 minute conversation ive already devoted my entire game to her and our "attention whores" alliance. iM GAGGGEDDDD i really like her and i know shes a big threat but if shes with me then we can do some damage together hehe

skinny nick: SKINNYYYYY i dont have much to say about nick i think they're well connected in this game so i have to make sure i'm good with them a little more. our convos are a little dry hopefully that'll change as the game goes on

jacob: a sweetie.. i really like jacob as a person but as a player he scares the shit out of me DSLKFGFKJ he lied to me like every round in BBHOS9 so i dont rly know if i can trust him. he def has other friends in this community hes playing with so ill have to sus out who exactly that is...

and......... yeah! kiki and nash are nommed. gina n jacob went to the down under. i think jacob will def get whatever power is down there he is one lucky man so i wouldn't be surprised if it's something good. oh well hopefully when i go i get whatever the best thing is a dpov mayhaps!.......

i hope the next hoh is something i can win because i want these people to TALK TO MEEEE tell me where their heads are at for god's sake! me on day 2: why arent you telling me all your alliances? dFGKLF i feel like im okay just gotta talk to some said people more and try to make sure they dont hate me!

JOSHUA

I thought Jev was nice but I'll have to go back on that because he absolutely is not fooling a single person, I thought we'd be allies but he's been acting sus all day so he can choke on rat piss. Joey and nick literally aren't talking to me at awl so... they can choke and die too. Aria is talking to me a lot but I know she talks to everyone a lot sjdkjds queen of big brother pasio... but I trust her for now I guess. Other than that I'm not super like concerned with anyone else I mean brianna kiki gina mo are nice I guess.. mo is a little hard to talk to though so :( anyway glad to be here but my social is kind of rocky skjdjskdj : ( ( ( ( ( 

JEV

SKINNY NICK

https://youtu.be/0Kb-twzCkYI

MO

trying to hint to dem that I’m not okay... wonder if it’s working

ARIA

its week one. its week ONE. why is everyone being so cracked i hate it here i absolutely hate it here someone take me out with a sniper rifle im sick of this, but its fine im gonna try to do my best to explain EVERYTHING bc whew is there a lot..

First off lets start with the fact ive been talking with everyone from the moment i woke up and my fingers hurt so much but also now people like me and thats all i need in life so heck yes!! So when it was nash vs kiki i start planting seeds to keep kiki with people and then nash wins veto so thats thrown out the window yayyyy- 

Things start happening after jev renoms Mo. First off i get a call with crack kills (joey bri me) and we discuss the vote a little bit with Joey leaning towards keeping Mo and Me/Bri wanting to keep Kiki, joey leaves and me and bri talk about the alliance we were invited to (jacob josh jake kiki us) and then i notice theres a house vc which i then go and join alone.

It was silent for a bit before they mentioned they were talking about votes and were being kinda secretive about names but i asked directly so Mo tells me that dem told him that there was 5 confirmed votes against Mo (nash Jacob Nick Joshua/Jacob(dont remember which) and Josh c) he said the names really fast so i mightve missed a few and nathan interjects about my notes and like??? shut up nathan???? anyways i act all shook about an alliance and we talk about votes and apparently when mo campaigned to bri she just sent "hugs" and im caCKLIGN FDSGFDSH anyways that confirmed 5 votes is gonna make people nervous and cause people to keep Mo which like, im not totally against but i just want a unan vote please. Also i think dem & emma dont really trust me which is big ughhh idk if one of the pregame girlies (any of the names from that list) win hoh next week ill throw one of them utb easy peasy 

So then i start asking around to gina and she ghosts me??? gina NEVER ghosts me so im sketched out there and Mo is asking for my help when i already told kiki i would save her its such a messsss. So if i had to guess the sides i would say 

PREGAME GIRLIES: Nash Jacob Jake Joshua Josh c kiki

UNCONNECTED NOT PROTECTED: Dem Joey Emma Nathan Mo

Whomst: Saira Jev Monty Nick Gina Bri

Help: Aria

So, where do i go from here? How do i make sure this vote comes out hecking even,,, im not sure. nvm i am sure because Mo just told me they want to give up HFBHJBSDFS MO MY SAVIOR ILL NEVER FORGET YOU KING <<<<3333333 okay nvm hes not fully giving up but im giving him an avenue that would make my life much easier where im telling him to have good convos with people so they connect more and if anyone feels moved theyll come to me and ill get the ball rolling with a easy peasy unan vote hopefully. But i think i might be able to manipulate this situation to my advantage WHEW im hyped now!!

So lets say mo leaves the thought of those "five confirmed votes" is still gonna be in peoples heads mainly dem/joey/emma/nathan which might form into a side and go hard for hoh taking out some big social player and then we have two sides going after each other which would be cute.

I would make trust rankings but i trust no one fbhsafd and thats on pewiod

JAKE

WHEW!!!!!!!!!!! im not the first boot :~) let's celebrate that.... 

but i'm not too thrilled about these noms...... im happy nash won POV she started talking to me more and shes actually really cool so i wanted her to stay. i am sad kiki is nominated i don't want them to go at all..... and mo being the replacement nominee was a shock to everyone i think..... 

i don't have a problem with mo leaving cuz we have a weak connection i just thought dem was going up based on my prior conversations with jev. he says dem started talking to him more but i just wish jev would talk to me and emma about his decisions if we're "aligned"?? like whats the point of having an alliance if we don't have any say in your decisions?

today i woke up to a message from josh asking me what i think about being in an alliance with jacob brianna aria and kiki........ and im just like wtf where this come from and he said that jacob is making it and its just his fave ppl??? im like ok like im not one to turn down an alliance but i let him know that i dont rly trust jacob n brianna as much as the others in the alliance. hopefully this makes him feel close to me and not blab his mouth to jacob ab that! 

brianna has yet to speak to me and jacob is just someone im always gonna have a hard time trusting sooo if i have to nominate them down the line i won't hesitate unless this alliance is genuine and helping me in the game.

i really only trust emma so far with aria being my secret spy and big meat shield im gonna need in this game. aria's super well connected and im hoping she'll be able to provide me w the information i need to take bitches down later on. 

i think i'd be worried about brianna winning bc we've never talked but at least we have this alliance possibly in the works?? and i dont know if nick would nominate me we haven't talked much..

but i want to win the next hoh so people actually talk to me LOL praying i can win