#like generations of producers and actors and musicians

[sharpayes-bye]

sharpay comes from old money in hollywood!!

[juliashiftingdiary]

random things I scripted in my fame dr

(that u could also script 😋)

Im always the funniest person in those YouTube interviews and I get put into those “___ chaotic moments”

im known as that one celeb that literally makes friends/chats with EVERYONE like wdym ur friends with dababy 😭😭

Im a lot of people’s comfort celebrity and I bring warmth to people with my kind bubbly relatable energy

my fan interactions are always so cute and funny and im known as one of the celebs that actually likes their fans 😭

All of my met gala/ fashion event outfits EAT. like everyone always calls me the best dressed of the night.

for every album I get atleast 3 songs that go platinum.

people don’t get tired of seeing me in many shows/ hearing me on the radio often ( I’m in a lot of tv shows and i don’t want people to be annoyed like “bruh she’s everywhere”)

Im labeled as one of the best actors/ musicians of our generation.

my tours are always super fun and entertaining and everyone leaves feeling like it changed the trajectory of their lives 😭😭

and the crowds are always super interactive like

I can do accents/ impressions really well and i always use it as a bit.

My face card is always majestic in paparazzi photos , yes even on Getty images

I have amazing bonds with all my co stars/artist I’ve collabed with/ directors , producers and staff.

I get paid HANDSOMELY for every role.

I don’t get hate for any of my roles (I play Cassie from euphoria bby i NEED this)

[anxiousdreamcore]

If you haven’t yet watched Elias’s video on the Avatar franchise from a perspective of a Native American — please do, it’s a very good watch! Plenty informative and insightful. Summarises not only his own opinion of the movies but also what the general reception of said franchise has been by native communities (it’s about 50-50 from what I gathered.)

What peaks my curiosity with this essay is how much it revealed of JC’s perspective. My opinion of JC has soured greatly, as you may have heard if you caught me in my Twitter era before I got outta there, and new context only contributed to my disappointment, yet at the same time revealing the titanium effort the few natives who got involved with the franchise put in to make, especially the second movie, as authentic as possible, which is incredibly tragic as that should have been the job of the culture consultants, of which I have no knowledge of whether James Cameron hired at all.

Everything I like about these movies came from the effort of actors, artists, musicians, lore writers and designers. Avatar is very obviously a big group effort, not just JC’s passion project, as when Elias detailed some of James’s inspirations for the first movie I realised “Oh…oh he did not make allat. He had massive help.” And it applies especially to the sequel.

I love this franchise, but it became very apparent to me that it is NOT because of its main producer. If anything, his motivations behind some choices in the script left a sour taste in my mouth about A1, that I will need time to recover from. I won’t stop liking the franchise, but I’m very much over the idea of its producer being hellbent on doing things on his own.

Avatar 3 and every instalment after NEEDS native writers and consultants. I don’t think I’ll remain a fan for long if it doesn’t, because the money is there, so why not take the opportunity??

[weebsinstash]

the brand new Angel Dust song that just came out has me thinking how absolutely fucked a Reader who is a dancer/musician/singer/producer would be with a yandere Valentino because it really does seem like, coming off of just the general materials and vibes I'm getting, that Valentino also turns his pornstars into sort of miniature celebrities, dare I say, idols even, which would maybe inherently fit the theme of Hazbin Hotel being a musical sort of show at heart. People break out into song, Asmodeus runs a club where music is performed, Angel sings as he strips, Alastor just... as is like just his entire aesthetic and musical number was 🤌, sing about being horny, sing about being addicted, sing about being sad, I dunno there's just an inherent love of music in all of it

I've never really posted about it in detail but I've thought of the ever so elusive MALE READER x Valentino (or transdude/intersex Reader because like, I guess i would, have to, accurately research what having a dick would feel like for smut of that and, I don't know, it's my turn on the gender power fantasy and I say--)

Male Reader who just keeps to himself and waits on Val's table "because you're too stiff, you'll scare off other customers" and one night the Overlord just catches you seemingly alone sweeping floors/cleaning while dancing/singing something, that whole trope where you just don't see him or have your eyes closed and practically do a full musical number until you notice him, just like seating himself in a chair, smoking a cigar, looking at you all smug and horny and thinking of all the different things he could use you (and your holes) for

Absolutely does he exploit weakness and if you don't have a prior addiction, he'll get you one. He'll shotgun something straight into your mouth, mix something into your weed, put a pill in your drink, nudge you towards that alcohol you're trying to stay away from, he'll do it all. He'll get you so fucked up your entire body is buzzing and you're stumbling and you can barely even move and that's when he pounces on you, doing whatever he wants, looking at whatever he wants, touching wherever he wants, and you might not even remember it afterwards and you'll only find out when he shoves his phone full of pictures in your face to mock you

You can't stay closeted/hiding an interest for men around this creep because he'd be secretly feeding you like ecstacy or something that loosens your lips and has you blabbing all your secrets and feelings to him in a horny fucked up haze. The blackmail potential with this dude is IMMENSE. He'd get you fucked up and delirious and film a cell phone shot of you taking his dick and threaten to show it to everyone he wants to unless you do whatever he says (and he's already showing it to people behind your back anyways, but, it's to be gross and coo over how cute and sexy you look taking his loads, stuff like that)

Valentino would take that passion and talent for music that you have and do something gross with it. Oh you're an actor, huh? Good, good, so your reaction will be experienced and authentic when he asks you to bring him a coffee on set and suddenly you're being literally dog-piled on by like 5 ripped hung hellhounds while cameras are rolling :) he thinks he might have an interest in your body, oh, suddenly there's a mandatory employee calendar photoshoot where you he to wear a thong or something skimpy and he can see everything but your genitals (and can tell whatever the situation down there is if you were trying to hide it. Fat ass? Exposed. Secretly a grower/hung? Exposed.)

At the end of the day you're his bottom bitch no matter how big or tough or maybe not even gay you are, because he even has lesbians cuddle up to him for Hot Girl Clout and that shit was on his Instagram. Everything's about him having pretty trophies and nice things and pampering himself while treating others like shit. Yeah, you'll be his little caged pet he obsesses over, but you'll be a very decorated, very well-fed, very financially spoiled little caged pet. If you're gonna get regularly railed by some nasty huge egotistical demon, it might as well come with some sweet perks like a deep bank account and all the luxuries his self-absorbed ass can afford, right?

[dd-is-my-guiltypleasure]

About Time

Poems

by @davidduchovny

@AkashicBooks

September 2, 2025

From acclaimed author, actor, and singer-songwriter David Duchovny, a deeply personal, existential, and insightful debut poetry collection.

“David Duchovny has written a helluva book of poems, a volume I suspect will adorn many shelves. The collection is smart, smart-assed, and moving enough to reward study. Buy this book!”  --@marykarrlit , author of "The Liars’ Club"

“David Duchovny is known as one of the most talented, brightest, and wickedly funny actors in the entertainment business. He is also a wonderful writer, as evidenced by his many novels and this collection of intimate and humorous poetry.”  --@AlecBaldwin, actor, author of "Nevertheless"

“Why should I be surprised that the soulful actor David Duchovny is not only an accomplished novelist but also possesses the heart of a true poet? His verse effortlessly charts a course through a landscape of melancholia so rich with irony and humor that I found myself reading his poems aloud just to savor the depth of his emotions.” --Griffin Dunne, actor, author of "The Friday Afternoon Club"

“David Duchovny’s language is specific and surprising. Colloquial. In the tradition of Robert Frost and Vachel Lindsay, a tradition that has been eclipsed by Imagism. With modernist twists, he invigorates the tradition of storytelling poems.” --David Black, award-winning writer, producer

DAVID DUCHOVNY’S SEVENTH PUBLISHED―AND FIRST POETIC―WORK covers a range of intimate themes and topics, including love, the loss of love, parenting, Duchovny’s own parents (in particular his father, who looms large throughout the work), alienation, and other emotional quandaries. Fans of Duchovny’s fiction will recognize the insightful and clever play of words that, in this new form, distill to an emotionally impactful portrayal of what the author holds most dear.

Duchovny’s approach to poetry is beautifully (and, typically, humorously) encapsulated in his introduction to the work, in which he writes:

"Poetry is not useful. And that is exactly why we need it. It reminds us of two important things: our ultimate lack of agency (unpopular to say, I know) and our inability to say anything plain, our inability to capture what it means to be human with the imperfect tool of words; we come face-to-face with our shadow selves, for in the end we will all die and be forgotten, and come away with nothing, nothing in the way of utility anyway, no talking points, no bullet points, no propaganda, no resolutions, no policy, no knowledge. If anything, maybe we remember a few lines . . . something like a pop song from the collective unconscious, something like wisdom.

You see, I wanted to say it plain, but out comes that torrent of modifiers and adjustments, denials, double negatives, shading, stabs at wit, backpedaling, playing at capturing the lightning. Maybe this time. Maybe that’s what a poem is―that glorious feeling of Maybe this time I’ll get it right. If that’s the case, it seems a worthy enterprise to me. You see, I got somewhere, but the way back is unclear―that’s a good enough definition of poetry for now. No, it’s not."

Duchovny’s efforts at achieving such clarity range in this collection from laser-sharp, single-sentence poems to emotionally sweeping ruminations. With "About Time"―perhaps his most personal work to date―Duchovny continues his journey as one of the most prolific creators of his generation.

DAVID DUCHOVNY is an award-winning actor, director, New York Times best selling author, and singer-songwriter. With an acting career spanning more than three decades, Duchovny is a two-time Golden Globe winner and four-time Emmy nominee. His novels include Truly Like Lightning, Holy Cow, The Reservoir (novella), Kepler (graphic novel) Miss Subways, and Bucky F*cking Dent which Duchovny adapted into the film Reverse the Curse. The film, directed by Duchovny, premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. As a musician, Duchovny has released three studio albums: Hell or Highwater, Every Third Thought, and Gestureland, and his next album, Prince of Pieces, will be out next year. He is the host of the Lemonada podcast Fail Better.

Author events:

Sep 3, 2025: @BookendsNJ (Ridgewood, NJ) 

Sep 4, 2025: @strandbookstore (New York, NY), in conversation with @jiatolentino

www.akashicbooks.com

[whoovesnassistant]

Tips for making a radio play

We've had a lot of experience making this show, and we've seen a lot of series come and go or even crash and burn before they begin. So we're going to give some tips to hopefully help people avoid the crashing and burning.

1: Start Small

A lot of people make the mistake of starting with a grand idea in mind, like "We're going to do an epic with 3 seasons that comes with animatics, original music, and a large cast of characters and-" Slow down. You don't even know what you're capable of yet, so it's a really bad idea to plan so far ahead without knowing what you can do and how much effort it takes to do it. Before you decide to dedicate yourself to something on a grand scale, start with something small to test the waters. A pilot is a good way to really understand the process and give an audience a chance to get interested. This pilot should not be as long as a full episode unless you plan for your episodes to be relatively short anyways. There should be a small cast, 2-5 characters at most generally. You don't need to go all-in with the pilot, just use what you have to do it and hopefully it should garner enough attention to get more people on board in your project team. Even after your pilot, make small goals. Plan for say, 5 episodes at first, and plan for more once you've gotten a flow and idea of production time and how long you want to be working on this project. Radio plays take a lot of time and effort, they aren't as easy as they seem.

2: Don't Cast Too Early

This is a big one that a lot of people tend to do that's a huge mistake to be making. Do not cast your characters way ahead of when you're going to need them. Generally, you should have your next script done FIRST before you cast the characters for it, and even if you have scripts done for multiple episodes ahead of time, do not cast unless you plan to get the lines done ASAP. You do not want to have idle voice actors waiting a really long time before they can even record lines, because this is a good way to lose voice actors or have people feel you don't really know what you are doing or how to organize a project. The exception to this rule is if you know someone really well and you know they want the role and they will stick around for it. It's good to cast people you are closer with as long term characters than expecting strangers to volunteer all their time, which leads into our next tip...

3: Don't Expect Too Much From People

Unless you plan on paying people, don't expect too much hard work from others. Don't expect voice actors to stay on for years and years and years. Don't expect a musician to volunteer original music for free. Don't expect artists to draw a bunch of scenes or animatics. Expect to start with basic resources, like stock music and one piece of cover art. If people want to volunteer more, they will come in time once you've shown your project is legitimately producing content. People are generally not going to just hop on board when you have no credentials and no examples of what you're capable of.

4: Quality Control

You need to have certain standards of quality, and you need to understand what that means. For example, no matter how much you might like someone's voice, if they have a bad microphone there is no fixing that audio, it will be unpleasant to edit and even more unpleasant for an audience to listen to. You can't just chuck together whatever audio you get or have, you need to research how to clean up noise, how to master vocals, how to level volumes, how to make sure your sound effects are good quality and not distractedly bad. Thankfully, Audacity which is a free program can handle most of your audio editing needs and there are plenty of tutorials for it on youtube so there's no reason not to study this stuff before you dive in.

5: Organization

This one's important. You need an organized system for getting everything done. Have checklists, organized folders, a proper place for crew to communicate. Discord is excellent for organizing a project because you can make different channels for different purposes within one server, such as a place for auditions, a place to submit lines, a place to post art, a place to give instructions, and you can make certain channels accessible to only specific people so spoilers aren't getting out to the wrong people. The more organized your project is, the smoother things will run.

6: Don't Overwork Yourself

It's very tempting to just do all the hard work on your own, like doing all the vocal editing, all the SFX, placing all the music, doing all the scripting. And at first, you'll probably have no choice but to do this. But as your project gets bigger, you should start to divide out the roles for other people to do, otherwise you risk burnout. It might feel fun to get all these things done on your own, but after a while it's going to feel tedious and it's often going to take more time to do. It's okay to have people you trust work on scripts, you would still be the director of what that script is about but you might be surprised what other people can come up with. It might be difficult to find a good audio editing crew but it's worth it if you do.

7: Be Willing to Take Criticism

Nobody's perfect, and sometimes people will have constructive criticism about your project. Don't see criticism as failure, see it as an opportunity to improve. For example, if you're having a hard time casting a character and you hear a lot of people saying they don't want to audition for the character because they don't like the character, don't sit there insisting your writing is gold and everyone else is just rude. Examine why people don't like the character, and adjust. If you notice people aren't really jumping on board with your project, swallow your pride and ask why. Try to figure out what it is that needs improvement, and then move forward with it.

8: Have Voice Actors Record Multiple Takes

Be sure that you're not just getting one take of lines, because you never know when a line might not sound right, or if a different delivery would sound better. Have at least 3 takes of every line recorded, and encourage your voice actors to try different kinds of deliveries. This way you have a much bigger chance of getting quality lines and the best takes!

9: Don't Rely on Artwork

This is an AUDIO drama, you CAN NOT expect everyone to be watching the video if you release a video with it. Some people just play these in the background, or download them to listen while they drive. If you're expecting people to understand what's going on from the artwork alone, you're doing something wrong. Imagine your script not having any images to go with it, and try to imagine what people are going to get out of purely listening. There are a lot of clever ways to help people visualize things without an actual visual. Artwork should be a bonus, not a requirement.

9B: Don't Script Visual Only Cues

Speaking of not relying on art, this goes with the above and is an issue a lot of beginners have. Scripting things like "the character smiles", "character waves", "character stands up" is not helpful for sound design. You need to figure out how those would be conveyed if they are important, like for smiling have the prompt for the actor you can have [Said happily] for a tone, a [shuffle] for standing up, a [whooshing] for waving with a character saying something like 'I'm waving as hard as I can!'. Sound effects and exposition are your friends in radio plays, soundless actions are not.

10: Be Careful About Vocal Effects

Vocal effects can be really cool! You can make someone sound like a demon, or a ghost, or some kind of magical creature. But you also need to be really careful about using those effects, because they can very easily make a person's voice hard to understand. This tip doesn't always work, but sometimes you can have the original voice line overlay the effect and make the effect quieter to keep the voice more clear. Run the effects voices by other people to make sure they can understand them.

11: Organization and Communication is Important

Radio plays have a lot of stuff that goes into them. There's a lot of files, often a lot of people, and a lot of tasks and instructions that need to be made. Discord is an excellent messenger to organize a radio play in, where you can organize things by topic in channels and assign roles to people to make sure they have special access to specific channels so other people don't get content they're not supposed to. You also need to make sure you are communicating with everyone and make sure everyone is on the same page. A discord server can help with this by having things like an announcement channel, an auditions channel, a channel to submit lines, etc. Google docs is also a great resource to keep everyone updated, where you can make things like art claims, and progress checklists, and share scripts. You can change permissions on the documents to let people comment or edit, either anyone viewing it or specific people who can be given access. The more organized you are, the faster things will get done and the more your team will respect the project.

12: Format Your Scripts to be Reader Friendly

We had some fairly messy looking scripts in the past, where there was nothing really making the character names stand out from the rest. Lines weren't spaced properly, names weren't bolded, and as a result voice actors would often miss lines on accident or not realize where a line ended or began. Now, you don't have to format it like we do, but you at least need to make it clear when a new line is being spoken and by who. Space new lines apart. What we do is we bold all the character names at the start of the lines and change the paragraph settings to adding a space after each paragraph. This makes it so when a character has a longer line, the spacing remains close together, but a new line from a new character will be spaced away from the previous line. As a bonus, we highlight all the character names in specific colors for specific characters (Not too bright colors!) and this has majorly solved the issue of people missing their lines and we have gotten many compliments for this formatting.

13: Be Kind and Respectful to Your Crew

I really shouldn't have to say this, but it is incredibly important that you respect the people you're working with. More than likely, they are volunteering their time to you, and you have no right to disrespect them by pushing them, tossing them to the side, being picky with them, getting into arguments, rejecting their feedback, etc. You shouldn't even be treating them like this if you were paying them. If you want people to stay and to provide quality content, they will be at their best when you treat them well

14: Listen a Few Times Before Release

So the audio is done, time to make a video and release it! Right? Wrong! You still need to do more quality control! This time you should listen through a few times and pay close attention to any issues that may occur, such as odd pauses, misplaced sound effects, or accidentally repeated lines. This can be easy to miss if you're not paying attention, and once it's out, your mistakes will be out there for everyone to hear.

15: Don't Get a Big Head

On the one hand, it's good to be proud of your work... but on the other, there's such a thing as being too confident and too prideful, especially if you haven't made a reputation for yourself yet. No matter how good you think your ideas might be, you yourself are not going to be the true judge of that. It's up to other people if they like what you have to give, and if they don't like it, there's probably a good reason for it and you may need to take a big bite of humble pie. This is where you need to be open to feedback and realize no one is perfect, no one has the most amazing idea with no flaws. Even we have made a lot of mistakes and will continue to do so, and we know we are always learning. And because of that, we try to listen to constructive feedback. Sure, we can't do everything people want, but we can try to at least improve. Basically, don't boast without knowing what people actually think of your work, and if they don't like it, don't blame them; be ready to look at yourself.

Also, don't put down other creators' work in order to boast about how much better you could or did do it. We're not here to fight, we're not here to compete, we're all just here making something we're supposed to love and be passionate about. It doesn't matter if you honestly think your work is better, having a nasty attitude about it is not going to make people confident in your work. They're just going to see you as someone with no respect for the craft and therefor probably not having the talent you claim you have.

16: Be Able and Willing to Contribute

So you have this idea, and you want to make it happen. What are YOU going to do to do that? The thing is, if you're going to be the one in charge of this project, you're going to need to pick up a lot of skills of your own to do whatever you can for it. You can't always rely on having other writers, or other voice actors, or other editors, etc. The more tasks you can make yourself available for, the better. I'm not saying you have to do everything or even do a whole lot, but the more you are at least able to do if need be, the more you can overcome hurdles such as losing an editor for whatever reason. I think, at the very least, when you're making a radio play you should be able to manage the writing and audio/video editing. Managing the writing shouldn't just be 'here's a small summary of what i want, write it for me', it should involve at least an outline or a collection of notes for what you had in mind, or you should work with people on the writing process by tossing around ideas. If you're just going to be an ideas person who has everyone else perform the creative tasks to make it real, you're going to have a lot of hang ups and you're not going to understand or value the work people put in nearly as much as you would if you learned the process yourself. Your crew might start feeling like you're not actually contributing much and that you're depending on them for everything to happen.

That's all we could think of for now, but if we think of more tips we'll add them to this post and reblog it to show the new ones. We hope this helps!

[d-criss-news]

How Sondheim and Burnett Got Darren Criss to Provincetown

Provincetown hasn’t been compared to The Godfather or Star Wars very often, but those are the examples actor and singer Darren Criss names in acknowledging that his July 21 town hall appearance will be his first visit here.

“Provincetown is like that movie that you haven’t seen but you don’t want your friends to know you haven’t seen, so you don’t incur their wrath and ridicule and disbelief,” he says, noting that several of his good pals visit often. “I don’t bring up that I haven’t been there because my friends will give me crap. I haven’t avoided it — I’ve really wanted to go. Finally, the stars aligned quite nicely.”

Maybe the stars had a little help from Carol Burnett.

Host and accompanist John McDaniel, a Grammy and Emmy award-winning musician, says he invited Criss to be part of his summer Broadway series here after Criss performed on 2023’s Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Love + Laughter TV birthday special. McDaniel was the music director.

Criss’s best-known roles are his breakout portrayal of Blaine for five seasons (2010 to 2015) on Glee in a milestone-for-mainstream-TV gay romance with Chris Colfer’s Kurt, and his 2018 Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning turn as spree killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. (Both roles came thanks to producer and Provincetown part-timer Ryan Murphy.)

In addition to acting and singing — including Glee’s “Teenage Dream” cover that climbed the Billboard charts — Criss is a songwriter. He first won notice for co-writing and starring in 2009’s A Very Potter Musical parody for the Chicago-based StarKid Productions, which he co-founded. Criss’s A Very Darren Crissmas generated national holiday tours.

Shortly after Criss wrote the opening number for the 2022 Tony Awards, his friend Paul Miller, director of the Burnett tribute, asked him to refashion Stephen Sondheim’s “Side by Side” from Company into an homage to Burnett’s famous duets with celebrity guest stars.

In what he called “one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten to be a part of,” Criss performed “Burnett’s Duets” for the star-studded birthday-party special with Broadway’s Sutton Foster. That came after he meticulously dissected Sondheim’s music to fit new lyrics and fine-tuned the arrangement with McDaniel.

“When I was doing this,” Criss says, “in my mind, I was going, ‘What would the ghost of Sondheim be OK with?’ ”

More Broadway music will be on Criss’s mind in Provincetown for what he says will be an unusual program because it likely won’t include original work or him playing guitar or piano; McDaniel will accompany him. Criss prides himself on not performing the same live show twice and plans to include Broadway songs he’s not yet sung in public.

That said, he recognizes fans might want to hear something connected to his own Broadway star turns. Those include — besides the nonmusical American Buffalo in 2022 — How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 2012 and 2015’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Plus, earlier this year, Criss starred in off-Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors.

In September, he’ll originate a Broadway role for the first time, headlining Will Aronson and Hue Park’s musical Maybe Happy Ending. Criss plays an outdated, retired robot in futuristic Seoul who explores the nature of love with another retired robot (Helen J. Shen). To try to help boost its U.S. profile, Criss is also a producer of the musical, which has been a hit in Korea, China, and Japan. Its Broadway debut will be directed by Michael Arden (2023 Tony Award for Parade, Spring Awakening), a longtime Criss friend who directed the English-language debut in 2020 in Atlanta.

Criss is excited but nervous about the piece; he says it’s intimate and epic at once. “There’s an excitement about the uniqueness and specialness of this show that I’ve never encountered before,” he says. “So that’s either going to crash and burn and blow up in our faces or catch on. I don’t know, but the prospect is very thrilling.”

Criss, who is straight, made headlines this spring for comments at a Chicago expo about being “culturally queer” because of his admiration for the LGBTQ community. “The things in my life that I have tried to emulate, learn from, and be inspired by are 100 percent queer,” he said then, later adding that “it was in queer communities that I’ve found people that I idolize, that I want to learn something from.”

“That had to be the slowest news day ever,” Criss says about his comments getting attention — especially because he’s talked many times before about similar things, including how much it meant to be part of Glee’s Blaine-Kurt relationship story.

Beyond Provincetown and Broadway, in August Criss’s voice will be heard in an unusual spot: on season 10 of Netflix’s Gabby’s Dollhouse, a children’s show, as the new Marty the Party Cat, magical host of the Party Room. It’s a voice role Criss says was planned long before his two-year-old daughter and seven-week-old son were born to him and his wife.

Marty is described by Netflix as a lovable, “exuberant goofball” who has a big heart and the ability to laugh at himself.

“He’s a fun guy,” Criss says. “I’m aspirationally Marty the Party Cat.”

[marizch]

just have been here imagining a tgcf band au...

in my mind the main point would be the rock band "ghost city", with hua cheng as its lead singer, composer and guitarist; he xuan as bassist; and yin yu as manager and drummer. of course it was hua cheng's idea to start it and the other two were dragged by him. btw, yin yu might be overworked as usual, handling the bureaucratic and financial situations that involve the band, while he xuan also works as an actor (from where he knows shi qingxuan), but he lost a bet to hua cheng and now have to play with them.

on the other hand we have xie lian. he also used to be part of the music industry, maybe playing classical instruments in the same group as mu qing and feng xin. but after a lot of things went down, they’ve decided to quit it and follow their own paths, maintaining little contact. I can imagine him working in a flower shop now, but still enjoying music very passionately, looking for new bands and stuff, which leads him to being a fan of the upcoming success group, “ghost city”. he's also a longtime friend with shi qingxuan, who's an actress. one day she invites him to go to a show of that band he likes, because her work-colleague, who happens to be a member of it, gave her two tickets, and xie lian gladly accepts.

now thinking about the connection between xie lian and hua cheng. in his best days as a musician, xie lian could have founded a project to bring musical education to children and teenagers in need. that’s how he met hua cheng, a shy teenager wearing an eyepatch, who was very interested in his lessons and showed great potential, gaining his teacher's affection. 

xie lian had many students, as well as volunteers helping with the project, so it would be hard for him to recognise someone after all these years, especially when the person in question has changed so much. however, hua cheng never forgot the man who got him into music, gave him his first guitar and has been his inspiration since then. so it's a big surprise to him when,  after a show, xie lian and shi qingxuan meet the band in the back stages due to he xuan’s invitation.

xie lian also gets very surprised when the enchanting leader of the band shows to recognize him from his years as a classical musician, something that hasn't happened in quite a while, demonstrating also great knowledge about music in general. he doesn’t say anything about their past, but they get along well together since the beginning, to a point in which hua cheng insists that xie lian should open an exception for them and help them produce their next album. although being honored by the idea, the former musician asks for some time to think about it, they exchange numbers and decide to keep in touch no matter the decision. anyway, after some reluctance due to past traumas, shi qingxuan excitedly encourages him, and he decides to accept the offer. so he starts working with them almost daily, while keeping working in the flower shop half shift.

(another detail i think might be funny is that qi rong also auditioned to be part of “ghost city” at some point, but was rejected. since then, he has been working as a metal singer, and he consideres himself a rival to the band, although they never really cared about his attacks - and his music isn't even that good.)

[lol-jackles]

I am not sure if you have seen the latest ramblings of Mr Collins over the weekend or not, but he called the the CW homophobic.

This seems like a bad career move to me - especially since the CW has won so much glaadrecognition over the years.

This isn't the first time he had loudly criticised the network that basically gave him a career, so I am curious about your view on how this might be viewed by potential employers in the future

https://twitter.com/mollstiel/status/1784630732863812012?t=pKa7NVlcs6HYsPd4eBKEhA&s=19

Link.

It's notable that Misha hasn’t been offered roles in shows produced by Supernatural alumnus: Kripke’s The Boys, Gamble’s You, Carver’s Doom Patrol, Andrew Dabb’s Resident Evil, Thompson’s The Winchesters.  

Friendly reminder that in general Hollywood is not homophobic and are pretty accepting of gay artists since a good many positions of power are held by gay people.  The gay people in power are just as responsible (if not more so) for keeping gay actors and musicians in the closet because everybody wants to make money off of their mostly straight audience.  GLAAD have praised The CW for its LGBT+++ representation.

With that said, Misha has been known to troll hard outside the U.S convention circuit because it's not going to get attention from the U.S-based media, especially with a show that's been over for 4 years. At an Australia con he claimed to have gotten "in trouble several times with writers and producers”  ... and I was, "lol not fucking likely dude, not even Singer can keep covering for you if you continuously get into trouble with writers and producers, especially not with those Q scores."

[chambersandfogg]

June 24th, 1922

It was days ago now, but I’m only just recovered from my third annual summer solstice fête. As always, it was a rip roaring success, worth the morning head that followed. Despite the absurd temperance laws in place now, New York has continued to flourish as the place to have a good time and the life of a theater owner and producer has introduced me to all sorts of people.

Actors, writers, musicians, film stars, and, of course, New York’s wealthiest families—those are the people who filled my Long Island home. Even Houdini himself has become a regular attendee, something I delight in. I longed for so many years to be noticed by him for my work as a magician but, despite meeting him a few times, I know I never made any kind of impact. I know this because he can now come to my house and drink my liquor and talk to me of his work without any spark of recognition in his eyes. I am ten years his senior and yet now, for all intents and purposes, twenty years younger. He treats me as such—telling me of his shows and travels, reminiscing about the turn of the century as if I truly was just a boy when we entered the nineteen hundreds.

There is something thrilling in pulling the wool over a great illusionist and skeptic’s eyes. There were some in attendance who should have recognized me as Fogg, but they seem to accept my new name and history with no question. It is a jolly crowd, full of the brightest minds of a generation, but they still see what they want to see. In any case, I am enjoying playing the part of the newly rich Jack Sinclair, even if it means that none of my guests ever truly know who I am.

The one guest who does know me—and the one I was most surprised to see walk into the garden—is Charles Chambers. He has been invited each year and, until now, never graced us with his presence. I don’t know what changed that he decided to come this year, but given the last time we saw each other was at the opening of “Pick a Posy” in the fall, I was pleased he came. As he almost always does, he disappeared into the night after sharing a drink with me at the opening night party and, while we’ve written, he remains as distant and unknowable as ever.

So you can imagine my shock when he agreed to stay the week here on the estate. He’s out walking the grounds as I write and I don’t know what it is he seeks out there, but he’s spent hours outdoors every single day since he arrived. A few other guests lingered for a day or two and the staff is here of course, but as of this morning, the only two occupants of the house are Charles and myself.

I find that I’m oddly nervous in his presence now that he is the only one remaining. I would not have anticipated the urge to entertain the man but, then again, we’ve hardly spent more than a day together since we worked on our World’s Fair act all those decades ago. I have no idea what kind of host he expects me to be or even how long he plans on staying—he said a week but I haven’t heard any noise about his travel plans. I would be happy if he stayed out the month here, perhaps into the Independence Day festivities. But for a man who is so constant and stoic, he has a tendency to be unpredictable.

He appears well. His work debunking the worst charlatans of the world is clearly invigorating and fulfilling him in the way my producing work does for me. It is heartening, that both of us have found new vocations that inspire us. If we are truly to be this way for the rest of time, I have to think it is vitally important that we continue to find endeavors that keep us engaged and occupied. My years of laying about after the war gave me great insight into the sorrow an idle mind can bring.

The rummiest thing happened at the party in fact—Scott and Dorothy, who had never met before but got on like a house on fire, were stacking coupes to pour champagne into when the whole thing came toppling over with a great big crash. And for a moment, I could have sworn that I was back on the front. I clearly had had too much to drink already by that point in the evening, because the whole room around me went foggy and indistinct and the old pain in my leg flared as if I had just received the injury.

I’m grateful that Charles was there. Somehow he intuited that perhaps I’d gotten a tad too sozzled, and he was at my side in a moment, ushering me into the library with the rest of the party none the wiser. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to extricate myself, as in that moment I feared I would collapse. We didn’t speak much when he sat me down in my favorite armchair, but he poured us both a brandy and we sat in peaceful quiet for a while. It really was the strangest thing. I certainly flinch at loud noises here and there—nothing so extreme as shell shock I don’t think—but this was something else entirely. It’s burdened my mind these last few days.

I wonder if it would be worthwhile to speak to Charles about it. While not the most forthcoming man, he is a decently good listener and is, of course, the person on this earth who knows me the best. But there is a strange distance between us that I cannot seem to cross. We spoke a little at the party, and have dined every meal since, but outside of that it feels that he’s avoiding me. Which I cannot fathom, given that he’s chosen to stay.

While theater producing is certainly keeping me occupied for the time being, I suppose, when in doubt, I’ll always have the mystery of Charles Chambers to fall back on as an activity to fill my endless days.

[from the personal diary of J.S. Fogg]

[to read the pre-1917 entries, join Atypical Artists and get access to the archive of 24 entries (5,000+ words), as well as ad-free episodes of Atypical's whole catalogue. to receive future monthly missives straight to your inbox, sign up for free here]

[magicalgirlsirin]

an oral history of vocaloid

ive seen a lot of (very misguided) discussion about vocaloid/vsynth in regards to AI voices discourse, so i thought it would be a good idea to sit down and explore vocaloid as a software, as well as mentioning other software of the same genre, to give people who dont really know much a better understanding

first and foremost: i dislike AI voices that are in unregulated spaces right now. actors who are finding their hard work end up on some website for anyone to use without compensation is devastating, and shows a lack of respect for the effort it takes in the field.

however, vocaloid has a much longer history that pre-dates these aggregate sites. vocaloid software was first released in 2004, and was initially marketed towards professional musicians. vocaloid's second version of the engine, however, decided to broaden the market towards general consumers, pitching it as helpful software to those who wanted to produce music, but didn't have the personal skill or ability to have someone else sing for their music (range, note holding, etc). amateur musicians wouldn't know how to direct someone to tackle a lyric persay, but using software would be easy to learn and they would learn the terminology associated with certain performance decisions.

in vocaloid 2's era, miku was released. miku's voice provider is Saki Fujita, a well respected voice actress who actually does a lot of work in anime as well as video games! the popularity of miku is its own separate post of history, but the explosive nature of it, i would argue, is the reason that vocaloid and other commercial voice synthesizer software ultimately ended up geared towards all consumers instead of just professional musicians. (crypton and yamaha did absolutely still cater to professional musicians, having private or non released banks only for certain companies/contractors to use though).

flash forward, and technology has developed way further. in 2013, cevio released, and in 2017, synthV debuted. by this point, vocal synthing has expanded from just singing software to also include software intended for just speaking (voiceroid by AHS software) and the idea of an AI bank to improve the quality and clarity of voice banks is becoming more feasible.

however, i wouldnt say the developments in AI voices came strictly from this side of things. in fact, i distinctly remember back in the early 2010s, people were using websites with voice models of characters like glados (portal) and spongebob. these audio posts were seen as novelties, and admittedly theyre fun just to mess around with (and people often find the spongebob rap music that yourboysponge makes to be pretty well done!), they do lead the way to better developed technology that doesnt compensate the artist...

so back to vocaloid. the thing about vocaloid (and all vocal synthesizers) is that contracts are in place to give appropriate time and compensation, along with permission to even use the person's voice. saki fujita continues to update miku's voicebank because she is being paid well to do so. this can be said for all vocal synth products. because these companies (crypton, ahs software, internet co, etc) specialize in making these tools and products for it, they have the appropriate knowledge on what proper compensation looks like. a random person grabbing a "raiden shogun genshin ai voice" model has none of those things. the voice actress doesnt get money off of that. its stolen work. AI can be used ethically, but it has to be done with regulation.

im leaving out specifics on certain vocaloids/vsynthesizers since its tangential to this post at best, but im making this so people have a better understanding of the history and intended usage of vocal synthesizer software. thank youuuuu

[podcastjam]

Project Spotlight #2: Hello? Are you there?

In this spotlight, we're visiting a radio tower at the end of the world to speak with Tommy of the post-apocalyptic Hello? Are you there?!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your teammates!

@starcourtmallcollective: Hi! I’m Tommy, a osdd1-b system who loves writing! I’m the writer of the podcast (big surprise hehe) and I cannot wait to show what we’ve got in store! I’ve never done anything like this before but I do love listening to podcasts such as Hello From The Hallowoods and The Magnus Archives!

Hi, I’m Monte D. Monteleagre. I’m a writer, musician, photographer and apparent artist living in New York City. I’m a member of Wolf Mountain Workshop and help write and produce inc: The Podcast as well as stories on Tales From Wolf Mountain. For this project, I will be designing the cover art.

@wav-file: Hi I'm Jay, I'm the editor for this project! It's my first time making a podcast and I'm super excited about it!

@im-the-punk-who: Milo here! A writer, actor, artist, and general ex-theatre-kid, I am the VA for this project! Recent projects include the last three rounds of Hubris, in the episodes 'The Dreamscape Highway,' 'Whiskering City,' and 'Let Me Tell You A Story.'

What's your podcast about?

Our podcast is about a person in a post apocalyptic world! A man-made one, so the economy crashed, we all blew ourselves up, etc. the main character, Aiden, finds an old radio tower and uses it to tell stories of old! And some stories of personal people he’s met that he never got to keep for long. It heavily centers around themes of abandonment and being lonely!

What are you most excited about in this event?

I’m most excited about the voice behind Aiden, our VA is absolutely AMAZING and I can’t to hear Aiden come to life!

Any advice for other participants, or those on the fence about joining?

Umm, I’d have to say that while it sounds scary, it’s so much fun! It’s like ripping a bandaid off and you’ll have a whole team to help out as well. If you have an idea or if you think you’d want to dip your toes into something, then do it! Believe in yourself!

This team is not accepting new members at this time, but if you're interested in learning more about the Podcast Jam event, check out this post for more information.

[kissmethroughthebone]

Questions to ask myself:

What do I want to have achieved by the end of the summer?

Let's see.... A lot of money invested into my filmmaking equipment to make several horror films and stories before the world ends; a lot of photoshoots, and I'm talking pin-up, 1950's inspired photoshoots, horror inspired shoots... Getting back into modeling entirely. Specifically with a great expensive photographer, ideally the one I worked with on that music cover album a while back.

Not to mention successfully making connections for a good online talk show, modeling, making short films with other actors and actresses, and overall going to galas and fun luxury events!

I want ideally 8 beautiful high quality portraits done of myself that are unique and awe-inspiring that I have to show off to my future generations to come, a few solid flings that set me up for life, and some amazing connections indeed!

And a lot of completed scripts that are in my hands AND grant me all the benefits I desire! And a few reels, acting AND producing and directing all under my belt!

What gifts do I want this summer?

Tennis necklace. Tennis bracelet. Sapphire earrings. Emerald ring and matching earrings. Frankly, a nice collection of any sort of expensive gemstones I like, any time, always.

An expensive and exquisite car, specifically a low rider car, but that's if I am also taught to drive! Specifically one that looks like a sexier version of a 1950's convertible.

An entire film set and studio in my name, in the exact image and ideal way. Plenty of expensive film cameras, high end microphones, lighting and more, and money to invest in all the films I want to produce for myself and have my portfolio jumpstarted.

Not to mention any subscriptions to things like Costco, any high end vitamins and food programs, DoorDash, and a consistent natural hairstylist who knows how to handle african 4c hair. I want luscious hair regardless of the texture, long and healthy!

Well paid, fridge full, having a grand ol' time with each other. Even a personal credit card, to buy as many things for myself in life as I would desire!

I have a music video concept? Consider the photographers and videographers met with and the outfits bought. I have a song? Consider the producers and mixers met with and scheduled into my system. i want to learn to sing or play piano? Here's my instructor, world reknown, and autistic, so he will be patient with me.

I want to know how it feels to have an exquisite shopping experience with a glass of champagne for free, and a nice shiny ring on my hand that I bought at a store and can 1000% enjoy for life.

And if I really wanted to go insane if I had the money.... Rare items. Rare unique jewelry. Crossbred flowers and succulents, and crossbred fruit trees. Show me you love me, make an apple and mango crossbreed that I can have for years and enjoy sustenance off of.

Any social scenes I wish to join, and what for?

Filmmaking networking scenes. I am meeting celebrities and having a fun time as a socialite who is praised for her intellect and wisdom around the film industry. Who can mentor and teach me things. I collaborate with them, and have a fantastic time bonding with them and enhancing scripts even more.

Also collaborating with high profile musicians, who also help me and my friends produce music together and get more well connected in the industry. Event makers, to actually make my city a lot more together, and throw events that raise money for the local schools and the underground art scene to help people flourish. Also befriending other luxury young women with girlfriends could be very nice! The goal getters, the high achievers, the ones who strive for the most out of life, always!

Always!

How would I look with the dates I have?

Vivaciously sexy; either long beautiful braids, or a nice Pamela Anderson style wig. Think of Megan thee Stallion's current wig for her tour, for context. But if I wanna spice it up, a colored white or pink wig if I meet a man in the wild who wants to strike up conversation could be fun. There's always someone looking for a dream girl.

I would go for a siren look. Yet, clean girl. Clear beautiful healthy shiny skin, that's borderline reflective as a Hajime Sorayama painting, and full colorful yet natural glossy tinter lips, with eye catching eyes. An amazing pin-up figure that makes jaws drop, but enough to cover it and look effortlessly good. Loose enough to show I'm a lady, but tight enough to show I'm a woman.

Not trying to seem overly conservative or classy, but not trying to make people think I'm an escort. The perfect fashion balance of someone with money and confidence who walks into any room, in any outfit, and looks exquisite either way.

All of this is claimed to be mine this summer, and so it shall be.

It is all mine, always and forever, god bless and amen.

[corpsephage]

There's been a recent spate of AI-produced Studio Ghibli mock-ups, so I figured I'd make one of my own. According to my sources (hearsay on Twitter) the studio's head honcho himself thinks of AI as "an insult to life itself". Well, take this, life! How'd you like that? Not so high and mighty now! I've already gotten AI to draw you as the Soyjak and me as the Chad! Now why don't you pick up a pencil and sit on it?!

Alright, I'm gonna get serious here - happy April Fools' Day, by the way - I can't pretend to be fond of this whole AI craze. Now look; I'm not completely innocent when it comes to AI. A few years ago, I was actually working on an AI-based video for YouTube, but I pulled the plug on it when I started hearing how voice actors were worried that AI would put them out of work - and this was back in the early days, when you could easily tell something was AI.

I think it's a real shame websites like DeviantArt seem to be prioritizing this AI stuff over the integrity of artists. It's like "artists" are no longer needed around here, which is definitely the way I've seen a lot of people take this. It's like your creative work is just a "product" to be "consumed", not an "entertainment" to be "enjoyed".

With this in mind, I've built my own AI chatbot (in my head) to try and explain what my problems are with AI drawing. If you have any pro-AI arguments of your own in mind, let me hear them. I sure would like to be wrong about this:

“What have you got against AI art?”

It’s taking people’s jobs. That’s really it. If it wasn’t taking people’s jobs, I’d have no problem with it.

“It isn’t going to take artists’ jobs! There’s always going to be a demand for them.”

Alas, I wish that were so. But given the choice between paying thirty dollars minimum for an artist to take weeks drawing one picture, and a robot that will cook up hundreds of images in the hour, all for free, it’s really a no-brainer. The big corporations are going to be gung-ho for AI because, while it’s bad for the creative’s business, it’s good for their business.

“Well, then, you should probably just get a real job and just do art as a free hobby.”

People are going to try and get jobs doing what they love - and more importantly, what they're good at. If someone spends all their time creating, what other job are they going to have? If it's a job their heart's just not into, they're going to half-ass it and likely be fired anyway.

“Now wait just a dadgum second. I’ve seen your YouTube account. You’ve got all that computer-made music on there. None of those are real instruments! Couldn’t you hire actual musicians?”

All those virtual instruments are made by real musicians who willingly put up those samples on the market. Look, if an artist or voice actor willingly submits their art or voice to an AI generator for others to remix, I wouldn’t have so much of a problem. But the big websites don't wait to ask permission.

“You used a computer to make this art right here! You used things like smoothing tools and the undo button instead of an eraser! Why’s it OK for you to use tools to make your drawing easier, but others can’t?!”

I would’ve hoped AI tools would be there to help make the drawing process easier, but I didn’t want it to replace the drawing process itself. It’s like, if you’re struggling with walking, you might get yourself a wheelchair to make moving around easier – AI is like building a robot to go out there and do all the moving around for you. Sure, it’s convenient, but… wouldn’t you rather have some fresh air?

"But AI democratizes creativity! It's no longer just for the chosen, talented few. With AI, everyone can be an artist!"

I think with imagination, everyone can already be an artist. Take it from someone who knows - if there is a "chosen, talented few", I am certainly not part of them. It's not like I'm following some kind of special calling. In fact, I think I'm below-average when compared to most people doing this... so I don't know what anyone else's excuse is.

"Look... you want the truth? I can't draw, alright? And I'm... jealous of all the artists. They're all so cool being able to bring their imagination to life. I wish I was that creative."

Can I let you in on something? Pseudo-artist to pseudo-artist. If I'm anything like the other guys on here... none of us can draw. Let me show you how I made this picture you see here:

Tell me, does that first sketch look like good art to you? And yet this whole picture is nothing more than me tracing over that crappy picture several times, straightening out the lines as I go. The whole thing couldn't have taken any more than three hours. My point is, the "art" that I make doesn't take any talent, and it barely takes skill. It's really nothing more than just knowing how the magic trick is done. The biggest lie I was ever told was that drawing isn't fun.

So, no, I don't need any AI to make my art, thanks. I'm quite capable of being a talentless hack without it.

(By the way, the weird Photoshopped face comes from that all-AI ad Coca-Cola did last year. See, I credit my sources, unlike the AI scrapers.)

[antoschauniverse]

Jason B, has always been a level or more below Duchovny in fortune, fame and opportunities. I can't tell if it's because he's less talented or because he wasn't lucky enough to find a TXF ahead of him. It's possible that Duchovny has turned down roles offered to actors of JB's level before. But there's no such thing as one day after another: at the moment, he would kill for a fixed role - an important but not decisive character - in a series with short seasons, close to home. Something like Richard T. Jones in The Rookie. Then he could stop inventing new projects just so he wouldn't be forgotten (goodbye Lemonade) and end his “career” as a musician with some dignity (I stopped because of the series). He would also leave home, have some fame back and access to a younger generation (his big dream). And, of course, he'd have money coming in. In other words: he would accept a simpler role, in a modest series, if he was offered it. Why they're not offering… I don't know.

Perhaps the producers don't think it's a good idea to offer David roles in serious long-running projects. There should be several reasons for this. It's possible that sugar baby was just the last straw. None of the industry bosses want to talk about a sex addict with a sugar baby 33 years younger than him.

[irkjournal]

A Talented Musician Struggles to Make it Big

Writing Prompt

Words to Include:

Crocodile

Anchor

Lasagna

Anthem

Fingernail

Trout

Federal

Bog

Jostle

Repel

Word Count: 900

When I told myself I was willing to work my way to the top, I never expected writing about a lasagna-eating puppet crocodile. 

Working as a music producer for a children’s TV show isn’t quite what I imagined my music career to consist of - but I convinced myself when I took the job that it would be a starting point. “Real experience”, “practicing my skills”, and “networking with producers” floated around in my head during my first few weeks on the job. Now, I am not sure what I was thinking. After years of being told by family, friends, and teachers that I was talented, years of being told by strangers watching me busking on the sidewalk that I would make it big one day, I ended up here. My saving grace is that this job will be the agent that moves me from kiddie-show producer to award-winning performer.

~~~

Much time has passed since I started working here, and every day that I walk into this building is another day that I can feel my opportunity to “make it big” lessen. The goal was to produce and perform the anthems that defined a generation, and yet everyday I am resigned to persevering through mind-numbing work. My smile I put on to continue my failed attempts at networking my way to a record deal has faded significantly. For months now, I haven’t had time to write and record my own music because the pressures of the job bogged me down.

Today started out bad, and only got worse. Despite the show’s increase in ratings, music streaming, and overall popularity - my boss didn’t even let me finish my coffee before knocking down my office door like some federal agent on a mission, ranting and raving about the “slowed increase of ratings”. As if I don’t spend every day of my life working myself to the bone for this Sesame Street knock-off.

After dealing with my boss’ clear disappointment, I was on the studio stage trying to corral the kids enough for one take of the new song. Just one. Our adult actor in a large “pirate trout” costume was being angrily jostled around by stage parents who insisted on getting their kid in the spotlight. A group of kids were competing against each other in some playground game, and a solitary kid in the corner was eating his fingernails.

At that moment, I realized how far I had strayed from where I wanted to be. My dreams were hanging on by a thread and working here was no longer my starting point, but an anchor holding me down, repelling me from my future.

So I left. Dropped my sheet music and notes where I was standing, grabbed my bag, and drove away. Amidst wandering the streets for hours, I questioned every life decision I had made up until that point. My phone buzzed several times with the directors calling. I shut my phone off and pulled to the side of the road. 

It’s not often you see a grown man bawling his eyes out on the side of the road - I imagine the other drivers enjoyed the show. Maybe after all that time working with young kids regressed me into crying like a child, but at least I got to put on at least one emotional performance.

I felt like I had lost every piece of myself. I felt my dreams of being a successful musician slipping away. My passion, fading before my eyes.

As I sat there, tears finally drying on my face, an epiphany came to me. I felt myself become possessed with a creative fever and began to write down everything I was dealing with. Even though my passions had dwindled recently, the habit of always carrying a pen and paper gave me hope that I hadn’t completely lost my determination to achieve my dreams.

I wrote down a few lines and notes started playing in my head.

Luckily, there were no cops on my way home. My speed would have definitely landed me a spot in jail. But when the idea hits, acting on it is the only choice.

Now, hours later I have worked out a general plan and have finally stopped to take a breath. Looking over the lyrics and sheet music, I feel that this is some of my best work. The type of work that will finally get me noticed, the type of work that doesn’t let my talents go to waste. 

~~~

“So tell me, after all of the awards, the world tours, millions of albums sold, and a long, illustrious music career - to what do you owe your success?”

I thought for a moment before answering the question. I had studied and trained for years, continued writing and working to “perfect” my craft. But whenever I reflect on my life, I go back to that day I walked off that horrid job.

The pain and stress of that job taught me the skills I needed to help me with my current career. Hard work, patience, adaptability. My breakdown that day was the best thing to ever happen to me, and if given the chance I would do it all over again.

I let my bright smile shine and I answered, “A really bad day at work.”