#alumni warbler inspiration

[askthefuturegleeks]

GETTING BACK TO OHIO:

As VP Sue announced, McKinley is hosting a festival for the arts programs and all of Ohio and beyond is invited. The Vice President asked everyone to come, especially the people that graduated with the help of arts programs and the students she knew when she worked at McKinley. She has offered to help pay for anyone’s accommodations, the same hotel that everyone bought rooms at during Wemma’s wedding was bought out to host people without them needing to pay for their own rooms. Airfare will be taken care of for anyone that needs it as well. Everything down to a personal letter to anyone’s jobs to tell them that the VP wants them to take their complaints about your character missing work and shove them where the sun don’t shine are accompanied with this invitation (and how can a boss say no to the Vice President?), so nobody has any reason that they can’t go. Everyone can go. 

YOU’VE BEEN INVITED TO PARTICIPATE:

Everyone is connected to the glee clubs somehow, even if just by knowing people in the glee clubs, so all of our characters have been invited to talk about how the arts helped them, host panels about the arts, host booths with games that help promote the arts and personal jobs, and perform at the festival. The purpose is to share information and make the arts look cool, so anything your character can contribute to that is welcome. Remember to keep things in line with canon, your bios, and the status quo while talking about hardships and achievements. Everyone has a moderate amount of success, for example. everyone has their own career highlights but there’s no reason to go overboard because this isn’t meant to be a celebrity-inspired rp. These are the everyday canon Gleeks. And as per canon, we’re all expected to keep the good canon facts and not replace them with angst because this isn’t meant to be an angst-inspired rp either. These are important to bring up because your characters are all invited to talk about themselves and share bio details in social media posts and para moments (self para included) that will help inspire people to join the arts programs and vote yes on VP Sue’s bill in favor of adding more arts programs. 

Examples of things you can do include: 

Hosting karaoke, improv, scene reading sessions with minimal props for impromptu theatre productions, dance classes, fashion shows, anything that invites people of all life paths to participate in the arts.

Hosting informational panels, which are meetings where your character (and others if you want, plot it out) talk about and answer questions about whatever their main thing is, whether that be a skill, a specific outlet of the arts, their career, or who they are as a person in general. Examples of this include Sebastian talking about turning his passion into a business (main thing), being a dancer (skill), running a dance studio (career), or just talking about himself in general almost as if he were an influencer so he’d be talking about being a Warbler and Dalton alumni, being international, and everything mentioned about before that. Though Kurt, Blaine, or Mercedes might be better picks for people that could talk about themselves just in general, as a Vogue employee and fashion designer, officially paid actor and songwriter, and a singing artist. 

Running a game booth or otherwise interactive booth like a sing off/diva off, DDR/Just Dance competitions, or games that involve playing an instrument or singing to match a pitch or repeat jingles or something. This would be a good category to mention competitive fashion shows and design challenges too.

Sell things, like paintings and whatever your character has to sell. Mercedes could have a booth with CDs, Kurt could have some of his designs that he’s willing to part with or accessories or something. Things like that, as long as it’s arts related. 

WHAT ELSE IS AT THE EVENT?

carnival games

carnival rides

informational booths about arts programs and VP Sue and her bill

cardboard cutouts of Sue everywhere with her inspirational quotes

food and drinks

panels where people can go to learn more about specific aspects of the arts

performances every day by all of our characters, no need to sign up or anything there are just stages set up everywhere and you’re all welcome to just walk up and use them

booths where you can buy things related to the arts with giveaways and contests

a speech by VP Sue and the opportunity for everyone to talk to her, with the Secret Service at her side, of course

[spaceorphan18]

99 Perspectives on a Single Love Story #96

A/N: The Story of Kurt and Blaine told through the eyes of everyone else but them. Each chapter is a different perspective in the ongoing tale of their love story.

I started something like this a while back - and now I’m taking the idea and really running with it. Each chapter is a ficlet of a different character at a different point in Kurt and Blaine’s life - documenting their love story. This starts in Audition, and each chapter will be paired with a different episode until reaching Dreams Come True.

[Ao3]

***

Kurt Hummel (The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester) 

Kurt joins Blaine on one of Dalton’s staircases.  It’s not that staircase - the one that no longer exists do to a raging fire that took most of the building.  It’s the outside staircase that now leads to a pile of bricks and rubble.  He puts a comforting arm around Blaine, squeezing him as Blaine tries to hold back his tears.  And for a moment, it reminds him, suddenly, of all those years ago when Blaine comforted him on a different stair case.  Kurt can’t help but smile to himself as he thinks about how life is just a tad more dramatic when you’re upset on a staircase.  

“It’s gone,” Blaine utters.  “All of it just… gone.  My identity - the foundation of who I am no longer exists.”  

“Oh, honey,” Kurt puts his head against Blaine’s.  He knows melodrama when he hears it, but he also knows how much the news of Dalton’s destruction has hurt Blaine.  “It’s not really gone - we still have all the memories.”  

“This is where we met,” Blaine says, the tears are coming now.  “This is where we got engaged.  This is where we first kissed and…” 

“I think you’re overromanticizing it a bit,” Kurt says.  There’s a lightness in his voice.  He doesn’t want Blaine going full on spiral.  Besides - no doom and gloom, physics defying fire is going to scorch the happiness of his first week of being married.  He smiles to himself.  Blaine may have loved this place, and he may have appreciated it, but it’s just a building.  “It also smelled a lot like dust and mildew and crotchety old men.  And I’m pretty sure that it was haunted.  I still think the ghost of that old lady threw a shoe at me.”  

Blaine frowns at him, not convinced. His eyes are wide and wet and Kurt’s heart stirs a bit seeing his new husband in pain.  

Kurt brings his arm around, and shifts a little, so he can hold Blaine’s left hand in both of his.  He plays with Blaine’s wedding ring - this simple, beautiful, silver ring for a moment before he speaks again.  “This place is not the foundation of your identity.  Being a good person - being a good husband, an inspiration to me and to so many people - that is your foundation.  Dalton will always be with us, but we’re both more what a building can define us as.  Besides - didn’t some famous Greek philosopher say ‘every new beginning comes from some other beginning end’?”

Blaine cracks a smile.  “I think you just quoted Semisonic.”  

“Well, in any case, like a phoenix more than a warbler - I’m sure Dalton will rise again.  The stodgy, old alumni will see to that.”  

Blaine leans his forehead against Kurt’s.  “Thank you for coming out here.”

Kurt looks him surely in the eye, and says in a low whisper, “You know I’d do anything for you, right?” 

Blaine nods as they draw in for a kiss.  

Kurt’s love for this man is deep and unwavering, and he hopes Blaine can feel that.  Blaine’s still hurting, and he will for a while, but in a way, Kurt feels as though it’s a fresh start.  A way to start their own foundation, together, back in their real home - wherever that might be in New York.  Blaine will be okay - he just needs a little time to mourn.  And Kurt understands that.  

“C’mon,” Kurt says as they break apart.  He stands, pulling Blaine up with him, giving him a salacious grin.  “Why don’t we go back to the hotel so I can really make you feel better?” 

Hand in hand, they walk down the steps, and off into the new chapter of their life together.  

[klaineship2]

TDB Rewatch   Homecoming   Episode 6x02

“Sometimes, if you want to make change, you got to make a little noise."

This is probably my favorite s6 epsiode - it’s the one with the Darren cameos and the numerous s1/2 nods: like slushees, Kurt dancing on cafeteria furniture, the return of the Unholy Trinity, Rachel talking non-stop without needing to breathe, barging into showers in search of talent, Warbler craziness, the glass dome above the staircase... I hadn’t known how much i’d missed this.

After all the heavy stuff from last week this is mostly funny and happy. I love how the theme of the drawings-transforming-into-reality runs throughout the entire episode. If you don’t know the 80's music video of Take On Me that inspired this, then go watch it and also listen to the released Glee version because in the aired version they cut Kurt’s high note in the first refrain. (and then go and compare it to the low note he has in Home - Chris really has an impressive range!!) It’s good to have all the alumni back and I like them trying to recruit members and searching for the mysterious voice.

Kurt and Rachel clearly have communication issues (worse than the ones he had with Blaine?), if they are organizing sheet music for 2 hours before finding out they both had a completely different approach. But I love all the banter concerning their different perception of Kurt’s position in their (not yet existent) Glee Club.

the newbies are a delight: I love them all, especially Roderick and Jane who’s voices are awesome and the ‘Incest Twins’ are hilarious (I once read in a tumblr post that they are like Kurt and Blaine’s future children, lol)

the show doesn’t want to dwell on Blaine’s depression right after the break-up, so I will leave this for fanfiction to cover, but I will say, I love seeing old mentor!Blaine being back. His enthusiasm in helping people Jane and fighting the system is adorable. But I don’t get why he introduces her to Rachel of all people to help with her audition - shouldn’t that be his job as the Warbler coach?? There are still some self-confidence issues apparent under that whole ‘I’m perfectly fine’-attitude. And he is rightfully angry when Jane transfers to McKinley without telling him about it. That was completely unfair and disrespectful. Of course this is a set-up for there being more tension between the choirs but it doesn’t work for me. Jane didn’t have a problem with her parents filing a lawsuit for her to join Dalton Academy but she has a problem with Blaine doing the same (on a much lower judicial level) for her to join the Warblers?! And her parents are just okay with her transfering again? - to the very school they tried to protect her from, just because of an extra-curricular like Glee Club?? Well, anyway, it’s nice to finally see Blaine showing some of that rightful anger against Kurt, as well.

Why does Kurt try to recruit Spencer in the first place? Has there been any evidence or mention that Spencer can sing/perform? I don’t think so - so if Kurt only wants him in Glee Club for representation matters, because a gay football player would be the perfect connection between sports and arts I totally get Spencer’s confusion. But he is wrong if he actually thinks he doesn’t stand on Kurt’s and other’s shoulders, because he clearly does. On the other hand, having choir members who can’t dance or sing is kind of a tradition at McKinley - there has been Sugar Motta, after all, who was literally tone-deaf. So this is where Spencer fits in - sorry, Spencer but you never grew on me.

Kurt / Blaine Things

I am actually shocked about the amount of hairgel Blaine considers to put in his hair....

Blaine is wearing his leather jacket from the Michael episode in the Blam-scene.

“Terrorist!”

I’d have liked to see the conversation Kurt mentions in the auditorium where he ‘said some not so nice things about Rachel’s life’. Was there a cut scene?

Kurt wears a very interesting see-through cardigan in the choir room scene where he talks to Brittany. I couldn’t find it on Fashion of Glee :-/

Other things

“We can’t have a girl Warbler. Imagine the sexual tension.” ...well, there has never been sexual tension between two guy Warblers, has there?

Oh, how I missed crazy Warbler council meetings. Skunk? Squirrel?

all the neon colored clothes during Take On Me are perfect.

The Tea Party Patriot Club (What even is this??) Mercedes and Sam are a delight!!  

 @todaydreambelievers

[magneticmaguk]

Arca, Deadboy and Mr Mitch: the new wave of beat-makers becoming pop stars

At his London show last month, electronic producer Arca, AKA Alejandro Ghersi, showed that stardom in the world of dance music doesn’t have to look like blokes pushing buttons on laptops in front of LED screens. Instead, the Björk and Kanye collaborator showcased his latest, self-titled album – a collection of boldly experimental Spanish love songs – wearing nothing but a codpiece, a matador’s jacket and mechanical stilts. It was the first time he had sung – both live and on record – transforming into a performer of Gaga-like proportions.

The history of music is littered with producers making the leap to pop star: from chart-conquering duo Inner City, comprised of techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson and singer Paris Grey, to Magnetic Man, the pop-house trio featuring dubstep DJs Skream, Benga and Artwork; plus, in the pop world, Mark Ronson. Super-producers such as Diplo and Calvin Harris wield more power in pop than ever, taking top billing even when working with stars such as Justin Bieber and Frank Ocean. But unlike Ghersi, few also sing.

That, however, is changing – especially in underground music. No longer prizing anonymity, a new kind of artist who is both producer and star has been born in 2017. While Goldsmiths or Brit school alumni such as post-dubstep warblers James Blake and Jamie Woon may have led the way, you no longer have to possess a powerful set of pipes to make a mark. Genre-blending producer Deadboy was previously more at home in a karaoke booth than a recording booth and has spent the past eight years making club tracks. On his debut album, Earth Body, however, he sings on every song, inspired by Scott Walker and Sade. The effect is a gauzy, minimalist pop record that sounds not unlike a drowsy Enya, its emotional heft coming from how those vocals intertwine mournfully with the sparse beats.

“I think it’s sad that most people say they can’t sing when actually anyone can,” he says. “I don’t claim to have a beautiful voice but it doesn’t matter.”

Likewise, Mr Mitch has been making grime beats for years but has experimented with vocals for the first time on his recently released album, Devout. He had also noticed more producers stepping in front of the mic. “It gave me the confidence to be free with vocals,” he says of the trend.

For Mitch, the intimate nature of his record, which deals with fatherhood and relationships, was also a factor: “I couldn’t imagine anyone else singing those songs for me.” As producers get more personal, perhaps we’ll see more having their moment at the mic. Donning a codpiece, though, remains strictly optional.

[askthefuturegleeks]

Thank you for joining the campaign to bring the arts to future generations, SEBASTIAN SMYTHE, we’re happy to have you! If you want a refresher on what to do next, feel free to look at the WELCOME CHECKLIST. Please send your account in within the next 48 hours so that you can get started.  

ooc information

PRONOUNS: he/him

SHIPS: chemistry but I’m exposed with Seblaine so it’d be weird not to mention it

ANTI-SHIPS: no chemistry

basic ic information

NAME/AGE: Sebastian Smythe 

BIRTHDAY/ZODIAC: Nov 9th / Scorpio

CURRENT OCCUPATION: owner of a dance studio and charity performer as Warbler alumni

CURRENT LOCATION: NYC

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single

FC: Grant Gustin

twitter post

@SNARKBASTIAN: Nothing like when a 5 year old in first year ballet roasts you for your form. #THINGSKIDSSAY

in character questions

1.) What did you want to do with your life when you were younger? What would the child version of yourself think about the path you paved for yourself?

Here's the thing about life-changing events, they change your life. I looked at the world differently when I was younger, but I will say this. I own my own business and my success has lead me to great places and that is something that even the youngest version of me would have a little Grinch smile moment over.

2.) What is your proudest accomplishment? Don’t be afraid to talk about what it took to achieve it and how you feel about it as well.

Opening my dance studio. From some perspectives, it was an easy task because I already had a handy-dandy collection of connections and resources, but I worked hard to make my vision a reality. And I continue to work hard every day. My students keep me humble.

3.) If you could do anything you wanted for one whole day, what would it be and why?

Honestly, I'm pleased to be able to brag about already living the life that I want to live. What can I say, I make good choices.

where are they now?

After the humbling events that led Sebastian through his high school character development, he chose to continue on the path of self improvement and is still trying to stay on that path. At first, that meant focusing on being nice and trying to be a better person. When that became more natural and he unlearned some of the things that had made that so hard before, he started to think about his inspiration for all of these changes and what it meant to him now that he felt he was becoming a better person. Was he happy?

As a Smythe, he'd been going to school to follow in his father's footsteps as an attorney, but it was all so Legally Blonde. There was sexism, there was favoritism based on elitism, there were sharks in the water, and it pushed him towards being the kind of person that he didn't want to be anymore. He could continue to be both moral and a student at law, but if he was honest with himself, it didn't interest him. What he liked was his time as a Warbler, and he missed it more with each passing year. Luckily, there were Dalton and Warbler alumni events that kept him in contact with everyone from Lima, so he could make excuses to run off and get a little taste of that life.

Another aspect of Warbler alumni life are charity performances, and Sebastian of course took the time to go to those as well and still does. It was through these small opportunities to get on stage or urge others to get on stage that he realized what he had to do to be happy. He did not quit law school to appease his parents, but he did put his main focus into opening his own dance studio as well. His family had the money and he had the connections, so it wasn't hard to do. The studio hosts dance classes and community events, and he teaches there as well. To keep himself as close to fun and as far away from getting too competitive as possible, he teaches kids.