#dancing school in NYC

[shufflesnyc]

Three Quick Ways to Learn New Dance Techniques

Forgetting dance steps are frustrating, whether you are new or experienced person. You may forget dance steps if you were ever unsure what to do next in the choreography, lost track of time during a routine, or forgotten a move. These are mistakes you want to stay away from, particularly in high-stakes scenarios like dancing auditions. Here are some tips for speeding up your dance step learning at a dancing school in NYC so you can practice and memorize every move.  This post explains about the quick ways to learn new dance techniques:

Take Class Above Your Level

More advanced upper west side dancing class instructors will assume you are familiar with the basics and spend less time breaking down the steps. If your studio allows, take into account signing up for a more advanced class or fitting it into your weekly schedule. With the additional motivation, you will pick up choreography in the classes more quickly and at your own pace.

Record Yourself Dancing on Video

Ask a friend, member of your family, or the dance instructor at your kids musical theater classes to record you rehearsing a particular dance so you may review your performance.  You will be able to see much more clearly which areas want improvement if you watch yourself dance. You can get better at dancing by asking your instructor to see the video of your dancing.

Take Multiple Classes in a Day

Attending multiple classes daily is a great way to practice and sharpen your mind, which is essential if you want to learn choreography fast. Choose the best childrens dance NYC to learn new dance techniques. This is necessary to keep mental focus and pick up choreography quickly, even though it can be physically and mentally stressful.

Final Thoughts

Today, many people like to join dance classes because enrolling in top classes in NYC helps you learn new dance styles and key skills and educate your body and mind to understand challenging choreography. By following above mentioned things, you can pick up a lot of new dancing techniques and skills that will help you succeed.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Fred Astaire demonstrates a dance step with Jo Ann Giles as his ballroom dancing instructors watch at his studio in New York, December 15, 1946.

Photo: Associated Press via WHNT

[melancholicdaemon]

i finally went to a popular hard to get into club for free. all it did was just cement that i am so pretty that i can get in anywhere, but i need to stick to my niche.

[longlistshort]

Artist Alex Katz created this mural, Bill 2, a portrait of modern dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones, in 2019 for Murals of La Jolla in San Diego. Murals of La Jolla is a project started in 2010 by The Athenaeum and the La Jolla Community Foundation. It commissions artists to create work to be displayed on buildings around La Jolla. A map of all the murals currently on view can be found here.

From the Murals of La Jolla website about the work-

Alex Katz’s mural, Bill 2, celebrates Bill T. Jones, one of the most noted and recognized modern-dance choreographers of our time. Executed in Katz’s bold and simplified signature style, Bill 2 depicts Jones’ visage, through a series of distinct expressions. The repetition of his face has a cinematic and lyrical quality, reinforcing his place in the world of dance, music and film. Portions of the face are dramatically cropped, giving the viewer only quick and gestural glimpses of Jones. Bill 2, is a striking homage to two artists, Katz and Jones, both renowned in their respective fields of visual and performing arts. The mural’s proximity to the new Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center gives a nod to the interconnected worlds of art, music, and dance.

The Guggenheim museum in NYC is currently showing Alex Katz: Gathering, a retrospective of the artist’s work from the late 1940’s until the present. The exhibition will be up until February 20, 2023.

From their website about the exhibition-

Emerging as an artist in the mid-20th century, Katz forged a mode of figurative painting that fused the energy of Abstract Expressionist canvases with the American vernaculars of the magazine, billboard, and movie screen. Throughout his practice, he has turned to his surroundings in downtown New York City and coastal Maine as his primary subject matter, documenting an evolving community of poets, artists, critics, dancers, and filmmakers who have animated the cultural avant-garde from the postwar period to the present.

Staged in the city where Katz has lived and worked his entire life, and prepared with the close collaboration of the artist, this retrospective will fill the museum’s Frank Lloyd Wright rotunda. Encompassing paintings, oil sketches, collages, drawings, prints, and freestanding “cutout” works, the exhibition will begin with the artist’s intimate sketches of riders on the New York City subway from the late 1940s and will culminate in the rapturous, immersive landscapes that have dominated his output in recent years.

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company has numerous performances every year. Conceived and directed by Bill T. Jones, and choreographed by Jones with Janet Wong and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, the latest work, Curriculum II, will be performed at on March 10, 11, and 12, at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston.

Jones also hosts the series Bill Chats at NYC’s The New School. On January 30th, he will be in conversation with Bessie Award-winning theater director and performance artist, Niegel Smith and curator, producer, and director, Kamilah Forbes. For more events check out the New York Live Arts calendar.

[hunnybunny316]

Little kids recitals will never be boring. I went to my little sister’s recitals today and I was thoroughly impressed. Them kids were hard as hell getting sturdy and everything.

[themuse-if]

DEMO (TBA) | Cast Profiles | Cast Interviews-Round 1 | Cast Interviews-Round 2 | The Muse: Spotify

The Muse is a 18+ slice of life interactive fiction novel set at NYU focusing mostly on the art departments in the Steinhardt and Tisch schools. Inspired by my love for shows and movies like Felicity, Fame (the show), Skins UK, and Center Stage. This will not be an accurate depiction of school life at NYU, I'll be taking lots of creative liberties.

Content Warnings: explicit language, sexual themes, substance use, violence, mention of SA

You come from a family of artists and art lovers. Your mother is a passionate curator for a small gallery in the city and your father is a sculptor and painter with a very dedicated cult following. They met when they were just starting out and have built a lovely life for themselves and their two children, you and your older brother Cameron.

Your parents have always been super supportive of you and your brother’s dreams and ambitions. They were a great source of encouragement and guidance for your brother on his path to discovering his goal to become a game designer and you on your path to become whatever you choose.

Growing up surrounded by such creativity just so happened to inspired you to want to create something of your own.

Now that you’ve graduated high school it’s time for you to head off to university! You’ve decided to leave the mid sized city that you call your hometown, and go to the big city NYC! You’ll be attending NYU more specifically, but you won’t be making this move alone you’ll be attending with your best friend Maxine!

What will you discover in your university life?

Will you solely focus on schoolwork or wind up in the raging party scene?

Will you explore new creative endeavors or solely focus on honing your craft?

With so much going on will you even have the time to possibly find your muse, or maybe even become someone else’s?

Design your mc from clothing style to physical appearance to pronouns, gender identity, name, looks, and more.

Choose 1 of 6 majors that grant you different classes with new students and professors: (Studio Arts, Dance, Drama, Photography and Imaging, Songwriting, Recorded Music)

Curate your MCs personality and how they react to all the drama and excitement university life has to offer. Style your MC’s dorm room and their aesthetic style.

Navigate the cliques and scenes to figure out where your MC fits in. Maybe you're a social butterfly and you just float from one social group to another!

Engage in a romance with 1 of 10 characters. 5 female/male gender selectable and 5 gender set characters. And 2 poly routes one with The Rebel Rejects and one with The Exes (Faye and Karla).

Choose one of three part time jobs to give you a little extra spending money for things like spring break and birthday gifts for your new friends.

Follow The Muse through your MC’s freshman and sophomore years. Junior and senior year will come much later in Book Two of The Muse. The third and final book in The Muse series will cover the start of MC's new life after graduation.

Roxanne/Robbie Sawyer: (f/m) The lead singer and guitarist of The Rebel Rejects. Ro is everything you would want in a lead singer cool, charismatic, and super talented. Don’t let their dazzling aura intimidate you though because though they may have a raging wild side they can also be extremely down to earth.

Joleen/Johnny Nielsen: (f/m) The drummer of The Rebel Rejects. Jo is the oddball of the band with a sunny exterior and twisted flower child past. They may be a sweet boho bimbo with a heart of gold, but there’s a lot more that lies behind those blue green eyes.

Delphine/Desmond Hartley: (f/m) The bassist for The Rebel Rejects. De is the super glue propelling the group forward. With high expectations from their parents, and dreams that soar even higher, success is the only option.

Rina/Ren Fukushi: (f/m) R is the best ballet dancer in this incoming freshman class, and no one would ever think to say otherwise. They’re cold and closed off, if it isn’t about ballet then they don’t want to hear it.

Everly/Everett Thompson: (f/m) Eve is a triple threat. Singing, dancing, acting they can do it all. They hope to complete their EGOT before they turn 40.

Karla Reyes: (she/her) Karla is a sophomore at NYU studying Studio Arts. Her favorite medium is watercolor on canvas. She dabbled with sculpting and ceramics...until she broke up with her ex, Faye, and can’t stand to be in the same studio with them.

Faye Winters: (she/they) Faye is every bit the ethereal being they seem to be, and just as flighty. She is a sophomore majoring in dance with a minor in studio arts. She has this effortless charm and beauty that extends to her art whether its her dancing or her sculptures.

Sebastien Auclair: (he/him) Sebastien is in his third year of university, he’s an exchange student from the Paris College of Art. He is studying photography and imaging. Sebastian loves Paris, but he is excited for this change of scenery.

Maxine Matthews: (she/her)Max is your best friend in the world! Your parents are friends so you were destined to best pals since birth, thank god you actually like each other or all those shared family functions would have been really awkward. Max is funny and always has great commentary for every show or movie that you watch together. Which is why you weren’t surprised when they decided to major in dramatic writing. Some people think that you’re too close. They wonder how is it possible that you could be just friends.

Silas Walker: (he/him) Silas is your RA. As your Resident Advisor he's super helpful and friendly. You have a question about the best study spots, bad professors, how to use the subway, well he's got answers. He keeps all his advisees at arms length because everyone knows RAs can't canoodle with their advisees. And that just makes it all the more enticing.

[books]

Writer Spotlight: Rose Sutherland

Rose Sutherland @rosesutherlandwrites is a Toronto-based writer who grew up a voracious reader with an overactive imagination in Nova Scotia (where she once fell off a roof trying to re-enact Anne of Green Gables!). She's been to theatre school in NYC, apprenticed at a pâtisserie in rural France, and currently moonlights as an usher and bartender—in between writing queer folktales, practicing yoga, dancing, singing, searching out amazing coffee and croissants, and making niche jokes about Victor Hugo on the internet. She's mildly obsessed with the idea of one day owning a large dog, several chickens, and maybe a goat. A Sweet Sting of Salt is her debut novel.

Keep reading for more about character arcs in A Sweet Sting of Salt, Rose's favorite fanfic tropes, and some excellent reading recs 👀

Can you tell us about A Sweet Sting of Salt and how you came to write it?

A Sweet Sting of Salt is a queer (f/f) historical reimagining of the classic folktale of the selkie wife, set in 1830’s Nova Scotia. I call it a “reimagining” because while it draws on the folktale, it’s not a retelling of that tale so much as a story playing out in relation to that mythology. I’d wanted to write something centering a love story between two women for a while, but the initial spark came from a Tumblr post! It suggested the idea of selkies testifying before the UN as victims of human trafficking, which reminded me of all the things I disliked about the original folktale and its inherent darkness that is generally glossed over, starting me down the rabbit hole toward finding my own story.

How did you approach research for A Sweet Sting of Salt, and what is a favorite historical fact you learned?

I joke that I did a lot of research by osmosis: I already had a lot of base knowledge about the location, having grown up in Nova Scotia, and then set the story in a period that I’ve been absorbing information about in a low-key way for ages—1832 is also the year of the student rebellion in Les Mis, so I’ve been gleaning tidbits about this era since I first got into the musical and book back in high school. However, I had to do more specific research into things like British divorce law, period midwifery, and animal husbandry. I also visited some small, hyper-local museums on the South Shore that gave me an invaluable glimpse into daily life. I also did some fun practical research into things like “How long does it take to walk from x to y?” and “How cold IS a plunge into this body of water in March?” (Spoiler: Very.) 

A fact that fascinated me but didn’t make it into the book was that some early European settlers in the area were granted lands by luck of the draw, pulling from a deck of playing cards: Each card was assigned to a specific 50-acre lot, and whatever you pulled, you were stuck with it.

When we meet them, Jean and Muirin are isolated for different reasons. What do you hope readers still searching for their people take away from A Sweet Sting of Salt?

That there’s always hope. It’s valuable and important to keep reaching out to the world around you, to be open, and not cut yourself off—the biggest reason for Jean’s loneliness at the beginning of this story is the way she has come to keep everyone around her at arm’s length, shutting herself away out of fear, and refusing to let anyone truly get to know her because she thinks that’s the best way to protect herself from being hurt again. Reaching out to others can take a real act of courage, especially if you’ve had bad experiences in the past, but “your people” will reach back to you.

Found family elements play a strong role throughout the novel, within supernatural and mundane settings and across species. Was this something you intended from the beginning, or did this grow out of writing the relationship between Jean and Muirin?

I always intended for Jean to have a found family of this type, which is something that a lot of queer people identify with, but those bonds also got stronger and more meaningful as I wrote, especially once Jean and Muirin began growing into their own family unit—their new relationship and the real danger that comes along with it put pressures on Jean’s other relationships that I hadn’t originally considered. Disagreements with Anneke and Laurie over Jean’s choices arise from their deep concern and love for her, and her own love and care for them, reflected in her responses, is a big part of what made them feel like a real family, for me. Jean and Laurie always having each other’s backs while also being the first to call one another out on their bullshit ended up being one of my favourite dynamics in the whole book.

The selkie myth carries an inherent element of transformation. What is a character transformation you most enjoyed writing, and why?

On a character level, the change in Jean’s worldview following a conversation with her childhood sweetheart meant a lot to me—it heals an old wound for her. I love how grounded and self-assured she is afterward, in spite of the daunting task still ahead of her. But my favourite transformation to write was the antagonist’s mask-off moment, where they directly threaten Jean for the first time. It’s so sly and coded so that only she will understand the menace behind it, a real dun-duh-dunnn moment, which was a lot of fun for me—I also enjoy the foreshadowing elements in that exchange.

This is your debut novel. Did anything surprise you about getting it from manuscript to published book?

Oh my gosh, how LONG it took! After I finished the original draft and decided it was worth attempting to publish, I spent over a year revising based on my own thoughts, input from beta readers, critique partners, and my mentor, Maureen Marshall (whom I connected with through the now defunct Author Mentor Match program, and whose book, The Paris Affair—about a young gay engineer attempting to help Gustave Eiffel secure the funding to build a certain celebrated Parisian landmark— is coming out in May). After that came a full year of querying agents and getting rejected. A lot. People loved Salty but weren’t quite sure what to do with her or where the book would fit in “the market,” which was hard to deal with at the time but is hilarious in retrospect: Salty was snapped up less than a month after she finally went out on submission! But that was back in 2022, and the book is only coming out now. Publishing can be painfully slow.

You’ve written fanfic in the past—do you have a favorite fanfic trope?

I’m not sure either of these counts as a trope, but I adore a character that’s “pure of heart, dumb of ass”, and love a truly unhinged Fanon Explanation For Canon Object. As a longtime Les Mis stan, I ship Tholomyes/Getting Punched. If you know, you know.

Do you have any favorite queer retellings of folktales you can recommend?

Right here on Tumblr, I’m a huge fan of @laurasimonsdaughter, who writes delightful riffs on classic folktales, truly inventive urban fantasy spins on old lore, and her own original folktales. 

I’m currently reading Spear, an amazing queer, gender-bent, Arthurian novella by Nicola Griffiths. Anna Burke’s books Thorn and Nottingham are up next on my TBR. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of brilliant queer historicals that aren’t retellings (I recently loved Suzette Meyr’s The Sleeping Car Porter and Heather O’Neil’s When We Lost Our Heads) and wonderful historical retellings that aren’t queer (I highly recommend Molly Greeley’s beautiful, heartbreaking Marvelous, about the real-life couple that inspired Beauty and the Beast). Queer, historical retellings aimed at adults seem to be considered quite niche, still, and can take some digging to find! So, throwing this out to Tumblr: Do you have recommendations for me?

Do you have a writing routine? Is there a place/state of being/playlist you find most conducive to your writing practice?

My routine is chaotic at best, but I find I do my best work earlier in the day, so I usually scribble in my journal while I have breakfast, and then progress to working on my current project as I drink my second cup of coffee. I’m lucky—my day job is an evening gig, which mostly allows me to write on my preferred schedule… but I’ve also been known to have a bolt of inspiration strike at 10pm and dash home to write until well past midnight on occasion. Nothing quite like the hyperfocus zone!

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything you can tell us about?

No official news yet, but I’m currently working on a story set in 18th-century provincial France based on a true unsolved mystery of the past. It has me delving into a very specific branch of French folklore, and I hope future readers will pick up on common threads with one popular fairytale in particular. I’m really excited about where this one is headed, but keeping the details close to my chest for now!

Thank you Rose for taking the time to answer our questions! If you love queer fantasy and old folktales, grab yourself a copy of A Sweet Sting of Salt, and be sure to share your queer folktale reading recs with Rose on @rosesutherlandwrites!

[percyluvr]

hello!! you're fics r amazing and i wanted to request some hc or a drabble, you choose, about fem!reading being the head counselor of hermes cabin and totally being his fem version. thank u so much if u do 🫶🏻🫶🏻

percy jackson x hermes cabin counselor!reader summary: hcs abt percy with hermes counselor reader basically being him but as a girl

first, i think u two would be inseparable

like im talking sitting at each others tables during meals, training together all the time, sneaking off to go make out in his cabin when u really should be leading camp activities, sleeping in each other's cabins, etc etc

im just thinking of the iconic percabeth underwater kiss with u guys

with him using his powers to make sure u can breathe while u kiss, and teeth clashing together making u guys just giggle ur little hearts out

when u two go back to nyc for the school year u would live with him, sally, and paul and they would treat u like their own kid

they see how much percy likes you and how similar you two are and they cant help but think of u as one of their own

hanging out in nyc together, he teaches u how to skateboard bc he DEFINITELY knows how to

adding onto that, he would definitely teach u how to surf if u didnt know how

just thinking about if u also have the same music taste, u two dancing around the kitchen to ur favorite songs

making brownies together for estelle's school bake sales in the future!!! my heart omfg

back to camp, i think everyone would be worried if they ever saw u two not together

like im talking celebrity break up gossip page type all up in ur business

but then they see one of you sneaking out of the same place the other one just walked out of and they realize that u two were just trying to be sneaky???

but why

bc really u two have never been sneaky in ur entire lives

if either of u got picked to lead a quest, u would immediately pick the other as the first person to come with on ur quest bc u literally cannot live without each other

FINISHING EACH OTHERS JOKES

or just sentences in general

literally couple goals

like, if someone is talking to both of u, sometimes you'll make the same joke at the exact same time and laugh ur asses off and the other person will just like. stand there staring until they eventually just walk away bc u two wont stop laughing

like i just think u two are on the same wavelength all the time

if one of u forgets to do something, u dont even have to worry bc the other already did it for u

i saw somewhere that leo could probably tweak phones so the demigods can use them, and u two would both go to him to get phones so u could make each other ur lockscreen and background

i think the two of u would send each other the DUMBEST tiktoks or instagram reels

or like u would send it and then realize that the other already sent it or liked it

the two of u would definitely do tiktok trends

dancing together

u would DEFINITELY do the peeling the orange trend

and he would just peel the orange. no questions asked

like u wouldnt even have to ask him

he'd just see u with the orange be like "here baby give me that, i'll peel it for you"

SCREAMING HES SO BF

matching tiktok pfps for SURE

or matching bios !!!!!

u two definitely went to see the barbie movie together

i have no doubts

whenever he gets pranked by connor or travis, u immediately send them to laundry duty

but they still say its worth it because one time when u were sleeping in percy's room, they poured water on the two of u and both of u chased them around camp until u realized that percy had no shirt, and u had no pants

u werent THAT embarrassed bc like. everyone already knows anyway

but the stolls thought it was SO funny and they made it their mission to prank both of u again

when u two go on cabin inspections, even if u arent doing it together, u always give each other's cabin a 10 even tho u both know that neither of ur cabins deserve it ....

the two of u definitely sneak out of ur cabins at night when u arent together and sit down by the river, just to be met with the other sitting there with the exact same thought as u

and u end up going back to his cabin to sleep

u guys have definitely gotten yelled at by mr d and chiron

but u kept doing it

so they just gave up

but anyways, u guys r literally the it couple at camp

like, all the couples wanna be like u guys

ur just such a perfect fit & u love each other so much and u cant help but show it

a/n: this was my first time doing hcs and i think i kinda got a bit carried away... but anyways i hope u like it !! also, i love writing and im so happy that u like mine, it means so much to me <3

[two-white-butterflies]

parallel lines | d. targaryen | part eight

Description: An ordinary middle school teacher moves to a desolate town with her fiancee. After suffering episodes of vivid nightmares, she realizes that his uncle looks exactly like the man in her dreams.

Pairings: daemon targaryen/reader, aemond targaryen/reader

Trope: Reincarnation

TW: Murder. Non-Con.

series masterlist |

"If you know it in one glimpse, it's legendary You and I go from one kiss to gettin married." - loml, Taylor Swift.

(TARGARYEN RESIDENCE. 2008)

It was a hail mary from the beginning. Two people who had everything to lose, plotting to have more than they could handle. "She must've known." Alicent breathes, playing with the rosary-styled bracelet on her left wrist. "- I told you not to cheap out on the assassins. We'll get the money back anyways." she scolded.

Her grip on the bracelet tightened. Viserys' took a deep breath.

"I did not hire mediocre mercenaries. It was a recommendation from the goddamn Governor of Texas. If you're searching for good mercenaries, you're not gonna find them because people who kill people for a living don't have a moral compass." he gritted his teeth. His anger doubling at every second he spent in his wife's presence.

"I couldn't care less about their moral compass. You should've hired someone who had a follow through." she hissed, glaring at him. "I'm sorry but I'm not the one who wanted Olivia L/N dead." he groaned, standing up and attempting to exit the door.

She stares at the side, the sight of a crucifix snapping her back into reality. "I don't like the role that you're giving me, Viserys." her voice cracked, her fingers dancing along every bead. Along every Hail Mary. Her breath hitched for a second.

Fearing the person that she's become.

He made her this way. He manipulated her, made her believe that the love that they shared was true. He made her fight for every scrap of his love. He made her a monster. Now, she was finally thirty, fifteen would never cross her mind. "You're the one who wanted to give your children part of Aemma's company. I was following your wishes." he tried to flip the table at her.

Our children. She wanted to correct him.

It might've been her idea, but he didn't give her a choice. Her children would live in poverty without the money that Aemma provided. Alicent didn't have a job. She didn't even finish High School, and it was obvious that Viserys wasn't going to be around for long.

"Don't worry about Olivia. She doesn't have the guts to sue us. I hope that you learn to be content with what you've been provided. Not everything has to be handed on a silver spoon." Viserys remarked.

Aemond breathes. "They're fighting again." he spoke through the landline. Fighting was a normal occurrence in the Targaryen Household, it was always about the inheritance.

"Mom ought to accept that the old man isn't gonna leave us a single dime." Aegon chuckled. His older brother long accepted the fact that Viserys hated all his children from his second-marriage.

"- Rhaenyra has always been the golden child. I don't know why we bother." he added with an eye-roll.

Aemond pressed his lips closer to the microphone. "Dad hired someone to kill Aunt Olivia." he dropped the bomb, and the other line answered with silence. "- Mom figured that if Aunt Olivia died, then all the shares would go to Dad, and there'll be enough for us." he whispered, careful not to be heard.

"He'd rather have someone murdered than give us a tiny piece of Rhaenyra's billion dollar inheritance? I study in New York. I should kill Aunt Olive, make Mom proud for once." his lips pressed into a thin line, seriously considering that random thought.

The younger brother responds with a chuckle.

"You won't do that Aegon. You're not actually a murderer." he laughed, thinking that it was his older brother's way of making a joke. Aegon licks his lips. Right, not a murderer.

OLIVIA L/N FOUND DEAD IN AN NYC APARTMENT WITH NO CURRENT SUSPECTS, POLICE SOURCES SAY.

NEW YORK -- Police sources are revealing more details about a murder in Manhattan. They say that the New York City Police Department is currently conducting investigations about possible motives for the crime.

It happened in Upper Manhattan, sources say that the first person that found the body was Ms. Olivia L/N's daughter, then a neighbor that chooses to remain anonymous.

Olivia L/N is the co-founder of Dragonpine Brewery, which has now expanded into different industries including real estate, technology, and pharmaceuticals. She currently owns 49% of Dragonpine Brewery, but all shares are expected to return to Viserys Targaryen, who too, owns 49% of the company.

The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide due to the blunt force trauma to the head, and stab wounds on her stomach.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-***-***-TIPS. ALL CALLS ARE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL.

(PRESENT)

Daemon couldn't stop pacing and forth. Luckily, the bullet didn't hit anything important. You could still use your ankle normally in the future, but it would take time to heal.

"It's a medical miracle. It's the first time I've seen it happen." he remarks, trying to calm himself down.

The entire thing was difficult to process. He found it hard to believe that Aemond suddenly lost all semblance of normalcy and broke. "The gun wasn't registered. He could face charges, unless Alicent drives by with her golden chariot and bribes the judge again." he rolled his eyes, unwilling to let his nephew live scot-free.

"I told her about Aemond's past, the case with the girl and Nick. She could've confronted him about it, brought memories that he couldn't handle. He could've been guilty." Rhaenyra suggested, shaking her head. "Where is he?" Daemon's eyes narrowed.

He peeked through the halls, searching for his nephew's familiar silver-gold locks. "Down at the police station. Jace tells me that Aemond's shaken. Unable to form any statement." she adds with a deep breath. Aware that the story was reaching its climax.

"Alicent won't let him speak anyways. Where's Helaena?" he paused, reminded of his youngest niece. "She's babysitting the kids. Daemon, role-calling everyone won't be enough to distract you from Y/N. She's a wall away, I can hear her heart monitor from here." she pointed out.

Clearly as nervous as he was.

"I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe that we're given a second chance at everything, but we're still making the same mistakes." he sat down on the bench beside her.

He wanted to be a better person. Make his life worthwhile, but with the people around him repeating the same mistakes over and over. "I feel like I'm trapped inside a paradox. We'll die, then we'll get reborn and repeat everything again. It's like that show we watched. Are we in the Bad Place?" his eyebrows merged together.

"I don't know, Daemon. It feels like hell, but then I see my sons and I wouldn't trade this life for anything else." she had a bitter smile on her face. A nurse steps out of your room.

Daemon rises to his feet.

"Is she awake?" he inquired.

"No. I don't think that I'm at liberty to say this but - being unconscious for this long isn't normal. They'll do some tests, but I'm sure she'll be fine." the nurse felt inclined to speak out, seeing Daemon's worried face.

"Are you her boyfriend?" the nurse asked.

Rhaenyra's face softened. "It's complicated." she bit her lower lip.

(HARRENHAL.)

TW: NON CON SCENE (WILL STATE WHEN IT'S OVER SO YOU CAN SCROLL DOWN TO IT)

You breathe in the smell of smoke. Harrenhal was a curse.

"You will die here." you whispered, the prophetic visions finally finding solace inside of you, like they've found solace in Alys.

"You dampen the mood." Aemond pours himself a goblet of wine. "- it will not stop me from having my way." he reminded.

"I know." you whispered.

"We won't be needing this," he stated, cutting swiftly through your gown. He was staring at your body with the intensity of a thousand stars - you could've sworn that it was love - but it was not. "Why are you doing this?" you whisper, covering your breasts.

He does not acknowledge the use of your tongue. He ignores you. He presses a kiss to your jaw, inhaling the scent of your jasmine perfume. A prisoner has never lived more lavishly than you. "Riñītsos," he answered, hands trailing down to pull yours away.

"You sleep beside my sister knowing such stain is upon your honor." you gritted your teeth.

"Stomach up." he commanded - eyes twinkling with lust. "Legs open," he added - seeing you in the vulnerable position.

You couldn't remember anything that happened afterwards.

(NON-CON SCENE OVER)

"I care not about what he's done to your husband. I care more about what you had to go through." Alys looked at you in a crestfallen way. She vowed to protect you, but her visions clouded her judgement. Made her believe that Aemond was their savior.

"It'll be the same tomorrow, Alys, unless you can remedy this curse then rid yourself. Leave my presence." you pleaded, unable to stare into her eyes. The same eyes that you looked at in the mirror. "You may think me cold, that all I've ever grown to love is him. I thought that I could control him, but he is like the wind." she shook her head.

"You cannot catch the wind, sister." your breath quivered.

"What I've done is payment for my sins," she started.

You snap out of the trance. Eyes finally meeting hers.

"What did you do?" you asked.

"I killed him." Alys admitted, only then did you realize the streak of blood of her cheek. "I'm sorry." she apologized, falling to the floor.

"I forgive you." you bite the insides of your cheeks.

You've watched your sister hold the enemy softer than she's ever held you. You watch her let peace slip through her fingers. You watch her betray you and you forgive her, because this is the role she must play. You cannot resent the dancer for the actions of the song.

"There will be a boat going to an island near the Ghiscari Empire. I hope that you find peace there." she handed you three dragons. "What about you?" you tilted her head, feeling the tears trickle down your cheeks. "I must stay." she reminded.

It was the last winter that you'd spend with this body. You lived sixty more years without your husband. Now, you were old and frail - there were lines on the sides of your eyes. Wrinkles that weren't there when your husband was still alive.

"Have some tea." Serenei's daughter beckoned.

You complied.

Feeling every bit of your consciousness slip away.

You had a vision the night before, that this would be your last life. You already broke the karmic chains and learnt all your lessons. There was no need to restart the pain and suffering.

But you sharply argued with the gods.

Told them that you had to be reborn. You needed to see Daemon. You needed a life where you could be with him longer, and happier.

The gods granted you that gift.

And thus, here you are again.

Your throat felt dry; like you haven't drank water in a thousand years. You hear the machine beeping beside you. A feeling of someone's hand on top of yours.

You opened your eyes.

"Daemon," you whispered.

"I remember."

next chapter>>

OK THIS LINE

You've watched your sister hold the enemy softer than she's ever held you. You watch her let peace slip through her fingers. You watch her betray you and you forgive her, because this is the role she must play. You cannot resent the dancer for the actions of the song.

WAS COPIED FROM @faiIwife on twitter. IT MADE MY LIFE IM SORRY.

[kscheibles]

congratulations (college bf! au)

content warnings: f! reader, fluff

word count: 0.8k

dedication: to my sweet, sweet friend, mads (@toomuchracket), who earned her master’s degree today 🫰🏼

You sit on a stool at the countertop of your and Matty’s tiny NYC apartment, crowded with books, plants, and shoes you couldn’t quite give up in the move. You chuckle to yourself as you recall countless conversations with Matty as you packed up your dorm room – him “just checking again, sweetheart” that you needed a second pair of black heels. Boys never understand. You touch your steaming mug of tea gingerly, sipping it and letting the sweet, herbal taste melt on your tongue. Years ago, you would have made fun of him for having tea in the morning. Now, everything in your life is colored by him, and all the better for it. He makes the colors richer.

Matty is in the kitchen, donning a pair of grey sweatshorts and a graphic t-shirt making breakfast. You feast your eyes on the sight of him being so domestic. The past year, he’s been working while you’re still studying and completing your integrated master's program. As of a few months ago, you’re officially at the mercy of your dissertation committee to see if you’ll be awarded the degree. You’ve been feeling lost – like your life is on hold until you know the result. Stuck in a limbo between being accomplished and a total failure (not to mention broke from grad school tuition costs). Matty’s noticed a change in your disposition and adjusted well given the circumstances. He makes coffee, cleans the apartment, and plans dates like it’s his job. Right now, he’s standing in your shared kitchen, flipping pancakes with surprising agility, and doing a happy dance each time they turn out okay. 

He makes a show of bringing you your pancakes, speckled with chocolate chips and stacked uniformly on your nicest plate. Butter melts off of them and the smell of chocolate fills your nose. Matty sits beside you, his plate a shockingly different sight. On his plate are amorphous pancakes, lopsided and deformed. 

“What happened to yours?” you tease, pouring some maple syrup onto your plate and offering him the carafe. 

“Wanted you to have the pretty ones,” he says softly, accepting the syrup and kissing you on the forehead. You smile into his touch. 

You’re a few bites into your delicious pancakes when you get a call from one of your schoolmates. You look at Matty silently questioning if he’ll be mad if you take it and he waves you off. You pad into the bedroom, answering the phone calmly.

“Get your laptop out, bitch,” she states, curtly.

“What?” you ask, reeling. 

“Get your laptop out. They’ve released our dissertation grades. I want to find out the same time you do.”

You grab your laptop and bring it out to the kitchen counter, putting your phone down.

“You’re on speaker, Matty’s here so be nice,” you almost shout, simultaneously logging into your student portal.

“Matty, I’m always nice about you, she’s just being a dick,” your friend clarifies. 

“I know you too well to believe that for a second, darling,” he muses, fitting more pancakes into his mouth and washing it down with his tea, “What’s this about?”

“Are you on the page?” you ask into the phone.

“Yes, ready?” comes the staticky response, “Refresh on three.”

“Okay.”

“One…two…three!”

As the page reloads, you see the familiar crest of your school with the word ‘Congratulations’ juxtaposed over it. 

“Oh my god!!” you squeal, jumping up and down. Your friend cries excitedly on the other line.

“Babe, what on earth is going on, you haven’t told me a thing,” whines Matty to your left.

“You’re officially dating a girl with a master’s, Healy,” comes the voice from the phone. Matty's face brightens in every possible way: his eyebrows raise, mouth widens, eyes light up and squint in total contentedness. He comes up to you, hugging you tight and kissing your lips softly, unflinchingly. 

You pick up the phone, turning it off speaker and pressing it to your ear. 

“Congratulations, babe,” you muse. Matty looks at you with total adoration that’s morphing into hunger by the second. You meet his eyes as his eyebrows quirk suggestively. You smile and Matty leans down, kissing your collarbone and creeping up slowly towards your exposed neck.

“I have to go,” you nearly moan into the receiver, “drinks soon?”

“Yeah yeah whatever blow me off to be with your boyfriend,” she teases, “Love you.”

“Love you,” you make a kissing noise and click the phone off.

“Hey, I love you too,” Matty whines into your skin. You touch his hair once your hands are free.

“I know baby, I love you, too.”

“Yeah?” he meets your eyes, “Well I’m about to show you exactly how much. My perfect, smart, sweet girl,” he punctuates each word with a kiss below your ear.

He whispers “congratulations” one more time before lowering himself to his knees.

[shufflesnyc]

Ways To Choose The Top Musical Theater For Your Child

Parents must be aware of their children's interests when deciding their future. It is never appropriate to judge your child's dreams. Instead, you should always find out what fascinates them and provide them with things that will help them reach their goals in life. The musical theater school NYC you choose should be liked by your child. Here mentioned are the ways to select the top musical theater for your child:

Age relevant programs:

Start by looking for tap classes NYC programs catered to your child's age range. Since children's needs and abilities can differ greatly, theater programs frequently target certain age groups. Little ones could benefit from beginning sessions emphasizing storytelling and play, while older kids might be prepared for more performance-based and formal acting training. To maintain your child's interest and challenge, ensure your chosen class is age-appropriate.

Consider cost and value:

The tap dance classes NYC value and cost should be carefully considered. Make sure you read the academy's policies and financial agreement when looking into programs and acting lessons so you know when payments are due and can prevent any further fees. Fees and tuition vary based on several factors. A payment plan agreement frequently exists to give you and the children's theater academy precise expectations regarding the due dates for tuition and fees.

Qualified and experienced instructors:

Choose acting courses taught by knowledgeable and experienced teachers. A qualified tap instructor can greatly impact your child's educational journey. Examine the instructor's qualifications, including their history in teaching, theater, and dealing with kids. To ensure the instructor is well-regarded, check reviews or get referrals from other parents.

Partial words:

These are a few basic suggestions for selecting the ideal theater classes for NYC kids. Finding the correct one and expanding their expertise in extracurricular activities and education will be easier by considering all of these aspects.

[la-kuntessa]

A Very Classy Night

For the Hellcheer Discord Hotties

NYC

June, 1989

It’s such a beautiful, iconic, warm and sexy New York night that they have to take advantage of it. 

They’re dressed up, having left a fancy party thrown by or for a big donor at Chrissy’s dance school. It was in a fancy apartment on fifth avenue. Champagne, h’ors d’overs (Chrissy’s favorite food), beautiful art in a gorgeous, million-billion dollar apartment and an open bar. 

Super classy.

Eddie was on his best behavior, he charmed all the rich wives and their staff. He meticulously pressed his suit and bought a tie with matching pocket square. He wore his pointy boots and his hair neatly tied at his nape. Chrissy thinks he’s so handsome she could die. 

They bounce the classy party before everyone gets too drunk and things get inappropriate (Eddie thinks there’s a very sexual vibe between donors and dancers. Like, they throw money and you dance for them. Chilling.)

They’re not ready for this night to end, though! They have to hit as many bars as possible because they look and feel so cute. They want to get drunk and make out at a bar, then they want to go home, get stoned and make out some more.

A perfect Saturday night. 

So Eddie’s twirling Chrissy as they walk down Fifth Avenue and they find themselves in front of the Plaza Hotel. 

There’s fancy people coming in and out and they all look like they’ve been partying. Must be a wedding. It is a Saturday in June, after all. 

Hmmmm. 

It takes very little to persuade Chrissy to try to sneak into this fancy wedding. 

They enter the hotel from a little used side door, feeling like spies. Chrissy is giggling so hard it makes Eddie get the giggles and they have to take some circular breaths to calm down. They put Eddie’s jacket on Chrissy, she holds her heels. Eddie tucks his hair into his popped (ugh) collar and he puts on his sunglasses for extra asshole vibes.

They stumble over, pretending to be drunk yuppies, like they’ve been at this party for hours. There’s no one to check them so they walk in with purpose to the bar. 

The room is massive and there’s so many people…

This could be fun.

They grab two passed champagne flutes and sip nervously. 

No one is looking at them. 

The coast…is clear? 

They nibble on some canapés.

They hit the dance floor when the band starts up on some Temptations. 

They eat a couple of eclairs from the Viennese table.

This might actually work!

They’re back at the bar when one of the bridesmaids approaches them. 

Uh oh.

“Great party right!” Chrissy chirps.

“Totally,” says bridesmaid “Who are you with?”

Oh NO.

“Michael!” Eddie croaks. “We’re Michael’s kids!”

“Michael who?”

“Michael Michael!”

Chrissy acts fast.

“He’s right over there!” she points to the far side of the room.

The bridesmaid looks over-

-THEN BITCH THEY ARE RUNNING-

Ok, not running, running, more like scooting away at a fast clip.

They zip down some halls and miraculously find a unisex bathroom to hide in.

Chrissy and Eddie are laughing and trembling so hard, oh my god. 

They wait until they’re sure no one has followed them or called the cops or whatever rich people would do to two scalawags such as them. 

Eventually they slide out and slink onto 58th street where they indulge in a cab to 13th street to stop at the Pony Keg because Eddie used to work there and drinks for (mostly) free. 

On Monday Chrissy tells her dance friends about their adventure (turns out they left just in time. Things indeed get sexual; Antoine blew a waiter in the service stairwell and Lisette got multiple offers for threesomes. {She’ll do it if they pay her $500 cash})

So everybody had fun!

Years and years later, they’re at a HUGE charity gala at the Plaza. They’re having a great time schmoozing, sipping Champagne, feeling very rich and famous, when Eddie turns to Chrissy and says sotto voce 

“ok, if anyone asks, tell them we’re with Michael” 

Chrissy is confused, but Eddie sees the realization wash over her. She makes an undignified, loud, explosive laugh-snort and doubles over laughing, ending up squatting then sitting on the floor. 

She’s crying laughing, she can’t breathe.

She’s doing Chrissy Laugh #234- “ah-HA! Ah-HA! Ah-Ha!” one of Eddie’s faves.

He’s holding her wrap and purse so they don’t end up with her. ON the floor of THEE Plaza Hotel. “Christine, please! The press is here! She’s not drunk, I swear!” he laughs. She’s so fucking cute, he wants to kiss her all over her adorable face. 

The cameras flash all around them.

There’s a picture of Chrissy in her beautiful midnight blue satin gown, her hair, gleaming, diamonds at her ears and throat, at this major event…looking like she peed herself on the floor of the Plaza. 

This picture?

It ends up in Vanity Fair. 

It’s framed on Eddie’s desk. 

[foster-the-world]

Great Gatsby

My Mom, Aunt and I saw the Great Gatsby last night. Great show. Amazing costumes and scenes as you would expect. We got $24 tickets we get through Bee's ice skating program. My husband and I will go see Water for Elephants next month. The Classical theater of Harlem is also having free nightly outdoor performance of a midsummers night dream - which looks like a fun adaption. Thinking of taking the girls next week. I think it has lots of glitzy costumes and dancing. It doesn't start until 8:30 but I think we can go for the first half. As a kid my mom had weekly tickets to the Muny - a huge outdoor theater. All of the kids went to the kids show once a summer. Fond memories.

The girls start science camp next week. They love Camp Half blood/sword camp so much. So much imagination. They are bummed its over but they did science camp and liked it last summer.

We are scheduled to go to Banff and Jasper National Parks the end of August. We always do our summer vacation then because camps end but school doesn't start. Turns out two other people at work also want that week off. They may tell me no. Which is fine. So far I've only booked cancelable lodging. We will figure out childcare and go the week before. We may end up switching destinations because we will no longer have the extra labor day Monday off. Its a pretty pricey flight so I don't want to go if we don't have enough time. Maybe Columbia? We will make it to Banff someday.

Talked with baby boy's new school OT and PT. They said he's doing great. He's so used to doing therapies that he has no problems going with new people. PT mentioned the inability to slow down is his problem. Not news to us. Let's hope they can help.

Was reading the NYT's article about the study that says children's moving anytime between the age of 10 and 16 has really detrimental long term effects. For obvious reasons loosing your close knit community during that age is difficult. Here in NYC because of school choice kids can go across town for Junior high and then to a totally different location with no one they know for High School. In addition to the (unhealthy, I think) stress of applications, etc I do wonder if it would have the same negative outcomes. Maybe that's just common practice everywhere now? Where I grew up Jr High was everyone you went to Elementary school with and then three other elementary schools. High school was everyone from your Jr High. I def went from Kindergarten through Graduation with many of the same people.

In my circles everyone believes social media is the cause of teenagers mental health problems - which I believe. But I also think kids having so much less freedom contributes. Its tricky in NYC - as I can't send my kids out to their neighbors backyard - but I try to give the girls freedom as much as possible. Baby boys only four but unless his personality changes I think it will be even more difficult to give him freedom.

Here's to hoping Biden drops out in the next few days. Let's all buy the man a drink, give him a big thank you and let him live out his days in peace. Job well done. Lots of room for improvement but overall A+ in my book.

[equallyshaw]

The friend group | little lion au - au masterlist. - also the nicknames for them are in good fun lol

☀︎☀︎☀︎��︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

liona 'lion' kai ovekchin: russian mob boss - more on her here.

orange cat

studying fashion and minoring in marketing at nyu

1/3 of greenwhich village roommates

only child (+ younger half sister - sasha from moms ex fiance)

geno malkin worshiper

scorpio

part time nanny and part time barista/book shop clerk at an historic bookshop/coffee house

avid reader

huge star wars fan

used to have a crush on david..before her and chris got together..😚

tolerates hockey, big alex o fan if you didn't know

huge traveler

hamptons lovaaaaa

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

rainn spencer: miss grump

liona's bff

second half

partner in crime always

1/3 of Greenwich village roommates

secretly has a thing for jack.

early supporter of #Hoveckhin

social work student at NYU, with a minor in Womens Studies

thinks of alex as a father figure because she does not have the best relationship with her own father, as her parents are divorced.

alum of Georgetown prep

works at a local coffee shop, and a record store on the weekend.

pisces

incredibly creative and extremely smart

middle child (syndrome) of three, with two brothers.

avid reader and painter

coffee connoisseur

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

chris briney: trust fund kid

liona's ex and friend

columbia student, grad in 2025. (year early)

got accepted into harvard, attended one semester before transferring to new york.

oldest of 2, has a younger sister

aries

still is in love with liona..

is incredibly close to alex still

huge fan of the capitals

grew up next to liona, next door

studying political science and international relations

lives with gavin off-campus

enjoys playing the guitar, writing and reading

tea addict

used to be: grumpy bf x sunshine gf or black cat x orange cat

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

gavin casalegno: top dog

golden retriever

closest to chris

columbia student

studying anthropology

bisexual

virgo

avid movie watcher/goer

youngest of four, with one brother and two sisters

night owl

down for a good time, always.

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

sean kaufman: shakespeare

1/3 (part time) greenwich roommates

originally got into princeton but declared to go to nyu

studies playwriting with a minor in musical theater

cancer

oldest of 3, has 2 sisters

first generation student

first generation, parents are both from asia

has Korean citizenship through parents

musical goer (will bring lion every. single. time.)

huge traveler (along with gavin)

has had a crush on rain for years (but once he saw the ending to liona and chris he decided to not pursue anything)

second half of liona, male version of her (we'll see that soon!)

will drag her out of bed at obscene hours to dance, bake and ofcourse, get some pizza

coffee addict (connoisseur)

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

david iacono: pink whitney

went to georgetown prep with the group

year older than the group

reunited in london, summer 2025 before he moves back to the states

studied liberal arts at university of cambridge

only child

liona and him were close because they did musicals and plays together at school + in the community

moves to nyc to pursue his masters at columbia

golden retriever energy

had a crush on liona during highschool but then once her and chris got together, he pushed it away

avid fan of the capitals

literally starstruck of alex but not geno (lmao)

really likes luke when he meets him when they get back from europe in the Hamptons

the two of them get along really well

along with sean, the two of them get liona out and about always

loves to do photography

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

+ ensemble members.

jack hughes: frat president

follows luke around like a lost puppy when he joins luke and liona for stuff with the group

shy af (ironic lol)

really likes rainn

him and gavin get on really well

gavin brings jack out of his shell, and the two are thick as thieves

down for a good time, always.

middle child syndrome ofc

dylan duke: the slut (not literally lmao)

summer buddies with the group when everybody visits michigan

ring leader for the michigan trips (that now include the friend group)

him + david = pink whitney lovers

karaoke fanatic

# 2 fan of Hoveckchin (behind rainn & just because he likes the ship name, has to enunciate HO)

quinn hughes: the dictator

keeps everybody in line during the summers (doesn't need unnecessary injuries or drama)

they call him the dictator because of it

enjoys the friend group, thinks they are all sound people and glad luke has a good group when he's in jersey and people away from the league

treats lion like his little sister

+

ethan edwards

nico hischier

Alex holtz

Rutger mcgroarty

adam fantilli

simon nemec

andrei svechnikov (her russian brat)

+ more ofc

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

hope you all enjoyed!!!

[thedawningofthehour]

JUSt needed to tell you that thinking about "Profile in Quicksilver" got me through the day 💕💕💕

I also love how you incorporate worldbuilding details seamlessly into the narrative without being overwhelming! I love reading Gale & Draxum talking! Do u have any religion/traditions/custom headcanons that didn't show up in the fic (yet)?

thank you so much for writing!!!

Thank you! I do try to avoid lore dumps, even if they can be interesting at times. Ideally, people won't realize they're being lore dumped on. It's like, in a dance when you transition to a different blocking, ideally the audience shouldn't even notice you're transitioning, it should just feel like part of the choreography.

And OH FUCKING BOY DO I. Thinking about the background of the Hidden City and the Yokai as a whole has been so much fun. Making it fit with the lore we see in the show and the actual history of New York City has been so much fun-like, it's not that there happens to be a giant monster city under NYC, NYC became NYC because there was a giant monster city already there. And that's why NYC is Like That. Why are all the dark armor pieces in New York? Because that's where most magic is now, magical beings were driven out from everywhere else.

As far as religion, I've been keeping them pretty secular? Mostly because that's just an aspect I don't feel really jives with TMNT. I have a scene later on where Leo and Mikey attend church with April and her parents, but it's more out of curiosity than any real desire to take up religion. They see it as more of a cool cultural thing that an actual system of beliefs. One of the main things I can remember right now is Leo bitching about the smell of incense.

In the background, I think of the Yokai as following a lot of pagan religions. These people haven't been directly colonized or conquered (or more accurately, were ethnically cleansed instead of being colonized or conquered) so Christianity and Islam are much less common. Probably the same with some other religions that spread due to conquest, but I'm not...entirely sure what those religions would be. (Hellenism? Zoroastrianism? Taoism? Do those fit? I'm singling out Abrahamic religions because those are the most common currently) Also Christianity and Islam are pretty young religions. I haven't made a definite timeline, but I'm leaning towards most Yokai communities being established more than 2000 years ago. Leo mentioned in the Christmas chapter that there were a lot of bright reds and lights down in the Hidden City-pretty much everyone has a winter solstice holiday, so officially they're celebrating the solstice instead of any one religious holiday, and everyone's kind of free to celebrate however they want. Not a lot goes down in December, actually. Schools have most of the month off, a lot of workplaces cut their hours or just straight shut up for a few weeks, most people are partying and spending time with family. It's basically like their summer vacation.

Oh! One thing I will probably work in at some point, but the last of the Yokai migrations happened during WW1. The few remaining exclaves in the human world (like the one in Chongqing, where Tigerclaw was living) basically went "fuck it" and packed up shop, even in places where there was no fighting. It was the nail that drove home that they couldn't exist alongside humans, that even if they weren't warring with the humans themselves they would still get roped into human conflicts, and eventually they would be killed off.

And the thing is, up until recently, the Hidden City was still rather closed off from the human world, despite living underneath NYC. You have to get government approval to go topside, so most people were living their entire lives underground without ever stepping foot in NYC proper. It was really with the invention of television and then the internet that bridged the gap from the Yokai's side, and both those things took a lot longer for the Yokai to adopt. So a lot of human stuff that happened from the 1910s to around 1970s-1980s era didn't get a lot of attention down there.

Like. They know WWII happened. Objectively. By that I mean they knew shit was going down, so the Heads pulled down just about everyone who worked up top and they all just bunkered down for several years until they realized the war was over. It was an annoyance for most of them, a period of time where they couldn't get certain products or had their business disrupted because somewhere in their chain was a guy who worked at a human company and he can't do that now. They were able to read about what happened afterwards and knew vaguely of all the genocides, but most of them didn't look into it very hard. Just more humans bent on killing each other, what else was new? Most of them will still refer to WW1 as 'The Great War.'

And I thought of this scene before October, and I feel like I probably shouldn't use it now due to how politically charged it is, but originally I wanted to include a scene where someone mentions Israel and Josh is really confused because the last time he was living aboveground that area was controlled by the Ottomans and was officially part of Syria. Maybe independent Jerusalem, but why would it be Israel? Bella has to pull him aside and explain. He knew about the Holocaust, but he had no knowledge of Mandatory Palestine or the Nakba. The entire time she's talking and his eyes are just bugging out.

On the plus side, India is no longer under British rule, so he was probably pretty happy to find that out?

I had like several other things I rambled about and deleted because they were going entirely off the rails, I might post those at another time. I've thought about this world way too much and I've written far too little down. (also sorry it took so long to respond! I knew I'd go crazy and wanted to get the chapter done first, and the chapter took longer than I expected lol)

[jankwritten]

I’ve been thinking a lot about what a Hazel and Jason friendship would look like.

Hazel tentatively reaching out after finally understanding that Jason isn’t everything she built him up to be in her head, influenced both by Nico and by what she actually observed of Jason herself

Jason assumes she just wants tips on leadership or maybe how to fight better, so he obliged by offering to train with her

Hazel expects Jason to go easy on her like Percy and Annabeth and Piper do, but instead she gets taken down within a few minutes and has Jason ruthlessly pointing out what things she could improve on.

(Cue: Hazel finally having an opponent who doesn’t underestimate her. Hazel who finally feels like she has somebody she can spar against who will help and not just let her win because she’s young and small. Hazel who finally gets why Nico spends so much time talking about how kind and helpful Jason is, even if what she’s seeing isn’t necessarily kind.)

Jason starts hanging out with Hazel outside of sparring but in other groups, like with Piper, or Nico. He learns that she loves dancing and horses and likes to test the hardness of a stone against her fingernails, likes to collect shiny non-precious things just like Nico does, likes to swear loudly whenever possible as if she’s doing it to purposely piss people off.

Hazel asks Jason if he wants to go hang out one day after the Argo quest is over, maybe go to some museum in NYC that she’s heard Percy talk about, or find metaphysical shops to walk through (I HC that Hazel really loves modern mortal interpretations of magic and that she’s fascinated by the ways mortals accidentally connect to the gods etc.) and Jason assumes she means with someone else and agrees, only to find out they’re going alone.

Jason panicking for a moment about potential misinterpretations, once he realizes, and stammering out some garbled thing about how he really likes her but not like that because ofc all he’s known so far is that being alone with a girl = someone will assume romantic intent. Hazel openly laughs in his face and rather boldly states that she KNOWS Jason is in love with her brother.

Hazel, eventually, being the first person Jason feels safe coming out to. Jason, in return, being the first person Hazel feels safe to talk about being asexual with. The two of them discussing their feelings more and more often while exploring new places together, like Hazel talking about how she did so much researching into queer history and labels when she first found out Nico is gay, Jason telling her that he still doesn’t feel like Thalia is his sister as if he might not be the same Jason Grace she remembers, the two of them coming to terms with being on the aromantic spectrum together.

Jason talking Hazel out of joining the Hunters when she’s having a very very bad day. Hazel stopping Jason from disappearing back out into the mortal world to finish school without first giving his other friends a chance to have input.

(Hazel and Jason inadvertently saving each other’s lives by tweaking fate, thus making their friendship literally woven into their lives forever indisputably. Hades/Pluto patting Jason on the back and telling him thank you with no context or clarification the next time they meet. Hera/Juno, tight lipped and silent, offering Hazel some kind of gift or blessing the next time she returns to New Rome. Hazel and Jason laughing it off when they tell each other because wow, their godly parents are weird as hell.)