#interaction ;; anthony blake

[ac1d--tr1p]

REDESIGN THE HAZBIN HOTEL CHARACTERS:

🕷️🩷🕷️ANTHONY "ANGEL DUST"🕷️🩷🕷️

Sorry for the long silence, My twitter just got suspended for "v!olate" the rules even thought I did not actually meant it and I've been tried send them appeal after appeal, I stop and wait, I delete the tweet that I "v!olate" the rules and I've tried once again send them an appeal but I put my own og email and they better not ignore me

Alright enough talking about me crying over my suspended account let's talk Angel Dust or Anthony, Angel is probably the most interesting character from the series, he's been trought redesign after redesign, was in the mafia, his brother is in hell while her sister is in heaven confirmed in the Welcome to Heaven and The Show must go on, has his own AMV "Addict" appears in "Dirty Healings" the comic etc etc, Michael Kovach did a good job voice acting him in the pilot but Blake Roman takes the entiry cake when Angel shouts at Charlie and Husk in "Masquerade" episode and it was a shock to hear Angel in his normal voice instead in his playful voice, his interaction with Husk and the other characters and standing up for himself from Valentino in "Welcome to Heaven" episode, thought I have a feeling he is probably going to die in the next season or the last season ft him because in the "Poison" song he saids his story is gonna end with him dying either from Val or the exorcist, who knows and I do kinda hope he ends up in heaven cause he got a little bit of improvment in "Welcome to heaven" episode

Now let's go with his design, Being honest I love his pilot outfit more than his current outfit cause the long gloves are just not my cup of tea and the white gloves from his extra arms looks like his gloveless his fur and outfit has the same colors and his skirt or short or skorts are very hidden from his suit, he also has bowtie and choker at the same time like what, also it turns out those 6 pink dots on his cheeks are actually his eyes, i always thought they were freckles 

So here's my redesign for Angel Dust

Yes I did give him freckles, I made his six eyes actually exposed instead hidden I tried my hardest making him feminine as possible give him make up and makes his eyelashes longer his suit is a bit inspired from his black leather suit in poison but it's also inspired from lovesart23 old redesign from Angel Dust his gloves are shorter and black and  give him dark pink short oh and by the way I give him his abdomen

[boroughshq]

EVENT 001: SNOWSTORM CHARACTER SHUFFLE.

In preparation for our first event, under the cut you'll find a list of the shuffled character pairings for the upcoming snowstorm, along with further details about the event. As a reminder, the event will officially begin February 1st.

SHUFFLE PAIRINGS:

Marlon Mathis..............August Russo

Ryan Caddel................Claire Xiao

Javed Kashif................Alexander Warren

Onyx Harper.................Hercule Boisseau

Enzo Chavez.................Kian Zhang

Bijan Mousavi...............Oliver Metcalfe

Anavieve De Leon.........Deryn Adler

Riaz Mian.......................Fiona Burton

Athena Aston.................Anabelle Burton

Jasper Tomkins.............Johanna Paredes

Robin Morgan................Colson Kim

Gideon Chowdhury........Alina Ayutthaya-Harper

Kaan Demirci..................Neva Björk

Cerrus Balfour.................Anthony Ramos

Daniel Sutton..................Pauly Parker

Maccaulay Blake............Skyler Cameron

Josette Allen Lynn..........Honey Lavere

Merryn Hurley.................Riva Simone

Juliana Torres.................Benjamin Loverson

Violet Hú.........................Sherri Lowe

EVENT TIMELINE

IC Timeline: Canonically, the snowstorm will suddenly pass through New York on Tuesday, February 1st.

OOC Timeline: Members will have from February 1st through February 8th to post their initial starters around the snowstorm. After 2/8, no new starters can be posted, but writers are free to continue their event thread until it's conclusion. An announcement will be made on both days when the event has started and ended.

EVENT DETAILS

Now that the pairings are announced, members are encouraged to reach out to the mun of their paired partner to plan out what will occur between the characters. Members are free to take liberties with the snowstorm backdrop to create whatever situational atmosphere they'd like - they can be as comedic, lowkey, absurd, mundane, adrenaline-seeking, or subtle as you'd like! If you're interested in more concrete details prior to the weather report on Tuesday, the 2014 Gulf Coast Winter Storm serves as a reference point!

Pairing Threads:

The primary reason behind the event is to encourage character interaction between characters who may not have engaged with each other before. As such, character threads are highly encouraged between the assigned pairing. Members can choose if they'd prefer to have their threads set during the action of the snowstorm (ex. thread of two character chatting while stuck in an ATM vestibule together until the power comes back on) or after the snowstorm (ex. first thread are characters running into each other two days after being stuck together in the ATM vestibule during the snowstorm).

Threads have no set length, neither in writing nor in IC time. The encounter between characters can be as brief as twenty minutes or as long as an overnighter, while threads can be full on multi-paras or simple gif conversations.

Additional Threads:

Members are also free to take advantage of the setting to engage in other snowstorm related threads during this time period, and are not limited to only engaging with their assigned partner. Other plotted threads and open starters are welcome! (ex. after being freed from the ATM vestibule, your character briefly seeks warmth at a nearby grocery store with other patrons, where an open starter may be set - or they return home to their roommate for a closed starter!)

Additionally, members are free to continue non-event threads!

Please be sure to tag all event threads as bhqevent001 for differentiation purposes.

Happy plotting everyone! An official post will be made once the event has begun on 2/1. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send them to the main!

[uhohmarie]

Book Review: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

★★★★☆ It's a well-paced mystery with characters familiar to fans of NBC Hannibal or the Anthony Hopkins films. Would have appreciated more interactions with Hannibal. A star was removed for the glaring lack of sex or sexual tension between Will and Hannibal.

Red Dragon is the prequel to Silence of the Lambs, making it the first in Harris's Hannibal Lector series. The story follows Will Graham, the detective responsible for the identification and arrest of Hannibal Lector, as he's called from retirement to help catch another serial killer. This killer has, at the start of the novel, already annihilated two families. Graham is called in because of his curse gift of being able to visualize and retrace the crimes of psychopaths. The last time Graham was out in the field, he caught onto Lector, and Lector repaid him by maiming him. The new killer Graham is hunting calls himself the Red Dragon, after William Blake's series of paintings called "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun." The Red Dragon's motivations stump even Graham, so the detective travels to consult Hannibal Lector. Though it's the first in the Hannibal novel series, we see little of Lector, and the focus of the plot is Graham and the Dragon. Overall, it's a well-paced, well-written horror, and I definitely recommend giving it a read.

[themovieblogonline]

The Exorcism 2024 Movie Review: Russell Crowe Is Giving Up

When I first heard about The Exorcism, starring Russell Crowe as Anthony Miller, a troubled actor, and directed by Joshua John Miller, I was intrigued. With a cast that includes Ryan Simpkins, Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, Adrian Pasdar, and David Hyde Pierce, expectations were high for a thrilling supernatural horror experience. Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver on multiple fronts, resulting in a disappointing and often confusing mess. The Exorcism 2024 Movie: A Promising Setup The Exorcism 2024 movie opens with a promising setup: an actor is mysteriously killed while inspecting a horror film set in New York City. This intriguing premise quickly unravels into a convoluted and poorly executed storyline. Anthony Miller, played by Russell Crowe, is an aging, alcoholic actor cast as a priest in a supernatural horror film. His daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), serves as his personal assistant, and both are struggling with the recent death of her mother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCe2QqMNexM The Good: Potential in The Exorcism 2024 Movie The film attempts to explore Miller's traumatic past as a sexual abuse victim, but these flashbacks are clumsily integrated and fail to add depth to his character. Instead of evoking sympathy or understanding, they feel like cheap attempts to elicit shock. The film's depiction of Miller's deteriorating mental state, including his self-harm and erratic behavior, is more confusing than frightening. The Bad: Execution in The Exorcism 2024 Movie The characters in The Exorcism 2024 movie are underdeveloped and lack the depth needed to make the audience care about their fates. Russell Crowe's portrayal of Anthony Miller is unconvincing; his performance oscillates between over-the-top hysteria and bland indifference. Ryan Simpkins, as Lee, does her best with the material she's given, but her character is poorly written and her motivations are often unclear. Sam Worthington as Joe, the replacement actor, and Chloe Bailey as Blake, the popular TV actress, are little more than stereotypes. Their interactions with Miller and Lee add nothing substantial to the plot. Adam Goldberg's Peter and Adrian Pasdar's Father Conor are similarly wasted in roles that could have been pivotal but instead feel like afterthoughts. Direction and Script Issues in The Exorcism 2024 Movie Joshua John Miller's direction is inconsistent and lacks a cohesive vision. The film struggles to maintain a consistent tone, veering wildly between supernatural horror, psychological thriller, and melodrama. The script, co-written by Miller and M. A. Fortin, is riddled with clichés and lacks originality. The dialogue is often cringe-worthy, and the attempts at creating tension and suspense fall flat. One of the film's major weaknesses is its pacing. The story drags in the first half, with endless scenes of Miller's erratic behavior and Lee's increasing concern. When the film finally picks up the pace in the second half, it feels rushed and chaotic. Key plot points are glossed over, and the climactic scene, which should have been the film's highlight, is disappointingly anti-climactic. Visual and Special Effects in The Exorcism 2024 Movie The cinematography in The Exorcism 2024 movie is uninspired and fails to create a genuinely eerie atmosphere. The film's use of dark, shadowy lighting and abrupt camera angles feels more like a checklist of horror tropes than a deliberate stylistic choice. The set design, particularly the recreation of the supernatural horror film set within the film, is one of the few redeeming qualities. However, even this becomes repetitive and loses its impact as the film progresses. The special effects are another letdown. The scenes of supernatural occurrences and possession lack the polish and realism needed to be truly frightening. The use of CGI is obvious and detracts from the film's intended scares. The practical effects, such as Miller's contorted body movements, come off as unintentionally comical rather than terrifying. Themes and Overall Impact of The Exorcism 2024 Movie The Exorcism 2024 movie attempts to tackle heavy themes such as trauma, addiction, and faith. However, it does so in a superficial and muddled way. The film's exploration of Miller's past abuse and its impact on his present behavior is poorly handled and feels exploitative. The theme of faith, central to any exorcism narrative, is weakly presented and lacks nuance. Overall: The Exorcism 2024 movie is a frustrating and disappointing film that fails to live up to its potential. With a talented cast and a promising premise, it could have been a compelling addition to the supernatural horror genre. Instead, it is a poorly executed, confusing, and ultimately forgettable movie. The lack of character development, inconsistent direction, clichéd script, and unconvincing special effects all contribute to its downfall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvJOrK7Qt8A Read the full article

[motleyhq]

tags masterlist bc tumblr doesn't function as a website

[ 🌙 ] ; out of character [ 🌙 ] ; prompts [ 🌙 ] ; open starters [ 🌙 ] ; verse / phase 00 [ 🌙 ] ; verse / phase 01 [ 🌙 ] ; verse / phase 02 [ 🌙 ] ; verse / phase 03 [ 🌙 ] ; verse / phase 04 [ 🌙 ] ; about mötley [ 🌙 ] ; mötley speaks [ 🌙 ] ; tag dumps [ 🌙 ] ; save / happy tag [ 🌙 ] ; answered [ 🌙 ] ; dash games [ 🌙 ] ; my edits [ 🌙 ] ; music [ 🌙 ] ; promo [ 🌙 ] ; self promo [ 🌙 ] ; anonymous [ 🌙 ] ; wishlist [ 🌙 ] ; psa [ 🌙 ] ; worldbuilding

[ 🐺 ] ; drevyn ethelwulf / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; drevyn ethelwulf / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; drevyn ethelwulf / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; drevyn ethelwulf / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; yvette steele / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; yvette steele / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; yvette steele / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; yvette steele / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; blaez ethelwulf / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; blaez ethelwulf / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; blaez ethelwulf / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; blaez ethelwulf / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; natalia ethelwulf / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; natalia ethelwulf / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; natalia ethelwulf / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; natalia ethelwulf / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; quinn mohr / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; quinn mohr / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; quinn mohr / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; quinn mohr / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; cody roman / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; cody roman / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; cody roman / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; cody roman / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; tomas williams / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; tomas williams / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; tomas williams / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; tomas williams / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; emma baker / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; emma baker / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; emma baker / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; emma baker / wishlist

[ 🪶 ] ; sebastian matthews / interactions [ 🪶 ] ; sebastian matthews / headcanons [ 🪶 ] ; sebastian matthews / imagery [ 🪶 ] ; sebastian matthews / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; jamie jensen / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; jamie jensen / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; jamie jensen / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; jamie jensen / wishlist

[ 🐯 ] ; spencer anthony / interactions [ 🐯 ] ; spencer anthony / headcanons [ 🐯 ] ; spencer anthony / imagery [ 🐯 ] ; spencer anthony / wishlist

[ 🗡️ ] ; joshua olivarria / interactions [ 🗡️ ] ; joshua olivarria / headcanons [ 🗡️ ] ; joshua olivarria / imagery [ 🗡️ ] ; joshua olivarria / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; crystal mcharvey / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; crystal mcharvey / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; crystal mcharvey / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; crystal mcharvey / wishlist

[ 🧛 ] ; soren shea / interactions [ 🧛 ] ; soren shea / headcanons [ 🧛 ] ; soren shea / imagery [ 🧛 ] ; soren shea / wishlist

[ 🔮 ] ; jewel / interactions [ 🔮 ] ; jewel / headcanons [ 🔮 ] ; jewel / imagery [ 🔮 ] ; jewel / wishlist

[ 🧛 ] ; kasey jeanneret / interactions [ 🧛 ] ; kasey jeanneret / headcanons [ 🧛 ] ; kasey jeanneret / imagery [ 🧛 ] ; kasey jeanneret / wishlist

[ ❄️ ] ; deacon dallas / interactions [ ❄️ ] ; deacon dallas / headcanons [ ❄️ ] ; deacon dallas / imagery [ ❄️ ] ; deacon dallas / wishlist

[ 🧛 ] ; kristoff emerson / interactions [ 🧛 ] ; kristoff emerson / headcanons [ 🧛 ] ; kristoff emerson / imagery [ 🧛 ] ; kristoff emerson / wishlist

[ 🌲 ] ; shannon shepherd / interactions [ 🌲 ] ; shannon shepherd / headcanons [ 🌲 ] ; shannon shepherd / imagery [ 🌲 ] ; shannon shepherd / wishlist

[ 🎤 ] ; camden blake / interactions [ 🎤 ] ; camden blake / headcanons [ 🎤 ] ; camden blake / imagery [ 🎤 ] ; camden blake / wishlist

[ 💻 ] ; knox mckinley / interactions [ 💻 ] ; knox mckinley / headcanons [ 💻 ] ; knox mckinley / imagery [ 💻 ] ; knox mckinley / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; ashlijana ethelwulf / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; ashlijana ethelwulf / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; ashlijana ethelwulf / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; ashlijana ethelwulf / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; ava ethelwulf / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; ava ethelwulf / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; ava ethelwulf / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; ava ethelwulf / wishlist

[ 🏹 ] ; tarynn matthews / interactions [ 🏹 ] ; tarynn matthews / headcanons [ 🏹 ] ; tarynn matthews / imagery [ 🏹 ] ; tarynn matthews / wishlist

[ 🐺 ] ; tyson mohr / interactions [ 🐺 ] ; tyson mohr / headcanons [ 🐺 ] ; tyson mohr / imagery [ 🐺 ] ; tyson mohr / wishlist

[ 🔥 ] ; isaiah valdis / interactions [ 🔥 ] ; isaiah valdis / headcanons [ 🔥 ] ; isaiah valdis / imagery [ 🔥 ] ; isaiah valdis / wishlist

[ 🪶 ] ; sebastian matthews & blaez ethelwulf [ 🐺 ] ; drevyn ethelwulf & yvette steele [ 🐯 ] ; spencer anthony & jewel [ 🐺 ] ; quinn mohr & ariel lennox / lethaldivinity [ 🐺 ] ; cody roman & freya beauchamp / insaniamcura [ 🐺 ] ; cody roman & faith lehane / murderousbitch [ 🔮 ] ; jewel & angel / perfectanguish [ 🔮 ] ; jewel & vanessa evans / hotelofhorror [ 🔮 ] ; jewel & cassidy quinn / crackedmxgic [ 🧛 ] ; soren shea & vanessa evans / hotelofhorror [ 🐺 ] ; blaez ethelwulf & camilla davis / hotelofhorror [ 🐺 ] ; cody roman & camilla davis / hotelofhorror [ 🐯 ] ; spencer anthony & vanessa evans / hotelofhorror [ 🐯 ] ; spencer anthony & camilla davis / hotelofhorror [ 🔮 ] ; jewel & camilla davis / hotelofhorror [ 🐺 ] ; natalia ethelwulf & kane valdis / brothersgrim [ 🐺 ] ; tomas williams & mandy donovan / dynastyofdeviancy

[psychicwint]

Enigma batman

#Enigma batman series

Riddler leaves behind a puzzle box for Batman. Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and the GCPD fail to capture Riddler, and the investigation is taken over by the mysterious Agency, led by Amanda Waller. The game also follows the events of the previous game, taking place between a couple of months to a year after these events.Ī year after defeating the Children of Arkham, Bruce Wayne witnesses the return of the Riddler to Gotham while investigating arms dealer Rumi Mori. Like the previous installment, the game is set during the mid-to-late 2010s in Gotham City, primarily the Batcave, Wayne Enterprises and Gotham City Police Headquarters. The Enemy Within is set in the same Batman continuity introduced in Batman: The Telltale Series, which took place a number of years into Batman's career. New minor characters introduced include Police Detective Harvey Bullock ( Keith Szarabajka), Agency operative Vernon Blake (Christian Lanz), international arms dealer Rumi Mori ( Keone Young), Riddler's second-in-command Eli Knable (Alex Hernandez), and Stacked Deck patrons Frank Dumfree and Willy Deever ( Kirk Thornton and Dave B. Freeze ( Matthew Mercer) and Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn ( Laura Post).ĭetective Renee Montoya ( Sumalee Montano), Reporter Jack Ryder ( Robert Clotworthy) and Wayne Enterprises Chairwoman Regina Zellerbach (Lorri Holt) return with smaller roles within the series. Other members of the group include Riddler ( Robin Atkin Downes), Bane ( JB Blanc), Dr. "John Doe" ( Anthony Ingruber) and Selina Kyle/Catwoman ( Laura Bailey) also return, now members of a group of criminals called "the Pact". New supporting characters are also introduced, including Special Agent Iman Avesta ( Emily O'Brien), one of the Agency's operatives and a fan of Batman, and Tiffany Fox ( Valarie Rae Miller), the daughter of Lucius and an employee at Wayne Enterprises. The game introduces " The Agency", a mysterious government organization with its own agenda led by the ruthless Amanda Waller ( Debra Wilson). His butler and former legal guardian Alfred Pennyworth ( Enn Reitel), Police Commissioner James Gordon ( Murphy Guyer), and Wayne Enterprises Chief of Technology Lucius Fox ( Dave Fennoy) return to assist Batman in the field. The player once again assumes control of Bruce Wayne/Batman ( Troy Baker), a billionaire who secretly fights crime in Gotham City. Crowd Play, a feature implemented in the predecessor, also returns for The Enemy Within, allowing streamers to let their audience interact with their session with the game. Sections of the game also present situations to the player where they may choose to approach as Bruce Wayne or as Batman.

#Enigma batman series

The series also includes investigation sequences, allowing the player to use Batman's detective skills to investigate areas. The game includes action sequences that are resolved similar to Telltale's other games, using quick time events. If the player had played the previous game, choices made, such as saving certain characters or stopping a criminal, may also be imported, though the game can be played as a standalone title. The game features a branching narrative, similar to past Telltale games, giving the player options in approaching a situation and having that choice affect later events in the game. The player controls Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego Batman, with the game evenly split for both characters. Like most Telltale games, the game features a similar episodic format found in other titles (such as Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands).

[theinsiderrp]

A LIST - for whatever reason, you are a HOT, HOT topic!

dwight (up 2 lists! comeback king!)  soraya (still here! gorgeous performance!)  dallas (still here! gorgeous performance!)  theo (still here! gorgeous performance!)  elodie (still here! can’t wait for true beauty!)  kendall (still here! keep us in that baby loop!) seo jun (up a list! gorgeous performance)   hensley (up a list! gorgeous performance!)  tate (up a list! big time adolescene? yes please!)  ruby (up a list! the surprise on save your tears? chefs kiss!)  julian (up a list! you better give us those killing even teasers!)  kun woo (up a list! can’t wait for true beauty!)  philip (up a list! big time adolescene? yes please!)  clyde (up 2 lists! gorgeous performance!)  poppy (up 2 lists! gorgeous performance!)  darius (up  2 lists! gorgeous performance!)  hanuel (up 2 lists! happy anniversary babe.) arabella (up 2 lists! gorgeous performance!)  roxy (up 2 lists! gorgeous performance!)  blake (up 2 lists! gorgeous performance!)  duyi (up 2 lists! can’t wait for true beauty!)  jiwon (up 2 lists! yas babe. gorgeous performance!)  otis (up 2 lists! gorgeous performance!)  drew (up 2 lists! gorgeous performance!)  zara (up 2 lists! big time adolescene AND emily in paris. girl!)  nero (up 3 lists! great performance!) 

B LIST - look at you...turning heads and shit... 

alyssa (still here! great campaign but? keep promoting pls!)  jackson (still here! you’re just a social butterfly, right?) clover (still here..cute insta pics!)  lexi (still here...excited for your new product but like, where are u?)  nate (still here...barely...)  leo (still here...barely...)  charlie (still here...barely...can’t believe you missed a chance to perform a new song...)  sienna (still here! nothing wrong with flirting a little to keep your spot, huh? ;) )  mallory (still here! thanks for the little teaser!)  margo (up a list! don’t let emily in paris lose the buzz!)  cameron (up a list! we heard about your cute fan interactions!)  disney (up a list! killing eve is getting goooood...)  riley (up a list! sometimes it’s just about being around more!)  rosalie (up a list. cute insta pics!)  mackenzie (up a list...you don’t think we actually missed your original caption, did you?)  matt (up a list! sometimes it’s just about being around more!)  felicity (up a list! serving some beautiful looks btw)  gisele (down 1 list, just couldn’t keep the hype...)  sangwoo (up 2 lists! yay!) 

C LIST - gone, but not forgotten. catch up soon, queen!

zelda - (up a list! the fans loved you, girl!)  marcus (up a list! congrats on not being dead?)  elora - (up a list! hello!)  felix - (up a list! hey there!)  amber - (up a list! nice to see you!)  jayde - (up a list! nice to see you!)  blair - (up a list! nice to see you!)  athena (still here! catch up soon, or?) park (still here! catch up soon, or?)  levi  (still here! catch up soon, or?)  wesley (still here! catch up soon, or?)  harvey (still here! catch up soon, or?)  danny (still here! catch up soon, or?)  eloise (still here! catch up soon, or?)  dominic (still here! catch up soon, or?)  alani (still here! catch up soon, or?)  natalie (still here! catch up soon, or?) kobi (still here! catch up soon, or?) mason (still here! catch up soon, or?) sawyer (still here! catch up soon, or?)  adrian (still here! catch up soon, or?) everleigh (still here! catch up soon, or?) christelle (still here! catch up soon, or?) florence (still here! catch up soon, or?)  ezra (still here! catch up soon, or?)  brody (still here! catch up soon, or?)  rory (still here! catch up soon, or?)  phoenix (still here! catch up soon, or?)  natasha (still here! catch up soon, or?) kyle (down 2 lists...ouch)  madison (down 2 lists...lmao)  jack (down 2 lists...oof)  tanner (down 1 list...don’t ghost us babe)  garrett (down 1 list...come back, jack!)  jude (down 1 list...gone so soon?) imogen (down 1 list...but why?) ivy (down 1 list...i had such high hopes...)  maria (down 1 list...uh) 

D LIST - uh, do you even go here? rip 

winona (still here...does it get lonely in the dark?) naira (still here...not even a has been, more like a never was...) louis (still here..i was rooting for you...)  daveed (still here...a bing bong type beat)  lorelai (still here...sitting in the abyss)  quinn (still here...i can’t remember what you look like)  joe (still here...just a memory)  anthony (still here...wow...)  persephone (still here...remember when we cared?me neither)  isla (still here...follow the sound of my voice!)  mina (still here...can’t just TALK about a debut and expect hype)  eleanor - (still here...echo, echo...)  delilah - (still here...if it got any lower, you’d be there)  owen (down 3 lists..embarrassing)  yannis (down 2 lists...yikes) bash (down 2 lists...talk about a free fall)  river (down 2 lists...the jury’s in...little mix ENDED her)  remy (down 1 list, what a free fall...)  annabel (down 1 list, um...)  margaret (down 1 list, shame...)  yulia (down 1 list, are you not embarrassed?)  janey (down 1 list. are u missing again?)  scarlett (down 1 list. get it together bestie)  evie (down 1 list...uh.)  luke p (down 1 list...it’s ok king)  luke 1 (down 1 list...who even is this?)  oliver (down 1 list...oof!) 

this list reflects who is causing talk on the fan blog, generally being active and have done something of interest! people will move up and down all the time, but you should never STAY on D or C...yikes!! we’ll update you when we need to! 

[kolajmag]

There is a new issue of Kolaj Magazine!

SUBSCRIBE OR ORDER A COPY

In the issue’s editorial, Ric Kasini Kadour writes, “I often find myself saying, Collage is powerful magic. The collage community often feels like we are off in our own private corner of the art world. We excel at sharing that collage magic with each other. How can we do better sharing it with the rest of the world?”

In answer to that question, we report on how JRC’s The Seaside Fleet is making its way to New York City; how New Orleans collagist Simon Blake used collage in a Crystal Hot Sauce Campaign; and Peter Blake‘s collage on Macallan Whisky Bottles.

Three Wheel by Tim Harper is on the cover of Kolaj #32. A detail of a collage work by Myriam Dion that reflects on the Notre Dame Cathedral fire is on the back. Artist Portfolios by these artists appear in the issue.

Celia Crane tells us how collage is taking the stage in the Web-based Interactive Art Project TELEPHONE. She writes, “An encouraging and inspirational arts and culture story written over the course of an unprecedented international health crisis, TELEPHONE is not only an impressive body of ekphrastic artworks, but a single collage of collaborative ideas expressed by a thousand artists from every corner of the Earth.”

Michael Koppa finishes Les Cocobopros, a collaborative artist book with Lisa Chun, Gary Ortman, William Cody, Musta Fior, Flore Kunst, Francine Martin and Rhed Fawell.

Rod T. Boyer asks us to “Mind the Gap” in a compelling essay about collision and context in haiku and collage.

Ashley Pryor Geiger reviews the Improbable Ascents of Brasilia, Brazil artist iuri kothe.

Madeleine Rhondeau considers the public and private performance in the collages of Old Lyme, Connecticut artist Rebecca Steiner

Laupahoehoe, Hawaii artist Martha Chong joins a noble tradition of artists tempted by the surreal mysticism of Saint Anthony.

Elyana Shamselangeroodi and Ric Kasini Kadour investigate how Charlottesville, Virginia artist Sharon Shapiro’s collage paintings help us remember recreational segregation in the United States

Allan Bealy interviews Warsaw collagist and festival maker Anna Kłos, the creative force behind Retroavangarda.

*****************************

Kolaj Magazine, a full color, print magazine, exists to show how the world of collage is rich, layered, and thick with complexity. By remixing history and culture, collage artists forge new thinking. To understand collage is to reshape one's thinking of art history and redefine the canon of visual culture that informs the present.

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[a-lbeit]

2020: a goddamn year in review

man oh man 

rang in the new year drunk as hell with incredible company at a party we crashed; kissed at least 3 people

went to work the next morning still drunk and laughed all through my shift. it was blake, abby, and jacob’s last day

tried sushi for the first time and had one last juke joint evening before britt left 

discovered the roof next to carnegie with rozi 

slept over at blake’s apartment with britt the night before we all had to move out and the program officially ended. it was a nice way to end it. man, who knew what was to come with the rest of the year

finally saw the holiday version of small world the last night that the park had the holiday decorations up. looking back, i sure am glad i was able to see that

blake was able to continue living in carnegie because of his professional internship. rozi and i snuck in and slept over at his place once or twice, running through the halls before the new set of CPs moved in. most of the apartments were unlocked, so we went up and saw our old place all empty and dark. we all climbed up to lyndsay’s top bunk and blake put his head on me. the next morning, we were all having breakfast when a couple of cleaning people came in lmfao 

got a spot for the cast preview of rise of the resistance. that’s a fucking cool ride, i gotta give it up 

went to the autopia drive-in. that was certainly something i’ll be forever grateful was able to happen. we all sat in the cars and watched incredibles 2 with hella snacks. it was unique and memorable and special. i remember sitting next to benny in the break room, although we didn’t know each other at that point

went to an event in la with rozi, taleeah, taleeah’s sister, and her boyfriend (now her fiancé, soon to be husband). got as drunk as i did on new year’s, ate some random hot wings, and puked in the uber. yikes 

called in an hour late to work the next day, even though my start time was already at 1pm lmao. i remember talking to matt about the night. i miss him sometimes. 

went on my first hike since my ankle broke. what a joyous moment, sincerely. to be back on my feet, in my hiking boots, on dirt, climbing between the valleys and hilltops. that first moment when the world is gracious enough to let you return to a large raison d’être. you feel indebted, truly. you feel like things really will be all right in the end. it is like nothing else--pure, fresh, and humbling.

got closer with my coworkers. i still miss them like hell. i think i always will. there was so much we were going to do together. i began to realize that i felt happiest at work.

one day at work, my coworker brenda and i were Y1 and Y2, and my coworker benny was track 2 line 3. he came up and told me something, i believe a joke about how he couldn’t hear my spiel (i’d always be pretty loud during my spiels lmao, enough for a couple of my leads to tell me to quiet down a bit). when he went back, brenda leaned across and said that she thought he thought i was cute. i’ll always remember that moment, i think. i still think about whether the guests waiting in the cars heard her and tuned into the gossip. i was taken aback, to say the least. i thought he was cool, but he hadn’t really been on my radar. that changed right then.

a few days later, i came back up to her and asked if she meant what she said. she said yeah, and asked if i thought he was cute. i said i think so. a few days after that, it was a rainy day and auto was closed. i was talking to her and asked her why she thought that. she finally told me that she’d heard it from her close friend josh, who hung out with benny. i was honestly fucking shook lmao. it was all so juvenile, but it was fun to think about.

went to troy’s birthday party, expecting to see benny. he didn’t show, but i had a great time anyway. i got the kind of drunk where you’re still in control, but you feel like you’re on top of the world.

had a lunch and park date with lexi and cassie. i told them about benny, and when cassie and i rode autopia, he was at auto 3 and we pretended our car had broken down. he played along.

went to alejandra’s 21st birthday party. i wasn’t too close to her; i only knew her through rozi. i’m glad we got so much closer over the course of the year. 

my self-confidence sort of skyrocketed. i bought new clothes and felt almost beautiful for once.

went to the cast preview of the new parade that was going to be at disneyland. lmfao that sure did go to shit. 

had a beautiful day at the parks with my coworkers. i wish i could have attended more of those days, but things changed quickly, as we all know. 

finally got off probation at work (which had been paused for the 3 months i was on medical leave) and found out i had been okayed to learn the nemo ride. i was excited to learn a second ride so soon after my probation ended, and i was excited that it was so unique. i mean, driving a submarine? come on. people may think it’s a lame attraction, but it’s not something you see everywhere. plus, it was also the other ride that benny knew. i had been trying to interact with him more at work in that coy way you might see in high school flirtation. like i said, it was juvenile. i claim it. 

started working toward becoming a trainer—lexi was really helpful, and it was nice to talk with anthony and jeff about it and to know that all these leads thought i would be a good pick

found out through brenda that billy thinks i’m hot LMFAO. an ego booster of sorts

my new coworker melissa started getting closer to me, and she’d message me and text me. she eventually said she was interested in me, and i was a little on edge for a while, but we’re close now. i like her a lot. (her ex ended up also sort of coming on to me months later lmao)

the week before the closure came about, went to arizona with rozi and blake to visit britt. what a weekend. it was short, but certainly meaningful. we were able to meet and hang out with her beautiful family, catch up, have some great laughs, eat fire food (including my first dutch bros experience 👀), and explore a new area. it was my first time in arizona, and we got to see a tiny bit of phoenix and spent a windy afternoon in flagstaff. i feel like that was the last time things were so easy between all of us.

started training at nemo for the majority of what would become the last week i would be working before the closure, which was announced only like 3 days before it actually happened. 

slept over at trev’s LMFAO 

passed my PA on thursday amidst a weird 101 with the attraction. i remember looking across the way at my coworkers in the auto pit (because autopia also had to go down when nemo was down), and benny saw me and waved at me, and then everyone else did, too. a nice moment. a small group of them finished their shift when i was at greeter at nemo, and when they walked by, they all waved again. 

after the closure was announced--something that was so unprecedented but also not taken seriously (it was just going to be a 2 week vacation, right? corona wasn’t that big a deal)--i picked up billy’s opening shift for friday, march 13th, the last day before the closure. i wasn’t excited for this “vacation” (like i said, i was happiest when i was at work. i was going to miss that place for the 2 weeks it would supposedly be closed), so i was very grateful to work once more at auto, one of my favorite places to be. it rained all morning, and we were only open for maybe an hour or so. i did a track walk with lexi, and i goofed around with all my friends. it was michelle’s birthday, so some of us brought some food for a potluck. i had lowkey hoped to see benny, but he didn’t work that day. oh well. it was a really great shift that would end up being my last, something that is so strange to say even after all this time. i even got up the courage to ask anthony to write a letter of rec for me for grad school.

a couple hours later, i met up with rozi and alejandra as guests in the park to get in some final fun before (what we thought would be) the 2-week closure. it was incredible, and at the end of the night, all the characters lined up at the train station to wave bye to us all. i know it’s disney and cringy, but i felt warm, albeit a little on edge.

the next evening, got pizza with some coworkers and went back to one of their houses. it was actually the brother of my nemo trainer lmfao. i followed benny on instagram that night while sitting at the dining room table. like 5 minutes later, he followed me back. 

a day or two later, had brunch with some other coworkers before everything shut down for real. i’m grateful for kiley for arranging those types of get-togethers. 

before the closure got extended indefinitely, before i started wearing a mask, before we really came to understand the gravity of covid, we had fun for a couple weeks. rozi and i went back to the roof next to carnegie with blake and we got caught. we went on a couple hikes. we’d go on almost daily evening walks and we’d do stairs in the morning. went to the beach. i really started to get into exercising, since i was no longer able to get the 20,000 steps i’d log at work each day. did those instagram tag games with my coworkers. engaged in all the activities that the early naïveté surrounding the pandemic brought, like whipped coffee. things weren’t great, but they were all right. we were still getting paid by disney, something that i do have to give props to the corporation for. they did what they could while they could. 

taleeah, rozi, and i all finally united over our mutual dislike of our other roommate. i started to avoid being in the same place as her, so i’d often sit on the floor in the living room since we didn’t have any furniture at the time. i sort of miss it. 

rozi moved out at the end of march. we hadn’t found anyone to replace her. we started splitting the rent evenly 3 ways. was it fair? not necessarily, but i mean, it wouldn’t have been fair any other way, either. that’s the way it goes. and you have to accept it.

benny remained in the back of my mind. my coworkers would have zoom calls, and i joined a couple of them at the beginning of quarantine. it was nice to talk to them, although i mostly just listened to their conversations. i hate video calls. 

even though the closure was indefinite, we all kept saying we’d be back by june, august at the latest. 

blake got laid off and ended up driving back home to tennessee. i hate that i cried when we said goodbye. 

rozi came back to visit for the first time at the beginning of may

started getting a bit creative with my meals. just a bit

my unemployment finally started coming in, and i felt rich for a minute

rozi would come back about once a month or so. we’d take nice photos, get açaí and coffee, and pretend everything was gonna be over soon 

rozi, blake, britt, and i all talked about meeting up again. we decided to fly out to tennessee at the end of july, coinciding with my birthday, actually. we bought our tickets and had plans to stay with blake and his family. it was going to be a beautiful reunion.

paid off my credit card for the first time since the end of 2017 (after having to load it up during my medical leave when i was the brokest i’ve ever been). it was incredibly freeing.

mindy moved back to oc, and we hung out for the first time since florida. it was a nice reunion, and i’m glad to have her as a friend who lives nearby

the end of may rolled around, and in the days following george floyd’s murder, there sure was a big change all around. the fire died down eventually, like it always does, but it hit harder this time around. saw one of my coworkers at the protest i attended. it was, and still is, a moving time marked so clearly with disgusting and incessant realities.

daisy moved in. i’m so incredibly grateful we’ve crossed paths. she is genuine and generous and a kind soul.

got açaí and coffee and went mini-golfing with rozi and a couple of her friends for her birthday. left my sunglasses at the course, took a chance and went back to look for them, and was overjoyed when i saw them resting at the 14th hole. thank you, whoever you were who put them there rather than taking them.

dalenna went out of town for 10 whole and beautiful days, and i completed the chloe ting 2 week shred. i’m so glad i did. it was the beginning of workouts that i actually enjoy doing and feel accomplished about doing. i feel strong and i look strong now, and i really do feel sort of indebted to chloe, as stupid as that sounds. seeing the bones in my hands, i like myself nowadays. i still treat myself probably way too much, but i feel disciplined. 

started graduate school, something that i’m still shook was possible during these times 

had a picnic with some coworkers, the first time i’d seen them in months. catching up with them was like nothing else

bought roller skates lmfao, and went roller skating with mindy because the rink reopened for a while

a couple days later, went back with rozi and taleeah

we ended up cancelling our plans to fly out to visit blake. covid was hard to deal with, obviously. it didn’t seem safe, and things didn’t seem right—with the world and within our group. i really hate what’s become of it. i miss the relationship i had with blake before rozi joined in, if i’m being honest. 

tried to skate outside of a rink, but it’s just not for me lmao. i’m happy to have my own pair for whenever the rinks reopen again, though

for the 4th of july, taleeah and i got bomb food and ate in a park. i’ve really grown so close to her over the past half year or so, and i’m thankful for it. we’re different, for sure, but i think that she and i have a very similar understanding of life.

my ipod had broken a couple months back, and i finally bought a new one, although i didn’t actually set it up with my music until months later 

went to laughlin with alejandra, taleeah, and rozi for a couple days. we melted in the triple digit heat, got a lot of dutch bros, did a drive-by of vegas (my first ever view of it—what a sight to see, all empty but still lit up), swam in lake mohave, and even drove over to the grand canyon for a day. i couldn’t help but be smitten with the grandeur of that part of the country. alejandra threw up several times while we were doing a hike, but she never stopped smiling and laughing and even flirting with a man from iowa. i admire and respect her endlessly. 

for a few days, that instagram meme of random names being put on random objects (like a frog or a seinfeld screen cap) was huge. i went through many of those, sending them to everyone. i sent a couple to benny. and i even said fuck it and sent one to tucker. he responded almost immediately and we started catching up. it was strange, but it was so incredibly nice. i told him my grievances, and he apologized. and we started talking like old friends again. 

went to downtown disney on the 65th anniversary of disneyland opening. a strange sort of homecoming in the midst of crippling uncertainty (something that still overwhelms me--but at least i’m not in the purgatory of furlough anymore. at least I know my fate)

with my birthday coming up, i had decided to rent a car for a few days (i had a couple free days with hertz) to explore southern california a bit, an activity long overdue. on disneyland’s birthday, there was a special zoom call that my coworkers were having, and i hopped on it for a while. benny was on it, like he always was. part of my plan—the main part, actually—was to go to salvation mountain, slab city, and the salton sea. i told everyone about it, and benny and i got to talking about it for a couple minutes because he had done a photoshoot there for his band. it was the most we’d talked in months. then i got off the call to facetime tucker LMFAO. we flirted a bit. we hung up after a while and i actually got back on the zoom call because i felt so good. that evening was a real high for me, socially speaking.

in the days and weeks that passed, tucker and i got close again. he’d call me cute and say he missed me. he was into me again, that’s for damn sure. it was nice for a minute. i even thought about flying out east to visit my parents and to see him in december

2 days before my birthday, i drove around all day, up to solvang and san luis obispo and back down to malibu to try to see the comet that was rolling through. it was pretty stupid of me to think malibu would be a good place to see it. it was cloudy as hell, but it was still beautiful. then i drove home along the worst part of the PCH just because it was the PCH. the next evening, taleeah and i went to the top of the world in laguna and we think we saw it. several people had the same idea, but i enjoyed the sense of community we all had. earlier in the day, i had driven to the us-mexico border where the PCT starts and walked along the first mile or so. it was incredible to see that in person. maybe one day, i’ll see it as a thru-hiker. who really knows. anyway, after the comet, we drove back home and stopped to get my free dozen birthday doughnuts from krispy kreme. 

the next day was my birthday. the night before, i asked taleeah if i should invite our other roommate. we decided it was probably a good idea to, just to be nice, even though we don’t like her. it was very last-minute of us, so we thought she’d say no. she said yes. lmao. it was pretty fun, though, and i’m glad i invited her. it’s nice to be inclusive. we drove to the desert, blasting my music that i so rarely get to blast while driving. seeing salvation mountain in person was a really fascinating experience. it was faded from the sun and it was empty. sheer beauty. i love the unassuming presence of the whole area and how everyone lives off the grid. then, we went to bombay beach and the salton sea. the gritty art next to the toxic waters made for some really fucking cool vibes. it was hot as hell, of course, and i didn’t mind, but dalenna did get a bit overheated. she doesn’t drink water, ever. it was all right, though. she was a trooper, i’ll give her that. i had a great day, and i hope taleeah and dalenna did, as well. we ended the day in riverside, seeing the mission inn that my father and his sisters often speak of.

i got so many birthday messages that day (including from benny). it made me feel really loved

honestly, i loved that rental car. the sound system was crystal clear

i had gotten really fucking tan by this point, since i’d go on walks and be outside so often. the socal kiss of summer really is something

did the hollywood hike for the first time with matty. seeing those letters up close and personal makes you really think about the history of the area, the rich (albeit troubled) cultural history of the silver screen

got extremely drunk with rozi at my apartment and facetimed tucker. it was the beginning of the end with that, even though he said he would love to have me over

reached the end of my first quarter of grad school. the last day, i took the train into la and met up with rozi so that we could gallivant around the city in an attempt to find billboards advertising blackbear’s new album—there was a contest on twitter that rozi was trying to win. it was one of the best days, really. we went to the grove and the pink wall and a bit of the abandoned la zoo. it was so fucking hot, but it didn’t even matter. when i got back to anaheim, i submitted my final group project and even had time to meet up with a few coworkers in a park to doodle and gossip. one of my favorite days of the year, honestly

the next day, i treated myself to my free bagel and cream cheese from bruegger’s and a latte, ate in the noguchi garden that i love so much, and ordered a new computer (which came with free airpods). the computer took a month to get here, but i had my airpods 2 days later 

then, a couple days after that, rozi and i went on the road trip of the year all the way to portland (i won’t say exactly how many times we stopped at dutch bros, but it was...a lot)

we started off by driving to this kitschy western-themed shop about 3 hours north. then we drove all the way to redding in norcal

the next morning, we did a hike in shasta national forest. seeing snow on the mountain in august was like nothing else. it finally felt like fall

on we went, getting a quick photo in the town of weed, of course, before making our way to bend, oregon, to see the last blockbuster standing. i bought a tote bag. it’s one of those things you just have to do. we finally rolled into portland at the end of the night

the next day, we explored the city a bit before meeting up with my friend katie who i met while working in florida. it was so fucking beautiful to see her again. we reminisced and caught up and she showed us around her neck of the woods in vancouver

the day after was a hiking day for sure. rozi and i went to multnomah falls, one of those things you always see in photos and feel so lucky to be able to see in person, and then to the bridge of the gods, where cheryl strayed ended her PCT hike. walking across that bridge was another favorite moment of my year. then we wound up in mt hood national forest. the hike we did had wild huckleberries along much of the trail that we snacked on, feeling like true foragers. again, the snow on the mountain makes you feel some type of way.

our last day in that area, we drove through some of washington, stopping at some ice caves and then going all the way to mt st helens. crazy stuff. we vowed to come back to do the hike around the crater someday

our journey back began, and we drove down the oregon coast. those cloudy beaches and coastal drives are something of an emblem of the tail end of a PNW summer, it seems.

the last day of the trip, we met up with rozi’s friend in sausalito, gazing out at sf across the bay, and then with her other friend in carmel (after driving over the golden gate and blasting scott mckenzie’s “san francisco,” something that just must be done). i want to have a more prolonged experience in the monterey area. so unique a place.

seeing the skies tinged orange from all the forest fires was something else. what a year of burning.

slept over at trev’s again lmao, maybe for the last time. had the best kind of la day afterwards, wandering celebrity graves at the hollywood forever cemetery and treating myself to bougie drinks at peet’s and groundwork coffee at the grove. i even saw the charmed house before taking the train back. it was the one-year anniversary of breaking my ankle and i had grown so much, come so far, felt so full. even if the midst of all the shit, i was happy. happiness despite my surroundings is sort of a theme of the year, as tone-deaf as that may sound. i am content with my life, sure, but i am not blind to the despair.

got really pissed at and hurt by tucker again, and learned my lesson this time. his mixed signals sure are something else. whatever. we’re cool now, friendly acquaintances. 

my next quarter of school started. 4 classes, all for free (i’d done 3 the previous quarter). i always try to remember how goddamn lucky i am, even when i’m feeling lazy

the one-year anniversary of my surgery passed on september 26th. again, i couldn’t believe how fortunate i had been with my recovery journey. i am indebted to that injury more than i can fathom. it brought the change i had been in desperate need of. i was happy previously. a little too naive, though. that injury developed me and made appreciate so, so much the life that i have, the abilities and strength that i have. over a year later, and here i am, still writing about it as if it happened a month ago. i’m thankful for that test. 

took a trip to santa barbara for the weekend with rozi and taleeah. rozi showed us around her old stomping grounds from when she attended UCSB, and we chilled out in some hot springs. we stopped in oxnard on the way back and hung out with taleeah’s family, going fishing and eating lunch with them. 

i saw on benny’s band’s instagram that they were having a real live show the day we were coming back. i was disappointed i couldn’t go, since i wasn’t in the area. i’d always wanted to go to one of his shows. i hoped there would be more. 

my new computer finally came in lmao

a couple days later, went to san diego for the weekend, this time with rozi and alejandra. we got to know the city a bit; it was a short introduction but i enjoyed the beach and the architecture. we all even played crazy 8s with tucker 

amidst all of that, 28k layoffs at disney were announced. we knew in the back of our minds that we’d be a part of those. 

the movies theaters reopened, and i started going again. it was a nice, simple way to spend my evenings.

the conflict between armenia and azerbaijan escalated around this time, and rozi was deeply affected, of course understandably so. i can’t empathize with what she was going through, but i really felt for her. and i checked up on her. but she ghosted everyone and was really sort of tunnel-visioned about how people should react to and discuss the conflict. and i realized that i had come to rely on her presence too much. so i distanced myself from her. i also realized that she is most of the reason that britt, blake, she, and i aren’t as close as we once were. she has a very dominating presence, and i’ve realized that i don’t like that things often have to be on her terms or are dictated by her—not in terms of what we do, but in terms of the general vibe of a relationship. so i keep that in mind now. i love her, truly. but i’ve been able to step back. i don’t jump to text her whenever i have news anymore. maybe that will change again. but anyway.

hiked in crystal cove again, the first hike i had done after my ankle healed back in january, this time for one of my classes. it was a really nice day to myself

submitted my absentee ballot. i really didn’t know what was going to happen. it sure was a case of hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. 

did my first hike with daisy and rich, something that became incredibly fun the few times we did it, even though this first time, we didn’t get too far. we’re hoping to get back into it relatively soon 

did the hollywood hike again with matty 

went with taleeah to get her tattoo. she got the email about getting laid off that morning, but she didn’t let it get to her. a couple days later, i got my email.

i had seen that benny’s band was doing another show, and i was determined to go. taleeah said she would go with me. i was scared as hell, but i messaged my coworker troy and asked him about it, since he’d gone the show a couple weeks prior. it looked like a real possibility. i didn’t message benny at all LMFAO

on october 30, i got my eyebrow pierced. it was something i’d had in the back of my mind for years. now that i didn’t have to worry about staying in disney look anymore, i decided to say to hell with it. later that day, i did go to benny’s show. another one of my favorite days of the year, for sure.

i was messaging troy beforehand so that i could meet up with him. i was too scared to go with only taleeah. i needed someone that benny and i both knew there. 

i saw benny, and avoided him like hell. i hadn’t been this nervous in a long time. 

troy finally showed up with his girlfriend, and we all talked for a while. finally, benny was about to go on, and he was putting his instruments on the stage. he saw me. did a double take. put down his drum immediately to hug me. it was nice. 

after his set, taleeah and i sat at a table outside, and this other person we’d been talking to, brandy, sat next to taleeah and talked with us. then benny joined, sitting next to me. we talked all night. 6 hours absolutely flew by. i was on cloud 9. we all made a group chat to go hiking. and it actually ended up working out. benny hugged me goodbye and asked for my number, although i merely said it was in the group chat LMAO

hiked again with daisy and rich, and we got farther this time. it was autumnal up there in the mountains. 

went to a sexy santa halloween party that mindy threw. i looked good as hell

election day came and went without a winner. nerve-racking. 

went to downtown disney with melanie and delaney. it was nice to catch up with them for the first time in months 

biden was eventually officially projected to win. it was a surreal moment, a calming moment, a moment of peace. what a long, strange trip it’s been, that’s for damn sure. 

actually went on a hike with brandy and benny. unfortunately, taleeah had been getting bad vertigo and had to bail. i couldn’t believe it had worked out in some form, though. i was hanging out with benny outside of work. 

my quarter was once again coming to an end, and i finished it pretty unenthusiastically. although i had registered for the next quarter, i knew that with my impending layoff at the end of the year, i wouldn’t be able to continue on for free. eventually, i withdrew from the next quarter. i’ll probably pay out of pocket, but i’m still weighing my options. that was probably the most devastating part of my year. getting over halfway done with a master’s degree for free, well on my way to complete it in just one calendar year, and then having that ripped away. but i do try to remember that i got over halfway in 2 quarters. that’s nothing to sneeze at. and i’m beyond grateful. and i will finish it, hopefully in the next year or so. 

brandy randomly called me a few days after our hike and asked if i wanted to do another hike. i said sure, although not that same day. we did another hike, this time just us two. i wondered if that meant anything. i hoped not. he did ask me out at the end of that hike. i turned him down, and it wasn’t a big deal at all. i’m very glad we’re friends. we continued to do hikes separate from the rest of the group, and i actually told him the next time about benny.

hiked with daisy and rich again, this time in snow. it was absolutely beautiful, although terrifying sometimes. what a way to kick off the holiday season. 

benny invited us to a bonfire at his place, and i was the only one of our group to go. i met his friends

got my 1 year service pin LMFAO 

started really going on weekly hikes with brandy, usually once during the week and one on the weekend with benny and taleeah, as well. the weekend get-togethers turned into sometimes doing stuff other than hiking 

went to downtown disney and the newly opened buena vista street with rozi and alejandra. once again, i looked good as hell. rozi posted a picture of us all on her insta, and tucker hit me up LMFAOOOOOOO

zuri invited me to thanksgiving with her family. they were so fucking lovely and welcoming to me. i will never forget it. 

the next day, met up with rozi in la and went to citywalk for the first time. then we went to hollywood blvd just because. we met up with alejandra and were tourists for a minute, ending the night at the grove, where we went to umami burger and i got a black burger bun that turned my shit green LMFAO 

went with alejandra to get her tattoo. it was so much quicker than taleeah’s and i was surprised lol 

went to company d a few times toward the end of the year, including once with mindy; afterwards, we went to the knott’s version of downtown disney 

later that night (december 8th, to be exact), taleeah, brandy, benny, and i all went to downtown disney in the evening and then came back to our place to watch the princess bride. what a night. what was supposed to be an innocent wine and movie night turned into benny and i getting extremely, extremely drunk. we decided to put on white christmas after princess bride ended. that was when i was really starting to feel drunk. benny and i ended up on the couch together, and i was lying on him after a while. i remember pointing out how hot the skinny bitch in white christmas is, and i remember him saying that i have better curves than her. we sort of started flirting. the movie ended, and brandy needed to go home. benny ended up deciding to stay over. taleeah walked brandy down, and basically immediately after they left, i asked benny if he’d ever kissed anyone. he said no. i asked if he wanted to. he said yeah. we kissed. and then kissed some more. lmao. we laid together on the couch for the rest of the night, dozing off and kissing in between. we went to my apartment’s rooftop to see the sunrise and talked for a while. he left around 8am or so. we kissed goodbye. i sat on down on the couch and thought and thought and thought. 

i was absolutely shook. goddamn. rozi came over later because we were going to go to laughlin again with alejandra for a few days. i enjoyed rehashing the events of the night.

we left for laughlin, and the morning of (in the dutch bros line, coincidentally), benny texted me to officially ask me out. it was cute. 

it was great couple days—we went to the hoover dam and then to oatman, where there are wild burros that roam the streets of that dated section of route 66, and even spent a night in vegas at the stratosphere. rozi and i went on the rides at the top of it, which was fucking insane, and we all walked the strip, which i’d never done before. i always think of the partridge family when i think of vegas. 

after coming back from laughlin, taleeah, brandy, benny, and i all went on a super short “hike” and then came back and watched white christmas for real this time. benny and i hadn’t gone out yet (this was the first time since that eventful drunken night), and we barely touched all night. all 3 of them separately told me how awkward it was, but i didn’t really think so.

finally went on our date. it was the first real date i’d ever been on, apart from the in n out thing tucker and i went on more than a year prior. it was cute, innocent. benny doesn’t drive, so he had his friend chauffeur us to this hipster food hall 😂. we ate and talked (i do lowkey hope to educate him on some social and economic issues), and then he had had plans for a bonfire at the beach, but it was getting late and the beach was closing. so, we went back to his place and had a bonfire there. he finally asked if he could kiss me again, and we ended up taking things back to his bedroom. it was really late by that point, and i didn’t want to make his friend drive me back home. so i stayed over. it was a good night. when i left in the morning, i told him to buy condoms.

brandy, benny, and i hiked black star canyon finally—a good hike, although we lost brandy for a bit because he was rock scrambling so much faster than us.

the evening of the 23rd, benny and i had our second date; we went mini golfing and then came back to my place because my roommate had thankfully left that morning to go home for the holiday. this was the first time i’d ever brought a guy to my place (apart from a couple hours at carnegie with tucker). we watched home alone 2 and a few episodes of seinfeld, and we finally had sex. it’s the only time we’ve done it so far just because it’s so goddamn hard for us to have time alone, but it was nice. i liked having him next to me in my own bed for once. 

the next morning, he left. it was christmas eve. it was the best christmas eve ever—i ate a shitload of food and just chilled without having to deal with my roommate. 

christmas morning, i woke up and had a lovely morning—worked out and chilled out and even had a zoom call with my family. daisy and rich invited to me to spend christmas dinner with them, which was such a kind gesture. we had delicious food and watched some of die hard and then the jim carrey version of a christmas carol. i came back for a peaceful evening by myself.

i was honestly missing benny and still had one more day before any of my roommates came home (and a few more days until my actual roommate came home), so i invited him to stay over again. i like just being in his presence.

brandy and i went on one final outing before the new year, working out and doing a short hike in bolsa chica. views of the snow-covered mountains on one side and the goddamn pacific ocean on the other made me think about the unusual, very particular perfection of southern california. 

my roommates and i decided to have a very small kickback for new year’s eve. in the couple days leading up to it, we bought decorations and planned food. taleeah and i returned our costumes finally, the layoff to go into effect the next day. it was strange to think only now, 9 months since we’d last worked, were we to officially separate from the company. it was a good run. 

that same day (the 30th), taleeah, brandy, benny, and i all had one final hangout of the year--a boat cruise in newport to see the holiday lights that the rich people put on their houses. benny put his arm around me. we were close to each other while we gazed at the lights. i was happy. one last bit of holiday fun before the worries of 2021 arrived at our doorstep.

new year’s eve started out uneventful, but became an incredible night. i wore a fucking hot dress. (it’s become so nice to see myself and be proud of the way i look. i know it’s probably shallow to have become so focused on the way my body looks, but i am proud. i have become strong. i have become pretty fit. and i like that about myself. i think it reflects something so much deeper about my outlook on life.) the only people we ended up having over were benny and taleeah’s date, martin. brandy ended up having a sinus infection and couldn’t make it last minute, and i had invited mindy and her boyfriend, but they spent the evening at his family’s house. so it was just taleeah, martin, benny, dalenna, and me. lmao. it was pretty fun, though, once the boys had arrived. we played a music trivia game, listened to music, and ate pizza. benny and i were the only ones really drinking, although taleeah had a bit, as well. a little before midnight, we found something to stream for west coast time, and when the clock struck midnight, we all toasted with the fancy prosecco that benny had brought (minus dalenna) and i kissed him. i’d never had a new year’s kiss, especially not one right at midnight. it was wonderful. and then we went onto the porch and blew our noisemakers and yelled out happy new year, and fellow residents came out and said the same. it was nice to have that human connection, even in times like these. and then we decided to go to the roof, and we again yelled out happy new year on our way across the street, and people came out onto their porches and said the same. we gazed at the lights of anaheim and the lights in the sky. we saw a few fireworks. benny and i were making out, and so were taleeah and martin. benny and i snuck off for like an hour to a dark little section of the roof you’re not supposed to walk on. eventually, we rejoined the other two and we all talked with a guy playing his guitar named cowboy chris. it was cold, so we came back to our apartment after a while. benny left around 3 or so, i believe, to catch a flight to cleveland with his friend. i walked him down and we procrastinated the goodbye for a good few minutes, and then i came back and went to bed. and then i woke up, and 2020 had truly been kicked out, and 2021 had started with a nice stimmy direct deposit. 2021, be good. there is so much promise for this year. i’m excited, albeit wary, to see how it all plays out.

over the year, some things were constant or else developed slowly over months:

really grew to love working out. i still absolutely hate gym culture and i really don’t like to broadcast my exercise, but i love doing it so much.

listened to music truly in a new light—who would have thought i would come to branch out more than i ever have, to see how cool and beautiful and noteworthy absolutely everything is? i know that that is not news in any way, and i know that i have a lens that i look through that i need to work on widening. but at any rate, i am so thankful to my friends for letting me in to their own libraries. 

missed driving, as always, although i am very content to not have to deal with the stresses and expenses of having a car. i just wish i had more friends who also didn’t have cars so i didn’t always feel indebted.

missed my job like nothing else. autopia is the best place I have ever worked without a single doubt in my mind. the people i work with, the leads, the job itself. it is fun and involved and just plain cool. i hope to return, although i don’t really think i will. who knows, though. 

tried to support gavin newsom with all my heart. he has made his best efforts, but i just wish he wasn’t so hypocritical. i will continue to support him, though, i think, but without such a star in my eye.

toward the end of the year, played among us a few times with my group from florida. i forgot how much i miss them all.

songs of the year: “before the deluge,” jackson browne, “all the debts i owe,” caamp, “which way are you goin,” jim croce. browne’s lyricism and intonations just strike you--gently, but with a certain meaningful force that i don’t feel too often. i think of “before the deluge” a lot and i relate it to my own life throughout 2020, in an abstract sort of way. 2020 gave so much to me, yes, and i feel gratitude for it. but it certainly was a deluge unlike many of us had ever seen before. and we haven’t gotten past it yet, but we are doing our best to “keep our spirits high” and “keep our children dry”--and songs like this make it easy for me to keep up that state of mind. “all the debts i owe” always makes me think of blake, how he had to leave but maybe he’ll be back one day. i remember listening to that song on the bus to work back in january and february, so captivated by it. i had no idea how the lyrics would soon become so close to me. and then “which way are you goin.” croce will always have relevance in the most unpretentious and poignant manner. 

what a goddamn whirlwind. 2020, the year that no one could have fathomed, the year that we’ll say we barely got through—hell, so many of us didn’t make it at all. and that is unjust. the pandemic made its mark on us all, transformed us all. and i’ll speak to that in a minute. but the conflicts, the war crimes, the ignorance, the unwillingness to listen and compromise and communicate. this year, people strayed far too often into grotesque, violent, and inhumane realities. azerbaijan’s control of artsakh was such a blow for armenians, the result of an awful and unnecessarily (and unjustifiably) violent war. and the western world often glossed over it, and continues to. i unfortunately still remain pretty ignorant on the issue, but it seems easy to see the layers of hatred and disgusting desire for control that have fueled that conflict. nigeria’s protests against sars spoke to the issue of major police brutality that so deeply impacts many cultures, and it’s disheartening, to say the least, that the western world also willfully remained ignorant through it all. it’s so common a grievance, but one that doesn’t seem to change. it doesn’t seem like it can, not unless some major cultural and even psychological reform or rebirth comes about. it’s the same reason i believe in communism, but i don’t believe it’s realistic in this world (although i could change my stance in time). anyway. 2020 threw obstacles like nothing else. obviously, as someone living in the us, i easily get wrapped up just in domestic issues. i’m glad so many movements gained such serious traction in a time when people are often home and are attached to their information sources. it made everything strike more deeply, i think. nothing has resolved, though. resting on laurels will make any prospect of development completely futile. persistence is fundamental.

at the end of the day, a few things stick with me absolutely always, in spite of any hardship. this life is beautiful. it is unmatched. it is authentic, challenging, full of grit and light and purity. it kicks us sometimes, and then it pats us on the back. and it is an honor like absolutely nothing else to be able to be a part of it. i let myself feel bad; it’s part of the human condition and experience, and one that has value. but through it, i never find it hard to keep in mind the grace that the planet has for us. the gratitude overwhelms my entire torso and i cherish it.

“a victory lap through these impossible days”

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[pbwsports]

How the coronavirus is forever changing the way MLB connects to fans

IT BEGAN WITH the hype video that was supposed to introduce the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers on Opening Day. Organist Dieter Ruehle followed by playing the national anthem and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" from his home piano. Third baseman Justin Turner, closer Kenley Jansen and manager Dave Roberts shared updates on their suddenly monotonous lives. Comedian George Lopez cracked jokes at the Houston Astros' expense and country musician Brad Paisley wore a Dodgers sweatshirt that described the team as "2017 World Series Champs."

Along the way, the Dodgers' first live Zoom event provided its fair share of predictable glitches -- ringing cellphones, awkward silences and buffering videos, one of which distorted an uplifting message from Vin Scully. Joe Davis, the Dodgers' play-by-play voice pressed into virtual hosting duty, cringed through some of the technical difficulties. He thought social media would be as unforgiving as usual. He was wrong.

Major League Gamers

How video games are bringing MLB players and fans together. Joon Lee »

"The people appreciated whatever we were able to do, even if the video was skipping a little bit, or there were audio issues, or somebody dropped out at some point," Davis said. "The general sense was that it was like, 'So what?' There was an appreciation, it seems like, from the fans that there was something baseball-related to be able to cling onto and distract them for a night."

The Dodgers initially planned to host 1,000 fans at their first "Zoom Party" on April 27. They ultimately opened it up to 11,000 people. Over the next couple of weeks, the guest list increased to 12,000 and then 15,000, proving two key points about this unimaginable period: Teams are trying anything and everything to fill a massive void amid the coronavirus pandemic, and their fans are here for it -- a dynamic that could change the fan-engagement experience forever.

There have been re-airings of old postseason games, broadcaster calls of home movies, training tips from coaches, bedtime stories from players and bracket-style tournaments for items such as jerseys and bobbleheads, all in an effort to create content in a time when baseball's main content pipeline -- live games -- is shut off.

Ryan Zimmerman interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci, a diehard fan of the Washington Nationals. Miami Marlins catcher Francisco Cervelli taught viewers how to make focaccia. Kansas City Royals director of behavioral science Ryan Maid hosted "Mindfulness Mondays" to provide tips on living in the moment. The Cleveland Indians offered instructions for creating games out of items in one's sock drawer. And former Astros infielder Geoff Blum hosted a series called "Feel Good Stories For The Heart" in hopes of providing some much-needed positivity.

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association also teamed up to create an MLB The Show Players League, where big leaguers went head-to-head in video game matchups that were livestreamed on Twitch and broadcast on television during the virtual playoffs, culminating in a final showdown between Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell and Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito that aired on ESPN.

From making pancakes to playing baseball with Charley, follow @ClaytonKersh22 and his family in this episode of A Day in the Life with the Kershaws.

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"We want to give everybody sort of a relief from what's going on, and if we can help them and we can entertain them, we've succeeded," Dodgers chief marketing officer Lon Rosen said of his own team's strategy. "We're in a really difficult time right now. We all feel like we're gonna come out the other end and life will come back to some normalcy, but until then, we wanna make sure that we're connected to our fans and our fans are connected to us. And that's our mission."

In pursuit of that, the Dodgers arranged for their director of player performance, Brandon McDaniel, to guide fans through in-home workoutstwice a week. They handed a smartphone to Ellen Kershaw so that she could record her husband, Clayton, flipping pancakes and playing Pop-A-Shot. And they utilized Ross Stripling, their agreeable right-handed pitcher, for an interview series with some of his teammates. Davis himself has hosted his own cooking show and also started a podcast with his broadcast partner, Orel Hershiser. The response floored him.

"We've had multiple people tell us that it brought them to tears to hear us, multiple people tell us that it's the best part of their week when that comes out, and their favorite thing during the quarantine," Davis said of the podcast, called "Off Air." "Man, we're just trying to have a fun conversation. We started it realizing the void that everybody was feeling with no baseball, but I don't think we fully appreciated how big that void was."

MARCO GONZALES LEFT Arizona shortly after MLB effectively closed spring training complexes on March 15. He hopped in the car with his wife and their dog and drove 1,400 miles to his home near T-Mobile Park, returning to Seattle -- the country's first coronavirus epicenter -- for the first time in more than a month.

Gonzales, the left-hander announced as the Seattle Mariners' Opening Day starter less than a week earlier, was struck by how a bustling city could feel so desolate. Parks were empty, traffic was nonexistent, stores had shuttered, and the few people he saw, usually at the local supermarket, dressed as if they were "going into surgery." The anxiety was palpable, omnipresent, and it helped spur Gonzales into action. He donated blood, partnered with a local hunger-relief agency and stepped outside of his comfort zone to help entertain a populace desperate for levity.

The best of MLB social media

Here are just 10 of our favorite recent social media plays from around MLB.

Just for fun:

A's: Broadcaster calls home movies Cubs: "Parks and Rec" crossover Dodgers: Zoom parties Marlins: Cervelli makes focaccia Phillies: Story time with Bryce & Fanatic

Quarantine-inspired:

Astros: Feel Good Stories For The Heart Indians: Sock-drawer sports at home Nats: Zimmerman interviews Dr. Fauci Orioles: Phone Call Fridays Rockies: Out-of-context quarantine tips

The latter morphed into a weekly interview podcast called "Inside Corner," which Gonzales co-hosts alongside Mariners broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith through the team's YouTube channel. Catcher Tom Murphy and fellow starters Taijuan Walker and Justin Dunn have made up the first three guests. Murphy spoke from his dining room, which features a 400-pound black bear he snagged on a hunting trip. Dunn, now 6-foot-2, revealed he was shorter than his 4-foot-11 grandmother when he entered high school. Walker estimated owning 400 pairs of sneakers.

"I miss baseball, I miss that interaction with my teammates," Gonzales said. "And I think the goal of this, ultimately, is for fans to get to know us a little bit better away from the field, and to feel like they're a little more connected to us."

It's part of an ironic twist in all this -- a time that is keeping fans from baseball is also allowing them, in some respects, to feel more connected to those who play it. During the season, their time is precious. During the offseason, their time is sacred. But now athletes are stuck at home waiting this out, with unkempt hair and a dwindling supply of toilet paper, just like the rest of us. To pass the time, many have offered rare glimpses into their personal lives and have seemingly become more willing to reveal their true personalities. Gonzales has acted as a willing tour guide.

"The guys that I've dealt with, they want people to get to know them as people," Gonzales said. "Because a lot of times when we're on the field, we're in a mindset, we're in a mentality, that is rare to us as a person. We're in a competitive, testosterone-driven mindset, whereas right now, when we're stuck at home, and we have a chance to talk to each other, it's a lot different communication. And I think that people will hopefully see that."

Our video editor has been itching to make a hype video. Behold...

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Kevin Martinez has been overseeing the Mariners' marketing efforts for the past quarter-century. Four days after MLB suspended its season, Martinez led a meeting that served as a brainstorming session for how the team could pivot in its content strategy and fill an unprecedented void in a reeling city. Martinez saw it as "an opportunity to innovate and think differently."

It led to a hype video of home movies, a series of tutorials from Mariners coaches, an MLB The Show tournament pitting fans against players, and Gonzales' podcast.

"Seattle has been one of the most affected by this, and one of the first for sure," Gonzales said. "We're trying to get behind the notion that we'll be one of the first to overcome it and really show the rest of the country what it looks like. Right now, all we can do is try to fill everybody up with some optimism, put some good content out there, and try to just give people that hope that we're gonna get back to normal as soon as we can."

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BY NATURE OF their status in local communities, sports teams can often serve as information hubs for regions. The Boston Red Sox, for example, represent the baseball team for all six states in the New England region, making Twitter -- where the team has more than 6.1 million followers -- an ideal platform to distribute factually verified information regarding the pandemic. Kelsey Doherty, senior manager of digital media for the Red Sox, says the team has kept in touch with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the State House to stay up to date on the best official safety measures.

"It's a little nerve-wracking every time I put out any of that messaging, because especially early on, things were changing so rapidly about what was or wasn't good for you or how you're supposed to go about things," Doherty said. "We were linking a lot to the Mass Department of Public Health, but we're also trying to put the Red Sox spin on it. This weekend we put out, 'How far is 6 feet really?' And it's like, 'It's one Rafael Devers away.'"

The Red Sox are far from the only team to use its social media accounts to pitch in. Zimmerman's interview with Fauci, via the Nats' Facebook page, delved into plans for slowly and safely restarting the economy. The Colorado Rockies are one club that sponsored a mask-making project, reaching out online to distribute free team-branded masks to front-line workers. New York Yankeesfirst baseman Luke Voit connected with medical staff at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The Baltimore Orioles have been holding Phone Call Fridays, when members of the team check in on fans and first responders.

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There have been other notable effects. With no games on the calendar for the near future, each team's social media account now represents the primary connection clubs have with fans on a daily basis. Typically at this point in the regular season, an internationally iconic team like the Yankees is focused on building hype around the club, selling individual game tickets and targeting tourists who might be coming into New York. Stephi Blank, senior manager of digital and social strategy for the Yankees, says the pandemic has flipped the team's social focus upside down.

"Especially when thinking about targeting individual game ticket buyers, tourism in New York City is something that is a massive industry, and talking with our colleagues at Broadway and others, you see that so much of the individual game, the individual ticket buyers, come from people who are outside of New York who don't live there," Blank said. "That had been a big focus of ours prior to this, but New York has been the epicenter, and we've been focusing a lot more on our local fans."

With no team to root for or games to play, teams are reframing their social media presence to think about fandom as a lifestyle.

"It's new territory," Doherty said. "I always joke that I am so grateful that I work in sports because our content can change day to day based on a win or a loss or who had a big night, and now suddenly I'm in this uncharted territory and everyone in sports is, where it's like suddenly we aren't dependent on that and we're dependent on our history, the lifestyle, the fan base and the culture around the team."

Luke Voit recently surprised frontline medical heroes from our partner @nyphospital to show his appreciation for their strength and hard work. @LLVIII40

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THE LACK OF day-to-day, game-centric content leaves more room to experiment. The Yankees have dabbled in more player personality-driven content, posting intentionally lo-fi workout videos from the likes of Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Severino, shot in vertical video on an iPhone. Yankees head of communications Jason Zillo says the lack of wins and losses allowed baseball's most traditional brand to let loose and have some fun.

"[Player-personality content] is not only a neat concept, but I think this has legs to live long beyond the pandemic," Zillo said. "The thing that constantly is a push and a pull during a baseball season is that games matter so much. And you have to temper 'fun' things up against the fact that every day, there's a game that you're trying to win at all costs. There has to be a measure of caution. If you've lost six of eight games, my first mindset isn't, 'Let's do something fun.' It's like, 'Let's kind of scale back and then when we've won six of eight, then maybe we can push more of the fun stuff.'"

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From Twitter to Twitch, these 10 players are providing a window -- often silly, sometimes serious -- in an unprecedented time in baseball history. Joon Lee »

Baseball is unique among sports in its challenge of creating inclusive, compelling social media content. The schedule is arduous -- nearly every single day, often for about 10 hours, from the middle of February until at least the end of September -- and the culture can often feel repressive. Marketers have mostly found players to be less motivated to promote themselves, both because of the volume of their workload and the guaranteed nature of their contracts. Teams, in some respects, have taken a relatively conservative approach on their digital platforms.

But maybe that'll be different now.

"It has been a challenging time," Martinez, the Mariners' senior VP of marketing, said, "but it's been a time for innovation, and a great opportunity to create fans with our players in ways we haven't explored before."

While baseball has been slow to adapt to the new age of social media, the pandemic plopped a mirror in front of many teams. Many took that as an opportunity to try something new -- and have seen it bear fruit.

"You hear a lot of people from a lot of different walks of life saying, 'Use this time to get better at something,'" Zillo said. "I think baseball, as a whole, has, when it comes to looking under different rocks, now is really using social media and all of its tentacles to reach as many fans as possible."

Source - ESPN

[themovieblogonline]

The Exorcism 2024 Movie Review: Russell Crowe Is Giving Up

When I first heard about The Exorcism, starring Russell Crowe as Anthony Miller, a troubled actor, and directed by Joshua John Miller, I was intrigued. With a cast that includes Ryan Simpkins, Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, Adrian Pasdar, and David Hyde Pierce, expectations were high for a thrilling supernatural horror experience. Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver on multiple fronts, resulting in a disappointing and often confusing mess. The Exorcism 2024 Movie: A Promising Setup The Exorcism 2024 movie opens with a promising setup: an actor is mysteriously killed while inspecting a horror film set in New York City. This intriguing premise quickly unravels into a convoluted and poorly executed storyline. Anthony Miller, played by Russell Crowe, is an aging, alcoholic actor cast as a priest in a supernatural horror film. His daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), serves as his personal assistant, and both are struggling with the recent death of her mother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCe2QqMNexM The Good: Potential in The Exorcism 2024 Movie The film attempts to explore Miller's traumatic past as a sexual abuse victim, but these flashbacks are clumsily integrated and fail to add depth to his character. Instead of evoking sympathy or understanding, they feel like cheap attempts to elicit shock. The film's depiction of Miller's deteriorating mental state, including his self-harm and erratic behavior, is more confusing than frightening. The Bad: Execution in The Exorcism 2024 Movie The characters in The Exorcism 2024 movie are underdeveloped and lack the depth needed to make the audience care about their fates. Russell Crowe's portrayal of Anthony Miller is unconvincing; his performance oscillates between over-the-top hysteria and bland indifference. Ryan Simpkins, as Lee, does her best with the material she's given, but her character is poorly written and her motivations are often unclear. Sam Worthington as Joe, the replacement actor, and Chloe Bailey as Blake, the popular TV actress, are little more than stereotypes. Their interactions with Miller and Lee add nothing substantial to the plot. Adam Goldberg's Peter and Adrian Pasdar's Father Conor are similarly wasted in roles that could have been pivotal but instead feel like afterthoughts. Direction and Script Issues in The Exorcism 2024 Movie Joshua John Miller's direction is inconsistent and lacks a cohesive vision. The film struggles to maintain a consistent tone, veering wildly between supernatural horror, psychological thriller, and melodrama. The script, co-written by Miller and M. A. Fortin, is riddled with clichés and lacks originality. The dialogue is often cringe-worthy, and the attempts at creating tension and suspense fall flat. One of the film's major weaknesses is its pacing. The story drags in the first half, with endless scenes of Miller's erratic behavior and Lee's increasing concern. When the film finally picks up the pace in the second half, it feels rushed and chaotic. Key plot points are glossed over, and the climactic scene, which should have been the film's highlight, is disappointingly anti-climactic. Visual and Special Effects in The Exorcism 2024 Movie The cinematography in The Exorcism 2024 movie is uninspired and fails to create a genuinely eerie atmosphere. The film's use of dark, shadowy lighting and abrupt camera angles feels more like a checklist of horror tropes than a deliberate stylistic choice. The set design, particularly the recreation of the supernatural horror film set within the film, is one of the few redeeming qualities. However, even this becomes repetitive and loses its impact as the film progresses. The special effects are another letdown. The scenes of supernatural occurrences and possession lack the polish and realism needed to be truly frightening. The use of CGI is obvious and detracts from the film's intended scares. The practical effects, such as Miller's contorted body movements, come off as unintentionally comical rather than terrifying. Themes and Overall Impact of The Exorcism 2024 Movie The Exorcism 2024 movie attempts to tackle heavy themes such as trauma, addiction, and faith. However, it does so in a superficial and muddled way. The film's exploration of Miller's past abuse and its impact on his present behavior is poorly handled and feels exploitative. The theme of faith, central to any exorcism narrative, is weakly presented and lacks nuance. Overall: The Exorcism 2024 movie is a frustrating and disappointing film that fails to live up to its potential. With a talented cast and a promising premise, it could have been a compelling addition to the supernatural horror genre. Instead, it is a poorly executed, confusing, and ultimately forgettable movie. The lack of character development, inconsistent direction, clichéd script, and unconvincing special effects all contribute to its downfall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvJOrK7Qt8A Read the full article

[hollywoodfamerp]

Hollywood Fame goes to Napa!

For the weekend trip, all celebs will be staying at the luxurious Hotel Yountville! Hotel Yountville beckons guests with buildings constructed of stacked Napa river rocks, heavy timber beams and copper accents. With charming service and genuine comfort, Hotel Yountville creates the perfect escape for the adventurous traveler and wine country lovers. Amenities include: chic, modern décor rooms with a 52-inch flat-screen TV, an iPod docking station, a fireplace, a minibar and a private patio. The restaurant features an open kitchen with a wood burning fireplace. The Bar serves specialty cocktails and offers free wine tastings. Guests can relax at The Spa, featuring 6 treatment rooms, or at the hotel’s outdoor pool and hot tub. For those who wish to explore, free bike rentals are offered. A business center is also located on site.

UNDER THE CUT YOU’LL FIND THE LIST OF ALL THE ROOMMATES.

The roommates were done by a RANDOM generator.  To help promote different interactions on the dash, couples will NOT room together.

As we get more people into the role play, we will update the list. If you do not see your characters name on this list, or if you happen to get paired with one of the other characters you play - please message us POLITELY and let us know - the generator was a little weird, but hopefully everyone is accounted for - if not, we’ll fix it, don’t worry :)

As stated before, as we accept new apps before AND during the event, this list will be updated. Same will go if people get unfollowed, leave the RP etc. So please be mindful that this can and most likely will change. 

Please remember you are required to do one interaction (tag the main in it) with your roommate otherwise a strike will be implemented. We will be keeping track! Please do message us if your roommate has not replied to you to plot or if they are on the verge of going inactive during the trip, as we will take everything into consideration <3 Please be mindful that we have an activity check before the trip, so do expect some changes! Those on hiatus and reduced activity were not included in this list - but they must just state that their characters are on the trip. However, if those on reduced activity or on hiatus can get online during the trip to rp - you’re more than welcome to!

So, that being said - please LIKE THIS POST so you can not only keep track of this list but also so we know you saw this notice.

Tom Holland and Ashley Tisdale

Nick Jonas and Connor Franta

Ariana Grande and Harry Styles

Toby Regbo and Hayley Kiyoko

Saoirse Ronan and Lena Heady

Calum Hood and Park Chanyeol

Katherine Langford and Oscar Isaac

Olivia Wilde and Jake Gyllenhaal 

Lily Collins and Behati Prinsloo

Keith Duffy and Colby Lopez (Seth Rollins) 

Jung Hoseok and Aaron Tveit

Nina Dobrev and Garrett Hedlund

Margot Robbie and Becky Lynch

Jade Chynoweth and Vanessa Hudgens

Phoebe Tonkin and Gigi Hadid

Paul Wesley and Sarah Drew

Rihanna and Robbie Amell

Sophie Turner and Anthony Mackie

Min Yoongi and Timothee Chalamet

Nathan Sharp and Taylor Swift

Bella Hadid and Bill Skarsgard

Daisy Ridley and Jacob Anderson

Demi Lovato and Hunter Hayes

Zac Efron and Troye Sivan

Fergal Devitt and Rami Malek

Charlie Hunnam and Arin Hanson

Lucas Wong and Kylie Jenner

Beth Behrs and Jeremy Jordan

Kehlani Parrish and Adria Arjona

Shay Mitchell and Jennifer Lawrence

Jensen Ackles and Jeon Jeongguk 

Takumi Kizuckson and Jesse Lingard

Jared Padalecki and Kim Taehyung

Dianna Agron and Taika Waititi

Matt Bomer and Zoey Deutch

Cindy Kimberly and Sam Claflin

Natalia Dyer and Emma Stone

Michael Clifford and Meryl Streep

Caity Lotz and Camila Cabello

Yoo Jeong-yeon and Scarlett Johansson

Nikki Bella and Sabrina Carpenter

Kim Jisoo and Lights Poxleitner

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Perrie Edwards

Chris Evans and Bruno Mars

Dylan O'Brien and Lily James

Adelaide Kane and Emma Watson

Kendall Jenner and Maisie Williams

Jessica Parker Kennedy and Blake Lively

Armie Hammer and Kristine Froseth

Kim Yongsun (Solar) and Ben Barnes

Zoë Kravitz and Kate Middleton

Jennie Kim and Suzy Berhow

Kim Seokjin and Priyanka Chopra

Ashley Benson and Joe Keery

Miley Cyrus and Elizabeth Olsen

Madelaine Petsch and Chris Hemsworth

Seán McLoughlin (Jacksepticeye) and Bebe Rexha

Maia Mitchell and Donald Glover

Zendaya Coleman and Winston Duke

Elizabeth Gillies and Christopher Gorham

Park Soo-young and Charles Melton

Oh Sehun and Jackson Wang

Ashton Irwin and Daniel Avidan

Park Jimin and Roman Reigns

Pedro Pascal and Selena Gomez

Brandon Flynn and Melissa Benoist

Richard Madden and Tessa Thompson

Katherine McNamara and Brie Larson

Vanessa Morgan and Lili Reinhart

Pierce Brosnan and Hailee Steinfeld 

Jon Moxley and Jerome Flynn

David Tennant and Marina Diamandis

Emma Dumont and Miles Heizer

Park Jungsoo and Skeet Ulrich 

Susan Sarandon and Max Thieriot

Normani Kordei and Stephen Amell

Caity Lotz and Milena Tscharntke

Dylan Minnette and Taron Egerton

Camila Mendes and Zayn Malik

Kathryn Newton and TBD

[evoldir]

Postdoc: HolarU_Iceland.Stickleback

*Post-doctoral position (PD1) on long-term data analyses of ECO-EVO-DEVO dynamics in threespine stickleback of lake Mývatn, Iceland* Hólar University College, Iceland, seeks a Post-doctoral fellow for a Grant of Excellence (RANNIS) project to study the dynamics of *Ecological (ECO), Evolutionary (EVO) and Developmental (DEVO) processes* Biodiversity is under serious threat from human activities and we lack understanding of the processes that shape it. The phenotype, including developmental plasticity, is an important determinant of the dynamic interactions between ecological and evolutionary processes. This project will study the interplay among ECO, EVO and DEVO to fill knowledge gaps in 1) the dual role of ecology in evolution (as driver of natural selection and phenotypic plasticity), 2) the molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic variation, and 3) the feedbacks between phenotypic change and ecosystem function (eco-evolutionary dynamics). The project takes a spatio-temporal perspective, using threespine stickleback (*Gasterosteus aculeatus*) from lake Mývatn, Iceland, as a model. The project is lead by Prof. Bjarni K. Kristjánsson (lead PI, Hólar University College, Iceland) and Dr. Katja Räsänen (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Sciences, Eawag, Switzerland). It is part of a large collaboration across Hólar Univ. College (Prof. Skúli Skúlason), Eawag (Dr. Blake Matthews), Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, USA (Prof. Anthony R. Ives), Univ. of Iceland (Prof. Zophonías O. Jónsson) and the Mývatn research station (Dr. Árni Einarsson). The students will have the opportunity to conduct part of their research at the collaborative institutions. The postdoctoral fellow will *study spatial and temporal dynamics of selection in nature, integrating our long-term data on phenotypic variation with analyses of population genetic structure over space and time*. This project is an integral part of this collaborative study which also includes experiments (laboratory, mesocosm and field), transcriptomics and genomics, and mathematical modelling. *Location*: The candidate will be based at the Dept. of Aquaculture and Fish Biology (DAFB - http://bit.ly/2MxfHMZ) at Hólar Univ. College (HUC, North Iceland). HUC is situated in the beautiful village of Hólar (Skagafjördur), with offices and research laboratories in the nearby town Sauðárkrókur. DAFB is an active research centre and the students will become part of a dynamic international team of graduate students and faculty. The beautiful natural setting and easy travel allow both outdoor and cultural activities. *Requirements: *The candidate must hold a PhD degree in Ecology, Evolution, Development or related disciplines. An ideal candidate should have a strong interest in *evolutionary ecology*, a solid background in molecular genetics and statistical analyses (ideally on long-term data sets), have a shown ability to publish her/his own findings, enjoy working in a dynamic group, and have experience from field work and working on large data sets. The candidate has to be able to work independently as well as a part of a team. *The position is funded for three years*. The working language is English. A valid driving license is a requirement. Applicants should send an application letter, labelled with a name and the code ‘PD1’, with a statement of research interests and relevant experience (max 2 pages), *curriculum vitae* with a list of publications, copies of academic qualifications and the names and e-mail addresses of three referees, *as a single pdf* to ecoevodevo@holar.is latest *March 15, 201*9. *Preferred starting date is May 1st 2019.* *For further information* contact Bjarni K. Kristjánsson (Head of the Dept. of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar Univ. College) (bjakk@holar.is) or Dr. Katja Räsänen (katja.rasanen@eawag.ch). Dr. Bjarni K. Kristjánsson, Prófessor Hólaskóli - Háskólinn á Hólum/ Hólar University College Hólar í Hjaltadal Iceland bjakk@holar.is Phone: +354 4556300 holar.is Bjarni Kristófer Kristjánsson via Gmail

[fyterfesthq]

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could end up on an activity check..

CODY RHODES.    @niightmvrex  (4+ days  inactivity )

PAC       @ithebastard   (4+ days  inactivity )

ANTHONY OGOGO   @harmingman    ( interaction warning )

CASEY HOWELL   @builtdiffercnt       (4+ days  inactivity )

BLAKE MARIE     @itsblckebiitch    (4+ days  inactivity )

[zumpietoo]

Finally getting around to watching the shit show that is Riverdale. Why the fuck do they insist on calling that damn kid Baby Anthony, like baby is his actual name? Ffs just call him Anthony and stop being weird

You're not wrong, Nonnie!!!

Plus there's no other Anthony around (even Tinkle's Antoinette), so not as if he'd be confused with anybody else....in fact that kid doesn't seem to interact with anybody save Minkle/Tolars and verrryyyyy occasionally, suing for primary custody but never visits Gossip Ghey.

It reminds me of Jeff and Fallon's son, "Little Blake" (for his grandpa), who they incessantly called "Little Blake", until they turned that into "LB"....which was also vile.

Or on Desperate Housewives, where they called Maynerd, Jr (for his great uncle) MJ.....cuz the popular dimunitive for Mary Jane is way moar butch