#planning director nyc

[probablyasocialecologist]

Thousands have hit the streets in NYC, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and dozens of other cities. A DC protest organized by Jewish activist groups drew thousands, and hundreds were later arrested, including two dozen Rabbis. An estimated 25,000 people showed up to a rally in Chicago. These events show no signs of stopping, with many more planned across the coming days. These actions have gone beyond marches, with protesters showing up at the offices and homes of politicians demanding a ceasefire. Six activists were arrested at a pro-Palestine rally outside the Boston office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). A large crowd demonstrated outside the Brooklyn home of Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Jewish protesters showed up outside the Brentwood house of VP Kamala Harris. IfNotNow members have held sit-ins at the DC offices of Schumer, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA). Former staffers for Warren, Sanders, and Senator John Fetterman have publicly urged the lawmakers to back a ceasefire. On October 25, tens of thousands of students across more than 100 North American campuses united in a walkout to demand an immediate ceasefire, an end to unconditional support for Israel, and university divestment from the corporations funding the occupation of Palestine. On the night of October 27 Jewish activists shut down Grand Central Station, leading to the arrest of over 300 people. “This is bigger than we’ve ever seen,” US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) Executive Director Ahmad Abuznaid told Mondoweiss. “This is the result of decades of work that we’ve put into this movement, and I think some of it is connected to the [George Floyd protests of 2020]. There was so much racial, social justice, anti-war building in that moment.

[...]

“The man broke my heart,” Palestinian-American comedian Maysoon Zayid told Politico on October 23, “I never in my life thought the empathizer-in-chief would sound the way he did. The Palestinians were given no humanity. Joe Biden should spend every breath he has condemning Israel’s genocide with the same zeal he condemned Hamas’ massacre of civilians, that same zeal. And we get nothing. 1,000 children are dead, and we get nothing.” “It’s really crazy to me that the Democratic party destroyed 20-years of worth of good will with Muslims and Arabs in just 2 weeks, losing an entire generation that was raised in the progressive coalition, possibly forever,” tweeted author and activist Eman Abdelhadi. “The rapidity of it, the finality–it’s astonishing.” “While Republican disregard for Muslim and Arab lives is clearly on display, some Muslim and Arab Americans also feel like the Democratic Party largely takes their vote for granted, though Democrats’ policies never reflect as much,” writes Dana El Kurd in The Nation. “One Arab American friend expressed to me that, at least under Republican administrations, ‘Arabs could find allies’ in their opposition.”

[hatopixlriffs]

This week, on CHC:

Flowers, trees, and dragons, Oh My!

Welcome to the CHC recap, my name is Pixlriffs, our writer is ZloyXP, our physical copies printed by Lyarrah. So much has happened in the past week and a half since the last recap, so without further ado:

Let's take a look at all the events and mishaps that occurred on Camp Hermitcraft, this week!

Starting with @gem-the-oracle, who caught a nasty bug, and spent most of the week ill in the Big House. Being the Oracle of Delphi of course, absolutely nothing could go wrong! Besides, it couldn't be weirder than her vision of purple flowers that were quickly identified as Hyacinths, the same kind of flower plaguing every Apollo kid and especially Apollo himself! This spirals into madness as @sungod7-fuckyoupearl starts getting texts from none other than Daphne, known to her account name @notoriginallyatreenypmh and the sun god as "The One Who Got Away". Apollo quickly undergoes the five stages of grief as he realizes this isn't a prank and @boatboynr1- who was turned into a cat by Apollo literally ten minutes prior- berates him with yowls.

Oh, and Apollo's dead boyfriend Hyacinthus seems to have been the one sending all the flowers. How @hyancithus is doing this beats all reason as he is stuck as a Hyacinth flower and can only communicate in 🪻 emojis. Daphne claims he's able to channel energy through her and the phone she stole but refuses to elaborate further. After a minor breakdown, Apollo teleports Daphne and Hya from their temporary prison of Italy to Camp Hermitcraft, where Daphne takes her axe- also stolen- and takes a breather in the camp lake. Apollo's hands are full as he does his best to take care of his dead boyfriend, whom is still stuck as a flower. A similar rescue mission is still ongoing, as @askhermesgrian, @camphermithater, and Joel have left on a quest to go retrieve @pearl-likes-hunting from some myserious woods. All at the request of @shutupapolloplease, of course.

And what do you know, a third retrieval is also ongoing! @hatotangoftek's metal dragon, Fotia, is loose in NYC and he scrambles to get her back before he ends up in more trouble than he already is.

@undead-daughter-of-heb attempts to help Tango, but not before blacking out and waking up hours later, with the Hebe cabin rearranged, nice notes everywhere, and people claiming that Gem had briefly possessed her. The strangeness doesn't end there, as she finds and almost adopts a stray cat in camp, before eventually realizing it was @askxisumachc who'd gotten cursed while shifted and couldn't change back. Cleo takes X to Camp Jupiter, where @lovemushroomsandflowers successfully returns him to human form. Ignoring the purring, cat tail, and cat ears that stayed behind, of course. And according to Scott, Xisuma also seems to have retained cat-like attributes, such as the innate need to chase a laser pointer.

(click for better size- couldn't enlarge it w/o crunchiness) Unluckily for Scott, or maybe luckily for X, @goldenqueenfalse ended up putting him in the hospital before he could test catnip on the acting camp director. This does mean that the fashion show, which most demigods have agreed to simply call "Prom", will be delayed some time, which is fine as some campers have yet to pick out outfits.

Some campers may need to re-choose outfits after ending up back as adults, as Cleo has figured out how to control her powers! Yay for Cleo!

Chaos isn't the only thing going on, as @asktheshreeper and @boatboynr2 spend the week hanging out and even make some shopping plans!

@askscarpjo makes head bead bracelets :)

@hatorendiggitydog also wants head bead bracelets. He then proceeds to dream about Tartarus and acts like thats normal. Etho is not convinced.

@askhatoskizz is not immune to his dad's dead boyfriend and after receiving Hyacinths, decides to do something else. He decides to take @erempulse to a musical and manages to get tickets from Apollo before the whole shrubbery shenanigans (see: above) go down.

@spoonsandmustaches spends his free time playing tech support for @hato-grumbot (ooc- run by the creator of the au himself: @ahllohehn).

@askhatokeralis spends the week running camp in Xisuma's absence. He's doing fantastic.

And finally there's @askluckskall, who's been contemplating his gender identity and is seeking help from Cleo. As of writing this, we have yet to see where this is headed.

AND that's about it for this weeks recap, our writer is ZloyXP, and my name is Pixlriff, physical copies printed by Lyarrah. Don't forget to leave a like while you're here, and follow so you don't miss future recaps. Thanks for reading, and we'll see you next week.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Apologies—I meant to post this to another of my blogs. But since a few folks have liked it, I guess I'll leave it.

NYCB Attracting Younger Fans

The AP put out this story, which has run in many papers.

I've never understood why so many organizations prize young patrons over old. The old ones have more money, after all. But I suppose they're thinking of their future: today's young people are tomorrow's "sea of gray." 🙄

It's also news to me that Whelan is in charge of programming. I'm sure that Stafford has (a big) say in what goes on.

At 75, NYC Ballet is getting older. Its audience is skewing younger, and that’s the plan

By JOCELYN NOVECK Updated 12:58 AM EDT, May 24, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Alice McDermott settled into her seat at New York City Ballet on a recent Friday night, excited to see her first-ever ballet performance. The 31-year-old Manhattanite, who works in recruiting, was on a fun girls’ night out with three friends she’d met through work, starting with dinner.

“They told me I’d love the ballet,” says McDermott, who was also excited to realize she was already familiar with one of the evening’s performers, Tiler Peck, via the dancer’s popular Instagram feed. “They said you can put on a nice dress and just immerse yourself in another world, whilst marveling at what the human body can achieve.”

Seems they were right: At the end of the evening, McDermott, a new fan, went home and watched a ballet documentary.

Perhaps you could call it “Ballet and the City”? Whatever the term for McDermott’s ballet evening with pals, the scenario would surely be music to the ears of the company — which has been celebrating its 75th birthday with fanfare this year — and especially its artistic leaders of the past five years, Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan.

The two, both former dancers at the storied troupe founded by George Balanchine, have made it a key goal to bring in a younger audience to ensure the company’s long-term health — and more broadly, to guard the vitality of a centuries-old art form.

It seems to be working. Though some initiatives have been in place for longer, the last five years have seen a marked shift, according to numbers provided to the Associated Press: In 2023, 53% of ticket buyers were under age 50, and people in their 30s made up the largest age segment by decade. Five years earlier, in 2018, 41% of ticket buyers were under 50, and people in their 60s made up the largest age segment.

Now, longtime ballet followers note that on a bustling Friday evening you can look down from the first ring of the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center and not simply see, well, a sea of gray.

`A GENERATION OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS’ A major factor in attracting younger people, especially those under 30, has been affordable pricing. There are also evenings targeting young professionals, including post-show receptions. And there have been collaborations with visual or musical artists with youthful followings — like the musician Solange, who in 2022 was commissioned to score a ballet by 23-year old choreographer Gianna Reisen.

The Solange collaboration was a significant moment, Whelan and Stafford said in a recent interview, surveying the past five years as the thumping of leaping dancers’ feet echoed through the ceiling above Stafford’s office.

“We sold out every show,” Whelan noted. “It was a little nugget, but it was memorable.”

Perhaps even more important was the fact, says Stafford, that about 70% of those ticket buyers were new to the company — contributing to “a generation of young professionals in the city that are at our theater every night now.”

Wendy Whelan and Jonathan Stafford, Feb. 29, 2024. Photo: Bebeto Matthews via the AP

Katherine Brown, the ballet’s executive director, said the company had taken a look at the theater and vastly reduced the price of certain seats — and saw them fill up. She also noted the 30-for-30 program, where members under 30 can buy any seat in the house for $30. “That thing has just exploded,” Brown says, from some 1,800 members in the last full season before the pandemic-forced shutdown, to some 14,000 now.

One can’t discount the “pure economics” of an evening at the ballet, especially for young people, says Wendy Perron, longtime dance writer and former editor of Dance Magazine. “When I was in New York in the ’70s and ‘80s, I just couldn’t afford to go to the ballet,” she says.

GETTING BETTER ACQUAINTED Also not to be discounted: the effect of social media in promoting dancers as people with personalities.

“We’ve got this crop of really exciting but also relatable, approachable dancers, and through social media, audiences can connect to them in a way they couldn’t back when we were dancing,” says Stafford, who retired as a dancer in 2014.

Consider Peck, one of the company’s most popular ballerinas (and a rising choreographer), whose Instagram feed had reached McDermott before she ever saw her dance. Peck supplies her half-million followers with short, punchy videos about everything from her 10 favorite dance roles to how she applies stage makeup. Her videos often feature her partner onstage and off, rising principal dancer Roman Mejia.

It’s all very different from a time when — like Odette in “Swan Lake” — ballerinas used to be mysterious and, above all, silent.

Social media — whether used by the company or via the dancers’ own feeds — can also answer questions. If you attended a performance of “The Nutcracker” a few seasons ago, you might have wondered why dancer Mira Nadon, as Sugarplum Fairy, suddenly disappeared from the stage at a key moment. The answer was on her Instagram later: her pointe shoe had slipped off.

“See, you can get all your answers from Instagram now,” quips Whelan, who herself has an active feed.

ESTABLISHING A PARTNERSHIP A few months ago, Whelan, a much-loved former NYCB principal who also retired in 2014, got a congratulatory text from Stafford in the morning — it had been exactly five years since the two had taken the helm after a turbulent period when #MeToo accusations caused scandal.

Historically, the company had been led by one man — Balanchine until 1983, then Peter Martins. This time, the board tried something new: a duet. Stafford was already interim head, and Whelan had applied for the job.

“They put us in a room and closed the door, and we were like – ‘Hi?’” Whelan says. “They were like, figure it out! And we did.” Stafford, the artistic director, serves as a bridge between the creative and business sides. Whelan, associate artistic director, focuses on the delicate task of programming.

Company insiders describe a mood different from the days when one outsized, all-powerful personality ruled from above. For one thing, the pair says they’ve instituted annual taking-stock conversations with each dancer.

Diversity — ballet is slowly changing but still overwhelmingly white — is also a priority, they say, and that includes diversifying “the pipeline,” meaning students at the affiliated School of American Ballet.

Recently, the company heralded its first two Black dancers to dance Dewdrop, the second most important female “Nutcracker” role: India Bradley and guest artist Alexandra Hutchinson of the Dance Theater of Harlem. Yet to come is a Black Sugarplum Fairy. The company says 26% of of its dancers identify as people of color, whereas 10 years ago that figure was 13%. Stafford and Whelan have commissioned 12 ballets by choreographers of color in the last six years, it says.

“We know where the gaps are, and we take it seriously,” Whelan says.

She and Stafford say they’re also paying more attention to wellness, be it physical training to avoid injury, healthy diets, or a more frank discussion of mental health.

As for the company’s financial health, it is strong, Brown says, four years after the pandemic cost tens of millions in losses The 2024 budget is roughly $102 million, compared to $88 million in 2019. Audience capacity has exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

As for new fan McDermott, she’s planning more visits, along with her friends.

“I think we have a new tradition between the four of us,” she says. “We’ll definitely be making it a bit of a thing.”

[stylecouncil]

“Michael and his manager I spoke to about the upcoming project for them. As I said, Michael liked the Diesel images I did back in `93, specifically the car crash. He liked that my images felt like images out of a movie and the whole look and feel. I listened to the music from Elegantly Wasted and it was the title song that inspired me the most. So I developed a concept for them with a fluorescent green and red car as a trademark for their record artwork. They appear in most of the images from the shoot. Each member of the band was to play a role in this concept with their own special outfits. For Michael I had chosen the role of a former jet fighter and he was going to wear the jet fighter suit that I had often been wearing in London. His character was that of an ex pilot fighter who got a bit “lost in translation”. The girl that you see in most of the images was casted to take over Michaels role as the front figure. Michael didn´t want to have the leading role, he wanted to be more in background as one of the band members. The shooting took place over 12 days in the LA area. It was planned more as a movie production than an ordinary record shoot. We were almost filming day and night and it seemed like we were all in character – in a sort of collective trance. We all were a part of it, even me as the director played my role. Michael was really into it. As I marketing stunt I suggested to have those fluorescent cars driving around key cities, like NYC and Paris on the day of the release of the record. In London a fluorescent car was hanging over the Thames from a crane. Michael was very enthusiastic about the project and by it all coming together. He later told me, it was his favourite shoot.”

- 📸: Pierre Winther

[tarasmithshifts]

𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐃𝐑 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓

𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐑. 4.5 months 𝐀𝐆𝐄. 26-27 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏: timothee chalamet, jenna ortega, billie eilish, amybeth mcnulty 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓: pedro pascal, oscar isaac, emma watson, natalie portman, scarlett johansson etc.

𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒. single :(

ＡＰＲＩＬ

well, there was a lot of going on in april :)

first: MY BIRTHDAYYYY i threw the whole party and invited the half of hollywood lmao. There was a lot of my co-stars, artists and singers. I did it like there was no tomorrow, the party was crazy, basically everyone got drunk and sang 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' like 5 times BUT IT WAS SO COOL UGHHHHH i love them all so so so fucking much. I caan't take it anymore.

I threw the party back in LA, where i was living since my hollywood debut in Ad Astra, but i was planning on moving into NYC fro like a year. SO I DID IT HAHAHAHAHHH it's so cool and i was so excited, but we will move to it later :))

What also happened: PEDRO'S BIRTHDAYYYYY my favourite (okay, he is not the only one BUT STILL) babygirl on earth turned 48 and he invited me to his party which was so COOL!!! idk how will i move on from this, i met BELLA RAMSEY (FINALLY???!?!?!? UGHHH) and met oscar isaac again (for those who don't know, he's my future s/o but it's a long slowburn lmao ✦ he was also my co-star in moon knight, but we knew each other for like a year before this series) after party he took me out to the city, we were talking and walking around LA for HOURS it was so cute he even bought me a rose literally when florist's wanted to close the shop, then we found out paparazzi took a pictures of us there 💀 they are so annoying i swear. but anyway, i had amazing night and oscar made it even better :')

Emma also had her birthday, but i couldn't show up, because of filming 'joker II' with JOAQUIN FUCKING PHEONIX I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE IT. But i sent her birtday present, which was the whole album of photos that i took on my digital camera on our summer & winter holidays - which i thought was super cute :')

April was super productive in a birthday-way as you can see, lmao

But also other super thing happened! Warner Bros. accepted my movie idea and hired me as a director of it. I'M SUPPER EXCITED TO BRING IT TO LIFE UGHHH

ＭＡＹ

talking, talking & talking about my movie and me as a director - which was super stressfull for me but everything turned out okay! I started writing the script at the end of april, so until i will write it and it gets accepted by Warner Bros. it will take a while for me to cast people :(( but still so excited for it!

and... MY DREAM ABOUT MOVING TO NYC FINALLY CAME TRUE!!!

i bought cute little flat in Manhattan, and started to plan how to move there with all my things. but you know, i didn't sell my old house - no no no. i would never do that, actually. It's the best house in the whole world duhh🙄. I will be still using it!

My friends helped me a lot with planning the whole 'mission' lmao. Shout-out to pedro he told me to move to NYC and live with rats under brooklyn bridge LOL

ANYWAYYY oscar & i met for some coffee instead of actually putting my things into huge boxes for my flat in NYC which was super cute BUT I CAN'T STAND THAT I SCRPITED THE SLOWBURN MAN.

so freaking annoying. why would i do that. AND ANGST which is also annoying

but yup, he helped me a lot, also bc he also lives in new york, so he can help me there :))

(he gives me a little flower everytime we meet, but we are still 'friends' so it should mean nothing BUT IT MEANS SOMETHING TO ME GUYS. it's super super super cute and i wanna hug him so badly, but i am not doing it bc of paparazzi, those rats are following me and oscar literally everywhere 💀)

the whole may was me writing script for a movie, shooting joker II, planning on moving out and meeting oscar just for 'helping me with this nyc thing'

ＪＵＮＥ

'Priscilla' movie with me in main role had its global premiere! I missed this vibe so so so so much, and being on the same red carpet as CILLA PRESLEY had me in tears. i think i've never been more stressed in this dr but she was sooooo kind to me like I CANNOT BELIEVE IT i will have this moment tatooed i swear to god!!!

(i hope this movie will give me an oscar nominee tbh OH WAIT I SCRIPTED IT)

i also got a 2 months break from joker II :) bc they are shooting the scenes without me, so i can finally 'rest' and get my life in new york together

well... beside that, nothing new happened. scripting, FINALLY all my things that i wanted in new york already are there, so week after the movie premiere i moved in :'))

also, i auditioned for some random (lmao) part in new kingsman movie that is in making

from funny things that happened: pedro locked himself in his car LMAO idk how did this happen but he literally called me and oscar to help him before calling the police or smth. HOW COULD YOU LOCK YOURSELF IN YOUR OWN CAR BRO this is too funny to be true. IF YOU COULD SEE OUR FACES

then we grabbed some coffee and went to central park (me and oscar of course were making fun of pedro but who wouldn't)

ＪＵＬＹ

I. STILL. DID. NOT. MOVE. ON. FROM. THIS.

my beloved billie want ME to sing with HER on her new single? LIKE WHAT

W H A T

ofc i said yes WHO WOULDN'T

this is ubelievable

i will NEVER shut up about this. we were working on this song for like the whole month, i came back from NYC to LA just to be close to her and finneas, so we would work together in one room, not online. UGHHH I CANNOT BELIEVE IT

❥•°❀°•༢

i had A HUGEEEEEEE break from my fame dr but i am back? and im SO HAPPY? i still cannot believe that i truly was there again ;'(

me in priscilla movie? WHAT

me and billie making song together? WHAT

me and oscar living in new york, so i can see him more? W H A T

[dalekofchaos]

The downfall of Emilie Autumn, was just sad

I honestly gotta say that Emilie Autumn was my life. From 2010-2020. She was my world. She was my goddess. I was at my lowest point when I found her music and she uplifted me throughout my terrible depression. I even got into her Asylum Facebook group, I got my Plague Rat #W25Z got a lot of interactions with Emilie in the group and got this lovely email from Emilie.

Then in 2020 I found out she was a racist, was using BLM to make money off of it and was silencing black and POC voices on her instagram and then the Asylum facebook group just stopped altogether. No one got to comment and no one could use their voices.

Never meet your heroes 😔 but the good that came out of all the drama is I got some really good friends out of the plague rats I did meet.

I stopped caring for Emilie Autumn after the incidents, if you don't know what I mean, read this masterpost and this post of her old controversies.

But this comment on reddit sums up why her career never went anywhere.

"Whatsup with Emilie these days?

So i was a fan in high school but she literally stopped producing and performing after fight like a girl i assume? I know she played in a horror movie but what does she do now for a living and im suprised she didn't became a bigger artist during the years"

"Uuh. Where to start...The movies flopped ("The Devil's Carnival"), partly because of development hell that delayed production of the second movie for years and the hype died down, partly because the concept was great but the movies were... not that good. She was best buds with the director for a few years around the time they were released; like many of her friends over the years, he seems to have disappeared from her life since then (more on that later). But she did start a relationship with her co-star Marc Senter; they're still together and seemingly happy.

The projected Asylum Musical (that she was originally planning to premiere in 2014, lol - she's been talking about it for over a decade...) has yet to come to fruition. She moved to NYC in large part for this purpose (to be closer to Broadway). She hired a voice coach and started taking ballet lessons to prep for playing her own role. She went through a period of making wild casting announcement of the Famous Friends she'd met through "Devil's Carnival" - like Adam Pascal as Dr Stockhill (unclear whether this was just for fun / a favor for his co-star at the movie premiere, or if he was actually interested in the role), or Ted "Jesus Christ Superstar" Neeley as Sir Edwards (hilarious). But now it's 2023, she appears/claims to still be composing and writing the score and even altering some character names (we'll get to that), all the supportive Famous Friends seem to have vanished, and we seem nowhere closer to an actual Asylum Musical on this plane of existence.

But hey, it's the entertainment industry - many people try to get a shot at making their dream musical a reality, and fail. C'est la vie - maybe she just got unlucky, right? Well... maybe so, but other elements suggest that it's something other than just shit luck. First of all, EA does not appear to understand how Broadway works, or that it applies to her too. None of her projected timelines ever made sense. She "doesn't want" (couldn't get) outside investors, so she's planning on financing it all herself (BUT HOW??? oh, nevermind, we'll get to that too). SHe also seems insistent on debuting on Broadway, and nowhere else - no off-Broadway or local theaters for this gal! Nevermind the fact that she's got zero professional experience writing, directing or producing a musical, and that no Broadway professional in their right mind would ever give a slot to a niche musical by a basically-unknown indie artist.

In general, she seems reluctant to work with other people or meet their expectations... which is a problem for such a project. For instance, the closest we got to an "actual" production announcement was that a theater school was going to workshop Emilie Autumn's "Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls" next semester. IIRC, she promoted this and said she was excited. And then... nothing. No news for weeks. When people went back to the school's website, the announcement had been completely removed. And that was that. What on Earth happened, that the school didn't even want to publicly acknowledge this change of plans? Methinks they realized that they had been misled (ie the musical was not finished), or there was a MASSIVE conflict with Emilie that led to the workshop falling through.

Then, there's the gradual vanishing of everyone who had originally let her (in earnest or as a joke, we'll never know) attach their sometimes Very Famous names to her Very Obscure and Unfinished Project. And that includes... Veronica Varlow! Yeah, you read that right. Even though they now live in the same city, they haven't talked in years and don't follow each other on IG. It must have been something big, because some time ago, EA made a very unsubtle announcement about changing the name "Veronica" (the Asylum character who became Emily's tragic lesbian lover in the 87459th reworking of the story) to "Charlotte" because "I have been told that Veronica sounds anachronistic in Victorian England" (sure hun, if you say so). I still wonder whether it was EA writing her ex-BFF out of her life in a ridiculously dramatic way, or whether it was VeVa who asked EA to keep her name out of her mouth... and her script.

So yeah. She's not friends anymore with any of the people you remember from being a fan in high school. She's living in NYC, and pretending there's a musical in the works. She's also been making visual art for a couple years. Personally, I really like her mixed-media art with medical supplies - I think it's some of her most interesting work in years, better than the last two albums. But then, recently, she, uh... tried something else. I'll just let you search this sub for "AI" because I still can't wrap my head around What the Fuck She Was Thinking and it's exhausting to even recount.

tl;dr - She never became a bigger artist because she's been stuck on the same stale, unrealistic project for 10+ years, because she stopped touring and releasing new music, and because she's seemingly alienated all of her friends and industry connexions... as well as most of her ever-shrinking fanbase. A real shame all around."

[sparklepocalypse]

Is it okay to send the ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ask for three fics I adore?

Late Bloomer (the world building! mwah!)

Be Worthy Love, and Love Will Come (such a sucker for Arthur in fics and this one hung the moon)

Single Sad-Sack Seeking Same (this fluff ate my heart with its charm)

Challenge ac-freaking-cepted -- I will absolutely word vomit some director's commentary about all three of these fics!

Since a good portion of this is going under a jump to spare folks a scroll: send me director's commentary requests on my fics! Other fics I've already rambled about for this ask game:

When I Met You (I Could Not Speak)

If We're Caught in a Wave (I Will Carry You Over)

Creative Differences

Let's start with Late Bloomer, which I was calling "unhinged Omegaverse" basically right up until I published it. This fic was born out of a really lively discussion in January with @duchessdepolignaca03 and @zwiazdziarka that spiraled into omegaverse tropes that do and don't scratch the brain nicely. One trope that we all sort of landed on as not great is the idea that a male omega is automatically hyperfeminized.

So then I decided -- well if there's one character in any fandom who's going to say, "fuck your secondary sex characteristic norms," it's probably Alex Claremont-Diaz. This percolated in my brain for a bit and eventually spawned a sort of reverse ugly duckling fic where Alex presents as an omega well after his peers and, therefore, also after he goes through puberty. Then he finds love in alpha Henry, who's also not the stereotypical brick shithouse alpha.

I knew I needed some sort of conflict because I didn't just want this to be porn (although it got super porny), so I decided the American medical system was just as terrible in the AU as it is in real life, and that America is just as terrible to omegas in this AU as it is to AFAB folks in real life. For example, the heat meds concept was inspired by the various forms of hormonal birth control on the market that are all intended to be taken by AFAB folks.

The other two fics under the jump!

Moving on to Be Worthy Love, and Love Will Come! This is hands down my favorite thing I've written, and I'm so proud of it. This was originally supposed to be a cute little ficlet which probably would've only included the scene from Henry's early childhood, wherein he wishes for a best friend and finds one in a shrub on the Kensington Palace grounds.

However, Mother Nature had other plans: we got hit by a bomb cyclone on the day I started writing this, and then we lost power for a solid week. For the first couple of days of the power outage, I was charging my iPad with my car, and then we got hold of a generator so I was charging my iPad with that, and it's probably the only reason I remained relatively sane.

Once I got past the scene where Henry is eight and Alex is seven, I found myself adding more interludes as Henry grew up, and knew that Arthur would have to be a large part of it. Henry canonically thinks his dad hung the moon, so I had to make him the best dad ever.

Alex developing a bond with Arthur wasn't something I ever set out to write, but it naturally happened as I continued working on the story. It allowed Alex to understand the depth of Henry's grief and feel it for himself, which made a world of difference in how things ended.

Finally, Single Sad-Sack Seeking Same: this was my "oh shit, Valentine's Day is this week" fic. And, listen. I'm really bad at fluff, generally speaking. I need there to be a depth of emotion in my writing that I can't really access when it's just fluff, so I knew I'd have to make either Henry or Alex go through it.

Which is, of course, why the fic starts with Alex losing his coffee and getting soaked by NYC winter road slush, and then delves into the hardships faced by the clients from the LGBTQ+ youth center with whom both he and Henry work.

Really, my favorite part of this wasn't Henry and Alex themselves, but Pez doing his best Billy Porter and fabulous godmothering these two idiots into love.

[justahumblememefarmer]

Ultimate Doctor Who Poll Round 1 - Matchup 21

Episode Summaries under the cut

112: The Return of Doctor Mysterio - Season 9 Christmas Special 2: A young boy, Grant, meets the Doctor one Christmas Eve and follows him to the rooftop where the Doctor is working on a device. He hands Grant a glowing stone to hold, and mistaking it as medicine, Grant swallows it, giving him superpowers.

Years later, after a press conference in New York City, the Doctor and a rogue journalist, Lucy, spy on the leader of the company, and see him trap and kill somebody, replacing their brain with an alien controller. They run, but are caught and held at gunpoint, only to be saved by a superhero, The Ghost, the Doctor recognizes as Grant. After leaving, the Doctor follows Grant to an apartment where he is masquerading as a nanny and is taking care of a baby. The baby's mother, who it turns out is Lucy, returns home and is shocked to see the Doctor.

The Doctor agrees to help Lucy look into the alien organization. She also asks him to arrange a meeting with the Ghost, to which he agrees. The Doctor goes to investigate the organization and discovers that they've built skyscrapers in capital cities around the globe, plus a building in New York City. They've set up the buildings like bomb shelters, and plan to crash an empty spaceship into NYC. When the only thing left standing is their building, all the World Leaders will take shelter at their buildings in their capital, allowing the aliens to replace them.

The Doctor lands aboard the empty spacecraft above the planet, but accidentally triggers the crash sequence early. In NYC, the aliens got to the rooftop where the Ghost and Lucy are having their interview, intending to capture the ghost and turn him as well. He "escapes", then comes back to the rooftop as Grant, holding the baby. The aliens intend to take them all hostage, but are alarmed to see their spaceship crashing.

The Doctor signals Grant and he reveals himself as the Ghost in front of Lucy, stopping the spaceship. The Doctor calls in UNIT to apprehend the aliens, and Grant and Lucy realize their feelings for one another.

145: Voyage of the Damned - Season 3 Christmas Special: The Doctor lands aboard a spaceship modeled after the Titanic. He meets a waitress named Astrid Peth aboard, who dreams of traveling the stars. The Doctor encounters a glitch when trying to get information from one of the robotic Heavenly Hosts on board. The Doctor joins a brief tour group to Earth, where they find the streets deserted due to people being nervous from attacks on London the past two Christmases.

They return to the ship and the Doctor discovers a power failure and the ships shields being down as a meteor shower is approaching the ships. The meteors hit and the ship is severely damaged, and headed to crash into the Earth, which would cause an extinction level event. The Doctor and several surviving passengers and discover that the Hosts are killing the remaining passengers. The Doctor instructs the passengers to get to the reception deck to transmit an SOS signal, while the Doctor goes to investigate a mystery at the heart of the ship.

He finds and is captured the CEO of the starliner company, who has prolonged his life with cybernetic enhancements. He has been forced out by his board of directors, and plans to crash the ship to ruin his companies reputation by destroying a planet, while he survives in his bunker and retires to luxury. Astrid uses a teleporter to arrive and kills the CEO, and herself in the process. The Doctor assumes authority over the Hosts and have them take him to the bridge, where he saves the ship from crashing and steers it back to space.

[heartstringsduet]

Hi Michelle! Here is a director's cut question for you: how did you come up with Carlos' style/appearance in First Aid? Mainly I mean his piercings which stick out to me the most (because like damn 🔥). Did you have a style influence or was it more just vibes?

Hi Dalawa <3 I think it's a: what came first, chicken or egg. because I vividly remember being inspired by this image of Rafa to give him piercings:

I mean it's nothing but a thicker earring but the potential. His nose is so cute, let's give him a septum. So definitely also just a vibe thing for me. But then my writing is very erratic and I think i actually wrote that in FIRST and then used the image for art? I don't remember. Either way, as soon as I wrote it in, it became this statement of how different Carlos feels, how he makes NYC bearable only with an armor and this armor includes a change to his appearance. It's not in the text but in my HC he didn't go through with a tattoo I initally also planned for him. Here is the deleted scene of it:

His ear stings in two places. His left earlobe and just above, where the ear shell curves upward, throb as if to demand his attention. It’s easier to focus on the low buzz filling the room, on delicate black lines appearing like magic on tan skin. TK sees Carlos’ fingers flex, one of the only indicators that what looks like ease is pain etched into permanency. He wishes he could take his hand. But that’s not who they are to each other. And that’s especially not who Carlos is, face in the same stoic mask he wears whenever he doesn’t want to be found out to be a human with emotions.

So TK sits close enough to watch, but pretends to be engrossed in the tattoo portfolio of the store. It occupies his wanton hand at least.

After a large portion of the stencil is traced, the buzzing stops “Do you need a break?” The tattoo artist asks, leaning out of Carlos’ space. 

Carlos breathes, eyes closed, then shakes his head. She doesn’t look convinced.

“I really like your tattoo idea. Can I ask what inspired it?” She asks over the buzz of the machine.

TK pretends not to show how eager he is for the answer.

“Family,” Carlos presses out, voice betraying some of the agony he must be in.

“Cool,” The tattoo artist says after a second of hesitation.

 ‘Grim,’ TK thinks. It’s a lineart tattoo of an eagle, a thick snake winding around its neck, open mouth showing the sharp fangs about to plunge in. 

Then again, he supposes his own family representation would be crushing waves toppling him but endlessly vast and distant lapping on other shores. But also a safety net at the bottom of a burning building, and a warm bowl of matzo ball soup.

Ask for a Director's Commentary ony my fics. ⭐

[obscurushydrae]

KAR ASTER’S RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted. Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

Mun name: Kar, Karmun, or if prefer to separate mun from muse, use my middle name, Asher.

OOC Contact: Here, or on @stellevatum or @karthonic or discord on request.

Who the heck is my muse anyway:

Main Verse: She's a Primordial god of destruction that got reborn as the abomination child of Hecate; raised by Jewish lesbians in 90s NYC after the BPRD found her in a sarcophagus. She is constantly fighting against her inherent Ogdru Hem nature of destroying all reality, and just bein being a regular person. Inherited her mom's position as Queen of the Crossroads a few years back and juggles that and BPRD duties.

Points of interest:

Resting bitch face ahoy, and if she's not wearing her glasses (which assume for the most part she is), her eyes. She also has fangs which are more obvious when talking or smiling. Supernatural muses may feel free to 'sense' an odd or unsettling aura around her.

What they’ve been up to recently:

Main timeline: rebuilding the BPRD, lobbying for more supernatural rights, outreach and opening dialogue between the worlds for at least tolerable co-habitation. Guest Lecturing at colleges. Possibly writing a book on early bronze age cultures, and in talks on hosting a doc for BBC.

Where to find them:

New York, Fairfield (BPRD Headquarters) mainly, but her job(s) take her everywhere. Her family house in Limbo/Erebus and sometimes bothering the Hadean court. (Their Wifi sucks though.)

Current plans:

Not really? Just remade her blog to in-character shitpost, but if wills want more plotted stuff I'm down but I'm keeping it very chill here.

Desired interactions:

Cracky, fun, casual with little high stakes stuff at the moment is ideal. But more planned out stuff is possible. Bureau Shenanigans (Like The Office/WWDITS) style shit that's a little weird, crazy, but slice of life because that's life at the BPRD, especially HB/Kar sibling shenanigans. (But it doesn't have to be!) Fellow Chthonics/Gods just being regular jagoffs in the mortal realm is a vibe I like. (Example: Like her and other Psychopomps having a group chat to settle who's covering what that night, etc. Dropping memes or whatnot.). May open her up to ship again but not sure yet. Just started and haven't vibed enough yet and I'm not assuming any of my old partners are interested in picking things back up.

Offered interactions:

Archaeologist by training, can do expeditions or research. BPRD Agent/Director, can be involved in investigating the paranormal & supernatural and arbitrating on it. She's a goddess of the underworld, envoy of the Fates, etc etc, so dealing with the dead, dying, and politics of the other underworlds. So you can play into that. Or just hit me up I can tool something!

Current open post/s:

Open Posts | Memes | Calls | Optional Interest Checker

Anything else?:

Guidelines | Bio | Promo

Tagging:  @ourcwnside @voxiiferous @rebelgodking @mystxoak @realmyths and anyone who sees this and wants to fill it out!

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Here's a bingo card full of great Klaine fics:

Debut: Days by AllyThePotato

Page Turner: Come Alive by delires

Need Tissues: Stick Season by Blurglesmurfklaine

Unusual Occupation: Witch Wanted by RockItMan

Wild Card: Running in Circles, Coming up Tails by izwordsoup

Summer: Swing, Swing by quizasvivamos

Challenge: Ebb and Flow by maanorchidee

Laugh: these inconvenient fireworks by redheadgleek

Trope I don't normally read: Out of Eden (and the whole 'verse) by wowbright

Thanks for your Bingo card! HERE is the collection (125 fics and counting!) and here is the info for the 2023 Klaine Bingo! ~Lynne

1) Days by AllyThePotato

Blaine lives in San Fransisco, Kurt lives in Lima. They've never met in person, but befriend one another and talk over the phone. They make plans to live in NYC together, but will everything go as planned?

2) Come Alive by delires

1960s NYC: Newly-wed junior advertising exec Blaine Anderson finds a missing piece to his puzzle in the back room of a Manhattan bar. Mad Men era AU.

3) Stick Season by @blurglesmurfklaine

After Finn dies, Kurt leaves everything he knows behind without a trace. His hometown, his family, his boyfriend. When his dad has a medical scare, he returns to Lima, one year after breaking Blaine’s heart with no explanation.

4) Witch Wanted by @rockitmans

Blaine is cursed to not touch anyone, Kurt is the grumpy neighborhood witch. They each have something the other other needs (the thing is love)

5) Running in Circles, Coming up Tails by izwordsoup

Kurt and Adam are married with a seven-year-old daughter, Ellie. "Happily married" is another question. Ellie takes piano lessons from none other than Blaine Anderson, who also happens to be a good friend of Kurt's since college. What happens to them when Adam goes to England to star in a West End musical, leaving Kurt and Ellie in New York? What happens when Blaine becomes a more frequently-seen figure in Kurt and Ellie's lives due to Ellie's piano schedule?

6) Swing Swing by quizasvivamos

The Skanks, Kurt and Quinn, are a thing. Blaine, a bit of a bad boy, is dating that goth girl, Tina. The four best friends are fully immersed in the Emo/Scene subculture, the kids everyone at school calls emo or just plain freaks. As close-knit as a friend group can get, the couples share a lot in common: their love of choir and band, tastes in music and art, partying, going to shows and concerts, getting wasted, and—oh, yeah—each other's partners. They swap sometimes. Because it's cool, and it's hot. Besides, it's just for fun. Then, in the summer before their senior year, they take a life-altering road trip to Cleveland for Warped Tour 2005.

7) Ebb & Flow by maanorchidee

Blaine Anderson is yet another anonymous New Yorker who's trying to get a job in the entertainment industry. His days are filled with auditions, bleak subway rides, piano lessons, and complaining about his annoying next-door-neighbour. But Blaine has a secret that he cannot share with his other friends: he dreams of playing competitive Splatoon 2. He already has a hard time justifying this music degree, so he doesn't need to add an interest in eSports to that. That's why the only person who knows about this, is yet another stranger on the internet named Kurt. The two met in an LGBT Splatoon 2 Discord and became fast friends. Little do they know that they also know each other offline.

8) These Inconvenient Fireworks by redheadgleek

After an unexpected Tony award, Kurt Hummel is Broadway's hottest up and coming star, which comes with expectations and some admirers that won't take a hint. When his best friend Elliott Gilbert suggests that they pretend to date to get the leeches to back off, Kurt takes him up on the idea. It's all working out great - until Kurt starts to fall hard for the dark-haired music director of his latest musical.

9) Out of Eden by @wowbright

As a gay Mormon, Kurt Hummel has decided to go the rest of his life without falling in love. But toward the end of his two years as a missionary in Germany, Elder Anderson moves into his apartment—and Kurt's best-laid plans fall apart.

[peanutsstudio]

San Diego Comic Con 2023!

We're getting ready for Comic-Con International: San Diego, the annual comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre event is a colossal effort. The creative team at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates works with the licensing office in NYC, Peanuts Worldwide, to bring the booth to life. The four-day event, which opens with Preview night on Wednesday, July 19th, and then runs from Thursday, July 20 through Sunday, July 23, requires hours of work to plan, prep, and stage boxes, at our office, headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif. We filled four pallets (labeled for specific days, so the booth has inventory each morning!), then wrapped them to ship.

The creative team at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates prepares for San Diego Comic-Con 2023! But it’s not all work for the creative team. There’s always a little time to play around and have some fun.

From left, Caitlin Leonard, Tifanee Smith, Amanda Fagundes, Alena Carnes, Emma Harmon (front), Jewel Jackson, Cameron Nilsson (back), and Karri Kenoyer. Here’s a sneak peek of this year’s Comic-Con exclusive hat, celebrating all things Snoopy for Beagle Scouts fans, courtesy of Paige Braddock, Chief Creative Officer here at the Schulz Studio.

Patch design by Mary Shyne. On the show floor, you’ll find the Peanuts gang at Booth #1635, where you’ll be a happy camper to discover Snoopy himself, making in-person appearances throughout the con. 

Preparing to set up camp on the show floor. Look for the Peanuts gang at Booth #1635.

Hope to see you at Comic-Con! Join us in the Gaslamp at the Peanuts Pop-up shop, where we’ll set up camp at 200 J. Street, Suite 105, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. We have plenty of activities planned for our guests and some fun new merch for outdoor enthusiasts.

Join us Saturday for the Peanuts panel!

Discover the all-new animated Peanuts content in the works at WildBrain Studios for Apple TV+, the home of all Peanuts content. Includes a sneak peek of Camp Snoopy (2024), the adventures (and misadventures) of Snoopy and his Beagle Scouts at summer camp. Plus enjoy an exclusive reveal of some exciting new Peanuts projects. Panelists include Rob "Boots" Boutilier (executive producer/series director, Camp Snoopy, WildBrain Studios),  Adam Arsenault (director, WildBrain Studios), Paige Braddock (chief creative officer, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates), Jason Cooper (senior writer, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates), and Melissa Menta (senior vice president, marketing and communications, Peanuts Worldwide). Damian Holbrook (senior writer, TV Guide magazine) moderates. And finally, big “congrats” and a special shout-out for this Eisner nomination! In the category of best Comics-Related Book.

Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects, by Benjamin L. Clark and Nat Gertler (Schulz Museum)

Schulz Studio Editorial Director, Alexis Fajardo also contributed to this project. See you in San Diego!

[beardedmrbean]

The House approved a measure late Tuesday that would slash Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's taxpayer-funded government salary to just $1.

The bill — which was introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. — was passed via voice vote Tuesday as an amendment to the 2024 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, the standalone funding bill for the General Services Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission and other related agencies.

"I’m proud to announce my amendment to FIRE Pete Buttigieg just PASSED the House. Pothole Pete staged fake bike rides to the White House and used private planes funded by taxpayers to receive awards for the way certain people have sex," Greene said in a social media post Tuesday. "American taxpayers should not be on the hook for paying for his lavish trips or his salary."

"Pete Buttigieg doesn’t do his job. It’s all about fake photo ops and taxpayer-funded private jet trip to accept LGBTQ awards for him," Greene added. "I’m happy my amendment passed, but he doesn’t deserve a single penny."

Since taking office in 2021, Buttigieg has faced criticism for Republican lawmakers in response to several crises that have faced the Department of Transportation.

For example, in February, after a train carrying vinyl chloride, a dangerous colorless gas, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, Buttigieg was criticized for his apparent inaction and for waiting several weeks before traveling to the site of the derailment. 

In addition, there have been multiple instances of mass commercial airline cancellations during his tenure for various reasons, including a pilot shortage. Republicans and Democrats alike had called for Buttigieg to take decisive action to ensure air travelers are protected from such cancellations.

And while Buttigieg has spent much of his tenure addressing commercial delays, he has used government-managed private jets on at least 18 occasions since taking office. Those flights sparked an ongoing inspector general probe and, according to information obtained by Americans for Public Trust (APT), have cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

PETE BUTTIGIEG TOOK GOVERNMENT JET TO NYC FOR RADIO INTERVIEW, ACLU MEETING BEFORE FLYING BACK HOURS LATER

In one instance in September 2022, Buttigieg used a government jet for a roundtrip journey to Montreal. During the visit, he attended a ceremony hosted by a large Canadian gay rights organization and received an award for his "contributions to the advancement of LGBTQ rights."

Buttigieg's office has further stonewalled additional information about his use of the executive fleet.

Secretary Buttigieg continues to blow off the American people who simply want to know the true cost of his taxpayer-funded private jet trips," APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "After multiple FOIA requests, a lawsuit, and an ongoing inspector general investigation, Buttigieg's office still refuses to provide vital details about using a private government jet for a swing state tour, which appears more akin to campaigning than official DOT business."

"Buttigieg looks to be politicizing his role and making it clear that he believes he’s above accountability and transparency, a dismissive attitude that seems to be endemic throughout the Biden administration," Sutherland said.

And the transportation secretary came under fire last year after it was revealed he vacationed in Porto, Portugal, while his agency and the White House were locked in tense negotiations with rail worker unions to avert a strike that could have had a dire impact on the U.S. economy. The Department of Transportation said at the time that the vacation was a "long-planned personal trip." 

[catharusustulatus]

Questions to ask Joe Keery at Wales Comic Con:

Do you have a favorite song off the new album (Djo 3) you have been mixing so far? If so, can you tell us about it?

Would you ever star in a music video for a different musical artist? Like if Tame Impala called you, would you be in his music video, or would it have to depend on the song?

What was your favorite thing about working with Adam when making Decide?

Who are some directors you’d love to work with next in your career? What kind of movie would you like to make with them?

Is there a genre of film you haven’t made yet you’d love to act in? What is it and why?

What was it like acting opposite Jon when filming Fargo? Did you learn anything from him on set?

What was the hardest thing you did on set when filming Fargo?

If you were going to plan someone’s first weekend trip to NYC, where would you have them go, what would you have them do, and what would you recommend they eat?

If you were stranded on a desert island with one movie, one tv show, one album, and one book, what would you want with you?

Do you have an ideal ending for Steve in mind when you think of season 5?

You filmed four projects back to back in the last year. What was the coolest thing you experienced when filming across so many genres and settings?

You filmed two movies in Italy. How good would you say your Italian is? Would you ever want to be fluent, or fluent in another language?

If you were going to choose one song from the 80’s to be in Stranger Things’ final soundtrack, what would it be?

[castlebyersafterdark]

🌀 & ☔️

🌀Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing

It was briefly mentioned in an ask a while back and I've talked ideas with some very helpful people now, so I kinda have a basic plot for the director Mike / actor Will idea? This is gonna be the big one I work on once I complete the bulk of my wip list. Mike's working on his first major film, trying to break out with an indie horror. Will was called in after the lead dropped out and he's an up and coming actor. Mike and Will were childhood friends who lost touch, reunite on set. It's an intense film shoot and follows the relationship that spawns between the two over the course of filming. I'm excited for this one!

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I kinda have this whole post-Hawkins world mapped out for Mike and Will. College in NYC. The squad they form with some other boys on their dorm floor, navigating life as young adults in the city in the 90s. It's not something I think I could ever formally write but do yall have those intricate daydream scenarios you dip into during slow moments? Where the next time you daydream about it you pickup the plot like you're catching back up on a tv show? That's what mine consists of. Super cheesy and lame but I know I'm not the only one who does this!

[cartrunkent]

Favorite Musicals #6: Seussical: The Musical

Seussical: The Musical- This holds the record for fastest discovery to Broadway visit for me. I bought the recording on a Saturday and was on a bus with my mother the following Wednesday to see the show. We were planning the trip before I bought the disc. Our county parks and recreations dept. ran a trip to NYC every month (alternating Wednesday and Saturday,) and I had started trying to go every couple of months. I was in a period where I didn’t decide on what show I was going to see, just showed up and went to the box offices and hoping for the best. I was a student and had a student ID at the time which made it easier and a little less expensive. That’s the background. I loved the recording, and it made the decision of what to see easier. It was our first stop when we got out of the bus and was a success.

Horton was my man and Kevin Chamberlain’s performance was amazing to me. Alone in the Universe remains my favorite song. And…I admittedly had a crush on Michelle Pawk’s Gertrude. The show’s central theme of someone being different and how others interacted with them… (Sensing a theme in some of these?)

When I went, Bryan Batt was my Cat in the Hat, and I met him briefly on the set of Mad Men a long time later. That day in the theater, I said the right words since I was in college at the time and studying theater. They took me to a few of the tech areas and I got to spend some time in the spot booth talking with the spot operators after the show.

PHOTO: Imagine this is a really cool image of the Cat in the Hat striking a pose in a lighting look that only existed for half a second. I can't find it right now (cause it was a long time ago.)

A local production was the first time I did lighting design professionally for the theater. The opening song had more lighting cues than most shows I do now! That’s kind of a wild memory. There’s a lot more memories I could share from that show because I do talk about it frequently…and it was about 20 years ago at this point.

Photo Below from the production I directed. (spoiler alert?)

I did lights for another production, a friend’s school, within a few years. Then, one of my local groups put it in their schedule and folks started to encourage me to direct it. I was reticent to do so, because it was larger than I wanted to tackle after my previous musical (Into the Woods.) …but at the last possible second (the weekend that the director applications were due,) I had an epiphany. I put my hat in to do the show. I’ll talk more about that later, maybe.

Photo Below from the production I directed. (spoiler alert?)

I’ve gotten to light the show one more time…but I’ve missed other opportunities to see it.

Favorite #5: Man of La Mancha

Favorite #4: Jekyll and Hyde

Favorite #3: Jane Eyre

Favorite #2: A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder

Favorite #1: Assassins