#scheduling this for later in the week but finished it in a fit of productivity at the same time as the last tag game

[nongnaos]

TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO GET TO KNOW BETTER

tagged by @biwichapas thank youuu, I hope I can get to know you better!

favourite colour: my fave is like the deep pink and very warm purple or red, but I made this as an idea for a clothes palette bc I like warm jewel tones but they're so hard to find in clothes here.. (idk how to make images smaller im so sorry)

currently reading: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, my friend reccomended it, its about this orc barbarian called Viv who's giving up her life of fighting so she can open a coffee shop and gains a found family. (I finished this in the time it took me to answer this and it was cute, a suuuper easy read bc I'm trying to get back into reading again)

last song: Ha Hyunsang's cover of All I Want by Kodaline

last series: Currently watching Love In The Air and The Eclipse, last series I finished was A League Of Their Own I think.. Love all of them!

last movie: My dad and I watched Chaos Walking the other day and it was... strange. I've lost a lot of love for sci-fi over the last few years sadly, but love really intense emotional dramas so the last movie I really liked was Dear Ex.

currently working on: About to start crocheting some mittens for my granny!

Tagging: @icouldhyperfixatehim @talays-portkey @surajmukhis @talaypuens @pranparakul @wkxs @wahgifs @dimpledpran @lovingpran I'm so sure some of you have done this recently so feel free to ignore 💕

[angelicgirlmj]

an angels guide: before your first day back to school ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

hi angels! so for many of us it’s approaching back to school season. for lots of people this can be a bit of an anxiety inducing time, whether you are starting a new school year or kind of education there is alot to plan and prepare and get ready for - it can feel extremely overwhelming! here is my guide for having an organised and effective first day back at school to get you on track and motivated! enjoy and as always feel free to comment your own tips or advice.

────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ───────

the week before ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

check through stationary and buy anything you need, check subject lists to see what is recommended as well. buy cute stationary in your favourite colours to motivate you!

sort through books, folders etc and organise notes, any loose pieces of paper and any important documents.

assign a folder to each subject, or if already have a folder check through and make sure it is organised and neat.

clear school emails etc, check through and organise into sections and respond to any. check for any information from your school regarding the upcoming year.

finish off any summer work and make sure it is all complete and ready to be handed in on the deadlines provided. check for any extra work if you have spare time, such as a book or article to read.

read up on the new syllabus/lesson plan for your subjects. familiarise yourself with how it looks, any new terms and any possible problem areas.

fix your sleep schedule! start going to bed earlier and waking up at the time you need to be up for school just to make it less of a shock to your system.

check your bag will fit everything and that any additionals such as a water bottle or lunch box are in good condition and to your tastes.

work on your morning/evening routines, plan when you will be doing work and make necessary changes.

figure out your fitness goals and routines - are they realistic for a full time student? time management is key.

if using apps such as notion, ensure it is set up for the new school year and neatly organised.

plan outfits, check through clothes in case in need of new underwear etc or wardrobe staples.

research healthy and nutritious lunch ideas (may make a post on this later!!), buy ingredients if needed.

do any ‘high maintenance’ things, get your nails done, lashes, eyebrows etc.

pack an emergency bag (pads/tampons, spare underwear, cash etc).

check any hygiene products and buy new ones/replace old ones if run out or in need of more!

do more self care, do a hair or face mask, do your own nails, watch your favourite films, have some you time before school starts again.

make a back to school playlist.

────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ───────

the night before ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

eat a healthy dinner.

do face mask (use one you have tried before in case a new one causes a bad reaction).

oil hair + hair mask.

dry brush before shower.

wash out oil + masks, shampoo twice.

apply conditioner and leave in.

exfoliate and clean body with soap before shaving.

wash out conditioner and apply bath gel.

finish shower, hair routine (mine is in-depth i have curly hair!), apply body oils.

blowdry, diffuse or air dry hair depending on type.

apply body lotion and perfume.

make tea and drink while doing some journaling (what is my plan for tomorrow, what do i want to achieve etc)

pack bag and organise clothes.

clean teeth, floss and mouthwash.

do gua sha routine and ice face.

do pm skincare routine.

do nail care routine and out hair up for bed.

watch comfort show or read comfort book.

set alarm.

have an early night!

────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ───────

the day of ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

wake up nice and early.

do some yoga/stretching.

tidy room.

eat a healthy breakfast.

pack or plan lunch.

fill up water bottle.

check bag is fully packed.

check school timetable, make note of rooms etc.

have a quick shower if time (shave, body gel etc).

clean teeth and do am skincare.

get dressed.

journal and plan day.

put on back to school playlist!

head to school.

────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ───────

thank you for reading angels! hope this was so helpful and have a wonderful back to school season. all my love, m.

[slavghoul]

Big news for Ghost this week, with the release of their brand new EP of covers, Phantomime, this Friday May 19th, and two days later, the launch of an eight-date French tour. Frontman Tobias Forge tells us more about the creation of this record, as well as his future projects and the few unforeseen events that have come his way...

I guess you must be very busy with the promotion of Ghost these last few days here in Paris, but have you planned any time for yourself, like a vinyl shopping session for example?

Yes, I have, but it's really just a hobby for me: whenever I go somewhere I go to record shops, it's kind of my own relaxation. As far as promotion goes, these few days are indeed quite productive with a busy schedule, but it's actually quite nice to sit here, watching what's going on around me, at least it's more pleasant than doing a day of interviews locked up in four walls. I'm more of a stimulus kind of person, so when I have a phone call with someone I play Playstation at the same time, so I can concentrate on something while I'm talking. My whole life has always been a bit like that, listening to a record at home with the TV on.

You're releasing an EP of five covers on which you cover Television, The Stranglers, Genesis, Iron Maiden and even Tina Turner. How do you choose the songs for the covers on your EPs? Are they songs that meant a lot to you, that you listened to a lot when you were young, or are you looking for lyrics or a theme corresponding to the Ghost universe with references to religion for example?

It's a little bit of all of that at the same time! But the main criterion, what counts the most for me, is really the lyrics. From the rhymes used to the existential, philosophical or biblical themes. Of course, we could have fun covering "Disco Inferno" and try to put our own spin on it, but I think we need to be able to add a little something to it. I actually like to take songs that are written in a different way to my own, so I'm always trying to find songs that I couldn't have written myself. If I opened a restaurant tomorrow, I would have to find different dishes to enrich and diversify my menu. It's also a way for me to learn, to experiment. Besides, the exercise of reworking is always interesting, and sometimes it works, other times it doesn't.

Does this mean that you have considered other covers than these five titles?

Yes, I did. And the covers that didn't work just don't appear on this record! My original idea was to do a whole album of covers. And I had to take half of the songs off, because five of them didn't really fit with what we wanted to do with them, or they didn't sound like they were finished.

For example, I recorded a Rush track, but I felt I wasn't adding anything to the song. Not to say that other bands are flawed, but I just think that Rush's music is too perfect. There is nothing to improve, nothing to emphasize or accentuate, no nuance to add this or that contrast to. I felt like I was playing Rush just like a lot of teenage boys do, and nothing more. I'm not implying that girls don't like Rush, of course, but you know, there's that old joke that Rush is a teenage boys band. In any case, I felt that my version was going to be a bit too redundant to the original song.

Then there were other songs that made it to the quarter finals, if I may say so [laughs], that we dropped because there was too much to improve on, or the overall quality was not good. I can have a really good idea on paper, and then listen to the piece and think it doesn't work very well, or it's not entertaining enough.

How did the recording of the EP go?

The demos of all these covers were made at the same time as the recording of Impera. The producer of the album told us that he didn't want to deal with covers. That's fine, and it's true that it doesn't pay to do covers. We had just come out of the Impera recording session and we were exhausted. It was very hard, after all it's often said that the fifth album is particularly difficult. We had quite a lot of ambitions for this record, it took a lot of time and energy, and when it was finished, my engineer Martin and I went back to the studio, with the idea of recording another album.

But once we'd recorded those demos, I realised that there were some things that weren't quite right and that we had to take out. We kept those five songs. Five rock songs, full stop. Keeping things simple, easy, and even for the recording: it was good to remember that not everything is as difficult as the album we just finished. This EP is ultimately something spontaneous, simple, and having the demos already made it easier for us. Anyway, I had a lot of fun making it, from the recording to the mix, the atmosphere was quite happy.

You can feel this on the EP, this lightness and a feeling of fluidity. Without it being too basic, because there is a serious work on the arrangements and the atmospheres, which sound very Ghost by the way.

I'm glad to hear that, because that's exactly what I was looking for: to convey that lightness without the final product sounding half-baked, if I can say that! What I mean is that when you go into the studio for an album, you're 110%, whereas for an EP, with only covers, it's normal to be 100%. But I didn't want the difference to be felt between the two, like between the first Star Wars and the 1978 Star Wars Christmas Special! [Laughs]

It's been a year to the day since the Impera album was released. How do you look back on this fifth album, which marked a turning point in Ghost's rise?

In a way I feel relief, because this album has fulfilled its mission, the one it was supposed to fulfill. I don't want to fool the fans into thinking that it's all about magic and believing in it and so on. You have to be pragmatic and think about the results you got with the album. Of course, with every new album you are convinced that it is the best, but after the release you have to see what it does on stage. It's only by seeing how well that performance worked that you can tell if that album is good or not, in the end. Today, one year after the release, I can say that Impera holds up well. What has distorted our perception a little bit is what happened on the side.

You mean what happened with "Mary On A Cross", a track released on a 2-track EP in 2019 but which went viral last year on TikTok?

Yeah, when it came out, it kind of messed up our album cycle. It wasn't a problem per se, but it's just that we didn't plan for it at all, it kind of got in the way. And the label panicked and said "What are we going to do?!" I told them we weren't going to do anything. It was already out of our control, already naturally present on TikTok, what could we do? As we didn't want to damage the Impera promo, but we didn't want to lose the song "Mary On A Cross" either, we did the bare minimum, but our priority was really to get back to what we wanted to do as soon as possible at that point, which was to focus on our Impera. And then, from a pragmatic and slightly cynical point of view, we didn't want our historical fans to think that we were going to stop everything to please these newcomers who discovered the band via TikTok.

As far as Impera is concerned, I only realised today that it was an anniversary. Looking back, I can see that the cycle that started with this album, from its release to the tours, has been one of the most important in the history of Ghost, and that's really great. Now we're preparing for the next tour, which will start at your place [the Re-Imperatour kicks off this Sunday, May 21st in Rouen], and there are future projects that we're trying to work on. It's been a year since the record came out, but really it's been two years since the recording, and now it's time to move on to the next thing... things will start moving in the autumn, I hope.

Are you talking about the sixth Ghost album?

Yes, that famous sixth album, as difficult to make as the fifth! I've already started working on it, and after the tours this year it will be time to go into the studio for that.

So for me, the goal is to manage all these things at the same time without losing sight of these goals and next steps. So of course I'm happy that there are lots of new fans coming through TikTok. And I also welcome those who don't like the TikTok track but discover the rest of our discography and join us. But the most important thing is really to stay on our trajectory, and not to stray from the path we've set for ourselves. We have to make sure that we don't forget our mission, just because someone says they like fucking gnocchi better when we serve sushi. [Laughs]

What you're saying here is a bit like what you were telling us earlier, when you were talking about your care in planning things and having a vision for the band.

Exactly, it's very important for me. Being an artist is not just about aesthetics, it's about many other things. I've always been interested in the holistic approach, in this more global vision of things. To use the image of the restaurant business that I used earlier: I like to cook, but I also like books, people, interior design. In fact it's a collection of many things, and they're all important, almost in equal measure. Some rock or pop artists, or even actors, have been able to break through almost by accident, but that's not usually how it works. You have to work a lot, but above all you have to make a lot of decisions yourself, otherwise others will make them for you, and it will be done in an unthinking way, without a long term vision. It's impossible for me, as a control freak, to consider that! [Laughs]

[rensimps]

Wrong Number {L.F, SKZ}

chapter 8

summary: when texting your friends new number turns to you making friends with a memelord and his friends.

warnings: fluff, crack, very bad sense of humor, angst if you squint, a lot of swearing

word count: 756

It's been a few weeks since you and Jackson had started working with the 3 "small producers", and honestly you really liked working with them. they are respectful and honest, speaking out on things that should be changed and what they think could be done better and you and Jackson listened.

For the most part the song you 5 have been working on is complete, Chris had messaged you about lyrics and you both sent ideas to eachother, asking opinions and what should be added. you had already finished writing the lyrics you both worked on and now all you had to do was sing and rap your parts. your part was the chorus where you would do a fast rap and then transition to singing, Chris wanted your sing part to be strong and rough but confident as well as it fit with the lyrics. your singing voice was mostly breathy and light but on song currently you opted for a more growl type (yknow, like ado?).

As for Chris and the other 2, you had no idea where they'd put their parts in but you trusted them enough. Jackson on the other hand, worked with Chris and Seungheon on the song and the beat. When you first listened to the finish product you honestly thought it could fit in with 3racha well with Jacksons vibes scattered on it but you let the thought pass by.

★彡

Today was the last day before holidays from uni for you and your friends. you all had decided to crash at Jacksons place to have fun and drink in celebration of finishing all your tests.

Jackson was currently sat on a bean bag infront of his TV playing some games with Lexis as you and Jiyeon started on dinner for the evening. You helped Jiyeon with most of it, dinner being Kimchi Jjigae, some bulgogi with various side dishes, a side of tofu to dip into the jjigae if they wanted to and some fish cakes. You brought out a few plates and placed them on the coffee table infront of the couch and called everyone in for food. Jiyeon came striding in with a cooler which you assumed was full of alcohol. She picked some stuff to start with, like beer, soju and makgeolli. you snatched the makgeolli before anyone else could and lexis whined out, something about it being her favorite but you just stuck out your tongue at her.

As you all sat and chatted for a while, your phone dinged a few times. you took your phone and saw a message from lix, your friend you had been talking to for a few months, you two had gotten close in the time you had been messaging, often playing games with eachother like genshin or fortnite, which you definitely carried. You opened your phone to see what he sent.

Mona Lixa: Y/NNNN WANNA PLAY SOME GAMES? I FINISHED MY SCHEDULE FINALLY

sent 21;38

You laughed at how excited he seemed, and sent a reply back with some memes

Y/N: can't rn, I'm having dinner w my friends tonight bc we finished our exams, later maybe if you're still up?

sent 21;40

Mona Lixa: boohh, fine ig I can wait, have fun! I'm gonna beat you this time frfr

sent 21;42

You laughed at his message and liked it before closing your phone, only looking up when Jiyeon called your name.

"y/n, you've been laughing your phone a whole lot lately, did you get a boyfriend? are you cheating on me?" Jiyeon said in faux of fence but also wriggling her eyebrows at you. You scoffed at her but smiled nonetheless and pushed her shoulder slightly. "as if, it's just a friend of mine, he's been whining about how I can't play games with him right now."

"oooooh what friend? I didn't know you had friends other than us" lexis teased, pointed her chopsticks at you accusingly. "yah! fuck you mean other than you! I have plenty of friends" you pouted "he's the person that I texted when Jackson gave me the wrong number, he's actually funny unlike you guys" you smirked as everyone gasp at what you said. they all jumped up and started throwing pillows at you as you screamed and laughed the night away.

★彡

After a few hours at Jacksons place you went back to your apartment. You walked in, took off your shoes, and immediately head to your fridge to drink a bottle of water and hangover supplements to not feel like death in the morning. as you finished drinking the water your phone dinged again, this time a message from Chris.

"Chris": Hey, finished the song, well send it to you but we have to tell you guys something first.

sent 01;23

you furrowed your eyebrows at the cryptic messaged, heading to your bedroom and laid down before replying.

Y/N: That's great! I'll message Jackson to hop on to the group chat then

sent 01;28

★彡

«prev mast next»

taglist:

taglist: @lauraliisa @smoltika @dreeener @tfshouldidohere @ilychee08 @schniti-is-in-the-house @strawberry31 @deadmans-toe @2137natalia @jiisungllvr @lixielovesme

[gaybananabread]

☾༺Just a Bit Longer༻☽

~So I’ve been brainrotting over RW&RB for a solid month now. The goblins need a walk, and I cannot productivity until they get one. I love these two’s dynamic; they’re just so silly. Not my best work, but writer’s block be damned; I needed to post something this week. This is completely self-indulgent, but if it’s your thing, I hope you Enjoy!~

Lee: Alex

Ler: Henry

Summary: Alex is overworking himself, going late into the night and working hours without breaks. Sick of his lover’s dreadful work-life management, Henry takes it upon himself to get Alex to sleep.

Warnings: mild Red, White & Royal Blue spoilers! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

Life for Alex Claremont-Diaz was the best it had ever been. Henry came over almost daily from his Brownstone, and he finally felt like he had a definite idea of where his life was headed. The only downside: he was still in school.

The NYU Law course was a bit more rigorous than he’d expected, but it was definitely what he wanted. Sure, that meant long, painful hours of reviewing for extremely difficult exams, discovering that tort is a real word, and trying to figure out a system for coursework that didn’t make his brain want to explode.

His sleep schedule was already shit, so he didn’t think any of it would be a problem. If he just pulled a few all-nighters and pumped out some late-night essays, he’d be fine. What he didn’t think about, however, was how Henry would take it.

Alex was working late on another essay, running off of coffee and pure determination. He hadn’t meant to put it off, but with the three exams he’d had that week, his mind was a scattered mess.

Henry had put up with it for most of the night, but as two AM rolled around, his understanding had run dry, replaced by concern.

Knocking the “shave and a haircut” pattern on his lover’s door, Henry entered the room. He was immediately greeted with the strong smell of coffee and desperation.

There sat his boyfriend, hunched over a computer with a half-eaten ham sandwich (he couldn’t handle turkey anymore) by his side. The blonde couldn’t help the sad sigh that escaped him.

Alex looked up, his glasses nearly all the way down on his nose. It was unfairly cute, though Henry shoved that feeling down for the moment.

“Uh…hey, Hen. Not done yet; gimme, like, another half-hour.” Alex’s gaze was back on his computer in seconds.

Henry rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache brew. For once, why couldn’t Alex just use common sense?

“Alex, darling. It’s two in the morning. You need to sleep.”

Alex scoffed, not stopping for even a second. “Says you. You stay up later than I do most of the time.” While that wasn’t untrue, Henry’s problems were because of insomnia. Alex was just a stubborn asshole.

“Look, I’m going to be brutally honest here. You look terrible, you seem exhausted, and the bags under your eyes could fit the entirety of the Royal Wardrobe. Go. To. Sleep.”

Henry laid things out bluntly, crossing his arms. It was meant to leave little room for negotiation, but defying Henry’s expectations was Alex’s special talent.

“This is due at eight AM…uh, today. I’ve only got six hours to finish this thing, but I’m almost done. I promise, just a bit longer.” This would have been more comforting if Alex hadn’t already said that three times.

“Alex, please. If you sleep now, I’ll wake you up at six, and we’ll work on it together. It hurts to see you like this, dear.” He used pet names, trying to sway Alex to listen. It was a last-ditch effort; if he still refused, Henry didn’t have much of a plan left. Sure enough, he did.

“It’s fine, Henry. I’m all good, just a little spacy. I promise, the moment I’m done, I’ll eat your face. Okay, baby?” Alex flipped the other man’s strategy back on him, hoping to fully bury the concern. He was fine: end of story.

For Henry, though, the tale was just beginning. He racked his brain, searching for anything to help him get Alex to cooperate. He could only remember one time anyone was successful.

Alex had invited him to the White House for June’s birthday party. As the night dragged on, everyone but Alex was drunk and exhausted. To tire him out, June had employed some rather…unconventional methods.

Methods that would be extremely useful to him at that moment.

Casually approaching his boyfriend, Henry put a hand on the laptop. Then, after making sure the work was saved, he closed it. He pointedly ignored Alex’s scoff and protests, grabbing his chin and pulling him in for a kiss. Alex still squirmed, though a smile was breaking out on his face.

That was all Henry needed to continue. He gripped Alex under his thighs, lifting the man up and plopping him down on his nearby bed.

A surprised sound left him, his cheeks gaining a nearly imperceptible red hue. He was expecting some push-back from Henry, but nothing this active.

“Just couldn’t wait for me, could you~?” Alex weteased, starting to sit up on the bed. Henry was quick to stop that, grabbing Alex’s arms and pinning them above his head.

Before his lover could make another joke, Henry tapped a few fingers on his side. That shut him up, if only for a second.

“Henry, I swear to fucking god, if you try anything-” He was cut off when Henry squeezed his side, resulting in an indignant squeak.

“Sorry, dear, but I’m afraid I already have~” With that, Henry clawed his fingers into Alex’s stomach, straddling him.

The tired man tried to bite his lip, but the coffee wasn’t quite enough to give him that energy. A few giggles slipped out, quickly followed by tiny curses.

“What’s the matter, Alex? Something bothering you?” Henry chuckled, leaning down further to try and hold him still.

Kicking and squirming, Alex tried anything to get away from the evil fingers. He was tired, though; his brain was moving at half-speed and felt like it was running through soup.

“Gehehet ohoff me, youhuhu prihick!” Henry has decided to move up to his ribs, scritching and scratching between each bone.

Even on a good day, it’d be hard for Alex to get out from under him. With no sleep, coffee fumes and pure spite, he had no chance.

“Why on Earth would I do that? I’m quite comfortable here. Besides, you seem to be enjoying yourself, if that blush is any indication,” Henry taunted, jutting his chin out. He didn’t really need to, but it was a sure-fire way to rile Alex.

“Fuhuhuck off! Hehenry, I swehehear- quihit!” Alex tried to bury his face in his shoulder, though he only drew attention to a new target. Henry leaned down, blowing a raspberry on his boyfriend’s neck. Alex would rather die than repeat the squeal that left him.

“Wow, Alex. Perhaps the Barbara Streisand accusation wasn't so far off,” he teased, his voice about as smug than Alex had ever heard it.

The typically witty man was in giggly shambles, trying his best not to sound like a child. He wasn’t very successful.

“SHUHUhut uhup, youhu douche!!” Laughing like a toddler, Alex was still pumping out insults. Henry was about to put a stop to that. Going for the kill, he hooked his thumbs into Alex's hip divots, kneading and squeezing the area.

That seemed to work quite well.

“GAH- HEHENRY! You- YAHAHA! FAHAHACK!” The law student lost his shit, practically cackling under his boyfriend.

Alex arched his back off the bed, only bucking into the ticklish feeling. There was no room in his mind for witt; the best he could do was “fuck fuck fuck it tickles oh my god-”

Hearts practically formed in Henry’s eyes at the adorably hysteric reaction. Still, as cute as it was, he had a mission.

“This all ends the moment you agree to rest. Or…would you like me to continue? I bet I could just tickle you senseless all night. You’d surely be exhausted then, wouldn’t you?”

Alex couldn’t even get a word out, shaking his head as he laughed. His curls went wild, getting in his eyes and puffing up. Henry wanted to brush it from his eyes, but he had to keep his priorities in order. There would be time for fawning over him later.

“HEHENRY! PLEHE- snrk” It took a solid minute, but Alex’s resolve was weakening. He was already tired beforehand, and laughing his ass off wasn’t helping. The squirming had died down almost completely, snorts slipping into the lax cackles.

While it wasn’t an agreement, the Prince could tell that his lover would be out in seconds. Henry stopped, switching to gentle traces down his sides. The first son tried to calm down, a steady stream of giggles pouring from his lips.

“H-hoholy shihihit… Thahat was evil.” He tried taking some deep breaths, rubbing his cheeks. Alex hadn’t laughed that hard in a while. He was close to just passing out right there, pure exhaustion hitting him like a freight train.

“Possibly. You deserved it, though.” Henry leaned down, gently kissing his curved lips. This sight was one of his new favorites: Alex, his toned skin flushed, practically a puddle of giggles beneath him.

Alex flipped him the bird before melting into the kiss. He weakly pulled his boyfriend down, snuggling against him. He’d all but forgotten about his essay, eyes closed the moment he laid still; the poor guy was wiped. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but all his energy was gone.

Carefully grabbing his phone, Henry set an alarm for six AM.

They’d finish that research paper; he was certain of that. With a bit of sleep, Alex would be a writing machine. True, the slightly rushed grammar would be atrocious, but that’s what Henry was there for. Pulling the sheets up over them both, Henry breathed a happy sigh.

“Good night, love.”

[lightleckrereins]

sorry if you’ve already answered this before but is there a reason why the cruise cleves costumes don’t have the reveal?

Three words: time, budget, convenience.

Cleves is by far the costume that takes the longest to make and probably the most expensive out of all of them because for a full reveal set they need to make two costumes; one tear away for the reveal and one not for after (and photos/extra performances).

There is no way for them to use only one costume for both. The jacket and shorts are rigged in a way that allows them to stand the first half of the show and then torn away fast (this is complicated to the point that some cleves costumes are notorious for giving trouble). And then the costume is thrown behind the set. In theory they could figure out a way to take it backstage without the audience noticing but that gives the costume team about 3-4 minutes to reassembly and make sure the costume is not going to fall apart for the rest of the show (while probably being in the dark). Its easier to just have a second costume.

One of the most complicated parts of making a Cleves is the fittings, they need an outer costume that looks good while covering the leotard, allows for movement and is made just right for the reveal to happen. Cruise queens have one initial fitting, maybe another during rehearsals and a final one; they also do rehearsals in florida so no chance for everyone to get to the costume shop in NYC enough times while in rehearsal (land casts have at least five fittings while being relatively close to the costume studio) thats definitely not enough to make a full Cleves. Also I think we have seen a few reused costume pieces for the alts already meaning those were only altered for them which cant be done for the reveal pieces on a Cleves costume.

On top of that, cruises have a shorter timeline than land productions from casting to boarding (and sometimes are accross the sea until a few days before rehearsals) and no chance of finishing costumes in the middle of thech, or finishing the alt costume after opening, or starting with only non reveal ang getting it later. Once the cast boards the ship, unless they are doing an NYC based route its almost impossible to do fittings or alterations so everything needs to be ready fast. Plus the costume studio is always working on multiple projects at the same time. Having two full sets of costumes done is complicated enough already, adding a reveal would make it pretty much impossible.

Then you need to consider how the cruise productions work. Six months for each contract in which they do 2-4 shows each week. At best a cruise costume will be worn for around 50-100 shows at worst for two. Its probably considered not worth it making a full reveal for that many shows. Rounding numbers on land principals can do over 400 performances in a year, alternates in the UK have at least 52 scheduled shows plus any other they might cover, in the US they still do less but most of them have hit at least 15-20 for each of their covers and there is always the chance they will take over for a full week or two. Cruises still do considerably less shows so adding two sets of reveal cleves with all the time and money that implies is probably not considered viable option or something worth the additional investment and complications.

[nightcall99]

Dreams from 9.11.23

Dream 1: I have attended a wedding ceremony (I think my old best friend JL's) and now I'm back at the hotel to get ready for the reception. I'm already in my party wear so all I need to do is freshen up. I am walking through the floors of the hotel trying to find an empty bathroom to tidy myself up in but they're all full as all the wedding attendees want to do the same thing. I honestly didn't want to use the typical communal bathroom with the stalls anyway, as I would rather not have other people perceiving me. I want to be by myself. I wander into a quiet, distant part of the hotel and finally something that precisely fits my needs; a single bathroom enclosed by four walls.

I go inside and lock the door. I find a laundry machine and use it to wash all the clothes from my suitcase (my clothes appeared out of nowhere). My clothes fill to the brim of this top-load washing machine and on top of the pile is a white towel which I make sure is submerged in the water. I know that I am leaving right after the reception and so I am getting prepared by being as productive with my time left as possible. I'm going to have leave the washing machine (as it goes through a full wash cycle on my clothes) unattended as I am about to leave for the the reception party. But I'm rather apprehensive about this. I get out a piece of paper and write a note to leave behind, leaving my name and whose wedding it is that I am attending. I spend a fair bit of time on this note, thinking of all the relevant information to leave, with the most important piece being that that I am going to be back to collect my laundry. I’m going to come back for it really soon, I just hope nobody takes my clothes in the meantime.

I spend ages inside this bathroom. The reception started at around 3-4pm and it's much later now, probably around 9-10pm so the party's well in progress. I know that my friend GMR is probably already there and enjoying herself but I'm not ready to go out there yet. I kind of figure I don’t want to attend it anymore. What if I skipped it? I’m already all dressed up, so all I would need to do is make my way to the venue but I really don’t feel like socialising. I’m not even that close to the bride or groom anymore, like I used to be. Even GMR probably won’t miss me.

Dream 2: There is a grand end-of-year work party that is happening tonight. I am staying in a hotel where other people who are attending the party are also staying at. I come across MH (an old co-worker) who I haven't seen in long time. It's so good to see her. She asked me when my final oral exam is scheduled to be, did I get a date yet? I start panicking. I had applied to take this exam ages ago but have now suddenly realised I never heard back from the pharmacy council. I also suddenly remembered that other people received their exam dates already and had told me as much, so how come I didn't have mine yet? I think I had become too relaxed with living in the day-to-day and hadn’t realised how quickly the impending exam period approached. I felt like it was possibly days or weeks away. I went into the email inbox on my phone to see if I had accidentally missed the email but there was nothing. MH looked on as I checked all my email folders in case it was in the spam folder or deleted folder. Nothing. I really needed to know when it was going to be. In fact, I hadn’t even properly prepared myself to take this exam at all. MH tried to console me a little. I told myself I would ring the pharmacy council at the first chance, to find out. At the very least, I wanted to know they received my application.

I went back to my hotel room to get ready for the party. MH was messaging me with updates since she was getting ready in her room for the party too. After a short while, she finished getting ready and made her way to the party. She told me that she was now hanging out with some other colleagues. I think maybe she was already a little tipsy because her energy felt a little unhinged. She said she was 'deleting friends' as the night progressed. I figured she had this mentality tonight because things are 'over' now and she had made her peace with it. Neither she nor I were particularly attached to anyone who was attending. At least she was still texting me.

I knew it would take me couple of hours to get ready since I wanted to take my time and not rush. But I kept hesitating. I bought my outfit out but as I looked at it, I started to second-guess my choice. It was a white cocktail dress and was quite revealing. I realised I didn't feel comfortable wearing this anymore, it didn't feel like 'me'. I was kicking myself since I should have predicted my indecision and bought along a variety of different outfits to choose from. Now I didn't really want to attend the party anymore. It hit me that I don't really know any of the attendees as well as I used to. They're all people from my past and I didn't want to be around any of them anymore.

I crept out of my room and discovered that the hotel was connected to a grand shopping mall. It's dark, as all the lights are switched off. All the shops are closed. I walked around for awhile, aimlessly. There are security guards stationed at various points and they didn't seem to mind too much that some of us were exploring. I got the feeling that people would stay at the hotel, if they knew they would be partaking in copious amounts of shopping and thus would have a convenient place to store all their shopping bags. I ran into a girl that I know, who was with another guy and they wanted me to come along with them to the art gallery area of the mall. They were going to look at paintings of the girl's husband, who was also the king. I trailed after them but at the last minute I stopped following them and let them go on without me. I realised I didn't actually want to do what they were doing. The mall felt so vast, yet so silent. Even with the girl and guy I had encountered, our conversation was carried out in hushed whispers. As I continued to wander around, I tripped over a wooden beam that was stood vertically. I put it back in it's spot as carefully as I could, without making a peep. There were two security guards watching me like hawks as I did this, lest I make any noise and disturb the utter quiet.

[daydreamerdrew]

3, 8, 12, 15!!❣️

3. Any poetry on your TBR?

Oh gosh, my poetry reading is always so random and inconsistent. I should probably make it a goal in 2023 to read more poetry.

The poetry books that I currently have checked out from the library are:

Crush by Richard Siken

The Deleted World by Tomas Tranströmer

Later Poems: Selected and New, 1971-2012 by Adrienne Rich

Too Bright to See by Linda Gregg

Turn Around Time: A Walking Poem for the Pacific Northwest by David Guterson

The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded by Molly McCully Brown

I’m not committed to fully reading all of these, but I plan on going through them and either reading them or returning them to the library in January so that I can slim down my pile of checked out library books.

8. Are there any reading challenges you want to try?

I’ve found in the past that setting a goal of reading a certain high amount of books in a year has made me read less. I felt less productive when reading things that wouldn’t count for it like short stories and articles and discouraged when I spent a lot of time reading a long book or multiple books at the same time but the number of books I’d read wasn’t going up to reflect that effort.

However, I’m not really happy with the amount of books that I’m reading now. It would be one thing if I just wasn’t that interested but there are a lot of books that I genuinely want to read and think I would enjoy. I think part of the issue is that I don’t have a structure like my weekly round-ups for the comics I read that helps me schedule reading books into my daily life. Posting a list of the books I’ve read every month isn’t enough to fulfill that role apparently.

So I’m thinking of setting the goal of reading at least 1 book a week in 2023 for a total of at least 52 books.

12. What's your 2023 stance on rating/reviewing books?

I really don’t like rating books or comics with a number. It’s not how I think about them as I’m reading them and then it feels weird to try to fit my experience into that format afterwards.

I’m pretty happy with the format of my weekly comics round-ups for now. I do feel that they’ve become ‘better’ over time as I’ve been consistently writing them and I’m satisfied with how that process is going. With those I’m just going to continue as I’ve been doing and let the writing of them and how they function as reviews get stronger with practice without stressing about it.

But for books, I haven’t really talked about my responses to what I read on here, partially because I don’t feel as confident in those thoughts and I guess also because I don’t always have something to say like I do with comics. But improvement comes with practice so I do think it’ll be good for me to talk about books a little more on here, though this will likely always be a prominently comics-focused blog.

15. Any other reading you'll do in 2023 that you want to recommend to folks? Newspapers, substack, favorite blog, etc?

I want to read to read more comics in 2023 and I want to read more books in 2023 and part of that is that I want to read more books about comics in 2023. I’ve actually got a long list of books about comics to work through cause I checked and my library system has a lot of cool-looking stuff. But another thing is that I want to take the dive into magazines about comics too.

I never actually finished reading Fawcett Companion: The Best of the FCA edited by P.C. Hamerlinck so that’s also a goal for January. And once I’m done with that I want to start going through the FCA sections of Alter Ego (1999) and see what interesting stuff is in there and then while I’m doing that I’ll also be checking out the rest of the issue and see if there’s anything else that’s relevant to me. I’m not really sure if there’s a way to search for which issues of Alter Ego (1999) and Back Issue! (2003) discuss certain characters or creators so just starting from issue #1 and going from there is the strat for now.

I also plan on reading through Alter Ego (1961) #1-10 all the way through at some point just cause of my love for the era but not yet cause I know it covers some stuff that I intend to read but haven’t gotten to yet and I’d rather read the comics first before I read about them.

A bummer is that because I’m trying to read all of the Hulk’s comics in order while avoiding spoilers I don’t think that I’m gonna be able to safely engage in anything about his comics for a long time.

[allprocarpetsteamers]

Discover The Best Floor Cleaning Company In Las Vegas: Transform Your Floors Today!

Imagine stepping into your home and feeling an undeniable sense of freshness beneath your feet. Clean floors can transform any space, making it look brighter, more inviting, and healthier. Maintaining pristine floors can feel like a daunting task in a bustling city like Las Vegas, where dust and dirt seem to accumulate in the blink of an eye. That's where hiring the best floor-cleaning company in Las Vegas comes into play. Best Floor Cleaning Company in Las Vegas

Professional cleaners save you time and deliver results that often need to be more attainable with DIY methods. If you're ready to elevate your living spaces and experience the joy of spotless floors, read on! Discover how regular maintenance combined with expert cleaning services can keep your home looking its best all year round.

Importance of maintaining clean floors

Clean floors are essential for creating a welcoming atmosphere at home. They set the tone for every room and can significantly change how your space feels.

Beyond aesthetics, cleanliness contributes to health. Dust, allergens, and bacteria accumulate on dirty surfaces. Regular cleaning minimizes exposure to these irritants, promoting better indoor air quality.

Moreover, maintaining clean floors extends their lifespan. Dirt and grime act like sandpaper over time, causing scratches and wear that can lead to costly repairs or replacements.

Clean floors provide peace of mind for families with children or pets. You want to ensure that your little ones are safe while they play freely without worrying about hidden hazards beneath them.

Investing time in floor maintenance is an investment in comfort and well-being throughout your home environment!

Tips for maintaining clean floors after using a professional cleaning service

After your floors have had a professional deep clean, keeping them fresh is essential. Start by setting up a no-shoe policy in your home. Shoes can track dirt and grime, quickly dulling the shine.

Regularly sweeping or vacuuming is crucial, too. Make it a habit to do this at least once a week so debris doesn't accumulate.

Consider using mats in high-traffic areas. They catch dirt before it reaches your floors, making maintenance easier.

When spills happen—because they will—clean them up promptly. The longer you let stains sit, the harder they become to remove.

When mopping or spot-cleaning, use appropriate cleaning products designed for your floor type. This helps maintain the finish without causing damage over time.

How to book their services and pricing options

Booking the best floor cleaning company in Las Vegas is straightforward and convenient. Visit the company's website to explore service offerings and read customer reviews.

Most companies provide an online booking system that allows you to select a date and time that suits your schedule. If you prefer speaking directly, give them a call for personalized assistance.

When discussing pricing options, ask about package deals or seasonal promotions. Many services offer competitive pricing based on square footage or specific treatments needed.

Feel free to inquire about additional fees upfront to avoid surprises later. Transparency is critical in finding the right fit for your budget while ensuring quality service.

Once you're ready, confirm your appointment with a click or call—it's as easy as that!

Why investing in a professional floor cleaning service is worth it

Investing in a professional floor cleaning service can transform your home or business. Their expertise ensures that every inch of your flooring is thoroughly cleaned, extending its lifespan.

These professionals use advanced equipment and high-quality products often unavailable for personal use. This means deeper cleanings that more effectively remove dirt, allergens, and bacteria.

Time is another crucial factor. Regularly maintaining floors takes effort and dedication. Hiring experts frees up valuable time for you to focus on what truly matters—your family or growing your business.

Moreover, the impression of clean floors speaks volumes about care and professionalism. Whether it's a cozy home or an office space, pristine floors elevate any environment significantly.

Choosing a skilled floor cleaning company also provides peace of mind, knowing that the job will be done right the first time. You deserve worry-free cleanliness beneath your feet!

Conclusion

Choosing the best floor cleaning company in Las Vegas can make all the difference when it comes to maintaining a clean and inviting space. Clean floors enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home or business and contribute to a healthier environment.

After enlisting professional services, it's crucial to maintain that pristine look. Simple daily practices like sweeping and using appropriate mats at entry points can go a long way in preserving your floors' condition.

Booking services from reputable companies is straightforward. Most offer online scheduling with various pricing options tailored to different needs and budgets, ensuring you receive precisely what you want without breaking the bank.

Investing in professional floor cleaning isn't just about appearance; it's about longevity, too. High-quality care extends your flooring's lifespan while improving indoor air quality, which is beneficial for everyone who steps foot inside.

Choosing wisely ensures both beauty and durability for your floors, setting the stage for an impressive atmosphere that reflects well on you as a homeowner or business owner.

[everythingbap]

📸 What The Kpop: WTK REVIEW: B.A.P’s Daehyun Thrills Fans At Skyview High K-pop Event In NYC

A/N: article from 240627

After attending The Shops at Skyview K-Fun event with B.A.P‘s Moon Jongup last year, WTK was invited to cover this year’s event! Due to the popularity of the first program, this year’s run is extended from four weeks to six weeks.

A New Student Has Arrived

Perfectly aligned with the theme, the special guest for the K-pop day was referred to as the “student ambassador.” This year, it was B.A.P’s Jung Daehyun, Moon Jongup’s fellow group member and now fellow label-mate once more.

Although the event was scheduled from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., eager fans arrived early in the morning to be at the front of the line. Many brought B.A.P Matoki light sticks as part of the BABY fandom and Jung Daehyun’s solo artist fan light sticks as part of the DABY fandom. There is also a school books and supply drive that will run until August to help children in need.

A few fans worked together to provide banners for the fan meeting and set up digital ads in Times Square and the mall. They also set up a table where fans could write short messages on a large paper banner to be given to Daehyun later.

Before Class Started

In the hall, fans waited for the event to start while enjoying the fitting theme which included things like a school store and tiny market. People could learn more about items and purchase certain Korean products. The cute vendor carts featured food, snacks, skincare products, drinks, and Korean healthcare and wellness goods.

At the end of the row, there was a claw machine with cute Korean character plushies and small bags of Korean snacks inside. Additionally, there was also a table for people interested in learning more about Korea and potentially traveling there.

Before the event, The Shops at Skyview held a media conference that was also live-streamed on Instagram for fans to join in real time. The two hosts, Wesley Sin and Haye Lee, sat with Daehyun at a table for the press conference to answer questions. Haye Lee was also Daehyun’s translator for the event.

Daehyun introduced himself in English with a cute, “Nice to meet you. I’m Daehyun.” Reflecting on being back in New York since 2018, he shared feelings of nostalgia and happiness to meet his fans again, even though he felt a little nervous without his fellow members.

Q&A with Skyview High Student Ambassador Jung Daehyun

About the event, Daehyun expressed his excitement to perform his solo songs, engage with fans, and perform a special B.A.P dance medley.

When asked about wellness advice, the fit K-pop star emphasized the importance of consistency, managing your diet, and enjoying everything in moderation.

As Daehyun is experienced in performing both as a singer and as a musical actor, he gave his tips on how to approach both. For singing, he said that emotional delivery is most important. For performing in musicals, he said the way of delivering the lyrics, the musical style of singing, and acting are huge parts.

Daehyun was also asked what the word BABY/DABY means to him. He said it’s very hard to sum up in one word. Because the memories of BABYz and B.A.P together are so meaningful to him, he said he will focus on this time as B.A.P prepares for their comeback this year. He being a member of B.A.P is a huge part of his identity and he considers it the most important and special aspect in his life.

He finished up the questions from the reporters by saying that he is looking forward to this year as B.A.P is coming back. He said he and the members have just started the project, but the planning has been in the works for a very long time. He said it is a project made without regrets and he hopes that everyone looks forward to it. His solo activities will continue after that, which he is also preparing for accordingly. He stated that appreciates all the support and thanked everyone, especially his fans.

Time for Class

With the media conference over, Daehyun was shuffled away to get ready for his performance. Reporters were led back downstairs to the venue and fans were finally let into the hall. Some event attendees, who by purchasing $200 worth of merchandise at The Shops at Skyview, qualified for a VIP ticket and were let in first. For the other sections in the back, it was free to attend. However, fans had to snag a registration ticket pretty quickly.

After a couple of their dance performances, Daehyun was called on stage to the elation and screaming of the fans. Several of the dancers from AKF performed with Daehyun as his backup dancers. All of the performers looked great dressed up in the school uniform-themed attire.

Subjects for Summer Classes

The show was scheduled for Daehyun to perform throughout sections that were sneak peeks of what the other days in the “summer school” planned to showcase.

K-Fashion: Five finalists from the VIP section modeled their best school-themed outfits. Daehyun and the judges chose a winner. The winning fan then participated in a romantic school-themed K-drama skit with Daehyun on stage.

Daehyun made what he said was his first samgak kimbap with Instructor Debbie. While Daehyun was making his kimbap, Wesley asked him who he thought was the best cook among the B.A.P members. Daehyun got distracted whike making the snack and said, “Uh… me?”

Using Wesley’s iPad to choose who would get to taste his kimbap, Daehyun randomly selected a fan, but Wesley looked at it and said, “Ok, we selected the same person! Who is that lucky?” So, Daehyun had to pick someone else as the crowd laughed.

After that, Instructor Debbie helped Daehyun make a special cocktail using a tanghulu treat as a garnish. Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese snack of skewered fruits, such as grapes or strawberries, that are coated in crystalized sugar. Before making the cocktail, Daehyun was asked if he preferred soju or makgeolli. He firmly said that he likes makgeolli.

After the beautiful cocktail was created and displayed to the audience, it was time for Daehyun to select a lucky fan from the host’s iPad to drink the cocktail he made.

A Heartfelt Finale and a Birthday Wish

Finishing up the event, Daehyun sang “With You,” which is a beautiful song from B.A.P to their fans, BABYz. It’s always wonderful to hear a B.A.P member sing this song. However, this time felt different, more hopeful and not as sad now that B.A.P is finally coming back!

B.A.P is Back

What’s next for Daehyun? Well, with the release of the “Man on the Moon” documentary, everyone knows now— it’s the comeback of B.A.P! After a break of six years and many long hours planning for the next step, B.A.P has returned and will release what they say might be their final album. Only time will tell.

In addition, Daehyun continues ahead as a solo artist, musical star, actor, and more! We hope that he will be able to return to the U.S. soon and also meet many more of his international fans as well.

Don’t forget you can also attend more fun weeks of Summer School at The Shops at Skyview and learn about Korean food, culture, and more! Make sure to follow them on Instagram for more details or view our original article here.

Many thanks to The Shops at Skyview, Wesley Sin, and of course Daehyun and his team for allowing us to attend this event!

Did you go to this event and meet Skyview High student ambassador, Jung Daehyun? What other Summer School session will you attend next? Let us know on X, Facebook, and Instagram!

ANN was introduced to Kpop and became a Baby in 2015. She grew up with Japanese and Korean culture being a huge part of her life starting from just four years old! Having lived in Asia for a few years, she would be overjoyed to grab a cup of tea and sit down with you to tell of her cherished adventures. Art is her Life.

MEDIA: Amanda Moses for WTK, The Shops at Skyview, MA Entertainment

*What The Kpop Team: Ann Powell (Reporter), Amanda Moses (Photographer)

[thelistingteammiami]

5 Biggest Things to Remember When Decluttering in the New Year

A new year always inspires us to have a fresh start. Maybe you're a homeowner who just wants to take advantage of that burst of energy and motivation to tackle clutter around your home. If your goal is to reset your space so you’re only surrounded by things that make you happy, decluttering is a powerful and transformative resolution that’s worth keeping.

Or maybe you’re planning to list your home for sale this year. You can have a good headstart in this new journey by purging through your belongings so you’ll know what to keep and what to let go when you move.

Whether you're the former or the latter, remember that decluttering not only resets your physical space but can also profoundly impact your mental and emotional well-being. Here are five time-tested tips to keep in mind and to help guide you on your organizing journey.

Creating more space in your home will be close to impossible if you don't resist the urge to buy new things. So before and while decluttering, it’s a good idea to hold off on shopping for new items until you’re done with your purge and everything you own has a dedicated space. Avoid impulse purchases, and stop falling for social media marketing. No, you probably don’t need every product that your favorite influencers get paid to promote, so breathe and think twice before adding a potential clutter. 

Imagine this: you were so proud of yourself for clearing your clutter, only to find them still sitting in those boxes a week later because you haven't thought about where they’ll go. So plan this before you start—where would all your clutter go? Deciding an exit strategy for your unwanted stuff is as important as the purging itself.

For instance, you might need to check with your local government to see where you can recycle or dispose of old and non-functional devices. Or, you love books but find yourself with more selections than you can ever read in your lifetime. See if your local library accepts donations or if there’s a little book club in your neighborhood where you can give your paperbacks. If you’re looking to sell pre-loved items such as clothing, make sure to schedule a time to take photos and list the items online so that they don’t just sit there for months. Check for charities or even animal shelters in your town that accept old linens or towels. The satisfaction you get from decluttering your home may become twofold when you think that your things may still be of use to others, especially those in need.

There is no one-size-fits-all way to start decluttering, so assess yourself and do what's best for you. Have tons of New Year energy? Devote an entire weekend to declutter your closets or a specific room. Feeling completely overwhelmed as another year starts? Start small and tackle any area that’s relatively easy for you, say, your spice cabinet, junk drawer, or even your freezer. There’s no need to start with a bang if it only elevates your stress levels. When you’ve finished, you’ll feel the confidence (and the adrenaline) you need to finally organize bigger spaces in your home.

Aside from the fact that decluttering all in one go is just not realistic, it can be frustrating as well. Professional organizers see decluttering as a mindfulness practice, which means you don't want to bite off more than you can chew. Instead of saying you’ve got to “clear it all out” in one sitting, rephrase and say you’ll devote at least a few hours to sort it out, and you’ll feel the difference. Besides, you won’t even be able to see all of your clutter on the first pass. After letting go of the obvious unwanted stuff on your first round, there will be a round two for things you haven’t seen before or you haven’t decided yet. 

Learn to free yourself of guilt brought on by the things you're keeping. Whether it’s a strange gift that you feel guilty giving away because the person who gave it is special, or that arts and crafts project made by a great aunt. If you’re keeping things because you feel bad disposing of them rather than they mean something, maybe it’s time to get over it. Let those things go, guilt-free. It doesn’t mean you didn’t appreciate the gesture or that the gift hasn’t been taken to heart.

[suburbeastern]

How Much Does Bathroom Renovation Cost in Sydney?

If you are thinking of renovating your bathroom, it’s important to consider the cost. It’s also a good idea to get quotes from multiple companies. This way, you can compare prices and choose the best option for your budget.

Be sure to select a renovation company with licensed professionals and tradespeople. Ensure that all plumbers and electricians are qualified and insured to work in your home. To know more about Bathroom Renovation Sydney, visit the Eastern Suburbs Bathroom Renovations website or call 0415902838.

There are a few variables to consider when working out the cost of renovating a bathroom. One of the biggest is whether you are doing a simple makeover with a new paint job or taps, or a full bathroom renovation.

You should also factor in any council permits or strata rules, which may impact on the timeframes for your reno. In addition, you will need to consider the price of materials and labour.

Licensed tradespeople are essential for any bathroom renovation. A quality tradie will lay your tiling correctly, and install the required plumbing and electrical work. They will also ensure that the waterproofing is done properly, protecting your home from damage and leaks. Their hourly rates vary, and some also charge a flat rate per job.

Bathroom renovations can be a tricky thing to do. There are a lot of elements to consider, including the design and layout of the room. A good designer will help you find the right look and layout for your bathroom. They can also assist you with sourcing materials and fittings, like a vanity or sink. They can even advise you on things like council permits and renovating in strata titles.

A good designer will also help you choose the right finishes and colours for your bathroom. They can recommend quality brands and products that will give you the best results. The right materials will last longer and add to the value of your property. For example, a timber benchtop will stand up to water better than laminate.

A new bathroom can add both value and functionality to your home, especially if you choose the right layout. However, it is important to know your renovation goals before starting the process. This will help you determine how much to spend on fixtures and fittings.

One of the hottest trends in modern bathrooms is timber benchtops. These are a great way to bring a warm feel to the room. They are also durable and easy to clean.

If you are renovating a unit small bathroom it may be possible to relocate your toilet depending on how the water and waste plumbing has been installed. Relocating floor plumbing is more expensive as it involves jackhammering the concrete slab and core drilling through the walls of the neighbour’s apartment.

It’s important to hire licensed tradespeople for all aspects of your bathroom renovation. This ensures a quality job that meets all building codes and standards. Using a specialised contractor who has a network of experienced and skilled tradespeople can save you time, stress and money.

After the demolition and strip-out phase, plumbers can install new plumbing fixtures and wastes. This is labour intensive and can take up to two days per bathroom. If you are moving plumbing or electrical services this can add a week to the schedule.

A waterproofer is next to install the water proofing system. This is a critical part of your bathroom and can lead to expensive problems later on if not done properly. It is best to get this done early in the process.

Depending on your state or territory’s regulations and the extent of your renovation you may need to apply for a building permit. This is particularly important if you live in a strata titled property and your work impacts common areas.

The next step is for your plumber to do the plumbing rough-in – this will include core drilling where necessary, installing wastes and pipes and recessing powerpoints in the walls. This should take one to four days.

It’s best to choose a bathroom renovator with a team of tradies on hand to manage the project. This will save you time and money. However, it’s important to select tradies who are licensed and experienced in renovation work. This will ensure they are following the correct safety guidelines for wet areas. To know more about Bathroom Renovation Sydney, visit the Eastern Suburbs Bathroom Renovations website or call 0415902838.

[daveinediting]

August 2 Wednesday poc

It's a week later that definitely feels like more than a week later. Last week, though, Tuesday night, was the debut of films from this year's 48 Hour Film Project among which was the world premiere of "PTAgent" from Combat Wombats Productions. 

That's the team I'm on.

These showings on the big screen with a live audience are rare in my career so they're always enlightening.

Enlightening?

Yeah. Sitting with an audience watching the film you cut... you feel the reactions in real-time. Sometimes you hear a spoken word or two nearby. There's no longer need for informed choices or best guesses. This experience is the answer to the question How's this gonna play?

Our very own test screening, if you will. And yes.

It's enlightening.

The Combat Wombats also have a tradition of gathering at the director's home before the screening to hang out for drinks... and dine on pizza baked in an actual pizza oven. It's a social event for a team that, when last they saw each other, were flying by the seat of their pants to shoot a seven minute short film in one day. (That's a self imposed deadline, of course. You can take however long you like. The CW template, however, is script Friday night, shooting and first assembly Saturday, editing and polishing Sunday. It's a schedule that works super well for us and the films we create.)

The gathering at the director's home is a fantastic way to decompress and debrief and just be, by the way. It's also an opportunity to—

Okay.

Here's the deal:

I'm an editor. By design, I only work with the producer and the director on any given project. Mostly the producer. For this production, I also coordinated with the composer and art director by phone and text Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In general, though, if the production team was a house, I'd be the mother-in-law apartment out back.

Typically (although I'm trying to change this) there's no opportunity to speak with the production crew after the fact. I don't usually debrief with the sound person or the director of photography, for example.

These Combat Wombats gatherings solve that shortcoming in a big way. 

Definitely I get to talk shop with the art director and the composer. We compare notes on the experience and later talk about the finished film (as they only see it for the first time when the rest of the world does). Of course as it's also a social gathering, we can talk more broadly about our careers, if we choose. 

In addition to the post production crew, I have the opportunity of speaking with members of the production team like costume and make-up, production assistants, sound and, of course, actors. I have the unique experience of telling the actors how their on-set efforts worked, added, and fit within the editing and polishing process of the film. As well, I get to hear stories from the set, learn more about how these actors do what they do, and I get to ask questions. It's a huuuugely instructive and wonderfully entertaining discussion for me.

Now, I mentioned the sound person in passing earlier. That's just me getting distracted. What I meant to point out was how easy it is to overlook the contribution of the sound crew. After all, when they get that job right, well... everything sounds great. And when you're used to, as I am, everything sounding great on a fairly consistent basis, that "great" becomes "normal", more or less. It's only when I think about the specific challenges with which the sound department must deal on a given project, how many wireless mics are on set, how good the live mix of those mics are, and the fact that iso files of each of those mics exist, well... that's a sincerely well done job. And I got the chance to say that out loud to the person who did me a solid.

So I did. 😊

As I said before, in general, if the production team was a house, I'd be the mother-in-law apartment out back. I really do work separately and isolated most of the time from the rest of the production team.

But.

There's yes... a lot to be said, a lot to be gained, from getting out every so often, sharing our stories back 'n forth, giving each other feedback, and most of all: taking in a little of the other person's perspective. Soaking in a little of their discipline: how they engage with the film and the story we're all trying to tell...

From their part in the telling.

😊

[mario8th]

I don't know if I'm writing this post out for anyone really, I think I just need to see it written out. Mario In Review is set to finish March 10th, and I really don't want to take a break. I mean, I really, really do, but also really really don't at the same time. So I've been hard at work* writing scripts to fit into this gap in scheduling. *trying and bashing my head against writers block So after MIR I think I'm going to try and get a review about Tunic out. I think I know what I want to talk about, but I'm having a really hard time writing it all down. Even me writing this is to procrastinate writing the actual script, although I made decent progress today having now finished Two(2) whole paragraphs. Then I want to do a review of the 1993 seminal hit Super Mario Bros, and the scheduling works out perfectly so the next video can be a review of the 2023 probably questionable but undoubtedly financial hit Super Mario Bros After that's more of a wash. I've got ideas for Psychonauts 1 and 2. Splatoon 3's single player. And I'd like to write about how Lil' Gator Game takes inspiration from Breath of the Wild while incorporating it in a much smaller scale game.

Different topic, I just started watching the second part of Jojo Stone Ocean after putting it off for some reason. I always forget how much I love JoJo until I'm watching it, but man is it some good Anime. Definitely gonna talk about it on my pod next week Also today I got my final part to what will soon be my new PC, so tomorrow I think I'm gonna try and "build a PC" which is still incredibly scary to me.

And I just realized that as of tomorrow I've been making Youtube videos for 2 years now. February 3rd I released my 2020 GOTY video, a couple weeks later I put out a video on the Paradise Killer soundtrack, an album I am listening to literally right now as I'm writing this. And I wasn't entirely consistent that first year, but as of January 22nd 2022 I've kept a consistent schedule of every other week (except for Christmas where I went a week early, and now I'm going to weekly again, plus I started a podcast in there too) But other than one week where I missed a podcast I've been remarkably consistent. I think that's a big part of the reason why I want to get a video out in between Mario In Review and the Mario Movies Reviews. Even though I'll have been going weekly for 6 weeks I want to keep to the base schedule. Also just in general I've spoiled myself by having so many videos done in advance, now knowing I only have a little over a month to finish the next feels, I dunno, bad. This is tangential but I've started receiving more thumbs downs on my videos than before. Someone disliked my 21 GOTY, and my most recent podcast. And as it turns out dislikes really suck. There's literally nothing I can take away. Did those people just not like me? Did they not like my opinions? Did they not like my production? Cannot say, it's just a number. But a number that I wish didn't affect me as much as it does. I think in the end I'm just telling myself I need to keep doing it, but it's certainly disheartening.

I think that's enough of that. To recap, Mario in review for the next 6 weeks, then bi-weekly hopefully a video (about Tunic, maybe lil Gator Game), then the Mario Movies. And I'll keep doing the podcast for now too. Okay bye!!!!!

[januariblues]

Evaluation

My final product for this project is three separate teasers for the short film ‘Fall for her’ by @mills-mayo. Though during this project i have faced many issues, i believe i have overcome them in a creative way. 

One issue I faced was the script for my client’s project, this is due to there being an oversight with how long we believed it would take to complete which was reflected in our schedules. This meant that any work scheduled after the script had to be delayed, as we were physically unable to move forward with the production without the script. I managed to overcome this due to having the oversight at the beginning of the project to add in extra time for each section, allowing for any issues that arose down the line. In future I would ensure that script writing is done as soon as the idea is formed, that way there is a script for the scheduled filming and there may even be multiple drafts of the script.  

Another issue I faced was a lack of access to locations for the shoot, this lead us to having to be creative with our location choices. We ended up filming all scenes in the same location and using a projector and props to signal our locations. This was interesting as it lead to us having unique challenges such as trying to position actors and props in a way which would not cast shadows on the backdrops. Though we were successful with this, I believe the final product would have looked better if the scenes were filmed in distinct locations instead, which I would do next time. 

The third issue I faced was when trying to align the availability of the location with the cast and crews' schedules. This proved to be difficult as everyone had varying schedules which had little lean way to ensure that everyone would in fact be able to be on set together. However, in the end we managed to find two days which filming could take place – though they were a week apart which was less than ideal as it effected editing time meaning I was unable to produce as much promotional content as I would have liked. 

The final issue during production was when only two of our actors arrived on a shoot day – this did majorly affect our production as we were then behind schedule by over a week. Though we overcame this by managing to film a few days later, this was less than ideal.  

In terms of my final product, I enjoyed editing together the three distinct teaser trailers as it allowed me to explore the story from each character's perspective, however for the time I had to edit this was not the best idea as it was more time consuming than one trailer for the full project would have been. It also meant I had unique issues with each teaser that I had to overcome, which lead to me not having a fully finished product in terms of how I would have liked it to be completed. In future projects, I would not produce three teasers when low on time. 

Each teaser was slightly different in length, which may be an issue from an advertising point as it may led to inconsistencies in the reach, they could gain due to how algorithms work. As well as this, the fact that they are a maximum of ten seconds is both beneficial and a detriment. This is because though audiences are more likely to consume short form content, it does not advertise the plot as well as it could have if each teaser were thirty seconds long instead. Another issue with them being short is that it was difficult for me to record voiceovers which were only ten seconds long, whilst still making sense and advertising the plot of the film. Next time I would make the teasers twenty to thirty seconds long to avoid these issues. 

The voiceovers proved to be a challenge in themselves. This is due to me not having the actors record the voiceovers, due to them being unavailable. To get around this, I recorded the voiceovers myself, meaning each one is far more similar than I would have liked. As well as this, I did not pre-plan the voiceovers before recording as I was not sure what would fit into the ten second time limit. This meant that I had to rerecord each voiceover multiple times for them to not have pauses or filler vocabulary. Next time I would plan each voiceover before recording them – making a script for each – and I would ensure that this was done before shoot day so the actors could do the voiceovers. 

Overall, though I am proud of myself for the issues I have overcame, there are many things I have learned during this project – which I will be applying to all future work. 

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[goboymusic]

#PedroPascal is the #HarrisonFord for the younger generations.

Remember #younglove? This song is an attempt to encapsulate that experience in as few words as possible.

Prior to working on “#InLove,” a weekend was spent working on a song that was ultimately abandoned due to it’s weak melodies and unnecessarily complex instruments. Fed up with my experience on the abandoned song, focus was shifted towards making a minimalistic song that only included a drum kit, bass guitar and melodic vocals (some flutes and strings were added later). Something so simple, music theory snobs would hate it.

During production, the original verse melody that I was trying to execute wasn’t working, so it was deleted and replaced with the “just give me that look” and “it’s not about sex” segments. The deleted melody would eventually be resurrected and used for the chorus of “My Life (Song 112)” with the lyrics “not Emily, when I was only twenty, not Avery, when I was only twenty-one, not Natalie, when I was only twenty-two…”

A tooth ache was causing agony while recording “In Love,” hence the slight lisp. You can really hear it during the “it’s not about sex” and “it’s so complex” vocals. This was during the pandemic, so scheduling an immediate dentist appointment was difficult.

After spending two weeks writing, recording and mixing “In Love,” it was finished. Only problem was that I hated it. By this point, the song had entered my ears at least 500 times. The things that were once exciting about it did nothing for me now. It was no more stimulating than hearing distant traffic.

Not only was it no longer stimulating, it had become annoying. The chorus melody was crap. The lisp vocals were garbage. The instruments were clashing. Tearing the song apart and rewriting it seemed mandatory. It needed a new chorus that didn’t suck. New vocals. New instruments.

Pure delusion. The original version was fine. It only struck me that delusion might be at play after a couple days of rewriting/re-recording the song. The original version was sent to my brother, who responded with “i dig.” That settled it. The original version was uploaded and focus was shifted to “Food Song (song 85).”

“In Love” is one of GoBoy’s most popular songs. It has some of the healthiest saves/listeners and playlists/listeners ratios of any GoBoy song (excluding some songs from GoBoy 2, which perform really well in a niche crowd - read post 33 for info on that).

Beat + bass + melody. That’s the style of GoBoy 5. While I’ve appreciated this minimalistic style for years, “Tell My Mama (Song 42)” was the first time trying it. I went whole-hog with GoBoy 5, in which most songs primarily consist of a beat, bass and melody (excerpt from post 80).

For GoBoy 5, instead of creating for the sake of creating, like I did for GoBoy 4, I wanted to make poppier songs that would appeal to a larger audience. Was that goal accomplished? Well, maybe, I guess. It resulted in the song “In Love (Song 82),” which everyone and their mother seems to like (excerpt from post 79).

GoBoy 5 ragdolled me. I remember wondering if I’d live to see the completion of the album. While the style is minimalistic, the writing and production processes were chaotic, akin to throwing darts with a blindfold on. Most songs turned into a puzzle once they reached the mixing phase, with a portion of the pieces being destined not to fit. It required constant compromising - discarding segments, restructuring, rewriting, etc. The combination of the difficult production process and temporary chaos at work left a blood-soaked trail behind me (excerpt from post 80).

In April, 2021, almost all of GoBoy 3, 4 and 5‘s songs were restructured to be under 3 minutes (preferably under 2m 30s), including this song. I became okay with releasing songs around the 2 min mark after realizing The Beatles and The Beach Boys had some songs around that length. In an attempt to increase replay value in this streaming era, most of GoBoy’s songs are now purposely around 2m 20s (excerpts from post 37).

A bass boost was added to songs 37-99 in Nov, 2021, while I was stuck at home with covid. As a result, this song feels more powerful. The bass boost isn’t a simple plugin nonchalantly added to each song. It’s a process that took about 3.5 hours per song, or one whole month to complete all songs. Admittedly, I pushed the bass boost a little too far for some of them. The bass in some songs sounds like a freaking earthquake (unnecessarily pronounced low frequencies 20 - 50 Hz). Might dial that back someday. The bass boost was also applied to every song on GoBoy 6 and beyond (excerpt from post 37).