#smart buildings NYC

[indembminsk]

Exploring the Latest Money-Making Trends in New York for 2024

New York City, known as the financial and cultural hub of the world, is constantly on the cusp of the latest and greatest money-making trends. The year 2024 has seen several new opportunities for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and investors, all looking to capitalize on the fast-paced economic environment. Here’s a glimpse into some of the most lucrative trends that are shaping the city’s financial…

[dakethumoses]

every once in awhile i think about / work on my home game the golden city (the unsleeping city equiv for san francisco, a trio of dnd games set in 1967 summer of love sf (referred to as "love"), 90s dotcom boom sf (referred to as "changes") and the late 2010s campaign leading up to nuria's absorption into the later-named null (referred to as "death") and then i get really worked up in my frustration towards brennan's non-nyc details in tuc

[pani-sabet-random-pics]

[sparrow-the-tired-lesbian]

thoughts on episode 2 (SPOILERS)

Oh don’t  tell me we get Sylki this episode 

OH MY GOD THEYRE WEARING TUXEDOS

MARRIED COUPLE LOKIUS

oh god no not Brad 

HA LOKI SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF HIM

Mobius you’re such a dummie

B15 MY BELOVED

OHOHO GET FUCKED BRAD

Mobius is gay panicking

BRAD WHAT KIND OF RUN IS THAT

OHOHO MAGIC

WHERE DID YA COME FROM WHERE DID YA GO WHERE DID YA COME FROM COTTON EYE LO

MOBIUS IS GAY PANICKINGGGGGG

*sings along to the theme song*

Ohhh b15 you’re lookin fine

There’s a jail in the TVA??? I forgot about that

bring it to my son

OUROBOROS WHERE ARE YOU

SON

Aww he talks to himself that’s cute

So smart

He’s gonna get so fed up with people bringing shit to him when he wrote a whole book about it

Sweet Casey

Married couple Lokius building their IKEA bed

CASEY READ THE GUIDEBOOK! WE STAN A GREAT BOI

I’m going to fight Brad

Brad is so right about Lokis character but damn Mobius going to defend him is kinda gay

Why do I feel like Brad is talking directly to me when he’s talking to-

DONT TALK ABOUT FRIGGA I WILL MURDER YOU BRAD

The sass on lokis tone I’m going to cry

Mobius reign in your boyfriend

Loki is scaring me actually

That sounded kinda sexual Loki my man

YOURE RIGHT BRAD

THERAPY

MOBIUS’S PET?

Yeah Mobius who were you

Oh jeez

Mobius is about to flip out

HE FLIPPED

Loki caring for his husband <3

Following each other <3

KISS NOW

THE PIE SCENE

Awe Loki with his little legs crossed he’s so adorable around Mobius

Yeah you lost it baby

Comfort your husband Loki

WASNT TACTICAL??? BABE YOU ATTACKED NYC

Talk about your feelings Mobius

Why would you thank him for kidnapping you Mobius?

Felt that about bad and good lemme tell ya

Would you quit it about Sylvie

OUROBOROS!!!!

Don’t get hurt baby I’ll cry

Uh oh

UH OH

BRAD????

Is he dead?

Aww man he’s alive

Round two of what babe

NEED ANOTHER SESSION???

HARDBALL TACTICS?!!!??!

WHAT ARE THESE WORDS YOURE SAYING

Big machine

He’ll torture you babe

Remembering things for their husband this is cute

Uh oh Loki what are you doing

LOKI STOP IT

LOKI 

stop asking about Sylvie for the love of god

ENJOY YOURSELF?!

Mobius you’re so sweet

YEAH BRAD DONT BRING UP A VILLAIN’S MOTHER

Kill him hon maybe we won’t have to deal with his dumb ass

Terrible awful things 

He’s lost his shit I love it 

Loki please this is going too far

Okay nice we made Brad suffer and Loki is being everything Mobius could want in a boyfriend

Mobius was in on it?!

OB WHAT DO YOU MEAN WERE GONNA DIE

*gasp* OUROBOROS AND CASEY MY NEW OTP

HES FANBOYING

AWWWW BABIES 

oh no world is dead

*sings McDonald’s jingle*

Where’s my wife

Awww she’s so proactive I love her so much

NO NO NO NOT SYLKI PLEASE NOT SYLKI

One Unhappy meal please

Talk less Loki 

Can Sylvie drive

CORRECT OMG MY WIFE

THIS IS MY BELOVED 

Leave her alone Loki please

Advertisement 

OH MY GOD MOBIUS IS ON SOME SYLKI HATE

“It’s cinema thank you very much”

Murder

QUICK CHANGE WITH SYLVIE

THEYRE KILLING RVERYTHING

IHOHO MURDER

COMPROMISED OF CIURSE BABY

OH NO

call your boyfriend Casey

Don’t hold hands

NO

uh oh

Bye bye Sylvie :)

Oh she’s back

What are we looking at

Oh no…

Those are people!

Uh oh Sylvie’s angry

I might as well just make a harem of marvel women I want to wife me up 

Don’t pull that Sylki bullshit on me

Mobius is sad Loki go comfort him

At least Sylvie had her life

Does she have a friend?

What’s going on between those two?!

I’m so confused

Post credits???

Why not?

[audhd-nightwing]

pjo x batkids

DICK & JAY

neither of them know they’re demigods, dick thought john grayson was his bio dad and jason thought catherine was his bio mom.

hermes met dick’s mom while she was traveling with the circus. he stayed with marie for about two years after dick was born (taking care of him while she performed) before leaving. a few years later she met john grayson and fell in love. she would often read dick greek myths but never told him about his parentage.

after dick’s parents die in gotham, he (10) is sent to juvie and then an orphanage, which he runs away from.

he survives on the streets for a few months by busking (performing tricks for money) and living in abandoned buildings that no one else can reach. he then meets 8 year old jason todd who is living with catherine and willis todd. they bond pretty much immediately and dick visits him every day. they do cons and steal tires together, plus dick is an expert pickpocket. he is there for jason when catherine and then willis die, and they live in willis’ shitty apartment together.

about a year later they are found by a satyr who explains that they are demigods and that there’s a summer camp for kids like them. they are VERY distrustful at first because that sounds crazy but also it’s a satyr so maybe they’re not lying. eventually they decide they might as well go, gotham is a shithole anyway.

they get to CHB without incident bc neither of them really attract monsters and the Gotham Stench hides their scents anyway. they are the first of the batkids to arrive at camp.

dick (11) is claimed by hermes about three weeks after arriving. him and jason (9) live at camp year-round. when he’s 16 dick becomes head counselor of hermes cabin.

JASON

son of athena. father unknown. was left on the streets and found by catherine todd, who convinced willis to take him in. he was living with them when he met dick. they immediately bonded and after jason is orphaned they live together, until a year later when a satyr finds them.

he’s not claimed for a while after arriving, but doesn’t really mind bc it means he gets to stay with dick. eventually claimed years later but still eats lunch with the hermes cabin cuz dick is his family.

CASS

hades/bruce meets lady shiva and falls in love with her deadliness. they have a child together but he has to abandon her bc the ‘no more kids’ pact the big 3 have.

sandra wu-san meets david cain while pregnant and tasks him with training her daughter. he agrees and lady shiva leaves soon after giving birth. cain does not know she’s a demigod. he trains her to be the perfect weapon and hades/bruce can do nothing about it without alerting his brothers to her existence.

her powers manifest after the first time she kills someone (at 8), and she runs away. she travels across the world for years until a satyr finds her and brings her to CHB. she (10) is claimed soon after, and enjoys living alone in the hades cabin. chiron and babs teach her how to read and speak, even tho she’s learned a bit over the years. she arrives a year after dick (12) & jason (10)

TIM

athena met jack and janet drake at one of their archeological digs, and admired their intellect. she gave them tim as a gift. jack and janet spent the first few years of his life at home with him, until they decided he was old enough to join them on their travels. he was an incredibly smart child and was very self-sufficient, so it didn’t cause them any trouble. he didn’t go to school, but had a tutor that accompanied them on their trips.

when he is 10 his parents die in a plane crash that he survives. after their funeral, he ditches NYC (where they were buried) and athena sends an owl to guide him to camp. he arrives at CHB about a year after cass (11) and 2 years after dick (13) & jason (11). he is jay’s favorite bio sibling.

STEPH

daughter of hermes. raised by crystal brown in gotham until a satyr finds her (11) and brings her to camp. frequently exchanges letters with her mom. arrives a year after tim (11), two years after cass (12), and three years after dick (14) and jason (12)

claimed few months after arriving at camp. she is dick’s favorite bio sibling

DUKE

son of apollo. one of the rare apollo children that can control light. raised by his mom in newark until they were attacked by a monster and his mom was injured.

he left in order to keep her safe, and went to CHB (which apollo had told her about, and she told duke about). he keeps in contact with her through letters and iris messages. he is claimed about a month after arriving at camp. he (11) arrives two years after steph (13), three years after tim (13), four years after cass (14) and five years after dick (16) and jason (14)

DAMIAN

similar to lady shiva, bruce/hades is captivated by talia’s deadliness. they have a child together, which she tries to hide from ra’s, but he soon finds out and learns he is a demigod. to him, this makes him even more fit to ascend the demon throne (the LoA is a cult, and the lazarus pit is magic).

damian is trained to defeat monsters and humans alike, and is gifted a stygian iron sword for his fifth birthday. bruce/hades had told talia about CHB, and she is finally able to send damian there when he is 10.

he arrives three years after duke (14), five years after steph (16), six years after tim (16), seven years after cass (17), and eight years after dick (19) and jason (17)

BABS

has been at CHB since she was 13, the same year dick & jason arrived. she is the new oracle of delphi. basically rachel elizabeth dare. is 21 when damian arrives. was paralyzed at 16 when she tried to interfere with a prophecy, and has been in a wheelchair since

HELENA

daughter of ares, became a Hunter of Artemis at 16 (the year duke arrived at CHB)

[faeriekit]

PRIDE stuff I recommend incorporating into a library/school storytime if your community is mildly uncomfy confronting that sometimes two men kiss, go!

Find a book that has a tangible story to it! For this storytime, I used Subway Baby, which is explicitly about two men who have a child together, but is more about the discovery of the child at a subway station in NYC and the process it takes to becomes a family. Heartwarming, a real story that happened to real people, and takes place in a familiar setting (for a bunch of NJ kids.) Another book I might use in place of this would be a book like Julián and the Wedding, which is about attending a wedding with two brides, but is centered instead in a story about what to wear to a wedding (and all the silliness fancy clothes cause.)

You can also pick books that aren't explicitly queer, even when the topics are: Except When They Don't, Fred Gets Dressed, and Princess Kevin are all titles that toy around with gender presentation and clothing without explicitly making the story about gender, making it obvious that 1) clothing is silly and 2) you should do what makes you happy. A boy is a princess. A girl is a football star. Your friends are astronauts dinosaur cowboys who live on Mars! All is well, be happy being you.

USE THE FLAGS! Every stripe has a meaning! Teaching the kids what every stripe in a flag stands for, and how to relate it to their own life makes the sight less intimidating and something more familiar. Since I read for real real real little ones, it's also a great chance to practice color recognition with them lol. "What color is this? Wow, you're so smart! This color stands for THIS big word, which means (longer explanation.)" I use this in Pride-Specific storytimes so there's a break between books.

Make the storytime about pride! ...No, like the emotion. Unless the kids have out people active in their life from a young age, they're probably not going to immediately understand what Queer and Pride and Gay and Trans and LGBT+ are or how they relate to them or each other or the fact that they could discover stuff about themselves later on in life...dumb it down. At most storytime ages, they're still in the process of building their self image and sense of well-being. Being proud is about being happy with yourself and what you do. You're a cool kid, and you should get to celebrate all the things about your life that you love! I ended my Pride storytime with teaching kids a new big word: ✨affirmations✨. Say one nice thing about yourself! This is something nice I say about you! Parents, affirmations are a great way to build self confidence and practice big vocab words. Try them out at home, reciting them in the mirror or putting them on stickey notes around the house.

Decorate your reading space. Hehehehehe rainbows 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 No, seriously. The more fun the room is, the friendlier the topic feels.

And, of course, I end all storytimes with a hi five and good word to the kids' adults. Kid was energetic? They were so fun and excited today! Kid was zoned out? They were so well behaved! Two things can simultaneously be true.

Tips for non-librarians: for the coolest lgbt kids books, they're hiding in the nonfiction section. Seriously. Books about Gilbert Baker sewing the first flag and Marsha P Johnson and Stonewall and lgbt history around the world... In Nonfic. LAME. BOO. MOVE THEM TO MY COLLECTION INSTEAD HELLO. I WANT THEM. *grabby hands*

[badchoicesworld]

hello !! i love the way you write :] !! i was just wonderin if you do requests for 42!Miles ? it's no problem if you dont but if you do id be so grateful for one with a masc reader :'D reader is an artist like miles or could maybe be his spiderman as well ? thank you !

miles 42 w/ an artistic spider-reader !

earth 42 miles x masc!reader

i’ll be the first to admit that i was a lil stumped since we don’t know all too much about wiles, but i did some digging and figured he’s gonna be around 17, vigilante and there’s a lot of things in his design that helped me figure out his personality (i think, anyway. please for the love of god don’t let my education be in vain)

wasn’t sure if you wanted platonic, general shit or romance so i just sprinkled a bit of everything in this because we need more masc fanfiction out there (fun fact, i write fanfiction but i do not read it)

if this is just shit lemme know and i’ll go missing <3

warnings: none

pairing: miles 42 x masc!reader

requests: OPEN RAAHH

it was so fucking hard to find a half decent cap of this man

★⋆ ⋆☆⋆ ☠︎︎ ⋆☆⋆⋆★✧

AIGHT if you’re to become earth 42 spiderman then it’s likely under the same circumstances as miles 1610. or, who knows, maybe there’s another radioactive spider hanging about somewhere that bit you

REGARDLESS imma go ahead and say that this bite is gonna be a recent thing, otherwise NYC wouldn’t be in such a state

unless you just like people to suffer idk

you and miles are friends before the bite, can’t imagine he tolerates a lot of people now with all the stuff he has on his mind so you’re a long time friend, maybe more

miles is the guy you go to straight away with this, if you’ve discovered you have these incredible powers and suddenly heightened senses

just imagine the revelation when you realise what this can mean for the world

spider-man wasn’t a thing in this dimension, so you’re a completely new beacon of hope

earth-42, if you haven’t seen the test animation, seems pretty corrupt and fucked

miles and uncle aaron seem to be a vigilante pair that steal things like medicine for hospitals, maybe because the state of the world just means they’re short of resources, or it’s being led by a really disgusting government

miles 42 is a good guy . you cant change my mind

miles has been the prowler for however many years at this stage, uncle aaron being his right hand man in operations

regardless of how close the two of you are, this is something that he’s kept hidden from you if he can help it

but all of that is just recklessly discarded when he realised you can help, it’s new hope, and he’s desperate

he’s still incredibly discreet when talking about it, especially when you two are in his home

the last thing he wants is to get his mother involved, that woman means the world to him and he’d die before she was exposed to this stuff

but let’s assume you two take on this role together, young vigilantes that have to make things in the world right

it’s a secret that you two have sworn up and down about never telling another soul, no matter what

miles is the prowler and you’re spider-man, go make a difference

while you guys are vigilantes together, you are still kids. minors, whatever

so, yeah, you do still get to go to school and live the best of both worlds if you’d like to

you take the same art class together, you’re both acing tf outta it because i said so

but let’s be honest, miles 42 is way more stern and focused, he might have been like the other miles we know at some point, but not anymore

his design is all sharp and rigid, hatched- this is a reflection of his personality

you’ve definitely helped to instil some hope in him, though

you can see him soften up every once in a while, and god knows he loves his mum, we love to see it

probably the most domestic thing you guys will get to experience is designing your suits together. naturally, all spider-people are stupidly smart so you can actually contribute to tech design and build things to execute missions more effectively and efficiently

even if you two are boyfriends, things just seem so tense all of the time in that world

unfortunately, earth-42 is a place where you have to have eyes in the back of your head, but you two get to act as that for each other so you don’t constantly have to be looking over your shoulders paranoid

granted, it’s a tough role

new york is in ruins thanks to the unfortunate circumstances, but your dimension has a spider-man now, hopefully you can help the world heal

actual missions can get intense at the drop of a hat

prowler is all about stealth, so recon missions have to be done with serious precision and there is no room for mistakes

especially when it comes to stealing resources for the people, miles isn’t physically willing to let these things sit idle and go to waste when people are dying

it’s life or death, you two have to rely on each other whole heartedly

since miles doesn’t have his own webs, he relies on ropes and harness, but it all changes after you’ve gotten bitten

with your abilities, you two are able to move to much faster and fluently while fleeing a scene, it’s impressive

being caught isn’t nearly as risky thanks to your spider senses

he’s not vocal about it, but miles appreciates you so much

i don’t think that he’s gonna be some overly protective guy when he knows you can protect yourself, that’s just wasted energy and honestly insulting of him

again, even if you are together

he loves you and cares about your safety, you’re the man who’s helping him make the world a better place

he’ll worry if situations become dire, but he TRUSTS that you’ll be okay

you’ve got his back and he’s got yours

when all’s said and done, if something ever goes south, spider-man always gets back up

you’ll lick your wounds (tend to them properly but very reluctantly because you all know there’s so few resources)

probably relies on really gentle words of affirmation at the end of the day, otherwise you two wouldn’t cope

those nights are when he’ll use spanish terms of endearment (masculine), he doesn’t want you to feel neglected in a way

you’ll tuck away your suits together once the days come to an end and silently swear to secrecy once again, before the weight of being teenage vigilantes together takes over and you collapse onto the nearest surface together

he’d be a fool to not feel safe in his own home, especially with you and his mother in it (you too aaron, welcome back)

bonus:

before the world turned upside down, you and him used to get caught all of the time tagging different places with graffiti, Mr Morales was not pleased

if you ever get those peaceful moments of bliss amidst the chaos, your ability to climb walls is really helpful when spray painting up high

you can see just the faintest trace of the old miles, the artist who was completely doe eyed about the future

★⋆ ⋆☆⋆ ☠︎︎ ⋆☆⋆⋆★✧

DID I SLAY ? PLE

[wordwarriors]

World Building

I'm a little late with the summary, but here it is. Thanks to everyone who attended and see you all again next month!

Where does your story take place?

Real-world v created world: You can use the world that we live in as it is. You can use the world that we live in with some tweaks. You can use alternate timelines/universes or create an entirely fictional world.

Alternate timelines Ex: modern day real world but WW I never happened.

High v low fantasy:

High fantasy refers to epic fantasy which is set in an alternate world. It typically includes lots of magical elements, fantastical creatures, and unusual technology. Whereas low fantasy is when magical creatures and elements intrude upon the regular world.

Things to consider/include:

Magic system

Geography

Political systems

Religion

Culture

Is there a class system? What does that look like?

Being grounded in the real world doesn’t save you from having to world-build.

What continent, country, city? Urban or rural? Mountains? Beach? A country can be set in the real world but it’s a fictional country. A city can be fictional. It can be based on NYC for example but still be fictional. Change the name and whatever else you need to.

You can blend real and imagined. Ex: Used the name of a real restaurant but placed it in a different town, etc.

Example: I used real roads but fake places. Anyone local will recognize the intersection but I put a fictional forest where a horse pasture actually sits.

You can create fictional shops, buildings, etc in NYC. NYC is real but the places aren’t.

Example: I had to create a building with a helipad in a story once b/c there are no helipads in that area, but I needed one for my story to work so I made it up. Could have used an actual one but my characters would have had to get past the FBI barricade, so it was easier to make up a building that was inside the perimeter.

Note:

If using magic, one must first establish how it normally works before showing it malfunctioning. Same if the character is supposed to be super strong or smart or something, establish that first so the reader understands what is normal in this world before the thing goes wrong.

Establishing Scenes: tell us all of the above. But do it in a way that shows not tells.

Also, make sure it matters. You need rich world-building but the reader doesn’t care what your character's first car was unless that information tells us something important about the character that we need to know, like he worked three summers in a row to earn the money because his parents were poor. Or because they were rich but stingy. Or because they were rich but wanted him to learn to earn things rather than have things handed to him. (if this is important to set a tone for his character or personality, ie, learned the value of hard work or this is why he resents his parents or this is why he is so driven to succeed in his career so he never goes hungry again!

Fabulous establishing world-building scene courtesy of @karahalloway:

The horse responds with a sour-faced snort, stepping quickly past the moss-covered waypost — a brazen reminder of this land's heathen roots. Because despite the House of Rys' conversion to Christianity almost a millennia ago, in the far-flung reaches of the kingdom — where the roads ran out, and the name of the King is just that... a name — the tenet of the old ways is more than just a memory. It is a living, breathing ethos. Suffused into the very heart of this harsh, rugged, yet beautiful land. Where portents, spells, and otherworldly creatures exist in the same breath as Christ, the Eucharist, and Judgement Day, and the very air crackles with mysticism and superstition. Which is partly what drew me here — to the edge of the proverbial map, where the laws of Cordonia fray into irrelevance in the face of the jagged peaks of the snow-capped mountains, and your fortune is what you craft it to be.

This sets the stage with so many rich details: geography, history, socio-political, religious background, his place in this world,etc.

Please, if I've missed anything, feel free to mention it in the comments and I'll add it!

Also, check out these articles:

World Building

February Event:

Live Discussion on character building on Friday, February 23rd, 2024 12:00 p.m. CST

Word Warriors:

@karahalloway @aussiegurl1234 @harleybeaumont @alj4890 @peonierose @petiteboheme @twinkleallnight @lizzybeth1986 @noesapphic @thedistantshoresproject

@ryns-ramblings @tate-lin @nestledonthaveone

@aallotarenunelma @kristinamae093 @coffeeheartaddict2 @memorias-depresivas

@jerzwriter

[joesalw]

You really can't write this shit lmao...

TS's friend group consists of Miss 'idc about genocide and continue to employ a bloodthirsty zionist CEO for my makeup brand' and Cara D who's great grandfather created the Black and Tans which is a terrorist organisation that killed Irish people during the Irish War of Independence. A group that also sent their people to kill Palestinians in favor of establishing the state of Israel. Last night these 3 went to Ramy Youssef's (who Taylor probably met at the "Poor Things" premiere) comedy show in NYC and 100% of the proceeds would go to the Gaza relief fund. The thing is, Selena and Taylor are getting all the credit and praise for Ramy's activism. I've been a fan of her work for the past 10 years and her recent activities have turned me off of her completely. The turning point was that pathetic TIME interview.

I've always thought of her as this well-read individual who can masterfully express herself whether it would be public speaking or writing but I couldn't help but cringe while reading that article. She tries too hard to appeal to gen z and younger millennial crowd when she herself is practically pushing 40 atp. I feel like all of her 'intelligence' came from being around Joe Alwyn who's a notorious bookworm. The fact that she describes her Rep era as 'goth-punk' was the first strike, the 2016 hate train as a ' career death' was the 2nd and the whole patriarchy delusion she went into just hit the final nail in the coffin and I was like 'nope, not doing this shit anymore'.

I know that swifties have been comparing her to Beyonce lately saying things like 'well, Taylor writes her songs' or 'Beyonce can't read' and talking about how she doesn't give interviews so people don't know that she's dumb. And as a comparison I've found her Harper's Bazaar interview that she gave when she turned 40. And good God, I've slept on this woman for way too long. In the interview she talks about building her work ethic from an early age. The dedication of her life's decades (First decade was dedicated to dreaming, the teens were about the grind, the 20s were about building a strong foundation for her career and establishing her legacy, the 30s were about starting her family and prioritizing her own life over her career). She started her own management company at 27, in 2013 she started her charity foundation in which she helps hurricane relief, education, supporting minorities businesses, families with housing needs, water crises, pediatric health care and pandemic relief. She talks about expanding her business ventures beyond music industry, talks about setting boundaries in the world of celebrity culture, about her friends being a group of strong independent women, about the importance of mental health. She also says that she's most inspired by her parents ("My mother has always been my Queen and still is. She has always been so strong and is filled with humanity", "No matter how tired she was, she was always professional, loving, and nurturing."; "My father constantly encouraged me to write my own songs and create my own vision. He is the reason I wrote and produced at such a young age."). That woman is so well-spoken and genuine you can't help but feel warm while reading it and she doesn't feel the need of throwing unnecessary 'smart people' words to seem that way.

Reading Taylor's "Person of the Year" profile and Beyonce's 'Entering 40s' interview were completely different experiences. And as a result, one of them lost a fan and the other gained one. I wish Tree Paine would stop Taylor from giving these interviews because everytime she does, she comes across as tone-deaf, out of touch, mentally stuck overgrown teenager, try-hard bratty diva who can't stand being not the only one praised.

Anyway, I'd recommend to read the full interview and watching her new film. I've watched it yesterday and got the urge of turning my life around. That lady is truly such a light.

Taylor's friend list also includes 'Mr. and Mrs. plantation with slave cabins on the property wedding', 'a sex offender and a SA apologist as the newest addition', 'Ms. "I assaulted my own sister", ' an insecure and whiny music producer who likes to stir drama on Taylor's behalf'. And not to mention that she's dated a nazi this year and her newest flavour of the month is a fatphobic jock with a double digit iq, her father is also an avid republican voter. I think the people she surrounds herself with tell about her more than she does herself.

And concluding with two cents about Joe Alwyn. I'm glad she's out of his life. While I was a swiftie I've watched his interviews and he always came across as a very gentle, calm, well-spoken and a bit introverted man. And she's... well, her. I also think that she'd held him back in her job in regards of producers and directors not wanting their work to be overshadowed by 'Taylor's BF is in this' articles. I'm hoping he does more projects in the future or maybe dips his toes in writing and directing something because clearly he's a talented writer.

Sorry for the long rant, had to get it out of my system <3

I love reading your rants, keep it coming. they are so on point.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

The world moves too fast now for anyone to get to the levels of Julia and George in the 90s/early 2000s....now you can literally be hot on Monday and not on Tuesday. The markets are oversaturated and social media has literally changed the world now people literally know every single thing there is to know about you within 30 minutes of you appearing in public and before people had years to get to know and love someone now everyone moves too fast to Carr and if they don't like you now then it's OK cos their is 30 other people exactly like you for them to choose from.

I also think Meghan has overplayed her hand too many times and she the fact she doesn't have a specific demographic to cater to either hurts her and any brand she's trying to build she's too old for the TikTok crowd she's too young and common for the NYC old money society crowds she's not talented or famous enough for Hollywood she literally doesn't have a single space she can occupy even the oh I'm famous cos I married someone famous club is ram packed and the only difference she had was she married royalty but now he's not even royalty he's 3rd row Harry on a commercial flight home and hour later.

She really put a lot into her "The Duchess/Duchess Meghan brand in the 2 or so years she was a royal and then spent the next 3 years completely smashing it to shreds....like why should we care that she's royal if being royal is as awful as she says it is?

Even the mom and baby club is full and it's full of people who actually show their kids 🙈 celebrity lifestyle and wellness?? Full and with people whi project an aspirational lifestyle....do you want to be like the 40 year old ex actress who spends her whole life fighting with her family and suing the press? Nope...me neither.

If she had spent the last 3 years building her own brand instead of trying to tear down the RFs she might be in better shape.

Even the divorce is gonna go against her IMO cos people genuinely just don't like her, she's not authentic and people can spot she's a fake a mile off, that's why the sugars and her PR attack Kate so much Kate is the real deal, anyone with half a brain cell can tell she was born to do this in fact she does it better than most of the people who were born to do this but Kate also knows this takes work she has honed her skills for over 2 decades..... Meghan is too petty, juvenile and lazy to do that or anything close to it.

I don't see WME being a game changer for her either, she loves attaching herself to big brands and names cos it makes her feel important but she doesn't have any follow through and nothing comes of it, have you ever heard of the sadim touch? It's the opposite to the midas touch and that's what she has. I know we all like to joke but she literally turned a prince into a pauper, he was the most popular royal (even more popular than the monarch) and now he's known as the frozen todger guy sitting in the nosebleeds at his fathers coronation 🙈

Sorry for the essay, if you made it this far congrats 🤣🤣

Great essay!!

I agree with you generally, but I think she a window. The royal connection (tenuous as it is right now) is valuable and it differentiates her. Also, the “feminist princess” brand the palace built for her is still compelling. They did a great job for her there. The “royal Rachel Zane” persona would still sell.

WME can’t do miracles, but they can get her a guest spot in The View. They can’t get her a job, but they can get her a guest spot, particularly if she delivers a second season of Archetypes that is not seven episodes of narcissism. She can go on Drew’s show. She can get the ghostwriter to write her a bestselling memoir that is not just cringe bitching about her family. She can get someone talented to write her a few good essays for Time. If she’s smart and she works hard she can do it. If she’s super smart and she divorces him, she has an even better chance of sound it.

But that’s the problem. She’s not smart and she doesn’t work hard. She’s going to buy herself some awards, do some random passive aggressive bitching, pose for a few paps, and call it a day. So, in the end, it’s not going to work out for her.

[servants-hall]

‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2 Behind the Scenes: How Fashion Defines Each Character (PHOTOS)

by Kelli Boyle

Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey (2011-2016) [mod note: on PBS in the US], set that upstairs-downstairs series at a palatial British estate on the eve of World War I. He moved his newest costume drama Stateside to the streets of New York City. Set in the late 1800s, The Gilded Age, which has its second-season premiere on Sunday, October 29 on HBO (streaming on Max), pits the new money of railroad barons against the old money of New York society. The powerful fight for control of the city and use their wealth to measure social success. And dressing for success was its own full-time occupation.

When researching women’s fashion in 1800s New York, the show’s costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone saw one thing clearly: “Their life was a catwalk. There was this enormous excitement” when the ladies trekked the bustling, dusty streets of Manhattan. Her job was to recreate that excitement for contemporary viewers of The Gilded Age.

Fashion as a Sign of Status

Who’s doing all this promenading? Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) arrived in NYC with no money and was taken in by her aunts Ada (Cynthia Nixon) and Agnes (Christine Baranski), both living off an inheritance. Then the newly affluent Russells—headed by railroad baron George (Morgan Spector) and wife Bertha (Carrie Coon), who is determined to break into polite society—moved in across the street.

Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon) and Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) head to church on Easter morning in ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2 premiere. Niece Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) follows close behind (Credit: Barbara Nitke/HBO)

The frill thrills continue in Season 2, especially in a pivotal garden party scene (pictured below) that TV Insider observed being filmed in September 2022 at New York’s lavish Old Westbury Gardens estate. (Westbury House was previously home to an heir of the Phipps family, real-life Gilded Age figures whose patriarch made his fortune alongside Andrew Carnegie at his steel company.) On set was Fellowes, whose smart black suit and tie were the only dark hues around.

Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga), George Russell (Morgan Spector), and Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) step out for Easter mass in ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2 premiere (Credit: Barbara Nitke/HBO)

Historically Accurate Costumes

It’s a testament to the wardrobe department that the stunning colors of the sprawling grounds nearly pale in comparison to the vibrancy of the women’s period garb. Despite the sepia-toned images in history books, Walicka-Maimone says, those bright tints are decidedly historically accurate. She has a library of more than 35,000 reference images to prove it.

“It’s shocking to our modern eye to see the explosion of color from that period,” she said. Production designer Bob Shaw (who won an Emmy for his work on Gilded Age) was present to share his creative process, which, just as Walicka-Maimone described of her own work, is “deeply steeped in history.”

Nicole Brydon Bloom joins the cast for Season 2, pictured here at the garden party with Blake Ritson’s Oscar van Rhijn (Credit: Barbara Nitke/HBO)

He does note that, when deciding between “what is correct and what feels correct,” the latter always wins. Creative liberties are taken to “build [character] histories into the costumes,” Walicka-Maimone added.

A Garden Party to Remember

Take Brit newcomers Dashiell Montgomery (David Furr) and his daughter, Frances (Matilda Lawler), for example. Nephew by marriage to Baranski’s Agnes, Dashiell requires more “toned-down” attire suitable for social outings, which contrasts with Season 1’s primarily business and formal menswear.

Aurora Fane (Kelli O’Hara) and husband Charles Fane (Ward Horton) attend the garden party in ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 2 (Credit: Barbara Nitke/HBO)

Dashiell must escort Frances through society in his late wife’s absence. One consideration for Walicka-Maimone: “This is a girl who doesn’t have a mother, so there’s probably extra care from all the other family members in [dressing her],” she said.

Meanwhile, Marian, who Jacobson said is “shining this season and sees herself in [younger] Frances,” will be more open to a strategic marriage. Marian’s “not necessarily cynical” after being jilted by Tom Raikes (Thomas Cocquerel) in last season’s finale, the actress continued, but the heartbreak gives her a “spice and edge.”

Don’t count out the possibility of a romance with Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), son of the railroad titan, which was teased last year. Jacobson shared: “They will definitely continue to deepen their friendship.” Old money and new money unite!

[noturlondonboy]

No More Excuses//Katelena

Chapter 6: What are You Running From?

Pairing: Kate Bishop x Yelena Belova

Chapter Summary: Yelena takes a lap around the city, doing her best to avoid her problems just like the rest of us.

A/N: anyone else like to run? Or avoid the bad things in their lives? Or both…?

Chapter Warnings: Depression, Yelena/Natasha angst

Yelena Belova considered herself an intellectual in badassery. A connoisseur, if you will. A maestro. A legend.

She absolutely did not feel like a legend right now.

While it was true that she never got to properly enjoy the high that came along with jumping off of buildings and leaping between moving cars, she was generally able to find some comfort and bodily rhythm in running. The Red Room had stolen indescribable amounts of precious life from her, but she was lucky enough in this one regard.

Yelena could run.

She wasn't running from anything in particular of course- no. No one was chasing her, and she had no end goal in mind, but the air was so sharp and wonderful in her lungs that she kept pushing her body until the pain had built and eventually faded.

Runner's High, Natasha had told her once, her sister's voice deep with exhaustion over a call late one night before the Blip. You run and you don't stop and everything just melts away.

Simply put, Yelena was addicted. If she were to make a list of her favorite things, Natasha would be number one. Vodka and running would be remarkably close to each other, along with her sort-of-parents, her dog, and the vest she had given Natasha all those years ago.

Funny thing was, it didn't feel that long ago to Yelena. She lost five years and her sister in one fell swoop, and Yelena had no experience to show for it.

So she ran. Away from the grief, away from the terror of being lost and aimless and oh so alone. Because of course she was running from something. Yelena wasn't stupid enough to convince herself she was okay. She wasn't, but she was at peace with that. Or she hoped she could be one day, anyway.

Yelena was the world's best child assassin. She was 30 years old, had a dog, and had more blood money than she knew what to do with. She had parents who loved her and whom she loved back dearly, even if the situation was very strange and they were rather dodgy at best. She was a daughter. She was a killer. Maybe even a friend.

But she was not a sister anymore. And that title had mattered most.

She indulged herself, letting the tears fall and freeze against her cheeks as she continued to run. She had bought new running shoes just the other day, and the uncomfort of breaking them in only fueled her further. She didn't actually have any errands to attend to, as she had told Kate before disappearing as quickly as she could.

There had been something there with the archer, and it scared Yelena. So she left. Very smart.

Сука.

It was well into the afternoon and brimming over into the evening before Yelena's body finally gave out, and she forced herself to scale a small building before collapsing onto the roof to catch her breath and rest. She ignored the cold of the cement underneath as it bit through her thin layers. In her haste to get out of Kate's orbit, she hadn't thought to grab a hoodie from where she had her clothes stashed in a closet she knew Kate never used.

Yelena sucked in a deep, shuddering breath, frost nipping down the inside of her throat and deep into her lungs. She spread her aching limbs out slowly, stretching the muscles as they shrieked and twanged. Yelena only exhaled at the pain, welcoming the familiarity.

The clouds above her were a crisp ivory, puffy and swollen and dipping into celestial pools of purples and reds. A few stars twinkled out shyly, doing their best against the NYC light pollution.

We're both upside down.

Yelena screwed her eyes shut and rubbed a hand over her forehead. Another headache was forming, and the cold seeping into her skin wasn't helping.

Forgive me, little sister.

She lets out an angry sigh and rolls onto her stomach, scooting forward to prop her arms up on the lip of the building and rest her chin on her wrist. The part of the city she had ended up in was vaguely familiar, and she took a moment to mull it over before realizing she was only a block or two away from Kate's apartment. She had barely even made the discovery when she spotted a familiar figure trudging along through the freezing January air, arms laden down with grocery bags.

Yelena watched Kate Bishop carefully until she turned a corner, and was gone. And until the sun went down, her eyes stayed where the archer had just been.

————

Yelena spends the next morning walking around the city outskirts with her dog, Fanny. The akita was beyond delighted to see her human when Yelena picked her up from the canine hotel last night, and they cuddled in a crappy bed at a cheap hostel Yelena had rented for the night. She needed her puppy, and who knew how Lucky and Kate would react to her?

Her legs ached from her run yesterday, but the pinch in her muscles was a welcome distraction from it all.

New York was a completely different place if you timed it right. Yelena settled onto a park bench, leaning into the cold wood and metal. Once again, she was grateful that there was no snow. She may be able to ignore the freezing January weather when it was dry, but a wet and cold Yelena made for a very cranky Yelena.

Fanny hopped up onto the bench with her, perching herself tall and proud next to the blonde. Yelena smiled softly, her hand running through the dog's thick coat. "You'll need a haircut once the sun comes back, huh, girl?" she muttered, burying her face in her scruff. Fanny yipped and nuzzled at her cheek with a cold nose, her eyes bright in the morning glow.

"It is beautiful out here," the assassin breathed to herself, appreciating how the people-filled buildings and general noise faded away with the distance she put between herself and the city. "You and I will have to check out Central Park soon, I suppose. We have yet to see it. Kate Bishop would probably have some strange recommendations."

Yelena's dog huffed and licked at her hands, looking for treats. The blonde huffed a laugh, giving in after only a moment and pulling the bag from her coat pocket. Fanny immediately gave a hopeful whine and hopped down to sit on the pavement, tail wagging as her body quivered with anticipation.

Yelena could only let out a deep laugh, holding a treat up in the air between her fingers and twirling her hand in a circle. Fanny obeyed easily, spinning quickly and sitting right back down with large eyes.

Yelena clicked her tongue and held her palm out, and Fanny handed over her paw. A flattened hand with palm down got the dog on her belly. Another click and a hand raised high in a fist had her standing on her back legs, and once every treat was gone, Yelena grinned at her pride and joy.

"So smart, so precious, cute cute puppy," she cooed, rubbing Fanny's ears and fawning over her in proper motherly fashion. The rest of the morning went nearly the same, the two traveling around to various locations where Yelena would muster up another bag of treats from her coat and fill Fanny up on them.

It was around noon when she finally made up her mind about what to do next. She had left Kate Bishop rather abruptly, and something nagged at her gut, insisting she hurry back.

She didn't know why. Yelena didn't like not knowing.

"I suppose I need to figure out why I'm still in this awful country, don't I?" Yelena conceded to Fanny, looking down at her adorable pup with a pout that was nearly perfectly replicated. "Kate Bishop does not need a bigger ego. I am not just here for her."

Fanny blinked and gave a doggy grin, breath fogging in the air as her tongue lolled.

"Natasha was here. For a long time. She made a home and a life for herself. That is why. For my Natasha."

Natasha was a perfectly logical and viable reason. But Yelena knew that she was lying to herself, at least a little bit. It stung, but not too much. Natasha would want her to find a reason to smile.

Yelena would never tell anyone of course, but she was secretly beyond relieved she had not killed Clint Barton. The retired Avenger was the last living connection to her sister, the only other person in the world who loved her as much as she did. If she had snuffed out his life and later learned of the precious stories and memories he had held, the weight of grief would have completely taken her under.

Kate Bishop = Clint Barton, she would reason with herself. Get to Kate to get to Clint to get to Natasha.

If only it were that easy.

Translations:

-Сука (Suka): Bitch

Kate Bishop counter: 5

This chapter's meme:

[adventuresofahobbywriter]

Hello!

I've recently picked up the hobby of writing (not for anyone else just myself for fun lol) and I need some help with my characters.

The story revolves around a group of boarding school student that find a portal in the woods that teleports them to a fantasy world that's very much like a DnD type of environment. The group also transform into a race and class so they can fit into that world.

It's a group of six which feels like a pretty big group of characters, but the problem is that I LOVE all of them. I feel like I need to cut one or two of them or possibly repurpose them, but I can't decide who. I thought a good idea would be coming here and hopefully getting some feedback about what to do or possibly who to cut.

Here's the characters!

Emma Parker (15) Seattle, Washington

A 5'2, kind of muscular girl. She has blonde poofy hair that she only ever wears in a loose ponytail. Like the kind of loose ponytail that's not on purpose, but like the scrunchie was just a liiiiiitle too loose and then she went on a run. She usually wears athletic shorts, a soccer shirt, and a windbreaker. She also always wears a knee brace due to some undisclosed injury (we all know one). Her skin is a little tanner because she spends so much time outside and her cheeks and nose are always a little red. She's a very energetic and excited person, but VERY competitive and always feels the need to push herself to be better even if it's dangerous.

Kiyana (Ana) Ramesh (16) NYC, New York

She's 5'8 and kind of slender. The child of two Desi immigrants. She is at the school on a scholarship but, after being bullied at her last school, she decided to not tell anyone that information and instead joined the "popular" group. She is an EXTREMELY smart girl, but tends to act dumb and a little snobby to keep up with her new friends. She has black hair that reaches just past her shoulders and she is constantly trying to keep it tamed by straightening it or curling it. Her makeup is always done perfectly and she usually dresses preppy.

Abigail Whitlock (16) Oregon

Abigail is about 5'6 and curvy. She has brown skin and dark brown curly hair (about 3c). She was adopted at birth by a single woman. Her mom is the Headmistress of the school, the near constant supervision causing her to be slightly rebellious and stubborn. She dresses in a more alternative / goth style, wearing heavier eyeliner and black lipstick. She spends most of her time doing some type of creative projects (painting, knitting, sculpting, sewing, etc.)

Lucas Haine (15) Miami, Florida

A 5'8 lanky boy. Lucas has dark skin and dark brown / black hair that he wears in twists down past his ears. He has large brown eyes and most of the time gets mistaken for a 8th grader or freshman because of his youthful appearance. He usually wears ripped jeans, t shirts, and a flannel. He's usually either riding or carrying around his skateboard with the underside covered in stickers and doodles done by Abigail. He is smart and likes very stereotypical nerdy things, he's on the robotics team, TTRPG club, and comic books. Because he's so smart, he can come across at a bit of a know-it-all, especially when they end up in the fantasy world and he knows a good bit more than the others about how that world works.

Colin Walsh (16) Dublin, Ireland

Between 6' and 6'2 kind of muscular but you can't really tell (think sleeper build.) He has pale skin, but covered head to toe in freckles. His hair is red and fluffy with big curls. His face is covered by black rimmed glasses. He usually wears a sweatshirt over a disheveled button-up shirt, tan slacks, and either sneakers or dressier shoes. Ever since he moved to the US, he's developed a pretty intense coffee addiction. Stopping by the cafeteria between classes to refill his travel mug. He is very sarcastic and enjoys picking on his friends, it takes A LOT to get him worked up. He plays a lot of video games and is a member of the chess team.

Jae Chung (16) Los Angeles, California

5'10 and lean from being on the swim team. All the students come from pretty wealthy families, but his is by far the richest. He has black hair that's parted down the middle with the bangs hanging down onto his forehead (ngl look up Sang Heon Lee and that's who I imagine). He dresses very fashionable and always wears a silver chain around his neck. He's confident and egotistical, usually very concerned with his looks.

Just some extra info:

At the start Lucas, Colin, and Abigail are very close friends and hang out daily.

Lucas is the one who finds the portal.

I kind of want a Colin x Ana thing (not sure why, I just feel it)

I'm sorry this is such a long post! If you want to give some feedback I would be very appreciative! (:

[forourtimetoo]

Sometimes I think about how northerners talk about the south—about the gay guy I know who told someone he’s from Alabama and they said “oh that must be so hard for you”, about the people who went “oh ~wow~” when I told them I was moving back south after law school, about the time someone who I guarantee is from the northeast joked that people in Mississippi just don’t write things down, about the roommate from Minnesota who casually said “people in the south don’t have rights”, about the roommate from New Hampshire who talked about southerners as if we were all conservative, about the grad school classmates in California who said “ohhh” and then immediately changed the topic when I told them my dad made safety videos for petrochemical refineries because that’s pretty much the only industry in Cancer Alley, about my friend’s partner who laughed at the idea of me finding someone progressive & smart (& preferably well-off because I will not be) to date in the south—and then I compare it to the southerners I see whenever I leave the house down here?

There’s a guy in my parents’ neighborhood out in the exurbs where the country begins who flies a Ukrainian flag now. Driving this week, I saw a car with a Better South, Better World sticker turning into this city’s NFL team’s training camp. I got my hair cut in the conservative suburbs this week and there was a woman in a pride flag T-shirt. I went to a museum today and there were multiple queer couples and gender nonconforming folks wandering around holding hands. I went to pick up some cake from a local gay baker and there was a woman who walked by wearing a tank top saying “Jesus loves sex workers.” Like I don’t know, y’all. Sure, the south is a fucking terrifying place to be sometimes. Sure, we’re gerrymandered to hell. Sure, our elected officials would sell us all out for a solitary corn chip. But the south is full of badass people who have spent their lives fighting and are more functionally progressive in a lot of ways by virtue of that than any leftist card-carrying DSA member I’ve met in either CA or NYC. Will they use the same terms as y’all? Maybe not. Will they have some reservations about some things? For sure. But these people are tough af and deserve way more respect than they get 87% of the time.

Anyway I feel like that rant has been building for approximately six years so uh. There y’all go!

[kelso211]

I Fall In Love Too Fast - Part One

I’ve been wanting to get back into writing and I’ve been working on this Mike Faist fic for ages and it’s not finished yet, but I’ve decided to post what I’ve got so far because who knows when I will actually finish it. Feel free to leave feedback! 

A couple of things - the “I love The Smiths” thing is not a 500 Days of Summer reference, just an annoying coincidence because I read an interview that said Mike listens to The Smiths haha. And the title is from a Chet Baker song which is another artist he listens to (according to this interview). 

Enjoy! 

Emily Dunberry knew she wasn't anything special. The middle of three daughters, she wasn't stunningly beautiful and charismatic like her older sister or hilarious and freakishly smart like her younger one. You'd never see a hair stylist replicating the plain brown of the locks that were most often in a messy bun atop her head, and she'd inherited her father's build in that she was rake thin with absolutely no curves anywhere. Even her height was exactly average, at 5 foot 4 inches.

It wasn't that she was ugly. She was just plain. Unremarkable. Forgettable.

She was creative though. Good at art. She'd topped all the visual arts classes at school and even as a sophomore was the best at doing makeup for the drama club's productions. No one was surprised when she pursued a career as a theatrical makeup artist. She was good at it too. By 27 she had a variety of jobs from film and TV under her belt.

That was how she met Mike.

-

Emily couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she looked around, taking in the enormity of what was happening. She'd worked a lot of cool jobs, but this one would have to be the best so far: Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. Her favourite musical of all time, with the best in the biz at the helm. She could hardly believe she was actually here.

It was early, and the sun had barely broken the horizon, and though she'd hardly slept the night before due to a mixture of excitement and nerves, the adrenalin pumping through her veins meant she wasn't sleepy. Her long brown hair was in its usual messy bun and her brush belt was secured around her waist.

One of the other artists nudged Emily as the door to the makeup trailer opened.

"Here we go".

-

It was only mid-morning, but it was warm in New York City in June. Mike Faist breathed a small sigh of relief at the feeling of air conditioning on his skin as he entered the makeup trailer. A PA ushered him towards the end to the vacant chair. He sat down, catching his reflection in the mirror as he did so. He was dressed in dark jeans and a blue striped t-shirt. There was a rosary around his neck and a silver bracelet on his wrist. He made eye contact with himself in the mirror and began his process of transforming himself from Mike, friendly neighbourhood working actor, into Riff, angry and reckless leader of the Jets.

Someone spoke to him and he jumped, having barely noticed when one of the MUAs had appeared in front of him.

"Sorry," the young woman said with a chuckle. Mike returned her smile.

"No, that's okay. Sorry - I was just... getting myself in the headspace, you know?" He spoke with an accent that wasn't his natural mid-western one but that of a boy from NYC in the 50s. He'd been doing it for weeks now and it came naturally, as if he'd been speaking in it his whole life.

"Oh yeah, for sure, don't let me interrupt. Sorry," she responded, looking at the laminated card in front of her with sketches and instructions about what makeup was required for this actor. Mike Faist, Riff.

"Do you two realise there's been three sorrys between you in the last 12 seconds?" One of the hair stylists remarked with amusement as she rubbed some gel between her palms and started working on Mike's hair.

He and the young woman exchanged a smile in the mirror.

"Do your thing," she said, picking up a make-up sponge and spraying something into it. "And I'll be quiet and do mine".

Mike laughed. "Okay, deal".

Emily dabbed at Mike's face softly with a sponge. There were no fights or hijinx in the scene they were shooting today so there was only minimal makeup required. She carefully applied his tattoos, and pretended not to notice the way his muscles rippled under her hands.

"Okay," she said softly, turning from the table and bending slightly. “Just tilt your face up for a minute, I need to do your scar". The character of Riff had a small scar under one of his eyes, presumably from a past rumble. She picked up a small angled brush and began painting, furrowing her brow.

“You’ll hurt yourself, concentrating that hard”. 

Mike’s voice snapped her out of her focus haze. He’d only spoken softly, but her face was so close to hers that it didn’t matter, and while she didn’t reply, she did smile and shift her gaze slightly, so that she’d made eye contact with him. 

Mike’s eyes, icy blue with a patch of brown in one thanks to heterochromia, locked with Emily’s emerald green ones, and for a moment everything went very, very quiet. 

Emily's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would rip out of her chest. Her breath caught in her throat and she broke the gaze, shifting her focus back to what she was doing. 

"Okay," she said, putting down the setting spray she'd just used and standing back. "You're all done. Go make trouble for the PRs".

Mike laughed, and made a show of admiring her handy work in the mirror. "Well I look stunning, so thank you for your hard work..." he trailed off.

"Emily".

"Emily. Thank you".

"No problem. Good luck for your scene".

He gave her another smile as he exited the makeup trailer. Emily breathed out heavily, exhausted, and leaned back against the table. It was quieter in the trailer now; everyone had been makeup and sent to set so the only people who remained were crew members sipping from cups of water and checking their phones. 

Sarah,  a hair stylist who Emily had worked together before and was friendly with, elbowed her softly with a smirk. 

“What?” Emily asked, though she had a feeling she knew what Sarah was going to say. She was cheeky, that’s for sure. 

“That Mike Faist is cute, huh? I bet it’ll be a real chore having him in your chair every day”. 

Emily rolled her eyes, the memory of their moment shared causing her heart to speed up again. She felt a blush creep across her face. She shook her head at her friend. "Come on, let's go check out craft services while there's still time".

-

It was hot. So hot that you could see the heat waves reverberating above the pavement as the sun beat down on it. Emily watched Mr Spielberg blocking out the scene and wondered how the bottoms of his shoes weren't melting.

They were shooting the prologue today. From her spot under the shade cloths with the rest of today's on set crew, she watched in awe as the Jets spun and leaped, making each movement seem effortless. Emily couldn't dance to save her life.

Each time cut was called, she and the other MUAs rushed in for sweaty touch ups.

"How's it looking?" Mike asked as Emily dabbed at his face. He was in her chair most days and they'd developed something of a friendship. Sarah liked to tease that he did that on purpose but really it was for continuity.

"Amazing," Emily gushed. "Its insane how you can move your body like that".

"Oh, so you were looking at my body then?" Mike quipped with a cheeky grin.

Emily felt her cheeks turn red. “N-no, I just meant...you know, the way you all dance is amazing...” She trailed off, hoping he hadn’t noticed the way her face was burning, or at least that he’d assume it was from the soaring temperature. 

Mike winked at her playfully before jogging back to the Jets. Okay, so she had a little crush. It was hard not to, when he was so friendly and sweet every time she saw him. And, he was cute. That was definitely a contributing factor. 

It didn't have to mean anything. She'd be on this job for a few months and then she'd probably never cross his path again and her crush on him would fade. And even if it didn't, who cares? He was Mike Faist, Tony nominee. She was... It didn't matter.

She would just enjoy her time, appreciate the work, and move on when it was over.

-

A few weeks later, Emily found herself alone in the makeup trailer. It had been a shorter day of filming that day and there were few people who hadn't left to go enjoy the summer sun. Emily had stayed back, tidying up her area and cleaning her brushes and sponges. She didn't have anywhere to be and she was in no rush to leave. Her two roommates with whom she shared a tiny apartment on the lower east side wouldn't be home for hours. Her family didn't live in New York and she didn't have any pets. Anyway, she enjoyed the quiet and the time to herself.

She carefully laid out the last of her clean brushes to dry and picked up her bag, sliding on her sunglasses as she stepped out of the air conditioned trailer. She was so lost in her own thoughts, debating whether she should walk home through Central Park or get the subway because it was really just so hot outside, that she didn't notice she was walking into someone until she'd already done it.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she apologised in a hurry, taking one of her ear buds out. It was Mike. Of course it was.

He shook his head dramatically. "Jeez, Dunberry, watch where you're going!" But he said it all with a smile. She didn't know how he knew her last name, but it made her feel some kind of way that he did.

"My sincere apologies. I hope I haven't caused you any injuries, Steven would have my head". Mike pretended to check himself over.

"I think you're okay. This time". He shot her a grin and gestured towards his ear. "What are you listening to?"

"The Smiths" she replied, pausing the music and taking the other bud out so as to not be rude. She loved The Smiths.

"I love The Smiths", Mike said. "You heading off?"

"Yeah, all done for the day. You?" The began walking together off the lot.

"Yeah, I was just getting some practice in. I really need to nail the gym scene”.

“Oh yeah, like you don’t nail every scene”. She spoke without even thinking about what she was saying, and she wished she could pluck the words from the air and shove them back into her mouth before he heard them. 

Mike smiled, and gave a small shrug. “This production, you know, it’s amazing, but it’s... hard work”. They were walking down the street now, as if they’d both decided that wherever they were going, they were going together. “I mean, it’s West Side, you know? And Justin’s choreography... and the other guys. It’s lucky I got Riff, coz I’m not good enough for anything else”. 

“Not good enough?! Mike, you were in Newsies”. 

“Yeah, pushing sets around,” he mumbled quietly. An awkward silence hung in the air. 

Since production started, a storm cloud of imposter syndrome had hung over Mike. He hadn’t danced in over ten years ago, not properly, and never at the level that the other boys in the Jets - and the Sharks- could. Everyone always reminded him that he was in Newsies and therefore he must be able to dance but he didn’t see it that way - all that did was increase the amount of pressure he felt to be good enough. He was so happy to be part of this film, don’t get it twisted. But it was hard work and he was grateful every day that Justin Peck was patient enough for him to get up to snuff. 

“I’m sorry if I...” Emily stammered, worried that she’d clearly struck some kind of nerve. “I didn’t mean to- I was just...”

“It’s okay, you didn’t,” Mike replied, the smile returning to his face. They’d stopped walking by now, and he placed his hand lightly on her arm. Emily looked down at it, her breath catching and her heart flip-flopping in her chest. 

“You’re just really good at what you do, Mike. I hope you know that”, she said quietly, looking back up at him. 

“So are you, Emily. I hope you know that”. Mike motioned towards the building they were stopped in front of, which was a bar. “This is me. You want a drink?”

She did. It was a thousand degrees out, and the thought of a cold beer was inviting. More importantly, was he asking to buy her a drink? Was Mike Faist... asking her out? 

Before she’d had a chance to respond, she heard a familiar voice greet Mike from behind her. She turned as his gaze moved to over her left shoulder.

“Hey, Paloma,” she said, hoping that the actress playing Graziella would recognise her outside of the make-up trailer and she hadn’t just embarrassed herself. Paloma Garcia-Lee was intimidating - her beauty, her confidence, her talent. You couldn’t hate her for any of it either because she was so, so nice. 

“Hi, Emily!” Paloma replied. She stood next to Mike, wrapping her arm around his. Grazi is Riff’s girlfriend, and seeing them together like this made Emily wonder if their onscreen relationship had developed into an offscreen one. “Are you joining us?” 

“Oh, no,” Emily shook her head. God, she was so stupid. Of course Mike wasn’t asking her out. Why would he? Why would anyone? “Thank you, for the offer, but I have plans already. Have fun!” She plastered on her best smile and gave a little wave. “See you in the trailer!” 

And then she went home to her empty apartment, had a bowl of cereal for dinner, and went to bed. 

[ask-sillies-stuffies]

Some apocalypse stuff!!

The Krang and foot took over the earth, so people live underground and mutagen is everywhere, the guys basically build a shelter in the old NYC sewers and from that built a resistance with mutants and humans, who basically turned old sewers and subway tunnels into a underground civilization.

Leo is the leader of the resistance like a general, Raph is training kids and usually takes care of patrols, Donnie takes care of the weapons and all things Krang research is a scientist, and Mikey takes care of the people, how they are emotionally and is a doctor

But since it‘s all a lot of work they basically made it so that they all have teams; people with battle skills,organized people with good tactics and so forth are in Leo’s team. People with physical strength and endurance are in Raphs team, People with smarts are in Donnie’s, and Mikey got the the people who are emotionally intelligent and good with emotions.

:)

Thinking of giving the teams different names, and since Karai grew up with the turtles in my version, maybe give her a team too but I think it would be too simalar to Leo’s so…ehhhh….