#tbh i went through the same issue the when i listened to Hamilton but at least that was tempered by the LADEEZ and they boys who can sing

[hag-o-hags]

I'm sorry I'm so sorry John Darnorniellerierlille, I am a lover of lyricists and bitches who know how to write words to a melody and rip my heart out and stomp on it but GOD BLESS your singing voice physically hurts me and when I am going to make it through this year if it kills me, it's Shearwater announcing it

[formulinos]

hi i almsot had a heart attack because of your bio but i wanted to ask which current f1 driver you’d be the most comfortable with as your uber driver

ok i can't just rate them like that i have to think of all of them as uber drivers. i'm already excluding latifi and albon for obvious reasons

max verstappen: i think he'd be the sort of guy that wouldn't talk anything other than hello and thank you, but it's ok bc i'm not big of an uber talker. efficient route, could end up having a bit of rage bc he drives a tesla and those things always have weird shit going on in their panels. you get to your place with no issue. 4.5 stars if it went well 4 stars if he got road rage bc tbh sometimes it's justified.

checo perez: lowkey the same as max except that for once i'd try to strike up a conversation and he'd dissociate. the sort of driver to wear sunglasses the entire time and you are kinda like "tf it's not that sunny today". you'd get there but with a 3 min delay because he always chose the slowest lanes. 3 and a half stars.

charles leclerc: i stopped paying attention to anything that was happening bc he was hot. i'd try to talk and make a joke and he'd laugh but i can tell it went over his head. drives a bit faster than expected and before you can tell there is a speedometer he already passed it. arrive on time. 5 stars.

carlos sainz: polite. hi hello. would ignore me when i said i preferred a certain path. would lowkey be the right call after we heard about a car crash on the radio (he listens to the news). arrive 1 min late i think. 4 stars bc i didn't forget he ignored me anyway.

lewis hamilton: i just know he leaves his car to open the door. he'd say hello, i'd say hi, we'd move in and he'd ask if car temperature and the radio are ok. he would also say that he has nice mints and water if i want some. he wouldn't really talk but i'd strike a convo bc he is hot and he'd actually be delightful while we're at it. i'd arrive to my destination 3 min before the prevision because he knows the nice shortcuts. 5 stars i hope i get his number.

george russell: he'd also do the door opening/temperature/radio check routine but i wouldn't want to talk and he'd try to talk just a little bit the same. he is pleasant but a bit awkward. arrive on time. he'd remind me to rate him on uber. 4.5 stars.

daniel ricciardo: super friendly would crack jokes all the way and raise the radio volume if it was a song he liked (i've seen his music taste on instagram and i know i would hate it). having some issues w the gear on his car that's a bit glitchy. arrive a few mins late. 4 stars.

lando norris: hi hello polite, wouldn't talk much which again i don't mind and would to text people at red lights. could make the wrong call on which lane to take. i think i would arrive 1 min late. 4 stars.

fernando alonso: would totally be polite but the second the car was on it was on. drives like he is indeed a race car driver and it shows. would drive on the speed limit and chop through lanes. arrive 1 min early. 4.5 stars i did get early after all.

esteban ocon: totally polite and for some reason would be overly excited about anything. would leave the windows open somehow. drives like he is wearing a suit, would occasionally close down on someone but whatever. arrive a bit late. 4 stars i genuinely can't give less than that to anyone.

pierre gasly: windows down and arm out. polite as well. would ask me if i'm from that area. driver analyst, he would see people do stupid stuff on traffic and say "this guy". arrive a bit late. would also ask me at the end of the drive if i had a phone number. 4 stars i am ashamed to admit i gave him my number.

yuki tsunoda: super sweet, door opener/temperature checker/radio checker as well. super road rage though, everyone is stupid according to him. would even curse a little. arrive a bit late. 4 stars because i am entertained at road ragers.

sebastian vettel: i don't think he'd be a door opener but def a temperature/radio checker. super polite. great music selection, he'd notice i'd be humming to the beatles and we'd strike a convo out of it. talk all the way to the destination about life and family and whatever. arrive a bit early. i'd be sad i love dilf uber drivers. 4.5 stars.

lance stroll: big fuck off car you don't even know how an uber driver can afford. would drive as if he is the only person on the road. polite but just hi hello. would arrive a bit late. 3.5 stars i'm actually confused.

valtteri bottas: polite, i don't think he'd be a temperature checker. radio off - disturbing. wouldn't talk much but would occasionally laugh to himself. efficient. arrive on time. 4 stars.

zhou guanyu: super polite and temperature/radio checker. would have so many gadgets in his car it's crazy. you're pretty sure the leather on the seats wasn't like that originally. would actually ask you if you have a preference in paths. he'd tell you he's just starting in uber. arrive a bit late. 4 stars anyway the car was cute.

kevin magnussen: would cancel the race on me. no stars.

mick schumacher: door opener and everything checker. super polite. would have a picture of his family on the dashboard. i'd try to sneak a convo on his dog and show pics of mine. first half of the drive he would be horrible but out of the blue he gets super fast and great at driving. he'd be smiling the entire time. a bit weird. arrive just a bit late. 4.5 stars i'd ask him for his phone number.

[fourteenacross]

2016 in Review

I’ve done these stupid surveys every year for the past ten years and I don’t care if LJ is dead, I’m gonna keep doing them.

The writing one is still in progress because it involves a lot of linking and thoughtful responses. Below are Fandom in 2016 and Life in 2016, mostly for my own records.

Fandom 2016

1. Your main fandom of the year?

Oh god, this has a different answer for the first time in five years, but definitely Hamilton? Up until SM, the only fannish words I wrote this year were Hamilton, most of the shit I reblogged on Tumblr was Hamilton...jesus, it’s like 2004 up in this joint.

2. Your favorite film watched this year? This is really difficult. Um, probably Ghostbusters because it blew me away and was totally unexpected as a favorite. I knew I’d probably like it, but not necessarily six-times-in-theatres level of liking.

Runners up are The Conjuring 2, which would have won without Ghostbusters, and Moana, which I found surprisingly moving and would probably see six more times without getting bored.

3. Your favorite book read this year? I’m gonna say Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older, which is an amazing modern urban fantasy set in Brooklyn about an afro-latina teenager who discovers she’s part of an old spiritual order that can channel spirits into art. IT’S SO GOOD? But I will say that The Diviners by Libba Bray and the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo were neck and neck with it right up until I made my final list for our WBS year-end episode. The best middle grade book I read was George by Alex Gino.

4. Your favorite album or song to listen to this year? I honestly am not sure that I listened to any “new” albums outside of The Hamilton Mixtape this year? I spent the start of the year listening to Hamilton and Great Comet non-stop, then listened to every Dar song in order and all of the 69 Love Songs in order for a couple months...but yeah, the only ~*~new~*~ thing I can think of is The Hamilton Mixtape.

5. Your favorite TV show of the year? Prooooobably Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Or maybe the end of Gravity Falls. 

6. Your favorite online fandom community of the year? idk. To be honest, I still don’t quite ~*~get~*~ tumblr (tho I had some nice conversations via the chat function, despite my general awkwardness as a human), LJ is dead, and while I connect with fandom friends and talk about fandom on Twitter, I don’t do that as much as I whine about my life. I guess AO3 has been great via comments received, but that also feels one-sided, as chatty cathy as I sometimes get when responding to people’s comments. Most of my fandom conversations this year have PROBABLY been over text? 

7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year? I’m trying to think if there was anything new I was super into? Maybe Six of Crows, which I talked about a lot and read a couple fics for?

8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year? X-Men: Apocalypse, for sure. Man, after DoFP, I had SUCH HIGH HOPES for XMA, which was totally my own fault. Every time someone made a comment about how weird something looked or how dumb something sounded I rolled my eyes, because they had done the exact same thing for DoFP, which was AMAZING. But, uh...this time they were all right. The more I thought about the movie, the more it fell apart for me. 

9. Your TV boyfriend of the year? Strictly teevee,  probably...idk, Luke Cage?

10. Your TV girlfriend of the year? I don’t watch SNL regularly, but can I cheat and say Kate McKinnon?

11. Your biggest squee moment of the year? Seeing Hamilton. Seeing Great Comet. Ghostbusters. 

12. The most missed of your old fandoms? I really missed the joy I got from DoFP when I was watching XMA :(

13. The fandom you haven’t tried yet, but want to? I’m p mono-fannish, so I’m good for now.

14. Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year? Going to Chicago in May! Heroes! DragonCon! WBS liveshow! Maybe other things! I don’t know, I haven’t planned that much of the year yet!

***

General 2016

What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before? Voted for a woman for President. Went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Um...probably other stuff too? Gosh, I don’t know, I’m so boring.

Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

+ Make a writing schedule and stick to it Did not do this. Like, at all. I got maybe a week on schedule over the course of the whole year /o\

+ Go on more dates Yes! I did do this! None of them really went anywhere, but I went on a whole bunch!

+ Get into the cooking habit and stay there Ish? I got better about making lunches for the week, but I wasn’t super consistent with it. Another thing to try in 2017.

+ Read more I did do this! Sort of! I didn’t keep super good track of it and I was mostly trying to read more adult books and I failed MISERABLY at that.

For 2017: + Read more adult books + Keep track of good things that happen + Make a writing schedule and try to stick to it for at least a month + Be better with money--pay off half the credit card + Go on more dates

Did anyone close to you give birth? Joni had a baby! It was so weird! One of us grew a tiny human! He’s ADORABLE.

Did anyone close to you die? My (step)grandfather.

What countries did you visit? Just this one! But within this one I went to...Charlotte, ATL, Orlando, Arkansas...and, you know, the Northeast in general.

What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016? I'd like to feel more on top of things. I'd like more organization in my life. I'd like more sleep. I'd like a girlfriend.

What dates from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 8, not for good reasons, unfortunately. May 21 (Hamilton, Hadestown), November 12 (Great Comet), stuff like Heroes and DCon. 

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finishing the goddamn ghosthunters fic, HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN?

What was your biggest failure? idk what my biggest PERSONAL failure was, but I certainly know what my biggest failure as an American was :\

Did you suffer illness or injury? Brain stuff, some colds, and I broke my foot.

What was the best thing you bought? Great Comet tickets, plane tickets to visit various people. My dumb Silhouette machine that I love. Tiny John Laurens and The Washingtonians, both of which are within my sightline. This fuzzy blanket.

Whose behavior merited celebration? My friends. A lot of excellent activists.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The American people as a whole and everything associated with our clusterfuck election outcome.

Where did most of your money go? Grown-up type stuff (rent, utilities, groceries), cons, and travel.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? HeroesCon, DragonCon, Hamilton, Hadestown, Great Comet, The Conjuring 2, finishing the ghosthunters.

What song will always remind you of 2016? I mean, mostly just The Hamilton Mixtape, probably.

Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Uh. Up until November I would have said “happier,” but currently I’m definitely sadder and more anxious. b) thinner or fatter? Same. c) richer or poorer? Same.

What do you wish you'd done more of? Writing. Sleeping. Hanging out with people.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Being depressed. Obsessing over stupid shit people said on the internet.

Did you fall in love in 2016? With this fuzzy blanket.

What was your favorite TV program? Brooklyn Nine-Nine!

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Many, many people. THANKS, POLITICS.

What was the best book you read? Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older. See above for more details.

What was your greatest musical discovery? Nothing really new, tbh.

What did you want and get? Cons, brunch, travel, Great Comet tickets.

What did you want and not get? A female President. A girlfriend. More sleep.

What was your favorite film of this year? Spy or Star Wars or Jurassic World, I guess?

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 31! The weekend before, me and @pearlo​ and @cygnaut​ and @littledust​ saw XMA a couple times! And Laura and Erica and I went to the Gardner and then I had a party and people mostly hung out and played Drawful and drank a lot of champagne. On my actual birthday, @ginthusiastic​ and I just went out for dinner after work and I had a drink that was the same color as my dress.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A different election outcome. Literally anything. A box turtle could be our president and I’d be happy.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016? Retro-y dresses.

What kept you sane? @ginthusiastic @pearlo @caphairdadbeard @isjustprogress @intrikate88 @anachronistique @lisapizza @charmingpplincardigans @brilligspoons  and the rest of the Boston crew whose tumblrs I don’t know/remember, and the DCon crew and The Hamilton Mixtape and theatre and the cast of Hamilton and crime show marathons.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I have a Daveed Diggs problem. And an unfortunate swing crush on Morgan Marcell. And Kate McKinnon was A THING that happened. And Jasmine exists and also Stephanie Beatiz and XMA was a bust, but Sophie Turner was A+.

What political issue stirred you the most? Gee, I wonder.

Who did you miss? Pretty much everyone when they are not right next to me. Sarah Bay, a lot, but I feel weird singling one person out. [This is exactly what I wrote for the last two years, but I'm keeping it because it's still true.]

Who was the best new person you met? I’m trying to think of actualfax new people I met? Boston Maja is the only IRL person who comes to mind immediately? Oh, and I met Ellen at DCon? Online-wise, I met a slew of great folks through Hamilton-related crap and you’re all lovely 💜

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016: I’m still not sure what the lesson from the ‘16 election is. Don’t trust polls? People are more misogynistic than you think? People are more racist than you think? I don’t know. I guess I’m still learning it.

Quote a song that sums up your year: I am the one thing in life I can control

Maybe THAT’S the lesson of 2016. idk, man.

[sunshine-soprano]

WhAt are your top 5 musicals?

Ooh, that’s a really hard one… I’ll give the reasons for why I chose these musicals too, but I’ll try not to ramble too much :^)

In no particular order:

1) Hamilton (call me basic or whatever, but I just love this musical so much. The music is absolute genius and I just love the idea of it, bringing the story of the founding of America into today’s context and allowing people to actually connect with the Founding Fathers instead of just viewing them as monolithic figures. I could gush about Hamilton all day tbh)

2) Hairspray (this was my first starring role in a musical, and it really helped me a lot. At that time (I was around fourteen) I was pretty insecure about my appearance, and although you may think playing an overweight dancer would have made that worse, it actually did the opposite. Tracy is a heroine who doesn’t live up to society’s image of “pretty” in a musical about the fact that how you look (be it race, size etc) shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dreams. I found a protagonist who wasn’t supermodel-thin and beautiful, nor did she ever want to be, and although I’m still a little insecure now, I’m a lot better and some of that is thanks to Hairspray. I could also gush about this musical all day; it holds a special place in my heart.)

3) Singin’ in the Rain (my absolute favourite classic musical. I just love the music and the dancing and the humour, and watching the film always makes me happier. When I went to see it on the West End with my family we sat in the second row and we got pretty wet. I’m actually doing this musical this summer with the same youth theatre company that did Hairspray, and I’m going to audition for Cathy Selden, so wish me luck :^/)

4) RENT (I hadn’t actually listened to the soundtrack the whole way through until a couple of weeks ago, when I went to see it on tour. I absolutely love how it pushed so many boundaries and talked about so many taboo subjects that were real issues. The music for this is also amazing.)

5) Matilda (I saw this in London fairly soon after it opened, and it’s the first musical that I remember seeing. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the West End pretty often growing up. When I first read the book, I immediately loved the story. I was a young girl who, in the words of one of my nursery teachers, “devoured books non-stop”, so I was one of the man who read Matilda and found an intelligent young girl who actually used her gifts for the good of not just herself, but her friends and classmates too. Again, the music is great, Tim Minchin is a genius, and it’s both hilarious and heart-wrenching at the same time)

Honourable mentions:

Wicked

In the Heights

Dear Evan Hansen

Bugsy Malone