#theres a chance to audition for next year at the end of the year i think im gonna do that

[realnielsbohr]

i miss doing theater </3

[sleepyboisinc]

soo,,, the secret au huh?

its a band au. its a fucking band au. im posting this super impulsively, and it has no editing i think so if there are any mistakes,,,, fuck it idc

also this ends in a sort of cliffhanger i was gonan write more but i got tired of writing and never got the motivation to again im sorry lul

this au isnt just by me, theres other ppl involved in it too!! mainly bad timezone gang in technohive but others also helped :)

anywaysyysyshdhsh yea read if u want to ig

wilbur soot was discovered by a record label when he was 15 after he wrote the squid song. they didn't care that the lyrics were objectively bad, it was wilbur’s voice that grabbed their attention. they interviewed him and decided that they were gonna give him a chance. wilbur, who had always dreamed of being a singer, jumped at the opportunity. the interview went very well. they even asked him to sing a few songs and he nailed it. however, he wasn’t perfect. he still needed some vocal training. they spent an entire day discussing and signing paperwork. the label ended up arranging for wilbur to attend music classes to enhance his voice and get better at the guitar.

time-skip about 3 years. wilbur is 18 and is phenomenal at singing and the guitar. he starts going to uni and meets his roommate, an american student named technoblade who plays the violin. wilbur and techno quickly become friends, bonding over music and other mutual interests like video games. techno plays mini gigs on the street and at bars close to campus to make some money for himself. particularly at a little bar called “the harpy’s nest”

one day, wilbur gets bored sitting at home alone, so he goes to watch techno’s gig. he arrives halfway through the set and watches for about 5 minutes. after the gig is over, he watches as techno interacts with the bartender, a young man only slightly older looking than the two of them. techno notices wilbur and calls him over, introducing him to the bartender, philza. the two immediately hit it off and by the end of the night, they’ve exchanged numbers and a promise to meet up phil’s next shift.

-

over the next few months, the trio became best friends. wilbur learns that phil plays the drums and has several eps. one ep in particular, “hardcore2” blew up a bit in their general area and phil gained a bit of traction as a musician. the three boys spend most of their time hanging out at wilbur and techno’s dorm, or at phil’s bar. they stay up till ungodly hours playing video games and talking. their other friends dub them the sleepy boys, because of how tired they all are the next day. 

however, as the months fly by, the date wilbur is supposed to finish training and write his first songs draws closer. he worries he’s bitten more than he can chew and he wonders if he’s even ready for fame. a month later he is assigned a manager, pete. pete says that his training contract has expired, meaning that he's ready to start writing his album. wilbur says that he needs to think a bit before he starts. pete was about to tell him he can’t have extra time to think because he signed a contract, but seeing the look of stress on wilbur’s face, he allows him 2 days before he starts. wilbur goes on a walk to think. he curses himself for second-guessing himself now. he realizes he doesn’t wanna do this alone. then he thinks of techno and phil. 

what if they formed a band? that way he wouldn’t have to do this alone. he’s sure that they'd love to make a band together as well. he goes to them and… they agree. he goes to pete and asks him if they can be a three-piece band. pete says he needs to ask his higher-ups first. wilbur doesn’t hear from pete for 4 days and starts to worry. what if they won’t allow it? it wasn't part of the agreement so they have every right to turn him down. at the end of the fourth day, pete calls him and says that the higher-ups have agreed. they had to choose a group name by the end of 2 days. the trio was over the moon.

this was the start of sleepy bois inc.

-

their record label wasn’t massive, so the boys took to playing on the streets and in bars to gain some traction. they slowly started gaining recognition and grew faster when they made a youtube channel. they released several eps and a few albums, and gained a following over the next few years.

their first big break came 3 years after the band was formed. they had a decent following, about 50k subs on youtube and slightly less on other platforms. one day, jschlatt from lunch club, a massive boy band, got their music recommended to him on youtube. he’s intrigued and listened to it, and was surprised at how much he liked it. he liked it so much, that he decided to shout them out on twitter. 

sleepybois inc’s popularity skyrocketed, and the members of both bands grew close. when lunch club announced their next tour, they revealed that sleepybois inc would open for them. the fans freak out, and many iconic moments and inside jokes form from this tour. 

-

tommy innit was 19 years old and was preparing to become a musician. he was almost done with the 4 years of vocal and keyboard training provided by a record label and had to make a decision: be a solo artist, or join a band. if he chose the band, he has another 2 options: be assigned into a band that already exists under this label or make a new one with people that he knows. 

tommy is also a massive fan of lunch club, and sees that jschlatt shouted out a band called sleepybois inc. he likes them a lot and becomes a fan of their stuff too. what tommy didn’t know is that they were at the same label he was training at and were open for a 4th member. 

back on the music, tommy ended up going with band. he debated between making a band or being assigned one. after a while, he ended up going with being assigned. he was nervous about this because he'd have to integrate himself into their dynamic and feared that fans won’t like him, but he figured it’d be easier than making his friends all learn instruments.

being assigned a band is a process, so tommy had a couple of months free. during this time, lunch club was on tour with sleepybois inc and tommy got vip tickets to a show. so he went to the meet and greet and gave his number to sleepybois inc saying ”hmu if u need a keyboardist lul” as a joke (this is a very important detail i will include it f u)

so come around the day of tommy getting assigned. he has to do auditions for the bands that the record label selected for him to join. management has narrowed it down to the youngest 2 bands at their label who are open for a member: one of which is sleepybois inc. 

-

it had been a month since tommy interviewed for sleepybois inc. he did pretty well at it, and had been talking to the boys a lot since then. he still hadn’t had news on whether he joined though. 

it was 3 am. tommy had been working on school work for hours and had only just managed to finish up for the night. he settled into bed and was about to fall asleep when his phone rang. not bothering to look at who was calling, tommy picked it up

“who the fuck is calling me at 3 in the morning i swear to god-” tommy whispered angrily. 

“tommy?” wilbur’s voice rang out “wait shit- this is probably a really bad time im sorry. but we have something important to tell you.”

tommy’s eyes widened. 

“we’ve decided that you can join the band”

-

the band and their label spent a few weeks discussing how they would go about this. they boys decided they would need a name change too, and ended up settling on the name ‘purple pandas’. however, a new member and a name change would practically transform the band completely, so they had to go about announcing this the right way.

they ended up settling on posting a youtube video titled ‘making some changes’. seeing the announcement for this sent fans into a frenzy, frantically tweeting about what it could be. many rumours spread fast and it even got into a few news articles. conspiracies started floating around about what changes could possibly be taking place.

-

i cant write this shit no more bye

[princecupcakee]

Park Bench | Reddie

Read on AO3

Rating: E

Pairing: Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak

Word Count: 3,112

Chapter: 1/8

Next Chapters: Chapter 2 (AO3), Chapter 3 (AO3), Chapter 4 (AO3)

Summary: Recently divorced and ‘incapable of love’, Eddie Kaspbrak moves to Los Angeles for work and a small, small hope of a fresh start. Broken up and never dated again, Richie Tozier tries to get back into love with help from his love of music. Quickly meeting eyes and one concert later, they think that maybe love isn’t that bad. So they try it one more time.

Chapter 1: Richie Tozier’s Plan, Eddie Kaspbrak’s First Vinyl & Beverly Marsh’s Plan

Tags/Warnings: Angst / Unhappy Ending / theres only one sex scene but this is explicit anyway / Bisexual Richie Tozier / Gay Eddie Kaspbrak / Post-Divorce / Implied/Referenced Cheating / Inspired By Remembering Sunday (All Time Low) / Inspired by The Book Ninja by Ali Berg / Implied/Referenced Child Abuse / Implied/Referenced Abuse / Implied/Referenced Manipulation

Tag-list: @richietoaster, @s-s-georgie, @mikeuris​, @gazebobullshit, @that-weird-girls-blog, @tozierking​, @thoughtfullyyoungduck, @s-onora, @bellarosewrites, @lermanslogan, @ambitiousskychild, @ghostnebula, @vanillaredvelvet, 

(Ask if you wanna be on the tag-list!!)

Chapter 1

Richie Tozier’s Plan

If Richie’s love life was written into a song, it would be called ‘Disaster’; named after his sad attempts at everything even just slightly involved with it. It would be a ballad, slow at first, some depressing line about how dreams don’t become reality. The chorus would hit loud, deafening if rock music wasn’t something you’d find yourself listening to, ‘He loved the sound of their romance’ is the loudest line in the chorus followed by: ‘But he messed up the steps to the dance’  then a sudden melancholy beat, ‘He failed his audition and he lost his chance.’ Toward the end of the song, as the sounds of the drums faded, and a slow guitar was the dominant sound, ‘It’s hopeless’ and the song would close.

Richie’s love life was an utter disaster if you tried to put it to words. He hadn’t had a single normal date in a very long time (he wonders if he ever did, really.) It wasn’t as simple as, ‘I spilled my drink and now there’s going to be a stain and that embarrassing’ those dates wouldn’t stand a chance on his. A few from his museum of failed dates:

Exhibit A -

James: Hey, I saw that you live in Los Angeles

Richie: Yeah! What about you?

James: I just got out of jail and my ex changed the locks. I really need a place to stay?

Exhibit B -

“I love this band so much,” Abigail gushed.

“Me, too! I’m really glad we were able to catch them here.”

And later that night on the news: ‘Woman arrested for jumping on stage to pull a strand of hair from a celebrity in a Los Angeles concert.’

Exhibit C - Connor. Connor Bowers was perfect with Richie, at least as Richie thought. The two had been dating for 2 years until Richie proposed, only to be rejected. Connor confessed that he was cheating, that he didn’t even actually like men. The night they got together, Richie had bought him a drink. Connor really only wanted to try it, but it clearly wasn’t for him. The next morning though, when they woke up in Connor’s bedroom, Richie decided that they were together. Richie wasn’t really thinking, he was just in desperate need for love. After Richie was kicked out of Connor’s apartment, he ended up in Stan’s house, unable to stay alone his own.

Richie never really moved out of Stan and Patty’s house. They didn’t really mind Richie living there, but they did mind that Richie was still bitter about the breakup. Stan and Richie have been friends since they were kids, he’s seen Richie in every way. Patty and Richie became close friends right when Stan introduced them. They would try to set Richie up with a few of their friends but he would just sulk in his room. He claims to be ‘done with love in the most chill way possible’ but the sad love songs, the bitterness on Valentines, and the sulking would beg to differ.“Love isn’t that bad you know, you could try”

“I don’t need to try. I’m fine,” Richie countered.

“There’s a lot of fish in the sea,” Patty said, kindly.

“Not anymore. All I get is plastic bags now,” Richie said bitterly.

Stan sighed, “you’re just gonna be alone forever?”

“Yes,” Richie replied immediately, standing up to get ready for work. Aside from a few comedy gigs, he works at a little record store a few minutes from where he lives. The store had the best speakers, phonographs, Walkmans, discs, headphones, everything. Richie loved it there, always being surrounded by music. The store was always pretty empty, aside from the occasional customer, it was just him. Like its always been.

He took his car from the driveway, heading for the city.

~~~

“Morning, Ben, Bev,” Richie nodded at them, smiling.

“Good morning Richie,” Beverly greeted with a wave, “How have you been?” Beverly was Ben’s wife, she has always been nice to Richie. ‘Nice’ didn’t compose of only greetings and coffee and being professional, they were close friends who went out to movies and heard each other’s lives play. Beverly designed clothing lines, while Ben was an architect. They don’t spend much time in the store, usually just leaving it with Richie.

“Pretty good, you?”

“Fine, but this one forgot to fix the thing on this table yesterday and was insanely worried all night,” Beverly pointed to Ben over her shoulder.

“It could break!” Ben argued, continuing to fix whatever was wrong with the table. Beverly walked over to Richie, who is sat down on the sofa. “So… I have this friend. He’s smart, good-looking, and really nice-“

“No, Bev, I’m not going to date. I’m single and unwilling to mingle.”

“More like, single and afraid to mingle,” she tiredly rolls her eyes, “Richie, there are good people out there, you just have to try.”

“I don’t see that. All the good people are with the other good people. Look at you and Ben! Both of you are like, super hot and nice. Guys like me got no chance- not saying that I want a chance, because I’m fine being alone.”

“You just have to keep looking.”

“Its a waste of energy to ‘keep looking.’ People who like me are not okay. Remember Abigail? Not to mention, people have shit taste in music.”

“You’re such a music snob,” She weakly laughs and shakes her head.

“Alright, its good. The screws were just-“ Ben says, getting up and walking to them.

“Ben, we love you but I don’t understand a single thing you say about architecture and furniture, and whatever else there is,” Bev jokes.

“I try. I’m out for today though, I have meeting, and I’m not sure if I’ll be back,” Ben says to Richie.

“Thats fine, I’ll just sit back here,” Richie smiles putting his hands behind his head and leaning further into the sofa.

“See you then.”

Richie picked up a vinyl and put it in the player. He had been playing around with cassettes, and a few of his own vinyl for a few hours now (‘few’ probably not being the case) and thinking and writing. After he’s finished a chunk of the script he was working on for his Friday performance at a local bar, he had gotten bored and just casually sat by the sofa. ‘Love’ the word danced around his head, taunting him. Or at least, to him, it was taunting. ’He woke up from dreaming and put on his shoes’ sung the player.

The song carried him around as he sang, “Forgive me I’m trying to find, my calling, I’m calling at night. I don’t mean to be a bother but have you seen this girl?” The lyrics took him strongly, his heart tight and loose at the same time, feeling each beat. He drums his fingers on the sofa, following the beats, “She’s been running through my dreams. And its driving me crazy it seems. I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

“you’re such a music snob,” rang in his ears, and he knew what he was going to do. He ran to his collection of vinyl seated by the left of the speakers, under the small table and began to search. He had his own few pieces of vinyl in the store, his own music that he listened to on the empty days of work. The Beatles, Green Day, Aerosmith, he took all the classics in his hands and grinned.

~~~

“Explain to me your plan again?” Stan asked, shocked.

“I’m going to get the best vinyl, write my number or email- whatever, and see who calls. Go on a date, see what happens. I’m gonna leave the vinyl all around the city’s subway all that, ” Richie explains excitedly.

“That might actually work!” Patty says, joining Richie’s excitement.

“This can get you more crazy dates than the ones you got before, Rich,” Stan says, unsure.

“Then, its material for my shows! Like Abigail and James!”

“See, Stan? Its great! Richie tries to go back to dating and he gets show material, win-win!” Patty hopes.

“Where will you get all the vinyl your leaving?”

“Thats the only downside, I’m going to use my own vinyl, maybe beg Ben to let me use the ones at the store?”

Stan sighs, softly smiling and nods, “this could work.”

~~~

‘Hot Fuss’ sat on his lap as he traced over the letters. Richie was in doubt now, his heart racing as he sat in the train. This was the first vinyl he would be leaving for this project of his. His stop was in a few minutes, so he pulled out the Sharpie from his pocket, bit the cap off, and wrote: ‘If you’ve enjoyed listening to this, would you enjoy a date too? Email me, Richie Tozier, @Remembering_Records.’ Richie set the vinyl down subtly and walked. “@Remembering_Records?” Stan asks.

“I was listening to Remembering Sunday, it was influenced,” Richie replies, hopping over the gap, he takes a deep breath and looks over at Stan, “Let’s hope this works,” he smiles, dashing away.

Eddie Kaspbrak’s First Vinyl

“I can’t believe we’re not using our cars,” Eddie mumbles, grumpily.

“Says the New Yorker,” Mike jokes.

“I drive there! Bill’s from there too! Subway stations are so unsanitary, so many people-“

“P-please! Enough with the com-complaining!” Bill says, frustrated, “M-Mike’s car broke down, and there’s no other way to get to B-Ben and Bev’s shop.”

“Its your day off! You landed in LA at midnight, and now we’re going to meet up with old friends,” Mike says happily, walking into the train.

“Exactly! Midnight. I shouldn’t be running around in this germ-infested-“

Mike looks at him tiredly.

“—I’m doing this because Ben and Bev are great and they’re our place to stay, Florida,” Eddie rolls his eyes.

Eddie doesn’t fit in LA. At all. He’s not used to the weather, the lifestyle, everything. He doesn’t like it here and just wants to go home. And Los Angeles seems to not want him here either. He lost one out of three of his suitcases the moment he got down, he had to wait an hour for Mike and Bill to pick him up from the airport, Mike’s car breaks down on the way to meet a friend, and now he’s taking the dirty subway.

He’s only really here for work. All three of them are. Bill and Eddie are from New York, and Mike is from Florida. They were transferred to the Los Angeles branch as a way to teach and help the new workers there. Bill’s ex-girlfriend, Beverly, lives in Los Angeles with her husband. They’re all good friends and Ben and Beverly offered to let them stay at their house (scratch that- mansion) for as long as they’re there. Of course, they took the offer instead of some crummy hotel, too far from their jobs.

Now here he is, on a train, heading to EighthNote to meet Ben and Beverly. But something isn’t right in this train, Eddie doesn’t know if this is just Los Angeles, but there, two seats away, is a light blue, paper casing, with the words ‘The Killers Hot Fuss’ sprawled across its center.

“Look, its Hot Fuss,” Mike points, “someone must’ve lost it.”

“We could put it in the l-lost and found,” Bill mumbles.

“Do not touch that. Who knows where its been?” Eddie says immediately, grabbing Bill's wrist and lightly pulling him back.

But Mike was already on his way to the seat, hand already about to grab the record. Until some guy in his late twenties took the record and sat on the seat. “Oh, is this yours?” He asks Mike.

“Oh, no, it isn’t mine,” Mike says walking back to Bill and Eddie.

~~~

On a street corner, a glass door, big windows, and a small wood sign that says EighthNote hanging above, Ben and Bev were talking inside when Bill, Mike, and Eddie walked in. “Ben! Bev!” Mike smiles, arms open wide.

“Its been so long!” Beverly sings, piling them into a group hug.

“It really has. I didn’t even know you had this shop,” Eddie says, admiring the speakers.

“At this point, it isn’t even ours, one our friends who work here basically one the place at this point,” Ben explains.

“You guys have a whole staff for this?”

“Nah, its just one of our friends. We pretty much just lay around here, the few customers here and there,” Beverly smiles, “he’s got comedy gigs though, he should honestly be a star now.”

“What’s his name?”

“Richie. We met him through Patty—one of my friends who model for me— her husband, Stan.”

“I’m probably pulling at strings here but are you talking about Stan Uris?” Mike asks, surprised.

“Yeah! How do you know him?”

“Best ex I ever had.”

Beverly laughs cheekily, “do tell.”

“Nothing! I just know from college, we dated a while, then he swooned for a girl, Patty Blum.”

“Thats her alright. Gorgeous.”

Eddie had moved on from the speakers by then, knowing they’d be reminiscing college in the next few minutes. Eddie only knows Ben and Beverly through Bill. Bill and Beverly had dated in college, but broke up and just stuck to being friends. Nothing is really awkward between them, all still close. Ben and Eddie both get along with architecture. He really just wanted something to do, he didn’t know what anything in this store was. “Its the thing from the train,” Eddie points, not exactly talking to anyone.

“Oh yeah,” Mike says walking over to Eddie. Mike’s reply startling him.

“Train?” Ben asks.

“We found a vinyl in the train on our way here,” Bill explains.

The conversation didn’t go into the details anymore, as Beverly took the record and put it in… Eddie didn’t know what that was. Was he supposed to? He saw Walkmans from his classmates when he was in middle school, but he never paid too much attention to it. He simply didn’t have the time or energy to care. Its just music. The song started oddly, in Eddie’s opinion. ‘Save some face, you know you’ve only got one’

“What the fuck is this?” Eddie wondered as the song continued.

“You’ve never heard ‘Smile Like You Mean It’?” Bill asks making Eddie slightly uncomfortable.

“I- No?”

Beverly cheekily grinning, “Well, since you’re in LA with us, you’re gonna finally see what good music is.”

~~~

The day took longer than Eddie had hoped, but now, he was in a car (thank God) heading the Marsh’s house. Grateful that Bill and Mike were just as exhausted and quiet as he was, he finally caught up with his thoughts. He was finally able to think again, about how the shop looked, how much he disliked the album Beverly basically threw at his ears, how cute the boy who walked into the shop earlier- no. No. Not what should be running threw his head right now. “Do you guys know the guy who walked into EighthNote earlier?”

“The tall, Hawaiian shirt guy with the glasses?” Mike asked, not looking at Eddie as he turned the wheel.

“Yeah.”

“I th-think that was the guy who works there. Who would randomly bring food into a store and y-yell ‘I brought Chinese, fuckers!’ If they didn’t work there?” Bill answers.

“Right,” Eddie says, his mind wandering away from the topic. He found himself opening his phone and searching ‘Hot Fuss’ into Spotify’s search bar. As much as he’d hate to admit it, it wasn’t that bad. And the guy at the store was cute.

Beverly Marsh’s Plan

“I brought Chinese, fuckers!” Richie shouted as he walked into the store. He instantly dropped his hands when he saw a man right in front of him.

After a quite lengthy moment of staring, “Excuse me,” he said, moving to the right of Richie, out the door, two men following after.

“Who were they?” Richie asked, setting the food on the table in front of him.

“Old friends of ours. They’re gonna be staying at our place,” Beverly explains.

“Okay,” Richie drags the word, “anyway, I have an amazing plan that was already put into action before any of you two hets try to stop me—”

“Uh-huh,” Ben cautiously nods.

“— so. Here’s how it works. I’m gonna set out a bunch of vinyl and shit on subways, with an email written on the back, and see how calls. I write if they wanna go on a date on the back, and if you’re worried if that'll be a bunch of people like Abigail and shit, I’m not saying you’re wrong. But if it is, it’s show material. It’s gonna be great.”

“This is amazing! You should’ve told us earlier, I totally would’ve come with you!” Beverly laughs.

“Wait. Did you start today?” Ben asks.

“Yeah, why?”

“Which?” Ben smirks at Beverly, as she returns the look.

“Hot Fuss,” Richie smiles. Ben and Beverly snicker. Richie rolls his eyes, “Yeah I know I played Mr. Brightside to a girl before, but I didn’t know the song was about cheating!”

Beverly’s laughter doubles, “That’s not it but okay.”

“Whatever. But, anyway, who was the short guy earlier?”

“We told you, old friends. Why?” Ben says.

“Dunno. He was kinda cute I guess.”

“See? I told you you’d like him. That was the guy I was telling you about,” Beverly smiles knowingly.

“You tried to set up Eddie and Richie?” Ben wonders. Beverly sneaks a wink at Ben, “There’s a concert next weekend, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Think you could get us three more tickets?”

“Sure?”

~~~

Beverly walked into to her and Ben’s room, grinning. “Are you gonna explain why you’re so happy?” Ben asks.

“We’re gonna get Richie and Eddie together.”

Ben gives an unsure look at her, “Richie’s going back to dating with this vinyls-on-trains thing he’s doing. Are you sure you want to set him up? You know how unhappy he is about love and stuff, its surprising enough that he’s willing to try again.”

Beverly takes a moment to think. She knows Ben is right, but she also knows that this will be good for both Eddie and Richie. Well, the second one, she isn’t so sure of. “I guess,” Beverly says, slightly disheartened, “but, we could ask them and, y’know, try?” She says hopefully.

“As much as I worry about this, I also think that it could be good. We’ll take them both to the concert and see where they go from there. What do you think?”

“Perfect,” Beverly smiles.

[rkkyg]

mnet global auditions callback ( the interview )  called out ; @rkkhg @rksuwoong @danielxrk @joohyunrk 

as the performances come to an end and the judges start their evaluation of everyone, yugyeom notices that people around him are being tugged out of the room. he didnt pay much attention to it though until hyunggu was the one who was being called out, and the not long after yugyeom was being called. 

ah interviews. he thinks as he’s guided to sit down in a setting that kind of similar to that of the initial audition. he figured something like this would happen. most survival shows tend to have a talk part where the contestants talk about what had been happening or how theyre feeling. these are the times when things tend to get edited and it’s when he knows he has to be careful to not say anything that could get edited badly. or that could be misinterpreted in a way he doesn’t want them to be interpreted. 

he knows this from watching the previous shows as well hearing about it from last seasons. 

that is to say that yugyeom has never been and probably will never be good at watching his own words. he hasn’t ever really cared--even at work he tends to be bad at it but luckily he hasn’t been in a situation where his words got him in trouble. there’s been a few close calls at work but the chicken shop ahjummas all love him to much to ever be really mad at him. he did get shoes chucked at him once but well... he probably deserved that one. he wished it hadn’t happened when he was working with dongmin. the ahjummas always do everything they can to ruin his image with the older male. how can he properly take care of dongmin if the other sees him getting beat by flying slippers. 

he shakes his head at the thought. 

he’s able to touch up his make up and hair before the interview starts which he’s thankful for. his lip tint having faded a bit since the beginning and he wanted to be a bit less shiny. though he only did one dance, he had sweated enough to make his face feel shiny. but that was taken care of. 

then he’s sat and settled, legs crossed knee over the other, and sitting as straight as he can without appearing stiff. a casual position that still looks like he isn’t slouching. 

"are we recording?” he asks, glancing from the camera to the interviewer who nods at him. and he blinks at the camera again before winking at it. 

how did you feel when you received the callback? 

the first question isn’t a surprising one, in fact he expected this. and he has an idea of what the other questions are going to be as well. his smirks though. “would it be cocky of me to say i expected it?” he asks in return, and maybe hyunggus dumb thing of always answering questions with questions has rubbed off on him. his tone comes off as kind of joking, but he seems serious at the same time. “i guess not expected so much as i hoped? i mean, i went in with all my effort and not to seem even more cocky but i know im a good dancer.” see, this is why he knew having the knowledge of watching his words would not be helpful. 

yugyeom just doesn't care about watching his words. he doesn’t care about sugar coating his thoughts. it’s better to just be honest, right? 

how was it seeing the set the first time? 

another question he expected, and boring one at that. though he keeps that thought to himself. “ah, it was really amazing to see! i thought wow this is an important place. and really wanted to be on the stage to do well.” he nods, still speaking honestly even if he didn’t care much for this question. and he supposes that it showed as he didn’t spend very long talking on it as he had the first one.

before they can move on though something comes to mind that makes him laugh. “actually, i didn’t really get to view it all at first. see, i came with my best friend kang hyunggu, and of course were going to sit together since we were allowed to choose. so we decided on the right side.” he laughs, raising a hand to pat his bangs in a small show of embarrassment. “but i don’t know why... but i ended up going to the left side and realize oh no i can’t find ggu. he was supposed to be here. i thought he might have not come which was ridiculous and all. thats when i spotted him across the way and realized i was on the wrong side.” 

a soft sigh leaves him, he looks very resigned with himself. “so i did the first thing that comes to mind and just boooked it full speed across the stage to his side. he didn’t say anything then but i now he won’t let me live it down.” 

this time he turns to the camera and points. “yah, hyunggu yah, don’t even think of teasing me for this, okay?”

what did you think when the judges were revealed? 

“i kind of expected something like that.” he responded, nodding as he did. “they were judges for last season too and this show is all about them finding new trainees and potential idols right? isn’t it better for them to be here to see the talent themselves? i didn’t think they would be there for the first episode but it’s really cool. it kind of shows how serious they are about finding people.” he hums, pausing his answer and picking absentmindedly at one of the rips in his jeans as he does. seeming to be thinking over his answer.

after a few seconds he raises his head back up and smiles. “makes me more excited to do well on the stage, like extra pressure and all but much more fun.” he nods again, agreeing with himself. 

how do you think you did?

his eye brows raised at the question, having expected them to get to these kinds of questions eventually and he finds himself leaning back a little. it’s hard to not smirk. to not let that overly confident energy bleed out because yugyeom has always been confident. he’s always been cocky and even though his personality has tamed a bit in the last year he’s still yugyeom. still the same guy who walks into a room and thinks himself the best. 

even sometimes when he’s with hyunggu who he acknowledges as a better dancer. 

“me?” he starts, tongue peeking out to wet his bottom lip before he shrugs. but the modest, nonchalant act is not something he’s good at. it’s not who he is. and there was really no reason for him to pretend any other way. so he decides to be true to himself. 

“i think--no, i know i did great.” he speaks with the confidence of someone who has the skills to back up his words. or that he at least believes he has the skills. “i can’t recall any big mistakes, or even any small ones. the dance was new to me, and it’s one i put together on my own, but i still felt comfortable with it. it was odd at first. normally i choreograph with hyunggu. he helps me out often enough, but this time we didn’t even talk about out performances.” he pauses, head tilting and eyes going up for a moment. 

“but i think the dance came out well. i felt good on stage. felt like i belonged. honestly, i didn’t want to step off the stage.” 

were there any performances you liked? 

“kang hyunggus.” he answers without a second of hesitation, and then he ends up chuckling due to how fast he had answered. though it comes to no surprise to him that he did as he has always liked what hyunggu does when performing. even back when they only vaguely knew each other in the busking circles he had been a mild fan. 

“he always brings so much to the stage. his energy and presence even when just dancing is so on another level. it makes people want to watch, draws them in.” he smiles. “thats how i feel at least. every time i watch him dance i always want to see more. i always feel so eager to see what hes going to do and it’s always so much fun to watch him.” his words are filled with so much sincerity, its’ very clear he holds a lot of affection for his friend. as well as admiration. if asked he would admit to looking up to hyunggu. “i mentioned earlier that we always choregraph together, and theres a reason i always turn to him for help with these things.” 

“he owned that stage-- knew he would--and i almost wish i could have seen him perform longer.” 

he takes a moment to think, tapping his finger to his chin before grinning. “i also really liked joohyun’s performance. i think she really showed her stuff. someone to keep an eye on for sure.” 

were there any performances you didn’t like?

“also kang hyunggu.”  again his words make him laugh, bit this time its more of a chuckle as he smirks. “see, while i really admire him for his skills i also acknowledge that he’s competition. this show is a competition, after all, right? he’s good. amazing even, and i’d be an idiot to not think of him as someone to watch out for.” 

“also suwoongs performance.” this time he crinkles his nose. the two of them are friends, and yugyeom enjoys taking any chance he can to mess with the other male. so why not here and now. “i’ve never liked trot--though i admit he did a good job with it. im still just like why trot of all things.” he chuckles. “sorry su, but maybe try something cooler next time.”

what did you think of kang daniel’s performance? we noticed you spoke very briefly with him at the beginning. 

“kang... daniel...” he says the name slowly, not because he doesn’t recognize it but because he does. and it makes him tense ever so slightly because of the history he has with said male. a history he really hopes doesn’t come to light should he make it onto the show farther than one episode. he knows his old drinking habits could come bite him in the ass.. but he really prays they don’t.

“i think...he’s got talent.” he continues in the same slower pace. as if weighing each word and being more careful with it than he had been before. “i remember seeing him on the last season but since he’s not signed now it goes to show he didn’t have the right stuff then. but well, it’s been almost a year since last season so who knows what kind of changes he’s gone through.”

“his performance was good--i think he kind of lacks in stage presence still. i thought that last season when watching. but i could be picky.” he shrugs, and the way he talks doesn’t give away if he likes or dislikes the other male. “anyway, i think he’s someone to watch out for if he makes it past this episode.”  he decides to leave it at that, not wanting to say more. 

is there anyone you are certain will move onto the next stage?

“i go back to my first question of would it be too cocky to say myself?” he smirks wider, sendin g a wink and a finger gun at the camera. that ever flirty, yet cocky attitude really making an appearance. and he knows it might not be painted well for him to be cocky like this as people tend to like modesty but well. someones gotta talk him up and who better than himself.

he’s here to get noticed one way or another. 

“i feel pretty safe.” he says a bit more calmly this time, letting himself relax. “i danced with energy and with confidence. i was comfortable on that stage and i think i was really able to show my stuff for the judges. even if i’m not the best dancer, i’m confident in the fact i was able to show a good stage presence. that’s important for idols right? a good performance is also about the energy as well as the skill, yeah?” 

“i feel comfortable in my ability for both.”

so yeah, maybe he’s going the cocky path for this. but well, he wouldn’t be kim yugyeom is he didn’t sound cocky as fuck. 

“i guess if im confident in myself then i should also be confident in hyunggu. im not scared to admit he’s more talented--or well, more trained than i am. if i’m moving on then he has to be moving on as well.”

anyone you think won’t be moving onto the next stage?

“there were a handful of performances that i felt were lacking--people who maybe had the skills but didn’t match it with stage presence. or those who just lacked in both.” he hums, tapping his knee before shrugging. “i’ll admit, i didn’t pay to close attention to anyone i didn’t know, especially if their performance wasn’t good. so at this point i don’t really have any names. i kind of didn’t notice names--i knew my friends and i took note of those who caught my eye but other wise i didn’t care as much.” 

“so i guess just best of luck to everyone.” he gives the camera a smile, a small show of the caring leader he has inside that keeps his stupid busking team alive, and looks after his friends who have begin calling him the mom friend. that cocky aura driiting away for the briefest of moments. “it takes guts no matter how good you are to stand on a stage like this and perform. i think every one who came today deserves a bit of merit for even coming. it’s intense, you know?” 

“but, well.” and the kindness fades back into that same cockiness he had displayed through the whole interview. “those who know what they’re doing will be the ones moving on, yeah?” he smirks again, really seeming to just bleed confidence right now. “if you don’t have what it takes you won’t move on. the more the cut the less competition to worry about.”

“not that i’m worried.” 

[obsidianarchives]

Ashley Romans

Ashley Romans started her formal acting training at Pace University School of Performing Arts. She moved to Los Angeles immediately after graduating in 2015.  Los Angeles theater credits include:  Celebration's Charm (Beta), Rotterdam (StageRaw and LADCC award recipients).  Film/Television credits include: "I'm Dying Up Here" and "Shameless" (Showtime), "Are You Sleeping?" (Apple TV), "Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis" (Sunshine Moxie), "NOS4A2" (AMC new series).

Black Girls Create: What do you create?

I’m an actor. I create by acting. Collaborating with writers, directors, designers, and visionaries in whichever medium possible to hopefully create an honest reflection of a being’s life experience.

BGC: How do I create?

I suppose my entire creative process begins with healthy self trickery. Not quite deception but more healthy, playful, self manipulation. Naturally as creators we have a way of resisting and fearing whatever it is we most want to bring about into the world. Similar to a mother’s fear of giving birth or raising a child, we think “what if the world doesn’t receive my creation well? What if people are mean? What if it’s not healthy or ready?” I often find myself trying to bribe or trick my way out of this fear. I trick myself into going into my next audition as confidently as I can, or preparing for that day on set when I really don’t want to, or finding some connection with a character trait I find reprehensible.

I also think it is very important to stay relaxed and loose so one can reach a playful and spiritual place of creativity. So I try and keep myself healthy; mentally, spiritually, and physically by reading, eating healthy, journaling, praying, meditating, and exercising.  

BGC: How did you get into acting?

I would say my professional pursuit officially began when I went to study theater at Pace University in New York City for my undergraduate degree, but for as long as I can remember I always had an interest in acting. I loved watching ‘90s action/drama movies with my father and “I Love Lucy” reruns with my mother as a child at all hours of the day. I became even more interested in theater and performance through high school choir, joining community summer camps, and doing the spring high school musical.

Even as an adolescent I felt it was best to keep my professional aspirations to myself in fear of naysayers. In retrospect, I understand now that high school is a time a lot of young people are dealing with self doubt and insecurity. Considering that I was far from the funniest, smartest, or most talented individual in the theater department, I, unconsciously, kept my performing ambitions quiet even from the people closest to me because I didn’t want to risk someone rubbing their self doubt on me. I worked up the courage to audition for a couple of acting schools but I told no one except my acting teacher Douglas Hooper and a few very close mates.

I still abide by this privacy philosophy even now and it hasn’t steered me wrong to this day. I still feel that speaking one’s dreams and aspirations among chaotic or unsupportive energy environment would most likely dissipate or poison their own source.  

Eventually after graduating from Pace University through a couple months of tumbling I landed representation for acting with a management company and I moved out to Los Angeles. I’ve been able to land some great acting opportunities and gain a supportive team of people and I could not be more grateful.

BGC: What has been your favorite role so far?

I have so many favorites. The roles that stand out to me as my favorite are the ones that have most challenged me and allowed me to explore a different aspect of life, and explore and connect to the full range of the human experience. I’ve received some of my most valuable acting lessons in various roles in the theater. I played Inez, a red dressed-vixen-leading lady with a passionate, deep-seeded hatred for her ex-husband in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Our Lady of 121st. Two years ago I played Beta, a young teenage gang affiliated boy in Chicago with a secret in Phillip Dawkins’s play Charm at Celebration Theater. This coming March I will be part of the Kirk Douglas’s production Rotterdam by Jon Brittain. Set in the Netherlands, I will play Fiona/Adrian, one half of a modern London couple who decides to make a huge change in their life. My experience acting in these productions specifically has been positively nurturing. Throughout our rehearsal process, I learned what it means to be not just a more nuanced and skilled actor but also a more supportive and capable teammate in the creative process.

In terms of film/television world, my work as Hermione Granger in Sunshine Moxie’s Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis remains my greatest acting lesson in the film/television/on-camera discipline.  Eliyannah Yisrael, Megan Grogan, Alice Pierce, other writers and producers leveled up my game up. I’ve never before been number one on the call sheet and I’m not sure if I ever will again, but having that responsibility was so enlightening. It was also an invaluable learning experience getting to work with those amazing creators and seeing those women just get shit done. It was truly an honor being chosen to play such an important and monumental literary character in this version. I remember reading the Harry Potter series as a little girl in London and thinking how much I wanted to be part of and live in that magical world. Playing Hermione in the HGQLC series was by far the best artistic adventure I’ve ever had. Exploring moments, scenes and how far we can bring characters all felt like adventures. Even our trip to Dublin, Ireland this past year felt like one big adventure. I’ll be forever grateful for that experience.

BGC: Why do you create?

I enjoy acting because I love being seen and getting to disappear. It’s a paradox but it’s my truth. I enjoy exploring the range of human experience. I love that I get to feel connected to people in the safe incubator that is pretend. I love that I get to feel and say all the things I’m afraid to feel and say in my real life. I still never get bored of going to the theater, movie or stage, sitting in a dark room with other people and watching performers simply tell us a story. I hope to serve God and the people around me through my creativity and acting. I always hope to truthfully represent a human experience no matter how high or low the stakes it might seem to us at first. Losing your phone and frantically trying to find it can be as exciting and dramatic a story as losing one’s job or finding out your spouse is unfaithful. It’s all in the storytelling and truthfulness of the moment and I love as an actor I get to explore that.

BGC: Who do you hope to reach through your work?

Honestly, the most important people I aim to ultimately reach and impress are my nieces and nephews. Yes the public, my agents, and producers are all important but I feel as though they are a means to an end. Right now my oldest niece is 10 years old and she loves the Hermione series and is always pretty excited to see me act on TV. At the moment she still thinks I’m pretty cool and I hope to keep it that way.

If this was a decade ago and you asked 16-year-old Ashley the same question I probably would have said something like “I want to be a voice for the voiceless and the underrepresented… blah blah blah.” Truthfully, I don’t think I ever really knew what that meant. I mean, I knew what it meant on a superficial-runner-up-in-Beauty-Pageant kind of level but now that answer doesn’t resonate with me as the gutter truth. Whenever I’m working on scripts, deciding on content to create or post etc, I ask myself “Is this something I would be proud to let my niece see? Is this the kind of work that can help make the world even the tiniest bit better for her?” Eventually, she’s going to grow up and have a voice in this world and I hope that her seeing me embrace mine will give her the courage to embrace hers. My nieces and nephews and all the children like them are who I hope to reach.

I really love seeing how the world is changing now. Representation in the media was so limited even 10 years ago but now it’s getting more and more beautiful by the day. With so many platforms, works such as Pose, Glow, Fresh Off the Boat, Chewing Gum, Masters of None, Eighth Grade, and more, so many beings who have been underrepresented for years are getting a chance to reach their audiences and tell their stories. And we all get to identify and see ourselves in each other. I don’t have to reach out and save the world because it kind of starts with myself and our own backyard.

BGC: Who or what inspires you to keep creating?

Oh geez, that’s a loaded question. My peers are my first and foremost inspiration and motivation. Again Eliyannah Yisrael, Megan Grogan, Alice Pearce, Jessica Jenks. It’s remarkable to watch those ladies do what they do. I love being in acting class and witnessing breakthroughs or being in a really great rehearsal with a cast mate. That’s always promising when you get to be part of the creation of something honest and true.  Even if it is just a great moment in a scene. Actors who inspire me are endless. Octavia Spencer is a fantastic actress and creator who I adore. I had the blessing of working with her once and she’s an even better human.  Lovely doesn’t do her justice. I love watching Regina King. There’s a great example of an honest to God creator and storyteller. She’s accomplished so much in acting, directing, writing, and producing. That’s also how I feel about Shonda Rhimes, Boots Riley, Jim Carrey, Maggie Gyllenhaal. There are many more. I’m sure as soon as you publish this interview I’m going to think of more.

BGC: Why is it important as a Black person to create?

As Black people, we have such a specific and loaded way we walk through the world. The Hermione Series has such a beautiful tag line.  It says “HGQLC - Write Your Own Ending.”  I’ve always loved that because it gives power to the subject.  As Black people it is our responsibility to take control of our story the best way we can.  We must feed our communities the best and most honest images of ourselves to ourselves because images and representation matters. In the area of cinema, for years non-Black people have told their version of the Black experience and it has left us misrepresented.

BGC: How do you balance creating with the rest of your life?

It’s always a struggle to keep a balanced life. I have a tendency to obsess and quickly lose perspective but when I want to regain balance I plan my day to make sure I get everything I need in. Luckily for me in my particular art form, acting is about living so I know I can’t be a good actor if I’m not allowing myself to experience life and fun.   

BGC: Have you been able to build a support system around yourself? What does that look like?

I feel so grateful for my support system. I have amazing representation, an amazing day job with super awesome and motivating coworkers who are actively pursuing their life goals. I also have super supportive family and friends who tell me they’re proud of me just for being myself. My sister is also a great support system, someone I can speak and think out loud with no fear of judgment. I could not be any luckier.

BGC: Any advice for young creators/ones just starting?

It takes 10,000 hours to be a professional at anything. So just put in the hours, however that may look. Either do it, read about it, watch a YouTube video on it, whatever you have to do to learn about your craft and get better.  

BGC: Any future projects?

I’m going to be doing a remounting of the stage production Rotterdam at the historic Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City. It’s a short run, performances run from March 28 - April 7th, but it’s such a blessing to revisit this work with such a remarkable group of people.  It’s a super funny and insightful play about gender and love.

In the television world I just finished wrapping a new AMC series starring Zachary Quinto and Ashleigh Cummings called NOS4A2. I don’t know the exact date it is to be released but it’s happening soon. The series is based of the hit novel by Joe Hill and it centers around a teenager (Cummings) who uses supernatural abilities to track down the seemingly immortal Charlie Manx (Quinto), who steals children and deposits them in “Christmasland.”  I play a Detective Tabitha Hutter trying to suss out the truth. This series has supernatural fantasy, horror, action/adventure, procedural, and family drama. Everything you want to see.

[patriotsnet]

Are The Republicans Winning The Election

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-the-republicans-winning-the-election/

Are The Republicans Winning The Election

California Recall Lesson: Republicans Believe In Elections Only When They Win

Winning Elections: Why and How the Republicans Win

Republicans,;like totalitarians, believe in elections. But only if they always win.

New case in point? California, where voters on Tuesday appeared inclined to keep Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recall election.

Cue Larry Elder, the leading Republican to replace him, who started dropping unsubstantiated claims that the election was;rigged against him.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

The only proof Elder offered was the fact that California voters were poised to pick Newsom over him or anyone else on the long list of possible replacements.

How could that be? Republicans can only lose if theyre cheated, right?

I Do Not Buy That A Social Media Ban Hurts Trumps 2024 Aspirations: Nate Silver

sarah: Yeah, Democrats might not have their worst Senate map in 2022, but it will by no means be easy, and how they fare will have a lot to do with the national environment. And as we touched on earlier, Bidens overall approval rating will also make a big difference in Democrats midterm chances.

nrakich: Yeah, if the national environment is even a bit Republican-leaning, that could be enough to allow solid Republican recruits to flip even Nevada and New Hampshire. And then it wouldnt even matter if Democrats win Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

One thing is for sure, though whichever party wins the Senate will have only a narrow majority, so I think were stuck in this era of moderates like Sens. Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski controlling every bills fate for at least a while longer.;

sarah: Lets talk about big picture strategy, then, and where that leaves us moving forward. Its still early and far too easy to prescribe election narratives that arent grounded in anything, but one gambit the Republican Party seems to be making at this point is that attacking the Democratic Party for being too progressive or woke will help them win.

What do we make of that playbook headed into 2022? Likewise, as the party in charge, what are Democrats planning for?

With that being said, the GOPs strategies could still gin up turnout among its base, in particular, but its hard to separate that from general dissatisfaction with Biden.

Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger: National Gop Figures Didn’t Understand Our Laws

But Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting system implementation manager, said on Wednesday that the system is working exactly the way it is intended.

“The irony of saying ‘fraudulent votes have been found’ â he has gained in the finding of these votes,” he said.

Raffensperger has said he’s been pressured by top Republicans to find ways of disqualifying ballots that hurt the Trump campaign.

“They say that as pressure builds, it reveals your character, it doesn’t change your character. Some people aren’t behaving too well with seeing where the results are,” Raffensperger told NPR’s Ari Shapiro on Tuesday.

“At the end of the day, I want voters to understand that when they cast their ballot in Georgia, it will be accurately counted. You may not like the results and I get that. I understand how contentious it is. But you can then respect the results.”

Poll workers check voters’ identifications on Election Day at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, Wis. The Trump campaign has announced it is filing for a recount in two Wisconsin counties.hide caption

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Poll workers check voters’ identifications on Election Day at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, Wis. The Trump campaign has announced it is filing for a recount in two Wisconsin counties.

President Trump’s campaign announced Wednesday morning it is filing a petition to formally ask election authorities to conduct a recount in two Wisconsin counties. President-elect Joe Biden won the state by a little more than 20,000 votes.

Recommended Reading: Did Donald Trump Really Say Republicans Are Dumb

Gop Scores An Early Win In 2024 Race

New Census figures show the gap between the popular vote and the Electoral College is widening.

As a result of Census Bureau population figures released Monday, if every state voted the same way in 2024 that they did in 2020, President Joe Biden would win three fewer Electoral College votes than he did in November. |

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President Joe Bidens path to reelection just got a little harder.

As a result of Census Bureau population figures released Monday, if every state voted the same way in 2024 that they did in 2020, Biden would win three fewer Electoral College votes than he did in November, while the Republican nominee would win three more.

The shift is only a marginal one it would only affect the closest of elections.

But that doesnt mean the new state numbers which are used to apportion the number of congressional districts each state gets, and thus the number of electoral votes wont alter the landscape in 2024 and 2028.

Here are five reasons why:

The gap between the popular vote and the Electoral College is widening.

Biden beat then-President Donald Trump by 74 Electoral College votes. A net gain of six votes for Trump wouldnt have mattered.

But in a close race like the one in 2000, where just five electoral votes separated George W. Bush and Al Gore the re-balancing of the Electoral College could tip the scales.

Thats significant for a party whose presidential candidates have won the national popular vote only once since 1988.

But thats right now.

The Numbers Are Grim Republicans Are Winning At Normalizing Voter Suppression

Voter ID laws which are sculpted to make it harder to vote are wildly popular with voters, according to surveys

Voter suppression has been around for as long as the republic. Stories of subterfuge and ballot box-stuffing schemes are such a part of American political folklore, theres an entire book about them. So in one sense, there is nothing particularly novel about Republican politicians efforts to rig the vote, or the important revelations that rightwing groups and corporate officials are coordinating state-level campaigns to make it harder to vote.

However, a new nugget of polling data illustrates that something more fundamental has happened: voter suppression is no longer a plot engineered in the shadows and denied in public, for fear of criticism by a population that considers such measures grotesque. Instead, voter suppression is having its coming-out party because more and more Americans now consider it to be a perfectly legitimate and even laudable campaign tactic.

The data point comes in a new CBS/YouGov survey, buried under the topline finding that almost two-thirds of Republican voters do not consider Joe Biden the legitimate winner of the 2020 election, despite Bidens electoral college and popular vote victories.

Nearly half of Republicans surveyed supported the latter move, with the strongest demographics in support being female Republicans, non-white Republicans and white Republicans with no college degree.

Read Also: Democrats Have Tried To Impeach Every Republican President Since Eisenhower

Biden Avoids The Microscope

Another benefit Biden can enjoy from having his party control both chambers of Congress is that Republican investigatory powers will be greatly diminished. With Democrats in charge of Senate committees, embarrassing and potentially explosive investigations are unlikely to materialise.

Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson will no longer run the Government Oversight Committee, so his planned forays into Hunter Biden’s China dealings and any connections to the incoming president will go away. The same applies to Lindsey Graham and the Judiciary Committee, which was expected to hold more hearings into the 2016 Russia election-meddling investigation and the origins of Robert Mueller’s special counsel probe.

Any new Democratic scandals that crop up should also avoid a full and potential politically damaging airing – a luxury Trump also enjoyed during his first two years in office and sorely missed during his final two.

The Trump-Russia saga in 350 words

Biden Flips Coveted Georgia The Last State To Be Called By The Ap

The full hand recount of the state’s 5 million presidential votes resulted in a narrowing of Biden’s lead over President Trump in Georgia, but not nearly enough to change the result. He started out with a 14,000 vote lead, and now leads by just over 12,000 votes.

The recount, formally known as a risk-limiting audit, is intended to verify the contest’s winner. As Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Stephen Fowler reported, four counties uncovered a few thousand previously uncounted votes, which subsequently cut into Biden’s margin of victory.

Douglas, Walton, Fayette and Floyd counties all experienced issues with missing or unscanned votes related to human error â but the numbers weren’t significant enough to change the outcome of the election.

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There is no mandatory recount law in Georgia, but state law does allow for a recount if the margin is less than .5%. It currently stands at .2%.

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced the hand audit last week, citing the close margin of the race.

The four counties with new vote totals must recertify their results. Statewide election results must be certified by Friday. The Trump campaign then has until Tuesday to request an additional recount, which would be by machine rather than by hand.

Trump has repeatedly questioned the integrity of Georgia’s vote counting, it both a “joke” and a process that led to “fraudulent votes” being found.

Read Also: Are Any Republicans In Favor Of Impeachment

Redistricting Is The Next Step On A Path To One

The redistricting process kicked off this week in Washington. The Census Bureau released initial data from the 2020 census Monday afternoon, , which means that congressional district boundaries will soon be redrawn to account for changes in population.

These changes will probably tend to benefit the Republican Party, as conservative states will get more seats for instance, Texas will gain two seats, while New York, California, and Illinois will all lose one. Republicans are also certain to use the process to try to gerrymander themselves as many additional congressional seats as possible by leveraging their control of a majority of state legislatures. And that is just the opening tactic in a long-term strategy to abolish American democracy and set up one-party rule.

Today in Michigan, gerrymandering means Republicans enjoy a 3.4-point handicap in the state House and a 10.7-point handicap in the state Senate; in Pennsylvania, it’s a 3.1-point handicap in the House and a 5.9-point handicap in the Senate; and in Wisconsin, a 7.1-point handicap in the House and a 10.1-point handicap in the Senate.

It’s impossible to gerrymander the Senate, of course, but luckily for Republicans that chamber is inherently gerrymandered due to the large number of disproportionately white, low-population rural states that lean conservative. The swing seat in the Senate is biased something like 7 points to the right.

A Late Surge In Latino Voters Helped Newsom Keep His Job

Who is Winning US Election 2020 | Full 360 Analysis | Analysts, Democrats, Republicans on NewsX

For weeks, Democrats openly worried that Latino voters were not going to show up in force for Gov. Gavin Newsom. That might have spelled doom for the party, which has relied on support from Latino voters to rise to its current grip on power in the state.

But early numbers suggest that it might have been history repeating itself: a late investment in Latino voter outreach, and a late uptick in interest and voting among Latinos. Though it was far from unanimous, the majority of Latino voters backed Mr. Newsom, with some Latino-heavy precincts defeating the recall by as much as 88 percent, according to an analysis by the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Early numbers, though, suggest that Latino voters may still not be showing up to the polls at the same rates as white, Black and Asian American voters. As of Tuesday morning, 30 percent of Latino voters who received their ballots by mail had sent them back, compared with 50 percent of white voters and 40 percent of Black voters, according to Political Data Inc., a Sacramento-based research group.

Historically, Latinos are more likely to vote late, and many observers thought it was possible to see a last-minute surge among those voters. Exit polling suggests that Latinos made up roughly 24 percent of all voters in the recall, and that about 60 percent of those Latino voters favored keeping the governor in office.

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Some Republicans Including Trump Make Baseless Pre

As Election Day dawned in California, some leading Republicans were preparing to declare the results marred by fraud.

Elder had already set up a link on his campaign website to a petition asking the state legislature to investigate voting fraud. In recent interviews he encouraged citizens to report voting issues to his campaign and said a team of lawyers was ready to act if needed.

The pre-election efforts to undermine confidence in the results were led by former president Donald Trump, who sent out a statement Tuesday morning warning of rampant voter fraud. In a Tuesday evening interview on Newsmax, Trump repeated his baseless claims, urging viewers to take a look at whats going on right now in California with the mail-in ballots and all the crap that theyre doing.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday outside a voting location at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock, Charlotte Dutra, 68, a retired human resources analyst for Turlock Irrigation District, said she is a proud Republican and voted yes to take out.

Dutra said she filled out her recall ballot and dropped it off in person. She said she believes there was fraud in the 2020 election, and shes still skeptical of election integrity in California because the current secretary of state was appointed by the White-privileged Gavin Newsom.

There is no evidence that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Can Pence Affect The Outcome

While Pence has said he welcomes objections to the electoral college count, his role in the processopening envelopes and affirming the victoriesis largely ceremonial.

Last month, Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas, filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to give Pence the authority to overturn Bidens win, but Pence successfully requested the case be dismissed, with an attorney for the Department of Justice arguing he was not the right defendant.

Read Also: Why Do Republicans Want To Take Away Health Care

Newsoms Efforts To Combat Coronavirus Sway Some Voters

In a rapidly gentrifying part of Inglewood, Calif., Gov. Gavin Newsoms imposition of restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic swayed some voters as did Republican Larry Elders statements that children do not need to be vaccinated or wear masks.

Keeping a candidate in office thats going to protect health-care workers, protect children, enforce the mask mandate at this point Im on the front lines. I work at UCLA Health in a hospital setting as a manager and am in the thick of it, seeing children get sick, Jolie Emenike, 41, said about the issue that drove her to vote against the recall Tuesday morning.

I dont want to see the vaccine or mask mandates change, she said.

For Dan Sabin, too, the vaccine rules were top of mind, though his conclusion was different.

I was subject to a vaccine mandate when I was younger in Romania. We overthrew our government, but I still have the lasting effects of that mandate, said Sabin, 33. I definitely recalled Gavin Newsom.

Although he called mail-in ballots a massive risk, the software engineer said he trusts the election process.

Im not really sure. You have to trust the people that do the ballots, he said. Ultimately, the people that work in there are people in the community.

If Rep Liz Cheney Doesnt Have A Home In The Gop Who Does

To be sure, though, Fragas own research has found that white voters, regardless of how easy or hard it is for them to vote, consistently turn out at higher rates than voters of color, so we do want to be careful of not reading too much into this. Jennifer McCoy, a political scientist at Georgia State University who studies the effects of polarization on democracy, told me that she thought the current emphasis on voter restrictions boiled down to Republicans thinking they could appeal to Trumps base by codifying his baseless claims of voter fraud. know they have to attract Donald Trump supporters who now believe there is fraud, said McCoy. So a large part of the current efforts to change voter laws was a direct response to this last election. Large majorities of Republicans continue to believe Bidens win is not legitimate, and a that only 28 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning people agreed that everything possible should be done to make voting easy, a steep drop from 48 percent in October 2018.

The GOPs restrictionist bent sends the message that Republicans dont want Black and brown Americans to vote. In September 2020, 54 percent of Black respondents and 35 percent of Hispanic respondents told FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos they believed Republicans didnt want people like me to vote.

Don’t Miss: What Percent Of Republicans Approve Of Trump

Why Are Republicans Fighting So Hard For Georgia

While the presidential election results were full of disappointments for Donald Trump, losing Georgia may have been the unkindest cut.

Like Arizona, the state hadn’t been carried by a Democrat since 1992. But unlike that desert state, Georgia wasn’t considered an electoral battleground until the campaign’s final weeks.

That, along with the narrowness of the Biden lead in the state, may be why the Trump team has fought so furiously to flip the state to his column – even if it means going to war with local Republicans overseeing the state’s election.

The president’s efforts to cast doubt on the results in Georgia are complicated by the fact that the state’s two runoff contests in January will decide control of the US Senate. The more he feuds with his own party in the state, the greater the risk division will lead to Republican defeat.

Trump is making Georgia his first presidential visit since the election. The stated purpose is to campaign for the two Republican incumbent senators, but he is sure to continue to call into question the presidential verdict in the state.

Reversing the election results has proven to be a futile battle, but it seems the only thing worse for this president than actual defeat is appearing to accept it.

[thesoftdumbass]

Before We Go

Steve Rogers x reader

Words: 2.9k

Characters: Reader, Steve Rogers, Brock Rumlow, (a frickton of other marvel characters are mentioned)

Warnings: shady guys, purse being stolen, talk of alcohol, talk of breakups, bloody nose, slight existential crisis, stripping is mentioned (you’ll see), a couple kisses

Summary: Steve helps reader look for their purse that has been stolen, and they learn a bit about each other along the way.

Pre A/N: A big thanks to @sgtbxckybxrnes​ for this Movie AU Writing Challenge! It was fun trying to come up with different directions to take this. I love Before We Go with Chris Evans, and I knew I just had to write it for Steve. I hope you like it!

-Tay

(All gif credit to owners)

You were walking down a side street in New York City, trying to figure out what to do next, when you noticed somebody walking behind you. Glancing over your shoulder, you noticed a group of men, staggering and holding bottles of what was obviously alcohol. Oh yay, because your trip was already turning out so great! Note the sarcasm.

Just as you were about to cross the street to try and avoid the group, someone came up and wrapped their arm around you, startling you. "Hey, honey, sorry I'm late."

You looked up into the handsome face of the man that tried to help you at the train station, feeling slightly reassured. When he guided you back onto a main road and let go of your shoulder, you sighed in relief. "When that happens, just stare straight ahead, keep walking strong," he told you.

"Thank you," you say sincerely.

"Sure," he is nonchalant.

You look at him, feeling guilty. This stranger had tried to help when you missed your train out of the city, but you had ended up snapping at him in your annoyance. "I'm sorry about earlier," you spoke up. "I shouldn't have been rude."

"It's okay, you're having a bad night. It happens to all of us." You nod, continuing to walk beside him. "So what do you want to do? You want to get a hotel room or something?"

"Excuse me?" You raise your eyebrows at him.

"No, not, not... goodness. Not for us, for you. In case you don't have friends in the city," he explains himself.

"I don't have friends in the city and I don't have a cell phone, and then my I.D. and  credit cards were in my purse, which was stolen. So I am screwed."

"Okay," the man said, trying to think of options. "Want to try and go find your purse?"

"What, like the person who took it is just going to put it back," you ask sarcastically.

"Well, no, but sometimes they just take the cash. Dump the purse. You check the trash barrels where it was stolen?"

"At the bar? No, no I didn't."

"What bar? You remember the name," he asks.

"Um... Yeah, it began with an L. Um... I can't remember. It was downtown," you say, unsure.

"Downtown," he repeats. "Well that's on my way."

"It's on your way?"

"Want to come with me, have a little adventure, find your purse?"

"Okay," you answer.

"Okay. Let's go."

You start towards the bar when you hear him pipe up.

"Where are you going?"

"Downtown is south."

"Right," the man points his thumb in the opposite way than where you were going, "downtown. I'm Steve by the way."

"Oh, hey, I'm YN." He seemed trustworthy even though you just met, so you didn't hesitate to tell him your name.

"YN. It's nice to meet you, YN."

You and Steve made your way to the bar downtown, finding it after a few minutes. You each checked the trash bins in the restrooms, coming up empty handed. You walk back into the main room of the bar and find Steve.

"Anything?" You shake your head. "All right. I got an idea." Steve walks up and places his hands on the sticky bar top, attracting the bartender's attention.

"Excuse me, hi... Brock." Steve took a moment to read the man's nametag. "My friend had her purse stolen here earlier tonight, and we were wondering if you've seen it." Steve glanced to you to explain what it looked like.

"It's a black Michael Kors bag with a long strap. I had it on the bar beside me before I noticed it was missing."

"It hasn't turned up," the brunet said in a gruff voice, "but you never know."

"Yeah, that's what the police said," Steve started.

"Funny, they're usually so helpful," Brock butted in.

"But then they told me about these guys that will lift purses out of certain places and that, sometimes, the bartender knows something," Steve continues as if he wasn't interrupted.

"Yeah, well I guess saying that is easier than doing actual police work."

"Right. Right, that's true. But uh... I be there'd be a pretty handsome gratuity in it if something popped into your brain," Steve asserted.

"Michael Kors, you said?"

"Uh huh," you told him, nodding. "It does have sentimental value."

"Give me a sec," Brock said as he stepped away from the bar and into the back.

You stood there for a few moments while Brock made some calls, until Steve broke the silence. "Sentimental value. Nice touch," he said appreciatively.

"It's true." You paused. "I appreciate you doing this. I know that you weren't planning on spending your night rummaging through bathroom trash cans."

"Well, I didn't plan not to," he said graciously.

You laughed. "Well what about all the other things that you could be doing?"

"Well, you didn't say trash can treasure hunts were on the menu," Steve said cheekily. "I'm actually in town for an audition... tomorrow. I was in Grand Central Station, just kinda... trying to piece together what I want to play."

"So, trumpet," you asked, nodding to the instrument case on his back.

"Yeah."

"I don't think I've seen anyone play trumpet since high school band."

"Well, we're still around, we just don't, uh, march as much as we used to."

"Jazz?" you question.

"Yeah. You listen?"

"I like it. I like jazz."

While you waited for Brock to return, you and Steve talked about that time at summer camp when you serenaded Sam Wilson with 'My Funny Valentine' from a behind tree.

When Brock came back, you were curious to know what he found out. "Well...?"

"We may be in luck. Took a little persuasion. Had to call in a favor or two," he said, handing you a slip of paper.

Taking the paper and opening it, you notice a street number and business written down. "So I just have to go to this address and...?"

"That's a bad neighbourhood," Steve interrupted with a frown before you could get your thought out.

"What, you think guys on Wall Street were lifting purses," Brock asked sarcastically.

"Well... thank you," you said, trying to get out of there.

"I hope I was helpful."

"Extremely," Steve replies.

You leaned into Steve's side and said quietly, "I think he wants gratitude."

"Group hug? Big Kiss?" Steve said, spreading his arms out, reaching to embrace the bartender.

Brock rolled his eyes before, "I believe the words were 'handsome gratuity'?"

Steve sighed and reached for his wallet. "Do you take credit cards?"

You walked out of the dirty bar a few minutes later, ready to get your purse back. "Okay, so it's this way, right?" pointing in one direction.

"All right, you talked me into it... I'm coming with you."

"Thank you, but really, you have your audition to prepare for..."

"It's all right. It's late, you're going to a bad neighbourhood. I'm not gonna let you go alone. Besides, it's this way," Steve said insistently, turning you to face the right direction.

"Are you sure you don't mind," you ask your acquaintance, not knowing what you would do if he said he did mind.

"Positive. Come on."

You chatted as you walked beside Steve through the streets of New York. The two of you talked about your reasons for being in the city. You were visiting your boyfriend Pietro while you are on break from university, at least until he broke up with you out of nowhere. That's why in that sketchy bar, you had nowhere else to wait for your train. Steve has an audition with Tony Stark in the morning, but he also wanted to attend his friend's wedding to see his ex. You made sure he wasn't talking about the bride or the groom. Steve laughed at that and assured you that he wasn't going to break up a wedding.

"All right, this is it." Steve looked into the establishment and grimaced. "You know what, let me do this. What'd you say it was... a black Michael Kors bag?"

"I think we should call the police," you say nervously.

"Yeah. They'll be right over. How's next Thursday," he said sarcastically. "Anything specific about the bag?"

"On the inside lining of the bag, there should be a bright red stain. I spilled a bottle of nail polish right on the inside label," you disclose.

"Two blocks that way, theres's a bar called Barton's... Wait for me there, all right?"

”Wait! How much cash do you have," you say cautiously.

"I don't know. That's a personal question." Steve patted his pockets while he thought. "Maybe forty bucks?”

"You're gonna do something crazy," you accuse.

"Thank you for not saying 'stupid.' That means a lot."

"You're gonna grab it and run, aren't you?"

"Uh... I don't know. It's exciting though, isn't it?" He gives a self-satisfied smirk. "Go."

With that, Steve walks into the building and disappears from view. You walk a few blocks away and wait outside the bar he told you about. After around ten minutes, Steve walks your way, fingers pinching his obvious bloody nose.

"They tried to cheat me out of three hundred dollars and hit me when I said I didn't have enough," he says in explanation.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. You have your thing and now you look all..."

"Homeless?"

"No."

"Tough?"

"No, let's stick with homeless." Steve chuckles at you. "Well, the purse is out."

"What now?"

"Now it doesn't matter. It was over when I missed that train."

"What was over," Steve questions.

"My chances of being accepted into the doctoral program. My interview with Doctor Banner is tomorrow morning at nine and I'm definitely going to miss it now," you say, despairing.

"Hey YN, it's okay. I'll try to get you home. And if not, you can call in the morning and try to reschedule. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"I know. It's just that I worked so hard for six years to get to this point. If I don't make it to the interview tomorrow, then I have to wait another semester." You take a few moments to calm yourself down. "Look, thank you for your help, but it's over. You can go back to whatever you were doing before I came along and ruined your night." You started walking away when Steve called out to you.

"Wait, please, stop! Stop!" You stopped and turned around with an expectant look on your face. "You didn't ruin my night, okay? I was hiding out in Grand Central trying to avoid..." Steve didn't have to finish his sentence for you to know that he meant his ex, Sharon. "Look. My night was crap before you showed up. It's gonna be crap after you leave. But your night? If we can get you home and get you to that interview? Well then... you know, that would make me a hero."

At the end of his monologue, you couldn't help the small smile on your lips. "Not gonna pass that up, am I?"

Steve smiled a genuine smile and you both set to work, trying to come up with a plan. In the end, you ended up at a bus station in Chinatown that ran buses all night. You stood outside, waiting for your bus together. The night may not have started out the greatest, but you had fun with Steve and were sad to have to leave. You struck up conversation in hopes of distracting yourself from your thoughts.

"I'm sorry again that I messed up your plans. You never got to go break up that wedding," you said, teasing."

Steve chuckled and you giggled before, "Aww, don't feel badly."

"No, I don't feel badly. I feel bad."

"Did you just do that? Did you just correct my grammar?"

"Oh, stop it, I was just teasing. Have I done that already?"

"You've been dying to," he accused lightly.

"That's an interrupted verb phrase. I've been silently correcting you all night." You give him a crooked smile and he scrunched his nose up in a show of distaste. "Don't make that face."

"Well I'm glad to know that we're at the point in our relationship where you feel comfortable doing it out loud," Steve's voice held amusement.

There was a minute where neither of you said anything and your thoughts drifted to the important meeting tomorrow.

"What if I make it to the interview, but I mess it up?" You looked down and wrung your hands together. "This is a big step in my life and I don't want to be too pre-occupied with my thoughts, or too tired from sleeping on the bus home that I ruin my own life. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to even bother coming to visit Pietro. What we really need is a time machine."

"Well, we kind of have one." You glance up to find the most beautiful blue eyes looking into yours. Steve walks over to the pay phone on the curb and picks up the handset. "A few years ago, they turned all these public pay phones into time machines. You pick one up, dial 1997, and a New Yorker will come on and tell you exactly what was happening on that corner 20 years ago."

"It was funny. I don't even need to call that far back. I just need to call yesterday."

"Well, let's try." At your questioning glance, Steve pretends to dial numbers, letting out silly 'beep, boop' noises to signify the numbers being pressed. Finally he turns to you and hands you the hand set. "What would you tell yourself?"

"YN, it's you from the future," pause. "She doesn't believe me."

"Well, of course; You got to tell her something secret, something only you two would know."

You think for a few seconds. "You know that tiny scar you have on your forehead? The one you tell everyone you got hiking in Colorado, but you actually got falling into the crowd while singing Wannabe by the Spice Girls."

"This is my favourite story already."

"Shh. It's collect." You bring the phone back to your mouth. "So Natasha made you go to a karaoke bar, and you ended up drinking way too much, tripping over your own feet and spending the whole night in the E.R. Okay, oh good, you believe me now. Okay, so whatever you do, don't talk to strangers in Grand Central. Just skip New York altogether."

"Ouch," Steve grabbed his chest in mock offence.

You thought about the adventure you and Steve had gone on, and looked up into his clear blue eyes, and reconsidered. "Actually, do talk to strangers in Grand Central Station. You might make a friend, and he might distract you from yourself. He's not that bad looking, either." You winked at him. "YN, remember to not take yourself so seriously. I'll see you in the future. Okay, bye." You replaced the phone on the hook and turned to your companion.

"So what do we do now," Steve asks.

"Oh, you're not gonna get off that easy. You're making a call, too."

"No, no, no. I don't mess with the physics of space and time."

"Spice girls," you say, giving him a look.

"All right, all right. Give it to me. But I don't want to do yesterday, I want to do 2004." You pass the handset to Steve and he does the ridiculous dialing sounds again, making you laugh. "Steve, hey, it's me. You from the future." He puts his hand over the speaker and turns to you. "He bought it. Idiot."

"Listen, when you're looking to get a job in college, ignore Bucky when he suggests a strip club." You raise an eyebrow when you hear this, smirking at Steve. "It doesn't matter how much money you can make or that you can settle your student debt before graduating. Dressing up as Captain America and shaking it onstage for drunk women will come back to haunt you. Okay, as long as you know that. Goodbye."

Steve hangs up the phone and you fight to hold back a laugh. "Captain America, huh? Like... the guy with the shield and tights?"

"Hey, don't laugh. Did I mention the part where I don't have student loans to pay?"

"You did. I'm just disappointed that I didn't get to see you perform. That would have been quite a show," you say, chuckling.

You shift into meaningless conversation until an announcement sounds, giving a five minute warning until departure. You look up at Steve, knowing that you have to say goodbye.

"Thank you for helping me tonight. It means a lot."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I met you."

"Maybe we'll see each other again. I'll come see you play trumpet some time," you suggest.

"Sounds like a plan."

Steve looks into your eyes, and your breath catches in your throat. His gaze is intense in a way that makes your cheeks heat up. Without noticing, you began leaning forward until your lips brushed Steve's. You pulled back, ready to apologize when you felt his mouth meet yours again, more insistently this time. His mouth slots against yours, meeting no resistance from you. You break apart once again when the bus driver sounds the horn, calling for riders to board. You said goodbye before climbing aboard, looking back only once.

Steve stood with his hands in his pockets, watching as the bus pulled away. He had slipped a handwritten note in your pocket, along with his phone number. He had an audition to get to, but he hoped you would call him when you got home. All he could do now was wait.

Post A/N: Thank you guys for reading! If I made any mistakes, please come and tell me. I’m sorry if this is more crap than usual, and I am not very creative. If you did enjoy it though, please consider leaving notes. See you next time, loves!

[jtroupe]

why internationals fell short

regionals and nationals were fantastic endings to fantastic seasons, there was just enough hype during the seasons for these competions to feel important and meaningful. then when the time came along for tns to participate in these competitions, the hype didnt end and it left the viewers, although knowing that tns would win, rooting for the kids. the problem with internationals is that i didnt actually feel that same hype, and im gonna try to talk about why internationals, the biggest competition of the show, fell so short.

a mediocre season makes for a mediocre final in most cases, and season 3 didnt deviate from that prediction. season 3.0 was fresh and interesting, the whole battle with elite and ella coming to tns was very cool and i liked those arcs (the giselle dance captancy arc was ultimately pointless, though). of course these could have been done better, and other characters could have been treated so much better (*cough*amanda*cough*michelle), but taking away from this, the season looked very promising. this was the case until season 3.5 started, and things went very downhill.

what made season 1 and 2′s buildup to their respective finals good was that we saw the journey to create a winning team. we saw the auditions for solos and duets and the drama that stemmed from them. in season 3 we’re just told who had the solos and who had the duet, which just left me saying “oh.... okay then...”, i just didnt feel like, me, a viewer, was invested enough in the goings-on of the show. another thing to add is that all of the storylines in the season seemed to pass extremely quickly, as if they were wholly unimportant. in season 1 we had the overarching plot of elite being a big competitor, in season 2 we had amanda being a spy for elite, and in season 3 we got...... ella being at the next step??? ella didnt become an issue until the actual competition, so throughout the series it didnt feel like the next step had to overcome any real issues on their road to internationals.

the next step needs outside conflict, this has been proven multiple times because of the level of storytelling present when outside conflict is introduced. outside conflict makes the team look closer, because in the end they are all fighting against one goal. without a rival team our outer conflict, the only drama that can be created is due to in-fighting, and in-fighting gets boring after a while and makes the viewer think; “are these guys actually friends?”. the swedish team and the british team dont count as outer conflict, as we were only told they were dangerous, and in writing, the phrase ‘show, dont tell’ is there for a reason.

the episodes where the team dick around in miami were fantastic as they showed the team actually getting along, something we were robbed from during the rest of the season. but the boys stuck in the everglades and tns missing a signature wasnt enough ‘they might not be able to get in!!!!’ conflict to get anyone concerned. these episodes could have been used to throw in some last-minute serious conflict, but that would have only worked if there were instances in the earlier season that a troupe were actually a family. with those episodes over and the competition beginning, this is where the season quality plummits.

internationals is nowhere as grand as it was expected to be, for a competition marked as the ‘most important dance event of the year’, it being held in a shitty little convention centre with the most exciting decoration being balloons didnt set that impression for me. if internationals itself looked extremely professional and large, then that would give the viewer the impression of how fierce the competition ahead will be. going back to the signature thing, wouldnt someone have at least emailed miss kate about the lack of correct documents BEFORE the sign-in day? nitpicky, but its something. i just didnt feel the level of difficulty internationals was supposed to bring to the table.

the twists in the competion were interesting, i cant say no about that. the multi-national small group, the limited knowledge of a song before the performance, the blindfolded dance, all unique ideas. these twists were conflicts physically WAITING to happen, but the next step had no difficulty in them just because they just happened to have the right people in the right place? thalia is able to speak polish to the polish team? how convenient! eldon being good at turning and a turning competition? he could have lost to show the feirce talent! noah having amazing spacial awarness? oh my god how perfect! everything was handed to the next step, how am i supposed to fear for their chances if theres nothing holding them back?

subplots during internationals were very dumb as well. not one part of me can feel sorry for riley after getting her solo stolen, as ella EXPLICITLY TOLD HER that she “WOULD DEFINATELY MESS WITH THE NEXT STEP”, riley knew this and she willingly showed her solo to ella. no idea how i’m supposed to feel angry at something i saw coming. can we also talk about how much of a dick eldon was during these episodes? he knew thalia wanted to be with him, but as soon as she breathes in the direction of someone who shares heritage with her, thats a massive red flag?? eldon has always been shown to be clueless to things around him, but hey, he’s hyperaware of a single polish man.

the stephanie and michelle subplot of stephanie not wanting to perform did literally nothing for her character or michelle’s. thats just how it is. stephanie had no use of being in this entire season, she was a poor replacement for michelle. michelle bowing out in place of noah for the small group was a smart decision as noah was ready and willing to dance, stephanie somehow got over stagefright in 5 minutes while michelle could have taken her place and redeemed herself after being made into an alternate. and i know amanda was in sweden for most of the season meaning she couldnt learn the dances so quick but god, she got nothing at internationals, even michelle got screentime.

although nice to see daniel come back and save the day when lucien is said to be a finals judge, it all seemed very forced and unnessasary. luciens a judge? that could be a problem but thank god daniel was in the right place at the right time and was here right now!!! how can a viewer not get bored of everything going so simply for tns? it’d maybe be better if daniel came in at the last moment or even after the competition, invalidating the winner, but it all happened in less than 5 minutes.

while watching nationals, i was on the edge of my seat, seeing LOD perform their final dance first and it being so amazing made me anxious to see tns’ performance and if they would win. there was passion in that dance, because of amanda being redeemed and adopted into a troupe, while still thinking that she may throw the dance. there was so much conflict during that season and that competition that i watched with balled fists hoping for the win. internationals didnt have that, i had nothing to feel during the final performance, there was no climax of emotion during that performance, hell, there was more of a story to invest in during the jiley duet than the final group performance.

to conclude this post that has gone on for too long, internationals failed because there was nothing to make the viewer feel the intensity of the competition. factors that went into this included storytelling throughout the entire season and boring characterisation of characters we’ve come to know and love. internationals should have marked the end of an era for the next step, and for such a big promise, it fell so, so short of what it could have been.

[thisiswhereidraw]

people dont know this but grace loves to leave gifts and positive notes in peoples lockers

she notices when people are feeling down or have seen them in a bad situation in school, like a confrontation with a bully or an embarrassing moment in class

sometimes she asks around what those specific people like or enjoy so she knows what gift to get them. when they ask she says “dont ask questions you dont want to know the answer to” better to give them an intimidating vibe than a suspicious one just to avoid further questions

she stays anonymous so people dont go asking questions because she likes to keep a low profile

one boy in her science class accidentally tripped and spilled (non-chemical) liquid over the teacher and he became a laughing stock. people called him H2 Dope for days

later on that week he found a cassette of his favourite band and a note that says how admiring his skills in science are

a girl got cheated on by her boyfriend and the blame was pitted on her

she arrived to school in fear of her locker being trashed but found it to be neat and tidy as it was yesterday with a choc chip cupcake and a note that reads how wonderful and powerful she is on her own and that she was more worthy than some dumb boy that cant appreciate a great girlfriend when he has one

another girl didnt get into the schools play and was so upset she lashed out onto her friends

the next week she found a list in her locker of local theatres holding auditions and a note that teaches her about how anger can blind you to hurt the ones you love. that girl started crying as she let the note fall to the floor

the students in her year level dont know how this even happened but it just….appeared one day. they dont know who it is or why its happening

some notes make people laugh. some make them cry. some make them reconsider themselves. sometimes it works. other times it doesnt. for these people it takes them time to realise and grace knows this

grace does this for her friends too. since she knows them personally, the researching part is a lot easier and she can give them a bit of extra treatment with her gifts and speaks more from the heart with her notes

they go around telling people what happened and when they come running to grace she keeps a straight face and smiles and nods politely “good for you, man!” good thing shes a great actress

there are times when its hard to write something down, either she doesnt know what to say, or the topic is so familiar and personal to her she cant stop shaking the pen in her hand and her eyes are being blurred as they sting with tears

everytime grace sees someone or hears a story or a rumour, she keeps note of them and remembers them for her next plan.

however grace knows that she cant keep track of everyone’s problems. sometimes she walks past a group of people without knowing that theyre getting into a brawl. sometimes shes not present for an argument between friends or she doesnt share the same class with someone who was getting yelled at by a cruel teacher. grace knows theres more problems that keep occurring at glass shard beach high, heck, she knows people could be dealing with things at home. shes cant be there for them and sometimes she feels this pain in her chest because once she realises how much of an impact she has been on her peers she wants to reach out to them but she cant and it hurts her and she needs to get a grip because shes been staring at her cereal for 10 minutes now and her dad is staring at her and shouldnt she be getting ready for school?

she sits in class thinking about her next plan, the teacher calls on her for not paying attention and she claims she was daydreaming again

if you ever see grace anywhere, chances are you catch her in the midst of her inner thoughts, eyes staring out into space and fingers tapping on whatever surface shes on subconsciously

grace can’t even remember how or when she even started. shes done it for so long she just accepted it as part of her agenda at school

eventually almost everyone in her year level has been visited by her act of kindness, and sometimes students in the year levels below grace have been visited by her

they share stories with each other, finding common ground in getting visits from this mysterious do-gooder, shes like the schools local cryptid

her friends get suspicious of her and wonder why she hadnt gotten any gifts or notes yet

she dismisses them and claims that she hasnt been in any bad situation yet. maybe she doesnt share any classes with them. and thats the end of the conversation

the stan twins hear these stories and at first stan makes an off-hand comment about them and ford just laughs with him but silently wonders when it could happen to him

its been two weeks since stanford got into a particularly brutal meeting with crampelter and his goons,  (if it wasnt for stan he would have ended up in hospital) and he begins to lose hope that this kind anonymous will ever visit him.

he gasps audibly when he finds tickets to the planetarium in his locker, and a note that reads his best qualities and states how hes not a freak and hes more than just his fingers and that he has no idea how loved and cared for he is (grace might have accidentally poured her heart out a bit too much in his note)

stan fails another test and gets a lecture and a few choice words from his father. stan and grace are outside waiting for ford to finish his chess club meeting and he casually mentions it to grace like its no big deal and stan was probably imagining things but he could of sworn he saw a glint in her eye when he finished talking. he had never seen that from her before but brushed it off when ford stepped out of the school building. then later out of the blue grace asks stan what comics he enjoyed

a few days later stan comes to school bummed out because how could he forget to buy his favourite comic?? he rushed to the store last night but the last copy was already sold. if the lecture he got from his father three days ago wasnt bad enough he was expecting most of his peers to be talking about the latest issue at school so he was already dreading the oncoming spoilers. what he was not expecting was to find a copy of “The Caper Boys” issue #18 along with a note that read how smart he is and that his talents lie more in areas that arent academic. that hes strong both physically and mentally and that hes definitely not a waste of space and hes absolutely worth it and hes enough hes enough hes enough (once again grace spills her heart onto the page)

the twins show each other what they found in their lockers and begin to realise that the author of these notes sound very familiar and only one person they know of speaks of them like that

they confront grace once day and tell her they know. they know about the gifts and the notes and how she stares off into space all the time and how shes always watching and listening and only she could afford things like tickets to the planetarium and that only she writes notes as genuine and kind as that and seriously who else would have told stanley and stanford pines that they were loved and cared for in this school did you really think we wouldnt catch on grace?

she stares at them for a moment and then the poker face she keeps putting on finally breaks as she lets out a small smile

“i knew you two were too smart for your own good”

they laugh with her as she talks about her little quests and how she got into so much trouble to get most of the gifts she had given

she continues her secret quests in cheering up the school. the twins are the only ones that know about this and sometimes they help her out. one day ford asks her if she had any reason to do all this. why go through the hassle? most of these people are assholes.

“dont question kindness” she responds

what did she mean by that? ford doesnt know but it sticks with him for longer than he can admit

no one else knows that grace is responsible. not the students not the teachers, no one, but you know what they dont mind because they like the mystery, the school is crummy enough as it is and everyone knows that anyone physically showing this much compassion will be the bullies next big target so maybe they should let it be a secret just to protect this person, whoever they are because damn if it isnt delightful to be surprised by the smell of that rose perfume that lingers after she visits and the sight of a folded up sheet of lilac paper, and theyll be damned if it stops all of a sudden

[starryseo]

high schooler!jaemin

my pRECIOUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSS

im sososo excited to write this because i loVE NANA sosososo much,, i miss him terribly but i hope that if and when he returns he is super happy and healthy so he can carry on making m e m o r i e s. sm need to update us more on him :((

sOO0o0oO0O0o0oooo0OOOO0o

ok so ma boi na jaemin

is literally loved by everyone in that school

and they all know him as the Smiley Kid™

like they may not even be in a class with him

mAY NOT even be in his year

but they have seen him around school

and i GUARANTEE he was smiling so everyone just knows who he is

they also know him bc he once started this petition

initially, the school didnt have a badminton club

and nana was just like ???/ badminton is love what the heck????

so he b e g g e d the sports teacher to start a club

and the teacher loves nana bc he’s always so active and supportive and just amaZING in their class,,,,, so they give him a chance

but they cant just start a club outta nowhere yknow?

so they’re like, if you get enough people to support you then i’ll talk to the head teacher and see what we can do ok?

so thIS BOI RAN OUT and started just asking literally e v e r y o n e in the school to sign this paper so the club would happen

and like who can say no to his smile??? it literally makes my heart weAK

the dreamies were the first to sign obviously

even donghyuck

but he only done it after nana said he’d post the old baby photos of hyuck everywhere aha love this boy

those baby photos??? he got them from hyuck’s mum lmao

yeah hes the kinda kid to talk with the other dreamies’ parents - mainly the mums because hes just such ??? a darling? ???

obviously he got enough signatures and he did not stop smiling for like a week bc badminton club!!!!! is finally a thing!!!!

he and mark are always the first to turn up and honestly some ppl just go to watch the two of them have a match

when hes not sparring w/ mark hes super kind and helps out others that are playing but struggling

which just makes everyone love him even more

he and jeno always get lockers full of confessions

and hes such a cutie he has the notes all saved in a shoe box under his bed

i say “a shoe box” but like he has so many notes there are like 20 boxes lmao rip

and whenever he gets chocolates or smth he always shares them with the dreamies

he also tries to help the others out whenever he can

like,, running lines with jeno for his auditions,,,,, helping out jisung and chenle with their homework etc.

he also encouraged mark the first time he wrote a poem to get it published in the school paper,, mark was heckin’ nervous so nana suggested sending it in anonymously, and mark just continued with it

also!!!!! this boy!!! i know i said renjun has like the bEST food in his lunch boxes, but jaemin is a close second

he always packs fruit with him and like its so ?? cute???

he spends the previous night chopping up the fruit - apples, bananas, mangoes, pomegranates, grapes, oranges, you name it - and then puts it in the fridge so it’s all fresh for lunch tomorrow.

uses a separate container for it and theres just s o  m u c h fruit

he brings in 7 forks as well because he kNOWS !!!!1 the others are gonna take some from him

alsooo he is The Hoverboard Master™

lowkey gets frustrated when jisung challenges him

but is highkey supeeerrrr !! happy!!! when he beats jisung

insert the dreamies just disappointingly head shaking as jisung fake cries

“youre seriously not gonna let the kid win??” - mark

“even im not that cruel” - hyuck

but nana #dontgiveafuck bc he just won hAH TAKE THAT @JISUNG [had to make sure i didnt tag a blog there lmao rip]

mm so yall prolly met bc of a mutual dislike for sociology

ok so this part may be rubbish bc i know nothing abt sociology lmao so idk bare with me

yall were in the same class and the teacher set a partner project for the last term which she would test you on

1) ew partner projects #amirite 2) ew sociology #amiriteagain

cliche move: yall got paired up together

the project was basically one where you guys could freely talk about any topic relating to modern day society

you guys had to prepare a powerpoint expressing contrasting views to the topic and then also include your own

didnt seem hard enough, but since you were being graded on this you had to put in 110% effort overachievers ayyyy

so yall got to work, tryna think of what topic you could write about

and after much debate and thinking you both eventually agreed on writing about how social media portray young men

first yall were gonna do women but felt that others may do that,,,, and also that the expectations men had werent spoken of as much so this would be interesting

in lesson you made a quick plan about how you were gonna go about this

decided that it’d be best if you both worked on the powerpoint together, but done research separately so you could just merge the two when making the powerpoint. like, nana would find bad views and you would find good ones.

so you went your separate ways after that lesson and met up the next day

yall chilled out in the library after school and started your individual researching

and after like the first hour the cuTIE asks if youre hungry and youre like yeah a lil’ bit, so you guys pack up your stuff and head down the street to the cafe and eat a bit there

he pays even tho you had previously agreed to split it :(((

and youre just like “hey we should just base our project on you-”

jaemin: “a nice young man that pays the bills?”

you: “a lying young man who said we’d split but stole the bill before i could do anything. im writing bad things about you now”

jaemin: “YOURE BEING BIASED, THATS UNFAIR–”

you: “idc :))))”

yall were just kidding obvs

after eating you guys head back to the cafe for like another hour of researching

and you decided that tomorrow you’d make a start on the powerpoint

so yall say bye, meet up tomorrow after school bc theres no sociology lesson, and do the same thing as yesterday

including the cafe dateeeee ;))))) 

you make a start on the powerpoint and like hes such a perfectionist

like “no, no, no y/n move the title a bit to the right. no no ! your other right,,,, aaa no youve moved it too much !!!!”

“um,,,,, im not really feeling this navy blue, use that green instead,,, actuallyyyyy, what about that purple over there????”

after he starts shouting out hex codes to use you give up and just let him take the mouse

he ends up keeping the initial navy blue lmao

so after that hectic day and jaemin’s complaining youve managed to do just. your. first. slide.

but it has a super c00l background and animations so yeah very productive !!!

this basically continues for the next 3 weeks, with you guys presenting in the 4th week.

when it comes to the presentation day yall were vvvv nervous going up bc you get graded on how you present it as well, not just the info :’))))

but the whole thing runs super smoothly bc na jaemin flashed thAT SMILE @ YOU AND ALL YOUR WORRIES DISAPPEARED BEFORE YOU GUYS EVEN INTRODUCED THE TOPIC

the whole thing went really well, you guys took turn answering questions your peers and the teacher threw at you and when yall were done he sMILED AGAIN !!!!! and like yall felt super confident bc that went hecking well

when you got your results back it was an A*/ A+ and nana sent a message to you like “OMGGGGGGG WE DID IT!!! YESSSS!!!! MY AMAZING HARD WORK PAID OFF”

“***ouR AMAZING HARD WORK,,, BUT LIKE IM PRETTY SURE IT WAS MY AMAZING HEX CODES THAT SEALED THE DEAL”

yall decided to celebrate at the cafe that you frequented

the old lady that owned the place knew you guys really well bc of the project

she’d be constantly refuelling you guys so she knew about the project too LMAO

and so when you guys told her that you guys aced the project she was super happy too and she was like “your food is on the house ily !!!!”

so like whoop whoop !! free food !

and you guys kept up that tradition during the summer holidays, meeting up at the cafe

and like the employees there knew you both so well

they started a bet like “how long until they walk in here holding hands one day and start dating???”

jaemin accidentally calls you sweetie or smth and you both just hear the old lady scream “yeSSSS!!! I WON!!!!! PAY UP WORKERSsss!!!! FREE FOOD FOR YOU, JAEMIN + Y/N!!!”

yall were confused as heck buT FREE FOOD !!!

i aint even surprised this was my longest one i love na jaemin

[mattmartelli]

hi everyone im lina !! im fifteen n i live in the cst timezone so im usually on around this time of night !!! also my pronouns are she/her ! im super excited to be rping w yall ??? u should all hmu bc i wanna be friends w all of you.

DYLAN SPRAYBERRY - Did you hear MATTHEW MARTELLI joined the drama club now? Yeah, apparently they’re a SIXTEEN year old JUNIOR at Washington High. I heard they’re playing KURT KELLY in HEATHERS. Let’s hope they don’t fuck that up. I’ve seen HIM before in the FOOTBALL PLAYER table at lunch. At that table, they’re known as the GOLDEN BOY, because they’re +PERSPICACIOUS, but also -POLLYANNAISH. I wish them good luck with their slushy facial, though.

theres a stats page here and i’ll make a plots page but i already have two of them here !!!! message me to plot or like this and i’ll come to you once i get over my whole shyness thing

matt was born matthew alexander hemingway-martelli on august 29th, 2000 ( he's the youngest junior in the school heh ), but his family no longer say their father’s surname ( hemingway ) in order to honor their mother after their death. now they all just go by martelli, though they are still legally hemingway-martelli.

he was born in manhattan, ny into an upper class family but moved to rivercreek when he was three, the town his parents met and grew up in.

when he was in his mothers womb, matt got sick. this left him with fine hearing in his right ear, but very very limited hearing in his left ( he can really only hear loud noises really close to his ear, and everything sounds mumbled and blurred. therefore, hes fluent in asl and learned it alongside english growing up. he uses a cros system at the moment but is always afraid he’ll be bullied bc of it so he keeps it hidden and only those close to him knows he even hard of hearing. u dont wanna know how many times hes had to lie and say he was attracted to someone who caught him staring at their lips ( aka reading )

his family has five members. he has his dad william, his mother olivia, his older brother maxwell (21), and his older sister ________ [to be added by another rper] (17-18). hes the youngest of them all and his siblings never miss a chance to tease him about it.

his mom was a surgeon, and matt never really liked going to work w her bc when she was at the hospital she was always so serious yet at home she was the most fun person ever ?? she always encouraged him to be healthy and do well in school and was basically his biggest role model. when he was thirteen, she died after being hit by a drunk driver, leading matt to make a vow never to drink or do drugs. ever.

the entire family was devastated by the loss of their mother. thank goodness they turned to each other instead of bad coping mechanisms like drinking or drugs, and ultimately it made their family bond even stronger.

his father was/is a very successful businessman, and used to be very very involved in his large chain of pizzerias that were nationwide, but its hq was in manhattan. when he had kids, he started to focus more on family and when matt was three, he decided to step back a bit and do most of his work from home in order to take care of the kids bc their mother was v busy. hes also a rlly good chef ( hence the pizzerias ) and they often have family dinners around the table ( in fact, when their dad is home its mandatory every night theyre free ). now that the kids are old enough to take care of themselves, hes started to go back to nyc and get back in the swing of things. for the past two years, it isnt uncommon for him to spend a few days there every few weeks.

matt is the kind of person youd call a ‘gifted child.’ ever since he was a kid, hes always been that kind of cookie cutter kid pulled out a 40s comic strip - the all american boy next door whos nice to everyone and good at sports and has a 4.0 gpa thats friends w everybody ( yall know what character im talking about ) - but having that burden placed on him at such a young age has begun to stress him out big time

his after school activities include various volunteer stuff, football, track and field, gymnastics, peer tutoring, national honor society, and now theater. he also is taking seven classes ( not including pe ) - four honors and three aps

when matt grows up he really wants to be an engineer but also wants to follow in the footsteps of his mother, so hes torn between becoming a surgeon or a biomed engineer.

hes lowkey obsessed with maintaining his perfect image. he spends hours upon hours studying each night, works out and practices football and gymnastics almost every day, and on top of that, now he has this freaking musical to top it off ! ( yes, that says freaking. he doesnt swear. )

speaking of the musical, lets just say matt is not pleased. his sister encouraged it based on how much matt enjoyed choir when he was in junior high ( which unfortunately he had no time in his schedule to continue ) and urged him to audition and play a member of the ensemble as a time to destress at the end of the day and do something fun. but no, they just had to give his kurt kelly. while its not a leading role, its still enough that now hes stressing about lines and his singing and dancing and not knowing if what hes doing is realistic because hes never been drunk or a douche how is he supposed to know?!?! i mean he still enjoys it tho but its just kinda like the icing on top of the cake

idk. i’ll update this but plot w me for now !!! yeet

also im not gonna be able to be on or opening tomorrow bc i have rehearsal for my play til 7pm cst so whoops

[sueboohscorner]

#TheFosters Season 4 Winter Premiere Review & Discussion

The Fosters winter premiere was filled with everything from horror to drama to suspense and of course so much love. It was a strong start to what looks to be a promising end of their fourth season.

 SPOILERS AHEAD!

Alright, so the episode starts off with Callie in this guy’s car. I still remember yelling at my computer during the season 4a finale, trying desperately to stop her from getting in, but of course my efforts were useless. As they're driving, supposedly looking for Mariana, Callie get’s a phone call from Aaron, explaining that there was more DNA found on the murder weapon. Not only that, but the DNA was from someone related to Martha. Now who do we know that’s related to Martha and looks crazy enough to commit murder? Oh maybe the guy driving the car! This moment had me terrified, but here’s Callie handling this situation like a pro.

And then comes the crash. Oh. My. God. This scene absolutely blew me away. I was so panicked I only realized that my hands were over my mouth when it was over. Cinematically, this scene was amazing. All of the confusion and panic portrayed so well through the way it was filmed, I definitely felt at least a little bit of what Callie must have been feeling. 

I was pretty proud of Callie when she automatically called 911, possibly saving lives again with that quick thinking attitude, but her rash decisions really hit us hard as she decides to flee the scene. You never leave the scene of the accident! That bit of information really comes back to bite us at the end of the episode. 

Meanwhile, as Callie is being kidnapped, Jesus is in the ambulance with Stef. Now I gotta be honest here, I wasn’t ready for how dark this season got in such a small amount of time. Never would I have believed the Fosters would kill off a main character, but the deeper we get into this episode, the fewer chances of survival there seem to be for Jesus. The seizure in the Ambulance was pretty terrifying, but I lost it entirely in that hospital room when it showed the foam coming out from Jesus’s mouth plus Stef’s panic? One of Stef’s most reliable characteristics is her ability to remain calm in these sorts of situations. As soon as I saw her start to really loose her cool, I was done. It’s one of the key scenes that made this episode so raw and powerful. 

Another really powerful scene was the Surgery scene. The contrast between the robotic movements of the sergeants and the raw emotion of all of the family members was just so incredibly powerful. Absolutely one of the best scenes of the show thus far.

Now I don’t know about you, but I was expecting a bit more of an emotional break down from Mariana. Her twin may or may not make it out of this situation alive, and yet she doesn’t seem as worried as we all know Jesus would be if the positions were switched. I think this is definitely going to come out in the next episode. I really want to see that realization moment for Mariana, that ‘Oh my god, I might have to live without him’ moment. But for now, Mariana seems to be too affected by the pills to really grasp the severity of the situation, which may or may not be a good thing.

Now I’ve never felt like more of a mother hen, than watching Jude get high with Noah during this episode. The entire time the camera was on the two, I couldn’t help but think that Noah is a horrible influence on Jude. He deserves to experiment as much as the next kid, but it’s so hard to watch him going through this phase after getting to see him grow up all these years. I’ll get over him growing up soon hopefully, but I don’t think I can ever get behind this Joah ship. 

Lastly, theres Brandon. Honestly, this kid just can’t catch a break! I guess everything that’s happened to him has ultimately been his fault, but not getting to go to Juilliard after having gotten accepted was one of the hardest things to watch in this show. Now, I have to say, I’ve never really been behind his relationship with Courtney. When Brandon decided to go into his audition no strings attached, it was the first time I felt proud of him all season. Him going back to her this episode sort of reversed that. Brandon really needs to figure his own life out now before trying to drag more people into it. He needs to step back and just be himself for a while. 

My predictions for the next episode are: 

Mariana’s going to have a break down and it’s going to be alone. Jesus has been there for her allure life, and I think a scene of her just completely loosing itby herself, would just really drive that home.

Callie is in so much trouble right now. I don’t know how Stef is going to help her because of her previous conflict with Grey but U guess we’ll find out. 

All in all, this really was one hell of a season B premiere. I am so ready for this season, I think it’s going to be flipping fantastic. So excited for Episode 12!