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maharetscompound · 5 months ago

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IWTV S2 - Cast & Productions Interviews - Part One

This is a compilation of all cast and productions interviews during Interview with the Vampire Season Two.

(Disclaimer: If I've missed something or miscalculated, please just let me know.)

From April 29 2024 - July 3 2024.

There were 159 interviews published in this period.

I tried to only count original interviews with their initial publication. So if another publication quoted an interview that happened elsewhere, I don't count those separate interviews.

Interview Breakdown:

Jacob Anderson: 68 Sam Reid: 54 Delainey Hayles: 48 Assad Zaman: 43 Rolin Jones: 29 Eric Bogosian: 25 Mark Johnson: 12 Luke Brandon Field: 10 Roxane Duran: 6 Ben Daniels: 5 Mara LePere-Schloop: 2 Carol Cutshall: 2 Levin Akin: 2 Daniel Hart: 2 Hannah Moscovitch: 1 Emma Freeman: 1 Jonathan Ceniceroz: 1 Shane Munson: 1

The first half of the interviews are listed and linked below, from April 29 - June 8⬇️

The second half of the interviews are listed and linked here, from June 9 - July 3.

Pre-Premiere Interviews (April 29 – May 7)

April 29 – TV Guide – Interview with the Vampire Returns Once More, With Feeling - Rolin Jones, Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Mark Johnson, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles, Ben Daniels and Levin Akin

April 29 – Pix 11 (Video) – Retelling 'Interview with the Vampire' with Jacob Anderson - Jacob Anderson

April 30 – TV Insider – Love Bites in ‘Interview With the Vampire’ -Rolin Jones, Mark Johnson, Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles and Ben Daniels

April 30 – TV Insider– INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE team talks Paris, love triangles & all things Season 2 - Mark Johnson, Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman and Delainey Hayles

May 1 – TV Guide – The Best Quotes From the Interview with the Vampire Cast We Couldn't Fit in Our Cover Story - Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles, Assad Zaman and Ben Daniels

May 2 – TV Insider (Video)– Your Burning ‘IWTV’ Questions Answered by Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid & More - Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Assad Zaman

May 3 – Out – Queer love triangles, fierce looks & theater: Interview With the Vampire stars talk season 2 - Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman and Delainey Hayles

May 4 – Tammy Reese Media (Videos)– Premiere Interviews - Sam Reid, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles, Luke Brandon Field, Eric Bogosian and Jacob Anderson

May 6 – Tribune News Service – TV Tinsel: Fangs breaking, nails popping off, eye lenses blinding -- actors describe the pains of shooting 'Vampire' Season 2 - Delainey Hayles, Assad Zaman, Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson

May 7 – Screen Rant Plus (Video)– Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid & Delainey Hayles Tease Interview With The Vampire Season 2's Love Lines -Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid and Delainey Hayles

May 7 – Screen Rant Plus (Video)– Interview With The Vampire's Assad Zaman & Eric Bogosian Share Daniel & Armand Secrets In Season 2 - Assad Zaman and Eric Bogosian

May 7 – The Knockturnal (Videos)– Jacob Anderson, Delainey Hayles, Sam Reid & Cast Talk 'Interview with the Vampire' Season 2 -Jacob Anderson, Delainey Hayles, Sam Reid, Luke Brandon Field, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Levan Akin, Mark Johnson and Rolin Jones

Pre-Premiere Interviews (May 8 – May 11)

May 8 – Decider – ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Star Sam Reid Totally Gets Why We Love Lestat’s “I HEARD YOUR HEARTS DANCING!” Moment In Season 1 - Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson

May 8 – Tavis Smiley (Podcast)– Eric Bogosian joins Tavis Smiley -Eric Bogosian

May 8 – Wild Nights on the Prairie – Eric Bogosian "Barn Burner" -Eric Bogosian

May 8 – TV Insider (Video)– The Very Serious Cast of ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Plays a Very Silly Game - Assad Zaman, Jacob Anderson, Eric Bogosian, Sam Reid and Delainey Hayles

May 8 – Comic Book – Interview With the Vampire: Delainey Hayles Teases Claudia's Season 2 Journey - Delainey Hayles and Jacob Anderson

May 9 – People (Video) – People in 10 – Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid

May 10 – Decider – How ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Star Jacob Anderson Knew “Amazing” Delainey Hayles Was The Perfect Bailey Bass Replacement: “She’s Claudia!”

Delainey Hayles and Jacob Anderson

May 10 – Pop Culture Planet (Video)– Interview With The Vampire Cast Talks Favorite Season 2 Moments and Future Immortals Crossover – Jacob Anderson, Eric Bogosian, Sam Reid, Delainey Hayles, Luke Brandon Field, Mark Johnson and Rolin Jones

May 10 – Rotten Tomatoes (Video)– The 'Interview With the Vampire' Cast on the Vampire Bond and Living Across Time Periods - Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Delainey Hayles, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Mark Johnson and Rolin Jones

May 10 – Out – Interview With the Vampire returns for a 'grander' & gayer season 2 - Rolin Jones

May 10 – Out – Here's what Interview with the Vampire star Jacob Anderson thought of all those 'Colored Only' memes - Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid

May 10 – Nerdist – ERIC BOGOSIAN ON DANIEL’S SEASON 2 RELATIONSHIP WITH ARMAND AND PLAYING COUPLES COUNSELOR ON INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE - Eric Bogosian

May 10 – Nerdist – DELAINEY HAYLES ON CLAUDIA BEING LOUIS’ SECOND CHOICE, MEETING MADELEINE, AND JOINING IN INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE SEASON 2 - Delainey Hayles

May 10 – Vanity Fair – Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire Returns for More Blood - Jacob Anderson

May 10 – TV Insider – ‘Interview With the Vampire’: Meet the New Claudia With Delainey Hayles - Delainey Hayles

Week of Episode 2x1 (May 12 – May 18)

May 12 – Popternative (Video) – Sam Reid talks about Season 2 of Interview with the Vampire on AMC and much more! – Sam Reid

May 12 – AP News (Video) – Jacob Anderson ‘anxious’ about ‘Interview with the Vampire’ season 2 - Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid

May 12 – Forbes – Season Two Of ‘Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire’ Delves Further Into The World Of These ‘Complex Monsters’ - Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Assad Zaman and Mark Johnson

May 12 – The Wrap – New Blood: Delainey Hayles Unpacks Claudia’s Evolution in ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Season 2 - Delainey Hayles

May 12 – Variety – ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Cast Break Down Season 2 Premiere, and the One Scene That Got Tons of Notes From AMC - Rolin Jones, Jacob Anderson, Delainey Hayles, Sam Reid and Assad Zaman

May 12 – TV Insider (Video) – ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Stars Break Down ‘Me & You’ Scene From Premiere - Sam Reid, Delainey Hayles and Jacob Anderson

May 12 – TV Line – Interview With the Vampire Trio Talks Claudia’s Recast, Lestat’s Haunting ‘Return’ and More in Bloody Premiere - Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid and Delainey Hayles

May 12 – Entertainment Weekly – Interview With the Vampire stars break down fiery season 2 premiere ending - Jacob Anderson and Delainey Hayles

May 13 – BET – Jacob Anderson Dives Deep into the Darker, More Spectacular Season 2 of 'Interview with the Vampire' - Jacob Anderson

May 13 – Decider – Sam Reid Looked to Anne Rice for ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Season 2 Inspiration: “Louis is Always Haunted By Lestat” - Sam Reid

May 13 – TV Guide (Video) – Interview with the Vampire Stars on Playing Mind Games – Assad Zaman and Eric Bogosian

May 13 – Autumn Brown (Video) - Hannah Moscovitch

May 14 – Men’s Health – Jacob Anderson Always Wants More Chaos - Jacob Anderson

May 14 – In Creative Company (Video) – Interview with the Vampire with Sam Reid & Jacob Anderson - Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid

May 15 – Publimetro – Jacob Anderson: “Es el libro el que dicta hacia dónde vamos” - Jacob Anderson

May 16 – Comic Book – Interview With the Vampire: Jacob Anderson Doesn't Think Louis is An Unreliable Narrator - Jacob Anderson

May 16 – Edge Media – The Queer Men with Fangs Are Back! 'Interview with the Vampire' Cast Spills the Blood - Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Delainey Hayles and Assad Zaman

May 16 – Blavity – MEET TWO OF THE MANY REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING AMC’S ‘INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE’ - Jacob Anderson and Delainey Hayles

May 16 – Dish Studio (Video) – Interview with the Vampire Season 2 on AMC+ DISH Studio exclusive interviews – Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid and Delainey Hayles

May 17 – Gizmodo (Video) – How Has Louis Changed Since Season 1 of Interview With the Vampire? - Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid

May 17 – Out – Interview with the Vampire stars are bringing supernatural queer love back for season 2 - Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid and Assad Zaman

Week of Episode 2x2 (May 19 – May 25)

May 19 – Newsweek – Jacob Anderson on the 'Darker' Season Two of 'Interview with the Vampire' - Jacob Anderson

May 19 – KTLA 5 (Video) – Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid preview Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire Season 2 – Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid

May 19 – Entertainment Weekly – Interview With the Vampire stars unpack that 'bloodthirsty' Théâtre des Vampires debut - Jacob Anderson and Delainey Hayles

May 19 – TV Insider – ‘Interview With the Vampire’: Ben Daniels Shares Santiago’s Takes on Louis, Lestat & More - Ben Daniels

May 20 – Decider – ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Star Jacob Anderson Confirms Louis and Armand are Giving “We Saw You Across the Bar” Energy: “It’s Totally That Vibe” - Jacob Anderson

May 20 – Wonderland – Assad Zaman - Assad Zaman

May 20 – The Wrap – ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Stars Eric Bogosian and Assad Zaman Unpack the Tension Between Daniel and Armand: ‘We Are Dancing’ - Eric Bogosian and Assad Zaman

May 20 – Salon – "A thin veil": Why that "Interview with the Vampire" letter to Louis rings true to Anne Rice's style - Jonathan Ceniceroz & Shane Munson

May 20 – Autumn Brown (Video) – Dream Conversations with Delainey Hayles - Delainey Hayles

May 22 – AMC Talk – Jacob Anderson On Louis’ Gut Reaction To The Théâtre Des Vampires - Jacob Anderson

May 22 – The Parting Shot (Podcast) – Jacob Anderson on the 'Darker' Season Two of 'Interview with the Vampire' – Jacob Anderson

May 22 – Pride (Video) – Interview with the Vampire star Assad Zaman DISHES on season two and all things Armand - Assad Zaman

May 23 – Bustle – Jacob Anderson Isn’t Playing on Interview with the Vampire - Jacob Anderson

May 23 – Pride – 'Interview with the Vampire' stars on how season two tackles identity and desire - Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid & Delainey Hayles

Week of Episode 2x3 (May 26 – June 1)

May 26 – Entertainment Weekly – Interview With the Vampire star Jacob Anderson on Louis' violent hookup: 'He's not okay' - Jacob Anderson

May 26 – Variety – How ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Used Sacreligious Statues, Projection Animation to Create the Théâtre des Vampires - Mara LePere-Schloop

May 26 – TV Insider – Why That Major ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Character Was Left out of Episode 3 - Rolin Jones and Sam Reid

May 26 – Salon – "I don't want to see some glittery vampire": Why Anne Rice's undead reigns in a post-"Twilight" era - Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson

May 27 – Autumn Brown (Video) – Artful Articulation with Assad Zaman - Assad Zaman

May 28 – TV Insider – ‘Interview With the Vampire’: Delainey Hayles on What Claudia Really Thinks of Louis & the Coven - Delainey Hayles

May 29 – La Vanguardia – “La serie es como echar gasolina a la experiencia humana y después prenderle fuego” - Rolin Jones

May 30 – Fox 7 Austin (Video) – 'Interview with the Vampire' star Assad Zaman in Austin - Assad Zaman

May 30 – Variety – Busy Producer Mark Johnson Builds the Anne Rice TV Universe for AMC Networks: ‘He’s Indefatigable’ - Mark Johnson

May 31 – Nerdist – SAM REID AND JACOB ANDERSON TALK LOUIS AND LESTAT IN INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE SEASON 2 - Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson

May 31 – The Root – Jacob Anderson on Season 2 of ‘Interview with the Vampire’ - Jacob Anderson

Week of Episode 2x4 (June 2 – June 8)

June 2 – TV Insider – ‘Interview With the Vampire’: Jacob Anderson Explains Those Final Dream-stat Scenes - Jacob Anderson

June 2 – Collider – 'Interview with the Vampire's Delainey Hayles on the "Heartbreak and Confusion" of That Big Fight - Delainey Hayles

June 2 – Screen Rant – Interview With The Vampire Season 2, Episode 4: Delainey Hayles On Losing Theater & Gaining Madeleine - Delainey Hayles

June 2 – Entertainment Weekly – Interview With the Vampire stars break down episode 4's 'tipping point' of the season - Assad Zaman, Jacob Anderson and Delainey Hayles

June 2 – IndieWire – Edith Piaf and Fred Astaire Provided ‘Interview with the Vampire’ with Season 2 Style Inspo - Carol Cutshall

June 2 – TV Fanatic – Interview with the Vampire Post-Mortem: Delainey Hayles Talks THAT Louis and Claudia Confrontation & 'Lovely' Fan Reception - Delainey Hayles

June 2 – Fangirlish – Post-Mortem: Delainey Hayles on Claudia Taking Center Stage - Delainey Hayles

June 2 – Comic Book – Interview With the Vampire: Delainey Hayles Talks Claudia's "Toxic" Relationship With Louis - Delainey Hayles

June 3 – Collider – 'Interview with the Vampire's Jacob Anderson & Sam Reid on the Sad but Satisfying Season 2 - Sam Reid, Delainey Hayles and Jacob Anderson

June 3 – Autumn Brown (Video) – After The End: A Post Mortem Chat with Mara LePere-Schloop - Mara LePere-Schloop

June 5 – TV Insider – ‘Interview With the Vampire’: Delainey Hayles Says ‘Trust Is Gone’ With Louis After Episode 4 - Delainey Hayles

June 3 – AMC Talk – Delainey Hayles On Claudia’s Pain & Delight In Season 2 - Delainey Hayles

June 6 – Tell-Tale TV – Why Assad Zaman’s First Scene as Armand Came Later in Season 2 - Assad Zaman and Rolin Jones

June 7 – Playbill – The Devil's Minion: How Assad Zaman Is Bringing The Théâtre des Vampires to Life in Interview With The Vampire - Assad Zaman

#interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #iwtv s2 #amc interview with the vampire #iwtv amc

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jbaileyfansite · 10 months ago

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Interview with Interview Magazine (2024)

Before he was known as the dashing Lord Anthony Bridgerton or Tim Laughlin, the character in Fellow Travelers for which he won a Critics Choice Award earlier this month, Jonathan Bailey caught the attention of Phoebe Waller-Bridge with his confident, self-possessed audition for her show Crashing nearly a decade ago. “You came in like a fireball,” said the Fleabag star on Zoom with Bailey, recounting how, while reading for the role of the sex-obsessed Sam, Bailey asked permission to lay his script out on the floor in front of him like a rainbow. “You had no embarrassment. You didn’t actually refer to it again, but you took those few seconds to just completely set up what you exactly needed for that audition, and then you were so free.” In the years since, with roles in Bridgerton, the Showtime drama Fellow Travelers, and the upcoming Wicked movie adaptation, Bailey has become one of the most sought-after actors in the business, capable of generating sparks with whoever’s on screen with him. Waller-Bridge attributes this to the 35-year-old’s distinct understanding of tension. “You’re like a chemistry machine,” she gushed. “There’s this incredible erotic energy that people are so excited about.” Last week, from a hotel room at Claridge’s in London, Bailey talked to Waller-Bridge about longing, orgasms, frosted tips, nostalgia, Shakespeare, and his very first role: playing a raindrop in a stage production of Noah’s Ark.

PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE: Hi.

JONATHAN BAILEY: Hi.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I’m taking my glasses off. Now I can be real.

BAILEY: I’ve just had a gin and tonic, actually. I had a meeting and he really wanted a glass of Whispering Angel, so I was like, “Well, I’ve got to dive in.”

WALLER-BRIDGE: What’s the time there?

BAILEY: Oh, I’m literally around the corner from you. Literally, I’ve come into Claridge’s Hotel and checked in for an hour just to have a Zoom.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Oh, god. That’s so chic. Jonny, I want all of your secrets.

BAILEY: I feel like you’ve got quite a few of them already.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I do, actually. And we’re not going to talk about any of those. But I did also get to do a little bit of research on you.

BAILEY: Oh, god. What have you got?

WALLER-BRIDGE: Jonathan Stewart Bailey, I’d like to jump straight in with the fact that the first professional job you had was playing a teardrop, or a raindrop?

BAILEY: There were teardrops, but yeah, I was playing a raindrop.

WALLER-BRIDGE: You were a crying raindrop.

BAILEY: A crying raindrop in Noah’s Ark.

WALLER-BRIDGE: And how old were you then?

BAILEY: I think I was about 5 going on 29. I was really upset because it didn’t rain. The bitch that played Noah, she forgot the cue for the rain to come. So my dance didn’t make it, but at the end of the show they allowed me to do it once everyone had applauded.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I asked you that specifically because you’ve also said that your grandmother took you to see a production of Oliver in London and that’s what changed everything.

BAILEY: Yes.

WALLER-BRIDGE: So was the raindrop before or after that? I am getting to something, I promise.

BAILEY: I think it was probably afterwards. I was really young when I went to see Oliver.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I’m interested because I read that seeing it made you decide you wanted to perform. Can you tell me the specific thing that made it click?

BAILEY: I’ll tell you, the most bizarre thing is that I had three seasons at the RSC under my belt by the age of nine. There was a moment where I played Prince Arthur, the kid in Shakespeare who gets his eyes gouged out and has to escape a turret. I remember doing that production and thinking I was aware of the power of words, if that makes sense. You’re so porous at that age, I think. It is such a gift, isn’t it, to be shown what iambic pentameter is.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you still feel passionate about Shakespeare now?

BAILEY: I do, actually. It’s my dirty, filthy habit.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Your dirty little habit. I know what you mean, though, how if you come to it quite raw, and it’s not something that you’ve had shoved down your throat at school, there is nothing more epic and spectacular.

BAILEY: And being around people who are just so committed to their vocation, whether they’re writing or creating. The smell backstage at the RSC at the Barbican was like cigarettes, stage makeup, Joe Fiennes, and hope.

WALLER-BRIDGE: That’s a lot of beautiful smells you’ve got going on there.

BAILEY: I know. Talk about top notes and bottom notes. I was like, “These men, these titans of theater!”

WALLER-BRIDGE: That’s extraordinary that you were exposed to that kind of level of professionalism. Because you are consummately professional, and I remember that. You have this incredible ability to be completely live and spontaneous and wild at the same time as being so incredibly professional, and that’s why working with you felt totally safe. I know that I’ve got a professional actor coming today, but I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen because you still managed to keep that spontaneity and danger.

BAILEY: I suppose it’s sometimes dangerous. Today I had to do an interview. Crashing came up and I described working with you as being on the constant edge of an orgasm and also hysteria.

WALLER-BRIDGE: It did have a kind of wild, beautiful energy.

BAILEY: There’s a chemical alchemy when you get the right group of people led by the right people.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I haven’t had that in quite the same way since, where everyone has equal importance in the story. That’s the thing that feels quite rare, actually, there’s like six of you and they’re all as fucked up as each other. I remember your audition. You came in like a fireball and you already felt like you had a Sam energy. You sat in your chair, took out your script from your bag, and then you were like, “Give me a second,” and you laid out your script around you on the floor. You had no embarrassment about what you needed or in front of you. You didn’t actually refer to it again, but you took those few seconds to just completely set up what you exactly needed for that audition, and then you were so free. And I just wonder if you’ve felt that particular type of confidence your whole life?

BAILEY: That’s a really good question. I’ve got three older sisters and I wonder if they are a structure. I’ve definitely been in environments where I don’t feel free, and then you give the worst performance of your life. What I’ve found in the last few years is that, of course, you have to adapt so quickly to work out what you need in order to be able to be free. I think if I don’t have the equivalent of that on the floor, I panic or get really scared.

WALLER-BRIDGE: There’s something about that, which is being able to play dangerously in a safe environment. I feel like that’s got so much to do with an understanding of tension, which I think you have. You’re like a chemistry machine. Obviously, with Bridgerton and then in Fellow Travelers, there’s this incredible erotic energy that people are so excited about.

BAILEY: I really think it comes from Crashing.

WALLER-BRIDGE: It doesn’t come from Crashing, it comes from you. I think you’re the king of tension. I think you understand what that is.

BAILEY: I think you can give yourself butterflies, can’t you?

WALLER-BRIDGE: Is that what you’re looking for, the butterfly all the time?

BAILEY: Yeah, I’m always looking for my butterfly farm. The misty, slightly smelly greenhouse full of butterflies.

WALLER-BRIDGE: That’s your tummy?

BAILEY: Yeah, that’s my tummy.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Did you always dream of playing leading man roles growing up?

BAILEY: Not at all, no. I never thought I would be able to.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Why?

BAILEY: I’ve realized that I’m completely in awe of other people and performances and creative endeavors. I go to the theater and I love a performance and I’m like, “How do they do that? I can’t see the seams.” So therefore, I feel like I must be driven by that. And when something comes my way, there’s a fear that it won’t work.

WALLER-BRIDGE: What’s really exciting to me is when I see palpable dynamics between characters, which you have done multiple times, like the relationship between Tim and Hawk. There’s so much opportunity for intimacy and that kind of danger. And when you get to play those sorts of roles, when you know that you can stand in front of each other and you don’t really need to do anything because it’s giving you something, it must’ve just been a joy walking into this world because it’s like a banquet of stuff to play with, right?

BAILEY: Totally, and it feels sort of vital and sexy. I do remember this one memory, which I guess I’ll share with you now. I did play and there was a tiled wall,at eye level with a mirrored border around. And there was a guy, we were into each other, and I remember just looking up in the middle of a conversation and he was looking at me in a reflection. And I was like, “This is what life is about.” Anyway, I think that it must have something to do with feeling the most alive in that.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you know Esther Perel?

BAILEY: Yeah, I love Esther Perel.

WALLER-BRIDGE: So she’s written about how she believes that your next orgasm begins at the very end of your last one, which is basically our whole life just building up to our next orgasm.

BAILEY: That’s just fantastic. It’s just so positive and hopeful—

WALLER-BRIDGE: And so beautiful, isn’t it?

BAILEY: It is.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Everything that you encounter in your life, every conversation that you have, is in some way building up to the next euphoric physical experience. Every single character has to have that inside them one way or another, because every human does. And I think with Fellow Travelers, because you long for them so much as an audience and you want them to have everything that they want from each other, but they’re also brutal to themselves and to each other, there is something so extraordinary seeing characters in that time portrayed in the way that you guys have portrayed them.

BAILEY: One thing that we’re all born with is the sense of longing. Longing comes before anything else, doesn’t it? Whoever you put on the wall, laminate the poster or whatever, it’s there. And actually, if you long for someone, more often than not you don’t think you are worthy of it. And that, to me, is a way into characters.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you remember your laminated poster longing person?

BAILEY: I think I had the Simpsons, which was obviously me trying to disguise myself as much as possible. Lucy Liu was a big one for me, too.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Well, I can see that.

BAILEY: I suppose there’s the laminated wall in my literal bedroom and then there’s the laminated wall in my gay—

WALLER-BRIDGE: Mind.

BAILEY: Who was yours?

WALLER-BRIDGE: You know what? It’s really interesting, because I was the eagle in the Rescuers Down Under. That wasn’t necessarily a sexual longing, but it was a romantic idea, that overwhelming sense of watching the Rescuers Down Under and being able to run out of the back of my house on my own, age 10, and jump onto the back of a giant eagle and he’ll fly me around. But in terms of just a hottie that I really fancied, I think it was probably Leo [DiCaprio].

BAILEY: Oh, yeah.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Are you a nostalgic person?

BAILEY: Yes, I think so. I think a lot about my younger self. I’m always like, “Guys, remember this?” It’s slightly annoying, but I’m always drawing a line between the past and now for sure.

WALLER-BRIDGE: That’s how you measure your life, by remembering the time that’s gone by or what 11-year-old you would think of what you were doing?

BAILEY: I think I’m probably more romantic than nostalgic, if that makes sense.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Go on.

BAILEY: Well, I just think I’ve fully committed to the idea of everything being brilliant and then I work backwards from there.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Well, having starred in two hit period dramas and also being a huge part of the fact that they are a hit, that’s why I wondered about what your relationship is with the past and history, and how much you actually knew about McCarthy America?

BAILEY: Oh, no. Have you got a quiz?

WALLER-BRIDGE: I actually don’t. Do you want one?

BAILEY: No, that would be the worst.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you enjoy historical novels? Do you live in the past in any way in your mind? Or you are kind of like, “We’re here and we’re moving forward?”

BAILEY: I do think I’m here and moving forward. I really struggled with history at school, I could not take in information about the past. When it came to exams, I would remember the page where things were written but I couldn’t stitch together epochs and eras and kings.

WALLER-BRIDGE: It crashes my brain, too. I have a friend, and you can say to her, “June 24th, 1999,” and she can tell you pretty much what she was up to.

BAILEY: That’s amazing.

WALLER-BRIDGE: You can see her go into the diary in her mind. She has a very different wiring of her brain. But speaking of longing, are there any fictional or real life couples, gay or straight, that captured your heart over the years?

BAILEY: Oh my god, what a question. What about Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine?

WALLER-BRIDGE: I think Morticia and Gomez Addams were the most romantic couple.

BAILEY: Yeah, I see that.

WALLER-BRIDGE: They understood it. They got it all.

BAILEY: Also maybe Ryan and Marissa in The OC.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Any gay male couples that you ever looked up to or were romanced by?

BAILEY: Well unfortunately, there just weren’t that many were there growing up.

WALLER-BRIDGE: So wild.

BAILEY: But I met Matthew Rhys recently, who I just love. And I was thinking about that relationship in Brothers and Sisters. And then there was Queer as Folk. Russell, T. Davies changed the game. So many people owe so much to him just purely for visibility. There is no Tim and Hawk to a 2023 audience without Queer as Folk.

WALLER-BRIDGE: But did you feel frustrated?

BAILEY: Well, speaking of history, I was doing media studies with an amazing teacher and I decided that I was going to do my dissertation about the representations of Hutus and Tutsis and the Rwanda genocide, looking at Hotel Rwanda and Shooting Dogs. And then Brokeback Mountain came out and I was like, “Hang on, how can I possibly create a world where I can go and have a free pass to go to the cinema to watch it 10 times?” I’m really proud of my 17-year-old self, I wasn’t necessarily out, but I changed the topic to representation of homosexuality in Brokeback Mountain and I watched that film 10 times. And this amazing teacher, Dr. Brunton, who probably had an idea of what was going on, was just like, “This is brilliant, keep going, keep going.” And I think it was the best mark I ever got.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you still have it?

BAILEY: It must be on a hard drive upstairs in the attic. And obviously, that completely changed me, something chemical happened there. But it’s funny, I’m not clear on memories. And I do think it’s a common thing for a lot of people, growing up and having to survive and be basically in fight or flight, there’s a murkiness to how I recall.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Of course, because you couldn’t be truly present because you weren’t being completely yourself.

BAILEY: Totally, yeah.

WALLER-BRIDGE: When you look back and start unpacking it, do you feel overwhelmed with sympathy for how hard you were having to work as a 16-year-old, coming up with excuses to see the movie that you wanted to see?

BAILEY: Yeah. But I spent more time trying to be sympathetic towards the people that were around me who didn’t support or couldn’t help. I look back and I go, “Hell.”

WALLER-BRIDGE: Yes. But you are representing that and living that for so many people now. Your speech at the Critics Choice Awards the other day was so sublime and beautiful and straight from the heart. You are so electric as a human being and that is the most important thing. There aren’t many people in the world that can do that, that can stand there in front of people and speak from their heart about what it means to them to be given this opportunity. And I know that your career is just going to be the most extraordinary journey. When I first met you, I remember sitting with Josh [Cole], who was the producer on Crashing, and we were like, “If we get this guy, it’s going to be the game changer for the show.” And I know that every single person now wanting you on their project is feeling the same thing.

BAILEY: I definitely feel overwhelmed by that, but it’s lovely to hear.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Can I just ask you one question which I couldn’t remember about Crashing?

BAILEY: Yeah.

WALLER-BRIDGE: The frosted tips were your idea, wasn’t it?

BAILEY: I had this conversation today. I think it’s in the script. But my reference picture was Justin Timberlake in double denim.

WALLER-BRIDGE: No, I don’t think it was [in the script], because Sam’s a character that I hold closest to my heart because, in so many ways, he represents how I feel about maybe my inner life. I just love him so much, and your ability to play every single little corner of him that I dreamed of.

BAILEY: Maybe that’s the answer I was looking for when you asked if I was drawn to any romantic couples? No, it was just about wanting bleach blonde hair.

Source

#jonathan bailey #phoebe waller bridge #jonny bailey #interviews #interviews:2024 #interview magazine #interview magazine interview #fellow travelers #crashing #NEW!

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nalyra-dreaming · 11 months ago

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Found an old interview, with a few juicy bits

(and a lot we knew already)

The blood tasted like "Sour Patch Kid" (lol):

The three of them had dancing lessons.... 👀

And Jacob wants to see Louis in the 80s!!! (And we know Sam got his wish^^)

Also kinda sad that Bailey won't be able to explore those hairstyles, but... anyways it's long , so the rest under the cut:

Interview with Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid and Bailey Bass

Posted on October 2, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Interview with Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid and Bailey Bass of “Interview with The Vampire” on AMC and AMC+ by Suzanne 9/29/22

This was a fun roundtable with the three stars of this great new vampire show. If you love vampire shows, or the Anne Rice novels, you should love this show. It’s very well done, and these actors are great in it. Jacob plays Louie, and we see the story through his eyes as told to ailing reporter Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian, who’s outstanding as always). Sam Reid plays LeStat, the seductive vamp that turns Louie and becomes his friend, lover, mentor, etc. Bailey plays Claudia, the young woman that joins them. They were very kind and fun to interview.

Suzanne: Hi, I’m Suzanne Lanoue from TVMEG.com, and I’ve watched the first episode. I didn’t get screeners till this morning, so I only got to watch the first one so far, but I’m really enjoying it. It just grabs you and drags you in. So, congratulations on being renewed for season two already, which is great. Do you know when you’ll be starting to film season two, or have you already started filming it?

JACOB ANDERSON: We haven’t started. We haven’t started shooting, no.

SAM REID: Probably, I don’t know if we can say anything. [Laughs]

Suzanne: Have they told you yet?

JACOB ANDERSON: They haven’t not told us anything.

Suzanne: [Chuckles} OK, well, thank you!

Jamie from SCIFI VISION: Hi, I’m Jamie Ruby from SciFi Vision. Thanks for talking to us today, I really enjoyed the first five episodes that we’ve seen. So, for the three of you, can you kind of talk about how you balanced what you pulled from the book versus what you added with your own spin on it?

SAM REID: Hello, Jamie, I’ll answer that. No. But I would say that anything for myself and my character, my own spin probably came from my own interpretation of the books and Rolins’ work. So, I wasn’t really trying to put any of my own spin on it. It’s just how I imagined it to be, really.

JACOB ANDERSON: Yeah. I second that. It’s like, you will always view a character through your own lens to an extent and then it’s just kind of, I mean, I guess with anything, it’s like, do other do the other creative people like that, and do they want to discuss it? But you don’t want to mess with this. Like the combination of Anne Rice’s writing and Rolins’ writing, you don’t really want to touch it, you don’t want to just sort of throw your own stuff in just for the sake of it.

SAM REID: They’re so dense already the characters that it sort of would be a shame to try and deviate too much of thing.

JACOB ANDERSON: What could you possibly add?

SAM REID: Yeah.

BAILEY BASS: I feel the exact same way. It’s really, yes, we were cast because there’s something special in us that Rolin and the entire team really enjoyed when we were doing our auditions. But other than that, it’s really just doing the research and the book, reading the scripts, doing our own technique, and then just coming and creating in this world.

Jamie: Okay, great. Thank you so much.

Jamie from STARRY MAG: This is Jamie Steinberg, with Starry Constellation Magazine. Jacob, this is another deeply tortured soul for you to portray. Is there something about these kinds of characters that really draw you to them? Or is this them finding their way to you? Or is it something you see in them that really resonates with you and makes you want to portray them?

JACOB ANDERSON: I think it’s a combination of both. We find each other. I think I’m slightly less like Grey Worm than I am like Louis. But yeah, I mean, I think you normally want to be like very boundaried when you talk about things and be like, “Oh, well, I’m so removed from the character, and I’m brilliant at acting and blah blah blah blah blah”. But to be honest, yeah, I feel very, very connected to Louis. It’s the thing that bothered me about how Anne Rice wrote him, and also how Rolin wrote him as well. Yeah, I’m drawn to characters who are searching. And I’d ask him questions, not just about the world, but about their place in it and what they contribute or don’t contribute to it. But yeah, I also I felt like it would be like, narcissistic of me to be like, “I am the only person who can play Louis.” But namely, because there is somebody else that’s done it, as well. Many people.

Jamie: Well, I think you brings such a unique take on it, though, because of the artistry you have. Both of these characters that you mentioned, have just been wonderfully nuanced, I think through your portrayal. So it might be just a little bit time for you to pat yourself on the back for what you’ve brought to the role on your own.

JACOB ANDERSON: This one’s for you, Bailey.

QUESTION: Question for Jacob and Sam, one of the really interesting things about this particular adaptation is the romance that we kind of finally get to see between Louis and Lestat. Can you speak to that a little bit? What does it mean to you to be able to portray that relationship in that way?

SAM REID: Well, I think AMC has the rights to the entire Vampire Chronicles, and so it’s very important to make sure that relationship is established early on. Particularly as the books progress, it becomes much more clear that they are in a very intense romantic relationship. So, I think it’s it’s great to make sure that we’re serving the story correctly. And it wouldn’t be Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire if it wasn’t there. So, yeah.

QUESTION: I was wondering, and this is kind of specifically for Bailey and Sam, the show doesn’t shy away from race or that being a factor at all for their very long life experience. Was that important to you? And were you afraid of any ignorant backlash, because previously, the characters were paid by white actors?

BAILEY BASS: I was really excited to play Claudia. It’s really a dream to play such a complex character that’s very loud and unapologetic. I honestly didn’t think twice about anything else. I just knew that Rolin was very intentional about the actors that he wanted to cast in the show, and I’m very fortunate that I was one of them. I just dove into all the research. I read the book. I would cross reference the book and the script and see the quotes that Rolin took from the book and was very intentional about adding them into the script. After doing all the research, I mean, I became Claudia and it was fun to play her.

JACOB ANDERSON: Yeah, I think something that Rolin’s done, which is – I’m almost loath to call it important, but like it creates a richness is that this isn’t a colorblind casting situation. Louis’ central question is about his humanity and his place in humanity. I think that if you were to cast a black actor or black actors for Louis and Claudia, and to not address that, you’d take a lot away from that question of their humanity. I’m glad that we don’t shy away from it. And in terms of backlash, I just don’t want to give it energy anymore. Like I just – people are going to – I think people need to be seen. Sometimes they’ll say anything to be seen or recognized, and it’s sad, but it’s the internet.

QUESTION: I would love for you to talk a little bit about what it’s like just being vampires, being able to play vampires when biting people and having these kinds of scenes. What goes into that and how much fun is that to play? How difficult is that to play?

SAM REID:

It’s very fun. It’s very fun. Yeah, you know, because we’ve got a lot of elements that come into every scene. So, they’re very beautiful, sort of rich dialogue-heavy scenes, but we also have this whole element of the vampire, you know, he kills, so we’ll be pausing for the blood to be put in. We had all these different types of blood that we’d been drinking and tasting, and they made us hibicus flavored blood when we had to drink large amounts of it.

JACOB ANDERSON:

It did not taste like hibiscus. It tasted like it was like a Sour Patch Kid.

SAM REID: Yeah.

JACOB ANDERSON: But in liquid form.

SAM REID: But there’s a lot of thought and consideration [that had] gone into this. But yeah, it’s so much fun, really. Vampires are, I think, the best type of monster, because they have so much humanity. They’re so articulate. They experience a huge amount. Anne Rice is responsible for our shift in vampires, because she puts the perspective into the eyes of the monster, and you have empathy for them. So, it’s very fun to do these really extreme, horrific things, but also with a level of understanding and empathy and bringing that into the character. So, it’s a fun thing to do.

JACOB ANDERSON: It’s the best! It’s the best. The best monsters.

Jamie from SCIFI VISION: So, obviously, you guys do go to some really dark places, though, with your characters. Can you sort of talk about getting into that headspace, and how you sort of, I guess, get back out of it? Is it hard to sort of go there? For all three of you.

BAILEY BASS: Yeah, it’s hard. We had such long days that it kind of, for me personally, it was hard for me to differ[entiate], like, who’s Claudia and who’s Bailey. So, I kind of had to, like really sit with myself and reflect, but it’s hard. But then also, this is what I love to do, and playing such an extreme character, that’s what makes it fun is that I get to relive and be in these spaces that I would never normally be in if I didn’t get to play Claudia. But the dark, even though it’s dark and everything, I definitely enjoyed it. And I had Sam and Jacob, which they were incredible scene partners, and we all had each other. We made sure that throughout the whole process, our mental health, even though we’re like hysterically crying sometimes that afterwards, our mental health was still good,

SAM REID: I think to Bailey’s point, like, sometimes the darkest jobs or the darkest sets where the material is the most bleak are the most fun, because, we instinctively know how to just kind of like, help ourselves through that. So, we’ll be making a lot of jokes. You know, it is ridiculous, sometimes what we’re doing, and you have to step back and think [laughs] You know, we’re suspended in the air, covered in blood, so we just kept it light. It was a fun thing to do.

JACOB ANDERSON: Yeah, I agree. I mean, it’s dense. It’s dense, so you need to focus on the language as well. Like, aside from, yeah, we had a lot of fun, but when you’re doing the scene, you focus on what you’re doing. And I think if you let yourself get dragged into it too much, then hard to to do your job, I think.

Jamie from STARRY MAG: Bailey, this is such a beautiful costume you have. Talk about when you first saw what you’d be wearing for the series, and if you had any input, and if it takes really putting on that costume to embody your character.

BAILEY BASS: Costume is one of my favorite things in my job, being able to speak with the costume designer and be able to talk about what she saw when she read the script, because it’s not just me, it’s a big collaboration of an incredible crew that helps make us look good, basically. And to be able to talk to hair, makeup, and costume and get to know what their first ideas were when they read the script, and then being able to collaborate with them and say what I thought, was really, really fun. And the costume designer for this show, Carol, was just so collaborative. I came in and we were talking about posture. That’s a very big thing for Claudia, because in the beginning, she’s like fourteen years old, and she’s excited being a vampire. She would shrug a lot and just walked like, however and had terrible posture. So, the costume designer would think about that when she was making the costumes. And then also I have to look like a little girl. So, she created these beautiful bows along with making sure that the shape of my costumes hid any curves possible. So, when I put them on, I really felt like a little girl. So, when I was doing the scenes where Claudia is struggling, she wants to be a woman, and I’m sitting in this pink dress that it’s not flattering to anything that’s me as Bailey, it was really easy to feel what Claudia would be feeling at that moment.

Suzanne: I really enjoyed the wedding scene and your dancing, Jacob; that was great. Was that actually you dancing? And did you have to train for that, or did you already know how, and will there be any more singing or dancing in the show?

JACOB ANDERSON: That was me and Steven Norfleet, who plays Paul, and we had about a month to train, to practice. I don’t know if you’ve ever done tap dancing, but it’s like learning how to walk again, like how to walk for the first time, like to get your brain to coordinate in that way and to like shift the weight of your body is really confusing. And to add to that we did a lot of our lessons on Sikkim (???). And it’s all like, it’s all sound. You like making music with your feet, but with the lag of, of like, you know, doing it online. But you just drill; you just drill it every day. You drill it every day, and just you have to listen. It’s less about like being mechanical about your body and just like listening to the sound. But there is there is more dancing in the show.

Suzanne: Oh, good.

JACOB ANDERSON: Yeah. It was in the trailer, right?

SAM REID: Yeah, the three of us did dancing lessons.

JACOB ANDERSON: Yeah, we did.

QUESTION: I’m curious to just have any of you or all of you talk a little bit about what you love most about the dynamic between all three of your characters, either once Claudia comes in, or kind of as that progresses.

JACOB ANDERSON: I find it, I think from Louis’ point of view, he’s trying to recreate a kind of family dynamic that he is grieving for in his human life. I think it’s probably the thing that he misses most in some ways. It’s like a grounding thing, is his brother and his sister and his mom, maybe to a lesser extent, but maybe not. So, I find the way that it kind of goes for them, and for him, it’s kind of unexpected. I think he wanted, he was hoping that in bringing somebody else into their family, I think he thought that Claudia might be like him. [laughs] So, it’s interesting. I feel like an outcast, but to also be a part of – I mean, I’ll let Bailey talk more about about that part of it, but really, Claudia ends up being sort of forgotten about a little bit, and their dynamic, which is sad.

BAILEY BASS: I think what’s wonderful though, is that there’s really no protagonist or antagonist. It changes through every scene in every episode, because these characters are so specific and complex, and Rolin Jones, the writer of the show, did an incredible job of explaining in depth why we do what we do. There’s a reason why we kill the people that we do, why we hurt each other. And because of that, the viewer kind of feels bad for the person hurting the other, but then also feels bad for the person being hurt.

QUESTION: So, obviously, as vampires, your characters live very long lives. Which era would you like to see, be able to play your character in?

JACOB ANDERSON: 80s 80s 80s. I want the pastels. I want the hair. Let’s go, 80s.

SAM REID: I’d probably do the 1700s. I think Lestat really that is where he’s from, and that’s the era in which he was born into, so I’d quite like to see him in that in that era.

BAILEY BASS: I just want to get to the 50s. Like, I just want Claudia to get to the 50s so I can wear all those skirts and just explore more hairstyles, because we evolved. Doing the prep work, there wasn’t a lot of hairstyles – we had a horrible of time looking for photos of black girls in that time period with very versatile hair, which we know they existed, just no one took pictures of them. So, to be able to expand that more and show women who have curly hair, that this is what they look like in that time. I’d love to expand that and go into the 40s and 50s.

Transcribed by Jamie Ruby of ScifiVision

#interview #tvmeg #jacob anderson #sam reid #bailey bass #iwtv cast #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire

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alldancersaretalented · 5 months ago

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Project 21 Solo Comp Results Season 9

Nuvo Meadowlands (September 29-October 1, 2024)

Junior Solos:

6th: Bristyn Scifres (Ode To The Blue)

7th: Berkeley Scifres (Interrogation Room)

Jump Las Vegas (October 20-22, 2023)

Mini Solos:

4th: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

Junior Solos:

3rd: Berkeley Scifres (L.O.V.E.)

4th: Bristyn Scifres (Little Secrets)

5th: Chloe Mirabal (Woman)

7th: Madelyn Nasu (This Will Be)

7th: Leilani Lawlor (Cold Hearted Snake)

Teen Solos:

1st: Gracyn French (Sillhouetted in Sunshine)

5th: Stella Eberts (Nebula)

5th: Richie Granese (Black Sea)

10th: Lilly Barajas (Bone Marrow Stem)

10th: Ally Choi (Echo)

Senior Solos:

3rd: Avery Reyes (I Dare You)

3rd: Sammi Chung (The Silent Word)

4th: Lexi Blanchard (Fame)

Nuvo Tulsa (October 27-29, 2023)

Senior Solos:

4th: Kami Couch (Red Desert)

5th: Katie Couch (NERA)

24Seven San Diego (October 27-29, 2023)

Mini Solos:

5th: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

6th: Aliya Yen (All That Jazz)

Junior Solos:

4th: Berkeley Scifres (L.O.V.E.)

5th: Bristyn Scifres (Little Secrets)

5th: Sara Von Rotz (Absolute Final Goodbye)

5th: Kira Lieberman (Awakening)

6th: Madelyn Nasu (This Will Be)

6th: Ellie Anbarden (Somebody Help Me)

7th: Leilani Lawlor (Cold Hearted Snake)

10th: Chloe Mirabal (Woman)

Teen Solos:

2nd: Gracyn French (Silhouetted In Sunshine)

3rd: Brooklyn Ladia (Sing It Back)

4th: Richie Granese (Black Sea)

5th: Ally Choi (Echo)

8th: Dillon Barron (Moon Song)

8th: Lilly Barajas (Bone Marrow Stem)

8th: Stella Eberts (Nebula)

9th: Brooklyn Lieberman (The Clock)

10th: Brielle Lieberman (Happiness)

Senior Solos:

2nd: Sammi Chung (The Silent Word)

YAGP San Diego (November 2024)

Pre-Competitive, Contemporary

3rd: Aliya Yen (Matrix)

Pre-Competitive, Classical

Didn't Place: Aliya Yen (Kitri Act III Don Quixote)

Didn't Place: Aliya Yen (Coppelia)

24Seven Chicago (November 3-5, 2023)

Teen Solos:

3rd: Gracyn French (Paul Is Dying)

Radix Anaheim (December 8-10,2024)

Mini Solos:

7th: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

Junior Solos:

5th: Sara Von Rotz (Absolute Final Goodbye)

10th: Leilani Lawlor (Cold Hearted Snake)

Teen Solos:

2nd: Gracyn French (Paul Is Dying)

5th: Richie Granese (Black Sea)

7th: Brooklyn Ladia (Sing It Back)

Didn't Place: Stella Eberts (Nebula)

Senior Solos:

2nd: Sammi Chung (The Silent Word)

24Seven Provo (January 18-20, 2024)

Teen Solos:

5th: Brooklyn Ladia (Sing It Back)

NYCDA Vancouver (January 19-21, 2024)

Junior Solos:

16th: Sara Von Rotz (Light Surrounds)

Nuvo Los Angeles (January 19-21, 2024)

Junior Solos:

4th: Leilani Lawlor (Taking Note)

5th: Berkeley Scifres (Cornet Man)

7th: Kira Lieberman (Awakening)

9th: Bristyn Scifres (Perderse)

Teen Solos:

2nd: Brielle Lieberman (Going Under)

3rd: Gracyn French (Pale Blue Sun)

4th: Ally Choi (Let's Fall)

7th: Richie Granese (The Way You Take Up Space)

Didn't Place: Brooklyn Lieberman (More Than One Time)

Senior Solos:

7th: Lexi Blanchard (Catching Smoke)

Nuvo Santa Clara (February 9-11, 2024)

Mini Solos:

1st: Aliya Yen (Before It Ends)

3rd: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

Junior Solos:

3rd: Sara Von Rotz (Light Surrounds)

4th: Regan Gerena (Heartburn)

Teen Solos:

3rd: Gracyn French (Pale Blue Sun)

5th: Stella Eberts (Nothing More Simple)

7th: Makeila Bartlett (Liquid Slow)

7th: Richie Granese (The Way You Take Up Space)

10th: Lilly Barajas (Falling Inwards)

10th: Brielle Lieberman (Going Under)

Senior Solos:

4th: Loila Rhee (Rework)

6th: Kami Couch (Volant)

6th: Sammi Chung (In One Ear)

8th: Avery Reyes (Tell Me Why)

10th: Katie Couch (Winding And Unwinding)

Didn't Place: Kenzie Couch (Siren)

Didn't Place: Lexi Blanchard (Fame)

KAR Redondo Beach (February 16-18, 2024)

Top Elite Solo 9-11:

4th: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

Top Elite Solo 12-14:

2nd: Chloe Mirabal (Woman)

Elite Miss Junior Dance:

2nd Runner-Up: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

Elite Miss Teen Dance:

1st: Chloe Mirabal (Woman)

Other:

Cece Chung: Elite Solo NYC All Stars, Elite Solo HDE All Stars

Chloe Mirabal: Elite Solo NYC All Stars, Elite Solo HDE All Stars

Seven Detroit (February 16-18, 2024)

Senior Solos:

5th: Kami Couch (Volant)

5th: Katie Couch (Winding And Unwinding)

6th: Kenzie Couch (Siren)

NYCDA Las Vegas (February 23-25, 2024)

Teen Solos:

15th: Ally Choi (Let's Fall)

YAGP San Diego (February)

Pre-Competitive, Contemporary

Didn't Place (Higher): Aliya Yen (Before It Ends)

Pre-Competitive, Classical

Top 12: Aliya Yen (Kitri Act III Don Quixote)

Top 12: Aliya Yen (Graduation Ball)

NYCDA Santa Clara (March 1-3, 2024)

Mini Solos:

3rd: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

Junior Solos:

2nd: Ellie Anbarden (Somebody Help Me)

3rd: Bristyn Scifres (It Cannot Be)

4th: Berkeley Scifres (Cornet Man)

10th: Kira Lieberman (Awakening)

13th: Chloe Mirabal (Woman)

Teen Solos:

3rd: Gracyn French (Paul Is Dying)

6th: Stella Eberts (Nothing More Simple)

14th: Airi Dela Ccruz (To Build A Home)

17th: Makeila Bartlett (Red Shadow)

19th: Dillon Barron (Beneath The Surface)

Senior Solos:

3rd: Sammi Chung (In One Ear)

4th: Kami Couch (Volant)

7th: Loila Rhee (Rework)

9th: Lexi Blanchard (Fame)

11th: Katie Couch (Winding And Unwinding)

15th: Kenzie Couch (Siren)

Radix Dallas (March 8-10, 2024)

Junior Solos:

3rd: Leilani Lawlor (Taking Note)

4th: Regan Gerena (Heartburn)

Teen Solos:

3rd: Stella Eberts (Nothing More Simple)

NYCDA Tulsa (March 8-10, 2024)

Teen Solos:

14th: Richie Granese (Black Sea)

Adrenaline Los Angeles (March 8-10, 2024)

Mini Solos:

3rd: Cece Chung (Move)

24Seven Anaheim (March 22-24, 2024)

Mini Solos:

1st: Aliya Yen (Mink, Schmink)

Junior Solos:

1st: Berkeley Scifres (Cornet Man)

1st: Sara Von Rotz (Champagne Taste)

1st: Ellie Anbarden (Somebody Help Me)

3rd: Bristyn Scifres (It Cannot Be)

3rd Regan Gerena (Heartburn)

Teen Solos

3rd: Gracyn French (El Tango De Roxanne)

4th: Richie Granese (Black Sea)

4th: Stella Eberts (Nothing More Simple)

10th: Leighton Werner (Back To Black)

Senior Solos:

3rd: Avery Reyes (Tell Me Why)

5th: Lexie Blanchard (Fame)

5th: Sammi Chung (In One Ear)

6th: Katie Couch (Winding And Unwinding)

6th: Kami Couch (Volant)

7th: Loila Rhee (Rework)

7th: Kenzie Couch (Siren)

Ultra Mesa (April 5-7, 2024)

Top Ultra Competitive 12-14 Solos:

9th: Chloe Mirabal (Woman)

24Seven Bellevue (April 5-7, 2024)

Mini Solos:

7th: Delaney Anbarden (Hollyrock)

Junior Solos:

4th: Leilani Lawlor (Taking Note)

Showcase Only Solo: Sara Von Rotz (Champagne Taste)

Showcase Only Solo: Ellie Anbarden (Somebody Help Me)

24Seven Glendale (April 19-21, 2024)

Mini Solos:

6th: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

Junior Solos:

1st: Bristyn Scifres (It Cannot Be)

2nd: Leilani Lawlor (Take Note)

6th: Regan Gerena (Over The Rainbow)

7th: Chloe Mirabal (Woman)

Teen Solos:

1st: Richie Granese (Nothing More Simple)

2nd: Brooklyn Ladia (The Middle Is The End)

2nd: Gracyn French (El Tango De Roxanne)

2nd: Stella Eberts (Nothing More Simple)

6th: Dillon Barron (Beneath The Surface)

Senior Solos:

2nd: Lexi Blanchard (Clay Pigeons)

3rd: Kami Couch (Volant)

3rd: Katie Couch (Winding And Unwinding)

4th: Loila Rhee (Rework)

4th: Kenzie Couch (Siren)

5th: Sammi Chung (The Silent Word)

5th: Avery Reyes (I Dare You)

Nuvo Westminster (April 26-28, 2024)

Junior Solos:

Didn't Place: Kira Lieberman (Awakening)

Teen Solos:

Brielle Lieberman (Going Under)

24Seven Houston (April 26-28, 2024)

Junior Solos:

1st: Leilani Lawlor (Taking Note)

NYCDA Provo (April 25-27, 2024)

Junior Solos:

8th: Sara Von Rotz (Champagne Taste)

NYCDA Lake Geneva (April 26-28, 2024)

Teen Solos:

4th: Ally Choi (Echo)

Nuvo Provo (May 2-4, 2024)

Junior Solos:

4th: Ellie Anbarden (Somebody Help Me)

9th: Leilani Lawlor (Taking Note)

24Seven Dallas (May 3-5, 2024)

Senior Solos:

6th: Lexi Blanchard (Clay Pigeons)

KAR Exclusive Long Beach (May 4-5, 2024)

Miss Elite Teen Dance

2nd Runner-Up: Leighton Werner (Back To Black)

Jump Honolulu (May 10-12, 2024)

Junior Solos:

2nd: Bristyn Scifres (It Cannot Be)

2nd: Leilani Lawlor (Taking Note)

3rd: Berkeley Scifres (Cornet Man)

5th: Kira Lieberman (Awakening)

6th: Sara Von Rotz (Champagne Taste)

Teen Solos:

1st: Richie Granese (Black See)

5th: Lilly Barajas (All I Wanted)

6th: Makeila Bartlett (Red Shadow)

6th: Dillon Barron (Beneath The Surface)

6th: Ally Choi (Let's Fall)

NYCDA Phoenix (May 10-12, 2024)

Mini Solos:

2nd: Aliya Yen (Before It Ends)

Junior Solos:

4th: Regan Gerena

Teen Solos:

2nd: Brooklyn Ladia (The Middle Is The End)

14th: Leighton Werner (Back To Black)

NYCDA Meadowlands (May 10-12, 2024)

Mini Solos:

didn't place: Olivia Armstrong (About That Walk)

Radix Portland (May 10-12, 2024)

Junior Solos:

2nd: Chloe Mirabal (Woman)

24Seven Orlando (May 10-12, 2024)

Teen Solos:

didn't place: Stella Eberts (Nothing More Simple)

KAR Long Beach (May 17-19, 2024)

Top Elite Solo 12-14

1st: Airi Dela Cruz (To Build A Home)

Other:

Airi Dela Cruz: Elite Ultimate Performance, Elite Solo HDE All Stars

Nuvo Phoenix (May 17-19, 2024)

Junior Solos:

3rd: Bristyn Scifres (It Cannot Be)

6th: Berkeley Scifres (Cornet Man)

Teen Solos:

5th: Gracyn French (Paul Is Dying)

Gravit8 Orange County (May 30-June 2, 2024)

Elite Teen Solos:

2nd: Sara Von Rotz (The Calling)

KAR Riverside (May 31-June 2, 2024)

Top Elite Solo 12-14

2nd: Ally Choi (Let's Fall)

Top Elite Solo 15-19:

1st: Gracyn French (El Tango De Roxanne)

Placed with other solo: Gracyn French (Paul Is Dying)

Placed with other solo: Gracyn French (Pale Blue Sun)

Elite Miss Teen Dance

1st Runner-Up: Ally Choi (Let's Fall)

Elite Miss Dance

1st: Gracyn French (El Tango De Roxanne)

Other:

Gracyn French: Elite Solo HDE All Stars, Elite Ultimate Performance

Ally Choi: Elite Solo HDE All Stars, Elite Ultimate Performance

Ultra Ontario (June 6-9, 2024)

Top Ultra Competitive Solo 12-14

4th: Berkeley Scifres (Cornet Man)

19th: Bristyn Scifres (It Cannot Be)

Ultra Competitive Teen Icon of the Year

Finalist: Berkeley Scifres (Cornet Man)

Starbound Upland (June 7-9, 2024)

Junior Elite Solos:

1st: Aliya Yen (Before It Ends)

2nd: Aliya Yen (Mink, Schmink)

KAR Nationals Las Vegas (June 30-July 7, 2024)

Top Elite Solo 15-19:

3rd: Gracyn French (Chemtrails Over The Country Club)

Other:

Gracyn French: Elite Ultimate Performance

TDA Orlando (July 6-13, 2024)

Mini Female BDs:

Top 10: Aliya Yen (Before It Ends)

Didn't Place: Cece Chung (Copacobana)

Junior Finals Solos:

4th: Regan Gerena (The Hollows)

Junior Female BDs:

Winner: Regan Gerena (That's Life)

Top 10: Berkeley Scifres (Cornet Man)

Top 10: Bristyn Scifres (It Cannot Be)

Top 10: Sara Von Rotz (Champagne Taste)

Didn't Place: Olivia Armstrong (When I Go)

Didn't Place: Leilani Lawlor (Taking Note)

Didn't Place: Kira Lieberman (Awakening)

Teen Finals Solos:

1st: Gracyn French (El Tango De Roxanne)

Didn't Place: Brooklyn Ladia (Sing It Back)

Didn't Place: Leighton Werner (Drag Me Down)

Didn't Place: Lilly Barajas (All I Wanted)

Didn't Place: Stella Eberts (Bloom)

Didn't Place: Brielle Lieberman (Happiness)

Teen Female BDs:

2nd Runner-Up: Gracyn French (Chemtrails Over The Country Club)

Top 20: Brooklyn Ladia (The Middle Is The End)

Didn't Place: Leighton Werner (Back To Black)

Didn't Place: Lilly Barajas (Falling Inwards)

Didn't Place: Stella Eberts (Nothing More Simple)

Didn't Place: Brielle Lieberman (Going Under)

Senior Finals Solos:

Didn't Place: Sammi Chung (In One Ear)

Didn't Place: Lexi Blanchard (Fame)

Senior Female BDs:

Top 10: Sammi Chung (The Silent Word)

Top 20: Lexi Blanchard (Clay Pigeons)

Scholarships:

Non-Stop Dancer Winners (24Seven):

Aliya Yen (Mini): San Diego

Ellie Anbarden (Junior): Anaheim

Regan Gerena (Junior): San Diego)

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Anaheim

Savanna Musman (Junior): Anaheim

Madelyn Nasu (Junior): Glendale

Bristyn Scifres (Junior): San Diego

Berkeley Scifres (Junior): San Diego

Sara Von Rotz (Junior): San Diego

Lilly Barajas (Teen): Glendale

Dillon Barron (Teen): Glendale

Ally Choi (Teen): Glendale

Stella Eberts (Teen): San Diego

Gracyn French (Teen): San Diego

Richie Granese (Teen): Glendale

Mady Kim (Teen): Anaheim

Brooklyn Ladia (Teen): San Diego

Leighton Werner (Teen): Anaheim

Lexi Blanchard (Senior): Glendale

Katie Couch (Senior): Anaheim

Kami Couch (Senior): Anaheim

Kenzie Couch (Senior): Detroit

Avery Reyes (Senior): Anaheim

Non-Stop Dancer Runner-Ups (24Seven):

Delaney Anbarden (Mini): Anaheim, Bellevue, Glendale

Cece Chung (Mini): San Diego, Anaheim, Glendale

Ellie Anbarden (Junior): San Diego

Olivia Armstrong (Junior): Anaheim

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): San Diego

Kira Lieberman (Junior): San Diego, Glendale

Chloe Mirabal (Junior): San Diego, Anaheim, Glendale

Madelyn Nasu (Junior): San Diego, Anaheim

Lilly Barajas (Teen): Anaheim

Dillon Barron (Teen): San Diego, Anaheim

Makeila Bartlett (Teen): Anaheim, Glendale

Ally Choi (Teen): San Diego, Anaheim

Airi Dela Cruz (Teen): Anaheim, Glendale

Richie Granese (Teen): San Diego, Anaheim

Brielle Lieberman (Teen): San Diego

Brooklyn Lieberman (Teen): San Diego, Anaheim, Glendale

Lexi Blanchard (Senior): Anaheim

Sammi Chung (Senior): San Diego

Katie Couch (Senior): Detroit

Kami Couch (Senior): Detroit

Loila Rhee (Senior): Anaheim, Glendale

High Five in Jazz (24Seven):

Lilly Barajas (Teen): San Diego

Brielle Lieberman (Teen): Anaheim, Glendale

Brooklyn Safford (Teen): Anaheim

High Five in Hip-Hop (24Seven):

Cali Cassidy (Teen): Anaheim

High Five in Ballroom (24Seven):

Olivia Armstrong (Junior): Glendale

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Bellevue

Jump VIPs (Jump):

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Honolulu

Berkeley Scifres (Junior): Las Vegas

Bristyn Scifres (Junior): Las Vegas

Sara Von Rotz (Junior): Honolulu

Lilly Barajas (Teen): Honolulu

Gracyn French (Teen): Las Vegas

Lexi Blanchard (Senior): Las Vegas

Jump VIP Runner-Ups (Jump):

Cece Chung (Mini): Las Vegas

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Las Vegas

Kira Lieberman (Junior): Honolulu

Chloe Mirabal (Junior): Las Vegas

Madelyn Nasu (Junior): Las Vegas

Lilly Barajas (Teen): Las Vegas

Dillon Barron (Teen): Honolulu

Makeila Bartlett (Teen): Honolulu

Ally Choi (Teen): Las Vegas, Honolulu

Stella Eberts (Teen): Las Vegas

Richie Granese (Teen): Las Vegas, Honolulu

Sammi Chung (Senior): Las Vegas

Avery Reyes (Senior): Las Vegas

BreakOut Artists (Nuvo):

Aliya Yen (Mini): Santa Clara

Ellie Anbarden (Junior): Provo

Regan Gerena (Junior): Santa Clara

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Santa Clara

Kira Lieberman (Junior): Santa Clara

Chloe Mirabal (Junior): Santa Clara

Bristyn Scifres (Junior): Meadowlands

Berkeley Scifres (Junior): Meadowlands

Sara Von Rotz (Junior): Santa Clara

Stella Eberts (Teen): Santa Clara

Gracyn French (Teen): Los Angeles

Brielle Lieberman (Teen): Westminster

Lexi Blanchard (Senior): Los Angeles

Kami Couch (Senior): Santa Clara

Avery Reyes (Senior): Santa Clara

BreakOut Artist Runner-Ups (Nuvo):

Delaney Anbarden (Mini): Santa Clara

Ellie Anbarden (Junior): Santa Clara

Olivia Armstrong (Junior): Santa Clara

Regan Gerena (Junior): Los Angeles

Savanna Musman (Junior): Los Angeles, Santa Clara

Madelyn Nasu (Junior): Santa Clara

Lilly Barajas (Teen): Los Angeles

Dillon Barron (Teen): Santa Clara

Makeila Bartlett (Teen): Santa Clara

Ally Choi (Teen): Los Angeles, Santa Clara

Airi Dela Cruz (Teen): Santa Clara

Stella Eberts (Teen): Los Angeles

Richie Granese (Teen): Los Angeles, Santa Clara

Mady Kim (Teen): Santa Clara

Brooklyn Ladia (Teen): Santa Clara

Brooklyn Lieberman (Teen): Santa Clara

Brielle Lieberman (Teen): Los Angeles, Santa Clara

Brooklyn Safford (Teen): Santa Clara

Sammi Chung (Senior): Santa Clara

Kenzie Couch (Senior): Santa Clara

Katie Couch (Senior): Tulsa, Santa Clara

Kami Couch (Senior): Tulsa

Loila Rhee (Senior): Santa Clara

StandOut in Jazz & Contemporary (Nuvo):

Cece Chung (Mini): Santa Clara

Lilly Barajas (Teen): Santa Clara

Dillon Barron (Teen): Los Angeles

Kira Lieberman (Teen): Los Angeles

StandOut in Ballet (Nuvo):

Brooklyn Lieberman (Teen): Los Angeles

StandOut in Hip-Hop (Nuvo):

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Los Angeles

Kira Lieberman (Junior): Westminster

Die Hard Dancer (Nuvo):

Cece Chung (Mini): Santa Clara

Protégés (Radix):

Regan Gerena (Junior): Anaheim

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Dallas

Sara Von Rotz (Junior): Anaheim

Gracyn French (Teen): Anaheim

Richie Granese (Teen): Anaheim

Protègè Runner-Ups (Radix):

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Anaheim

Chloe Mirabal (Junior): Portland

Lilly Barajas (Teen): Anaheim

Ally Choi (Teen): Anaheim

Stella Eberts (Teen): Anaheim, Dallas

Brooklyn Ladia (Teen): Anaheim

Outstanding Dancers (NYCDA):

Aliya Yen (Mini): Santa Clara

Outstanding Dancer Runner-Ups (NYCDA):

Cece Chung (Mini): Santa Clara

Ellie Anbarden (Junior): Santa Clara

Regan Gerena (Junior): Santa Clara

Leilani Lawlor (Junior): Santa Clara

Kira Lieberman (Junior): Santa Clara

Chloe Mirabal (Junior): Santa Clara

Savanna Musman (Junior): Santa Clara

Berkeley Scifres (Junior): Santa Clara

Bristyn Scifres (Junior): Santa Clara

Sara Von Rotz (Junior): Vancouver

Lilly Barajas (Teen): Santa Clara

Dillon Barron (Teen): Santa Clara

Ally Choi (Teen): Las Vegas

Airi Dela Cruz (Teen): Santa Clara

Stella Eberts (Teen): Santa Clara

Gracyn French (Teen): Santa Clara

Richie Granese (Teen): Santa Clara

Brooklyn Ladia (Teen): Santa Clara

Lexi Blanchard (Senior): Santa Clara

Sammi Chung (Senior): Santa Clara

Kami Couch (Senior): Santa Clara

Katie Couch (Senior): Santa Clara

Kenzie Couch (Senior): Santa Clara

Avery Reyes (Senior): Santa Clara

Hip-Hop Scholarship (NYCDA):

Regan Gerena (Junior): Santa Clara

Savanna Musman (Junior): Santa Clara

Sara Von Rotz (Junior): Santa Clara

Kami Couch (Senior): Santa Clara

Tap Scholarship (NYCDA):

Bristyn Scifres (Junior): Santa Clara

Winter Contemporary Intensive Award (NYCDA):

Kami Couch (Senior): Santa Clara

Katie Couch (Senior): Santa Clara

Steps Summer Study NYC Intensive Scholarship (NYCDA):

Sammi Chung (Senior): Santa Clara

Avery Reyes (Senior): Santa Clara

Steps Academy Program Summer Intensive Scholarship (NYCDA):

Regan Gerena (Junior): Santa Clara

Chloe Mirabal (Junior): Santa Clara

Berkeley Scifres (Junior): Santa Clara

Sara Von Rotz (Junior): Santa Clara

Ally Choi (Teen): Santa Clara

Gracyn French (Teen): Santa Clara

Ballet Hispanico ChoreoLaB Scholarship (NYCDA):

Avery Reyes (Senior): Santa Clara

Intensive Standout Award (NYCDA):

Makeila Bartlett (Teen): Santa Clara

Brooklyn Lieberman (Teen): Santa Clara

Leighton Werner (Teen): Santa Clara

Rising Star (NYCDA):

Richie Granese (Teen): Tulsa

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Teen Summer Intensive (NYCDA):

Richie Granese (Teen): Tulsa

Peridance Global Summer Dance Intensive Scholarship (NYCDA):

Richie Granese (Teen): Tulsa

Ultra Solo/Duet/Trio Scholarship (KAR):

Airi Dela Cruz (12-14): Long Beach

Gracyn French (15-19): Riverside

#project 21 #season 9 #dance #results #solo results

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helianskies · 1 year ago

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winter prompts ☃️

'tis the season to write some slightly fluffier offerings for once! you know the drill! feel free to check with me if you are unsure if i'd write certain characters/pairings! <3

[ 1 ] - “what do you mean you 'don't need a coat'?”

[ 2 ] - “that was more ice than snow!”

[ 3 ] - “please don't fall!”

[ 4 ] - “maybe you could warm me up...?”

[ 5 ] - “look's like you've caught a cold.”

[ 6 ] - “you're so toasty!”

[ 7 ] - “thank you for making it special.”

[ 8 ] - “i'm actually allergic to holiday cheer.”

[ 9 ] - “let's build a snowman!”

[ 10 ] - “it's just a little something.”

[ 11 ] - “winter and i are sworn enemies.”

[ 12 ] - “but if i get out of bed i'll be cold!”

[ 13 ] - “look, a shooting star!”

[ 14 ] - “you did all of this yourself?”

[ 15 ] - “i can't believe you got me this!”

[ 16 ] - “that's the ugliest jumper i've ever seen.”

[ 17 ] - “you've never been ice-skating?”

[ 18 ] - “can i borrow your scarf?”

[ 19 ] - “come on, dance with me!”

[ 20 ] - “looks like we're snowed in.”

[ 21 ] - “office parties suck…”

[ 22 ] - “dinner is served!”

[ 23 ] - “at least pretend to like it!”

[ 24 ] - “here, warm yourself by the fire.”

[ 25 ] - “no one should be alone for the holidays.”

[ 26 ] - “i have something to ask you…”

[ 27 ] - “don't lick that pole!”

[ 28 ] - “i see we've ended up under the mistletoe.”

[ 29 ] - “hey, no peeking!”

[ 30 ] - “you're the best present i could have ever wished for.”

last year's list of wintery prompts is also over here for those who want to nose! happy december! and of course feel free to have a go at these yourself!

#helia writes #helia's stuff #winter prompts #hetalia #love and hate that prompt 27 is making think of an unfortunate feliks haha #also i know i have some requests still from the last batch of prompts and i'll try to get to those eventually #but i am now in holiday helia mode :')#also pls note the invite to ask me about ships is less an invite and more of a string suggestion #bc unless you know for sure i'll write a certain pairing/character you're taking a bold risk :')#dialogue prompts

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ijustwanttoreadfanfiction · 2 years ago

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Dirty Dancing

Jim Hopper x AFAB! Reader One day I'll write a story which actually has strange things happening but today is not that day. Bob didn't die, Eleven closed the rift at the end of Season 2 everyone is happy, leave me alone. I'm a Jopper fan 'til I die, but not for the purposes of this. Set 1987 - Jim is approx 44/45, reader is approx 30/31.

Warnings: Swearing, p in v sex, lots of references to Hopper's size, creampie, multiple orgasms, slightly rough Hopper, cock bulging, age gap, nicknames - baby, babygirl.

_______________________________________________

Jim has been oddly detached and quiet since yesterday evening. The stars had aligned along with your busy schedules and you’d managed to have a rare date night, going to the movies to watch ‘Dirty Dancing'. You thought he had enjoyed it, seeming engrossed rather than trying to get under the skirt of your dress like normal, but when you asked him what he thought on the drive home he simply shrugged and went to bed.

The following morning he’s still in his funk, not saying a word, departing for work with a distracted kiss to your cheek, a far cry from his usual passionate goodbyes that often left him running late and you in a state of undress.

His attitude bothers you all the way to the Diner.

“How was date night?” Donna asks you cautiously when you arrive, instantly noticing the way you fling your purse to the side and how you punch your card in with slightly more force than necessary.

“Well, I thought it went great, I really enjoyed the movie, evidently Jim’s experience of the evening was vastly different.” You rant, trying to tie up your apron, before giving up, elbows resting on the counter, head bowed in frustration.

“He didn’t like it?”

“I’m guessing he didn’t, but how would I know? He’s barely said two words to me.” You mumble despondently, the whole thing has left you feeling rattled, you and Jim fought plenty but you’d never been given the cold shoulder without a good reason. Donna opens her mouth to speak but is interrupted by Joyce coming in to collect her usual lunch order to share with Bob.

“Hey! How was the date ni-?” She greets you excitedly, cutting off at the look on your face, and Donna’s frantic shaking of her head. “What happened?”

“Jim hasn’t spoken to her since the movie.” Donna stage whispers, hastily departing to wipe down tables at your glare.

“Hop’s not talking to you?” Joyce asks in concern, sitting on one of the vinyl stools.

“Apparently not.” You grunt, making up Bob’s sandwich.

“Did you have an argument?”

“No, we went out, we watched ‘Dirty Dancing’ then he was just off with me and still is.” You snap, knife ripping through the slice of bread you had been buttering, Joyce reaches across taking your shaking hand in hers. “Sorry Joyce, I didn’t mean to -” You trail off gesturing at her apologetically, she gives you a small understanding smile in return.

“Bob and I went to see ‘Dirty Dancing’ last week, and I think I know what’s bothering Hop - he feels old.” She says softly.

“Old?” You ask, feeling lost.

“Sweetie, you gotta remember Hopper, and I -” She adds with a slight wince, “- we were in our twenties in the sixties, the stuff they do in the film, the dances, we were doing that years ago. I think maybe it’s made him feel his age.”

“That's ridiculous! You and Jim aren’t old.” You say laughing.

“But we’re not young either, certainly not as young as you” She reminds you gently.

When you and Hopper had started dating a year ago it sent shockwaves through Hawkins, which was ironic considering all the other crazy shit that had happened, kids going missing left, right and center, secret government lab, literal demon creatures crawling out of the ground. Oh no, all that was nothing compared to the chief of police dating a woman 14 years his junior, 29 to his 43 at the time, never mind that you were a fully consenting adult, and you were the one that had pursued him.

Jim couldn’t for the life of him work out why ‘a sweet young thing like you’ could ever want ‘a grumpy, fat, miserable, old guy like him’, you couldn’t give him a proper answer, all you knew was that you loved him and there wasn’t a single thing he could do or say that would change your mind.

"So what should I do to make him feel less old?” You ask Joyce somewhat desperately.

“I might have a suggestion.” She grins wickedly, leaning in close.

_______________________________________________

The plan was in place. Jane was staying at Max’s for another evening.You had primped and prepped yourself, wearing a dress not too dissimilar from Penny’s red halterneck in the film. The wine was poured, a couple of glasses already consumed for Dutch courage, you’d thrown pieces of coloured cloth over the table lamps to give the cabin an orange-reddish glow, and finally you had one of Jim’s favorites from his vinyl collection queued up and ready; Solomon Burke’s Rock ‘N Soul. You wring your hands nervously upon hearing the truck pull up outside, straightening out your dress, and quickly rechecking your hair in the small mirror on the wall as Jim tiredly trudges in toeing his boots off without looking at you.

“Hey baby, sorry I’m a little late Callahan screwed up a report and I -” He trails off finally glancing up at you, brows creased slightly in confusion, as he surveys you and the cabin. “ - what’s all this?”

“I know what’s been bothering you since yesterday, and I want you to know that I understand why, and I want to help.” You say softly, approaching him, going up on bare tiptoes to kiss him gently. He returns the kiss eagerly albeit somewhat surprised, a large hand coming up to cup your cheek.

“Baby, I'm at a loss here.” He murmurs against your lips, but allows you to pull him by his belt to the centre of the room nonetheless.

“Joyce said the film last night might have made you feel - nostalgic, and I want to show you that you’re not down and out just yet Jim Hopper.” You purr, leaning away to put the record on, Cry to Me filling the room. “Dance with me?” You ask quietly, unable to keep the pleading edge out of your voice.

Jim lets out a shaky breath, as you loop your arms around his neck, your height difference making him lean down slightly, chest to chest, his strong hands splayed across the top and small of your back.

You weren’t one hundred percent sure how to move so you simply rocked your hips, letting the music take control, running your fingers through the hair at the nape of Jim’s neck. He sighs softly, eyes closing at your touch, and you smile as you feel him start to move along with you. You experimentally lean back, pressing into his grip, he follows you lips tracing against your throat, before bringing you close again. You’re both smiling now, swaying more, his pelvis flush with yours, grinding against each other. You unbutton his police shirt, the fabric falling forgotten to the floor, leaving him in just a tight white vest, hands wandering again tracing his muscles stopping just shy of crotch.

“Tease.” He rumbles.

“Not teasing baby, just dancing.” You say sweetly.

Jim’s touch snakes from the small of your back to the flesh of your ass, gripping firmly, using his hold to hook one of your legs up, slotting his broad thigh into the gap, smirking wickedly when you gasp at the pressure against your clit, the material of your panties shifting with Jim’s movements.

“Hop -” You sigh dreamily, as he uses his strength to rock you back and forth.

“This is how we used to do it in the good old days, baby.” He says, voice gravelly. “You’d hold your best girl tight, dancing nice and close.” He grips you harder for emphasis, dress half bunched up around your waist, fingers digging into the soft swell of your ass.

“I’m your best girl?” You ask softly, clinging onto his shoulders, gyrating slightly as your head falls back.

Jim lifts you up suddenly, your legs automatically locking around his thick hips, breath catching in your throat at the look of desire in his eyes.

“My best everything.” He whispers before bringing you to his lips in a searing kiss, tongue licking languidly into your mouth. You reach up, pulling at the straps of your halterneck until they come undone, the dress slipping past your bare breasts. Hopper groans, nipping at your earlobe, your jaw line, your throat, you can feel his hardness pressed to your center straining against his slacks.

He carries you to the bedroom, lowering you gently to the bed, pupils blown wide as he steps back to watch you pull the dress off your lower half, taking your panties with it, leaving your glistening core on display.

“Shit baby, I am one lucky son of a bitch.” He breathes, yanking his vest over his head, you crawl towards him on your knees, unbuckling his belt, both of you working with frantic hands to get his pants and underwear down.

Jim wraps his arms around you again, manhandling you with ease to rest against the pillows, his large frame dwarfing you. Your kisses are messy, verging on desperation, hands petting each other heavily, hips bucking with need.

He rubs his thick cock over your dripping slit, and you let out a soft moan, back arching up into his strong chest, nipples peaked and sensitive.

“This all for me, baby girl?” He hums, grinning as you nod wordlessly, rocking the swollen head of his dick against your aching pussy, slipping in just an inch before pulling back again.

“Don’t tease me Jim.” You pout, hands on his ass trying to bring him closer.

“Not teasing baby, just dancing.” He coos smugly, filling you with a single thrust that has you crying out, cunt clenching at the delicious stretch.

His hips are flush to your own, the coarse hairs at the base of his cock tickling against your clit, heavy balls slapping your ass with each drag and hit. Hopper is marking up the delicate skin of your neck with multiple hickies, like you’re teenagers, the harsh suck and gentle soothing lick sends you higher, a fresh surge of wetness coating his cock in a ring of cream.

“I can feel you squeezing me baby.” He growls, muscular arm braced against the headboard, driving him harder and deeper into your fluttering cunt.

“Hop!” You squeak, unable to do anything other than grip his shoulders, anchoring you to him through the onslaught of pounding thrusts. You feel your slick dribbling out, pussy squelching obscenely, being made to fit around Jim’s hard length.

“You gonna cum for me baby girl?” He asks, panting, the large hand that was gripping your hip moving to stroke over your swollen clit.

“J-Jim…” You whine brokenly, orgasm rushing through you like a flash-flood, wrapping your legs around his hips again, cock hitting you relentlessly.

“Yes - shit - so good, my best girl.” He groans, flipping you suddenly so you’re on top, limp like a rag doll as Jim squeezes your hips in a bruising hold, rutting up into you. “You’re getting my balls wet baby.” He chuckles, voice strained, you can only whimper, nails digging into his chest, back arched, skin covered in a light sheen of sweat.

He sits up, strong arms wrapped tight around your back, jackhammering his cock so deep you feel your belly concave with the bulge. You’re keening into his mouth, tongues sliding against each other, your stomach tightening again with a telltale warmth.

“Jim - I’m - oh my god.” You stammer weakly, foreheads pressed together.

“That’s it baby girl cum with me, let me fill you up.” He says roughly, grunting as you clamp and spasm around his cock once more, drawing out his own release, spurting thick heavy loads deep within you.

There’s a vague ringing in your ears, and you register that the record has long stopped playing, the only sound in the cabin being your light gasps and Jim’s staggered breathing. He kisses you tenderly, as he pulls out, dick twitching at the sight of his seed dripping from your puffy cunt.

“I love you so much baby.” He murmurs, cradling your face, laying back against the pillows, with you still sprawled listless on top of him.

“I love you Jim.” You smile blissfully, pressing kiss after kiss to his lips.

“Sorry for being a grump.” He sighs.

“Hop - I don’t care how old you are, I’d have loved you when you were twenty, and I’ll love you just as much as I do now when you’re sixty.” You say sincerely, giggling when he grimaces at the word ‘sixty’. “There’s no one else I’ll ever want.”

“You keep saying sweet things like that, we’ll be dancing again.” He warns, hands slipping down to squeeze your ass.

“Sure you don’t need a rest, old man?” You tease, choking on a moan, as Jim presses his rock hard cock back into your tight wet heat.

“You’re in for it now baby girl.”

_______________________________________________

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willesredlights · 4 months ago

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Simon's month 2024 - "Memories" series

A post season 3 young royals fanfic by @willesredlights (sariscribbles on ao3) where every chapter is another prompt for Simon's month, an event hosted by @youngroyals-events .

I wanted to make this masterlist where I link up all the chapters of this fic. Although it's a fanfic and the chapters follow each other, you can read them apart as they are just little stories that happend through the summer after Hillerska closes. It's a collection of Simon's memories throughout the summer.

I still have a few prompts to go which I will finish when I can!

Much much much thanks to @youngroyals-events for organising these kinds of events! This was really fun to participate in and I really had a lot of fun writing these!

Memories I hold to keep safe

Day 1: Pencil case: a feeling of the past living under the summer sun (G)

Day 2: Food: Engraved that day and smile, you gave into my memory (G)

Day 3: Dodgeball: Payback (G)

Day 4: Beach: You're the only one for me (G)

Day 5: Towel: I love the way you're screaming my name (M/E)

Dat 6: Sara: I'd love to have somebody never filter what they say (G)

Day 7: Purple: A new flavour (G)

Day 8: Identity/Discrimination: Don't apologize for crying, I will always hold you space (G)

Day 9: Anime: Hold me close until the end (G)

Day 10: Travel: I feel a little bit lighter when I'm with you (M/E)

Day 11: Revolution: Let them see you for who you are (G)

Day 12: Music: You were singing straight from your heart (G)

Day 13 + 14: Hoodie + Senses: The colours shine a bit brighter when I'm with you (G)

Day 15 + 28: Secrets + Birthday: 17th birthday

Day 17: Friendship: I got the best friends in this place (G)

Day 19: Fish: Yellow and Blue (G)

Day 20: Nightmare: Are you having a bad dream, baby? (G)

Day 21: Red Light: You and I forever (G)

Day 23: Parents: Childhood memories (G)

Day 26: Dancing

Day 27: Physical Touch

Day 29: Stars

Day 31: Photos

I'll give you the best years (sequel)

Day 16: Venezuela

Day 18: Pride

Day 22: Labour Day

Day 24: Winter

Day 25: Soulmates

Day 30 Home

#simonmonth2024 #young royals #simon eriksson #wilhelm #prince wilhelm #wilmon #simon x wilhelm #simon eriksson x wilhelm #post season 3 yr #yr fic #yr fanfic #yr fanfiction #young royals fic #young royals fanfic #young royals fanfiction #wilmon fic #wilmon fanfic #wilmon fanfiction

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balanchine-ballet-master · 2 months ago

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Balanchine's Coppelia

In today's Times, Roslyn Sulcas has an article about the New York City Ballet's production of Coppelia, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this summer. It had its premiere at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center during the company's annual residency.

One thing that Sulcas fails to mention is that the role of Swanilda was originally supposed to have been shared by Patricia McBride and Gelsey Kirkland. But when Kirkland announced she was leaving the company, Balanchine gave all performances to McBride

‘Coppelia’ at 50: When City Ballet Took a Turn for ‘Fun and Funny’

Original cast members look back at George Balanchine and Alexandra Danilova’s staging of the 19th-century ballet. “Everyone knows when something is good,” one said.

By Roslyn Sulcas Sept. 23, 2024, 5:02 a.m. ET

George Balanchine’s decision to stage the 19th-century ballet “Coppelia,” in 1974, was a surprise. Although Balanchine, the co-founder and leader of New York City Ballet, occasionally created narrative ballets, like “The Nutcracker” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the company was identified with a lean, no-frills approach to classical dance. It was turned toward innovation and experimentation, rather than story, characters and elaborate costumes.

But the three-act “Coppelia,” with its lush, melodic Delibes score, fairy-tale set and extensive ensemble dances, was anything but experimental. City Ballet audiences were anticipating it “with a mixture of delight, incredulity and awe, and in some cases horror,” the critic Marcia B. Siegel wrote, shortly before the ballet’s July 17 premiere at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York. But Balanchine, who asked his Russian compatriot (and former romantic partner), the ballerina Alexandra Danilova, to assist him on staging the ballet, knew what he was doing. “Coppelia,” starring Patricia McBride as the heroine Swanilda, Helgi Tomasson as her swain Franz and Shaun O’Brien as the eccentric toymaker Doctor Coppelius, was a roaring success, and has been performed regularly ever since. This season’s performances—Sept. 27 to 29 and Oct. 5-6—are City Ballet’s 50th anniversary celebration of the ballet.

Above: Patricia McBride rehearsing Coppelia, 1974. Seated at left are Susan Hendl, who led the Waltz of the Golden Hours in Act 3 and Stephanie Saland, McBride's understudy, who also performed Swanilda. Standing, center: Lincoln Kirstein, Patricia McBride, George Balanchine. Leaning against the piano at right is Rosemary Dunleavy, the ballet mistress. Seated at right are Colleen Neary, who led the Discord & War divertissement in the third act, and Merrill Ashley, who danced the Dawn solo in the same act. Photo: Martha Swope via NYPL/NY Times

“Coppelia” was first choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1870, and then reworked by Marius Petipa in 1884 into the version we know today. The story is simple: Franz and Swanilda are happily affianced village sweethearts, until Franz falls for a pretty girl who turns out to be a life-size doll—the creation of Doctor Coppelius. By the end of the tale, which involves Swanilda impersonating the doll, Franz has learned a lesson about fantasy and Swanilda has secured her man. Cue wedding celebrations.

Balanchine asked Danilova, a famous Swanilda with a pitch-perfect memory of the Petipa version she had performed with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, to set Acts I and II, although he added a few new dances. But Act III, omitted in many productions, is his alone, a series of divertissements that are a pure-dance coda to the story.

Megan Fairchild, who first performed Swanilda at 19, said she loved the character’s sassy personality. “It’s a more casual vibe,” she said. “She’s not a princess, and that resonates.”

“We do a lot of ballets that are sophisticated and intellectual, for highly developed dance watchers,” said Wendy Whelan, City Ballet’s associate artistic director. “This is lighthearted and warm and easy to watch. It’s a reminder of the beginnings of ballet: the storytelling, the classical dance, the pantomime.” Plus, Whelan added, “it’s fun and it’s funny.” In interviews, five original cast members talked about their memories of creating the ballet. Below are edited excerpts.

Above: Patricia McBride in Act I, 1975. Swanilda's friends in the background are Judith Fugate, unidentified, Delia Peters, and Debra Austin. Photo: Martha Swope via NYPL

Patricia McBride, Swanilda Madame Danilova’s memory was uncanny. She remembered every step for every character in the ballet, and she danced full out when she showed you the choreography. She wanted me to play it straight when I impersonated the doll, not for laughs, and she was very precise about the musicality and phrasing, and the intent of each step. We hadn’t done a lot of mime at City Ballet, but she was so clear, she made it easy to learn. I loved that beautiful Russian port de bras she had. You could see what a great Swanilda she had been.

Balanchine was very specific about the way I held my arms and body as the doll. He never spoke about characterization, or how he wanted it to look, but the musicality of the choreography was so natural and wonderful. He would show you the steps and it was done.

Madame Danilova and Balanchine would keep going all day long, moving from one scene to the next, talking together. It was like seeing history, the two of them in the room together. Mr. B never interfered with her staging. I think he really respected her knowledge and memory.

Sometimes I would feel quite choked up to think of their lives and history together. They were both in their 70s, but they had so much energy and vitality and love, and they had a lot of fun together. They were so young in spirit. I felt so fortunate to work with them, and to see their respect for each other and their love of dance.

Above: Helgi Tomasson in Act 3, Saratoga, 1974. Photo: Martha Swope via NYPL

Helgi Tomasson, Franz I was surprised and not surprised at Balanchine deciding to do “Coppelia.” He spoke about programming like creating a menu; he knew that he had to give the public varied dishes. And I think he loved those old Petipa pieces.

We were up in Saratoga when he started to choreograph my first-act variation. For some reason, he didn’t feel it was right. John Taras, the ballet master, was sitting next to him, and asked if I knew Balanchine’s “Sylvia” pas de deux, also to Delibes music. I had danced it with the Harkness Ballet, and Balanchine said, “Do you remember the variation? Let’s see it.” I did it, and he said, “Good, let’s keep that!”

For me, most of the dancing was in the third act. I loved the way Balanchine constructed the coda and how Patty and I came in and out of the group. He created speedy yet articulate steps that I think he felt suited me.

I remember that Patty and I did every performance of “Coppelia” in the first week, seven or eight in a row. At some point during that first week, I was so tired that in the scene where Franz is supposed to be asleep, I actually fell asleep. But the whole experience was a highlight of my career.

Above: Alexandra Danilova rehearsing Patricia McBride. Photo: Martha Swope via NYPL

Jean-Pierre Frohlich, Corps de Ballet I had been in the company two years and was just 19. I remember so well Balanchine and Danilova standing in front of the mirrors at the front of the studio. She was so elegant. I knew they had been an item in the Diaghilev era, and I was trying to see how those dynamics would have worked! You could see she still adored him.

Danilova loved to demonstrate steps. She wore ballet slippers with a little heel and ribbons. She had beautiful legs, and liked showing them off. She loved men; she was harder on the women than the men.

There was a very good ambience in the studio. They spoke in English, maybe occasionally in Russian, but I think they wanted the dancers to understand. She would never contradict him or say no to his suggestions. I felt she was very happy to be involved. But he was also very accommodating; he knew how much she had to offer.

Above: Gelsey Kirkland, originally scheduled to share the role of Swanilda with McBride, at rehearsal with ballet mistress Rosemary Dunleavy. Photo: Martha Swope via NYPL

Christine Redpath, Prayer Solo Madame Danilova was so charming. She would wear a gorgeous green sleeveless leotard, with a scoop neck and back, a belt and chiffon skirt, hiked up to show her fantastic legs, and her hair coifed with a little scarf tied behind her ears. You could see she still loved to dance, and it was very sweet to see she still loved Balanchine.

[In “Coppelia,” three allegorical female solos, Prayer, Dawn and Spinner, come near the start of Act III. ]

I learned my solo with Balanchine, but Madame Danilova was there because she had danced the Prayer solo in Russia. I think what he created on me was based on that. Balanchine never spoke about the meaning of the solo, but all the gestures are “up,” and the music seems spiritual to me. If you take what he has given you, it’s all there to tell you who you are and what this is.

At some point he showed me a picture of Marie Taglioni in a blue skirt and little top with puffed sleeves and a horseshoe crown with stars, and that’s what Karinska designed for my costume.

Danilova sent me a lovely card and flowers on the opening night. We were all very excited. Everyone knows when something is good.

Above: Merrill Ashley in the "Dawn" variation in Act 3. The costumes are the originals; they were replaced when the ballet was performed in New York the following year. Photo: Martha Swope via NYPL

Merrill Ashley, Dawn Solo The solo he made for me was fiendishly difficult, and it never became easier. There was fast footwork, lots of changes of direction and it ended in plié on pointe on one foot. I liked dancing it, but it scared me. There was one bit on a diagonal that was impossible, and it repeated three times. Eventually I said, I’m really struggling, would you consider changing it, and he said, “Dear, it’s yours, do what you want.”

Danilova choreographed the introduction to the solo, and that had more of a feeling of gentleness, awakening, offering something. Then the sun comes up over the horizon and, boom! Pyrotechnics!

You felt that Balanchine and Danilova were really friends and colleagues. He turned to her a lot; he really respected the knowledge and tradition she brought. I loved watching their interaction.

Above: Children from the School of American Ballet in Coppelia. The pink costumes replaced the golden ones used in Saratoga. Photo: Martha Swope via NYPL

Charlotte d’Amboise, Child Dancer David Richardson, a dancer in the company, was in charge of the kids, and to my twin sister and me he was God. We knew Balanchine was famous, but it was all about David. I was in the big dance in the last act, which I loved. We wore pink tutus and it was really dancey, and we had a whole section that was just us.

Balanchine really loved to have children involved and he could choreograph for them. He did it so easily, almost as if he didn’t think about it, just “go here, do this.” But he must have planned it.

At the first performance in Saratoga, one side of the elastic on my ballet slippers came off and was dangling while I was dancing. All I remember is thinking, David is seeing this—and he was so mad at me. I have never not paid attention to my shoes again!

I did pretty much all of the Balanchine ballets that had children in them, but “Coppelia” was my favorite. You felt like a ballerina, you had to have technique to dance it, and you felt like you were part of the corps de ballet. The best part of being a kid in these ballets was dancing next to these ballerinas and dancers who are goddesses and princes. To be surrounded by high art, to be part of it, affects you forever.

#Balanchine #Coppelia #Balanchine's Coppelia #Alexandra Danilova #Patricia McBride #Helgi Tomasson #Merrill Ashley #Christine Redpath #Jean-Pierre Frolich #Charlotte d'Amboise #Gelsey Kirkland #Saratoga Performing Arts Center #SPAC

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talonabraxas · 11 months ago

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Venus in Sagittarius Dec 29 – Jan 23

Dec 29, 2023 – Jan 23, 2024

Venus: goddess of art, romance, pleasure, and beauty. Venus speaks to the heart. In Sagittarius, the heart can finally breathe, soar, run wild. Everything unfolds quickly in Sagittarius. This archetype invites space, freedom, adventure, and spontaneity.

This is all very welcome after swimming with Venus in Scorpio. With Venus in Scorpio, we often scramble to remain in control when things start to feel less than perfect in our relationships. Inevitably we learn that we cannot force or manipulate the path. Instead Scorpio teaches agency and self-empowerment. I hope you’re feeling stronger and sexier. We are learning to strike a balance between power and vulnerability.

That ferocious need we feel, the need to love another, to have them as our own, that hotblooded passion? It’s an addiction and obsession, this delicious desire which keeps us awake at night. And ultimately it begets more pain and chaos because it is channeled into other rather than Self. Turn it to gold inside you, let it fuel the metamorphosis. It is worth asking: what would happen if I “lost control”? What would that really look like? We need to look at our patterns, truly, and then break the fuck out of them. Venus in Scorpio is ultimately about self-discovery rather than sex or lust. The passion (complication/chaos!) we seek in interpersonal relationships is really intended for self-love.

Let the healing begin! It’s time to ascend with Venus to sparkling Sagittarian skies. This transit will carry us blissfully into the new year 2024. With Venus in Sagittarius, the heart glows like a joyful bonfire. This is an exuberant, festive cycle. Sagittarius the Centaur is spirited and vibrant, helping us move forward and close the scorpion chapter. No need to dwell in pain or resentment anymore. We can embrace the winter holiday season with inner warmth and optimism.

There are a few challenges waiting for us here, too. It is wise to remember that Sagittarius belongs to the fire element and shares the same traits as Aries and Leo: impatience, restlessness, impulsiveness. When life feels like too much, Sagittarius quickly boils over – or looks the other way.

Sagittarius enjoys being so light and carefree that dark or heavy things get overlooked on purpose. This is problematic when a situation calls for an assertive response or when something important needs to be finished. Sagittarius can be flighty and avoidant. He hates confrontation and discord. He just wants to dance in his rose-colored glasses all night long.

In our relationships we just need to slow down a little and inhale some fiery courage. Let’s dance in place for just a moment to see it all, acknowledge the whole. And then we can race off again into the rainbow disco star kingdom see you there! And happy new year!

Heads up: Mercury will still be retrograde for the first 4 days of this transit.

Jan 1: Last day of Mercury Retrograde + Venus square Saturn in Pisces. Though you might be feeling really amped to start the New Year 2024 off on the right foot, a square to Saturn makes us feel lazy and averse to routine. The key is to just go with it.

Jan 19: Venus square Neptune in Pisces + Mercury in Capricorn trine Jupiter in Taurus. Exhaustion & physical discomfort. Not a good time to socialize or go out. This Neptunian square may also coincide with natural disasters like floods or heavy rains. The trine between Mercury and Jupiter should bring some levity, however.

Jan 20: 1st day of Aquarius Season + Pluto returns to Aquarius! Craaaaazy day, expect the unexpected.

This transit is an especially favorable time for natal Sagittarians, as well as Aries, Libra, Leo, and Aquarius. If you were born with Venus in Sagittarius, this is your Venus Return.

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hundredacreletters · 6 months ago

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Lady Whistledown Column from the Doctor Who episode Rogue (1x06) at the Pemberton Ball (SPOILERS!)

spoilers, sweetie! you have been warned

. November 29, 1813

Dearest Gentle Reader,

The Pemberton Ball last night turned into just the show the Duchess seemed to have wanted.

Even though most of the guests lied straight to the Dutchess’ face, the whole event was nothing special at the start. Throughout most of the night, I assumed the talk of the party would be nothing more than the horrid frock of the Duchess of Pemberton. One would assume the host of such an event would put more effort into her look. She certainly did not want the ton assuming she was a delightful person who was easy to approach for pleasant conversation. She did indeed try to turn it around on poor Lady Wallace who had a similar frock on to one she previously wore, but that did not make her look any more handsome. Lady Wallace did seem to know the unspoken rules more than the Duchess.

“If you wear a gown doned by another member of society, especially more than a season ago, the only way to escape ridicule is to turn more eyes in a pleasing way.”

Lady Wallace certainly won that game.

Lord Barton continued his rakish ways by upsetting half of the ladies in attendance tonight. Miss Emily Beckett was particularly disturbed by the Lord, but later appeared to be cheered up by newcomer Lady Ruby Sunday. She comes south from Notting Hill Estate. Lady Sunday almost fell prey to Lord Barton as well. This author has never seen one see through his guise so swiftly. It is like a refreshing cup of lemonade after a night of dancing to see a stranger figure out another’s true nature without reading my column. Comparing Lord Barton to the likes of stilton? Birds of a feather, you and I might be. I hope we meet before you return north.

The night certainly turned around by the antics of some mystery guests and the Duchess herself. This author certainly knew this ball would be the Pemberton’s most eventful ball to date when a particular dance started. Out of the blue waltzed in a couple comprised of both men. Not a closed mouth in the room once eyes were laid on the pair. One in blue looking eerily similar to the late Viscount Bridgerton. Another wearing crimson, only being called the doctor by all who introduced him. The violet pair must mingle often based on their outburst. I hardly assume the traditional courting traditions have been followed. Nonetheless, the unknown Lord in blue asked the doctor, with his heart bleeding out across his chest, to give up his title and fortune for him. The Lord in Blue could not promise him a future without an ultimatum. At that, he briskly dropped to one knee. Despite the avant-garde match, there seemed more love than in almost every match in all of Bath. And, after all of that passion, the doctor turned him down. Note to the Lord in Blue: I would never. Even if this match is scorned by most of society, the pair are ruined in most eyes now. There must be lots of hurt if they don’t end up together when they have no one but each other. I do not see why it is so unsightly to most. From a mathematical stand, if society allowed such ideas, there would be a higher probability for the all coveted “love matches.”

Somehow, this wasn’t the most wild display of the night. There was a horror show played out throughout the house. Actors were dressed as bird-like creatures painted as villains. The Duchess was the star antagonist of it all. If this show was as planned as it appeared, the timeliness of it was peculiar. Many of the guests were gone by the time the show started. Lord Galpin, known for being one of the last to leave a function, left before any action started. It was certainly not for everyone, as it scared off the rest of the party. If the Duchess wanted a show, she surely got it. Not how I would have ended a party, though. You must forgive our haste in leaving without goodbyes, Duchess. Those who were not startled by your frock were later scared off by your avian obsession.

As always, Lady Whistledown

uploaded to ao3 as Lady Whistledown Column from the Pemberton Ball

#hundredacreletters #bridgerton #lady whistledown #lady whistledown column #gossip column #doctor who #new who #rogue #rogue x doctor #rogue doctor who

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rainrayne · 1 year ago

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Hii kg ppl .. so yeah.. I have finally made a list of the vocaloid songs I associate with Kindergarten characters/I have an idea of an animatic for.

WARNING: there are some songs that features/talks about/mentions murder (and it's varies, like stabbing, beheading..etc.) and blood so please be warned for those if you want to watch them! I will mark the ones that has blood (in the og videos) with a star.

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1. Abnormality Dancin girl - Ted

2. Alice Human Of Sacrifice - Alice, Ron, Madison, Lily and Billy

3. Android Girl - Penny and Kidd (ft. Buggs) (Opposites attract)

4. Anonymous M (P) - Kidd and Penny

5. Bad girl online - Carla (ft. Penny, Lily, Cindy)

6. Bitter Choco Decoration - Ted and Felix

7. Bug - Jerome

8. Childish War - Ted and Felix

9. Churirira churirira dadada - Kidd (ft. kindergarten 1 characters.)

★ 10. (Son) Daughter of Evil - Felix (ft. Ted)

11. Death Should have not taken thee! - Lily and Billy

★ 12. Fear Garden - Felix (other characters featuring.)

13. Hate it! Hate it! Huge Ego! - Cindy (ft. Penny)

14. Jigsaw puzzle - Ted (ft. Other characters)

15. Love Trial - Buggs and Cindy

16. Machine Gun Poem - Carla (ft. Jerome) (things that go boom?)

17. Niccori^^ Survey Team Theme - Penny (focus), Cindy, Ted, Felix

18. Positive Club vs Negative Club - Ron and Ozzy

19. Positive ☆ Dance Time - Penny and Cindy (ft. Other characters)

20. Right Brain Left Brain - Ted and Felix

21. Remote Control - Ted and Felix

22. Rin-chan (Ron-kun) now! Seasons - Ron, Madison and Alice

23. ROKI - Monty and Jerome

★ 24. Servant of Evil - Ted (ft. Felix)

★ 25. The Game of Life - Kidd (ft. All Kindergarten characters)

26. This is the Happiness and Peace Committee - Penny (ft. All kindergarten students)

27. TRASH and TRASH! - Ozzy

28. Twin Masters - Ted and Felix

29. We are NOT suspicious dealers - Lily and Billy (ft. Nugget and Kidd)

30. Yaminabe!!!! (Dark Hotpot!!!!) - Pretty much every kindergarten character.

31. Your Adventure log has vanished! - Lily and Billy

I hope you guys like them. This list will be remade when I find more songs! That's all , bye bye ! :3

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warningsine · 8 months ago

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Now that we’ve gotten to the end of Girls5eva season three, there’s just 6 much we’ve seen the girl group sing about: the hotness of boys in space, UTIs, knee surgery. But in the quest to be famous 5eva, one song has to be No. 1. Using a highly scientific process known as “listening to my own taste,” I ranked the output of Girls5eva thus far, focusing both on whether the songs are good as stand-alone songs and whether they are actually funny. For the sake of clarity, I stuck to the music available on the show’s official cast recordings, which does leave off several gems we only hear for a few seconds onscreen. (Why didn’t we get a studio version of Dawn’s song where she uses every possible definition of the word “set”? This is a question I can only yell fruitlessly at the screen and hope for a response.) Until then, we will make do with this list of the excellent Girls5eva material that is available on a music-streaming service near you.

32) “U Ready?” A filler song that is itself a joke about filler songs, you have to admire the number of ways the Girls5eva writers have the group stall for time. The delivery is very funny, and we get all the girls (including Ashley Park) doing their best ready-for-MTV voices to confirm they are, indeed, “in the house” and “ready.” However, the concept is better as an elaborate joke than a song, per se. Best line: “If you’re ready, could you say ‘ready’? Because you could be ‘in the house’ and not ‘ready.’”

31) “Home Alone Doorknob” This is barely a song, but man, it’s a funny metaphor for what happens to your clitoris when you get horny. Best line: “It’s gonna get sexy, so watch out, Joe Pesci!”

30) “The Splingee” Another exercise in specific girl-group humor, Girls5eva describes how to do a “dope” dance move that is supposedly taking the world by storm. It involves whipping your hair, doing figure eights with your waist, blinking with two eyes, and getting all shy like you want to cry. The instructions end with the note that “the only thing left to do is repeat it two more times to make one complete splingee.” Honestly, it sounds like a home workout I should try. Best line: “Grind up on a ghost, then shake it out.”

29) “Who U Know” A solo performance by Jeremiah Craft’s Lil Stinker (who later gets canceled and rebrands as a country act), this is a send-up of name-dropping rap singles, with Stinker just listing everyone he knows, from his mom to his friend’s mom to Alfre Woodard. Best line: “From Zendaya to Zen-die-a!”

28) “No Strings” Gloria spends season three trying to hook up with every type of woman, but realizes that she’s a romantic after all. Here, she’s trying to embrace a no-strings-attached dynamic through a nonsensical folk tune that’s about a couple chasing the moon in an airplane powered by love. Best line: “A morning that never came until the coroner said to the wizard ‘time of death,’ the same.”

27) “Line Up” ”This is the song that launches Girls5eva’s comeback, since Lil Stinker samples “Famous 5eva” on it. We’ll get to their original hit later on, but the Stinker side of it is pretty generic as a placeholder for the kind of song that might sample something from the early 2000s. Best line: “I know you wanna light up, forever 5eva enough.”

26) “Thinking About Myself” One of Dawn’s stabs at songwriting early in season two, this is a fairly direct ballad about self-involvement. It does have some great zealous grandstanding vocals from Renée Elise Goldsberry, though. Best line: “Crying harder than anyone at a funeral for a great-uncle I barely knew.”

25) “Space Boys” In the chronicles of Girls5eva’s adventures in dating, here we have them going on an interstellar boy-kissing mission. Sadly they don’t have a TARS to keep them company, but after checking every planet they can (including “the stars”) they find some space boys (“more exotic than a waiter from France!”). On the show, the song accompanies some flashbacks to a young Gloria trying to avoid making out with actual boys, but solely as music, it’s just a low-key sci-fi jam. Best line: “We found a planet full of girls, but we left!”

24) “Later” An empowerment song in the genre of “Brave,” sung of course by Sara Bareilles, but about procrastination. The drum and piano orchestrations are so inspiring it’s easy to ignore that the message is that you really don’t need to do anything right now. Best line: “Now’s the not the right time, let’s aim for next year when we’ll have no fear, maybe by then the problems got solved by themselves all on their own.”

23) “Boyz Next Door (Puber-Dude)” To match the queasy sexualization of the Girls5eva, this number offers up the chance to objectify the just-recently pubescent members of Boyz Next Door, who have become the “hottest boys in the cul-de-sac” with a “Backstreet’s Back”–style anthem of their own. Who could resist their thin little mustaches, awkward growth spurts, and bland conversation? Best line: “Floppy hair, greasy brow, Adam’s apple going pow-pow-pow.”

22) “Sweet’N Low Daddy” Another vault track: In season three, the adult members of Girls5eva are pretty embarrassed by the message of their old hit about the benefits of dating an older man, but man, it’s pretty catchy, so you can understand why Cat Cohen’s character took it as gospel. Their ideal daddy has parents you never need to meet because they died during Nixon, and, of course, the song ends with the crucial question: “Real talk, when are you going to die?” Best line: “Don’t need to graduate, because we’re elder bait!”

21) “Can’t Wait 2 Wait” Back in the day, Busy Phillips’s Summer and Andrew Rannells’s Kev collabed on this break-out Christian-pop single about the joys of not having sex yet. Its fun hook and a peppy atmosphere bely the sheer grossness of the overall message. Best line: “Premarital urges aren’t itches to be scratched, so look up medical oddities until those feelings pass.”

20) “Daughter Hero” Renée Elise Goldsberry gets to do a groovy ’90s ballad with Wickie in celebration of her own generosity to her mother, never mind the fact that she comes from a solidly upper-middle-class family. She buys her mom a house, a house that’s significantly less nice than the one she already has! Best line: “Daughter hero, like if Jesus had a sister!”

19) “New York City Moms” An obvious sequel to “New York Lonely Boy” (more on that below), this song brings on Ingrid Michaelson(!) to perform an ode to the women of the city who have chosen to wait to have kids. A celebration of the moms who have “bumps poking out of Eileen Fisher” and are “judged by their husband’s out-of-town sister,” the Girls5eva writers can riff endlessly on very niche New York micro-communities, and bless them for that. Best line: “Spent their 20s in a disco, still younger than moms in San Francisco.”

18) “Summer Brings the Fall” Kev’s best attempt at a torch song involves an increasingly convoluted series of attempts at wordplay that I can’t help but respect. It starts out with “thought you were for ev, thought you were for Kev, you were like whatev, now I pray to heav … for strength” and just gets more forced from there. Best line: “Thought I was your male, cause you’re my holy grail.”

17) “Is There a Me?” Season three brought Busy Philipps a short but sweet bit of soul-searching in which Summer questions if she has any identity of her own, or if her personality has just been a series of attempts to please guys. Points for Philipps showing off some vocal training, deductions for the amount of Netflix cross-marketing involved. Best line: “Do I even like The Witcher, or is it just to please a mister? And what is The Witcher? I watched 40 minutes and I’m still not sure!”

16) “Inside My Sweater” Girls5eva’s music industry gets awfully specific with its parody of a Harry Styles–type sensitive boy hounded by mobs of fans named Gray Holland, played by Gossip Girl alum Thomas Doherty (he also played a similar role on the late, lamented High Fidelity Hulu reboot). As far as sound-alikes go, this Harry–slash–Shawn Mendes low-key bob is eerily accurate but also somehow a successful earworm, especially in the way Doherty refuses to ever pronounce the “r” in “sweater.” Best line: “Come dance and cook and make sweet love with me, inside my sweater!”

15) “Welcome to Now” Doherty’s soft-boy star Gray Holland returns, against his own will, in a pop hit constructed by his label “because Clause 46B, Paragraph Q of the artist’s contract grants the company use of postmortem generative voice cloning.” It’s the funnier of the two Gray Holland songs, and the beat’s so sensual you may miss that it quickly becomes an ad for the deals available at Best Buy. Best line: “Best Buy, Best Buy, Gray Holland loves Best Buy. Tablets, projectors, and more. You’re the best, bye!”

14) “Larry’s Song” The girls get their Taylor’s Version moment with this kiss off to their former manager that references many of the show’s recurring jokes about the indignities of early aughts fame, including him promising a steak knife to whoever seduces Carson Daly. The twist by the end is that they’ve finally gotten some financial and personal control, and thus, “everything we do belongs to us.” Best line: “Only let us eat crab, cause you can’t get fat from food that’s so damn hard to get at.”

13) “At the Beep” No, you’re tearing up thinking about a fictional character who died in an infinity-pool accident. In this episode, Gloria finally gives up on her conspiracy theories about Ashley’s death and accepts that she might really be gone. (I do wonder if Ashley Park would’ve been available for a longer run in season two if Emily in Paris hadn’t gotten so big.) This results in a somber number where girls say good-bye to Ashley through her still-active (because Gloria has been paying) answering-machine service. Best line: “It should have been me.” “I did a lot of cocaine, so much cocaine.”

12) “Get It Off Your Chest” In a moment of confession and healing in season three, the women of Girls5eva share their darker secrets with each other and their audience. The result is a series of tightly written jokes from the show’s writing staff: Wickie only likes people who “like me,” “but be careful, if you like me too much, it has the opposite effect and I find you desperate,” Gloria doesn’t trust stand-up comics who are too in shape, Summer hasn’t listened to a voice-mail since 2015, and finally, Dawn delivers my favorite … Best line: “Every year when my son’s school sends out the class list with parents’ names, the first thing I do is Google them to see what they paid for their apartments.”

11) “Momentum” Starting off season two, the girls have got momentum, yeah, um, it’s their moment (bless you, Jeff Richmond) with a song that’s relatively straightforward within the Girls5eva canon but is also a solid earworm. I have to respect that groovy baseline, too. Best line: “Unstoppable, this unst-unst ain’t toppable.”

10) “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth” A canny marketing move: The girls of 5Eva plot a way to secure a captive audience by writing a song about an American city nobody else has written a song about. The result is a clever ode to Dallas’s overlooked sister, declaring that “cow town is a wild town with a walkable downtown” and trumpeting the fact that the Trinity River is, in some places, now actually swimmable. It’s enough to make you want to consider booking a flight to DFW, maybe just as a connection, but still. Best line: “Some say Omaha Zoo is second-best, but that’s a lie because their red panda is always inside. It’s never out on the tree, yeah!”

9) “I’m Afraid (Dawn’s Song of Fears)” Sometimes you just have to let Sara Bareilles loose with a piano and sing like she’s performing “Gravity.” Here, Dawn’s attempt to write a song on her own ends with her just listing things she’s afraid of, from the fact that she might thrive under Scientology to her fear that she’ll text a pic of her vagina to her dad. There’s something very funny to me about the way Bareilles says “my hummus is fungus” and I have to own that. Best line: “I’m afraid that the second I leave town I’ll get a UTI. Why can’t they sell those pills over the counter? I don’t need a doctor, I know exactly what it is.”

8) “Yesternights” Finally, a full taste of Wickie’s solo album, a work absolutely choked by melisma and sung impeccably by Renée Elise Goldsberry. It’s, as she sings, “gorgeous and sensual” and also “life fancy,” and also “dancing, yearning.” You could probably slip it on a sex playlist and nobody would notice, and frankly, we need an eight-minute version. Best line: “But tonight, there is no night or tomorrow night / Or any future night / ’Cause you’re only in my yesternight of nights.”

7) “The Medium Time” Sara Bareilles wrote the Girls5eva’s season-three finale hit song, which is about being inspired not to aim for immense fame, but a reasonable, medium level of attention. Bareilles is so good at selling the earnest, heartfelt feeling behind the song that you may forget that the wise man who told her this advice, in the universe of the show, was actually Richard Kind. Best line: “The middle is the riddle of it all, and the medium time is just fine for now.”

6) “Dream Girlfriends” The satire of Girls5eva cuts deepest here, in this song from their original run about all the ways they’d be willing to debase themselves to appeal to men. The list includes the fact that their dads are dead, that their moms are overtired so there’ll be no pushback, that they want to watch you play darts and love watching stand-up (but not by women). “Dream Girlfriends” cuts both ways, managing to make the men it’s supposed to appeal to sound pathetic as well. The girls are short so they don’t know you’re bald! Best line: “Tell me again why Tarantino’s a genius.”

5) “Bend Not Break” Near the end of season two, the women of Girls5eva realize their best song is actually about Gloria’s knee surgery. Metaphorically, it’s really about how they have to learn to compromise and acknowledge each other’s weaknesses to support their success, but there is also literally a joke about how she uses a cane. Anyway, it’s got a groove that’s hard to shake and does really make you want to dance (carefully, in a way that doesn’t risk further knee injury). Best line: “We got our secret weapon already, and it’s got eight legs, four smiles, and a cane.”

4) “Famous 5eva” Perhaps the best theme song in the vast universe of television today, here Girls5eva embraces the joys of counting by promising they’ll be famous 5eva — ’cuz 4eva’s too short. Those synths have an addictive crunch, and there’s something about the way they describe the series of cars they’re driving in (first a Lexus, then a Mercedes and then a Maserati) that’s gleefully ridiculous. The show has to make you believe the girls really are talented, and that there’s something joyful about watching them perform. This does both. Best line: “We’re Girls5eva, could we get a high SIX?”

3) “B.P.E.” Put your hands together for a “We Are the Champions”–style celebration of big pussy energy. Girl5eva’s absurdist answer to “WAP” celebrates their “Vitamin P” with some gospel-choir-esque harmonies. And the remix, which outdoes the original, adds in some church bells to heighten the energy. It will make you tap into whatever B.P.E. you have of your own. Best line: “Square feet, I’m going for miles, upgrade, taking up the aisles, open up those classified files from the Department of Treasury.”

2) “New York Lonely Boy” The best of the Girls5eva songs in terms of straight joke-writing, “New York Lonely Boy” applies a Simon and Garfunkel sensibility to the tales of hyperarticulate soft boys who know too much about mixing plaids and the dangers of restaurants on the corner (they just try too hard). Its comedy is sort of tangential from Girls5eva’s overall focus on the music industry, but it’s so perfectly realized that it doesn’t matter. Any show that can deliver such a specific encapsulation of a type — to the extent that I now think of various former St. Anne’s students who’ve became indie celebrities (okay, just Lucas Hedges) as New York Lonely Boys — deserves to run forever. Best line: “His playground is the lobby, has a palate for wasabi.”

1) “Four Stars” If “Famous 5eva” had to establish Girls5eva as it was, then “Four Stars” has to do the work of making you believe the second iteration of the group has come into its own. It does this delightfully well, with an anthem about embracing your imperfections that includes plenty of tossed-off jokes from each of the band members. (I’m particularly fond of “women are an ocean of secrets!”) Plus there’s something great about the harmonies of everyone singing “four stars” together. I have put this on exercise playlists, and it works! Best line: “The best things in life are free, that’s why rich people never carry wallets.”

#girls5eva

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boroughshq · 5 months ago

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Welcome to the community bulletin board! Here are some events happening around the Boroughs this month:

June 21: Pride Brunch @ Diva Diner & Drag Show, Brooklyn

June 22: NYC Pride 5k @ Central Park, Manhattan

June 23: Trans Pride @ The She Shed, the Bronx

June 24: DIY Mini Pride Flags @ The Snug Mug, Staten Island

June 25: Pride Night @ Technicolor Theater, Queens

June 26: Book Swap (Pride Edition) @ Brooklyn Flea Market

June 27: Chappell Night @ Sugar & Spice, Queens

June 28: Queer Trivia Night @ The Tool Shed, Staten Island

June 29: Puppy Pride Pageant @ Bronx Dog Park

June 30: Pride Skate @ Roller City, Queens

June 21: Pride Brunch @ Diva Diner & Drag Show, Brooklyn

The rainbows are out in full force for a pride filled brunch show at Triple D's!

June 22: NYC Pride 5k @ Central Park, Manhattan

The NYC Pride 5k is back for another year of fitness, acceptance, and celebration for the LGBTQIA+ community! Members and allies alike are all welcome to participate in a 5k around Central Park.

June 23: Trans Pride @ The She Shed, the Bronx

Indulge in an evening of glamour at our Trans Pride Night! It's all about celebrating diversity, acceptance, and unity with the community. Come as you are, ready to have a great time in a space where love and acceptance shine bright.

June 24: DIY Mini Pride Flags @ The Snug Mug, Staten Island

Join us for a fun afternoon of DIY crafts as we make our own miniature pride flags! Whether you're a seasoned crafter or a first-time artist, everyone is welcome to participate!

June 25: Pride Night @ Technicolor Theater, Queens

Technicolor Theater is back for another movie marathon, Pride edition! Grab your popcorn and get cozy for an joyful movie marathon under the stars! Get ready to laugh, cry, and celebrate LGBTQ+ stories on the large outdoor projector screen.

June 26: Book Swap (Pride Edition) @ Brooklyn Flea Market

Looking to expand your pride reads? Look no further than the Brooklyn Flea Market! Hosted by Cover to Cover, be sure to stop by their booth at the Brooklyn Flea Market on Wednesday to engage in some friendly book trading!

June 27: Chappell Night @ Sugar & Spice, Queens

Come H-O-T-T-O-G-O for Chappell Night at Sugar & Spice! Don your best Pink Pony attire and join in a dance party celebration to Chappell Roan's biggest hits, as well as other Sapphic pop sounds like Fletcher, Renee Rapp, and more!

June 28: Queer Trivia Night @ The Tool Shed, Staten Island

Gather your squad for an unforgettable night of Queer Trivia at The Tool Shed! Test your knowledge on LGBTQ+ history, pop culture, and everything fabulous in between.

June 29: Puppy Pride Pageant @ Bronx Dog Park

Welcome to the first ever Puppy Pride Pageant at the Bronx Dog Park! Community assembled and run, LGBTQ+ friendly folk are encouraged to dress their dog's up in their most fabulous pride apparel to participate in the doggy fashion show!

June 30: Pride Skate @ Roller City, Queens

Roller City becomes Rainbow City to bring Pride Month out with a bang! Strap on your skates for the ultimate Pride celebration. Glide, twirl, and show off your moves!

#boroughs.community #boroughs.event #FINALLY #yes every event is pride related its JUNE and theres only 10 days left

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beefromanoff · 10 months ago

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Going Under Ch. 29

summary: christmas. online comments. an emotional spiral. angst. new years. missions. heartbreak.

characters: Bucky Barnes x OC

soundtrack: exile - Taylor Swift and Bon Iver

warnings: fluff, pop star fantasy x love story, set in an AU where the Avengers reunite after Civil War, pre-infinity war, slight angst, hurt/comfort, lonely reader/OC.

author’s note: GUYS PUT DOWN THE PITCHFORKS PLS, first of all, so sorry it's been a million years! the holidays and my birthday and vacation and everything has just kept me too busy. i've tried to alternate between my other story (linked here) and this one, but I still hate that it's been so long. also, I know this story is a lot of your comfort fic, so I'M SORRY for the angst and heartache! just stick with me pleaseeee!

ilysm, thank you for reading! please let me know what you think!

chapter list

________________________________

The city lights glittered outside the panoramic windows of the penthouse, casting a soft glow over the sleek, modern furnishings. A fire blazing in the center of the living room illuminated Gianna’s gaunt face. The past month had taken the youthful roundness from her face and the twinkle from her eyes. Bringing her knees to her chest, she took a slow sip of her wine as she stared out the window at the New York night. Across the horizon, a sharp knife to her heart, glowed the trademark ‘A’ of Avengers’ Tower.

The infamous building, once filled with laughter and shared moments, sat dark and empty. Gianna gazed through the floor-to-ceiling glass, her reflection staring back at her—a portrait of a woman who had lost something irreplaceable.

Her thoughts were a hurricane, a montage of memories that wrecked her mind and haunted the solitude of the room. The past months had unraveled like a thread, leaving behind a tapestry of emotions that she struggled to make sense of. The laughter from Thanksgiving with the Avengers echoed in her mind, but now it seemed like a distant melody she no longer knew how to play.

She spun the stem of the wine glass in her fingers, ignoring the blue glow of the phone on her coffee table. Texts, calls, social media alerts…nothing she cared to check. She knew what they’d say, all variations of the same headlines that had been running for weeks.

Pop Star and Winter Soldier call it quits after whirlwind romance!

Gianna Cruz spotted on solo coffee run in Manhattan!

Who Made Gianna Cruz Cry?! Pop Star Spotted with Red Eyes Amid Split with Famed Assassin.

As bad as the tabloids were, nothing wrecked her like the truth that played on a loop in her mind.

---

Early December, New York

The glow of holiday lights adorned the city streets as Bucky and Gianna strolled through Central Park. Snowflakes danced around them, and the air buzzed with the energy of the season.

They paused under a streetlamp, his eyes meeting hers. "You know, you're too good for someone like me," he confessed, a hint of vulnerability in his gaze.

Gianna chuckled, playfully nudging him. "Oh hush. You’re the first guy to ever think he doesn’t deserve me, and it’s one of the many reasons I’m certain you do."

Bucky's laugh echoed through the crisp winter night as he held Gianna’s hand in his own.

“If you say so.”

---

Early December, Upstate New York - Avengers’ Compound

The soft glow of the evening sun streamed into Bucky's room as he idly scrolled through social media. His fingers danced over the screen, swiping through images and updates. A photo caught his eye—himself and Gianna, smiling, carefree, fingers woven together as they crossed a street in the city.

The initial wave of warmth quickly gave way to a sinking feeling as he caught a glimpse of the comment section. Many were positive, gushing about how good they looked together, how happy they seemed. Bucky couldn't help but smile at those.

However, as he scrolled further, the tone shifted. Harsh words leapt off the screen, cutting through him like a knife. They weren't strangers to him—the names, the insults—all a reminder of the Winter Soldier's haunted past that some couldn't let go. Comment after comment confirmed his darkest fears, the things his mind taunted him with late at night.

"Can't believe she's with a killer."

“Of everyone she could date, she chooses him? A freak of nature with blood on his hands?”

“I hope he knows he’s ruining her life. He should be with a monster like himself, not someone innocent like Gianna. I hate this relationship.”

“Does she even know everything he’s done? I can’t support her after she knowingly dates a murderer.”

"She deserves better."

The words became a relentless cascade, a torrent of doubts and insecurities that he had fought so hard to suppress. The shadows of his past seemed to stretch and loom, threatening the fragile happiness he had found with Gianna. He felt guilty, shameful, stupid for ever thinking he could escape them, thinking he could find some semblance of peace.

Gianna's voice interrupted his thoughts as she cracked open the door to his room, a soft and cheerful invitation to join the team for dinner. A part of him wanted to tell her about the comments, to seek reassurance in her presence, but a darker instinct held him back. The shame was too great. Something nagged at him, told him maybe they were right. Their relationship was a fluke. Maybe she didn’t realize what she’d gotten herself into. Fear crept into his mind, convincing him that if he put those thoughts into her mind, even seeking comfort from them, they’d take root and she’d wonder what the hell she was doing with him in the first place.

Forcing a smile, he silenced the turmoil in his mind and pocketed his phone, choosing not to burden her with the weight of his doubts.

“Let’s go eat,” He put a hand on her lower back and kissed her cheek, ignoring the nagging feeling that at some point soon, he would no longer be able to.

---

Christmas Morning, Avengers’ Compound

The cozy warmth of Christmas evening found Earth’s Mightiest Heroes lounging by the fireplace in the overly decorated living room. Gift wrapping strewn everywhere, the smell of hot cocoa and spiked cider filling the air. In a mess of holiday sweaters and new presents, the team fell into a quiet but comfortable silence. This had been an over-the-top, Hallmark-esque Christmas season. Thanksgiving had been the crack in the stoic dam that they all previously kept in place, and now the full on family festivities were unleashed.

Wanda and Gianna had baked so many Christmas goodies that Tony swore he wouldn’t even be able to wear the Iron Man suit. They’d arranged a team “Secret Santa” after insisting the guys couldn’t be trusted to buy a good gift for everyone on the team, so they limited it to one person each and repeatedly reminded Tony of the $200 limit.

An absurd number of stockings hung from the mantle, cramped and hung nearly overlapping, but everyone had their own. Christmas music had played over the built-in speakers in their living quarters since the day they’d touched down after Thanksgiving. The most surprising part was that no one seemed to mind the excess holiday cheer.

Now, as Christmas Day wound down, it had all culminated in a picturesque holiday.

As the festivities wound down, Bucky caught Gianna's eye, his expression softening with a secret.

"Come with me," he murmured, jerking his head towards the balcony.

Gianna followed him through the common room, away from the heart of the celebration. They slipped out onto the balcony, a quiet alcove overlooking the snowy landscape.

Bucky handed her a steaming mug of hot chocolate. "Merry Christmas," he said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Merry Christmas," she replied. The night air was crisp, and the stars above shimmered in a vast, dark canvas. One of her favorite things about being away from the city.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a carefully wrapped gift. "I made something for you," he confessed.

“What? Bucky…” Curiosity turned into wide-eyed surprise as she unwrapped the present. Nestled within the paper was a beautifully bound book. On the cover, in elegant script, read the simple title MMXXIII -- or 2023. The year they met.

Her fingers traced the cover, and when she opened it, she found a chronicle of their tour—all told from Bucky’s point of view. He had meticulously compiled entries from his journal, filled with his thoughts and feelings about her, paired with photos both snapped by fans or paparazzi and by Gianna herself. It made for a comprehensive timeline of him falling in love with her.

Tears welled up in Gianna's eyes as she flipped through the pages. Bucky's writing, which she’d read before, but to have it gifted to her with all the photos and scrawled footnotes and thoughtfulness…she felt dangerously close to melting into a puddle on the ground.

"I remember the first time I saw you on stage," he recounted. "There was this light about you. It drew me in, and little did I know, it would change everything."

Gianna was speechless. Shaking her head, she looked up at him with watery eyes. “This is, undoubtedly, the best gift I have ever been given.” She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “James Buchanan Barnes. Thank you. I love you.”

His chest tightened. No matter how many times he’d heard those words come from her mouth or said them back to her, they never felt any less miraculous.

“I love you too, G.”

Giving a shy smile, she stood. “I have something for you, too. Be right back.” She darted through the doors.

Returning swiftly with her guitar in hand, she plopped back down on the chair beside him. Her breath came out in steamy clouds against the cold air. Gazing up at him through her lashes, she began to strum.

“This one is called…My Hero.”

As she played, her angelic voice echoing across the quiet night, Bucky felt his stomach twist. Sitting across from him was the most beautiful, kind woman he’d ever known. She told him she loved him. She slept beside him every night. Here she was on Christmas Day, singing a song about him. As her poetic words heralded him as her hero, he couldn’t help the guilt he felt reminding him that he would always be a villain.

---

New Years’ Eve, New York - Avengers’ Tower

The New Year's Eve party at the Avengers' Tower was a spectacle to behold. Tony Stark had outdone himself once again, transforming the common area into a sea of crystal champagne flutes and ice sculptures. The clinking of glasses and laughter filled the massive room.

Sam had taken over bartending -- flipping bottles with flair while the actual paid bartender stood awkwardly to the side. Peter hung from the chandelier, showing off for a group of this years’ Sports Illustrated models. Steve and Nat, shared a quiet moment away from the dance floor, looking suspiciously comfortable together. Tony, to no one’s surprise, had been the life of the party. He bounced from the DJ booth to the dance floor to the bar, never being seen without a champagne bottle in hand. The atmosphere was infectious, a perfect ending to the year's highs and lows.

Meanwhile, Gianna and Bucky had spent most of the evening cozied up on a plush couch toward the back of the room, taking it all in. Her laughter seemed to drown out the music and the crowd, Bucky's eyes glimmered with a softness that only her presence could invoke.

As the clock crept closer to midnight, the anticipation in the room grew. The sequin and glitter-clad Avengers had found their way together in the final moments of the year.

Tony, ever the showman, took center stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, Avengers and friends, let's welcome the new year with a bang!"

The countdown echoed through the room, a chorus of voices rising in unison. Ten, nine, eight...He raised an arm, clad in one single sleeve of the Iron Man suit, and aimed it for the rafters.

Bang! Confetti rained down from where his shot hit as the clock struck midnight, and cheers erupted. Amidst the celebration, Bucky and Gianna only had eyes for each other as they pulled away from their first kiss of the new year, only feet from the barstools where their first ever kiss had been shared.

Gianna’s eyes were bright as she looked up at him, "I can't wait to spend this year with you."

Bucky, his smile carrying a mix of emotion, replied, "You're going to have an amazing year, G."

---

End of January

The Quinjet soared through the night sky, cutting through the clouds like a sleek shadow. Bucky, sitting in the co-pilot seat, stared out into the vast darkness. Steve glanced at his friend, sensing the tension in the air.

"Something's been eating at you, Buck," Steve finally broke the silence, his eyes focused on the controls. "You've been volunteering for every mission lately. More than usual. What's going on?"

Bucky hesitated, his gaze fixed on the city lights below. He was wrestling with a storm of conflicting emotions, unsure of how to voice them, even to his closest friend. Steve was persistent, his concern etched on his features.

"Bucky, we've been through too much for you to keep things from me," Steve urged gently. "Talk to me."

Bucky sighed, the internal struggle evident in his eyes. "It's Gianna."

Steve raised an eyebrow, silently inviting Bucky to continue.

"I can't shake this feeling, Steve," Bucky confessed, his voice laced with uncertainty. "Like I'm holding her back. Like I'm not good enough for her. I love her too much to see her stuck with someone like me."

Steve furrowed his brow, concern deepening. "Bucky, you've been through hell and back. She knows that, knows it wasn’t your fault, and she chose to be with you. You're not holding her back. You saved her life, remember?"

"But what if she deserves more? What if I can't give her the life she deserves?" Bucky's words carried the weight of his self-doubt. “She’ll always have to pay the price for my past. I want more for her than that.”

Steve understood the root of Bucky's turmoil. He reached over, placing a reassuring hand on Bucky's shoulder. "You're not giving her enough credit, Buck. Talk to her. Share what you're feeling. She deserves to know. I’m sure if she had any idea you were feeling this way, she’d be devastated."

Bucky nodded, but his gaze drifted back out the window to the night sky.

“Where did all this come from?”

“I saw some comments online.”

“Buck…” Steve sighed. “You can’t do that to yourself. None of us can go online without finding something day-ruining written about ourselves. It’s never good.”

“At least you guys have saved more people than you’ve killed.” Bucky’s tone was gruff.

“If we’re looking at deaths at our hands while under our own volition, I’ve got you beat by a long shot, pal. Hell, I bet even Pete’s got you.” He gave his friend a reassuring smile.

“Yeah.”

The conversation was interrupted by the Quinjet's navigation system signaling their arrival at the mission site.

"We'll continue this, Buck. But for now, focus on the mission. And don't do anything stupid until we can talk more.”

---

End of February

Sweat dripped from Bucky’s forehead as his fists pounded into the punching bag.

The chains clinked as Bucky moved from the bag to the bench, his breathing heavy. The dim glow of the overhead lights cast deep shadows on his face, highlighting the lines etched by years of war and the burdens of a tortured past.

His inner dialogue was a relentless companion, the voice of doubt whispering in the hollows of his mind.

She'd be happier without you. She could be back in New York, performing, living the life she deserves. She could find someone without your dark history. Someone she doesn’t have to defend.

The weights lifted and dropped with a controlled precision, the repetition an attempt to drown out the insistent thoughts. Bucky's jaw clenched, muscles straining against the heavy load. The gym became a battleground, his internal conflict manifesting in the physical exertion.

You're a relic of a bygone era, Buck. She deserves someone who can give her a future, not someone haunted by the ghosts of his past.

The voice echoed, each word a reminder of the perceived inadequacies he felt.

He moved back to the sparring area, still running from his own demons. The stark sounds of his combat training echoing in the empty space. The punches were precise, calculated, a dance of muscle memory and suppressed rage. His metal arm moved with deadly precision, nearly knocking the bag out of the ceiling with one blow.

Bucky paused, chest heaving, a sheen of sweat covering his body. His reflection in the gym's mirrored walls showed the anguish and exhaustion on his face. He spent more and more time in the training room as sleep continued to evade him. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but read more of the same comments that began this spiral in the first place. Subjecting himself to them felt like a fair punishment for everything he’d done, so he continued to scroll, hoping that facing the ugliness would somehow atone for his past. Instead, he found his guilt growing alongside the chasm between him and Gianna.

The truth was, the weight of his past had woven itself into the fabric of his identity. He doubted if he could ever truly be what Gianna needed. He’d thrown himself into missions, avoiding time with her. When he looked at her face, saw her beautiful, earnest eyes…his heart cracked. He couldn’t stand to be with her and think of losing her. He couldn’t stand to be with her and stomach how much better she deserved. So he stayed away.

He told himself she didn’t notice him sneaking out of bed every night after midnight, and maybe she didn’t at first. But as the weeks crept by, she felt him pulling away. When he came home between missions, he wasn’t fully there. She’d even asked Steve if something had triggered his PTSD, sending him back into a dark place. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t pull him back. Even when she initiated sex, he never seemed to be in the mood. She was at a loss.

Their reality that had once been passionate, sweaty, tangled in the sheets had given way to a new reality. One where she pretended she didn’t hear him leave their room to go to the gym every night. One where he convinced himself his absence was better for her. One where neither of them felt happy.

As he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, a pang of realization hit him in the gut.

I have to let her go. For her own good.

The gym, usually a place of solace, now echoed with the tortuous thoughts that crowded Bucky's mind. He stood there, caught between the pull of love and the push of self-doubt, wondering if sacrificing his happiness might be the only way to ensure hers.

---

End of February, The Next Day

The air in the common room hung heavy with tension, a storm brewing in the otherwise quiet evening at the Avengers Compound. The team exchanged uneasy glances, as the thin door to Gianna’s bedroom did little to mask what was happening behind it. Natasha shot Steve a concerned look, her instincts honed from years of reading between the lines.

Gianna and Bucky stood on opposite ends of her room, the echoes of their argument reverberating through the walls.

"Why can't you just talk to me? Do you know how much it hurts that you're making this decision without even discussing it with me, without giving me a chance to change it?" Gianna's voice quivered with the rawness of her emotions. “I have to feel you pulling away for weeks, beg you to talk to me, and now…this?”

"I thought it would be easier this way," Bucky admitted, his voice heavy with regret.

Gianna shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Nothing worth having is easy, Bucky. Love isn't easy. But you don't just throw it away because it's hard."

“I’m not throwing it away because it’s hard, Gianna. I’m giving it up because you’re better off without me, I -”

"What do you mean I'm better off without you?!" Gianna's voice rose, a crescendo of hurt and disbelief. Her eyes, usually filled with warmth, were now ablaze with anger. “You don't get to decide what I deserve, Bucky! All I did was try to love you the best way I possibly could, and this is how you repay me? By pushing me away? By dumping me?”

Bucky's expression was a mixture of regret and resolve. "I can't give you what you deserve, Gianna. You deserve a life without the shadows of my past."

“Bullshit,” Her laughter was bitter. "That’s a bullshit excuse and you know it.”

She crossed the room and jabbed a finger into his chest as angry tears filled her eyes. “I know your past, all of it. You sat there in my hotel room and you decided to trust me with it. Not once have I judged you, not once have I used it against you, not once have I given you any reason to regret trusting me. So don’t you dare stand here and tell me I deserve better than your past when I saw all of it and decided for myself that it changed nothing.”

His jaw clenched, the weight of his decision etched into the lines of his face. "It’s not about that, Gianna. I don’t regret telling you anything, but you deserve to be with someone without a past you have to overlook -”

“I don’t overlook your past, Bucky!” She cried. “I don’t love you because I can ignore everything you did, or in spite of who you are -- I love you because of who you are! Everything you’ve overcome, how strong and kind and good you are. I don’t want someone who has a perfect past, I want someone who knows how ugly the world is and chooses to be good anyways. I want you.” Her voice broke at the end as her rage gave way to heartbreak.

“I would never be able to live with myself if I kept you from everything you deserve,” He spoke softly.

“You don’t get to decide what I deserve!” She interrupted, staring up at him with angry tears streaking down her face.

“You deserve a man who doesn’t get called a murderer when he walks down the street.” Bucky hissed. “Your kids deserve a father that hasn’t committed fucking war crimes. Hell, you deserve someone who can give you a family at all, because who the hell knows if I even can!”

“That’s not fair,” She protested. “I never asked for those things from you.”

“You shouldn’t have to ask for a good life, Gianna.” His eyes softened as he ran his fingertips down the back of her arm, a gesture that used to make her heart clench now shattered it even further. “That’s why I’m letting you go find it.”

She wrenched free of his grasp and stormed out of the room, throwing the door open. The team looked up, caught in the crossfire of a relationship unraveling, unsure if they should acknowledge or intervene at all. Gianna ignored the audience as she whirled to face Bucky who’d followed her out of the room.

“Do you know where I was before I met you?” Her eyes narrowed. “I was alone. Completely and utterly alone. The only people who cared if I woke up in the morning were the people who worked for me. I would go weeks without anyone asking how I really was. I was a spectacle, a circus act. I was a commodity.” She paused to take a shaky breath. “So this ‘better life’ you’re so nobly sending me back to? It doesn’t fucking exist.”

Gianna stepped further into the living room, finally acknowledging the group. “And do you know the worst part?” She gave that cold, foreign laugh again before turning back to Bucky. “You already knew all of that. You knew because I trusted you and I told you. Yet here you are anyways, sending me right back into the life I loved you for saving me from.”

There was no sound in the room except for Gianna’s ragged breathing. The look of pure anguish on Bucky’s face was enough to break even the coldest heart. No one dared intervene, not when so much hung in the balance between them.

“I spent months crying myself to sleep before you came along.” Gianna spoke softly, reigning in her emotions. “But what difference does it make now, considering for the past two weeks you haven’t even cared to stay in bed long enough to know that I’m right back to my old ways.”

Her eerily calm delivery struck the final blow. Bucky’s face crumpled as he looked at the ground. Guilt rose up inside him. For weeks, he’d been avoiding her, sneaking out of their room, doing anything he could to deal with his own shit. Not once did he think of what that was doing to her. In trying to protect her, he’d been slowly breaking her heart anyways.

Gianna turned her back on Bucky, his broken expression still locked on the ground.

“Can someone take me back to New York, please?” She spoke softly but firmly, eyes scanning the pained faces of her friends. Her fists clenched at her sides.

The group shifted nervously on the couch, unsure what to do. The recent tension between the couple hadn’t exactly gone unnoticed, but this explosion had caught them all by surprise. No one wanted to move, to acknowledge that this was real. To take Gianna back to the city would be to cement both of their broken hearts.

“Nat?” Gianna’s lower lip quivered. “Please?”

The redhead stilled beside Steve. His hand squeezed hers in reassurance that everything would be okay. It had to be okay.

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Nat’s voice was soft, kind as she stood, weaving through the group. “Do you want to grab your stuff?”

“No.” She didn’t look behind her as she turned to leave the room. “There’s nothing here I need anymore.”

And with that, she walked away, leaving Bucky standing in the ruins of a love he was convinced he had to sacrifice.

---

Present Day, Mid-March, New York

Gianna's eyes stung with tears that wouldn’t come. For once in her life, she had no tears left to cry.

The phone continued to vibrate, a cruel reminder of the messages she couldn't bring herself to read. The truth she didn’t want to acknowledge.

Bucky Barnes had left her. She was alone.

This time, no one was coming to save her.

#james bucky barnes #avengers #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x oc #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #winter soldier #sebastian stan #winter soldier fluff #winter solider x reader

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mikefaistinfo · 6 months ago

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Interview: Mike Faist Tries to Keep His Cool as Riff in ‘West Side Story’

by: New York Times. Dec. 27, 2021

The actor, a star of Broadway musicals like “Dear Evan Hansen,” talks about playing the leader of the Jets in Steven Spielberg’s remake.

He’s the menacing gang leader who fights, frolics and finger-snaps his way through “West Side Story”: that’s Riff, the frontman of the Jets, who commands a cadre of lost boys in their turf battles against the Sharks, and takes center stage in numbers like “Jet Song” and “Cool.”

In Steven Spielberg’s remake with a screenplay by Tony Kushner, the role of Riff is played by Mike Faist, a 29-year-old veteran of the New York stage. Faist earned a Tony Award nomination in Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen,” where he originated the role of the title character’s would-be friend, Connor Murphy; he also performed in “Newsies the Musical,” understudying its hero, Jack Kelly.

Despite his theatrical pedigree, Faist said it was not so easy to keep calm and collected for this “West Side Story” — he did not necessarily think he had the required dancing skills and wasn’t sure of the project’s intentions.

As he explained in a recent video call, “I was nervous going into it, because of the Hollywood of it all. I thought it was maybe going to be this overproduced thing, and I was just going to be told what to do and where to stand and how to say it.” But, Faist said, Spielberg “allowed me the freedom, quite frankly, to run wild and to be liberated.”

Faist is garnering strong reviews for the performance and he is considered to be a contender for the coming awards season. He spoke further about the making of “West Side Story,” learning the choreography for “Cool” and being a leader to his Jets both onscreen and off. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

How did you find out that Steven Spielberg was planning a remake of “West Side Story”?

Tony Kushner came to see us Off Broadway at “Dear Evan Hansen” and mentioned it. At the time I just thought, well, that’s cool. Congratulations. Best of luck with that. That was six years ago. Casting wanted me to submit a tape and then another tape and then come into the room and dance. I didn’t really want to. I do remember asking specifically, “Do I have to dance?” And they said, “This is ‘West Side Story.’”

Hadn’t you danced on Broadway?

The only dance show that I’d really done in New York was “Newsies.” For the most part, really, I just pushed around sets. I danced as a kid and I like dancing at weddings, that’s fun. But I wouldn’t say that I speak the language.

As you started to audition for the film, could you see yourself as Riff?

Originally they asked if I could put a tape together for Tony. I sang “Maria” and I read a scene or two. Months later they called me in and said we’d like you to put together a tape for Riff. I got excited. But you can never invest too much. After reading for the part, there was just this energy and this realization that this shoe fits. And, oh crap. [Laughs.] Now I have to do it.

Once you had landed the role, did you talk with Kushner and Spielberg about how they envisioned Riff?

We talked about the relationship between Tony and Riff. Tony wants to be a different person, someone better than who he was. And it’s nearly impossible for Riff to let go of who Tony was for him. It’s like going home for Thanksgiving. “This is who I am.” And your family’s like, “No, you’re this.” That’s the simpler version of what I’m trying to say.

Were you also considered for the film adaptation of “Dear Evan Hansen”?

I was approached about being part of the film. But the truth is that for me, I just felt like I couldn’t do it. I had already given everything I could to that role and I had already left it at that point. I didn’t feel like I could do it justice. It was something that I really grappled with. I came to the realization that you can’t go home again.

Once you started work on “West Side Story,” where did you begin?

Early in the rehearsal process, it was just Ansel [Elgort, who plays Tony] and I and handful of Jets, and we started to work on “Cool.” There wasn’t a script yet, for that first month of rehearsals, so it was mostly for them to get Ansel and me into shape — learning this choreo, then explaining the story and the context of that number.

Did you film that sequence on a soundstage?

That was a set in Sunset Park in Brooklyn over the East River. One of the Jets, Harrison Coll, who’s in that number, his father had passed away recently. We had been rehearsing that number for four or five months at this point, and when we finally finished, on that last day of shooting, Harrison brought his dad’s ashes and we went to the East River right there. We actually sang “Jet Song” and Harrison said a little something and thanked his dad and then he released his dad’s ashes into the East River. It was something that was transcendent and we really valued the experience.

“Jet Song” is one of Riff’s iconic numbers. What did that mean to you, particularly as it’s depicted in this version of the film?

Where we start with the Jets, they are on the brink of destruction. They are done but they just don’t realize it yet. They’re saying, “When you’re a Jet, you stay a Jet” — on top of a mound of rubble.

Did you feel particularly bonded to the other actors who played your fellow Jets?

I felt it was my personal obligation that we become a tribe. After the first day of rehearsal, we all went out to the bar down the street. Sans Baby John [the young gang member, played by Patrick Higgins], because he’s not old enough. [Laughs.] And I said, “Look, this one’s ours. This is our story and this is our version. You guys are a part of that.” I handed out assignments; “Jet-tivities” is what I called them. And no matter what it was, we all had to do it. We did a whole bunch of shenanigans that summer.

Are there any you can safely discuss?

We went to upstate New York and bought a full arsenal of Nerf guns. There’s video of us setting up this relay race in a house, having to shoot all these red plastic Solo cups from different angles. We did LARPing. It’s brutal, man. It looks like something totally nerdy, but then you’re there and you’re getting tackled by someone and shot in the private areas by arrows. We played laser tag once. I wanted them to feel like they were a part of something bigger. That way, when the cameras rolled, they just were there.

Did you have the opportunity to confer with Russ Tamblyn, who played Riff in the original film?

He did come to set and hung out for a day. He told us anecdotes, what the experience was like for him. But in terms of approaching the work, I’m not Russ Tamblyn. Only Russ Tamblyn is Russ Tamblyn. I can’t try to emulate or mimic what he does. And I didn’t want to. I think it would have done a disservice to try to incorporate him. It would have been an insult to what he brought.

The new film’s release was delayed by a year because of the pandemic. How did you feel when you learned it was being postponed?

I actually was relieved. Steven and I had a phone conversation last year, around September, when they were deciding whether they were going to release the film. At the time, I said to him, if no one ever saw this movie, it wouldn’t change anything to me. The experience of making the movie was everything. I meant it, but I’m an idiot and I take it all back now. Because if we’re going to show it, you want people to see it. After I had seen the film at the New York premiere, I ran into Steven in the lobby. And I said to him, I got to relive the experience of making the movie. I think when people see this, we give them a taste of that. I think this movie is a real testament to why a theatrical experience is important.

Interview by: Dave Itzkoff

Find here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/27/movies/mike-faist-west-side-story-riff.html

#mike faist #interview #2021

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