#also the only play i have ever seen where someone morris dances while having a mental breakdown

[kazz-brekker]

had an excellent halloween that involved going to a FANTASTIC production of the play witch by jen silverman and then coming in second place in a costume contest dressed as aragorn so i'm considering this october to have been a very successful spooky season :)

[ranticore]

some more horse guy fashions, specifically historical

erased the mandolin for this one goodbye mandolin i couldn't be bothered drawing you

so my thought process for this is like what would a society of, lbr, british ppl who are horses value and how would that translate into what they wear if they specifically don't have a taboo against nudity. these fashions are pre-florian conversion (florian was the guy who gave them all government-mandated shame) and considered traditional (the full coverage dresses are also traditional but to a post-florian period so those would be called like. idk. classical). they were still in use in the enclaves north of ironwall for quite a while. anyway returning to the point, the answer to 'what they value' is movement. in actual horses, herd hierarchy and social function is based off movement - free movement for animals for whom the flight response is so strong is an incredibly important thing. dominance in horses is expressed and reinforced by controlling and curtailing the movement of subordinates. for these people, free movement was enhanced by kinetic fashion - free-flowing garments like capes, loosely-pinned headgear with feathers and floaty cloth, and noise-generating devices like bells and chimes were all used to elaborate and enhance the appearance of somebody's gait. the overall look was mostly based off of morris dancers (pheasant feathers, bells on the legs, handkerchiefs) because i like the tie-in to suppression of folk dance by puritans. i think these guys would have some great folk dances

in much the same way trainers are just normal everyday footwear now, game kerchiefs/flags were worn in non-sports contexts because it suffused into the mainstream and became Cool. the flags were used in a game similar to tag rugby if you've ever seen that played (where snatching people's flags is used instead of full contact tackling, forcing someone who's been 'tagged' to stand still until the flags are returned). as i said before somewhere, centaur team sports go incredibly hard.

the tail ornaments were status symbols and in appearance a bit like the traditional show turnout of shire horses. woven grass and straw could be used for a temporary ornament like these, but metal or carved wood were really impressive, and very common gifts of favour between romantic partners. more flags could be hung there if you wanted to be really cool

variations of this style of mane décor were also employed (they loved their ribbons)

in the same time period, Ironwall fashion was a little bit different. These expensive caparisons were usually purchased secondhand after a real horse was done wearing them, with distinct front and back halves of different length. The garments would usually have the original liveries removed and replaced by generic religious iconography as few centaurs would ever have their own heraldry. Later, in the Georgian and Victorian eras, full coverage to the pasterns with a single undergarment was the only acceptable option (that's the classical style now) The rest of the picture is self-evident, but centaurs at the time wore additional... equipment on the withers which were called a variety of very colourful names but mostly referred to as gelding bars (as in, they will geld you if you sit on them). they were metal and spiked. these were introduced by the florian government to discourage the grossly inappropriate contact of one person's legs around another. previously there was no great taboo against riding on a centaur's back, it wasn't super common but nobody was like "this is basically public sex" until our pal centaur cromwell i mean florian came along and decided this was the work of the devil. young people were also made to wear these to discourage the homosocial behaviour very common to the mid-20s age groups of both sexes, and they also had a place in preventing stallions from wrestling (ironically increasing the danger of their fights because well now all we can do is stand back and kick). the wearing of these devices was mandatory. headcoverings were not strictly necessary, and neither were fully-wrapped tails, but some especially devout citizens took to it quite well.

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/72230025

Chapter 50

"Hunt, it's me", Nick said to the bobby who had started to investigate the suspicious noise that came from the backyard. "Mr. Lightbearer, you had me worried." "Oh, no worries, Hunt. I just needed to stretch my legs a bit", he waved him off. "I see..., well, you know, you should tell me whenever you leave the house. It's dangerous to be outside at night. I could keep you company. Or better, you pop a Joy and stay happy inside." "But Hunt, your colleagues take care of me just fine. And they need a bit of attention now and then", he said with a wink. "Uh...haha, sure, but I must insist this time. You shouldn't break the curfew anymore, I suggest for the next two months." Nick began to wonder. "Are you serious? What's wrong?" "Oh, nothing, Sir, just a precaution. The curfew applies for everyone after all." "Hunt, I don't talk to you when you're like that". Nick turned around and left. Fancy, he thought. Suddenly it's all about law and order or what. I should abandon him outside for a few days, without my usual hospitality and free meals, so he remembers how exhausting law and order actually are.

When he heard loud music from inside, his mood lit up again. He liked that his house wasn't empty anymore, that he came home to be welcomed by friends. The song that was playing wasn't one his own, what was a welcome change. The noise however sounded as if they were tearing down the house. He quickly got rid of his wig and everything that didn't appeal to Morrie, and went to see what was going on. They didn't notice him because of the music and also because they were absorbed in a game of football, by the looks of it. Nick walked into the middle of the room and picked up the ball. Immediately, he had their attention.

"Hey, Nick, you're back. How are you doing?", Chris asked. "Did they really let you go, or did you break out?", Brad wanted to know. He made Nick grin. "Guess what, they really let me out this time." "You're looking good", Matt said. "Thanks..." Nick adjusted his hair. "...for your age", his friend added and Nick sighed. "I can't believe I fell for that." "Just kidding, you're really looking good", Matt came around. "Do you feel as good?" "Yeah, I'm snug as a bug", Nick answered happily. "I'll outrun you all!" And with that, he kicked the ball and continued the game.

They cheerfully ran around, free from all the restrictions outside. Since Nick had seen the Garden District, he knew what he missed in town. The few sessions of 'Simon Says' in front of the TV weren't the same. And the way his friends romped about, Nick assumed they felt the same, even though none of them would confess it. He didn't care anymore if something got broken, it would be worth it. Only when the ball hit the wrong spot on his head, he had to pause.

Pressing a hand against his head, he moaned. "Did I hurt you?", Brad was alerted. "Let me see." Nick reluctantly put his hand away and let his friend palpate the wound. "You have a real lump there, buddy." Nick jumped when he pressed against it. "Ow, be careful, it's painful enough as it is!" "That wasn't the ball", Brad stated and wiped Nick's hair aside to take a closer look at it. "No, I got it this morning", Nick admitted, shooing Brad's way too curious hands away and hiding the lump again with his own.

"Wait...during your therapy?", Morrie asked. Nick shrugged. "What are they doing with you?" "You also have bruises on your arm", Matt noticed. Nick's sleeve had moved up and revealed the spot where the headboy had grabbed him. Nick promptly shoved the sleeve back down. "It's nothing, okay? I'm alright." "Did they give you some healing balm?" Chris looked worried too. "Sure." "Doesn't look like it, though." "Since when are you a doctor?" Nick protested.

Of course, he hadn't patched himself up when he had been with Arthur. He hadn't mentioned the bruises again, so that Arthur wouldn't feel bad about them. In addition, he found they weren't too bad if no one touched them.

"You need that balm at least", Brad decided. "You have some at home, right? Come on, sit down." He shoved Nick to the next couch in sight. "If it makes you feel better", Nick moaned and did as he was told. "Just behave Nicky, that one time we're trying to help you". Chris patted his shoulder. Nick mused. "You should find some balm in my bathroom cabinet." "I found it yet", he heard Morrie shout from the upper floor. When he came back, Brad snatched the balm out of his hands and joined Nick on the couch.

Opening the lid, he said: "This won't take long. Just put out your little arm, my darling." Nick rolled his eyes and showed him the bruise. While Brad rubbed the balm in, he had to admit that it's cold was refreshing and he liked how his friends cared about him. "Something on the other arm?", Brad asked. Nick shook his head and pulled up his sleeve to prove it. The arm was unscathed, at least the lower part. But Brad didn't go so far as undressing him. He stroked his hair away and this time, Nick helped him. He jumped again and held his breath when his friend touched the wound.

"What kind of doctor would let you go without healing you?", Morrie said shaking his head. "I'm glad I could go", Nick promptly said. "And I didn't make a fuss about it, so they probably didn't notice - are you greasing my hair?" Brad chuckled. "I can't do anything about it. Just wait a bit before you wash it out." "Okay." "So, that's it." Brad eyed his work. "Or is there more?" Nick shook his head. "If it happens again, just tell us. It'll bother you more if you ignore it and you need to be fit for your next performance." "Oh, that's why", Nick said grinning. "And I thought it's about me." "It's not always about you, Nicky", Brad teased him, laughing and leaving to put the balm back. Nick acted disgusted. "And I let you live here, smashing my furniture." "Hey, we didn't break anything yet", Matt fought him off, tossing the ball to Chris. "How boring", Chris said catching it. "I guess we're getting old." "We're getting wise", Matt corrected him. Chris laughed and made a dumb face.

"So what, fancy another match?", Nick urged them. "If you can", Chris answered, more seriously than teasing. "Come on, I'm not an invalid." When Brad came back, Chris asked him: "Can Nicky play with us or should he go to bed?" "Hey", Nick protested. "I'll do what I want, If you like it or not." He stuck his tongue out. "Adorable as always, our little one", Brad said. "That's fine with me but don't cry later." "We'll see who's crying." They played on and Nick took care that he wouldn't hurt any of his bruises again. He indeed had more, but he wasn't keen on showing them all. He managed not to pause the game again and they played until they were dead beat and gathering around his bar to relax.

"I'm so hungry", Nick said eventually. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning. Why don't we go somewhere nice and stuff ourselves?" "Good idea", Chris agreed. "Do you remember the 'Swing A Leg'?" "Oh, sure, how could I forget that?" "I'm afraid I'm too tired to swing any legs", Morrie said. "And when I remember it right, they put more value to their dancing than their cooking." Matt chuckled. "That's true. I wouldn't go there if I was really hungry." "Did we ever try the Avalon before?", Brad asked. "Yeah, only for a hundred times already", Nick said. "Yeah, you, Nick, but us ordinary mortals haven't been as lucky." "That's true", Chris agreed. "We only had breakfast once. We should go for a real meal this time. I think we deserve it." "Alright, okay", Nick gave in. "We can even sleep in my suite so we don't have to leave before curfew." "Sounds like a great plan", Brad approved.

They put on the most unflashy clothes they had, so they could walk to the hotel without being bothered. It also helped that most of the Wellies were still at work. The band was cheerful. Nick changed glances with Morrie to make sure he had fun too. When Morrie's look couldn't be more loving, it made Nick's heart beat faster and he was smiling happier than everyone else on Joy. When they said goodbye to Constable Hunt, the man shouted: "But be back before curfew, will you?" "Don't worry Hunt, we'll stay overnight. Just take good care of my home." "Of course." Hunt seemed to be very duteous.

"What happened to him?", Nick wondered loudly. "He's so petty all of a sudden." Chris stepped in. "First of all he should be like this, if only you didn't have such priviledges..." Nick rolled his eyes. "And secondly, there's rumours again." Nick had a bad feeling. "What rumours?" "Uh well, when we had breakfast in this café..." "Café Luna", Matt helped him out. "Yeah that. People were talking...They said Foggy Jack sent another one on holiday last night..." Nick felt sick. "Then we should indeed be careful." "We are. We'll stay in the hotel." Chris shrugged. "Really, if Foggy Jack was real, don't you think we would know what he looks like? Think at all the bobbies that patrol here." He pointed at a Constable who just passed by them. They greeted each other and went their ways. "...and still nobody ever saw him", he continued. "Yeah...it's weird...", Nick said. "But who would make this up? And why?" "Doesn't the fog cause halluzinations if you stay in it for too long?", Matt asked. "But you know if someone is dead or not." "Guys, this is all very interesting, but if you don't plan on becoming Downers, you should probably change the topic", Brad commented their conversation. "If Nick's asking...", Chris defended himself. "He deserves to know after all."

Nick looked around to all the happy Wellies, walking by the colorfully patterned facades. It was hard to believe that something horrible had happened in here, only a few hours ago. He racked his brains but couldn't recall what he had done that night before he had woken up with Arthur. He had gone outside because he had wanted to be alone and think. And then what? Then he must've stayed somewhere, but his mind was all foggy. For all he knew, he could've actually been in therapy. Had he visited James? And he had brought him back to his tunnel as he had done it before, even though Nick had no clue how? He liked this version much more than this nagging suspense.

The band had long moved on to happier topics. Soon, they ascended the stairs to the Avalon Hotel and found his golden statue. "Look who's there?", Chris asked. "No idea, I've never seen this bloke before", Nick said dryly. "Are you their honorary guest or something?" Chris climbed the pedestal. "No, it's only for the convention...they don't like me much in here, actually", Nick admitted, watching him. Chris patted the metal. "How much did it cost to set this up?" "I don't know, Virgil took care of that. But don't worry, we could set up the entire band, so he won't be lonely anymore." Brad laughed. "That'd block the entrance for good." "We could make them bigger, so people can walk through under our legs", Matt suggested. "That would scare everyone off", Morrie stated. "Oh, come on, Morrie, don't you want to be cast in gold?", Chris asked from up above. "I like golden records more", the pianist said. They laughed, Chris left the statue and they went inside.

Nick was glad they laughed it away and didn't complain about how unfair it was. There were more statues of himself in the hotel, that caught Nick's eye just now that he wished they weren't there. His friends didn't mention them and he hoped it was because the luxurious furnishing distracted them. They didn't marvel as much as Arthur had since they were used to expensive hotels already. In the restaurant, he sat down next to Morrie, shortly touching his foot with his own. "Do you know that our record is a best seller?", his lover asked promptly. "Yeah? I had no idea! You have to tell me everything that happened today!" "Virgil told us", Brad explained. "He was quite busy and didn't give us the exact numbers, but he sounded quite pleased." "So, we made it". Nick beamed at him. The news raised his spirits. He looked forward to finally be popular and wanted again. Shortly after, they received the menu and began to leaf through it.

"Can you recommend anything?", Morrie asked him. "I suppose you tested this extensively." "I know what you would like", Nick answered and turned the page. Chris dropped the menu. "I can't decide. Why don't we take everything?" "Now come on", Brad said. "I'm serious. Just one big plate in the middle of the table, first the starters, then the main dish and lastly the desserts." "Okay, but can we take a pick? A few dishes per course or so? That should be enough", Morrie suggested. Chris grinned. "Nicky is hungry." "If it's not enough for Nicky he can place an extra order, right, Nicky?", Morrie asked. "It's gonna be okay, the helpings aren't too stinted."

Nick described the meals to them because he had tested most of them, also with Arthur, and so they took their picks. Then they started to talk about all the pubs and restaurants they had visited, the good and the bad ones, and happily exchanged memories. When the dishes were served, Nick thought about Arthur, who now had to do with his meagre supplies again. He considered to save something for him, if there were any leftovers. His friends were tucking in, just like him. Also Morrie, who tried to preserve his dignity, couldn't hide how hungry he was. Nick had always felt like only the Avalon's meals were satisfying, as if they treated them differently here.

"I guess I was right", he said to his lover who helped himself to a second portion. "Indeed", he said quietly, so that only Nick could hear it. "It's delicous. How come you never invited me for dinner?" "Uh...we've been busy with other things", Nick stuttered, developing a bad conscience. It had never occured to him how much Morrie had missed good food. "Also pleasant things", he added. Morrie smiled. "Never mind, Norrie. I'm just yanking your chain." Nick relaxed. "You're right though. We should have a dinner." "Surprise me", Morrie whispered, causing Nick's heart to beat faster. He loved that, their secret closeness, every little intimation, every seemingly random touch, all the whispering, exchanging looks, it made moments like this even more exciting.

Sometime, someone started with the colorful cocktails. Someone always started it and the others went along. Nick loved that stuff anyway. It reminded him of the pubs in their early days, where they had spent their hard-earned money. Sometimes they got free drinks, when the landlord liked them. Every pub had his own recipies. Of course, the Avalon had a larger choice and some of the old drinks he remembered fondly were out of fashion.

Brad seemed to have the same flashbacks because he said: "Do you remember 'Glowing Mojo'? You could light up the room with it, and it made your tongue and teeth all shiny. Now I wonder if there was Motilene in it." "They made all sorts of experiments with it when it was new", Chris added. "Why not for drinks?" "Oh, no, I don't think so. I know what Motilene tastes like", Nick said. They looked at him. "Long story", he waved them off. "The smell is better than the taste." They laughed. "I got something called 'Foggy Jack', that wasn't only puffing smoke but it also clouded my mind completely. I still can't recall what happened after one glass until two days later", Matt told them. "Or, you can't recall all the other drinks you had", Brad suggested. "Or it was the Joy", Chris said. "When it was new, it used to knock people out from time to time. Do you remember how they tried to make Joy drinkable? It was awful!" They enjoyed themselves and laughed a lot. The more drinks they had, the funnier it got. Nick found the courage to tell them stories about his solo-career and nobody did mind.

Suddenly they were approached by the hotel manager Murray Davis, who not too politely asked them to leave because of the noise they were making. "What do you mean, too loud?", Nick protested. "Mind you, we'll pay a massive bill for all this. You know what? If you don't let us stay, we won't pay for anything!" "I'll take you to court, how is that?", the manager fought back. "You'll lose anyway!" Morrie stepped in. He was the most sober. "Don't chance it, Nick", he said touching his lover's shoulders. "Why don't we go to your suite, where we are alone?" "If you want, Morrie, but I don't like to take that shit from him." "Come on, let's go", Matt assisted Morrie. "You've got liquids in your suite, right?" "Sure", Nick said. "But I'll pay you back", he hissed into Davis' direction. Morrie gently shoved him forward. "He really doesn't like you much", Chris stated. "Oh, he's always grumpy, even on Joy. He'll see where that gets him." They took the elevator to a very expensively decorated floor. The biggest door led to the Wonderland Suite. This room received more gaping because it outdid every hotel room they knew.

Nick quickly got busy at the bar, pouring drinks for everyone. He also had left some harmless party favors that he offered to them. Soon, they turned up the music to full blast and sang along. Nick, who was mellowed by alcohol and his party favors, fell into Morrie's arms. "Dance with me", he uttered. And then he span Morrie around. The band laughed and cheered him on. When they found the pool, they had other things to do. Nick blacked out into dream world eventually while dancing.

Wow, I can't believe this fanfic is now one year old! It's my life now and it's keeping me warm in these cold days. A big thank you to everyone who's still reading or just started to read, to everyone who liked, reblogged, everyone who left comments or even fanart <3<3<3 This fandom is wonderful and I'm happy to be here. Have a nice day, wherever you are and don't let these times get you down. You're a wonderful person!

[somedayonbroadway]

I feel like you'd be on board with this idea I just had because of the possibility for Angst, so. I present to you, a Newsies Red Band Society AU.

Okay… so wow it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten this ask and I’m so sorry about that! But i do remember seeing this and having no idea what Red Band Society was.

So I watched the whole show in two days.

It was a rollercoaster.

If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it on ABC for free! I recommend!

Anyways, here it is...

Red Band Society AU

So,

Jack Kelly (The Rebel)

Jack had bone cancer (osteosarcoma). It started in his right leg and was caught just in time to be able to stop it. They had to amputate his leg at the knee. Jack was a football player. The quarterback.

Katherine Plumber (The Girl Next Door)

Katherine is anorexic. She’s been in the hospital for almost two months, refusing to eat more than a carrot or something similar everyday. Sometimes not even that. Her and Jack have a strong connection and an on and off relationship throughout this whole story.

Albert DaSilva (The Player)

Albert has cystic fibrosis. But he still loves to smoke. He fancies himself a ladies man and the life of the party. Him and Jack often find ways to sneak themselves beer and weed to have small “parties” on the roof.

Racetrack Higgins (The King)

Race is a trained dancer and cheerleader at his school. He’s the most popular kid in school. And he knows it. He’s got an enlarged heart, but due to his drug abuse is on the bottom of the transplant list.

David Jacobs (The New Kid)

Davey has Ewing Sarcoma. He comes into the hospital alone, begging the doctor to stop the cancer in him before it spreads. It’s in his leg. Him and Jack hit it off at first. Jack is thrilled to have someone experienced the same thing he was.

Crutchie Morris (Coma Boy)

Charlie is a comatose patient. Has been for months. He was in a car crash. His leg got mangled up during this. He can’t walk. Similar to Jack. He’s the only kid there that’s comatose, but the others can speak to him whenever they’re put under or fear they’re close to dying. He’s the one that gets them all through surgeries.

Spot Conlon (The Mysterious Stranger)

Spot is a leukemia survivor. He is in need of a liver transplant, though every time he gets called in, something seems to go wrong.

Miss Medda Larkin (Scary Bitch)

A scary, but protective and caring nurse who looks after all of these kids. She is the overseer of pediatric faculty.

Bryan Denton (The Hot Doc)

A very skilled surgeon who works at the hospital, working with all of the kids, taking some of them under his wing. He’s also very protective of them and wants to see them all make it out of the hospital.

Okay, so here’s what happens:

David is a sixteen year old with cancer. But his family is extremely religious. His mother is convinced that the cancer was just the devil trying to take hold of him and that if they prayed hard enough, his body would heal itself and get rid of the devil.

But David knows better than that. He knows that if he doesn’t get himself help, he’ll die. And he doesn’t wanna die.

So he runs away.

He cons his way in to see the top surgeon in the state. Dr. Bryan Denton. And he begs Denton for help. He claims to be an orphan with no one else to help him. Denton is hesitant but eventually agrees and checks David into the hospital himself, setting him up with a room and an appointment for surgery.

He hands David off to nurse Larkin who seems cold and strict to him. But she leads David to a room where he finds another boy, not much older than him. Medda introduces him as Jack.

David sees that Jack is annoyed. Medda tells Jack that he’s gonna have to get used to sharing his room with the new kid. And then she just leaves.

And Davey doesn’t really know what to do.

He tries to make conversation with Jack. Jack doesn’t seem interested. Not until David tells him why he’s there.

He’s gonna lose his leg.

Jack doesn’t seem to be sad for him. In fact, he seems pretty unsympathetic at first. And David says that Jack would have no idea what that would feel like.

So Jack pulls his blanket off of himself and sits up on his bed, telling Davey that in fact, he would know exactly what that felt like.

Meanwhile, Race is at a dance competition. He’s the dance captain at his high school. He’s sixteen. The most popular kid in school.

And he is pretty controlling and self absorbed and mean.

While rehearsing just before the competition, he’s getting angry at his team for screwing up a section. He’s stressed and he’s yelling and he feels agitated. So he demands someone get him water.

He passes out before they get him any.

No one really bats an eye. They just call for a coach.

Race ends up in the hospital. The nurse tells him he’s got an enlarged heart. He’s not happy about it.

He’s told he’s sharing a room with another boy. Charlie. He’s been asleep for the past couple of months.

Race takes his anger out on the kid, just with his words, once the nurse leaves.

Then he leaves his room to go explore.

He finds that he doesn’t get along with Katherine, the girl who is there because she doesn’t eat.

He takes her food off of her hands, jokingly tells her that he’s helping her out. And then he asks why she’s even there in the first place. It’s not like she has a real sickness.

They don’t get off to a great start.

Race is used to having things a certain way.

He is not fond of being in the hospital.

Anyways…

Jack sneaks out of his room in his wheelchair after curfew to meet Albert. David follows him, curious as to what he was up to. Jack knows it, but doesn’t comment on it until they’re almost there.

And then he offers Davey a beer. Which Davey turns down. But he hangs with them. And Jack starts to open up a bit more.

That’s where Jack admits that he was a football player, hoping to get a scholarship to a good college. In fact, he had several offers and was on his way to making it big. From the foster system to big time athlete. Imagine that.

And then he lost his leg.

He’d say he was still trying to learn how to walk. That it was hard. And he’d never get back to the way he was before.

Davey would tell him how he had been a soccer player and now didn’t know if he’d be able to ever play again. Jack would tell him he was sorry. That it was gonna be okay and at least he didn’t have to go through it all alone. At least there was someone else who knew what he was going through.

That’s about when all the other kids would come up to the roof. Or, the other two, anyways.

Race and Katherine.

And for the sake of not going through things alone, Jack, who had been through many surgeries and hospital visits, had many red bands around his wrist as a reminder of what he’d survived, would tell them that even if they had no one else, which many of them did not, at least they’d have each other.

He’d give Albert a red band. It was from the first night they met. Jack’s first hospital visit. Albert laughs and tells the group that Jack kept playing dead and freaking out the nurses.

He gives another red band to Katherine. It’s from his first surgery. It’s to keep her safe.

Another goes to Race. Jack says it’s from a skin graph. Because, Race has more layers than he wants folks to believe. Race is shocked to hear it. And he starts to warm up to Jack. And really only Jack.

Then he gives another to Davey. It’s the one he wore when he lost his leg.

Jack slips from the party early. Davey asks Kath to dance with him because it might be the last time he gets to.

It’s not romantic. These two are platonic. But Kath and Jack are still working things out.

Anyways, Jack slips into Charlie’s room.

He uses his second to last band and slips onto Crutchie’s wrist and tells him that it’s because he talked to him when he was losing his leg. And Charlie told him that luck wasn’t getting what you wanted, it was surviving what you didn’t. And Jack would thank Charlie for helping him survive.

That night, Davey would find Jack drawing in their room. He wouldn’t have known that Jack could draw. And he’d tell Jack that he was really amazing. He’d tell Jack that Katherine was a nice girl and seemed to like Jack a lot. Jack would say something about things being complicated.

That’s when David would change the subject and ask if it hurt. Jack would be confused before he realized that Davey was talking about losing his leg.

Jack would tell him yes. But not in the way he was expecting. It wasn’t going to hurt not having it. It was going to hurt having to remember that it was there in the first place. He’d tell Davey that it was going to be alright though. Because he’d make sure he got through it.

The next morning, Davey is supposed to have his surgery.

Denton puts him under and promises him that it’ll all be okay.

But Denton finds that David’s cancer has already spread. And it’s a lot more serious than they originally thought.

David doesn’t lose his leg.

He’s ecstatic at first until he finds out that it means he’ll have to stay and go through more treatment.

Jack is upset that he still won’t have someone who understands what he’s going through.

Meanwhile, Race is on a mission to get some kind of high. After all he’s bored as hell in this hospital and feeling anxious.

He enlists the help of Albert and Jack. Jack tells him that it might not be a good idea for him. That he’s not used to this and he doesn’t know what might happen if he pushes it too far.

Race doesn’t listen.

But him and Jack and Albert have themselves a little adventure. Outside of the hospital.

They found a party thrown by some people that Race went to school with.

Jack has a lot of girls coming onto him. At first he’s okay with it.

But then they try to take it further.

Jack is wearing a prosthetic leg. One that he still can’t really walk on.

One girl and him are almost going all the way. Until she tries to help undress him.

Jack screams at the girl who is on top of him and demands she get out.

Then he sits in that bedroom alone, silently crying and not wanting to move. Hardly able to walk anymore. It hurts.

Race is getting nothing but pity from his classmates. Especially the Delancey brothers. Football players. Boys that Race had been at odds with for years.

And he can’t stand it. They tell him to take it easy. That they don’t know how much he can handle anymore.

Race finds Jack.

He doesn’t speak. He just sits with him and hides with him and doesn’t know what to do.

Eventually Albert finds them. He helps Jack up and grabs Race’s hand. And he takes them back to his car.

And he drives them back to the hospital.

Medda yells at them before Jack sniffles and Race runs off and locks himself in the bathroom.

They don’t talk about it.

Medda finds Race throwing up in the bathroom. And she says it’s time for his standard drug test in the morning.

Race ends up in Jack’s room later. And they sit together.

He tells Jack not to tell anyone about the fact that he had feelings or that he was scared out of his mind. Jack promises and lets Race hang with him for a while.

Katherine ends up in there after a bit. The nurses weighed her only moments before.

She’s not getting out in time to go to college early, like she’d planned.

She lays her head on Jack’s lap and let’s him comfort her.

David walks back in and joins them, along with Albert. And together they cheer each other up, before eventually agreeing that someone is missing.

Charlie.

So they move and sit around Charlie’s bed and talk to him and each other.

And since there’s thirteen episodes of this series, I’ll stop here. But I like this AU!

[nightbloomsresorthotel]

Spoiler-Rich Review of “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”

This review is going to have some spoilers. I talk about the aesthetics of the film and my interpretation of it. Read on if you’d like to see my thoughts!

First. The WALLPAPER. It reminds me of that one guy from the victorian times… William Morris! I don’t know if that’s his wallpaper they used, but it definitely evokes that. I mentioned in my other review that the film is beautiful and IT IS! My favorite scenes:

The parent’s house. I loved the warmth of it, the interior. It’s a very pretty house. I don’t know if the beauty of the house is supposed to be juxtaposed to the strangeness of everything going on (everything intellectual is pretentious and we all have to jut get used to it lol), but listen, I don’t care I just like looking at this house. I loved the green stripes in Jakes childhood bedroom. Probably supposed to make the person inside feel small, or evoke that, but I like stripes because it looked very whimsical. The turqouise walls? This entire house belongs in Country Living, it’s so pretty.

The car outside being snowed on. The shadows, the shape of the car…. I loved it.

The DANCING. The ballet at the end almost had me crying and I don’t even know why. All throughout this movie, I’m sitting here trying to decipher ever clue and pick apart every conversation, so maybe I was overwhelmed or maybe I just really appreciate dance, but I got emotional here. I really liked it. And I read an article that described the dance as “intentioinally sappy” and LISTEN YA’LL HIT THE MARK OKAY. I’M SECRETLY A HUGE SAP.

Horror aspects of the film I adored and kept watching for:

The dog shaking and shaking and shaking…. just that moment freaked me out so much, but also, I dunno, I was captivated by it.

The movie inside a movie or mis-en-scene was neat. I thought this was an indicator that the movie we were watching was just something going on in Jake’s head, and I think I’m right. I also wondered if it said anything about an idealized life, or a fantasy life. I haven’t read the novel and honestly, I don’t really plan to… It sounds sad as shit. I feel like this film softened the blow of what I would have read in the novel, and honestly? I need that. I get very emotionally attached to things and films and stories especially, so I do NOT need to feel any more, thanks.

Toni Collete? Hello? I still haven’t seen Hereditary and want to, damn it! I first saw her in My Sister’s Shoes, and lemme tell you, that did NOT prepare me for what I heard about her in Hereditary. Seeing her here was a pleasure. Like. Damn. The movie industry’s been sleeping on her. I hope we get to see her in more horror stuff because she really, really shines here.

On that note, seeing Professor Lupin again was fun. I did not expect the level of creepiness I got from David Thewlis playing Jake’s father, but he hit the nail on the head. There’s this one scene where he makes the most cartoonish expression that veers right over into uncanny valley and being creepy and then makes me want to laugh because it’s so fucking creepy!!

The way Luisa/Lucy/ Lucia changes character in the car was fun to watch. Right when she lights that cigarette, she’s someone else entirely. Props to Jessie Buckley.

What I think this movie is saying:

Okay. Honestly, this movie veered into so many topics. Mental illness, Dementia, Autism, I think? Even having a high IQ- but mostly I think this film focused on outcasts. And then it addresses sexual assault and abuse… and when I read the synopsis of the novel, it seems the “point” or message of the novel is actually about loneliness and living in a fantasy or in your head and being detached from reality because of loneliness. And I wonder what they were trying to accomplish with the film here. It really seems like they just decided to comment on every issue they could think of, and I feel like that swept the main message of the source material under the rug a bit. It got hidden in everything else.

In my review, I said that people who like ARG’s would enjoy this film. I’ve been watching a lot of “This ARG EXPLAINED” videos on youtube, and I’ve been a fan of Alan Resnick and Wham City Comedy for a while. I love works that have multiple layers to them, and this film definitely shared some things in common with more story based ARGS and immersive stories. There’s references in this film to specific things, and i’m sure I missed most of them. While I feel like this film is enjoyable without knowing all those references, I think knowing those references either beforehand, or before watching the film a second time would help the viewer understand what’s going on.

But honestly, only a percentage of the audience is going to love this film enough to give it a rewatch. Because this film was so overwhelming for me emotionally (and I don’t even know WHY lol), I wouldn’t watch it again. Very cool experience though!

[penzyroamin]

could you do literally anything with a bas-ass david? maybe protective david bc jack's gotten beat up?

I! LOVE! THIS! ASK! I! LOVE! THIS! ASK! ANON DID U COME DOWN FROM THE HEAVENS YOURSELF.

i meant to get this out by halloween, but…. life. so have a modern magic au!!! some handy dandy elemental magic on the jacobs siblings’ part, and its fun! (also. if anyone wants to request some fuckin. martial arts stuff id cry. someone let me write davey jacobs going through my Hell Routine.) but here you go!!!!! i lowkey like this a lot. its cute javid and tempermental davey and davey Magic Pranking assholes

Davey had two siblings with unheard-of powers and uncontrollable tempers, so he was pretty used to patching people up.

But it’d been years since he’d seen Jack with as much as a black eye.

“Medda’s been too good to me,” he’d said in tenth grade. “It’s about time I stop getting in trouble. For her, y’know.”

And Jack was true to his word. He’d lasted five years, all the way into college, without any real fights that escalated beyond yelling.

So as Davey patched him up for the first time in ages, he had to keep pausing when fire started dancing across the tips of his fingers.

“Dave, I’m fine, I to–” Jack hissed when Davey’s fingers just barely run across one of his bruises, and God, he can feel power brewing up to his ears.

“Three on one,” he manages between picking shards of glass out of Jack’s cuts, “isn’t fucking right.”

Jack sighed despite his fists being curled in tight balls. “I started it.”

“They’ve been provoking you for months.” Davey sat back and twirled one of the shards in his fingers, watching it melt just so something could. “Jack, you did the right thing.”

“What, get the shit beat outta me?”

“No, fight back.” Davey allowed himself to smile, running his fingers across the bandage on Jack’s forehead and brushing hair away from it. “You did alright, for a softie who hasn’t fought in five years.” His words were clearly teasing, but Jack frowned like they weren’t.

“Hey, not all of us got a bunch of magic whenever we need it.”

“I have my limits.”

“Yeah, sure. Put your limits in between the moon landing and you liking girls in the fake shit file.”

As if Davey really needed a reminder of his utter lack of heterosexuality, right when Jack was sitting so close to him, smiling widely and leaning into him.

Jack seemed to take his silence as a sign of remaining anger and sighed. “Please don’t pull anything.”

Davey gave him a look, and he shook his head. “You aren’t immune to trouble just because you’re magic. You’ve gotta think every once in a while.”

Davey didn’t consider himself short-fused like Sarah or Les, and he didn’t even have Jack’s impulsive streak. The problem was being around the three too much, and having to protect them. He loved them enough that he would, and he didn’t care enough about himself that he did.

If that made him rash, so be it. But no one called in favor of Jack when there was money and an All-American white family up against him. At least Davey had government protection because of his powers. It’d soften the blow if he ever got caught.

But really, he didn’t intend to.

Three against one was dirty, and anyone who did it could burn, for all he cared. But he wouldn’t hurt them.

Not badly.

Jack hadn’t been completely sure that Davey would do something about it, but his suspicions were confirmed when the bunsen burner exploded.

It wasn’t their bunsen burner, at least. But they had a class, a mandatory science one that made both of them want to throw themselves into the sun, with one of the guys from Monday. Jack had been hoping that best case scenario, Davey just acted like a bad high school bully and shouldered one of them into the walls once.

But then they were in their class, and everything was going fine until someone screamed, and there was a flash on fire in Jack’s peripheral.

One of them– Martin? Morris? Turned, terrified, to the professor as the fire immediately shrank back down, his hands scalded and the tip of his nose burned.

Davey kicked him under the table. “Look casual,” he muttered, and Jack thanked all four years of theatre Medda had insisted upon to keep his jaw from dropping.

After that it was smaller things– holding a tiny, tiny fire, just enough for the alarm to go off when one of them was going to ask a girl out, raising the air temperature so one got massive blotches of sweat all across his shirt before he made a presentation, just tiny, day-ruining things.

They didn’t suspect anything, and how could they? The Jacobs family were the only people on Earth with their abilities, and no one but Jack and Katherine, Sarah’s glamorous Manhattan journalist girlfriend, knew.

But still, Jack was coming to feel like maybe they’d ruined enough days.

He wasn’t a vengeful person, but Davey’s vindictive streak ran a mile long, and sometimes Jack had to stop it just for his peace of mind.

Which was exactly what he was going to try to do.

“Hey, Dave?”

Davey looked up from his textbook where he was curled on their shitty sofa, the telltale signs of curling, yellowed pages and the tiniest bit of smoke wafting off his hands activating Jack’s caution.

“You got a minute?”

He nodded, patting the space next to him and wincing when he saw his hand. He blew off the smoke and patted the space again, shifting to let Jack settle in next to him.

“You know I’m real thankful for everything that you’ve done, right?”

Davey pushed him with one elbow. “But you want me to stop.”

Jack blinked. “Yeah. Wait, how…”

“You say that every time you want me to stop. Dave, I’m real thankful for you making breakfast, you know I think it’s cool you’re making a new fireplace, Davey, you know I love you but she really isn’t worth your time to set her shoes on fire…”

He shuddered at that memory. “She was a monster.”

“And yet, her shoes lived because of you,” Davey joked. “You’re a good person, Jack. I’ll stop if you want me to.”

“I do,” Jack said firmly. Davey hummed, smiling at him, and started to open up his book again. Then Jack’s impulse control got the better of him. “Why do you care so much?”

Davey looked up hesitantly, his textbook fanned out in his lap. “Because you’re my best friend.”

Jack sighed, and Davey continued. “Because you live with me even though I set shit on fire, and you don’t tell anyone. Because you’re too generous to get people back. Because you haven’t fought in so long, and I don’t want to mess that up for you.” Jack looked right at Davey and only found complete sincerity. Then Davey looked down, furrowing his eyebrows. He paused, and then nodded, seemingly more to himself than Jack.

“I can’t have kids. They won’t let me.” Before Jack could say anything, he added, “I’m too dangerous, apparently.”

“But that’s…”

Ever since Jack had met Davey, his family had been the central focus of his life. Take care of his siblings, grow up, get a good job, marry someone he loved, raise kids, take care of his parents, teach his kids to do the same. And the idea that a chunk of that was taken away crushed him.

“Hey,” Davey said, taking Jack’s hand even though Davey was the one who’d just gotten the news that his life would never play out like he planned. “I can still have a life. Get a job, get married…” He trailed off, and Jack’s heart jumped to his throat as Davey’s eyes flicked down to his lips for the briefest moment. “To someone I love…”

Jack was brave enough to admit that he’d had maybe a million daydreams about the first time he and Davey would kiss. He was a romantic, sue him. But every single daydream he’d ever had was beat by reality.

He wasn’t sure who leaned in first, or who actually took the plunge of the last few inches.

All he was sure of was that Davey, like always, was just a few degrees warmer than anybody else. His lips were chapped despite the taste of chapstick. Also, you know, Davey Jacobs. Jack was about three seconds away from fainting.

Before he could, a thought struck him and he pulled back.

“What about the people who don’t know?”

Davey tried to frown, but the corners of his lips drifted back up into a smile. “What?”

“The ones you’ve kissed. Do they think you have a fever?”

He stared at Jack, his eyebrows rising up towards his hair, and then he lost it.

Jack groaned as Davey laughed, his entire body shaking, and Jack actually frowned.

“Come on, we had a moment!”

“The moment,” Davey said between giggles, “is dead. You killed the moment, Jack!”

“Daaavey,” he whined, and Davey sat back up, scooting forward until he was just inches away from Jack.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, and Jack let himself smile again. “There are more moments.”

And as he leaned forward to kiss him again, Jack believed him. Damn the government, screw the world, fuck anyone who stood in their way. He’d have as many moments with Davey as he wanted, and he wouldn’t let anyone stop them.

[kevintor]

I Watch a Movie I Should Have Seen: “My Girl”

What the hell?!? Well that was sad. I knew Macauley Culkin died of bees. I knew that and I was still an awful mess at the end.  

My thoughts:

Vada thinks she has a lot of things wrong with her. It’s a good thing it’s 1972 and there’s no WebMD. She fails to list the condition which causes one to talk to the camera a la Zack Morris.

Vada runs a con at her home/funeral parlor where she charges local kids to see a dead body in a casket, shows them an empty casket, says the body sometimes wanders, and then uses her Alzheimer’s-suffering grandmother to scare them. I’m not sure I like her.

Jamie Lee Curtis shows up for a makeup job confusing the kind of parlor. She takes the job doing corpse makeup anyway. I bet it’s hard on your stomach to be around all of those dead bodies. If only there was a yogurt one could take to settle that belly.

Vada has a crush on her teacher. I had a crush on Miss Herina when I was in school. It never went anywhere. I can only hope Vada will experience the same disappointment or this movie will be messed up.

We find out Macauley Culkin is allergic to everything, even chocolate. Does the end involve chocolate-covered bees?

Dan Aykroyd barely pays attention to Vada. It makes me feel like I pay a lot of attention to my kid.

If you drink every time you see or read “Nixon” in the movie, you would die 25 minutes in. Really trying to hammer home that it’s 1972.

Vada tells Macauley Culkin that everyone in Heaven gets their own horse (pass), eats marshmallows (pass), everyone is best friends (better), and there are no teams so no one gets picked last (hard pass). I’m 75% disappointed by Heaven.

Vada steals money from Jamie Lee Curtis to take an adult creative writing class with her teacher crush. It’s not weird.

Dan Aykroyd goes on a sweet date with Jamie Lee Curtis to play Bingo. Vada sneaks out and stops by Macauley Culkin’s house to get him to come spy on the date. Macauley Culkin was watching TV with his family, got up, went out the front door, closed it loudly, and went to a Bingo Hall. No one noticed. Parents, am I right?

Nice call for Jamie Lee Curtis to split up dead wife talk and making out with a quick dance. It’s a sensual pivot.

Macauley Culkin decides to throw rocks at a bee hive. Is this why he died? Because he’s also allergic to good choices?

How does Jamie Lee Curtis drive that giant camper when she can’t drive a bumper car?

Vada gets her period and Jamie Lee Curtis tells her about growing up while wearing the ceremonial, flowing period blouse.

Macauley Culkin and Vada make a pact to marry if they don’t find someone. Like sad college kids.

The bees got their revenge. If you are ever attacked by many bees, and it’s too late for Macauley Culkin to learn this but, it’s best not to stand still and casually say, “Stop" or “Knock it off.” You scream in as high a pitch as you can and you run.

I feel like, if I was running a funeral parlor, I’d respectfully pass on handling my daughter’s best friend’s corpse. Let someone else have that business.

Why doesn’t Dan Aykroyd keep chasing Vada after she runs away from the wake? Is he wearing a collar for an invisible fence?

Vada runs away from everyone. Everyone is getting married. Her dad. Her teacher crush. She runs until she finds a tree. Trees don’t get married.

The final 20 minutes of this movie is a carefully organized release of gut punches to keep the crying going. “I’m sorry, Vada, he’s dead.” Tears. Tears about done? “Where are his glasses? He can’t see without his glasses!” Tears. Is Kevin almost done crying? Cue Vada asking “Did I kill my mother?” Sweet lord. Tears. Is Kevin done crying again? Have Macauley’s mother give the mood ring back. Tears. Done? Have Vada tell Macauley’s mom that her mom will watch Macauley in Heaven. All! The! Tears! F You, “My Girl!” 

I would have liked if it ended with her reading this poem in her creative writing class instead:

"Bees, bees, they killed my friend. Bees, bees, they brought his end. Bees, bees, it must have been so scary. Bees, bees, now I’ll never marry."

It didn’t.

Regardless, this was a good movie. It was sweet. It tugged at my heartstrings. I will be disappointed if “My Girl 2” isn’t a "Weekend at Bernie’s"-influenced followup with twice the bees.

[weekendwarriorblog]

BLOODSHOT – ED’s Very Important Thoughts on the Very First Valiant Comics Movie… EVER!

I’ll be perfectly honest that while I’ve probably read more Bloodshot comics over the past 28 years than most people you talk to, I haven’t read enough of them and definitely none recently, where I wouldn’t go into a movie called Bloodshot with a huge amount of expectations. In fact, I had very little idea of what to expect from Bloodshot since the trailers have been fairly vague about anything besides the general premise and Vin Diesel. In fact, there’s a lot more to this movie version of Bloodshot than what has been in the comics, making this a solid throwback to movies like James Cameron’s early “Terminator” movies or maybe even Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall or Starship Troopers. In other words, it’s high-tech high-concept science fiction that does a good job being unique and original while making subtle nods to things in the past.

We meet Diesel’s Ray Garrison as he’s on a mission in Kenya, but he returns to his wife Gina (Talulah Riley) and the two of them have an idyllic rendezvous in Italy before things get bad. Ray is kidnapped by a thug named Martin Axe (Toby Kebbell), who murders Gina and then Ray. As you may already know from the comics or trailer, Ray is brought back by Guy Pearce’s Dr. Emil Harting and his Rising Spirit Technologies, who has enhanced Ray and other soldiers with tech to help with their handicaps from war.  In Ray’s case, his blood has been replaced by nanites that give him super-strength and allows him to heal any injuries. Ray is still wanting vengeance for the murder of his wife so he goes rogue (or so he thinks) to go after Axe.

As the film begins and until Ray wakes up at RST, it’s pretty worrisome that we’re in for another cliché-filled action movie, especially when Kebbell starts dancing to Talking Head’s “Psycho Killer” (love the renaissance the Heads are having this year!) which reminds me of Ewan McGregor in Birds of Prey. I immediately thought, “Oh, no, another wacky bad guy who is acting eccentric since everyone seemed to love the various actors that did that playing the Joker.” During those first scenes I also thought that the movie might benefit from an R-rating way more than Birds of Prey. Well, things aren’t what they seem, I mean at all, as we learn that RST has been using Ray, creating false memories using its tech to get him to do their bidding i.e. killing Harting’s enemies. We also learn later that the clichés during those earlier scenes are because the nerdy programmer behind Ray’s programming and how he’s controlled by Harding just watches way too many cheesy action movies.

Director David Wilson comes from the world of visual FX, as co-founder of Blur Studios with Tim Miller, who directed Deadpool and last year’s Terminator: Dark Fate, and it’s only obvious because so much attention is paid to the visual FX, which play key role in almost every scene, but particularly in showing Ray’s powers. As cool as that is, Wilson makes some really interesting visual choices that constantly gives Bloodshot a unique look like having a big fight sequence in an underground tunnel filled with flower which gives it a look out of one of those cool Hong Kong action flicks. (When I compare Wilson to the likes of John Woo and Paul Verhoeven, I’m totally paying him a compliment as a filmmaker.)

One of the biggest bummers about Bloodshot’s marketing is that it almost completely ignores all the other fun characters in the movie other than Diesel and Guy Pearce, a shame since many of them bring a lot to the mix.  For instance, there’s the other three RST agents including Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver) as KT, Navy Seal Dalton (“Outlander” star Sam Heughan) who had his legs blown off by an IED and Alex Hernandez as a blinded ex-Army Ranger with his own enhancements. All three of these characters play a large part not only in Ray’s programming but also stopping him when he goes rogue against RST. The biggest scene stealer has to be Lamome Morris as Wilfred Wigans, a competing tech who gets involved with reprogramming Ray, and he actually brings wacky to the mix in a good way that helps keep the audience entertained.

That doesn’t mean that Bloodshot is without its problems, as it has difficulty maintaining its tone and as an actor, Diesel never really shows much range beyond what we’ve seen in the “Fast and Furious” movies. For some, the film’s attempt to create slower cerebral underpinings will take away from their desire for straight-up action. In other words, Bloodshot is another movie that requires a good deal of patience in a world where immediate and constant thrills have become the norm. Maybe that will be a detriment to how people react to it or maybe people will be happy seeing something unique and unexpected.

If you ever wondered what Vin Diesel might be like playing The Terminator, Bloodshot gives you a pretty clear idea,  and though it has a few issues, it offers enough entertainment in the way it delivers its own unique superhero experience from what we’ve normally gotten from the Marvel and DC movies. Here’s hoping enough moviegoers find this to be the case, so that other Valiant movies get made since Bloodshot is probably the simplest and least compelling of the characters in that playhouse. As someone who has seen plenty of bad Vin Diesel movies (like The Last Witch Hunter and Babylon AD), Bloodshot is actually somewhat refreshing.

Rating: 6.5/10

[riting]

Zena Bibler and Barry Brannum on An Instance of This

[Editor’s note: In the spirit of Jennie Liu and Alana Frey’s reflections on Water Will by Ligia Lewis, Zena Bibler and I exchanged questions, notes, and insights about An Instance of This. We were both reeling after the performance — described as “an ephemeral micro-community” by creator-performers jose e. abad, Carlos Medina-Diaz, Justin Morris, and Randy Reyes — and wanted some time to process what we’d seen. What you see here is a lightly edited version of the ideas we generated together (via email) in the subsequent days. -BB]

BARRY: A lot of people we'd lump under the umbrella of 'postmodern improvisers' claim they're interested in the erotic. To what extent do you believe that's true? For yourself? For the work you're interested in? For this piece?

ZENA: A lot of things come up for me in response to this question. When I was watching An Instance of This, I remember thinking about an "erotics of giving oneself over." I actually scrawled it down in a little notebook in the dark. I'm thinking specifically of a moment early on in the piece when I saw Justin standing on top of the stairs, taking big bites out of a rose. His mouth was near a mic, so we could hear the crunch of the petals and hear him sort of fluff/spit/blow them out of his mouth onto Randy who was below on his hands and knees arranging little pieces of paper that Justin had dropped earlier. The petals floated down to the ground and Randy gathered them one by one, making them into a ring to encircle some other materials he had collected. Later Justin drank from a bottle of wine and spit it/dripped it/let it fall down onto Randy's back. It soaked his white shirt, which he removed, rung out, and added to the little altar he was making.

I remember registering the spatialized and qualitative power differentials that at play—Justin standing on high, raining things down on Randy; Randy on his knees, doing what seemed to be both mundane and magical labor. But I think the eroticism I'm talking about is more about the voluntary state of being ready to give oneself over, or to make oneself permeable to something or someone. It also seems to be about the ability to receive the something and turn it into another thing, like when Randy removed his wine stained shirt and squeezed it until it released a few drops onto the paper and rose design he was making.

Of course, this is not the only way to define eroticism, nor is it the only presence of the erotic that I felt when watching An Instance of This (shapeshifting, repurposing body parts and objects in service of connection, dancing between categories of pain and pleasure, softening, feeling oneself, covering, revealing...). But I think the thing I'm most fascinated by in relationship to improvisation and performance-making in general is the possibility that I might be able to practice becoming more affect-able, more permeable to possibilities that are yet unnamed. And this might happen through very ordinary, repetitive actions, like gathering paper or putting on clothes. It especially happens in collaboration with other dancers and even objects, whose desires and pathways and possibilities are different than my own. I think the idealist and activist and the dreamer in me loves the fact that I can practice being in service to a possibility that hasn't arrived yet.

B: What languages do you have for describing, understanding, imagining, etc. your own body in improvisational practice? What counts as 'body' for you?

Z: I think this question relates to the definition of erotics I played with in your first question. When I'm "practicing" my body is always a little unstable in terms of where it begins and ends (or maybe this is the time when I'm most able to acknowledge the trueness of this aspect). I can make my body more permeable with my attention and intention. Maybe it's all the Donna Haraway and relationality theory I've been reading for my day job as a graduate student, but I have been thinking of the poetic connections between the different types of mesh that we have holding our bodily materials together, the symbiotic relationships between organisms that are actually part of our bodies (bacteria! viruses! fungi! archae! did you know that only 43% of our body's total cell count is human?) There's also the mesh of the histories, institutions, and identities that I am constantly moving among and trying to account for my positionality within them. There's the mesh of other people's ideas and actions that help shape what I do and how I understand it.

So yeah, when I'm improvising, it often feels like my body is this little weathervane for a lot of (potentially a totally overwhelming amount) of noticeable stuff. It's sort of comforting because it relieves me of the need to make up content. I like improvising as a way of experimenting with relationships, for training my sensitivity to things I tend to overlook when I'm not in the state of "practice."

And then that somehow also coincides with a very material, finite body with specific capacities and aches and appearances. Maybe my practice is the place where I hold open the possibility that it is both/and.

B: What image or moment in this piece made you feel most aware of yourself as a viewer? Why?

Z: I wish I had tried to answer this question right after seeing it. I'm not sure if this will be a direct answer to the question, but I remember two specific moments in An Instance of This when I was struck by what I was not seeing. Throughout the performance, the cast seemed very generous in their willingness to be seen. Beyond the literal revealing of their bodies, they also let us see the work in a state of just-having-come-together. It wasn't very rehearsed, and confidently so. They let us see them sort of figuring things out. At the same time, I remember two moments when everything I seemed to be seeing was framed by two quite mundane things that were shielded from view: Randy's face and all of the performers' feet. Randy kept his face turned towards the ground, or shaded by sunglasses, or partially obscured by a wig, which was really striking in relationship to the way we were able to see Justin, Carlos, and José, and in relationship to the vulnerable quality of Randy's performance. The other thing that drew my attention was the fact that the performers were almost naked at moments, but never took off their socks. The modesty of this was almost comical and felt tender.

I think I'm mentioning this moment because I was really aware of the non-separation between (A) the characters and archetypes the performers were activating for us, and (B) the performers themselves. Seeing the socks still on made me somehow see the performers in this dual role, and made me recognize the labor that goes into creating this two-hour spacetime, and maybe let me feel a little of the personal stakes of a performer's vulnerability onstage. That the socks never transformed was like an anchor holding two worlds together.

ZENA: A lot of the questions you asked me spurred me to ask you a question that maybe can sit with the socks. I'm curious how you use performance to play with the terms of your own visibility and/or display. What feels difficult or risky to share? How does that connect with the power you might feel from revealing? Does this connect to your sense of the erotic?

BARRY: I keep returning to Randy and the towel. In my mind it’s a duet: the towel moved Randy as much as they moved it. Submerging the towel in a tub of water, feeling their bones get heavy. Wringing it out, seeing them warp tightly onto themself. Flicking the damp towel in an arc that slams into the ground—space is loud, time stops. Watching this piece sometimes felt like looking in a mirror, because so much of what Jose, Carlos, Justin, and Randy did confirms what I need and want from performance. I want it to remind me that there are serious stakes in inhabiting/tending/being a body. Having spent so much of my dance life as a Black/gay man trying to disappear from what I was doing, this way of working acknowledges and even revels in my irrefutable presence. I want dance to keep me ever mindful of the physical body’s fleshiness, its resilience, its malleability, its susceptibility to impact.

I’m recalling Randy’s slow crawl through the space with the towel, and the evaporating trail of moisture it leaves behind. I think about the role that sensuality has played in my development as a dance artist. Ten years ago ‘line’ and ‘shape’ were all (I thought) I knew of dancing; these days, I know and work with and learn from people who are all about ‘feeling,’ ‘sensation,’ ‘weight’ and ‘gravity’ and ‘organs,’ ‘muscles,’ ‘soft tissues.’ Seeing the line of water disappear on the warm marley, I imagine moisture on my skin and tongue. This is an experience where the body—Randy’s dancing body, my viewing body, some imaginary average called ‘the human body’—exists not only to watch or to be seen, but also to feel and feel-with what it experiences. Just as Randy learns something about the towel’s density, just as they surrender to the heaviness of pushing an object while on hands and knees. Just as I feel myself as an empathetic viewer.

And yet, it’s so fascinating to see where that empathy runs out. After Randy returns to the tub, repeating the careful act of dipping and wringing and slamming, their conversation with the towel slips into inscrutability. They leave the towel behind, careening down their own snaking, warping path. Sliding along the floor, rising airily, buckling to their knees, Randy expands and collapses in a long stretch of time, riding a rhythm and force I can only barely track. So much of the piece’s activity unfolds this way: initially in conversation with an object, the environment, or another dancer, but gradually escaping from any easy ‘narration’ or ‘recognition’ as it unfolds. I think of Jose and Carlos during the first part of the show, using microphones to fill the space with their breath, then to scrub one another, then finally to knock, clumsily, persistently, against one another. With the shifts in their relationship to one another and the microphones, I’m tempted to ask: why? Where is this going? As if I need to know. But that’s the thing about this sensual body—which I could refer to as somatic: For all its joy in ‘feeling’ and ‘experience,’ it senses with the goal of continuously returning to the body and its boundaries as such. Its constitution depends on a careful management of feeling, of sense neatly meted. It doesn’t easily allow the excessive, erratic, or erotic.

What is (the) erotic? Audre Lorde describes it as “[the] measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings.” That definition necessitates expansion and unraveling. It even hints at destruction. What would happen to a dance and its dancers if the boundaries or definition of ‘body’ kept changing? There was no taking for granted what counted as bodily surface in this piece: here, Justin waterfalls cheap wine onto Randy’s back from on high; there, the quartet hide themselves (even literally) in layers of clothes; now they all appear in nothing but g-strings; now Mylar comes pouring out of their outfits, seemingly with no end. Who can say what ‘is’ or ‘isn’t’ them? Wherever their attention goes—and however far it stretches—is where they will dwell. Between the dancers’ ever-shifting layers of body and the show’s luxurious two-hour sprawl, I find myself forced to commit to the joyously messy expanse of feeling. Turns out it’s not as easy or definite as dance teachers would have you think.

Long after the fact, I think about this slow burn of a dance, its slippery negotiations between solo movement, its intimate duets, and its visceral group work. I sense the erotic, I feel sexuality, but don’t quite grasp where they live and how they circulate. I ask myself: Where is sex here? What is sexual about this? If ‘body’ becomes something ever-expanding, ever-responsive, maybe its diffuseness—like a cloud—is the point. This is something like the salvation I’ve been seeking. Many artists and writers have borne witness to the dangerous tangle between race, gender, and sex/uality. They’ve developed their own strategies for combating it: acceptance, disregard, evasion. But what happens when, as some Black feminists recommend, queer Black and brown performers dive right into that tight place? What viewers are left to wrestle with is the fact of never knowing exactly what they are seeing, indeed, having to accept that seeing is not the only way through a dance, and more, that there is no way through a dance so much as there’s a need to resign oneself simply to being with it, however it morphs. No definite boundaries. No neat separation between body and mind, doing and understanding. There is only this, in this instance.

Zena Bibler is a dancer and current PhD student at UCLA. Her studio research and current writing projects engage perception as a choreographic structure.

Barry Brannum is a dance artist, researcher, and teacher based in Los Angeles. 

An Instance of This happened at Highways Performance Space on November 1 and 2, 2019.

photos by Zena and Barry

[easyobsession]

dwts25 cast announcement (aka lo is STILL recapping this crap?)

Jesus lord help us all, the shit storm covered in glitter is back for its 25th season and while I’m highly doubtful I’ll post weekly because I’m still upset over last season and pretty fed up with a certain pro at the moment, I’m feeling generous and somewhat indebted to tradition to at least do a post on the cast reveal.

Wow, that was a long ass sentence.

 *A quick sidenote before we start- you guys, I actually know who all except 4 of these people are!! This might be a record. Good on you, ABC.

The Guys

DEREK FISHER with pro partner SHARNA BURGESS

Speaking of people I don’t know… He’s an athlete, what do you expect? He used to be a basketball player, right? Does he still play? Was he any good? They got Kobe Bryant to send a message, but is that because of Derek or just ABC’s connections? I have no clue. Instant judgment says he won’t be great.

DREW SCOTT with pro partner EMMA SLATER

Who doesn’t love the Property Brothers? When I first heard about Drew as a possible contestant, I wasn’t shocked. He and his brother seem pretty easygoing and willing try almost anything- and out of the two I think Drew is a little less likely to worry about the stereotypical possibility of looking “less masculine.”  I think Drew could be good- he’s insanely tall, which might work against him, but he seems really excited and I bet he works hard. I’m excited about him.

FRANKIE MUNIZ with pro partner WITNEY CARSON

Loved Malcolm in the Middle. And Agent Cody Banks, with Hillary Duff? AND BIG FAT LIAR, WITH AMANDA BYNES BEFORE SHE LOST HER MIND? And that Disney Channel movie (back when they were DCOMs) where he was in a kid in a wheelchair that raced in a soapbox derby? God, what a throwback. Apparently since then he’s gotten pretty into racing for real, however I don’t see us having another James Hinchcliff on our hands. Even in the 2 second intro they did on GMA he looked stiff and awkward. I don’t see this lasting long at all. Shame.

JORDAN FISHER with pro partner LINDSAY ARNOLD

Forget Hamilton, this boy is from the Disney Channel! Liv and Maddie, anyone? TEEN BEACH MOVIE? It’s Seacat, y’all! He’s gonna kill it and it’s gonna be so fun to watch. I think he and Lindsay (who shall from this moment on be known this season as LindsAY, not to be confused with fellow contestant LindsEY) will be a great team with a lot of energy. He won’t win though, due to the Disney Channel curse. In true Disney star tradition though, he will likely get second place. (Somewhere in the distance Kyle Massey, Zendaya, and Corbin Bleu are having a Disney Kid/DWTS Runners Up club meeting. Meanwhile Sabrina Bryan is nearby plotting to burn down ABC headquarters.)

NICK LACHEY with pro partner PETA MURGATROYD

First One Tree Hill, now this. The man is out to conquer the world. I don’t think he’ll be as good as Drew (his brother, not the other contestant this season) and I almost think his wife will outdo him by just a hair. That said, I don’t see him being awful. Along the lines of boyband members, I can see him maybe a little behind the others like Nick Carter and Lance Bass, and probably not nearly as good as Wanya Morris or Joey Fatone. I think Nick will start off okay and slowly work his way up, but I don’t think it’ll be a fast or easy process. But as long as he and Vanessa don’t bitch and moan about their spouses like Carlos and Alexa PenaVega did, I’ll be happy.

TERRELL OWENS with pro partner CHERYL BURKE

It’s Terrell like Cheryl, not Tuh-rell. He is (was?) in the NFL. That sums up my knowledge of this man. I assume he was (is?) pretty good from the way people talk about him? He looks pretty graceful and I doubt they’d give Cheryl anyone too shitty since it’s such a big deal she’s back. I don’t know. The only football knowledge I have is from Friday Night Lights. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t fuck it up in the ballroom.  

The Girls

BARBARA CORCORAN with pro partner KEO MOTSEPE

I actually have watched quite a bit of Shark Tank since Robert Herjavec’s season, so I know Barbara! She’s 68, so good for her, though since she’s with Keo we know she won’t last long. Though I doubt she’ll be much good, I know Barbara is very spunky and look forward to seeing her.

DEBBIE GIBSON with pro partner ALAN BERSTEN

One of the 4 I don’t know. Apparently she had a hit in the 80s that I’ve never heard of and she’s currently battling Lyme disease, which I also know nothing about. But after a quick trip to the trusty Mayo Clinc’s website, I learned that Lyme disease is basically a bacterial disease transmitted by deer tick bites (check yourself, kids!), with symptoms that can include a rash, flu-like symptoms, joint pains, and neurological problems. So Debbie has a lot going on. All of that said, I can see her being a bit like one of the higher-skilled housewives when it comes to skill- not epic, but not too bad.

LINDSEY STERLING with pro partner MARK BALLAS

I think I’m rooting for her to win. Of course we’ve all seen her- she’s performed on the show multiple times (Maks and Meryl, week 3 Foxtrot. Look it up.), She’s cute as button and apparently she and Mark have known each other for a while. I’m excited. I think she’ll do well. It’s gonna be weird seeing her dance with a person though instead of her violin.

NIKKI BELLA with pro partner ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV

I’m a WWE girl, so I know Nikki. Since the proposal at Wrestlemania in April she’s taken time off from wrestling, but she’s still around starring on the WWE reality show Total Divas as well as the spinoff Total Bellas, starring her and her twin sister Brie. Whether or not she’ll be any good is a huge question mark, because while being in amazing physical shape, obviously wrestling has a little less finesse than dancing. Fellow WWE superstar Chris Jericho competed in season 12 with Cheryl and came in 6th (he wasn’t great, and he’ll gladly tell you that himself), however I think Nikki being a woman gives her an advantage over the male wrestlers. The guys in WWE don’t have to worry about being sexy (though some are- Seth Rollins, call me) but the girls, while times have progressed and are now seen as equals in terms of talent, do have to be a little more graceful, so to speak. All of this being said, I’m not sure how well she’ll do. But I’m excited to find out.

SASHA PIETERSE with pro partner GLEB SAVCHENKO

I didn’t watch Pretty Little Liars, but I know who she is. Another one too cute for words. I hope she does well.

VANESSA LACHEY with pro partner MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY

I don’t really know what Vanessa has done aside from being a wife/mom and a TRL VJ back in the day. But she looks like she can shake her booty and I think she’ll do well with Maks. I can see them being a lot of fun. I also think she and Nick seem less timid than Carlos and Alexa, and I’m crossing my fingers that they understand the concept of the show is to win with your partner, not cry about how much you wish could be dancing with your husband instead (because that’s NOT HOW IT WORKS, ALEXA). So I’m pumped. I also hope the troupe is prepared to open the DWTS daycare for all of these children that will need watching while the mommies and daddies go to work.

VICTORIA ARLEN with pro partner VAL CHMERKOVSKIY

The final cast member I do not know. I looked up her story though, and I can see why Val has been so pumped about her. She seems AMAZING. For those of you also in the dark, here’s some info I’m copying from the internet:

“At the age of 11, Victoria developed two rare conditions and lost the ability to speak, eat, walk and move. She slipped into a vegetative state in which recovery was unlikely. She spent nearly 4 years "locked" inside her own body, completely aware of what was going on, just unable to move or communicate. Doctors believed there was little hope of survival and recovery was unlikely. In 2010, Victoria began the nearly impossible fight back to life. She learned how to speak, eat, and move all over again. She competed in the 2012 Summer Paralympics held in London as a member of Team USA and she won four medals: one gold and three silver. In April 2015, she made the transition from professional athlete to sportscaster and joined ESPN as one of the youngest on air talents hired by the company. In April of 2016, she defied yet another odd and learned to walk after spending nearly a decade paralyzed from the waist down.”

And she’s TWENTY-TWO, Y’ALL. Let’s all take a quick moment to examine our lives- WE’RE ALL FAILURES. LOOK AT THIS GIRL. SHE’S A REAL LIFE SUPERHERO. Also one of the ones I’m excited to see and rooting for (despite some shit I won’t get into. Check my twitter. It’s there somewhere).

The Troupe and Pro Decisions

TIME TO POP BOTTLES, Y’ALL. YOU KNOWN DAMN WELL WHY I’M CELEBRATING. However I’m also hesitantly holding back bc until the first episode airs and a little blonde man doesn’t magically come out dancing with his celebrity partner along the lines of Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, Christ himself, I won’t be 100% convinced we’ll get such a huge season without God’s Gift To Movement. (#SQUEREK- MY VALDAYA FAM CAN ENJOY THAT THROWBACK. YOU’RE WELCOME.)

On a completely different topic, Mark is back. Woot! With his creativity and LindsEY’s talent with a violin, I’m super pumped to see what he comes up with.

Also Alan has been upgraded to a pro. Yay Alan!

I’m sad Sasha isn’t a pro this season because we all love him and he’s done so great with his past partners, but I think a large part of him being a pro depends on if they can find someone that balances will with his height. So I’m sad, but happy he’ll be around at least on troupe.

On  a similar note though, who cares about height? Sasha is clearly a great teacher. Keo, however, though I’ve got mad love for the man, has proven time and time again that he needs some time on troupe to work on his teaching skills. I realize Barbara won’t ever be the next Laurie Hernandez, but regardless. I’m not happy they moved him up.

I’m also sad that a few favorites won’t be around like Karina and Tony. (dude, Karina went from this to attempting to date Chad from Jojo’s season of the Bachelorette on that new E! show. What the hell happened to our girl?)

The Judges

As far as I know they’re the same. Yippee -.- but guess what I’m pissed about y’all! SHIRLEY BALLAS IS JOINING THE JUDGING PANEL OF STRICTLY COME DANCING. WHICH IS NOT DWTS. WHY DO THEY GET HER AND WE’RE STUCK WITH CARRIE ANN AND JULES? What sick form of bullshit is this? I’ve said before I want both of Mark’s parents on the panel, plus Anna Trebunskaya (who just had a baby boy- CONGRATULATIONS ANNA!!!) and if Maks is competing and can’t judge, then Bruno, because I love his insanity and inappropriate innuendos. So damn you, Strictly!!

Predictions (in no specific order)

EARLY EXIT/THE BILLY RAY SCHOOL OF DANCE: Barb, Derek, Frankie

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD/BE GLAD YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEARN 46 NUMBERS FOR THE FINALE: Nikki, Terrell, Nick, Sasha, Debbie

GOING ALL THE WAY/STILL FINDING GLITTER IN YOUR DRAIN 6 MONTHS LATER: Jordan, LindsEY, Vanessa maybe, Victoria, Drew

For the final 3? As of lately I’m questioning damn near everything in my life, but I’ll give it a shot. Final 3 LindsEY, Jordan, Victoria. I’d normally guess Jordan for second, but with these girls I’ll guess Jordan 3rd and…. gah, this is hard. I want to say LindsEY will win, but I almost think Victoria will get it. I have a feeling this will flip-flop a lot. Okay, final guess pre-premiere is Jordan 3rd, LindsEY 2nd, and Victoria wins. But I’m not 100%.

Whew. Thank god I’m finally done writing this. If you actually read the whole thing, god love ya.

I’m still on social media @lauthom93 and love a good discussion, debate, or argument- not just about DWTS but anything at all, so hit me up there or right here on tumblr.

Back to my regularly scheduled madness. You know I’m sending love and gestures kids shouldn’t mimic.

Lo.

[foolsiwillshowthemall]

Farm Report:  A magical day

Thursday the 18th of winter.  I am pleased to say that little Yngvi is growing up and is now mature enough to actually interact with.

They never get tired of playing with me at this point in the game, and I may take a while to get tired of this too.  It's adorable.

I should check with Abigail and see if she's seen this.  But where is Abby?  I didn't see her at her usual spot in the kitchen.

She's outside and informs me that she's already fed the animals for me this morning.  I start to tell her - again - that while I appreciate it, the barn and coop have auto-feeders, but she interrupts me.  "Honey.  I fed the animals.  You should go and see for yourself."

I check on the coop, and holy crap, are those RABBIT FEET?  They are!  Somehow, Abigail convinced the rabbits to shed feet today!  Abby, what did you feed them?

Look, Abby!  Rabbit's feet!  It's the last thing I need for the community center!  I don't know how you did it, but you did.  Come here and give me a kiss. ...okay, I know that as far as the game is concerned this is just coincidence that the rabbits finally dropped feet on the same day that Abigail fed them, but I don't care.  I'm attributing it to her attentions anyway.

I give her a kiss, and then run off for the community center.

Here we are.  It's the last bundle to complete.  One of the little spirits is waiting for me in front of the bulletin board.

The last item, for the last bundle.  One gold-star quality rabbit's foot.

For the last time, the little gumdrop spirits appear, and I react in surprise.  I really shouldn't, at this point.  I know what to expect.

Aww.  I'm really going to miss you little spirit buddies.  Thanks for everything.  It's been great.

All six stars over the fireplace are lit up.  The Junimos are wishing me goodbye as they depart for the spirit world.

And they're gone, taking their hut with them.  I'm crying here.  I'm really going to miss my little spirit buddies.

Well.  That's the entire community center, completed and fully repaired.  I should go let everyone know.

They've even repaired the outside of the building.  The clock is actually working and shows the in-game time, which is a nice touch.

Hey, Mayor Lewis?  You might want to take a look at the old community center.  Just letting you know.

I've taken the last rabbit's foot and placed it on a table in our bedroom, as a trophy and a reminder of what Abigail and I accomplished today.

We did it, sweetie.  You and I together, against the world, just like I promised.

The next morning, playing with our child.  Hey kid, let me tell you what your two moms accomplished yesterday.

Abby's heading in to town to take a look for herself.  I'll be following her as soon as I finish my farm chores.

My mailbox is overflowing with messages.  The reward for finishing the bulletin board bundles is a huge friendship boost with everyone in town.  This pushed me over the threshold for getting letters with quite a few villagers.  There are half a dozen letters here with recipes or gifts attached from various people - Clint, Mayor Lewis, Gus, Pam, Willy, and Kent have all sent me letters today.

Also, Gus needs a coconut.  I have several on hand from foraging in the Calico Desert.

In town, the townspeople are celebrating the restoration of the community center.  Marnie is dancing, the kids are playing, and someone released balloons.

Inside, everyone is wandering around, marveling at the restored community center.  It's a wonder.

Mayor Lewis is amazed and what we've accomplished, and thanks me.  I appreciate the thanks, mayor, but Abby deserves some of the credit too.  I don't think I'd ever have gotten that rabbit's foot without her.

He's giving me this trophy, the Stardew Hero Award, to commemorate my accomplishment.  I wonder if he had this sitting around for just this occasion, or did he just throw this together in a hurry or something?  Eh, it doesn't matter.  I didn't do this for his approval, but I'll still take the trophy.

Well, it appears that not everyone is pleased at this.

Morris doesn't like the direction his sales are taking.  Now, the community center has only been open for a day.  Either his sales have been dropping for a while, unrelated to this, or he's freaking out over a one-day dropoff in sales.  What, did Pam not come in today, and now you're going bankrupt?

Pierre, of course, is going to milk this win for everything he can, being rather petty and competitive.  Ugh.  Pierre, you are just barely preferable to Morris, but in any case I didn't do this for you.

Morris thinks he can turn this around with a sale.  It's the kind of thing a huge chain can do, take a temporary loss in one store to quash competition.

So, Pierre decides that he's going to end this by simply beating Morris up.  Typical.  At least I get to see that mighty right hook or whatever he was bragging about.

It's pretty mighty!  He punches Morris right off the screen.  Pierre, you better have not put a hole in the roof, I just got done fixing that!

Of course, he's got cool shades that he was holding onto for just this occasion.

Hooray!  I've put several people out of work and possibly gotten someone killed!

Seriously, though this game seems to push heavily for you to side with the community center and PIerre against JojaMart, I really do have to wonder if this is the right thing.  Driving JojaMart out of town puts Shane and Sam out of a job, along with the other unnamed employees there.  And who knows if Morris even survives?  Whereas if you side with JojaMart, the community center is demolished, but Pierre keeps his job and his store stays in business.

I know it's supposed to be a conflict between the big soulless chain store and the little local town and community, but I just don't think that the right and wrong choice here is quite as clear-cut as the game makes it seem.

I'd feel better about this choice if anyone ever actually used this community center after I finished restoring it, but there's nearly no change to any of the villager's routines to reflect what I've done.  You'd think that Penny would bring the kids here to play sometimes, or Emily would use the crafts room, or something like that.  I think that Clint does come here on some days, so that's something at least.

Well, farm life goes on, and I need to work on upgrading the farm for the spring.  Now that Robin is home, I'm placing the second shed in the spot I prepared earlier.

I've placed the trophy for completing the community center right in front of Grandpa's shrine.  This will be hard for him to miss.

That night, the whole town is celebrating at the saloon.  I'm hanging out with Abigail and her friends in the arcade.  Robin and Demetrius are dancing, Shane is drinking, but I think I see Marnie and Mayor Lewis sneaking out early.

As I slip out after them, I hear voices coming from near the Mayor's home.

Lewis is afraid that if he acknowledges to the town that he and Marnie are having an affair, nobody will respect him.  Lewis, nobody cares, and I'm pretty sure half the town knows already. You just don't want to commit to her.

Hmm.  While I certainly agree with Marnie that life is more important than your job - after all, I quit my regular job to run my farm - it is really annoying when I want to buy animals and she's off doing something else.

Poor sweet weirdo Marnie agrees to keep their secret, even though Mayor Lewis is obviously using her, without giving her what she needs.

Yes, Mayor Lewis.  I heard everything and I know everything.  And yes, I will keep your secret.  I'm not in the habit of outing people.  But I am going to tell you that I severely disagree about how you're treating Marnie.  Being concerned about your job is one thing, but really, there's no reason whatsoever that you couldn't have you job and be with Marnie too.  You're just too comfortable as you are now, getting Marnie without having to change your life in any way.  Shame on you.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

Sharna Burgess Reveals 16 'Dancing With the Stars' Secrets: Hidden Cameras, Val's Dating Advice & More!

With the season 24 premiere of Dancing with the Stars just hours away, ET turned to one of the show's fan-favorite pro dancers, Sharna Burgess, to spill some secrets. The fiery dancer joined ET's Lauren Zima for a candid Facebook Live chat last week, and dished all about her new partner, her dating life and her tricks to DWTS success. Here are the 16 things we learned!

1. Sharna thinks the ladies are the ones to beat this season.

"I have to say that the talent we have in this cast, especially on the female side, I think it's the strongest that we've ever seen on Dancing with the Stars," Burgess predicted, citing Glee star Heather Morris, Fifth Harmony's Normani Kordei, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne as ones to watch this season.

Burgess is a big fan of Jayne, whom she called "incredibly talented." "She's so wonderful and so down to Earth. [She] and Gleb already have some fun chemistry between the two of them," Burgess said of the reality star and singer.

Ultimately, Burgess believes the female celebs "are going to dominate a lot this season," adding that "the male celebs [and their partners], we've got our work cut out for us." Aside from her own partner, Bonner Bolton, Burgess is keeping an eye on Rashad Jennings (partnered with Emma Slater) and Bachelor Nick Viall.

2. But she doesn't think Heather Morris (or anyone) has an "unfair advantage."

When the conversation turned to the controversy that Morris has faced over her casting, with some saying her dance experience (including performing backup for Beyoncé) gives her an unfair advantage on the show, Burgess disagreed with the detractors, asking, "Where is the rule that says [the contestants] can't have dance experience? Does it make my job harder? Absolutely. Is it intimidating? Yes. The girl danced with Beyoncé."

EXCLUSIVE: Heather Morris Defends Professional Dance Experience Ahead of 'Dancing With the Stars' Debut

Burgess went on to explain that "everyone in the entertainment industry has had some sort of dance training at some point." She pointed out that while there are some contestants that are coming on the show with absolutely no dance experience, there are gymnasts with ballet training and pop stars with jazz training participating.

Talking about Morris specifically, Burgess says "she's actually an incredible woman. She's a mom and, yeah, she can dance. So we're going to be able to see some incredible choreography and some incredible pieces from her and [Maksim Chmerkovskiy]. And I think that's going to be entertaining."

3. Sharna is the last single girl on DWTS... and she loves it, except for the actual dating part!

"I'm actually having the time of my life being single," Burgess gushed to ET while also admitting that "dating is impossible." The gorgeous redhead has been single for about a year, after breaking up with her long-term boyfriend. Burgess told ET that she's taken this year to find herself again after years of being a "serial monogamist".

While she acknowledges that her busy Dancing schedule does get in the way of her dating life, Burgess does know what she's looking for in a man -- someone strong and confident, who can handle her life in the public eye.

"It's so hard to meet great people and to know if they're genuine or not. And it's a genuine concern," Burgess explained. "Do you want the redhead from DWTS or do you want Sharna Burgess, who I am inside?" She doesn't dwell on it too much though, saying that she's a pretty good judge of character and quick to tell if someone is dating her for the wrong reasons.

Burgess also joked that her single status may have played in her favor when producers were casting this season. "At the moment, I am the only single girl in the cast, so I get put with the hot, single guy," she laughed. "Such a shame!"

4. ...And she got some great dating advice from Val Chmerkovskiy.

It looks like Val Chmerkovskiy might want to consider becoming a relationship guru when he hangs up his dancing shoes. Burgess dished about a recent conversation she had with the 30-year-old dancer when she was looking to get another outlook on why she's still single.

"I was like, 'Babe, I have no game,'" Burgess told us. "And [Val] said, 'You don't need to have game. You're a good-looking, beautiful, strong woman. You'll be fine. Men are supposed to have game.'"

Chmerkovskiy's advice changed Burgess' perspective on the situation, leading her to conclude, "maybe I haven't found the guy with the right game yet."

When we asked her to return the favor for Chmerkovskiy, she admitted that "the right one hasn't come along yet [for Val], but I think he'll get swept off his feet at some point."

"I think it's going to be a very special woman that eventually catches Val's eye in that way. And I think she's going to have to be a very strong woman. He likes strong women -- strong, passionate, driven and intelligent," she continued. "He's got such a big heart." Aww!

WATCH: Val Chmerkovskiy Addresses Amber Rose Split for the First Time: 'I'll Always Have Her Back'

5. She's got "big time" baby fever!

"I mean, yes, let's be real. I'm 31. I want babies," Burgess declared, adding that it feels like everyone in her life is having babies right now.

"It doesn't make me envious in any way, and it doesn't make me wish it was right now," she said. "I know that my life will have it happen when it's meant to."

Burgess has been fully focused on her career to this point, putting a lot of love and passion into her work. She also reminded ET that she now has a "very, very scrumptious little nephew that [she] can play with."

Burgess absolutely gushed over her baby "nephew," Shai Chmerkovskiy, saying, "He is perfection! He is the most perfect little man. He's the most beautiful blend of the two of them [Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy]. He has Peta's gorgeous lips. He's going to break some hearts when he's older."

When it comes to Shai's parents, Burgess has nothing but praise for the way Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy are balancing raising their newborn with their work on the show. "I love being around them and around them as a family," she said. "That little boy has really come into a lot of love and a lot of people that are going to be there for him and support him no matter what."

EXCLUSIVE: Maksim Chmerkovskiy Praises Peta Murgatroyd for Returning to 'DWTS' 2 Months After Giving Birth

6. She's going to be a bridesmaid in Peta & Maks' wedding.

Speaking of Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd, Burgess revealed that she will be a bridesmaid in their upcoming wedding! She couldn't share more details about the big day because she didn't want to get in trouble with her friends, but teased that the event "will be absolutely stunning and magical and the most perfect day. From everything [I've heard], it's just going to be unbelievable."

Burgess is most excited to share the big day with Murgatroyd, who has been a close friend of hers for 10 years, saying that it's "phenomenal" to watch her pal grow into a mother and bride-to-be. The dancer admitted that she'll be emotional on the big day, saying, "I will cry enough for everybody!"

7. How do the minds behind DWTS choose the partnerships? Think drama!

Burgess confirmed that the pro dancers have no say about who they're going to dance with each season. "The producers like to create storylines," she explained. "[Audiences] like the couple that maybe might fight a little bit, the couple that's going to flirt a little bit, the brother/sister love, and the couple that's going to do amazing choreography."

As far as the process of pairing the couples, Burgess speculated that "[the producers] put all of our photos on a big board somewhere, and talk about us as people, and probably psychoanalyze us, and figure out how they can get stories out of us. It's really interesting. We never know how they do it." While Burgess admits that it sometimes seems like the producers don't get the pairings quite right, she's been lucky with their choices for her.

"They always have a 'grand idea,'" she explained. "You want different dynamics throughout the show and you want there to be controversy. You want there to be story and ups and downs."

8. Which partner Burgess had the most "ups & downs" with:

Burgess describes her season 22 partnership with "incredibly talented" Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown as a "roller coaster." Burgess and Brown are now wonderful friends and talk all the time. However, while the two were partners on the show, Burgess says, "it took us a minute to find our chemistry and our vibe and understand each other and be able to work well with each other." The pair made the semifinals and finished the competition in fifth place, but Burgess believes their awkward relationship hurt their chances.

"I fully believe that he could have made it to the final and gone all the way. He was so, so talented and lovable," she explains. "But our chemistry and our balance was so off in the very beginning that none of our best traits were coming off on camera. It sort of, just came off a little bit awkward. We found our groove by like, week five, but by then people had already picked their favorites, so it was too late."

9. Which dance partners she still keeps in touch with:

"Nick [Carter], Noah [Galloway] and James [Hinchcliffe] honestly are all family to me," Burgess said of the trio of her former partners. She keeps in touch with all three, still texting and catching up on FaceTime calls occasionally. Burgess hopes that Hinchcliffe will make it to Los Angeles for a show this season, telling us that she would love for him to connect with Bolton and give him some pointers. Burgess and Galloway, her season 20 partner, recently reunited onstage during this year's DWTS: Live! tour.

After finishing the tour, Burgess reteamed with Carter, going to work choreographing numbers for the Backstreet Boys' residency in Las Vegas. According to Burgess, her former partner was the fastest in the group to pick up the new moves and the other members told her that they attribute his newfound confidence on the dance floor to her. Burgess explained, "[Nick] wanted to feel like he was a better dancer, because he always felt like he got pushed to the back because he wasn't [a good dancer]. Now he's right up there in the front."

10. The key to a great partnership is to involve the significant others.

The dancer said it's really important as the pro to become friends with both your partner and their significant other. Using her partnership with Hinchcliffe and his girlfriend, actress Becky Dalton, as an example, Burgess explained that she would have conversations with Dalton to make sure that she was comfortable. "When we had rumba for [week six], I said, 'James, you need to talk to Becky,'" she recalled. "'Because this dance is about to be very, very intimate and our noses are going to touch and we're going to have to tell a love story. And I think you should just give her a little heads up on that.'"

Burgess commiserates with the celebrities' significant others because the partnerships do become very close, agreeing that it would be difficult for anyone to "sit on the outside." of." In Burgess' mind, that's why "it's so important to bring that person in. You go to dinner after the show. You talk about it; they're part of the whole experience. And I think that's when it can be smooth sailing."

11. There are "hidden cameras everywhere" at DWTS.

Burgess always warns her partners early on that there are cameras everywhere (in rehearsals, backstage, all over the studio) and that anything those cameras or microphones catch might end up in the segments that run on the show before the couples dance. She advised, "You have to realize that every single word that we say is on camera. And it can be daunting. It can be a really hard thing for people to get used to." Because the celebrities (and their professional partners) are dealing with a lot of pressure on the show, Burgess suggests one rule --"Try not to blow up on camera if you're having a really bad day. Just go to the bathroom and take a little five minutes to yourself."

Burgess has forgotten her own advice at moments, admitting "I've been caught in the mirror -- the hidden camera in the mirror -- fixing my eyelashes, or you know fixing my makeup, not realizing there [are] now hidden cameras everywhere on Dancing With the Stars."

12. Double-sided tape is a dancer's best friend.

Burgess told ET the fashion tape is the key to making those tiny costumes look so perfect -- and stay on. "It's like that industrial-strength double-sided tape. It takes the tan off when you take the costume off, it's so intense," Burgess laughed. "But I had that (LINK) notorious nip slip about a year ago, and so I am covered head to toe with double-sided tape."

WATCH: 'DWTS' Pro Sharna Burgess Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction During Sexy Tango With Antonio Brown

But Burgess doesn't just rely on the tape for protection against wardrobe malfunctions, saying "now I get triple-checked every show, [so] that I am in nice and tight and nothing is going to fall out anywhere... When we're getting dressed, the wardrobe team has lined my costume with double-sided tape. And they put it on and then I get checked by a female producer just to make sure that everything is taped in and then we're good to go."

13. Her dream partners are very hot!

When ET asked Burgess who her dream partner on DWTS would be, she answered "Hugh Jackman" almost faster than we could get the question out. But on further consideration, Burgess says she would also want to dance with Charlie Hunnam.

"I've had a little bit of a crush on him since Sons of Anarchy," Burgess admitted. "I would love to see him on the show. I've never necessarily had the biggest celebrity [on the show], but I've had people with incredible stories and I love that. And I wouldn't want to change that."

14. Her biggest regret from last season:

Burgess calls season 23 a "perfect season" for her, but if she could do anything differently, she would've "tried to have not fallen over and injured my knee." After having to sit out of the competition for two weeks, Burgess says that her knee has been "amazing" since. Between seasons 23 and 24, Burgess participated in the 43-city winter tour and says that she didn't have a single problem with her knee and that it feels stronger than ever, crediting stem cell treatments for saving her season.

15. What coming in second place last season taught her:

"As sad as it was, as much as I wanted that for James [Hinchcliffe] last season, it wasn't meant to be," she says about coming in second place with the IndyCar driver in season 23. Burgess called Hinchcliffe her "muse", crediting him with helping her create some of her favorite choreography in her career. She says he also taught her to push through any adversity or challenge. Burgess hopes to apply what she learned to working with Bolton this season, saying "The greatest thing I could take away from my experience with James was to remember to laugh every day".

16. Where she'll put that mirror ball trophy when she finally wins!

With the upcoming season being her ninth as a professional dancer on the show and making the finals three times (finishing in second place with partners James Hinchcliffe and Nick Carter, and third place with Noah Galloway), Burgess is ready to bring the mirror ball trophy home. But where will she put it?

"I might just carry it for a long time," she laughed, "[I might] double-sided tape it just to my shoulder so everyone knows I finally did it." Burgess doesn't see herself taking a break from Dancing anytime soon, saying "I think I'll be around for a while. I at least need to win one."

Will ET finally get #JusticeForSharna in the form of a win for the dancer? We'll find out when Dancing With the Stars kicks off its 24th season tonight, airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

[simonsoys]

So what movie genres do you think the UT cast likes? I can imagine Alphys and Sans nerding out and nitpicking sci-fi movies together for one thing heh.

Ooh! Good question! Asks like these are my favorite haha!

I’m actually going to broaden this to TV shows too. Maybe like, what their Netflix history is.

Frisk

Loves Pokemon. Has watched every single episode in sequential order. (Toriel insists on knowing what Frisk is watching, so she’s had to sit through all of it too. She’s mostly confused by what the point of all this is, and is going to barf if she hears “Gooomygoomygoomy” one more time, but admits she quite likes Brock.) Also watches a lot of Pokemon-like shows.

Occasionally watches Sesame Street, even though it’s below their age range. It’s hard to find monster-positive shows.

As for movies, its pretty much anything animated or based on a kids’ book and nothing else right now. Everything must have a happy ending.

But even more than watching Pokemon shows, they’re into Youtube Let’s Plays. They like Minecraft videos, especially Stampy. (Undyne thinks the concept of watching other people play video games is ridiculous and yells at Frisk to go outside.)

Ambivalent about Frozen. Liked Olaf but that’s about it.

Favorite movies: Matilda; The Little Prince.

Toriel

Likes PBS Masterpiece Classics, like Downton Abbey and Indian Summer. 

Probably likes Benedict Cumberbatch.

A sucker for soppy British movies.

Loves The Walking Dead more than you’d expect. Carol is her favorite.

Likes the variety of crafting shows that humans make and put on TV and YouTube. Has thought about making and uploading some of her own.

Gets overly invested into some of Frisk’s kid movies. Bought Frozen on DVD for Frisk. Honestly. For Frisk. 

Favorite movie: Philomena

Sans

Into Sci-Fi movies a lot, even though he knows the science is bogus. He and Pap both like Star Wars, it’s got a lot of non-humans who are good guys! (A head canon I ACTUALLY had previous to this ask– the two of them have seen the first Star Wars, but it’s the only one that’s fallen into the Underground and circulated. They don’t know about Vader’s relation to Luke or what a Yoda is. The monsters are possibly the only fans on the planet who haven’t been spoiled on the ending of the OT yet. Some kind human souls learn about this and set up a screening of it in a theater, so that monsters have a chance to see it properly before having it ruined for them. It’s beautiful.)

He also has a large appetite for 90s high school romcoms? Like 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless. It’s light and funny.

Not as big on TV shows. Likes to have the experience done and over with in one sitting.

Falls asleep without fail during Frisk’s movies.

Except for Frozen, which Toriel’s watched so many times, he managed to stay awake once for it. He thought it was kinda stupid through 2/3rds of it, but the final act got him. SIBLING LOVE is relevant to his interests and now he kind of digs the movie.

Favorite movie: The Fifth Element.

Papyrus

Watches The Bachelor religiously.

Watches Dancing with the Stars religiously.

Still watches anything MTT comes out with. 

Not a binge watcher. He likes shows that are on live.

Likes to watch random YouTubers’ Vlog channels, and no one’s totally sure why. It’s so weird… watching them daily, they feel like friends that haven’t met you yet. 

Animated shows are for children. …But Power Rangers is cool.

Sees every superhero blockbuster that comes out in the theater. 

Doesn’t typically watch anyone else’s shows or movies. If it’s not something he likes, he doesn’t have time for it.

Forced to sit through Frozen at least once. Whined about Elsa’s amateurish ice magic technique and poor casting form throughout the ordeal. 

Favorite movie: Star Wars.

MK

Probably watches PG-13 movies eVEN THoUGH THEY’RE NOT YET 13??? Scandalooz!

Is more of a Digimon kid. Arguments have been had.

Also likes superhero movies a lot, and Godzilla movies.

Watches a lot of Ninja Warrior/American Ninja Warrior, and has decided they’re going to take the challenge someday.

Hates Frozen, 0/10,literally the worse movie ever.

Favorite movie: Any Godzilla movie where he’s a good guy.

Undyne

Is disappointed to learn that anime isn’t real. But that’s okay because soon afterwards she discovers Jackie Chan movies and that’s even cooler?? Martial arts are her new jam.

Likes the idea of Ninja Warrior shows, but just feels like there’s a significant lack of real danger. Needs more fire and deadly pits.

Likes watching YouTube videos of people playing musical instruments in really crazy and incredible ways.

Sometimes likes more artsy films? Like with music, she’s not all action all the time.

Still watches anime with Alphys, even though she’s learned the truth.

Frozen had fighting! And magical transformations! And a gripping love story! It’s practically an anime! (Though not the best one she’s ever seen.)

Favorite movie: Hero

Alphys

Continues to be anime trash. Probably likes most of the gay sports anime the best.  Also cute romances like Ore Monogatari!

Watches MST3K with Sans sometimes. They also found this old show where people build RC robots with sawblades on them and fight each other and they LOVE it. They’re considering organizing their own tournament at some point.

Not as into sci-fi movies– but is very into complaining about sci-fi movies. Likes to write long blog posts about why they’re bad/inaccurate.

Likes Dr. Who, despite the above statement.

Really likes cheesy romances. Watches a lot of K/J/C-Dramas.

Total weekly intake of movies and shows in hours is obscene and embarrassing to repeat.

Has blogged about Frozen’s clunky narrative and weak execution of its core themes, but has to admit the characters are lovable and has drawn at least one fanart of it. Has the unpopular ship of Elsa/Hans and just won’t let that shit go.

Favorite movie: Mew Mew Kissy Cutie: Super Lovely The Movie: Extra Doki Extended Cut Edition

Blooky

YouTubing music videos all day.

Watches concert recordings.

Watches MTT’s show every day.

Downloaded the Frozen soundtrack off the internet, but has never watched the movie and genuinely has no idea what it’s about.

Forgets they own a TV 90% of the time.

Favorite movie: ?? Doesn’t really have one. …Sorry…

MTT

Competition shows are great, but he gets frustrated by how long and drawn out human reality tv is. Between each commercial break it should be wall to wall excitement! That’s his philosophy anyway.

Is actually consuming as much film as possible now that he’s on the surface, from a variety of genres. Where Napstablook and Undyne are passionate about music, MTT sleeps and breathes film studies.

Watches the news a lot too?? Probably the best informed monster besides Asgore. He has a news program of his own, and filters a lot of the world’s current events through to monsterkind. He has to always be in the know! …It also helps for making funny, topical statements. His 1.5 million viewers love topical statements!

He’s actually a really effective reporter. There’s no region too dangerous for him, he’ll report from anywhere. War zones. Active volcanoes. Maybe even space? All while doing it in a stunning blazer and perfect hair.

He’s busy a lot, so doesn’t actually have time to watch too many things.

Frozen is exactly the kind of movie he’d make, except that Elsa’s sparkly dress did not have enough screen time. For that matter, more characters needed sparkly clothes. Someone bedazzle that reindeer, stat. 

Favorite movie: Grease; Moulin Rouge

Asgore

New to movies and TV, but is slowly getting into them. There are so many violent movies and shows out there! So he mostly lets other people recommend things to him. A member of Oprah’s Book Club. He watches the movie versions of the books he’s read.

He likes stories about peoples’ lives. Watches Dr. Phil every afternoon. Recently he’s been touched by the stories of My 600 Lb Life and Teen Mom.

Is the only sports fan in the bunch. Prefers being there in person to watching on TV, but that’s not always feasible. Paints his face, even when he’s watching from home.

Frozen was a good movie and he enjoyed it quite a lot. Thank you, Undyne.

Favorite movie: Tuesdays With Morrie; Fried Green Tomatoes

Flowey

Loves YouTube Poops and he doesn’t know why.

Hates sad movies. Hates any movie that makes any attempt to make him feel things. Up is a dumb movie.

Doesn’t really care about TV or movies, but likes to watch with other people and chatter over it to ruin their experience. He really just wants to be the center of attention.

Probably pretends to like Adam Sandler movies, but doesn’t actually like Adam Sandler movies.

Likes America’s Funniest Home Videos, especially the ones where people fall off water skis.

Frozen is disgusting and would’ve been better if everyone turned into ice and died. The end.

Favorite movie: Anyone else’s favorite, so he can ruin it for them.

Chara

Doesn’t have much experience with TV or movies outside of what Frisk consumes.

Secretly has the same crappy taste in anime and K-Dramas as Alphys, but is stuck with Frisk’s over-indulgence in YouTube and Pokemon.

Sibling estrangement and isolation is a theme too close to home. Spends too much time drawing parallels between themselves and the rest of the cast, to the characters in Frozen.

Favorite movie: Frozen

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

EXCLUSIVE: James Hinchcliffe on Sharna Burgess & Bonner Bolton Romance Rumors: 'There’s Something There For Sure'

Dancing With the Stars fans rejoice! ‘Team Stop N Go’ is still going strong in the friendship department!

IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe may have traded in the dance floor for the race track, but he hasn’t lost touch with his partner Sharna Burgess. When the DWTS season 23 runner-up stopped by for a Facebook Live conversation with ET’s Lauren Zima, we couldn’t help but ask him about his former partner’s connection to her new partner, Bonner Bolton.

“There's something there for sure. You've got a very, very good looking Southern gentleman -- it's a very kind of different type but hey, whatever works, works. If he can make her happy, then…” Hinchcliffe said of Burgess and Bolton’s chemistry.

EXCLUSIVE: Sharna Burgess Comforts 'Bummed' Bonner Bolton After Disappointing 'DWTS' Week 3 Performance

“Based on what I've seen, having not met him and not seeing the interaction in person, I would say that there's some interest there for sure,” he continued, speculating whether Bolton is interested in Burgess.

When asked if Burgess might be interested as well, the race car driver teased, “Again, I haven't seen the interaction so it's tough, but I think we all saw it in the package in week 2. There was some hand holding action going on there.”

So you’re telling us there’s a chance! Thanks Hinch! In the meantime, though, Hinchcliffe is looking to help change Burgess’ single status by setting her up!

“There was one friend of mine, who will remain nameless…that at one point, tried to connect, but we weren't able to get them in the same room at the same time. I haven't totally given up on that one yet, because there might be something there, if it ever does happen,” Hinchcliffe dished.

While he would not reveal the lucky man’s identity, he did confirm that it is not fellow racers Conor Daly or Alexander Rossi that he wants to set up with the Dancing pro. When it comes to the perfect man for Sharna, he said, “She needs somebody strong. She's a very strong woman and she needs someone that can challenge her in that sense, but also push her. She's very driven; she has a lot of aspirations, a lot of dreams, and [needs] someone that can help her achieve those, be that kind of support system that she needs in, again, a very difficult industry that she's in.”

EXCLUSIVE: Sharna Burgess Teases More Steamy Moments From Bonner Bolton: 'If You Want Abs, You Have to Vote!'

During their partnership, Burgess and Hinchcliffe had some fans hoping they’d couple up, but the 30-year-old driver is happily dating actress Becky Dalton.

Burgess recently opened up to ET about keeping her partners’ significant other from getting concerned about any funny business off the dance floor, explaining that she likes to get that person involved in the partnership in order to make everyone more comfortable.

Hinchcliffe elaborated on overcoming the awkwardness about being so close saying, “It took some getting used to for me, and then it took some getting used to for Becky, but then, all three of us could hang out.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Dancing With the Stars' Contestant James Hinchcliffe on the IndyCar Crash That Nearly Killed Him

Hinchcliffe also dished on a different trio -- Burgess, himself and Dancing pro Jenna Johnson, who filled in for Burgess when she had to sit out with a knee injury.

Glee star Heather Morris is in a similar situation this season with her partner, pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, sitting out with a calf injury and DWTS troupe member Alan Bersten stepping in. While many would think this change could hurt Morris’ chances on the show, Hinchcliffe thinks the setback could end up playing out in her favor.

“When we had to swap out, one of the things that was almost a benefit was [having] Sharna -- who's the choreographer, she's the creative mind behind this piece -- able to stand back and watch it from the outside. Where, when she's in it, she can only see so much. And you can watch back the video and watch back the tape all you want, and we do that a ton, but with the Suicide Squad piece, she was able to sit there in the corner of the room and really, really drill certain things into both Jenna and myself about what she wanted and how she wanted it to look,” he recalled to ET.

He suggested that, “In a lot of ways, [Heather] almost gets the benefit of two pros now having Maks in the room, having Alan on the floor with her. And so it could actually serve her well down the road.

Hinchcliffe also revealed that the Sunday night before that classic Suicide Squad dance number, the trio had a “four hour marathon session until eleven o’clock at night, just hammering out little points [of the dance].”

Hinchcliffe believes that Morris is in safe hands, saying “Alan's incredible. I got to work a lot with Alan. He was part of our performances a bunch of times. I think he's making a great case for being a pro on an upcoming season. He's got a great personality. He's really able to teach.”

MORE: Heather Morris Scores First 9 Of the 'DWTS' Season as Maksim Chmerkovskiy Cheers From the Sidelines

Now, let’s go back to Bolton for a moment. Burgess told ET that she hoped Hinchcliffe would drop by rehearsals and sit down for a one on one chat with the professional bull rider. It hasn’t happened yet, but Hinchcliffe told us that he’d love to share some wisdom with Burgess’ new partner and advised that mastering the performance aspect of the dance is the key to making it all the way in the competition.

“He's a cowboy, literally,” Hinchcliffe noted. “There's a certain amount of machoism that goes along with that, you know. And that might not translate a lot to dance. I get that. But being able to just release that, and almost make fun of yourself, and just laugh at yourself, it'll make you enjoy it, which will make you dance better.”

When asked if he would consider joining in if Dancing did another all-star season, Hinchcliffe was skeptical citing how “mentally draining” the experience was for him. But he admitted that if he did dance again, he would “go to try and win”.

For now, Hinch is focused on racing. Hinchcliffe is just beginning the 2017 IndyCar racing season, competing in his second race of the year at The Grand Prix of Long Beach, running April 7-9.

“I learned a lot about myself through that whole process of being on the show,” he shared of his big takeaway from Dancing. “I have this appreciation for what I'm doing, even if the day is horrible -- if the car's not running right and we're slow and awful. It's still this kind of moment of just appreciating what I get to do and [Dancing With the Stars] helped me with that a lot.”

Hinchcliffe also shared with ET his predictions for the finals of Dancing With the Stars season 24. Check out the video below for his picks and more information on his upcoming races, including the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Dancing returns on Monday, April 10 on ABC, with the always emotional ‘Most Memorable Year’ week. Be sure to tune in to Entertainment Tonight and keep an eye on both our website and Facebook page for more Dancing With the Stars scoop!

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

EXCLUSIVE: James Hinchcliffe on Sharna Burgess & Bonner Bolton Romance Rumors: 'There’s Something There For Sure'

Dancing With the Stars fans rejoice! ‘Team Stop N Go’ is still going strong in the friendship department!

IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe may have traded in the dance floor for the race track, but he hasn’t lost touch with his partner Sharna Burgess. When the DWTS season 23 runner-up stopped by for a Facebook Live conversation with ET’s Lauren Zima, we couldn’t help but ask him about his former partner’s connection to her new partner, Bonner Bolton.

“There's something there for sure. You've got a very, very good looking Southern gentleman -- it's a very kind of different type but hey, whatever works, works. If he can make her happy, then…” Hinchcliffe said of Burgess and Bolton’s chemistry.

EXCLUSIVE: Sharna Burgess Comforts 'Bummed' Bonner Bolton After Disappointing 'DWTS' Week 3 Performance

“Based on what I've seen, having not met him and not seeing the interaction in person, I would say that there's some interest there for sure,” he continued, speculating whether Bolton is interested in Burgess.

When asked if Burgess might be interested as well, the race car driver teased, “Again, I haven't seen the interaction so it's tough, but I think we all saw it in the package in week 2. There was some hand holding action going on there.”

So you’re telling us there’s a chance! Thanks Hinch! In the meantime, though, Hinchcliffe is looking to help change Burgess’ single status by setting her up!

“There was one friend of mine, who will remain nameless…that at one point, tried to connect, but we weren't able to get them in the same room at the same time. I haven't totally given up on that one yet, because there might be something there, if it ever does happen,” Hinchcliffe dished.

While he would not reveal the lucky man’s identity, he did confirm that it is not fellow racers Conor Daly or Alexander Rossi that he wants to set up with the Dancing pro. When it comes to the perfect man for Sharna, he said, “She needs somebody strong. She's a very strong woman and she needs someone that can challenge her in that sense, but also push her. She's very driven; she has a lot of aspirations, a lot of dreams, and [needs] someone that can help her achieve those, be that kind of support system that she needs in, again, a very difficult industry that she's in.”

EXCLUSIVE: Sharna Burgess Teases More Steamy Moments From Bonner Bolton: 'If You Want Abs, You Have to Vote!'

During their partnership, Burgess and Hinchcliffe had some fans hoping they’d couple up, but the 30-year-old driver is happily dating actress Becky Dalton.

Burgess recently opened up to ET about keeping her partners’ significant other from getting concerned about any funny business off the dance floor, explaining that she likes to get that person involved in the partnership in order to make everyone more comfortable.

Hinchcliffe elaborated on overcoming the awkwardness about being so close saying, “It took some getting used to for me, and then it took some getting used to for Becky, but then, all three of us could hang out.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Dancing With the Stars' Contestant James Hinchcliffe on the IndyCar Crash That Nearly Killed Him

Hinchcliffe also dished on a different trio -- Burgess, himself and Dancing pro Jenna Johnson, who filled in for Burgess when she had to sit out with a knee injury.

Glee star Heather Morris is in a similar situation this season with her partner, pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, sitting out with a calf injury and DWTS troupe member Alan Bersten stepping in. While many would think this change could hurt Morris’ chances on the show, Hinchcliffe thinks the setback could end up playing out in her favor.

“When we had to swap out, one of the things that was almost a benefit was [having] Sharna -- who's the choreographer, she's the creative mind behind this piece -- able to stand back and watch it from the outside. Where, when she's in it, she can only see so much. And you can watch back the video and watch back the tape all you want, and we do that a ton, but with the Suicide Squad piece, she was able to sit there in the corner of the room and really, really drill certain things into both Jenna and myself about what she wanted and how she wanted it to look,” he recalled to ET.

He suggested that, “In a lot of ways, [Heather] almost gets the benefit of two pros now having Maks in the room, having Alan on the floor with her. And so it could actually serve her well down the road.

Hinchcliffe also revealed that the Sunday night before that classic Suicide Squad dance number, the trio had a “four hour marathon session until eleven o’clock at night, just hammering out little points [of the dance].”

Hinchcliffe believes that Morris is in safe hands, saying “Alan's incredible. I got to work a lot with Alan. He was part of our performances a bunch of times. I think he's making a great case for being a pro on an upcoming season. He's got a great personality. He's really able to teach.”

MORE: Heather Morris Scores First 9 Of the 'DWTS' Season as Maksim Chmerkovskiy Cheers From the Sidelines

Now, let’s go back to Bolton for a moment. Burgess told ET that she hoped Hinchcliffe would drop by rehearsals and sit down for a one on one chat with the professional bull rider. It hasn’t happened yet, but Hinchcliffe told us that he’d love to share some wisdom with Burgess’ new partner and advised that mastering the performance aspect of the dance is the key to making it all the way in the competition.

“He's a cowboy, literally,” Hinchcliffe noted. “There's a certain amount of machoism that goes along with that, you know. And that might not translate a lot to dance. I get that. But being able to just release that, and almost make fun of yourself, and just laugh at yourself, it'll make you enjoy it, which will make you dance better.”

When asked if he would consider joining in if Dancing did another all-star season, Hinchcliffe was skeptical citing how “mentally draining” the experience was for him. But he admitted that if he did dance again, he would “go to try and win”.

For now, Hinch is focused on racing. Hinchcliffe is just beginning the 2017 IndyCar racing season, competing in his second race of the year at The Grand Prix of Long Beach, running April 7-9.

“I learned a lot about myself through that whole process of being on the show,” he shared of his big takeaway from Dancing. “I have this appreciation for what I'm doing, even if the day is horrible -- if the car's not running right and we're slow and awful. It's still this kind of moment of just appreciating what I get to do and [Dancing With the Stars] helped me with that a lot.”

Hinchcliffe also shared with ET his predictions for the finals of Dancing With the Stars season 24. Check out the video below for his picks and more information on his upcoming races, including the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Dancing returns on Monday, April 10 on ABC, with the always emotional ‘Most Memorable Year’ week. Be sure to tune in to Entertainment Tonight and keep an eye on both our website and Facebook page for more Dancing With the Stars scoop!

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EXCLUSIVE: James Hinchcliffe on Sharna Burgess & Bonner Bolton Romance Rumors: 'There’s Something There For Sure'

Dancing With the Stars fans rejoice! ‘Team Stop N Go’ is still going strong in the friendship department!

IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe may have traded in the dance floor for the race track, but he hasn’t lost touch with his partner Sharna Burgess. When the DWTS season 23 runner-up stopped by for a Facebook Live conversation with ET’s Lauren Zima, we couldn’t help but ask him about his former partner’s connection to her new partner, Bonner Bolton.

“There's something there for sure. You've got a very, very good looking Southern gentleman -- it's a very kind of different type but hey, whatever works, works. If he can make her happy, then…” Hinchcliffe said of Burgess and Bolton’s chemistry.

EXCLUSIVE: Sharna Burgess Comforts 'Bummed' Bonner Bolton After Disappointing 'DWTS' Week 3 Performance

“Based on what I've seen, having not met him and not seeing the interaction in person, I would say that there's some interest there for sure,” he continued, speculating whether Bolton is interested in Burgess.

When asked if Burgess might be interested as well, the race car driver teased, “Again, I haven't seen the interaction so it's tough, but I think we all saw it in the package in week 2. There was some hand holding action going on there.”

So you’re telling us there’s a chance! Thanks Hinch! In the meantime, though, Hinchcliffe is looking to help change Burgess’ single status by setting her up!

“There was one friend of mine, who will remain nameless…that at one point, tried to connect, but we weren't able to get them in the same room at the same time. I haven't totally given up on that one yet, because there might be something there, if it ever does happen,” Hinchcliffe dished.

While he would not reveal the lucky man’s identity, he did confirm that it is not fellow racers Conor Daly or Alexander Rossi that he wants to set up with the Dancing pro. When it comes to the perfect man for Sharna, he said, “She needs somebody strong. She's a very strong woman and she needs someone that can challenge her in that sense, but also push her. She's very driven; she has a lot of aspirations, a lot of dreams, and [needs] someone that can help her achieve those, be that kind of support system that she needs in, again, a very difficult industry that she's in.”

EXCLUSIVE: Sharna Burgess Teases More Steamy Moments From Bonner Bolton: 'If You Want Abs, You Have to Vote!'

During their partnership, Burgess and Hinchcliffe had some fans hoping they’d couple up, but the 30-year-old driver is happily dating actress Becky Dalton.

Burgess recently opened up to ET about keeping her partners’ significant other from getting concerned about any funny business off the dance floor, explaining that she likes to get that person involved in the partnership in order to make everyone more comfortable.

Hinchcliffe elaborated on overcoming the awkwardness about being so close saying, “It took some getting used to for me, and then it took some getting used to for Becky, but then, all three of us could hang out.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Dancing With the Stars' Contestant James Hinchcliffe on the IndyCar Crash That Nearly Killed Him

Hinchcliffe also dished on a different trio -- Burgess, himself and Dancing pro Jenna Johnson, who filled in for Burgess when she had to sit out with a knee injury.

Glee star Heather Morris is in a similar situation this season with her partner, pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, sitting out with a calf injury and DWTS troupe member Alan Bersten stepping in. While many would think this change could hurt Morris’ chances on the show, Hinchcliffe thinks the setback could end up playing out in her favor.

“When we had to swap out, one of the things that was almost a benefit was [having] Sharna -- who's the choreographer, she's the creative mind behind this piece -- able to stand back and watch it from the outside. Where, when she's in it, she can only see so much. And you can watch back the video and watch back the tape all you want, and we do that a ton, but with the Suicide Squad piece, she was able to sit there in the corner of the room and really, really drill certain things into both Jenna and myself about what she wanted and how she wanted it to look,” he recalled to ET.

He suggested that, “In a lot of ways, [Heather] almost gets the benefit of two pros now having Maks in the room, having Alan on the floor with her. And so it could actually serve her well down the road.

Hinchcliffe also revealed that the Sunday night before that classic Suicide Squad dance number, the trio had a “four hour marathon session until eleven o’clock at night, just hammering out little points [of the dance].”

Hinchcliffe believes that Morris is in safe hands, saying “Alan's incredible. I got to work a lot with Alan. He was part of our performances a bunch of times. I think he's making a great case for being a pro on an upcoming season. He's got a great personality. He's really able to teach.”

MORE: Heather Morris Scores First 9 Of the 'DWTS' Season as Maksim Chmerkovskiy Cheers From the Sidelines

Now, let’s go back to Bolton for a moment. Burgess told ET that she hoped Hinchcliffe would drop by rehearsals and sit down for a one on one chat with the professional bull rider. It hasn’t happened yet, but Hinchcliffe told us that he’d love to share some wisdom with Burgess’ new partner and advised that mastering the performance aspect of the dance is the key to making it all the way in the competition.

“He's a cowboy, literally,” Hinchcliffe noted. “There's a certain amount of machoism that goes along with that, you know. And that might not translate a lot to dance. I get that. But being able to just release that, and almost make fun of yourself, and just laugh at yourself, it'll make you enjoy it, which will make you dance better.”

When asked if he would consider joining in if Dancing did another all-star season, Hinchcliffe was skeptical citing how “mentally draining” the experience was for him. But he admitted that if he did dance again, he would “go to try and win”.

For now, Hinch is focused on racing. Hinchcliffe is just beginning the 2017 IndyCar racing season, competing in his second race of the year at The Grand Prix of Long Beach, running April 7-9.

“I learned a lot about myself through that whole process of being on the show,” he shared of his big takeaway from Dancing. “I have this appreciation for what I'm doing, even if the day is horrible -- if the car's not running right and we're slow and awful. It's still this kind of moment of just appreciating what I get to do and [Dancing With the Stars] helped me with that a lot.”

Hinchcliffe also shared with ET his predictions for the finals of Dancing With the Stars season 24. Check out the video below for his picks and more information on his upcoming races, including the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Dancing returns on Monday, April 10 on ABC, with the always emotional ‘Most Memorable Year’ week. Be sure to tune in to Entertainment Tonight and keep an eye on both our website and Facebook page for more Dancing With the Stars scoop!