#fun fact about the Mayflower group:

[malapertmarquess]

I learned some things about my ancestors today

So it's an established part of my Family Lore that we had ancestors on the Mayflower; the woman we're descended from, Constance Hopkins Snow, shares a name with my aunt who gleefully discovered the lineage, and she's been novelised by another of her descendants (I have read the book, and it's unexciting but cute). It's fun family history!

I was on Wikipedia this morning and decided to look Constance up on a whim (she emigrated with her father, stepmother, and multiple siblings; a half-brother was born at sea and named Oceanus; within seven years of the Mayflower's landing she had a husband and twelve children). Then I saw that her father Stephen has a Wiki page.

My goodness, why had no-one told me about this guy?

From what I could glean on Wikipedia, Stephen Hopkins had a pretty fascinating life:

In 1609, he left his wife and children in England and sailed for the Jamestown settlement in Virginia aboard the Sea Venture as a minster's clerk. The ship, which also carried the new Jamestown governor and a bunch of indentured settlers, was blown off-course and wrecked off Bermuda. The wreck was very newsworthy back in England - this will be important.

Many of the settlers thought that, actually, Bermuda's quite a nice place to live, and didn't want to patch up the ship and carry on the Jamestown. Hopkins encouraged this dissent, arguing that because the ship had wrecked and not delivered the settlers safely to their intended location, they were not bound to their end of the contract.

The governor disagreed, and had Hopkins convicted of mutiny. Hopkins was, however, pardoned at the eleventh hour because so many people spoke up for him. After this he wisely kept his head down and was hauled up to Jamestown.

The settlement at Jamestown was... not going well. The white colonists were not interested in adapting their practices or cooperating with the local indigenous population in any way, and were struggling to survive. Hopkins stayed for a few years, but I got the sense that he didn't muck like the way things were being done.

He returned to England when he got word of his first wife's death to care for his three children (including Constance). While there, he remarried.

When the opportunity came up to return to the Americas as part of a new settlement separate from Jamestown, Hopkins took it, and so he and his family booked themselves onto the Mayflower in 1620.

The new settlement was contracted to be part of the colony of Virginia, but the weather once again intervened and the ship landed in Massachusetts. Many of the settlers signed a compact agreeing that, as they had not actually arrived in Virginia, they could ignore their contract and arrange their own governance. Hopkins was, entirely unsurprisingly, one of the signatories.

As the settlers established themselves in their new Plymouth colony, Hopkins seems to have been instrumental in their success. He had knowledge and experience from his time in Jamestown that served the group well, particularly his desire and ability to encourage positive relations with the nearby Native American tribe.

He also set up an alehouse or some such, and was charged with a number of infractions such as allowing drinking on Sundays, playing games, and charging too much. (Unsurprising, given how many of his neighbours were Puritans!)

And, one final beautiful gem: remember how the Sea Venture wreck back in 1609 was big in the news? Well, it's widely believed that Shakespeare used the story as inspiration for his play The Tempest. And in this play, a character named Stephano attempts a mutiny on the island. It may just be that this Stephano is based on the real Stephen Hopkins, and while we'll never know for sure, I like that it's possible.

[sunnyrealist]

🎁 Happy birthday to my OC, Kate Mayflower! 🎁

🌻 Kate Camellia Mayflower was born on May 19th, 1875! 🌻

Some fun facts about Kate's birthday and how she celebrates birthdays:

I picked my late grandmother's birthday as a tribute.

Kate meets Sebastian Sallow on the night of her 24th birthday in 1899. 💛💚

Kate and her close friends (a big group, all from Hufflepuff! 🦡) always made a huge deal out of birthdays when they attended Hogwarts. After graduating, she and her friends made a pact to continue to celebrate birthdays together so that they could always stay close, even as adults. Birthdays are pretty special to Kate because she has guaranteed, regular opportunities to catch up with friends. Their birthday hangout is Diagon Alley (it's a central location for all!), always ending with drinks in the Leaky Cauldron. 🍻

Kate's favorite cake is vanilla with thick, fudgy chocolate frosting. Growing up, the Mayflower family's cook prepared it just the way she liked it, and even served homemade ice cream (Kate's favorite food) as an accompaniment. She would always receive a cake from her family each year when she was at Hogwarts, too!

Sebastian's birthday is on October 31st (Halloween). Every year, he and Kate chaperone the Hallowe'en Ball at Hogwarts (required of staff members). He always gets the final say on their couples costume since, after all, it is his birthday (some examples: Hades and Persephone, the Sun and the Moon, princess and knight, etc.). They always end the night with a homemade spice cake (it's what Sebastian's mother used to bake for the twins each year).

Character art was created by the wonderful @giselsann-opencommissions!

Does your MC or OC have any special birthday traditions? Please share in the comments!

[likeabxrdinflight]

I have a feeling essentially none of this will be touched upon directly by the show because it's getting into some pretty intense historical and uh...religious connotations, which I'm sure disney doesn't wanna deal with in anything more than metaphor, but...

phillip/belos comes from early 17th century connecticut. we know this. he was in the boiling isles by at least 1660 and appears to be somewhere between 30 and 50 at the time luz pops into his time period. it's unclear when exactly this is supposed to be, but if we just assume 1660 for simplicity's sake, that means he was probably born sometime between 1610 and 1630. if it's closer to 1670 when luz pops in, then he was born between 1620 and 1640.

either way, this means that it is most likely the case that phillip's parents were puritan colonizers from england who came during the great puritan migration of the 1630s. these were the people that first settled the massachusetts bay colony in the area that became boston, and they were by and large followers of john winthrop, a prominent puritan leader at the time. many of this group of puritans eventually broke off from the massachusetts colony over religious disagreements with winthrop- and a large group of them settled connecticut.

side bar, I don't think phillip's parents would have been part of the pilgrims at plymouth (those were the guys that everyone associates with thanksgiving who came on the mayflower in 1620 for my non-american folks). people from that group were less likely to have gone to the connecticut area in the early colonial period, most of them stayed in what became massachusetts.

so if phillip's parents were part of the original massachusetts bay colony group, either they or phillip himself (depending on his age) might have made the decision to strike out for connecticut. the first group of english colonizers who settled in connecticut came in 1633 and founded the town of windsor, which today is just north of hartford (the current capital of connecticut).

fun fact my 10th great grandfather was one of these founders of windsor which is why I know too much about this lmao

phillip and/or his parents may have also made the decision to move to connecticut in 1636, when another large group of massachusetts puritans broke off from john winthrop and followed thomas hooker to hartford. this was the largest group of puritan settlers to connecticut and they functionally founded what became the connecticut colony. I'd say it's probably more likely phillip was part of this group, either as a boy or by his own volition. I'm inclined to think that it's more likely phillip was still pretty young when all this was happening (he didn't look much older than 40 in the episode) so I feel like, most likely it was his parents making these decisions for him and his brother.

so all this to say, phillip and his brother were most likely young puritan settlers in their teens when they came to the hartford area of connecticut. we know from images of statues in luz's town, gravesfield, that the brothers would later go on to help establish that city, which suggests gravesfield is probably supposed to be in the greater hartford area. so these were whole ass colonizers. they were sons of colonizers and grew up to colonize their own town. this is important to understanding the type of mindset phillip- and later belos- embodies. the puritan colonials believed their cause righteous, ordained by god himself.

which leads us to the fact that the wittebane brothers would have been raised in the puritan faith, most likely following the teachings of thomas hooker specifically. hooker's beliefs were not terribly different from any other puritan sect, however, it's noteworthy that he was a strong believer in the concept of government answering to the people. connecticut is called "the constitution state" in part because the colony of connecticut had one of the first proto-constitution style documents as part of its initial legislature. these people still considered themselves english by and large, they ultimately answered to the king and there was no sense of anglo-american identity at this time, but the budding concept of what would later become american democracy 100 years later was first formulated by the puritans, especially the connecticut puritans. hooker was also...mildly more tolerant of other christian denominations than the massachusetts puritans.

........they still would have hated anything that isn't protestant christian though. catholics, jews, god forbid pagans......yeah no that wasn't gonna fly with a connecticut puritan. the puritans' whole thing was that they wanted to get away from the "corrupt papism" of the anglican church, seeing it as too similar to the catholic church. they wanted a society in which they could establish their own theocratic version of democracy, away from the scrutiny of the king and the church of england. in modern times, we view the separation of church as state as being meant to protect the government from religious influences. for the puritans it was the other way around- they wanted to protect their religion from government influence- in this case, the british government/crown.

ANYWAYS my point in all this is that THIS is the historical and cultural context in which phillip would have stumbled into the boiling isles with. while his sect of puritans were not the crazy witch burning puritans that would later show up in salem, there definitely would have been a heavy suspicion of anything deemed "un-christian." and a literal demon realm with magic and witches and, well...demons...would have been incredibly traumatizing to experience for someone raised to believe catholics were of the devil. phillip and his brother must have, at some point, believed they were in literal hell. though I highly doubt the show will ever go there, phillip's hatred of wild magic makes a ton of sense when you consider this perspective, that he was raised to believe that any kind of "wildness" was against god- puritans wouldn't even celebrate christmas due to believing it was a celebration of immoral debauchery, unbiblical, and pagan.

they were not entirely wrong tbh christmas was appropriated from pagan traditions

phillip's hatred of witches and wild magic is entirely logical to him. and while he may have been forced to drop some of his more extremist beliefs- a literal demon realm in which you are forced to learn magic to survive would probably have that effect- it completely follows that he would still view this world, and wild witches, as something dangerous, debased, and deeply, deeply un-christian. he's living in a land that is, to his view, completely vile in every aspect, that goes against all notion of god and morality that he would have been taught. it may have even reminded him of indigenous peoples, whom he likely would have been just as prejudiced against as all the english colonizers were, and brought out that latent sense of bigotry.

so in becoming emperor belos, he's really just acting out what he knows as a son of puritan colonizers. his rule is to some extent a theocracy (just centered around the titan instead of the christian god) because that's what puritans wanted to create in america. he calls the deadwardian era the savage ages because of prejudices he would have held towards any non-white, non-puritan person. and if the theory that his brother actually adapted more to the boiling isles and assimilated to their culture and their ways, rather than trying to conquer, control, or convert it, is true, well...it would sure explain why phillip turned away from the principles of democracy he'd have been taught as a child and leaned into authoritarianism and monarchy.

anyways phillip/belos is 100% a connecticut colony puritan and it adds a lot of depth to his character to consider the real world historical and cultural context of the puritan settlers, whether the show ever acknowledges this or not. I'd be shocked if this wasn't dana's intent in creating the character, even if she'll never be able to address any of this explicitly because disney show.

sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hooker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Colony

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Bay_Colony

https://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJanv1NUlrQ&t=1s

[palaceofpassion]

MAY I stop Time?

A fic done for a friend!  In which May lets her new semblance go to her head.  

“Okay… okay I can do this.”  

Here May rested, her body hanging above the man of her dreams, one of the many people of her dreams but still the only man.  Her eyes gazed upon his delectable form, his toned form gained through months and months of hard work.  His boyish face on the threshold of a chiseled deity.  Nearly losing herself in his gorgeous blue eyes she felt her heart thump in her chest.  Her beloved Jaune rested below her, his body glistening with the sweat of his hard labor.  

Even as she lowered herself upon his lap he made no distinct movements, no signs of noticing her attempts.  In fact he didn’t move at all, neither did the incredibly gorgeous women around him.  Taking the time to handle her nerves she gazed upon the other six figures in the room.  Her pulse raced in her veins as she stared at each of them, bare as the day they were born.  Their bodies much like Jaunes were coated in a thick layer of sweat.  And just like the man below her they made no special attention to her own depravity.  None of them moved, not a single person besides herself were even aware, conscious of her actions.  

Even as she pressed her virgin lips against the tip of his massive cock she couldn’t help but remember the day this all started.  The day that she unlocked her semblance, what felt like so long ago was only a month.  In that month she’d learned to control her powers, learned to use them to their best and make the most out of them.  And what else would she do with them but enjoy her beloveds to their fullest.  And here they all where, here they all sat around her.  

Closing her eyes she pushed down, the memories of yonder days returning to her mind as she did so.

It had been any other day, May had been at the shooting range practicing her sniping, she wouldn’t let that Ruby girl show her up!  Then out of nowhere one of the punks from Team CRDL decided it was a great idea to scare her, so they decided that they’d take a pot shot at her.  In her surprise something happened, before the dust round hit her the world came to a halt, everything slowed till the bullet stopped right in front of her.  

“Wha?!  What’s going on?!”  The normally quiet May couldn’t help but have a minor freak out when she realized the bullet that should have slammed her right in the face had stopped.  After a moment it dawned on her, this was her doing!  Excitement filled her breast as she stared at the bullet, completely forgetting about those jerks from CRDL.  In her excitement she dashed out of the room, not even paying attention to any of the other students as she passed by.  She only had a small group of people she wanted to tell, the most important people in her life.  

With speed that would drive Ruby to envy she found herself in the Library, where she knew her special friends would be.  Spotting them in the distance she made her way forward, the first coming to focus was her most beloved man.  Jaune Arc, the only person who would go out of their way to talk to a wallflower like her.  He’d gone out of his way to talk to her when no one else would at the beginning of initiation.  Being teamed with him had done nothing but cause her near case heart attacks.  She’d pretend not to stare when he’d come out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel.  She was only so strong though, weak willed as she was, she'd gaze upon his figure over and over.  And believe her when she says he’d come a long way.  She still held their first conversation dear in her heart, it was because of him that she’d been able to make such precious friends.  She wouldn’t admit it, but she’d had many an erotic dream about the young blonde… though speaking of erotic dreams she knew she wasn’t the only one.

To his right, was quite possibly the single most gorgeous woman in existence.  A beauty who made lesbians out of even straight women, Pyrrha Nikos.  The all Star Champion, the invincible girl, the untouchable unapproachable or at least that’s what May used to think.  If it hadn’t been for Jaune she may have never seen the real girl underneath, the one who was just as lonely as her, who only wanted to make friends.  They both owed a lot to Jaune, and if she was being honest, Pyrrha was probably her biggest rival for his affection.  At least she would have been if not for her also being a target of May’s pining heart.  The woman was amazing, strong, powerful, glorious, gorgeous!  But more than that she was just a girl, a sweet and loving girl that like herself was just happy spending time with her friends.  

Then there was the girl to his left, the dark skinned beauty Ciel Soleil, her own partner.  She hadn’t really known what to think of the girls when they first met.  But now they were as thick as thieves, even if Ciel rarely ever spoke.  She owed much of this to her previous two teammates, they’d taken the time to get everyone to sit and talk with one another.  She knew that if they’d been left to their own devices then neither her nor Ciel would have taken the time to become friends.  She would have surely regretted that decision.  Despite her cold nature, May knew she cared in the end, she herself was an incredibly sweet woman who May couldn’t help but feel an affinity for.

To Ciel’s own left, there was Penny Poledina, her odd but rather fun friend who had come along with her Atlas.  The two had originally planned to be partners, but because of Ciel accidentally running into May first those plans had become derailed.  Things had worked out surprisingly well as Penny would visit the four of them frequently, becoming fast friends.  May herself was surprised at how quickly Jaune had adapted to Penny’s inquisitive nature, he himself admitted to having seven sisters so he had grown to become rather patient.  She was incredibly adorable, and May couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter every time the inquisitive girl spoke to ehr.

In front of them were sitting the other three members of their little friend group.  One being the second year Velvet Scarlatina, a student who had somehow just kind of drifted into their little group.  May couldn’t even remember when she first showed up, but she was now a full part of their group.  And honestly she didn’t really mind her, though she saw the way she looked at Jaune, not that May could have blamed her.  The girl herself was quite the beauty, her adorable ears expressed a lot of her emotion, and well May would be lying if she said she HADN’T stared at that nice plump rear of hers.  

To her right was another odd one to join their friend group, Reese Chloris, she’d apparently been having issues with some of the girls from team NDGO, and Pyrrha happened to walk by.  Not one to let things like injustice go unpunished, she stepped in and absolutely humiliated them.  It was pretty obvious that Reese had originally joined by the simple virtue of her own lust and admiration towards Pyrrha.  But as time went on she became a genuine friend with the group.  May really liked her style, her mohawk was incredibly stylish, and her slim figure was one that May envied.

Then there was Weiss, the last member of their little group.  Member of team RWBY, Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, she will never let you forget that by the way.  Or at least she wouldn’t have in the past.  Weiss was honestly the most surprising member of their group, she’d been a pain in her posterior when they’d first met.  Mostly because of how Jaune had been stricken by the young Heiress.  May hadn’t been the only one bothered by this obviously, as Pyrrha despite giving Jaune the go ahead had come to dislike the attention that she had been given.  Then there was the fact that she was quite mean when it came to turning down the young Arc.  He’d only asked her out three times and yet she’d gotten terribly upset with him… she wished he’d been more forward with her or at least Pyrrha or Cie.  Though things turned around near the dance, he’d realized that it wasn’t going to happen he  apologized and even helped push that Neptune guy in the right direction.  That ended up not working out, and well they’d become friends along the way.

She wouldn’t say that she was as fond of her as she was all the other girls, but for what it was worth she was very pretty.  

Even in her excitement she didn’t yell out to them, she hated drawing attention to herself, she was quite literally a wallflower.  Her parents had named her after a mayflower in itself.  Though, as she drew closer she noticed something strange, they hadn’t moved even the slightest.  That… that wasn’t normal, not even in the slightest.  Her confusion grew as she drew closer, finally reaching them.  Then she looked around… no one was moving, not a single person!  “Wha..what?!”  Fear seized her heart as she started to panic, had she done this?!  Did she freeze everyone?!  

“Please go back, please go back!”  Closing her eyes she wished as hard as she could that this was just a dream.  

“May?”  She nearly jumped out of her large jacket, her one good eye opening wide as the other seven individuals watched her with concern and confusion.  “When did you get here?”  Jaune’s warm voice assisted in calming her nerves.  

“I… uhm… I….”  She wanted to tell them about her semblance, this was a big moment!  But… but there was a part of her, concentrating once more she felt the world fall to a halt.  “I… I did do this…”  She’d stopped time!  She wasn’t sure exactly how she’d do it, or what had brought this around.  But this was amazing!  Though… though sinister thoughts fluttered through her mind.  Mustering her courage she walked in between her friends, taking a deep breath she leaned over towards Jaune.  It was quick and small, but she pressed her lips against his offering him a small peck.  

Pulling away she felt her face burn hot, embarrassment flowed through her.  “I… I did it!”  She couldn’t believe she’d done it, she couldn’t believe that she’d managed to kiss the boy of her dreams.  Though one could hardly call it a real kiss, it would suffice for the time.  She wasn’t quite brave enough, nor did she want to abuse these powers.

Moving back to her previous position she concentrated, time fell back in.  “Uh, I… I just wanted to come by and study with you guys… if that’s okay?”

“Of course it is sweetheart.”  Her heart fluttered in her chest as Pyrrha stared at her, her gorgeous emerald orbs peering into her ugly blueish grey.  “We’d love to have you… though it is quite strange how you’d gotten here out of seemingly nowhere.”  

“Yeah dude!  Where did you even come from?”  Reese’ question nearly threw her off.

“I uhm… I just walked over, maybe you guys didn’t notice me? I am really hard to notice. ”  She didn’t mean to get down on herself, and she sort of prided herself in her unnoticeable status.  But there was a part of her that really didn’t like it.

“No… no we would have noticed you.  You’re always noticeable to us.”  All of the girls nodded along to Jaune’s words, and once more May remembered why she loved these people.  All of them, each and every last one of them.  “So what brought you over here in a hurry?”  

“I uhm I!”  In her panic time stopped again, “oh no!”  She’d need to get better control of that, still she watched everyone.  Their lips puckered in worry for her, and then… then a thought hit her.  She could do anything!  Anything at all… so she made her move.  Stepping to Weiss first she gulped, her heavy chest heaved beneath her thick jacket.  Lowering herself she cleared the hair out of her vision.  

With courage that can only be found from her new found abilities she pressed her lips against the Heiress.  Just like her namesake she had a crisp icey taste to her, one that May would very much like to try again in the future.  

Not delaying she pulled away with a small pop, running her tongue around her lips.  

Next came Reese, the exotic girl proved to be quite the opposite, her lips had an earthy taste to them, it wasn’t bad, just completely different from Weiss.  

Next came Velvet, May couldn’t help but giggle against Velvet’s lips which tasted like Carrot Cake.  “Oh Vel~”  Pulling away she couldn’t help but run her fingers through Velvet’s ears, running her nails through her thin fur.  

Penny was next, copper, it tasted a lot like copper… and silicone?  It was an odd combination!  But she didn’t hate it, it was pleasant once she grew used to it and she may have dilly dallied a bit more than she meant to.  She placed another gentle kiss against her forehead before moving onto Ciel.

She took a moment staring at her partners glossy chocolate covered skin.  Oh god she felt her nerves fail as she grew closer.  Unlike the other girls she made sure this one lasted, her lips pressed tightly against the timely strict girl and she kept them pressed for a while.  She enjoyed her flavor most of all so far, it was a cool minty flavor one that sent chills down her spine.  After reluctantly pulling away she moved over to Pyrrha.

Her heart fluttered thoroughly in her chest, like a drum beating rapidly she felt her heart about to explode.  Mustering her courage she actually grabbed Pyrrha’s head.  Puckering as much as she could she pressed her lips, spice and ginger filled ehr senses as she found herself unable to pull away from the exotically erotic woman in front of her.  Running her tongue across her cherry red lips she couldn’t help but enjoy the woman’s plump lips.  

Truly reluctantly she pulled away, her heart thumped louder and louder to the point she swore that she could hear it pumping blood in her veins.  Turning towards Jaune she just went right in, her moist lips crashed against his.  One minute, two minutes, three minutes she continued to kiss him, not even coming up for air her courage turned into a burning fire as she ran her tongue across his teeth.  Pressing on she slipped into her mouth, by this points he was basically tongue fucking him.  She lost count for how long she’d been doing so but she now knew his taste intimately!  Thick ropes of drool rippled down as she pulled away, her tongue slipping out of his mouth last.  “So goooood~”  She wanted more, needed more!  She could always feel the power going to ehr head, but she didn’t care!  For now though… she needed to keep things under control.

Pulling back she made sure to take her original spot, giving herself time to calm her beating heart she finally allowed time to return.  She’d nearly missed it, but several of the girls, and Jaune, had quickly pressed their fingers across their lips.  Velvet herself had slipped her hand across one of her rabbit ears.  Once more time stood still, and a sudden realization hit her, “They can feel it… they can’ feel everything…”  This should have scared her, should have terrified her, but it didn’t, instead it excited her, it sent powerful urges and lit a strong desire inside of her chest.  

Once more taking the time to calm herself, she let time flow again, “I… I just wanted to see you.”  Despite her meek tone she felt far more courageous than she’d ever felt.  The fire that lit in her soul wouldn’t burn away, not for a long long time.  For now though, she’d take the time to practice, to truly get used to her powers.

“Uh… well come and sit down!”  It was obvious that Jaune was trying to get over the strange sensation in his mouth, but bless him for still thinking of her.

A small smile crossed her lips as she sat down with the group, this really was the good life and she wouldn’t trade it for anything… but she wanted more… wanted more with all of them.  It was small, but she knew what she would do.

The sun hadn’t even risen by the time she’d woken the next morning, the excitement of the previous day had truly gotten to her and in her excitement she’d found sleep hard to come by.  Even Pyrrha, Ms. Wakes up before the crack of dawn, was still slumbering, “Mmm~ Jaune not in front of the others~”  

A smile slipped past her lips as she listened to their Vice Leader talk in her sleep, it was a good thing that Jaune was such a deep sleeper.  Though she’d have to talk to Pyrrha about that one day, the girl’s thirst was unquenchable, not like she could blame her.  Jaune was quite the wonderful boy, she’d had quite a few dreams about him as well.

Though… speaking of the boy, her eyes glanced over at his resting figure.  The soft silver light of the moon illuminated his lithe figure.  As her eyes trailed down from his face, to his chest she felt a knot grow in her throat.  Apparently Pyrrha hadn’t been the only one to have an erotic dream that night, with only the moon’s light casting upon him she could still make out his impressive mast standing at full attention.  

Once more she had that sickly thick feeling bundle in her chest, her breathing grew heavy.  Without thinking she slid off her bed, with light steps she made her way over to him..

Activating her semblance the world grew still. Her core grew slick as she drew closer, trickles of warm juices began to run down her inner thigh.  Before she knew it she was already by his side, her hand gingerly pressed against his thick hard member.  Even covered by his rather soft onesie she could tell just how massive it was, excitement began to boil in her core.  

As her gaze fell to his slumbering face she felt herself awash with shame.  Was she about to do this?  This was an invasion of privacy!  Jaune would never do that to her… but… but this could be her only chance… the only times he’d ever get to actually see it.  Then she looked back towards his towering member, she was so very weak.  Pushing past her hesitation she slipped her right hand up his surprisingly firm chest.  Her fingers slowly pinched upon the zipper, the zipper that held her long desired treasure.  

And without even the slightest bit of hesitation or a second thought she slid the metallic key downwards.  As she slowly pulled on the last lock to her goal a thought occurred to her, how was she moving something even when time was stopped?  How could she still hear the sound of the zipper coming down?  She’d have to investigate later, but for now, for now she had a prize to unbox.  

Her heart throbbed in her heaving breast as her goal came into sight, finally she’d pulled that darned thing all the way.  She wanted to enjoy this, wanted to really let the moment sink in.  Bit by bit, she continued.  First her gaze fell upon tufts of unsheared golden fur, “Oh!”  He was as voluminous in the lower section as he was up top.  She’d… she’d love to run her nose across it, take a moment to really enjoy his scent.  

As she continued her venture she felt her boxers wedge into her quivering pussy, she would need to change after this.  Finally she reached the very tip, and with one last pull she allowed it to spring free.  She felt as if she’d used her semblance on herself, her mind went blank as everything stood still.  There it was, in all it’s massive glory, “Could… would… would it fit?”  She couldn’t help but tremble at the sight, both in awe and fear at the mighty shaft that stood at hopefully full attention in front of her.

She couldn’t help but feel in awe of how mighty it was, but at the same time, the very thought of trying to slide it inside of her frightened her.  She would need to practice, need to get ready for when the time came.  But!  That was not why she was here, no she was here to… to… to help her leader!  Yes!  That’s why she’d come this far, he must have been in so much pain, so she as his faithful teammate, had to do her duty and help… help relieve his stress… yes… right that’s what she was doing.  This was for him, this wasn’t for her…  right.  At least that’s what she told herself.  

Once she’d taken the zipper to the very end she had decided on repositioning herself.  Laying herself between his legs, she allowed herself to really get close up and personal with hopefully her future husband’s mighty… p… penis.  She felt her face flush hot at the thought of using the word!  Still… something was odd, she’d tested it before but she could definitely taste things even with time frozen.  But apparently she was also able to smell them, her nose was assaulted by a thick strong musk, one that was mixed with the scent of spice.  That in itself had answered a question that was at the back of her mind, did he shampoo his pubic hairs?  The answer was apparently a strong yes!  

Still… it was impressive, impressive with how even after he’d spent nearly 25 minutes in the shower he still had this strong… powerful… tantalizing… invigorating odor to him!  Pressing her nose forward she pressed herself between his thick heavy sack, and his impressive… massive… gorging c...c...cock… yes that’s what this was!  She felt his flesh move against her touch, she’d almost jumped back when she realized that it hadn’t been as hard as she thought.  Instead she felt warmth, felt his touch against her face.  This… this was good… she’d been worried about how well this would turn out.  But as she took in deep strong breaths she knew it was going to be amazing.  Burying her nose against the base of his penis, she allowed herself the time to take in his scent.  She was practically marinating in it, and she loved every last second.

Her instincts took control of her actions, without realizing it she’d already brought the tip of her tongue to the slit at the head of his massive cock.  Before she could stop herself she’d already moved in to get a taste, running her pink muscle across his sensitive glands, scooping up bits of frozen precum as she dug into the tiny hole.  Once she’d finished she took the moment to savor his thick and natural flavors.  She’d read that most women hated the taste, but she found herself becoming addicted to the salty tangy flavor.  

Once she’d pulled back she took the time to admire the view in front of her.  “I can’t believe I’m doing this… it’s… it’s so wonderful.”  She wanted him, wanted to feel so very full, wanted to slide that thick hard cock between her needy pussy.  She could feel her womb tighten at the thought, begging for her to mount him and breed herself on her unsuspecting love.  

However, she still had enough self restraint, it was too early for that.  She couldn’t let herself be carried away… though… though she could help him out a little right?  He’d been there for her from the very beginning, it would only be right if she were to… were to help him get off.  Just… look how hard… and pent up he must have been.  Right, she was just being a good friend… a good… a good follower!  Yes that’s what she was doing…

WIth her final bits of self control crumbling before her she took the time to move forward.  Once more she placed her nose between his cock and balls allowing his scent to invade her nose.  She couldn’t get enough of it!  She hadn’t realized just how amazing scents could be till today, but here she was stuffing her face into her beloved man’s balls like a… a… a horny little slut… “Ahhh~”  She felt her pussy clench at the thought alone, her body shook with excitement in response.  “I… I’m a dirty… I’m a dirty little slut.”  That crumbling self control was gone, and now only her desires leaked out.  

“I want you to breed me… I want you to breed me!  Breed Pyrrha!  Breed CIel!  Breed Reese!  Breed Penny!  Breed Velvet!  Breed Weiss!  Break all the other girls!”  Her right hand moved to the base of his cock, she swore that the hot burning member throbbed at her touch, but that wasn’t possible.  Her left hand moved between her thighs, slipping between her tight boxers her fingers moved along her plump moist vulva.  Unable to control herself any longer, consumed by his thick musk, she moved her hands in tandem.

Her dainty thin fingers ran along her plump lips squeezing and grinding back and forth.  She could feel herself growing slicker and slicker.  Her nose buried deep between his massive cock and heavy balls she continued to breath in his thick scent.  Her right hand continued to run up and down his thick heavy meaty fat cock, pumping him over and over running her fingers across his thick heavy veins.  Her brain could only think of breeding, could only think of pleasuring the man before her, even if he wouldn’t feel it.  But she did anyways, placing her lips against his thick, full balls she placed several heavy and hearty kisses against them.  From time to time she dragged her tongue across his sweaty savoury orbs.  

She wanted more and more, when her tongue wasn’t enough she wrapped her lips around one of his impressive sacks.  Dragging her tongue against the precious balls of flesh she began to gently suck on them.  Her pumping grew faster and faster, while her fingers continued to explore her nether regions.  SQUELCH SQUELCH SQUELCH   Over and over she ran her thin digits through her plump pussy.  Her fingers began to explore her thin hole, finally penetrating her needy little slit.  She could feel her pussy suck and clench around her fingers, she needed something bigger!  She needed his cock in her, she needed to be bred!  She wanted him to do her, to do so to so many others!  The thought of all of the girls riding this member, while the others watched invaded her mind!  The thought of him putting those nasty girls, those nasty insulting girls that liked to put him down in their place.  For him to have them face down ass up, this MIGHTY cock plunging in and out of their holes as they begged for more, begged for him to breed them like the dirty little breeding sows that they were.  Those thoughts invaded her mind like never before.

She couldn’t believe herself, couldn’t believe how easily she felt she was being corrupted!  But it wasn’t just the breeding!  No! NO! That would imply she only wanted his cock in her!  She wanted other things, wanted to run her tongue through Pyrrha and Ciel’s pussy, to eat them out and savor their flavors.  She wanted to stretch out Weiss and Reese, bend them in positions that only their thin, gorgeous, and lithe bodies could handle.  She wanted to grind with Penny, wanted to get tribal with Velvet!  

Her inner desires burned through, she’d been a good girl!  She was allowed to have these absolutely nasty thoughts!  She wanted more and more AND MORE!  Her suction grew harder till she felt her jaw grow tired, he was so impressive!  So mighty!  Even as she continued to invade her own body, with three fingers invading her needy pussy.  She found herself gazing upon his manly mane, the tufts of blonde hair that called for her to bury her nose into.  Scooting forward she placed her face against his sternum, dragging her nose against his thick fur.  He smelled so good!  The harsh fragrance from his shampoo hit her nose at the same time as his thick heavy musk, built up from the heat of the night.  “Oh god!  I’m so bad~  I’m such a bad little girl.”

She couldn’t stop herself, her cervix opened and closed as she continued to attack her own pussy.  She couldn’t stop, there was no way she could, her juices flowed freely down her thighs, her boxers were practically drenched in her own fluids by this point.  She really couldn’t use them anymore!  It would be too embarrassing, and yet, and yet a thought occurred.  What if Jaune were to catch her like this?  What if she started time up again… oh what would he do to her?  Would he push her down, breed her?  Use her massive ugly tits like… like handles as his thick hard cocked pumped in and out of her nasty… naughty...needy… pussy?  The thought was tempting!  She wanted to do it!  But she knew she couldn’t, she just couldn’t!  She was too scared, absolutely terrified!

Still the thought was there!  The thought that was pushed back into the depths of her mind!  For now though, she felt herself hit her climax, her body shivered and convulsed, her juices oozed down her thighs, her boxers drenched and unwearable at this point.  She fell forward, her chest heaving up and down as she did her best to breath, her nose buried deep against his pelvis.  

As her post orgasm clarity hit her, her face began to burn hot, burned so damn hot.  Her eyes snapped open as she pulled away, nearly tripping as her drenched underwear clung to her body.  Embarrassment consumed her at a realization of what she’d just done.  “I… I… no!  No!  I’m sorry!”  Running towards her dresser she grabbed a clean pair of boxers, she couldn’t believe what she’d just done, what she’d just THOUGHT!  It was… it was so bad!  Burying her face into her clean underwear for a moment she did her best to sling her moist used set down her slick wet thighs.  With a wet SCHLOP her boxers hit the ground.  

She shivered at the sound, her body growing hot as her embarrassment consumed her once more.  Once she’d slipped on a fresh pair, she’d need to make sure that he was fixed as well.  As she began to zip him up once more she couldn’t help but give him one last gift.  Pressing her lips against the tip of his cock she gave him one last kiss.  Once she’d finished setting him up she made sure to hide her… her shameful piece of cloth at the very bottom of her clothing hamper.  

Gently she climbed into her sheets and closed her eyes.  Her power over the world began to vanish, and she’d been prepared to fall asleep when she heard a loud thrashing sound and… and what sounded like a powerful squirting noise!

“NNNNGH!♥!!”  Her eyes snapped open as she stared at the cause of the sound, Jaune was twitching, his upper body jolted upright.  Her eyes glanced downwards as his loud moaning filled the otherwise quiet dorm room.  SPURT SPURT SPURT SPURT!  Her face grew red hot as she realized what was happening!  All the feedback from when she'd been stroking him was finally happening.  “Ah! AH AH!”  Under the silver light of the moon she could clearly see his cock twitching and spurting out thick globs as his onesie became stained in his thick seed.  

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!”  She hadn’t meant for that to happen!  In her own lust she’d forgotten about it!  Now the boy of her affection was having quite possibly the strongest orgasm he’d ever had, and it… it was all because of her!  A sense of pride filled her chest, but was quickly replaced with shame as she saw the distraught face in front of her.  Her instincts screamed to move and comfort him!  But… but she couldn’t bring herself to move, she couldn’t let him know she was awake.  Instead she watched him, watched as he stared in panic at his own sputtering cock the obvious shame built upon his face… it did things to her... things she didn’t want to admit.

“Hah hah hah…”  His panting echoed and sunk into her ears, it was… it was doing things to her.  She could feel her core heat up once more.  “I… why… I… no….”  Despite how terrible she felt, that small tinge of pride still filled her chest.  “Why… I… no… I… they can’t see this… they… they’d hate me…  I can’t… I cant believe I had a… wet dream about all of them… why…”  She nearly flinched when he turned towards her.  “I’m sorry May… I can’t… I can’t believe I… to you…”

Had he been having a wet dream?!  Was she in it?!  Was that why he was apologizing?!  “You… I’m… I’m such a bad friend.”  Even with her eyes closed shut as they were, she could still make out the sounds of him heading to the bathroom, obviously to get changed and to clean off… off that thick… stain on his onesie… that rich… fresh…  and like that the world stopped once more.

Once more she got up, making her way around him she quickly unzipped his onesie, unable to resist the treat in front of her!  Once she’d gotten the zipper all the way down she was treated with his cum coated cock.  She remembered the previous embarrassment!  Remembering how bad she felt!  But how could she resist?!  Quickly she moved, running her tongue along his still thick hard shaft she lapped up his thick honeyed cum.  “Schow good!  You taste schow bery good!”  She couldn’t stop it, she couldn’t stop till she consumed every last bit.  And there was just so much!  So very much very much.  For what felt like forever she continued to lap away, consuming and gulping down as mucha s she could.  Tasting his flavors so directly had nearly lit her fire again, but she needed to control herself.  

Once she’d made sure to have consumed as much as she could, even going as far as to lick what she could off of his onesie she went back to bed.  Letting time return she heard him nearly fall over, “Wha?!”  He’d apparently grown weak kneed with her previous endeavors.  “Wha… what is wrong with me?”  His voice released a hushed whisper, but she could still hear it, hear the embarrassment in his voice.  It… it was so delectable.  She… she was awakening tos something new.  She wanted more… but for now she’d sleep, close her eyes and rest.

[rosey-writes]

Eliot- Violin, Marimba, Fiyero- Bagpipes, Jason- Harp, Jonathan- Oud, Sparks- Recorder, Matthias- Organ, Axel- Harpsichord, to the mod- Marimba, Hai Lin- Trumpet, sorry for such a long one, you don’t have to do them all!

mSorry I took for literal ever, I wanted to make sure they were all good, hopefully I succeeded! I’ll try to be faster next time Eliot

Bravon’s going to call me an ‘emo bitch’ for this, but- I don’t get sad all too often. Never have. Usually it comes out as me being pissed, which I personally find much more useful. Even at things that do make me sad instead of the much more useful anger, I do everything in my power to turn it into anger- to find a problem and solution and do it. I don’t believe in lying down and accepting whatever happened. You move on and you break whatever did it to you, or you die trying.

As for my ‘defining trait’? I have no fucking clue- let me go ask Bravon and Axel.

(Ten. Minutes Later)

Well Bravon said it was that I’m bottom, and Axel said it’s that I can make great hot chocolate so they’re useless. 

I guess if not those, I don’t fucking know- I guess I’m resilient? If that’s the word? I don’t like inaction, not doing anything to me is worse than self destruction. Humans weren’t meant to take being pushed down, you keep going even if it hurts you more. 

Fiyero:

How sweet of you for asking ❤️

My heritage is my lifeblood. Why wouldn’t it be? Not everyone is lucky enough o be a Deamorte, why wouldn’t I show it as much as I could~ We’ve been celebrities since Venice, what’s there not to be proud of! ❤️ 💖

As for country wise, while I admit I’m not the largest fan of my hair, I love my Irish background from my father’s side, they’re such a fiery people, how could I not? And my mother’s Roman ancestry is the reason I have the gifts I do- the bedrock of civilization and all that. And nothing in this world could compre with the marble streets of Italy.

Of course, I would love to add some more Irish to the family line, right, @liliesinwrittendreams ?

Jason:

Bagpipes? Really? You pick the most lame-ass instrument there is? Whatever- least I got a better ask than Johnny. Good luck to that creep explaining his shitty parents. 

Anyway- pride? In my heritage? I mean, gotta say, I’m white as fuck. We’re Mayflower bitches. Some of the first police officers in the state, went back since for literal ever. Pretty proud I guess, police, generals, pretty badass. But I don’t really like relating to my old man unless I have to.

Fuckin’ dick.

I drink a lot of beer? That count as ‘showing my heritage’? Fuck it, sure, love German beer. We’ll call it that.

Jonathan:

I don’t know why Jason would think I wouldn’t want to answer this, I love my family, all of them, even the...problem child, Jason grew up to be.

Well, not ‘grew up’. He was always like this. Throwing my dolls in the river and all that.

It’s a hard call, honestly, between Jason and my ma, but, I’m sure you’ve all heard enough about Jason to last a lifetime.

[”Jonathan you creepy fuck stop trying to write me ou-]

Ignore him. He got his attention seeking from father.

Besides that, I’d say my ma’s the one who taught me. She fell sick when I was younger, so I was the one who took over the farm work, especially when Jason left to move to the city with father. Seeing her so weak, helpless, the woman who gave life, who held me when I was crying as a child, protected me from my father’s rampages, would jump in front of his fist in the name of protecting her child, I learned just how important it was to protect the weak.

That’s why I know it’s my callin’ in life, protecting what can’t protect themselves. Animals, children, weaker adults. Even if my mother is no longer in this world-bless her heart- I’m still around to keep her legacy around. 

And, if I can say anything about it, I’m goin’ to make a world safe for people like her.

Sparks:

Oh, gosh, I-I, I don’t remember much of when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time inside, we were traveling all the time, s-so I didn’t get much of a chance to make friends. I had a lot of siblings, though, who were always with me, I loved a lot! I don’t keep in much contact with them anymore, my older sister, Mai, tries to call me sometimes but, u-usually it’s to try and get me to join It Works...

Oh! I remember it. It’s like a really really specific thing but...

When I was a kid, really young, I got picked on a lot. I was kinda weird, had- have- a gaptooth, didn’t really get other kids. A couple kids started messing with me, pushing me to the ground and I hurt my arm really bad on the school steps.

I guess...I just remember really clearly how I felt in that moment. Well, that, that I didn’t feel. I’d seen in every movie, seen other kids in that moment, they’d cry, they’d feel bad and...

I didn’t.

I wanted to. I tried to talk mean to myself while they did it. I repeated the names they called me, I called myself ugly and stupid and a freak, but, I couldn’t make myself sad. It was weird. I wanted to know what sad felt like, if nothing else than curiosity. 

That was when I realized why I was different, I think. I didn’t know why mom was taking me to doctors before that, I didn’t understand. I do now though. It’s been hard but, I’ve worked through it. I just needed an ù̶̟͋p̶͇͈̑d̷̦͊a̴̠̳͗̔̇t̶͇̬͆́e̷͇̜̋͑̿.

Matthias: 

LOL, thought you said Organ. Like, ya know. A dick. Is a dick an organ? BRB, gotta google that.

Well I’ll be danged.

Anywhoswhatevers. Blowy thing. Duuude, we watched the Ring, it was sick. Dad and I have horror movie Mondays, which, yeah, tehcnically god doesn’t like or whatever, but, dad says as long as we get permission from the pastor ahead of time, we’re good. 

And, when ya’ got the pastor’s nudes, anything is good by him.

It’s so funny, that movie scares the poop out of anyone, so watchin’ dad watch it was so freaking funny. Wish I had a vid. He started crying once, unplugged the phone, it was great. 10/10, would recommend. V good.

Axel: 

I got one! ;LDKFDSAKJ That is so cool!!!!

This whole thing is cool, I haven’t heard a harpsichord, what’s that? It’s like a super big piano right, with ploppy keys? I should learn to play one- it’d be so cool I could play that cool song from Rainbow Rocks with the siren peopl-

Eli says I need to get back on point because he has homework 

Oh...when I was told I was ‘weird’? It’s not super happy I guess but, I get called that a lot at school. There’s a group of girls who like making fun of me a lot, say my clothes are all raggy trash and stuff, and throw stuff at me, say I’m weird...but it’s okay! I don’t mind really, if they think I’m weird- they can think I’m weird, since it makes them feel better!

If I’m weird, it means they’re not, and not feeling weird is nice, so, it’s got to make them feel good to throw things at me right? That’s what matters? Right?

Right?

Hai Lin:

Blog. You people. Started. A blog.

I’d say I’m surprised, but honestly- this is not the dumbest thing you people’ve done. Not that it says much.

Alright, though, I’ll bite. Sue’ll be happy about it.

Honestly? I’d say I’m almost there. I’ve clawed my way from poverty to queen of the underworld, there’s not a soul who wouldn’t refuse to kneel before me...well, one who’d live to say anything about it. 

I guess, if there’s one thing I do still wish for though, is a life for my little sister. I know she doesn’t like this life, even if she knows little about it, but, I don’t want her forced into the same world I was. I want to give her a good, safe, life. 

I know sometimes she gets swept up in the romantic idea of the thief, she thinks she’s the kind to swing from masts and find a Romeo and Juliet love story, with her as the criminal and them as the good boy, but, I just can’t see her as anything other than my little bird. Maybe that’s on me, but, that’s the last milestone I have before I’m where I feel I can really rest.

Rosie! (Me)

Fun fact, when I first signed up for band, I tried to get the Marimba. I cried trying to hold two mallets because I have really sensitive skin thanks to childhood eczema. Then tried Timpani, couldn’t figure it out, freaked out, quit, and refuse to go to the half of the school where the band room is to this day. 

I know. I’m a wreck. 

My defining trait, I’d say, is probably my...for lack of a better term, ‘fuck it’ mentality. I’m the kid who, and this is true, rolls around school in Heelies with a yeet or be yeeten shirt. I was voted Most Unforgettable for Senior Superlatives. Generally, in life, I try to assume that nothing matters so I may as well have fun with whatever I’m doing :)

[filmstruck]

It’s Not a Mockumentary: Christopher Guest’s Take on the Human Condition by Jill Blake

“It's like in a Hitchcock movie, you know, where they tie you up in a rubber bag and throw you in the trunk of a car. You find people.” – Corky St. Clair

In 1984, Rob Reiner collaborated with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer on the improvised THIS IS SPINAL TAP (currently streaming on FilmStruck and written about here). This comedic take on the documentary style of filmmaking introduced characters who possess an inflated sense of purpose and talent being thrown into situations they can’t possibly handle. Their arrogance is the result of their blissful ignorance to the fact that they’re just not very talented. A little over a decade later, Christopher Guest revisited this same format, this time as director and star, with his hilarious and underrated WAITING FOR GUFFMAN (’96). 

The fictional town of Blaine, Missouri, is celebrating its sesquicentennial (that’s 150 years). As part of the many celebrations for the special occasion, the town council has asked the resident theatrical director, Corky St. Clair (Guest), to assemble a cast of local talent to tell the story and history of Blaine. St. Clair and his music director Lloyd Miller (Bob Balaban) hold auditions for their original production of “Red, White & Blaine,” with a wide range of talent from the old standbys, like Ron and Sheila Albertson (Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara), who St. Clair refers to as the “Lunts of Blaine;” to the bubbly Dairy Queen employee Libby Mae Brown (Parker Posey); to acting newcomer and town dentist, Dr. Allan Pearl (played by Eugene Levy, who also co-wrote the story with Guest). While the cast members of “Red, White & Blaine” are charming, lovely people, they’re just not very good actors and singers. But their performances are enthusiastic and earnest, and you can’t help but root for them, especially when they believe that a Broadway producer, Mr. Guffman, has accepted St. Clair’s invitation to attend their opening night. All of the sudden, the members of St. Clair’s troupe, the Blaine Community Players, truly believe they have what it takes to make it to Broadway. It’s hysterical, but also quite endearing, as we truly care about these characters. We want them to succeed, even though we know it’s absolutely impossible.

These characters are composites of average, middle-America folks. They’re people who are familiar to us. Or maybe they are us. Guest and co-writer Levy meticulously crafted a story that gently laughs at these realistic caricatures without being mean-spirited. The stars of “Red, White & Blaine” have set their sights for Hollywood and other various centers of entertainment around the country. We all know they don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of making it in the industry, but we’re all rooting for them nonetheless. WAITING FOR GUFFMAN is as charming as it is funny, and it established a core set of actors, Guest’s own “Blaine Community Players,” if you will (except vastly more talented), that Guest continues to work with in various projects to this day.

Four years after the release of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy reteamed, writing the script (and by “script,” it’s really only an outline of the story and characters, as all dialogue is improvised by the actors) for the comedy, BEST IN SHOW (’00). Starring much of the cast from GUFFMAN, including Guest and Levy, Catharine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Fred Willard and Bob Balaban, BEST IN SHOW also features the talents of John Michael Higgins, Michael McKean, Ed Begley Jr., Jane Lynch and Jennifer Coolidge, among many others. Like GUFFMAN, we are introduced to a unique group of people who all have one thing in common. But instead of acting, we’re allowed a firsthand glimpse into the bizarre world of pure breed dog show competitions. These people live and breathe everything canine. Their dogs are their children, and like most parents, they believe their dog is the greatest in the world. We’re introduced to a small group of dog owners on their journey to the prestigious Mayflower Kennel Club Show, a national dog competition. Their fanaticism is obsessive and borderline psychotic (like Meg and Hamilton Swan [Posey and Hitchcock] having an emotional meltdown over the loss of their dog Beatrice’s favorite toy, Busy Bee), but like the members of the Blaine Community Players, these are truly likable characters.

Guest and Levy wrote two more scripts along these same themes, including the delightful look at a folk music reunion featuring once-popular musical groups in A MIGHTY WIND (2003) and FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (2006), a well-deserved satirical skewering of Hollywood and its cut-throat awards season. In the spirit of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and BEST IN SHOW, both A MIGHTY WIND and FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION introduce us to strange and wonderful people, but unlike GUFFMAN, both of these films feature individuals who are incredibly talented, but underappreciated or past their prime. There’s an undercurrent of sadness in these two films, that isn’t as prevalent in Guest’s earlier work. We want these characters to succeed, like Marilyn Hack’s (O’Hara) big acting comeback and subsequent Oscar-nom buzz in FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION; or fall back in love, like singer-songwriters and former romantic partners, Mitch and Mickey (Levy and O’Hara) in A MIGHTY WIND. Of course, we all know it’s simply not meant to be.

Christopher Guest’s films are often referred to as “mockumentaries,” but over the years he’s made it clear that he doesn’t care for that term, as it implies that he is making mean-spirited fun of these characters, which couldn’t be further from the truth. These familiar characters are ordinary people who believe so strongly that they’re truly extraordinary and unique. Or perhaps they experienced a modicum of success at one point in their lives. In his films, Guest gives each of these characters their own moment to shine and allows the audience to sit-in on that moment. Maybe this gifted moment is the big break they’ve been waiting for all these years. But most likely, it’s not. They’ll continue living their lives as normal people, occasionally recalling the one time they were at the top with deep gratitude, fondness, and with a touch of wistful melancholy. Sounds a lot like real life, doesn’t it? And just like real life, Guest’s films are funny and ridiculous and heartwarming.

[feelingsgoulash]

****EDIT FOR THOSE THAT DONT SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS QUOTE****

If you think this quote is fine, if you don’t “believe” in rape culture, or if you otherwise lack reading comprehension skills, come sit down for a quick lesson in Logic & Reasoning.

This quote is a logical argument that takes the form “If A, then B”. As such, the logical equivalent can be understood as “If not B, then not A”. If we replace A/B with the conditions of the quote:

“If you act like a lady, then he will act like a gentleman” —> “If he did not act like a gentleman, you did not act like a lady”

Do you see the problem?

A woman is not responsible for the actions of a man, regardless of her behavior. Children should be taught to take responsibility for their actions. Children should also be taught to treat others with respect. But that is a separate issue, and that is not the premise of this quote.

Rape culture comes in when we look at things that are not “gentleman”-like, because following the logic of the quote, responsibility is pinned on the woman. I think we can agree that sexual assault is “not gentleman”/“not B” behavior. Recalling “If A then B” & “If not B then Not A” we get this:

“If he sexually assaults you, then you did not act like a lady”

Do you see the problem?

Suitable alternatives to this quote might include “Treat others how you would like to be treated,” “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” etc. Those are great sentiments that encourage respectful, kind behavior while not offering an argument that lends itself to victim blaming.

——————-

Welcome Back to School! For today’s lesson, we’ll be promoting rape culture and shame.

Photo taken at Gregory Lincoln Elementary School in Houston Independent School District.

Fun fact: this is a quote by Sydney Biddle Barrows, know also as Madame Mayflower, founder of an escort agency.

*****UPDATE*****

After going viral this afternoon in various Houston FB groups and Twitter, people making countless calls to the school, and news media attention and inquires, they have agreed to take this down.

Which is cool and all. But, according to an email response from the principal earlier today— pre-news coverage— this quote has been up since 2008 and they haven’t received any complaints (although other district staff has since claimed it’s only been up 5 years). For the past decade, we’ve been telling little girls at this school that they are responsible for men’s wrongdoings, and we’ve been telling little boys that there’s an excuse for them to treat women poorly. We have to do better. 😞

#HISD #GREGORYLINCOLNELEMENTARY #rapeculture #victimblaming #metoo

I will share this ALWAYS! This message showcases one of the things that is so messed up about society. Each person is responsible for their actions. I don't care how she acts...or for that matter how anyone dresses or "acts" because, it never excuses someone else from touching them without their consent!!! Young, old. Straight, gay, bi. Cisgender, transgender. Everyone is entitled to not be touched if they don't consent! This includes hugging and giving the creepy too long squeeze and "innocent compliments" in the process. Smacking or tapping on the butt. Pinching or poking. Grabbing arms, hands, hair. Touching hair. And parents, don't make your kids hug or kiss someone they don't want to. Let it be their choice. It's ok if they don't want to. We don't all like being touched. Teach them it is ok to say no.

[umbreeonic]

ummmm purple through black : ^ )

Wljvwpuwv ofc u would… smh

(Purple: 10 facts about my room)1. It’s absolutely a mess ty depression2. I have a loft bed3. I also have a chair that folds out into a bed that I’m lying in rn instead of my actual bed bc I had a sleepover like two weeks ago and I was too lazy to move my sheets to my bed from the chair4. I have a peeling wallpaper border that’s high school musical, however it’s a sticker kind of wallpaper and underneath that is a Disney princess border5. My room is pink. My brothers is also blue. Yes I am ashamed of this6. I have a four story shelf my dad made just for me7. My shutters are fucking weird idk what’s up w them or even how to explain them they’re just. Weird8. There’s like a little mini hallway for a foot and a half at my doorway bc the bathtub juts out too far9. The hatch to the bathtub plumbing is in my closet. Not fun when ur brother messes up the pipes so the plumber is in ur room for hours fixing it :)10. I have two of my great grandmas painting hanging on my wall, they’re both of roses

(Blue: 9 facts about my family)1. Paternal side is almost 100% Dutch and there’s only ~200 people in the world with our last name. It also is a weird Dutch last name because it doesn’t start with a V2. I’m descended from John Alden, the only sailor who stayed behind with the pilgrims and also the one guy to fall overboard on the Mayflower3. My biological great grandfather was a shitty husband and a shittier father but apparently his marriage after my Mimi divorced him really helped him and he managed to stabilize his life4. One of my uncles is ukranian and descended from the woman who brought Christianity to Russia5. One of my ancestors is a character in Macbeth, the dude who has “of Scotland” at the end of his name (since he was also a real person)6. My aunt was in a car crash at 17 and had a year long coma and has lived with severe rain trauma ever since, she actually has a book about it too 7. Another aunt has six kids, three biological and three adopted; she and I will fight anyone who says adopted kids aren’t real family8. My dad and his sisters and brother have a bunch of awesome stories about growing up, my favorite is about the giant tractor their dad brought home that they used as both a trampoline and a pool9. My great uncle ran for congress and only lost by 1k votes, now he’s a lawyer and also runs a buffalo farm with his son

(Green: 8 facts about appearance)1. I’m like a perfect mesh of two of my aunts, I have ones body type and the others features2. My hair is the weirdest shit it’s light blonde from my dads side but curly from my moms and thin from ??? and wiry like my dads. Idk how hair can be curly thin and wiry all at once but my head sure does it3. It’s hard to see when I don’t have a tan but I have white birthmarks right by my eyes that are kinda similar to altean markings4. Once I didn’t wear sunscreen to soak city when I went with a friend and I got bright pink sunburn and once it healed my nose has been darker than the rest of my face5. When I was like 11 this science center close to us had a ripleys believe it or not exhibit and we went and this height predictor said I’d only grow to be 5'1" but today I’m 5'4" so suck it ripleys6. My eyes are green on the outside rim and hazel on the inside rim with tiny gold flecks throughout, and the super cool thing is that it’s literally my mom’s eyes and my dads eyes superimposed together7. I’ve always had super dark eyebrows, they’re extremely dark brown despite me having white blonde then light blonde hair8. I have super thick strong nails so it’s really easy to grow them out past a centimeter and people always point them out and say “how”

(Yellow: 7 facts about my childhood)1. I was able to pronounce words fairly easily however my cousin wasn’t. I looked up to her immensely and upon hearing her say a word wrong I would then start to say it that way too2. I hated getting in trouble in school I can count all the times I got disciplined… two time outs in kindergarten, and warning card in first grade, one warning card in second grade along with losing a teacher dollar, writing lines in fourth grade, a demerit in middle school3. The first word I ever spelt on my own was “hop” but it was completely by accident, I was writing down random letters for fun and it just so happened to spell hop in one spot. My mom bought me a picture book titled “Hop, Hop, Hop!” to celebrate4. When I was little my Mimi had an australian shepherd and every day when I’d get home from school she’d waggle her butt in happiness cause she didn’t have a tail5. Every summer until a couple years ago we’d go as a family to this kiln shop and paint a little statuette, it’s up in idyllwild where we go every summer for a camp we work at6. Said camp is practically my second home holy shit like if I wanna be super nostalgic about my childhood I’m gonna have to go with the two words “Camp Dunamis”7. When my brother was a toddler his favorite thing to do was grab my hair out in clumps. We still aren’t sure if that was a factor in how thin my hair is

(Orange: 6 facts about my home town)1. It’s named cypress because the first school planted cypress trees to shield from the wind2. My house is only a couple hundred yards from the county border so when we turn the corner we’re going from Orange County to LA3. There’s the best Mexican place right across the street that we used to go to all the time and we’re still lowkey friends with the family that owns and runs it4. We live in a homeowners association aka a gated community without a gate and this is why we avoid the crime rate cypress has5. Coyote Season™ aka “take the hiking stick so you can whack them on the nose if they go for the dog”6. The military base has a Fourth of July celebration we usually attend annually

(Red: 5 facts about my best friend)1. To start I’m gonna clarify that I’m gonna do one fact for five best friends; okay my friend emma is a Disney genius she’s forgotten more about Disney than you will ever know2. My friend daisy writes her own songs and they’re divine3. My friend kaleb is super into dnd and even made chain mail Armor for it… out of soda pop tabs4. My friend hannah is absolutely enamored by pigs and last time I checked her stuffed pig collection was over 305. My friend Melanie is fluent in German because she went to continuation school for a year there after she graduated

(Pink: 4 facts about my parents)1. They were set up by a mutual friend and literally met at our churches annual choir performance2. Mom is California born and raised while my dad grew up in both Puerto Rico and Michigan3. They both work at the same school so I’m a double staff kid4. *sighs* republicans

(White: 3 facts about my personality)1. I go from nice and sweet to absolute asshole in .01 seconds2. I am a stubborn mule, hear me bray3. I kinda just absorb certain personality traits from the people I’m close to so looking at my friend group gives a pretty good picture of my personality as well

(Grey: 2 facts about my favorite things)1. Voltron is really the first fandom I’ve /been/ in been in2. Drawing is hard and painful but you improve So Much when you join a fandom it’s ridiculous

(Black: 1 fact about the person I like)1. He’s absolutely amazing and I love him and I squeal into my pillow whenever I remember that we’re together 💚

[randallvangundy]

Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel, or the Cocker, in short, is known as a beautiful companion dog breed. Their face is round with a broad, square muzzle. They also have these sweet, big, and dark eyes that just make them more adorable. But, their most significant feature is their long, silky coat that comes in a variety of colors and covers their ears, chest, legs, and even underside. It’s no wonder that this dog breed is one of the most popular in America.

Other than their beautiful appearance, the Cocker Spaniel is a sweet and merry dog. And despite being the smallest dog in the sporting group, they are great athletes with high energy. They are easy to train and will make excellent playmates to children.

If you plan to get yourself a Cocker Spaniel, be prepared for a whole lot of grooming. Their coat is undeniably the prettiest, but it will require extra grooming sessions to maintain.

Cocker Spaniel Statistics

Dog Breed GroupSporting Group Height14.5-15.5 inches (male); 13.5-14.5 inches (female) Weight25-30 pounds (male); 20-25 pounds (female) Lifespan10-14 years

Cocker Spaniel Ratings

Energy level Exercise needs Requires attention Playfulness Trainability Shedding Grooming Friendly with family Friendly with strangers Friendly with other dogs Prey Drive

Cocker Spaniel History

Cocker Spaniels came from a long line of Spaniels, one of the oldest dog breeds who’s been around since the 14th century. And since they are from the Spaniel group, they are believed to have originated from Spain.

It was believed that for centuries, spaniels have only been classified whether their land or water spaniels. It was only in the 19th century when they started specializing breeds based on their purposes. The Cocker Spaniels, in particular, were named “cocker” because they specialized in flushing woodcocks, a game bird.

By the 1800s, these Cocker Spaniels were brought to America, and hunting enthusiasts immediately got impressed with their hunting skills. However, some American breeders also saw their potential in dog shows and decided to breed smaller versions.

For years, Cocker Spaniels were considered one breed despite the differences in size. That was until English breeders formed a Club in 1936 named English Cocker Spaniel Club of America to refer to the larger breeds. They also petitioned no to breed English Cocker Spaniels to become the American type (or the smaller).

By 1940, The Canadian and English Kennel Clubs finally registered two separate breeds, the American and English Cocker Spaniels. The American version was the one that retained the name Cocker Spaniels. By 1946, The American Kennel Club followed through.

Around this time, the Cocker Spaniel breed grew into popularity. Thanks to the Cocker named Brucie, who won the Best American Bred in Show at the Westminster Dog Show. This also encouraged a lot of breeders to continue breeding Cocker Spaniels. And now, other than being skilled hunters, Cocker Spaniels make excellent family pets too.

Cocker Spaniel Temperament

The American Kennel Club describes the Cocker Spaniel as a gentle, smart, and happy dog breed. They are known for their easy-going, lively, and affectionate personality.

With their hunter background, Cocker Spaniels would require regular exercise. However, this doesn’t need to be heavy or should only take a few minutes.

They are excellent family pets, and they are very good with children. Plus, they make excellent playmates. They are also very friendly with people and other animals, so they are not good watchdogs.

About the training, Cocker Spaniels can be stubborn, and they don’t respond well to aggressiveness or harshness. It’s best to retain patience during training and approach them with a kind and cheerful smile always. Treats will also be a great way to persuade them to listen.

Early socialization would also be needed to get the appropriate attitude of a Cocker Spaniel. Allow him to meet strangers and other animals as a puppy, so you won’t have bigger problems when he grows older. At the same time, it will prevent any aggressiveness from showing.

Cocker Spaniel Care Requirements

Nutrition: Just like any other dog, Cocker Spaniels require a well-balanced diet to keep him healthy. This diet should contain protein, carbohydrates, fats, fibers, vitamins, and minerals. Don’t also forget to include only high-quality ingredients to avoid allergies that might ruin that beautiful coat. For protein, you can get this from high-quality animal meat such as salmon, turkey, chicken, beef, or lamb. Also, don’t forget to trim off excess fats. For the fats, you can derive this from the meat, fish oils, and olive oil. Just be careful not to put too much as this can be dangerous. Fruits and vegetables, rice, and oatmeal are good sources of carbohydrates. Then add some vitamin supplements as well if your vet advises so.

Grooming: Cocker Spaniels don’t shed much. However, they require regular grooming. This isn’t just any grooming, as this should be done thoroughly to maintain that beautiful, luscious, and shiny coat. Not doing this regularly and carefully will result in mats and tangles on your Cocker Spaniel’s fur. There is also some possibility of trimming sessions if the hair grows too long. Bathing should be done thoroughly also, and make sure to rinse and re-rinse them up very well to avoid possible skin irritation. Dry carefully and thoroughly too. Ears should be cleaned, and nails should be trimmed as well. If you’re not confident in doing this, you can have an expert groomer take care of everything. Just schedule a session so your Cocker Spaniel can have his bath and trim if needed. For the combing, you can do this at home by using specialized combs. Also, be careful of combing the hair from his ears.

Exercise: As a sporting breed, the Cocker Spaniel does require regular exercise. This is to avoid gaining too much weight and also to prevent other health diseases they’re prone to. You can go out for some daily 45-60 minutes walk. If you have a fenced yard, you can also have your Cocker Spaniel run around there, or do some running or tracking activities with him. You can even play fetch with him. Even if indoors, you can create ways to have him entertained and burn off some energy. Just remember, Cocker Spaniels enjoys spending time with people, so develop activities that you can do together.

Health: The average lifespan of a Cocker Spaniel is 12 years. They are generally a healthy breed, but they are prone to some serious health diseases. Some of these are progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, patellar luxation, and glaucoma. They can also be occasionally affected by elbow dysplasia, gastric torsion, and epilepsy. They can also suffer from some minor health issues such as hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, allergies, liver disease, skin irritation, and heart diseases. There are some screening tests for some of these diseases, so you might want to have your Cocker Spaniel checked on those. Also, regular check-ups would be a great way to detect some problems early.

Lifespan: The life expectancy of Cocker Spaniels is 10-14 years.

Famous Cocker Spaniels

Checkers: President Nixon’s Daughters’ Cocker Spaniel

Einstein: George Clooney’s adopted Cocker Spaniel

Sophie and Solomon: Oprah Winfrey’s Cocker Spaniels

Arthur: Elton John’s Cocker Spaniel; this dog even served as best man at his wedding

Butch: Albert Staehle’s, a famous illustrator, Cocker Spaniel; model for 25 Saturday evening post covers

Lady: The star of the Disney film “Lady and the Tramp”

Prince: Paul Sperry’s Cocker Spaniel who became his inspiration to some of his shoe fashions

Lupo: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s adopted Cocker Spaniel

Fun Facts About Cocker Spaniels

Cocker Spaniels came from Spain.

They were originally bred as hunting dogs.

They are popular with famous people such as Presidents and celebrities.

They became overly popular in the 1950s.

They were brought to the US in 1620 on the Mayflower.

Cocker Spaniels come in a variety of colors: black, liver, red, golden, and tri-color.

American Cocker Spaniels are believed to be smarter than English Cocker Spaniels.

Their average lifespan is 12 years.

They are the most scientifically studied dog in the world.

They are the smallest member of the American Kennel Club Sporting Group.

The post Cocker Spaniel appeared first on Furry Friends Gear.

Cocker Spaniel published first on https://furryfriendsgear.tumblr.com

[oselatra]

Whither the Rep

Its destiny is not in the stars, but ourselves.

The Arkansas Repertory Theatre last week produced the greatest drama in the 44-year history of the stage last week when it announced its debt was so deep it had to cancel its last play of the season and bring down the curtain indefinitely.

The news got a standing "Oh, no" from actors and audiences who knew that Little Rock — and Arkansas — had something special in its professional theater. The Rep has a reputation of great performances among theatergoers and as a great place to work among the many actors who've come to Little Rock. The idea that The Rep might close brought into sharp focus what that would cost Little Rock — fortunately, before it's gone, not after.

The drama has been building for quite some time, thanks to a dive in ticket sales and a faltering capital campaign. The course of theater never does run smooth, the Bard might say, but finding itself without the means to stage its final 2017-18 season production, "God of Carnage," which was to open in June, the theater's board of directors darkened the house.

The secured and unsecured debt — including $1.6 million in bank loans, including mortgages — is in total "north of $2 million," Brian Bush, chairman of The Rep's board, said last week. The board is trying to raise $750,000 to $1 million immediately to settle vendor debt and begin paying off the Bank of the Ozarks, which Bush said has been "cooperative and intimately involved in what's going on for at least six months." The board is also forming a group, "The Next Act," to talk about what form The Rep should take to be sustainable.

The Rep does have assets: Its theater at Main and Sixth streets and two apartment buildings for its out-of-town actors have been appraised at more than $6.5 million, Bush said. That makes it "real estate rich and cash poor," he said. Selling its real estate "is on the table," though the fact that The Rep has a place for its actors to stay has been one of the great draws for them to the Arkansas theater.

The Rep had raised $1.7 million during the quiet phase of a capital campaign the past couple of years, Bush said, but had hoped to raise $2.7 million during that phase. The total goal of $5.2 million would have retired all debt and created a cushion for the future, but with declining revenues — The Rep could only fill 47 percent its seats this season, Bush said, and campaign cash had to be spent to put on the plays.

The Rep's staff will be cut from 30 to 10 as of May 8. Producing Artistic Director John Miller-Stephany is among those losing his job. The theater education program, which breaks even, will continue through the summer.

There may be some good news: Potentially waiting in the wings is a $1.8 million grant The Rep has applied for from the Windgate Charitable Trust of Siloam Springs, which has made several multimillion-dollar gifts in the past few years to the arts, including $40 million last year to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to create an art and design district and $20.3 million to UA Little Rock and $15.5 million to UA Fort Smith for their fine arts buildings. Should The Rep receive the grant, it would have to match it.

***

"What I can tell you," actor Patrick Halley said last week, "is The Rep had a sterling reputation in New York as a wonderful and warm and incredibly artist-friendly place to work. The way I got my first audition there was a friend I knew had worked there — I begged him, 'Could you put in a good word for me?' " Since then, Halley has appeared in a number of Rep productions, including "The School for Lies" last October.

"What always set The Rep apart was, some places you would go and work in a metropolis with a ton of options as far as culture goes. The audiences at The Rep always stood out as excited and engaged and grateful and you really got a sense of the impact that your work was having in the community." Not every audience is like that, he said.

The Rep's staff of designers "are at the top of their game," Halley said, "and that's not always common. Folks like Linda Parlier [assistant to the production manager] and Alan Branson [sound design and engineer] and Mike Nichols [technical director and set designer], the costume shop — they had a world-class team."

Halley called Bob Hupp, the producing artistic director from 1999-2016, "an inspiring leader" and managing director Mike McCurdy "one of the kindest and sweetest men on the face of the earth."

Halley was in Fayetteville when the news The Rep would suspend operations got out.

"The Rep has been so good to me," Halley said. "When I got the news, it felt like someone has passed away. I was so very, very sad."

On Friday, the Friends of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre announced a Rally for the Rep to be held Tuesday, May 1, in front of the theater, with music by the Greasy Greens, and special friends of the theater, including founder Cliff Baker, the director from 1976-1998 and a guest director for the past 17 years, will attend. By Monday, 1,300 people had clicked the "Interested" button and more than 200 people had donated a total of $73,000.

"In a strange way," Halley said, "the level of outcry speaks to how special it was." As Joni Mitchell sang, you don't know what you've got till it's gone.

Candyce Hinkle has been an actress for 40 years, and has appeared in plays at The Rep and other local theaters, as well as in such nationally released movies as the Coen brothers' "True Grit."

"The Rep has been my heart, honey, and this is just devastating," Hinkle said. "You can go anywhere in Central Arkansas and see talented people tell good stories, but when you go to The Rep ... . You don't realize how supported they are by technical artists. Mike Nichols' sets, the ability to create atmosphere by sound and lights. It's such a team effort to put on the shows that they do. That is what we don't get anywhere else. It's a professional jewel in our midst."

Hinkle is convinced that there is enough support for The Rep that it can reopen and stay open. "It doesn't have to come back as the grandiose giant it had become. Even if it comes back with a different flavor, but the same dedication to technical support and quality of performances: That's what we have to save."

The school must go on, as well, Hinkle said. "How many lives has that program changed? Just to give those kids that. They are treated professionally: It's not a babysitting opportunity. It's hard work: You hold a kid to a standard, and they're going to meet it. It's strictly professional, it's not just fun — it's work to get to the fun."

***

"I took a couple of days of heartache and mourning," Cliff Baker said from his home outside Mayflower, but now he's ready for action.

Baker came to Arkansas from Missouri in the 1960s to enroll in the Arkansas Arts Center's bachelor of fine arts program, which in its short time drew national accolades and a visit from The Juilliard School at its closing to recruit some of its actors. After working in theater outside Arkansas for a while, Baker returned to visit friends "and they said, 'Let's do a play,' and I rented a storefront ... and they were all kinky plays," Baker said.

The Arkansas Philharmonic was also short-lived. Support for a new theater came from old-money folks who were thrilled to see a higher level of theater established in Little Rock. The Rep sold 300 season tickets at a fundraiser in the posh Edgehill neighborhood "and we didn't have a theater and we didn't have a season," Baker said.

The theater opened in what had been Hunter Memorial Methodist Church, across the street from MacArthur Park, and though the venue was humble, the theater staged ambitious productions, from the breakout gay-themed play "The Boys in the Band" (performed at the Arts Center before its Off-Broadway premiere) to musicals "Marat/Sade," "Threepenny Opera" and "Ain't Misbehavin."

The actors were young, the budget was a shoestring, and even if Baker rehearsed a play for two weeks, "If I knew it was going to be bad, we just didn't do it."

"In the nonprofit theater world, I don't think you ever feel like you are on your feet," Baker said. But in the 1980s, when the budget for The Rep reached $500,000 "and the actors weren't having to do everything," he decided it was time to look for a larger home. The Rep moved to its building on Main, with its larger theater and production space, in 1988. Its operating budget is $4 million.

"I think the idea of a professional theater made all the difference" to the Little Rock audience, Baker said. "And people felt like they may not always like a particular play, but they knew it was going to be well done and there would be elements they would remember — the performances or the design."

Baker doesn't believe people have lost interest in live theater. Little Rock and North Little Rock support The Weekend Theater, The Public Theatre, Celebrity Attraction productions at Robinson Center Performance Hall, the Argenta Community Theater, the Arkansas Arts Center's Children's Theatre and Murry's Dinner Playhouse. But those venues — primarily Celebrity Attractions shows in the renovated Robinson — also present competition.

Baker does think some of the excitement is missing. People can't expect a big "joyous hit" like "Sister Act," which Baker last directed at The Rep, every time they go to the theater. And a theater can't sustain itself by planning that the success of one big show will carry the others.

Now, with the "Second Act" strategizing, Baker is thinking about how to reopen The Rep in a model that would be sustainable. "That's where I'm focusing. I'm calling friends and colleagues and and asking what works, what doesn't work.

"It's an age-old dilemma for nonprofit theater. The Rep kind of overgrew and couldn't support it."

***

Ginger Pool, producing artistic director of Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke, Va., has felt The Rep's pain. So when Pool heard about The Rep's crisis, she called board member Ruth Shepherd and offered to help in any way she could.

In 2009, Mill Mountain, which had its roots in a playhouse established in 1964, found itself $860,000 in debt. Its debt wasn't related to real estate, but because for a decade it had over-produced, employed a fulltime professional staff of 23 with benefits, suffered high overhead and staged "a little bit of vanity theater, producing shows that Roanoke wasn't supporting. The quality never dropped, but when the audience is not listening to you ... ."

And so Mill Mountain ceased operations, keeping only Pool, the director of its revenue-producing education program. The fulltime staff and 16 contract employees and 12 interns were let go. It cashed in its Actors Equity Association bond.

So Pool got to work by meeting one-on-one with vendors, negotiating such things as payment plans and tax credits and "asking for forgiveness. ... It was the hardest work I've ever done, and the most rewarding." Within a year, all but $75,000 of the debt had been paid off or negotiated.

For a while, Mill Mountain's children's theater put on the only productions, on holidays. The theater realized "Roanoke hasn't given up on us yet," Pool said, when it was announced the youths would perform "Annie": The musical was a sellout before the play opened.

It took Mill Mountain four years to have a "soft reopening." A theater that once produced 14 shows on its main stage a season now produces three. The new business model, Pool said: "We have made a promise that each individual production will make money standing by itself. We are not in the frame of mind, do this giant show to pay for this riskier show. ... That's a slippery slope for theaters. ... So we look at what we're choosing, and if we have any hesitation if this show can't stand alone, we throw it out. We drill down to worst-case scenarios, really analyzing everything, before we announce [the season] to the public."

Mill Mountain still does theater that might be called art rather than entertainment, but does it in its small black box theater. It has also added Mill Mountain Music, twice-a-year concerts.

"I will say people don't donate money to pay off your debt. There are going to be angels in the community, but [their gifts are] not going to be of the magnitude that your problems are over," Pool warned.

***

Ironically, The Rep has been the anchor of development on Main Street, in what Mayor Mark Stodola calls the "Creative Corridor." Its educational program in a renovated historic building catercornered from the theater along with Ballet Arkansas's studio and a private gallery have supported the idea of a downtown arts district .

The mayor learned of The Rep's financial troubles a couple of weeks ago, he said. He said he'd approached Celebrity Attractions, which has a substantial marketing budget, about the possibility of the company's taking a Rep show on the road, and noted that the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau supports The Rep with a contribution of $50,000 a year. The city made a small contribution last fall by buying tickets for a group.

Stodola said The Rep had also broached the idea that perhaps the city could support the theater by buying the theater building and leasing it back to The Rep for a nominal sum, as is done in other cities. But Stodola said that idea was, for him, a no-go. "Other organizations that we support, they are city commissions, like the Arkansas Arts Center or the Museum of Discovery or the military museum," Stodola told the Times. If it were to become a commission, The Rep board would have had to give up its governance, Stodola said, which was something it was reluctant to do.

Board chair Bush said The Rep is open to collaborations with colleges and universities and other theaters.

***

Perhaps you are asking yourself, what sort of self-respecting city can't find the audience to keep its professional theater open? Former Producing Artistic Director Hupp, who is now artistic director at Syracuse Stage on the campus of Syracuse University in New York, said competition from the rise of local theater groups is a factor, if not the factor, for The Rep's woes.

"Celebrity Attractions has been performing [in the past], but they've never been able to bring in the tours they're bringing in now [thanks to the $70.5 million renovation of Robinson]. I mean, look at 'The Lion King,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' a tour of 'Les Mis' ['Les Miserables']."

"One of the things that's great about The Rep is the intimate relationship between the audience and the performers. So, that always played pretty well and distinguished The Rep from Celebrity Attractions. But the new model, and the amount of money the city put into the renovation of Robinson, definitely has an impact" on The Rep's ticket sales, Hupp said.

To those who are skeptical about competition's role in The Rep's trouble filling seats, Hupp insisted there is "legitimacy to the external factors."

Too, The Rep's real estate burden, which includes both debt and ongoing maintenance, is unusual, Hupp said. "The expense of owning those properties has always been a challenge for The Rep," he said.

The former director said he was saddened, but not surprised, by the news of The Rep's suspension. But he said The Rep can return.

"If there were some combination of grassroots support and either city leadership or private leadership that comes in and helps stabilize the theater, there is a path forward. There are people who feel very passionate about The Rep. You've seen the social media posts that have come out. That initial reaction of surprise and shock — if that can move beyond that initial emotional reaction to real activism, real organization, then The Rep has a great shot of sustaining itself in a reimagined form."

Here's how Hupp puts the question of what it says about a city that lets its professional theater fail this way: "I think the question people who live in Little Rock have to ask is, 'Is the situation with The Rep a canary in the coal mine?' Is this indicative of other, more challenging issues with the city?

"A thriving city should have thriving arts. And the arts organization has to be responsive and also provide leadership and vision for what the arts mean to the community. ... A healthy organization, wherever you are in the country, has to generate earned income and the city has to show its partnership in that equation through philanthropic dollars. And that's public support from the city itself and private support from those who have means and can help."

Whither the Rep

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FIFA Confederation Agrees to Support U.S.-Led World Cup Bid

The Oceania Soccer Confederation, one in every of FIFA’s six regional governing our bodies, threw its collective guide in the back of a bid with the aid of the united states, Mexico and Canada to host the 2026 Global Cup on Tuesday, putting every other powerful shoulder in the back of the attempt to carry football’s largest event again to North The us.

Whilst the Oceania frame is FIFA’s smallest confederation, its president, David Chung, is a FIFA vice chairman, and his unqualified guide is yet any other signal of the developing momentum in the direction of approval of the bid, perhaps as soon as next year — two years ahead of agenda.

In March, a month earlier than confirming they could bid on a set

, the presidents of the football federations of the USA, Mexico, and Canada requested FIFA to furnish them a unique window to prove that their bid met all the technical necessities for hosting the tournament.

If those situations are met — a perfunctory requirement, given that the stadiums, motels, and infrastructure had to host the accelerated forty eight-crew events are in place — the three federations asked that a very last vote affirm the hosting rights be taken on the FIFA congress in 2018.

Hello from Ottawa – Confederation Park TCelebrates Winterlude

Confederation Park is one of the foremost centers of Ottawa’s Winterlude Pageant, and what became extraordinary for us changed into that we had been staying proper across the street at the Lord Elgin Hotel. So all we had to do became literally pass the street and we have been right in the coronary heart of the movement.

Winterlude is Ottawa’s iciness Festival, prepared by means of the Countrywide Capital Commission. It brings together thrilling events and sports for the entire family and most of the sports are freed from the rate. Obviously, Winterlude is a huge draw for vacationers: final yr the Festival attracted about 650,000 traffic.

You would assume that Ottawa is a metropolis of bureaucrats, who maintain a stiff upper lip always. Some distance from it, as we had already seen in the course of our Friday night time day trip to Fats Tuesdays within the ByWard Marketplace, Ottawans recognize how to party and Winterlude is a 2-week lengthy excuse for anyone to get out and have fun iciness.

Winterlude is hosted at some stage in the entire town, so here is a summary of

A number of the principle Winterlude Places: Confederation Park is website hosting the Online casino du Lac-Leamy Crystal Lawn, an out of doors leisure venue that consists of the Crystal Living room, a selection of meals companies and outside sculptures.

Whilst we headed out on Saturday morning, we walked proper into the ice carving opposition in which 7 or eight ice carvers were running on frozen blocks of ice, the use of an expansion of electric and hand gear to present form to the creatures of their creativeness. Chainsaws were being used, electric grinding gear and hand chisels slowly however simply created recognizable gadgets. Teddy bears, choo-choo trains and cool animated film characters have been coming to existence proper in front of our very eyes.

Confederation Park additionally hosts the Fire and Ice Culinary

Demonstrations, and famed cooks and media personalities compete for the Winterlude Ice Chef titles. Some other Winterlude area simply minutes away is the Yankee Express Snowbowl, a stage placed properly in the front of the Government Conference Centre. This year’s lineup includes Tom Cochrane and Purple Rider, Mes Aïeux, Jully Black, Doba Caracol, Daniel Lanois and lots of more.

Book Distribution and Promotion: Why Not Every Author Agrees That Promotion Does the Trick

Conventional publishers, mainly the massive ones, have lengthy in the past evolved the exercise of both distributing and selling the ebook they’re going to submit. Regrettably, inside the whole lot more recent print-on-call for, self-publishing industry, there are authors who believe that creator offerings corporations do the equal aspect; additionally, some companies catering to self-publishing authors fail to enlighten them about the difference among distributing the ebook and promoting it.

The gist is that “distribution” in publishing refers back to the manner of making an e-book/name to be had inside the marketplace via booksellers (i.E. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and so on.). “Merchandising,” then again, makes a specialty of making the general public aware of the ebook’s presence within the marketplace and growing a call for via powerful and once in a while aggressive advertising techniques that similarly growth the ebook’s possibilities to be bought.

Despite the fact that absolutely specific, distribution and Advertising are

Regularly ideas of together both as one and the identical or components of one package deal with distribution additionally comes Promoting-which they’re no longer. The reality is, distribution and Merchandising are completely separate entities, albeit intently associated. Unluckily, a few creator services corporations take advantage of self-publishers-specifically the brand new ones who make this faulty assumption. Distribution on its personal rarely sells books.

Distribution and Merchandising are the very last leg of age book’s journey. Although neither offers aaundred% guarantee that your e-book can reach its supposed destination-the readers-both are aimed to deliver the e-book closer to its target audience.

Distribution can handiest go as far as booksellers

Merchandising, then again, takes matters further with the aid of growing the danger of your e-book to attain the hands of the readers. Whilst the purpose is for the book to sell, dispensing it isn’t sufficient. Preventing at distribution will simplest make you rely on the threat for an ability reader/buyer to take observe of your ebook and, with a bit of luck, purchase it. But While your book is unknown and sits some of the thousands-thousands and thousands of others having titles, authors, or publishers which are extra diagnosed, the hazard for your book to be noticed, a good deal less offered, may be very narrow and that is wherein Advertising performs a completely essential position.

Ebook Advertising – Is It Really worth It or Worthless?

Although ebook Advertising is a norm and believed to be an effective approach of getting your e-book recognized and boosting its sales, there are nonetheless some who consider in any other case. In a post via bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch on her weblog titled “The Commercial enterprise Rusch: Hurry Up. Wait.” she stated her reasons why and how spending time selling your ebook isn’t a time well-spent. In keeping with Rusch:

“Publicity doesn’t paintings for books. It definitely would not. All it does is get your name in front of a reader who may then glance at your ebook. Or no longer.”

And for the unbiased authors, here is what Rusch had to say:

Son’s Biography of World War II Father Serves As Microcosm of the Greatest Generation

The debt we owe as a nation to the greatest technology can’t be underestimated, and Judson Stone knows that firsthand. As the son of an International Struggle II veteran who persevered to serve his u. St . for many years after the War, Judson had an up-near-and-non-public view of the finest generation. Readers might not understand Colonel Frederic A. Stone’s name, but he without a doubt led a brilliant existence, and in this new biography of his father, Judson Stone brings to the forefront the characteristics that made his father in lots of methods an average American and in other approaches an excellent guy.

Like maximum biographies, A Closing Chapter of the greatest technology begins with some own family records

Which I found charming. The Stone own family can trace its lineage again to the Mayflower, and theirs is a story that has visible many vast moments in American records and that they have brushed elbows with lots of The USA’s greatest men, along with Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. And but, those had been also traditional center class People just working tough to make a residing and be top residents. Possibly maximum brilliant is the family’s steady religion in God, which in the end caused Judson Stone turning into a minister.

As for Colonel Frederic Stone himself, his story is considered one of developing up in NY inside the Nineteen Twenties and Nineteen Thirties, falling in love, trying to determine what to do along with his existence, and in the long run, becoming an aviator in World Battle II. Some of the most exciting moments within the ebook describe how Stone changed into a part of the campaign to fly over the hump in Asia.

After the Warfare, Colonel Stone returned home and decided to exercise remedy whilst also closing inside the Air Force and being stationed at diverse places across the united states. one in every of his best accomplishments changed into serving as a part of the medical recovery group for 3 lunar missions-Apollo 7, 9, and 10-the Last being a dress rehearsal for a touchdown a man at the moon.

Even as Judson Stone info the widespread occasions of his father’s existence

He also locations them in opposition to a bigger backdrop of the way country-wide and international events affected his family, from the Healthcare professional Wellknown’s caution towards smoking in 1964 that brought on his mother and father to surrender cigarettes, to how the Kennedy assassination took aback the country and the converting views on race in America.

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New Post has been published on Webpostingpro

New Post has been published on https://webpostingpro.com/fifa-confederation-agrees-to-support-u-s-led-world-cup-bid/

FIFA Confederation Agrees to Support U.S.-Led World Cup Bid

The Oceania Soccer Confederation, one in every of FIFA’s six regional governing our bodies, threw its collective guide in the back of a bid with the aid of the united states, Mexico and Canada to host the 2026 Global Cup on Tuesday, putting every other powerful shoulder in the back of the attempt to carry football’s largest event again to North The us.

Whilst the Oceania frame is FIFA’s smallest confederation, its president, David Chung, is a FIFA vice chairman, and his unqualified guide is yet any other signal of the developing momentum in the direction of approval of the bid, perhaps as soon as next year — two years ahead of agenda.

In March, a month earlier than confirming they could bid on a set

, the presidents of the football federations of the USA, Mexico, and Canada requested FIFA to furnish them a unique window to prove that their bid met all the technical necessities for hosting the tournament.

If those situations are met — a perfunctory requirement, given that the stadiums, motels, and infrastructure had to host the accelerated forty eight-crew events are in place — the three federations asked that a very last vote affirm the hosting rights be taken on the FIFA congress in 2018.

Hello from Ottawa – Confederation Park TCelebrates Winterlude

Confederation Park is one of the foremost centers of Ottawa’s Winterlude Pageant, and what became extraordinary for us changed into that we had been staying proper across the street at the Lord Elgin Hotel. So all we had to do became literally pass the street and we have been right in the coronary heart of the movement.

Winterlude is Ottawa’s iciness Festival, prepared by means of the Countrywide Capital Commission. It brings together thrilling events and sports for the entire family and most of the sports are freed from the rate. Obviously, Winterlude is a huge draw for vacationers: final yr the Festival attracted about 650,000 traffic.

You would assume that Ottawa is a metropolis of bureaucrats, who maintain a stiff upper lip always. Some distance from it, as we had already seen in the course of our Friday night time day trip to Fats Tuesdays within the ByWard Marketplace, Ottawans recognize how to party and Winterlude is a 2-week lengthy excuse for anyone to get out and have fun iciness.

Winterlude is hosted at some stage in the entire town, so here is a summary of

A number of the principle Winterlude Places: Confederation Park is website hosting the Online casino du Lac-Leamy Crystal Lawn, an out of doors leisure venue that consists of the Crystal Living room, a selection of meals companies and outside sculptures.

Whilst we headed out on Saturday morning, we walked proper into the ice carving opposition in which 7 or eight ice carvers were running on frozen blocks of ice, the use of an expansion of electric and hand gear to present form to the creatures of their creativeness. Chainsaws were being used, electric grinding gear and hand chisels slowly however simply created recognizable gadgets. Teddy bears, choo-choo trains and cool animated film characters have been coming to existence proper in front of our very eyes.

Confederation Park additionally hosts the Fire and Ice Culinary

Demonstrations, and famed cooks and media personalities compete for the Winterlude Ice Chef titles. Some other Winterlude area simply minutes away is the Yankee Express Snowbowl, a stage placed properly in the front of the Government Conference Centre. This year’s lineup includes Tom Cochrane and Purple Rider, Mes Aïeux, Jully Black, Doba Caracol, Daniel Lanois and lots of more.

Book Distribution and Promotion: Why Not Every Author Agrees That Promotion Does the Trick

Conventional publishers, mainly the massive ones, have lengthy in the past evolved the exercise of both distributing and selling the ebook they’re going to submit. Regrettably, inside the whole lot more recent print-on-call for, self-publishing industry, there are authors who believe that creator offerings corporations do the equal aspect; additionally, some companies catering to self-publishing authors fail to enlighten them about the difference among distributing the ebook and promoting it.

The gist is that “distribution” in publishing refers back to the manner of making an e-book/name to be had inside the marketplace via booksellers (i.E. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and so on.). “Merchandising,” then again, makes a specialty of making the general public aware of the ebook’s presence within the marketplace and growing a call for via powerful and once in a while aggressive advertising techniques that similarly growth the ebook’s possibilities to be bought.

Despite the fact that absolutely specific, distribution and Advertising are

Regularly ideas of together both as one and the identical or components of one package deal with distribution additionally comes Promoting-which they’re no longer. The reality is, distribution and Merchandising are completely separate entities, albeit intently associated. Unluckily, a few creator services corporations take advantage of self-publishers-specifically the brand new ones who make this faulty assumption. Distribution on its personal rarely sells books.

Distribution and Merchandising are the very last leg of age book’s journey. Although neither offers aaundred% guarantee that your e-book can reach its supposed destination-the readers-both are aimed to deliver the e-book closer to its target audience.

Distribution can handiest go as far as booksellers

Merchandising, then again, takes matters further with the aid of growing the danger of your e-book to attain the hands of the readers. Whilst the purpose is for the book to sell, dispensing it isn’t sufficient. Preventing at distribution will simplest make you rely on the threat for an ability reader/buyer to take observe of your ebook and, with a bit of luck, purchase it. But While your book is unknown and sits some of the thousands-thousands and thousands of others having titles, authors, or publishers which are extra diagnosed, the hazard for your book to be noticed, a good deal less offered, may be very narrow and that is wherein Advertising performs a completely essential position.

Ebook Advertising – Is It Really worth It or Worthless?

Although ebook Advertising is a norm and believed to be an effective approach of getting your e-book recognized and boosting its sales, there are nonetheless some who consider in any other case. In a post via bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch on her weblog titled “The Commercial enterprise Rusch: Hurry Up. Wait.” she stated her reasons why and how spending time selling your ebook isn’t a time well-spent. In keeping with Rusch:

“Publicity doesn’t paintings for books. It definitely would not. All it does is get your name in front of a reader who may then glance at your ebook. Or no longer.”

And for the unbiased authors, here is what Rusch had to say:

Son’s Biography of World War II Father Serves As Microcosm of the Greatest Generation

The debt we owe as a nation to the greatest technology can’t be underestimated, and Judson Stone knows that firsthand. As the son of an International Struggle II veteran who persevered to serve his u. St . for many years after the War, Judson had an up-near-and-non-public view of the finest generation. Readers might not understand Colonel Frederic A. Stone’s name, but he without a doubt led a brilliant existence, and in this new biography of his father, Judson Stone brings to the forefront the characteristics that made his father in lots of methods an average American and in other approaches an excellent guy.

Like maximum biographies, A Closing Chapter of the greatest technology begins with some own family records

Which I found charming. The Stone own family can trace its lineage again to the Mayflower, and theirs is a story that has visible many vast moments in American records and that they have brushed elbows with lots of The USA’s greatest men, along with Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. And but, those had been also traditional center class People just working tough to make a residing and be top residents. Possibly maximum brilliant is the family’s steady religion in God, which in the end caused Judson Stone turning into a minister.

As for Colonel Frederic Stone himself, his story is considered one of developing up in NY inside the Nineteen Twenties and Nineteen Thirties, falling in love, trying to determine what to do along with his existence, and in the long run, becoming an aviator in World Battle II. Some of the most exciting moments within the ebook describe how Stone changed into a part of the campaign to fly over the hump in Asia.

After the Warfare, Colonel Stone returned home and decided to exercise remedy whilst also closing inside the Air Force and being stationed at diverse places across the united states. one in every of his best accomplishments changed into serving as a part of the medical recovery group for 3 lunar missions-Apollo 7, 9, and 10-the Last being a dress rehearsal for a touchdown a man at the moon.

Even as Judson Stone info the widespread occasions of his father’s existence

He also locations them in opposition to a bigger backdrop of the way country-wide and international events affected his family, from the Healthcare professional Wellknown’s caution towards smoking in 1964 that brought on his mother and father to surrender cigarettes, to how the Kennedy assassination took aback the country and the converting views on race in America.